Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY MAY 18TH, 2024.

THEME: BANISHING FEAR

MEMORISE: 

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

Isaiah 41:10

READ: Matthew 10:26-31 

26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

MESSAGE

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:7

The above passage tells us clearly that the Holy Spirit which God gives to us is not a Spirit of fear. This also implies that fear is not a feeling, but a spirit, and that spirit is not from God. As Christians, whenever we find a spirit that is not of God around us, we must banish such a spirit immediately.

Today, fear is banished in your life, in Jesus' name.

The antidote to fear is faith. Ephesians 6:16 says: "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" When this Scripture was written, soldiers had to go to war with shields as it was essential for their survival against the attacks of the enemy. Likewise, we are to quench the fiery darts of the enemy with the shield of faith.

What are these fiery darts? They are the imaginations through which the spirit of fear creeps into a man's life. This is why 2 Corinthians 10:5 says:

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

The knowledge of Christ casts down fearful thoughts and imaginations. The more of God you know, and the more aware you are of His power and love for you, the less afraid You will be. You must subject every negative thought to the truth of God's word. When the thoughts come, you should respond with the word of God that counters them. As you do this over and over again, you will overcome those fears.

You cannot know God without studying His word, hence, to fully banish fear from your life, you need to study God's Word consistently. The Bible says in Romans 10:17:

faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The more of God's word that you constantly listen to, the more your faith will grow. This will ensure that there is no room for fear in your heart. Study the word of God and meditate on it every day. Memorize His word, especially the portions that speak specifically to the fears you have. As God's word dwells richly in your heart, every form of fear will disappear.

KEY POINT

Studying and meditating on the word of God banishes fear.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezra 5-7

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 29: WHEN PEACE LIKE A RIVER

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well with my soul,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVEN 

Friday, 17  May 2024   

GOD HATES LIES

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

2.Thank You Father for the precious blood of Jesus that was shed at Calvary for the remission of my sin and for my cleansing.

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 set me free completely from  the spirit of lying and deceit, in Jesus' name.

5.I refuse to be a liar because I  am not a dog and Satan is not my father. I belong to Jesus, in Jesus' name

6.I reject every  temptation that may come my way to tell a lie henceforth, in Jesus' name.

8.Holy Spirit of God, please empower me to always tell the truth, no matter the consequence, in Jesus' name.

9.Father please, release upon my life, the grace to always tell the truth for the remaining  days of my life, in Jesus' name.

10.Holy Spirit of God, please lead and guide me the best way to restitute whatever lies I have told in the past in Jesus' name.

11.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye;  grant him divine health and long life; and, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), forever, in Jesus' name.

12..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.

13..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.

14..Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

15.In Jesus' name I pray.

(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

16.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 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 by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY MAY 17TH,  2024.

THEME: GOD HATES LIES

Memorise 

For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters loved whosoever and maketh a lie. 

Revelations 22:15

READ: Acts 5:1-11

Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

Acts 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

Acts 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

Acts 5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

Acts 5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

Acts 5:8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

Acts 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Acts 5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

Acts 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

MESSAGE

Revelation 22:15 tells us that as far as God is

concerned, liars and dogs are in the same category. John 8:44 says that the devil is a liar and the father of lies, so, if you tell a lie, you are declaring openly that your father is the devil.

Years ago, I travelled to llesha and on my way back to Lagos, I decided to visit my late father in the Lord. I was close to his house when I remembered that he had taught us not to visit men of God empty-handed.

So, I stopped to buy some oranges in Surulere. As my father in the Lord was eating the oranges, he said,

"Wow, these oranges are sweet, did you buy them on the road?" I understood that the road he was asking about was the road between llesha and Lagos, not Surulere, however, I said, "Yes sir". The moment I said so, the Holy Spirit said, "You lied". I said, "What is the difference? After all, I bought them at the roadside in Surulere." Again, the Holy Spirit said,

"You lied". I said, "How does it affect the sweetness of the orange?"

