Thursday 28 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Thursday 28 February 2013 NOW OR NEVER! By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Thursday 28 February 2013 
NOW OR NEVER! 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “1 must work the work of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” John 9:4
Read: 2Corinthians 6:1-2
Bible in one year:  1Kings 16-19
Action point: Draw up a list of things you should do before you die or before the rapture takes place. Go ahead and do them now.

On earth, certain things are urgent and as a result, must he attended to immediately. Among such things are kingdom assignments. When God gives you an assignment to do, the realisation of the brevity of life should compel you to hasten its performance. 1Samuel 21:8 says the king’s business demands haste. If the errands of earthly kings require haste, how much more that of the King of kings. While on earth, the Lord Jesus never wasted time while attending to His Father’s business, hence He said in John 9:4:
“1 must work the work of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work”
You can hear the sense of urgency in the voice of the Master. Souls must be saved now not tomorrow. You must give now. That tithe must be paid now: That convert must be visited now That praying and fasting must be done now. Working with a sense of time means operating a NOW philosophy just like it is done in Heaven. In the Heavenly planet, you do not have a tomorrow appointment but a now appointment. 
“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 62
Certain heavenly priorities cannot wait for earth’s time schedule. Everything has its appointed time and season (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Anything done outside its season may be completely void of its supposed benefits. The soul you fail to win to Christ this moment, may be called home to face an eternity without Christ the next moment. If God allows you to meet the need of somebody now but you choose to meet the need later, somebody else could have been brought to satisfy that need. Even if the need has not been met, It might have lost its urgency. Giving or obeying at your own time instead of God’s right time, may completely rubbish your efforts.  Whatever you have to do for the Lord, do it
now. If you can serve the Lord, let it be now. It u want to give for God’s work, let it be now. If there is a soul that should be saved, preach to the fellow today. Never move to the next day what you can do for the Lord today. As much as possible, let time serve you and not the other way round.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Wednesday 27 February 2013 DESTINATION OF SIN By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Wednesday 27 February 2013 DESTINATION OF SIN 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
Read: Romans 6:21-23
Bible in one year:  1Kings 13-15
Prayer point: Father, according to Romans 6:12, let sin no longer reign over my spirit, soul or body. Lord, terminate sin’s death mission in my life.

This season, all will be well with you if you allow the Lord Jesus Christ to take charge over your life and situation. Are you poor or desperately in need? Poverty will soon become a thing of the past in your life because Philippians 4:19 says God will supply all your needs according to His heavenly abundance. In other words, even when your personal, local or national economy is out of shape, God’s heavenly economy continues to bubble: it never goes out of shape. If somebody tells you that you cannot achieve your God- given goal because you are out of funds, tell the fellow that the One who commissioned you on that assignment never runs out of funds. The Lord will provide for every task He has given you to do this season. He will also supply the needed strength because Philippians 4:13 says you can achieve virtually anything because of the strength Jesus supplies. You shall not lack both spiritual and physical strength with which to serve the Lord this year. Our assurance that all will be well is also hinged on the fact that the Lord deals with problems starting from its root. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The immediate or remote destination of any act of sin is death. A thief who is caught stealing may be shot dead. A fornicator who sleeps with one who is not his or her spouse could contract venereal diseases or even the AIDS virus, which can culminate in death. What of anger, malice and bitterness? If you take stock of those who died prematurely, you will be shocked to know how many people are victims of these sins. Hypertension, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart ache, and some other sudden death dispensers have their links with such emotional sins. Even lies, no matter how small, tiny or insignificant will keep the sinner from heaven and cause the fellow to die the second death. (Revelation 21:8). So when God says you  should keep away from sin, He is only making a clarion call to life; He wants you to live. For you to live, you must deal with the problem of sin in your life. Any sin that is present in your life is simply leading you to hell. Break away from it today!
 

Tuesday 26 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Tuesday 26 February 2013 MOVE YOUR SPOUSE ALONG By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Tuesday 26 February 2013 
MOVE YOUR SPOUSE ALONG 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” romans 15:1
Read: Job 2:8-10
Bible in one year:  1Kings 9-12
Key point: In ministry if you relegate you relegate your wife to the background, all in the name of being head, you are shooting yourself in the foot.

It is not everyone who starts a race that reaches the finishing line, no matter how skillful they may be. 1Corinthians 9:24 says,
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain"
 The race we are called to run is a peculiar one, hence Ecciesiastes 9:11 says the race will not necessarily be won by the fastest, nor the battle won by the one adjudged the strongest. Why is ¡t that one way or another some people will fall by the way side? It is because that is Satan’s special assignment. There are certain ways the devil could get a Heaven bound believer to derail from his trip. It could be through one’s spouse or partner. In Genesis 1 6:1-3, Abraham got into big trouble when he took the counsel of his wife. Today, the problem we are having in the world between the Muslims and the Christians is as a result of that advice. Before accepting an advice from your partner, cross check it with the Word of God. This is why ministers of the Gospel must encourage their wives to grow spiritually as they move up the ecclesiastical ladder; otherwise, they can become a drag on them. When a pastor is going up but fails to carry his wife along, the day he crashes, he will find himself at the level his wife. As righteous and God fearing as Job was, he could not carry his wife along. The aftermath was that when he was going through his trial, instead of encouragement, his wife discouraged him, advised him to curse God so that when God kills him, she will be free to marry someone else. That was the level Job left her. Thank God he did not heed the evil advice of his wife. Beloved, this simply shows that your true level is that of your wife. Take time to work on her prayerfully, patiently with everything you can use to motivate her to climb up the spiritual ladder. 1f you can do this, if you crash, she will help you up.

