Open Heaven For Today 2024 – Open Heavens 21 May

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Love Your Enemies

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TOPIC: Love Your Enemies

MEMORISE: "But love your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil". Luke 6:35

READ: Proverbs 25:21-22(KJV)

21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:

22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 4-7

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

The most difficult instruction Jesus Christ gave to His disciples is probably what we have in today’s memory verse.

He wants us to love our enemies if we are to be genuine children of God. What are we to do about this seemingly difficult command?

Firstly, you should note that His commands are not grievous (1 John 5:3).

Also, when you consider the benefits of being a child of God, you will realise that what the Lord commands is just a little price to pay.

Amazed by these benefits, John the Apostle wrote in 1 John 3:1:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:

The commandment of the Lord to love your enemies is not just a New Testament doctrine. God commands us to do so because He is love Himself

(1 John 4:7). He loved us even when we were in His enemy’s camp as sinners (Romans 5:8), and since He has commanded us to be perfect even as He is (Matthew 5:48), it means that we have to be like Him in all things (Ephesians 5:1), even in loving our enemies.

Why is it so important to God that you love your enemies?

One reason is that it practically reflects the true nature of your Father, showing Him to be different from what the devil portrays Him to be (Genesis 3:1-5).

When unbelievers experience such uncommon love from you, they are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that your God is good.

Many people testify that they gave their lives to Christ because of the benevolent acts of Christians.

Your perceived enemies today may be your best Christian brothers and sisters tomorrow if only you will heed the Lord’s instruction to love them.

Through your love, their wickedness will melt away. One of my relatives, who was an idol worshipper and was well known for his wickedness, decided to follow me to church when he experienced the goodness of the Lord flowing through me into his life.

When he was confronted by others as to why he abandoned his deity and foolishly followed me to serve the Lord, he confessed that he was left with no other option but to join me in serving Jesus Christ because of the love I had shown him.

He asked those questioning his decision, “Can’t you see how my life has been spiritually and materially transformed?”

Beloved, be good to your enemies and never repay them with evil.

Action Point

Love those that hate you

HYMN 20:  Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus

1 Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

Ye soldiers of the cross;

Lift high His royal banner,

It must not suffer loss:

From vict’ry unto vict’ry

His army shall He lead,

Till every foe is vanquished

And Christ is Lord indeed.

2 Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

The trumpet call obey;

Forth to the mighty conflict

In this His glorious day.

Ye that are men, now serve Him

Against unnumbered foes;

Let courage rise with danger.

And strength to strength oppose.

3 Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

Stand in His strength alone;

The arm of flesh will fail you;

Ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the Gospel armor,

And, watching unto prayer,

Where duty calls, or danger,

Be never wanting there.

4 Stand up! stand up for Jesus!

The strife will not be long:

This day the noise of battle,

The next the victor’s song;

To him that overcometh

A crown of life shall be;

He, with the King of glory,

Shall reign eternally.

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – He That Hath Clean Hands

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TOPIC: He That Hath Clean Hands

MEMORISE: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Psalms 66:18

READ: Psalms 24:3-6 (KJV)

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 1-3

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

It takes clean hands to ascend to the hill of the Most High God and receive from Him. Isaiah 59:1-2 says:

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

When you ask God for something, and He does not give it to you, please check your life first before you start complaining. Are your hands clean? Are you living holy? The Bible says that if you are not living holy, you are at such a distance from God that He cannot even hear your prayers.

Because people who are living in sin are far away from Him, He will not hear them. God hates sin and cannot come close to sin at all. If you want anything from Him, stay away from sin.

Some people feel that they can force God to do things for them. Since they do not want to stop their sinful lifestyles and also know that God will not hear their prayers, they will seek an anointed man of God to pray for them. They believe that God will answer the prayers of the anointed man of God.

Several times, I have prayed for people for healings, deliverance, and breakthroughs without results. On several occasions, I have cried to God, “What is going on? This fellow is your child, why are you not answering my prayers?” A lot of times, God will say, “You don’t know the whole story.”

It doesn’t matter how anointed a man of God is, God cannot be compelled to listen to his prayers over sinners.

My Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, used to say that it is what a father has that he will use to take care of his children. If God is your father, He will take care of you with His goodness. However, if your father is the devil, he will take care of you with the evil that surrounds him. If you want the blessings of God, ensure that you surrender your life to Him in totality and live holy.

The Bible says that without holiness, no one can see God (Hebrews 12:14), so if you truly want to abide in His presence and experience His abundant goodness, holiness must be your lifestyle.

Reflection

Are your hands clean?

HYMN 9:  There Is A Fountain Fill'd With Blood

1 There is a fountain filled with blood

  Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;

And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,

  Lose all their guilty stains:

  Lose all their guilty stains,

  Lose all their guilty stains;

And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,

  Lose all their guilty stains.

2 The dying thief rejoiced to see

  That fountain in his day;

And there may I, though vile as he,

  Wash all my sins away:

  Wash all my sins away,

  Wash all my sins away;

And there may I, though vile as he,

  Wash all my sins away.

3 Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood

  Shall never lose its power,

Till all the ransomed ones of God

  Be saved, to sin no more:

  Be saved, to sin no more,

  Be saved, to sin no more;

Till all the ransomed ones of God,

  Be saved to sin no more.

4 E’er since by faith I saw the stream

  Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

  And shall be till I die:

  And shall be till I die,

  And shall be till I die;

Redeeming love has been my theme,

  And shall be till I die.

5 When this poor lisping, stammering tongue

  Lies silent in the grave,

Then in a nobler, sweeter song,

  I’ll sing Thy power to save:

  I’ll sing Thy power to save,

  I’ll sing Thy power to save;

Then in a nobler, sweeter song,

  I’ll sing Thy power to save.

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Be A Doer

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TOPIC: Be A Doer

MEMORISE: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves". James 1:22

READ: Matthew 7:24-27(KJV)

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezra 8-10

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

James 1:22-25 tells us that we must not be hearers only, but doers of the word of God.

It says that people who are not doers of the word are deceiving themselves and are qualified to be called fools.

According to our Bible reading for today, a fool is someone who hears the word and will not act on it. Such a person is like someone who is building a house on sand.

Some of the people God called fools according to Psalms 14:1 are those who say that there is no God.

If I were to ask many Christians if they believe there is God, they are likely to say ‘Sure’.

The question is, why then are they careless with His words? Those He calls fools are those who do not take His words seriously.

Those who don’t obey the word of God do not have the fear of God.

Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. If we all fear the Almighty God, we will not disobey His words. Those who disobey God are fools.

For some people, their ideology is, “I obey when I want, the way I want, and only the part of the word that is convenient for me.” Such people have lost the fear of God.

In Matthew 21:28-32, Jesus told the story of a father who said to his son, “Go and work on my farm.” The son replied, “I am not going.” He later repented and went.

How can your father give you an instruction, and you tell him to his face, “I am not going?”

If you were raised the way I was, some lashes will definitely follow such effrontery.

As for the second son, the father also gave him an instruction, and he said he will obey, but he did not obey.

Proverbs 25:19 says that such a son is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint; someone who lets you down at a critical moment.

However, there was a third son that you may not easily notice in that passage; He was the one telling the story. Jesus Christ Himself was the Son who said, “I will go,” and went (Isaiah 6:8). In Matthew

26:39, this same Son said, ” …not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

Let your disposition to God’s word always be, “Not as I will, but as thou wilt.” My prayer is that you will always do the will of God, just like Jesus Christ.

Key Point

Obey the word of God promptly and completely at all times, whether it is convenient or not.

HYMN 30:  When We Walk With The Lord

1. When we walk with the Lord,

In the light of His word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will

He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey!

For there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus,

But to trust and obey.

2. But we never can prove

The delights of His love,

Until all on the altar we lay,

For the favour He shows

And the joy He bestows

Are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]

3. Then in fellowship sweet

We will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way,

What He says we will do,

Where He sends we will go,

Never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Banishing Fear

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TOPIC: Banishing Fear

MEMORISE: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee : be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness". Isaiah 41:10

READ: Matthew 10:26-31(KJV)

26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezra 5-7

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 

The above passage tells us clearly that the Holy Spirit which God gives to us is not a Spirit of fear.

