OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY 21ST APRIL 2017
THEME: CURE FOR BACKSLIDING
Memorise: Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19
Read: Jeremiah 3:11-15 3:11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger forever. 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
MESSAGE Backsliding is such a terrible condition that any child of God who backslides must quickly seek for restoration. The danger with backsliding is that a backslider may perish with his or her enemies like Samson did, or lose all he or she had gained in God like Judas lscariot (Judges 16:30, Acts 1:16-20). The good news is that God has provided a remedy for backsliding. In today's Bible reading, we see the loving God calling and inviting backsliding Israel back to Himself. This is a pointer to the fact that God wants to restore all backsliders. "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every tree and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:" Jeremiah 3:13-14 The above verses of Scripture contain the cure for backsliding. Restoration for the backslider starts with an acknowledgment of sins and a contrite return to God. In other words, the cure to backsliding lies in genuine repentance. Repentance is a complete turnaround from one's sins with a determination never to return to those sins any more. This was what Samson failed to do throughout his twenty years of being judge over Israel. To make matters worse, he always ascribed his victory and achievement to his strength. Hear what he said after one of his victories in Judges 15:16: "...With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.” There is no record of him giving glory to God even once. When he should have prayed for mercy, he prayed a wrong prayer, asking God to strengthen him one more time, so that he could avenge his eyes! Due to the mercy of God, and because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, God still granted him his request, and he died with his enemies (Romans 11:29, Judges 16:28-30). In Acts 3:19, we see some of the great benefits of repentance. These include forgiveness, the blotting out of sins and the experience of a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Beloved, are you in a backslidden state? I encourage you to return to God through the Lord Jesus Christ today. Read 1 John 2:1-2 for a better understanding of your heritage in Christ. As you do these, the joy of salvation and the victory over sin will be restored to you.
Action Point: Pray for restoration if you a backslider. If by His grace you are still standing, pray that you will not backslide, and also pray for all backsliders in the Body of Christ that you know.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 10-11 Jeremiah 17:14-27
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 11: l 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. Though none go with me, I still will follow; Though none go with me, I still will follow; Though none go with me, I still will follow; No turning back, no turning back.
3. My cross I'II carry, till I see Jesus; My cross I'Il carry, till I see Jesus; My cross I'Il carry, till I see Jesus; No turning back, no turning back.
4. 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.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: SATURDAY 22ND APRIL 2017
THEME: PROSPERITY WITHOUT SORROW
Memorise: The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22
Read: Deuteronomy 8:10-18 8:10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 8:11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 8:12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 8:13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 8:14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 8:15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 8:16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 8:17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
MESSAGE Many children of God dread prosperity because of the challenges associated with it, particularly when it relates to material prosperity. The reason for this attitude can be put down to either ignorance of the word of God concerning prosperity, or ignorance of the need for the children of God to prosper, if they would not live at the mercy of the ungodly. The Bible in Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” In our Bible reading today, we discover some truths about Gods purpose concerning the prosperity of His people. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." God gives power and opportunities to His children to get wealth for one singular reason: to prove Himself faithful to His word. In other words, the issue of God’s children becoming wealthy is not about them but about God and His infallible word. This is why those who pick and choose what they feel is suitable for them in the word of God are losers; God cannot be mocked. Such people want the blessings of Abraham, but do not want to keep the covenant that Abraham kept with God. Jesus in John 8:30d said; "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" Beloved, I have good news for you: God is interested in the prosperity of His people (3 John 2). Not only is God interested in your prosperity, He also gives you the power to make wealth and to prosper. Furthermore, the prosperity from God is without negative repercussions and sorrow. The Lord who prospers is the same Lord who protects. He will not give you a car that will become a death trap. He will not give you a child that will break your heart. If you believe this, you will see the glory of God. Finally, in order to receive the prosperity that is devoid of sorrow, you must ensure that the prosperity you are seeking is from the Almighty God. This suggests to us that there is a counterfeit prosperity which puts its beneficiaries in tight jackets of regret and sorrow. The devil is the giver of counterfeits, but Jesus is the true source of eternal blessings. You can never regret being prospered by His benevolence because He paid the price for your prosperity in full. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
Key Point: Stop cutting corners. At God’s own time and in God's own way, He will prosper you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 12-13 Jeremiah 18:1-18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWER OF BLESSING 1. There shall be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love; There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above.
Chorus: Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need; Mercy drops 'round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.
2. There shall be showers of blessing- Precious reviving again; Over the hills and the valleys, Sound of abundance of rain. [Chorus]
3. There shall be showers of blessing: Send them upon us, O Lord; Grant to us now a refreshing; Come and now honor Thy word. [Chorus]
4. There shall be showers of blessing: Oh, that today they might fall, Now as to God we're confessing, Now as on Jesus we call! [Chorus] OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: SATURDAY 22ND APRIL 2017
THEME: PROSPERITY WITHOUT SORROW
Memorise: The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22
Read: Deuteronomy 8:10-18 8:10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 8:11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 8:12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 8:13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 8:14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 8:15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 8:16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 8:17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
MESSAGE Many children of God dread prosperity because of the challenges associated with it, particularly when it relates to material prosperity. The reason for this attitude can be put down to either ignorance of the word of God concerning prosperity, or ignorance of the need for the children of God to prosper, if they would not live at the mercy of the ungodly. The Bible in Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” In our Bible reading today, we discover some truths about Gods purpose concerning the prosperity of His people. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." God gives power and opportunities to His children to get wealth for one singular reason: to prove Himself faithful to His word. In other words, the issue of God’s children becoming wealthy is not about them but about God and His infallible word. This is why those who pick and choose what they feel is suitable for them in the word of God are losers; God cannot be mocked. Such people want the blessings of Abraham, but do not want to keep the covenant that Abraham kept with God. Jesus in John 8:30d said; "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" Beloved, I have good news for you: God is interested in the prosperity of His people (3 John 2). Not only is God interested in your prosperity, He also gives you the power to make wealth and to prosper. Furthermore, the prosperity from God is without negative repercussions and sorrow. The Lord who prospers is the same Lord who protects. He will not give you a car that will become a death trap. He will not give you a child that will break your heart. If you believe this, you will see the glory of God. Finally, in order to receive the prosperity that is devoid of sorrow, you must ensure that the prosperity you are seeking is from the Almighty God. This suggests to us that there is a counterfeit prosperity which puts its beneficiaries in tight jackets of regret and sorrow. The devil is the giver of counterfeits, but Jesus is the true source of eternal blessings. You can never regret being prospered by His benevolence because He paid the price for your prosperity in full. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
Key Point: Stop cutting corners. At God’s own time and in God's own way, He will prosper you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 12-13 Jeremiah 18:1-18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWER OF BLESSING 1. There shall be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love; There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Savior above.
Chorus: Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need; Mercy drops 'round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.
2. There shall be showers of blessing- Precious reviving again; Over the hills and the valleys, Sound of abundance of rain. [Chorus]
3. There shall be showers of blessing: Send them upon us, O Lord; Grant to us now a refreshing; Come and now honor Thy word. [Chorus]
4. There shall be showers of blessing: Oh, that today they might fall, Now as to God we're confessing, Now as on Jesus we call! [Chorus]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY 23RD APRIL 2017
THEME: A FRUIT-BEARING TREE?
Memorise: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:2
Read: Luke 13:6-9 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 13:9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
MESSAGE Fruit-bearing is a necessity for every child of God. When the Scripture in Deuteronomy 7:14 says none shall be barren, this promise fundamentally extends to soul-winning and all other activities that populate the Kingdom of God. Our Heavenly Father is delighted when we in partnership with the Holy Spirit turn the hearts of men away from their wicked ways to the way of righteousness. For this reason, He reserved a special promise for such people in Daniel 12:3: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." The obligation to bear fruit becomes more critical when we consider what our Lord Jesus Christ said in today's memory verse. He said He would take away every branch in Him that does not bear fruit. Nothing can be more serious than that. I pray that you will never be alienated from the Lord Jesus Christ in Jesus' Name. Moreover, today's Bible reading amplifies the fruit-bearing responsibilities of the children of God. The parable it references was equally given by our Lord Jesus Christ. The "certain man" in the parable is no other person than God, the Father. The vinedresser is no other person than Jesus Christ, the compassionate Advocate who makes intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). He is the one pleading on behalf of fruitless trees in God’s vineyard, which is the world. The danger of an endless wait for a tree in God’s vineyard to bear fruit is made clear in Luke 13:8-9, which says: "And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Are you bearing fruits? Another pertinent question is, what type of fruits are you bearing? For a sinner, he or she must bear fruits worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:. For believers, we must win souls into the Kingdom, thus fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). More importantly for believers, we must also bear the fruit of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness , goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
Action Point: Draw a soul-winning plan for yourself and your family and sincerely follow it up in your neighbourhood. Also, pray that your converts will manifest the fruits of repentance and the fruit of the Spirit.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 14-15 Jeremiah 18:19-19:9
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 13: WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE
1. Wonderful story of love; Tell it to me again; Wonderful story of love; Wake the immortal strain! Angels with rapture announce it, Shepherds with wonder receive it; Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it? Wonderful story of love.
Refrain: Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful, wonderful story of love.
2. Wonderful story of love; Though you are far away; Wonderful story of love; Still He doth call today; Calling from Calvary’s mountain, Down from the crystal-bright fountain, E’en from the dawn of creation, Wonderful story of love. [Refrain]
3. Wonderful story of love; Jesus provides a rest; Wonderful story of love; For all the pure and blest, Rest in those mansions above us, With those who’ve gone on before us, Singing the rapturous chorus, Wonderful story of love. [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY 23RD APRIL 2017
THEME: A FRUIT-BEARING TREE?
Memorise: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:2
Read: Luke 13:6-9 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 13:9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
MESSAGE Fruit-bearing is a necessity for every child of God. When the Scripture in Deuteronomy 7:14 says none shall be barren, this promise fundamentally extends to soul-winning and all other activities that populate the Kingdom of God. Our Heavenly Father is delighted when we in partnership with the Holy Spirit turn the hearts of men away from their wicked ways to the way of righteousness. For this reason, He reserved a special promise for such people in Daniel 12:3: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." The obligation to bear fruit becomes more critical when we consider what our Lord Jesus Christ said in today's memory verse. He said He would take away every branch in Him that does not bear fruit. Nothing can be more serious than that. I pray that you will never be alienated from the Lord Jesus Christ in Jesus' Name. Moreover, today's Bible reading amplifies the fruit-bearing responsibilities of the children of God. The parable it references was equally given by our Lord Jesus Christ. The "certain man" in the parable is no other person than God, the Father. The vinedresser is no other person than Jesus Christ, the compassionate Advocate who makes intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). He is the one pleading on behalf of fruitless trees in God’s vineyard, which is the world. The danger of an endless wait for a tree in God’s vineyard to bear fruit is made clear in Luke 13:8-9, which says: "And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Are you bearing fruits? Another pertinent question is, what type of fruits are you bearing? For a sinner, he or she must bear fruits worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:. For believers, we must win souls into the Kingdom, thus fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). More importantly for believers, we must also bear the fruit of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness , goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
Action Point: Draw a soul-winning plan for yourself and your family and sincerely follow it up in your neighbourhood. Also, pray that your converts will manifest the fruits of repentance and the fruit of the Spirit.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 14-15 Jeremiah 18:19-19:9
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 13: WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE
1. Wonderful story of love; Tell it to me again; Wonderful story of love; Wake the immortal strain! Angels with rapture announce it, Shepherds with wonder receive it; Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it? Wonderful story of love.
Refrain: Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful, wonderful story of love.
2. Wonderful story of love; Though you are far away; Wonderful story of love; Still He doth call today; Calling from Calvary’s mountain, Down from the crystal-bright fountain, E’en from the dawn of creation, Wonderful story of love. [Refrain]
3. Wonderful story of love; Jesus provides a rest; Wonderful story of love; For all the pure and blest, Rest in those mansions above us, With those who’ve gone on before us, Singing the rapturous chorus, Wonderful story of love. [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY 24TH APRIL 2017
THEME: ANOTHER JONAH IN THE CHURCH?
Memorise: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:1 5
Read: Ezekiel 33:1-6 33:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 33:2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 33:3 lf when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 33:4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 33:6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
MESSAGE We are often quick to judge Biblical characters when they do not measure up to God's expectation in one area or the other. We should however not allow our judgemental opinions to becloud our minds from the salient lessons God is trying to pass across to us through the failings of these characters. To drive home this point, the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” Among such characters are father Abraham and Isaac, who both misrepresented their wife as their sister. We also have prophets like Elijah, who opted to die in the face of adversity, and Jonah, the prophet who chose to run away from God's assignment. In the New Testament, we have apostles like Thomas, who said he would not believe in Christ's resurrection unless he saw and touched the palms of His hands. The shortcomings of these characters exposes their humanity to us, and it also serves as a challenge to us that if characters with such shortcomings can go on to do great things for God, so can we in spite of our inadequacies. Let's take a closer look at Prophet Jonah, and compare his attitude to that of believers in the Church today. In Jonah 1, we read of how the word of the Lord came to him, instructing him to go and warn the people of Nineveh against the impending doom hanging over their heads because of their wickedness. Instead of carrying out God's assignment, Jonah chose to flee to Tarshish, because he wanted the people of Nineveh to receive God's judgment. He knew if these people heard the warning and repented, God would not punish them as He had earlier planned. However, Jonah wanted them to receive God’s punishment because of all they had done to the children of Israel. In like manner, our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to go and preach the gospel of salvation to sinners. Following the principles set out in our Bible reading, if we do not obey the Lord's commandment, God forbid that their blood be required of us. We must beware of Jonah's mistake so that none of us becomes another Jonah in the Church. Jonah landed in the belly of a fish before he understood the foolishness of trying to run away from God. Are you being called into the ministry of soul-winning? Stop running from your responsibility! Let us take the assignment of soul-winning seriously, and we will not miss our reward. Proverbs 11:30 says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
Prayer Point: Father, help me to win souls for You on a daily basis.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 16-17 Jeremiah 19:10-20:6
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 13: WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE
1. Wonderful story of love; Tell it to me again; Wonderful story of love; Wake the immortal strain! Angels with rapture announce it, Shepherds with wonder receive it; Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it? Wonderful story of love.
Refrain: Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful, wonderful story of love.
2. Wonderful story of love; Though you are far away; Wonderful story of love; Still He doth call today; Calling from Calvary’s mountain, Down from the crystal-bright fountain, E’en from the dawn of creation, Wonderful story of love. [Refrain]
3. Wonderful story of love; Jesus provides a rest; Wonderful story of love; For all the pure and blest, Rest in those mansions above us, With those who’ve gone on before us, Singing the rapturous chorus, Wonderful story of love. [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY 25TH APRIL 2017
THEME: GOD IS NOT INTERESTED IN THIS
Memorise: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17 Read: Ezekiel 33:14-16 33:14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; 33:15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 33:16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
MESSAGE Expectedly, you may be wondering what God is not interested in. God is not interested in the death of a sinner (2 Peter 3.9). Many sinners don't even know that God has no delight in condemning them. It is therefore necessary that those who know this truth should make it known to them. "Again when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.” Ezekiel 33:14-15 It is clear from the above Scripture that God is not interested in the death of any sinner, but desires that the sinner repents and turns away from his or her wicked ways. It is amazing that God Almighty promised that none of the sins committed by a converted sinner will be remembered any more. God is always wanting to restore fellowship with His human creation back to what it was in the beginning, if only they would appreciate His love for them. Jesus Christ in John 15:13 said: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." If indeed we are the friends of Jesus, we then must do whatever He commands us to do (John 15:14). Are you a friend of Jesus or willing to be one? lf you are willing to be a friend of Jesus, you must accept Him today, because tomorrow may be too late. The Bible says: "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2 For believers who would aIways pray that sinners should "fall down and die", I will like to admonish you to stop wasting your time, because if the fellow you are praying against is a candidate for salvation in the future, your prayers may be an exercise in futility. This is why the Lord God said vengeance is His (Romans 12:19). May God fill our hearts with the compassion of Christ, so that we can be more concerned about the salvation of sinners rather than their death!
Prayer Point: Father, fill my heart with the compassion of Jesus, so that I would care for sinners even as You do.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 18-19 Jeremiah 20:7-18
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 2: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS 1. What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
2. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; Take it to the Lord in prayer! Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer!
3. Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge- Take it to the Lord in prayer! Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he'll take and shield you; You wilt find a solace there.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: WEDNESDAY 26TH APRIL 2017
THEME: RESPONSIBILITIES OF GOD'S CHILDREN I
Memorise: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby: 1 Peter 2:2
Read: 1 John 3:1-3 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
MESSAGE All those who have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their life are children of God, by the grace of adoption through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5). As children of God, while God has some responsibilities to make a success of our walk of faith in this world, we also have some responsibilities we have to bear in this regard. Peter, in today's memory verse, points out that one of our responsibilities as children of God is to desire things that are beneficial to our spiritual growth. When some new converts become children of God, due to zeal without knowledge, they begin to nurse some good desires which are inappropriate or unhealthy for sustaining their victory in the Christian race. For example, some converts after giving their lives to Christ immediately begin to desire the office of a pastor, evangelist or Christian minister of any sort. Although these are good desires, they are inappropriate and ill-timed, The first responsibility of a believer when he or she becomes a child of God is to desire the sincere milk of the word so that he or she can grow to maturity through it. It is after this that he or she can think of rendering service to the Kingdom work. Physically speaking, when a little baby desires to eat bread, yam, or rice, he or she desires what could kill him or her. In the same vein, when a newborn believer desires to be a pastor or an evangelist overnight, he or she would not last long. This is the mistake some Christian organisations make when they make converts out of Muslims and traditionalists and immediately turn them into tools of evangelism. The resultant effect is that such converts, without having depth in the word of God, would begin to see themselves as evangelists. Based on my experience and observations, more often than not, such converts don't last. For this reason, children being born into God's family must take time to study the word of God and become well grounded in it. In our Bible reading today, we see another responsibility of children of God, which is that they must keep themselves pure (1 John3:3). After being cleansed and purified by the Blood of Jesus, children of God have the responsibility of not going back to their old vomit or staining their garment of righteousness with the filth of this world (Ephesians 5:26-27). Practically, you achieve this by measuring your every action against the standard of God's word. Anything that is contrary to the word of God is filth that must be avoided. This is the more reason why all children of God need to be grounded in the word first before anything else.
Action Point: Make sure you read, study and apply the word of God to your day- to-day living as a child of God, and you will grow in faith.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 20-21 Jeremiah 21:1-10
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER 1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus Daily let me go; Higher, higher in the school of wisdom, More of grace to know.
Refrain: O deeper yet, I pray, And higher every day, And wiser, blessed Lord, ln Thy precious, holy Word.
2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit, Take me deeper still, Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus, And His perfect will. [Refrain]
3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials, Deeper let me go! Rooted in the holy love of Jesus, Let me fruitful grow. [Refrain]
4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus, Till all conflict past, Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image Perfected at last. [Refrain]
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus, Holy faith and true; In His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom Let me peace pursue. [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE
THURSDAY 27TH APRIL,2017
RESPONSIBILITIES OF GOD'S CHILDREN II
MEMORISE: Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22
READ: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 22 & Jeremiah 21:11-22:10
MESSAGE: Yesterday, we looked at some of the responsibilities of the children of God in ensuring that they finish the Christian race in triumph. Another of these responsibilities is that children of God must be on the lookout for whatever appears to be evil and run away from it. Anything that can lead to fornication or adultery, anything that has a shade of idolatry, or anything that has to do with the love of money falls into the category of things you should flee from (1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 10:14, 1 Timothy 6:9-10). Living a holy life is not automatic as some presume; we have to make a conscious effort to live holy. We wrestle not against flesh and blood; rather, we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). To be effective in our warfare, our strategy has to be both offensive and defensive in nature. How do we engage in defensive warfare? It is by tactically abstaining from the world of darkness and sin. In today's Bible reading, we are exposed to the practical way of engaging in defensive spiritual warfare. The first thing is not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers because the Bible expressly says that friendship with the world is enmity against God, and that whosoever will be a friend of the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4). It is however unfortunate that some Christians don't see this as an eternal truth. Even some pastors will tell you that we must be friendly with the world in other to win them. The question is, ever since we have been making friends with worldly people, how many of them have we won? Instead, on arrival, they pollute the Church, and we end up becoming more like them! The problem is that the Church does not want to take the lonely stand for the truth anymore; we want to be world-compliant. Have we forgotten that the Almighty God assures us that even if the world forsakes us, He would be with us (Hebrews 13:5)? How happy our God would be, if His Church would take the stance that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego took in Babylon, when they were faced with Nebuchadnezzars great fiery furnace (Daniel 3:16-18). Beloved, it is your responsibility not only to rebuke the works of darkness but also to run away from all appearances of evil when necessary. Joseph did this successfully, and although he suffered for it for a while, he was later exalted to become the Prime Minister of Egypt (Genesis 39:11-23). That will be your story in Jesus' Name. As you separate yourself to the Lord in holiness, your purity will stand you out from the crowd and cause you to be exalted in Jesus' Name.
ACTION POINT: Read Psalm 1 meditatively and pray that God will help you to always shun the presence of evil and its agents.
HYMN 6: 1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus Daily let me go; Higher, higher in the school of wisdom, More of grace to know.
Refrain: O deeper yet, I pray, And higher every day, And wiser, blessed Lord, ln Thy precious, holy Word.
2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit, Take me deeper still, Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus, And His perfect will. [Refrain]
3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials, Deeper let me go! Rooted in the holy love of Jesus, Let me fruitful grow. [Refrain]
4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus, Till all conflict past, Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image Perfected at last. [Refrain]
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus, Holy faith and true; In His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom Let me peace pursue. [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SATURDAY 29TH APRIL 2017
THEME: PRIVILEGES OF GOD'S CHILDREN II
Memorise: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14 Read: Romans 8:14-17 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
MESSAGE There is a song that was popular among children of God some decades ago which reveals not only a privilege meant only for the children of God but also their appreciation of that privilege. It goes thus: "Something more than gold; The Spirit of God in the heart of man; Something more than gold.” According to our memory verse, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, are the children of God. In other words, only those who are children of God have the privilege of being directed and guided by the Holy Spirit. Conversely, only those who are guided by the Spirit of God are genuine children of God. If you take a look at the account of how God formed man from the dust of the earth, you will observe that in spite of the fact that every part was properly fixed and fitted man could not fulfil the purpose of his creation until God put His Spirit in him. Genesis 2:7 says, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” After man fell, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and he became a shadow of his glorious past. Man became afraid of himself. Adam and Eve lost trust in each other, so much so that they were ashamed of seeing each other's unclothedness. Fear ruled the heart of man because the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. Man lost his sense of purpose and direction. God appeared in the cool of the day and man took cover with his wife, who he now viewed as the source of his troubles (Genesis 3:12). The certainty of what tomorrow holds eluded humanity, and man groped in darkness, being tormented by different taskmasters until God decided to have mercy on us through the grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The moment we accept His grace of adoption, we begin to enjoy the privilege revealed in Romans 8:15-16: "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" I believe you now understand the reason why the old-time believers sang with great excitement that the Spirit of God in the heart of a man is something more than gold. The Spirit gives us the assurance that we are children of God. This consciousness gives us the impetus to live like Him in this world, and also grants us boldness based on the assurance that with God, our Father, on our side, no evil can come near us. So, if you are yet to become a child of God, don't delay further; give your life to Christ today, and you will be adopted into the household of God.
Action Point: Thank God for His precious gift of the Holy Spirit and for all that His Spirit does in your life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 26-27 Jeremiah 22:24-23:8
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 15: THE COMFORTER HAS COME 1. O spread the tidings 'round, Wherever man is found, Wherever human hearts And human woes abound. Let every Christian tongue Proclaim the joyful sound: The Comforter has come!
Refrain: The Comforter has come! The Comforter has come! The Holy Ghost from heav'n, The Father's promise giv'n, O spread the tidings 'round, Wherever man is found: The Comforter has come!
2. The long, long night is past; The morning breaks at last; And hushed the dreadful wail And fury of the blast, As o'er the golden hills The day advances fast! The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
3. Lo, the great King of kings, With healing in His wings, To every captive soul A full deliv'rance brings; And thro' the vacant cells The song of triumph rings; The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
4. O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mine To wond'ring mortals tell The matchless grace divine - That I, a child of hell, Should in His image shine? The Comforter has come! [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY 30TH APRIL 2017
THEME: SPIRITUAL BLESSING
Memorise: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Ephesians 1:3
Read: Ephesians 1:1-14 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 1:2 Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 1:9 Having made known into us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
MESSAGE From our memory verse today, we understand that there are physical blessings and there are spiritual blessings. The best way to distinguish between these two categories of blessing is to look at their lifespan. Physical blessings are temporal, while spiritual blessings are enduring and eternal in nature. An example of a physical blessing is the rain that God sends on all of humanity. Another example is the air we all have access to breathe. Having a wife or a husband also falls under the category of physical blessings, and so also is having children. Both physical and spiritual blessings come from the Lord. However, the better of these two categories of blessings is spiritual blessings. Spiritual blessings, though manifesting in the physical world, transcend the present age. This is why Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:19 thus: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Spiritual blessings cannot be quantified in material or monetary terms. They include the Holy Spirit and His gifts, power and victory over principalities and powers, redemption through the Blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, etc, The crux of all spiritual blessings can be seen in this response of our Lord Jesus Christ to the question about reward for sacrifice which Peter asked Him: "And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospels, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life." Mark 10:29-30 The spiritual blessing of eternal life crowns the physical blessings we have access to through our followership with Christ. No matter how long we live on earth, we shall depart from it one day. The question is, "Where will you spend eternity?" Would it be in Heaven or in Hell? My prayer for you is that you will not spend eternity in Hell in Jesus' Name.
Action Point: Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour today, and you will be blessed with spiritual blessings. If you are saved, pray that the Lord will load your life with His spiritual blessings today.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 28-29 Jeremiah 23:9-22
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER 1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus Daily let me go; Higher, higher in the school of wisdom, More of grace to know.
Refrain: O deeper yet, I pray, And higher every day, And wiser, blessed Lord, In Thy precious, holy Word. [Refrain]
2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit, Take me deeper still, Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus, And His perfect will. [Refrain]
3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials, Deeper let me go! Rooted in the holy love of Jesus, Let me fruitful grow. [Refrain]
4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus, Till all conflict past, Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image Perfected at last. [Refrain]
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus, Holy faith and true; In His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom Let me peace pursue. [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE
MONDAY MAY 1ST 2017
OVERRIDING DOUBTS
MEMORISE: Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? Isaiah 43:13
READ: James 1:5-8 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 30-31 & Jeremiah 23:23-40
MESSAGE: God can make you laugh when He decides to overrule your doubts. Going by the standard set in today’s Bible reading, if you are double minded over an issue you brought before God, you should not expect anything from Him. However, if you doubt God in a given situation and He overlooks your doubt and grants your petition, know for sure He is doing it solely because of His grace. In Genesis 18:9-15, when God visited Abraham and said his wife Sarah was going to have a baby in nine months’ time, she laughed. She could not believe that she could ever be pregnant at age 90. She laughed because she had never seen such a thing happen before. Are you laughing over God’s promises and declarations over your life? Are you laughing because you have never seen anyone who experienced that kind of miracle? Stop your laugh of doubt and believe God today! Why? If there is no precedent to follow, God can make yours a precedence that others would refer to. A life of faith is so important to God that four different times in the Bible, He repeatedly said “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). However, as a manifestation of His sovereignty, He also says that whenever He makes up His mind to do something, nobody and nothing can hinder Him – not even your doubts (Isaiah 43:13). I pray that every good plan and purpose of God for your life shall be established in spite of your doubts in Jesus’ Name! We see this truth demonstrated in 2 Kings4:8-17. When Elisha declared to the Shunammite woman that she would have a son after nine months, she replied, “Man of God, please don’t deceive me”. This meant that she did not believe Him. Although Elisha did not say anything after that, God had already spoken, and so the matter was settled. She thereafter, had her baby in accordance to Elisha’s declaration. This season, God will overrule your doubts and give you that expected miracle. There are some people who believe God’s promise for a little while then fall into doubt again. Over the years, they have continuously swung back and forth between faith and doubt and so have not been able to receive God’s promise. This season, by the mercy of the Most High God, the Lord will override our doubts and make the impossible possible in your life in Jesus’ Name. God’s mercy will show up for you today! Your laughing season starts now.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in your mercy, override my doubts and every stumbling block on my way, and cause my laughter to begin today.
HYMN 1: 1. My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine! Now hear me while I pray, Take all my guilt away, O let me from this day Be wholly Thine!
2. May Thy rich grace impart Strength to my fainting heart, My zeal inspire! As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee Pure, warm, and changeless be, A living fire!
3. While life's dark maze I tread, And griefs around me spread, Be Thou my guide; Bid darkness turn to day, Wipe sorrow's tears away, Nor let me ever stray From Thee aside.
4. When life's swift race is run, Death's cold work almost done, Be near to me. Blest Saviour, then, in love, Fear and distrust remove. O bear me safe above, Redeemed and free!

