Open Heaven For Today 2024 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Under Your Feet
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TOPIC: Under Your Feet
MEMORISE: "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus": Ephesians 2:6
READ: Proverbs 16:16-18 (KJV)
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
READ: Ephesians 1:18-23(KJV)
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 47-48
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
There was a man in my village called Kaka, who was the leader of the occultists. It was generally believed that he single-handedly protected the town from all forms of evil, and he was feared by all.
When we wanted to open the RCCG parish in my village, the place we found suitable for a rally was close to Kaka’s house.
Surprisingly, when an altar call was made during the rally, Kaka came out of his house to give his life to Christ – he had been listening to the worship session and sermon.
Later that night, he came to my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, and said,
“The way you spoke about your God, He must be really powerful.”
Papa said,
“Very, very powerful.”
Kaka said,
“In that case, now that I have given my life to Jesus, I would need help with an idol in my house called shigidi.It is an effigy that has been in my family for generations and that we send out at night when we want to kill someone. It is so dangerous that we must not sleep until it returns, and we must kill a ram to welcome it. Upon its return, it will step on the ram’s blood and drink it. Thereafter, it will return to its position and become just like an ordinary effigy. I am afraid of the trouble that might follow if I throw shigidi away.”
Papa decided to send me over to remove the effigy.
I went to Kaka’s house with the pastor of our parish in ilesha and a church worker that I thought to be a strong prayer warrior.
When Kaka saw me, he felt sorry for me,
“Ahhh, Adeboye’s son, you are the one they sent?”
When my colleagues saw shigidi, they ran out of the house, leaving me alone with the effigy.
It was smeared with blood and adorned with all manner of charms. I said a prayer, broke the effigy into pieces, removed the shrine in front of the house, and threw everything into a river.
After three weeks, I returned to my village and visited Kaka at home. When he saw me, he shouted, “You are still alive?!” That was 1975. I am still alive almost five decades after.
Beloved, the devil and his demons are under the feet of even the smallest child of God.
You are a part of the body of Christ, and Ephesians 1:21 says that Christ is seated far above all principality and powers.
Key Point
Never ever be afraid of demons that you can trample under your feet.
HYMN 1: All Hail The Power Of Jesus
1 All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!
2 Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre,
and as they tune it, fall
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face Who tunes their choir,
and crown Him Lord of all.
3 Crown Him, ye morning stars of light,
Who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might,
and crown Him Lord of all.
4 Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God,
Who from His altar call;
Extol the stem of Jesse’s Rod,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the stem of Jesse’s Rod,
and crown Him Lord of all.
5 Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race,
ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by his grace,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him who saves you by his grace,
and crown Him Lord of all!
6 Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line,
Whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, Man divine,
and crown Him Lord of all.
The God incarnate, Man divine,
and crown Him Lord of all.
7 Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget
the wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
and crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your trophies at His feet,
and crown Him Lord of all.
8 Let every tribe and every tongue
before Him prostrate fall,
And shout in universal song,
and crown him Lord of all.
And shout in universal song,
and crown him Lord of all.
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Prayer Contaminants
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TOPIC: Prayer Contaminants
MEMORISE: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof". Proverbs 18:21
READ: Proverbs 18:20-21 (KJV)
20 A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 47-48
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Certain things can contaminate our prayers, such that they weaken our prayers and their possible results. One such thing is speaking words that are against what we are praying for.
When you pray about your country, for example, and later join others in saying that nothing good can come out of that same country, you have contaminated your prayer already.
Don’t pray for God to give life to something and then turn around to speak death into that same thing; you will not get results from such a prayer.
Joel 3:10 says,
“Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’”
In other words, if you have prayed for strength, but can still see traces of weakness in you, at that point, say,
“I am strong”.
As your words go in line with your prayers, they will remain potent enough to deliver the results you seek.
When you pray about something, it is important that your words and thoughts agree with your prayer. This way, you will not stand in the way of the answer to your prayer.
Another thing that contaminates prayers is a lack of concentration while praying. This is when people pray, but their hearts are not in the prayer.
Rather, their minds are occupied with other things. The devil knows that if your mind is distracted while praying, your prayer will not carry as much power as it should.
Therefore, whenever you decide to pray, he will begin to remind you of things you are yet to do and places that you ought to have gone to.
His plan is to occupy your mind with other things so that you will become distracted and lose your concentration as you pray.
Whenever you find your mind wandering while praying, write down the things that you ought to have done, put the note aside, and continue to pray.
