Open Heavens Devotional - NO SKIPPING DETAILS

Open Heavens 25 September 2017: Monday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – No Skipping Details

NO SKIPPING DETAILS – Monday September 25^th 2017

Memorise: For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:10

Read: 2^nd Kings 4:1-7 (KJV)

4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

^4:2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

^4:3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

^4:4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

^4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

^4:6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

^4:7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Bible in one year: Nehemiah 10-11, Ezekiel 46:13-24, Hymn: Sing hymn 14

MESSAGE:

To avoid financial storms, you need to carefully note all the elements of a divine instruction. God is a God of details. When He gives you a recipe to solve a particular problem, He expects you to leave no details out. In  today’s Bible reading, to solve the serious debt problem of the widow of a late prophet, Elisha asked her to borrow vessels from all her neighbours, shut the door behind her and pour out her remaining pot of oil into all available vessels. If she had altered any element of this instruction, it would definitely have affected the result she got. Some people receive certain divine instructions and thereafter determine which to obey and which to discard. No! All the details must be observed! Do you know that if the widow had borrowed the vessels but refused to shut her door, the oil would not have flowed?

Beloved, always pay close attention to whatever instructions you receive from God. When it comes to sowing for instance, 2^nd Corinthians 9:6-7 says,

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

From the details of this scripture, it is not just sowing that will get you your expected returns, but rather, sowing bountifully and cheerfully. Today, many people have chosen to forget these details on sowing, and this accounts for the financial storms in their lives. On tithing, it is not enough to tithe, but to bring in all the tithes. After completing my PhD research, I recalled I still had part of my research grant with the university. So I went to my Head of Department (HoD) asking to draw out of it to bind my thesis. He refused to release it to me, and when I insisted, he sent me out of his office. With no other funds available, I wondered how to get the money I needed. A little past midnight, someone came knocking on my door. He said he could not sleep, and so he came to return the money I had loaned him five years earlier. Although I had forgotten this money, God had not. He paid me the exact amount I needed. After binding the thesis, I was scared, wondering if my HoD would accept it and give me a good score. So on the following Sunday, I paid my tithe, and on Monday, when I submitted my thesis to him, he was impressed and offered to personally take it to the external examiner. He also waited on the examiner until he finished his job in three days instead of six months. After this, my PhD grant was paid, and it became useful pocket money for me. You cannot tell the extent God will go to satisfy those who are totally obedient.

Action Point

Ask God to lead out youths aright in the choice of life partners.

Open Heavens Devotional - THE IMPORTANT FACTOR

THE IMPORTANT FACTOR – Sunday September 24 2017

Memorise: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence . Colossians 1:18

Read: Matthew 6:31-34 (KJV)

^6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

^6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

^6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

^6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Bible in one year: Nehemiah 9, Ezekiel 46:1-12, Hymn: Sing hymn 3

MESSAGE:

First thing first, so the saying goes. As a believer in Christ, when you come before God’s presence, the most important person is not you but Him. Also, unlike most of us believe, at God’s Throne of Grace, the most important thing is not your requests, but rather the worship you offer to Him. if you fail to get this right, and you fail to adjust your approach and attitude to reflect this truth, you will always have issues with God. Do you know that every time you approach God’s presence, it is like facing a test? Believe it or not, when you come before God, there are two crucial people at that meeting: God and you. One of these two must take pre-eminence. Similarly, God has a need and you also have a need; one of these two needs must be more important.

“But seek ye first kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 6:33

The scripture tells us about a divine order that must be followed. It also talks about God’s need and man’s need. It tells us that God has already provided for all of man’s needs. In other words, God already has all you would ever need at anytime in your life. For you to receive them, all that He requires from you is to simply meet His needs. Give Him what He wants. Put Him first and your needs last. Give Him quality thanks, praise and worship. When you follow Heaven’s protocol, you will easily receive a favourable answer to your requests. God expects you to come before His presence with thanksgiving, praise and worship, leaving your request as the last thing. Do you know that one way to know how important something really is to you is to measure the amount of time you give to it? When you pray for one hour and you use 50 minutes of the time presenting your requests, you are telling God that you and your request are more important than Him and His desires. How do you think this makes God feel? In any case, He has already expressed His thoughts about this in 1^st Samuel 2:30, where He said:

“For them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

Also, what you focus on becomes magnified. If you focus on your problems, they will be enlarged, but if you focus on God and on what He wants, He will be magnified to the extent that your problems will fade into insignificance. By the time you eventually remember them, you would discover that they have been swallowed up by His Almightiness, leaving you with the answer to your prayers.

