LIFE IN ABUNDANCE II - 21/02/2014

LIFE IN ABUNDANCE II - 21/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “LIFE IN ABUNDANCE I”. Today’s message continues the series and is titled “LIFE IN ABUNDANCE II” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise 1John 3:6 "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him."  and read 1 John 3:5-8 .  The Bible in one year reading for today has been taken from Isaiah 63:15-66:24 and Psalm 43

Quoted below is the message of today as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye (Adeboye, 2014). God bless you again and again for your contribution to the discussion

"Truly, the genuineness of God's concern and His interest in the well being of man is established in the giving of His Son to die, thereby making provision for their redemption. According to the word of it God, such individuals that therefore surrender their lives Jesus Christ are now children of God.

 "But as many as received him, tot them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them  that believe on his name: Which were born, no  of blood, nor of  of the flesh, nor of the Will of man but of God. John 1:12-13

If believers in Christ are children of God as the Bible  clearly reveals, then it means that they possess some ;; measure of divinity, a divine DNA. It implies further that  divine abilities are at their disposal, just as the passage  above indicates that these people are given power to  become sons. On this note, it is therefore expected that such people would live to take full advantage of this life in . accordance with the divine purpose. We should then ask a  ourselves this question: ’’Is it every child of God that is on  top of their situation, and are they living life to the fullness of what Jesus has on offer in John 10:1 0"?” The answer to  this question is NO! Why is this so? Definitely the fault is not with God, it can only be with us His children.

 Some of us are not sincere; some want what God has to offer but at the same time what the sinful world offers the first instance, sin was the undoing of man; It follows that if after we have received pardon from Jesus we still think we are free to continue in sin, we are taking God for a fool. the Bible says: .

 ”What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”  Romans 6:1 -2 
 It is required therefore that we live holy lives otherwise we will short-change ourselves. Living holy implies total obedience to God and His word"


Today's action point is to earnestly pray for consecration; ask God for the grace to live above the vanities of the world, and to be obedient to Him completely.

I pray that God will help us to deal with every end-time distraction that is prevalent in this generation and give us the grace to live above vain things around us in Jesus Name, amen.

Reference:
Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited

LIFE IN ABUNDANCE I - 20/02/2014

LIFE IN ABUNDANCE I - 20/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “FIT FOR DIVINE FAVOUR”. Today’s message continues the series and is titled “LIFE IN ABUNDANCE I” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that y might have it more abundantly.” and read 2 Peter 1:1-4.  The Bible in one year reading for today has been taken from Isaiah 60:1-63:14 and Psalm 42

"Under normal circumstances, no human being desires to be a nonentity. The various forces in the world however, are responsible for many people spending their entire life amounting to nothing and dwelling in the valley of not-well-to-do persons. The Almighty God Himself in making man did not intend for him to be a scourge of His creation, but rather the master.

”And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air; and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”  Genesis 1:26-27

This passage clearly reveals love and goodwill par excellence on the part of God toward man. Where then did the negative turn of events come from? It is sin in the camp of man. He rebelled against his Maker; he rejected His authority over him by choosing to obey the archenemy of God—Satan, rather than God. 

”And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman Said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” Genesis 3:11-13

Since this incident in the Garden of Eden, things have not been the same with man; until the same God who was sinned against sent His Son to make atonement for the sin of man (Hebrews 9:22, John 3:16). Whosoever now is in Christ is in a position to regain all that man had lost through sin (Romans 5:17). If you are already in Christ, I want to let you know that you are positioned to live a fulfilled life. If you have not truly surrendered to Jesus however, even if you Seem to be making it, know that something very vital is still missing. Besides, where it matters most in the hereafter, you will be disappointed; so repent and turn over your life to Jesus today." (Adeboye 2014)

Today's Action Point is to  make sure you are fully in Christ, to be able to reclaim all your lost ground and make heaven. 

I pray that the Almighty God will speedily recover all for us in Jesus Name, amen. God bless you richly for your contribution.

