Isaiah 58:14 (KJV) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. May you delight in the Lord who is too faithful to fail and may the Lord strengthen you unto the high places destined for you in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11TH, 2023.
TOPIC: THE WAY UPWARD II
MEMORISE:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:6
READ:
JOHN 14:1-6
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
MESSAGE:
In today's Bible reading, Jesus promised to come and take us to be with Him where He is. The question now is, "Where is He?" The disciples saw Him when He was ascending, so we can see from their account where He went in Acts 1:9-10: "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel".
Clearly, Jesus ascended to heaven. Now, He said in John 14:6 that no one can get to the Father in heaven except through Him. This is very clear. Many people say there are many ways to heaven; that is a lie. Jesus is the one and only way to heaven. No religion or belief outside of Jesus Christ can get you to heaven.
Now, who are those whom Jesus Christ will take upwards to heaven when they leave this world? Ephesians 5:27 tells us: "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." The only people whom Jesus will take to heaven to be with Him are those who are without spot or wrinkle. If you are unholy, when you leave this earth, Jesus will not take you upward with Him to Heaven, and the other option is to go to hell.
There are many people who call the name of Christ now, but when they shut their eyes here on earth, they will wake up in hell. Your attendance in Church is not a guarantee of your entry into heaven; the fact that you are a zealous worker or even a Pastor does not mean that you will go to heaven. Only an intimate relationship with Jesus - The Way upward, can guarantee your entrance into heaven. Eternity is not something to play games with. Some will be spending eternity in heaven with Jesus and His angels, enjoying forever, while others will be spending eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his demons, suffering forever. It is time to stop the pretence and truly surrender to Jesus. It is time to put religion aside and have a real relationship with Jesus Christ. It is time to stop being a Christian only on Sundays; let your lifestyle always reflect Jesus. It is time to be on the way to heaven, in all sincerity of heart.
REFLECTION:
If you were to die today, where would you go - Heaven or hell?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
MATTHEW 25-26
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 15
PASS ME NOT O GENTLE SAVIOUR
1. Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry
While on others Thou art calling
Do not pass me by.
Saviour, Saviour,
Hear my humble cry
While on others Thou art calling
Do not pass me by.
2. Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition
Help my unbelief.
3. Trusting only in Thy merit
Would I seek Thy face
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
4. Thou, the spring of all my comfort
More than life to me
Whom have I on earth beside Thee
Whom in Heav'n but Thee?
Psalms 63:1, 3 (KJV) O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. May the mercy of the LORD speak for you, provide for you, shield you from the pestilence and wickedness of darkness, display His glory in you, open the Heavens to the prayers you pray and overwhelm you with joy in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY OCTOBER 10TH, 2023.
TOPIC: THE WAY UPWARD I
MEMORISE:
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Psalm 3:3
READ:
1 SAMUEL 2:7-9
7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.
9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
MESSAGE:
Jesus is The Way upward. He said in John 12:32: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." Jesus is always drawing people upward. Believe me honestly, the only person who can truly promote you is Jesus Christ. If you don't believe me, read Psalm 75:6-7:
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
God is the promoter. If man lifts you, man will bring you down. In any case, man is limited in many ways. A man may want to lift you with his position, but what if he gets fired before he fulfils his promise? Who even told you that the fellow would be alive by the time you need his help? The only One who can guarantee your upward movement is God. That is why He is the only real way upward.
When I was to turn 40 years old, I had a vision where God showed me two graphs. In mathematics, we call them parabolas. One was a head-up parabola, and the other was a head-down parabola. At the turning point of each of these parabolas was written 40. I knew clearly that this was referring to my 40th birthday. The Lord then asked me, 'Which of these graphs do you prefer?" I chose the head-down parabola because it meant that at 40 years old, I would be at my lowest point and from there on, it would be upward movement as opposed to the other graph, which implied that I was at my highest point at 40. The Lord then said that if I wanted Him to keep promoting me, I had to let go of all my big titles and simply be addressed as 'Pastor'. True to His word, since then, I have been going upwards.
Humility is key for anyone who wants Jesus to lift him or her higher. The Bible says:
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
1 Peter 5:6
If you want God to promote you beyond your peers, you must surrender your life to Jesus Christ and emulate His humility.
KEY POINT:
Jesus is the way upward, but He only lifts the humble.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
MATTHEW 23-24
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 5 BLESSED ASSURANCE
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Chorus:
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Saviour all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight,
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Saviour am happy and blessed
Watching and waiting, looking above
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens:
Monday, October 9, 2023
THE WAY FORWARD
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 Way, the truth and the life.
2.Thank You, Father, for the salvation of my soul and for all Your unfailing promises in my life.
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, deliver me and put an end to every unprofitable hard work in my life, in Jesus name.
5.Lord Jesus, please, step into the boat of my life, and give me a boat sinking miracle, in Jesus name.
6.Father, put an end to aimless wandering in my life and move my life forward, in Jesus name.
7.Father, break every yoke of stagnation in my life and move my life forward, in Jesus name.
8.Father, step into the boat of my life and use me as a platform to preach Your word, in Jesus name.
9. Father, let my path be as a shinning light,; let it shine more and more unto the perfect day, 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
DATE: MONDAY OCTOBER 9TH, 2023.
TOPIC: THE WAY FORWARD
MEMORISE:
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:18
READ:
LUKE 5:1-7
1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
MESSAGE:
Jesus is the Way forward. In Luke 5:1-7, Peter had fished all night but caught nothing. He wasn't lazy, but he was still considered a failure. When Jesus stepped into his boat however, all of a sudden, there was a way forward. Just like Peter, many people find themselves going around in circles. When Jesus steps into your boat, your forward motion would become accelerated.
One of my sons came to me and said, "Daddy, I've been on one spot for more than 12 years. I have applied to an organisation now and have been scheduled for an interview, so I need prayers to succeed". I was about to pray for him when he said, "No, don't pray, just say a word", so I said, "Go, and the interview will go well." He said amen and left. He returned the following day excited. "Daddy, I prepared for that interview like no man's business. When I got there, they only asked me three questions, 'What is your name? What position did you apply for? When can you start?' I told them I would start tomorrow". I congratulated him and he said, "No, speak another word" and I did. The following day, he came again, trembling, "Daddy, I got to my new place of work and was told that their Managing Director just resigned; they then asked me to become the new Managing Director". Again he asked me to speak another word, so I did. The following day, he was back. This time, he was almost speechless. "Daddy, they discovered that their Managing Director resigned because their competitor offered him double the salary they were paying, and since they don't want me to leave, they doubled my salary". I congratulated him again, and he said, "No, speak another word". This time, I said jokingly, "Do you want to take the company over from the owners?"
When I was a lecturer in the University, I had a driver, but then, somehow, by the middle of the month, I would have become so broke that I would be borrowing money to fuel the car from this same driver whose salary I was paying. I was being relatively well paid but somehow, I wasn't moving forward in life. I then met Christ and everything turned around - not because of any brilliance on my part, but rather simply because I gave my life to Christ and began to live holy. This can be your story too, if you do the same.
KEY POINT:
With Jesus in your boat, success is guaranteed.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
MATTHEW 21-22
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. But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favour He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
3. 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.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
Sunday, October 8, 2023
THE WAY OUT
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 resurrection and the life.
2.Thank You Father, for Your unfailing promises in my life.
3.Thank You, Jesus, for being the Way Out of all my problems.
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, have compassion on me and wipe away my tears, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, please, deliver me from the burdens and bondage of the Egyptians, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, take away my reproach and sorrow, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, frustrate all the activities of Satan in my life and ministry, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, please, restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, 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.