Key Point

If you make God your priority, He will make you His priority.

Marriage Insight: Weakening the Relationship Walls that Separate

Marriage Insight: Weakening the Relationship Walls that Separate

Whatever you do, it’s important as husband and wife to “Deal with grievances as they arise. Don’t stack them on top of one another or let them fester inside until they turn to hostility. Anger is always a secondary emotion. If spouses back up to what preceded it, they will often find hurt. If they reveal the hurt, they’ll weaken the walls that separate them.” (Bill Hybels)

There are so many circumstances that can cause walls of conflict to build up and separate us as wives and husbands. But the question is—what do we do when communication breaks down & hostility rises up to drive a wedge between us? We’d like to share a story to bring insight into what we’re to do in just such a circumstance. It’s titled: What Do We Build? Unfortunately we don’t know who wrote it so we can’t give them proper credit, but here’s how the story goes: 

“Once, there were two brothers who lived on adjoining farms who fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift they’d had in 40 years of farming side-by-side. They used to share machinery & trade labor & goods as each of them needed, without a single hitch. But then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding & eventually grew into a major difference until it finally exploded into an ugly exchange of bitter words, which was followed by weeks of silence. 

“One morning there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. ‘I’m looking for a few days’ work’ he said. Would you happen to have anything around here that I could help you with?’ ‘Yes,’ said the older brother. ‘I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor. In fact, it’s my younger brother’s place! Last week there was a meadow between us. He recently took his bulldozer to the river levee & now there’s a creek between us. He may have done this to spite me, but I’m going to do him one better. See that pile of lumber over there by the barn? I want you to build me a fence —an 8-foot fence —so I won’t have to see my brother’s farm or his face anymore.’

“The carpenter said, ‘I think I understand the situation. Show me where you have some nails and a post-hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that will please you.’ The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing and nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide, and his jaw dropped at what he saw. There wasn’t a fence there at all. It was a bridge —a bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other! It was beautifully built with handrails and all! He then saw the neighbor —his younger brother, coming toward them, with his hand outstretched. ‘You’re really remarkable —to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.’

“The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, & then walked toward each other meeting in the middle, taking each other’s hand. They then turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. The older brother yelled, ‘No, wait! Stay for a few days. I have a lot of other projects for you to do.’ ‘I’d love to stay on,’ the carpenter said, ‘but I have a lot more bridges to build.’"

That carpenter had a peace plan—to weaken and tear down the walls that separate, and build relationship bridges to open up communication again. This is the same plan we should grab onto when we have grievances against each other as husbands and wives. Please recognize that:

“Most problems start with hurt. After the hurt mulls around in our mind for a while, it becomes infected. (You can end up being angry at ‘the insensitive louse’ that only cares about what they do.) That’s why it’s important to plan peace talks as soon as possible, before hurt turns to anger. …Revealing hurt can build bridges of understanding and compassion. But venting hostility blows up bridges, because people are repelled by angry assaults.” (Bill Hybels)

Are you one who blows up bridges in your family or are you a bridge builder—taking seriously the message of reconciliation that the Bible talks about? We need to keep in mind that “We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them.“ (2 Cor. 5:19 – The Message) We’re told in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

It’s our prayer that we’ll take this commissioning to heart to be Christ’s representatives —allowing His light to shine, as His ambassadors—especially within our homes. “Watch what God does & then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.“ (Eph. 5:1-2 – The Message)

As Christ’s ambassadors, may we continually build relationship bridges ~ Cindy & Steve Wright

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - YOU CAN AVOID WASTAGE

Open Heavens 16 September 2017: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – You Can Avoid Wastage

YOU CAN AVOID WASTAGE – Saturday September 16^th 2017

Memorise: for by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Proverbs 24:6

Read: Luke 15:11-16 (KJV)

^15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

 ^15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

^15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

^15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

^15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

^15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Bible in one year: 2^nd Chronicles 35-36, Ezekiel 41:12-26, Hymn: Sing hymn 7

MESSAGE:

In life, some people experience provision before they ever need it, while some get provision just in the nick of time. Some others only get the provision they need after the time of need is past. One Bible character who experienced provision before need is the prodigal son in today’s Bible reading. All he would ever need was already provided for and safely kept by his father. Nevertheless, what was his responses to his father’s wisdom and grace? He foolishly asked for all that was his, and he wastefully spent it all. Luke 15:13 says,

“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.”

