Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: TUESDAY MARCH 28TH, 2023.

THEME: IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD

MEMORISE: 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

John 1:1 

READ: John 1:1 -10

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

MESSAGE

The simple statement, "In the beginning was the Word..." is pregnant with many meanings. One of those meanings is that before anything that exists now ever existed, the Word was already existing. In other words, He saw the beginning of everything else since all things were made by Him (John 1:3).

The day you dedicate your new house, that is the beginning of your dwelling in that house, but the day you laid the foundation of the house was also another beginning. When the architect began to draw the plan of the house was another beginning while the day you the Landlord - conceived the idea to build a house was also another beginning all together.

Humanly speaking, the day your Father and mother met together to produce you is another beginning of the house, because if you were not born, you would not have thought of building that house. Jeremiah 1:4-5 says that before God formed you, He knew you. Thus that house of yours started in the mind of God long before you were born. God had in His plan a house that you were going to build even before you were born. Thus, no matter what it is that exists, it has its root in God. This is good news for children of God because since He was in the beginning of everything and everything was made by Him, then everything is controlled by Him - The Word. Therefore, when you simply speak the word of God into any situation, you gain control over it.

Before the mountains were brought forth, He has been God (Psalm 90:1-2). This is why Mark 11:22-24 says that if you have faith, you can speak to any mountain and it will move. For example, if the mountain of sickness wants to bring you down, you uproot it with the word of God in Isaiah 53:5 that by Jesus' stripes you are healed.  If it is the mountain of failure, then you uproot it with the word in Deuteronomy 28:13 that says you shall be the head and not the tail. If it is the mountain of poverty threatening you, then you tell it the word in 2 Corinthians 8:9 that Jesus was made poor that you may be rich. The Word will grant you all-round victory in Jesus' name.

ACTION POINT 

Search out what the word says about that mountain in your path and begin to declare it in faith.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Samuel 19-21

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 6: I AM SO GLAD THAT OUR FATHER IN HEAV'N

1 I am so glad that our Father in heav’n

Tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n;

Wonderful things in the Bible I see:

This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.

Refrain:

I am so glad that Jesus loves me,

Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me;

I am so glad that Jesus loves me,

Jesus loves even 

2 Though I forget Him and wander away,

Still He doth love me whenever I stray;

Back to His dear loving arms would I flee,

When I remember that Jesus loves me.

3 Oh, if there’s only one song I can sing,

When in His beauty I see the great King,

This shall my song in eternity be:

“Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me.”

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS: 

(Monday, March 27, 2023) 

YOUR LATTER END SHALL BE GREATER THAN YOUR BEGINNING 

Special Note.

These prayer points are not written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye,. but by one of his , disciples, of Christ, who was inspired and mandated by the Holy Spirit, effective, January 1st, 2015, to start writing these prayer points, based on the Open Heavens Daily Devotional, authored by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.

Some of the prayer points are deep spiritually and may not be understood by carnal minds.

If you want to be blessed from these prayer points, you must first, surrender Your life, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, by saying this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I come to You with a deeply repentant heart, please, forgive me all my sins. I surrender my life to you, today, and, I accept You, as my personal Lord and Saviour. Please, come into my life and save my soul from eternal destruction in hell fire. In Jesus' name, I pray.”

Prayer Points 

1.I worship and adore You, my Father, You're the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

2.Thank You, Father, for creating me in Your image and likeness; and for Your purpose and pleasure.

3.Thank You, Father, for bringing me out of the darkness of this world, into Your marvelous light in Christ Jesus.

4.Father, in anyway I have fallen short  of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me; let Your mercy prevail over judgement of sin in my life, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, give me the grace not to despise the days of humble beginning, because my latter days shall be greatly increased, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, whatever, I lay my hands upon to do in life, let me complete it, by Your grace, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, come and complete every uncompleted project, which You have started, in my life, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, empower me to make necessary sacrifices and to pay the price, that will ensure my success in life, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, let my latter days and end be greater and more glorious than my beginning, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), forever, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, bless Your son that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus' name.

12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus' name.