Monday 25 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Monday 25 February 2013 EVANGELISM, WHAT PACKAGING? By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Monday 25 February 2013 
EVANGELISM, WHAT PACKAGING?
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.” John 4:15
Read: John 4:7-15
Bible in one year:  1Kings 5-8
Action point: The Gospel eradicates lines of enmity. Lead someone at war with you to Christ.

In today’s bible reading, we see that our Lord Jesus Christ while sitting by a well asked for water from a woman that came by the well to draw some water. In other words, Jesus asked her for a favour. He used this approach I to start a conversation with her. The lesson here ¡s that although there are several approaches in evangelising, there is a right approach for each person that can easily deliver the message and win that soul to Christ. This requires you to be led of the Holy Spirit in order to know the right approach for everyone you meet. If In addition, we see that even though the Samaritans and the Jews had no dealings with each other, the Lord Jesus broke the ice when it came to evangelism. John 3:16 says He came for the whole world and consequently He does not want any of His creatures to be lost. There are some Christians who have the opportunity to share the good news of the Gospel with certain unfriendly folks, but deliberately refuse to, because they prefer they died in sin and went to hell than hear the Gospel, become saved and go to Heaven. They are the brothers of Jonah! Don’t forget that the Gospel should not only be preached to our friends and relations but also to our enemies. As far as the Gospel is concerned, there is no enemy other than Satan and his cohorts. Any enemy you preach to that yields to your message becomes your friend. Moreover, we can also learn from the way Jesus packaged the salvation message. He made salvation so attractive that the one who had something with which to fetch water, soon began asking the One who had nothing to fetch water, to give her water. Jesus made her to know that there was superior water that could quench one’s thirst permanently. On hearing this, she began to salivate. Many people fail to lead unbelievers to Christ because there is nothing attractive about the Gospel they are presenting to them. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us repackage the Gospel message ¡n a way that ¡t becomes irresistible to the hearers.
On the other hand, in a hid to make the Gospel attractive, some people tell lies by saying: If you come to Christ, you will have no trouble, arid you will have a smooth ride in life. It is not true! Problems will come but Jesus will help you to overcome. How attractive is that Gospel you preach?
 

Sunday 24 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 24 February 2013 WHEN HAPPINESS INTOXICATES By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 24 February 2013 
WHEN HAPPINESS INTOXICATES 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye
 
Memorise: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” Luke 21:34
Read: Matthew 14:6-11
Bible in one year:  1Kings 1-4
Action point: If while celebrating an event, those you invite are allowed to drink what could kill them and to engage in works of the flesh, you are destroying their lives.

Some people make silly mistakes when they are experiencing their happiest moments. At such times, some youths grow wild, uncontrollable and fearlessly daring. Never be controlled by happiness but be controlled by joy. Those who are controlled by the momentary pleasure that happiness offers end up pleasing the flesh, while those controlled by their inner joy end up pleasing the Lord. In Esther 1:10-15, Ahasuerus was so merry that he ordered his wife to come and virtually exhibit herself before everyone.  This means that it is possible to be so happy that you will not realise it when you are doing something that will cause you shame and disgrace. Similarly, ¡n Matthew 14:6-1 1 , King Herod was so happy with the way his stolen wife’s daughter danced that he swore with an oath to give her anything, which led to the untimely death of John the Baptist, who was then a check on his conscience even in prison. This also tells us that happiness can so grip an individual that the fellow would not know when he sets a trap for himself. By the time King Herod heard the request, verse 9 says he felt so sorry but he had no choice other than to kill an innocent man. Do not ensnare yourself because of one moment of happiness - you may never recover from it! Watch your words, promises and utterances when you are very happy! Many times when you are happy, you would want to flaunt it. The flesh likes to flaunt itself. King Herod was marking his birthday, and it led to the death of a prominent man of God! When you mark your landmark birthday, what transpires? Do you use the occasion to feed the flesh, or to show off some wealth? Do you organise a party where some wel1 wishers will indulge in smoking and drinking of liquor, or where you may even have a night party that will create room for immorality? Birthday is good but i It displeases God or makes others to displease God while marking it you have made a good thing bad. What is wrong if you mark your birthday by organizing a crusade in your town or village, leading to salvation of souls? Or you visit the orphanage or motherless babies’ homes to positively touch their lives? You can take that day off with your family just to praise and thank God for His faithfulness. How do you handle your moments of happiness?

Saturday 23 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 23 February 2013 PRAYERS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 23 February 2013 
PRAYERS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12
Read: Daniel 10:10-14
Bible in one year:  John 18-21
Action point: Have you said “good morning Holy Spirit” today? Consciously cultivate fellowship with Him.

The third gift under the revelational gifts is the gift of discerning of spirits. The presence of this gift provides the ability to identify the particular spirit in operation, and the ability to see into the spirit realm. John 4:24 says God ¡s a spirit. Believe it or not, there ¡s a spirit world where angels and demons operate. This world ¡s very real even though we may not be able to handle certain things there physically. This spirit realm largely controls or affects the physical realm. Therefore for you to be successful on earth, you must be an active player ¡n that realm. When you are born-again, your spirit man is recreated in Christ Jesus. This provides you the platform to operate ¡n the spirit world. Witches and wizards, the occult and negative supernatural powers, all play active roles in the spirit world. The operation of the spirit world ¡s different from what we are used to in the physical world. The value system in the spirit world ¡s quite different from ours. The laws are different from the laws of men and so are the goals of actors ¡n this realm. You must know that both the positive supernatural world of God and His heavenly hosts, and the negative supernatural world of Satan and his cohorts are very organised. Both realms want to control the human plane, and the one you yield to will determine how you will end up. Lf you operate ¡n either of these realms, you will be superior to those operating at ordinary human level. But thank God that the positive supernatural is far more powerful, and long lasting than the negative side. For instance, while the positive supernatural realm is an eternal kingdom whose operation is not subject to the control of time and space, the negative supernatural is very limited and their operations is ¡n time and space. The Devil, who is the head of the negative supernatural world, has a specified period to operate, after which he will be cast into the lake of fire to serve his eternal judgement. But our God and His Heavenly Kingdom continue forever (Revelation 20:3, 10). Righteousness, peace and joy ¡n the Holy Ghost characterise the positive supernatural realm, while evil, wickedness and hatred are the hallmarks of the satanic kingdom. In Satan’s kingdom, the more wicked you are, the higher your USC will be, while in God’s Kingdom you only rise when you are holy, willing and obedient. Any of these kingdoms you allow into your life will compel you to accept their values, priorities, laws and goals.Which of the realms do you want to be active ¡n?
 

