Sunday, 31 January 2016
Saturday, 30 January 2016
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-MONDAY-1/02/2016-LOOKING UNTO JESUS II -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-MONDAY-1/02/2016-LOOKING
UNTO JESUS II -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
Memorise
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; Hebrews 12:2b
Read:
Hebrews 12:1-2
1Wherefore seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
KJV
MESSAGE
The phrase ‘Looking unto Jesus’ contains three very
important words of salvation, encouragement and direction for daily Christian
living. Nicodemus, in his search for the true God and eternal life every human
being, approached Jesus for possible understanding. Jesus made the new birth
very plain by using an Old Testament illustration of the fiery serpents of
brass put on a pole for the Israelites to look upon as recorded in the book of
Numbers 21:8-9.
“And as Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:14-15
As looking unto the brass serpent on a pole
in faith brought healing to the children of Israel in the wilderness, so also,
whosoever shall look unto the crucified Christ as the Messiah and the Saviour
of the world by faith, shall receive forgiveness of sins and be born again.
From time to
time in the rigorous journeys of life, we sometimes find ourselves in a state
of tiredness and confusion. At such times, Apostle Paul in Hebrews 12:1-2
admonishes us to run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith for encouragement. We are not to
look into Jesus for encouragement only; we are also to look into Jesus as our
perfect example, so as to follow in His footsteps.
“For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should
follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who,
when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not;
but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously”
1st Peter 2:21-23
Looking unto other gods for deliverance,
healing and salvation has brought untold hardship and loss to many, while
looking unto great men and women that are successful in life and ministry has
resulted in great disappointment, sorrow and pain. As a matter of fact, this
has been a major cause of failure in life, but there is no failure or
disappointment in Jesus. Looking unto Jesus can only increase your faith and
lead to physical and spiritual upliftment. We are to look unto Jesus in our
daily Christian living as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End, who
provides us with direction through His word. This also brings us in contact
with the divine knowledge, wisdom and power of God. An ordinary person
therefore, becomes equipped to do exploit of supernatural dimensions.
Prayer Point
Father, please give me the grace to always look unto you for everything I
need in life.
Bible in one year
Matthew 19:1-21:27; Job 14:7-17
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-SUNDAY-31/01/2016-LOOKING UNTO JESUS I -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-SUNDAY-31/01/2016-LOOKING
UNTO JESUS I -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
LOOKING UNTO JESUS I
Memorise
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: John 3:14
Read
Hebrews 12:1-2,
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
KJV
MESSAGE
Human beings have been in search of the way
back to their Maker since after the fall. The soul of man pants after the peace
that only his Maker can provide. This is the reason man invented means of
getting along with God in the name of religion. Unfortunately, man was unable
to adequately reach out to his Maker until God in His mercies revealed Himself
to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
“And the Lord God called unto Adam, and
said unto him, where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden,
and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Genesis 3:9-10
Adam was sent out of the Garden of Eden and
he became a wanderer and a destitute of the peace that he once had with his
Maker. After many dispensations, God decided to reveal part of Himself to some
people who sincerely sought to know Him. He related to Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the prophets to mention just a few. They did not only
benefit form God’s self-revelation; they also helped their generation by
pointing them to the Almighty God. Yet, the perfect relationship was not in
view then. When the fullness of time came, God became man and lived among men
in the person of Jesus Christ. When one of the disciples asked Him to reveal
God the Father to them, Jesus said:
“…Have I been so long time with you and
yet hast thou not know me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father;
and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in
the Father, and the Father in me...”
John 14:9-10
Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of
God, the father. He came to reveal the Father to us so that we may know how
best to worship Him. It was through His teaching that we know that God is a
Spirit and whoever wants to worship Him must worship Him in Spirit. He told us
that unless we are born-again, we cannot see the Kingdom of God. Religious
activities are exercise in futility without this experience. Not until He came,
even Doctors of the Jewish religious laws were ignorant of these principles of
God’s Kingdom. Therefore we must always look unto Jesus for direction if we
want to make it back to the One who created us in His own image. Our text says
to look up unto Jesus because He is the author and finisher of our faith.
I encourage someone reading this devotional
to look unto Jesus for salvation, for deliverance, for healing, for material
prosperity and eternal life.
Prayer point
Jesus Christ my
Saviour, I look unto you today, perfect everything concerning my life please.
Bible in one year
Matthew 16:5-18:35,
Job 13:17-14:6
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-SATURDAY-30/01/2016-COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS II -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-SATURDAY-30/01/2016-COUNTING
YOUR BLESSINGS II -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS II
Memorise:
Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: Psalms 144:1
Read:
Psalms 103:1-5
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within
me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who
healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who
crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so
that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.
