Open Heaven daily devotional - E.A Adeboye
Topic: You need a counselor - 2 November, 2018.
Memorize: Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselor there is safety. Proverbs 11:14
Bible reading: Isaiah 9:2-7
Some Christians feel that they have outgrown the need for counselors in their lives, but nothing could be further from the truth. The unfortunate thing is that such Christians who erroneously think this way gradually graduate to the level of believing that they can also live their Christian lives in isolation.
Resultant effect of this is that they stop fellowshipping with other believers, contrary to our Lord’s injunction in Hebrews 10:25, which says:
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Every one of us will always need a counselor at one point in time or the other till we see Jesus in glory (l Corinthians 13:9-12).
Open Heaven 2 November 2018
I recall the story of the first dump truck we bought at the Redemption Camp in Nigeria. It was a result of wise counsel I got from our Camp Manager. We had received some money that looked substantial to me, and I felt we should go ahead to execute some of our building projects.
As I was contemplating on the next project to embark on, the Lord spoke to me, instructing me to seek counsel from our Camp Manager. When my commander in-Chief speaks, l don’t waste time in carrying out His bidding.
Please Click Here To Read – Prayer Points On Today’s Open Heavens: (Friday, November 2, 2018) – You Need A Counselor
I got to the Camp Manager, and contrary to what I had in mind, he recommended that we should buy dump truck for transporting sand from the quarry, where we could buy sand for construction at a cheaper price, instead of purchasing from resellers at an exorbitant rate as we had been doing.
He was of the opinion that we would need a lot of sand for the projects at hand, and having our own truck for getting sand at a cheap price would reduce the cost of these building projects substantially.
That was how we got the dump truck, and this opened our eyes to other opportunities as it further reduced the cost of our construction projects drastically. Open Heaven 1 November 2018
Isaiah 9:2 says that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, and those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of Death have received the light of life. How did this happen? The Holy Spirit answers is in Isaiah 9:6 saying:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince 0f Peace.”
Jesus is the Counselor of counselors. How yielded are you to the counsel He gives you through His word, through the voice of His Spirit inside you, and through the people He has placed around you? If you do not receive His counsel, His gentle Spirit will not force you, but you will bear the consequences that follow.
Prayer point:
Gentle holy spirit, I acknowledge your knowledge is beyond mine: I therefore I yield to your counsel in all my ways. Please lead me to the place of heaven’s rest in Jesus Christ.
Open Heaven daily devotional - E.A Adeboye (November 3, 2018)
Topic: Are you a worthy associate? - 3 November, 2018.
Memorize: All he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach. Mark 3:14
Bible reading: John 15:10-16
The purpose of these associates was first and foremost, to be with Him, and secondly, to send them on assignments that would lead to the fulfillment of His mission here on earth.
Mark 3:14 says: “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that he might send them forth to preach.”
Today, I prophesy into your life that worthy associates, whether in business, marriage or ministry, will come your way in Jesus’ Name.
Just as the Lord chose the twelve disciples, He has also chosen us to be His worthy associates and we must be worthy ones indeed. He said to us in John 15:16:
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:”
We must therefore bear the fruit of the Spirit, so that our Father in heaven may be glorified (Galatians 5:22-25). We must also bear the fruit of souls into God’s kingdom.
When we do this, we will have our bountiful rewards, which include express answers to our prayers, and this alone is worth more than silver or gold. May God make you a worthy associate of His Son in Jesus’ Name?
Prayer Point:
father please makes me a worthy associate of Jesus Christ through the fruits I bear from today onward in Jesus name.
November 5th
Open Heaven daily devotional - E.A Adeboye
Topic: How Big is your dream - 5 November, 2018.
Memorize: But now they desire a better country that is a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:16
Bible reading: Hebrews 11:15-16
When I came into full-time ministry as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), l was confronted with the challenge of accommodation, as I had to move out of the mansion provided for me by the university I resigned from. So l prayed to God for a ‘boys’ quarters’ of three rooms that could accommodate me and my family.
However, the Almighty God who called me told me not to even ask for a whole house, because He would build me a city. Since l knew His voice-He is my Daddy and l Am His son-l believed what He said. Today, the city He spoke about, where nothing will be lacking, is built on the Lagos-lbadan Expressway, Nigeria. Beloved, how big is your dream? Is God in that dream? No matter how big that dream may be, if God is in it, it will surely come to pass.