Friday 22 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Friday 22 February 2013 SAY NO TO DISCOURAGEMENT By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Friday 22 February 2013 
SAY NO TO DISCOURAGEMENT 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” 1Samuel 30:6
Read: 1Kings 19:4-8
Bible in one year:  John 14-17
Key point: The intensity of discouragements is one way to determine what is ahead. If it is very intense, do know that there is something great ahead of you.

There is time for everything. There is a time for war and  a time of peace. There is a time to be at the vanguard of the Gospel and a time to retreat in order to re-launch at a later time. As you work with the Holy Spirit and follow His leading, you will not miss out what to do at the right time.
Looking at the story of Elijah and how after two outstanding victories, he fled for his life, requesting to die, as recorded in 1 Kings 19:4-8, you will discover how he moved from hopelessness to hope. He asked for God to take his life because he had reached the peak of discouragement but instead of death, God sent him food. From this we learn that discouragement can make you pray amiss. Every negative prayer you have prayed against yourself as a result of desperation, disappointment and discouragement shall be ignored by God in Jesus name. While discouraged, some people have decided to ask God to wipe them out and even their entire family. While discouraged, the thing that gave them the greatest joy suddenly turned into something totally bereft of pleasure. Also, while discouraged, you can take some wrong decisions. At the height of discouragement,
you can begin to help the devil do his work. You can get to a point where you will begin to hinder God’s Will in your life. Are you discouraged? Is your present state clouding God’s earlier promises to you? Are you taking or about to take some wrong step? Are you discouraged because you met with disappointment over a promise for marriage 4 or 5 times, and it was so devastating to you that you have decided to call it quits with anything called marriage? Don’t! What you are going through is just a passing phase. If you hold on to God a little longer, the coast will be clear again. There is a user of this Devotional who has been disappointed by several suitors that after the last disappointment, you have decided to call it quits with marriage, you have re solved to have a baby by all means and live as a single parent for life. The Lord is saving that you should not give up. Your husband is around you. Those who disappointed you were wrong suitors. If you will hold on to the Lord and praise Him, thank Him and serve Him more, your husband will meet you in the place of service and your wedding will come

Thursday 21 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Thursday 21 February 2013 BE TIME CONSCIOUS By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Thursday 21 February 2013 
BE TIME CONSCIOUS 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” Psalm 90:12
Read: Psalm 90:12-15
Bible in one year:  John 11-13
Action point: If you do not know that your trial of faith is for a moment, Satan will make it last for a lifetime. Resist any unauthorized extension of your trial.

When Job approached God’s Throne of Grace amidst his trial in Job 1 0:20-21, he was open and down-to earth. There was nothing to hide. He asked God, ‘How many days have I on earth that I will continue to go through these evil times without ending? Let me have a break so that I can recover from my trial’. One thing to note here is that because our days are few, whatever problems we go through, are timed and must come to an end at some point in time. Are you going through a persisting negative experience? Or are you hit on all sides like Job, and you are thinking of giving up? Don’t! That problem has come to pass. No problem can extend its life span hence, Ecclesiastes 3:1 says everything has its season. Every problem that God allowed you to go through as a trial of faith, whose duration the enemy wants prolonged shall lose its hold over you. I command it to expire now in Jesus name.
Besides, when God allows you to go through a trial of faith, He also allows some temporary suspension or reliefs to enable you endure it. Are you going through a trial of your faith, God shall give you the grace to overcome. That trial will take you to a higher level. However, because of the brevity of life on earth, there is a need to be prudent with time. Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12 that, 
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”
To get the best out of life, you must operate daily with a sense of time. This is wisdom. Life is all about what you can achieve for your Creator within the time you have been given. You do not have eternity to perform any particular task; hence you should attend to issues with a sense of urgency. Each time you do a particular assignment at the appropriate time, Heaven applauds you. If you continue this way, at the end of your time on earth, you would have achieved all God wants you to achieve within the time you were given. The truth is: God may not extend your time on earth like King Hezekiah so make sure you fully utilise every fraction of time at your disposal. Don’t waste that second or minute! Every second or minute you waste today will become wasted years tomorrow. Profitably engage your seconds and minutes from today!

Wednesday 20 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Wednesday 20 February 2013 THE UNBROKEN CHRISTIAN By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Wednesday 20 February 2013
THE UNBROKEN CHRISTIAN
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off” Psalm 136:8
Read: Psalm 136:6-8
Bible in one year:  Joshua 22-24
Prayer point: Father, every trace of un-brokenness in my life, please uproot today. Break me, mould me and make me what You want me to be.

