Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13TH 2024

TOPIC: FRIEND OF GOD?

MEMORISE:

“And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” - (Genesis 14:20)

READ: 2 CORINTHIANS 9:1-7 (KJV)

 1 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:

2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.

3 Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:

4 Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.

5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

MESSAGE:

I have a close friend who was the president of a country. One day, I said to him, “You’ve been president for almost seven years, and you’ve never given me anything since.” He looked at me and said, “You’ve never asked.” I replied, “Friends don’t ask. If we are friends, I don’t need to ask you. A friend gives to his or her friend without him or her asking.”

When lovers are in a courtship and there is no exchange of gifts between them, no matter how small, that love might just be questionable because one of the major ways of demonstrating love is by giving (John 3:16).

Many people claim to be God’s friends, but from their reaction when it comes to giving to God, you will realise that they are not. Real friends of God will not wait until an announcement is made for offerings to be made to God before giving to Him. Real friends of God will constantly look for ways to give to Him because of how much they love Him.

I recall a time that I went to minister at a church some years ago, and everyone in the congregation was looking so radiant. By looking at them, you could tell that God had really blessed them. I was thinking about how blessed they were when the minister on the altar said, “It’s offering time.” You could see the joy in the auditorium as they all clapped and shouted. Then, God told me, “This is why I have blessed them so much; they give to me cheerfully.” Those who are always happy to give to God, and who don’t need to be cajoled or asked before they do so, always enjoy abundant blessings. God sees them as His genuine friends, so He also doesn’t wait for them to ask before giving to them.

David was a man who always wanted to give to God. He said in (1 Chronicles 21:24) that he would never give God anything that costs him nothing. As a result, God said that He had given him everything he ever wanted and that if he wanted more, He would have given him (2 Samuel 12:8). He never let him lack anything because he was His friend indeed. God never asked Abraham for a tithe in Genesis 14:20 before Abraham gave it to Him. Nowadays, even after God has said that we should bring tithes into His house (Malachi 3:10-12), some Christians still argue about whether they should pay tithes or not. Such Christians are only pretending to be friends of God.

REFLECTION:

Are you really a friend of God?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MARK 4-5

AUTHOR PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL: 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 DEVOTIONAL

Saturday, 12th October 2024

BE MERCIFUL 

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, I worship You for You are a merciful God, showing mercy from generation to generation, and to everyone that runs to You for salvation 

2.Father, thank You for showing me mercy even when I least deserve it. If not for Your mercy and love, I would have been consumed in my sins.

 

3.Father, as You have shown me mercy, make me wise and help me to show mercy to others around me, in Jesus' name 

4.Father, please, don't let me end up like the unmerciful servant, fill my heart with mercy to everyone and forgiveness to my debtors, in Jesus' name 

5.Father, please , deliver me from every form of cruelty in my heart against others and myself, deliver me from the spirit of unforgiveness, in Jesus' name. 

6.Father, please, teach me to love You more, and also love my neighbors like myself. Remove every hatred for my neighbors in me, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, help me not to sow hatred and unforgiveness into the lives of others but to sow love and mercy that I reap same, in Jesus' name

8.Father, as a parent, help me to sow love and mercy into the children You have given me; teach me to live and lead them by good examples of love for You and my neighbours, in Jesus' name 

9.Father, as a minister, help me not to sow the seed of discord into Your church, help me to live above hatred but showing equal love and mercy with the brethren, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, fill the heart of the leaders in my nation with mercy. Help them to rule with love and with the rod of mercy for the masses. Father, please, show us Your mercy in my nation and family, 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: SATURDAY OCTOBER 12TH 2024

TOPIC: BE MERCIFUL

MEMORISE:

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” - (Matthew 5:7)

READ: MATTHEW 18:21-35 (KJV)

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

MESSAGE:

Many people ask God for mercy, but when God looks into their lives and sees that they don’t show mercy to others around them, He withholds His mercy. From our memory verse today, you will realise that if you are merciful to others, you will also enjoy God’s mercy. Psalm 130:3 says that if God were to count our iniquities, we will not stand. It is only by His mercy that we are still alive, and if we are wise, we will also have mercy on those around us.