The Holy Spirit did not leave me alone, so I said to my Father in the Lord, "Papa, you asked a question just now. I actually bought these oranges in Surulere." The old man nodded his head and said,

"Hmmm, Holy Spirit." He knew who was dealing with me. This is why it is surprising that many Christians have gotten so used to lying, even in the church. A lying tongue is an abomination to God (Proverbs 12:22). God is irritated by lies, irrespective of where it is told.

If God hates lying lips, it means that the prayers of a liar will be unanswered. God does not want to hear the voice of a liar. This is why many are struggling; the lies they love to tell have become a barrier between them and God. Lying can cut a man's life short. In Acts 5, the man and woman who lied to God's representative fell down and died. This is a warning to every child of God who tells lies. God does not want you to be destroyed. Do not tell lies.

ACTION POINT :

Make up your mind that you will only tell the truth from now on.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezra 1-4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN31 : YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION 

1 Yield not to temptation,

For yielding is sin;

Each vict’ry will help you,

Some other to win;

Fight valiantly onward,

Evil passions subdue;

Look ever to Jesus,

He will carry you through.

Refrain:

Ask the Savior to help you,

Comfort, strengthen and keep you;

He is willing to aid you,

He will carry you through.

2 Shun evil companions,

Bad language disdain;

God’s name hold in rev’rence,

Nor take it in vain;

Be thoughtful and earnest,

Kindhearted and true;

Look ever to Jesus,

He will carry you through. 

3 To him that o’ercometh,

God giveth a crown;

Through faith we will conquer,

Though often cast down;

He who is our Savior,

Our strength will renew;

Look ever to Jesus,

He will carry you through.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVEN 

Thursday, 16  May 2024  

DO NOT STEAL 

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 see 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 Sovereign Lord  who rules in the affairs of men by Your rules, rewards and punishments 

2.Thank You Father for Your holiness, You're such a holy God that Your face cannot behold iniquity in any man.

3.Thank You, Father for the precious blood of Jesus that was shed at Calvary for the remission of my sin and the sins of the whole world.

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, let Your fire consume every spirit of covetousness  and stealing of any kind, in my life, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, whatever I had taken in the past that did not belong to me, please give me the grace to restitute it, in Jesus' name that I may have a good conscience before God and man.

7.Father, the grace not to steal or take what does not legally belong to me, please, release upon my life, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, let me enjoy the fruits of my labours and leave worthwhile inheritance for my children also  through my honest labours, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, it is Your blessings that maketh rich without adding sorrow, please let Your blessings enter into my labours and make me rich, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye;  grant him divine health and long life; 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 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 by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY MAY 16TH 2024

THEME: DO NOT STEAL

MEMORISE: Nor thieves, nor covetous, drunkards, nor revilers,

nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.     1 Corinthians 6:10

READ: Joshua 7:13-26 

13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

MESSAGE

Exodus 22:2-3 says that the death penalty is appropriate for a thief. Proverbs 29:24 also says that if you partner with a thief, you hate your soul. You are not allowed to steal as a child of God. Stealing means taking that which does not belong to you without the permission of the owner or using that which is not yours as if it were.

When I was a lecturer, I wrote a personal letter and wanted to use an official envelope. Then, God said, "Don't!". I replied, "Why not?" He said, "That's for official letters, not personal letters." responded, "Lord, how much does an envelope cost?" and He said, "lf you know an envelope is that cheap, go and buy yours."

Jeremiah 17:11 tells us:

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

The scripture above is saying that if a person acquires wealth by fraudulent means, it will not last, and the fellow will eventually regret his or her actions. For example, in 2 Kings 5:20-27, Gehazi fraudulently sought to amass material possessions from Naaman but ended up becoming a leper.

Several years ago, I was chairman of a high school's board of governors. I decided to help the school by building a boys' and girls' hostel, a school hall, and the principal's quarters. The principal decided that it was also an opportunity for him to build a small house in his hometown with some of the resources provided for the school's building project. So, as the school l was building were being constructed, he was also building his little mansion. When he finished, somebody surfaced and said, "Who built on my land?" He said, "l bought this land from so and so, and the real landowner replied, You bought it from the wrong fellow." The principal said, "Okay, let's not argue, how much do you want for the land?" The man said he was not selling the land and asked him to remove his house. The house is still there today, uninhabited. The landowner didn't bother using the land, he clearly didn't even need it. All the principal's efforts were wasted, and his dreams were dashed because the word of God is clear.

