WORD COMPLIANCE

Wednesday 15 August                                    Bible in one year: 2 Kings 4-6

Memorise : To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20

Read: Isaiah 8:16-20

After the wonderful sight that Moses experienced, the Personality behind the experience introduced Himself to Moses as the God of the Abram, Isaac and Jacob.
Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses his hid face: for he was afraid to look upon God. Exodus 3:6
This is the sovereign Lord, the covenant-keeping God who called Abraham from idolatry into holiness and charted a path of greatness for him. When He called Moses, He immediately began to talk about holiness (Exodus 3:5). It is amusing to hear people talk about their supernatural encounters which they claim is from God when they are anything but holy. A check here is that any divine encounter with God draws you closer to God and further from sin, else that encounter is not of God. A religion whose leader is uncertain of where he would end after death when asked by his followers, cannot be the same as the faith whose leaders says, “I am going back to Heaven to prepare you a place and will return for you someday, and you will be with me in Heaven throughout eternity” (John 14:3). The difference is clear!
When Paul saw supernatural light that outshone the sun, he fell down and became blind. Yet, the one behind the encounter  introduced Himself  to him  as Jesus , whom Saul was persecuting ( Acts 9:1-5). When you encounter the God I serve, He will not keep you in the dark or in suspense regarding who He is. In addition, if it is the Almighty God, after such a supernatural encounter , He will give you  a message to people or commission for you for specific assignment . Moses was given a message of deliverance to a people in bondage. Paul was given a message of salvation to the Gentiles. Peter also received a message of salvation for Jews. If you claim to have had a supernatural encounter with God, what is your message from God? What is the commission the Lord gave to you? Does it totally agree with the written Word of God – the Bible or does it contradict the Bible in certain areas? If it is from God, the message and commission must be in total agreement with the scripture. If it contradicts the Bible in any way ,it is not from God. It means the light of God is not in it. If you claim to have had an encounter with God and your message compromises God’s word, waters it down or makes people to violate it , the that message is from the pit of hell.
KEY POINT: The Bible is God’s unchangeable standard. Any prophecy , revelation , dream or ‘divine’ commission that negates it , is from Satan not God.
Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E . A  Adeboye.

Expecting from lies?

Monday 12 August                                       Bible in one year : Joshua 22-24

Memorise: Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth , and a foot out of joint. Proverbs 25:19


Read: Proverbs 25:14-19

Beauty is a blessing but it easily attracts pride which invariably turns into a curse.Before Lucifer who was created perfect in beauty could fall , his beauty deceived him (Ezekiel 28:11-17). Are you beautiful or handsome? Never use your qualities as basis for your expectations because they will surely fail you. Humble yourself before God. He gave you what you so subordinate your physical look under His control and follow the direction  He leads you, so that your beauty can work in your favor. If you are beautiful or handsome,you have no right to reject , speak against , laugh at or discriminate against those who are not as physically endowed as you because they did not create themselves nor did you. Every beautiful trait God has given to you will not undo you  in Jesus name.
Apart from basing expectations on physical qualities, another reason for failure of expectations is when they are based on lies .Jeremiah 7: says ,

Behold ,Ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

If the person who is making a promise to you has no track record of honouring his word,you are just wasting your time. The liar has no sincere intention of making good his or her promise and may even lack the wherewithal to do so.Unfortunately , some people love lies. If you like lies, you will keep hearing lies.Some leaders do not want to hear the true state of affairs concerning those under them  thence they end up hearing lies. If you love lies, you will have bad advises. Some people cannot stand the truth so they go to places of worship where they will be told they can marry three wives, where the resident pastor is also a polygamist. Romans 1:25-26 says if you hate the truth, you will be sold into lies.Some sisters love lies of men. They love to hear a man who says he has what he has not, or he can do what he cannot. They love the men who flatter them and tell them sweet stories and make empty promises. Sometimes , these ladies know the man is lying but they continue with them because they love the fantasies. The expectations of such ladies shall be dashed. Have you put your mind on the promise of someone who lies has made ? Immediately take off your mind from it and put it on the Lord who never lies. On the other hand, if you observe people are very untruthful with you, check yourself and see if you have not been lying often yourself.

KEY POINT: The intergrity of the person whose words your expectations are built on will determine if your expectations are met or not

Daily Devotional from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

POWER WITHOUT CONTROL

Sunday12 August                                               Bible in one year : Joshua 19-21

Memorise: out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be . James 3:10

James 3:5-12

Elijah was one Bible character that experienced victory all the way. In 2 Kings 1:19-15 , some sets of soldiers came to arrest him but soon realised that they were the ones being arrested. Those who surrendered , he spared but those who refused to surrender, he roasted alive.He was so full of power. Power is good but very dangerous. It is commonly said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.If you have power , you need lots of restraint less it turns your victory into defeat. With the power of God, you can easily secure victory but you need humility and the fruit of the Spirit to sustain that victory. A minister of God who uses his or her tongue unadvisedly will soon erode the gains of victory earlier obtained. What is the use of power without control? One reason God had not increase His anointing on some of His children or answered some who are petitioning Him for higher levels of anointing is because they cannot handle it , that is to say, they cannot control it.

