Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. May every blessing that comes with the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, be made manifest in your life and family this season in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!!!
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY DECEMBER 25TH, 2023.
THEME: MAKE HEAVEN REJOICE
MEMORISE:
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:7
READ: John 15:8
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
MESSAGE:
Today is Christmas Day and l am sure many Christians around the world are celebrating and planning to eat some 'Christmas chicken'. This is fine, but please don't forget to give the Celebrant of the day His own 'Christmas chicken' too - something He can also celebrate about. Our memory verse for today says there is rejoicing in heaven over every soul who comes to Christ. If you win a soul, then a feast would be declared in heaven because of you.
All Jesus wants is for His coming to the world (which we are celebrating today) not to be in vain. Tell someone about Christ during this season. When you post pictures on social media, add a message there that you know will hit unbelievers. When you give to the poor during this season, chip in a message about the gospel. When you are sending celebratory messages out, put something about salvation in it. I will give you templates you can adopt or adapt here:
For text messages to loved ones: Merry Christmas. Today, we celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ when He came to give us salvation. Very soon, He will be back again to take His children to heaven. If He comes tomorrow, will you be raptured with Him or left behind?
For social media: Today is a beautiful day because we are celebrating the birth of the Saviour of the world. I am assured of spending eternity in heaven because l gave my life to Him and l live holy. Where will you be spending eternity when rapture takes place? Confess him as your Lord and Savior today.
For everyone that will send these messages or a variation of them, you will make heaven rejoice today. I don't think there is a better way to celebrate Christmas than to please the One we are celebrating, and believe me honestly, Jesus will smile at you today for doing this. As for me, Christmas and Easter are major periods for evangelism. I am always out giving heaven reasons to rejoice on these days and in return, Jesus has been giving me reasons to rejoice also. Don't you want the same? Merry Christmas.
KEY POINT
Don't forget to give the Celebrant of today what He really wants.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 1-3
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 14: O WHAT A WONDERFUL WONDERFUL DAY
1 Oh What A Wonderful Wonderful Day
Day I Will Never Forget
After I’d Wandered In Darkness Away
Jesus My Saviour I Met
Oh What A Tender Compassionate Friend
He Met The Need Of My Heart
Shadows Dispelling With Joy I Am Telling
He Made All The Darkness Depart
Chorus
Heaven Came Down And Glory Filled My Soul
When At The Cross The Saviour Made Me Whole
My Sins Were Washed Away
And My Night Was Turned To Day
Heaven Came Down And Glory Filled My Soul
2 Born Of The Spirit With Life From Above
Into God’s Family Divine
Justified Fully Thru Calvary’s Love
Oh What A Standing Is Mine
And The Transaction So Quickly Was Made
When As A Sinner I Came
Took Of The Offer Of Grace
He Did Proffer He Saved Me
Oh Praise His Dear Name
3 Now I’ve A Hope That Will Surely Endure
After The Passing Of Time
I Have A Future In Heaven For Sure
There In Those Mansions Sublime
And It’s Because Of That Wonderful Day
When At The Cross I Believed
Riches Eternal And Blessings Supernal
From His Precious Hand I Received
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 Lord by His mercy pay attention to issues concerning you, put an end to every anti-progress challenge, turn your life around beyond your expectations that your testimony may be heard world over in Jesus mighty name. Merry Christmas!!!
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY DECEMBER 24TH, 2023.
THEME: DON'T WRITE THEM OFF
MEMORISE:
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1 John 1:15
READ: 1 Timothy 1:15-16
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
MESSAGE:
God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, the people He chooses to be His representatives are people whom others might have written off as failures. You may have a family member who is known as the black sheep of the family. Don't write the fellow off; he or she could be the one God will use to turn things around for better in the family. Keep praying for such a person and do all you can within the will of God to bring him or her to Christ.
