Psalms 93:3-4 (KJV) The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. May the LORD who is great and mighty attend to every storm and discomforting affliction, grant you peace of mind, settle you that you may have more knowledge of Him in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY FEBRUARY 9TH, 2024.
THEME: HARVEST REQUIRES LABOUR
MEMORISE:
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Matthew 9:37
READ: Matthew 9:36-38
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
MESSAGE:
If God is ever going to use you to bring a harvest of souls into His kingdom, then you must be hardworking. This is because harvesting requires way more labor than sowing. Farmers will tell you that sowing is hard work; if you are going to sow on a large farm, you are going to work hard. However, reaping involves more hard work. This is because there is a time limit for harvesting. If you don't harvest within the time limit, the fruits will rot. The harvest of souls that God has prepared in this end-time revival is great and we have limited time. I pray that God will give you the grace to bring in the harvest, in Jesus' name.
When Peter cast his net into the sea in Luke 5:1-10. he did it alone without help, but when the harvest came, he realized that he needed more effort to bring it in. Proverbs 12:27 says that the slothful man will not roast the meat he caught while hunting. Do you know what that means? It takes hard work to hunt and harder work to prepare what was caught so it will not rot. God is not going to waste His anointing on a man who will win souls and not follow them up.
Soul winning is an easier job than following up new converts till they mature in Christ. This is why some people prefer the work of the evangelist to that of a pastor. The evangelist gets on a podium, preaches the gospel of salvation, makes an altar call, and leaves thereafter, leaving the pastor to do the hard work of
training the new converts, setting them in systems that will help them grow spiritually, answering all their questions, and teaching them regularly until they can stand on their feet. In a time of revival, you must not only be ready to do the work of an evangelist but that of
a pastor as well. John 15:16 says that you must win souls and ensure that they abide, implying that they never return to the devil.
As painful as it is, giving birth is still easier than taking care of a baby until adulthood. Parents will tell you that the work of a mother over her children never ends. Are you ready to nurture new Converts till they make it to heaven? If your answer is yes, then God will really find you useful for His work.
KEY POINT
Put more effort into the follow-up of souls till they are mature and are on the sure path to heaven.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 5-6
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 4: TO THE WORK, TO THE WORK
1 To the work! to the work! we are servants of God,
Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;
With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,
Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.
Refrain:
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on:
Let us hope, let us watch,
And labor till the Master comes.
2 To the work! to the work! let the hungry be fed;
To the fountain of life let the weary be led;
In the cross and its banner our glory shall be,
While we herald the tidings, "Salvation is free!"
3 To the work! to the work! there is labor for all;
For the kingdom of darkness and error shall fall;
And the name of Jehovah exalted shall be,
In the loud-swelling chorus, "Salvation is free!"
4 To the work! to the work! in the strength of the Lord,
And a robe and a crown shall our labor reward;
When the home of the faithful our dwelling shall be,
And we shout with the ransomed, "Salvation is free!"
Ezekiel 37:11 (KJV) Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. May the Lord by His mercy breathe His power and grace and hope into you as by His word "Christ in you the hope of glory" that all discomfort, pain and discouragement may cease in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8TH, 2024.
THEME: WHAT KIND OF VESSEL?
MEMORISE:
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.
Matthew 13:49
READ: 2 Timothy 2:15-21
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
MESSAGE
In the Bible reading for today, the various kinds of vessels that can be found in the house of a great man were identified. It says that you will find some vessels unto honor and some unto dishonor. This may make you wonder, why does the great man keep vessels unto dishonor in his house, why doesn't he just throw them away? This is the same question that many ask when they consider the body of Christ today. They say, Why does God not kill all fake pastors? Why does He not expose all those who are using His name to amass wealth and fame for themselves?" The answer to that is in Matthew 13:24-30. Verses 29 and 30 in particular say:
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Our God does not act rashly; everything He does is for a reason. There are some fake pastors that some genuine Christians believe to be real. If God destroys such pastors, it could affect the faith of those who are following them. As such, the tares would have been gathered but the wheat would have unfortunately been rooted up with them. Don't worry about the mixed multitude in the Church, God is coming to separate the
wheat from the tares and when He does, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If you claim to be a Christian, yet you are bringing dishonor to the Lord, you better change now. If such a person refuses to change, that is not a problem. The fire that will consume him or her is getting hotter every day. Such a person can keep enjoying the benefits of being called a Christian for now, however, God is coming with the reward for such deceivers, and on that day, He will take no apologies.
Beloved, if you are one of such deceivers, it is in your best interest to genuinely repent now, forsake your sinful ways, and truly surrender your life to Jesus Christ. It is the only way to escape the judgment that is coming for all those that a are vessels unto dishonor.
REFLECTION
What kind of vessel are you in the Master's house?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 3-4
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.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
Wednesday 7, February, 2024
WHOSE CHILD ARE YOU?
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 the grace to accept and believe in You; thank You for
giving me the power to become Your son.
3.Thank You, Father, for transforming me, from the kingdom of darkness into Your marvelous light in Christ Jesus.
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, uproot from my life anything that does not represent Your image and likeness, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, please, uproot from my life, any character trait that is not of You and does not glorify You, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, empower me by Your grace to maintain a holy and closer walk with You, all the days of my life, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, please, give me the grace to focus my attention on heavenly and spiritual things, rather than worldly and material things, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, please, give me the grace to walk continually in the spirit, that I may not fulfill the lust of the flesh, 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 Spdirit 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.
