OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL­-MONDAY-02/05/2016-SPIRITUAL BODYGUARDS-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL­-MONDAY-02/05/2016-SPIRITUAL BODYGUARDS-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

SPIRITUAL BODYGUARDS

Memorise

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:1

Read

Psalms 91:1-12

     1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

KJV

MESSAGE

   Bodyguards are specially trained security persons who usually protect very important people wherever they go. They are commonly sighted around government officials and members of their families. Because moguls, multi-millionaires, mega stars, and TV personalities enjoy going around with them. As a matter of fact, many will not be seen in public without their bodyguards because they don’t feel safe without them. However, bodyguards are limited in power, and the cost of having them is beyond the reach of the average person. The good news for Christians is that as we have bodyguards in this world, we also have spiritual bodyguards. They are automatically appointed to every child of God at the moment they become born again. They are invisible, they operate at a speed much faster than the speed of light, they have limitless power, and their services have been fully paid for through the blood of Jesus. That is why Psalms 91:1 says:

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

   I once taught some of my children that when a child is born, what happens to the child depends on the available support system.

   The stronger the support system, the more fortified that child is for success in life. Within our Father’s support system are angels. Psalms 91:10-13 says it is the duty of our Father’s angels to ensure no harm befalls us. The angels are instructed by God to go with us wherever we go. If the children of kings are going out, they don’t go alone. If they are going to school, they are chauffeur-driven, whereas, children of ordinary people trek even through the woods unaided. From this day, you shall go on angelic rides in Jesus’ name.

   There is a testimony a brother shared concerning his trip by air. He said while airborne, the first two engines of the plane suddenly stopped. The pilot panicked, saying that if the third engine follows suit, the plane would crash. Then the third engine also stopped. The whole place was in pandemonium but this brother who was seated by the window turned to look through the window on his left and saw a huge angel smiling at him and whispering to him that he was carrying the plane.  To the surprise of everybody else, the plane landed safely an hour later at the nearest airport. The brother saw three angels there. Nobody could explain how they managed to land except this brother. In the Bible, when Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, an angel went ahead of him and stopped their mouths. Similarly, when Peter was locked up in prison, an angel came to him, woke him up and led him out.

Prayer Point

Father, please don’t let me ever do anything that will drive my spiritual bodyguards away from me in Jesus’ name.

Bible in one year

1^st Kings 15:33-17:24, Proverbs 18:15-19:4

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL­-SUNDAY-01/05/2016-THE MAN GOD USES-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL­-SUNDAY-01/05/2016-THE MAN GOD USES-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

THE MAN GOD USES

Memorise

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 2^nd Timothy 2:20

Read

2^nd Timothy 2:19-21,

19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

KJV

MESSAGE

   Today’s memory verse speaks of the availability of vessels of different makes; designs, and qualities to a great person. The choice of what vessel to use for any particular purpose is dependent on the master’s preference and the suitability of each vessel to the assignment at hand. So also, the man that God will use for any assignment must be found suitable for kingdom assignment. God is always in the business of searching for suitable resources that He can use to fulfil His purpose here on earth. Whenever He locates one, He proceeds with the preparation and training of the chosen for the assignment. Incidentally, the divine equipment usually employed for the preparation and training of the man that God will use is the cross. Many Christians are not fulfilling their purpose in life and ministry because they have consistently refused the required training for their assignments, and because they are not found to be suitable yet, their commissioning remains pending. May the Lord wake you up to the reality of your situation today, so that you can take your rightful place in the programme of heaven in Jesus’ name.

   The man that God will use becomes completely transformed by going through the preparation process of God. The relationship that follows guarantees that the person’s mind, heart, will, and life now belongs to Jesus Christ, alone, he becomes reoriented with God and God’s kingdom. He is convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that he or she was created to please God and would begin to pursue godly purposes with all determination.

In the life of the man God uses, the words of 2^nd Corinthians 9:8 come to play;

“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work”

   Therefore, the man God uses is the person who has absolute trust, reliance, and faith in God. He relies on God as the source of all things; he is a man through whom God can do all things. He is fully aware of God’s agenda in the world, and he lives with a clear, God-given sense of direction toward fulfilling God’s purpose. The presence of God is with him always and he is always careful to keep his character and integrity in line with the Word of God.

   The man God uses is able to bring incredible changes and blessings into the life of anyone that comes in contact with him, through him, people with broken spirits, unstable families, the poor, those with health challenges, the demon possessed, and the disenfranchised, can all find peace and prosperity with God. This is the whole essence of Christianity, and all it requires is our total submission to the preparation and training process. May the Lord give you the grace to pay the price for greatness in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Point

Father: please give me the grace to depend totally on you and completely submit myself to your training in Jesus’ name.

Bible in one year

1^st Kings 14:1-15:32, Proverbs 18:1-14