Open Heaven For Today 2024 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Hold Fast To Your Vision 1
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TOPIC: Hold Fast To Your Vision 1
MEMORISE: And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. Habakkuk 2:2
READ: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (KJV)
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 20-21
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Proverbs 29:18 says that people perish without a vision. If a fellow has no vision of the future, he or she will live recklessly and will likely end up in ruins.
In today’s Bible reading, Paul said that he had an end goal, and that was why he always kept his body under control. When I see a fellow’s lifestyle, I can tell if he or she has a vision or not.
I recall a time in the 1980s when I was about to conclude a 40-day fasting exercise and a pastor visited my office. He met me lying on a mat because I was very weak from not eating for over a month.
At this time, RCCG had an auditorium that was 100 x 50 metres. When he saw me in that state, he said,
“Why are you fasting so much when you already have the biggest auditorium in Africa? What else are you looking for?”
l ignored him because he could not see what I was seeing.
To him, I had reached the height of success. However, I was seeing an auditorium that was as big as a city, and I needed to subdue my body to achieve my vision.
Joseph saw the future, and that was why in Genesis 39:1-12, when his master’s wife asked him to lie with her, he said,
“I cannot offend the One who gave me dreams about my future. I know where God is taking me, so I must practice restraint.”
Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him; the joy of seeing many souls being reconnected to God.
Many of my relatives and friends thought that I was crazy when I moved my family to the place that is now Redemption City many years ago.
They said, “How can you, a senior lecturer in a university that was living in a mansion, relocate to this jungle without electricity?”
They were seeing a jungle, but I saw a city.
Hebrews 11:8-10 says that Abraham was living in tents because he saw a city whose maker and builder is God.
What have you seen about your future? How are you living your life today so you can achieve your dreams?
If you really have a vision for your life, that vision should drive you to be awake while others are sleeping and keep going while others are giving up.
Don’t lose sight of your vision of the future; keep your focus on God, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Reflection
Does your lifestyle reflect that you have seen a great vision for your life?
HYMN 28: Guide Me, O thou Great Jehovah
1. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
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 Friday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Prayers Of Thanksgiving
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TOPIC: Prayers Of Thanksgiving
MEMORISE: O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
READ: Psalm 95:1-5 (KJV)
1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 18-19
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
1. Lord, I thank You for my life. It is not by my power or might that I am still alive today. I am truly grateful Lord.
2. Father, thank You for Your mercy and grace towards me. Thank You for keeping me and showing me Your mercies from the beginning of this year until now.
3. Thank You Father because I am born again. Thank You for saving my soul and redeeming me from destruction in the hands of the devil. I am so glad that I will reign with You in eternity.
4. Father, thank You for all the answered prayers. I am really grateful that I can call on You at any time. Thank You also for the unanswered prayers because I am confident that You have my best interests at heart.
5. Father, I thank You for always protecting me from evil. You cause me to dwell under the shadow of your wings, and I am truly grateful Lord.
6. Father, I thank You for providing for me daily. I am grateful for all that You have given to me, and I know that You will continually take care of me all the days of my life.
7. Father, thank You for all my family members and loved ones. Thank You for the privilege of having people that I can call my family and friends.
8. Thank You Father for the local assembly where I worship You. Thank you for the pastors. ministers. workers and members. Thank You for all You are doing in our midst and Your plans and purposes for us.
9. Thank You Lord for always fighting my battles for me. Thank You for always giving me victory and for making me more than a conqueror in You. I am truly grateful Lord.
10. Thank You Father for being my Lord. It is only because of You that I can face tomorrow. You are very special to me Lord; without You, my life has no meaning.
11. Thank You Lord for the doors of opportunities and blessings that you have opened unto me. Thank You also for the closed doors because I know that all things are working together for my good.
12. Your personal prayers of thanksgiving to the Lover and Keeper of your soul.
HYMN 18: Praise To The Lord The Almighty
1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation:
Join the great throng
psaltery, organ and song
sounding in glad adoration.
2. Praise to the Lord,
over all things he gloriously reigneth:
Borne as on eagle-wings, safely his saints, He sustaineth
Has thou not seen
How all thou needest hath been
Granted in what he ordaineth?
3. Praise to the Lord,
Who doth prosper thy way and defend thee;
Surely his goodness and mercy shall ever attend thee;
ponder anew, What the almighty can do
Who with his love doth befriend thee.
4. Praise to the Lord!
O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has breath join with Abraham’s Seed to adore him!
Let the Amen, sum all our praises again;
Now as we worship before him.
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Seeing Beyond Fathers
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TOPIC: Seeing Beyond Fathers
MEMORISE: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do: because I go unto my Father. John 14:12
READ: 1 Corinthians 4:14-16 (KJV)
14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
15 For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Children often look up to their parents, and this is no different in God’s kingdom. A son might strive to learn all he can from his father in the Lord and even pray to carry his spirit.
However, what do fathers stand to gain from their children in the Lord? When you consider the fact that there was a school of prophets in Israel, where Elijah could have gotten many people to help him, you will realize that he did not really need Elisha.
The primary reason a father sticks close to his children in the Lord is usually that he wants to pass his knowledge and anointing to them.
He does not want everything he has gotten from God to die with him; he wants to pass them on to people that will carry on after he is gone.
