Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY JANUARY 23RD, 2024.

THEME: FRIENDS STRONGER THAN BROTHERS

MEMORISE: 

A man that hath friends must shew himself

friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

READ: 1 Samuel 18:1-4  

1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of 

2 David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

MESSAGE

Friendship is a a very sensitive topic to discuss, especially in these last days when many have become lovers of themselves (2 Timothy 3:1-2). In spite of this, however, everybody still needs good friends. Some friends can be closer to you than a brother-you need one or two of such friends around you. Such

friends will challenge you to do more for God and can tell you the truth when everyone else is afraid to do so. They are people that you can have as a shoulder to lean on when the chips are down.

Acts 3:1 says that Peter and John went to the temple. You may ask yourself, after the Holy Ghost descended on 120 people in Acts 2, why is the Bible bringing only these two to our notice? The reason, I believe, is that they were friends who were part of Jesus' inner circle. They were three in that circle- Peter, James and John. Out of these three, Peter and John had a close relationship even before Jesus died. If you read John 13:21-26, at the last supper, when Jesus said somebody was going to betray Him without telling them who it was, Peter beckoned to

John and told him to ask Jesus. That is an example of a friend you can ask to pray for you concerning a matter you are not clear about, and he will hear from God for you.

After Jesus died and rose from the dead, the link between them obviosly grew stronger. In John 20:1-8, when Mary Magdalene discouvered that Jesus had risen and came to tell the apostles, two of the apostles ran to the tomb; they were Peter and John. It's interesting to note that John is the one who wrote the story, and he stressed that he outran Peter and got to the tomb first- in fact, he repeated it twice! I always wonder, "Why are you telling us tnat you beat him so emphatically?" There seemed to be a friendly competition as to who loved Jesus more

between them.

You need friends you can have healthy competition with or who can pray the longest, who reads more scriptures, who wins more souls and so on. The link between Peter and John was strong, and it rested on their relationship with Jesus. You need friends whose link with you is majorly based on the link you both have with Jesus Christ

REFLECTION

Do you have a friend who challenges you to draw closer to God?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 24-27

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 11: I'VE FOUND A FRIEND IN JESUS

1 I’ve found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,

He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;

The Apple-tree of trees, in Him alone I see

All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.

In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay,

He tells me every care on Him to roll:

He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,

He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

2 He all my griefs has taken, and all my sorrows borne;

In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tower;

I’ve all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn

From my heart, and now He keeps me by His power.

Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,

Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal:

He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,

He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

3 He’ll never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,

While I live by faith and do His blessed will;

A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,

With His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.

Then sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,

Where rivers of delight shall ever roll:

He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,

He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens:

Monday, 22, January, 2024 

God's Best Friends 4

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 bringing me out of the world, into Your marvelous light, in Christ Jesus.

2.Thank You, Father, for where You started with me, for where I am and for where You're taking me.

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, You're the vine and I am the husbandman, please, give me the grace to submit to Your divine authority and discipline, in Jesus name.

5.Father, by myself, I can do nothing, please, give me the grace to abide in You, and and You in me,  that I may bring forth much fruits, in Jesus name.

6.Father, please, purge and prune me  that I may bring forth more fruits, in Jesus name.

7.Father, please, give me the grace to endure and to overcome Your discipline and pruning successfully, that I may eventually, become Your best friend, in Jesus name.

8.Father, please, give me a genuinely repentant and submissive heart, and empower me by Your grace, to meet Your high standards, in Jesus name.

9.Father, give me the grace to spend more quality time in Your presence and when temptations and trials come, help me to come out, more perfect and victorious, 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.

LETS PRAY 🙏

 Psalms 69:13 (KJV)  But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. May the Lord by His mercy hear your cry in prayer, satisfy the desires of your heart for He is not man to lie nor the son of man to repent, for He has spoken concerning you and shall bring it to pass in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY JANUARY 22ND, 2024.

THEME: GOD'S BEST FRIENDS IV

MEMORISE: 

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it maybring forth more fruit.

John 15:2

READ: John 15:1-5  

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

MESSAGE

One thing about being one of God's bestfriends is that you must be ready to be pruned. God's best friends are fruit-bearers; that is why He said in John 15:16 that if you bear fruits and those fruits abide, you can ask anything of Him, and He will do it.

God will prune you till you are genuinely humble. He will prune you till you are completely dead to the flesh. Once He marks you as someone to bring closer to Himself, He will start pruning you. This is where many people drop off His friends list because they cannot endure His pruning.

Many years ago, I was at an airport, and I was to declare all the money that I had with me. I only told the attendant about the notes and left out the coins. She told me to show her my purse, and I was embarrassed because l had to admit I had lied. The lady let it go, but l heard God's voice at that moment, You are special to me, so I will not condone the smallest of lies from you." If you really want to be one of God's best friends, you

must be ready to meet His high standards.

