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Showing posts from July, 2011

GROANING GETS GOD’S ATTENTION Monday 1 August

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Rom. 8:26). READ: Romans 8:26-27 “A nd God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” (Exo. 2:24). Before God sent the children of Israel a deliverer, even though He had promised over 400 years earlier that He would deliver them from slavery, they had to cry and groan. Before God delivers you, He wants to be sure He is not just over zealous. He wants to be convinced you are in agreement with Him. Deliverance is effective only when the desire of the Deliverer and the delivered blend. Does God’s will align with yours? God hears the groaning of His children. To groan is to cry in pain or agony. Isaiah 63:9 says, “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his prese

TRAINING PRECEDES MANIFESTATION Sunday31 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” (Psalm 103:7). READ: Matthew 3:1-6 I n your preparation for ministry, God can use human elements to impact into you what He had already deposited in them. This is the first phase of your training. On the other hand, God can also be the one to do the training. This takes place under the second phase of your training. During this latter phase, the trainee is separated to God. When alone with God, the trainee is exposed to deeper truths, Kingdom secrets, as well as deeper experiences with God. Before embarking on their public ministry, both John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ had to undergo a wilderness experience where they were alone with God. The Bible is silent about the early years of Elijah. However, it is most likely he too, like others, succeeded in ministry because he was trained by God. Looking at the life of Elijah, we learn that Go

MAN, NOT ANIMAL Saturday 30 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Gen. 1:28). Read: Genesis 1:26-28 T o make success in life, you must know your identity. Going by John’s experience, every child of God is a voice. May you be heard in Jesus name. To have a clear definition of who you are, you must be able to know who you are not. An understanding of this helps to clear misconceptions and wrong notions you have held about yourself. The source of knowing who you are and who you are not is the Bible—the love book of the Almighty God and Father. First, you are not an animal. God created you in His own image. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them”. Science hardly see

DON’T TOLERATE MOCKERS Friday 29 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God” (1 Sam 17:36). READ: 1 Samuel 17: 1-11 W hen an ex-champion regains his crown, the experience goes beyond joy; it is glory! Can you imagine how young David felt after bringing down Goliath who terrorized the nation of Israel for 40 days? It was glory! Just as God used David to bring down Goliath, so also will the Lord use you to bring down every cause of shame and reproach in your life, family, community, church and nation. If you can cooperate with the Lord of hosts, there is no giant you cannot floor. Now, if you were an ex-champion, how can you recover your lost crown? And after recovering it, what can you do to retain it? There are three things you must do. First, stop tolerating mockers. Anything that is asking you, ‘Where is your God?’ is a mocker. Sickness, po

LET FLESH DECREASE Thursday 2 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Rom. 7:18) READ: Matthew 16:24-26 J ohn 15:5 and Philippians 4:13 agree on one thing: that believers in Christ are powered by Christ. If without Him we cannot achieve anything and through Him we can achieve just anything, then if there is one need in the life of every Christian, it is to have more of Jesus in our lives. John the Baptist understood this principle so well hence, his desire that Christ might increase (John 3:30). The more of Christ you have, the more like Him you will become, and the greater will be your achievements. If He keeps increasing in you, you will perform spiritual tasks without stress. However, before Christ can increase in you, something in you must give way. Before there is an increase, there must also be a decrease. John the Baptist says ‘I

NOT FORSAKEN Wednesday 27 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25). READ: Psalm 37:23-26 I t is not strange for people to use as many people as they can to meet a need and thereafter discard them. This is one reason to never put your trust in man. However, there is an exception to this rule—the man Christ Jesus. When He makes a promise, it is not to impress like many humans do; He throws His weight behind it. Psalm 119:89 says His words are eternal and settled in the realm of eternity. Anyone contesting God’s Word is making a big mistake. Such a man will be contesting against what had been settled before the earth began. Do you know that when God makes a fresh promise to you today, it takes the form of His eternally settled Word? No difference. God is as committed to fulfilling His written Word as He is in fulfilling His Spoken Word. Has the Lord made you a promise? Y

