Open Heavens 21 November 2017: Tuesday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Look to Jesus and See Heaven

Topic: Look to Jesus and See Heaven — Tuesday 21, November 2017.

Memorise: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. – Psalm 121:1

Read: Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJV)

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Bible in One Year: Psalm 28-33, Jonah 1, Hymn: Sing Hymn 11 – I Have Decided To Follow Jesus

MESSAGE:

Looking at Jesus with the eyes of the spirit is so important to believers because it helps us to see ourselves more clearly. When you see Jesus and you take a look at yourself, it makes you to see yourself the way God sees you, and consequently, it propels you to make necessary adjustments. Also, you need to see Jesus so that you can access your help. In Psalm 121:1-2, David said he would lift up his eyes to the hills where his help comes from. When you lift up your eyes to heaven, you will behold Jesus. If only you can see Jesus, distractions will fade into oblivion. Many of us are separated from our Source because instead of looking up, we are looking sideways: we are looking for help from our neighbours, colleagues and fellow men. These people are quite limited in the level of help they can render, no matter how highly placed, financially endowed or intellectually sound they may be. Making man your source brings limitation into your life. Even within your family, do you know that it is wrong to focus on your father or mother as your source? The right approach is to view God as your source of help, and to see every other person as a conduct pipe through whom God can channel His help. The right attitude to have in every home is to always channel the family request to God, and thereafter, allow God to channel His provision through whatever means He wants. Henceforth, get your family to focus on Jesus as the Provider, and He will never disappoint you.

Moreover, focusing our gaze on Jesus is a sure path that leads to Heaven. Hence, today’s Bible reading says that we should look towards Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Jesus Christ is the One who began the Christian faith and He is the One who completes it. He walked the earth and successfully ended in Heaven. If you focus your gaze on Him, you will be able to follow in His steps. If you follow His steps, what He did you will do, and where He ended you will end. The shocking news here is that we really do not have any alternative to doing this. If you do not look to Jesus, you will not see His steps, and hence, you will end up following the wrong path. This will result in you not ending your journey where Jesus ended His. May this not be your story in Jesus’ Name. While here on earth, focus your gaze on Jesus, and you will be able to see Him in Heaven.

Action Point: Focus your gaze on Jesus by always asking yourself this question: What would Jesus do if He were in my shoes?

Hymn 11: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

2. The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

3. Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

4. My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

5. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.

Read More

Open Heavens 20 November 2017: Monday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Fasting Boosts Faith

Topic: Fasting Boosts Faith — Monday 20, November 2017.

Memorise: Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. – Matthew 17:21

Read: Matthew 17:15-21 (KJV)

15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Bible in One Year: Psalm 22-27, Obadiah 1, Hymn: Sing Hymn 1 – My Faith Looks Up To Thee

MESSAGE:

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” – 1 John 3:8b

From the above scripture, we understand that since we are expected to do the works of our Master, we as true disciples of Jesus Christ are here not only to advance the Kingdom of God on earth, but also to destroy the works of Satan in the lives, homes and circumstances of people (John 14:12). To be effective in this assignment, you cannot approach the battle physically; rather, you need both divine revelation and spiritual backup from God. Let us take the disciples of Jesus Christ as a case in point. Matthew 10:1 says,

“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”

Coming up next: Open Heavens 21 November 2017: Tuesday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Look To Jesus And See Heaven

At this point, the disciples were empowered by the Lord to heal all manner of sicknesses and diseases, and to cast out demons. Not too long after they were empowered, a demonized boy was brought to them for deliverance. They struggled for so long to cast out the demon, but they just could not deliver him. Finally, this case was referred to Jesus and He delivered the boy. The disciples thereafter went back to Jesus to find out what was amiss, and why they could not deliver the boy. In response to their enquiry, the Lord told them that they had manifested some unbelief, and that their prayer was not backed up with fasting (Matthew 17:20-21).