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE
TUESDAY MAY 2ND 2017
GROW IN GIVING
MEMORISE: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38
READ: Luke 6:36-38 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 32-33 & Jeremiah 24
MESSAGE: God is interested in the prosperity of His children. Although He has made His resources available to us, it will take obedience and compliance with His principles to tap into them. To tap into the financial resources of heaven, you must pay your tithes, give offering and fulfill your pledges and vows. You must be ready to give, if you want something in return. A while ago, while preaching at a particular church, as I issued some prophetic decrees over the congregation, I noticed that their response of “Amen” was quite loud. Then I jokingly said one of them will buy a new jet, and the loudness of their response nose-dived. Another time, I was in the same church and repeated what I said before; this time, their response was much louder. So I said to them, “You people are different.” I perceived that their faith and understanding of giving had grown. Proverb 3:9-10 says if you can honor God with your first fruits, you will be dazed and amazed at what He would do I your life. It is one thing to have knowledge, and it is another thing to apply it. I once shared with some pastors that your teacher will never teach you all he knows, otherwise he wouldn’t be a teacher; but your father will be willing to teach you all he knows, although he may reserve one or two till moments before his death. In other words, there are certain secrets that a person can only get from his or her father, and I would like to share one of those secrets that God has revealed to me with you. One day, while sitting quietly somewhere, God said to me, “Son, what kind of pastor would you like to be?” I replied, saying “Daddy, I am sorry I don’t understand the question” He then further asked, “Do you want to be the best or worst, the greatest or the least, the richest or the poorest pastor?” I told Him I wanted to be the best, greatest and richest pastor, and He went silent. At a church programme not long after, the Lord asked again, “Son, what kind of pastor did you say you want to be?” I quickly replied, “The best, greatest and richest pastor.” Then He asked me to give the highest denomination in my pocket. I reluctantly obeyed. At another meeting, He again asked me the type of pastor I want to be, and I responded as before, and He instructed me to double what I normally gave as offering. I easily complied this time around because things had started changing for me since I began to obey His instructions on giving. When I shared this testimony some years ago, someone told me he moved up to giving N10,000 for every offering. I congratulated him and told him I was at that stage in 1998 but had since surpassed that. Although my giving was sacrificial initially because things were hard for me, I give glory to God that things are no longer hard. If you don’t grow up in your giving, you may not be enlarged in your receiving.
PRAYER POINT: Father, raise more Christ-like leaders to mentor your people, and make me one of such.
HYMN 10: 1. There shall be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love; There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Saviour above.
Refrain: Showers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need: Mercy drops ‘round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.
2. There shall be showers of blessing, Precious reviving again; Over the hills and the valleys, Sound of abundance of rain. [Refrain]
3. There shall be showers of blessing; Send them upon us, O Lord; Grant to us now a refreshing, Come, and now honor Thy Word. [Refrain]
4. There shall be showers of blessing: Oh, that today they might fall, Now as to God we’re confessing, Now as on Jesus we call! [Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE
WEDNESDAY MAY 3RD 2017
FINDING ALTERNATIVES?
MEMORISE: Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:7
READ: Genesis 16:1-4 1Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 34-36 & Jeremiah 25:1-16
MESSAGE: After several years of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Sarah sat down one day, had a long thinking session, and came up with an alternative plan which she presented to Abraham, and he accepted it. She had been barren for several years and was now obviously tired of being in that state; hence, she decided to give Hagar, one of her slaves, to her husband hoping to get a child through this arrangement. How mistaken she was! Sarah’s experience has a lot to teach contemporary Christians. When God is leading you in a certain direction, or if He has made a promise to you, any contrary opinion or alternative is borne out of impatience, doubt or unbelief. Its when people can no longer wait for God’s plan that they come up with their own alternatives. One lesson from this story is that man’s alternative charts a new course for you, which can take you completely out of God’s original plan. Just like Abraham and Sarah, many people have come up with alternatives that have landed them at destinations they never expected. But for God’s patience and mercy, the step Abraham and Sarah took was enough to derail them from God’s original course. The reason why the Holy Spirit says in Proverbs 3:5-6 that you should subordinate your plans under God’s will is so that He can guide you along His original plan for your life. Believe it or not, God has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 1:4-5). If you follow this plan, you will definitely obey God’s word and remain in His will. God’s word never negates His will for your life (James 1:18). The question is, “Are you still in God’s plan?” To keep within God’s will, you must be filled with His word and His Spirit, prayerful, watchful, thankful and humble. Why? The natural man within you will always come up with alternatives to God’s perfect plan for your life. You need to be watchful because some alternatives may look like the original plan, but in essence, they are miles apart. If you will access God’s perfect plan for your life, then you must leave no space for the flesh or the devil to give you an alternative. You must trust, rely on and completely depend upon God. God’s choice is always the safe choice. For this reason Proverbs 29:25b says, “…but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” If you depend on God 99% and leave 1% for an alternative, that is enough to derail you. Never rely on what you think you know or your assessment of the situation. No matter how brilliant your ideas may be, God has something better. Bring your plans before God’s searchlight and let Him tell you if its okay or not.
ACTION POINT: Has impatience made you pursue your own alternatives? Stop and beat a retreat today!
HYMN 4: 1. Through the love of God our Savior, All will be well; Free and changeless is His favor, All, all is well. Precious is the blood that healed us, Perfect is the grace that sealed us, Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us, All must be well.
2. Though we pass through tribulation, All will be well. Ours is such a full salvation, All, all is well. Happy still in God confiding; Fruitful if in Christ abiding; Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding: All must be well.
3. We expect a bright tomorrow; All will be well. Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All, all is well. On our Father's love relying, Jesus every need supplying; Or in living or in dying; All must be well.