May you never waste God’s provision for your life! There are so many people who engage in wasteful spending. There are some people God has blessed with the funds to buy a piece of land, which they can develop as God enables them, but they use the provision to acquire a flashy car or attempt to live ‘big’ while they are still in a rented apartment. This amounts to foolishness. There are some youths who get some big money from legitimate ventures, but because they had no financial intelligence and never sought counsel, they wasted it and struggled thereafter.

“If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.”

Ecclesiastes 10:10

To manage financial provision, you need wisdom. In fact, the scripture above says that you can get results from a cutlass whether it is sharp or blunt; the difference is that wisdom helps you make the best decisions to obtain the best results. If you have financial wisdom, you would avoid wasteful spending and increase whatever you have. Do you have financial resources beyond what you need for the moment? Ask God for wisdom to manage it. Also, ask for guidance. Follow the counsel in today’s memory’s verse: ask those who know better. Ask from experienced fund managers and people skilled in financial investments. More importantly, find out from God, the provider of that provision, what the purpose of the provision is. If you can diligently ask Him, He will guide you on how to spend it in such a way as to guarantee repeated provision. You do not need to spend on every item you see or like. Humbly surrender your desires to God and let Him reign over them.

Key Point

You can completely avoid wastage when you submit your finances to Jesus, asking Him direction and approval of your budget.

Open Heavens Devotional - ONLY HIS WILL

Open Heavens 9 September 2017: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Only His Will

ONLY HIS WILL – Saturday September 9th 2017

Memorise: Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to the partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Colossians 1:12

Read: Colossians 1:12-13 (KJV)
1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
 Ephesians 2:1-2 (KJV)
2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Bible in one year: 2nd Chronicles 19-20, Ezekiel 38:17-39:8, Hymn: Sing hymn 6
MESSAGE:
In every village, town, city, state or nation, there are usually two kingdoms at play: the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Colossians 1:13 says,

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

This scripture shows that every child of God has been moved from one of these kingdoms to the other. If you are truly saved, you are no longer in darkness but in the kingdom of light. As light, you should not be afraid of operators in the kingdom of darkness, such as witches, wizards and those in the occult, because you have the greater one inside of you (1st John 4:4). If you are afraid of them, this indicates to you that all is not well with you; there could be some cracks in your wall, and sin might be responsible. Whatever compromises your holiness compromises your divine security. When these operators of darkness see that your light is shinning brightly, they will withdraw and dangle carrots of temptation at you, and if you fail for it, they will strike at you.

Moreover, the reason why God translated us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of his dear Son is because He is interested in having his will established both in Heaven and here on earth. Although nothing short of God’s will is done in Heaven, on earth, there is still a struggle to establish God’s will, because man handed over control of the earth to the kingdom of darkness in the Garden of Eden (Luke 4:5-6). As a child of God, you are therefore an agent of re-establishing God’s will in any corner of the earth where you find yourself. If you want to establish and fulfil God’s will, you will make no room for lies, sin and pretence. Among God’s children on earth today, you will be shocked to know how many of them really seek to do His will in all areas of their lives. Many of us want God to change His plans and ways to suit ours, but that is an expectation of futility. God does not change: He is ever the same (Malachi 3:6). As conservative as He may appear to be, His technology in Heaven is billions of years ahead of ours on earth. In fact, He is the One who gives our researchers, thinkers and inventors the latest discoveries they get. Such scientific discoveries are new and news to us,  but not to those in Heaven. To them, the best we have on offer is stale news. In Heaven, there are no gimmicks or tricks. Everything revolves around God, and He is in control of time. When God therefore gives you an assignment, He has expectations regarding when, where and how it should be done. If you miss out on any of the details, you will be on your own. To what extent are you doing His will?

Action Point
Ask God for grace to know Him, and for courage to do His will in every situation.

Open Heavens Devotional - A MOTIVATION MINDSET

Open Heavens 7 September 2017: Thursday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – A Motivation Mind-set

A MOTIVATION MINDSET – Thursday September 7th 2017

Memorise: So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. Proverbs 24:14

Read: Haggai 1:12-15 (KJV)
1:12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.

1:13 Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.

