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 Heavens 4 June 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.
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]
Open Heaven For Today 2025 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – A New Name
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TOPIC: A New Name
MEMORISE: And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Isaiah 62:2
READ: Genesis 17:1-15 (KJV)
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 21-24
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
Many people are called by names they were not given at birth. They may not be called these names to their faces, but in their absence, people refer to them with those names. Sometimes, these names are not based on their good qualities but on qualities they are not proud of. For example, in Mark 10:46-52, the Bible tells us about a blind man called Bartimaeus whom Jesus restored his sight. To date, however, people still refer to him as ‘Blind Bartimaeus’. I don’t know if people are currently calling you negative names, but I know that my God can change your story for good such that you won’t have those negative qualities the world describes you by anymore, and they will have no other choice than to call you a new name.
Whenever God sees that a name is hindering His work in a fellow’s life, He can change the name as He did with Abraham. Abraham was first called Abram, and although this name had a good meaning – exalted father – it didn’t fully capture what God had in store for him.
Therefore, God had a conversation with him one day and said,
“I want to make you a father of many nations, but your name is hindering Me from doing so. Henceforth, you will no longer be called Abram but Abraham because I have made you a father of many nations.”
God also changed the name of his wife from Sarai to Sarah, which was more suitable for the matriarch she was to become (Genesis 17:3-16).
When I was a lecturer at the University of Lagos, a typist, whom everyone jokingly called ‘Prof’, made a life changing decision. He said to himself,
“I am a typist, but everyone calls me ‘prof’. I will indeed become a professor.”
He started taking evening classes, and after a while, he wrote his exams and gained admission into the University of Lagos. Before I left the University of Lagos, the typist was already studying for his Ph.D. He made up his mind to truly change his name and not to remain a joke.
Beloved, you can also make up your mind to have a brand new beginning by surrendering all to God and asking Him to change any negative name that is hindering His glory from being manifested in your life. I pray that God will turn around any negative situation that men define you by and fill your life with joy and laughter, in Jesus’ name.
Prayer Point
Father, please change every name that might be hindering Your glory from manifesting in my life, in Jesus’ name.
HYMN 25: The Great Physician Now Is Near
1 The great Physician now is near,
The sympathizing Jesus;
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,
Oh, hear the voice of Jesus.
Refrain:
Sweetest note in seraph song,
Sweetest name on mortal tongue;
Sweetest carol ever sung,
Jesus, blessed Jesus.
2 Your many sins are all forgiv’n,
Oh, hear the voice of Jesus;
Go on your way in peace to heav’n,
And wear a crown with Jesus.
[Refrain]
3 All glory to the dying Lamb!
I now believe in Jesus;
I love the blessed Savior’s name,
I love the name of Jesus.
[Refrain]
4 His name dispels my guilt and fear,
No other name but Jesus;
Oh, how my soul delights to hear
The charming name of Jesus.
[Refrain]
Open Heaven For Today 2025 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Surrender All
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TOPIC: Surrender All
MEMORISE: And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. Matthew 19:29
READ: 1 Kings 19:19-21 (KJV)
19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
When Elijah went to Elisha’s farm and threw his mantle on him, Elisha didn’t waste time before he surrendered all to answer God’s call. Elisha seemed to be a rich fellow because Elijah met him plowing with twelve yokes of oxen when he passed by him. However, Elisha didn’t count this as anything because he returned home, killed a yoke of oxen, gave it to his people, and followed Elijah to become his servant. Within a day, the manager of an apparently thriving agricultural business became a prophet’s servant.
Elisha ministered to Elijah and was known as the one who poured water on the hands of Elijah (2 Kings 3:11). The blessings Elisha got for surrendering all in service to God are unquantifiable. He received a double portion of Elijah’s anointing (2 Kings 2:9-15), became a father to kings (2 Kings 6:21), and even after his death, his dry bones raised a dead man back to life (2 Kings 13:21). When a man surrenders all to the One who made him, he will live an impactful life.
From Elisha’s story, we see that lasting greatness begins with absolute surrender. Any seed that will count for anything, must first enter into the soil and die. It must surrender its beauty and strength so as to rot in the earth before new life can sprout from it. Jesus said:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. John 12:24-25
Beloved, surrender all to the One who made you, and He will guide you aright. When you surrender your life to God, you are asking Him to help you because you don’t know the best way to live your life. In John 15:5, Jesus said,
“Without me, you can do nothing.” Paul also knew the secret to absolute surrender, and that is why he said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Those who surrender all to Jesus will gain more in the end. However, those who keep a part of their lives, like Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-2 end up losing even more than the things they are trying to keep.
