by dailyd | Sep 14, 2018 | Open Heavens
Topic: Before the Wine Runs Out
Memorise: “And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.”– John 2:3
Read: Proverbs 1:24-33 (KJV)
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 16-19, Mark 7:24-8:10
In today’s Bible reading, God, personified as Wisdom, bemoans men’s carefree attitude to His warnings against the day of calamity. God Himself is calling out to mankind like He called unto Adam when he hid himself in the Garden of Eden. Adam seems to be wiser than many inhabitants of the world today, because he came out of his hiding place so that God could cover his nakedness (Genesis 3:21). God’s message to the world today says “I have waited enough: I have been stretching out my hands of love towards you and you have refused to come.” If this message applies to you, please respond to His call; any further delay is dangerous. The danger in delaying is declared in Proverbs 1:26 & 28:
“26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:”
It is a wise thing to have God as your Ally before the day of calamity or overwhelming challenge. For those who do not know God or who have strayed from His way, the day of greatest calamity is the day death comes calling. Why? The day of death is a day of reckoning, when all deeds are brought to judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
The story of the marriage in Cana of Galilee, from where today’s memory verse is taken, teaches a couple of relevant lessons on having God as your Ally before the day of calamity comes (John 2:9-10). Firstly, Jesus Christ was invited to the wedding ceremony, ahead of the moment of shame that arose due to insufficient preparation. Shame was averted that day because the Present Help in time of need was involved. Secondly, Jesus’ mother counselled them to do whatever the Miracle Worker asked them to do; they obeyed this and got the miracle of provision. Thirdly, wine symbolises merriment and joyous events. The presence of wine in a place signals celebration. The truth is that there will always be a time when the wine of your life would run out and you would be confronted by your inadequacies as a mortal being. It will be too bad for you not to have Jesus in your life before that day. Why? His presence guarantees supplies that are far better than what the world can provide, as testified to by the master of ceremony at the marriage in Cana of Galilee (John 2:9-10). Beloved, I am therefore appealing to you today to invite Jesus Christ into your boat before you run out of steam. You must get God involved in all you do because no matter how brief that venture is, you will need Him along the way.
Father, I invite You anew into my life. I repent of whatever I am currently doing without involving You. Please take over my life’s ambition and control it in Jesus’ Name.
Friday Hymn 5: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
2. The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
3. Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though- none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
4. My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
5. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
Open Heavens 14 September 2018 Friday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heavens 14 September 2018 Friday Daily Devotional.
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Open Heavens 13 September 2018 – Wise but Foolish
by dailyd | Sep 13, 2018 | Open Heavens
Topic: Wise but Foolish
Memorise: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”- 1 Corinthians 1:27
Read: Isaiah 35:4-10 (KJV)
4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 13-15, Mark 6:53-7:23
When you expound the things of God to the “wise men” of this world, they will consider you to be a fool. When you talk about the resurrection of the dead and the outcome of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they will use their limited knowledge of the natural world to demonstrate your “foolishness”. It is ironic that those who profess themselves to be wise in this world are declared to be fools before God (Romans 1:22). As a believer in Christ, you should therefore not be offended if you are classified as foolish by the “wise men” of this world. Based on the words of our memory verse, if the world considers you to be foolish because your life is based on the principles of God’s word, you are blessed indeed. Remember that the devil came to our first parents disguised as a loving guidance counselor. He advised them to follow his diabolical wisdom, and this led them into a state of foolishness. They realised belatedly that the wisdom the devil was introducing them to was actually foolishness in disguise, and ever since then, the wisdom that fills the hearts of men is the perverted wisdom of the devil, otherwise known as craftiness (1 Corinthians 3:19). This manifests as wisdom to cheat and get ahead of a neighbour, wisdom to defraud the government, wisdom to pervert the course of justice and wisdom to do diabolical things. In contrast to this, the wisdom of God cries out in Proverbs 8:5-8 saying:
“5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.”
