Love will be tested

Thursday 6 September                           Bible in one year :Daniel 7-9

Memorise: Hereby perceive we the love of God ,because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren .1 john 3:16

Read :Genesis 22:1-2

Not only is love expensive, it may also undergo a trial.if you don’t believe ask Abraham. At a time, Abraham was town between his promised child Isaac and God. It became inevitable for God to test whether he still loved Him (Genesis 22:1-2).Whether you like or not ,your love for God will be tested.Usually it will be based on someone or something you really love. Isaac was about 15 years before the test. Abraham had become so fond of him to the point of been inseparable from him. I went through my own test some years ago. It was during a Christ the Redeemer’s Congress which held on the 24th December. It was my custom to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays with my mother because of my love for her.I therefore decided to visit her on the 23rd of December, just to see her and give her some few things before the Congress.I arrived at her house very late . As i knocked, somebody else opened the door and rejoiced that i had come. I was briefed on my mother’s illness and told she was almost at the point of death. At this time, there was no telephone to communicate with others to delegate my assignment. So i prayed for her and told her that i love her but i love God more, that after the Congress i would come back to see her , alive or dead. That  was tough then but after the Congress she was still alive when i returned and she lived for another 15 years. In other words, God extended her life like Hezekiah’s after helping me  through that test of love.

Your love may be tested in the fiery furnace or in the lion’s den.  Since Jesus laid down His life for you, He expects nothing less from you to your brethren (1 John 3:16). It is either you love God to the extreme or you don’t.I once shared with my children that to succeed could be quite expensive because of the requirement to study at night when others are sleeping, or study in the day while others are playing. One may even be called a bookworm and other names, yet that is a far cheaper price to pay than failure. If you fail,you will become a servant to your colleagues who succeeded. Every Christian may claim to be born again and on their way to Heaven ,yet it is only the few who really love Him that will make it on the last day.You can be part of the few!

Action Point: Every disciples of Jesus will be required to take the test of love,Ask for grace to scale through.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Glory and Sacrifice

Wednesday 5 September                      Bible in one year : Daniel 4-6

Memorise: Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.Hebrew 11:25

Read:Hebrew 11:24-27

The one who has not fully made up his mind about his relationship with God,might be tempted to compromise the Gospel message or the specific errand he or she is asked to deliver to the affluent in society when given the opportunity to stand before them.When compromise sets in , the glory departs.Compromise is a great deflector of God’s glory.When you stand before kings to tell them the truth,even when they do not like to hear the truth,God increases His glory upon your life.There are several children of God who stood before kings in bible days and never compromised:Young David, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel and Paul, all stood before kings without compromising.In fact ,Daniel was very outstanding. He remained in the corridors of power for a very long time.Successive kings found him so invaluable that they retained him so as to give credibility and add value to their kingdoms. There is a user of this devotional who will soon stand before kings.God is giving you the opportunity to stand before kings.But when the time comes to pass, do not be intimidated , and do not change your message . Speak the truth and God will uphold you.

Can God send you to a palace of pleasure or a dangerous zone without you compromising?if money or self gratification is uppermost in you heart , you will sure forget your main reason for going. It was dangerous for Moses to accept God’s call to go and meet Pharaoh. That errand could have cost him his life,yet he went.He made a choice that could hurt him.What were gains to him,he counted as loss just like Paul. It was a great honor to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter- a prince,yet he told the people to stop calling him that. In other words, he despised the title that would have opened doors to him everywhere he went in Egypt,but rather chose to suffer with endangered species (the Israelite). He preferred the reproaches of Christ greater treasures compared to the sinful pleasures of Egypt.No wonder he carried God’s glory to the extent that people could not look at his shining face. What sacrifice have you made to earn the glory of God you are asking for?Paul gave up his academic achievements just to be a carrier of higher levels of glory. Without sacrifice, you can never climb high on the glory ladder.

ACTION POINT: It is faithfulness that keeps you uncompromising in the midst of pressures. Ask for grace to remain faithful wherever you are.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

FINGER OF CREATION

Tuesday 4 September                       Bible in one year: Daniel 1-3
Memorise: When i consider thy heavens,the work of thy fingers the moon and the stars,which thou hast ordained; Psalm 8:3
Read: Psalms 19:1-6
When the Lord sent Moses to ask for the release of the children of Israel, nothing happened until the magicians saw the finger of God.
Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened , and he hearkened not unto them ; and the Lord had said.Exodus 8:19
Thereafter,it was no more business as usual. This season , you will encounter the finger of God and your situation shall change dramatically in Jesus Name. The finger of God is significant in many ways and has definite implications for us.According to Psalms 8:3, it is an agent of creation.
When i consider thy heavens,the work of thy fingers,the moon and the stars,which thou hast ordained;
God created what we can see on earth today with His hands;hence Psalms 19:1 says the firmament is God’s handiwork. The implication of this is that when the finger of God comes into a situation ,the power of creation steps in, ready to create or recreate whatever is needed.Does your body need some new parts?The finger of God will recreate what is needed.When Jesus came across a man with the withered hand in Mark 3:1-5, the finger of God was brought into his situation and his hand was recreated to be like other hand.Is one of you hands or legs shorter or smaller than the other? The touch of His finger shall correct the defect. In addition to this,if you are lacking in ideas,useful suggestions and plans and the finger of God touches you,your creative abilities will suddenly  receive a boost. Are you short of ideas that can give your business or church a positive turn around? The finger of God will touch you and what you lacked shall be created.As the Lord touches you today,everything that is lacking in  your ministry,finances , and family shall come into being. They shall be created. Ask the finger of God will touch you today. Release your faith and expect the impossible but desirable take place.Your  situation is about to turn around for the best.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in any area I am in need,by Your finger supply that need
Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E A Adeboye

Vanity of Influential people

VANITY OF INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

Monday 3 September                              Bible in one year: Esther 8-10

Memorise: The Lord is good,a strong hold in day of trouble;and he knoweth them that trust in him. Nahum 1:7

Read : Hosea 10:13-15

Due to the nature of man,placing your hope on associates can cause the death of your expectations. The reasons some are hopeful of getting a job or a particular contract is because a friend or close associate has assured them of assistance. Never allow any associate take the place of God in your life!In Jeremiah 9:2-4,Jeremiah warned the Israelite that they should not put their trust in their brother or neighbor because their lifestyles was replete with lies.Jesus did not commit Himself to man because He could see how vain they were(John 2:24-25). For those living in these last days, the Bible paints a bleak picture of their character even believers are not spared because,commitment to the truth is ebbing fast. It is increasingly difficult to really have someone to trust among professing Christians today because many have adopted and retained some level of falsehood. Before you enter into partnership with fellow believers, be led of God to the specific believer or else, you would be thoroughly disappointed by the actions of some Christians whose lives have been taken over by the love of money and falsehood.

Similarly , any expectation build on influential people such as those in government ,family,church , academia,trade unions,etc., can easily disappoint because those making the promises are ordinary men. How many people who voted into public offices have truly kept their promises? Basing your hopes on such people could cause a heart attack when they disappoint you.God raised the nation of Israel through the ranks; from humble beginnings with inexperienced soldiers to a greatly fortified nation with mighty warriors . But what did the people do? They took their trust from God and placed it in their mighty men. No wonder God told them they would fail (Hosea 10:13-15). The  confidence of some Christians has shifted from God to their prayer contractors. Even some church leaders now put their trust in their prayer band members forgetting that when men pray, it is left to God whether to answer or not. If He refuses to answer, you cannot take Him to court. Let your trust be in the Lord.

KEY POINT: It is either you trust in God or in man. Who trust determines whether you are blesses or not.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E A Adeboye

Beyond Request

Sunday 2 September                                 Bible in one year: Esther 4-7

Memorise: A little one among you shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten in in his time.Isaiah 60:22

Read: John 2:1-11

God is unlimited in generosity hence Romans 8:32 says if He could give up His Son, what else can’t He give to us? When Solomon made request in 2 Chronicles 1:6-12 , all he asked for was wisdom, yet God went beyond his request to give even the things he never asked for . This He did to prove to Solomon that God was inestimable in his life, that even though Solomon can be exhausted after giving 1000 burnt offerings,He cannot be exhausted while giving. This year, the Lord will not be tired of blessing you. You will give to Him and ask for one thing and God will you give you ten things -asked and unasked. In John 2:1-11, they only told Him they needed some wine. Instead of giving them a few bottles, He gave them 162 gallons which is over 700 litres (British imperial system) of the purest wine. He did not order for them from the winery but simply spoke to the water and said : ” Water, I need you to serve me not as water but as wine” and immediately the water became wine. Today, the Lord will speak sweetness into your tasteless situation in Jesus name.

Where God takes His supplies from ,there is much more left. The whole of man kind can never exhaust God’s resources,much less it being exhausted while serving only you.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;my cup runnest over. Psalms 23:5

I once asked God, “why the waste?” And He said: “so that you will know that i have unlimited blessings.There is plenty from where the blessings in coming from”. Isaac sowed in a time of famine and he received 100 fold returns, and God added to him a large flock of cattle and a great store on servants ( Genesis 26:12-14). Esau on the other hand got only a tiny blessings, yet he had 400 bodyguards (Genesis 32:6). That is why wise believers will never joke with their tithes even for once. Why? Malachi 3:10 says when you pay your tithe , you are asking God to demonstrate what He can do. Your tithe will make God flex His muscles, ready to bless you ,while paying your first fruits will cause your barns to burst (Proverbs 3:9-10). As you obey Him completely and ask in accordance to His word, you will get beyond your request. You will knock on one door and 10 doors will open to you.This is possible because God is a God of super abundance.

ACTION POINT: Have you ever asked God one thing and He gave you beyond that request? If you answer is No , do so now. If your answer is Yes, ask  Him to repeat it.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Like Jesus

Saturday 1 September                        Bible in one year: Esther 1-3

Memorise: Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth unrighteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 1 John 3:7

Read: 1 John 3:7

The call to salvation is a call to holiness. After you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour, it does not end there; the journey to heaven as only just began. Before you were saved, you manifested the works of flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). But now that you have encountered Jesus Christ at salvation, the fruit of the Spirit is expected from you (Galatians 5:22-23). Every attempt at righteousness before your salvation was equal to self righteousness which is as filthy rags to God ( Isaiah 64:6);hence Paul says his self –righteousness no longer counts but the righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:9). God has not only saved us and given us the spirit of righteousness, He also expects us to live a life in agreement with His standard. Today, some people think that it is enough to be born again and that nothing else is required. No! It is not enough! The truth is your new birth gives you the platform on which to build on, having secured God’s righteousness through your faith in Christ Jesus.