The life of a thief is a terrible one. His days are full of curses, and there is no peace for him at all. Beloved, it is only the blessing of God that comes without adding sorrow (Proverbs 10:22)-

KEY POINT

Thou shalt not steal.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 35-36

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD 

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.

o Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

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 blessed if we trust and obey.

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.

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.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 

Tuesday, 15  May 2024

God Hates Divorce 

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 see 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

I worship and adore You, my Father, You're the author and finisher of my faith and there is nothing impossible for You to do

Thank You my Father, for establishing the marriage institution as a one man, one wife, institution that should last for- ever, without an option of divorce.

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.

Father, as the author of  the holy matrimony, You hate divorce,  we therefore ask for Your divine intervention to make every christian marriage work, as You intended it to be, in Jesus name.

Father give couples forgiving spirit and empower them to imbibe Your word that the sun must not set on our anger, in Jesus name.

Father, let the holy spirit remind married couples that even in cases of marrital or sexual infidelity that the  sin of sexual infidelity is not against any of the couple but against God and punishment for it will be personally supervised by God Himself which is described as very severe.

Father,  divorce is even a violation of the oath taken during solemnization of marriage that will usually work against the divorcees. please don't let me be in violation of the oathl vows that I took during my wedding, in Jesus name.

Father, please give me the grace to  always keep my marriage  vows and confession of ,"for better for worse and until death do us part", in Jesus name.

Father please come and rescue and restore every troubled marriage that are heading towards dissolution presently, and the ones that have already crashed, in Jesus name.

10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye;  grant him divine health and long life; 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 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 by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY MAY 15TH, 2024.

THEME: GOD HATES DIVORCE

MEMORISE: 

For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covere the violence with hisngarment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.   

Malachi 2:16

READ: Mark 10:2-12 

2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.

11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

MESSAGE

These days, many people have tried to water down the standards of God because of modernization. However, the Bible clearly states in 2 Timothy 2:19 that God's foundation stands sure. God said clearly in Malachi 2:16 that He hates divorce. Mark 10:9 also says clearly:

What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

The moment a man and a woman are joined together in holy matrimony, they are no longer two people but one flesh. Just as you cannot decide to cut yourself into two and continue living, a married couple should never be divorced - God hates divorce. They are joined until death separates them. This is why my late Father in the Lord used to say to brothers who were about to get married in the church, "Once you carry her, you have carried her for life." Luke 16:18 says that if you divorce to marry someone else, you are committing adultery. The court may give you papers of divorce and a new marriage certificate; however, in heaven, you are recognized as an adulterous fellow. If you are married, know this very well, God does not intend for you to ever get divorced; marriage is a lifetime commitment.

Knowing that the moment you are married, you are joined to your spouse for life, you must take extra caution to marry the right person if you are yet to be married. If you have not heard from God with several confirmations, don't get married yet. It is better to be single and make heaven than to be married and have your marriage lead you to hell. Believe me; you will be doing yourself a lot of good if you wait on God to lead you before you get married.

If your marriage is troubled, getting a divorce is not the solution. You have already made a vow before God that you will be with your spouse until death separates both of you, and you must uphold that vow (Ecclesiastes 5:5). Rather than considering divorce, go to God, the One who created the institution of marriage and cry to Him for help. Is there anything too hard for Him to do? (Jeremiah 32:27). The answer is ‘No’, for nothing is impossible for Him to do (Luke 1:37), and this includes providing a solution to the problem in any marriage.

God hates divorce, and if you are truly His child, you will not want to do anything your Father hates.

KEY POINT

Marriage is a lifetime commitment. Getting a divorce is not an option.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 32-34

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: IN CHRIST ALONE

1 In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

2 In Christ alone, who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied –

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

3 There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine –

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

4 No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life’s first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand:

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.