Train your mind to keep all distractions away, and don’t give room for them to disturb your connection to God in the place of prayer.
With time, as you continually train your mind, you will get good at focusing on God while praying.
Key Point
If you want your prayers to remain potent and powerful enough to deliver results, make sure they are not contaminated.
HYMN 3: Ancient Words
For our walk in this world
They resound with God’s own heart
Oh, let the ancient words impart
Chorus
Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart
2. Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e’er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home
3. Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh heed the faithful words of Christ
4. Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God’s own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Friday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Prayer Extinguishers III
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TOPIC: Prayer Extinguishers III
MEMORISE: "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed". James 1:6
READ: James 1:5-8 (KJV)
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Today, I will conclude my discussion on some of the factors that can extinguish prayers. Some people get almost everything right in the place of prayer but miss out on just one thing – faith.
Today’s memory verse says that believers should always make their requests to God in faith without having any doubts in their hearts.
The next verse directly addresses anyone who makes requests from God without faith:
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. James 1:7
When you pray without faith, that prayer is dead on arrival.
Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Believers cannot expect God to answer their prayers when He is not pleased with them.
God requires that you have faith in Him when you ask Him for something. Luke 17:6 says that even if your faith is as little as a mustard seed, God will use it to move mountains on your behalf.
If your child asks you for food and then looks at you in such a way that says,
“I know you will not give me; you probably don’t even have it,”
you will feel insulted.
This is what we do when we ask God for things that we are not really expecting Him to give to us.
When you come to God in faith, you come knowing without a doubt that what you have asked of Him is already done.
You bring your requests with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6) because you know that your prayer has already been answered.
The moment you pray, your hands are already stretched out to God, expecting what you asked for.
This is how to pray; it is the kind of prayer that God cannot ignore. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the evidence of things not seen.
In other words, when you have faith, even though you have not seen what you are asking for, you will be so sure that you have it that you can present it in court as evidence to any judge, telling them,
“See what ! have.”
For a long time, I tried by my own power to increase my faith, but it was difficult. Then, I read Mark 9:24, where a man cried to Jesus, saying that he believes but that Jesus should help his unbelief.
In minutes, what Jesus was asking him to believe for was done. I also started praying that God should help my faith, and I have seen my faith grow tremendously since then.
If you pray the same prayer, Jesus will give your faith a boost, and you will be able to overcome unbelief.
Prayer Point
Lord, I believe in you; please help my faith.
HYMN 10: In Christ Alone
1 In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
2 In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live
3 There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
4 No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Prayer Extinguishers II
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TOPIC: Prayer Extinguishers II
MEMORISE: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts". James 4:3
READ: James 4:1-6 (KJV)
1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Yesterday, I discussed how sin can extinguish our prayers. Another prayer extinguisher is – not praying according to God’s will.
You must understand that God has a plan for your life and wants to bring you to an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11).
This means that God already has an expectation about you before you were born.
Thus, everything He does, including the prayers He answers, is to bring you to that expected end. You cannot pray for God to do something against His will and expect Him to do it.
Many people have said, “I have been asking God for a particular thing for so long without an answer.”
Where they are probably getting it wrong is that they are not checking if what they are asking for aligns with God’s will or if it’s just for their selfish lusts (James 4:3).
Asking for something outside God’s will is asking amiss; such prayers are extinguished, and God will not grant such requests.
This is why you must be intimate with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 says that we do not know how to pray because, many-a-times, we don’t know the will of the Father.
However, the Holy Spirit can help you to pray exactly what the will of the Father is, and then your prayers will be attended to.
When you pray in tongues, you are praying very accurate prayers because the Holy Spirit is praying the will of the Father through you.
Imagine that you are friends with the son of the chairman of a company, and you apply for a job in that company, using an application letter that was written by a director in the company, and having the chairman’s son, who is also a director, as your referee.
When your application gets to the chairman’s table, he will not be able to ignore it because it will contain the exact things that relate to the organisation and the role you are applying for, and also because his son is your referee.
You will surely have the job because your application will contain exactly what is on the chairman’s mind, and you have a good relationship with his son.
If you don’t want your prayers extinguished, let the Holy Spirit pray through you as you maintain an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in whose name you are praying.
The best prayer points are the ones generated for you by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer Point
Holy Spirit, please teach me to pray according to the will of the Father at all times.
HYMN 22: Sweet Hours Of Prayer
1. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my Father’s throne
make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter’s snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
2. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
the joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
where God my Savior shows his face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
3. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
thy wings shall my petition bear
to him whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I’ll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
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