Open Heaven For Today 2024 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Return On Seeds III
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TOPIC: Return On Seeds III
MEMORISE: "Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness"; 2 Corinthians 9:10
READ: Malachi 3:10-12(KJV)
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 15-17
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Over the last two days, I have discussed how you can get harvests from the seeds you sow. Today, I will focus on seeds that are sown based on God’s instructions. These kinds of seeds go beyond yielding 100- fold, they yield unlimited returns.
In 1 Kings 17:8-16, when Elijah told the widow to bring her last meal and she obeyed, the result was an unlimited supply of food for her household all through the famine. When God instructs you to give and you obey, He pours unlimited blessings on you.
When I became the General Overseer of RCCG, the entire monthly income of the church was less than my monthly salary as a lecturer before I resigned. By the time we managed to pay the salaries of the staff, there was usually nothing left for me.
Things were tough, and I looked forward to collecting my gratuity because I had served the government for many years. My plan was to invest part of the money and save some, hoping that before I finished spending my savings, the church would have grown to the point where I could start getting paid a salary.
When the gratuity came in, I remembered that God was now my Commander-in-Chief, so I asked Him how to spend the money.
To my surprise, He said that I should divide it into three parts and give each part to different ministries. Nothing was to come to the ministry I was heading, even though we had needs.
I trembled when He gave me that instruction, but then, He followed it with, “I will be your source.” l obeyed, and since then, He has truly been my source.
In Malachi 3:10, God instructed that you should bring ten per cent of your income into His storehouse, and He will open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings that you will not have enough room to contain. This is an unlimited blessing that comes from obeying just one instruction.
God blessed Abraham and told him that He will be his reward (Genesis 15:1). Imagine God Himself being someone’s reward; that is an unlimited blessing.
When you check what preceded that, you will discover that this blessing came after Abraham paid the first ever tithe to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20. Your tithe is a major door to the unlimited blessings of God.
When God instructs you to give, it is an opportunity for you to experience unlimited blessings from Him.
Do not let such opportunities pass you by.
Key Point
Obey all God’s instructions on giving, and you will experience His unlimited blessings.
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 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Return On Seeds II
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TOPIC: Return On Seeds II
MEMORISE: "But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold". Matthew 13:8
READ: 1 Kings 17:8-16 (KJV)
8 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Yesterday, I discussed the importance of ensuring that you are sowing on good soil. Today, I will examine the returns to be expected from seeds even when they are planted on good soils. First, let us focus on sowing into a man of God’s life.
He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. Mathew 10:41
The spiritual hierarchy of the man of God you are sowing into will determine the level of the returns you will get from your seeds. Some seeds will yield 30-fold, some 60- fold and some 100-fold.
Your seeds might be planted on good soil, but the richer the soil, the more the yield will be. In other words, the greater the spiritual height the fellow has reached, the greater the yield when you sow into his or her life. This is not to say that you should only sow into the lives of big men of God.
In fact, there are some so-called ‘small’ men of God who have gone deeper in spiritual things than the popular ones; popularity is not a test of spirituality. Yes, it is good to sow into the lives of Bishops, General Overseers and Senior Pastors, but you must also not neglect the pastor that is close to you today, especially when God instructs you to do so.
I must mention here that your seeds are really sown to honour God and not any man. You can only sow through a man of God, but the one you are really giving to is the God that the man represents.
Thus, if you only sow into the lives of those you have identified as big men of God, you are clearly trying to manipulate God, and God cannot be manipulated. All His children have needs, and if it is Him you really care about when sowing your seeds, then you will sow everywhere you know that He wants to meet a need.
In Galatians 6:10, the Bible says that we should do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith.
Don’t ignore the brother who is wearing a worn-out shoe to church while you go about changing the entire wardrobe of your pastor. If God has shown you a brother or sister’s need, you should meet that need in honour of the God he or she serves.
Action Point
Sow into the life of a true child of God today.