This experience of the disciples goes to show that when you are having doubts or even unbelief, and you decided to truly seek God’s face in prayer and fasting, such doubts, fears and unbelief would give way to faith. When you fast, it strengthens your faith and your prayer life is given a boost. We often attempt certain assignments without the backup of a commensurate level of faith, and hence we experience failures in such assignments. You can actually add fire to your faith and shut doors against unbelief and doubt by spending time with God through fasting and prayer. Do you still harbour doubts, fears and unbelief in your heart about any assignment God has given you? Discard them now! God wants you to operate in the realm of faith and not doubt. Feed your faith with God’s word, prayer and fasting, testimonies of what God has done, and shun all remarks contrary to the advancement of your assignment.

Action Point: Always ask questions! If you can ask the Lord questions on things you do not understand, He will provide the answers.

Hymn 1: My Faith Looks Up To Thee

1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.

4. When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!

Read More

Open Heavens 18 November 2017: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Only An Honour

Topic: Only An Honour — Saturday 18, November 2017.

Memorise: For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? – 1 Corinthians 4:7

Read: Proverbs 3:9-10 (KJV)

9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Bible in One Year: Psalm 9-16, Amos 8, Hymn: Sing Hymn 14 – Take My Life

MESSAGE:

In our Bible reading, we are enjoined to honour the Lord with our first fruits. What does the word 'honour' really mean? Honour can be viewed from the perspective of giving a person something he or she doesn’t really need. We see a manifestation of this in the academia. When universities or colleges want to give honorary degrees, they look for people who don’t need money, academic qualifications or any such things, and they honour them with a degree. This is why it is called an honorary degree. They give such degrees to eminent personalities, people of proven abilities and achievers in different fields. This is comparable to the way God operates. What money can you give to the One who created the heavens and the earth? What can you give to the One who owns all silver and gold? He says to us, “If you come to the city where I reside, what is most precious to you on earth is what the streets are made of. So what do you want to give me that I don’t have already?” Therefore, whatever we think we can give to God can only reasonably be given in honour of Him.

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” - 1 Corinthians 4:7

Coming up next: Open Heavens 19 November 2017: Sunday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Listen To Elders

When we speak about giving God something, is it really so? What do we have that we have not received from Him? If we have indeed received all we have from Him, it clearly shows that we are simply giving back to Him out of what He gave us. When we were still living in our first house in the Redemption Camp, my little children held a meeting in the room one Christmas season, and they sent the youngest, who was about four years old then, to ask me what I wanted for Christmas. I said I would like a jet. He said they weren’t proposing that kind of gift, and so I asked for a pen. He ran back to the room to meet the others, and he later came back to me asking me to lend him N10. I gave it to him without asking what he wanted it for because I knew the purpose. So at Charismas time, I got a beautifully wrapped gift. Even though I knew what was inside because it was bought with my money, I still gathered my children round and hug them, just for even thinking of giving me something at that tender age. This mirrors the relationship between God and His children. How often do you honour God?

Prayer Point: Father, grant me the grace to honour You in all I do, all the days of my life.

Hymn 14: Take My Life

1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.

2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3. Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.

Read More

Open Heavens 17 November 2017: Friday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Service and Friendship

Topic: Service and Friendship — Friday 17, November 2017.

Memorise: Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? – 2 Chronicles 20:7

Read: Genesis 18:17-22 (KJV)

17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

Bible in One Year: Psalm 1-8, Amos 7, Hymn: Sing Hymn 14 – Take My Life

MESSAGE:

When you read through 2 Kings 2:1-7, you will notice that Elijah, Elisha and the sons of the prophets in Bethel, Jericho and Jordan were all very much aware of Elijah’s transition to glory and the day it was scheduled to take place. In fact, they even treated the knowledge of this event like an open secret. One lesson from this is that if you walk in the Spirit, significant events will be common knowledge to you. God has secrets (Proverb 25:2). There are certain things known only to Him, which He may want to share with men once in a while. Daniel 2:22 says,

“He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.”

Coming up next: Open Heavens 18 November 2017: Saturday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Only An Honour

In as much as God wants to share His secrets with men, if He looks around and finds no one qualified by His grace for such secrets, He will simply keep it to Himself.