This also implies that fear is not a feeling, but a spirit, and that spirit is not from God. As Christians, whenever we find a spirit that is not of God around us, we must banish such a spirit immediately.

Today, fear is banished in your life, in Jesus’ name.

The antidote to fear is faith. Ephesians 6:16 says:

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” 

When this Scripture was written, soldiers had to go to war with shields as it was essential for their survival against the attacks of the enemy.

Likewise, we are to quench the fiery darts of the enemy with the shield of faith.

What are these fiery darts? They are the imaginations through which the spirit of fear creeps into a man’s life. This is why 2 Corinthians 10:5 says:

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

The knowledge of Christ casts down fearful thoughts and imaginations. The more of God you know, and the more aware you are of His power and love for you, the less afraid you will be. You must subject every negative thought to the truth of God’s word. When the thoughts come, you should respond with the word of God that counters them. As you do this over and over again, you will overcome those fears.

You cannot know God without studying His word, hence, to truly banish fear from your life, you need to study God’s word consistently. The Bible says in Romans 10:17: … faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The more of God’s word that you constantly listen to, the more your faith will grow. This will ensure that there is no room for fear in your heart. Study the word of God and meditate on it every day.

Memorise His word, especially the portions that speak specifically to the fears you have. As God’s word dwells richly in your heart, every form of fear will disappear.

Key Point

Studying and meditating on the word of God banishes fear.

HYMN 29:  When peace, like a river, attendeth my way

1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,

when sorrows like sea billows roll;

whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Refrain (may be sung after final stanza only):

It is well with my soul;

it is well, it is well with my soul.

2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

let this blest assurance control:

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

and has shed his own blood for my soul. Refrain

3 My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

my sin, not in part, but the whole,

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;

praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! Refrain

4 O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;

even so, it is well with my soul. Refrain 

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Friday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – God Hates Lies

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TOPIC: God Hates Lies

MEMORISE: "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie". Revelations 22:15

READ: Acts 5:1-11(KJV)

1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezra 1-4

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

Revelation 22:15 tells us that as far as God is concerned, liars and dogs are in the same category.

John 8:44 says that the devil is a liar and the father of lies, so, if you tell a lie, you are declaring openly that your father is the devil.

Years ago, I travelled to llesha and on my way back to Lagos, I decided to visit my late father in the Lord.

I was close to his house when I remembered that he had taught us not to visit men of God empty-handed. So, I stopped to buy some oranges in Surulere.

As my father in the Lord was eating the oranges, he said, 

“Wow, these oranges are sweet, did you buy them on the road?”

I understood that the road he was asking about was the road between llesha and Lagos, not Surulere, however, I said, “Yes sir”.

The moment I said so, the Holy Spirit said, 

“You lied”. I said, “What is the difference?

After all, I bought them at the roadside in Surulere.” Again, the Holy Spirit said, “You lied”.

I said, 

“How does it affect the sweetness of the orange?”

The Holy Spirit did not leave me alone, so I said to my Father in the Lord, 

“Papa, you asked a question just now. I actually bought these oranges in Surulere.” 

The old man nodded his head and said, 

“Hmmm, Holy Spirit.” 

He knew who was dealing with me.

This is why it is surprising that many Christians have gotten so used to lying, even in the church.

A lying tongue is an abomination to God (Proverbs 12:22). God is irritated by lies, irrespective of where it is told.

If God hates lying lips, it means that the prayers of a liar will be unanswered. God does not want to hear the voice of a liar.

This is why many are struggling; the lies they love to tell have become a barrier between them and God.

Lying can cut a man’s life short. In Acts 5, the man and woman who lied to God’s representative fell down and died.

This is a warning to every child of God who tells lies. God does not want you to be destroyed. Do not tell lies.

Action Point

Make up your mind that you will only tell the truth from now on.

HYMN 31:  Yield Not To Temptation

1. When we walk with the Lord,

In the light of His word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will

He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey!

For there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus,

But to trust and obey.

2. But we never can prove

The delights of His love,

Until all on the altar we lay,

For the favour He shows

And the joy He bestows

Are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]

3. Then in fellowship sweet

We will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way,

What He says we will do,

Where He sends we will go,

Never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]