Open Heaven For Today 2025 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Identifying The Jericho Wall 2
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TOPIC: Identifying The Jericho Wall 2
MEMORISE: Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 1 Corinthians 15:33
READ: 2 Samuel 13:1-14 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.
2 And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her.
3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.
4 And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
5 And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.
6 So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.
7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress him meat.
8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes.
9 And she took a pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men from me. And they went out every man from him.
10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.
13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 47-50
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Today, I will continue the discussion I started yesterday on the factors that can hinder a person’s progress.
Sometimes, the wall hindering your progress could be someone you have a relationship with.
Many people don’t know it, but sometimes, even the people you love may be a hindrance to your progress.
In Genesis 12:1-5, Abraham took Lot with him when God called him to leave his family behind and go to a place that He would show him.
However, it wasn’t until Lot separated from him in Genesis 13:14-17 that God spoke and showed him the land He had promised.
The spiritual authority a person submits to can also hinder the fellow’s progress (1 Kings 13:1-24). This is why you must carefully choose your spiritual father or mentor with the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
John 15:20 says that the servant cannot be greater than the master. Whomever you choose to be your master will determine how far you can go.
Prayerfully choose someone who is constantly growing so that there won’t be a limit to your progress.
Another kind of person that can be a wall of Jericho that is hindering your progress is your friend.
To a great extent, those you call your friends will determine how far you will go in life.
This was why Solomon warned his son in Proverbs 1:10-15 not to keep company with certain kinds of friends.
When I became born again, one of the first things I did was to change my friends. It was painful, but if I had remained in their company, I would never have come this far in life.
Amnon would have lived a long and good life as a son of David, but he ended up badly because he had the wrong friend. In 2 Samuel 13:3, the Bible says, “But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab…”
There are some people who pose as friends but are actually like the wall of Jericho. If you have such friends, stay away from them because they are enemies of progress.
If you have a friend who you only gossip with, but you never pray or discuss the Bible, that friend will become a hindrance to your progress.
If you have friends whose pieces of advice are always contrary to what the Bible says and are always encouraging you to reduce your dedication to God, such friends are a wall of Jericho between you and God’s perfect plan for your life. Beloved, please run away from such friends.
Prayer Point
Father, please help me to stay away from friends that will hinder my progress in life, 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 2025 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Identifying The Jericho Wall 1
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TOPIC: Identifying The Jericho Wall 1
MEMORISE: Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; which turneth the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters. Psalm 114:7-8
READ: Joshua 6:1-20 (KJV)
1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.
7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.
8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
11 So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.
17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 44-46
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
In today’s Bible reading, the children of Israel were close to the promised land, but a mighty wall stood in their way.
Joshua knew that their progress would be affected by the wall, and God gave him the strategy to bring the wall down and lead His people into what He had prepared for them.
When it feels like something is obstructing your access to God’s promises, you first need to identify exactly what it is so you can ask God for the strategy to overcome what is hindering your progress.
If you have not identified what is stopping your progress, you may be fighting the wrong battles while the actual enemy remains unchallenged
In many cases, the forces of darkness are the wall of Jericho that hinders the progress of people since the devil’s only job is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).
If you notice that something bigger than you is blocking your way when you are about to succeed in an endeavour, you need to pray against that force.
The good news is, Isaiah 54:17 says: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Beloved, if you are a child of God and you’re serving Him diligently, you have the legal right to condemn whatever forces that may arise against you.
Some of these evil forces are stubborn and will not stop if you tell them to go just once. Hence, you need to pray and fast persistently before they go.
Jesus said in Mark 9:29 that some demons cannot be overcome except by prayer and fasting.
If you have done all these and you still cannot see any change, you probably need to find someone who can join you in prayers so you can engage the prayer of agreement.
Deuteronomy 32:30 says: How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
You can also ask a minister of God with higher authority to pray for you. After taking these steps, there is no force that can stand in your way.