In our Bible reading for today, Jesus Christ told the story of a man who owed the king ten thousand talents. The king commanded that he and his family be sold in order to pay the debt, but the man asked for mercy, and the king forgave him of the debt. The same man went out and saw someone that owed him a hundred pence. His debtor begged for a little more time to pay his debt, but this man refused to forgive the debtor and locked him in prison. The king heard about it, withdrew his mercy, and gave the unmerciful servant to tormentors. Proverbs 11:17 says:

The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

The Scripture above says that when you are merciful, you are doing good to yourself, but if you are cruel, you are hurting yourself because your cruelty will only rob you of the mercies of God.

In John 14:23, Jesus said if you love Him, His Father will love you, and both of them will come and dwell in you. How do you show God that you love Him? (1 John 4:21) says that if you love God, then you must love your brother. Love your neighbour like yourself because you cannot say you love God and hate your neighbour. If you decide not to love your neighbour, you are telling God that you don’t need His love. Galatians 6:7 says:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Whatever you sow is what you will reap. If you sow mercy into the lives of others, you will reap mercy. However, if you decide to sow unforgiveness, then do not complain when you reap unforgiveness (Job 4:8).

ACTION POINT:

Be merciful to everyone.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MARK 1-3

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL:  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 endless praise,

let them flow in endless 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 DEVOTIONAL

Friday, 11th October 2024

COMMITTING GOD

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, I worship You for another beautiful day to be alive again. Thank You for watching over me while I was sleeping, for my sake, You neither sleep nor slumber, I am grateful Lord.

2.Father, thank You for honouring Your word in my mouth, for Your word is spirit and life, Not returning empty, but accomplishing that which You purpose it and succeeding in the thing for which You sent it.

 

3.Father, You are sovereign, You do what pleases You yet, You said I should command You as touching the works of Your hands; what a merciful God You are

4.Father, please, whatever I have done that will make my prayers to be an abomination to You , have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus' name 

5.Father, You said in Your word that if I lift You up on earth, You will draw all people to Yourself. Help me to align myself with Your word always, to worship and to please You in all I do, that men may come to You in salvation, in Jesus' name. 

6.Father, please, teach me to remain humble under Your mighty hand and empower me to be diligent in my work before You, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, help me not to do anything against Your word. Make for me a way of escape and help me to overcome all temptations, let the devil have nothing to accuse me with before You, in Jesus' name

8.Satan, I refuse to be a fool, for greater is He that is in me than you the devil, for in all things I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus that loves me and laid His life down for me at Calvary

9.Father, please, let every valley before me be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low; make the crooked paths straight and rough places plain, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, let Your glory be revealed over my life and let all flesh see it together; for Your mouth has spoken it and You are not a man that should lie, neither will You repent of Your word.

Help me to be committed to doing what will commit You to bless and answer my prayers always, 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: FRIDAY OCTOBER 11TH 2024

THEME: COMMITTING GOD

MEMORISE: II will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for t thy loving kindness and for thy truth: for t thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.  Psalm 138:2

READ: Isaiah 40:4-8

4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

MESSAGE

Do you know that it is possible to commit God to do some things for you and leave Him with no choice but to do them? Psalm 115:3 says that God is sovereign, He does as He pleases, but if you know Him well, you can position yourself such that the Almighty will do what you want.

Going by today's memory verse, if you can find what God's word says about what you want and align yourself with it, He will be committed to doing His part. For example, Psalm 75:6-7 says that promotion comes from God. 1 Samuel 2:7-8 also says that God decides whom to raise and whom to bring down. Since you know this, the question now becomes, "How do I get God to promote me? The answer is in 1 Peter 5:6:

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Therefore, if you notice that it seems like it is taking a long time for God to promote you, then you can make up your mind to be humble. Once you are humble, He will be committed to exalting you in order to fulfil His word. Proverbs? 22:29: says that if you are diligent in your business, you will stand before kings. Proverbs 12:24 also says 'that the hand of the diligent shall bear rule. therefore, if you want to get to the very top, you must add diligence to your humility, and in line with God's word, He will raise you so high that you will be in the category of kings. You can get God to do what you want if you do what He wants.

