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Showing posts from May, 2011

WEAKNESSES AND STRENGHTS Wednesday 1 June

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Cor. 15:10). READ: 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 O ne lesson from the letter of the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7 is that every individual, family, local assembly, community or nation has its strengths and weaknesses. Both your strengths and weaknesses should point you back to God. Your strengths or areas of endowment should remind you that you are a beneficiary of divine graces and as a result, you should not think that you are better, wiser or stronger than your neighbor who does not have the same gifts. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). When you ascr

STANDING BY CHRIST Tuesday 31 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.” (2 Cor. 12:15). READ: 2 Corinthians 12:13-16 “HE that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled” (John 3:29). According to John the Baptist, it is possible to be a friend of the Bridegroom—Jesus Christ. How? By loving and keeping His commandments (John 14:15). It is not enough to love and obey Him occasionally, that love and obedience must be sustained. If your love for Jesus has dwindled or your obedience is now selective, it is doubtful if you are a friend of the Bridegroom. In John 15:14, the Lord Himself said His friends are those who wait on His Word, live by His Word and leave nothing out. If there is an instruction the Lord gave to you which you have failed

GOD CONTROLS WHAT IS HEARD Monday 30 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice” (Ps. 51:8). READ: Exodus 12:29-32 A part from using any means or object-birds, fish, lepers, neighbours and even an enemy to accomplish His promise—God controls who hears what. He determines who hears a dirge or a joyful song. In Exodus 12:29-32, God visited the home of every Egyptian, killed their firstborns, and caused them to hear dirge. The whole nation was plunged into mourning in one night. It was a time to wail bitterly. Meanwhile, He caused the Israelites to hear the shout of freedom. This season, your enemies will hear a dirge and they will be forced to let go. Our God is simply awesome. He can compel every house in a city, nation or throughout the world to respond in a particular way. He touched the Egyptians in a way they would never forget; they had no choice but to dance to His will. If God is asking or pleading with you to d

PRISONER TO COMPTROLLER Sunday 29 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.” (Psalm 89:17). READ: Genesis 39:20-23 D ivine favour is so powerful that it can give speed to your answers as well as deliver several answers to a single request. It is my prayer that from today, you will be a beneficiary of this uncommon favour in Jesus name. Moreover, lowly placed staff of various organizations should know that divine favour can change the official status of a slave into that of a Managing Director. In Genesis 39:23, Joseph, a poor slave boy who was sold to the family of Potiphar, through favour became the overseer over his Master’s house. It got to a point that his master trusted him to the extent of not taking stock of what he had; He left everything in Joseph’s care. The favour of God can make a nobody to become somebody. Are you presently occupying the lowest rung in your place of work, ministry or family? Do n

IMPRESSING OTHERS? Saturday 28 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.” (Psalm 34:6). READ: Mark 5:1-8 A re you sighing because of the problem in your life? The Lord will terminate it this season. In Exodus 2:23, the Israelites sighed when they were in bondage. Why? There is an innate desire for freedom in every human being. Even the mad people on our streets want to be free. If there was ever a mad man who never wanted to be free, it was the mad man of Gadara recorded in today’s reading. Yet, when bound with chains, he would break them off in order to be free. He also sought to be free from the demons that possessed him. By the time Jesus asked the demons to leave him and go into a herd of swine nearby, even the swine protested. They chose to die than live with demonic bondage. The fellow who is possessed by demons and does not want to be free is not as wise as the pigs in the story above. Are you under any d

LORD OVER SHAME Friday 27 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed” (Joel 2:27) READ: Joel 2:25-27 W e have studied Jesus Christ as the Super Captain whose sphere of influence spans over all of Heaven, earth, and beneath the earth. He is also captain over failure because Psalm 46:1 says He is the very present help in trouble. Are you in need of help? The Lord will help you today. In Philippians 4:13, Paul testified that since Jesus came into his life, failure became a stranger to him. In the same vein, after Peter failed several times, he brought the matter before the Lord and he became a remarkable success (Luke 5:1-7). This simply tells us that as far as Jesus is concerned, there is no permanent defeat. 1 John 4:4 says Jesus Christ is greater than your external oppressors and as a result they shall bow to His orders. Moreover, he is introduced to us