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith ye are called,” Ephesians 4:1
Paul was a good example of Christ’s bond servant He was also His friend. He was able to achieve great heights for the Lord because he was broken. Every believer has been called to brokenness to enable us fulfill the purpose of God for our lives. The truth is, until you are broken, you may never fulfill God’s plan for your life. Whether you like it or not, God will have to take you through the path of brokenness for you to reach your peak point in Christ. If you cooperate with Him, you will get there, but if you refuse to be broken, you may like Moses, see the Promised Land but not be able to enter it. 
Today, there are young converts who are broken and believers of several years, even those occupying high ecclesiastical positions who are unbroken. How do we identify the one who is broken and the one who is unbroken? One way of identifying an unbroken believer is if the fellow harbours pride, or still boasts or shares in God’s glory. One fellow God cannot stand is the one who is proud (Psalm 138:6). 1f you cannot humble yourself under the leadership of the church, to obey laid down rules and guidelines, and to be disciplined when you err, you are not broken. 1f you have a proud look and thereby feel you know it all, or feel too big to learn from others, you are not yet broken. 1f you feel you are always right you are not broken. If your earthly possessions, achievements and status in the society are making you think that you are more superior to others, then you do not know what it means to be broken. Do you in any way share God’s g1ory with Him when He performs some miracle or work of grace in and through you? Then you are not broken. If you are boastful you are not broken. Some leaders are so full of what they have achieved for God that they are blinded from doing more. It is because they are not broken. What are the traces of un-brokenness in your life?

Tuesday 19 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Tuesday 19 February 2013 GIVE YOUR LIFE By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Tuesday 19 February 2013 
GIVE YOUR LIFE 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.” Proverbs 21:25
Read: Proverbs 21:25-26
Bible in one year:  Joshua 19-21
Key point: With God, there is no cheating. If there is a harvest, good or bad, you can almost always trace it to a seed somewhere along the past

Most people on earth believe in something but many do not hive living faith. Your inability to back up your faith with commensurate work kills your faith and turns it into dead faith. Today, many people are perishing with their faith. You desire to have a good job and you have faith that God can give you one; where are the works to back up your faith to transform your expectations into reality? You are trusting God for a good job that will pay you so well and yet you have refused to further your education and acquire a good degree or post graduate degree? You expect to take up a job as a top management officer in a blue chip organisation with your secondary school certificate, OND or NCE? You may wait for a long time! You want God to give you a near-perfect spouse but you have not invested time and money in books, messages and counselling on how you can be a perfect wife or husband? Or do you want to succeed and come out in flying colours in your examination, yet you have not invested in attending all classes, ensuring you understand all you were taught, copying or developing your notes, studying both note books and text books, seeking answers or clarification of areas of doubts; how then will you fly? 
“The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.”
Proverbs 21:25
Lazy people may be lazy but they have desires: this implies they could also have some measure of faith. The problem with the lazy is that they lack works so their faith dies. You want to be a king in Heaven, yet you make excuses for not serving God or winning souls to Him: such fellow will end up as an ordinary citizen if he ever makes it to Heaven. You want to be a great leader, where are the works of service, love and humility done to your subordinates? You desire God to open doors for you  to earn in dollars and  pounds, where are the seeds you have sown in Gods house ¡n dollars and pounds?  lways back up your desires, expectations and faith with the right kind of works.

Monday 18 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Monday 25 February 2013 PRAYERS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Monday 25 February 2013 
PRAYERS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.” John 4:15
Read: John 4:7-15
Bible in one year:  1Kings 5-8
Action point: The Gospel eradicates lines of enmity. Lead someone at war with you to Christ.

In today’s bible reading, we see that our Lord Jesus Christ while sitting by a well asked for water from a woman that came by the well to draw some water. In other words, Jesus asked her for a favour. He used this approach I to start a conversation with her. The lesson here ¡s that although there are several approaches in evangelising, there is a right approach for each person that can easily deliver the message and win that soul to Christ. This requires you to be led of the Holy Spirit in order to know the right approach for everyone you meet. If In addition, we see that even though the Samaritans and the Jews had no dealings with each other, the Lord Jesus broke the ice when it came to evangelism. John 3:16 says He came for the whole world and consequently He does not want any of His creatures to be lost. There are some Christians who have the opportunity to share the good news of the Gospel with certain unfriendly folks, but deliberately refuse to, because they prefer they died in sin and went to hell than hear the Gospel, become saved and go to Heaven. They are the brothers of Jonah! Don’t forget that the Gospel should not only be preached to our friends and relations but also to our enemies. As far as the Gospel is concerned, there is no enemy other than Satan and his cohorts. Any enemy you preach to that yields to your message becomes your friend. Moreover, we can also learn from the way Jesus packaged the salvation message. He made salvation so attractive that the one who had something with which to fetch water, soon began asking the One who had nothing to fetch water, to give her water. Jesus made her to know that there was superior water that could quench one’s thirst permanently. On hearing this, she began to salivate. Many people fail to lead unbelievers to Christ because there is nothing attractive about the Gospel they are presenting to them. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us repackage the Gospel message ¡n a way that ¡t becomes irresistible to the hearers.
On the other hand, in a hid to make the Gospel attractive, some people tell lies by saying: If you come to Christ, you will have no trouble, arid you will have a smooth ride in life. It is not true! Problems will come but Jesus will help you to overcome. How attractive is that Gospel you preach?
 

