Isaiah 35:8 (KJV) And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. May the Lord by His mercy smoothen our way and perfect our knowledge of Him in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2023.
THEME: THE WORKS OF GRACE IV
MEMORISE:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 1:8
READ: Ezekiel 36:27 -28
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
MESSAGE
As we continue with our study of the works of grace, we will consider the baptism of the Holy Spirit today. After God has enabled you to do His will voluntarily without being forced, He will then baptise you in His Spirit. When we were younger Christians, we were told, "You must be sanctified before you begin to ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit". The Holy Ghost baptism is very dangerous, so much so that it can even destroy a person.
In those days, people gave offerings voluntarily- nobody needed to preach to you. We were willing to spend and be spent for the One who saved us; He had given us a new heart - a heart of flesh. In those days, you couldn't become a worker in the church until you were sanctified because worker willingly surrendered their time and resources to God. After you have become sanctified, God can then trust you with His Holy Spirit and power. The Holy Spirit cannot live in a heart that is stubborn, unruly and disobedient.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit comes with power (Acts 1:8) and thus, you need to be sanctified before that can happen. Beloved, the Holy Spirit is like a bomb. Nobody will give a bomb to someone who is not broken. When you join the army, they take you through a series of training programmes and by the time they are finished with you, you would almost be like a zombie. You would begin to do everything they ask of you without questions. When you become a Christian, you have joined the army of the Lord and until you are thoroughly broken, He won't give you His power. Don't mind those who pretend to be operating in the power of God while their behaviors are not portraying Christ; Simon the sorcerer could perform some magic. If you want the true power of God, you must be sanctified first. Carnality must be gone from your life, so that He can release His power to you.
When the baptism in the Holy Ghost happens, one of the primary evidence will be speaking in tongues. No one will have to tell you what to say. The day l was baptised in the Holy Spirit, it was the Lord Himself who drove my car home because l wasn't in this world; all l knew was that l had no control over my tongue. That kind of true power is available for you, provided you are sanctified. After receiving this power, you then become a witness to Him as He said in Acts 1:8.
PRAYER POINT
If you are sanctified but not yet baptised in the Holy Spirit, go ahead and ask God to baptised you now.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 47-48
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME
1 All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!
2 O seed of Israel's chosen race
now ransomed from the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all.
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all!
3 Let every tongue and every tribe
responsive to his call,
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all.
To him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all!
4 Oh, that with all the sacred throng
we at his feet may fall!
We'll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.
We'll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
(Friday, September 8, 2023)
THE WORKS OF GRACE 3
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 and sanctification of my soul.
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 the blood of Your son, Jesus, cleanse me from all unrighteousness, in Jesus' name.
4.Father, please, release upon my life the grace to abstain from fornication and adultery, in Jesus' name.
5.Father, please, count me worthy to be counted among Your favourites, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, the grace to continue to serve You, at whatever cost, please, release upon my life, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, let me be completely dead to the world and let holiness be my lifestyle, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, let nothing be able to separate me from You, nor be able to divert my attention from You, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, please, sanctify me, my entire household and every member of my local assembly, 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.
Psalms 126:1 (KJV) When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. May the Lord by His mercy visit you and your destiny, reverse whatsoever spoke captivity, nullify every evil decree targeting you, satisfy you with long life, increase the little oil in your pot, multiply the bread in your hands, uproot the enemy mocking you, favour you beyond description and strengthen your feeble knees in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2023.
THEME: THE WORKS OF GRACE lll
MEMORISE:
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:11
READ: 1 Thessalonians 4:2 -7
2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
MESSAGE
We looked at the first two works of grace over the past two days and would be discussing the third work of grace today. The third work of grace happens after we have become children of God through the blood of Jesus cleansing us of all sins. The Lord at this stage, brings closer to Himself a select group. Matthew 22:14 says: "For many are called, but few are chosen". This chosen few become what l would like to call the favorites of the Almighty God.
In the olden days, a king could have as many wives as he wanted, but there would still be one who would be his favorite. After salvation, there is always a select group of people who are just closer to God than everyone else. They are not like every else- they love God more; they serve Him more committedly. These are the ones who don't come for what they can get; they serve Him whatever the cost. We call these people the Sanctified - people who are set apart for God.
Now, these people who are sanctified are given a new heart. Ezekiel 36:26 says" A new heart also will l give you, and a new spirit will l put within you: and l will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and l will give you an heart of flesh". Many Christians never get to this level before they die and that is a pity. This is why we have so many Christians, yet, only a few are actually living holy.
The one that the Almighty God is going to set apart for Himself must be completely dead to the world. He must be put to sleep so soundly that there is nothing anybody can do that will distract his attention from God. These are the ones who will say like Paul in Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless l live; yet not l, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which l now live in the flesh l live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
In the past, one of the ways by which we identified these sanctified people is that they are difficult to annoy. They are so occupied with their Groom - the Lord Jesus Christ, that there is very little you can do to offend them. Sanctified people are those who will suffer any wrong calmly, rather than allow an unbeliever to say, "And you call yourself a child of God".
PRAYER POINT
Pray to God to sanctify you, your household and every member of your local assembly.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 44-46
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HY MN 7: I AM THINE O LORD
1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
3 O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!
4 There are depths of love that I yet may know
Ere Thee face to face I see;
There are heights of joy that I yet may reach
Ere I rest in peace with Thee.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
(Thursday, September 7, 2023)
THE WORKS OF GRACE 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 Your call and for Your salvation, upon my life.
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, cleanse me from all unrighteousness and filthiness, as You have promised, in Jesus' name.
4.Father, please, wash me clean with Your blood, in Jesus' name.
5.Father, release upon my life, the grace to walk in Your light forever, and let the blood of Jesus Christ, Your son, cleanse me from all sins, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, please, let me experience Your peace like a river and let every ground of accusations of the devil, in my life, be blotted out, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, let every yoke and burden of sin in my life be destroyed, today, forever, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, please, restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, please, give me the grace to see You in glory, 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.
Isaiah 26:9 (KJV) With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. May the Lord grant you and I the grace to desire Him and the spirit to seek Him early in Jesus mighty name.