SIN HINDERS PROMISES Thursday 26 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Rom. 6:2). READ: Genesis 39:7-12 A ccording to 2 Corinthians 1:20, God gives promises through His servants, but it takes connecting with God’s Son for such promises to be realized. Psalm 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him”. Some people think they can go to God and lay claim to His promises without passing through Jesus Christ. In other words, they do not recognize the divinity of Jesus Christ as God the son. You cannot access God the father except through His son Jesus Christ. Also, it is not possible to fellowship with the Father when not in fellowship with the son. Hence, 1 John 2:23 says, “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also”. Having Jesus gives

WHERE ARE YOUR SEVENTY? Wednesday 25 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?” (Num. 11:11) READ: Numbers 11:11-17 E very child of God is a child of destiny and as such requires God’s favour in order to achieve his or her destiny. Without divine favour, a wise man suddenly looks like a fool; a strong man loses the battle; a man with bright prospects ends up without any achievement and a hard working man has no returns for all his efforts. Whatever you need to do in order to access divine favour this year, the Lord will grant you the grace to do it. In his ministry, Moses got to a point he cried out to the Lord for favour. “And Moses said unto the LORD, Whereof hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?” (Num. 11:11). From

MIND YOUR ROLE! Tuesday 24 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) READ: Matthew 11:28-30 “F or ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20). As a believer in Christ, you have been fully purchased by Him—together with all you have and will ever have. In other words, you are completely sold with nothing left to yourself. One reason many believers will not want to hear this truth is because they know that if they accept it, it means God can ask for everything at any point in time. Yes. If He asks, give it all back to Him. Until you get to the point where you no longer have any sacred cows in your life, you have not truly made Him your Lord. Is Jesus Christ truly your Lord? “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). Many ministers of Go

LOOK UP Monday 23 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” (Psalm 121:1). READ: Psalm 121:1-8 W hen God intervenes in unpleasant situations, it is usually in ways we least expected, because His ways are very different from ours. Many years ago, while rounding up my doctorate programme, I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation, and sent it for binding at the university press. I needed N50 to collect the bound copies but I did not have the money. Then I remembered that, I had deposited N50 out of the scholarship I was earlier given as research grant by the university with my Head of Department (HOD). So I met him to request for the N50 balance, but he refused, saying that the money was for collecting materials from other universities. I told him I have done all that, yet he insisted on not releasing it to me. Meanwhile, the following day was the deadline for the submission. On reaching home that night, I told my wife that I

ONE REQUEST, SEVERAL ANSWERS Sunday 22 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24). READ: 1 Kings 3:9-14 N ot only can divine favour deliver from ministerial burdens, prevent a downward drive towards wretchedness, or bring the poor before kings, it can also accelerate the speed at which prayers are answered. This means that God does not have to wait for the favoured to completely voice out his or her request before answering; once He sees it in the heart of the fellow, He immediately puts in place the mechanism to deliver the request. Isaiah 65:24 says, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear”. God pre-empts His favoured children. Are you God’s favourite? If you are, the answers to your request will be granted even before you ask. Another benefit of the favoured is that when he asks for one thing, he may re

REBUKE: WHAT MANNER? Saturday 21 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10). READ: Revelations 2:1-7 In His letter to the church at Ephesus, the Lord Jesus Christ first listed all their strong points and sang their praise before scolding them. Although their weaknesses were strong, it was put in a right perspective. He ended up with praise and promise. There is a lesson here for all leaders. First, for a rebuke to achieve the desired effect in an individual’s life, it should be sandwiched between praises, commendations or promises. If you want to correct someone over a slip, mistake, or error, start with the things he did so well and the importance of his contributions. While he is savouring the praises, you can now point out the area he needs to look at and ways to enhance his performance. Anyone you correct this way will receive the correcti

THE SUPER CAPTAIN Friday 20 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” (Phil. 2:10). READ: Philippians 2:9-11 H ebrews 2:10 calls Jesus Christ the Captain of Salvation. Are you struggling with sin? Are you rising and falling? Are you still helplessly tied to some nasty sinful habits that have refused to let you go? Call upon the Captain of Salvation today and He will separate you from such sinful yokes. In the name of Jesus, every yoke of sin in your life is broken today. You are free to live to serve your Lord and Saviour from today. Besides being the Captain of Salvation, He is the Captain that all other captains must obey. In Luke 7:2-10, there was a meeting of two captains: an army captain, a centurion, and the Captain Jesus Christ. The army captain could issue commands to his servants and they would obey him, but he was limited. When it was time to command sickness

