Open Heaven For Today 2024 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Becoming A Son Of God 1
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TOPIC: Becoming A Son Of God 1
MEMORISE:And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17
READ:1 John 3:8-9(KJV)
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 11-13
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Yesterday, I distinguished clearly between being a son of God and being a servant of God.
I am quite sure that you choose to become a son of God rather than a servant.
How then can you become a son of God?
Being a son of God requires that you fulfil some obligations. A son is a major stakeholder in whatever the father does.
He takes whatever belongs to the father as his because he is not a servant but a son.
John 10:12 says that the hireling (servant) will not give his life for the sheep, but Jesus, the Son of God, gave his life for the sheep.
In the same vein, you must be ready to spend and be spent for the salvation of men on earth. Nothing must be too hard for you to do so that people will not perish in hell.
A servant can see souls perishing and turn the other way, but not a son; a son will go out and preach the gospel to them until they give their lives to Christ and remain steadfast in the Lord.
If you are not an incurable soul winner, your sonship is in doubt.
A son resembles his father. It is only what he sees his father do that he does. That is why 1 John 3:9 says:
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
True sons of God hate sin. Don’t mind those who tell you that once you have given your life to Christ, you can go ahead and commit sin – they are liars!
Real children of God have the seed of God in them, and that seed makes it difficult for them to sin.
If they fall into sin, that seed begins to bite them, and they become very sorry for what they have done.
They go back to their Father, like any genuine child will do, and plead for forgiveness. Nobody can keep committing sin on purpose and claim to be a son of God – that fellow is a liar.
A child that does not resemble his father is called a bastard.
It was recorded that Jesus loved righteousness and hated iniquity (Hebrews 1:8-9).
If you are truly a child of God, you will hate sin and love righteousness because of His seed within you.
Key Point
You cannot remain in sin and claim to be a child of God.
HYMN 23:– Take my life, and let it be
1 Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Servant Or Son?
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TOPIC: Servant Or Son?
MEMORISE: I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:" 1 Chronicles 17:13
READ: Luke 15:11-32 (KJV)
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 8-10
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Whenever I insist that I am not a servant of God, but a son of God, some wonder if there’s a difference between children of God and servants of God.
Simply put, a son of God has several advantages that a servant of God does not have.
In John 8:35,
the Bible says that, unlike a servant, a son abides in the house forever. A servant can resign or be sacked, but a son cannot be sacked.
When a father says,
“I reject you as my child, I disown you,”
it is a joke because his blood is running in the child; he can’t take the blood away. Hence, a child will always be in the house.
The implications of this alone are many. Psalm 23:6, for example, says:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
The one who dwells in the house forever has the assurance that goodness and mercy shall follow him forever.
Also, according to Psalm 91:1,
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
A servant is always a visitor; he comes into the presence of the master when he is needed and goes out when he is not needed. A son, however, is a dweller; he stays in the house all the time.
Furthermore, according to John 5:20, the son sees everything that the father does; the servant does not see everything his master does.
There is beauty and joy in knowing what God is doing and being able to see ahead of time what God is going to do.
For example, years ago, when problems were brewing, I told those close to me,
“Trouble is coming, but at the end of it, somebody is going to laugh,”
and so it happened because I have the privilege as a son to see what my Father is doing.
There are certain things that can happen to servants that will never happen to children. For example, as good as Job was, God called him “My servant,” little wonder God allowed Satan to experiment with him (Job 1:8-12).
My Father will never permit the enemy to experiment with my health, resources or anything that concerns me because I am His son.
Tomorrow, by His grace, I will commence a study on how to become a son of God.
Key Point
Being a son of God is superior to just being His servant.
HYMN 27:– What a Friend We Have in Jesus
1 What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!
2 Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
3 Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge–
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he’ll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – What Is God`s Temple? 6
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TOPIC: What Is God`s Temple? 6
MEMORISE: But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." Psalm 22:3
READ: 2 Chronicles 5:13-14(KJV)
13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord;
14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 5-7
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
The temple of God is much more than all I have discussed in this series so far.
In fact, if I want to call God’s temple any particular name, I will probably call it the house of praise and power.
In our Bible reading for today, you will discover why David said:
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
The temple is a house of praise. Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of Israel, and we saw a manifestation of this in our Bible reading today.
The temple is also the house of thanksgiving because our Bible reading passage today also says that they were thanking God too and not just praising Him (2 Chronicles 5:13).
In fact, David says in Psalm 100:4 that you should enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.
As praise and thanksgiving go on, His glory fills the temple powerfully. So, when you go into the temple, you are actually going into God’s glory.
That glory rubs off on you, and everywhere you go after that, you just begin to experience supernatural goodness and mercy.
God’s temple is also a house where goodness and mercy abound. In Psalm 23:6, the Bible says:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
There is a song I love so much, and it goes thus:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days, all the days of my life (2x).
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and I will feast at the table set for me.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days, all the days of my life (2x).”
Beloved, I encourage you to sing this song prophetically, and if you do not know the song, you can just speak the words into your life.
You must, however, go beyond merely singing or speaking the words, you must live it.
Dwelling in the house of the Lord precedes feasting at the table set before you.
Whether the enemy likes it or not, when you are in the house of the Lord praising and thanking Him, a table will be set before you, and nothing can tamper with it!
Key Point
The benefits of being in God’s temple are far too great to be missed.
HYMN 18:– Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
1. Praise to the Lord,
the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is
thy health and salvation:
Join the great throng
psaltery,organ and song
sounding in glad adoration!
2. Praise to the Lord,
who over all he gloriously reigneth:
Borne as on eagle-wings, safely
his saints, He sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen
How all thou needest hath been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
3. Praise to the Lord,
who doth prosper thy way and defend thee;
Surely his goodness and mercy
shall ever attend thee;
Ponder anew, What the Almighty can do,
Who with His love doth befriend thee
5. Praise to the Lord!
Oh, let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath breath, join with
Abraham’s seed to adore Him!
Let the Amen, sum all our praises again;
Now as we worship before Him.
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – What Is God`s Temple? 5
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TOPIC: What Is God`s Temple? 5
MEMORISE:"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16
READ: Hebrews 4:15-16(KJV)
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 1-4
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
God’s temple is also a house of grace. Hebrews 4:16 calls the temple the throne of grace.
It is the place where you can go and obtain grace and mercy in times of need.
You may be in need of strength and grace to overcome a particular situation; the good news is that the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God’s grace is sufficient for you, and His strength is made perfect in your weakness.
You receive this sufficient grace when you come into His temple.
People who go to the occult for power know that they have to keep visiting the shrine regularly to renew their powers.
The devil only tries to copy God’s methods; we who own the original must also always go to the temple of God to keep renewing our strength and receive fresh grace to surmount challenges that we may be faced with daily.
There are people who, when they have committed a sin, avoid going to church because they feel dirty – that is wrong.
At that point, they need the mercy of God and where they can get it is at His throne of grace. That is the time they need to be in church the most.
When you get to His throne of grace, go in humility.
Even if you are a worker, don’t try to keep up an appearance; tell God you have erred and that you are sincerely sorry. Tell Him to please have mercy on you.
Many people go to the temple and keep up appearances like the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14, while some others go in like the Publican in the same passage.
This is why many people keep going to church and are yet filled with so much junk within them.
Even if you are the pastor of the church, when you are before the throne of grace and in need of mercy, don’t put up a false appearance of piety; go before God pleading for mercy.
The devil knows that you can always access mercy and grace in the presence of God, so he will do everything he can to discourage you from coming unto Him.
He used to have that privilege of being in God’s presence, but he lost it when iniquity was found in him (Ezekiel 28:14-16), and of course, he does not want you to enjoy what he has lost.
Beloved, don’t let anything keep you away from coming into God’s presence to access his mercy and grace.
Key Point
Go to the house of God in humility so you can receive grace and mercy from the throne of grace.
HYMN 2:– Amazing grace!
1 Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
2 Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come
This grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home
3 The Lord hath promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
4 Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease:
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.
5 The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine;
but God, who called me here below,
will be forever mine.
6 When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.
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