Nobody can get close to God without going through intense discipline. You must be willing to submit to His discipline if you want to become His best friend. If God disciplines a person for doing something wrong and the person does not desist from committing that particular sin, He will eventually leave such a person as He cannot become friends with unrepentant people.

Once in a while, God tests His best friends. He takes them through a period of trials to prune them and make them perfect, wanting nothing (James 1:3-4). Only a few people go through these trials and come out on the other side perfect. Only a few people can submit to these tests without compromising their faith. Are you one of those people?

Beloved, it is true that divine pruning can be a painful exercise, so you must spend quality time in God's presence daily to build your spiritual strength. If you hold on and do not give give up, you will not only become more fruitful, but you will also become One of God's best friends.

REFLECTION

Are you willing to be pruned by God so you can get closer to Him and produce more fruit?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 21-23

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 ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless 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.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: 

Sunday, 21, January, 2024 

God's Best Friends 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 creating me in Your image and likeness; and for Your purpose and pleasure.

2.Thank You, Father, for making me a co-labourer with You, in Your vineyard.

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, let Your will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven, in Jesus name.

5.Father, please, teach and guide me on what to pray for, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, in Jesus name.

6.Father, please, give me the grace and power to do Your perfect will at all times, in Jesus name.

7.Father, give me the grace to hear from You, at every point in time, and to pray Your will and desires, into existence, in Jesus name.

8.Father, please, make me of Your intercessors and draw me closer to You, in Jesus name.

9.Father, deliver all christian faithfuls who are under one persecution or the other, and make me one of Your best friends, 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.

LETS PRAY 🙏

 John 1:41 (KJV)  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.The first thing Andrew did after meeting Jesus was to tell his brother the good news. Were you as excited as Andrew to tell others when you first came to know Jesus? May nothing rob you & I the excitement of knowing & telling others about Jesus & clinging on to Him no matter the situation in Jesus mighty name. Happy Sunday!!!

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY JANUARY 21ST, 2024.

THEME: GOD'S BEST FRIENDS III

MEMORISE: 

Thy kingdom come, Thy wil be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

READ: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9  

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

MESSAGE

Many people want to be one of God's best friends so that whenever they ask Him for something. He will do it for them immediately. This is surely one of the benefits of being one of God's best friends, however, those who really become such care more about Him than they care about themselves.

The priorities of a man are known from his prayer points. If your prayers are always selfish, God will not make you one of His best friends. In fact, He will not answer your prayers when they are born out of your lusts (James 4:3).

Those who will be one of God's best friends are people who pray God's prayers and want to partner with Him to establish His will on earth. They are people who say regularly, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." When such people go to pray, they don't go with preconceived prayer points at all times. They make a habit of going into His presence with a burden to hear from Him about what He wants to be done on earth and to pray those things into existence.

Every now and then, God needs someone to stand in the gap for His people, He needs someone to pray about a particular situation so that He can have the legal right to step into that situation. If you are an intercessor, always willing to pray God's will into existence, He will draw you closer to Himself. He will tell you things that He usually doesn't tell others and show you sides of Himself that others don't see-He will even reveal His burdens to you! Only those who are willing to share in God's burdens can become one of His best friends. In Matthew 26:36-39, Jesus' best friends saw His sorrow; they saw Him in His time of distress at the garden of Gethsemane when He was crying for God to take away the cup from Him and more importantly, to let His will be done. Jesus was the one who invited them to watch with Him; they were His prayer partners.

Can God invite you to watch with Him over a nation, His Church or any matter at that? Can you forget all your prayer points and just keep praying for the will of God to be fulfilled like Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane? Do you care more about God than you care about yourself?

PRAYER POINT

Pray for the body of Christ with specific reference to Christians facing persecution across the world.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 17-20

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 20: STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS

1 Stand up, stand up for Jesus

ye soldiers of the cross;

lift high his royal banner,

it must not suffer loss.

From vict'ry unto vict'ry

his army he shall lead

till ev'ry foe is vanquished

and Christ is Lord indeed.

2 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

the trumpet call obey;

forth to the mighty conflict

in this his glorious day.

Ye that are men now serve him

against unnumbered foes;

let courage rise with danger

and strength to strength oppose.

3 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

stand in his strength alone;

the arm of flesh will fail you,

ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the gospel armor,

each piece put on with prayer;

where duty calls or danger,

be never wanting there.

4 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

the strife will not be long;

this day the noise of battle,

the next, the victor's song.

To him that overcometh

a crown of life shall be;

he with the King of glory

shall reign eternally.