HIS PROMISE IS ‘YES!’ Thursday 19 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Cor. 1:20). READ: 2 Corinthians 1:17-20 G od’s Word is infallible. It has integrity. Whenever God makes you a promise, or gives you a word of prophecy, never belittle it. While it is unwise to base your expectations on the promises of men, you can safely depend on God’s promises. In fact, failing to expect the performance of what God has promised, can rob you of the promise. After the Lord called me into ministry and I became the General Overseer of the RCCG, prophecies began to come to pass. As far back as a1974 at Ijebu-Igbo (Nigeria), God told me He was going to build a great army that I would lead into the battle in His name. A few years later, after I became the G.O., the total membership of the church was less than 1000. With that promise in mind, I took time to pray and fast. I conducted monthly seminars and outreaches. I

UNDERSTAND YOUR BODY Wednesday 18 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better, neither, if we eat not, are we the worse” (1 Cor. 8:8). READ: 1 Timothy 4:1-5 “A ll things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not” (1 Cor. 10:23). According to this scripture, you are free to eat anything you like, but it is not advisable to eat what cannot build you up. It is not a sin to eat the food God has given to you. As long as you receive your food with thanksgiving and sanctify it with a word of prayer, you are free to eat it. There are people who are always in a hurry to eat. They would have started eating before they remember they have not blessed the food. This is unacceptable. Prayer helps to set the food apart before it is taken into God’s temple—your body. As a New Testament believer, you are free to eat anything that edifies your body, but not what will destro

FULLY SOLD Tuesday 17 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Cor. 6:19). READ: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 O ur Lord Jesus Christ is the source of our authority. Hence, He said we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). So to retain power with God, you must do all it takes to remain connected to the vine (John 15:4). Furthermore, Jesus is the Bridegroom; those He has blood-washed are His 'wife'. In John 3:29, John the Baptist confirms this when He called Him the bridegroom who owns the bride. In the tradition of my people (the Yoruba), it is customary for women to call their husband ‘the owner of my head’. As your husband, Jesus owns you and everything you own. He owns believers individually and also collectively, as a body, the Church (Eph. 5:23). In fact, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says He paid a very costly price to have you. You have been bought; you

GOD’S HIGHER WAYS Monday 16 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For as much as the heavens are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9). READ: 55:8-9 T he Almighty God can do all things. In the midst of the famine in Israel, the Lord spoke of a sound of the abundance of rain (1 Kg. 18:41-45). Your doubting of the ability and integrity of God causes Him pain. When He says He will do something, count it already done. Do you know that God would have settled how He would do a thing before He announces His intention to do it? It is God’s business how His word gets to become reality. He may choose to disclose it to you or simply keep it close to His chest. He can bring His word to pass through billions of ways, even when we cannot think of one possible way. By the time you begin to calculate things by your limited human wisdom, you will be surprised at the way He will work it out. If you expect Him to repeat the same method He used last year, He may come up

STANDING BEFORE KINGS Sunday 15 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer” (1 Sam. 16:21). READ: I Samuel 16:21-22 A part from delivering you from heavy ministerial burdens, divine favour can also prevent a downward trend. In Numbers 11:10-20, Moses was seriously embattled. After leading the Israelites out of Egypt, they cried to him in the wilderness for meat. Imagine three million people clamouring and wailing out his name, asking for meat! Where could he muster such mass of meat to feed the whole nation? In verse 15, he pleaded: “And if though deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee out of hand, If I have found favour in thy sight ; and let me not see my wretchedness”. Moses preferring to die than see his wretchedness, called on God to favour him. God’s favour can prevent you from seeing or experiencing the negative fallouts of downturn. Are you afraid like Moses that you may not be able to