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE
WEDNESDAY MAY 3RD 2017
FINDING ALTERNATIVES?
MEMORISE: Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:7
READ: Genesis 16:1-4 1Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 34-36 & Jeremiah 25:1-16
MESSAGE: After several years of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Sarah sat down one day, had a long thinking session, and came up with an alternative plan which she presented to Abraham, and he accepted it. She had been barren for several years and was now obviously tired of being in that state; hence, she decided to give Hagar, one of her slaves, to her husband hoping to get a child through this arrangement. How mistaken she was! Sarah’s experience has a lot to teach contemporary Christians. When God is leading you in a certain direction, or if He has made a promise to you, any contrary opinion or alternative is borne out of impatience, doubt or unbelief. Its when people can no longer wait for God’s plan that they come up with their own alternatives. One lesson from this story is that man’s alternative charts a new course for you, which can take you completely out of God’s original plan. Just like Abraham and Sarah, many people have come up with alternatives that have landed them at destinations they never expected. But for God’s patience and mercy, the step Abraham and Sarah took was enough to derail them from God’s original course. The reason why the Holy Spirit says in Proverbs 3:5-6 that you should subordinate your plans under God’s will is so that He can guide you along His original plan for your life. Believe it or not, God has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 1:4-5). If you follow this plan, you will definitely obey God’s word and remain in His will. God’s word never negates His will for your life (James 1:18). The question is, “Are you still in God’s plan?” To keep within God’s will, you must be filled with His word and His Spirit, prayerful, watchful, thankful and humble. Why? The natural man within you will always come up with alternatives to God’s perfect plan for your life. You need to be watchful because some alternatives may look like the original plan, but in essence, they are miles apart. If you will access God’s perfect plan for your life, then you must leave no space for the flesh or the devil to give you an alternative. You must trust, rely on and completely depend upon God. God’s choice is always the safe choice. For this reason Proverbs 29:25b says, “…but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” If you depend on God 99% and leave 1% for an alternative, that is enough to derail you. Never rely on what you think you know or your assessment of the situation. No matter how brilliant your ideas may be, God has something better. Bring your plans before God’s searchlight and let Him tell you if its okay or not.
ACTION POINT: Has impatience made you pursue your own alternatives? Stop and beat a retreat today!
HYMN 4: 1. Through the love of God our Savior, All will be well; Free and changeless is His favor, All, all is well. Precious is the blood that healed us, Perfect is the grace that sealed us, Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us, All must be well.
2. Though we pass through tribulation, All will be well. Ours is such a full salvation, All, all is well. Happy still in God confiding; Fruitful if in Christ abiding; Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding: All must be well.
3. We expect a bright tomorrow; All will be well. Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All, all is well. On our Father's love relying, Jesus every need supplying; Or in living or in dying; All must be well.