If you are the type that easily curses your children or wards ,if God anoints you , you will not know when you will place a curse on them and it will stick. Pastors who curse members or workers are fast eroding their victories. If you have common sense, you will know that it is wrong to curse anyone who volunteers his or her service to God just because the fellow made a mistake . There are better ways of correcting the fellow but not through a curse. If you are fond of cursing those you should be protecting ,something is wrong with you; you should rather be blessing them. In addition, if God’s power in your life makes you proud, or to feel that you are better than your neighbour , you will lose your victory. One attribute God cannot stand is pride.God fights the proud because they compare themselves with Him, so He will want to prove a point that they nothing without Him. Are you proud of your achievements,You may soon lose them. To keep your victory permanent , handle with them lots of humility, thanksgiving and giving all credits to God alone. God hates the proud: are you proud? Repent today!

ACTION POINT: If you pray for power, pray doubly for the grace to control it.

Excerpts from Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

ARE YOU CONTROLLABLE

Friday 11 August                                        Bible in one year: Joshua 16-18

Memorise: My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Psalms 31:15

Read:  Genesis 8:1-2

Our God is a God of structure and order. He expects you to understand and heed the signs He sends to you. When He “shows you red”, know it is time to stop. When He “shows you yellow”, you have to be prepared and when He “shows you green”, then it is time to go. God is in charge of your life and He wants to control it. Control can referred to restricted flow. In Genesis 8:1-2, we see God controlling the rain. We all know that rain is good but too much of it is bad. In recent times we have seen the devastating effect of floods. If you have ever been a victim of flooding, whenever the rain is heavy and persistent, you will become too scared. Flooding occurs as a result of too much rain. The rain of God’s blessing that can adversely affect you shall not come in Jesus name. According to 1 Kings 17:1, there is something you can do to open heavens and there is something else you can do to shut heavens. Strive to always keep your heavens opened.

God controls the rain and He also controls blessings. In the parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-15, each servant was given talent according to their individual ability. God will not give you the blessings you cannot control. One reason God has not given some major breakthroughs to some is because He knows they will not give Him their first –fruits and tithes if the blessing is too big. By refusing to comply with God’s directives, many are cheating themselves. Will you want a life without control? As God blesses you, ask for the grace to keep the blessings in their rightful place and your heart in the Lord. God wants to be able to control you and your blessings. But what is His experience? For many of His children, the wealth the Lord has put in their hands has given them boldness or voice to speak to Him as they like without reverence. When God says give so much out of what He has given them, they will begin to argue with Him. David was not like that. He was fully yielded to God when he said my times are in Your hands (Psalm31:15), can you say the same?

PRAYER POINT: Everything in me that is resisting divine control, Father uproot it now.

Open Heavens by Pastor E A Adeboye

HARVEST: ANY PRIOR SEED?

Friday 10 August                                      Bible in one year : Joshua 13-15
Memorise: Be no deceived: God is not mocked: for whatever a man soweth , that shall he also reap . Galatians 6:7
Read: Isaiah 45:11-13
One of the promises of the Lord made to the church in Philadelphia was that He would keep them from the hours of temptation that would come upon the world.
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.Revelations 3:10
The lesson here is that whatever you do to God has way of coming back to you.If you draw near to Him,He will draw near to you (James 4:8). If you obey all He commands faithfully , He will not only cause the work of His hands to obey you, but will also ask you to command Him and He will give life to your decrees (Isaiah 45:11). Some people issue decrees based on Isaiah 45:11 and Job 22:28 but are surprised when they are ignored. If you decrees are not honoured, it shows that there is something missing. You cannot reap where did not sow. If you have not sown total obedience to His commands, your own decrees will be ignored. Obedience is reciprocal . The way you treat the Lord and the things of His Kingdom clearly shows God how He should treat you. Since the church in Philadephia kept His word, He too promised to keep them. The Lord will keep you from every evil, but ensure you keep His commands.
In the same vein, you can sow seeds of patience and get a harvest from it. How patient are you towards God? Some people while in church, continuously check their wrist watches as if that is what will deliver their needed miracle to them. They are so impatient with God. They are too much in a hurry when they are praying to know God’s will in marriage. If they have not received the answer by the third or sixth months, they will walk out on God and go ahead to choose for themselves. “Who does He think He is anyway?” They would say in their hearts. It is how you deal with God that He will deal with you. King Saul  was very impatient with God. How can a man of God not keep to time? So he went ahead and did what he was not supposed to do . Some delays are designed by God to test you. If you are impatient, you will fail the test. No wonder God soon ran out of patience with him! However David was patient with God and when he messed up , God had no choice but to be patient with him.
ACTION POINT: Carefully write out how you want God to treat and respond to you. Go ahead and do so to Him.
Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

