Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: THURSDAY  MAY 11TH, 2023.

THEME: DIVINE HELP II

MEMORISE: 

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

Isaiah 41:10 

READ: 2 Kings 5:1 -10

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.

3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.

5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

MESSAGE

The help, of God usually comes  from unexpected sources like in our Bible reading for today. You might be thinking that the help would come from a particular place and then it comes from a completely unexpected source. God can send help to you from anywhere because He owns the world and its fullness (Psalm 24:1). The Bible tells us in Exodus 17:1-6 that God brought water out of the rock, meaning that He can send help from the most unexpected sources. Don't think of how God will help you; just know that He will do it.

When l was to move into my first house at the Redemption Camp in 1985 - now known as the Open Heavens International Centre, it didn't have any doors or windows and l wanted to move in before October 1. That weekend, we had a School of Disciples meeting and l could have easily raised the needed N50 from my students, since they were more than fifty in number. To me however, that would have been begging. When God called me to ministry, He told me that He would be my source. I just told them, "I need a miracle". They all prayed for me and left. The following Sunday there was this young lady who came to my office gave me money that she had been saving so that she could travel abroad. I accepted the money, prayed for her and she left. When l opened the envelope, it was the exact amount that l needed. One Sunday, l saw this young girl again, gorgeously dressed. She explained that she had just returned from London. Her friend's parent took her abroad on holidays with them, as their daughter had refused to go without her. They paid all her expenses and gave her a shopping allowance. God used that girl to meet my need, then He used her friend's parent to meet her own need.

You don't need to calculate how God will send help to you; just tell Him what you need and trust Him. Whatsoever you may need help for right now, God will send it to you in unexpected ways, in Jesus' name.

PRAYER POINT 

Father, I don't know how You will help me, but please send help to me now, Lord. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 12-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME

1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save me from its guilt and power.

2 Not the labor of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All could never sin erase,

Thou must save, and save by grace.

3 Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress,

Helpless, look to Thee for grace:

Foul, I to the fountain fly,

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

4 While I draw this fleeting breath,

When mine eyes shall close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

Open Heaven Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS: 

(Wednesday, May 10, 2023) 

DIVINE HELP 1 

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 helper of the helpless; a very present help in the time of trouble.

2.Father, I adore You; You're the reverser of the irreversible.

3.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.

4.Father, please, send help to me, from far and near, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, give me a heart of giving; help me to be generous to You and Your Kingdom business, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, please, connect me to my divine helpers anywhere they may be in the four corners of the world, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, let every door of help shut against me be divinely re-opened, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, send help to me from expected and unexpected quarters, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, if You have to reverse time so that You can help me, just help me, in this season, 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: WEDNESDAY MAY 10TH, 2023.

THEME: DIVINE HELP 1

MEMORISE: 

My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 

Psalms 121:2

READ: 1 Kings 17:8 -16

8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

MESSAGE

Divine help refers to the intervention of God to get a man to a place he is trying to reach. The help of God is always on time; God is never late (Psalm 46:1). Just at the moment when you need help, He will be there-in the nick of time (Psalm 124:1-7).

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we read a story of a widow in a time of famine. She was going to prepare her last meal so that she and her son could eat before dying. Unknown to her, help was already on the way and that seemingly last meal was the first of many more. Your help is already on its way, in Jesus' name.

Many years ago, during our annual Convention in The Redeemed Christian Church of God, my wife came to me and said, "Darling, we need N5,000 to feed the people today". This was a lot of money in those days. Although l had no money on me then, l responded, "Good l will send for you". She left and l turned to the helper of the helpless, praying for a way to feed everyone there.

Not long after, a man was driving past and decided to stop by. He asked what we were doing and l told him we were having a convention. He said, "That is a very wonderful idea. Next year, l will be part of it". I thought, "I am talking of today; this man is talking of next year". The man then put his hand in his pocket and said, "But for now, have this". He gave me an envelope and left. I opened the envelope and found N1,000 in it. I said, "Thank you Lord; one down, four to go. Before long, the youths came to my office and at the end of their visit gave me an envelope with N2,000 in it. Within a short time, l had all the money needed for the feeding. In the nick of time, God send help to me. Your help will come today, in Jesus' name.

