Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 

Wednesday, 19th June 2024.

SPEND TIME WITH THEM. (PART 3) 

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, thank You for first loving me and for the salvation of my soul.

2.  Father, thank You for my family and the ministry You have committed into my hands.

3.  Father, in any way I have fallen short of Your glory please have mercy on me , and forgive me in any area I have failed You over my family 

4.  Father, please , help me to be able to put my home in order and not to neglect my family, in Jesus' name 

5.  Father, please, help me to pay attention to the needs of the children You have put under my care, in Jesus' name.

6.  Father, please, help me not to put my ministry, business or career first before my family, make it something my children enjoy and not detest, in Jesus' name.

7.  Father, help me to be available for my family, let each moment I share with them be a time for bonding and adventure, in Jesus' name 

8.  Father, please, make great exploits with my family,  in Jesus' name 

9.  Father, help me to rule my children and my house well, not just as a minister but as a parent with much love and care, in Jesus' name

10.  Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye;  grant him divine health and long life; 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 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: THURSDAY JUNE 20TH, 2024.

TOPIC: NOTHING IS HIDDEN

MEMORISE:

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” - (Hebrews 4:13)

READ: JOSHUA 7:1-22 (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.

MESSAGE:

I was invited by a chief several years ago to pray for him because he was sick. I asked if he was born again, and he said, “Yes”. This made me happy, and I assured him that he will get well. I prayed, but nothing happened. I sent two of my prayer champions to his house to stay there; they fasted and prayed for him for seven days. Still, the man got worse. Then, I decided to fast and pray for 21 days for the man. That was when God spoke, “Son, it is good to fast, but if it is for this man, he will not get well.” I responded, “But this man said he is your son, why don’t you want to heal him?” Then He told me to ask the chief seven questions. The next time I went to visit him, I said, “Chief, God told me to ask you some questions.” He told me to go ahead and ask. Before I finished asking all the questions, he knew that his secrets had been exposed. I thought he would repent so we could pray together for God to heal him, but he told me never to visit him again. Is there anything that you think has been hidden away that you don’t want anyone to find out about? The word of God says in Luke 8:17:

For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

God knows the secret sins that individuals might have, and if they refuse to confess and repent of them, He can decide to reveal them in such a way that they will be disgraced.

The fact that sin is hidden does not mean that its consequences are also hidden. The word of God is clear, whatsoever you sow, you will reap (Galatians 6:7). Proverbs 11:21 says that no sinner will go unpunished. If you are hiding any sins, my advice to you is that you confess them to God and repent of them immediately to avoid their consequences. We have a great promise from God that if we confess our sins and forsake them, He will forgive us (1 John 1:9), (Proverbs 28:13). If you have secret sins, you have a choice today to either continue in them and suffer their consequences or confess and forsake them so you can have God’s mercy. Choose wisely.

ACTION POINT:

If there are secret sins in your life, confess and forsake them today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PSALMS 89-94

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL:  10 - IN CHRIST ALONE 

1 In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

2 In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

3 There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

4 No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: WEDNESDAY JUNE 19TH 2024

TOPIC: SPEND TIME WITH THEM 3

MEMORISE:

“Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.” - (1 Timothy 3:12)

READ: 1 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (KJV)

1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

MESSAGE:

Today, I will continue my teaching on the importance of spending time with children. Many ministers of God make the mistake of putting their ministries before their families - this is not how God wants it. Today’s Bible reading tells us that a man must first have his house in order before he takes up leadership in ministry. As far as God is concerned, your home must come first, then your ministry next. If your home is not in order, you have no business being in ministry.

If you are a minister, don’t neglect your family because you are helping to build other families. There are many ministers’ children who have serious issues that need attention while their parents are helping other children settle theirs - this is wrong. Do not ignore your children because you believe that you are already teaching them the word of God during family devotions and church services. Your children don’t see you only as a minister, they also need you to listen to them every now and then as their parent. When you are with them, don’t talk as a minister, talk as their parent, showing them love and care. The reason many ministers’ children become wayward is that they are living with a minister, not their parent. Make the work of ministry something they enjoy and not something they detest because it takes their parents away from them.