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Monday 18 February 2013 UNVEILING THE UNKNOWN GOD By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Monday 18 February 2013
UNVEILING THE UNKNOWN GOD 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” Acts 17:23
Read: Acts 17:16-23
Bible in one year:  Joshua 16-18
Key point: Some people see artifacts, shrines and monuments as demonic and therefore avoid anyone associated with them, while others use them to evangelise to those who are associated with them.
We have seen that one great time to preach the word is when you are tired or weary. Most people would rest at such times, but the truth is: whenever your body is too tired to preach and an opportunity presents itself, there may just be a breakthrough of souls at the corner. The Lord Jesus Christ knew this and that was why He did not allow tiredness to rob Him of that great harvest. May you not lose your hidden harvest in Jesus name. Another lesson from John 4:1-42 has to  do with the location. Jesus went to a historical site that had great significance with Jewish history. It was the city of Sychar, on a piece of land that belonged to Jacob which also had Jacob’s well. When Jesus got there, He sat on a well connected with history and began to preach to the woman. From this we learn that there is hardly anything that cannot be used in evangelism. National or local historical monuments can be used in preaching the Gospel. Today, in various countries, there are historical spots or monuments that symbolize independence, democracy, or some form of common struggle for the people. Such places can become great leads into the salvation message. Even folklores, local anecdotes and humorous stories of creation and life in times past, can easily be exploited by the evangelist in order to win souls.
You can begin with an African story of how the tortoise got his wife and end up with a salvation message. Local temples, gods and goddesses are not left out. One great evangelist who could easily connect with local beliefs and tie it up with the Gospel was Paul. While in Athens, He went to observe how the Greeks worshipped their gods. They had several altars for each god, and thereafter dedicated an altar to any other god that might exist which they are yet to know. On that altar, they inscribed: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. When Paul was brought before them, he immediately told them he served that unknown God that they had a shrine for, and he used the opportunity to preach Jesus Christ to them. By the time he finished, he had converts who immediately followed him and became disciples. When you use what people are familiar with to preach the gospel of Christ to them, they will find it easier to accept the Gospel. Exploit such opportunities today!

Sunday 17 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday17 February 2013 SEEK RIGHT By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 17 February 2013 
SEEK RIGHT 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
Read: Matthew 6:31-33
Bible in one year:  Joshua 13-15
Key point: There are things you will seek which will make you lose what’s most important. Seek right!

When you are very happy, watch your actions or else you will become a victim of that happiness. The target of true followers of Christ is not just happiness but joy. Hence, the Lord in Matthew 6:33 says,
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
And Paul by the Holy Ghost in Romans 14:17 defined the kingdom of God to encompass joy.
‘For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
If you chase after things, the best you can get is happiness. You can never find God when in pursuit of material things. If however you are pursuing God, not only will you find God and everlasting joy, you will also have material things you never struggled for. Which is better? To pursue things and have material blessings but lose God and Heaven, or to seek after God and have Him, joy, material things and eternity with Him in Heaven? What is your choice?
“And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” 1 Corinthians 7:31
Another truth here is that those who are chasing things hold strongly to material things. They think they have a hold on things but the reality is that material things have taken them captive. It has become a stronghold in their lives. Of such, Jesus says in Mark 10:24:
“And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”
In other words, they may feel that because they worked so hard for the money, they will need to justify every cent, penny or kobo they spend from it. It might get to a point where unknown to them, they begin to idolise or worship money. When you trust ¡n your wealth saying in your heart that there is nothing to fear about sickness, hunger, lack, etc. your heart has left God. If you find it difficult to pay your tithe, give a generous offering or sow into God’s kingdom, it is evidence that you are pursuing things and most probably serving them. Such people, irrespective of where they find themselves will almost worship people of means. They want to continue to amass wealth and be sure that their bank accounts are swelling. Anytime they suffer a loss, they lose their happiness. And if they suffer a major loss, they will want to kill themselves. Material things are a shadow. Stop chasing shadows because you can never catch one. Start to chase the real thing. Start to seek for God and how you can enlarge His Kingdom, and you will have beyond your bargain.

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 16 February 2013 WORD OF WISDOM By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 16 February 2013 
WORD OF WISDOM 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. 1 Kings 3:27
Read: 1 Kings 3:16-28
Bible in one year:  Joshua 10-12
Key point: If you live a lie, the wisdom of truth will be dysfunctional in your life and situation

Besides the gift of the word of knowledge, another gift under the revelational gifts classification is the gift of the word of wisdom. Daniel 2:20-21 tells us wisdom is God’s property. The word of wisdom is just a crumb from the massive body of wisdom belonging to God, that He may release to someone close to Him to enable him get out of a difficult or a tight corner. One person who benefited from this gift was King Solomon. In 1 Kings 3:16-28, two nursing harlots who had their babies at the same time had an issue. One mistakenly slept on her baby and it died. She exchanged her dead child with the living child of the other woman. Eventually both women began to disown the dead child and claim the living child. Finally, the case was brought to the king. In those days, there was no DNA test which could help to establish the biological link to the mother of the child, but with the word of wisdom, the truth surfaced and the mother of the child regained her child, and the people of Israel marveled. Do you know that when you face a panel of interviewers after applying for a job, bidding for a contract, defending your thesis, or even visa, you could ask the Lord and the Holy Spirit will drop a word of wisdom that nobody can resist which will compel all present to deliver to you that much desired victory? One reason many believers fail to access the word of wisdom is because they rely on the lies they can cook up. The Spirit of wisdom is the Spirit of truth. Wisdom never thrives on lies. At certain situations that believers are cornered and cannot see a way out, the Holy Spirit unknown to them is so close by, ready to give that word of wisdom that can rescue them; but if they fail to ask, or they resort to lies, He will simply ignore them. The truth is, if you cannot access the word of wisdom, you may be tempted or compelled to employ satanic wisdom -  lies. Beloved, you claim to be born again yet, when applying for visas to go to other countries; you make false declarations and even present fake bank statements or pretend to be married with children, or to be working where you are not engaged. How can the wisdom of God operate in your circumstances? it is not a do-or die situation. If you tell the truth and you are turned down, you do not need to go and organise other passports under fictitious names. Take it that it is not the right time to make that trip, or more importantly that God has a better plan for you to remain where you are. Create room for the wisdom of God to operate.

