Psalms 98:3 (KJV) He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. May the Lord by His mercy and truth attend to your heart desires, bring an end to every affliction of life and fill you with gladness of heart and thankfulness in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 21ST, 2023.
TOPIC: A PURE HEART
MEMORISE:
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Isaiah 1:18
READ: EPHESIANS 5:26-27 (KJV)
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
MESSAGE:
Purity means 'No contamination'. This also stems from the definition of purity we discussed yesterday. When something else comes into a material, it is no longer pure. All children of God must love Him with all their heart. Once any part of your heart is given to any other object apart from God, that object is a contaminant and must be removed immediately.
Every little contamination is dangerous. I gave an illustration many years ago in one of my books As Pure Light, that if there is a big bucket of absolutely pure water that a group of people want to drink from, then a very little drop of feaces from a baby's diaper drops into it - even if it is just a bit, would they still drink it? The big bucket of clean water becomes contaminated the moment faeces drops into it irrespective of the quantity. The water would no longer be pure and no one would want to drink from it.
In John 14:30, the devil came, examined Jesus Christ from top to bottom and discovered that He was pure; without any contamination whatsoever. That is the testimony I want to have also: that when the devil examines me, I will be able to say, "The devil found no contamination in me". What about you?
In (1 Timothy 5:22), Paul was advising Timothy:
Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.
Don't get contaminated by other people's sins; keep yourself pure. You can be contaminated by other people's sin when you partake in it. For example, anyone who watches pornography is partaking in other people's sins. When you and some people do something wrong and one of them tells a lie to cover the entire group and you say, "After all I am not the one that lied", you are partaking in someone else's sin and that has contaminated you. In Proverbs 1:10, we are advised: "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not". If sinners entice you to come and be a partaker of their sins, run away. There is a congregation called the congregation of the dead (Proverbs 21:16). If you are found amongst them, you are like them already.
ACTION POINT:
Stay pure; stay away from contaminants.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 22-23
AUTHOR PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 28 - WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY STAIN?
1. What can wash away my stain?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
REFRAIN:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow!
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
2. For my pardon this I see;
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea:
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
3. Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus:
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
4. This is all my hope and peace:
Nothing but the blood of Jesus:
This is all my righteousness
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS:
Monday, 20 November, 2023
DON’T BE DOUBLE-MINDED
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 and adore You, my Father, You're the all-seeing and the all-knowing God.
2.Thank You, Father, for the salvation of my soul from the darkness of this world into Your marvelous light in Christ Jesus.
3.Thank You, Father, for creating me in Your image and likeness; and, for Your purpose and pleasure.
4.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and
forgive me; let Your mercy prevail over judgement of sin in my life, in Jesus' name.
5.Father, let every spirit of double mindedness, hypocrisy, insincerity and pretence, in my life, be consumed by Your fire, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, please, cleanse me from all unrighteousness and purify my heart, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, I have placed my hands on the plough, the grace not to look back, please, release upon my life, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, please, let me follow You, all the days of my life, with a single mind and purpose, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, please, let me stand for You and for Christ, alone, all the days of my life, in Jesus' name.
10.Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye; and, bless his ministry, home, and family (biological and spiritual), forever, in Jesus' name.
11.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.
12.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.
13.Your Personal petitions.
( Philippians 4:6)
14.In Jesus' name I pray.
(John 14:13-14; 15:16)
15.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's 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.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (KJV) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. May the Lord by His mercy enable us to fight this good fight of faith unrelenting and never giving up till see Him in glory, in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY NOVEMBER 20TH 2023
TOPIC: DON'T BE DOUBLE-MINDED
MEMORISE:
“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” – (James 1:8)
READ: ISAIAH 29:13-16 (KJV)
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
MESSAGE:
To be double-minded is to be a hypocrite - one minute, you act a certain way and the next, you are someone else. You say something here and something contrary elsewhere. That is double-mindedness and a sign of an impure heart, according to James 4:8: "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded".
Matthew 5:8 says only the pure in heart will see God, so double-minded people will not make it to heaven. To be pure means to be of a single content. When people talk about pure cotton or pure wool, it means it does not contain any other kind of material. Purity, therefore, implies singleness of mind and purpose. One of the reasons I love dogs is that you can tell when they're happy or angry. They have no pretense at all. Unfortunately, when it comes to human beings, they can smile at you and yet plan to kill you.
To be pure means no pretense (James 5:12). That is when your 'yes' is 'yes', and your 'no' means 'no'. If you stand for something, stand for it all the way. In Luke 9:59-62, Jesus Christ gave us an illustration of this when He said the moment you have placed your hand on the plough, there must be no looking back. In Luke 16:13, He puts it another way: "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon". If you are serving one master today and serving another tomorrow, you are double-minded. Choose who your master is and stand by him all the way. If you want to serve God, then don't serve money, or visit a witch doctor in secret; serve God and God alone.
As for me, I am serving the Lord Jesus Christ and I am going with only Him all the way. I tell you again brethren, whatever God does not do for you, no one else can do it. Many of us have not been getting full benefits from the Lord Jesus Christ simply because we are double-minded. James 1:6-8 says the double-minded should not even expect to get anything from God. Don't be double-minded.
REFLECTION:
Search your heart to see if you have been a hypocrite in any way and repent if you find yourself guilty.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 20-21
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 20 - STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS
1. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the Cross!
Lift high His royal banner;
It must not suffer loss.
From vict'ry unto vict'ry
His army shall He lead,
Till ev'ry foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
2. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict,
In this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.
3. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own:
Put on the gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
4. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor's song;
To him that overcometh,
A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory
Shall reign eternally.
Isaiah 33:15-16 (KJV) He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. May the Lord by His mercy keep us standing ready for Him always in Jesus mighty name.
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH, 2023.
TOPIC: DRESS DECENTLY
MEMORISE:
“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.”
1 Timothy 2:9
READ: 1 PETER 3:1-5 (KJV)
1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
MESSAGE:
There is a popular saying: 'Dress the way you want to be addressed'. This means that how you look is an indicator of who you are. In the olden days, a mad person could be recognised by his rough and unkempt look. However, these days, it is called a style. This is deception. Simply put, it is what is inside that is coming out on the outside.
What kind of people do you see wearing torn clothes around today? Some people even cut their jeans by themselves and call them crazy jeans. Do you now see clearly where their inspiration is from? Why have you made mad people your new role models? That in itself is worrisome. As a parent, why would you allow your children wear things that portray them as people of the world, rather than of God? It is clear that some parents do not regard God highly; they would rather offend Him than discipline their children. I saw a girl dressed indecently one day; I asked her if her parents had been out when she left the house. She said they were at home and, in fact, it was her mother who had bought the dress for her. I said, "How can you walk through the streets like this? Don't you know that your dress says that you are available and cheap?". Surprisingly, she thanked me and said she had always suspected that her parents didn't really care about her. Parents, teach your children to dress in a way that will glorify God.
Some husbands allow their wives to dress like harlots. I find this very hard to understand. You cannot enter a private property without an invitation because doing so would amount to trespassing. A wife is not for sale; she is already off the shelf, yet there are wives whose dressing proclaims them as cheap and available. Why would a woman dress in such a way that what belongs to her husband is exposed for the whole world to see? Some women will say they want to look 'sexy'. Are you public property? The only fellow you should look 'sexy' for is your husband - no one else. The problem is that some husbands are so ignorant that they think their wife dressing half naked in public is stylish. May God deliver this generation from destructive mentalities, in Jesus' name.
KEY POINT:
If you are a child of the King of Kings, you should dress as such.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 18-19
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, 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 power of grace divine
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
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!
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.
