OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL...

DATE: WEDNESDAY 14TH JUNE 2017

THEME: ENTERING HIS REST

Memorise:

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrew 4:11

Read: Hebrews 4:7-11

4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not aftenNard have spoken of another day.

4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

MESSAGE

Psalm 23:1-6 is a very powerful psalm which speaks of the relationship between the sheep and the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. God's sheep enjoy many benefits, one of which is the entitlement to rest. lf you are a bona fide sheep of Jesus Christ, His rest is made available to you. When the Psalmist says "He makes me to lie down", he simply speaks about entering into God's rest. The rest that the Good Shepherd offers His sheep can be at several levels. Some people are labouring so hard in search of the salvation of their soul. They want to be free from sin, and yet the more they labour to be free, the more entangled they find themselves. If only they can come to Jesus today, they will find the salvation they have been seeking. Jesus Christ is the final destination for everyone who genuinely desires salvation.

Another kind of rest that the Good Shepherd offers is bodily rest. Ordinarily, after a hard days work, by the time you hit the bed, you should fall fast asleep. However, do you know that there are people who find it so difficult to sleep? They stare at the ceiling all night until the following morning. This continues for days, weeks or even months. Psalm 127:2 says if you are beloved of God, you will surely have rest through sleep. Do you suffer from insomnia? Has it been so difficult for you to get a good night's sleep? That sleeplessness is terminated today! From now on, you shall access God's rest in Jesus' Name!

In addition, the Good Shepherd offers rest to those who labour continuously without rest. Matthew 11:28 says,
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

One way the devil has led some people into their untimely death is by heaping so many problems, burdens, debts and heavy responsibilities on them which they cannot carry, thereby frustrating their efforts to enter into financial freedom. The more they labour, the further they drift from success. lf you are in that situation, do not give up or think of ending your life. Just come to Jesus with all your heart and He will give you rest. Finally, todays Bible reading talks about the eternal rest that we have access to as sheep of the Great Shepherd. Nobody can enter Heaven except through Jesus Christ. If you are saved and you continue to follow Jesus, obeying Him every step of the way, you will surely enter into His rest. Are you qualified to enter His rest?

Key Point:

To enter into rest in any area of life, faith in Jesus Christ, the Giver of rest, is required.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Joshua 23-24
Jeremiah 48:45-49:13

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 2: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

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!

Have we trials and temptations?
ls 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!

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.

God bless you Sir

Prayer Points on Today's Open Heavens: ( Wednesday, June 14, 2017) - ENTERING HIS REST

1.Thank you, Father, for your salvation, that brought rest to my soul.

2.Thank you, Father, for giving me hope through your unfailing promises and irrevocable love, for me.

3.Thank you, Father, for the grace to believe in your word and promises.

4.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, free and deliver me from every entanglement of sin, in Jesus' name.

6.Father, deliver me from every spirit of fear and satanic bondage, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, deliver me from hard and unprofitable labours and give me peace and rest of mind, over all my life's endeavours, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, let every yoke of worry, anxiety, restlessness and sleeplessness, be destroyed in my life, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, let every yoke and heavy burden of Satan, in my life, be taken off and destroyed by the anointing, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, give me an unshakeable faith in you and uphold me till the end by your right hand of righteousness, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, grant me grace to enter into your eternal rest, reserved for the saints, in heaven, in Jesus' name.

12.Your Personal petitions.
( Philippians 4:6)
13.In Jesus' name I pray.
(John 14:13-14; 15:16)
14.Thank you Father for answered prayers.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18).
#GodBlessOurNation