Open Heaven For Today 2024 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Divine Setup
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TOPIC: Divine Setup
MEMORISE: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice". Genesis 22:18
READ: 1 Kings 3:4-15 (KJV)
4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 24-26
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
The first time I read 1 Kings 3:4-15 after being born again, I thought to myself,
“How did Solomon think of offering God a thousand burnt offerings?”
This made me carry out a background check, and I discovered a secret.
In 2 Samuel 12:24-25, the Bible tells us that God loved Solomon as soon as he was born. His father named him Solomon, but God named him Jedidiah, meaning beloved of the Lord.
Because God loved Solomon, He wanted an opportunity to bless him in a way that nobody would be able to query Him, so He set him up by putting it in his heart to do something nobody had ever done before. That way, He also could do for Solomon what He had never done for anyone before.
When I joined RCCG in 1973, when there was any need in the church, they would ask only the children of God to wait behind. In those days, children of God meant those that are truly born again and know it.
One day, my wife and I waited behind, and the General Superintendent said,
“We have an urgent need that must be met this week. Every one of you should go and close your bank accounts and bring whatever money you have there to the church.”
On Monday, my wife and I closed our savings accounts and took the money to church.
The following Sunday, the General Superintendent said again that the children of God should wait behind. We waited. He announced that the need had been met, and we all rejoiced. Then he asked the question,
“How many of you closed your accounts as l instructed?”
My wife and I raised our hands, and when we looked around, no other hand was raised.
Immediately, I thought to myself,
“I hope I am not going crazy with this Christianity of mine.”
Then, God spoke to me,
“Son, you are not mad. I am allowing you to do what others have not done so that when I take you to where I am taking you, nobody will be able to query me.”
The rest is history; it was a divine setup.
When God places it in your heart to give Him something, He is only setting you up for greatness.
If you obey, you will be rejoicing later in future, but if you disobey, you will have missed a miracle.
Whether you give or not, God has numerous ways to meet His need. The one who is really in need is you.
Prayer Point
Father, please help me not to miss Your divine setup for my greatness, in Jesus’ name.
HYMN 28: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
1 Guide me, O my great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but you are mighty;
hold me with your powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me now and evermore,
feed me now and evermore.
2 Open now the crystal fountain,
where the healing waters flow.
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
ever be my strength and shield,
ever be my strength and shield.
3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside.
Death of death, and hell’s Destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises
I will ever sing to you,
I will ever sing to you.
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – He Shall Laugh
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MEMORISE: "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision". Psalms 2:4
READ: Psalms 37:12-13 (KJV)
12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
Open Heaven For Today MESSAGE:
As God is seated in heaven, He controls everything on earth because the earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1).
In Psalm 2:1-4, the Bible says that when enemies try to deal with the anointed of God, He that sits in heaven shall laugh. In other words, when someone threatens a believer, God laughs at the person.
If someone says that you are not going to be promoted, He that sits in the heavens shall laugh. This is because promotion comes neither from the East nor West, but from God alone (Psalms 75:6-7).
If a doctor says your case is hopeless, He that sits in the heavens shall laugh because He already settled your healing thousands of years ago by His stripes (Isaiah 53:5).
If anybody tells you that you will not be successful in life, He that sits in heaven shall laugh because Deuteronomy 28:13 says that you shall be above only and not beneath.
While God is laughing at every evil intention of the devil over your life, you should not be crying, rather, you should be praising Him. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:27: Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Your worrying will not solve adverse situations.
When God is laughing, you should be laughing too. You should be mocking the mockers and standing on the ever-sure word of God, knowing fully well that your case is already settled in God.
Don’t cry like people who have no hope; you are a child of the King of all kings. Your Father owns the earth and all its fullness (Psalms 24:1), so there is nothing you need that is beyond your reach.
Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
When you make your requests known to God, do so with thanksgiving. Don’t come to Him as if you have no hope.
James 1:6-7 says that if you come to Him without faith, you should not even think of receiving anything from Him.
Since Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the evidence of things not seen, then you must come with thanksgiving, knowing fully well that your requests are already granted.
This is the right state of a true believer; he or she does not live in fear but in faith because of the consciousness of how big and powerful God is.
Key Point
When God is laughing at your enemies, you should not be trembling before them. You should be praising Him and laughing too.
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 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.
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]
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