Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E A ADEBOYE

 OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13TH 2025

THEME: ALWAYS REFILL III

MEMORISE: 

This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16

READ: Galatians 5:13-25

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

MESSAGE

I will continue this series by discussing one more reason it is very important to get refilled with the anointing.

Sometimes, the reason you need to get refilled is not that you are exhausted or the anointing has been depleted after a period of intense spiritual activity but that your flesh rose above your spirit for a moment. When you are angry, for instance, you may not hear God speak because your flesh has risen above your spirit. In such a period, you can cause some harm, as Elisha did in 2 Kings 2:23-24. Therefore, if you have been well-trained by God, the anointing will likely be dormant for that season to avoid causing a problem that you will later regret.

In 2 Kings 3:11-1 6, some kings came to meet Elisha, and he Got angry with one of them. Afterwards, when he needed to Prophesy, he had to call a minstrel to play so there could be A refilling. Before long, the man of God could say, Thus Saith the Lord” again. I have observed that whenever the Flesh rises above the spirit, there will be a need to retreat into an atmosphere of worship. In that atmosphere, as the Lord

Descends on you, He will refill you again.

Another major route through which the flesh rises above the Spirit in many ministers is in the area of overconfidence. Despite Jesus’ warning that he would deny Him, Peter felt so confident in himself that instead of praying for spiritual strength to avoid that, he told Jesus that he could never do such a thing, and he eventually denied Him (Matthew 26:69-75). Whenever you start feeling overly confident in your abilities and attributing what you have achieved to your hard work and sacrifices, the enemy is setting you up

for a great fall, and you need to retreat and retrace your steps.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty Spirit before a fall.  Proverbs 16:18

Beloved, whenever your flesh rises above your spirit, run to God and ask for mercy, and He will graciously restore you. After Jesus’ resurrection, He went to Peter’s old place of work to refill him. He prepared a meal, fed him, and recommissioned him into the ministry (John 21:1-17). When your flesh rises above your spirit, go on a retreat and receive a fresh infilling of the anointing so that you can overcome the weaknesses of the flesh and fulfil God’s purpose for your life.

KEY POINT

Whenever your flesh rises above your spirit, run to God for a fresh infilling of the anointing.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 31-32

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

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 valiantly onward,

Evil 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

TUESDAY 12TH AUGUST, 2025

ALWAYS REFILL II

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 strengthening me through my walk with You. Thank You for renewing my strength in You.

2.Father, please refill me with the anointing; mount me up with wings as the eagles; help me to run, and not be weary, to walk, and not faint, in Jesus' name.

3.Father, please refill me by the power of the Holy Spirit, and give me the capacity and strength to go farther, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, please help me to get refilled with the anointing by taking regular rest when needed so that I can consistently do greater works in You, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please help me to be sensitive to the need to get refilled with the anointing when I am getting exhausted, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, You own me and You know my capacity, please refill me that I may continue the journey, and help me to finish well and strong, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please help me to take heed, never to think I am indispensable; help me not to learn to rest the hard way, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please help me to train those You have given me, so they can join me in doing some of the work You have committed into my hands, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please refill all Your Ministers and Missionaries that are getting exhausted on the mission fields, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please help all Your ministers to take adequate rest so they can always be strengthen to do greater works than the ones You did, in Jesus' name.

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

Please refill him with a higher anointing; bless his 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)

#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: TUESDAY AUGUST 12TH 2025

THEME: ALWAYS REFILL II

MEMORISE: 

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.   Mark 6:31

READ: Luke 9:1-10

1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.

4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.

5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;

8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.

9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.

10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

MESSAGE

Yesterday, I started a discussion about the importance of getting refilled with the anointing after moments of intense spiritual exercise. Another time you need to get a refill is when you are exhausted. In 1 Kings 19:5-8, when Elijah was tired, having been on the run from Jezebel, he told God to kill him. God said, "No, I don't bury my wounded; I feed them. When they are weary, I refill them." He gave him food to eat, and Elijah ate and fell asleep again. Interestingly, the man who said, 'kill me' didn't say I’m not eating.' God woke him the second time and gave him a second ration. Clearly, what he needed was rest and food to continue the journey. After eating, Elijah went in the strength of that food for forty days and nights. When you refill, you have the capacity and strength to go farther in God.

