Psalms 35:26 (KJV) Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. May the Lord by His mercy take over every battle the evil ones are planning against you in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2023.
TOPIC: PUT GOD FIRST ALWAYS
MEMORISE:
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.
Proverbs 3:9
READ:
1 KINGS 17:7-16
7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
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:
One of the things I have discovered about God in my little walk with Him is that He wants to be your priority at all times. He said in Matthew 6:33 that you should seek His kingdom and righteousness first. In Psalm 10:4, the Bible describes those who do not seek God and have Him in their thoughts as proud. In Deuteronomy 26:2, God said that your very first harvest should be given to Him. He wants to be your number one or nothing at all to you. In fact, one of His names is 'Jealous' (Exodus 34:14).
Now, when God sees that you always put Him first and you have honoured Him, then He will begin to work out a befitting reward for you. In Proverbs 3:9-10, the Bible says: "Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: "So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine". In our Bible reading for today, Elijah told the widow of Zarephath to prepare his meal first before making that of herself and her son. Some other women would have said, "Prophet, did you not hear that there is only one meal left? If I prepare that one for you, there will be nothing left to prepare for me and my son". Instead of saying that, she honoured God in the life of the Prophet in that difficult situation and in return, she never lacked food again. While the entire nation was starving, she had food in abundance. That is what happens when you put God first.
I was in Ilesha, holding a crusade many years ago when my Professor took my PhD thesis to the external examiner. Normally they post it, but he bought a ticket and took it. If you ask all those who got their PhDs back then, they will tell you that it usually takes months for external examiners to invite PhD candidates for an oral examination. While I was busy in Ilesha doing the will of God, my Professor took my thesis to the external examiner and said, "I am not going back until you read this". After the external examiner read it, he said "Go and give the boy his PhD". If you do the will of God first, He will take care of all your needs. When you honour Him and put Him first in all you do, what you will get in return will be a multiplication of what you sacrificed for Him.
KEY POINT:
Always put God first.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
ZEPHANIAH 1-3
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 23
TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE
1. Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for thee,
Swift and beautiful for thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from thee,
Filled with messages from thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every power as thou shalt choose,
Every power as thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
It shall be thy royal throne,
It shall be thy royal throne.
6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Mark 10:48 (KJV) And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. May the mercy of the LORD speak for you, eliminate whatever reproach wickedness associated with you, turn around your destiny, reverse the irreversible that plagued you, frustrate pretenders on your path in destiny, clean you up, light up your path, give you a new beginning and direction in life in Jesus Christ mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2023.
THEME: CLAIM HIS PEACE
MEMORISE:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27
READ: Isaiah 66:12 -14
12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
MESSAGE
Since your Daddy is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), you must start behaving like a child of the Prince of Peace. In our Bible reading today, He promised you more peace like a river. If you have been finding it difficult to sleep, remember Psalm 127:2, where He said He gives His beloved sleep.
When I became General Overseer, we had 39 parishes but there were so many problems. I was always so worried about the work of God and though l was just 40 years old, my hair had started to turn grey, l asked God, "Lord, why?" and He said, "You are carrying a burden that is not yours. You cannot share My glory. If you cannot share My glory, you cannot share My burden; let me carry My burden". Right there and then, l stopped worrying, and my hair gradually turned black again.
If the devil has seized your peace, you need to claim it back. James 4:7 says you should resist the devil and he will flee from you. At times you need to fight to get that peace. Initially, when you start resisting the devil, he will act as if he wants to fight, but when he realizes that you are not going to back down, he will flee.
When l was young, l was very small in stature and there was a bully in my primary school. He knew l couldn't defeat him in fight, so he always tormented me. He tortured me at every opportunity. One day, something moved inside of me. I just decided, "l'm going to fight this boy. I know l can't beat him because he is too big but we will fight until he kills me, and then the government will kill him, so that it will be a draw". The next time he came to torment me, l said, "Don't touch me". Shocked, he said, "You spoke?" and hit me. I hit him too and He knocked me down. I got up and hit him again. He knocked me down several times but l kept getting up. After a while, he must have thought, "This boy wants to die", so he ran away and l chased after him. The bully was now running from me because l refused to back down. From that day on, l had peace. Your Saviour is the Prince of Peace and He has already given you His peace (John 14:27). Claim it today and it shall be yours in Jesus' name.
