OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR THURSDAY 26TH NOVEMBER 2020

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

DATE: THURSDAY 26TH NOVEMBER, 2020.

THEME:  CHOOSE YOUR KING WISELY.

MEMORISE:

“Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!” Ecclesiastes 10:16

READ: ECCLESIASTES 10:16-18 (KJV)

16. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17. Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18. By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

1 THESSALONIANS 1-5,

2 THESSALONIANS 1-3

MESSAGE:

As seen in our memory verse of today, if the king of a territory is a child, the whole land suffers the woe. In other words, you must choose your leaders very carefully.

Whenever you have the opportunity to elect a leader in your country or an association you belong to, learn to put sentiments aside and elect a mature and responsible person with a credible track record. 

Any single lady who has more than one suitor has a decision to make. She could choose based on looks, money or God’s will. 

If she chooses based on money and looks alone, she will face the music when the time comes. 

However, if she chooses God’s will, then she is on the path towards having a great marriage and a wonderful family.

Beloved sister, marriage is a lifetime commitment; imagine how terrible it would be to have an immature king for the rest of your life.

Older women who married immature men must have ignored the red flags they saw during courtship. 

Are you also ignoring the signs of immaturity and irresponsibility in that man courting you?

Proverbs 6:10-11 says:

“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man!” 

Run when you meet a man who is always sleeping when he should be working, or playing when he should be studying.

Before you decide on a local church to attend, watch the Pastor’s attitude closely. A Pastor could be anointed but immature. 

These ones could be likened to babies handling guns; so much power in immature hands. 

Elisha was like that when he first received the anointing in (2 Kings 2:23-24).

Forty-two children lost their lives in a single day because he got angry when they began to call him names. 

After that day, Elisha learnt to be mature and was always in control of his temper.

An immature leader whether spiritual or in the secular world is dangerous. Choose your leaders wisely.

PRAYER POINT: 

Father, please give me the gift of discernment so I may please You with my choices.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER 2020

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

DATE: WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER, 2020.

THEME: LOOKING FOR GREENER PASTURES?

MEMORISE:

“And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:” Genesis 26:2

READ: GENESIS 26:1-4, & GENESIS 26:12-17 (KJV)

GENESIS 26:1-4

1. And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.

2. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of;

3. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

4. And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

GENESIS 26:12-17

12. Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.

13. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great;

14. For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants; and the Philistines envied him.

15. For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.

16. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.

17. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

ACTS 17:1-18:18

MESSAGE:

It is no longer news that every day, lots of people flock out of developing countries in search of greener pastures in developed nations. 

It is saddening when we hear of those who are so desperate that they go abroad through boats that are death traps or by walking through deserts and terrible weather conditions.

Thousands have died and many others have been kidnapped and used as sex slaves because they were so desperate to leave their country in search of greener pastures. 

The principles of success are as effective in your nation as they are in the developed world, and as a Christian, you have a greater advantage in the word of God and the presence of His Holy Spirit in you.

Now, I am not saying you cannot achieve greatness anywhere aside from your home country, after all, Daniel and Joseph succeeded tremendously in Babylon and Egypt respectively.

However, if you cross the borders without an instruction from God, you may just be leaving God's plans for you behind.

You are to ask God where you ought to be per time and His direction will keep you on the right path. 

You may say “Oh, but the situation in my country is not favourable at all”; well, Isaac was in such a situation too in Genesis 26, but God told him to stay in that same land in spite of the famine and he eventually prospered so much that he became the envy of the nation.

God told him in Genesis 26:3:

“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee;” 

This is all that you should be after: the presence of God with you. It is that same presence that made Joseph succeed, according to Genesis 39:1-2: 

“And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”

Seek God’s face to know His will for your life. 

His presence will be with you as you obey Him and the works of your hands will prosper greatly in the mighty name of Jesus.

KEY POINT:

Only go where God has instructed you to go.

