Open Heaven For Today 2024 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Your Hometown Must Be Saved
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TOPIC: Your Hometown Must Be Saved
MEMORISE: And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where. Luke 9:6
READ: Genesis 18:16-33 (KJV)
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
30 And he said unto him, Oh let
31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 14-16
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
In today’s Bible reading, Abraham was walking towards Sodom with the three ‘men’ who had visited him.
On their way, the Lord told him of His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their numerous sins.
I believe that God told Abraham His plan because He wanted him to intercede for the people in those cities.
Abraham interceded, and God accepted everything that he said. However, there were not enough righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, so they still ended up being destroyed.
This shows that even when God calls for intercessors to pray against destruction in a particular nation or city if He cannot find enough Christians there, the land may still be destroyed.
When Abraham was interceding for Sodom, his nephew, Lot, must have been on his mind.
I am sure that he quickly did a little bit of Arithmetic and counted Lot, his wife, and his daughters.
He also probably assumed that Lot’s daughters had fiancés whose parents were also there.
After his quick calculation, he must have come to the conclusion that there must have been at least ten children of God in the city.
That must have been the reason he settled with God and said, “Lord, if you get to Sodom and find ten righteous people, will you spare the city because of them?”
God accepted, but unfortunately, there weren’t up to ten righteous people in the city.
I pray that whenever God visits your hometown, He will find more than ten righteous people there, and His mercy will prevail over judgment.
This is why you should do something urgently about your hometown.
You must make sure that the light of the gospel shines there so that even if some people commit evil acts that should ordinarily draw the wrath of God, He will consider His children and spare the land.
Ensure that you regularly preach the gospel to the people of your hometown so that you can turn as many souls as possible to the path of righteousness.
The Bible says that if you do this, you are wise, and great glory lies ahead of you (Daniel 12:3).
Jesus specifically told His followers to start preaching the gospel from their hometowns when He said in Acts 1:8 that they shall be witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem first before progressing to Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world.
Beloved, preach and teach the word of God to the people in your hometown. This is God’s will, and as you obey, you and your hometown will be blessed tremendously.
Prayer Point
Preach the word of God and start a fellowship in your hometown to ensure that the light of God shines there.
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 he shall lead
till ev’ry 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,
each piece put on with prayer;
where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.
4. Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next, the victor’s song.
To him that overcometh
a crown of life shall be;
he with the King of glory
shall reign eternally.
Open Heavens 30 November 2024 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Oh Lord, Arise
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TOPIC: Oh Lord, Arise
MEMORISE: Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded. Psalm 7:6
READ: 2 Samuel 22:7-10 (KJV)
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 10-13
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
In our Bible reading for today, we see that when God hears the cry of one of His children and arises on behalf of that fellow, the whole earth will tremble, and the foundations of heaven will shake.
This means that when God steps into a situation, His impact will be felt immediately.
Do you know that it is possible for you to get God to rise on your behalf? Psalm 144:5-6 says: Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.
When the battle you are facing is becoming too great for you, and you need urgent divine intervention, you can specifically ask God to arise and come down to the earth for your sake, and He will do so.
God sits in the heavens and controls everything that happens on the earth because the earth is His footstool.
However, every now and then, when His children are facing some tough battles, He prefers to arise and come down by Himself to fight for them.
Psalm 68:1-2 says: Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
When you become overwhelmed, and all you need is for your enemies to be scattered, cry unto God and say, “Oh Lord, Arise!”
He said in Psalm 50:15 that you should call on Him in the day of trouble, and He will answer you.
I have discovered from the Scriptures and from personal experiences that whenever a genuine child of God is faced with overwhelming situations and circumstances, and he or she cries for God to arise and fight the battle, God always shows up.
In 2 Kings 19:14-19, King Hezekiah cried to the Lord when a mighty army decided to wage war against Judah.
He knew that Judah did not stand any chance against the mighty Assyrian army; therefore, he reported the matter to God.
God arose for Judah, and in that same night, the angel of the Lord went into the camp of the Assyrian army and killed 185,000 soldiers.
Hezekiah did not even need to raise an army to fight against the Assyrians; God took care of them Himself.
Beloved, do not despair when you are faced with seemingly impossible situations. Cry unto God, and He will surely arise to deliver you.
Prayer Point
Oh Lord, arise and fight my battles for me.
HYMN 29: When Peace Like A River Attendeth My Way
1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
Refrain (may be sung after final stanza only):
It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.
2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul. Refrain
3 My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! Refrain
4 O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
even so, it is well with my soul. Refrain
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Friday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Your Time Of Visitation
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TOPIC: Your Time Of Visitation
MEMORISE: For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. Ecclesiastes 9:12
READ: Luke 9:57-62(KJV)
57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 5-9
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
It is a terrible thing to miss the time of divine visitation. In Acts 3:1-11, the Bible tells us of a man who was born lame and who was always sitting at the gate of the temple.
He could have decided to sit anywhere else in Jerusalem and beg for alms, but he chose to position himself where God would easily find him.
He chose to sit at the gate of His temple, and the day of his divine visitation eventually came. You never can tell when the Almighty God will pay you a visit.