The interesting thing about God is that He is the Reverser of the irreversible, so even when it looks as if He is late, He can reverse time for your sake. Sarah laughed when God told her she would carry a child because she believed it was already too late for her and Abraham, but she carried a child to term and delivered safely (Genesis 21:'1-2). Even if it seems as if God is late, l decree: He will reverse time for your sake, in Jesus' name.

PRAYER POINT 

Father, even if You have to reverse time so that You can help me, just help me in this season, in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 8-11

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: IN CHRIST ALONE

1 In Christ alone my hope is found 

He is my light, my strength, my song 

This cornerstone, this solid ground 

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm 

What heights of love, what depths of peace 

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease 

My comforter, my all in all 

Here in the love of Christ I stand  

2 In Christ alone who took on flesh 

Fullness of God in helpless babe 

This gift of love and righteousness 

Scorned by the ones He came to save 

Till on that cross as Jesus died 

The wrath of God was satisfied 

For every sin on Him was laid 

Here in the death of Christ I live  

There in the ground His body lay 

3 Light of the world by darkness slain 

Then bursting forth in glorious day 

Up from the grave He rose again 

And as He stands in victory 

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me 

For I am His and He is mine 

Bought with the precious blood of Christ  

4 No guilt in life, no fear in death 

This is the power of Christ in me 

 life's first cry to final breath 

Jesus commands my destiny 

No power of hell, no scheme of man 

Can ever pluck me from His hand 

Till He returns or calls me home 

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY MAY 9TH, 2023.

THEME: HE CAN CHANGE HIS MIND

MEMORISE: 

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 

Acts 13:22 

READ: Deuteronomy 8:11 -20

11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;

13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;

14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;

16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.

MESSAGE

When God promotes you, you must never forget that your loyalty must be to Him and only Him. 1 Samuel 15:15-24 records that when Saul became king, he forgot the One who put him there. God sent him on a mission; he failed, and his reason was, "I feared the people". Don't try to lower the standard of God because you want to be popular.

Don't forget that God is sovereign; He can do and undo. He can change His mind. Each time we read 1 Samuel 2, we love to quote verse 8 and ignore verse 7 which says that the Lord makes rich and makes poor, He can take a beggar from the dunghill and promote him until he is sitting with princes. In 1 Samuel 2:30, He said to Eli, "I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me l will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed". He can promote and He can demote.

Never forget that God always has a substitute ready. You can never hold God to ransom. If He promotes you and you think that without you, He cannot do anything, He would just bring in the substitute. For over a decade, King Saul was still on the throne, but David had already being chosen and anointed king. Saul was merely carrying the title but David was the approved king. Right in the house of Eli, little Samuel was already rising - the one who would take over was already there, in waiting.

My prayer is that God will promote you, but don't forget that when He does, you must put Him first and obey Him completely. You must help others and never use your position to oppress people. Proverbs 22:22-23 says God Himself will plead the case of those who oppress others. Let your promotion birth promotion for many other people too.

Perhaps you are the one resisting God's promotion by indulging in one sin or the other. The Bible says if you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, He will lift you. Surrender all to Him and let Him begin to lift you.

PRAYER POINT 

Father, as you promote me, I promise to always do Your will, in Jesus name. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 5-7

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 8: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

1 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

Refrain:

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;

Ev'ry hour I need Thee;

Oh, bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

2 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their pow’r

When Thou art nigh. 

3 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain. 

4 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill.

Open Heaven Prayer Points

Prayer Points on Yesterday’s Open Heavens: 

(Sunday, May 7, 2023)

SHOWING OFF IN CHURCH

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 establishing Your church as a place of worship and for Your decree that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

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, let Your church not be a place of strife and unhealthy rivalry and competition to show forth our worldly affluence and wealth, in Jesus name

4.Father, let there be peace and unity in the church, in Jesus name.