KEY POINT
Sometimes you have to fight for your peace. Resist the devil in prayers and he will leave you alone.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Habakkuk 1-3
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
Hymn 29: WHEN PEACE LIKE A RIVER ATTENDETH MY WAY
1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."
Refrain (may be sung after final stanza only):
It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.
2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul. Refrain
3 My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! Refrain
4 O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the scroll be rolled back as a scroll
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
even so, it is well with my soul.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
Sunday, September 24, 2023
WHAT YOU SAY MATTERS
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 making me your heir and joint heirs with Christ.
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 every spirit of doubt and double mindedness in my life be consumed by Your fire, in Jesus' name.
4.Father, release upon my life the power to obey You and to do Your perfect will, in Jesus' name.
5.Father, let whatever I decree be instantly established, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, please, increase my faith in You and grant all my heart's desires, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, make all my enemies my footstool and let them be rewarded openly for all their evil deeds against me, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, bless and prosper me beyond my own imaginations, financially, materially and spiritually, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, let me never be a liability in any form, to anyone, for the rest of my life, and let me 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.
Matthew 7:8 (KJV) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Today as you worship the Lord with open heart and without distraction, may you ask and receive ; seek and find; knock that great doors beyond your expectations be opened to you, in Jesus mighty name. Happy Sunday!!!
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2023.
TOPIC: WHAT YOU SAY MATTERS
MEMORISE:
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
Mark 11:23
READ: MARK 11:20-24 (KJV)
20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
MESSAGE:
Provided you don't doubt, whatever you decree as a child of God, you will get. In Job 22:21-28, it is written that if you obey God and do His will, you will decree a thing, and it shall be established.
Do you know that you can make a decree to your body and it will obey? The first time I went to Zambia to establish a parish of the RCCG, the food I ate upset my stomach. I think I had gone to the toilet 23 times that night before I remembered that, according to the Bible, "I shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover". I was the sick one, and there was no one there to lay hands on me, so I laid my hands on my head, spoke to my stomach, and the problem ceased. The God I serve is the same God you serve, the Bible I read is the same Bible you read and the Holy Spirit in me is the same Holy Spirit in you. Therefore, you can also get the same results.
Romans 8:17 says we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; that means we have access to the wealth of God. God is so wealthy that He owns all the gold and silver in the world (Haggai 2:8). How can you have access to such wealth and still be living in poverty? You must decree that wealth comes to you. What you say with your mouth is what God will work with (Numbers 14:28).
When I came into full-time ministry, many friends thought I was mad. They wondered how an acting HOD of a Mathematics Department would resign to become the General Overseer of a poor Church. Whenever I had financial problems, I would keep saying, "God is working overtime taking care of me". Some people around me then tried to caution me, saying no one would want to help me financially if l kept saying such things, but l never relented. I wasn't bothered because I was not relying on man for help and I often made this clear to anyone who cared to listen. Look how far He has brought me now. I put all my faith in God, and declared my way into the wealth that God had already prepared for me. You can do so too. Stop saying you are broke. Stop saying things are hard. Remember that, as God lives, it is what He hears you say that He will do to you (Numbers 14:28), so use your mouth to bring what you want into your life.
ACTION POINT:
Begin to declare the things you want to see in your life and make it a lifestyle from now on.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NAHUM 1-3
AUTHOR PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 4 - BE GLAD IN THE LORD AND REJOICE
1. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
All ye that are upright in heart;
And ye that have made Him your choice,
Bid sadness and sorrow depart.
REFRAIN:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!
2. Be joyful, for He is the Lord,
On earth and in heaven supreme;
He fashions and rules by His word;
The Mighty and strong to redeem.
3. What though in the conflict for right,
Your enemies almost prevail,
God's armies, just hid from your sight,
Are more than the foes which assail.
4. Though darkness surround you by day,
Your sky by the night be o'ercast,
Let nothing your spirit dismay,
But trust till the danger is past.
5. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
His praises proclaiming in song;
With harp and with organ and voice,
The loud hallelujahs prolong!
