Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY OCTOBER 21ST 2024

THEME: THE CHALLENGES OF SUCCESS III

MEMORISE: 

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.   Luke 6:26

READ: Acts 12:1-3 

1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.

2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

MESSAGE

Today, I will conclude the teaching on the challenges of being successful by looking at the temptation to enjoy the praises of men and not returning the glory to God. When you become successful, people will shower you with a lot of praise and might even give you glory for things that you didn't do. For example, after David killed Goliath, some women began singing, "Saul killed his thousands, David his ten thousands," even though it was clear that it was God who gave him victory over Goliath. This got David in trouble with Saul and Saul began seeking to kill him (1 Samuel 18:6-9).

Beware of the praises of men. Sometimes you will not be able to stop them, but you must pay no attention to them because the moment you start doing so, you will begin to feel like you are on top of the world, and before you know it, you will be taking the glory instead of giving it to God. It was the praises of men that got Herod in trouble such that he was eaten up by worms in the presence of those who were praising him (Acts 12:22-23).

The praises of men can become so addictive that you will want to hear them all the time. King Saul wanted to please the people all the time so that they could keep praising him, even to the point of disobeying God (1 Samuel 15:24). When you are doing well, people will praise you as if you are the best in the world. You should beware, because the moment you get so addicted to their praise and it drives you outside God's will, you will realize that you are just mere dust.

There was a man that was regarded as being almost as powerful as my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, in those days. He, however, let the praises of the people get into his head and eventually broke away with a large chunk of the church. By the time he died, he had a congregation of less than 50 people. 1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that certain things happened to some people so that we can learn from them. Don't listen to the praises of people, as they will make you start doing things that you Will end up regretting if you are not careful. Remember, those shouting 'Hosanna' today, can turn around to shout 'crucify him' tomorrow. The praises of men are too volatile to be trusted.

KEY POINT

The praises of men have destroyed many in the past; don't let them destroy you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 3-4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME

1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Save me from its guilt and power.

2. Not the labor of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All could never sin erase,

Thou must save, and save by grace.

3. Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress,

Helpless, look to Thee for grace:

Foul, I to the fountain fly,

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

4. While I draw this fleeting breath,

When mine eyes shall close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Sunday, 20th October 2024

THE CHALLENGES OF SUCCESS (2)

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 the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for my sake He became poor, that i through His poverty might be rich. 

2.Father, thank You, for giving us richly all things to enjoy through Your death at the Cross of Calvary and resurrection from death. Thank You for giving us power to make wealth.

3.Father, please, help me to identify by divine inspiration and by spiritual discernment, the people with good intentions from those with evil intentions around me, in Jesus' name

4.Father, please, help me to always put my trust in You and You alone, and not in any man nor in the level of success I will attain, in Jesus' name 

5.Father, please, help me not to fall to the wrong counsel of deceitful friends; please, send me genuine and real friends that will be bold enough to tell me the hard truth, in Jesus' name. 

6.Father, please, rather than keeping large company of friends with negative intentions, open my inner eyes to identify and keep a few ones that will help me to grow deeper in You, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, as I go higher, make me wise in the choice of friends and people I need to keep around me, and if I have the wrong friends in my circle, please, replace them, in Jesus' name

8.Father, please, as I advance in age and in life, give me the grace to discern between true friends indeed and wolves in sheep's clothing; separate from me all evil friends, in Jesus' name 

9.Father, please, give me the gift of discernment of spirits so that I can know who my real friends are and those that are not real friends but enemies in disguise, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, help all our youths and young adults to desist from friendship with the world which may cause them enmity with You; help them to choose the right friends that will help them fulfill the great destiny You have created them for, in Jesus' name 

11.Father, please, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; grant him divine health and long life. Bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), and 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: SUNDAY OCTOBER 20TH 2024

THEME: THE CHALLENGES OF SUCCESS II

MEMORISE:

The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

Proverbs 14:20

Read: Proverbs 19:4-7

4. Wealth makes many friends, But the poor is separated from his friend.

5. A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies will not escape.

6. Many entreat the favour of the nobility, And every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.

7. All the brothers of the poor hate him; How much more do his friends go far from him! He may pursue them with words, yet they abandon him.

MESSAGE:

Yesterday, I started sharing about the challenges of success, and I focused on pride. Today, I will look at another major challenge of success, which is the fact that everybody wants to be friends with the successful. When you are successful, you will have many people around you, and it will be difficult to tell those that have good intentions apart from those that do not.

The mere fact that you are at the top will attract many 'friends' to you. This is why you must be careful to put your trust in God and not man. Some people will do everything to work their way into your heart just because of what they want to get from you. You will need the gift of discernment of spirits to know those that are genuine and those that are not.