LOVE IS UNQUENCHABLE

Thursday 9 August Bible in one year: Joshua 10-12

Memorise: Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all substance of his house for love, it would utterly contemned. Song of Solomon 8:7

Read: Songs of Solomon 8:6-7

Although it is difficult to effectively define love, it is clear that love involves very powerful emotions. Solomon was a beneficiary of God’s love and he writes that love is equal to death in terms of strength (Song of Solomon 8:6). Most people fear death but very few fear love, yet they are equal in strength. Death and Love have a sense of finality associated with them. Those who really know what love is are always afraid of falling in love because once you really love someone; it does not matter what the fellow does, your love for that individual never dies. Song of Solomon 8:7 says
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Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

Floods of adversity and difficulty cannot quench love. If you say you love and later say you do not love your spouse again because there is no money at home for food, or because of negative pressures form in-laws, that love is quenchable.

In Romans 8:35-39, Paul says nothing and nobody can stop the love of God from flowing to us. Love is unstoppable and unquenchable. It is difficult to offend someone who really loves you because love forgives all sins, wrongs and offences (Proverbs 10:12). Are you finding it difficult to forgive your spouse for falling into fornication? If you love that spouse you will receive the grace to forgive. There is no harm that is done to you that you cannot forgive if you love somebody. However, taking it for granted that your spouse will always forgive your sins is a dangerous thing because God Himself may take up the assignment of judging you. What happens when the one you love disappoints you? The three Hebrew boys before king Nebuchadnezzar stated that even if their God disappoints in delivering them, that will still love Him ( Daniel 3:16-18)? Many Christians will be offended when God does not grant their request; this shows their level of love for Him. When you are genuinely in love, it will be a thing of pleasure to make sacrifices for the one you love. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were ready to die in the fire out of their love for God. Do you love God to the extent of dying for Him, just like He loved you and died for you?

PRAYER POINT: Father, just as you have loved me to the point of giving Your Son Jesus Christ to die for me, help me to love You without holding back anything.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

IS THIS OF GOD?

Wednesday 8 August                                        Bible in one year: Joshua 7-9

Memorise: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus  Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:and that is that spirit of antichrist , whereof ye have heard that it should come;and even now already is it in the world. 1 John 4:3

Read: 1 John 4:1-3

Moses had a supernatural experience in witnessing a bush that was on fire but was not consumed. As good as such an experience may look, it is important to know the person behind the experience.Some people erroneously believe that because they have a supernatural encounter during childhood or at some point in their lives, that they automatically become the child of God or His messenger. Nothing can be further form the truth! If all Moses saw was the supernatural sight,without encountering the personality behind the sight, he would have been no relevance. There are many religious leaders in the world,who have had some supernatural encounter but the question is :Who is behind their encounter? Some of them think it is God and say so, but their fruits are opposite that of Christ. A religion that is based on salvation by works cannot be the same with a faith that is based on salvation through grace. A religion where Jesus Christ is denied His place as the son of God cannot be of the same source with a faith where Jesus Christ is God the Son.Most religion of the world will claim their supernatural experience  came from God but 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says the devil transforms himself into an angel of light whenever he wants to deceive people.

Even today , the devil is still behind quite a number of supernatural experiences . Some people see certain apparitions of Mary and believe it is Mary the mother of Jesus that they are seeing. 1 John 4:1 says
Beloved , believed not every spirit , but try the spirits whether they are of God: because may false prophets are gone out into the world.
Don’t just believe every assertion , test the spirit behind it! In many churches today, while the leaders openly call on the name of Jesus, they secretly call on the devil,who is the behind magical operations and deceptions taking place.If you are a true believer in Christ, if you see another believer in Christ,you will have a witness. Any experience of follow up of any supernatural experience that is contrary to the written Word of God makes that experience not of God. God cannot violate His words. Be wise ! Prayerfully test the spirits.

KEY POINT: If Satan brings fire in the sky, that does not change him from being Satan. And if God is silent on an issue that does not make him any less of who He is.

Same Standard

Tuesday 7 August                                                                Bible in one year :Joshua 4-6

Memorise : For i am the Lord , i change not;therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.Malachi 3:6

Read: Malachi 3:6-7

Immediately Elisha smote River Jordan , he asked for the God of Elijah.Though his spiritual father and mentor was gone,he knew the God of his father was still around.

And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him,and smote the waters, and he said , Where is the God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted and hither and thither: and Elisha went over . 2 Kings 2:14

There is a thin line between reverencing men of God and Idolatry. When your spiritual father dies, it is either you look for him expecting him to come back from grave to attend to your needs or you look out for his God. If you look for him, you will fall into error of Idolatry where many have fallen,but if you look for his God then you are on the right track. Who are you looking for:the dead or living God? Why do you think that after Moses died God buried on the mountain all by Himself? Nobody knew his grave. Why ? It was so that many Israelites will not start looking up to a corpse as their God and forget about the living God.Leaders must be very careful never to point the flock to themselves but to Jesus their Owner.