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TUESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER 2020

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: TUESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER 2020 

THEME: LEARN FROM THE FALL OF SAMSON II

MEMORISE:

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” – (Matthew 5:28)

READ: JAMES 1:12-16 (KJV)

12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man;

14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

GALATIANS 4-6

MESSAGE:

Every temptation that a fellow yields to will lead to a bigger one. This is why many people are deep in sins they once vowed never to commit. 

The fall happens slowly until the fellow is completely submerged in sin.

The devil lures believers into sin so as to destroy them. This is his goal. To achieve this, he comes in subtle ways first, with thoughts and seemingly harmless sins, focusing on the heart. 

He knows that if the heart can fall, it is only a matter of time before the body falls too. Proverbs 14:14 says:

“The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways…”

Your spiritual destiny would be determined by your decision to either accommodate or expel the subtle suggestions of the devil. 

When you start thinking of being in bed with a woman who is not your wife or you start spending money that is not your own, that is the devil trying to get you to fall, using your heart first.

The devil could also try to cut you away from the people who helped you grow in the faith. 

When you consider the story of Samson, you will discover that he spent most of his time outside Israel. 

If the devil can successfully separate you from people who helped you grow spiritually, and your prayer life begins to wax cold; before long, you would stop studying your Bible and start permitting sin in your life. 

This is why you must never forsake the fellowship of the brethren (Hebrews 10:25, Proverbs 27:17).

You may have yielded to temptation in the past, the good news is that restoration is possible. 

Though Samson fell, he was restored to the Lord before his death; so much so that he was listed among the fathers of faith in Hebrews 11. Proverbs 28:13 says:

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

If you would confess your sins, forsake them and rededicate your life (for backsliders), God is willing to accept you.

ACTION POINT:

Check your life. Are you yielding to the lure of the devil already? God is able to restore you if only you would ask Him for help.

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR MONDAY 23RD NOVEMBER, 2020

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: MONDAY 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 

THEME: LEARN FROM THE FALL OF SAMSON 1

MEMORISE:

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” – (1 Corinthians 10:12)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13 (KJV)

1. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

2. And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

3. And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

4. And did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.

5. But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

7. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

8. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

9. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

10. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

11. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

12. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

GALATIANS 1-3

MESSAGE:

Samson judged Israel for twenty years. He was an unusual child with wonderful parents (Judges 13:2-3). 

He was brought up as a Nazarite (Numbers 6:1-21, Judges 13:7), and this meant he had to lead a life of consecration unto the Lord. 

He was also a man of prayer (Judges 15:18 and 16:28), but he failed so terribly because he had not learnt to bring his body under subjection like Paul did (1 Corinthians 9:27). 

Samson’s story is a strong warning to every Christian never to toy with sin. Imagine a Judge of Israel lying in Delilah’s lap.

Samson started sinking into sin little by little. 

First, he fell in love with a strange woman (Judges 14:1-2), then disobeyed his parents when they told him he couldn’t marry her (Judges 14:3). 

Later on, he slept with a prostitute (Judges 16:1) before he finally landed in Delilah’s lap. 

Samson did not worry because his supernatural strength remained even while he was committing sin. In fact, one day, He lifted the gates of the city and took them up a mountain just after sleeping with a prostitute (Judges 16:3). 

He did not see a need for caution because despite his misdeeds, the anointing appeared to still be on him. Little did he know that the devil was luring him to a place of no return. 

Samson eventually landed in Delilah’s lap where he was afflicted and overpowered. 

While with Delilah, there were several warning signs but he had gotten so deep into sin that he could not stop. 

The devil lured Samson with seemingly harmless sins until he lost his strength, sight and purpose in life. Ezekiel 18:20 says:

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die…”

Learn from Samson’s life: Those seemingly harmless sins you are committing and getting away with are simply BAITS from the devil to encourage you to go deeper. The devil is not stupid; he has planned a big downfall along the line. 

You must stop those sins now before it becomes too difficult to do so. Everything was okay for Samson years into when he started to fall, but in one night, he hit rock bottom. 

Learn from Samson and make amends while you have the chance.