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Friday 15 February 2013 TIME TO HIDE By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Friday 15 February 2013 
TIME TO HIDE  
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


Memorise: “Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand” John 10:39
Read: John 10:30-40
Bible in one year: Joshua 7-9
Prayer point: Father, grant me the grace to rest when I should and to fight at the right time”  
Elijah descended from Mount Carmel when he had called down fire and rain, and ran by the power of the Spirit ahead of the king’s horse-driven chariot, Then he heard that  queen Jezebel  was out to kill him and he ran. Hem kept running till his feet could carry him no more. Tired and exhausted from his flight, he told God to call him to glory. While sitting under a juniper tree, he slept off from his exhaustion. An angel came to wake him up giving him food and water. He ate, drank and slept again. Later the angel came again and set food before him, waking him up from his sleep. He took the meal and was revived. His hope arose and he embarked on a journey which took him 40 days and nights nonstop till he encountered the Almighty God on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 1 9:4-8).
This story is an interesting one we can learn several things from. Here was the most dreaded and highly respected prophet of God who had been mightily used of God. Only recently, he defeated and destroyed 450 Baal prophets and turned backsliding Israel back to God. But now he was in a dilemma. The first thing we learn from this story is that the higher you go in the faith, the bigger your temptations and trials. Also, the more anointed you are, the greater the forces of darkness that will be released against you. Yet, no matter the opposing forces or level of depression or discouragement, there is victory for you in Christ Jesus. We also learn that if you defeat the kingdom of Satan in any contest, do not rest on your oars: expect reprisal attacks from any of Satan’s standing army. Another lesson here is that in the midst of intense opposition calling for your head as a child of God; it is sometimes a wise thing to retreat temporarily in order to re-attack the kingdom of darkness subsequently. 1f you look at the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, there were several attempts to seize Him and take Him before the appointed time. He resisted such attempts. When the Jews were so incensed against Him that they wanted Him dead, He sneaked out of their midst to another location and when an area became too hot, He went to a far-away location so that He could continue the work of the Father. We need to apply wisdom and work very closely with the holy Spirit on this matter so that We do not retreat when we should continue to fight, or continue the fight when we should retreat. Ask for God’s wisdom at all times even in the midst of doing God’s will. It is essential. 

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Thursday 14 February 2013 OPENNESS BEFORE THE THRONE By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Thursday 14 February 2013 
OPENNESS BEFORE THE THRONE 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


Memorise: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Read: Job 10:20-21
Bible in one year: Joshua 4-6
Key point: Distance always gives room for mistrust and suspicion. Leave no distance with God. 
 
 
The relationship that exists between you and the Lord will determine quite a lot of things, including how you will pray to Him. Where there is considerable distance between you and God, you cannot come before Him in the time of prayer and allude that you are close to H 1m. Some believers can barely afford 10 or 20 minutes to fellowship with God daily, while they spend most parts of their day with men at work. When such people come before God to pray, the distance that exists between them and God will definitely show.
“Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,”
Job 10:20
Job had an intimate relationship with God. When things were going well, it showed in his prayers and when God allowed him to go through his trial of faith situation, it also showed in his prayers. He told God, ‘Lord, I am confused: why are you pursuing me?’ He told God exactly how He felt. Can you be so open to God? Righteousness and obedience increase your boldness before the Throne of Grace, while sin erodes it. If God leads you to marry a particular fellow, contrary to your personal desire, if anything goes wrong, you will be able to hold on to God with all boldness. You will be able to ask God to fix it because He ‘caused’ it by bringing you both together in the first place. But if when He led you to His choice, you ignored Him and went ahead to marry the spouse of your choice, when anything goes wrong, you will be too ashamed to call upon God to salvage it. 1f you do, it might be His turn to say, ‘It is your mess, clean ìt up’, except where you ask for his mercy. With what confidence will a believer who is sinning secretly pray to God? All such a fellow can say is ‘Lord have mercy on me. However, if you are in right standing before God. feel tree to tell Him exactly how you feel. Be open to Him. Tell Him what you think is happening. Tell Him how you have assessed the situation and invite Him to intervene. God is happy to assist the righteous He does this s a thing of ¡o.
Are you in any situation of need? Open up to the Most High today and He will send help to you.

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Wednesday 13 February 2013 BROKENNESS POWERS SERVICE by Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Wednesday 13 February 2013 BROKENNESS POWERS SERVICE 
by Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: “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.” John 12:24
Read: John 12:23-26
Bible in one year: Joshua 1-3
Key point: “Father, help me to put my flesh under my spirit so that I will no longer be seen but Christ”.
 
Another reason for you to be broken is to enable you serve the Lord acceptably.
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
If you are not broken, you cannot truly follow the Lord. If you are not broken, serving the Lord will be such a struggle. You will be making excuses and explaining away your inability to fully serve Him. Today’s memory verse gives us a good picture of brokenness. For Jesus to be able to give His all and bring in a great harvest of souls into the Kingdom, He had to die. Until you are broken, you may never attain your peak ¡n Christian service. Several things daily compete with our time, financial resources, talents and abilities, etc. How you allocate what you have is a function of your priorities which are directed by your level of brokenness. If you are not broken, you will serve God selectively. There are some Christian workers who cannot be transferred to a department or new parish because they are not broken. If you are broken, you are ready to go anywhere and to do anything gladly for the Lord Jesus. Moreover, you need to be broken to enable you carry more of God’s power and presence. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says 
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
The level of the anointing you can carry would be determined by your level of brokenness. The more broken you are, the more of the fruit of the Spirit shows in your life. The more Christ-like in character you are, the more you the power of God. Everyone who has received Jesus has been called to brokenness. How broken are you?

