Open Heaven For Today 2024 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Purpose of The Anointing
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TOPIC: The Purpose of The Anointing
MEMORISE:-"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,"
Luke 4:18
READ: Isaiah 61:1-3(KJV)
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 11-13
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
In our Bible reading for today, the Bible says that the first reason the Spirit of the Lord is upon you is to preach good tidings.
Acts 1:8 says:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
God says,
“You will not only be a witness to me in the comfort of your home or local assembly; you must also go from Jerusalem to Judea, then to Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the world.”
The anointing is not only for your domestic use; it is also to be used in the uttermost parts of the world for preaching the gospel.
This is why I am amazed when I see preachers who do not go out of their comfort zones to preach the gospel – preachers who just stay in their local assemblies where they are comfortable and preach from there.
They ignore the rest of the world and act as if it is not their business if people go to hell.
When you become anointed, your first assignment is to begin to preach the gospel to those that are around you and then progress until you get to the uttermost parts of the world.
When you start going out to preach, you will see how many people around the world still don’t know about Christ.
If you take a walk around Redemption City in Nigeria, there are several banners that show pictures and names of countries where Christianity has hardly gotten to.
This is to remind us that we are not called to remain in our comfort zones, but we are to go out and win souls for our Lord.
I am 82 years old, and even at my age, I have not stopped going everywhere I can to preach the gospel because I know that it is the very first reason that God anointed me.
I have been to countries that most people in the world don’t even know exist!
The reason we see many young ministers rise and fall is that after they receive the anointing, they choose to stay in their comfort zones.
Beloved, the harvest is plenty, but labourers are few. Will you make yourself available? Go out and work for your Father, especially when you are still young.
Reflection
What are you doing with the anointing of God over your life?
HYMN 12:– Onward, Christian Soldiers
1 Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
see his banner go!
Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
2 At the sign of triumph
Satan’s host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver
at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
loud your anthems raise!
3 Like a mighty army
moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
where the saints have trod;
We are not divided;
all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine,
one in charity.
4 Onward, then, ye people,
join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices
in the triumph song;
Glory, laud, and honor,
unto Christ the King;
This thro’ countless ages
men and angels sing.
5 Onward, then, ye people!
Join our happy throng;
Blend with ours your voices
In the triumph song.
Glory, laud and honor
Unto Christ, the King;
This through countless ages
Men and angels sing.
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – God Is Talking To You
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TOPIC: God Is Talking To You
MEMORISE:-"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22
READ: 2 Samuel 12:1-7(KJV)
1 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 8-10
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Many times, when we go to Christian gatherings and the message or sermon being preached starts to sound a bit hard to swallow, there’s always a tendency for us to feel that God is talking to our neighbour and not to us. I believe you must have felt like that before.
Once in a while, as the preacher is preaching and condemning certain things that make us a bit uncomfortable, we console ourselves by saying, “He can’t be talking to me. He must be talking to my neighbour.”
Don’t deceive yourself when the word hits you; God is talking to you and not someone else. Every time you hear the word of God, don’t go pointing fingers.
Look within yourself, and wherever you see that you are not living up to His standard, make adjustments immediately.
In the Bible reading for today, a prophet came to King David and told him the story of a rich man who robbed a poor man of the only lamb he had.
The rich man killed the lamb and used it to entertain his visitors instead of taking one out of the many that he had.
David went into a rage and said, “That man shall surely die.” Then, the prophet turned to him and said, “Thou art the man”.
Many times, God brings messages like that to us, and just like David, we start to condemn others, but, if we take a moment to reflect on the message, we just might be the ones being described.
The way to grow as a Christian is not to assume that certain messages or scriptural verses are meant for other people and not you. Listen or read as if you are the one God is talking to directly.
Face the fact that you might not be doing some things right and ensure that you do what must be done to make things right if that is the case.
The reason we have many so-called Christians who don’t behave like Christ is not because God does not correct them; it is because when He corrects them, they assume He is correcting other people.
Unfortunately, if they keep doing that, they will get to a point where they could be destroyed. Beloved, God is speaking to you today.
He wants you to surrender all to Him completely without holding anything back. Don’t be like those who harden their necks because the end of such people is destruction (Proverbs 29:1).
Action Point
Every time you hear a message or read your Bible, assume that you are the only one that God is talking to.