When a bona fide man of God passes on , remember that the God of that man remains.Our God is eternal,immortal and invisible (1 Timothy 1:17). Even when you cannot see Him, He is there. Elijah may be gone but God is still there. Malachi 3:6 says He does not change with time or with the fleeting customs of men. This is why i tell people that God is the most conservative Person in the universe. The dress(light) He has been wearing since the beginning of creation is still what He is wearing today. It is what is not good enough that is constantly changed, but if it is perfect there is no need for change.God does not bend His rule to suit anyone.Once He has spoken, it is a settled case. Many of us still believe that God needs to learn from modern man so as to adjust His standards. For instance,some people think that stress,traffic jams and modern challenges of urban cities are good enough reason for not meeting up with God’s expectations. Sorry to disappoint you, the word of God is settled in heaven and His foundations stands sure. Simply ask for grace to comply

PRAYER POINT: Ask God for grace to keep to His standards.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Trusting in your looks

Monday 6 August                                                Bible in one year: Joshua 1-3

Memorise : Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain : but a woman that feareth the Lord , she shall be praised .Proverbs 31:30

Read: Ezekiel 16:14-15

The expectations of believers sometimes fail because they are based on the wrong foundation. Expectations that are presumptuous would most likely fail. So also would expectations based on physical qualities such as an individual’s good looks, stature or charm. If you expectation for a husband or a good home is based on your beauty, it may be dashed. There are many ladies who are not beautiful but they are married to good husbands and there are many pretty ladies who earlier thought marriage would be the easiest thing for them; in fact, they become so choosy that today that have aged, but are without husbands. If you think beauty or handsomeness will give you a good home, you should have a rethink. Take a man like Absalom. As a man he was described as being beautiful. His kind of beauty was the type that would make any pretty lady green with envy. Apart from Lucifer, Absalom was another personality described as being perfect in beauty. Most ladies would fight to have him as a husband. But at the end they would have regretted that decision.

Imaging what he did? He murdered his half-brother who raped his sister, he spearheaded a rebellion against his father and toppled him, he openly slept with his father’s concubines and he planned to kill his father but for God’s intervention. At the end he died prematurely .His wife became a widow too. His three sons and daughter became fatherless. They lived the evil tag of being the children of a rebel who died shamefully (2Samuel14:25-27). If you think you are too beautiful or to handsome to marry the fellow God has chosen for you as a life partner, make no mistake, you will end up marrying the Absaloms and Jezebels of this world. Some men are equally languishing in regret in the confines of their homes because instead of going to the Match Maker and creator, they failed to pray effectively. They believed   their physical attractiveness would pull sisters to them, and they would find a good wife from among them. Any partner you get from God is the best you can ever have, no matter how imperfect the fellow is. Go to the Lord today!

PRAYER POINT: Father, in any way I have trusted in my looks and physique, have mercy on me. From today, I put all my trust in you.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Quality and timing of seed

Sunday 5 August                                     Bible in one year:Proverbs 4-7

Memorise: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5

One foundational truth about giving is that the way seed is sown will determine the type of harvest it will bring.The costliest seed opens the greatest doors.Do not sow anyhow but let your sowing be a deliberate effort,targeted at a definite result.This should guide you in sowing your seed : Before  you sow, determine the type of harvest you want,prayerfully consider the seed that can trigger that harvest,then go ahead and sow. If you want small harvest ,sow small but if you want some  big harvest,sow big. If you want an enduring harvest, sow regularly and continuously towards it . If you want a precious harvest or a harvest of high value, sow valuable and precious seeds. If you want harvest that people have received before , sow the seed that people have given before, but if you want a harvest that nobody has received before,then sow the seed nobody has given before. If you want God’s treasury to be open to you 24/7, open your treasury to God 24/7. If you want God’s all, give your all. The harvest you get is largely depended on you.

The timing of an offering is also very important.Some seeds you will be required to give may still be relevant after six months or a year.But there are some seeds you will be required to sow at an opportune time. If you fail to sow the seed at such  a time, even if you later do so, you would have missed heavenly promo or jackpot attached to it.God is the Father of all born again Christians. It is His duty to take care of us and He has promised to do so.Supposing a particular brother is in dire need of money and the fellow is holding onto God;in response , the Lord looks around and He finds you; He tells you to go immediately to meet the brother’s needs but you refused, feigning you do not know if it is God speaking to you. That need may not have been met because of your hardness of heart, and the brother will be discourage because God would have been painted as an unfaithful God by your inaction.But if you immediately responded and tell the fellow God sent you to him, he will be very glad and God will reward you for your obedience.

KEY POINT: if every believer will obey God promptly, credibility issues that are raised concerning God or His word will be drastically reduced.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Heeding traffic lights?