KEY POINT:

Don’t be deceived; no sin is harmless. Every sin that goes unpunished is just an enticement towards damnation.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR 21ST NOVEMBER, 2020

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

DATE: SATURDAY 21ST NOVEMBER, 2020.

THEME: SEEK GOD’S DIRECTION ALWAYS.

MEMORISE:

“And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” 1 Samuel 30:8

READ: 2 SAMUEL 5:17-25 (KJV)

17. But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.

18. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

19. And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up; for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

20. And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim.

21. And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.

22. And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

23. And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

24. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.

25. And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

JAMES 1-5

MESSAGE:

Many times, there are things that make common sense to us and we just want to go ahead and do them without asking God if we should or not. 

Let us learn from David, a man who we find seeking Gods face for direction a lot of times in the Bible.

In (1 Samuel 30:1-8), David had just returned from battle to find out that his people had been attacked. 

All their belongings along with their wives and children had been taken by the enemy. His soldiers who had lost everything they lived for were considering stoning him to death, but in the middle of all these, David took time to ask God if he should pursue the attackers.

In (2 Samuel 5:17-25), David asked God how he should attack the Philistines in war and God gave him a strategy that worked. After that, he was to face them in battle again and everything looked exactly like the previous one. 

David still went back to ask God what to do. You must never assume that you know what to do at any point in time.

Proverbs 3:5 says:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Still learning from David, there were also times when he failed to seek Gods guidance before taking decisions and the results were woeful. 

A classic example is the census of Israel the devil made him conduct (1 Chronicles 21) which brought God’s wrath upon the nation.

No matter how brilliant you are in your field of practice, always lean on God for what to do and what not to do. Many people have made great mistakes that are still hurting them because they thought they were making the right move based on their professional assessments.

When you get your salary at the end of the month, do you ask God what you should use the money for? When you are going out in the morning, do you ask Him what route to take? When you are about to have a business meeting or presentation, do you ask God for the right approach?

There is a lot to gain from always asking God for advice. If you want to win in every area of your life, ask God for what to do per time.

KEY POINT:

Never assume that you know what to do; always ask God for direction.

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR 20TH NOVEMBER, 2020

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER 2020 

TOPIC: THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

MEMORISE:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” – (Romans 1:16)

READ: ACTS 2:14-42 (KJV)

14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words;

15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy;

19. And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke;

20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come;

21. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know;

23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain;

24. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved;

26. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope;

27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34. For David is not ascended into the heavens; but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.

40. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

ACTS 13-14

MESSAGE:

The world today is full of sorrow, pain and agony. More people are going into depression nowadays. 

Suicide rates have gone up, there are wars and rumours of wars, fights and even more violence. 

The only people living peacefully are those who are connected with the Prince of Peace, those who have Christ living in them. 

When a person becomes born again, the first thing he/she experiences is peace. Believe me, the gospel of Christ is the only way out of all the chaos in this world. 

If you have not yet embraced the gospel of Christ, I would advise that you do so right away so that you can begin to live a peaceful and joyful life.

If you already know Christ and you don’t share His gospel with people around you, then it is clear that you don’t love them. 

The Gospel of Christ is good news to the broken-hearted, joy to the depressed, strength to the weary and life to the dying (Luke 4:18). Don’t keep it to yourself, share it with the world. 

Jesus wants to save, heal and deliver them, but He needs you to introduce Him. 

Whenever I hear about someone who committed suicide or did something terrible because they were experiencing depression, I hurt deeply within me. 

I always wish I had the opportunity to share the gospel of Christ with them before the issue got out of hand. Some of them are with you in the office, your neighbourhood and there are no restrictions in your meeting with them.

Sharing the gospel of Christ goes beyond just words, it also involves your actions. 

It entails how you smile when you see them, asking about their wellbeing, caring for them genuinely as Christ cares for us. Don’t just preach the gospel, show love to them practically. James 2:15-16 says:

“If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”

Are you sharing the gospel of Christ to the brokenhearted?

ACTION POINT:

Share the gospel of Christ with someone this weekend.