OPEN
HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-SATURDAY-8/8/2015-FAVOUR BRINGS DIVINE FOCUS-BY PASTOR E.A.
ADEBOYE
FAVOUR BRINGS DIVINE FOCUS
Memorise
And
as Jesus passed by he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
John 9:1
Read
John
9:1-7
1
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2
And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his
parents, that he was born blind?
3
Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the
works of God should be made manifest in him.
4
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh,
when no man can work.
5
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6
When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle,
and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7
And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation,
Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
KJV
MESSAGE
John
9:1n talks about a man who was born blind. He had been blind for over 40 years,
but when his day of favour came, Jesus saw him. This was not an accidental
glance; rather, God directed the attention He gives to the whole universe to
this blind man. The favour of God brought this blind man under divine focus.
Through this same favour, Esther also came under special focus (Esther 5:1-8).
King Ahasuerus did not just see Esther; he focused his attention on her. This
was not ordinary king; he was a very busy king overseeing 120 nations. As busy
as he was, when he looked at Esther, it was not just a passing glance but a
life-changing glance of favour.
Similarly, in John 5:2-6, in the midst of a
multitude of sick but expectant folks, there was a man who had been there for
38 years without help. Jesus saw him and singled him out of the crowd. Among
all the multitude of people having your particular type of problem, favour will
locate you today and you will be singled out for a miracle in Jesus’ Name.
There was a particular man who had two PhDs but still could not get a job for
more than six years. By the time he was brought for prayers, he looked like a
mad man. He looked like someone who never stepped into a school, because he has
gone through a lot. We introduced him to Jesus and he willingly accepted Him
into his life. Not long after, the people in his local government, who had been
looking for someone to employ, suddenly took interest in him. What several
application letters could not do became settled when God focused his attention
on him, and his long pressing need was met. For so long it might appear you
have been going unnoticed. You have called out to God, fasted, praised and
worshipped Him sincerely from your heart, but it appears as if God has either
turned a deaf ear or your prayers have never passed the ceiling of your house.
You are becoming discouraged as a result of this, and you are wondering if your
prayer efforts are of any use. Do not be discouraged! God is not only looking
towards your direction right now, He is also paying proper attention to you.
Your situation is about to turn around for good. Hold on to the Lord in faith.
Give Him more thanks, praise, worship and adoration. Wait on God until your
change comes!
“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days on
my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”
Action Point
Ask
God to remember all innocent people who are unjustly awaiting trial in prisons.
Ask Him to grant them favour and set them free.
Bible in one year
Genesis 1-2, John
10:22-42
OPEN
HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-FRIDAY-7/8/2015-HELP FROM SUBORDINATE-BY PASTOR E.A.
ADEBOYE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-FRIDAY-7/8/2015-HELP FROM SUBORDINATE-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HELP FROM SUBORDINATES
Memorise
And
strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be
your plowmen and your vinedressers.
Isaiah
61:5
Read
2nd
Kings 5:1-4, 10-14
2
Kings 5:1-4
1
Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and
honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given
victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.
2
And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young
girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife.
3
Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet
who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy."
4 And Naaman went in and told his master,
saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel."
KJV
MESSAGE
God had His agenda already set out before the
foundation of the world. When the right time comes for Him to unfold a specific
plan in His agenda, He looks out for those He can use to achieve His purpose.
For example, when the time came for God to accomplish an earlier plan to turn a
Syrian army general into a worshipper of Jehovah, God sought the vessel to use,
and He found a young captive girl who was serving as a maid in the house of
Naaman. She cooperated with God and told Naaman’s wife of a highly anointed
prophet of God in Israel who could cure the incurable leprosy that was a
blemish upon Naaman’s life.
Some other vessels that God used in
achieving His purpose concerning Naaman were Naaman’s personal assistants. When
they arrived at the front of Elisha’s house, Elisha simply sent his servant to
tell Naaman to go and dip seven times in River Jordan and he would be healed.
Naaman took offence that the prophet could not even honour him by coming out to
talk personally to him. How could the prophet send a servant to him? Besides,
he did not like River Jordan at all. Why did the prophet not choose any of the
prestigious rivers around? He was angry, and he decided to leave. Had it not
been that some of his servants decided to talk frankly with him, making him see
the folly of his decision to return home empty-handed, he would have become a
victim of his anger. He listened to them, went and dipped in the river and came
out whole. When he returned to the prophet, he offered him a gift which he
refused. He then requested to carry some of the soil from Israel to his native
land to raise an altar to Jehovah there, and he promised to serve the Almighty
God going forward. God can use you. Are you a housemaid or a houseboy? God can
use anyone. Are you a servant? God can use you. God also use Prophet Elisha.
Are you a servant of God? God can use you. One lesson from the maid and the
servant is that if you can deal with the problems of fear and intimidation, you
can be used by God to help your superiors. Never look down on yourself. Do not
say that because you are uneducated, you cannot speak to the educated about
Jesus. Use the Pidgin English or vernacular you know to pass across the message
of the love of Jesus to others. The help that will move some superiors to their
next level lies in the hands of their subordinates. You can be used to assist
your superiors. The greatest assistance you can give to those above you is to
link them up with Jesus.
