Open Heaven For Today 2025 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – God Hates Divorce
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TOPIC: God Hates Divorce
MEMORISE: For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. Malachi 2:16
READ: Mark 10:2-9 (KJV)
2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.
3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 38-42
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
God designed the marriage institution to be sacred (Genesis 2:24), but unfortunately, many people in the world today do not see it that way. Many married couples treat their businesses and careers better than their marriages, and expectedly, the divorce rate has become alarming across the world. God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16); hence, His children should never toy with it. When a couple gets divorced, they go against God’s commandment not to separate what He has joined together.
I know some people seek divorce because they consider their marriages ‘hell on earth’. While I sympathize with them, the truth is that no amount of pain on earth can be compared to an eternity in hell. Divorce is not God’s will; it is the hardness of man’s heart that made Moses permit it among the Israelites (Matthew 19:3-9).
The pain of divorce is also often very deep. It negatively affects families and can be felt for several generations. It opens doors to many vices and a lot of the decadence we see in the world today.
Yes, spouses should separate when lives are threatened and then trust God for a full restoration of the family.
Married couples must stay rooted in the basics of marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33) just as successful athletes who want to remain relevant must stick to the basics of their sports.
Unconditional love and submission, sacrifice, reverence, and God’s word are the basics of marriage; if couples stick to them, they will experience bliss and peace in their marriages.
Married couples must pray together regularly. They must remain vigilant and never be ignorant of the devil’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Sometimes, when the devil is after a married couple with children, his main target is not the couple themselves but their children since he knows that broken homes often, if not always, negatively affect children. Married couples should defend their homes and protect their children with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Beloved, if you are married, consistently stand in the gap for your marriage with prayers. God has restored many ‘dead’ marriages because one or both parties prayed and acted according to His word concerning their marriage.
If you are planning to get married, you must prayerfully seek God’s counsel before doing so. For Christian marriages to be successful, couples must ensure that their marriage is rooted in God’s word and also ensure that they work together to nurture it with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer Point
Lord, please heal every home that is on the brink of divorce, in Jesus’ name.
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 2025 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Cleave As One 2
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TOPIC: Cleave As One 2
MEMORISE: Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Matthew 19:6
READ: Psalms 133:1-3 (KJV)
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 28-33
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
Today, I will continue my discussion on why spouses should cleave together. When a married couple live far apart from each other for a long period of time, they will both begin to change according to their different environments without realizing it. As people grow older and have new experiences, they change, and if a married couple are not going through these experiences together, they may become strangers to each other after a while. By the time such couples finally come together, they will likely be shocked by their differences.
It is difficult to cleave as one with someone you are not living with. What creates strong bonds between some siblings is not just the fact that they were born by the same parents but that they grew up together and went through certain experiences together. This is also why childhood friends have a strong bond. If you really want to cleave as one with your spouse, you need to live through experiences together.
You may say, “We talk about our day on the phone every evening,” but that is not the same as physical interaction. When you study the Bible, you will see that couples who relocated did so together. When Abraham relocated to Egypt, he went with Sarah (Genesis 13:1). When Elimelech went to Moab in search of greener pastures, he went with his wife, Naomi (Ruth 1:1). Although their story was tragic, the lesson is that relocation should be a joint venture. When the angel appeared to Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt because of Herod’s murderous intention, the family went together (Matthew 2:13-14).
There may be some unavoidable situations that may require one partner to travel to another location first. However, in such situations, the family should not stay apart for more than six months before they come back together again.
It is not healthy for couples to cause a separation in their marriage just because they want to relocate to another location they consider to be ‘greener pastures’. Anything that will affect the unity of a marriage shouldn’t be considered or permitted. Couples should do everything possible to stay together because God commands it (Mark 10:9). When they are together, it is easier to pray and agree on certain matters. However, when they are in different countries with different time zones, it is more difficult. Cleaving to one’s spouse requires being intentional about bonding, being united, and living through experiences together.
Key Point
It is important for married couples to be intentional about living through life’s experiences together.
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 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Deflecting Offences In Marriage
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TOPIC: Deflecting Offences In Marriage
MEMORISE: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: James 1:19
READ: Colossians 3:12-15 (KJV)
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 18-21
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
The first equation in what I call the ‘mathematics of marriage’ states that ‘Love is blind! Proverbs 10:12 says that love covers a multitude of sins; therefore, married people should not complain about all of their spouse’s faults. To deflect offences, they must learn to accommodate their shortcomings.
Some people are known to call their spouses ‘angels’ affectionately. Though I am not against this, another equation states that ‘Angels don’t eat jollof rice. This is a humorous way of stating that human beings are not angels and, hence, are prone to human mistakes. It is important that married people do not have unreasonable expectations of their spouses that will keep them in a state of being constantly offended. If you’re married or about to get married, you must understand that you and your spouse will offend each other many times in your marriage. However, knowing how to deflect those offences and turn them around will help you a lot.
Years ago, I was preparing for a trip, and my wife wanted to accompany me to the airport. I knew she was likely going to delay me, so l said,
“A car will move faster if it is not pulling a trailer behind it.”
She responded, “Who’s the trailer?” I could sense that she was offended by what I said, so I quickly said, “I’m the trailer; you’re the car. I don’t want to slow you down.” She laughed and said, “You’re not serious.” If I didn’t know how to turn the situation around, a fight could have started from there. It is important for married people to know when to stop talking or say things that will diffuse the tension when their partners are about to get offended.