HYMN 7:– I am Thine, O Lord
1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine. [Refrain]
3 Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend! [Refrain]
4 There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – God`s MasterPlans
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TOPIC: God`s MasterPlans
MEMORISE:-"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11
READ: Genesis 37:23; 50:19-20 (KJV)
Genesis 37:23:
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
Genesis 50:19-20:
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 5-7
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Our God is a master planner, He is always many steps ahead in His planning.
In our Bible reading today, Joseph’s brothers planned to do evil to him, but they did not know that God had gone ahead to use their evil plot as a means to fulfil his destiny.
What a master plan! We see another example in the book of Esther where God had already made Esther the queen before Mordecai began to plot evil against the Israelites.
Many times, when we think that some things are happening for no specific reason, we have no idea that God is setting one of His plans in motion.
In 1 Samuel 17, the Bible tells us of a big giant that was terrorising the army of a nation on the battlefield for 40 days.
Back in the country, nobody knew about the terrorist, but a man sent his young son to take food to his older brothers that were on the battlefield.
That young son happened to be David, the man that God had anointed to be the next king of Israel.
Before this, God had arranged for David to be trained to kill giants by sending a lion and a bear for him to kill as practice.
When you read the story, you will hear David telling the king about the training he had received in the forest which qualified him to face the giant and kill him.
Acts 16:9-40 tells us about another clever plan of God. God wanted to save the soul of a man and his family, but because of the nature of that man’s work, there was no way he could attend any crusade.
As a jailer, he couldn’t leave the prison he was working in as he had to look after the prisoners.
Therefore, God needed somebody to go to the prison to preach to him.
In that story, you will see clearly how God planned it; in a vision, somebody told Paul,
“Come to Macedonia and help us.”
Paul went to Macedonia in line with the vision, cast a demon out of a girl, and ended up in jail because of a family that had to be saved.
Trust God and obey whatever instructions He gives to you. Once He tells you to go in a particular direction, obey Him so that you can be a vessel that He uses to bring His plans to pass.
Prayer Point
Father, please show me Your plans and help me to walk in them successfully.
HYMN 21:– Standing on the promises of Christ my King
1 Standing on the promises of Christ, my King,
Through eternal ages let his praises ring;
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Refrain:
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God, my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
2 Standing on the promises that cannot fail.
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
3 Standing on the promises of Christ, the Lord,
Bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
4 Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List’ning ev’ry moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Your Right-Hand Man 3
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TOPIC: Your Right-Hand Man 3
MEMORISE:-"And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men." Samuel 22:2
READ: 2 Samuel 23:8-23(KJV)
8 These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.
9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:
10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.
11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.
12 But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory.
13 And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.
14 And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!
16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord.
17 And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.
18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.
19 Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.
20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:
21 And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.
22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among three mighty men.
23 He was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 1-4
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
We read some right-hand men that were called the ‘mighty men of David’. In 2 Samuel 23:16, they risked their lives to get him the water he had a longing to drink.
Though they were vagabonds when David met them, they became valiant men under him, and he gave them high ranks in his army. Ahithophel was also David’s right-hand man, and Psalms 41:9 tells us that he sat at David’s table.
When God gives you right-hand men, they must be honoured and never looked down on. Joseph was Pharaoh’s right-hand man.
When Joseph brought his people to Egypt, Pharaoh gave them Goshen, the best part of the land, to dwell in. Great men know that to be successful, they must honour and take care of their right-hand men.
You must show your right-hand men that you are just as committed to them as they are committed to you.
Not long ago, a friend of mine called very late in the night and said, “Daddy, I have a problem.” He told me the problem, and we ended the call.
Soon after, I called my driver, and we left the house. About an hour later when I called him, he thought it was to tell him that I was still praying, but what he heard was,
“Please tell them to let me in at the gate.”
He was surprised to see me, but I told him,
“What are friends for?”
Any time of the day that I needed him, he always ran to me. Now that he needed me, I also ran to him.
If people show commitment to you, you must also show commitment to them. Many people have lost their right-hand men because they refused to honour them.
Whenever it is possible, I usually rearrange my schedule so I can be at the birthday celebrations of some of the people God has placed as my right-hand men.
You may not know it, but that fellow who has been very committed to you might have been mocked at one time or the other because of it.
There might have been times when you unknowingly did something that offended the fellow, and he or she endured it because of his or her commitment to helping you achieve your vision.
In return, whenever you have the opportunity, you must also show your commitment to your right-hand men. That will really go a long way in encouraging them.
Action Point
Pick up your phone and call that fellow who has been a right-hand man to you just to encourage him or her. You can also present him or her with a gift of appreciation.
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.
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