Dreams are a very important aspect of human life, because they influence the height a person will reach in life. It is an unfortunate thing for someone to dream small. It is like going to the river to fetch water with a table spoon. Only those who go to the river with big buckets and tanks will maximise the opportunity the trip to the river provides. In the same vein, the realm of eternal life in heaven with God should definitely influence your actions as a Christian. Today’s Bible text speaks about the heroes of faith and their dream of better citizenship in heaven, for which they considered themselves strangers and pilgrims on earth. They sought a country that was far better than any in this world.
When you see a person who professes to be a Christian greedily amassing wealth at the expense of the expansion of God’s kingdom, don’t be surprised: such a fellow’s actions only indicate how earthy minded he or she is. In Matthew 6: 1 9-2 1, the Lord Jesus Christ said;
“Lay not up yourselves treasure upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for themselves treasure in heaven, where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is there will your heart he also.”
Unless you are deceiving yourself, your dream of heaven should be big enough to swallow any earthly ambition you have. Our Lord promised us that He was going to heaven in order to prepare a place for us, after which He would come back to take us to Himself in eternal bliss. Let this dream drive you into godliness with contentment which is great gain indeed (1 Timothy 6:6).
Bible in one year: Jeremiah 43-45, Luke 16:19-17: 10
Prayer point:
Father please don’t let the allure of this present age steal away the dream of heaven from my heart in Jesus name.
November 6th.
Open Heaven daily devotional - E.A Adeboye
Topic:The Fields are ripe for Harvest - 6 November, 2018.
Memorize: Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35
Bible reading: John 4:34-38
In preparation for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, your involvement in soul-winning is an indicator that shows how big your dream of heaven is.
Anyone who has a big dream of the second coming will do everything within his or her power to ensure that not only is the gospel preached all over the world, but also that souls are won in multitudes to the kingdom of God. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus said:
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
In other words, our dream of a new heaven and a new earth cannot be realized until we have preached the gospel all over the world.
It is therefore incumbent on us to pursue the actualization of our dream of the coming kingdom through aggressive evangelism, missionary works and soul-winning.
No matter how much we discuss and study the second coming of Christ, it is of no use if we do not do what will bring the kingdom of God back to the earth. The task ahead of us is very simple if we really want to be true to our Master.
He has assigned the easier part of the assignment to us, which is reaping the harvest of fields we did not cultivate, and receiving the accompanying wages. John 4:36 & 38 says:
“And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”
Others, like the early apostles of Jesus Christ, have labored in the fields, expecting that we as reapers will bring in the harvest in the last days.
The work ahead of us is easier than ever before; all we need to do is to make ourselves available for the ready-made harvest of souls all over the world. Romans 8:19 says:
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”
The world is waiting for us; if we do not fulfill our assignment as reapers, the harvest will be wasted. However, if we put in our sickles as commanded, we and the souls rescued from eternal damnation will be happy.
If we choose to be complacent in soul winning, our Lord’s return will be delayed, and this would prolong our suffering in this world (Romans 8:23). Therefore, put in your sickle today.
ACTION POINT:
Determine to reap the already white harvest around you, and make disciples of your neighbors who are earnestly seeking God’s deliverance.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 46-48 Luke 17:11-37
Topic:The Fields are ripe for Harvest - 6 November, 2018.
Memorize: Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. John 4:35
Bible reading: John 4:34-38
In preparation for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, your involvement in soul-winning is an indicator that shows how big your dream of heaven is.
Anyone who has a big dream of the second coming will do everything within his or her power to ensure that not only is the gospel preached all over the world, but also that souls are won in multitudes to the kingdom of God. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus said:
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
In other words, our dream of a new heaven and a new earth cannot be realized until we have preached the gospel all over the world.
It is therefore incumbent on us to pursue the actualization of our dream of the coming kingdom through aggressive evangelism, missionary works and soul-winning.
No matter how much we discuss and study the second coming of Christ, it is of no use if we do not do what will bring the kingdom of God back to the earth. The task ahead of us is very simple if we really want to be true to our Master.
He has assigned the easier part of the assignment to us, which is reaping the harvest of fields we did not cultivate, and receiving the accompanying wages. John 4:36 & 38 says:
“And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”
Others, like the early apostles of Jesus Christ, have labored in the fields, expecting that we as reapers will bring in the harvest in the last days.
The work ahead of us is easier than ever before; all we need to do is to make ourselves available for the ready-made harvest of souls all over the world. Romans 8:19 says:
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”
The world is waiting for us; if we do not fulfill our assignment as reapers, the harvest will be wasted. However, if we put in our sickles as commanded, we and the souls rescued from eternal damnation will be happy.