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH . A. ADEBOYE
THURSDAY 4TH MAY,2017
HELP FOR THE HELPLESS
MEMORISE: The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46:7
READ: Psalm 9:18-20 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. 19 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. 20 Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 1 & Jeremiah 25:17-33
MESSAGE: There are general blessings and also personal blessings. I have observed that anytime David wanted to discuss something that is very important to him, he normally personalize it. For instance, in Psalm 23:1, he says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” He did not say, “The Lord is our shepherd”. He was simply saying, “I can only speak for myself; I don’t know about you.” I pray that you will experience God as the Good Shepherd, so that you can testify personally and not just by sharing other people’s experiences. A shepherd is a person who looks after sheep. One thing you will observe about sheep is that they are very defenseless against predators. They cannot bite, they have no claws, and they cannot run fast; their only defense is the shepherd. You will agree with me that it is a very frightening thing to be defenseless in a hostile world. It is indeed a horrible feeling to be completely helpless. When a man is sick, he runs to the doctor hoping to be healed, but when the doctor tries his best and says there’s nothing he can do, the sick becomes hopeless. When a man has serious financial problems, he runs to his bank expecting a bailout, but what will he do when the bank insist on using assets he doesn’t have as collateral? In the same way, when a child is sick, he looks up to his parents for help and care, but how will the child feel if his parents tell him that the forces battling against him are beyond their capability? Worst still, imagine how you will feel if your pastor tells you that after praying all manner of prayers, there is nothing more he can do to help you! It is a terrible thing to feel lonely or forsaken by relatives and loved ones. A man who once experienced such a situation used these words to express his feelings in Psalm 102:6-7: “I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.” Have you been in such a situation? Do you feel exposed, naked and prone to shame? Are you facing the worst of times with no one to defend you? Has everyone you thought could help deserted you and now you think life is worthless? I bring you good news today! There is hope for the hopeless and cover for the naked. God can still do something about that hopeless situation you are going through. God is very close to you, and He will reach out and touch you today. The Lord will make a way for you! Call on Him and tell Him you have no one to help you but Him. Ask Him to help you now. He will answer and turn your situation around for good.
KEY POINT: When everything else has failed, never give up your hope for a better life; although it may take time, help will surely come.
HYMN 4: 1. Through the love of God our Savior, All will be well; Free and changeless is His favor, All, all is well. Precious is the blood that healed us, Perfect is the grace that sealed us, Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us, All must be well.
2. Though we pass through tribulation, All will be well. Ours is such a full salvation, All, all is well. Happy still in God confiding; Fruitful if in Christ abiding; Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding: All must be well.
3. We expect a bright tomorrow; All will be well. Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All, all is well. On our Father's love relying, Jesus every need supplying; Or in living or in dying; All must be well.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY MAY 5TH 2017
THEME: ANY PENDING VOWS?
Memorise: When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Ecclesiastes 5:4
Read: Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 5:6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
MESSAGE Our God is a God of faithfulness and He takes vows seriously (Deuteronomy 7:9). In Genesis 28:20-22, Jacob made a vow to the Lord at a time of distress and uncertainty in his life. Twenty years later, after the Lord had prospered Him, the Lord reminded him of the vow he had made unto Him (Genesis 31:13). Later, the Lord reminded him yet again of his vow and instructed him to move on from where he was to the place where he would fulfill the vow (Genesis 35:1-6). It does not matter how long ago you made a vow, God doesn’t forget! “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.” Ecclesiastes 5:4 One of the lessons from the above passage is that you are not compelled to make a vow to God. However, if you do, don’t delay in redeeming it, or else, God will regard you as a fool. It is important to note that in life, what comes or doesn’t come to you will be largely determined by your sspiritual standing or status before God. If God sees you as righteous, He will release all the blessings reserved for the righteous upon you, as long as you ask Him. In order words, if your status before God is that of a righteous fellow, God will treat you with respect. He will treat you like he would treat His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who accorded you that your spiritual status and change the way God relates with you. For instance, if you fail to pay your vow after so long a time, your status is changed from that of a righteous person to that of a fool. Eventually, you lose the honour, respect and royal treatment God accords to the righteous. Why? It is because a fool denies the existence of God (Psalm 14:1). In other words, if you believe God exist and is aware of your vows, you would hurriedly redeem it. When you do not pay your vow to Him, you are saying that God does not exist, and this puts you into the same category as King Nebuchadnezzar, who in Daniel 3:15 pompously asked, “who is that God that can deliver you from my hands?” When God is thrown such a challenge, whether verbally, in thought or in actions, He is forced to accept the challenge and to prove His existence. Vow defaulters call for God’s divine hammer to fall on them. Some people make a vow or pledge to God, yet one or two months after God has kept His part, they are still dillydallying their vow. Are you defaulting in your vows to the Lord? Ask God for forgiveness and immediately set out to redeem them.
Action Point: Take stock of all your pending vows and take steps to redeem them today!
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 2-3 Jeremiah 25:34-26:11
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 14: TAKE MY LIFE 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 DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY MAY 6TH 2017

