Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E A ADEBOYE

 OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY MAY 1ST 2025

THEME: EARTH-SHAKING EVENTS 

MEMORIZE: 

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. 

Acts 4:31

READ: ACTS 16:25-27

25  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

MESSAGE:

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were gathered together in one room and in one accord when suddenly, there came a sound as of a rushing mighty wind (Acts 2:1-4). This wind shook the entire house, and until now, the world has not recovered from that event. whether you believe it or not, God is about to shake the whole world. A great revival is here, and you can be a part of it.

In 1979, I attended a Kenneth Hagin camp-meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with my Father in the Lord and four other brethren. We stayed at the Mayo Hotel, and very early one morning, my Father in the Lord sent for all of us. When we got to his room, we saw him praying in the Holy Spirit more deeply than we had ever seen him pray before. It was at that meeting that he dropped a bombshell - he was going to be called to glory soon, and I would be succeeding him as the church's leader. When he said that, we all began to pray fervently. We were still praying when suddenly, the hotel's engineer came knocking at the door. As I was standing closest to the door, I opened it. The engineer then asked, "What kind of instrument are you playing?" I replied, "We are not playing any instrument; we are praying." He didn't believe me, so he entered the room and looked everywhere. As he was going out, he asked, "What did you say you were doing?" I replied, "We were praying." Then I asked, "What is wrong?" He said, "The hotel is shaking, and we have traced the source of the vibration to this room." The building's foundation was tested in an attempt to trace the cause of the vibration, but nothing was found. After we left, the hotel was shut down because there were major concerns about the vibration. Since they could not detect the cause of the vibration and they couldn't possibly have believed that it was as a result of prayers, the hotel had to be shut down for 30 years.

That was an event that preceded the revival we are witnessing in the RCCG today.

When believers pray together in unity great things happen; we can influence the world effectively and win many souls into the kingdom faster. Beloved, if you want to be part of a revival that will shake the earth and reveal God's glory, you must become accustomed to fervent prayers in unity with other believers.

KEY POINT:

Fervent prayers in one accord with other believers will birth earth-shaking events and great revivals.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 CHRONICLES 7-9

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 22: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

1 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

That calls me from a world of care,

And bids me at my Father’s throne

Make all my wants and wishes known.

In seasons of distress and grief,

My soul has often found relief,

And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,

By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

2 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

The joys I feel, the bliss I share,

Of those whose anxious spirits burn

With strong desires for thy return!

With such I hasten to the place

Where God my Savior shows His face,

And gladly take my station there,

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

3 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

Thy wings shall my petition bear

To Him whose truth and faithfulness

Engage the waiting soul to bless.

And since He bids me seek His face,

Believe His Word and trust His grace,

I’ll cast on Him my every care,

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

4 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

May I thy consolation share,

Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,

I view my home and take my flight.

This robe of flesh I’ll drop, and rise

To seize the everlasting prize,

And shout, while passing through the air,

“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”

HAPPY NEW MONTH!!!

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday, 30th April, 2025

GOD HATES DISUNITY

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 Trinity in one, sharing same power, glory and honour. Thank You for the unity in the Trinity.

2.Father, thank You for Your love for mankind and Your desire for us to dwell in unity with each other.

3.Father, the second greatest commandment to us is for us to love one another; please, help me to dwell in unity with other people, and let there be unity among all believers, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, please, break every wall of disunity amongst us, let the devil not be able to gain entry into our territories again, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, across all the nations of the world, help all the Christians to be united against every  anti-Christian policy and persecutions of the Christians, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, please, like on the day of Pentecost, help us to be in one accord; please, restore the unity we have lost, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, staring from my local assembly, I pull down every wall of disunity amongst us, and help us to dwell in unity, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, from my local assembly, help us to dwell in unity with other churches in my community, pulling down the works of darkness and establishing Your will, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, help all the leaders in churches in my community to be in one accord against the work of darkness, and to expand Your kingdom on earth, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, let the body of Christ be united as a whole, help us to put aside our differences, and to come together to form a united front against the devil, so we can do great exploits to Your glory, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, send help to Your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye in all areas of his life.