Reference:

Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited

FIT FOR DIVINE FAVOUR - 19/02/2014

FIT FOR DIVINE FAVOUR - 19/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “DIVINE CHAMPION III”. Today’s message continues the series and is titled “FIT FOR DIVINE FAVOUR” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” and read Ecclesiastes 9:11.  The Bible in one year reading for today has been taken from Isaiah 56:9 to 59:21 and Psalm 41

Quoted below is today's message for our usual discussion

"Do you know that even the African elders have  saying that they have seen princes become Slaves and slaves become landlords? This saying Of elders is philosophically aligned with the Bible (Ecclesiaste 10:7). Many times, the fact that a person is very energetic and hardworking is not necessarily an indication that the person  will be successful and great in life. If human prowess and  efforts were really the automatic yardsticks to great heights,  then many of those people still struggling up the ladder of _ achievements would already be on the mountain top of success.The Bible spells this out in Ecclesiastes 9:1 1 :

”I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race Is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

Favour is that currency by which you do little and obtain great results; it is that factor by which what others are struggling and sweating to accomplish, gets done by you almost effortlessly. It is favour that causes someone to be singled out of a multitude for special and pleasant treatment. Divine favour makes you someone that others would be willing to sacrifice their convenience to make comfortable. This was what happened to me years back on my first trip to Canada for a conference. On the long queue for registration on a very cold night with the ground wet, the registration officials came to me at the back of the line, collected my particulars and went on with my registration. Not only that I was offered a cup of tea and an old man pulled off his jacket, laid it on the wet and cold field for me to sit on. What else made this happen, if not the God of the whole universe at work, moving these people to treat this first time visitor from Nigeria like a king. Jesus of course, has made believers kings and priests to his Father (Revelation 1:6).

All children of God are entitled to this favour, however, it has  to be accessed by each one individually. You as a  a child of God should make yourself a favourite of God to enjoy divine favour at the highest level. How? Through praise'and’worship, complete obedience, witnessing Jesus, holy living and being full of faith. For instance, Mary the espoused  wife  of Joseph did not just become favoured to be the mother of  the Jesus; she was a virgin. Today, many of our young women have defiled themselves with men, even among those who say they are children of God." (Adeboye, 2014)

Today's prayer point is to pray that God will qualify you by Himself for divine favour through a life of praise, fear of God, faith and total obedience like Mary. 

God bless you for your contribution, amen.

Reference:

Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited

DIVINE CHAMPION II - 18/02/2014

DIVINE CHAMPION II - 18/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “DIVINE CHAMPION II”. Today’s message continues the series and is titled“DIVINE CHAMPION III” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise Psalm 51:61  “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom" 

” and read Daniel 2:20-21. The Bible in one year reading for today has been taken from Isaiah 52:1-56:8 and Psalm 40:11-17

Quoted below is today's message for our usual discussion

"The divine champion is one that is made wise by God I (Daniel 2:20-21). Wisdom can be defined as having the fear of God. As a matter of fact, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Also, it is the correct application of knowledge. This knowledge itself must be the right and pure knowledge. In this context therefore, wisdom is the substance by which a solution is proffered to problems and unpleasant situations or experiences of men, individuals, institutions, organisations and nations. Wisdom makes way for progress and success. Daniel as a divine champion largely gained stardom by presenting solutions to the puzzles of kings. These came by God revealing to him the meaning of mysterious dreams and the strange handwriting on the wall during the reign of one of these kings. As you become a divine champion, God would graciously reveal to you the cause of people's problems so that you may help them out in Jesus‘ Name. As a professional in your area of specialisation, the Lord will show you secrets of outstanding breakthroughs for new products, ideas and principles for alleviating people's sufferings, hardships and sorrows in Jesus‘ Name. As a leader, ajudge, magistrate, king, community head, governor or president, the God that gave Solomon wisdom and deep insights will honour you with the same for right adjudication and administration in your domain in Jesus‘ Name.