Prayer Point
Father, let my ears be
open to your voice coming through my subordinates.
Bible in one year
Esther 8-10, John 9:35-10:21
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-THURSDAY-6/8/2015-VARIOUS WEAPONS AT YOUR DISPOSAL-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
Memorise
O
clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm
47:1
Read
Psalm
47:1-3
1 O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of
triumph.
2 For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the
earth.
3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
KJV
MESSAGE
One of the spiritual weapons at the disposal of
God’s children is shouting. All that the children of Israel did to pull down
the formidable walls of Jericho was to shout. The Bible in Joshua 6:20 says:
“So
the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to
pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted
with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up
into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”
Do you know that you can utilise the weapon of
shouting to receive your miracle or breakthrough? Some years ago, a woman was
brought to us at the headquarters of our church. She complained that for years,
whenever she ate, she vomited. The doctors had tried all they could to help her
retain the food she ate, but nothing worked. It was so bad that even when she
drank water, she would vomit it. When she was brought in, I told everyone to
shout Hallelujah! As she did, she vomited a worm, and that was the end of her
sickness. As you shout Hallelujah this season, you shall receive your miracle
in Jesus’ Name.
Furthermore,
another weapon available to believers in Christ is the Name of Jesus. That Name
is so highly exalted that everything, everyone and every power everywhere
must blow to it (Philippians 2:9-11). It is amazing to know that when some
Christians go through a serious situation that needs divine intervention, they
call on the names of their father or mother but not on the Name of Jesus, the
only One who can help them. In Acts 16:16-18, a demon possessed girl who
followed Paul and Silas around, was immediately delivered after they commanded
the demon to leave her in the Name of Jesus. Recently, I was about to enter my
car while going to minister to my children after a Holy Communion service, when
a particular girl ran towards me screaming. I asked my personal assistant to
allow her come near. The fellow who brought her said while she was at her
station of primary assignment to national youth service, something happened to
her which made her lose her voice. Her voice was completely cut out. On a piece
of paper, she wrote that the demon said that the only person who could send him
out was Pastor Adeboye. So I prayed a simple prayer in the Name of Jesus, and
before I ended the prayer, she voiced out “Amen”. As I turned to enter my car,
she was audibly shouting “Daddy, daddy”. My son said to me “Daddy, she is
already speaking.” I just smiled. Use the Name of Jesus more often. Apply His
Name in all that you do. When you do so, do it in faith and ensure you are not
living in sin.
Action Point
If you really believe in
the power in the Name of Jesus, use it to confront your mountains.
Bible in one year
Esther 4-7, John 9:13-34
OPEN
HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL—WEDNESDAY-5/8/2015-ASK DON’T TAKE-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
ASK DON’T TAKE
Memorise
Whoso
robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, it is no transgression; the same is
the companion of a destroyer.
Proverb
28:24
Read
Matthew
7:7-12
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
9
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a
stone?
10
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that
ask him?
12
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even
so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
KJV
MESSAGE
It is common for people to re-brand a particular
evil act by giving it a more tolerable name. They do this so that the fall
weight of that evil act is not felt by their conscience. However, re-branding
prostitutes as commercial sex workers or calling sexually transmitted diseases
“gentleman’s disease” does not change them from being what they are before God.
In the same vein, describing stealing as “taking” does not stop it from being
an evil act. Anything you take without the permission of its rightful
owner, especially with the intent of keeping it, is stealing, irrespective of
who you took it from. If you take something with the consent of the owner under
a mutual understanding not to return it, you can call it a gift. If there is a
mutual agreement that the item is to be returned, that is borrowing. Do you
know that many items have moved from being borrowed to being stolen, because
the one who borrowed the item has failed to return it? If you have treated any
item like that, you are a thief. Return the item to its owner today.
It is a pity that some people do not know the difference between gifts
and borrowed items on the one hand and stolen items on the other hand. One area
where people commonly flout such rules is in family relationships. Some
children take it for granted that because something belongs to their parents,
they are free to take it without their permission. Also, spouses take advantage
of each other in this area. The wife may say since the money belongs to her
husband, and what is his is also hers, she can take his things whenever she
likes with his consent and without feeling guilty. If you have not deliberately
discussed this and jointly agreed that it should be so, your action can amount
to stealing. God expects you to liven with a sense of accountability,
responsibility and honesty. The reason some people steal from their spouses,
parents or children is because they know that if they ask for the item, their
request would be turned down. If you want something that belongs to your spouse
or family member, simply ask. If the fellow turns down the request, pray to God
to touch his or her heart, then go and ask again and again. Never take
something unless you have the approval of the owner to do so. Otherwise, you
are a thief, and no thief will enter Heaven.
Action Point
Cultivate the habit of
seeking permission before taking or using whatever belongs to others.
Bible in one year
Esther 1-3, John
8:48-9:12
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