Saturday 4 August                               Bible in one year : Deuteronomy 29-31

Memorise: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord;and He delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23
Read: Matthew 2:19-23

The things we see in the empirical world ought to give us a better understanding of our God. This truth is expressed in Romans 1:20

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,being understood by the things that are made,even His eternal power and Godhead; so they are without excuse:

We can learn some truths about God by studying traffic lights.This creation of man consist of colours Red,Yellow and Green, the combination of these colours is used in exercising control. We find the combination of these colours also present in rainbow and when white light is dispersed by a prism .We have been looking at the essence of God from the context of these colours as our God is described as lights in 1 John 1:5, Psalm 37:23 says
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord : he delighteth in his way.

When God loves a man, He will control his movement the same way traffic lights control the movements of vehicles and pedestrians.Take for example Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1-6, God told Elijah, “go to the brooks” and he went . Later, He told him, “Go to the widow of Zaraphath” and he did.Wherever God sent him, he was ready to go and his needs were ever met. Similarly, Isaac was another very obedient servant.If you do a study of him,you will find out that through his life,there was no where God was angry with him.This is because he lived in obedience.A famine came upon the land and Isaac wanted to leave but God asked him to stay and he obeyed (Genesis 26:1-4).In the same vein, the Lord instructed Joseph to run to Egypt with the child Jesus and he obeyed (Matthew 2:13-23).

Control covers every aspect of life. Sometimes the red light will come on and God will say stop or wait. Many people do not want to see this as they walk with God but it is only for their own good.When you continue to move when God says stop, you will get into trouble.At other times , God may show you yellow sign, meaning that a particular blessings you are asking for will soon be released, so get ready. If you are not ready at that time you may miss it.Then there are times God will show you green light to go on. It could concerning who to marry, where to further your education,etc. Once you get the green light , go ahead. When you pray to God , He uses these colours to speak to you.Have you been sensitive to these colours? Or do you jump the gun? The one who sees red but gives himself green will have tales of disappointment to share.

KEY POINT:if you faithfully obey spiritual traffic signs,your progress will be rapid, you will remain in God’s will and you will be spared unnecessary headaches.

Open Heavens by Pastor E. A Adeboye

maximise your spiritual nationality

Friday 3 August                                  Bible in one year : Proverbs 29-31

Memorise: and they also, if they abide not not still in unbelief,shall be gaffed in :for God is able to graft them in again. Romans 11:23

Read: Romans 11:15-24

All the fantastic promises God made to the nation of Israel were transferred to the new Israel of God birthed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 2:28-29 reveals that a displacement of natural Jews has occurred in the spirit;hence we spiritual Jews, right now have a central place in God's heart and occupy a major place in God's agenda for the last days. From this switch, we learn that nobody is indispensable and no nation or people are indispensable.Whatever the Lord has assigned to you,for which the grace to do it as being released, accept it and handle with all humility, thankfulness ,faithfulness, and dedication because if otherwise handled,you can be replaced.God has no plan to replace anyone who is faithfully occupying the position given to him or her; rather he wants to add more responsibility to the fellow.You shall not be replaced in Jesus name.If you are doing something in a wrong way and you are being corrected, but you think you know better, and so you refuse to change course, you are calling for the hammer. When it falls, blame nobody but yourself.

Another lesson here is that God is never moved by outward appearance or empty promises but by action and performance. If you want to move God, perform .Put an end to empty promises or boasts!He is not also not moved by outward shows but by the content of the heart.If you are a spiritual Jew- a Jew by the reason of your new birth experience in Christ Jesus , you qualify to claim all the promises God made to Abraham. So what happens to the nation of Israel? To be relevant, they have to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and become part of His body - the Church. Such people will be spiritual Jews as well as Jews in the flesh. However, Paul by the Spirit warns spiritual Jews not to show pride or any form of boasting because the same God who broke off the natural branches (nation of Israel) and grafted us into the olive tree, is able to brake us off too. What will determine whether you will remain or not are your works of faith , obedience, service and humility. Eventually , after the rapture of the church,God will resume His plan for the nation of Israel. Maximise your spiritual nationality while you have the opportunity.

ACTION POINT: List out 20 covenants blessings of a spiritual Jew. How many of these have you benefited from? Ask God to manifest pending promises in your life.

Love

Thursday 2 August                             Bible in one year: Proverbs 25-28

Memorise: let brotherly love continue . Hebrews 13:1

Read: 2 Samuel 1:25-26

Your reason for seeking God will determine whether you love Him or lust after His works.Ask any Christian in God’s service ,”Why are you committed to God’s work?” The reply most likely will be , “Because of Heaven, crowns and other rewards i will receive”. Although rewards has its place in service, this only goes to show us that many of us are in God’s service because of what we can get from it, not  because we love God. If you fall under this category, you should reorder your priorities and make your love for God the reason for all Kingdom exploits.There is a brother stands out in this area. It was said of him that when he died, he was taken to Heaven. He was given a befitting welcome in Heaven. Afterwords , they took him to his mansion and rewards but he told the angels that he was not there for the crown and mansion, but that he just wanted to see the Lord. What love! May you love the Lord to the point that everything else-be it on earth and in Heaven will be secondary.