Remember however that the divine champion is God's representative; hence the special abilities he has are meant to bless men and honour God. It is in this light that God backed Samuel and Elijah up (1 Samuel 3:19, 2 Kings 1:9- 12). The divine champion is also one that is loved and sustained by God, as was the case with Elijah. Supernaturally, Elijah was provided with food at the Brook Cherith and was fed by God through a widow at Zarephath during a period of famine in the land (1 Kings 17:3-9). God sees to it that the divine champion '5 needs are met, whatever it takes. Get occupied with God and His business, please Him like Elijah and your needs will become His needs and you can be sure that you would not have to struggle like others do to make ends meet. Even blessings you do not crave for would come around you. "

We have been asked to pray as follows: "Father, make me a solution provider in my generation."

I pray that God will give us the wisdom that will cause us our light to shine as solution provides in Jesus Name, Amen. God bless you richly  for your contribution to this forum, amen.

Reference:

Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited

DIVINE CHAMPION II- 17/02/2014

DIVINE CHAMPION II- 17/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “DIVINE CHAMPION I”. Today’s message is titled“DIVINE CHAMPION II” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise lsaiah 40:31  “

But they that wait upon

the LORD shall renew 

their strength; they 

shall mount up with wings

 as eagles; they shall

 run, and not be 

weary; and they shall 

walk, and not faint

” and read  

Isaiah 40:28-31

.  The Bible in one year reading for today has been taken from 

Isaiah 49 to 51 and 

Psalm 40:1 -10

 (Adeboye, 2014).

Quoted below is the message. God bless you richly as you contribute to today's discussion

"Yesterday we discovered that our Lord Jesus Christ is the number one champion and that He makes His people champions. We saw also that a divine champion is a person raised up and supported by God.  One attribute of a champion is strength. The divine  champion is one who receives divine strengthening. 1  Samuel 2:9 says by strength (i.e. human ability) shall no  man prevail. The required divine strength for success,  achievement, getting to the top etc is supplied to the  divine champion by God. Hannah, who by inspiration of  the Holy Spirit proclaimed those words in prayers, had  that experience. She became a champion by divine  strengthening. She received strength to put an end to her  barrenness, thus her shame and reproach were taken  away. Every barren child of God using this devotional 1* right now, today marks that turning point in the story of your life; the strength for conception comes into you . right now in Jesus‘ Name. Having delivered our first  three children by caesarean section, by this same divine  strengthening, my wife safely delivered our fourth child  by herself contrary to the expert's opinion.The Lord who  did it for us will do it for you.

By the time divine strength came upon Elijah the divine champion, He ran on foot ahead of the king's chariot to the city of Jezreel (1 Kings18:46). Thus, the divine champion is always physically strong in his body - no  room for sickness at all. Though it was by divine ability that David tore both the lion and the bear while shepherding his father's flock, he would not have been a sickly fellow to be in the wilderness looking after the  animals. Likewise, though God was the one behind his  killing of the giant Goliath with a catapult, he would no  doubt have been healthy in his body to be strong enough  to pull the catapult string. Jesus our Master is the number  one divine champion; we can only be divine champions  because He is. There is no one occasion recorded where  he was having a simple headache. Therefore, we His  Champions have no business being sick. Rather, what  Jesus was doing is what we are meant to be doing also, i.e. giving health to the sick (Acts 1 0:38)."

Today's prayer point is: "Father, make me a divine champion full of the anointing, and give me a strong sickness-free body for your service". 

As we pray this prayer point with the whole of our hearts today, I pray that the Almighty God will give us overflow of anointing that will perfect all that concern us in Jesus name, amen.

Reference:

Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited.

DIVINE CHAMPION I - 16/02/2014

DIVINE CHAMPION I - 16/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “FRUITS OR LEAVES”. Today’s message is titled “DIVINE CHAMPION I” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise 1Samuel 2:8  “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD '5, and he hath set the world upon them.” and read  Jeremiah 51:20-23.  The Bible in one year reading for today has been taken from Isaiah 45:14 to Isaiah48:22 and Psalm 39 (Adeboye, 2014).

Quoted below is the message. God bless you richly as you contribute to today's discussion

A champion is the victor, the one winning, the overcomer. A Champion is also the representative of the people, the best the people can offer, The greatest champion in human history is no other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence the popular song in Nigerian Pidgin English says:

’’Winner 0 o 0, Winner! 2x

 Jesus you don win 0, Winner!

Patapata you go win forever, Winner! ”

You may wonder: Why is Jesus the greatest champion? Jesus engaged the greatest enemy of mankind - Satan, and defeated him. This was prophesied in Genesis 3:15. The outcome of the contest is in Hebrews 2:14-15. In addition to Satan, Jesus also overcame sin (Hebrews 4:15) and the world (John 16:33). Jesus is the number one Winner, He is the all-time Winner. The battles He won, He however won for you. I have good news for you today: that battle you are facing right now is a fall-out of that old battle which Jesus already won for you. The Bible says that Jesus destroyed Satan so that you might be delivered. You are delivered right now from that evil bondage and yoke of sickness, be it physical, financial, mental or emotional in Jesus‘ Name. Furthermore, Jesus defeated the archenemy for you, in order to make you a champion. You are a divine champion because you are raised up and supported by God (1 Samuel 2:8, Romans 8:31).

irrespective of the current situation and status of the Individual being made into a champion by God, by the time God finishes with him or her, he or she will become an amazement and a wonder. Our memory verse for today ‘says that God raises the prospective divine champion out of the dust and lifts the beggarly from the dunghill to make him keep company with princes. This means that the beggar becomes like a prince, and by every standard, his level changes. He no longer belongs in the dunghill. This is what our God is capable of doing. What low estate can be worse than dwelling in a dunghill i.e. having no prospect of becoming somebody in life, becoming dependent on picking and scavenging in the refuse dump? Your case might not be that bad, but even if it is, congratulations, your condition is about to change drastically. Only let the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart.

Today, we have been asked to pray as follows: "Father, make me a divine champion; fill me with the Holy Ghost and fire" (Adeboye, 2014)

I pray that no matter what has come our way in the past, the Almighty God will give us the power to dominate in Jesus name, Amen.

Reference:

Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited.

.

FRUITS OR LEAVES- 15/02/2014

FRUITS OR LEAVES- 15/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “BE STRONG”. Today’s message is titled “FRUITS OR LEAVES” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise
Philippians 1:11  “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. ” and read  Mark 11:12-14.  The Bible in one year reading for today has been taken from Isaiah 43:1 to Isaiah 45:13 and Psalm 38 (Adeboye, 2014).

Quoted below is the message. God bless you richly as you contribute to today's discussion

"When hungry, a person instinctively makes moves to have the hunger assuaged, which is normal. I had an experience in my early years when I had to go get firewood to sell to have money for my basic needs (food primarily). One day, l got stung bees after climbing a standing dry tree. I however refused to come down until I felled dry wood from the tree. I endured the terrible pain because I knew that no wood to sell meant no food to eat. May you not be poor in the Name of Jesus. In the morning of a particular day, the Lord Jesus while returning from Bethany to Jerusalem was hungry; needed food. Just at that moment, a fig tree was insight; hope and expectation arose in Him. Food for a hungry tummy is a necessity, a basic one for that matter. However, on getting to the fig tree, it was all leaf and no fruit. This fig tree had taken so many nutrients from the ground, only to produce leaves. It failed to fulfill its basic purpose of bearing fruits. Today, though Jesus is not physically present and A traversing the land of Judah and Galilee as He was then,   He is alive and still very much hungry for fruit. Howbeit,  not for figs or grapes but for:
 (i) Fruits of righteousness - Philippians 1 :1 1.
 (ii) Souls—John 15:16.