In Mark 5:1-20, the mad man of Gadara was living in tombs with the dead people. His family members and even the entire city had written him off as someone whom no good thing could come out of, but in a day, God turned that mad man to an evangelist. In Acts 19:11-12, God was using the aprons and handkerchiefs of a former persecutor of Jesus Christ to heal the sick and cast out demons. The sweat of that same man now carried so much power that it could bring deliverance to people. In Acts 5:14-16, we saw God using the shadow of a failed fisherman to heal the sick. This God can turn a mad man to an evangelist, who can so empower a terrorist that the sweat coming from him can heal, who can use the shadow of a failed fisherman to heal the sick is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He can do the same for that fellow that everyone has given up on.
I know how far gone in the world l was before the Lord saved my soul. I have always said it that if l were God, l would not have saved Adeboye, l was a chronic sinner, but God saved me and is now using me to do great things. He can do the same for that fellow who people have given up on.
A Muslim convert came to one of our services during which l said the garments worn by everyone there were all anointed. He went home rejoicing. One day, he decided to wear the anointed garment for an interview so that he would find favour. On the way, the bus he boarded had an accident and caught fire. All the other passengers got burnt to death. The man had few burns only on the part of his body not covered by the garment. Thank God somebody did not give up on him and led him to Christ.
Don't write off anyone.
KEY POINT
Don't write that troublesome family member off. God can still turn him or her around from that poor spiritual state to an elevated one in His kingdom.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 John 1- Jude 1
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 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.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
Saturday, 23 December, 2023
THE REVEALER OF CONCEALED THINGS
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 change times and seasons;
2.Father, You're the all-knowing God, the creator of heaven and the earth, the Revealer of secrets.
3.Father, You are the One who removes and sets up kings; You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding.
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, please, reveal unto me, as You have promised, deep and secret things, that I do not know, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, give me divine revelations that will bring solution to the problems confronting my nation, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, please, give me the treasures of darkness and the hidden riches of secret places, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, please, give me wisdom to excel in difficult areas of my academics and business pursuits, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, please, reveal great secrets to me, that will change my life for good, 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.
Exodus 14:13 (KJV) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. By this word, as you see the salvation of the LORD may whosoever and whatsoever has been hostile to your progress go in the order of Egypt, swallowed and drowned in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SATURDAY DECEMBER 23RD, 2023.
THEME: THE REVEALER OF CONCEALED THINGS
MEMORISE:
And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
Isaiah 45:3
READ: Daniel 2:1-19
1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
6 But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
9 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
MESSAGE:
Our Bible reading for today tells the story of a king who had a dream he couldn't remember on waking up. He summoned his wise men to tell him his dream and the interpretation, but they couldn't. This made the king angry and he ordered the killing of all the wise men in his kingdom. This order would have affected Daniel and his companions as well, so he quickly asked for some more time as he was confident that God would reveal the dream and it's interpretation to him. Daniel prayed with his companions and God revealed the king's dream with its interpretation to him. This made Daniel say in Daniel 2:21: "And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding".
I have good news for students reading this now: that particular subject that you find difficult is the one in which you will get a record-setting score, in Jesus'name. Every believer operating in any sphere of life needs God to reveal concealed things to him or her. In 2 Kings 6:9-20, Elisha was the saving grace of the king of Israel. If it wasn't for Elisha, the king would have run into the ambush set for him by the king of Syria.
If you are a politician or just someone in governance, you need to pray to God to always reveal concealed things to you. Business men also need
God to reveal concealed things about their respective businesses to them. In fact, God promised in Isaiah 45:3:
And l will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that l, the LORD, which call thee by the name, am the God of Israel?
There are hidden riches in secret places that you need God to reveal to you. He could reveal such to you as an idea, but the moment you pursue it, you would discover great riches in it. A man with financial challenges prayed to God for help and the Lord told him to start making honey-coated peanuts. The man obeyed the Lord and now flies around in his own private jets.
PRAYER POINT
Father, please reveal great secret to me that will change my life for good in Jesus name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 John 1-5
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 22: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER
1 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my Father's throne
make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter's snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
2 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
the joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
where God my Savior shows his face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
3 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
thy wings shall my petition bear
to him whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I'll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