Grant the desire of his heart in seeing the unity in the body of Christ as a whole; bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), and help them to continue to produce sons and daughters to Your glory, in Jesus' name.

12.Father, bless Your son that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus' name.

13.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus' name.

14.Your Personal petitions.

( Philippians 4:6)

15..In Jesus' name I pray.

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

16.Thank You Father for answered prayers.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

#GodBlessOurNation

These prayers have no expiry dates! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus' name.

Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye's, books ministry.

Note:

You may not add, subtract or rearrange these prayer points.

The Holy Spirit is the author, though He used someone, who, out of humility has refused to take glory for it, by not putting his name. It is plagiarism to use, or pass as your own, someone else writing or work. The original author of these prayer points is the Holy Spirit. So, share, but don't share His glory with Him in the process.

Remain blessed, as you obey, in Jesus' name.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E A ADEBOYE

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: WEDNESDAY APRIL 30TH 2025

TOPIC: GOD HATES DISUNITY

MEMORISE:

"And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." - (Matthew 12:25)

READ: PSALM 133:1-3 (KJV)

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

MESSAGE:

Several Scriptures clearly tell us that God hates disunity, and He loves it when His children are united. He said in John 13:35 that it is by showing love to one another that people will recognise us as His disciples. God is so particular about unity that He said that if you come to Him with an offering and remember that your brother has something against you, you must go and reconcile with him before returning to give your offering (Matthew 5:23-24).

God wants His children to be united because He knows that there is little we can achieve individually. He knows that the moment we begin to operate as separate entities, it will be easy for the devil to gain entry into our territories, and we will not be able to do much to stop him. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says:

And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

There are many Christians and Christian organisations around the world. In fact, Christianity is considered to be the most popular religion in the world. Why, then, are the governments of some nations establishing anti-Christian policies and persecuting Christians? The major reason is that many of us Christians are living in isolation. If we come together and decree a thing, it will surely come to pass. If we can come together and decide to turn the whole world around for Christ, we will be unstoppable.

When you look at all the times that there have been revivals in the past, one major thing you will discover is that a significant part of the body of Christ was united. At the upper room, when the disciples were all in one accord, the Holy Ghost came down, and three thousand souls were saved on that day. The Bible further says in Acts 2:46-47 that the disciples were united and more and more people were added to the church daily.

Look within your local assembly; is there unity among you? Look at the environment where your church is located; is your local assembly working in unity with the other churches in the community? If we can only put aside our differences and come together to form a united front against the devil, we will discover that nothing will be impossible to us. 

 ACTION POINT:

Pray for the unity of all the churches in your community and the body of Christ as a whole. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  1 CHRONICLES 5-6

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE 

HYMN: 24 - I WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS 

1 I want to be like Jesus,

So lowly and so meek,

For no one marked an angry word

That every heard Him speak.

2 I want to be like Jesus,

So frequently in prayer;

Alone upon the mountain-top,

He met His Father there.

 3 I want to be like Jesus,

I never, never find

That He, though persecuted, was

To any one unkind.

 4 I want to be like Jesus,

Engaged in doing good,

So that of me it may be said,

`She hath done what she could.`

 5 I want to be like Jesus,

Who sweetly said to all,

`Let little children come to Me:`

I would obey the call.

 6 But oh, I'm not like Jesus,

As any one may see;

Then, gentle Saviour, send Thy Grace,

And make me like to Thee.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Tuesday, 29th April, 2025

GUARD YOUR FREEDOM TO WORSHIP

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 setting me free from the shackles of slavery to the idols of my father's house; thank You for the escape of my soul from the snare of the fowler.

2.Father, thank You for setting me free indeed, and granting me access into the holiest of the holy by the blood of Jesus and by the help of the Holy Spirit.