13.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

14.In Jesus' name I pray.

(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

15.Thank You Father for answered prayers.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

#GodBlessOurNation

These prayers have no expiry dates! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus' name.

Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye's, books ministry.

Note:

You may not add, subtract or rearrange these prayer points. The Holy Spirit is the author, though He used someone, who, out of humility has refused to take glory for it, by not putting his name. It is plagiarism to use, or pass as your own, someone's else writing or work. The original author of these prayer points is the Holy Spirit. So, share, but don't share His glory with Him in the process. Remain blessed, as you obey, in Jesus' name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: MONDAY MARCH 27TH, 2023.

THEME: YOUR LATTER END SHALL BE GREATER THAN YOUR BEGINNING

MEMORISE: 

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 

Ecclesiastes 7:8

READ: Zechariah 4:8 -10

8 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Job 8:7 

7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

MESSAGE

In order of importance, your latter end is far more important than your beginning. It does not really matter how you started out; what matters is how you end up.

How you end up is not a function of wishful thinking but a product of the decisions and actions that you take today. There are steps you must take and sacrifices you must make if you want to become great. Believe me honestly, if you only wish and pray that things would turn around and don't do what you ought to, nothing will change. Solomon, in 2 Chronicles 1:6-15, gave an offering nobody had ever given and got a blessing nobody had ever gotten. It is very clear that if you are willing to pay the price, if you are willing to change your story for the better, your end will be far greater than your beginning.

Genesis 32:3-7 records that Esau got remnant of the blessing, yet, by the time he was meeting Jacob again, he came with 400 bodyguards. By the time you get to Genesis 33:4-9, after both brothers had embraced each other, Esau turned to Jacob and said he bdidn't need the latter' gifts because he had enough. Clearly, Esau hard gained dominion and broken his brother's yoke on his neck as his father had said in Genesis 27:40.

The Lay Reader is the lowest rank in the hierarchy of the Anglican Church, and this was my father's role in the Church many years ago. Today, by the special grace of God, l, the son of a Lay Reader, now work side by side with the leader of the Anglican Communion - the Archbishop of Canterbury - to re-evangelize Britain. Such a promotion could only have been ordered by God.

Beloved, draw close to God and be diligent so that your end can be far greater than your beginning. I prophesy into your life, "Your latter days shall be greater than your beginning in Jesus' name.

KEY POINT

What you are doing now will determine if you will end up greater than you started out.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Samuel 17-18

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 20: STAND UP,STAND UP FOR JESUS

1 Stand up, stand up for Jesus

ye soldiers of the cross;

lift high his royal banner,

it must not suffer loss.

From vict'ry unto vict'ry

his army he shall lead

till ev'ry foe is vanquished

and Christ is Lord indeed.

2 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

the trumpet call obey;

forth to the mighty conflict

in this his glorious day.

Ye that are men now serve him

against unnumbered foes;

let courage rise with danger

and strength to strength oppose.

3 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

stand in his strength alone;

the arm of flesh will fail you,

ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the gospel armor,

each piece put on with prayer;

where duty calls or danger,

be never wanting there.

4 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

the strife will not be long;

this day the noise of battle,

the next, the victor's song.

To him that overcometh

a crown of life shall be;

he with the King of glory

shall reign eternally

Open Heavens Prayer Points

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: 

(Sunday, March 26, 2023)

When God Allows Mountains 2

Special Note.

These prayer points are not written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye,. but by one of his , disciples, of Christ, who was inspired and mandated by the Holy Spirit, effective, January 1st, 2015, to start writing these prayer points, based on the Open Heavens Daily Devotional, authored by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.

Some of the prayer points are deep spiritually and may not be understood by carnal minds.

If you want to be blessed from these prayer points, you must first, surrender Your life, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, by saying this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I come to You with a deeply repentant heart, please, forgive me all my sins. I surrender my life to you, today, and, I accept You, as my personal Lord and Saviour. Please, come into my life and save my soul from eternal destruction in hell fire. In Jesus name, I pray.”