This scripture reveals the nature and character of godly wisdom. You will observe that these characteristics are in direct opposition to what the children of this world consider as wisdom. Any wisdom that does not cut corners is considered foolishness by the children of this world. What they consider to be wisdom leads to both earthly and eternal perdition. A good example of the wisdom of the world is what Absalom exhibited against his father. The Bible says he stole the heart of an entire nation away from his father the king (2 Samuel 15:6). This is the way of the world. In contrast to such ways, today’s Bible reading speaks of the highway of holiness, through which the unclean shall not pass. It is equally interesting to read that although those passing through it may be considered fools by the world’s standard, they shall not go wrong in it (Isaiah 35:8). They will not err, because their Guide is the Lord of hosts (John 14:6). Beloved, do you seek wisdom? Do you want to be wise in things pertaining to godliness? The way to profitable wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and Jesus Christ is that wisdom that you need.
Father, please let the character of your wisdom begin to manifest in my life, in Jesus’ Name.
Thursday Hymn 4: Trust and Obey
1. When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Chorus
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,
Not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the alter we lay;
For the favor He shows,
For the joy He bestows,
Are from them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Open Heavens 13 September 2018 Thursday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heavens 13 September 2018 Thursday Daily Devotional.
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Open Heavens 12 September 2018 – Great God II
by dailyd | Sep 12, 2018 | Open Heavens
Topic: Great God II
Memorise: “Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.”- Psalm 150:2
Read: Psalm 139:1-14 (KJV)
1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 9-12, Mark 6:30-52
Open Heavens 12 September 2018 Wednesday MESSAGE:
One page is definitely not enough to praise this great God, neither are all the pages of this book sufficient to extol His Names. This God is greater than the greatest. Think of anything great that anyone has ever done; my God has surely done greater. In mathematics, He is the greatest. He perfectly calculated the distance needed between all the elements of the universe and their velocities, so that they move together and are just at the right distances apart to maintain a balance. He is also bigger than the biggest, so much so that He uses the whole earth as His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). For someone’s feet to be so big that He needs a footstool as large as the earth, you can be sure that He is indeed a very big fellow. No other entity is as big as this. In like manner, He is richer than the richest. My God has never gone broke, and He can never be broke. The whole earth and its fullness are His: all the natural resources and precious stones, known and unknown to man, belong to Him. He is the God that has money everywhere, even in the belly of a fish (Matthew 17:24-27). A Bible scholar once explained his take on what Jesus meant when He said He would do whatever we ask in His Name (John 14:13-14). He explained that the literal translation of that scripture to English from Greek is that even if we ask Him for anything that does not exist; He will create it and give it to us. He is so rich that He even possesses things that are not yet in existence! He can therefore never be stranded. He will show Himself through you as one who is richer than the richest in Jesus’ Name.
My God can do all things. He not only raised the dead, He also raised up dry bones and transformed them into a mighty army (Ezekiel 37:1-10). Psalm 139 says my God knows all things, and nothing is hidden from Him. He is everywhere, and so he sees everything. You can’t run away from His presence. Furthermore, He can heal all sicknesses and diseases. In Matthew 8:3, Jesus touched a man with leprosy. Not only did He not get infected with the disease, the man was also healed instantly. During one of our Holy Ghost Services in Nigeria, God instructed that all those who had incurable diseases should come to the front of the alter, and I should just walk in front of them with my prayer staff. As I did as instructed, they were getting healed. Those whose healing required surgery just fell and slept while God performed the needed operation on them with invisible hands. After that night, several people testified of getting healed of incurable diseases.
Who is God to you? Is He your doctor or your provider? Is He your helper and your friend? A popular saying goes, “show me your friend and I will tell you who you are.” If you make Jesus your friend, He will also give you the ability to do all that He can do.
Action Point:
Come to the winning side today and surrender your life to this great God.
Wednesday Hymn 13: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
3. To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.
4. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render; oh, help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee.
5. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Open Heavens 12 September 2018 Wednesday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.Open Heavens 12 September 2018 Wednesday Daily Devotional.
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Open Heavens 11 September 2018 – Great God I
by dailyd | Sep 11, 2018 | Open Heavens
Open Heavens 11 September 2018 Tuesday Daily Devotional by Pastor E A Adeboye – Great God I.
Topic: Great God I
Memorise: “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.”- Psalm 148:13
Read: Job 38:3-12 (KJV)
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,
11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 5-8, Mark 6:7-29
Open Heavens 11 September 2018 Tuesday MESSAGE:
A name is not just a label; more importantly, it is an identity. Names are very important to God, and this is why it is important to search the scriptures to discover more about God’s identity through His Names. Those who know his Names and praise Him with these names are dear to God’s heart. In Revelations 1:8, He Himself revealed some of his Name to us saying:
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
Furthermore, in God’s dialogue with Job in Job chapter 38, he asked him some frightening questions which reveal that He truly is the Alpha and the Omega. It goes without saying that He is the one who made the mountains, the oceans and all the other big and small things we see in nature. We also understand that He is older that the oldest because by Him were all things created. He saw the beginning of everything on earth, good and bad, and He will also see their end because He is the Omega. He will end every bad experience in your life as you praise Him today as Alpha and Omega in Jesus’ Name.
In 1 Samuel 1:3, the Almighty is called the Lord of Host. In the past, I used to think this meant that He is the Lord of Hosts’ means the Lord of all hosts, whether in heaven, hell, the earth, the seas, underneath the earth, and even other galaxies in the universe. Nobody can oppress His children because one command from Him can make life unbearable for even the greatest king on earth. If you don’t believe me, ask Pharaoh (Exodus 5-11). According to Proverbs 21:1, my God has the heart of kings in His hands, and He turns their heart wherever He pleases. If He has control over the commanders-in-chief of all armed forces, then He can also direct the armed forces of different nations as He pleases.
Isaiah 9:6 calls Him the Prince of Peace. The first thing a person experiences after giving his o her life to Christ is peace, because the Prince of Peace now lives within. My God can calm every storm, and I mean any storm. He calmed several storms when He was here on earth (Mark 4:39, Matthew 14:24-32), and there is no storm in your life that He cannot calm. Some years ago, I was invited to speak at a United Nations Summit, and I told the delegates there that it was a good that they were all trying to solve the problems of war around the world. I let them know though that if they really wanted peace, the only way they could get it was if they involved the Prince of Peace. In this world of war and turbulence, you can have peace if you surrender to Him indeed. May the peace of the Lord continually be with you in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heavens 11 September 2018 Tuesday Action Point:
Search the scriptures for more of God’s Names and praise Him with the Names you discover.
Tuesday Hymn 13: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
3. To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.
4. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render; oh, help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee.
5. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Open Heavens 11 September 2018 Tuesday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heavens 11 September 2018 Tuesday Daily Devotional.
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Open Heavens 10 September 2018 – God wants your Input
by dailyd | Sep 10, 2018 | Open Heavens
Topic: God wants your Input
Memorise: “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:”– Deuteronomy 28:1
Read: Exodus 4:1-7 (KJV)
1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 1-4, Mark 5:25-6:6
Open Heavens 10 September 2018 Monday MESSAGE:
Many people see God as a magician: they want to just sit back and watch Him perform tricks to fascinate them. God does not work this way! He does not give miracles to onlookers. Those who experience His miracles normally have to make some form of input. When God was going to use Moses to perform miracles, Moses had to surrender his rod for God’s use. When He was going to feed the five thousand men, He asked for an input, and one of those to be feed brought five loaves of bread with two fishes. He could have turned stones into bread but He chose to use something given by one of the recipients of His miracle. Your tithe is the input you make for the devourer to be rebuked in your life (Malachi 3:10-11). Willingness and obedience is required from you so that you may eat of the good of the land you find yourself in (Isaiah 1:19). Humility is your input in order to receive God’s grace (James 4:6). Don’t listen to fake prophets who tell you that they can pray and fast on your behalf while you carry on doing whatever you like; they are nothing but thieves because God doesn’t operate that way.