SHINING IN DARKNESS Tuesday 26 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:5). READ: John 1:4-5 “W hen they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matt. 2:10). At what time do you see stars? They are hardly seen during the day, except at night. It is when darkness covers the earth that stars are revealed. In the other words, daylight may be so bright to the extent of covering the stars in the skyline. So it takes darkness to expose them. If you recognize that you are a star, you need not fear darkness as that is what will expose your shine. It takes a time of trouble to reveal true stars. That means, as darkness covers the earth and problems multiply, it is your time to shine. When darkness covered the land of Egypt and the Egyptians were about to lose their firstborns, the children of Israel were getting ready to shine forth in joy. In the midst of your darkness, you shall shine. In the midst of po

THE MERCY CONNECTION Monday 25 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps. 136:1) READ: Psalm 136:17-25 I n Mark 10:46-52, when Bartimaeus prayed, all he asked for was mercy and he received his sight. This tells us that it is God’s mercy that guarantees the release of our blessings to us. No matter how good you are or how much you can pray, if God’s mercy is taken out of the equation, you may never get what you desire. Besides, many of us know that we do not deserve God’s blessings. For instance, the sister who goes to God for the fruit of the womb, or for a new womb, after rupturing her womb through series of abortions can be sure that Satan will be waiting to contest that request. After reminding her of her past atrocities, she will have no stamina or courage to make her request; yet, through God’s mercy, that request could be granted. There was a particular young man who had vast knowledge of the Scripture. F

ACCEPT YOUR TRAINERS Sunday 24 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.” (Luke 2:51) READ: Luke 2:48-52 B efore being launched into the ministry, Jesus went through some training under His parent, even though He recognized Himself as their creator. Luke 2:51 says He subjected Himself under their tutelage control. In the same way, He allowed Himself to be baptized by John. Moses had to undergo training at the backside of the desert after spending 40 years in the palace where he had access to the best education. If you were in the Master’s or Moses’ shoes, would you allow yourself to be trained by your subordinates? This is one area leaders are failing today. If you are not humble and patient enough to undergo training, you will end up as a bad leader. Untrained leaders are a major cause of problems in ministry. Moreover, God’s training is in phases: Some done by me

ONLY A VOICE Saturday 23 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.” (Luke 3:2) READ: Luke3:2-3 W hen we look at John 3:28-31 and the life of the greatest Old Testament prophet—John the Baptist, we cannot but be confronted with pertinent questions that are fundamental to everyone. The first of such questions is: Who am I? This borders on personal identity. When John came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom by River Jordan, many people began to wonder whether he was the Christ they were expecting. He told them he was not; he was the one sent to prepare the way for the Christ (Luke 3:1-18). John the Baptist clearly knew who he was. He was only a voice, and nothing more. Do you know that as a servant of God, you are only a voice? Being so, what are you heralding what tone of voice is yours? John the Baptist as a voice, in the wilderness, cried out the word: “Repent!” What is your

REGAINING LOST GLORY Friday 22 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after” (Jer. 30:17). READ: Judges 16:22-30 I t is common knowledge that there is no glory in defeat. If you have ever been a champion in any game, you would know this. As long as you are the reigning champion, your fans will hail you wherever you go. You will make headlines and your fame will go before you. But the day you are defeated, you lose your title and away goes your glory! The blow that knocks out a champion is hardly seen when it is coming. The fellow will only rise from the ground to discover he is no longer the champion. From that moment, he can no longer lift his head high in the public. In fact, he will do anything to avoid going to such places because of the attendant shame. He has suddenly become an ex-champion. At that moment, his crown, an

WHO’S IN YOUR COMPANY? Thursday 21 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” (Prov. 13:20). READ: Matthew 25:1-13 “T hen shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish” (Matthew 25:1-2). One outstanding difference between the virgins who made it and those who lost was wisdom—the presence thereof in the lives of the wise and the absence thereof in the lives of the foolish. Wisdom directs us in the appropriate and right way of acting. Similarly, foolishness misdirects life in a wrong way. In other words, your lifestyle and destination will be determined by either the presence or absence of wisdom. In the same manner, your eternal destination will depend on whether you possess wisdom or not. Believers who fail to access the wisdom of God may miss Heaven. This is why wisdom is not optional

MAN, VERY UNRELIABLE Wednesday 20 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee” (Isaiah 49:15). READ: Judges 15:9-13 A part from worrying about the past and present, many people worry about their future. For those whose parents are well-to-do, they may ask: ‘Can I take my rest since my parents are well placed or live in affluence? Can the position or financial state of my parents guarantee my future?’ Isaiah 49:15 says, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee”. There are situations that can make a woman to forget the child she carried in her womb for nine months. The elders say if you and your child were to be caught in a fire, you would more than likely try to rescue yourself. In times of trouble, parents look out first for themselves. Since parent