Prayer Points

1.Thank You, Father, for the salvation of my soul and for the grace and the power to do all things, through Christ that strengthens me.

2.Father, in anyway I have fallen short  of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me; let Your mercy prevail over judgement of sin in my life, in Jesus name.

3.Father, please, fill me to the brim with Your Holy Spirit, and let every work of the flesh, be completely subdued in my life, in Jesus name.

4.Father, please, prepare me, a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true, and, with thanksgiving, let me be a living, sanctuary for You, in Jesus name.

5.Father, let my light so shine before men, that they may see my good works, and glorify You, my Father who is in heaven, in Jesus name

6.Father, please, use the mountain before me as an opportunity to showcase Your glory upon my life to the whole world, in Jesus’ name.

7.Father, anoint me specially to solve problems, that will make multitudes to glorify and come to You, in Jesus name.

8.Father, please, take me from obscurity to limelight, through Your grace and anointing, in Jesus name.

9.Father, please, take me from the backside of the desert to the palace, in Jesus name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), forever, in Jesus name.

11.Father, bless Your son that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus name.

12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus name.

13.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

14.In Jesus name I pray.

(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

15.Thank You Father for answered prayers.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

#GodBlessOurNation

These prayers have no expiry dates! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus name.

Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye's, books ministry.

Note:

You may not add, subtract or rearrange these prayer points. The Holy Spirit is the author, though He used someone, who, out of humility has refused to take glory for it, by not putting his name. It is plagiarism to use, or pass as your own, someone's else writing or work. The original author of these prayer points is the Holy Spirit. So, share, but don't share His glory with Him in the process. Remain blessed, as you obey, in Jesus name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: SUNDAY MARCH 26TH, 2023.

THEME: WHEN GOD ALLOWS MOUNTAINS II

MEMORISE: 

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. 

Isaiah 62:2 

READ: Genesis 41:8 -41

8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:

10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker:

11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.

13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.

16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:

20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good

23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;

31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.

34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:

40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

MESSAGE

Many a time when God allows a mountain to stand in your way, it is because He wants to showcase you to the world. He uses your victory over mountain to show the world His investments in your life. In 1 Samuel 17:1-51, when Goliath was marching up and down, terrorising the nation of Israel, God was advertising the mountain so that everyone would see how big it was. At the time Goliath was boasting, nobody knew David yet. Nobody knew that anointing had already come on a little boy from an ordinary home; nobody knew that there was a teenage boy who had killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands. God was about to present him to the whole world. Thank God David did not run away from his mountain that day because by the time he was standing on Goliath's dead body, lifting his severed head, everybody knew he was someone special.

I pray God will use the mountain before you as an opportunity to showcase His glory upon your life to the whole world in Jesus' name.

Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven". God derives glory when His children shine their lights and displace darkness brought about by mountains. When there is a problem in your office, it may be the opportunity God has designed to showcase you in that office or industry. When there is crisis in your family, that could be God's arrangement to show everyone in the family that He has an anointed child in their midst and to draw them to Himself. Don't shy away from the problem, face it and solve it.

From our Bible reading today, we saw Joseph was already interpreting dreams as a prisoner before he got the opportunity to interpret the king's dream, which led to God showcasing him to the whole world.

You must diligently and consistently develop yourself so that the day God decides to showcase you to the world; you will be prepared and equipped to overcome the mountain by His grace.

REFLECTION 

What are you doing to develop and prepare yourself for the day God decides to showcase you to the world?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Samuel 15-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD 

1 When we walk with the Lord 

in the light of his word, 

what a glory he sheds on our way! 

While we do his good will, 

he abides with us still, 

and with all who will trust and obey. 

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there's no other way 

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 

2 Not a burden we bear, 

not a sorrow we share, 

but our toil he doth richly repay; 

not a grief or a loss, 

not a frown or a cross, 

but is blest if we trust and obey.

3 But we never can prove the delights of his love 

until all on the altar we lay; 

for the favor he shows, 

for the joy he bestows, 

are for them who will trust and obey.