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 Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Return On Seeds I
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TOPIC: Return On Seeds I
MEMORISE: "And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred". Mark 4:20
READ: Matthew 13:1-8 (KJV)
1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
In finance, there is something called Return on Investment. Likewise, in the kingdom of God, there is something I’ll like to call Return on Seeds.
This is the profit you make when a seed is sown in the kingdom of God. According to today’s Bible reading, there is the possibility of having a zero return on seeds sown, or a 30, 60 or 100-fold return.
Also, as you will learn later in this series, there is the possibility of having an unlimited return on your seeds.
Two things determine your return on seeds: the first is what is left with you after sowing. In other words, how sacrificial is your seed? The second is the soil on which you sowed. Today, I will focus on the kind of soil that brings zero return on seeds.
Many years ago, I was sowing seeds into a ministry abroad. I knew about the law of harvest, so I kept sowing. However, nothing was coming forth. I became worried, and so I started to ask God what was happening.
Then, I had a dream. In the dream, I was standing on a farmland with heaps that showed that things had been sown on that land. I lifted one of the heaps, and underneath it was solid concrete.
This meant that nothing could grow on that land. When I woke up, I knew the meaning of the dream – the ministry I had been sowing into was as good as concrete ground; no seed will yield returns when sown there.
If you sow a seed in a place that God does not approve of, your seed will yield no return. God cares about the poor, therefore, when you sow into their lives, Psalms 41:1 says that He will deliver you in the day of trouble.
God cares about His prophets and ministers, so when you sow into their lives, you will get a reward (Matthew 10:41-42). God cares about His Church, so when you sow into a ministry, you will be rewarded (Malachi 3:10-12).
If the place you sow into only looks like a ministry from the outside but is devoid of God’s presence, then your seeds will yield zero returns.
You can decide to give anybody money if you wish, but if it is a seed, ensure that you are sowing in a place or a person that God is interested in.
Don’t sow your seeds on concrete and expect a return, it will not yield anything.
Key Point
Be sure of the soil before you sow your seeds in it.
HYMN 26: There Shall Be Showers Of Blessings
1 There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Saviour above.
Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.
2 There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.
3 There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord!
Grant to us now a refreshing;
Come, and now honour Thy Word.
4 There shall be showers of blessing,
Oh, that to-day they might fall,
Now, as to God, we’re confessing.
Now as on Jesus we call!
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Start Hearing From God
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TOPIC: Start Hearing From God
MEMORISE: "He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God". John 8:47
READ: John 10:2-5 (KJV)
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Jesus Christ said:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:27
This means that you don’t have to be a prophet to hear from God; all you need is to be His child. I am praying for you today, that the Almighty God will cause you to hear from Him more clearly.
When God begins to talk to you about what He wants to do, it shows that you have become His friend.
In John 15:15, Jesus Christ said to His disciples:
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
God said concerning Abraham that He could not hide whatever He was about to do from him.
God is sovereign, He doesn’t need permission from anybody to do anything, but there are certain people He must talk to before He does anything.
You must sit down and really assess your relationship with God and become so close to Him that you can hear from Him yourself.
You need to get to that stage where He will not hide anything from you. When you read Genesis 18, you will discover that Abraham was a friend of God. That was why God never hid anything from Him.
Abraham wasn’t just God’s friend, Romans 4:16 describes him as the father of faith. Since without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), Abraham being the father of faith means that he really pleased God.
You can get so close to God that He will tell you His secrets; things He won’t tell anyone else.
In John 13:21-26, everyone at the table asked Jesus about who will betray Him. He did not answer them, but He answered one fellow who was His favourite – John the Beloved.
It is such a beautiful thing to be able to tell anyone, no matter who they are, “God did not say that.” It shows that you are so special to God that if He is to talk to anyone, He will talk to you.
For example, in 1 Kings 22:6-28, many prophets prophesied falsehood, but Micaiah, who heard from God directly, stood out and spoke the mind of God and it came to pass.