If we choose to be complacent in soul winning, our Lord’s return will be delayed, and this would prolong our suffering in this world (Romans 8:23). Therefore, put in your sickle today.
ACTION POINT:
Determine to reap the already white harvest around you, and make disciples of your neighbors who are earnestly seeking God’s deliverance.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 46-48 Luke 17:11-37
November 7th
Open Heaven daily devotional - E.A Adeboye
Topic:Are You An Unfriendly Friend- 7 November, 2018.
Memorize: faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:6
Bible reading: Psalm 41:7-13
In today’s world of social media, the real meaning of friendship is fast fading away. It is becoming more frightening to claim to have friends these days because there are so many deceitful friends out there.
The magnitude of this problem increases when people have something to gain from their association with you one. Are you one of such unfriendly friends? Is your friendship with people built around the furtherance of your interests?
Before you begin to identify those who claim to be your friend but are not really so, ask yourself if you are truly friendly. The wisdom of God in Proverbs 18:24 says:
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than brother.”
One cannot but be amazed by the lamentation of the Psalmist in Psalm 41:9, where he said:
“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.”
These words perfectly describe the typical character of an unfriendly friend. More often than not, they are very close to their victims. This makes one wonder if they deliberately got close to their victim in order to wreak their havoc.
If that is the case, should we not avoid having close friends or any friend at all? I don’t think so; we only need to be prudent in our choice of close friends. An example of Jesus’ choice of associates should help us here.
While there were multitudes of followers, He had seventy disciples (Luke 10:1). Among the seventy, He had His core of twelve disciples, and within in the twelve, He had three close friends (Mark 3:14, Mark 9:2).
Finally, amongst the three, He had one beloved (John 19:26). Note that Judas lscariot was numbered among Christ’s close friends, so that His destiny as our Redeemer might be fulfilled according to the pattern indicated by scriptures (John 13:17-21).
We need to have friends, but the challenge is how to identify good ones. There is one antidote against choosing enemies as friends, which is prayer. Only God knows the hearts of men, and only He can shield us from treacherous friends.
Also, the law of harvest applies in friendship. The Lord said you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31). If you are an unfaithful friend, some people will also be unfaithful to you.
Friendship always comes with a price tag; therefore, for those you cannot relate with as friends, I recommend that you relate with them as brethren and co-pilgrims on the way to heaven, doing only that which is needful to help and assist them as God gives you strength.
Action Point: if you have hurt anyone by taking undue advantage of their friendship with you, repent and make appropriate restitution.
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OptionsTopic:Are You An Unfriendly Friend- 7 November, 2018.
Memorize: faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:6
Bible reading: Psalm 41:7-13
In today’s world of social media, the real meaning of friendship is fast fading away. It is becoming more frightening to claim to have friends these days because there are so many deceitful friends out there.
The magnitude of this problem increases when people have something to gain from their association with you one. Are you one of such unfriendly friends? Is your friendship with people built around the furtherance of your interests?
Before you begin to identify those who claim to be your friend but are not really so, ask yourself if you are truly friendly. The wisdom of God in Proverbs 18:24 says:
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than brother.”
One cannot but be amazed by the lamentation of the Psalmist in Psalm 41:9, where he said:
“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.”
These words perfectly describe the typical character of an unfriendly friend. More often than not, they are very close to their victims. This makes one wonder if they deliberately got close to their victim in order to wreak their havoc.
If that is the case, should we not avoid having close friends or any friend at all? I don’t think so; we only need to be prudent in our choice of close friends. An example of Jesus’ choice of associates should help us here.
While there were multitudes of followers, He had seventy disciples (Luke 10:1). Among the seventy, He had His core of twelve disciples, and within in the twelve, He had three close friends (Mark 3:14, Mark 9:2).
Finally, amongst the three, He had one beloved (John 19:26). Note that Judas lscariot was numbered among Christ’s close friends, so that His destiny as our Redeemer might be fulfilled according to the pattern indicated by scriptures (John 13:17-21).
We need to have friends, but the challenge is how to identify good ones. There is one antidote against choosing enemies as friends, which is prayer. Only God knows the hearts of men, and only He can shield us from treacherous friends.
Also, the law of harvest applies in friendship. The Lord said you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31). If you are an unfaithful friend, some people will also be unfaithful to you.
Friendship always comes with a price tag; therefore, for those you cannot relate with as friends, I recommend that you relate with them as brethren and co-pilgrims on the way to heaven, doing only that which is needful to help and assist them as God gives you strength.
Action Point: if you have hurt anyone by taking undue advantage of their friendship with you, repent and make appropriate restitution.
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