1:14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,

1:15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

Bible in one year: 2nd Chronicles 14-16, Ezekiel 37:15-28, Hymn: sing hymn 7

MESSAGE:
Some people attend big Christian events for the sake of tradition, while some others attend because certain people are coming there. A crowd will often gather whenever there is an assembly where Jesus is present. If you attend such gatherings because of the crowd – just to belong or to show that you are current – you may not receive your desired blessings. In Mark 5:24-34, a crowd gathered around Jesus Christ on His way to Jairus’ house. For many of them, it was enough that they were in the crowd following Jesus, but right there in their midst, there was a woman who was not there because others were there; she was there because she so needed and desired to touch Jesus. She was determined in her heart that if only she could touch the hem of His clothes, she would receive her healing. She touched it and she was healed. That is what a motivated mindset can do. The Bible says she “came in the press behind”. She did not mind if people trampled on her, and she did not mind the pushing and shoving of the crowd; her singular focus was that she just had to touch the hem of the Master’s garment, no matter what it would take. To understand how motivated she was, you try getting to the front of a crowd from behind.


Moreover, another person who had a motivated mindset was Zerubbabel. Today’s Bible reading shows that when you have a focused mindset like Zerubbabel did, it will stir you up to take action. A motivated mindset fills your heart with conviction that you are overdue for a breakthrough, thereby ushering you into your desired blessing. For instance, when the man who was paralysed from the neck downwards was brought to Jesus, it was not for flimsy reasons (Mark 2:1-12). His friends felt he was overdue for a breakthrough, and so on their arrival, when the door was blocked off and there was no feasible way in through the window, they created a way through the roof. When you believe you are already overdue for a breakthrough, you will be compelled to take violent steps towards attaining your expectation. You will not care about the crowd, traditions or the need to socialize. You will not care about who is first, second or next to be attended to on a queue. All that fills your mind is that you are the next beneficiary of God’s mercy. Where do you stand now? Are you overdue for promotion, success, breakthrough, deliverance or prosperity? If you are, let your conviction on this drive you into your miracle. Such a belief has a way of motivating you to take actions that will trigger your blessing. It shall be well with you this season!

Key Point
While the expectations of the righteous are granted, those without expectations shall have nothing.

Open Heavens Devotional - STOP DISHONOURING GOD!

Open Heavens 6 September 2017: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Stop dishon0ring God!

STOP DISHONOURING GOD! - Wednesday September 6th 2017

Memorise: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Psalm 66:2

Read: 1st Samuel 2:27-30 (KJV)
2:27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?

2:28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

2:29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

2:30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Bible in one year: 2nd Chronicles 11:13, Ezekiel 36:33-37:14, Hymn: Sing hymn 9
MESSAGE:

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
Malachi 3:8

In the above passage of Scripture, God complained about His children, who had suddenly turned into robbers. How can a worker in the Church of God or a minister of God be a thief? How can you claim to be a born-again Christian and keep on stealing? Those who rob God are no ordinary thieves. Boy, such people are really brave! Their victim is not a fellow human being but God Himself. You can be certain that such people are the worst kind of thieves in the universe! Can you imagine that idolaters fear their idols so much that they do everything possible not to break their rules? If anything is dedicated to an idol, who would dare steal it? Yet, these people throw all caution to the wind and steal what is dedicated to the Most High, and they expect Him to do nothing about it, because He is a God of mercy. This is bravery gone awry! Are you one of such “holy thieves”? Are you defaulting in your tithes and offerings?

In the same vain, there are some foolish and ignorant people, particularly in the universities, who insult God and Jesus Christ occasionally. I know this because I used to be one of them before I got saved. The opposite of honour is disrespect. If you are not honouring God, it means you are insulting Him. Everyone who robs God of first fruits dishonours God, and if you dishonour God, you can compel Him to change His promises and plan for your life (Proverb 3:9). This was what happened to the house of Eli. Hear what the Lord told Eli in 1st Samuel 2:30:

“… I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

May the Lord not change His great plan for your life. Do you honour Him? if you refuse to honour God, He will refuse to honour you. If you ignore Him, you will be of no consequences to Him. At the end of the day, you will undo yourself by your refusal to comply with divine instructions. Refusal to honour God can turn the desirable into something detestable. It can push the good things of life that were at a person’s fingertips miles away from him or her. Dishonouring God can separate you temporarily or even permanently from your blessings. Have you been paying your first fruits yearly? How often do you honour God?
Key Point
The instruction to honour the Lord is not a suggestion but a command.

Open Heavens Devotional - IS YOUR CONSCIENCE ALIVE?

Open Heavens 2 September 2017: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Is your conscience alive?