HEEDING EARLY WARNING SIGNS? Saturday 14 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.” (1 Sam. 2:6). READ: Daniel 5:1-6 “H e riseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he hath set the world upon them” (1 Sam. 2:8). God is the real controller of things, events and situations, not the presidents, governors, or chieftains of industries. He decides who is promoted and when such a promotion should come. He also decides who the one to be demoted. He decides when kings die. In addition, He decides when the cup of an individual is full. For instance, in Daniel 5:1-13, King Belshazzar overstepped his boundaries by drinking from the dedicated cups that were taken from God’s temple in Jerusalem. Not blasphemous enough, he praised the dead gods of his nation for such opportunity

CAPTAIN OF SALVATION Friday 13 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10). READ: Hebrews 2:9-11 O ne of the titles of our Lord Jesus Christ is Captain. Unlike earthly captains whose jurisdictions are limited to a particular area, such as an arm of the military, a particular ship, or a particular industry, this Captain has no restriction in regards to His sphere of influence. If a captain of industry goes before an army of soldiers to give an order, you can be sure that he would be taken as a joker. No action would be taken until they hear from their army captain. But this Captain must be heard and obeyed by all, irrespective of who His orders are coming to. “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect th

WATCH OUT FOR LANDMARKS! Thursday 12 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). READ: Luke 24:49-53 M any years ago, when I was still struggling with paying my school fees, I met an elderly man who told me that one day, I will be going abroad as if I am going to our local market. Though I laughed it off, today I spend more time abroad than I spend in Nigeria. Every good prophecy that has been prophesied into your life shall come to pass in Jesus name. Peter was another Bible character that experienced delays and trials before God’s great promise came to pass in his life. He encountered Jesus after a fruitless fishing outing. The Lord engaged his boat and after preaching, decided to say, ‘Thank you’. His thank you was a two boats –full catch of fishes (Luke 5:1-11). Astonished at this great catch, Peter fell down at the Master’s feet, acknowledged hi

USE THE SILENCE TREATMENT Wednesday 11 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding” (Prov. 17:28). READ: Proverbs 17:27-28 B esides giving your parents joy, a wise fellow is known by his or her ability to control the tongue. Do you know that you can almost tell the story of some people’s life having met them for only 10 minutes? They are so lousy that they cannot shut their mouth for a minute. “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise” (Prov. 10:19). A talkative fellow is never far from sin. If you must keep a distance form sin, you must apply locks on your lips. For not knowing when to apply restraint, a foolish person reveals his secrets even to enemies. Ask yourself: ‘Why do I talk too much?’ Some people talk much because they like noise: they cannot stay quite. If the place is too quite they become uncomfortable. Some talk just beca

UNDER AUTHORITY Tuesday 10 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know and Paul I know; but who are ye? (Acts 19:15). READ: Acts 19:13-17 A messenger of God can only enjoy divine backing for his spiritual office when he remains under the authority of the One who sent him. The moment you stray out of His commands, you are on your own. Also, demons, like the centurion in Matthew 8:5-10, know what it means to be under authority. For example, in Acts 19:13-17, when some religionists tried to cast out demons, the demons plainly told these seven exorcists, ‘you lack the authority’. In that same encounter, the demons recognized Jesus and His servant Paul. Are you living in secret sin? Demons are watching you. They are the ones who whispered into your ears prompting you to do in secret what you could not do in the light. They know that when you fall victim of their evil suggestions, you, at that moment, lose the right to order them around. If you d

ENTERING MULTIPLICATION Monday 9 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:7). READ: John 6:5-13 I n Genesis 1:20-23, God brought forth living creatures to foot the fields, float the air and flood the waters—all out of nothing. This is as amazing as it is frightening. If God can bring out something out of nothing, then He does not require your service or mine to do what He wants to do. That means He can simply do without us completely. Nobody is indispensable before God. Sometimes ago, a young brother learnt this lesson. He was such a useful worker to his pastor. His service was virtually needed everywhere. He was doing so well that at a point he began to think he was indispensable. One day, he came late for a meeting and his pastor suspended him for one week. He went to him in a nonchalant manner, saying that, the suspension would afford him some time for himself. ‘Real

EXPECTING THE LORD? Sunday 8 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matt. 24:42). READ: Matthew 24:42-44 “L ook to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward” (2 John 8). One area believers must carefully watch over is the kind of service they render to God. God is not just interested in mere service as some people assume. He wants quality service. The kind of service that will elicit His commendation is at a great price. If you are not prepared to pay that price, intent on just serving Him out of convenience, then don’t expect a full reward. God is prepared to ‘overpay’ you for every service you do for His Name, as long as it is praise-worthy and devoid of earthly colourations. Hence, Paul says: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Cor. 4:17). Do you know that many believers will mis

