Open Heaven For Today 2023 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Way Upward 2
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TOPIC: The Way Upward 2
MEMORISE: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” – Ephesians 2:6 (KJV)
READ: John 14:1-6 (KJV)
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 25-26
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
In today’s Bible reading, Jesus promised to come and take us to be with Him where He is. The question now is, “Where is He?” The disciples saw Him when He was ascending, so we can see from their account where He went in Acts 1:9-10: “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel”.
Clearly, Jesus ascended to heaven. Now, He said in John 14:6 that no one can get to the Father in heaven except through Him. This is very clear. Many people say there are many ways to heaven; that is a lie. Jesus is the one and only way to heaven. No religion or belief outside of Jesus Christ can get you to heaven.
Now, who are those whom Jesus Christ will take upwards to heaven when they leave this world? Ephesians 5:27 tells us: “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” The only people whom Jesus will take to heaven to be with Him are those who are without spot or wrinkle. If you are unholy, when you leave this earth, Jesus will not take you upward with Him to Heaven, and the other option is to go to hell.
There are many people who call the name of Christ now, but when they shut their eyes here on earth, they will wake up in hell. Your attendance in Church is not a guarantee of your entry into heaven; the fact that you are a zealous worker or even a Pastor does not mean that you will go to heaven. Only an intimate relationship with Jesus – The Way upward, can guarantee your entrance into heaven. Eternity is not something to play games with. Some will be spending eternity in heaven with Jesus and His angels, enjoying forever, while others will be spending eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his demons, suffering forever. It is time to stop the pretence and truly surrender to Jesus. It is time to put religion aside and have a real relationship with Jesus Christ. It is time to stop being a Christian only on Sundays; let your lifestyle always reflect Jesus. It is time to be on the way to heaven, in all sincerity of heart.
REFLECTION
If you were to die today, where would you go – Heaven or hell?
HYMN 15 – Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour
1 Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Saviour, Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
2 Let me, at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.
3 Trusting only in Thy merit
Would I seek Thy face
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
4 Thou, the spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me.
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heav’n but Thee?
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 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Way Upward 1
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TOPIC: The Way Upward 1
MEMORISE: “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” – Psalm 3:3 (KJV)
READ: 1 Samuel 2:7-9 (KJV)
7 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
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’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 23-24
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Jesus is The Way upward. He said in John 12:32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Jesus is always drawing people upward. Believe me honestly, the only person who can truly promote you is Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe me, read Psalm 75:6-7:
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
God is the promoter. If man lifts you, man will bring you down. In any case, man is limited in many ways. A man may want to lift you with his position, but what if he gets fired before he fulfils his promise? Who even told you that the fellow would be alive by the time you need his help? The only One who can guarantee your upward movement is God. That is why He is the only real way upward.
When I was to turn 40 years old, I had a vision where God showed me two graphs. In mathematics, we call them parabolas. One was a head-up parabola, and the other was a head-down parabola. At the turning point of each of these parabolas was written 40. I knew clearly that this was referring to my 40th birthday. The Lord then asked me, ‘Which of these graphs do you prefer?” I chose the head-down parabola because it meant that at 40 years old, I would be at my lowest point and from there on, it would be upward movement as opposed to the other graph, which implied that I was at my highest point at 40. The Lord then said that if I wanted Him to keep promoting me, I had to let go of all my big titles and simply be addressed as ‘Pastor’. True to His word, since then, I have been going upwards.
Humility is key for anyone who wants Jesus to lift him or her higher. The Bible says:
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. – 1 Peter 5:6
If you want God to promote you beyond your peers, you must surrender your life to Jesus Christ and emulate His humility.
KEY POINT
Jesus is the way upward, but He only lifts the humble.
HYMN 5 – Blessed Assurance
1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
2 Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight,
Angels descending, bring from above;
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
3 Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blessed,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
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 Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Way Forward
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TOPIC: The Way Forward
MEMORISE: “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” – Proverbs 4:18 (KJV)
READ: Luke 5:1-7 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 21-22
Open Heaven For Today 2023 MESSAGE
Jesus is the Way forward. In Luke 5:1-7, Peter had fished all night but caught nothing. He wasn’t lazy, but he was still considered a failure. When Jesus stepped into his boat however, all of a sudden, there was a way forward. Just like Peter, many people find themselves going around in circles. When Jesus steps into your boat, your forward motion would become accelerated.
One of my sons came to me and said, “Daddy, I’ve been on one spot for more than 12 years. I have applied to an organisation now and have been scheduled for an interview, so I need prayers to succeed”. I was about to pray for him when he said, “No, don’t pray, just say a word”, so I said, “Go, and the interview will go well.” He said amen and left. He returned the following day excited. “Daddy, I prepared for that interview like no man’s business. When I got there, they only asked me three questions, ‘What is your name? What position did you apply for? When can you start?’ I told them I would start tomorrow”. I congratulated him and he said, “No, speak another word” and I did. The following day, he came again, trembling, “Daddy, I got to my new place of work and was told that their Managing Director just resigned; they then asked me to become the new Managing Director”. Again he asked me to speak another word, so I did. The following day, he was back. This time, he was almost speechless. “Daddy, they discovered that their Managing Director resigned because their competitor offered him double the salary they were paying, and since they don’t want me to leave, they doubled my salary”. I congratulated him again, and he said, “No, speak another word”. This time, I said jokingly, “Do you want to take the company over from the owners?”
When I was a lecturer in the University, I had a driver, but then, somehow, by the middle of the month, I would have become so broke that I would be borrowing money to fuel the car from this same driver whose salary I was paying. I was being relatively well paid but somehow, I wasn’t moving forward in life. I then met Christ and everything turned around – not because of any brilliance on my part, but rather simply because I gave my life to Christ and began to live holy. This can be your story too, if you do the same.
KEY POINT:
With Jesus in your boat, success is guaranteed.
HYMN 30 – When We Walk With The Lord
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.
Refrain:
Trust and obey!
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2 But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favour He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
3 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 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
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