Open Heaven For Today 2023 Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Life: Season 2
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TOPIC: Life: Season 2
MEMORISE: “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” – Galatians 1:10 (KJV)
READ: Matthew 6:1-8 (KJV)
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 9-12
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE:
We discussed the first season of life yesterday and will be discussing the second season today. In the second season of life, a person’s greatest desire will be to impress. At this stage, he or she wants to be perceived as a success by everyone. For example, choristers and pastors in this stage will typically seek to impress others when they sing and preach respectively. A person in this stage may be financially comfortable already, but would be seeking prestige. This is the season that King Saul was in 1 Samuel 15:24.
And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
King Saul had money and power, but he also wanted to impress the people and that got him into trouble.
If you are doing things because of what people think of you, you are likely to get into big trouble soon. The cheer of people may seem good now, but soon you will realise that those who are shouting, “Hosanna today” will be the same ones shouting, “Crucify Him” tomorrow. This is why you must shun what people think and do what is right, whether it is the popular opinion or not.
The Holy Ghost Congress which we hold in Nigeria is a week-long programme, with Friday recording the largest attendance – running into millions. There was a singer who was invited to minister on the Thursday of the Congress. She refused, saying she would only come to sing on Friday when the crowd would be largest. Of course we withdrew the invitation because she was not interested in singing for God but for the crowd.
Those who are more concerned about how they look on social media are risking being destroyed by the same people they are trying to impress. Think about it: if you are trying to impress people, it means that you will always want to jump on the next trend. Trends never end; this means that you would be caught in a never-ending rat race. If you are currently at this stage of trying to impress people, you are still immature and must be deliberate about growing into the next season of your life.
REFLECTION:
Why do you do the things you do and buy the things you buy? Sincerely check yourself: are you living to impress people or please God?
HYMN 11: I’ve Found A Friend In Jesus
1 I’ve found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay,
He tells me every care on Him to roll: (Halleluyah)
Refrain:
He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the Fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
2 He all my griefs has taken, and all my sorrows borne;
In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tower;
I’ve all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn,
From my heart, and now He keeps me by His power.
Though all the world forsake me, and satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal: (Halleluyah)
3 He’ll never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith, and do His blessed will;
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear;
With His manna, He my hungry soul shall fill.
Then sweeping up to glory, to see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll: (Halleluyah).
Open Heavens 2023 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 Heaven for Today 2023
Open Heaven For Today 2023 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Life: Season 1
Click HERE for Previous Open Heaven Devotional
TOPIC: Life: Season 1
MEMORISE: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” – 1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)
READ: Luke 12:15-21 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 5-8
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE:
In the next few days, we will be discussing the different seasons of life. This is one very important series that you should not take lightly. I would like you to keep every season in mind to help you get a good grasp of the entire message.
The first season of a person’s life is when he or she is still young and desires material possessions. When a child is born, without being taught, he or she tightly grips anything placed in his or her hand and, should the item fall, would cry to get it back. That is the first season of life – when the fellow just wants to acquire. It is in this season that many people get certificates so that they can get high-paying jobs. Everything that a person does during this season is usually geared towards becoming rich. Unfortunately, it is in this season that many people are lured by the devil into illegal and immoral activities to get money. When you check the people who have been proven to engage in ‘yahoo yahoo’ (cybercrime), or ladies selling their bodies for money, even those who kidnap and rob, you would find that they are usually young people. If you are young and don’t have an inordinate ambition to be rich, then you will be safe from the lures of the devil. Though it is good to be rich, you should not pursue wealth at the expense of your soul.
After chasing money for so long, the young fellow will at some point look around and see that even money does not satisfy (Ecclesiastes 5:10). He or she would realise the truth in the Scripture in Luke 12:15 which says, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth”.
Many years ago, whenever I visited America and Pastor Stephen Rathod picked me up, the first thing I used to ask him, after exchanging greetings, was, “Where are they having sales?” It was very important to me to buy things in America during the sales period. Years later, when I visited the US again, he was surprised I didn’t ask to be shown where I could buy things on sales. I told him that time had passed. I had realised that those things didn’t really matter. I was now after more important things.
KEY POINT:
The love of money is the root of all evil.
HYMN 21: Jesus Loves Me, This I Know
1 Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.
Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
2 Jesus loves me He who died,
Heaven’s gate to open wide,
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.
3 Jesus loves me, loves me still,
Tho’ I’m very weak and ill
From His shining throne on high
He will watch me where I lie.
4 Jesus loves me He will stay
Close beside me all the way,
If I love Him when I die
He will take me home on high.
Also Read: RCCG Sunday School Manual 28 May 2023 – Third Interactive Section
Open Heavens 2023 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 Heaven for Today 2023
Open Heaven For Today 2023 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Children As Divine Weapons
Click HERE for Previous Open Heaven Devotional
TOPIC: Children As Divine Weapons
MEMORISE: “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.” – Isaiah 8:18 (KJV)
READ: Psalm 127:3-5 (KJV)
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 1-4
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE:
Divine weapons may appear so ordinary that enemies often belittle and despise them, however, to their detriment. Examples of such weapons in the Bible include the rod of Moses in Exodus 14:13-16, the shout of Hallelujah that brought down the walls of Jericho in Joshua 6:20, prayer and praise that caused the chains of Paul, Silas, and all the other prisoners to be broken (Acts 16:25-26), and many more. These examples show how divine weapons that seem unimportant to the enemy were deployed to accomplish great victories for the people of God.
We also have clear examples of what happens when children are used to symbolise divine weapons. Psalm 127:3-5 says:
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
The above passage confirms that though children have biological parents, they are of divine origin. Children are compared with arrows which require much skill, craftsmanship, and training before they can be used effectively. So also, children need the knowledge of the word of God, good education, discipline and godly upbringing, to assume the leadership positions that God has in store for them in life.
The passage further tells us that they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. In Bible days, the city gate was like a public square, the gathering place where elders sat to settle disputes, render judgment, and make important decisions. Boaz settled the issue of his marriage to Ruth at the city gate in Ruth 4:1-6. Parents of godly children have nothing to be ashamed of, they can move about with their heads held up high at any public gathering. Godly children are indeed weapons in the hand of God.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please let my children – born and unborn become powerful divine weapons, in Jesus’ name.
HYMN 13: Jesus Loves Me, This I Know
1 Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.
Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
2 Jesus loves me He who died,
Heaven’s gate to open wide,
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.
3 Jesus loves me, loves me still,
Tho’ I’m very weak and ill
From His shining throne on high
He will watch me where I lie.
4 Jesus loves me He will stay
Close beside me all the way,
If I love Him when I die
He will take me home on high.
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