3.Father, thank You for the freedom of worship in my nation and other nations of the world. Please, set free every soul under captivity in countries where the people are not free to worship You as they want, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, all powers belong to You, I therefore decree that no force or power will be able to change the way christians worship You; please, frustrate every policy aimed at forcing Christians to worship You the way the unbelievers want, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, help all Christians never to adapt to ungodly practices, especially within the church, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, please, help me to guard my heart and my territory against anything that may hinder me from living life abundantly and serving You wholeheartedly, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, break every chain of bondage and channels of ungodly practices in Your church, and in our lives, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, help me and fellow believers to be sober and vigilant. Help me to be sensitive and be careful about the things i permit in and around me, in Jesus' name.

9.‭Father, please, break evil chains and deliver every soul that is unable to serve You wholeheartedly; let them begin to enjoy freedom to worship You like never before, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, like a bird that escapes the shackles, let my soul escape and begin to enjoy the freedom to worship You in spirit and in truth, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, send help to Your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye in all areas of his life.

Lift him above every barrier; bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), and help them to continue to produce sons and daughters to Your glory, 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: TUESDAY, APRIL 29TH 2025

TOPIC: GUARD YOUR FREEDOM TO WORSHIP

MEMORISE:

"Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped." - (Psalm 124:7)

READ: Psalm 100:1-5 (KJV)

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

MESSAGE:

When people are not free to worship God the way they should, it means that their souls are in captivity. For example, when God sent Moses to Pharaoh to release the Israelites, He said, "Let my people go, so they can worship me" (Exodus 5:1).

I thank God for freedom of worship in some nations. To a large extent, in such countries, people can go to church anytime they want and worship God however they want to. In some other nations, however, the government dictates what the church should do and not do. For example, they try to force pastors to join people of the same gender in marriage. One of the RCCG pastors in a particular country was arrested because he addressed some people as 'Ladies and gentlemen'. They said it was an insult because not all of them were ladies or gentlemen. The aim of all this is to change the way Christians worship God and force them to worship Him the way unbelievers want them to. Beloved, God's standard remains sure. You must not adapt to ungodly practices, especially within the church, just because the people at the top say so. When you adapt, that's slavery. Slavery, in its simplest terms, is anything that hinders you from living life abundantly and serving God wholeheartedly. Whenever you see such things around you, guard your heart and your territory.

Many Christians are already adhering to the ways of the world because of ungodly policies, and you must pray that those chains of bondage be broken speedily. When the chain of bondage was broken in Egypt, the principal thing that Pharaoh said was, "Go and worship God the way you want."

Often, policies that endanger people's souls don't appear to be evil at first. This is why we must be sober and vigilant as believers. We must be sensitive and careful about the things we permit within and around us. Many believers keep saying, "It doesn't matter" until their consciences become seared with the hot iron of immorality and darkness (1 Timothy 4:2). If it doesn't conform to God's will, it matters to God, and it should matter to you too.

Beloved, if you have been chained such that you can no longer serve God wholeheartedly, I pray that God will deliver you today. Your soul escapes like a bird from those shackles (Psalm 124:7), and may you enjoy the freedom to worship God in spirit and in truth, in Jesus' name. 

 ACTION POINT:

Thank God if you are able to worship Him freely and pray for deliverance for those who do not enjoy the same freedom. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

 1 Chronicles 3-4

HYMN: 31 - Yield not to temptation

1 Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;

Each vict’ry will help you some other to win;

Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;

Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

Refrain:

Ask the Savior to help you,

Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;

He is willing to aid you,

He will carry you through.

2 Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,

God’s name hold in rev’rence, nor take it in vain;

Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true;

Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

3 To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown,

Through faith we will conquer, though often cast down;

He who is our Savior, our strength will renew;

Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

Monday, 28th April, 2025

AVOIDING STRIFE

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 work of reconciling man with God at the cruxifixion  of Jesus on the cross of Calvary.