Just like the fig tree in our reading for today, it IS saddening that rather than Jesus finding the desired fruits on many of His children, they are merely full of leaves. Such leaves are reminiscent of the conditions prevailing in the Laodicean Church (Revelation 3:17-18), which had money and  material things to the exclusion of spiritual substance.  Some of us have position, titles, fame and material things. We are living big, but the fruits that Jesus really desires are   lacking. Some of us have taken so much blessing from Jesus only to consume all on ourselves. We dress in good attires, live large and have created a niche for ourselves in company of the who-is-who in high society, all with little or nothing at all in the area of influencing lives for Jesus. by We need to repent, and like the Laodicean church,   consider getting the true riches of Jesus Christ. The verdict  of Jesus Christ on the fruitless fig tree is frightening. This  should be an example to a leafy but fruitless individual jg (Luke 13:6-9). In Jesus’ Name, you will not be marked for  cutting down. May you begin to bear fruit to the  satisfaction of the Master henceforth and the blessings of the fruitful will be your portion." (Adeboye, 2014)

Today"s prayer point is to desire to be fruitful and pray to God for all that is needed to make you fruitful. also pray that every force that work against your fruitfulness should be destroyed by fire. (Adeboye, 2014)

May we never be cut down from our position of honour in Jesus Name, Amen.

Reference:
Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited.

BE STRONG - 14/02/2014

BE STRONG - 14/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “GOD SEES YOU”. Today’s message is titled “BE STRONG” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise  

Ephesians 6:10

 “Finally; my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:10” and read 

Ephesians 6:10-13.

 The Bible in one year reading for today has been taken from 

Isaiah 40:9 to Isaiah 42:25 and 

Psalm 37:33-40

 (Adeboye, 2014).

The message is quoted below for our usual discussion:

"You don't charge someone to be strong if there is no task to be performed or if pressure is not required, either for motion or putting up resistance against an opposing force. In the physical realm, mere movement requires strength. This explains why a sick person or a person just recovering from an ailment finds it difficult to walk. Spiritually you need to be strong. In today‘s Bible reading, the Lord commands us to be strong, and He gives two reasons why we should be:

1. That ye may be able to stand against the wiles

of the devil.

2. That ye may be able to withstand in the evil

day.

There are evil forces that want to short-change a child of God's life regarding the good things that God has in store for him or her. These spiritual forces are listed in Ephesians 6:12 as: principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world  and spiritual wickedness in high places. These spiritual entities attack either directly or through their human agents namely: witches, wizards, and people with familiar spirits etc. They cause harm, sorrow and calamities, including abortion of pregnancies and barrenness. They give spirit husbands, spirit wives and abort prospective contract deals; they are responsible for a myriad of misfortunes. As you know, the Bible says that the thief's (Satan) mission is to steal - stealing joy, peace etc; to kill -through sickness, diseases, calamities, tragedies, business failures etc, and to destroy -  i.e. the complete and ultimate devastation of a man's destiny in Hell. In the Name of Jesus, you will not become a victim of Satan's mission in any of these areas. What Jesus has for those that belong to Him is life in great abundance. 

Some years ago, a young lady who for the second time had failed her Ordinary Level exams refused to eat for days, grieving over her failure. Within this period, a fight ensued between her and another young girl. Though this grieving lady ordinarily should have dealt decisively with her adversary, the reverse turned out to be the case. Why? Because the strength she needed was not there, having not eaten for days. Spiritually, the food for our spirit man is the word of God. One of the basic things necessary for a child of God to be strong is the word of God. It serves as spiritual food for the supply of the needed spiritual calories (1 Peter 2:2, Colossians 3:1 6). The word sanctifies and purifies us. We are to study it, meditate on it, memorise it and of course, obey it."

The action point is: "Take definite steps to improve your level of interaction with the word - study, meditate on and memorise striking passages. Also appoint an accountability partner to help you." (Adeboye, 2014)

God bless you for contributing into today’s discussion

Reference:

Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited.

GOD SEES YOU - 13/02/2014

GOD SEES YOU - 13/02/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “WHAT KIND OF VESSEL?”. Today’s message is titled “GOD SEES YOU” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise  2 Psalm 139:2 “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” and read Psalms 139: 1 -3. Our Bible in one year for today has been taken from Isaiah 37:14-40:8 and Psalm37:21-33 (Adeboye, 2014).

