OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TUESDAY 22ND DECEMBER 2020

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY 22ND DECEMBER 2020 

THEME: DANGERS OF INGRATITUDE

MEMORIZE: 

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:21

BIBLE READING: JUDGES 15:14-19

14. And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

15. And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

16. And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

17. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.

18. And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

19. But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived; wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR: 

HEBREWS 11:1-40, 

HEBREWS 12:1-29, 

HEBREWS 13:1-25

Click HERE to read previous devotional message by Pastor E.A ADEBOYE

MESSAGE

One day, I asked God why He punished King Saul so much while David who committed more sins was called the man after His heart.

He responded by telling me to read 2 Samuel 6:14

”And David danced before the LORD with all his might”

Then He asked me to look for a place where Saul danced for Him. I searched and couldn’t find.

I further decided to check where he said thank you to God somehow, but I didn’t find any.

Not even when God raised him to be king. It was clear then that Saul’s downfall was majorly due to ingratitude.

Another person who failed due to ingratitude is Samson.

All the time that the Bible records that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he did great exploits, not once did he say Thank you Lord.

In fact, probably the most glaring of such incidents was in Judges 15:17-18:

”And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking. that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi. And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?”

Just after exploits so great that even he acknowledged they were from God, instead of giving thanks, all he did was complain.

Ingratitude is a pointer to pride. Proverbs 16:18 says that pride goes before a fall.

Ungrateful people are proud and are heading for a fall.

When you see a person who is always grateful, you see humility in the fellow and since God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5), the grace of God will always take the person higher.

Whatever chance you get, always remain grateful to God.

Be grateful for even the little things that others take for granted; be grateful that you can sleep and wake the next day, that you can walk, that you can talk, that you can wear your clothes by yourself, that you can eat, that you can use the bathroom, that you still have a sound mind. In everything and for everything, give thanks for this is the will of God (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

PRAYER POINT

Father, I am grateful for all that You are doing for me; please Lord, help me never to be ungrateful.

HYMN: NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD

1. Now thank we all our God,

With hearts, and hands and voices;

Who wondrous things hath done,

In Whom His world rejoices;

Who, from our mother’s arms,

Hath bless’d us on our way

With countless gifts to love

And still is ours to-day.

2. O may this bounteous God

Through all our life be near us,

With ever-joyful hearts

And blessed peace to cheer us,

And keep us in His grace

And guide us when perplexed,

And free us from all ills

In this world and the next.

3. All praise and thanks to God

The Father now be given,

The Son, and Him who reigns

With them in the highest heaven

The One, Eternal God,

Whom earth and heaven adore;

For thus it was, is now,

And shall be evermore.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE FOR MONDAY 21ST, DECEMBER 2020

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: MONDAY 21ST, DECEMBER 2020

THEME: TRUE WORSHIP

MEMORISE:

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” – (Isaiah 29:13)

READ: 1 CHRONICLES 16:23-31 (KJV)

23. Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation.

24. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvelous works among all nations.

25. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he also is to be feared above all gods.

26. For all the gods of the people are idols; but the LORD made the heavens.

27. Glory and honor are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.

28. Give unto the LORD, ye kindred of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

29. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; bring an offering, and come before him; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

30. Fear before him, all the earth; the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

31. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

HEBREWS 7-10

MESSAGE:

Worship - true worship is in the absolute submission of the heart to the One being worshipped and adored. 

You can pretend to be in awe of any human being and they would be deceived, but God searches the intentions of our heart, and that is why He knows those who truly worship Him. 

John 4:24 says: 

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Search your heart: are you a true worshipper? 

If you claim to be a worshipper and you still commit sin, you need to check your claim again. 

A true worshipper of God does not take with levity anything that concerns Him. 

David is a very good example of a true worshipper. He wrote many psalms praising God and talking about how much He loved God’s statutes. 

His lifestyle and how he revered God showed that he truly esteemed Him greatly. 

He had a burden to build a temple for God and even though He told him not to, David didn’t just fold his hands; he provided all that would be needed to build it.  

That is clearly not eye service. David was a man after God's own heart, because he practised heartfelt worship.

If you’re not as committed to your tasks in Church when your Pastor is not around as you are when he is, you are not a true worshipper. 

If you worship God because you are expecting something in return, you are not amongst the true worshippers. 

God rejects heartless worship (Amos 5:21-24). 

Two people can come with similar offerings to Him and He will reject one and accept the other just like in the case of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-15).

Are you a true worshipper?

KEY POINT:

Worship is a thing of the heart; actions merely express it.

LET US WITH A GLADSOME MIND.

1. Let us with a gladsome mind

Praise the Lord for He is kind.

For His mercies aye endure,

Ever faithful, ever sure.

2. He, with all-commanding might,

Filled the new-made world with light.

For His mercies aye endure,

Ever faithful, ever sure.

3. All things living He doth feed,

His full hand supplies their need;

For His mercies aye endure,

Ever faithful, ever sure.

4. He His chosen race did bless

In the wasteful wilderness;

For His mercies aye endure,

Ever faithful, ever sure.