The word “love” is used casually at most times and this ought not to be so. It is pretty difficult to define love because love is a person. It is declared in 1 John 4:8 what God is love. To accurately define love, you must be able to define God correctly. After several years of walking with God ,Paul said: ” I still don’t know Him. I want to know Him” (Philippians 3:10). The word “love” is applied to different things and there are different kinds of love. For instance , Isaac asked for the food his soul loves in Genesis 27:1-4. Different people love different things;some may love vegetable soup while another may love sleep, play ,dance, etc. Some love are detrimental example of this is the love of sleep which leads to poverty ( Proverbs 20:13). There is a kind of love that patriotic citizens have for their country hence Psalms 122:6 says if you love Jerusalem, you will prosper. Another kind of love exist between a man and his wife, this can be seen in Genesis 29:18 where Jacob is said to love Rachel. Looking at the relationship between David and Jonathan, we are introduced to brotherly love which 2 Samuel 1:26 says is stronger than erotic love. Hebrews 13:1 says we should continue in brother love.Is the love you show to your fellow brethren as strong as the one you show to your spouse ? Ask for God’s grace to love members of God’s Kingdom with brotherly love. How do you love today ?

KEY POINT :Greater love has no man than this , that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

change

CHANGE

Wednesday 1 August                 Read the bible in one year : Proverbs 22-24

Memorise: And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail . Hebrew 1:12

The only constant thing in life is change. God’s covenant moved from the Old testament to the New.That was a profound change that shaped the whole world. When Jesus came, the Old Testament was in force. He introduced the New Testament during His ministry on earth , giving men a glimpse of the change to come and reorienting their understanding. After His death,burial and resurrection , the New Testament in His blood was established. Those who fail to go with the change end up blaming themselves. They will be cut off from so many benefits. For instance, during the days of the early church, when Paul travelled to Ephesus , he met some disciples who were baptised by John the Baptist. Based on what they knew, they were still expecting the Messiah who John had come to usher in . Unknown to these, the Messiah had come, affected their world and gone. One would wonder where these disciples were when great multitudes thronged the meeting organised by the Lord.  However , they were receptive to change based on the new information they heard, so they were baptised again as commanded by the Lord, and they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

We need to recognise that God is at the centre of several changes all over the world because He rules the affairs of men.Daniel 2:21 says He changes times and seasons to suit His purposes.But while He effects change, He does not change.He is the same ( Hebrews 1:10-22). He introduces changes so as to make room for a difference. When a piece of cloth is dyed and turns grey, it is said that it has changed colour.Change can also mean replacement, for instance when you change the tyres of your car. Change give room for variety, yet not all changes are desirable. When you change from good to bad, that is a negative change and undesirable. Equally bad is moving from success to failure. God expects positive change from you. Change from being a bench warmer in church to an active worker or minister. There are certain areas in your life that require change. Some things need to be dropped. You would also need to acquire healthy habits and behavioural patterns.Change now!

KEY POINT:  Life is all about change. If you do not adapt to change , you might be rendered irrelevant.

Open Heavens by Pastor E. A Adeboye

ANY DIVIDEND OF MENTORING

Tuesday 31 July                                     Bible in one year :1 Kings 20-21

Memorise: Be ye followers of me, even as i also am of Christ.1 Corinthians 1:1

Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

After Elijah’s rapture to Heaven , Elisha moved on to the next phase of his life. Anyone who lives in the past will definitely experience a bleak future. One way to recognize those living in their past is that they will not have fresh testimonies. If all you can do is testify how God used you to win several souls some years ago, or how you were used in the area of healing in time past, you are still in your past. If you nothing to show today as an evidence of your present walk with God, you are becoming history. Move forward today!
When Elisha got to the River Jordan, he smote the waters with his mantle like his father Elijah did ( 2KIngs 2:14). From this we see that anyone who will be great must have someone he follows- a mentor. Mentoring is not only relevant in business but also in ministry. God has provided in the Christian faith for His children to be mentored by the leaders He has given to them, so that they can know what their leaders know and even be greater than them. Elijah was great but his protege Elisha was greater. Moses was great but could not take God’s children into the land of promise but his protege Joshua did. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul Said:
Be ye followers of me, even also i also am of Christ.

A good mentor would always follows Christ and at the same time bring up his or her proteges to follow Christ by a lifestyle that mirrors Christ. Do you have a mentor? Do you have a pastor you can virtually pattern your life after? However, in every mentor-protege relationship, there is a always a limit. From the words of Paul, the student(learner) must stop copying his mentor(teacher ) at any point the latter stops following the Lord. Today, there are some leaders who started on a good slate but they have gone into error. Anyone following such a leader will go deeper into the error of his or her mentor. Are there still Christian apprentices ? Too many people want to become their own boss- start up a church or becoming the General Overseer of a church without necessarily undergoing tutelage. No wonder they bring shame and disgrace to the name of the Lord all too often. But if you follow a bona fide spiritual head and humble yourself to study, observe, ask questions, carry out practicals , and be properly taught under him, you will be better prepared for the assignment God has for you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, open my eyes to see the mentor you have given me and grant me the grace to faithfully follow him.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

PRESUMPTOUS?