The message is quoted below for our usual discussion:

“As a child of God, the fact that God knows all about you should give you assurance and confidence, While God sees and knows in detail what is going on around and inside of you, the devil does not have such ability. The Psalmist says:

"Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” Psalm 139:12

God knows all that you are passing through now and He knows the history of your life. Sometimes, what you consider to be the origin of your problem is not. There was this young boy whose father had stolen the Raleigh bicycle of another man before he was born. So painful was this experience to the man who lost his bicycle that he placed a curse on the generations of the person that stole his bicycle. The man who stole the bicycle had died and his young boy had gone to school and successfully completed his national youth service program. However, the young man just discovered that anytime he ate rice, it turned out to be a serious life threatening meal for him. He was completely oblivious ofthe evil his father had committed and the curse that was placed on his generations, that they would die eating rice. The all-knowing God however revealed this to His servant, who counselled the young man to find the exact amount the bicycle cost and give it to the owner of the bicycle.This he did and his predicament stopped.

Another thing about this attribute of God in relation to how we comport ourselves is that we should not be deluded into thinking that we can cover up any misdeed. Remember David smartly got his evil deed with Bathsheba kept from being known to everybody. He thought he could cover up his act of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband, but he was foolish not to consider that God saw him. God sees all you are doing. Beyond that, He knows every thought you are thinking, even while the thought is still far away from you (Psalm 139:2). He knows it, Won't you rather fear this God and rightly comport yourself? Are you a brother, minister or pastor, indulging in fornication or adultery with your members? He sees you, and except you repent, you will pay dearly for it. Repent today, and you shall obtain mercy, and it shall be well with you.

Today’s action point is to pray that the all-seeing and knowing God will reveal to you any pending situation you ought to prayerfully  go ahead and perform it.

God bless you for contributing into today’s discussion

Reference:

Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited.

WHAT KIND OF VESSEL? - 12/02/2013

Yesterday’s message was titled “GOD OF PURPOSE”. Today’s message is titled “WHAT KIND OF VESSEL?” as given by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise  2 Timothy 2:21“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.” and read 2Timothy 2:19-22. Our Bible in one year for today has been taken from Isaiah 34:1-37:13 and Psalm 37:1-20 (Adeboye, 2014).

The message is quoted below for our usual discussion:

“Vessels are simply containers. God identified His children as vessels in order to bring up one crucial fact about His dealings and workings on earth. The Bible in Psalm 115:16 says:

”The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.”

Because God has given the earth to men, in order to carry out His works on earth, He does not get it done without involving men, particularly His own children. The reason is, those in Christ are co-workers with the Father (Romans 8:16-17, 1 Corinthians 3:9). The heavenly resources by which the work will be accomplished will need to be carried or contained in us as vessels, not only as vessels but also as pipes or conduits. The purity of these resources, virtue, power and gifts of the Holy Spirit are highly essential if results as desired by God will be obtained.

Though we are God's children as believers, a component part of us is still flesh and blood. For this reason, we are called earthen vessels. The onus therefore is on us to make sure we keep this vessel pure, hence, the need to purify ourselves from all contaminants that could make us dirty. Our Bible reading for today reveals also that as vessels, the type of use we are put to will differ one from another. The interesting thing is that you are the one that determines the type of vessel you would be in the hand of God. What a great opportunity to become distinguished! It means I can become the most valuable vessel to God with all the honour that goes with such. Consider that for a mere slave who was sick, a centurion was ready to go all out to secure his healing. He had to plead with the Jewish leaders to appeal to Jesus to come and heal this servant. He did all this because this one servant was of immense value to him (Luke 7:1-10). Herein is the secret of what could make a difference between a child of God in whose life Mark 16:17 is a reality and another for whom it is not. Are you still meddling with sin, rationalising smoking, alcohol drinking, enjoying immoral thoughts and generally living in disobedience, and yet you wonder why you cannot pray to heal a headache? Mind you, if you do not desire to change, it means that God may consider using your life to send a message that teaches others why it is not good to live the way you live while claiming you are a child of God” 

(Adeboye, 2014)

Today’s action point is to prayerfully list out all the bad habits you know about yourself and determine to break them as you engage in serious prayers. Avoid factors that make you susceptible to them.

I pray that the Almighty God will empower us to deal decisively with  every act of flesh that will stop us from achieving our God-given results in Jesus Name, amen.  

Reference:

Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited.