Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: THURSDAY NOVEMBER 14TH 2024

TOPIC: THE BIBLE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY 1

MEMORISE:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” - (Genesis 1:27)

READ: GENESIS 7:1-3 (KJV)

1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his.

3. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

MESSAGE:

We live in a world today where many are confused about their sexuality and gender. Some Christians are also confused about what to believe concerning the topic. Over the next few days, I will be digging deep into the Scriptures to explain the truth about sexuality and gender.

First of all, I will like to emphasise that God created man in His own image, and He created them male and female (Genesis 1:27); anything outside this is not God’s design, neither is it His will. When an artist creates a masterpiece, the artist puts his or her signature on it. Every human being is God’s masterpiece and is uniquely made, such that no two people in this world have the same fingerprints. If someone takes a masterpiece and decides to change something about it, it immediately ceases to be a masterpiece. People who decide to change their gender are destroying the essence of their creation. They are telling God - their creator - that they can do a better job at creating.

One thing I know is that my God does not make mistakes. Therefore, when someone says that she feels like she is a male trapped inside a female body for instance, I immediately know that the devil is at work and is trying to manipulate her to destroy her body which is God’s masterpiece. Changing God’s original design concerning our bodies can be disastrous because the Bible warns that our bodies are God’s temple and that God will destroy whoever defiles His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). There are records of many people who have altered their genders admitting that they are suffering serious health and emotional trauma as a result of their decisions. A person cannot tamper with God’s masterpiece and not suffer the consequences if he or she does not repent.

One of our pastors was arrested because he addressed a group of people as, “Ladies and gentlemen.” They told him that not all of them were ladies or gentlemen. When I heard this, I wondered, “How many genders did God create?” Your body is the temple of God, and any advice to disfigure it is from the devil. If you feel confused about your identity, draw closer to God, study your Bible, and pray more than ever before. Also, speak to a Christian counsellor who holds firmly to God’s position about gender and sexuality. God will show you who you really are in Him and His purpose for your life. He had a plan for you, even before you were formed in your mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5).

KEY POINT:

You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God; anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 10-11

AUTHOR PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL: 7 - I AM THINE O LORD 

1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith,

And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou hast died;

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,

To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,

By the pow’r of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

And my will be lost in Thine. [Refrain]

3 Oh, the pure delight of a single hour

That before Thy throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,

I commune as friend with friend! [Refrain]

4 There are depths of love that I cannot know

Till I cross the narrow sea;

There are heights of joy that I may not reach

Till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS

WEDNESDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2024

DEAD MAN WALKING   

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 blessing me and creating me for Your pleasure, thank You for blessing me also with the earthly blessings and securing for me the eternal blessings through Your death at Calvary.

2.Father, thank You for preserving me till date even in this perilous times of the last days.

3.Father, please, deliver me from the pursuit of the pleasures of this present world, don't let me be choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life at the expense of my soul, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, please, save me from the urge to give pleasure to the flesh at all times; never to sleep when there is a need to work nor eat when there is a need to fast; give me full control over myself, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, help me to stay disciplined, help me to pay the price of discipline so as to fulfill Your purpose for me in life, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, You have not brought me into the world to leave unnoticed, therefore, I receive power to achieve greatness and I refuse to give in to pleasures of life, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, help me not to associate myself with people who love pleasure and themselves, than they love God, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, help me to arise for the salvation of others, to bring them out of darkness into the light of Christ by the power of the gospel, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, keep me truly alive for Your use, help me to seek the good of others and not just my own good, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, deliver me and my household 

from manifesting the signs of the perilous times of this last days as listed in 2Timothy 3 vs 2-3, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, please, help me to live to make a positive impact on the people You have surrounded me with, in Jesus' name 

12.Father, please, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; honor his faith in You and grant him divine health and long life. Help him to remain alive for You and making impact continuously in his lifetime, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), and help them to remain a shining light forever, in Jesus name.

13.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.

14.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.

15.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

16.In Jesus name I pray.

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

17.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 NOVEMBER 13TH 2024

TOPIC: DEAD MAN WALKING

MEMORISE:

“Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” - (Philippians 3:19)

READ: 2 TIMOTHY 3:1-4 (KJV)

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

3 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

MESSAGE:

But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. - (1 Timothy 5:6)

Even though people who live for pleasure appear to be living a normal life, the reality is that they are actually dead. This particular kind of people seek worldly pleasures only and have no self-control. As a matter of fact, they can be likened to zombies. A zombie is a fictional entity that does not have a mind of its own. It is controlled by a basic urge to feed and is literally a dead man walking.