Prayer Point
Father, please help me to surrender all to You wholeheartedly.
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 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Waiting On God
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TOPIC: Waiting On God
MEMORISE: Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine neart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14
READ: Psalm 37:4-7 (KJV)
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 9-12
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
In Genesis 18:2-8, after Abraham set a meal before his divine visitors, he stood by them probably sensed that there was something divine and powerful about them, he did not begin to burden them with tales of his problems, such as his childlessness. Instead he attended to their needs and waited on them in case they needed anything else.
This is the kind of fellow that God goes all the way to provide for – someone who can truly wait on Him and is willing to attend to His needs first. God is looking for genuine worshippers who can patiently stay in His presence and fellowship with Him without being in a hurry to make demands (John 4:23-24). Are you that kind of worshipper?
In life, people wait for different things at different times, such as waiting in a doctor’s office for consultations and waiting in traffic for hours. However, despite the fact that many christians do not mind waiting for hours for these things, they are quick to hurry out of God’s presence after spending just a few minutes
In Psalm 100:4, the bible says that you must come into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praises. In other words, no matter how pressing your needs are, you must not come to God complaining about them; instead, you should give Him thanks and praise first.
You must realize that the One in whose presence you are is the King of all kings; you are at His mercy and not the other way around. You must find out the things He wants and attend to them first. What does God want? He loves praises (Psalm 22:3) and thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4). Also, He is looking for people who will intercede for others (Ezekiel 22:30), and He wants souls (John 15:16). When You give Him these things, He will bring laughter to your face.
Waiting on the Lord is the secret to getting instant answers and miracles. When you go to a restaurant, a good waiter doesn’t give you his favourite food; rather, he waits on you to know what you want, then, he delivers it courteously as fast as he can.
Beloved, have you tried to find out what God wants? When you go to Him in prayer, are you serving Him His delicacies or just dumping your requests on Him? God seeks waiters who will do what He wants, and when He finds them, He goes all the way to satisfy them.
Key Point
God goes the extra mile for those who wait on Him.
HYMN 18: Praise To The Lord The Almighty, The King Of Creation
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 2025 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Take Charge Of Your Children
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TOPIC: Take Charge Of Your Children
MEMORISE: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
READ: Deuteronomy 6:1-7 (KJV)
1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 1-4
Open Heaven For Today 2025 MESSAGE
When Pharaoh said, “I won’t let the Israelites go,” he wasn’t talking about limiting them to a geographical location; he was talking about a different kind of bondage (Exodus 5:2). People who are in the kind of bondage that Pharaoh was referring to have no control over anything, not even their children (Exodus 1:1-22).
If a country’s government says that parents cannot raise their children in the way of the Lord, they should know that there is an evil agenda behind it. That is bondage, and they must not allow themselves to remain under it.
Parents shouldn’t depend on any government to teach their children. Rather, they should take charge and teach them God’s values from His word. If a government insists that parents cannot teach their children what is right, they should move out of that place and go where they will not be under bondage.
Parents should check what their children are being taught in school and ensure they are not influenced to adopt a mindset that is against God’s will. They should also check the games they play and the cartoons they watch because, through them, something evil can be positioned to influence their mindsets.
If you take charge of the children and youths around you, it will be difficult for them to be influenced by an evil agenda. If you are a parent, you must intentionally create time to teach your children God’s ways so that they will know Him for themselves as they grow. Let them spend more time with fellow believers, doing things that will make them grow up into godly adults.
When I moved to Redemption City with my family, my children were schooling far away, and they had to leave the house before 6am on school days so they wouldn’t be late for school.
In order to have a relationship with them, we often ate our dinner in the car together as we drove back home from their school.
As they grew older, I began to take them on evangelistic outreaches. Even when they were in the university, whenever I visited them, l ensured we spent quality time together. We would take walks and discuss the Scriptures: then, l’d guide them with God’s principles.
Parents, take charge of your children; don’t let the enemy win them over. God will hold you accountable for the children He has given you as He did with Eli (1 Samuel 2:27-31). Rise up to the responsibility of nurturing and training them in His ways.
Key Point
Don’t expose your children to the enemy by submitting to societal pressures.
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.
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