HOLINESS IS REQUIRED Tuesday 19 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Thess. 3:13). READ: Luke 1:74-75 “F or all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Rom. 3:23). Sin separates man from the One who loves him most – God. Each time you sin as a believer, you lose a measure of the glory of God. And if you persist, there will be nothing left. Some Christians who were once saved are totally bereft of Gods glory: no trace of that glory can be found any more. Beware of sin! Apart from separating you from God, sin is the real culprit responsible for stagnancy, retrogression, sickness, fruitless efforts, etc. The witch or wizard disturbing you is the very sin you still willfully engage in. As long as you obey and please God, no weapon or scheme of witches or wizards would harm you. So if you decide to live holy from today, all the g

DOCTRINE OF BALAAM Monday 18 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;” (2 Peter 2:15). READ: Numbers 25:1-9 A fter commending the church at Pergamos in Revelation 2:12-17, the Lord pointed out some of their weaknesses, one of which was having among them those who held the doctrine of Balaam. In Numbers 23, while journeying to the Promise Land, the Israelites conquered several nations until they came to Moab. King Balak was afraid of them so he consulted Balaam, a prophet, to curse them. This ploy, however, failed. At some point, Balaam advised King Balak to feign friendship with the Israelites, invite them to a feast, and get the most seductive and near-nude ladies around to entice them. It worked; they fornicated with these ladies and later worshipped in their shrines. God was so angry that He killed 25,000 of them (Num 25:1-9). The lives Balak could

THE WORD: WHAT DIRECTION? Sunday 17 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Heb. 4:2). READ: Hebrews 4:1-2 T o get your breakthrough, you can ask God for the way around the roadblocks on your path, as well as be prepared to act on God’s Word even when it contradicts common sense. Another lesson from the story of the 10 lepers recorded in Luke 17:11-19 is that God’s Word is enough foundation on which to build our expectations. The only reason the lepers obeyed was because Jesus asked them to. Today, many people have great expectations based on the words or promises of men. Man can disappoint you at anytime; hence, Proverbs 25:19 compares such men to a dislocated foot. Every expectation has a basis—a foundation. If the foundation is weak, the expectation will be a mirage. Do you have expectations for yourself, family, ministry or career? What is t

SHINING THROUGH HARD WORK Saturday 16 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men” (Prov. 22:29) READ: Isaiah 60:1-3 I saiah 60:1 says it’s time to arise and shine. Anyone who is ready to shine must be ready to pay a price. There are degrees of shining. Depending on the size of each light and its make-up, light rays are beamed towards a particular location, with a specified intensity. And like battery operated torches that grow dim as the battery weakens, so also do the rays that come from the one who shines. In order to shine, you must make up your mind on the level of rays you want to release, the circumference of your glow, and how long it must be sustained. There are categories of glory. 1 Corinthians 15:41 says, “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory”. Apart from paying the price, it must

GATHERING IN SUMMER Friday 15 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (Prov. 10:5). READ: Genesis 41:25-36 B esides your attitude at home, your ability to optimize your provisions marks you out as a wise fellow. Proverbs 10:5 says, “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame”. It is not easy to gather during a time of lack or famine. It takes wisdom to do so. It takes wisdom to access abundance when everyone else is crying out of hunger. One Bible character who was able to gather in hard times was Isaac. “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him” (Gen. 26:12). Isaac’s breakthrough did not come by chance. Abundance does not just come, it is provoked. To be able to access abundance during famine, you must be prepared to sow what others are not prepared to part with. Ordin

MINDFUL OF HEAVEN OR EARTH? Thursday 14 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.” (Heb. 11:15). READ: Hebrews 11:9-10 I n John 3:31, John the Baptist said that God is above all. No wonder He is called the Most High (Psalm 91:1) and Higher than the Highest (Eccl. 5:8). Following this line of thought, Philippians 2:9-11 says His Name is above every other name in every plane of existence—both human and spirit. This has several implications. First, it means that God is higher than you, the General Overseer and any level of authority. Since He is higher than everyone, you can report to Him anyone who is higher than you, who is threatening or oppressing you. To this end, you can report those holding the reins of power to God. No matter how high that human mountain or hindrance is, as long as the fellow is mortal, he has a problem. As you report the one who is making life unbearabl