If you are a member of your church choir, there is usually a time that is allotted for rehearsals.
If that is where God expects you to be at that particular time, He can decide to visit you there with your blessings.
Some people left the place that God expected them to be, and by doing so, they were not available at the time He sent their miracle to them.
When you are feeling tempted not to go where God expects you to go, or you feel like leaving where He expects you to be, whether it is a church service or a place of spiritual assignment, it means that the devil is trying to make you miss your blessing.
May you not miss your day of visitation, in Jesus’ name.
Apart from missing the time of divine visitation by not being in the right place at the right time, the devil also tries to get believers to be in the wrong places so that he can carry out his evil plans on them.
There was a man who was killed when some robbers came to his house. The robbers had been watching him closely, and they knew that he was supposed to be in church at that time.
However, on that particular day, he decided to stay at home rather than attend church service.
When the robbers were caught, they confessed that they decided to rob the house because they thought that the man would be in church.
When they met him at home, they couldn’t let him live because he saw their faces.
Beloved, be consistent in your walk with God and in your service to Him. Surrender all to Him and be diligent in doing what He has called you to do.
He will surely visit you and reward you as you keep doing what He tells you to do (Ephesians 6:8).
Key Point
Be where God expects you to be at all times.
HYMN 15: Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour
1 Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry,
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
2 Let me at a throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief. [Refrain]
3 Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace. [Refrain]
4 Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heav’n but Thee? [Refrain]
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Let Him Fight For You
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TOPIC: Let Him Fight For You
MEMORISE: Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Romans 12:19
READ: Exodus 14:10-28 (KJV)
10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
26 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 1-4
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
There is no place in the Bible that says you are to fight for yourself. Rather, what the Bible says is,
“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:14).
Also, the memory verse for today says that you should not avenge yourself, for vengeance is the Lord’s.
The reason God tells you not to fight for yourself or avenge yourself is that you belong to Him, and He is responsible for you.
Therefore, if anyone comes to fight you, He is the One who will stand up to fight.
Hence, whenever you fight for yourself, you are telling God that you own yourself and you can take care of yourself.
In essence, you are telling Him to stay out of your matter. Believe me, if God stays out of a person’s matter, he or she is finished (Lamentations 3:22).
Some people think that they are strong, therefore, they are quick to stand up to any fight.
As for me, I know that l am not strong at all. If you see any strength in me, it is because Christ strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
Without Christ, I am just a weakling. This is why, whenever I am faced with any opposition, I always tell whoever is confronting me,
“If it is me you are fighting, you have won, even before the fight starts, because I have no power. However, if it is God you are fighting, then I pity you.”
This has always been my disposition because God has assured me of rest and safety in Him.
I know that in quietness and confidence shall my strength be (Isaiah 30:15), for I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me (Romans 8:37).
Ever since I made the decision to put all my trust in Him, He has never let me down and He never will (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Beloved, you are stronger when you are quiet and confident in the ability of the Lord to fight for you.
People who confront you already think that they are stronger than you, therefore, when you shout and try to fight for yourself, you will only make them feel stronger.
However, when you are quiet but confident, they will know that the One who is greater than the greatest is behind you, and they will leave you alone.
If they however choose to continue to challenge you, they will be destroyed by the Lord of hosts whom you put your confidence in.
Key Point
Put all your trust in God and He will fight for you.
HYMN 19: Rock Of Ages, Cleft For Me
1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.
2 Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.
3 Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.
4 While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – True Worship
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TOPIC: True Worship
MEMORISE: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. John 4:23
READ: 1 Samuel 15:20-31(KJV)
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.
26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.
31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the Lord.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 15-16
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
When people sing, dance, and even cry while worshipping God, it will look as if they are worshipping God in spirit and in truth.
However, only God knows those who are truly worshipping Him and those who are just faking it.
In our Bible reading for today, we see one of the major indicators of fake worship. Saul was only worshipping God so that the elders, and all the people of Israel, could see that he was worshipping. If you only worship God in church for people to see you, then that is not true worship.
When genuine worshippers worship God in public, it is an offshoot of what they have been doing in private. They actually prefer to worship God in private so that they can freely express themselves, rather than in public, where they would be conscious of the people that are around them.
Another indicator of fake worship is when your worship consists only of clapping, singing, and dancing, without seeking to know and obey God. If you do not seek to do His will at all times, but only like to sing worship songs, you are only enjoying good music; you are not truly worshipping.
Real worship is about pleasing God, not just singing, enjoying good music, and feeling good about yourself. True worshippers daily seek to know God and obey His commandments. They give their hearts completely to God and seek to glorify Him with everything in their lives. This is because,
1 Corinthians 10:31 says:
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
True worship comes from the heart; it is not a jamboree. True worshippers are so in love with God that they worship Him by serving Him and giving to His work in tithes and offerings.
They also worship God by putting Him first in everything that they do. They are addicted to spending time in His presence and cannot imagine being separated from Him. Like David, a true worshipper would say:
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Psalm 42:1-2
The essence of true worship lies in obedience and glorifying God in our lives, rather than offering sacrifices to Him with our mouths only.
Prayer Point
Worship comes from the heart, and it is expressed across every part of your life, not just the lips.
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.
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