KJV
MESSAGE
Still dwelling on counting your blessings,
we must consider some other things as highlighted by the great Psalmist so that
we may understand what made him a great worshipper. There are many seen and
unseen battles of life that pose to destroy us, and it is the unseen battles of
life that pose to destroy us, and it is the unseen Hands of the Almighty God
that have kept us alive. For life alone, we must bless the Lord. In our memory
verse for today, the Psalmist blesses the Lord for teaching his hands to war
and directing his fingers to fight aright. We must realise that not all
fighters win in the battles of life, many are destroyed by the hostility of
life. This might have influenced David to write:
“Bless the Lord O my soul …. Who
redeemeth thy life from destruction….” Psalms 103:4
Considering
the numerous battles David fought, particularly against king Saul, one should
know that but for
God, David would have died a premature death. David lived to a very old age,
though his beloved son overthrew him and sought his life; he survived his
external and internal enemies. To him, the kindness God showed to him was not
ordinary, it was the loving type. Meaning that kindness has categories! How I
wish someone reading this devotional will appreciate God’s kindness to him as
intensely as David did.
David saw good food, its nourishment and
appetite to eat it as blessings from the Lord in verse 5 of our text today.
What a grateful creature of the Almighty God David was. There is a story told
of a woman, from Ijesa land in the South-West of Nigeria, who was fond of
thanking God for good food and the appetite to eat well. Anytime Mama-Ijesa came
up for testimony, she would tell of how God provided not only good food but
also appetite to eat it. Her Pastor became bored of the one and only testimony
of this grateful woman and stopped her from giving testimonies in the Church.
Not long after, the Pastor took ill, and on his sick bed, all sorts of food
were brought to him but he had no appetite to eat any of them. When Mama-Ijesa
came visiting like other parishioners, she innocently asked whether her Pastor
was eating well. It was then that the Pastor realised that having good food to
eat is not enough, but having appetite to eat it is equally praiseworthy.
Action Point
Take minimum of 15 minutes to thank God for His Goodness and Mercies over
your life and that of your loved ones.
Bible in one year
Matthew 13:44-16:4, Job 13:1-16
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-FRIDAY-29/01/2016-COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS I -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-FRIDAY-29/01/2016-COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS I -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS I
Memorise:
Praise the Lord;
for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it
Is pleasant. Psalms 135:3
Read:
Psalms 103:1-5,
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within
me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord,
O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who
healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who
crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so
that thy youth is renewed like the eagles.
KJV
MESSAGE
Ingratitude is dangerous,
particularly when it is directed at God, the Almighty. There are many things we
enjoy from God’s benevolence, but we take for granted. As we saw in the Bible
reading for today, when David seemed to be forgetful of the goodness of the
Lord, he decided to preach to his soul. He took his time to list the blessings
of God upon his life so that his soul could be grateful for each of them. The
first thing he mentioned was the benefit of forgiveness he enjoyed from the
Holy One of Israel. Modern day Christians do not appreciate the blessing of
forgiveness like David did. We often take the work of redemption for granted.
Anyone who appreciates the agonising death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the
sin of humanity wouldn’t want to indulge in sin any more, the apostle asked
rhetorically:
“What shall we say then? Shall we
continue in sin, that grace may abound?”
Romans 6:1
Only those
who take the issue of sin lightly would say, “Let us sin the more, so that we
may enjoy the grace the more”,
and they shall not be guiltless according to the scriptures:
“For if we sin wilfully after that we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for
sins, but a certain fearful looking for a judgement and fiery indignation,
which shall devour the adversaries.”
Hebrews 10:26-27
Another blessing David listed in his
collection of God’s benefits is divine healing. The Psalmist blessed the Lord
for healing, whereas, some of us who enjoy divine health have never said thank you
to the Giver of good health. The Lord promised that He would not allow us to be
plagued with the kind of sicknesses and diseases that the Egyptian suffered and
He made bold to say:
“… I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
Exodus 15:26
My prayer for someone using this devotional
is that the Lord will grant you divine health which is far superior to healing
in Jesus’ name. However, we must not take God’s grace and blessings for
granted. We must endeavour to show our appreciation by living for God alone and
by glorifying Him in our bodies.
Action Point
Take some time to count the blessings of the
Lord upon your life and give Him adequate gratitude in return.