In 2 Samuel 13:4-5, Jonadab advised Prince Ammon like he really cared about him. Ammon went ahead and did as he advised. When the repercussion of the evil counsel came, Jonadab did not rise up to defend his friend; he was the one who went to announce Ammon's death to David (2 Samuel 13:32-33). He told the king, "Let the king cheer up, for Ammon only is dead." If Ammon had been wise, he would have seen earlier that Jonadab was not a real friend. Real friends will not always say 'yes' to your desires. Sometimes, they will say 'no' because they care about you. When you have people who never tell you the hard truth and who will keep supporting you, even when you are clearly going the wrong way, run from such people.

The higher you go, the more careful you have to become in choosing the kind of people you allow into your life. If you are trying not to be lonely as you go higher, and you keep many friends, you will end up having many with negative intentions around you. You should have fewer friends as you go higher, not because you don't like being friendly, but because you will discover that most people care more about what you can give them than who you are to them. As a result, your circle of friends should become really small as you advance in life. For example, I had more friends when I was not yet a General Overseer than I have now.

Beloved, I pray that God will give you the grace to discern between those that are really your friends and those that are wolves in sheep's clothing.

Prayer Point:

Father, please give me the gift of discernment of spirits so that I can know who my real friends are and those that are not.

Bible in one year:

Luke 1-2

AUTHOUR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 27: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

1. What a friend we have in Jesus,

all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, 

O what needless pain we bear,

all because we do not carry

everything to God in prayer!

2. Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer!

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer!

3. Are we weak and heavy laden,

cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge - 

take it to the Lord in prayer!

Do your friends despise, forsake you?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield you;

you will find a solace there.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Saturday, 19th October 2024

THE CHALLENGES OF SUCCESS 

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 the salvation of my soul and for the riches reserved for me in glory through Christ Jesus

2.Father, thank You, for Your wish above all things for me, is to prosper and be in good health, even as my soul prospers

3.Father, thank You because I am a success and not a failure in life and in everything I will do, thank You because I will enjoy good success, in Jesus' name

4.Father, please, no matter how successful I am and will be, let not my heart be exalted to forget You, may I never put You out of the equation in my life, in Jesus' name 

5.Father, please, help me to be successful even until the end, and please keep me from being destroyed by the success I will attain, in Jesus' name. 

6.Father, please, whenever I am going astray, help me to heed Your warnings, so I will not be destroyed by pride, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, help me to be more cautious the higher I go, and give me the grace to remain humble before You. Help me to be a good example of service and humility like You did, in Jesus' name

8.Father, please, by Your grace, help me to attain and sustain success in life. Help me never to allow pride into my heart that Your grace will not be withdrawn from me, in Jesus' name 

9.Father, please, help me to do everything possible to ensure that I do not think of myself as more important than I really am, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, help me not to look down on others, don't let me see anything as too low for me. Help me to choose to serve and minister to others rather than being served or ministered to, in Jesus' name 

11.Father, please, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; help him to remain humble still, grant him divine health and long life. Bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), and 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 19TH 2024

THEME: THE CHALLENGES OF SUCCESS I

MEMORISE: According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.  Hosea 13:6

READ: Daniel 4:25-35 

25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.

28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

MESSAGE

Many people pursue success, and that is good. However, being successful has its own challenges. Success has destroyed many people in the past because they were not prepared for the challenges that come with it. Over the next few days, I will be sharing some of the challenges that come with attaining success with you. I may not be able to share all of them with you in this series but hope that what you learn will help you prepare for success because you will be successful unto the end, in Jesus’ name.

The first challenge of success is pride. In Genesis 48:1-20, the blessing of the firstborn was transferred to Ephraim by his grandfather, and as a result, he became greater than his elder

brother, Manasseh. Pride set in, and God kept pleading with him, but he wasn't listening. Then, in Hosea 4:16-19, God said that Ephraim should be left alone By the time we get to Hosea 5:9, God said, "Ephraim shall be desolate." In Revelation 7:5-8, when the various tribes of Israel were being sealed, Ephraim was no longer there. The pride that came with Ephraim's success ended up destroying him.

Proverbs 1 6:18 says:

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Those who are down can fear no fall. The higher you go, the more cautious you should be of falling, and that caution should drive you to be more humble as you rise.