5.Father, let the spirit of moderation and humility prevail in Your church, in Jesus name.

6.Father, help me to refrain from doing anything that will bring shame and reproach to Your church or holy name, in Jesus name.

7.Father, let Your fire consume every carnal and worldly thoughts and habits in my life, in Jesus name.

8.Father, let Your church be a place of praising and worshipping You, as it is originally established to be, in Jesus name.

9.Father, grant us favour and let many be added to Your church daily, as we do things in one accord and praise You, 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 HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY 8TH, MAY 2023.

THEME: WHY GOD PROMOTES

MEMORISE

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 

Mark 10:45

READ: MATHEW 20:20-28

20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

20:21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

20:23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

20:24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

MESSAGE

God never does anything without a purpose. He promotes  people primarily to fulfil His Purpose. God promotes men so that they can use their promotion to serve and bless others. A tree does not consume its own fruit; it produces fruit for others to benefit from. You don’t become fruitful just for your own self, but rather, so that you can be of service to others.

According to Exodus 2:11-15, Moses was a fugitive, he was running away from Pharaoh because he had just committed murder, but by the time we get to Exodus 7:1, God said “ See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh…..” God promoted Moses so that he could deliver the nation of Isreal. This is why, in Exodus 14:21-28, God could use Moses to clear a way through Red Sea for the whole nation. 1 Samuel 16:11-13 tells us that when God wanted to appoint a king in his family, He chose the only one that nobody considered relevant- David. By the time He had promoted David, one of the reasons for his promotion came up in the next chapter- God used him to deliver a nation from a terrorist(1 Samuel 17:1-51)

When God promoted a man, it is so that he can help others fulfil their destiny. You can help others become who God wants them to be. This is why I don’t say a word when people criticise us for planting so many churches, because a lot of people would never have discovered their purpose if they were not sent out. The purpose of God promoting you is to help others become what He planned for them. I Pray that you will remember to help others fulfil their destinies when God promotes you.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 22:30 that God sought just one man who would stand between Him and the people so that He would not destroy their nation. But found none. Maybe God is waiting to promote you. If You are willing to help others, God will find you worthy of promotion. 

KEY POINT

The heart of service will attract divine promotion.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 2 Chronicles 1-4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 30: WHEN WILL 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 Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: SUNDAY MAY 7TH, 2023.

THEME: SHOWING OFF IN CHURCH

MEMORISE: 

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 

Acts 4:32 

READ: 1 Corinthians 11:18 -22

18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.

21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

MESSAGE

On habit that seems to have crept into the Church recently, is that of showing off to other Church members. There are people who go to Church majorly to show off their new clothes or some other material possession. This is completely outside 

God's plan for the Body of Christ. God's original plan for the Church is for everyone to be united and have everything  in common. The Bible says in Acts 2:46-47:

And they, continuing daily with one accord in temple, and

breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

The reason Church is not growing as fast as it should is that ther is no singleness of heart. When people prefer to outshine one another in showing their material possessions than actually caring about each other and the gospel, the Church cannot grow. The reason we have not won the whole world to Christ is that the Church is not united.

The Holy Spirit does not move in the midst of divided people. When the Holy Spirit descend in the Upper Room, the people were in one accord (Acts 2:1). Until Ch I stains love each other and are in one accord, the Church cannot experience the move of the Holy Spirit as it should.

Many Church leaders wonder why the Holy Spirit is not moving as much as they expect, not knowing that the problem is in the divisions within the Church. Some pastors give special attention to the Richie. The Church. Apostle James said in James 2:15 that you should not give the rich preferential treatment against those that are not so rich, or else you would become a judge with evil thoughts. It doesn't matter how rich they are, they should not not be praised for showing off I. The Church, but rather, rebuked.

Believers should dress well and can own luxurious items. However, it is wrong to flaunt material possessions with the intent to oppress others. The Church must unite and cease to be a place where people compete to,outshine one another over material possessions.

REFLECTION 

When you go to Church, do you show off your material possessions? If yes, stop it henceforth.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Chronicles 27-29

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.