1 Samuel 17:37 (KJV) David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. May the Lord who is mighty in battle fight for you in every battle of life and give you victory in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY OCTOBER 20TH, 2023.
TOPIC: YOU MUST GROW SPIRITUALLY II
MEMORISE:
"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."
Hebrews 5:12
READ: HEBREWS 5:11-14 (KJV)
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
MESSAGE:
When a child is born, everybody is at his or her beck and call. The child is not expected to do any chore in the house. However, as the child begins to mature, he or she may then be sent on one errand or another. It is the same way in the Christian walk. When someone has just become born again, the fellow is being fed by the mature Christians. When he or she comes to Church, the workers would direct him or her on where to park the car, where to sit and attend to whatever needs he or she may have. As the fellow continues in the Church and becomes a mature Christian, he or she would no longer be comfortable with just being served, but would rather now want to serve in the house of God too.
A Christian that is growing spiritually becomes increasingly responsible. Such a Christian will sacrifice his or her time, because he or she is now living for God. There are however, those who have been attending Church for years, yet they don't do anything else apart from attending Church services. How can you be coming to Church without being a responsible part of the running of the house of your Father? While others may be thinking of what God can do for them, a Christian that is growing spiritually will focus on what he or she can do for God.
Beyond working for God, a Christian that is growing spiritually is always willing to give to the things of the Kingdom. Just like Paul, he or she does not mind spending and being spent for the progress of the Kingdom of God. While others are arguing about whether to pay tithe or not, a Christian that is growing spiritually is willing to give 100% of his or her income to God. A Christian that is growing spiritually will not complain when the Pastor says there is a need to be met in the Church; in fact, he or she would want to be the first person to meet that need.
Many years ago, there was a rich man who regularly gave towards Church projects and still helped supervise those who, unable to give financially, contributed their labour. One day, we suddenly saw him removing his clothes and joining in the physical labour. Surprised, we asked why and he said God had just told him, "Big man, well done; the people doing the work will get the reward that you will not". Cheerfully giving your money, time, and energy to serve God are some of the signs that you are growing spiritually as a Christian.
REFLECTION:
Are you growing spiritually?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MARK 15-16
AUTHOR PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 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.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
Thursday, October 19, 2023
YOU MUST GROW SPIRITUALLY 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.Thank You, Father, for the salvation of my soul and for Your promise to keep me by Your right hand of righteousness, till the end.
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, the grace to continue in my service and walk with You, till the end, please, give unto me, in Jesus' name.
4.Father, empower me to overcome every challenge, that may come my way on this spiritual journey, and remain standing, in Jesus' name.
5.Father, take me deeper and deeper in Your word, let me never remain in the shallow waters of faith, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, let Your Holy Spirit take dominion and authority over my life and let all the activities of the flesh be completely subdued, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, whenever the temptation to sin comes my way, please, make a way of escape for me, as You have promised, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, release upon my life, the grace to study Your word regularly and to obey all Your commandments, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, please, strengthen me in my inner man and give me the grace to overcome every temptation, 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.
Daniel 3:25 (KJV) 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. May Jesus show forth for you in every trap and battle the enemy prepared for you, shield you, nullify the effect of the trap, put the enemy to shame, give you victory to the glory of God in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY OCTOBER 19TH, 2023.
TOPIC: YOU MUST GROW SPIRITUALLY 1
MEMORISE:
"And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:62
READ: ROMANS 8:35-39 (KJV)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
MESSAGE:
After you have become born again for a while, the devil will try to test your faith. It is as you overcome these challenges and remain standing that you become mature in the things of God. At this stage, you would no longer be satisfied with the milk of God's word; now, you would desire strong meat. A mature Christian wants to go deeper and not remain in the shallow waters of the word and ways of God.
Newly born again Christians, also referred to as 'baby Christians' must grow to the point where they can face trials and remain standing in Christ. Every Christian has low moments when the flesh seems to be rising above the spirit-periods when he or she could fall into sin if care is not taken. In such a period, someone who has been in Christ for a while but hasn't been feeding on the word of God constantly is likely to fall. Proverbs 24:10 says: "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small." The day of adversity will definitely come, but what will keep you standing is how much strength you gathered before that period.
How much of God's word have you been consuming? How much praying have you been doing? How deeply rooted have you been in the things of God? These are the things that will go a long way in determining whether you will remain standing in the day of adversity. Know that the more mature you get, the bigger the adversity the devil is likely to bring your way, but we find solace in (1 Corinthians 10:13), which says: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Thus, if a trial made you turn your back on God, it is not that trial really that brought you down, but rather your weakness in spiritual things. Jesus Christ said in our memory verse that if any man lays his hand on the plough and turns back, then he is not fit for the Kingdom of God. You have already laid your hands on the plough; build up your faith by engaging in spiritual activities like praying, Bible study, fellowshipping with other believers and so on. All these are required to enable you stand when the day of adversity comes.
Beloved, if you keep your Christian walk on a shallow level, you are likely to look back eventually and not make it to the Kingdom of God at the end of the day.
KEY POINT
If you do not grow spiritually, you will not stand in the day of adversity.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MARK 14
AUTHOR PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 27 - WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS
1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear;
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
2. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer,
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3. Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge,
Take it to the Lord in prayer,
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He'll take and shield you,
You wilt find a solace there.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
ARE YOU A FRESH OR STALE CHRISTIAN? 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.I worship and adore You, my Father, You're the God that has the key of David
in Your hands, and You're the One who opens a door that no man can shut.
2.I will bless You, my LORD at all times: and Your praise shall continually be in my mouth.
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, don't let me become too familiar with You, as to take You for granted, in Jesus' name.
5.Father, please, restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, never allow me to suffer any set back in my walk with You; please, keep lifting me up higher, and steadily, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, please, let me never outgrow praising You, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, let me never become a stale christian in Your presence; let me forever remain fresh as I first believed, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, let me remain obedient and submissive to You till the end, 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.
1 Kings 17:22 (KJV) And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. May the Lord by His mercy hear your voice in prayer and turn around whatsoever is tending to sorrow, defeat, failure and shame to joy, success, celebration and victory in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