THEME: SONS ARE SPIRIT-LED

Memorise:
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14
Read: Romans 8:13-14
8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Message:
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”John6:36
To a natural man, the words of Jesus Christ and the message of the cross are all foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14). A person who is not living in the Spirit cannot comprehend the message of Jesus Christ because it originates from the Holy Spirit. This is why it takes the Holy Spirit to enlighten the eyes of the natural man’s understanding and convict his heart, before he can accept Jesus Christ into his life. To live in the Spirit, you need the Holy Spirit to quicken you. It is His work to make you alive and to strengthen you spiritually. When you are down or tired, if you pray in the Spirit long enough, you will find the strength to undertake the assignment ahead of you. Every assignment that God has for you is first spiritual and then physical. This is why you cannot effectively perform a divine assignment using only physical means. Even when you have to undertake the physical aspects of a divine assignment, you need spiritual stamina or input to be effective.
Moreover, if you live in the Spirit, you should also be led by the Spirit. Who leads you reveals who owns you (Romans 6:16). To understand what it means to be led by the Spirit, read up the account of the operations of the Holy Spirit in the life of Philip in Acts 8:26-40. If you are saved and you barely receive divine guidance from the Holy Spirit, you are still a babe in the Kingdom; but if you are regularly led of the Holy Spirit – meaning you hear His voice and follow His instructions – then you have most likely attained the level of maturity in the faith where you can be called a son (Hebrews 5:11-14). God is looking for sons and not just babes! There are several Kingdom assignments that God wants to give out, but He is looking for sons to take them up. Sons hear His voice and obey promptly, but babes find it difficult even to recognize God’s voice. Sons are guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth, because they can accept it and run with it, but babes cannot stand certain truths (John 16:12-13). If there are some truth from God’s word that can make you to turn back from following the Lord, you are still a babe and not yet a son. The word of God contains depths of truth. While babes read through it without getting much, sons carefully go step by step through it to harness the volumes of truth contained in it. Are you a babe or son?

