Open Heaven For Today 2024 – Open Heavens 26 September

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye –  Destiny Destroyers I

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TOPIC: Destiny Destroyers I

MEMORISE: But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. Proverbs 6:32

READ: Judges 16:5-18 (KJV)

5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.

13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.

14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.

16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;

17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zaphaniah 1-3

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

The devil is always looking for signs that mark out people of great destinies. You may have noticed long ago that you are not in this world to be ordinary, and that there is a great destiny that God has ordained for you.

The devil may also sense this, and even though he is unable to fully understand it, he will begin to send destiny destroyers to the fellow to ensure that he or she does not fulfil that glorious destiny.

One major destiny destroyer the devil tries to use is illicit sex.

In Genesis 37:5-9, the devil heard Joseph talk about his destiny and marked him for destruction.

He tried to get his brothers to kill him, but they ended up selling him into slavery. The devil thought that Joseph would not fulfil his dreams in slavery, but when he saw how he prospered in Potiphar’s house even as a slave, he knew that the only way he could stop him was to tempt him with illicit sex, so he sent Potiphar’s wife to seduce him (Genesis 39:11-12).

Thankfully, Joseph did not fall for the temptation because that would have been the end of his big dreams and destiny. Every time you are tempted to engage in illicit sex, that is the devil trying to destroy your destiny. Your response will determine if you will still fulfil destiny or not.

No matter how great a person’s destiny is, giving room to fornication or adultery will destroy such a fellow because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 that our bodies are God’s temple, and if a fellow defiles God’s temple, he or she will be destroyed.

Samson was really great and powerful, so much so that he could single-handedly defeat an entire army. However, as powerful as he was, he met his defeat in the laps of a woman that he wasn’t married to. Before long, he was grinding corn for his enemies (Judges 16:21).

If you find out that you are having illicit sexual desires towards someone of the opposite sex, you should run to God for mercy, go on a fast, and pray for those desires to die.

This way, you will strengthen yourself enough to avoid falling into the temptation and those illicit sexual desires will die eventually.

Beloved, guard yourself against the devil’s temptations to engage in sexual immorality. Don’t allow him to make you destroy your destiny with your own hands. Resist him, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

Key Point

Flee from sexual immorality. It is a destiny destroyer.

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]

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye –  God's Blank Cheque

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TOPIC: God's Blank Cheque

MEMORISE: Continue in Prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Colossians 4:2

READ: Daniel 9:3-19 (KJV)

3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.

13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.

18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zaphaniah 1-3

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

prayer is one of the greatest weapons that God gave to man; the ability to call on Him anytime we want and have Him answer us. It is a signed blank cheque to His children. The question now is, how come some Christians dot use this blank cheque? The answer is in Psalm 10:4:

The wicked, through the pride of countenance, will not sek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.  

Christians that do not pray are proud; it means that they do not have God in all their thoughts because they think they are smart enough to solve all their problems. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says that no matter how wise you are, the things of God that may appear foolish far exceed human wisdom, and the things that seem weak far exceed human strength. It is foolishness not to pray.

One day, when I was a child, I was playing football in front of our house. At a point, I kicked the ball to the top of the roof, and it got stuck there. I was little, so I couldn't see the ball. I tried using a stick to get the ball down from the roof, but I was not able to. My dad was sitting close by, but I didn't call him for help. 

At last, when I was tired, I asked for his help, and he said, "You saw me here all this while, but you didn't think to ask for my help." He stood up and, with one sweep of his hand, brought the ball down. I thought I could bring the ball down by myself, and I kept stressing myself to do so even though I could have just ask my dad for help and gotten the ball easily. Many people stress themselves unnecessarily, running from pillar to post in search for solutions to problems that can easily be solved on their knees in prayers to God.

God gave you a blank cheque in Jeremiah 33:3:

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

I have been using my blank cheque at every opportunity, and God has been answering and showing me great and mighty things that I did not know. Will you also begin to use your blank cheque?      

Key Point

Prayerlessness is foolishness.

HYMN 22: Sweet Hour 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!