Prayer Point
I speak to every force standing in my way of progress; disappear now, in Jesus’ name.
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 2025 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Attract God's Blessing
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TOPIC: Attract God's Blessing
MEMORISE: Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Romans 4:7
READ: Psalm 112: 1-10 (KJV)
1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.
9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 32-35
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Yesterday, I explained how dangerous a curse from God can be and how you must avoid it. Just as a curse from God is powerful, a blessing from God is also extremely powerful. The best thing that can happen to anyone is for God to bless him or her. When God blesses you, every force in heaven, on earth, and underneath the earth will work to favour you. Also, there will be no sorrow added to the blessing (Proverbs 10:22).
Since God placed a curse on the ground after the fall of Adam (Genesis 3:17), man has had to toil and sweat on it with limited returns. I pray that you will make it to the millennial reign of Christ because by then, we will be having robust harvests monthly and not the little yearly harvests we are having now (Revelation 22:2-3).
There are several passages in the Scriptures that talk about the blessings of God and how you can attract them. Unfortunately, many Christians just read about the blessings and claim them without paying attention to what to do to attract them. Owing to my training in mathematics, whenever I see a blessing in the Bible, I always want to know what the condition of getting that blessing is. I know that if the conditions are not right, no matter how hard I try, I will not get the desired result. Therefore, I always pay more attention to the conditions needed for God’s blessings than the blessings themselves.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 is filled with many blessings that God has promised us. However, when you study that Bible passage closely, you will see that the condition to getting the blessings is that you hearken diligently to the word of God. If God looks at you and sees no sin, you are already blessed.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Romans 4:8
Beloved, start living a holy life from today, and you will see the real meaning of being blessed.
Key Point
To attract the blessings of God, live a holy life.
HYMN 7: I Am Thine O Lord
1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine. [Refrain]
3 Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend! [Refrain]
4 There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]
Open Heaven For Today 2025 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – You Must Avoid Curses 2
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TOPIC: You Must Avoid Curses 2
MEMORISE: How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? Numbers 23:8
READ: Genesis 3:6-19 (KJV)
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 32-35
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
When you check through the scriptures, and you see the impact of God’s curse on any person or group of people, if you are wise, you will do everything possible to ensure that God doesn’t get angry with you at all. The power of a blessing or a curse is dependent on the spiritual authority of the fellow who is placing the blessing or curse. Since God is higher than the highest, a curse from Him is so potent that nothing can break the curse except God Himself. Since there is no remedy to a curse from God, any wise fellow will avoid anything that will make God curse him or her.
Since God placed a curse on the ground after the fall of Adam (Genesis 3:17), man has had to toil and sweat on it with limited returns. I pray that you will make it to the millennial reign of Christ because by then, we will be having robust harvests monthly and not the little yearly harvests we are having now (Revelation 22:2-3).
If you read the story of Cain in Genesis 4:9-15, you will notice that the moment God cursed him, everyone he encountered wanted to harm him, even without provocation. When you read the Scriptures and come across something that God forbids or that would attract a curse from Him, you should stay away from such a thing. For example, He said in Malachi 3:8-10 that those who don’t pay their tithes are robbing God, and they will attract a curse on themselves. Even without the promise of overflowing blessings for paying your tithe, the curse alone should make you pay your tithes faithfully. Also, in Deuteronomy 28:15-20, God said that if the children of Israel did not hearken to His voice and obey His commandments, certain curses shall come upon them and overtake them. This is why you must ensure that you live a life that is in total obedience to God’s commandments and principles.
Lastly, when you meet a true Christian, a descendant of Abraham by faith, don’t try to place a curse on such a fellow because the result will be that you will attract God’s curse on yourself (Genesis 12:3). Beloved, God’s curses are very terrible, and they are irreversible except if He has mercy on you. Do all you can to avoid God’s curses.
Key Point
Stay away from anything that can attract a curse from God.
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]
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