NO HIDING PLACE Saturday 7 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.” (Ps. 139:11). READ: Psalms 139:7-12 M atthew 10:28 says the only One to be feared is the Almighty God because He can determine your end on earth and what happens to you in eternity. He sees everything and is everywhere at the same time. Psalm 139:1-12 says you cannot hide from God. Climb to any height, even the tallest building or mountain in the world, God sees you. Go to any depth below the earth surface and He will still see you. Verse 11 says, “If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me”. One thing that is common among evil doers is that they are friends with darkness. They carry out most of their activities in the night. Do you know that long before scientists manufactured night vision surveillance hardware, God saw in the dark? Darkness cannot hide anything from God. In fact, unlike human

THE HOPE OF GLORY Friday 6 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” (Col. 1:27). READ: Colossians 1:26-28 “S ay ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings” (Isaiah 3:10). Are you a child of God, living right and pleasing God? If yes, do know for certain that it shall be well with you. Your future shall be glorious. It may be rough now but you shall end well. Why? It is because you have Jesus. Colossians 1:27 says, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”. The Lord Jesus is the Hope of glory. In him is the height of glory. In Him are all riches you can ever imagine. Having Him and sustaining Him in you means that one day, the abundant riches that He has will be evident in your life. This is why i

COMMUNION SEALS FATE Thursday 5 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.” (John 13:27). READ: John 13:21-30 W ith one uncommon meal, several sicknesses and diseases can be taken care of. This was the experience of the Israelites in Egypt in Psalm 105:37. This season, may the partaking of this uncommon meal deliver several blessings to you in Jesus name. Another important thing about the Holy Communion is that it can seal a man’s destiny. It takes just a meal to seal one’s destiny. This may be positive or negative though. In John 13:21-30, the 12 disciples partook of this meal and their fates were sealed. Once Heaven has said ‘Amen’ at the communion table, one’s fate is sealed, with no reversal possible. May you never experience a negative sealing of your fate in Jesus name. This is why you must be seen doing what is right and pleasing to God always. One Bible character who experienced a negative

YOU WILL BE REFINED Wednesday 4 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3) READ: Malachi 3:1-3 W hen Christ is before you, your steps will be divinely guided. When God led us to the camp ground, many people thought I was nuts. But I knew who was leading me. Today, the same people say that was a wise move. God’s counsel is laden with wisdom which may not be apparent to the recipient of such a counsel or speculators who are seeking opportunity to find fault. Sadly, many people who have confessed faith in Christ are without divine guidance because they have adopted a nature that is alien to God’s. Psalm 25:9 says God will guide the meek. Christ will only go before those who are meek. A meek fellow is someone who has power, ability or authority to fight back at his or her attackers but deliberately

HIS MESSENGER Tuesday 3 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him” (John 3:28) READ: John 3:28-31 T oday’s reading introduces John the Baptist. He was a messenger of the Almighty God. “For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee” (Matt. 11:10). Who is a messenger? He is someone who is sent on an errand; a representative, an ambassador or an apostle. It is therefore obvious that a messenger is under the authority of a superior individual or body. The ambassador of a nation can never be greater than the president he represents in a foreign land. His retention is dependent on how well he represents the interests of his president or nation. If he errs or embarrasses his government, he can be recalled. Just as it is with earthly ambassadors, so it is with Kingdom ambassadors. As a messenger of God, you must always rem

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING Monday 2 May

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11). READ: Exodus 17:1-6 G od’s Word never returns to Him empty. Once it has been guttered, it is settled and the case is closed (Psalm 33:8-9). A sister attended one of our services about 10 years ago. During the programme, the Lord said there was a lady there who was pregnant but the baby was dead, and that the baby was being restored to life. As they left for home, the woman told her husband that their baby, who had stopped all movement before then, had started moving again but the man did not believe her. The 10 year old baby was brought here to thank God in one of our meetings recently. Praise God! When God speaks, it is settled. Why? Because He can bring something out of nothing. In Genesis 1:20-23, the Lord commanded t