I realised that I needed to be with my children during festive seasons, and as such, even when we had church programmes at those times, I always ensured that they came along with me. On our way to such programmes, I would share jokes and riddles with them so that they would have fun and be relaxed. Whenever we arrived at the venue of the programmes, wherever I sleep is where they would also sleep. Even when things were quite tough and all I had to sleep on was a wooden bench, we would all sleep on it together. So, rather than see the programmes as things that took their father away from home during holidays, they became times of bonding and adventure for us.

When you are praying for great exploits in ministry, remember to pray for your family too. Put them first in the place of prayers. What you pray about shows what you prioritise.

KEY POINT:

You must rule your home well first before taking up a leadership position in ministry.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PSALMS 81-88

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL:  30 - WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD 

1 When we walk with the Lord

in the light of his word,

what a glory he sheds on our way!

While we do his good will,

he abides with us still,

and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2 Not a burden we bear,

not a sorrow we share,

but our toil he doth richly repay;

not a grief or a loss,

not a frown or a cross,

but is blest if we trust and obey. [Refrain]

3 But we never can prove

the delights of his love

until all on the altar we lay;

for the favor he shows,

for the joy he bestows,

are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]

4 Then in fellowship sweet

we will sit at his feet,

or we'll walk by his side in the way;

what he says we will do,

where he sends we will go;

never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 

Tuesday, 18th June 2024

SPEND TIME WITH THEM. (PART 2) 

Special Note.

These prayer points are not written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, but by one of his, disciples, of Christ, who was inspired and mandated by the Holy Spirit, effective, January 1st, 2015, to start writing these prayer points, based on the Open Heavens Daily Devotional see 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, thank You for first loving me and for the salvation of my soul.

2.  Father, thank You for making me Your heritage as a child and also for giving me children both biological and spiritual.

3.  Father, in any way I have fallen short of Your glory please have mercy on me , and forgive me in any area I have failed You over the children You have given me 

4.  Father, please, help me to be a good influence on the children (biological and spiritual) in my care, in Jesus' name 

5.  Father, help me to get to know my children as much as possible, in Jesus' name.

6.  Father, please, deliver the children under my care from negative societal influence, corrupt knowledge and unprofitable friends, in Jesus' name.

7.  Father, help me to teach them the truth by Your word and empower them not to compromise, in Jesus' name 

8.  Father, as a parent, help me to occupy the children under my care with godly activities so that they can have things to spend their energy on, in Jesus' name 

9.  Father, help me to prioritize my children's spiritual growth and connection with The Holy Spirit above material possessions, in Jesus' name

10.  Father, help me not to fail You over the children in my care, in Jesus' name.

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

THEME: SPEND TIME WITH THEM II

MEMORISE: 

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.    

2 Corinthians 2:11

READ: Proverbs 1:10-16 

10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

MESSAGE

Yesterday, I started discussing the importance of spending time with children. As parents spend time with their children, they must also spend time with what and whom their children spend time with. Parents should check the apps on their children's phones to see what they are being exposed to. When they are watching movies or cartoons, they should watch with them to be sure that they are safe for them. They should check the websites they visit and ask them to invite their friends over so they can know the kind of friends they keep. They should visit their schools regularly to know the kind of people their teachers are. Parents should not see anything their children are involved in as too low or immature for them. Whatever or whomever children spend their time with will influence them, and parents must be there to ensure that they are influenced correctly. Solomon, in today's Bible reading, spoke to his son about the people he should interact with. He knew that even after raising him the right way, other people and things could still influence him negatively.

There are things parents teach their children that the world will try to convince them to compromise on. Today's memory verse tells us not to be ignorant of the enemy's devices. Parents must pay attention to whatever their children are paying attention to. It will be unwise to teach them and then leave them to the world to corrupt them. Beyond that, parents should occupy their children with godly activities so that they can have things to spend their energy on. They should encourage them to join the workforce in their local assembly as well as Christian book clubs and associations. School activities and excursions are good, but parents must also prioritize spiritual engagements for their children. They shouldn't ignore their children's spiritual growth, but rather, they should teach them to build a connection with the Holy Spirit so that they can hear His voice telling them what and what not to do, even in their absence.

If you are a parent, engage your children in conversations to know what they have in their hearts and the things that influence them. Matthew 15:11 says that it is what comes out of a person's mouth that defiles him or her. Talk to them about anything and everything to hear what they will say and know what is in their hearts.

I pray that you will not fail God over your children, in Jesus

KEY POINT

Beyond spending time with children, it is also very important to spend time with the people and things that they spend their time with.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 78-80

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 28: GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH

1. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah

pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but you are mighty;

hold me with your powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

feed me now and evermore,

feed me now and evermore.

2. Open now the crystal fountain,

where the healing waters flow.

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

ever be my strength and shield,

ever be my strength and shield.

3. When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside.

Death of death, and hell's Destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever sing to you,

I will ever sing to you.

Open Heavens Prayer Points

PRAYER POINTS ON TODAY'S OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL

Monday, 17th June 2024

SPEND TIME WITH THEM (PART 1)

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 see 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, thank You for loving me and for saving me from hell, I give You praise for making me Your child.

2.  Father, thank You for making me Your heritage as a child and also for giving me children both biological and spiritual.

3.  Father, in any way I have fallen short of Your glory please have mercy on me, forgive me for not spending time with the children You have given me in Jesus' name 

4.  Father, please, don't let me get so busy with work and neglect the children You had given me, in Jesus' name 

5.  Father, help me to raise the children You have given me in your fear and not to hand over that responsibility to someone else, in Jesus' name.

6.  Father, please, deliver them from evil communication, help me not to spoil the children You placed under my care, in Jesus' name.

7.  Father, as a child, build in me the ability to ignore distractions and to focus on my goals, in Jesus' name 

8.  Father, as a parent, help me to discover every wrong habit in the children You have given me, help me never to withdraw the rod of discipline from them, in Jesus' name 

9.  Father, help me to take the children You have given me as a priority and not material possession, don't let it become too late for me to correct them, in Jesus' name

10.  Father, bless your son, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye;  grant him divine health and long life; 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 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 JUNE 17TH 2024

TOPIC: SPEND TIME WITH THEM 1

MEMORISE:

“Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.” - (Proverbs 17:6)

READ: DEUTERONOMY 11:19-21 (KJV)

19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:

21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

MESSAGE:

A major danger in this generation is that parents are so busy with work that they neglect their children. It is absolutely wrong for domestic helps or nannies to spend more time with children than their parents. (1 Corinthians 15:33) says that evil communication corrupts good manners. Whomever children communicate with the most is whom they learn from the most. If you are a parent, you owe it to God to raise the children He has given you and not hand that responsibility over to someone else.

Nowadays, it is almost as if couples are competing with each other on who makes the most money. So, while men are out working, women are also working, leaving children without proper care. Fathers and mothers must both be available to raise the children that God has given to them. Psalm 127:3 says that children are God’s heritage; in other words, when you leave this world, what God expects you to leave behind for Him are the children that He has brought under your care, and this is not limited to your biological children. Parents are only caretakers, and if they damage what has been placed under their care, they will pay dearly for it.

There were times I wanted to play football with my peers as a little boy, but thank God my mother was always home to send me inside the house to study my books. I thought she was being mean, but she built in me the ability to ignore distractions and focus on my goals. The fear of my father’s punishments also put me in check while growing up. My elder brother was quite strong, but the day I saw him crying when my father disciplined him, I determined never to do anything that will make my father discipline me.

Some children develop bad habits right under their parents’ roof. However, the parents only get to find out several years later, and at that time, it takes only the grace of God for them to change. If you are a parent, don’t be too busy to train the children that God has given you. When you leave this world, the cars you drove and houses you bought will not matter; what will matter are the children you left behind. There is an African adage that says, ‘If you refuse to build your child because you are building a house, the child you did not build will sell the house you built.’ As a parent, the children God has given to you must be your priority, not material possessions.

REFLECTION:

How much time do you spend with your children every day?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PSALMS 73-77

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE 

HYMNAL:  13 - JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW 

1 Jesus loves me, this I know,

for the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to him belong;

they are weak, but he is strong.

Refrain:

Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.

2 Jesus loves me he who died

heaven's gate to open wide.

He will wash away my sin,

let his little child come in. [Refrain]

3 Jesus loves me, this I know,

as he loved so long ago,

taking children on his knee,

saying, "Let them come to me." [Refrain]