Open Heavens Daily Devotionals: Apolgy:


I wish to apologise to the thousands of my viewers for my inability to post the Open Heavens Daily Devotionals for the past few days. It was due to some circumstances beyond my control and I promise that with the help of the Almighty God, the postings will continue henceforth and will be available as at when due, come what may.
God bless you all
Yetunde

Tuesday 12 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Tuesday 12 February 2013 DIVINE CALL By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Tuesday 12 February 2013 
DIVINE CALL 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: "what does it profit, my brethren, though a man says he has faith and has no works. can works save him? James 2:14
Read: James 2: 14-20
Bible in one year: Thessalonians 1-3
Prayer point: "Father, thank you for past Special Holy Ghost Services and your son Pastor E. A. Adeboye you have been using in them. Let this year's Special Holy Ghost Service witness Your unprecedented move, power and testimonies.

Faith is a very unique and indispensable subject that every believer in Christ must operate in because of the peculiarity of the Christian life. We are called to a life of faith. Hebrews 11 :1 says,
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” 
 
Normally, there is no substance in something you are hoping to receive because it is still futuristic, but in the Christian life, faith is the substance in our hope. In the same vein, it is impossible to have evidence among things that are unseen, yet in our peculiar lifestyle, faith is the evidence that can be seen in unseen circumstances. Do you have faith? Is your faith tangible? Is it enough evidence in the world of the unseen? Broadly speaking, faith can be categorized into two types – living faith and dead faith. In most cases, faith has a partner it can hardly do without and that partner is “Works. Faith partners works just as the body partners the spirit They are inseparable hence, James 2:20 says any faith that has no works to back it up is as good as dead. Works partly gives life to faith. If you have faith but lack works, that faith is dead faith. Today, many people who have faith are yet unsaved because they have not taken the necessary steps to receive salvation - God’s free gift to mankind. If you are offered a gift you will be unable to enjoy it until you move to where it is and claim it. Are you yet to be born again but you have faith in Jesus Christ that He is the Saviour of the world? You cannot be saved from your sins until you take some definite steps: you must realise you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself from your sins. You must believe that Jesus died for the whole world but particularly for you to be saved from eternal hell. You must confess your sins before God in church, at home or anywhere, promising not to return to them. You must invite Jesus Christ into your heart and ask Him to take over the control of your life. Also confess Him as your Lord from that moment. Thereafter, you must destroy everything ¡n your custody that reminds you of your past evil lifestyle evil books, worldly music, videos and VCDs: you must separate from bad influences – sin partners, bad gangs, occultic friends and materials. Cut off visits to reveling spots and disco halls. Start to read the Bible, pray regularly and fellowship with God’s children. These re works backing your faith for salvation. Is our faith backed by works?

Monday 11 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Monday 11 February 2013 DEFYING TIREDNESS By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Monday 11 February 2013 
DEFYING TIREDNESS 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine" 2 Timothy 4:2

Read: John 4:3-7

Bible in one year: Daniel 10-12

Key point: Everyone has a circle of influence under a divine network of relationships. Leading that loner to Christ may mean leading a crowd to Christ.

As bona fide children of God, we are expected to live our lives like He lived and copy Him in every area. 1 Peter 2:21 says,
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps”
The Lord Himself said in Matthew 11:29, 
“Take my yoke upon you1 and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”
If you want to be like Jesus, you must be prepared to study Him and copy His deeds, actions, inactions, speech, silence, life style, recreation, working principles, etc. To what extent have you learnt from Him? One area we can learn from Him today is the way He evangelised. When we took at the popular story in John 4:1-42, the first thing we see there is a man led of the Spirit. He was on a particular journey but began to feel the need to go through Samaria. This was impressed on Him but He did not just waive it off like many of us do today. He confirmed that the Holy Spirit wanted Him to go by Samaria and He went to one of their villages. This tells us that the greatest, easiest and sweetest victories in evangelism can be recorded when the evangelist completely follows the leading of the Holy Spirit. When last where you led of the Spirit to win a soul you knew nothing about? You must be totally yielded to God. If you frequently shun the impressions of the Holy Spirit in your spirit, a time will come when you may no longer hear from Him. 
Another lesson here is that as tired as Jesus was from His journey, He still preached. We are commanded to preach in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). If we were in Jesus’ shoes, do you know that, the woman at the well would have been lost? Consequently affecting the big harvest of the Samaritans - they too would have been lost. How? We would have used our excuse of tiredness to defer that evangelism. Another lesson here is that God purposely sends some loners to you so that through them you can have a major breakthrough in evangelism. If you miss them for any reason, you would have lost a greater harvest. Never look down on anyone as you go out to preach the Gospel. You can never tell who they are connected to. Have you ever won a soul when you were tired? If you have not, then follow the steps of Jesus and reach out to souls In your tiredness and experience uncommon strength from God.

Sunday 10 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 10 February 2013 WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR JOY? By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 10 February 2013 
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR JOY? 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: "These things have I spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full"

Read:  John 15:9-11

Bible in one year: Daniel 7-9

Key point:The day you were saved, you received a measure of joy. Gut whether it will increase or decrease is solely your responsibility.

