Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14TH 2024

THEME: VESSELS UNTO DISHONOUR

MEMORISE: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.   Psalm 51:17

READ: 1 Samuel 15:1-15 

1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

MESSAGE

Amongst the people you find in church, some are unto honor while others are unto dishonor, as we see in 2 Timothy 2:20:

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 honor, and some to dishonor.

God, however, is not the One who makes some vessels unto honor and others unto dishonor. Rather, people, based on their behavior toward God and His instructions, choose for themselves if they will be unto honor or unto dishonor.

There are many people who say that since God is merciful, and His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22- 23), they can commit sin multiple times and ask Him for mercy multiple times. Therefore, they commit sin purposely, trusting that when they ask for mercy, God will have mercy. Some even say things like, "God, forgive me for what I am about to say." They know it is a sin, but they ask for forgiveness and go ahead to say it. People like this are trying to make a fool out of the Most High God and will become vessels unto dishonor if they do not repent. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Even if a Christian gives a big sacrifice or worships God deeply, if his or her heart is still in a sinful state, the wages of sin remain death.

In today's Bible reading, God told Saul to kill all the Amalekites, but he decided to play on God's intelligence by saying that it was the people who brought the king of Amalek and the choice animals back with them to Israel. We see the result of the disobedience in 1 Samuel 15:28:

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.

Saul begged Samuel to let him worship God, but it was not out of true repentance. He only did that because he did not want to be embarrassed in the presence of his followers. In the next chapter, you will see that as much as Samuel pleaded on his behalf, God still asked him to anoint a new king as his replacement. God later sent an evil spirit to torment Saul, as he had become a vessel unto dishonor.

Beloved, be careful. Don't toy with sin, and don't try to play on God's intelligence so that you don't end up like Saul.

REFLECTION

Do you still indulge in the things that God has been warning you about? Beware, so that you don't vessel unto become a dishonor.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hosea 5-9

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.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Friday, 13th September 2024

GOD'S COMMANDMENTS

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.Father, thank You for loving me and giving me Your commandments for my own good

2.Father, thank You because Your commandments are not grievous but they are given that I may be blessed for obeying them.

3.Father, please, in any way I have not been obeying Your commandments, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus' name 

4.Father, please, help me to hear Your commandments and grant me the grace to obey You completely, in Jesus' name. 

5.Father, please, no matter how difficult Your commandments may appear, help me to obey without any reservations, in Jesus' name 

6.Father, please, help me not to use my free will against You but for You, help me not miss the blessings of obedience, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, destroy every weapon that the devil may use to make me lose my blessings through pride and arrogance, in Jesus' name

8.Father, please, help me never to miss the opportunity of being blessed of You in obedience to Your commandments, in Jesus' name

9.Father, please, as I obey Your commandments, let every long- awaited promise be fulfilled in my life, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, help me not to look down on anyone through whom You will be instructing me, 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), help them to remain a shining light 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 DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH 2024

THEME: GOD'S COMMANDMENTS

MEMORISE: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 1 John 5:3

READ: Luke 11:27-28 

27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

MESSAGE

When God gives a commandment, many people think that it is for His own good, whereas every commandment that He gives is for our good. When you disobey God, you are actually hurting yourself; He remains God whether you obey Him or not. Those who choose to disobey God are the ones that are actually losing, not God.

When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son to Him, it was not because He wanted to eat the boy for breakfast; it was because He wanted Abraham's obedience to open the door to irreversible blessings for him and his seed. If Abraham had disobeyed, he would have missed out on such a great blessing. When Elisha told Naaman to go and wash in the river Jordan, it was not because he wanted to humiliate him, it was because he wanted him to be healed of leprosy. Naaman almost missed his healing because of his pride. If he had not gone to wash, Elisha would not have lost anything, but Naaman would have died a leper. When God gives you an instruction, no matter how difficult it seems, you stand to gain a lot more from obeying it.

God gave man a special gift, and that is free will. This free will is one of the things that makes us more special than all His other Creations. You can decide to obey or disobey Him if you want. However, to justify any blessing that He wants to give to you, He wants you to obey Him out of your free will. If you disobey His instruction, you are using your free will against Him, and that will disqualify you from receiving the blessings that are attached to the instruction. When God sent Elijah to the widow of Zarephath for food, he told the woman to give him her last meal. It was not Elijah who needed a miracle; God had already been feeding him Supernaturally up until that time. God wanted to test the widow to see if she would use her free will for herself or Him. She passed the test, and in return, she had more than enough food to last her through the famine. Also, when her son died in 1 Kings 17:17-22, because she had obeyed God, Elijah was there to bring him back to life.

Beloved, obeying God is always for your good.

KEY POINT

Never miss an opportunity to show God that your free will is for Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hosea 1-4

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.

o Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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 HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

 

Thursday, 12th September 2024 

THE POWER OF SERVICE 

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.Father, thank You for granting the grace and the power to serve You 

2.Father, thank You for every opportunity You have given me to serve You through Your Ministers You have placed over me

3.Father, please, whenever the opportunity arises for me to serve You through Your Prophets sent to me, may I not miss such opportunities, in Jesus' name 

4.Father, please, help me to humbly serve You through Your Prophet sent to me, in Jesus' name. 

5.Father, please, as I serve You through Your Prophets, may I receive tremendous blessings from You, let every long awaited prayers be answered quickly, in Jesus' name 

6.Father, please, connect me to Your Prophet sent to me, help me to serve them in whatever capacity You have given me, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, as Your minister, help me never to take for granted the willingness of men, to serve You through me, in Jesus' name

8.Father, please, give me a genuine heart of appreciation to those You have placed around me to serve You through me, in Jesus' name

9.Father, please, help me to be committed to serving You through Your representatives even when it seems the reward is not coming, help me not to withdraw my service, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, help me remain relevant in Your service all through my living, 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), help them to remain a shining light 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: THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH 2024

THEME: THE POWER OF SERVICE

MEMORISE: 

He that receive the prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  

Matthew 10:41

READ: 2 Kings 4:8-17 

8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.

11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.

12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.

13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.

15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.

17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

MESSAGE

Today's teaching may be controversial to some people, but I will share the complete truth anyway. When there is an opportunity to serve God through a prophet that you are sure is sent by Him, no matter how small the service may be, don't let the opportunity pass you by. When you serve or give to a prophet, because of God's anointing on his or her life, you will receive a blessing from God.

I went to a foreign country for a programme, and throughout my stay, a very rich man drove me around. When he dropped me off at the airport, I wanted to show my appreciation, but since he was richer than me, I put some money in an envelope and said, "Please give it to your children on my behalf." He collected the money and said, "Amen" several times. I became embarrassed, and I turned to the other pastor who came with us. The pastor said, "He has been waiting on God for the fruit of the womb." On hearing that, I said, "Glory be to God, I don't have money, but l am connected to the Most High God."

The following year, when l arrived in that country for another edition of the same programme, the man came to drive me again. This time, he had a gift with him and said that it was from his son. You might have prayed for certain things and not received them yet, but offering your service to God through a prophet could bring them to you immediately.

When you check through the Scriptures, you will see that those who served prophets genuinely got great rewards for their service. Samuel became a kingmaker and king- remover because he served Eli. Elisha got a double portion of the anointing because he served Elijah diligently. The Shunammite woman got a child even when she had lost hope because she served Elisha. Whenever you get a chance to serve God through one of His ministers, make the most of the opportunity.

Ministers of God, however, should not take anyon toe's willingness to serve God through them for granted. God shows appreciation to those that serve Him, and His ministers ought to do the same. However, if you are serving God through one of His ministers and it seems like you are not being appreciated, as long as you are sure that he or she is a genuine minister of God, you will surely receive the rewards of your service from God.

KEY POINT

God never ignores a genuine heart of service to His representatives on earth.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Daniel 9-12

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 26: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS 

1. There shall be showers of blessing:

This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

Sent from the Savior above.

Refrain:

Showers of blessing,

Showers of blessing we need:

Mercy-drops round us are falling,

But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,

Precious reviving again;

Over the hills and the valleys,

Sound of abundance of rain.

3. There shall be showers of blessing;

Send them upon us, O Lord;

Grant to us now a refreshing,

Come, and now honor Thy Word.

4. There shall be showers of blessing:

Oh, that today they might fall,

Now as to God we’re confessing,

Now as on Jesus we call!

5. There shall be showers of blessing,

If we but trust and obey;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

If we let God have His way.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday, 11th September 2024

RECEIVING PROPHECIES

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.Father, thank You for You are the God that makes impossible , possible and there is nothing too hard for You to do

2.Father, thank You because I shall receive every of Your promises for my life in the land of the living 

3.Father, please, in any way I have despised prophecies, doubted Your word and have lost Your plan for my life, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus' name 

4.Father, please, give me testimonies that sound impossible to the human mind; the kind that seems too good to be true and difficult to believe, in Jesus' name. 

5.Father, please, uproot every doubt in me, let Your plan and purpose come to pass in my life and may I live to experience it, in Jesus' name 

6.Father, please, help my unbelief and may I not look for alternatives outside Your will, help me to trust solely in You, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, Iet not my actions and words express or negate Your promises for my life, no matter how unbelievable Your promises may sound, let me see them come to pass, in Jesus' name

8.Father, please, I confess, that every prophecy that seems unbelievable will become real to me, in Jesus' name

9.Father, I receive Your promises for my life, family and nation, give me a sign of Your convenant and help me to keep my own part of it, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, help me to walk before You and be perfect all through the days of my life, hasten Your promises to pass in my life and let there be no more losses, 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), help them to remain a shining light 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: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH 2024

THEME: RECEIVING PROPHECIES

MEMORISE: Despise not prophesyings.      1 Thessalonians 5:20

READ: 2 Kings 7:1-17

1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.

10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.

12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.

13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.

14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

15 And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.

17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

MESSAGE

Sometimes, God gives prophecies that sound impossible to the human mind and this makes some people doubt and miss out on them. When a prophecy seems to0 good to be true or difficult to believe, just keep quiet. Don't say anything against the prophecy because if you do, you may never see it fulfilled. In today's Bible reading, the minister voiced his unbelief in Elisha's prophecy. The prophecy came to pass, but because of what he said, he did not live to experience it.

What we say and/or do after receiving a prophecy matters. God told Abraham in Genesis 17:4 and Genesis 26:3-4 that he would be a father of nations and that his children would be as many as the stars in the sky. At that time, he and his wife were already old and did not have any children. Even though Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6), the prophecy was not fulfilled immediately. When it appeared as if the prophecy was not going to come to pass, Sarah got Abraham to have a child with Hagar, her handmaiden.

Despite this, God told him in Genesis 17:1 to walk before Him and be perfect and repeated the prophecy. This time, Abraham doubted in his heart (Genesis 17:17), but he did not speak out, nor did he try another alternative outside God's will. God instructed him to circumcise all the males in his house as a sign of His covenant with him, and Abraham obeyed. Although he doubted God in his heart, his words and actions did not express it. Later, in Genesis 18, God appeared to him, and nine months after, Isaac was born. If your mouth and actions don't negate God's promises for you, no matter how unbelievable those promises sound, you will see them come to pass.

When God tells me something unbelievable, I immediately begin to repeat it to those He permits me to share it with. I don't give room for my human mind to process it and express doubts. I confess the prophecy repeatedly so that it becomes real to me. When God told me that He would build me a city, I could not even afford to build a small house, but l announced it to everyone who cared to hear. Today, He has fulfilled that prophecy. When He showed me trailers bringing in cows to feed the crowds that will be attending our programmes, I announced it to people, even though we did not have money to buy half a dozen cows. Today, that prophecy has been fulfilled as well.

KEY POINT

When God says something that seems too good to be true, repeat it with your mouth, and you will see it come to pass.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Daniel 6-8

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 21: STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD

1. Standing on the promises of Christ my King,

Through eternal ages let His praises ring,

Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,

Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain:

Standing, standing,

Standing on the promises of God my Savior;

Standing, standing,

I’m standing on the promises of God.

2. Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.

3. Standing on the promises I now can see

Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;

Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,

Standing on the promises of God.

4. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,

Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,

Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,

Standing on the promises of God.

5. Standing on the promises I cannot fall,

List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call,

Resting in my Savior as my all in all,

Standing on the promises of God.