IS YOUR CONSCIENCE ALIVE? – Saturday September 2nd 2017

Memorise: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 1st Peter 3:16

Read: 2nd Samuel 12:7-14 (KJV)

12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

12:8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

12:11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

12:12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

Bible in one year: 2nd Chronicles 1-4, Ezekiel 34:11-24, Hymn: Sing hymn 9
MESSAGE:
A true representative of a good family will do everything possible to protect name of the family. For this reason, Proverbs 22:1 says,

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”

If you are a worthy child of God, you will do all you can to honour God’s Name, and you will never bring it into disrepute. Honouring God’s Name goes beyond lip service; God expects you to prove that you honour Him through your actions. In 1st Samuel 17:1-51, David was angry that an uncircumcised Philistine could boldly insult the God of Israel, and yet nobody could do anything about it. He therefore took up the challenge of defending God’s Name. What have you done to defend or honour God’s Name? In what way has your nation, state, community or even your workplace recognised the Lordship and greatness of God above all other gods because of your presence there? The patriarchs of old were not ashamed to stand for this same God, even at the cost of their lives (Hebrews 11:36-37). But how is it with you today? Are you even ashamed to publicly associate yourself with Jesus Christ, so that your peers and superiors will not look down on you?

If you truly hallow God’s Name, then under no circumstance would you defile that Name. When someone looks at you and say, “How could you do this? And you call yourself a child of God!” Those words will go through you like a hot iron if your conscience is alive. If those words were spoken to you because you truly did err from the faith, you would feel pain in your heart, become miserable and feel ashamed of yourself. If indeed your conscience is alive, in such a moment, you would see yourself as a wretched sinner and immediately run to the cross of Calvary for mercy and forgiveness. If your conscience is however dead, you may not feel a thing and just move on as if nothing ever happened. Is your conscience still alive? Does it warn you before you do any evil? Does it prick you when you sin? In 2nd Samuel 11, David and Bathsheba fell into the sin of adultery. By the time Nathan confronted David over this evil act, he felt horrible. He was broken and in pain. God told him that his actions had brought shame and disgrace to His Name (2nd Samuel 12:14). David genuinely repented, and God forgave him. At what stage do you realise you have sinned, and what is your response to this realisation?
Prayer Point
Father, from now on, may I never bring shame to Your Name by my deeds.

Open Heavens Devotional - A TARGET OF FORCES?

Open Heavens 1 September 2017: Friday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – A Target of forces?

A TARGET OF FORCES? – Friday September 1st 2017

Memorise: Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth; thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Proverbs 6:2

Read: Genesis 35:16-19 (KJV)
35:16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

35:17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

35:18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

Bible in one year: 1st Chronicles 28-29, Ezekiel 33:30-34:10, Hymn: Sing hymn 6

MESSAGE:
Blessings and curses are two of the most powerful forces on earth, even though they function in opposite ways. When present in any life, either of them can seriously affect the destiny of their recipient. Psalm 37:22 says,
“For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.”

What does this mean? It means that if God blesses you, there is nothing you desire that you cannot get. This is why I am amazed whenever I come across some of my children and they say to me, “Daddy, please pray for me”, and when I respond saying “God bless you”, they still ask me to further pray for them. I tell such people that I have already prayed the greatest prayer anyone can pray for them, because if God blesses someone, all his or her problems will be over. As a user of this devotional, I say to you, God bless you!

Proverbs 10:22 reveals the power of the blessings that God gives; it says,

“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”

If you are blessed of the Lord, you will definitely inherit the earth. You will have all you want. However, if you are cursed by God, you will find out that when God curses a person, that fellow will sooner or later become desolate. What is a curse? A curse is an invitation to all the forces in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth to combine forces and resources to work against a person, until he or she is completely destroyed. So when an individual is cursed, demons, men, animals and even the elements will work against that fellow. Let us consider the example of Rachael in Genesis 31:31-35. After Jacob served Laban, he finally left to return home. Then came Laban in hot pursuit after Jacob, and he caught up with him. Laban then said to him, “You have taken my two daughters and my cattle, and now you have equally stolen my idols.” Jacob denied stealing the idols and said whoever stole them should die. Unknown to him, his beloved wife Rachel had stolen these idols and sat on them. They checked everywhere but the idols were not found. Jacob thereafter left Laban in annoyance. Later on, in Genesis 35:16-19, shortly after delivering her next child, Rachel died. The curse her husband had pronounced eventually worked against her. May you not use your own mouth to undo yourself or members of your family in Jesus’ Name!
Key Point
A curse makes a person the target of negative forces.