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." - Amos 3:7

When you have a closely guarded secret, do you tell everyone on the street about it? I very much doubt you would do that. Rather, you will want to keep it to yourself, and even if you would tell anyone at all, it will be someone who is not only close to you but who is also trustworthy enough in keeping secrets. Who are those God will share His secrets with? It is His servants! If you are not getting divine information regarding crucial future events, it is most likely that you need to correct certain aspects of your service. When you serve the Lord, He will share some of His secrets with you. The more you serve Him, the more you have future information ahead of time. Also, you must be his friend. Abraham was God’s friend, and so, when God was about to destroy Sodom and He realised that Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family were there, the Lord told Abraham about it. This gave Abraham the privilege and opportunity to intercede for them. Are you a friend of Jesus Christ? What is the level of closeness you share with Him? Friends communicate a lot. Do you often hear God’s voice? How often does He speak to you using various means of communication? You become His closest friend by serving Him like never before, and He will not leave you in the dark concerning your tomorrow and that of your family.

Key Point: When your relationship with God moves up to the friendship level, access to divine secrets will become a regular benefit to you.

Hymn 14: Take My Life

1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.

2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3. Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.

Read More

Open Heavens 16 November 2017: Thursday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Fulfilling Destiny

Topic: Fulfilling Destiny — Thursday 16, November 2017.

Memorise: The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. – Proverbs 10:27

Read: Ephesians 1:3-6 (KJV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Bible in One Year: Job 39-42, Amos 5:18-6:14, Hymn: Sing Hymn 7 – O Jesus, I Have Promised

MESSAGE:

If you are born again, you can connect with God’s destiny for your life. God has a plan for every human being He has made, but those who refuse to receive His Lordship will be unable to connect to His plan and purpose for their lives. In other words, sin is a separator that can disconnect the sinner from his or her God-given destiny. One truth you must recognize however is that the fulfillment of your destiny is in God’s hands and also in your hands. To this end, Proverbs 10:27 says,

“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”

Coming up next: Open Heavens 17 November 2017: Friday daily devotional by Pastor Adeboye – Service and Friendship

Although you have a specific number of years allotted to you on earth, your ability to fear God, obey Him and make Him happy will not only help you to fulfill your years, these can also help you to increase the number of your years, just as it happened to King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:5-6). In contrast, if you decide to live recklessly, the number of your years can be cut short (Psalm 34:16). The implication of this is that you can shorten or lengthen your years on earth depending on how you live your life.

Long before the foundation of this world was laid, God had chosen us in Christ (Ephesians 1:4). No wonder Jeremiah was told by the Lord that what he would become on earth had already been decided before he was born (Jeremiah 1:4-5). Do not however misconstrue God’s plan for you. According to Jeremiah 29:11, He has beautiful plans for you. These plans include your shinning as light and bringing healing to your world as salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-16). Believe it or not, part of His plan is for you to continue from where He stopped on earth in relation to his miraculous works (John 14:12). Furthermore, some level of monetary suffering is allowed for you as part of His plans (1 Peter 2:21). In fact, if you will be glorified with Christ, you must be prepared to also suffer with him (2 Timothy 2:12). It is also part of God’s plan for you to be a joint-heir with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). This means that you are not as you think you are. Everything God has belongs to Jesus Christ, and you are a co-heir to that inheritance (John 16:15). Apart from these, it is part of our destiny to forever live with Jesus in all eternity (John 14:3).Having known all these truths, it is important for you to daily thank God for His glorious plans for you and live your life in consonance with divine destiny in Christ.

Prayer Point: Father, let every good thing that is part of my destiny begin to manifest in my life from today!

Hymn 7: Oh Jesus I Have Promised

1. O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;

Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;

I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,

Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.

2. Oh, let me hear Thee speaking in accents clear and still,

I dare not trust my judgment: Thy way shall be my will;

Oh, speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;

Oh, speak, and help me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.

3. O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee

That where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be;

And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end—

Oh, give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

4. Oh, let me see Thy footprints, and in them plant mine own;

My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone;

Oh, guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;

And then in Heav’n receive me, my Savior and my Friend.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries. 

Read More