Prayer Point:
Father, give me ears that hear your Spirit, and give me a heart that follows His leading.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 4
Jeremiah 26:12-24

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 15: THE COMFORTER HAS COME
1. Oh, spread the tidings ’round,
Wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts
And human woes abound;
Let every Christian tongue
Proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

Refrain:
The Comforter has come,
The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from Heav’n,
The Father’s promise giv’n;
Oh, spread the tidings ’round,
Wherever man is found—
The Comforter has come!

2. The long, long night is past,
The morning breaks at last,
And hushed the dreadful wail
And fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills
The day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

3. Lo, the great King of kings,
With healing in His wings,
To every captive soul
A full deliv’rance brings;
And through the vacant cells
The song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

4. O boundless love divine!
How shall this tongue of mine
To wond’ring mortals tell
The matchless grace divine—
That I, a child of hell,
Should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

5. Sing till the echoes fly
Above the vaulted sky,
And all the saints above
To all below reply,
In strains of endless love,
The song that ne’er will die:
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain:]

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

SUNDAY 7TH MAY, 2017

BE A PERPETUAL WORSHIPPER!

MEMORISE:
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!Psalm 107:15

READ:
2 Kings 5:8-17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 5-6 & Jeremiah 27:1-15

MESSAGE:
If you try to fathom the vastness of the universe and the precision with which all things work together to maintain a balance, you will appreciate the greatness of our God who created it all. When you then contemplate on the micro details of your place in this universe, and how God is still concerned about “little you”, showering you with His love, goodness, faithfulness, mercy and grace, you will be left with no other option than to forever worship Him. God deserves our worship. Worship should not be something you do for a period and then take a brake; it should be something you do for the rest of your life. How consistently have you worshipped God? One Bible character who understood this principle of worship is Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-17). Naaman had a physical burden that defied all medication until he met with the man of God, Elisha. He was asked to go to the River Jordan and dip himself in it seven times. He did this, and was cleansed. Thereafter, He returned to thank God with a lot of money, but the man of God turned down the gifts saying, “Freely I received, and freely I give to you.” Naaman then requested for some of the soil of the land, so that he could take it back to his homeland and build an altar where he would worship God perpetually. He plainly said to the man of God, “For what your God has done for me, I will serve no other god but your God for the rest of my life”
For a good number of people, God has done several big things for them, and yet they do not have an altar dedicated to worshipping His majesty in their homes. I am not referring to a physical building, but rather a place consecrated to worshipping God and God alone. Some people say that if only they had several rooms, they would dedicate one to God. Even if all you have is one-room apartment, you can just dedicate a corner of your room to worshipping Him. Sometimes ago, the only place I could worship God without distraction was in my bathroom. There I could sing and dance to God without anybody watching. I could jump and do whatever I wanted in my bid to worship Him. With the door locked, it would just be God and I. If you desire to worship God in spirit and in truth, start by getting a place where you can do that in your home. Also fix a time or times when you will do this, so that the manifest presence of God will always come down at such time. Get your Bible, hymn book, notebook, and anything else that can aid your worship and get on with it. Be a perpetual worshipper of God!

ACTION POINT:
Worshipping God is one of the few activities we will continue to do in eternity. Ask God for grace to worship Him continuously and acceptably.

HYMN 14:
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 BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

MONDAY 8TH MAY, 2017

SEASON OF LAUGHTER

MEMORISE:
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. Isaiah 54:4

READ:
Isaiah 54:1-4
1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 7-8 & Jeremiah 27:16-24:4

MESSAGE:
“When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad Psalm126:1-3
God’s mercy can provoke Him to override your doubts and trigger off your season of laughter. That shall be your portion this season in Jesus’ Name! Several years ago, a man brought his friend to my office, saying his friend had a big problem. His wife had gone mad and was roaming completely naked on the street. They were very perplexed about her situation because according to popular beliefs of the Yoruba tribe in southwest Nigeria, if a person runs mad but is still within the house, that madness can still be brought under control, but once the madness has escalated to the point where the fellow goes naked on the streets to the market place, nothing can be done to reverse it. This woman’s case had reached the climax that was believed to be beyond redemption. Before they came to me, they had grabbed this woman, bundled her and kept her in the house of an herbalist in Kwara State, Nigeria. They gave me the address of the place where she was, and so I went there, prayed for her and left. When the man and his friend were told that I had come, but that the prayer I said was under five minutes, they began to doubt how such a brief prayer could deal with something that serious. They therefore bundled this woman again and took her to the psychiatric hospital. On arrival, the specialist they met said they would observe her for two weeks before determining the kind of treatment to administer on her. After two weeks of observation, the specialist sent for her husband and said, “Sir, if you say something is wrong with this woman, then something must be wrong with you, because since you brought her, we have not administer any medication on her, and yet she has been as normal as any healthy human being can be.” God had overruled this man’s doubts! Because this is your season of laughter, as God is laughing, He will laugh over your doubts and cause you to laugh! This season, nothing will stop your laughter! If you have never known what it is to laugh before, you will experience it this season. If the challenges of life have stopped you from laughing, get ready for a new season of unstoppable laughter! Have you been weeping? This season, when you begin to laugh, you will not remember your sorrow and tears anymore! Go ahead and thank God for ushering you into your season of laughter!

PRAYER POINT:
Father, thank you for my season of laughter. Let my voice of rejoicing never cease.

HYMN 4:
1. Through the love of God, our Saviour,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favour,
All will be well;
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us,
All will be well.

2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation,
All will be well.
Happy when in God confiding,
Fruitful if in Christ abiding,
Holy through the Spirit's guiding,
All will be well.

3. We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All will be well;
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying
In our living, in our dying,
All will be well.
2 hrs · Public

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

TUESDAY 9TH MAY, 2017

UPGRADE YOUR TITHE

MEMORISE:
And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. 2 Chronicles 31:5

READ:
Malachi 3:8-12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 9-10 & Jeremiah 28:5-17

MESSAGE:
If you want to experience the blessings that God promised His children, you must be prepared to follow divine financial principles. Do you know that your seed will determine your harvest? 2 Corinthians 9:6 says,
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
From the above scripture, we learn that if you spare or hold back a good part of your seed, God will also hold back a good part of the harvest He wanted to give to you. On the other hand, if you go beyond the norm in your giving, God will also do the extraordinary regarding your harvest. This is why I encourage you to grow in all forms of giving. It is wrong for you to remain on the same spot in your offerings when God keeps increasing you. Do you know that you can provoke a change in your financial situation by increasing your offering even when your income has not changed?
In addition to growing your offering, you can also grow in your tithe. You can go beyond the basic level of tithing which is 10%. The Lord once told me to exceed my tithe and watch what He would do; He said I could call the difference a seed. Since 1979, I attended the Kenneth Hagin conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which had about 17,000 people in attendance. During the meeting, there was a fund raising event. The brother who took the offering challenged everyone to give their best, and surprisingly, he added that he and his wife would match the total sum we all gave. Astonished by his challenge, we were certain he would be in the red by the time our offering was counted. When we had all given our offering, a total sum of $13.5 million was raised; surely, we thought, he would be unable to match this! However, to our surprise, when the total was announced, he said, “Is this the best you all can do?” He and his wife then wrote a check for the exact sum. When I saw this, I said to myself, “This man must know something I don’t know, and I am going to find out what it is.” Wise people always gather knowledge; they seek to know what made a great person great, so as to apply the same principles. By the time I discussed with this brother, I learnt that five years before, he started a business with $500 and struck a deal with God that God would receive 90% of his profit while he would keep just 10%. As at the time he was telling me his story, his business had grown into $50million Company. I took up this challenge and increased the percentage of my tithe. What can you do that you have not done before, to change what you normally receive from God? Rise up and do it now.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, grant me the grace to upgrade all areas of my life.

HYMN 10:
1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Saviour above.

Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.
[Refrain]

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honour Thy Word.
[Refrain]

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!
[Refrain]

5. There shall be showers of blessing,
If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.
(Refrain)

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

WEDNESDAY 10TH MAY, 2017

MICROWAVE CHRISTIANITY

MEMORISE:
And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: Hebrew 6:11

READ:
Hebrew 6:1-3
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 11-12 & Jeremiah 29:1-14

MESSAGE:
In the midst of delay, man often comes up with alternatives to God’s original plan or purpose. This is a dangerous thing to do because man’s alternative charts a new course, which can completely take the individual concerned out of God’s original plan. Also, any such alternative is usually nothing more than a quick fix compared to God’s permanent solution. Speaking of quick fixes, the age we live in encourages that. We live in an age of instant gratification. Most people are no longer interested in any type of process; whatever they want they want now! This is what I term the “Microwave Mentality”. People are so much in a hurry that they cannot dedicate time to do what they should do properly.
Sadly, the trend of microwave mentality has crept into the church and has given birth to what I call “Microwave Christianity”. Microwave Christianity is doing more harm than good to the Body of Christ. A preacher says, “All you have to do is just believe”. The sinner says, “I believe” “Praise God, you are now born again”, the preacher replies. He is in so much of a hurry to get the sinner saved that he cannot even tell him or her to confess his or her sins to God. Can God save a sinner who has not confessed his or her sins (Romans 10:10)? That is “microwave salvation”! The name of that sinner may be written in the preacher’s book or register of church members, but is it in the Lamb’s book of Life? What about discipleship? Everything follows the same pattern – microwave! When products of this anomaly are confronted by the storms of life or persecution for their faith, they find it difficult to endure. Isaiah 28:10 reveals to us the pattern we must follow in raising champions for God:
”For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”
In this age of instant gratification, God remains unmoved and unchanged: He still follows His order and timing in raising those He will use. Every spiritual microwave product portends problems, sorrow and regret in the future. From salvation to discipleship, no stage must be skipped. Diligence plays a key role in everything that concerns the Kingdom of God. Hence, Hebrew 6:1 says the elementary principles must be laid first, before you can move on to perfection. If the foundation is tampered with, the product will be unstable. When people are recommended to occupy spiritual positions that they are not spiritually qualified for, those sponsoring them are only creating problems for the future. Are you a product of Microwave Christianity? Go back to the basics and rebuild yourself!