I have come to discover in my walk with God that whenever there is a miracle around the corner, God ask me for an input. After I have played my part, He will then play His. Years ago, I had a Pajero SUV that I loved so much because it never gave me any issues. One day, while asking God for miracles, I heard Him instruct me to give my Pajero away to a particular ministry. It was difficult for me, but I eventually did it. The car was so valuable that the day the new owner came for it, my driver wept. However, during the next service we had after I did this, the number of people that God healed was so great that they could not be counted. There was one time I almost lost a miracle because I was reluctant to provide my input. In the past, we used to receive contributions from the different parishes of our church towards the feeding of those attending our annual convention. One year, just after the convention, God spoke to me, instructing me to tell the pastors that for the next year’s convention, we would not be calling for contributions. When I heard this, I was afraid. Many things rushed through my mind, and I asked myself, “How will the people be fed? I cannot afford to feed that great crowd alone!” I decided not to tell the pastors what the Lord had said, but God said to me, “You are about to lose a miracle.” I obeyed and told them. To the glory of God, we have been feeding people at the convention for over 30 years without those levies. God has never failed us, and even through the crowd has grown into multitudes, everyone still gets fed and there are leftovers. When God ask you for something, don’t withhold it, or else you may be hindering your miracle.
Open Heavens 10 September 2018 Monday Key Point:
When God decides to bless you, he opens doors to you, but you have to walk through these doors yourself.
Monday Hymn 4: Trust And Obey
1. When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Chorus
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,
Not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the alter we lay;
For the favor He shows,
For the joy He bestows,
Are from them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Open Heavens 10 September 2018 Monday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heavens 10 September 2018 Monday Daily Devotional.
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Open Heavens 6 September 2018 – Goat or Sheep?
by dailyd | Sep 6, 2018 | Open Heavens
Open Heavens 6 September 2018 Thursday Daily Devotional by Pastor E A Adeboye – Goat or Sheep?
Topic: Goat or Sheep?
Memorise: “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”– Matthew 25:33
Read: John 10:25-29(KJV)
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Bible in One Year: Psalm 120-131, Mark 3:7-30
Open Heavens 6 September 2018 Thursday MESSAGE:
The Bible makes several comparisons between goats and sheep. Those who are unrighteous are often referred to as goats, while the righteous are often referred to as sheep. The Bible compares the goat and the sheep because of their characteristics. The major difference between a goat and a sheep lies in how they take instructions. A goat is very stubborn, while a sheep is submissive. If you try to lead a herd of sheep in a particular direction, they will follow you effortlessly. Irrespective of their number, they will go in the direction they are led. It is usually a different story with goats. When you tell a goat “go this way”, it will refuse to go in that direction, and you will have to drag it by force or even flog it sometimes to get it moving the right way. A goat does not yield to instructions, and it always argues with its guide.
In addition, goats are violent. While it is very rear to find two sheep fighting, a goat can start a fight for no discernible reason. You can see two goats grazing together peacefully in one moment and the next minute they would start a fight. Sometimes, a goat can even fight its keeper. When he insists on the goat going in the right direction, the goat can turn on him and start a fight. In fact, as far as it is concerned, it is its own shepherd. A goat considers itself to be under its own government and will do whatever it likes. In contrast, a sheep knows its shepherd’s voice and listens to it.
Are you a goat or a sheep? Do you obey God’s instructions in the Bible? Do you still steal and tell lies? When was the last time you paid your tithe and first fruit? Are you violent? The Bible says the righteous shall be harmless as a dove (Matthew 10:16). Are you upset with your pastor because he told you the truth? do you refuse to stay under anyone’s tutelage? Do you always want to have things your own way or no other way? Note that when a goat proves stubborn, it usually gets flogged and sometimes gets injured. Refusing to live by God’s word will only bring you pain and sorrow. In contrast to goats, sheep enjoys several benefits from the shepherd. For example, the sheep’s life is secure because the shepherd will protect it, even with his own life (John 10:11). If the sheep loses its way, the shepherd will find it and bring it back on track (Luke 15:4-7). The sheep never goes hungry because the shepherd leads it to green pastures (Psalm 23:1-2, Psalm 37:25). Ultimately, the sheep will reign with God in His Kingdom (Matthew 25:33-34). The major difference between a goat and a sheep lies in their character, check your character today and determine which you are.
Action Point: Open Heavens 6 September 2018 Thursday
The choice to be a goat or a sheep is in your hands; choose wisely.
Also Read: Open Heavens 5 September 2018 – Save Yourself from Shame!
Open Heavens 6 September 2018 Thursday Hymn 12: Take My Life, And Let It Be
1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Open Heavens 6 September 2018 Thursday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heavens 6 September 2018.
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