We are called to be like our Saviour Jesus Christ. In 1 John 2:1, Jesus is called the righteous, and verse 29 says

If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him
This means that the fruit of righteousness that you bear will be used to determine whether you are born of God or not. 1 John 3:7 says

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

God is not saying you should be holier than Jesus. Even Jesus says it is enough for a servant to be like his master (Luke 6:40). If God expected works or righteousness from Jesus, He expects the same from you. If you look at the letters the Lord wrote to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, you will notice that He kept repeating that those who will qualify for those wonderful rewards are only the believers who overcome as he also over came. In every point Jesus overcame, you too should. You must live a life that manifests that victory Christ has given you over the flesh, Satan and the world. You must allow Him to live His righteous life through you. Are you daily living a life of righteousness?

KEY POINT: Jesus is God’s unchangeable standard for man. Be like Him in everything including living righteous living.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A  Adeboye.

Prove your love

Thursday 30 August                             Bible in one year : Hosea 8-10
Memorise : By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples ,if ye have love one to another . John 13:35
Read : John 13:34-35
It is very expensive to love God except you do not really have an understanding of this. In John 14:15 Jesus said
if ye love me ,keep my commandments
Ordinarily, there is no big deal in this except when you realise one of His commandments you must keep is to turn the other cheek to the one who slaps you. This is hard. It is hard to have the capacity and resources to carry out revenge but refrain from doing so because of your faith in Jesus Christ. When some Christians found themselves in such situations , they wept as when they saw a rat biting the tail of a cat but the cat could not do anything. Also, John 13:35says : we should love one another as Christ has loved us. This is a difficult task because among those we are told to love are unlovable people.How do you love a so-called brother or sister who is constantly doing everything to provoke you and cause your downfall?How do you love a so-called leader who is a traitor and who discriminates against you? How do you love a pastor who sits on your progress for several years and warns you not to tell his superiors? It is hard.Yet, you have to love them because of Heaven. You have to love and forgive them or else you have gotten to your final bu stop in your Christian race.
Additionally, Psalms 97:10 says if you love the Lord,you must hate evil.To most Christians , that appears like what they regularly do until they isolate some cases and find out that they are not truly keeping this commandment. Some Christian parents see their children dress improperly and dismiss it with a wave of a hand saying : "Don't mind her : she is being childish",yet they do nothing about it. What of wives who dress in seductive manners, virtually showing to the world that they are "available for sale",yet their husbands cannot caution them?Or what of the prayer point the Lord gave to all believers in Matthew 5:43-45? Do you  know that based on this command,we should be praying for all our enemies daily? Did i hear an Amen? Not for the enemies to fall down and die but for God to open their eyes to know the truth and become converted. How many people are keeping this commandment today?
PRAYER POINT:
Lord ,no matter how hard it is, for as along as You have commanded me to obey your Word, grant me grace to obey without complaining.
Excerpts from opens heavens by pastor E.A Adeboye

Maximise your glory

Wednesday 29 August                                    Bible in one year: Hosea 5-7

Memorize: There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon,and another glory of the stars : for one star differeth from another star in glory.1 Corinthians 15:41

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:40-41

God’s call is not for fun or frivolity. God has a definite purpose for calling you. It is important you acknowledge why He saved and called you because God does not just pour down His glory on people,He does so to assist you in fulfulling His call upon your life.As you respond and totally submit to that call, He will move you from one level of glory to another.According to 1 Corinthians 15:40-41, God has different glory moulds for the different things He created.The bodies of angels are different from  human bodies and both have different glories.Even among lights,there are different level of glory.Among believers in Christ,the story is not different.Believers radiate varying levels of glory due a number of reasons such as: the type of calling on that believer,the price paid to maximise that calling,the level of holiness or obedience the believer operates,prayerlife,Bible study life,worship,praise and thanksgiving life, the degree of pleasing God, etc. You can be a carrier of God’s higher levels of glory if only you are ready to pay the price.

God does not expect you to deviate from your calling as this will not only lead to failure but also make you unable to maximise God’s glory in your life.Moses was called primarily to lead the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage into their promised land.In doing this, the Lord sent him to Pharaoh to ask him to release God God’s people. This assignment was  both dangerous and tempting. It is possible for somebody like Moses who was brought from the bush and made to stand before the king to compromise because of the affluence associated with the palace.Many church leaders and Christian workers today who were given the opportunity to minister to the top brass of the society, have compromised the message or errand they were sent. They found it difficult to tell the truth because they wanted to remain in favour with those in authority. No wonder they cannot optimise God’s glory. If God sends you to the creme de la creme in the society ,you owe them the truth of God’s word. In wisdom deliver to them the Gospel message and where possible make an altar call. God wants you as His witness before panels  ,committees ,kings and the leaders of the society. Be a true witness!Don’t change your message!