If you are close to God, you cannot be deceived by anyone. I pray for you that soon, God will be sharing His secrets with you, in Jesus’ name.
Key Point
Walk so close to God that you can hear from Him yourself
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 – Who Do People Say You Are?
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TOPIC: Who Do People Say You Are?
MEMORISE: "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" Matthew 16:13
READ: Matthew 16:13-16 (KJV)
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Today’s topic is a question you must be conscious of. In today’s Bible reading, Jesus asked His disciples whom people said that He was.
He wasn’t confused about His identity; He knew who He was, but He was concerned about how people perceived Him.
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You must be conscious of how people perceive you too. People will only relate with you based on what they think about you and not what you think about yourself.
When my father in the Lord was alive, company executives would come to him for his opinion whenever they needed to hire staff for their company.
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They would say things like, “Sir, Brother so and so in your church has applied for a role in our company, what do you think about him?” Sometimes, he would cleverly reply, “That brother?
Well, he says he is a Christian.” However, when they ask about someone who is truly born again, he will say, “That brother is a Christian.” There is a difference between who you claim to be and who you really are.
There are two kinds of people whose perception of you, you must take seriously. The first are people who know you but are not in your inner circle.
They may not be close to you, but they are observant. They can build a perception about you from the things you say and do.
Their perception may not be true, but as far as they are concerned, that is the true you. Therefore, you should endeavour not to make a mistake that will give them a wrong impression of you.
The second set of people are those in your inner circle. In today’s Bible reading, the fellow who knew the real identity of Jesus was one of the people in His inner circle – Simon Peter.
This tells us clearly that those who know us the best are the ones closest to us. Who does your spouse say you are?
What about your children? These people know you more than anyone else, and their opinion must be very valuable to you.
I have always said it, the reason some ministers’ children are wayward is because they know who their parents are. They hear them preach one thing on the altar but see them do something else at home.
This confuses them and draws them far from the God their parents claim to serve. You can pretend to people outside, but you cannot pretend to your family members.
Action Point
Look for people within your inner circle who will not lie to you. Let them tell you their perception of you.
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 Friday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Taking Thrones For God
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TOPIC: Taking Thrones For God
MEMORISE: "When the rightous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn". Proverbs 29:2
READ: Esther 8:7-17(KJV)
7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.
9 Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.
10 And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:
11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,
12 Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
13 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.
15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
On earth, every government, ministry or industry has a leader who can be likened to a king sitting on a throne. Today's memory verse says that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. In other words, when things are going wrong, it is likely that it is not a righteous person bearing rule. The reason we have policies that clearly go against God's ways is that the people bearing rule and establishing such policies are not righteous. We have industries, political parties, and the likes that are obviously corrupt because parties, and the likes that are obviously corrupt because the thrones in such places are occupied by unrighteous people; that is about to come to an end! Believers have to do what it takes to take thrones for God.
I was quite close to a king in the western Nigeria before he died. We were so close that on one occasion, I slept in his place. Because of how close we were, he got some of the anointing that God put upon me, so before he died, he made a decree. He did not want the people of his kingdom too go back to idol worship after his demise, so he decreed that anyone who is not born gain would not sit on the throne again. It has been well over 20 years and even though there have been people that are keenly interested in the throne and some that have been chosen to sit on it, up till now, no one has occupied that throne. He took the throne for God completely so that his kingdom will only serve the living God. You can do the same, you can take the thrones of the places you operate in for God.
Yes you can take thrones for God by declarations. However, it is easier to dedicate thrones to God permanently when you are the one sitting on them. This means that you must work hard and strive to reach the top so that you can sit on thrones. Once you sit on a throne, you can sanitized the entire place spiritually, and take it over for God permanently. I pray that the grace to reach the top in your fields of operation will be released unto you, in Jesus' name. God will use you to take thrones from the devil's hands, in Jesus name. Because of you, evil policies and corrupt practices will be abolished, in Jesus name.
Key Point
Work hard, sit on thrones and take them over for God.
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.
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