KEY POINT:
If we fail to diligently fight for the faith that was delivered to us, a time will come when all we would be left with will be fakes!

HYMN 6:
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
[Refrain]

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
[Refrain]

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
[Refrain]

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
[Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

THURSDAY 11TH MAY, 2017

GOD WILL HELP YOU

MEMORISE:
For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.Isaiah 41:13

READ:
Isaiah 41:10-14
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

MESSAGE:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
As we have seen in our previous studies, it is a terrible thing to be lonely and forsaken by relatives and friends, or to be told by your pastor that your problem defies all spiritual efforts. In that seemingly hopeless state, God can reach out to you and turn things around. Let us look at some reasons why He will help you. First of all, Isaiah 63:1 says He is mighty to save.
In other words, not only is this God the Almighty God, He can equally save in a mighty way. This means, not only can He save you from “small” or “medium size” problems, He can also deliver you from problems that have defied all attempted solutions. In Deuteronomy 32:39, the Lord says,
“See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.”
From this scripture, we understand that He has the final say regarding life and death. He is the only one who can tell the fellow that the whole world has condemned to death, “You will surely live.” Have you been condemned to death, sickness or barrenness of any kind? Fear not! This Almighty God will arise because of you, and He shall deliver you today!
Moreover, in today’s Bible reading, He made some very powerful promises to you. He says He knows you are weak, helpless and defenceless, but that He will strengthen you. He says He will also help you. He knows the vanity of receiving help from men, hence the reason He says He will help you. God’s help is coming your way this season! Expect divine assistance to come your way now! Furthermore, He says He will uphold you. This means no problem or difficulty can swallow you. When God upholds you, you cannot fall. He also promises to disgrace your enemies. Every agent of darkness working against you shall be disgraced today! Furthermore, He says He will confound your enemies. That means they will be so confused that they will not know what they are doing. He says He will reduce them to nothing and cause them to perish. Every sickness or sorrow in your life shall be reduced to nothing in Jesus’ Name. Every battle against your life and destiny shall be overturned this season. All those who have risen up against you shall fall for your sake! The Lord will help you! The Lord will fight for you! From now on, you are moving from your point of weakness and vulnerability to a point of power and strength!

ACTION POINT:
Receive all the promises discussed in the devotional study with thanksgiving. Personalize and confess each of these promises.

HYMN 4:
1. Through the love of God, our Saviour,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favour,
All will be well;
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us,
All will be well.

2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation,
All will be well.
Happy when in God confiding,
Fruitful if in Christ abiding,
Holy through the Spirit's guiding,
All will be well.

3. We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All will be well;
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying
In our living, in our dying,
All will be well.

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

FRIDAY 12TH MAY, 2017

LESSONS ON VOW

MEMORISE:
That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth Deuteronomy 23:23

READ:
Judges 11:29-36

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 16-17 & Jeremiah 29:24-30:9

MESSAGE:
Sometimes, some people promise God one thing, but when the time comes to redeem the pledge, they bring something else. Do you think that God does not have records in Heaven? Once you make a pledge to God, don’t try to change it. Ecclesiastes 5:6 says,
“Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?”
After you have committed yourself to a particular thing as a vow, if you later return to say “it was a slip of tongue, God will understand”, you are only deceiving yourself. Such an excuse is not acceptable to God. God expects you to stand by your words. Hence, as part of the requirements to stand in God’s holy place, Psalm 15:4 says if you make a vow, you are expected to do everything possible to redeem it, no matter the cost, sacrifice or inconvenience involved. Do you have this quality? It is part of the integrity we must have as believers.
Another lesson on vow is that you must be extremely careful before making a vow. Think very well before pledging a commitment to do a particular thing, because once it has gone out of your mouth, you may not be able to beat a retreat. Some people get carried away with zeal and make mouth-watering vow but later find it difficult to redeem it. Be careful! Only vow to give up what is within the limit of your capacity and not what you know you cannot cope with! The story of Jephthah is a very touching one. He needed victory so badly that he vowed to sacrifice to God whatever first came out of his house to meet him on his return. After the battle was over, as he returned home with great joy, it was his only child – his virgin daughter – that came out first to welcome him. He felt so bad. He realized the rashness of his vow, but he could not turn back from his promise. Finally, one more lesson on vows is that God does not like to hear the voice of vow-defaulters, and he would ultimately destroy their efforts (Ecclesiastes5:6). Is God fighting you over a vow you have defaulted on? Repent now and restitute. If need be, seek guidance of a Spirit-filled Christian counsellor or pastor.

ACTION POINT:
Unpaid vows are debts that can hinder you from making Heaven. Prayerfully recall your unpaid debts and redeem them fast.

HYMN 14:
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 BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

SATURDAY 13TH MAY, 2017

FORBID EXTENSION!

MEMORISE:
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 1Peter 5:10

READ:
Genesis 15:10-15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 18-20 & Jeremiah 30:10-24

MESSAGE:
One assurance you have as a believer is that the boat of your life and endeavours cannot sink. Be assured that every storm, contrary wind and wave that is working against you is only for an appointed time. The Holy Spirit made this clear in 1 Peter 5:10 when He said,
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
Beloved, don’t believe the lie of the devil that things will continue to get worse. They will not! Don’t believe that the unpleasant situation you find yourself will persist. It will not! Every pain, sorrow or distress is for a set time and it will definitely expire. After its expiration, the imperfect shall be perfected, the unstable shall be established, the weak shall be strengthened and there shall be divine settlement. These shall be your portion from now on in Jesus’ Name!
However, sometimes the devil attempts to extend the period of a trial of faith beyond what was originally sanctioned by God. This is why we need to know God’s will concerning a situation and thereafter stand on it. You need to know your kingdom rights and insist on receiving them. The devil is rightly called a thief in John 10:10. He steals what does not belong to him. Any ground you fail to conquer in the Kingdom will be lost to the enemy’s camp. Any promise of God you do not know and lay claim to shall be lost to the enemy. How much of God’s promises and prophesies do you know? How many of them have you laid claim to? Do you know that God can allow you go through a trial of faith situation for three years, but if you fail to know the exact duration or are not sensitive enough, the devil can take advantage of that situation and prolong the hardship? This was the case in today’s reading. God spoke of Abraham’s descendants going into slavery in a strange land for a period of 400 years and thereafter they would come out with great wealth; but do you know that by the time the Israelites were delivered, they had spent an extra 30years in slavery (Exodus 12:40)! Even today, many believers have allowed the devil to enjoy extra time in afflicting them. They have moved from the preset trial period to a period of satanic affliction, thinking they are still going through the God-ordained trial of faith. How can you check this? Ask God. Seek His face over it. Use all the weapons you have as a Christian: the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus, the promises of God and a life of holiness to combat that unpleasant situation. If the situation stops, it means your trial is over.

PRAYER POINT:
Every satanic extension to my “trial of faith” period is terminated now in Jesus’ Name.

HYMN 4:
1. Through the love of God, our Saviour,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favour,
All will be well;
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us,
All will be well.

2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation,
All will be well.
Happy when in God confiding,
Fruitful if in Christ abiding,
Holy through the Spirit's guiding,
All will be well.

3. We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All will be well;
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying
In our living, in our dying,
All will be well.

Blessed & beautifully written post!