KEY POINT: Jesus died for all classes of people ,if you have opportunity to reach any of these classes ,you are privileged; do it with all your might!

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

IDOLS FRUSTRATE EXPECTATIONS

Monday 27 August                         Bible in one year : Obadiah 1, John 1-4

Memorise: The hope of the righteous shall be gladness:but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.Proverbs 10:28

Read: Isaiah 44:10-18

Before you receive a prophetic declaration, check out the the fruit of the vessel-the prophet,pastor,or servant of God, whether the fellow is still in league with God. Some people say, “thus says the Lord, “but the Lord did not say anything to them. Some of them heard from themselves and spoke. Be careful of what you accept as being from God. In Jeremiah 28:1-4, Hananiah  a prophet prophesied that in two years God was going to set Israel free from the yoke of the King of Babylon, but it was all a lie! Imagine  the joy of the people when they heard that. But after two years, and the prophecy did not come to pass,all the expectations of the people failed.Instead of two years, they spent 70 years . In other words, the prophetic lies of prophets cannot change what God wants to do or alter its timing.Stick with genuine men of God and particularly the Word of God i.e. the Bible.

Apart from lies,expectations that are based on the support of an idol , another power or spirit will definitely be disappointed. Sincere Idol worshipers and cultist know that there are severe manipulations and falsehood regarding the predictions of their idols or deities.They also know that promises of fame, power and wealth made to them are actually in return for long life,health,the lives of their loved ones,etc.being taken from them. Satan does not offer any free gift but at the time of offer, he will make everything appear as if it’s free. The recipient of such offers would have been trapped before there is a realisation of what the devil would have in return ( Isaiah 40:19-20,24). The expectations of the wicked including idol worshipers shall fail (Proverbs 10:28). This involves confidence in local deities,charms,amulets,magic rings,love portions,anything and anyone you love to a point of taking the place of God in your hear. According to Psalms 92:7 and Isaiah 45:16, Idol worshippers with their hopes shall be dissapointed because they to share what God cannot with anyone - His glory. The prophets of Ball who contested with Elijah on Mount Carmel were disappointed and lost their lives (1 Kings 18:17-40). Are you using evil powers or contesting with a bona fide child of God? Your expectations shall fail and you may even lose your life. Repent today, and apologise to the child of God you are fighting before the Lord faces you.

ACTION POINT: Make this confession: Every idol taking God’s place in my hear, i tear you down and enthrone the Lord Jesus Christ at the centre of my life.

Excerpts from open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Among the dead?

Saturday 26 August                     Bible in one year: Amos 7-9

Memorise: The man  that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead. Proverbs 21:16

Read: Ephesians 2:1-3

Knowing your spiritual standing is very important at any point in time. But one challenge is how to judge where you are,whether you are dead, sleeping, sitting, standing, running or flying.Who is a dead fellow? A dead man is one that has no feelings. If your conscience is hardened,you are spiritually dead. There are some pastors who are dead. No matter what they hear like: stop stealing,falsifying church records,committing adultery, etc they will say, Amen; but when they return to their parishes, they will continue with their evil deeds. This they do because they are dead spiritually . Ephesians 2:1-3 speaks of those who are dead in sins and trespasses.  The dead are those who sin and take pleasure in it. They enjoy living in sin which makes no different from unbelievers.

It is a sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom. Proverbs 10:23

The pastor who verbally runs down his senior pastor and sees nothing wrong with it is dead.It is a dead fellow who will witch-hunt other believers with the motive of replacing them.There is a growing congregation of dead people in the church today. If you want to stay alive, you must avoid them  like a plague.Avoid any group in your church that promotes rebellion, gossiping, backbiting,segregation and any other evil. The day God’s wrath will fall on them, if you are with them, you will not be excluded.

If you have no feeling for your brother or sister ,your conscience is dead. if you sin or do anything wrong and you do not feel anything,you are probably not only dead but buried in sin.If you oppress others,particularly your brethren that you were asked to do good to ,it is because your conscience is dead or seared with a hot iron. Jesus says let the dead bury their dead. if you are dead,it is people like yourself that will finally nail your spiritual coffin-that is they will ensure you never rise again spiritually. This means if you  are part of the congregation of the dead,in order not to be buried by them,run back to Jesus today. Cry out to God to change your heart. Ask for a heart of flesh and make all necessary restitution. Are you dead? The Lord says to you arise and He will heal your backsliding(Jeremiah 3:22)

PRAYER POINT:  Father in any way i have become insentitive to your pricks,cause me to arise today.

Excerpts from open heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Rejecting Jubilee

Saturday 25 August                                    Bible in one year: Amos 4-6

Memorise: Our soul waiteth for the Lord:He is our help and shield. Psalms 33:20

Read: Psalms 33:13-22

What is Jubilee? Jubilee is a new beginning where the fellow who was once rich but lost his wealth gets it back;where the house that was filled with empty vessels begins to have those vessels filled (2 Kings 4:1-7). What makes jubilee beautiful is the fact that it is by divine decree. It is not as if the slave owner really wants the slave to go, but because God has decreed it, the slave must go. Nobody can stand in His way. God does not need to take permission or plead with your captors to release you on the day of your jubilee. Has God decreed your release? Then you must be freed! He decreed light and light came into existence ( Genesis 1:3). Psalms 33:8-9 says God should be feared because when He speaks, it is done. Your release is settled because God has said it.

Moreover, when you talk of the year of Jubilee, people generally think it must be every 50 years. But when i studied the Bible, I discovered that people experience Jubilee at different times.For example , the man at the pool of Bethesda was in captivity but got his Jubilee after 38 years (John 5:2-9). Also , for the man born blind recorded in John 9:1-7, his jubilee dawned and he regained his sight after 40 years. In Luke 13:10-17, the woman was bent got her jubilee after 18 years.According to Exodus 21:1-6, the year of Jubilee could come to some after 7 years because God is the One who controls times and seasons, and He is the One who will decide when He wants to intervene in a matter ( Daniel 2:20-21). Your age will not stop your Jubilee. Our God is the God of Jubilee and He loves to set the captives free although He will never violate  your will. In Exodus 21:1-6, when Jubilee is offered, captives are free to void it and remain as captives. In a town in Osun State (South West Nigeria), there was a very wealthy man who amasssed much wealth through evil means. One day, out of mercy , God wanted to save him so He sent a preacher to tell him about salvation. After listening for some time,he thanked the preacher and asked him to lead all his children to Christ , but as for him he had gone too far with the devil that he had chosen to end up with him. Even when he was told it was not too late for him, the man resisted. He turned down his jubilee. Will you accept or turn down your jubilee?

PRAYER POINT: Pray that God will open the eyes of all those who are rejecting jubilee to see things from God’s perspective and accept His salvation.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Transition before Tribulation

Friday 24 August                              Bible in one year :Amos 1-3

Read:The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations,and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement for punishments.2Peter 2:9

Read :2 Peter 2:4-9
There are three school of thoughts on the subject of the timing of the great tribulation.The first school of thought say born again christians  will be on the earth and will go through the Great Tribulation.The second say the believers will be on the earth for three and half years of the tribulation  period before being taken away ;while the third school of thought says believers will not be here when the tribulations begins. I strongly share the view of the third school of thought based on scriptural evidences of God’s past dealings with His people.

First, According to Revelations 3:10, if you keep His word, you will be out of the way of trouble i.e.Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7)starts. Similarly God does not destroy the righteous with the wicked except if the righteous had dumped righteousness for evil.That was the basis for the intercession of Abraham for the righteous in the Sodom and Gomorrah and God spared Lot and his family (Genesis 18:22-33). We learn from that account that one major reason God has not overthrown our cities today is because of the righteous living in them;after all the world is far more corrupt now than the days of Noah or Sodom and Gomorrah. Also, during the deluge,God spared Noah and his family before flooding the whole earth. Fear not! As you serve the Lord faithfully, He will take you away before He brings judgment up on where you are. However, the church in Philadelphia  was advised to hold fast what they have lest another fellow take their crown. Some years ago, in a communist enclave, 50 Christians were being tortured for their faith in Christ. Soldiers moved them to the lake of freezing water, stripped and put them there. At another spot was a huge bonfire so that if they denounced Jesus they could warm themselves and be set free.Unknown to them God had opened the eyes of one of the soldiers who saw each of the believers who endured been tortured to death,  receive a crown from an angel. As this continued, one of the christian who could no longer bear the pain started stepping out. Disappointed, his angel was about to take his crown back to Heaven when this soldier suddenly stripped himself and ran to replace the believer that he could take his crown. Hold fast to what you have or you will lose your crown and other rewards to others!

PRAYER POINT: Father, help to endure to the end so that no one will take my crown

Excerpts fro Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Perpetual servant

Thursday 23 August                          Bible in one year: Joel 1-3

Memorise: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?Be not deceived : neither fornicators,nor idolaters,nor adulterers, nor effeminate,nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 1 Corinthians 6:9

Read: Exodus 21:2-6

It is love that can make a man to wait for fourteen years to get married to the lady of his choice like Jacob did for Rachel( Genesis 29:18-28). A lady once told me that nobody was asking for her hand in marriage. We prayed and few months  later, she had six suitors on line. Then she came to me to ask how she will know the one that is her husband. I asked her to tell them that they should wait for fourteen years, by that time she would be through with her PhD programme and would have worked for some years. Not one of them stayed after hearing that.If there is love, there is strength to wait. Love can be very costly. It can cost a man his freedom.From Exodus 21:2-6 we understand that any servant that is Hebrew is expected to serve for six years and on the seventh, he should be freed.If however he marries and because of love he refuses to go, he would receive a mark so that anybody who sees him will know that he is a slave forever. Occasionally , i hear some people give God conditions before complying with certain divine requests or instructions. This shows that they do not love God, or that they have forgotten they were supposed to be His servant forever.

True love gives you super human strength. When somebody is truly in love, he could survive any adversity for the sake of that love( Romans 8:35-37). Being more than conquerors is a height in love which many do not yet know. If you are truly in love with God,you will gladly die for Him like Stephen( Acts 7:54-60). Today , because many church leaders are afraid for their lives, they cannot go to certain countries or certain parts with their native land to preach Christ. Death is no big deal  but the big deal is what you go through before you die. In the days of communism , it was the torture that a Christian went through that gave him pleasure; today , the reverse is the case. A Christian was arrested and thrown into prison. He began to witness Christ to the inmates so they took him  and gave him the beating of his life until he was bleeding all over. By the time he was returned he asked those he was preaching to , “where did i stop before the interruption?” Loving God can be expensive. How cheap or otherwise is your love for God?

ACTION POINT: Take this confession: Lord Jesus, I confess and acknowledge you as my Lord. I am your servant. You own all i have. And I will worship you with all that You have me until you take me to glory.
Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

DROP THOSE EXCUSES

Wednesday 22 August                  Bible in one year : Acts 25-28

Memorise: Therefore thou are inexcusable, O man , whatsoever thou art that judgest : for wherein thou judgest another,thou condemnest thyself;for thou that judgest doest the same things. Romans 2:1

Read: Exodus:10-16

After his experience of the supernatural and God introducing Himself to  Moses, he was given specific assignment.He objected with reasons but they were not accepted.From this we learn that when God has decided to send you on an assignment, no excuse is good enough. You will notice that the more Moses excused himself from embarking on the assignment,the angrier God became (Exodus 4:13-14). Making excuses to avoid doing what God has assigned to you  will easily put you on the wrong side of God’s judgement. Excuses can move you from God’s right hand to His left,from favor to disfavor, from blessings to curses. Has the Lord giving you an assignment and you are piling up reasons for not obeying? You are toying with fire.After Moses saw “God’s red eyes”, he dumped his excuses. Drop those excuses and comply with your divine mandate.

When you look at the excuses people give for not ob
eying God, they can be classified as feelings of inadequacy,ignorance ,pride,fear, unbelief ,etc. For instances,Moses felt inadequate in himself to go before Pharaoh but God told him, “I will go with you” (Exodus 3:10-12). Whenever God gives you assignment, He does not leave you alone to do it. He is there with you to supply what you lack.So ideally,every assignment is a joint venture between God and the one assigned to do it. Do you feel inadequate? The One who is assigning you will back you up.If it bothers on ignorance that means there is something you don’t know that will be required of you in performing  that assignment.In Moses’s case, he did not know how to introduce God to the elders of Israel but God told him how to go about it.If only you ask the Lord, He will give you the knowledge you require or direct you to where to get it.Don’t say , “I can’t go because i am not educated” because the Greatest Teacher is ready to supply all you need to know if only you can ask Him, and sit at His feet to be taught.If you feel too big for the assignment,that is pride, and that can easily bring judgement on you. Nobody is bigger than the assignment God gives to him or her.How can a national elder or provincial pastor be sent to pastor a parish of 50 people? If that is what God is saying, run immediately to do it. The most unattractive assignment gets the biggest pay form God. If your refusal is out of fear and unbelief,examine the attributes and abilities of the One sending you. It will strengthen your faith.

KEY POINT: Many people struggle for Kingdom assignments that feed their ego while they run away from some other tasks.Neglected assignments such as sanitation and washing of toilets enjoy Heavens greater rewards.

Excerpts form Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Service from rivers

Tuesday 21 August                              Bible in one year: Isaiah 49-51

Memorise: I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water , and the dry land springs of water. Isaiah 41:18

Read : Exodus 14:21-31

When Elisha smote the waters of River Jordan and asked for the Lord God of his spiritual father, the river parted(2 Kings 2:14). What is that river before you today? It shall part in the name of Jesus. Interestingly, River Jordan is the only river that parted three times. It parted for Joshua,then for Elijah and now for Elisha. By reason of contact with these three men of God, River Jordan had experienced the anointing on these three men of God at different times.There are a few lessons to learn from this. Water we all know can conduct electricity. In the realm of the spirit, water is also a conductor. God has used water at different times to deliver a miracle to those who need them.For instance ,in 2Kings6:1-7,God made an axe head which felt into the river to float,contrary to the law of gravity and postulations of science.Similarly where there was no road,bridge or ship , God created  a highway for the children of Israel in the Red Sea but drowned all their enemies (Exodus 14:17-31). When the water in the land of Marah was bitter,God made it sweet- that is, a river became a river of wine. Jesus also had to walk on water to get to do the Father’s assignment . The water solidified under His feet.

God can deliver your blessings to you using a river as a channel.There is this story of man who got a bottle containing the will of a very wealthy woman where she wrote that whoever found that bottle will, should inherit all she had.The man found it in a river and his life was totally transformed. Every blessings that requires the service of the river before it can get to you , will receive  the support of the waters and be delivered to you this season in Jesus name.Do you know that some people lose their goods and blessings to the river through ship wreck? Those people,who took loans to ship goods by sea, would feel terrible to hear that the ship sand or that all their goods had to be thrown into the high sea in order to save those on board. Have you suffered such fate before? The Lord will restore all you lost.River Jordan serve a number of people. Rivers shall serve you. Seas shall deliver your blessings to you in Jesus name. Every sea that has swallow your blessings shall vomit it this season in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINT:The seas and rivers are God’s creation and are meant to serve us. Father, cause the seas and waters to cooperate with my helpers to deliver my blessings to me.

Excerpts from Pastor E.A Adeboye

Victim of lies

Monday 20 August                                   Bible in one year: 2 Kings 23-25

Memorise: Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto hananiah the prophet,Hear now,Hananiah; The Lord hath sent thee;but thou makest this people trust in a lie. Jeremiah 28:15

Read: Jeremiah 28:15-17

 Although some people love to believe in a lie,yet God's standard remains . If you enjoy being flattered, you are a lover of lies. Your self-deception will soon land you into trouble ( Proverbs 29:5). Beyond lying to on another, lying has assumed another frightening dimension. How? Lying is now a common feature in the house of God. In fact, lying has become a big money spinner in the house of God. Since people love to hear lies, they flock around those who will tell it to them. If instead of hearing the undiluted Word of God you prefer to run from one prophet to the other;you are a lover of lies and you may soon be a willing victim of deception. Lying in the name of the Lord is a grievous offence. Worse still is giving a pack of lies which you brand prophetic declarations from the Lord. We all know that genuine men of God are revered, so satanic agents and merchandising prophets are also seriously engaged in the business of deception in order to get reverence from people.

If you a lover of visions, beware or else you will become a victim of lies. Any prophetic declarations that has raised your hope, coming from merchandising prophets and pastors will surely disappoint you (Jeremiah 28:15). In some places, when a  lady wants a particular man as husband, all she needs do is "settle" the prophet or prophetess and later in the service  the leader will go into acrobatics. At some point, he will say, "thus says the Lord, Brother so and so , Sister so and so is your wife". Thereafter , the sister will pretend to refuse it or even feign tears asking :" How could God be so unfair to me? Why this particular brother?" Meanwhile , the men at the centre of it all does not know that he is an unwilling actor in a script written be the church leader and the lady. Those of you who go to your pastor to pray for you  and tell you who to marry, if care is not taken , you will become a victim of lies. You are simple lazy. No pastor or prophet should tell you who to marry. They are to pray along with you  , counsel and guide you using the Word of God. If you fail to pay the price to hear from God on that matter, you may be deceived. God can use your pastor or a genuine prophet of God to confirm what He had already told you. Many homes have been established on falsehood and that is why things are falling apart and the centre can no longer hold.

KEY POINT: Some pastors are seriously into match-making. They have taken over from the Holy Spirit. Match-Making remains God's prerogative and He has not delegated it to any any pastor.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Arise

Sunday 19 August                              Bible in one year: 2 Kings 18-21

Memorise: Arise, Shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1

Isaiah 60:1 says Arise. Arise is a command. God is not begging,pleading or advising you to arise. This is an order coming form the Commander-in-chief of the heavenly hosts.The command to arise can mean different things to different people depending on their present spiritual location or situation. If you are already dead, arise could mean come back to life.That was the kind of order Jesus gave to Jairus’s dead child (Mark5:35-42).In any way you are spiritually dead, today hear your Master’s command, Arise! On the other hand, to the sleeping arise could mean wake up. When the Lord took Peter,James and John with Him to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:40-42, they were sleeping because their eyes were heavy. So the Lord told them to wake up. Are you sleeping spiritually? In the name of Jesus , arise today!

If you were not dead or asleep but sitting , arise could mean stand up and begin to move. In John 14:30-31, the disciples were sitting as Jesus talked with them. If you are sitting, it means there is work to be done but you are yet to do them. Are you procrastinating over the souls you should win to the kingdom? Arise. Are there pending jobs for you to do? Arise! But if you already on your feet,what does arise mean? it could mean to jump into action. For instance, when Samuel came to the house of Jesse in 1 Samuel 16:11-13 , and could not find God’s choice there , he said nobody should sit down until David was brought from the backside of the desert. By his orders to arise; he was saying move into action now. Are you already on your feet in certain areas? God is saying put in more effort ,more life, and more time to get a better results. What if you are not just standing but already walking? To you , arise means start running like David did towards Goliath(1 Samuel17:48). But if you are already running, to arise means grab some wings and do some flying.A woman delivered a baby in Revelation 12:13-16 and was being chased by the dragon so she arose by getting wings and soaring high above its reach. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says you should move from glory to glory. Wherever you are , God is saying to you ,arise!

PRAYER POINT:  Father,wherever i am presently located, help me to arise and make a difference in your kingdom.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