4 Then in fellowship sweet 

we will sit at his feet, 

or we'll walk by his side in the way; 

what he says we will do, 

where he sends we will go; 

never fear, only trust and obey.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS: 

(Saturday, March 25, 2023) 

WHEN GOD ALLOWS MOUNTAINS 

Special Note.

These prayer points are not written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye,. but by one of his , disciples, of Christ, who was inspired and mandated by the Holy Spirit, effective, January 1st, 2015, to start writing these prayer points, based on the Open Heavens Daily Devotional, authored by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.

Some of the prayer points are deep spiritually and may not be understood by carnal minds.

If you want to be blessed from these prayer points, you must first, surrender Your life, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, by saying this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I come to You with a deeply repentant heart, please, forgive me all my sins. I surrender my life to you, today, and, I accept You, as my personal Lord and Saviour. Please, come into my life and save my soul from eternal destruction in hell fire. In Jesus' name, I pray.”

Prayer Points 

1. I worship and adore You, my Father, the Author and Finisher of my faith.

2.Thank You, Father, for where You started with me, for where I am and for where You are taking me.

3.Thank You, Father, for all the battles, seen and unseen, that You have fought and won, on my behalf.

4.Father, in anyway I have fallen short  of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me; let Your mercy prevail over judgement of sin in my life, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, strengthen me not to fail in the day of adversity, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, release upon my life the grace never to deny You, no matter the situation, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, don't place upon me any burden that my capacity cannot bear, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, when temptation comes my way,  please, always make a way of escape for me, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, give me abundant grace to overcome every mountain, that comes my way, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), forever, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, bless Your son that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus' name.

12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus' name.

13.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

14.In Jesus' name I pray.

(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

15.Thank You Father for answered prayers.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

#GodBlessOurNation

These prayers have no expiry dates! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus' name.

Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye's, books ministry.

Note:

You may not add, subtract or rearrange these prayer points. The Holy Spirit is the author, though He used someone, who, out of humility has refused to take glory for it, by not putting his name. It is plagiarism to use, or pass as your own, someone's else writing or work. The original author of these prayer points is the Holy Spirit. So, share, but don't share His glory with Him in the process. Remain blessed, as you obey, in Jesus' name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: SATURDAY MARCH 25TH, 2023.

THEME: WHEN GOD ALLOWS MOUNTAINS l

MEMORISE: 

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 

Proverbs 24:10 

READ: Daniel 3:1 -30

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

MESSAGE

While it is true that God can solve all problems, when you go closer to Him, you would realise that once in a while, He allows some mountains (problems) to stand in your way. The good thing however, is that if He allows the mountain to stand in your way, it is because He knows you can climb it. For example, in Job's case, God only allowed what He knew Job could overcome. 1 Corinthians 19:13 says that God will not permit us to be tempted beyond our capacity and He would always provide a way of escape as well.

Sometimes, God allows mountains in the life of His children because he or she is about to be promoted. Before every promotion, there is always an exam that the fellow who is to be promoted must pass. No teacher will give Advanced-level-questions to primary school students in exam. God will not let you face a trial you cannot overcome.

In Daniel 3, after all the horrors of going into the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were promoted. Job 42:12-16 tells us that at the end of Job's test, his latter end was far superior to his beginning.

When God allows mountains to stand in the path of His children, He also gives them the required measure of grace to deal with those mountains. The unfortunate thing is that many times, people refuse to use that grace and they just let the temptation take over their lives. There is always a way of escape, no matter how small; you just have to hold on to it so that you can overcome. This is where you need the fruit of the Spirit called "Longsuffering". Don't look for alternatives to God simply because you are facing a mountain. Don't commit sin in a bid to get rid of that mountain because sin will only bring a bigger mountain your way..

Hold on to God like Job did. Don't deny Him when you are going through a hard time; Don't faint in the day of adversity; stand strong, His grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9).

PRAYER POINT

Father, please help me never to deny You, no matter what comes my way.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 13-14

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 2: AMAZING GRACE

1 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch; like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

2 ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed!

3 The Lord hath promised good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures.

4 When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we first begun.