Monday 30 July                                Bible in one year: 1 Kings 17-19

Memorise: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily , as to the Lord, and not unto men; Colossians 3:23

Read : Deuteronomy 1:42-44

God promised in Proverbs 23:18 that the expectations of the righteous shall be met,but many expectations are not granted today and people are wondering why. Why do expectations of believers fail? Expectations based on presumption will most likely fail. In other words,what you base your expectations on will determine whether it will be granted or not. When expectations are based on assumptions ,disappointment is inevitable. Great expectations are founded on God’s promises which are forever settled in Heaven . Deuteronomy 1:42-44 documents an account by Moses, where he warned the Israelites not to go and fight the Amorites because God was not with them. They paid deaf ears to his warning and went into the battle and got the disgrace of their lives. God has a strategy for every battle. There are some battles He will not want you to fight, some He will want you to ignore and others He will fight Himself. Never fight any battle when God is not on your side. It is presumptuous to assume that because God gave you victory yesterday when you were in obedience, God will give you victory now that you are in disobedience ; you will be disappointed!

When God says don’t go ,you have no business going except you want to go and make a fool of yourself; that is if you even live to tell the story. Those Israelites assumed that since they had all the soldiers , war know-how backed up by their zeal, they can still manage to win the battle, but the lost out a nation which normally would not be able to face them. Any expectation based on assumption is nothing but foolishness. When God disapproves of you doing something, it means He will not back you up. If you go ahead, you are on your own. Never blame God for what you suffer thereafter. Many people are entering marriages God told them not to. By the time they start facing the music of their self guidance, they call on God but He may chose not attend to them. Presuming that a particular business will give you lots of profit because it is doing so for others, without God’s permission or direction may lead to disappointment. Are you entering ministry or starting a church based on presumption? You will be disappointed! Go back to the Lord today!

KEY POINT:

God is not committed to what He has not commanded.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Avoid this trap

AVOID THIS TRAP

Sunday 29 July Bible in one year:1 Kings 14-16

Memorise: A man that flaterreth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet. Proverbs 29:5

Read: 1 Samuel 18:6-11

David had victory over challenges he faced. His problems started not long after God gave him victory over Goliath; some devil-inspired and highly immodest women began to sing his praise

…..Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 1 Samuel 18:7

Immediately King Saul heard the song, he was very angry and began to see David as a threat. He saw him as someone who was out to take over his throne form him; no wonder he fought this young boy with all the military might of Israel! but how was their relationship before then?

And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he love him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. 1 Samuel 16:21

King Saul had a mental challenge and David was brought to play harp to get him relieved.When he first saw this boy, it was love at first sight. The bible says he loved David greatly to the extent that he specifically asked Jesse his father to allow him to stay in the palace. He even put him over the soldiers (1 Samuel 18:5). Even when David offered to go and fight Goliath, King Saul tried to prevent him. However,after hearing David’s testimonies and seeing his faith in the God of Israel, he reluctantly released him, transferring his personal armour to him and praying for him( 1 Samuel 17:31-38)

After David defeated Goliath, what should have given David a higher leverage in favour before his boss was suddenly reversed to disfavour because of unguided praise singers. It was not David’s fault but when he heard the song exalting his achievements above the king’s , he could have asked the ladies to stop that song, but he didn’t. I don’t think he enjoyed the persecution that followed.Beware of praise singing and praise singers! One thing that is causing supposed good leaders to miss the mark is the sycophants that surround them. Beware of those who come to you to say that you are the best thing that ever happened to the church, community or organisation. Many of them have hidden agendas. If you are easily carried away by such flattering lips, you will fall into their net and regret it for a long to come. Surround yourself with those who can tell you the truth and correct or check your excesses. They may appear unfriendly but at the end of the day, they may be the only true friends you have.

ACTION POINT: Pray that every tongue that will sing your praise to your detriment will shut up in Jesus name.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

MASTER YOUR DESIRES

MASTER YOUR DESIRES

Saturday 28 July                                 Bible in one year: 1 Kings 11-13

Memorise:All things are lawful unto me,but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me,but i will not be brought under the power of any.1 Corinthian 6:12

Read: 1 Corinthians 6:11-13

If God has blessed you with wealth and riches,be cautious so that your prosperity will not become your undoing.Solomon was so blessed he could afford most things that came his way,he went on an acquisition spree.He bought everything money could buy and acquired all his eyes liked. He found himself in a pit of self-indulgence.In Ecclesiastes 2:10 , he said

and whatsoever my eyes desire i have kept not from them, i withheld not my heart from any joy;for my heart rejoiced in all my labour:and this was the portion of all my labour.