Bible in one year:
Matthew 12:9-13:43, Job 12:13-25
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-THURSDAY-28/01/2016-MAKING YOUR MARRIAGE WORK II -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-THURSDAY-28/01/2016-MAKING
YOUR MARRIAGE WORK II -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
Memorise:
And said, For this cause shall a man leave
father and mother, and
shall
cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh. Matthew 19:5
Read:
Ephesians
5:21-25,
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the
fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own
husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even
as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto
Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it;
KJV
MESSAGE
A marriage that has God in it is the best
thing that can happen to any child of God. The Bible says:
“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good
thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.”
Proverbs 18:22
This
scripture unequivocally dismisses the wrong notion of marriage being a burden.
For your marriage to work, our memory verse for today reveals the first
obligation on the part of the man (the husband) towards his wife: you must
strictly adhere to this twin-command – leaving your parents and cleaving to
your wife. Some men never leave their parents, particularly their mother. They
are “mummy’s boys” and after marriage they still ‘eat from their mother’s pot’
on regular basis. This habit destroys a marriage relationship fast.
Unconditional love is another obligation a husband must perform towards his
wife. This kind of love will make the man give his entire being to his wife
without expecting anything in return. The Bible says:
“Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it”
Ephesians 5:25
Some men, unfortunately, do not
know what it means to be married. Marriage could be regarded as giving of one’s
self to one’s spouse. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, gave the real picture
of marital obligation when he wrote:
“But
I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the
things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is
married careth for the things that are of the world, now he may please his
wife”
1st
Corinthians 7:32-33
The truth in the above passage is that a man
is under obligation to cater for his wife and to have an unreserved commitment
to the joy and well-being of his wife. Some so-called Christians are so
careless about their marriage that they neglect the divine mandate of caring
for the family. As a result, the wife becomes disillusioned about the faith and
the children vow never to follow their father to worship God. At the end of the
day, the failure of the family eventually affects their Christian walk and ministry.
Love must be experimental and substantial, men must show their love
practically, and their spouses will not be in doubt as to whether or not they
are loved.
Prayer point
Father, please give me the ability to love my spouse unconditionally.
Bible in one year:
Matthew 9:27-12:8, Job 12:1-12
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-WEDNESDAY-27/01/2016-MAKING YOUR MARRIAGE WORK I -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-WEDNESDAY-27/01/2016-MAKING
YOUR MARRIAGE WORK I -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
MAKING YOUR MARRIAGE WORK I
Memorise
Who can find a
virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
Proverbs 31:10
Read:
Ephesians 5:21-25
21
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church: and he is the savior of the body.
24
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in everything.
25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
himself for it;
KJV
MESSAGE
It takes great commitment to make a marriage
successful and blissful. This gift of God demands the commitment of those who
are involved. The good thing is that the Bible is not silent on what couples must
do to make their marriages work. I pray for couples reading this devotional;
your marriage will be highly successful in Jesus’ name.
In our Bible reading for today, we are
blessed with some principles which will help us make our marriage work. The first
one that catches our attention is the mutual submission between the husband and
the wife. Both the husband and the wife must learn to mutually submit to one
another. The reason is found in the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians:
“Let the husband render unto the wife
due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not
power of her own body, but the husband hath not power of his own body, but the
wife.”
1st Corinthians 7:3-4
Another
principle that any woman who wants her marriage to succeed should imbibe is
unconditional submission. This is the submission
that does not attach any condition to compliance. This Christian wife must
learn to submit to the husband. When she does this, she receives a blessing
which money cannot buy from God.
“For after this manner in the old time
the holy woman also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, bring in
subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him
lord: whose daughters ye are as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any
amazement.”
1st Peter 3:5-6
It is dangerous for a woman to go into a
marriage partnership with a man she will not submit herself to. It is better
for such a woman not to get married at all. When the Word of God says, “Wives,
submit….” Some people take this as a piece of advice. However, it is not a
piece of advice, but an express command; it must be obeyed. As a matter of
fact, the Bible goes further to reveal the degree of submission; it says: “….
as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands
in everything.” Years ago, I counselled one of my daughters along this line
when she began to have problems with her marriage. Initially, she did not find
it pleasant, but I told her that she could not do the contrary if she really
wanted her marriage to work. The problem with her then was that she was as
highly educated as her husband and she felt she had equal rights with her
husband. May the Lord bless your home with eternal peace in Jesus’ name.
Action Point
Take a practical step of voluntary submission to your husband as unto the
Lord today, and the Lord will give you a peaceful home.
Bible in one year:
Matthew 7:1-9:26, Job 11:7-20
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