James 4:6 says:

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

It is only by God's grace that you are able to attain and sustain success. If you become proud, God will withdraw His grace, and the result of that will be disgrace. Don't let God resist you; don't allow pride into your heart. Do everything to ensure that you don't think of yourself as more important than you really are. Don't look down on others, and don't see anything as being too low for you. Let Matthew 20:2 6-2 8 keep ringing inn your head, that the one who will be the greatest must be the servant of all.

Jesus Christ showed us an example of service and humility in John 13:1-17. He also told us clearly that this is the way to greatness in God's kingdom (Luke 22:24-2 7). Beloved, seek to serve more than to be served so that God will continue to lift you up.

KEY POINT

No matter how high God lifts you, don't allow pride into your heart.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 15-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

1. Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

2. Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3. Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold;

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect, and use

Every power as Thou shalt choose,

Every power as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will, and make it Thine;

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart; it is Thine own;

It shall be Thy royal throne

It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure-store.

Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee,

Ever, only, all for Thee.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Friday, 18th October 2024

DECREE GOOD OVER YOUR CHILDREN 

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 giver of children, and thank You for making me one of Your children

2.Father, thank You for taking good care of me and the children You have given me; thank You for taking us up in Your arms and blessing us

3.Father, please, whatever I will do that will make me lose my sonship in You, help me never to do such, in Jesus' name

4.Father, I decree over the children You have given me, that, it shall be well with them all the days of their lives; I decree that they will live to fulfill that great destiny You have created them for, in Jesus' name 

5.Father, please, help me as a parent that my response to my children's behavior will not make them worse but it will bring out the good in them, in Jesus' name. 

6.Father, for every negative pronouncement over my children, I decree, it shall not stand neither shall it come to pass; I declare divine blessings in place of any curse over their lives, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, I bless every child that comes through me, that they will enjoy the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth. I decree, let people serve my children, and nations bow to them, in Jesus' name

8.Father, I decree, cursed be everyone that curses my children, and blessed be the one that blessed them, in Jesus' name 

9.Father, I bless all the children You have given me this day, and they shall be blessed forever, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, let all the children You have given me live to serve You in good health and prosperity; let them be for signs and for wonders according to Your word in Isaiah 8:18, in Jesus' name 

11.Father, please, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; grant him divine health and long life. Bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), and 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 18TH 2024

THEME: DECREE GOOD OVER YOUR CHILDREN

MEMORISE: And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.    Mark 10:16

READ: Genesis 27:18-33 

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.

21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.

24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:

28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.

32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.

33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.

MESSAGE

Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.   Job 22:28

The Bible verse above says that whatever you decree will be established unto you. This means that you must be careful about what you decree because they will come to pass. This is why I am always concerned when I see parents who say negative things over their children carelessly. Proverbs 22:15 says that there is foolishness in the heart of a child; I know some children can be naughty, however, the way you respond to their behavior will go a long way in determining whether those children will turn out good or become worse.

As a parent, how do you respond to your children's behaviors? Do you make negative pronouncements like, You are useless; you can't amount to anything,' or positive declarations like, You are for signs and wonders. It doesn't matter what the devil may try, you will succeed." Whatever you say is what will happen. There is power in your tongue and this power is even more potent over your children because they came into the world through you. As a parent, God has given you power over the future of your children, not so that you can destroy it, but so that you can shape them into what He wants them to become.

In our Bible reading for today, Jacob came to Isaac and got a blessing. As soon as he left, Esau came in, and Isaac told him that he had blessed Jacob and that he will be blessed. Whatever you speak over your children, especially when your emotions are stirred up, will stick and will be reinforced. After Jacob got the blessings and was on the run, he encountered God in Genesis 28:1 2-22, and God didn't say anything about the fact that he cheated. He didn't say, You cheated your brother and you will pay for it." I thought that Jacob would have been scolded, but God established the blessing he got from his father.

Beloved, please decree good things over your children. Whether they hurt you or not, remember that whatever you say will happen to them. Don't say something that will affect them negatively; you will regret it later. You will account for every word you speak over your children, and whatever they become will reflect on you also. Speak blessings over your children at all times.

KEY POINT

Be careful what you decree cover your children.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 14

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 3: ANCIENT WORD

1. Holy words long preserved

for our walk in this world,

They resound with God's own heart

Oh, let the Ancient words impart.

Chorus

Ancient words ever true

Changing me, and changing you.

We have come with open hearts

Oh let the ancient words impart.

2. Words of Life, words of Hope

Give us strength, help us cope

In this world, where e'er we roam

Ancient words will guide us Home.

3. Holy words of our Faith

Handed down to this age.

Came to us through sacrifice

Oh heed the faithful words of Christ.

4. Holy words long preserved

For our walk in this world.

They resound with God's own heart

Oh let the ancient words impart.