Thus, it is the willingness of fathers to teach, and their children in the Lord to learn, that builds such a strong bond between them. Just as in the case of Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2:11, fathers will one day be taken from the earth, and their children in the Lord will be faced with the reality of carrying on to greater heights without them. How ready are you for the time you will need to carry on from your father in the Lord?
Your vision in your walk with God must go beyond your father in the Lord, otherwise, when he is gone, your walk with God may be affected. My Father in the Lord was a great man of God. He fasted and prayed more than anyone I knew at that time. He saw visions of the future, and I learnt a lot from him.
However, he told me that he never fasted beyond 21 days at a stretch. Not long after he went to be with the Lord, I moved beyond that and started fasting for 40 days at a go once every year. He saw the Church spreading across the world, and that has come to pass, however, God has further expanded the vision to other areas like establishing the Redeemer’s University where young people can obtain a university degree and be equipped spiritually while doing so.
If you want your father in the Lord to be proud of you, while you are learning all you can from him before he leaves the earth, you must also see beyond him in your daily walk with God.
Reflection
Does your vision in God extend beyond your relationship with your father in the Lord?
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 Heaven For Today 2024 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Harden Not Your Heart 2
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TOPIC: Harden Not Your Heart 2
MEMORISE: I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Jeremiah 31:18
READ: Hebrews 12:5-11(KJV)
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: John 13-15
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Sometimes, when you hear from God, it may be a rebuke. However, you must still open your heart to Him despite the rebuke. In any case, l would rather God rebuke me than stay silent.
If a Christian only wants to hear sweet things from God but never wants to listen to His rebuke, he or she will eventually stop hearing from Him. You should be glad when God rebukes you because Hebrews 12:6 says that it is the child the father loves that he chastens.
When David was rebuked in 2 Samuel 12:1-14. he did not harden his heart, rather, he repented, and God continued to walk with him.
How do you react when you hear a rebuke from your pastor? Do you harden your heart or do you make amends immediately? No matter how influential a believer is in ministry, or how gifted the fellow is in the Holy Spirit, if such a person hardens his or her heart against God’s rebuke, God can reject such a believer (Samuel 16:1). Psalm 51:17 says:
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
If you want God to keep walking with you and speaking to you, you need to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart. God is not moved by mere religious activity; He is most interested in a relationship with you. However, just as it is impossible to have a good relationship with someone that you cannot correct when he or she offends you, God will not dwell with hard-hearted individuals. He said in Isaiah 57:15:
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Beloved, when God rebukes you, whether through His word, a fellow believer, or directly by Himself, never harden your heart.
Hardening your heart against His rebuke will only lead to destruction as we see in Proverbs 29:1:
He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
Do not despise rebuke from God, rather, embrace His correction as evidence of His love for you.
Prayer Point
Please Lord, help me to yield to Your corrections at all times.
HYMN 30: When We Walk With The Lord
1. When we walk with the Lord,
In the light of His word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey!
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2. But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favour He shows
And the joy He bestows
Are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]
3. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way,
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Harden Not Your Heart 1
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TOPIC: Harden Not Your Heart 1
MEMORISE: Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Psalm 95:8
READ: Hebrews 3:7-11 (KJV)
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
God talks to His people; the only problem is that many do not listen to Him. Psalm 95:6-8 says that if you want to hear His voice, you should not harden your heart.
If God has been talking to you and you have been disobedient, He will keep quiet, and you won’t hear Him again.
You need to hear God so that He can guide you. The primary way to hear from God and be guided by Him is to study your Bible.
However, what should you do when the situation you need guidance about is not specifically addressed by the Bible?
Whenever you need to make decisions on such matters, you need to hear from God directly.
There are times when you can clearly see what God wants you to do in the Scriptures.
However, you still need to hear from Him on how to go about what He wants you to do. For example, when Paul wanted to go to Asia in Acts 16:6-7, the Spirit of God forbade him.
You might ask,
“How can the Spirit of God stop Paul from going to preach since it is written in Matthew 28:19 that we should go into the world and teach every nation?”
Some years ago, I wanted to hold a crusade in Benin, a state capital in Southern Nigeria.
We had prepared everything for the crusade, but to my surprise, when I went to ask God about it, He said that we should go to Ede, a town in South-West Nigeria instead.
I told Him that we had just concluded a crusade in llesha, another town in the same state as Ede and that the inhabitants of Ede would have most likely been in attendance.
However, since God is my Commander-in-chief, I obeyed Him.
During the crusade in Ede, the king was in attendance, and when he got on the stage to speak, he announced that he would be gifting the church with whatever quantity of land we desired.
We initially decided to ask for 50 acres of land, however, when I went back to hear from God, He told me to ask for 500 hectares, and I obeyed.
Today, that portion of and is where Redeemer’s University and The Redeemed Christian School of Missions are situated.
If I had hardened my heart, I wouldn’t have gone to Ede, and I wouldn’t have received the blessing.
Beloved, when you are dealing with God, don’t harden your heart. Listen to Him with an open mind, be committed to obeying Him, and He will speak to you.
Key Point
If your heart is hardened, God will not speak to you.
HYMN 7: I Am Thine O Lord
1. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
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
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