In today's Bible reading, after the disciples returned from the missionary journey that Jesus sent them on, they gave Him great news about all the things the anointing did. Then, Jesus took them aside to a private place so they could rest. When virtue leaves a fellow, it has an impact on the body; if that fellow does not rest, he or she may become too weak to do more. Jesus knew this, so after performing many miracles, He would retreat to solitary places to refill, as I mentioned yesterday. He could consistently do great works because He always took time out to refill. He said that His followers would do greater works than He did (John 14:12), and this means they must also refill constantly as He did.

If you load a battery into a torch light and use it for one hour, you should allow it to rest for another hour so that it will last much longer, rather than using it continuously. Similarly, if you always take out time to rest appropriately, you will be able to do much more for God.

Beloved do not think you are indispensable such that you keep using your spiritual battery even when you know that you are exhausted. You might discover the hard way, like Elijah, that there are others who can easily take your place (| Kings 19:15-16). Find those people now and train them so that they can join you in doing some of the work. Don't always wait until you are exhausted to get refilled, and if you are already exhausted, take a retreat now to get refilled.

KEY POINT

Ensure that you rest regularly so you can always refill.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Jeremiah 28-30

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

SUNDAY 3RD AUGUST, 2025

OVERFLOWING WEALTH

Special Note.

These prayer points are not written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, but by one of his, disciples, of Christ, who was inspired and mandated by the Holy Spirit, effective, January 1st, 2015, to start writing these prayer points, based on the Open Heavens Daily Devotional  authored by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.

Some of the prayer points are deep spiritually and may not be understood by carnal minds.

If you want to be blessed from these prayer points, you must first, surrender Your life, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, by saying this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I come to You with a deeply repentant heart, please, forgive me all my sins. I surrender my life to you, today, and, I accept You, as my personal Lord and Saviour. Please, come into my life and save my soul from eternal destruction in hell fire. In Jesus' name, I pray.”

PRAYER POINTS

1.Father, thank You for Your wish for me, that I prosper and overflow in wealth, and also, to be in good health.

2.Father, because You derive pleasure in my prosperity, please prosper me on all sides and let me overflow in wealth, in Jesus' name.

3.Father, I am willing, and I will stay committed to Your people and to the prosperity of Your work here on earth, please give me access to overflowing wealth, in Jesus' name.

4.Father, please, help me to use the resources that You have given me to advance Your kingdom on earth, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please, deliver me from selfishness and greed that may take me away from Your plan to overflow in wealth, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, I am tired of struggling financially, please open heavens upon me, and flood my life with overflowing wealth that Your work may prosper in my hands, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, I want to take the gospel of salvation far into the depth of nations of the world please, bless me with overflowing wealth, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please, let our towns again overflow with prosperity, and comfort us; choose us to enjoy Your overflowing wealth again, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, let there be a transfer of overflowing wealth into the hands of all Your children that are committed to advancing Your work here on earth, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, please, let wealth and riches be in my house, and help me to dwell in Your righteousness still, in Jesus' name.

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

Enlarge his capacity to fulfill Your purpose for his life in all areas; bless his 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)

#HappyConventionWeareOvercomers!

#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 3RD AUGUST 2025

TOPIC: OVERFLOWING WEALTH

MEMORIZE:

“Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.” Psalm 112:3 (KJV)

BIBLE READING: ZECHARIAH 1:14-17

14 So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

15 And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

17 Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

MESSAGE:

God doesn't just want you to be rich; He wants you to overflow with wealth. In (2 Chronicles 1:6-15), the Bible records that Solomon had so much wealth that he made silver and gold as common as stones in Jerusalem. Even though he only asked God for wisdom to rule Israel, God gave him great riches in addition to the wisdom.

Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. - (Psalm 35:27)

God truly derives pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. He can decide to make you overflow with wealth, but He will not do it for someone who is selfish. When He gave Solomon overflowing wealth, it was because Solomon did not ask for something for himself; rather, he asked for something for God's people. God will not give you overflowing wealth if you're not committed to His people and His work on the earth. If all you want to do with wealth is to spend it on yourself and your family alone or show off before people, God will not give you access to overflowing wealth.

When God knows that He can trust you to use the resources He gives you to advance His kingdom on earth, He will bless you with abundance. He blessed Abraham with overflowing wealth and made him great because He could trust him and because He knew he would be a blessing to the whole world (Genesis 18:17-19). Can God trust you with overflowing wealth?

I travelled to Gibraltar at one time, and I was having a nice time looking at tourist attractions like the Rock of Gibraltar and so on. Suddenly, I saw something that affected my happiness - there was a mosque built there with millions of pounds sterling. When I asked, I was told that only a few people use the mosque, and only one person funded the construction of the building! I turned to God and asked, "Lord, what is this?" The answer I got from Him was, "You people are too slow! Particularly you Nigerians. Some of you are even afraid to prosper. When you pray, 'O God, prosper me,' all you are asking for is one million naira. You don't have a vision to take the whole world for Jesus Christ."

Beloved, when your heart is ablaze with a burning passion to advance God's kingdom, He will not hesitate to give you overflowing wealth. 

REFLECTION:

Are you passionate about advancing God's kingdom? Can God trust you with overflowing wealth? 

BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR:

JEREMIAH 1 - 3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMNAL 26 - THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING

1 There shall be showers of blessing:

This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

Sent from the Savior above.

REFRAIN:

Showers of blessing,

Showers of blessing we need:

Mercy-drops round us are falling,

But for the showers we plead.

2 There shall be showers of blessing,

Precious reviving again;

Over the hills and the valleys,

Sound of abundance of rain. [Refrain]

3 There shall be showers of blessing:

Send them upon us, O Lord;

Grant to us now a refreshing,

Come and now honor Thy Word. [Refrain]

4 There shall be showers of blessing:

Oh, that today they might fall,

Now as to God we're confessing,

Now as on Jesus we call! [Refrain]

#TheOvercomers 

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 

Saturday 2nd August, 2025 

THE FOOLISHNESS OF SIN

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. Thank You for delivering me from the grip of sin and curses.

2.Father, thank You for all the blessings and the benefits I am enjoying in Christ Jesus.

3.Father, thank You for a brand new life in You. Thank You for giving me a new identify in You.

4.Father, please help me never to loose my identify in You. Help me to remain Your son/daughter, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, please help me never to return to my foolishness of sin, but to depart from the way of sinners, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, please give every Achan in the camp of Your children, a repented heart and put an end to every experience of defeat in their families, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, please deliver sinners from disgrace and dishonour, and set them free from the grip of sin, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, please help all Your children to keep Your word in their heart so that they can overcome the temptations that surrounds them, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please help me to flee from every appearance of sin and evil; give me the grace to overcome every temptation, in Jesus' name.

10.Heavenly Father, please help me to live for You now and always, in Jesus' name.

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

Let Your anointing never decrease over the life of Your son; bless his 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)

#GodBlessOurNation

#overcomersconvention

#73rdrccgconvention

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: SATURDAY AUGUST 2ND 2025

TOPIC: THE FOOLISHNESS OF SIN

MEMORISE:

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” - (Proverbs 14:34)

BIBLE READING: JOSHUA 7:1-26 (KJV)

1  But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

MESSAGE:

Before I became a Christian, I thought I was clever. I had become a university lecturer, so I thought I knew quite a bit. I was also a sportsman, but I was often down with malaria. I was earning a good salary as a lecturer, and because I was afraid of the traffic in Lagos, I employed a driver. I would pay him his salary at the beginning of the month, but by the middle of the month, I would be borrowing money from him to buy fuel. Things were hard because Isaiah 3:11 says that God has ordained hardship for sinners. I am sure that if you go through the medical records at the University of Lagos Health Centre, you'll see how large my medical file was because I, my wife, and our children were always getting sick. However, since I surrendered my life to God, I and my family have been healthy. By His grace, I have been healthy since 1973 to date.

I stopped wasting money when I stopped sinning. Before I became born again, you would find all sorts of alcoholic drinks in my house. Whenever my colleagues came visiting, they would say, "We can't pass in front of the palace without saying hello to the king." They actually came to drink because I was the king of alcohol. After I became born again, they would come, and if they requested alcoholic drinks, I would say, "I'm sorry, I don't have that anymore; I only have soft drinks." They would get offended, and little by little, all my old friends disappeared, and God replaced them with brothers and sisters in Christ. Once you start living a holy life, things will turn around for good in your life.

Sin always takes more than people bargain for. When Joshua led the Israelites to conquer Jericho, everything went smoothly because there was no sin in their camp. However, the moment Achan took the accursed thing, Israel started experiencing defeat. The little country of Ai dealt with them so much that they had to run from the battlefield (Joshua 7:1-4). Sin brings disgrace and dishonour to sinners.

Beloved, it is foolish to engage in sin. Keep God's word in your heart so that you can overcome the temptations that surround you (Psalm 119:11) and flee from every appearance of sin and evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). I pray that the Almighty God will give you the grace to overcome every temptation, in Jesus' name. 

 PRAYER POINT:

Heavenly Father, please help me to live for You now and always, in Jesus' name, Amen. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  ISAIAH 64-66

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE 

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.