5. Let us then with gladsome mind,

Praise the Lord, for He is kind;

For His mercies aye endure,

Ever faithful, ever sure.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE FOR SUNDAY 20TH DECEMBER, 2020.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

DATE: SUNDAY 20TH DECEMBER, 2020.

THEME: TRUTH AND WISDOM.

MEMORISE:

“He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:” Proverbs 24:24

READ: PROVERBS 24:23-26 (KJV)

23. These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

24. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him;

25. But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.

26. Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

HEBREWS 1-6

MESSAGE:

Many times, we Pastors find ourselves in situations where we are faced with either speaking the truth or telling a lie to flatter someone who is influential or from whom we can get a lot of benefits. 

At such times, we must ensure that we do not lie. Our God has never been in support of respecting people to the extent of endorsing their wrongdoings.

It does not matter who the fellow is or how much you can gain from them, never lie to get their favour. 

When God told Prophet Jeremiah that He would be sending him to nations, he knew that meant that he would be confronting some really influential people, so he responded in Jeremiah 1:6: “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.”

And God reassured him in Jeremiah 1:7-8 thus:

 “… and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.” 

This message is still relevant today: fear not, God is with you to deliver you. The elders have a saying that it is not the one who we are sent to that we must fear, but the one who sent us.

Now, when God has sent you to correct an influential person, you need to do it with wisdom. 

John the Baptist confronted Herod and lost his head, but Nathan confronted David and the king repented.

What is the difference between the way the two Prophets carried out their assignment? John the Baptist was straight and direct with Herod.

The Bible says in Mark 6:18:

“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.”

Nathan, in his own case, decided to tell the king a fictional story about someone else who did something similar to what David had done, so he got David to judge the case by himself and when David acknowledged the fellows sin, Nathan  turned it around and said “Sir, that fellow is actually you”.

Thereafter, he went on to deliver the message God had sent him to deliver (2 Samuel 12:1-14). 

If Nathan had come straight to tell the king that the sword would never depart from his house, that God would raise his own family members to go against him and so on, he may have lost his head too.

KEY POINT:

Make sure you deliver the message that God has sent you with, but ask Him for the wisdom with which to present it.

HYMN 26: STAND UP! STAND UP!! FOR JESUS.

1. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,

Ye soldiers of the Cross!

Lift high His royal banner;

It must not suffer loss.

From vict’ry unto vict’ry

His army shall He lead,

Till every foe is vanquished,

And Christ is Lord indeed.

2. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,

The trumpet call obey;

Forth to the mighty conflict,

In this His glorious day;

Ye that are men now serve Him

Against unnumbered foes;

Let courage rise with danger,

And strength to strength oppose.

3. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

Stand in His strength alone;

The arm of flesh will fail you,

Ye dare not trust your own:

Put on the gospel armour,

And watching unto prayer;

Where duty calls, or danger,

Be never wanting there.

4. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

The strife will not be long;

This day the noise of battle,

The next the victor’s song;

To him that overcometh,

A crown of life shall be;

He with the King of glory

Shall reign eternally.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE FOR SATURDAY 19TH DECEMBER, 2020.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

DATE: SATURDAY 19TH DECEMBER, 2020.

THEME: BY GRACE, THROUGH FAITH.

MEMORISE:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Ephesians 2:8

READ: EPHESIANS 2:8-9 (KJV)

8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God;

9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

1 PETER 1-5

Click HERE to read the previous Open Heaven Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A ADEBOYE

MESSAGE:

Many of our beloved ‘grace’ preachers have often misinterpreted todays Bible reading to mean that since being saved is not by works but grace, you can do whatever you like and still maintain your salvation.

Grace means unmerited favour. That means, you did not do anything to be amongst those who God decided to save. 

John 6:44 says “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:” John 15:16 says “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” 

It is only by grace that we had an encounter that brought us into a relationship with Christ.

The passage then goes on to say that we are “saved through faith”. 

So we are not only saved by grace, we are also saved through faith. This means that even if the grace is available for you to be saved, salvation can only occur through your faith. 

Now faith is the belief in Christ and His finished work on the cross.

Romans 10:9 says:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

So no faith, no salvation.

 The Bible says in James 2:18-20: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

You cannot claim to have faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross and still be acting against His word.

Without faith, even with the availability of grace, you can neither be saved nor please God (Hebrews 11:6). “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7

KEY POINT:

Grace does not give you the liberty to sin; rather, it gives you the ability to live above it.

HYMN 18: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE.

1. My faith looks up to Thee,

Thou Lamb of Calvary,

Saviour divine!

Now hear me while I pray,

Take all my guilt away,

O let me from this day

Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart

Strength to my fainting heart,

My zeal inspire;

As Thou hast died for me,

O may my love to Thee

Pure, warm and changeless be

A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,

And grief around me spread,

Be Thou my guide;

Bid darkness turn to day,

Wipe sorrow’s tears away,

Nor let me ever stray

From Thee aside.

4. When ends life’s transient dream,

When death’s cold sullen stream

Shall o’er me roll;

Blest Saviour, then in love,

Fear and distrust remove;

O bear me safe above,

A ransomed soul.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRIDAY 18TH DECEMBER, 2020.

 OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

DATE: FRIDAY 18TH DECEMBER, 2020.

THEME: SUPPORT MISSIONARIES.

MEMORISE:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” Isaiah 52:7

READ: 3 JOHN 1:5-8 (KJV)

5. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;

6. Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church; whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well;

7. Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

8. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 

TITUS 1-3

Click HERE to read previous devotional message by Pastor E.A ADEBOYE

MESSAGE:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9. 

As we pray for and bless the Shepherds around us with gifts, let us not forget those in hostile and war-torn communities too.

It is not God’s will for missionaries to be abandoned while wealthy Christians enjoy His blessings in the urban centres. 

Usually, these gospel crusaders risk their lives, having left their cities and families to do God’s work in places most of us would not consider going to. This is why we must support them with both our prayers and resources.

You can commit a certain percentage of your monthly income to support a missionary group. What you consider negligible could go a long way to ease their burden. 

A constant supply of food and amenities for their communities would make their audience more receptive, while also giving them some influence even amongst the rulers of the land.

When Christian missionaries first arrived Nigeria, their work was easy because as they came with Bibles, they also brought education for the children and medicines for the sick. If they hadn’t succeeded, perhaps many more of us would have been involved in rituals today.

Modern Christians have not supported mission trips as much as in the past, thus, allowing the devil spread his message of perversion like wildfire.

Those who would have loved to be missionaries hold back because of the fear that no one would remember them. Some have left the mission field, not for their sakes, but for their children’s. 

A little help could reverse this trend. You may not be able to go to the field but you can also win souls to God with your resources and prayers. Don’t miss this opportunity. Support missionaries today.

KEY POINT:

If you cannot go on mission trips, at least support those who do.

HYMN 9; HO, MY COMRADE! SEE THE THE SIGNAL.

1. Ho, my comrades! see the signal

Waving in the sky!

Reinforcements now appearing,

Victory in nigh!

CHORUS:

“Hold the fort, for I am coming,”

Jesus signals still,

Wave the answer back to heaven,

“By Thy grace we will,”

2. See the mighty host advancing

Satan leading on:

Mighty men around us falling,

Courage almost gone!

CHORUS:

“Hold the fort, for I am coming,”

Jesus signals still,

Wave the answer back to heaven,

“By Thy grace we will,”

3. See the glorious banner waving!

Hear the trumpet blow!

In our Leader’s name we’ll triumph

Over ev’ry foe!

CHORUS:

“Hold the fort, for I am coming,”

Jesus signals still,

Wave the answer back to heaven,

“By Thy grace we will,”

4. Fierce and long the battle rages,

But our help is near:

Onward comes our great commander,

Cheer, my comrades, cheer!

CHORUS:

“Hold the fort, for I am coming,”

Jesus signals still,

Wave the answer back to heaven,

“By Thy grace we will,”

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR THURSDAY 17TH December 2020

 OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY 17TH December 2020 

THEME: ON THE LORD'S SIDE?

MEMORISE:

“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” – (Matthew 12:30)

READ: EXODUS 32:22-26 (KJV)

22. And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot; thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

23. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

24. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me; then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

25. And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies;)

26. Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

1 TIMOTHY 1-6

Click HERE to read the previous devotional message by Pastor E.A Adeboye

MESSAGE:

The Israelites had departed from God while Moses was on the Mount. They had begun to worship a golden calf which Aaron was pressured to make for them. This made Moses ask “Who is on the Lords side?” (Exodus 32:26)

Even in God’s service, people have varying motives. While many may profess to be for God, their claims may not be entirely true, considering their secret lives. 

However, some Christians are true friends of God; in private and in the open. Even when they make mistakes, they don’t give excuses or seek to cover them up; they repent immediately. 

Their objective is holiness unto the Lord. Are you on the Lord’s side?

As there are two sides to a coin, so there are to the spiritual also: the good and the bad, Heaven and hell, God’s kingdom of light and Satan’s kingdom of darkness. You are either on one side or the other.

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” – Joshua 5:13

Like the angel in the above passage had his sword drawn, so does everyone in the spirit realm. But who is your sword working for or against?

With every word you say and every action you take, your sword is swung, for or against God. 

If you conspire with people to sin instead of rebuking them, you are swinging your sword against God. 

If you consciously give erroneous interpretations of the Bible to fellow believers, you are clearly against God and on the side of Satan.

So many tongue-speaking ‘Christians’ are with the devil. This is dangerous. I pray for God’s mercy on such people.

Whose side are you truly on?

ACTION POINT:

Examine your heart to see if you are truly on the Lord’s side. Make amends in repentance today if you find yourself wanting.

HYMNAL:

HYMN 4 – BLESSED ASSURANCE, JESUS IS MINE!

1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

CHORUS:

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Saviour all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Saviour all the day long.

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight,

Angels descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Saviour am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Fill’d with His goodness, lost in His love.

Open Heaven  17th December 2020 Daily Devotional Message was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries