OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY 29TH JUNE 2017

THEME: THINK IN THE SPIRIT

Memorise:

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6

3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

MESSAGE

Life in the Spirit is possible, even though for most believers it is still a struggle (Galatians 5:25). To grow your spirit-man, you need to earnestly seek more opportunities to be refilled with the Holy Spirit after being baptized with Him (Ephesians 5:18-19). To live in the Spirit, you need to think in the Spirit. In our thought life, many of us leave out the Holy Spirit, and this is one of the reasons why we don't go far in our walk with God. Whenever God is left out of an equation, it never balances. This is why today's Bible reading says we should acknowledge Him in all and not some of our ways. It is only then He will direct our paths. Some of us usually announce to God the decisions we have already reached, instead of consulting with Him earlier, so that He can help us arrive at the best decision. What is wrong with God deciding for you? Who decided that you would be born? Were you a part of that decision? Who decided your sex, nation, looks, height, complexion and the parents you would have? If He could decide all these, would it be too much for Him to be involved in the decision-making process of your life? When He is involved in a decision, He will ensure it does not fail. However, if in playing ''mature'' boy or girl, you leave Him out and your decisions later backfire, you will have only yourself to blame.

When there is an issue on ground and you present the issue to God, asking for His guidance or instruction on how to handle it, He will be pleased that you are giving Him His rightful place in your life. To what extent do you involve God in your personal and family affairs? Do you see Him as an intruder or as a partner? How often do you involve God in your thoughts and plans? If you really want Him to be a part of your thought life, then shun all evil thoughts. Load your mind with His word. Think often on God's word and focus on Jesus. By doing these, it will become easy for you to think in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the only Person who can help you see things from God's perspective. This is why 1 Corinthians 2:11 says,
''For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the
Spirit of God.''

When you yield your mind to Him, you will see yourself thinking more like Jesus, and what is important to God will gradually become important to you. When this continues, His likes will become your likes, and you will hate what He hates. There will be an alignment between what He wants and what you want. Start involving God in your thought process from today.

Key Point:

The extent to which you involve God in your personal or family affairs shows the extent of your trust in Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Samuel 3-5
Lamentation 2:3-13

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:]

Prayer Points on Today's Open Heavens: ( Thursday, June 29, 2017) - THINK IN THE SPIRIT

1.Thank you, Father, for your decision to create and bring me into this world.

2.I worship and adore you my Father, because, without you, the equation of my life, will never balance.

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

4.Father, in anyway l have ignored you and left you out of
the schemes of things in my life, please, have mercy upon me, in Jesus' name.

5.Father, give me the grace to always trust you, wholeheartedly, and never to lean on my own understanding.

6.Father, fill me to the brim with your Holy Spirit, and empower me to think, walk, and live in the spirit, for the remaining days of my life, in Jesus' name.

7.Father, let my thoughts be centred on you, your word, and your Spirit, every second, minute and hour, of my existence, in this world, in Jesus' name.

8.Father, l acknowledge you, as my creator; the all knowing God; please, come and guide and direct my path through life, in Jesus' name.

9.Father, please, take me to a new level of relationship with you, where, your thoughts become my thoughts, your likes become my likes, and what you hate, becomes what l hate, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, l yield my spirit, soul and body to you today, please, take over the leadership and control of my life, and let there be an alignment between your Will and my personal desires and goals, in Jesus' name.

11.Father, take over, completely, my thought and decision making process, and let every decision that l take, from now on, be informed from above, 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