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye –  Helpmeet Indeed? II

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TOPIC: Helpmeet Indeed? II

MEMORISE: A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 12:4

READ: Proverbs 31:10-31(KJV)

10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Habakkuk 1-3

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

Today, I will conclude my teaching on what it means to be a true helpmeet. There are wives who parade themselves as helpmeets, but they are not. As a wife, if you hide money, saying 

"My money is my money, and my husband's money is our money", 

you are not an helpmeet. To help someone, you must be willing to sacrifice your resources. You cannot claim to be helping when you do not meet needs that you can easily afford to. Yes, it is a husband's responsibility to take care of the home, but whenever you can afford it, it will be very helpful to say, "Don't worry about this, I have taken care of it" Helping someone entails taking burdens off the person and not watching him or her carry them alone. 

As a helpmeet, you must be fully involved in what your husband does; be there to help him in areas he needs help, especially when he asks for it. You cannot be a helpmeet if you are not submissive. If you are to help someone with something, they will give you instructions on how to help them. When they give you instructions, your answer should be, 

"Yes, darling." 

if you say "No", you are clearly not willing to help. If you want to suggest a better idea, your answer should be, 

"How about we do it this way?" 

as opposed to an outright 

"No." 

If you are truly interested in your husband's success, you will do all you can to help him.

When I moved my family to Redemption City, it was not convenient for my wife. We moved from a city to the middle of a forest, and the house we moved into had no windows - this is where the Open Heavens International Centre is today. Not only did my wife move into such inconvenience, but she also began rigorous rural evangelism in the surrounding areas. She gathered a small team to help her and would travel to many villages several kilometers away, preaching the gospel. Some people didn't want to hear about Christ, while some said that they were already part of bigger church denominations. However, she persisted and was able to establish most of the perishes we have around the city today, even all the way to Ibafo, which is about 20 Kilometer away. She is a perfect example of a helpmeet, one that gets involved and does everything in her power to see her husband succeed.      

Reflection

Are you really your husband's helpmeet?

HYMN 4: To The Work! To The Work! We Are Servants Of God

1 To the work! to the work! we are servants of God,

Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;

With the might of His power our strength to renew,

Let us do by His grace what He calls us to do.

Work for Him by His grace;

Work thru Him for His praise;

Work with Him all the days;

And work in Him in many ways.

2 To the work! to the work! let the hungry be fed;

To the fountain of life let the thirsty be led;

In the cross and its vict’ry our glory shall be,

While we herald the tidings, “Salvation is free!”

3 To the work! to the work! in the strength of the Lord,

By the pow’r of His Name, with the light of His Word,

All the slaves of the darkness of Satan set free

And His riches of grace in His glory we’ll see.

Open Heaven For Today 2024 Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye –  Helpmeet Indeed? I

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TOPIC: Helpmeet Indeed? I

MEMORISE: And the Lord God It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:8

READ: Genesis 2:18-25(KJV)

18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nahum 1-3

Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE

When God instituted marriage in Genesis 2, He made the woman to be the helpmeet for the man. In other words, the woman is to help the man in doing what God has called him to do. However, for one reason or the other, some women are not real helpmeet to their husbands, and this causes problem in their homes.

First, a woman cannot help her husband beyond her capacity to help. For example, if a husband is a businessman that earns millions, he should raise his wife to the level where she earns hundreds of thousands at least. 

At that level, she will probably understand his business more and help him better. However, if she is earning below that, when there is a need for her to help, she may be unable to do so significantly, even though she is willing to help.

As a pastor, if you can pray for six hours at a stretch, train your wife to be able too pray for at least four hours. This way, the day you need prayers, she can stand in the gap for you at a reasonable level. If you cannot send your wife to preach on your behalf at a meeting that you re unable to attend, you have not been training her, and she has not developed what it takes to be your helpmeet (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

Your helpmeet is supposed to be there to lift you up when you are down. However, the strength of your helpmeet will determine how well they can lift you in your sessions. As a husband, if something terrible happens and you fall, you will fall to the level of your wife. She can only catch you at the level at which she is standing financially, spiritually or otherwise. 

Therefore, if you don't lift her to your level or at least close to your level, your fall will be great in such seasons because you will only be able to depend on her resources to stay afloat until you start raising again. As a husband, you should endeavor to empower your wife to become a helpmeet to you indeed.  

Reflection

If you are a husband, start teaching your wife relevant things that will help her grow to a level where she can be a helpmeet to you indeed.

HYMN 8: I Need Thee Every Hour 

1. I need Thee every hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

Oh, bless me now, my Savior!

I come to Thee.

2. I need Thee every hour,

Stay Thou near by;

Temptations lose their power

When Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour,

In joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour,

Teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill.

5. I need Thee every hour,

Most Holy One;

Oh, make me Thine indeed,

Thou blessed Son.