JUBILEE RELOCATES

Saturday 18 August                                              Bible in one year: 2 Kings 15-17
Memorise: so we say that they could no enter in because of unbelief. Hebrew 3:19
Read:11:39-45
God can restore your lost dreams and destiny when your Jubilee comes. Jubilee is also a time of relocation.The one in bondage is free to go back to his family,another location,a new position , etc. When the day of Jubilee came for Moses ,God moved him from the backside of the desert and placed him at the centre of history.He went from where nothing was happening to where history was being made.Are you where nothing is happening presently? The Lord will soon relocate you to where your contributions would be most valued. Another person who was relocated during Jubilee was Joseph. He was in prison for doing nothing wrong and seem to have forgotten by those he thought could help him. Yet, in Genesis 41:37-46 , when his day of jubilee dawned , God relocated him from prison to throne. Before you were born God had a place you will fit into like a jigsaw puzzle. That place is designed with you in mind. On the day of your Jubilee the Lord will move you form where you are into that position of His entire plan. He has promised that you shall be the head and the tail. That will be your portion this season in Jesus name. What of Lazarus? people ,including his sisters protested that the stench  from his body would drive everyone away. This meant , it was better Lazarus was left dead and buried. But because his day of Jubilee had dawned unknown to his sisters, the Lord relocated him from the grace and turned him into a celebrity. Have people, including your family members written you off? Have they said nothing good can come out of you? Have your teachers told you that you are so daft that you cannot graduate? Have you become a laughing stock to those around you?Have people been looking down on you  and treading on you all your life? Wait a minute! Something good is about to happen.All those people are about to receive the greatest shock of their lives. God is relocating you right to the top. You are moving to the other side of sorrow.

PRAYER POINT: Father , because my jubilee has come , cause me to walk upon my high places.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E. A Adeboye

Dangerous desires

Friday 17 August                                Bible in on year : 2 Kings 11-14

Memorise: And he gave them their request ;but sent leanness into their soul. Psalms 106:15

Read: Numbers 11:31-35

Some believers are so much in a hurry that they cannot wait on God for anything. If God expects you to wait, then you have nothing else to do but wait. In fulfilling His promises, God expects you to wait on Him.The Christian race is a marathon where patience is a key component.God rewards the patient. He also rewards the impatient. When you are impatient with God concerning a blessing,by the time He gives you the blessing prematurely , it will either cause you shame for the rest of your life or may even kill you. Psalms 106:15 says God gave Israelite their requests but added leanness to their souls. Why? While in the wilderness, God gave them a mono-food product- manna but they soon got tired of it and began to lust for meat. At some point , in virtually all the families, after complaining so bitterly,they sat by the front door weeping because they did not have meat to eat. In a wilderness situation, you are under trial and therefore you are not the one to dictate what you will go through but God.In Matthew 4:1-11, our Lord Jesus Christ also went through a wilderness situation. In His case , He fasted throughout. But because the Isrealites wanted to dictate to God how they should undergo their trial, God gave them flesh. As they put it in their mouths , the Lord sent a plague which destroyed many of them.

Self-will is a destroyer. Many people have severely hurt themselves as a result of their personal desires. If you find it difficult to submit your tastes, desires and habits to God, you will continue to hurt yourself. Some sisters so pressed the Lord for a particular brother as a husband to the point that the same God who had said "No" eventually said "Yes". How such sisters would have rejoiced and bragged about their accomplishment , not knowing that they had just signed up for their own unhappiness. Sometimes when God gives you your heart desires contrary to His will, everything may appear right but your soul will be plagued with leanness. A lean soul is on its way to destruction. The voice of God is cut off from the fellow and he or she will walk about as one who does not know where he or she is going.Check your desires!

PRAYER POINT: Father, every request I make or desire i have ,that can bring your judgment up on me,please do not grant such request and take such desires away from my heart.
Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

LOVE IS SACRIFICIAL

Thursday 16 August                          Bible in one year:2 Kings 7-10

Memorise: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish , but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Read: Genesis 29:18-28

When you are genuinely in love, making sacrifices for the one you love will be a thing of pleasure and not a burden. Jacob was in love with Rachel and asked what he must do to marry her. He told him to serve for seven years and he willingly did so. Because of his love, seven years were like seven days to him. When he was deceived,he yet agreed to serve another serve another seven years for his heartthrob (Genesis 29:18-28). No price is too much to pay for the one you love.If you truly love your wife,you will the pay the price of faithfulness in the midst of pressure to be unfaithful to her in your workplace or even in the ministry. Some husbands are yet to demonstrate their love for their wives by sacrificially giving to her like God gave us His one out of one (John 3:16). If your relationship with your wife is all about convenience - you do things for her only when it is convenient, but nothing for her when sacrifice is required, then you own your wife big time. Wives of such husbands should demand of their husbands the debt of sacrifice.

Sacrifice helps to gauge your love for God. We can say God loves us exceedingly because He was
prepared to part with His only begotten Son on the cross of Calvary.What have you given in return to Him? If you say you love Him, you will sacrifice for Him. You will be ready like Paul to spend and be spent for Him. Some ministers of God cannot take up certain kingdom assignments because they fear they will be totally exhausted.This shows they still want to reserve some energy or resources to themselves. What a mistake! It is when you are spent that you will need to be replenished. As long as you retain your strength or resources they will be no vacancy for God to fill. Stop holding back ! Empty yourself in to God and His kingdom. There is no better place of fulfillment or reward than this. Do it, not necessarily for the returns, although you cannot avoid it, but for love .Can you serve the Lord for 14 years without pay? Can you serve the Lord in the rural areas when you have been used to the comfort of life? Can you serve under an uneducated person when you are a Master's or Ph.D holder? Where is sacrifice in your love for the Lord?

ACTION POINT: There is a level of sacrifice God expects from us at every phase of our lives. Ask God for grace to make that sacrifice.

Excerpts from Open Heaven by Pastor E.A Adeboye