SUDDEN TURN-AROUND Wednesday 13 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.” (Ps. 126:1). READ: 2 Kings 7:1-8 I n 2 Kings 6:24-31, Samaria was besieged by the Syrian army and so they could not access fresh food supplies. When the food they had was exhausted, there was no way of bringing in more. As a result, the famine was rife to the point that the Israelites began to eat unclean animals and to practice cannibalism – eating fellow human beings. But when God decided to intervene in 2 Kings 7:1-20, nothing could stop Him. Compared with other famines, it is obvious that there are different levels of famines. Some are more grievous than others. However, from this account, we learn that no matter how terrible a famine situation is, it can be reversed within 24 hours. A song writer says, “It’s always darkest before the dawn”. True. When a situation gets to unbelievable levels of severity, know that turn-around is just ar

SIN STILL SEPARATES Tuesday 12 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isa. 59:2). READ: Isaiah 59:1-3 T he entrance of sin into this world negatively changed everything. Worse, it separated God and man. Until the advent of sin, fear was nonexistent. Adam was happy to welcome God whenever He visited. But after sin intruded, Adam became afraid and started to hide from God. Even today, whenever there is sin in your life, there would be something to be afraid of. Sin is the mother of fear. If you steal, you will no longer be free. If you have extra-marital affairs, you will suddenly become afraid. The purpose of fear in the life of a sinner is to torment and to incapacitate love. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). If you toy with sin, you will live in fear.

NO SEALED LIPS Monday 11 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matt 10:33) READ: Matthew 10:32-33 I f you are running from your enemies, you are making yourself their sitting target and that, brings shame to the Almighty. In spite of the heavy presence of idolatry, to the extent that the Lord Jesus described Pergamos as Satan’s headquarters, the church held fast to their faith and stood strong. Is the community you are in bewitched by the powers of darkness? Do not fear! Call on the Lord to manifest His powers. The truth is that wherever there is a strong satanic presence, there is by far a strong divine presence. And God is ready to manifest His power if only you will courageously invite Him. In any case, if the early church had run, there would have been no Christianity today. If you run today, you might delay the second coming of the Messiah. Moreover the church at Pergamos was so

A WAY AROUND ROADBLOCKS Sunday 10 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). READ: Luke 17:11-19 T he Lord Jesus Christ was heading for Jerusalem and decided to go through Samaria and Galilee. In one of the villages leading to His destination, some 10 leper met Him. According to the Law of Moses, lepers were not allowed to freely mix with the rest of society. They were to be identified by bells they chimed to warn and keep people off. Besides, they were required to maintain about 300 feet from those without the disease. These ten lepers were so desirous of healing that they thought of a way round the societal embargo. Since they had mouths, they had to shout at the top of their voices in order to be heard by the Lord. And they were not disappointed. One lesson from this story is that there is always a way around roadblocks. Going by society’s restriction on lepers, they would never

THE JUDGEMENT SEAT Saturday 9 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” (Rom. 11:22). READ: Acts. 12:20-24 H oliness is central to the present and the afterlife. If God reveals His love, power, faith, wisdom, etc., through your life but you lack holiness, you will be unable to see Him in the end (Heb 12:14). It is certain that no matter how anointed you are, you will die one day. In spite of his double-portion anointing, Elisha still died. Those with healing ministries will die one day. Are you a prosperity minister? One day you will go. Have you been fraudulently amassing wealth and using such proceeds to buy cars or build houses? One day, it’s either you leave the houses or they will leave you. Let holiness be your main hunger and desire. Why was a Bible character like Gehazi born? According to 2 Kings 5:20-27,

ATTITUDE AT HOME Friday 8 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” (Prov. 14:1) READ: Prov. 31:25-29 Y our attitude towards your home will show whether you are wise or not. Proverbs 14:1 says, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands”.This does not restrict the building of the home to only the woman, as inputs from the man are equally required. What is important here is the attitude of the couple. Anytime you do anything that works against the interest of your family, you are pulling it down. A wise woman invests her time, money, efforts in building up her husband, children and herself. One way you can build up your partner or home is by your words. In Proverbs 31:26, the language of the virtuous woman is full of wisdom and kindness. A woman who combines these whenever she speaks to her husband or children, would earn their respect, support and praise. The w