James 1:19 is a perfect template for deflecting offences in marriage. When you are swift to hear, you will know how to patiently listen to your spouse without looking for ways to attack him or her or defend yourself unnecessarily. Being slow to speak is knowing that sometimes, it is unwise to say everything on your mind. Lastly, any fellow who is slow to anger will not easily get offended.
Beloved, if you want to have a marriage with fewer fights and offences, you must learn not to have unreasonable expectations of your spouse. You must also learn to accommodate your spouse’s weaknesses while you work patiently with him or her to get better through the help of the Holy Spirit.
Key Point
To deflect offences, married people must learn to accommodate the weaknesses of their spouses.
HYMN 24: I Want To Be Like Jesus
1 Earthly pleasures vainly call me;
I would be like Jesus;
Nothing worldly shall enthrall me,
I would be like Jesus.
Refrain:
Be like Jesus - this my song,
In the home and in the throng;
Be like Jesus, all day long,
I would be like Jesus.
2 He has broken every fetter,
I would be like Jesus;
That my soul may serve Him better,
I would be like Jesus. [Refrain]
3 All the way from earth to glory,
I would be like Jesus;
Telling o’er and o’er the story,
I would be like Jesus. [Refrain]
4 That in heaven He may meet me,
I would be like Jesus;
That His words “Well done” may greet me,
I would be like Jesus. [Refrain]
Open Heaven For Today 2025 Friday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Holy Ghost Baptism
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TOPIC: Holy Ghost Baptism
MEMORISE: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8
READ: Acts 10: 34-48 (KJV)
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 1-8
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
In 1979, I would wake up in the middle of the night and cry out to God, “Oh God, I have agreed to serve You as a minister, but I don’t want to be an ordinary minister of the gospel. I need power to do Your work; please give me power.” I would cry out to God in prayer from 10pm to 5am, but nothing happened for months.
Then, one night, God spoke and said,
“Will you keep quiet and listen? What have you done with the power you already have?”
I thought to myself,
“If I already had power, why would I be asking for it?”
The Lord continued,
“Son, what is written in Acts 1:8?”
I knew it by heart, so I quoted it. He then asked if I had been baptised in the Holy Spirit, and I said, “Years ago.” He asked me, “Is my word true?” I replied, “Yes, it is.” He asked further, “If you have been baptised in the Holy Spirit, why then are you still asking for power? I said, “But Lord, I don’t feel powerful”. Then He said, “Did I say the just shall live by their feelings?” He told me that the just lives by faith, not feelings, as the Bible says in Romans 1:17. After this conversation, I told myself that I would lay hands on the next sick fellow I came across, and I went to sleep.
I woke up late the following morning to meet a church member with her child in my living room. This woman had a child who had been ill and the child had not slept for days. At the hospital, she was asked to take the child home because there was nothing more the doctors could do. Although I was scared, I laid my hands on the child and felt the child go limp. I thought the child was dead, but when I opened my eyes, the child was fast asleep; God had healed her. Since then, I have not stopped laying hands on people, and I have seen special miracles happen.
Beloved, if you are baptised in the Holy Ghost, you already have the power of God in you. You do not have to feel powerful; just believe in God’s word, and He will perform special miracles through you.
Key Point
If you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, you already have power to do exploits for God.
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.
Open Heaven For Today 2025 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Danger Of Fame
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TOPIC: The Danger Of Fame
MEMORISE: 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. 1 Samuel 15:24
READ: 1 Samuel 15:1-31 (KJV)
1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,
11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.
12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?
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: Job 35-38
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. Proverbs 27:21
People should not chase after fame because of its potency to destroy. In 1 Samuel 9:1, Saul’s father, Kish, was described as a mighty man of power who was also wealthy. Yet, Saul was obviously very humble because when his father sent him to search for their lost donkeys, he went without complaining. Even during the search, he listened to his servant’s advice to seek a prophet’s counsel concerning the lost animals (1 Samuel 9:6-8).
When he became the king of Israel, he was humble in the first two years of his reign until he began to seek the approval of men. Saul forgot that it was God who appointed him king, and he began to chase after endorsements from men. The first time he did this was when the Philistines gathered against him, and Samuel delayed before joining him at Gilgal. When he saw the people scattering from him, he did what he wasn’t supposed to do by offering the burnt offering (1 Samuel 13:7-10). He did the wrong thing because he wanted to gain the people’s attention and approval. It was a costly mistake because it earned him God’s disapproval.
When we allow the desire to gain people’s approval to move us into doing the wrong things, we have set ourselves against God.
In 1 Samuel 15, despite his earlier mistake, God gave Saul a chance to repent. He instructed him to destroy the Amalekites. God’s command was clear: utterly destroy them and spare no one (1 Samuel 15:3). However, Saul, in his blind lust to be ‘a man of the people, went against God’s instructions (1 Samuel 15:24).
When we seek fame above serving God, we have fallen into the trap of the fear of man because the Bible says that the fear of man brings a snare (Proverbs 29:25).
People who desperately seek fame will compromise God’s standards to please people. At the end of the day, such people, like Saul, will lose out because God will not trust a man who desperately desires fame with the precious matters of His Kingdom.
Beloved, do not chase after the approval of men. Rather, let God’s approval be your primary motivation. When you fear the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly, He will position you to influence others for Him.
Key Point
If you seek fame above serving God, you have set yourself against 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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