The devil, however, also knows this principle. When he doesn't want God to do something for you, he tempts you to do something wrong so that he can accuse you before God aid commit God not to bless you. This is why Revelation 12:10 calls him the accuser of the brethren. He knows that God will not go, against His word, so he tempts you into committing sin and accuses you before God. This is why it is foolish to obey the one who has decided to destroy you by committing sin. When next the devil tempts you, tell him, “I refuse to be a fool."

Beloved, never give the devil the opportunity to use God's word against you, rather, use God's word to your favor by always praying according to His will.

REFLECTION

Are you doing the things that will commit God to bless you and a answer your prayers?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 27-28

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.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Thursday, 10th October 2024.

LOVE FOR GOD 

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 Your undying love for me. Thank You for first loving me and laying Your life for me on the Cross of Calvary 

2.Father, thank You for Your loving kindness. I will bless Your name and my lips shall continually praise Your Holy name

 

3.Father, please, help me to love You with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind. Let the hunger to please You be revived in me, in Jesus' name 

4.Father, please, help me to give my all and my very best to You. Let nothing be so precious to me that I cannot give back to You. Help me to always remember that all I have is given by You and for Your use, in Jesus' name 

5.Father, please, let my love for You get greater than ever before in praises to You, in the place of worship and in all I do. Help me to always remember that I am nothing without You, in Jesus' name. 

6.Father, please, give me the right kind of heart, a heart that appreciates and acknowledges You as the lifter of my head. No matter how high You will raise me, give me a humble heart and remove every pride in me, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, do not reject me, keep me far from offending You, in Jesus' name

8.Father, please, increase my love for You; I want to understand what really matters most, so that I may live a pure and blameless life until the day of Christ’s return, in Jesus' name 

9.Father, please, remove every idol in me and for the rest of my life, let my love for You never reduce, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, let my love for You abound more and more everyday, in knowledge and in all judgement, 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 OCTOBER 10TH 2024

TOPIC: LOVE FOR GOD

MEMORISE:

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” - (Matthew 22:37)

READ: PSALM 63:1-8 (KJV)

1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

MESSAGE:

Occasionally, I wonder, “Do I still love God like I used to? Was there a time when I loved Him more than I do now?” In the past, many of us were willing to do anything for Him; we were hungry to please Him at whatever cost and give to Him even when we had next to nothing. I remember the days when we used to have Bible Study Leaders Retreat, and we would take offerings. From the offerings, you would know that if the congregation had more, they would willingly give more. One brother gave his belt because he didn’t have any money to give!

How is your love for God now? Is it greater or less than it was before? There are people who, when they got born again, could dance vigorously during praise and worship, not caring if anyone was looking at them. Now, they can’t even shout hallelujah at the top of their voices. No matter how big a fellow is, he or she is still nothing before God. If a person is too big to dance for Him, He can decide to show that fellow how small he or she really is.

One day, I asked God, “Lord, David did a lot of terrible things, even more than Saul, yet You said David was a man after Your heart while You rejected Saul. I know that You are not partial, but I am curious to know why.” He responded, “What did David do in (2 Samuel 6:14)?” I replied, “He danced with all his might.” Then He asked, “Can you show me a place in the Bible where Saul danced for me?” That was when I really knew why God rejected Saul. It is not so much about dancing; rather, it is about the heart of a man after God has raised him. David’s love for God increased as he went higher, while Saul’s love reduced as he went higher. Which of these two are you?

If a believer’s love for God is reducing, such a believer is not far off from offending Him, and that might result in God rejecting the fellow. If you don’t believe me, read Philippians 1:9-10:

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

May your love for God keep increasing for the rest of your life, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please let my love for You abound more and more every day, in Jesus' name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: MATTHEW 25-26

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL: 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 endless praise,

let them flow in endless 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.