HEAVEN UPLIFTS Thursday 7 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31) READ: John 3:30-31 T he supremacy of Heaven over earth is not contestable. Every heavenly product is of greater value than its earthly counterpart. There is nothing inferior in the heavenly planet. Everything there—gold, diamond, precious stones—is at its finest, while the remnants find their way to earth. In life, you can either get a blessing from Heaven or from the earth. When God sent the first Adam, he was of earth and he failed God. But when He sent the last Adam, He came as a quickening Spirit from Heaven and He succeeded (1 Cor. 15:45-47). This is why Colossians 3:1-2 says if you have truly experienced the new birth, you should desire heavenly things. If after several years of being in the faith, your desires are still on how to acquire earthly things at the

IDEAL SOWING TIME Wednesday 6 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be” (Eccl. 11:3). READ: Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 G oing by Joseph’s experience, a famine can be God’s avenue to fulfil pending prophecies and uplift an individual. May your negative situation birth your promotion in Jesus name. Another salient lesson from the life of Isaac during the time of famine is that opportunities to overcome such drought can come during that famine period itself. This is another way of saying that most problems come with in-built solutions. For instance, after God told Isaac to remain in Gerar, he was led to do something: “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundred fold: and the LORD blessed him” (Gen. 26:12). This passage does not suggest that Isaac never sowed before the famine, rather, it pre

SIN AND CHILDBIRTH Tuesday 5 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” (1 Tim. 2:15). READ: Genesis 3:13-16 T he entrance of sin into planet earth changed the earthly paradise into an unending war zone. The relationship between man and everything else God made was reviewed. He now had to struggle with ground in order to take in miserly harvests. His diet changed too! Vegetables that nutritionists commonly recommend as being ideal for human beings were originally meant for animals by God. After sin came, we now have to struggle with animals to eat their food. Have you ever seen antelope or deer that died in the bush as a result of sickness? The season is that as long as they maintain the food originally given to them by God, they stay in good health. Today, many people are sick because of food they eat. Sin also brought poverty, curses, and death. Sin turns a blessing into a

STAND STRONG Monday 4 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Eph. 6:10). READ: Ephesians 6:10-13 I n His letter to the church in Pergamos, the Lord Jesus Christ said certain things that should interest us. Those days, Pergamos was the greatest city in Asia Minor and also doubled as its capital. The Lord called it the ‘Seat of Satan’ because it was a great religious centre steeped in idol worship. The first thing to note in this letter is the fact that the church stood firm for Jesus in the face of strong and widespread idolatry. From this, we learn that believers are not to run from forces of darkness, it should be the other way round. John 1:5 says, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not”. If you are a child of light, you cannot flee from darkness. Darkness has no power over a true believer in Christ. If you are being over-powered for any reason, something must be wrong s

ENGAGE YOUR HANDS Sunday 3 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE : “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God” (Col. 3:22) READ: Colossians 3:22-24 I f there is one lesson to take away from Exodus 2:5-10, it is that God rewards acts of faith, and that He can decide to use even your enemies to reward you, like it happened to the mother of Moses. Often, after a good deed has been done, many of us set our hopes and expectations on the particular person or organization that is on the receiving end of the deed. When we wait and receive nothing, we become discouraged. It only shows we are looking the wrong way! God is the real rewarder, not man, but He can choose to reward you from any angle, using any person of His choice, including your enemies. Do you know that the reward belonging to many people still lie in the hands of their enemies? The problem is they may never look that way. Look up to

WHAT’S YOUR CHOICE? Saturday 2 July

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9) READ: Acts 5:14-16 G od has different purposes for calling and using His people. For instance, the purpose for which He created Peter was to show the world that in His hands, a nobody can become so anointed that his shadow would heal (Acts 5:4-16). Peter never went to school. He even confessed that it was difficult for him to understand Paul’s writings. Yet, if his shirt mistakenly touched the sick, there would be instant healing. Not many educated people would be comfortable with that. This is not to say that God cannot use the highly educated. He took Paul with his outstanding academic credentials, wore him like a garment, and began to use him. God can use you whether educated or not. What is more important is what