2.Father, thank You for granting us peace that passes man's understanding by giving us Jesus- the Prince of Peace.

3.Father, thank You for the salvation of my soul, and the blessings of Your increase I am enjoying by association with the Trinity.

4.Father, please, help me not to loose my connection with You, but to value the relationship with the Trinity, and with everyone You have given  me, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, help me to avoid every form of strife that will give room to the devil, so I wont loose my inheritance in You, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, please, help me to forbear my fellow brethren, and make me ready to forgive their offences even as Christ forgives me, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please, give me the grace to understand how to relate with my spouse and every member of my family, friends and associates such that, every form of strife will be avoided, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, help me to relate well with every member of my fellowship, the body of Christ and even the unbelievers so that I can win them to Christ rather than getting unnecessarily angry, in Jesus' name.

9.‭Father, please, no matter the pressure to strife with my offenders, help me not to be offended but, give me grace and wisdom to relate amicably as Jesus will do, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, help me to avoid strife like a plague, never to open the doorway to the devil, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, send help to Your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye in all areas of life.

Lift him above every barrier; bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), and help them to continue to produce sons and daughters to Your glory, 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 HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY APRIL 28TH 2025

THEME:  AVOIDING STRIFE

MEMORIZE:  

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.      

James 3:16

READ:  Genesis 13:1-18 

1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

MESSAGE

Strife is dangerous; it damages relationships and destroys homes, especially when it is allowed to linger. When Abraham took his nephew, Lot, with him to the land God promised him, he didn't think that issues would arise between them. Lot enjoyed God's blessings because of Abraham, yet he wasn't wise enough to tell his herdsmen to honor and respect Abraham's herdsmen. Despite this, Abraham didn't get offended. Instead, he settled the issue with Lot amicably. He called Lot and said, "Please, let there be no strife between us, for we are brethren." Abraham valued his relationship with God and his brotherhood with Lot above the issues they were having. He even humbled himself and asked Lot to choose where he wished to go first. Abraham understood something many people do not understand; he knew that whenever you allow strife, you give room to the devil.

During a Festival of Life event of RCCG in London, a Polish couple that had been waiting for the fruit of the womb shared the testimony of how God blessed them with a child. When the husband was sharing the testimony, because English is not his native language, he said, "Last year, I came from Poland to the ministers' conference because somebody told me that anybody the G.O. touches becomes pregnant." My wife was sitting next to me, and she said jokingly, "Don't touch me; I don't want another pregnancy." While we were able to laugh about what the man said because we understood his background, it could also have been misunderstood because of what touches in that context could imply. Indeed, there are more complex cases where misunderstandings can arise between two people because one or both of the parties are not taking account of the background of the other party as they relate with them.

Beloved, learn to consider people's backgrounds when relating with them; this will help you to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. There are people who, because of where they are from and the fact that I am old enough to be their parent or grandparent, when they come to see me, expect them to prostrate. Whereas there are others who, because of where they are from, I do not expect them to prostrate; in fact, I will be surprised if they do. What is a greeting to some people may seem like an insult to you, and if you regard their greeting as an insult, you will develop unnecessary anger and strife, which will give room to satan.

KEY POINT

Avoid strife like a plague; it is a doorway to the devil.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  1 Chronicles 1-2

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 24: I WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS

1 I want to be like Jesus,

So lowly and so meek;

For no one marked an angry word

That ever heard him speak.

Refrain:

I want to be like Jesus,

God's well beloved Son;

I want to be like Jesus,

The pure and holy One.

2 I want to be like Jesus,

So frequently in prayer;

Alone upon the mountain top,

He met his Father there. 

3 I want to be like Jesus,

Engaged in doing good,

So that of me it may be said,

He hath done what he could. 

4 Alas! I'm not like Jesus,

As any one may see;

Thy gentle Spirit, Savior, send,

And make me like to thee.