Good evening

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH. A. ADEBOYE

SUNDAY 14TH MAY, 2017

NINEVEH’S FASTING EXPERIENCE

MEMORISE:
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. Jonah 3:5

READ:
Jonah 3:1-10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 21-22 & Jeremiah 31:1-14

MESSAGE:
Fasting is a spiritual exercise every believer should often engage in because of the several benefits that can be derived from it. When the Lord was teaching His disciples about fasting during His earthly ministry, what he said to them was “when you fast” and not “if you fast” (Matthew 6:16). The Lord’s choice of words shows that he takes it as a given instruction that you will have to fast. However, if you engage in a spiritual exercise such as fasting but lack an understanding of the basis for doing so, you may not be able to optimize your gains from it. In other words, it is important to know why you should fast and know what you stand to gain from fasting. Knowledge plays a key role here.
Why should you fast? Prayer and fasting can help to restore spiritual fervour in your relationship with God. You can fast whenever you feel estranged or separated from God, whenever your heart is spiritually cold or when you sense that you lack sincerity in your humility. You can also fast as a mark of repentance, and to seek pardon and restoration from sin. Sin separates anyone from God, but if fasting is properly engaged, the estranged fellow can be drawn into God’s presence for mercy. If you take a look at Nineveh, you will see the effect of fasting in action. The people of Nineveh lived a very riotous life. They were engaged in several atrocities and abominable acts that called for God’s fiery judgment, like it happened in Sodom and Gomorrah. However, because of His righteous and merciful nature, God sent Jonah to go and warn them of His intention to destroy them because of their wickedness. As soon as Jonah sounded the warning, the people of Nineveh received the word and immediately declared a national fast. Nobody was exempted from the fast: the king, the nobles and even all their animals joined in the fast. Besides the fast from food and water, they abstained from all those things that provoke God’s anger, humbled themselves and cried out to God for mercy, and He heard them. Jonah 3:10 says,
“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
If you realize you are far from God, you can set aside things that give the body pleasure; fast and pray earnestly, asking God for His mercy and you will see His hand. If done according to heaven’s pattern, fasting is an exercise that can easily cause God to notice you as a candidate of His mercy. How often do you fast?

KEY POINT:
Fasting is a work of faith because it takes faith to fast and pray to a God you cannot physically see.

HYMN 6:
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
[Refrain]

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
[Refrain]

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
[Refrain]

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
[Refrain]

Confirmation....blessed post again!

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

MONDAY 15TH MAY, 2017

WHEN GOD GIVES LAUGHTER

MEMORISE:
And think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Matthew 3:9

READ:
Psalm 33:8-11
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 23-24 & Jeremiah 31:15-30

MESSAGE:
God makes you laugh when He turn his prophesies into decrees. There is a difference between prophesies and decree. When you hear “Thus says the Lord” that is the prophecy for which you will need to wait to see its fulfilment. In contrast, when God suddenly decides to issue a decree, such as “Let there be light”, you will know that your waiting period is over, as your miracle will manifest immediately. In Genesis 1:3, when God said “Let there be light”, there was no need to vote on it, and neither was there any delay, because He had decreed it. Psalm 33:8-9 says one reason why the whole earth should fear God is that whenever He speaks, it is done. All He has to do is to speak, and the next moment, it is done. By the grace of God, I have witnessed God operate in this dimension. Sometimes ago, a couple came to us believing God for the fruit of the womb. I asked them, what kind of baby do you want? Their response was simultaneous: the man wanted a boy while his wife wanted a girl. So I said we should make it twins – a boy and a girl – and both of them said “Amen”. Exactly nine months after, the man was carrying his baby boy and the wife carrying her baby girl. This season, God is saying let there be light, healing, fruitfulness, increase, promotion, victory over enemies and fullness of joy in your life, and so shall it be!
Moreover, God makes you laugh when He decides to show you His Almightiness. After declaring that Sarah would have a child, she laughed, but denied laughing when He asked her why she laughed (Genesis 18:11-15). Then He asked, “is anything too hard for the LORD?” Every man definitely has his limits, and even spirits are limited, but not the Father of spirits (Hebrew 12:9). Hence, Luke 1:37 says nothing is impossible with our God. He can suspend physical laws and have His way any day Matthew 3:9 says this God can produce children out of stones! Whatever the specialists have said cannot hinder my God. Where they are limited, He is not. The resources they lack, He has in abundance. What they do not know, is common knowledge to Him. His word is full of power and gives direction to anything he wants done. This is why I know that this season, everything standing in your way to laughter shall give way so that you can laugh. You shall laugh last and your laughter shall be unstoppable!

PRAYER POINT:
Father, for every couple trusting you for the fruit of the womb in my local assembly, please give them laughter today!

HYMN 5:
1. The great Physician now is near,
The sympathizing Jesus;
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,
Oh, hear the voice of Jesus.

Refrain:
Sweetest note in seraph song,
Sweetest Name on mortal tongue;
Sweetest carol ever sung,
Jesus, blessed Jesus.

2. Your many sins are all forgiv’n,
Oh, hear the voice of Jesus;
Go on your way in peace to heav’n,
And wear a crown with Jesus.
[Refrain]

3. All glory to the dying Lamb!
I now believe in Jesus;
I love the blessed Saviour’s Name,
I love the Name of Jesus.
[Refrain]

4. His Name dispels my guilt and fear,
No other name but Jesus;
Oh, how my soul delights to hear
The charming Name of Jesus.
[Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

TUESDAY 16TH MAY, 2017

RELEASE YOUR FAITH

MEMORISE:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12

READ:
Mark 11:22-24
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 25-27 & Jeremiah 31:31-40

MESSAGE:
The ministry of signs and wonders is the ministry of God, and He reserves the right to partner with anyone He chooses (Hebrew 2:4). He can partner with someone operating in any of the five-fold ministries: apostle, prophets, pastors, teachers or evangelists. He can equally partner with ushers, choristers, instrumentalist, sanitation workers, etc. when God partners with even an ordinary choir member or instrumentalist, demons will flee! This happened in David’s life when God partnered with him as just a harp player (1Samuel 16:23). Never look down on yourself! God can work with anyone who is willing to cooperate with Him. Are you willing? Are you ready to meet with His requirements? Are you asking like some followers of Jesus once asked Him in John 6:28b:
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”
Here is His response to you in John 14:12:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Note however, that if you desire to operate in the miraculous, you must be a person of faith. Why? Faith attracts God into the ordinary situations of life. It brings the divine into contact with the natural. In fact, in Mark 16:17-18, Jesus says if only you can believe in Him, signs will definitely follow you. Are you experiencing signs and wonders in your ministry? If you are not, it could be that you are not releasing your faith, not necessarily because you do not have faith. If you lack faith in God, you could never be born again in the first place. If you follow the steps to salvation and became born again, you definitely have faith. The same faith is required of you every time you go before God for something: whether to make a request, to worship or to praise Him. You need to release your faith. In Mark 11:22-23, Jesus says if only you can release your faith, you can command a mountain to move, and it will go to the destination that you have sent it. Faith is the key to the miraculous. When you lay your hands on the sick and pray for them, do you release your faith as well? If you refuse to release your faith, nothing will happen. When you pray, God looks for your faith before He acts on that prayer. Beloved, where is your faith? If you have faith, you will trust in God’s ability to meet your needs. If you have faith, you will have great expectations. If you have faith, you won’t seek any other alternative to God’s intervention. If you have faith, you will not be double-minded. Where is your faith? Release it today!

KEY POINT:
Faith is like an identity card that you must present whenever you go into God’s presence.

HYMN 1:
1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.

4.When life’s swift race is run,
Death’s cold work almost done
Be near to me.
Blest Saviour, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!

OPEN HEAVENS BY PST. ENOCH .A. ADEBOYE

THURSDAY MAY 18TH 2017

DEFENDING HIS NAME

MEMORISE:
Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. Psalm 106:8

READ:
Psalm 106:7-9
7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.
8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
9 He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 29-30
Jeremiah 32:16-2 5

MESSAGE:
The Bible declares that our God is a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). This means that He is ever-present or always ready to help in the time of trouble. There are several reasons why God makes His help available to a person. Understanding these reasons and applying them to your life will go a long way in helping you experience God as an ever-present help. One of these reasons is to fulfil His promises. God is very committed to His promises; hence, Psalm 89:34 says,
“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”
If He has purposed to help you, he will not change His mind midway. Numbers 23:19 says,
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
God’s word has integrity. He regards His word above His name (Psalm 138:2). Every promise He has made to you shall be fulfilled speedily! God cannot violate his word, so you can be sure that He will keep His promise to help you.
Another reason why God reaches out to help a man is for the sake of His Name. if you genuinely belong to God, he will help you because you bear His Name and are called by His Name in this world (Acts 15:17). No wonder Psalm 106:8 says,
“Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.”
That means His intervention goes beyond your asking. He will intervene to defend His Name and show His power. At certain bus stops in life, some people will challenge you by asking “Where is your God?” Some may even say “If your God is truly alive, He should have delivered you by now.” If you are in such situation, take heart and be unmovable. In Daniel 3:14-29, King Nebuchadnezzar initially asked the three Hebrew children “who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” however, by the time God was through with him, he publicly confessed that there was no God like their God. Is your child in a situation that appears hopeless? Is your business or career going through some impossible storm? God will step into your situation and calm the storms! The Lord is speaking peace to every impossible situation you are up against right now. He will surely bring you out of the storm, not just because of you, but because of His Name that you bear. In that situation you are going through, the Lord will defend His Name, and He will not put you to shame. He will demonstrate His power just to give you the last laugh in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, in this present situation I find myself, arise and defend your matchless Name.

HYMN 12:
1 How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

2 It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest.

3 Jesus, my Shepherd, Husband, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King;
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.

4 Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art
I'll praise Thee as I ought.

5 Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath;
And may the music of Thy Name
Refresh my soul in death.