He had lost control! His money was now pushing him in every direction. Has God blessed you?Praise God! But never let it get to a point where you are no longer led by the spirit but by the spirit of mammon.You should remain in control of what you have not the other way. To this end Paul says:

All things are lawful unto me,but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me,but i will not be brought under the power of any.1 Corinthian 6:12

You don’t have to buy something because you can afford it.There are many things you can buy off the shelf but you don”t because you do not need them. Abundance can kill and power with control corrupts.To distinguish themselves according to their class,rich men eat certain processed  foods which at the end give them special illness which the poor do not have.Many like power but they fail to realise that it is a two-edged sword. Keep your power under lock and Key! Deliberately refrain from over indulging yourself. If a water bed will take away your prayer life,don’t buy it or if you have bought it, get it out.If television programs will continue to tempt you, avoid the box. If a particular type of car or house will make you to become proud, do something about it.Never allow what was meant to serve you become your lord.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, help me to put my desires under the control of your Spirit in me.Thank you for the past conventions of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). I pray that this year’s convention will witness God special visitation,power and harvest of souls as never experienced.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

which israel is it?

Friday 27 July                                   Bible in one year:1 Kings 8-10

Memorize:For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision , which is outward in the flesh;Roman 2:28

Read: Romans 2:25-29

When it’s all been said and done, good will always have victory over evil.In Revelations 3:9 , the Lord made a promise to the church Philadelphia saying:
Behold, i will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, are not,but do lie;behind, i will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I loved thee.

This is a powerful promise but appears somewhat controversial. How can you tell the Jews that are not regarded as Jew by God?Earlier, God specifically choose to reveal Himself to the world through the children of Israel.This started right from the old testament. Even Jesus came, He said He was not sent to the gentiles but the lost sheep of Israel.hence he sent His disciples only to them( Matthew 10:5-6). But when they took for granted that they were Jews and the children of Abraham and thought they could do whatever they liked, John the Baptist told them that God could replace them with children from stones ( Luke 3:8). But they did not believe.At some point, when the Lord was done reaching out to them, He left them desolate ( Matthew 23:37-39).

Afterward the Lord created another entity which is His body, the church believers,comprised of believing Jews and believing Gentiles. These are the spiritual Jews or “Israel of God”. In these group ,there is no discrimination (Galatians 3:28-29;6 :15-16). All God’s dealing according to His covenant with Abram are now realized through being a spiritual Israelite.All promises of God to Abram are now also appropriated thought this body of believers.They are the bride of Jesus Christ. In Revelations 3:9 , God promised that the enemies of His church will bow down and worship before the spiritual Jews.The physical Jews expect Isaiah 49:23 to be fulfilled but they have failed to realized that a change has occurred.These promises have now been transferred to the church. Any physical Jew who fails to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will together with other unbelievers will bow to us Christians someday. Those who are persecuting the church today will one day bow to us.Are you part of the  true Israel of God? If you are , do everything possible to keep it so.

KEY POINT: To be relevant in God’s end time plan, everyone, including natural Jews heed to become a part of the church-the spiritual Jews

Lust or Love

Thursday 26 July                                          Bible in one year: 1 Kings 5-7

Memorise : God commendeth his love toward us , in that , while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.Romans 5:8

Read : 5:7-8

A discuss on love would normally focus on a minimum of two people-the lover and the loved. The lover is the subject while the loved is the object. In a true love situation, the subjects seeks the welfare of the loved, whether the object deserves it or not. Romans 5:7-8 says Jesus Christ died for us at a point no one else could have. While we were separated from Him as sinners with enmity between us , He died for us. How many of you can die for your enemies? If anything , most people would want their enemies dead this minute. What love can be greater than that of Jesus Christ? Most times, we misunderstand the word “love”. A man telling a lady,”i love you”,might really mean “I am lusting after you”. This is a counterfeit of God’s love. Lust is selfish, self-centered and seeks to exploit the object. Lust is dirty and does not care how it satisfies its ungodly desire, hence you find men raping ladies or being involved in incestuous sex, same sex intercourse or bestial sex. The one in lust is seeking for somebody to use. To him, the object of lust is only an object-just like any tool or machinery used for work.

When a subject is lusting after an object, he will show a lot of interest, shower gifts and feign care for the object. The man will do anything to convince the lady he loves her. But as soon as he gets what he wants, the object will mean nothing to him. In some cases, after the man has succeeded in sleeping with the lady, the so called love turns into extreme hatred(2 Samuel 13:1-15). Just as it is in human relationships, so it is in our relationship with God. Many people who claim to love God but do not love Him but are only desirous of what they can get from Him, He has become an object they can use to get what they want(John 6:25-27). Do  you love God? Why do you love God? Examine yourself to see that your love is not really lust?

KEY POINT:  Are you seeking God or His works?