Look at the events that transpired in the empire of Ahasuerus in Esther 1 :1 01 5 still  leaves us with one or two lessons today. We read that when the king was very happy, he ordered his queen to be brought before the people. The first lesson here is that we must handle extreme joy with utmost care. Why? This is because when you are most happy or merry, you can erroneously take a step you will live to regret. Many of us know that when angry, one can make wrong decisions; but it does not stop there; even extreme happiness (not joy) can be very dangerous too. Happiness has to do with excitement in response to favourable physical events and conditions while joy has to do with the elated state of the inner man irrespective of physical conditions or situations. Satan’s promises are at best to increase your happiness howbeit temporarily, but God is the One who gives joy. And because happiness is induced by physical occurrences, people respond to it in different ways. What causes some to be happy, makes some sad while others might be indifferent. In life, the goal of most people is to be happy. Even when they talk of joy, they mean happiness because they lack understanding of the true meaning of the word. joy is eternal but happiness ¡s very temporary. When something good happens to an individual - say the fellow gets married after years of being single, or gets a job after being unemployed for so long, the fellow will be happy. But not long after, the happy feelings will disappear. Just as physical events give us happiness, physical events equally take happiness away from us. Joy on the other hand is given by God and is fed or sustained with spiritual things. For instance, if you win a soul to the Lord, it will increase your joy. Every time you obey God’s command, a measure of joy is deposited inside of you. Every time you refuse to compromise, your joy increases.
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11
In other words, it is your duty to retain, increase and eventually have your cup of joy full. Every act of disobedience diminishes your joy. Remember; the joy of the Lord is your strength. You cannot be stronger than the amount of joy that you have. Many Christians are weak today because the keep depleting their reservoir of jov by sinful indulgence. What are you doing to retain or increase your joy?

Saturday 9 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 9 February 2013 HE REVEALS SECRET By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 9 February 2013 
HE REVEALS SECRET 
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: "And He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass" Daniel 2:9b
Read: 2Kings 6:8-12
Bible in one year: Daniel 4-6
Prayer point: "Father, never keep me in the dark pertaining the plans of my enemies. O Lord, expose them to me and put me steps ahead of them"

Psalm 147:5 says God’s understanding is infinite - without limits. Cod knows everything about everybody, and can occasionally reveal a bit of such information by the gift of the word of knowledge to His own. In 2 Kings 6:8-12, the king of Syria was planning to ambush the king of Israel, and each time he planned, Elisha would warn the king of Israel not to follow that path, and so he escaped several times. One day, the king of Syria called a meeting of members of his cabinet to ask who was betraying his trust. One of them who knew what was going on; told him that all his servants and leaders were faithful, but that Elisha the prophet had the ability to hear everything they discussed in their most private location. When God shows you the trap your enemies have set for you and its location, it will be easy to overcome their plan by avoiding it. The Lord will release the gift of the word of knowledge to you this season and He will reveal the plans of your enemies to you before their execution. The Lord will give you a bit of His knowledge in order to give you an edge over enemies, situations and circumstances this year in Jesus name.
In one of our Conventions held many years ago, we had a great time. At about 12 midnight when we were about to round off the service, I called out pastors for special prayers. Just before 1 would pray for them, God opened my ears and I clearly heard a witch on my right telling another witch on my left that it was now time for them to do their havoc; So I told the pastors to wait and I asked the two witches that just had that conversation to come out or else they would be buried by the following week. They came out and were delivered. In manifesting the word of knowledge, your spiritual ears must be open and your spiritual eyes must see what God wants heard or seen.
Some years ago, one of my parish pastors heard and saw a conversation between his senior pastor and others stating why his parish would not be made an area headquarters. Later, when he met that senior pastor, he was told of their decision hut he told his pastor that he already knew because he heard their conversation. From now on, the Lord will open your spiritual ears to hear what He hears, and cause you to know what He knows. Ask for this gift today!

Friday 8 February 2013

RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Friday 8 February 2013 SIN STARTS FROM WITHIN By Pastor E. A. Adeboye


RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Friday 8 February 2013 
SIN STARTS FROM WITHIN  
By Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Memorise: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" Psalm 66:18
Read: Psalm 66:17-20

Bible in one year: Daniel 1-3
Action point: give 80% attention to inward cleanliness and 20% to outward cleanliness. Prayerfully select a House Fellowship Centre around you, and be committed to its growth.

Hearing and obeying God’s Word are central to receiving your breakthroughs. When you go through the Scriptures, you will discover among other things that when God has made up His mind to destroy a group of people, He will first deafen their ears so that they will not hear God’s Word (Isaiah 6:1012). One of the greatest challenges Christians have today is our inability to listen to the Spirit. When the Word of God is coming to us, we tend to believe that Word is for our neighbour, not us. We are quick to see what others are doing wrong or not doing but fail to meaningfully reflect over our thoughts, actions and inactions. 1f you have been in Christ for some time, you would have observed that when a new convert or a baby Christian prays to God just for five minutes, the answer would come, but the Christian who had been saved for several years might experience something different: if he prays for others, the answer wilt come, but if he prays for himself, it would appear nothing is happening. Why is this so? it might be because that believer is failing to listen to God’s Word. Some Christians only count how many years they have been in the faith of Christ but never care about having growth commensurate with their age in the faith. Are you becoming too big to hear and obey God’s Word? Some people are now too big to ask others to pray for them: they think it is humiliating to request for prayers from those the Lord has put under them. While all of the aforementioned conditions are bad enough, a worse scenario is when God says that His child be left alone like it happened to Ephraim (Hosea 4:1 7). Are you doing something that can make God not only to leave you but also to tell others to leave you alone? If you are, immediately beat a retreat in humility and ask for His mercy today. Psalm 66:18 says
God will no longer hear me if I harbour sinful thoughts in my heart. The Lord does not gauge from the outward but searches the heart. He separates Himself from a heart where sin thrives. God is no respecter of persons. If you entertain sin in your heart. God can no more be your guest at that point. Some brethren ensure no one catches them committing sin openly but inwardly their hearts are defiled. Always keep the heart pure because sin starts from within.