If you are always lured by things that give your flesh pleasure, it means that your flesh is ruling over your spirit. This also implies spiritual death. You must gain full control over yourself. Do not let the urge to sleep overcome the need to work. Do not let the urge to eat overcome the need to fast. The key to remaining in control of your life is to be disciplined. The price of discipline far outweighs the cost of indiscipline. A fellow who always gives in to pleasure will die poor. This is what the Bible tells us in Proverbs 21:17:

He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

Nobody ever achieves anything great by giving in to pleasure all the time. Anyone who does this will come into this world and leave unnoticed.

Being a lover of pleasure is so dangerous that the Bible says in (2 Timothy 3:1-5) that you should not associate with people who only seek the pleasures of life. It says that you must turn away from people who love pleasure and themselves more than they love God. A tree does not eat its own fruit. It exists to cater for the needs of others. In the same vein, people are created to impact others and contribute positively to society. They are not created to only serve themselves.

When some people talk about self-love, what they are actually talking about is selfishness. If you want to really live, then you must make an impact on those around you. Anyone who is only living for himself or herself is already dying. The best way to impact those around you is to bring them out of darkness into the light of Christ. This is the true essence of living as a Christian, as you were chosen to bear fruits (John 15:16).

Beloved, ensure that you remain truly alive by not only seeking your own good but also the good of others.

KEY POINT:

You are not truly living if you are not making a positive impact on the people around you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 8-9

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 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

Tuesday, 12th November 2024

A KISS OF FIRE 

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.I worship You, The Consuming Fire and Lamb of God, for every word that proceeds from Your mouth is spirit and life.

2.Father, thank You for Your manifestation through various means, especially for the baptism of fire in this dispensation of the Holy Spirit.

3.Father, like You did for Prophet Isaac, I want to be a changed person, please, set my tongue on the coals of the fire of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name

4.Father, please, let every fear and doubt in me be consumed by fire, and fill me with boldness to preach the gospel without fear, in Jesus' name 

5.Father, please, give me a kiss of fire and let everything about me change completely forever, in Jesus' name 

6.Father, I am ready to do Your will, to go all out for You, give me a kiss of fire so I can hear Your heartbeat for nations of the world and be ready to go anywhere to do Your work, in Jesus' name 

7.Father, please, give me a kiss of fire in my body and consume every work of flesh hindering me from doing Your will, in Jesus' name 

8.Father, please, give me a kiss of fire and ignite in me the required zeal to go every length to do exploits for You, in Jesus' name 

9.Father, please, give every member of the local assembly where I worship You, a kiss of fire and raise them up as a mighty end time army of the cross, let the zeal of the Lord take over their hearts, in Jesus' name 

10.Father, please, give me and every member of my household a kiss of fire and let all we will be willing to do is Your will at all times, in Jesus' name 

11.Father, please, every leader in my state and nation who is not doing Your will, just like You did to Paul on his way to Damascus, give them all a kiss of fire and let them do Your will, in Jesus' name 

12.Father, please, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; honor his faith in You and grant him divine health and long life. Help him to continually enjoy a kiss of fire all through his lifetime, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), and help them to remain a shining light forever, in Jesus' name.

13.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.

14.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.

15.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

16..In Jesus' name I pray.

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

17.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: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 12TH 2024.

TOPIC: A KISS OF FIRE

MEMORISE:

“And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.” - (Exodus 19:18)

READ: EXODUS 3:2-6 (KJV)

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

MESSAGE:

The lips are a very sensitive part of the human body. In Isaiah 6:6-7, when the angel wanted to help Isaiah, he put a coal of fire on his lips. Even though that must have been very painful considering how sensitive the lips are, the experience ensured that Isaiah became a changed person.

Nothing touches fire and remains the same. In Acts 2:1-14, Peter stood boldly to address and preach to a large crowd of people after the Holy Ghost had descended on the Upper Room congregation like cloven tongues of fire. This was the same Peter that denied Jesus three times out of fear. From the day a believer gets a kiss of fire, everything about him or her changes completely; the impact of the fire will abide with him or her forever.

When you see someone who is always ready to do the will of Christ and go all out for Him, that fellow has been kissed by fire. This is why after Isaiah received that kiss of fire, all he could hear was God saying, “Whom shall we send, who will go for us?” and his response was, “Lord, send me” (Isaiah 6:1-8). When you are kissed by fire, you will begin to hear the heartbeat of God concerning the nations of the world, and your response will be, “Lord, send me anywhere to do your work, and I will go.”

Paul did God’s work with great zeal. That zeal came upon him in Acts 9:3-6 when Jesus appeared to him in a great light on his way to Damascus. That light was not from an electric bulb; it was from the fire of God, and the moment Paul’s body touched it, he was kissed by fire and was changed forever. From that moment, he went to every length to do the will of God.

The reason many Christians find it difficult to do great exploits for God is that they have not been kissed by fire. Some of them want to serve God in greater capacities, but they lack the required zeal because they have not been kissed by fire. If you are a pastor, and you want to have an army that is willing to join you in doing great exploits for the kingdom, pray for them to be kissed by fire. The moment they are kissed by fire, the zeal of the Lord will take over their hearts and all they will long for is to do His will at all times.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please give me a kiss of fire today, in Jesus' name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 6-7

AUTHOR PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL:  8 - I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR 

1 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

Refrain:

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;

Ev'ry hour I need Thee;

Oh, bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

2 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their pow’r

When Thou art nigh. [Refrain]

3 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain. [Refrain]

4 I need Thee ev'ry hour,

Teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill. [Refrain]

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S  OPEN HEAVENS

MONDAY, 11TH NOVEMBER, 2024

HOLD FAST TO YOUR VISION III 

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.I worship You, The Alpha and the Omega, the very beginning and ending, thank You because I have You as the author and finisher of my faith.

2.Father, I praise You for enduring the cross, despising the shame, and now You are set down at the right hand of The Father and this had brought me salvation and eternal hope in You.

3.Father, please, in the midst of the challenges around me, open my spiritual eyes to the way of escape to the fulfillment of my vision in life, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, please, help me to see opportunities for greatness in every challenge around me, grant me divine wisdom and insight to effect the needed changes for the fulfillment of my vision, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, help me to set my eyes on You until I be transformed into Your image, help me to pay close attention to Your word, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, please, help me to deliberately fix my attention on the things and people that will influence me to becoming what You want me to become in the future, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, open my eyes to catch the true picture of what You want me to become, and order my steps to the right place to achieve my vision, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, give me a clear picture and the understanding of Your vision for my life, and help me to align myself to the things that will make me become a different person as a result of actualising my vision, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, deliver me from the love of money and uproot every desire for wrong doings in me. Help me to desist from indulging in any kind of sin, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, help me to firmly hold fast to my vision, the ultimate vision to make it to heaven at last, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, please, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; honor his faith in You and grant him divine health and long life. Help him to remain focused on Your vision for his life  and 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: MONDAY NOVEMBER 11TH 2024

TOPIC: HOLD FAST TO YOUR VISION III

MEMORISE:

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - (Hebrews 12:2)

READ: GENESIS 30:25-43 (KJV)

25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.

27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.

30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:

32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.

33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.

35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

36 And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.

40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle.

41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.

42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.

43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

MESSAGE:

Today, I will conclude my teaching on vision by emphasizing that you can become what you see. In today’s Bible reading, Laban agreed to give Jacob all the speckled sheep in his flock as wages. However, because he wanted to cheat him, he secretly removed all the speckled sheep, leaving only plain-coloured sheep within the flock. Despite this, Jacob peeled tree barks and made marks on them. He placed the marked barks at the place the sheep usually drank from so that whenever they came to drink, they would see them. He also ensured that the animals faced the marked barks whenever they were mating. Before long, the plain-coloured sheep started producing speckled offspring until the speckled sheep were more than the plain-coloured ones within the flock. Jacob changed the DNA of the sheep by changing what they saw.

(2 Corinthians 3:18) says that as we keep looking at Jesus Christ, we are transformed into His image. You should pay attention to what you are looking at now because that is what you will become in future. Deliberately fix your attention on the things and people that will influence you to become what you intend to become in the future.

The first time I went to South Korea to attend Dr. Yonggi Cho’s church, I saw that they held seven services in a fifty thousand seater capacity auditorium on that Sunday. They had to beg those who had come to the services that day not to come the following week. I saw something that depicted what I wanted to become, and so I took that vision to God and cried to Him about it. Some years later, I went back there and this time, I was able to meet with him and he said, “I have heard of you, will you please pray for me?” I caught a vision the first time I went there and God began to align things to make me become what I saw. When I went back, I was a different person. If you have a vision and you remain focused on it, you will become what you see in your vision.

Lastly, what you indulge in will determine your destiny. In Judges 16, Samson kept indulging in the wrong things. He kept visiting harlots and committed all manners of atrocities; that was why he died young. Gehazi could have become a greater prophet than Elisha, but his love for silver and gold made him end up as a leper (2 Kings 5:25-27).

Beloved, what vision are you holding on to?

KEY POINT:

What you see will determine what you will become.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 4-5

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL: 15 - PASS ME NOT, O GENTLE SAVIOUR 

1 Pass me not, O gentle Savior,

  Hear my humble cry;

While on others Thou art calling,

  Do not pass me by.

 

Savior, Savior,

  Hear my humble cry;

While on others Thou art calling,

    Do not pass me by.

2 Let me at Thy throne of mercy

  Find a sweet relief;

Kneeling there in deep contrition,

  Help my unbelief.

3 Trusting only in Thy merit,

  Would I seek Thy face;

Heal my wounded, broken spirit,

  Save me by Thy grace.

4 Thou the spring of all my comfort,

  More than life to me;

Whom have I on earth beside Thee?

  Whom in heaven but Thee?