Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 28th December, 2016.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE (II).

Memorise
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
- James 5:15.

Read: Ephesians 6:16-18.
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Message
Spiritual warfare is an invisible battle that is waged in the spirit realm. The enemies cannot be seen with the physical eyes and the weapons of warfare are not physical as well. What is even more significant is that it is what happens spiritually that determines the physical manifestation that will be experienced by humans. A person overpowered in a spiritual war may become sick, paralyzed, or mad in the real world. Many that are attacked at night may develop an incurable sickness that will lead to their death within days. Some may be physically alright health-wise, but may begin to operate under a terrible demonic bondage that hampers growth of any kind, and this may go on for years unnoticed. These are prisoners living within invisible prison walls while appearing to be normal and free. Isaiah 49:25 says:
"But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children."

The worst type of imprisonment is being within invisible prison walls while appearing to be free. Nobody will offer to help you out because there will be nothing physical to suggest that you are imprisoned. The lame man in Acts 3:1-18, was physically born into a prison of sickness and was there for over 40years, he was in a physical prison, obvious to everyone, but most people are in spiritual prisons, invisible prisons. One of my uncles, who studied in Britain returned, and in an attempt to protect himself from forces of darkness, went to meet an herbalist and obeyed the man's instructions to the letter. He got seven leaves of a particular plant, spread them on the floor and defecated on them. Thereafter, the herbalist gave him a particular powder to spray on his faeces and instructed him to eat it. After this, he returned home boasting that since nobody touches faeces, nobody could touch him. He almost died of cholera! Some professors, despite all their Western education, still bow to trees and worship various objects because they are in a spiritual prison. A medical doctor who knows and teaches people about the dangers of smoking but still smokes himself is imprisoned spiritually.

It is not enough to point accusing fingers at somebody somewhere, consider your life and find out if there is any trace of imprisonment. Prayerfully take steps to break loose from it. When you are free from physical and invisible prisons, then you are truly free.

Prayer Point
Father, please break every prison wall around me in Jesus' name!

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 29th December, 2016.
RESIST THE DEVIL.

Memorise
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- James 4:7.

Read: James 1:12-16.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Message
The Bible presents the devil as the accuser of the brethren, but more importantly, the devil is also in the business of presenting God in a bad light to human beings at every opportunity he gets. He usually puts questions in the heart of men in order to cast doubt on God's acts of love towards humanity. He successfully did that in the Garden of Eden, and he is still using the same trick today. The Psalmist, in the midst of his troubles asked questions.
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."
Psalm 42:5.

There is a difference between questions and queries. He asked why his soul was feeling downcast. In other words, he expected his soul to look up to see the brighter side in the midst of gloom. When you ask God questions, but still demonstrate faith in Him and His ability, it is okay. But when your questions do not reflect your past experiences of what you enjoyed from God's mercies and faithfulness, you are already issuing God a query. Before any child of God issues out a query to God, the fellow must have changed his view about God and how powerful He is, if not, he wouldn't dare query God. After all, you cannot issue a powerful king a query. Romans 9:20 says,
"Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"

Similarly, the one who will query God is in doubt of God's love and good intentions. He believes God is negligent, carefree and irresponsible. At such a time, he has believed the lies of the devil.

Beloved, God loves you much more than anything else, He is the One who gave Himself for your salvation and washed you clean in His Blood. No matter the situation, His love for you will never diminish as long as you remain in His Kingdom. Believe the best about Him. Believe His good intentions even when you do not understand. The One who who died for you will not work against you when you are in a good relationship with Him. Never query God; it will worsen your situation.

Prayer Point
Father, please forgive me for all the queries I have issued through doubt in Jesus' name.

Howoheye:
Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 29th December, 2016.
RESIST THE DEVIL.

Memorise
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- James 4:7.

Read: James 1:12-16.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Message
The Bible presents the devil as the accuser of the brethren, but more importantly, the devil is also in the business of presenting God in a bad light to human beings at every opportunity he gets. He usually puts questions in the heart of men in order to cast doubt on God's acts of love towards humanity. He successfully did that in the Garden of Eden, and he is still using the same trick today. The Psalmist, in the midst of his troubles asked questions.
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."
Psalm 42:5.

There is a difference between questions and queries. He asked why his soul was feeling downcast. In other words, he expected his soul to look up to see the brighter side in the midst of gloom. When you ask God questions, but still demonstrate faith in Him and His ability, it is okay. But when your questions do not reflect your past experiences of what you enjoyed from God's mercies and faithfulness, you are already issuing God a query. Before any child of God issues out a query to God, the fellow must have changed his view about God and how powerful He is, if not, he wouldn't dare query God. After all, you cannot issue a powerful king a query. Romans 9:20 says,
"Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"

Similarly, the one who will query God is in doubt of God's love and good intentions. He believes God is negligent, carefree and irresponsible. At such a time, he has believed the lies of the devil.

Beloved, God loves you much more than anything else, He is the One who gave Himself for your salvation and washed you clean in His Blood. No matter the situation, His love for you will never diminish as long as you remain in His Kingdom. Believe the best about Him. Believe His good intentions even when you do not understand. The One who who died for you will not work against you when you are in a good relationship with Him. Never query God; it will worsen your situation.

Prayer Point
Father, please forgive me for all the queries I have issued through doubt in Jesus' name.

Well done sir. I always follow your post everyday. Thanks

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 30th December, 2016.
THE LORD'S SPOKESMAN.

Memorise
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
- 2 Cor. 5:20.

Read: 1 Peter 4:10-11.
10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Message
The first instruction that God usually gives to any appointed spokesperson in the Bible is to be bold. Moses, Joshua, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were all enjoined to be bold and courageous to face the task ahead of them. This is simply because human beings are always rebellious to God's commandments, this is more so with the rich, powerful and influential people in the society. Without boldness, it becomes difficult to speak against such prominent people out of fear of reprisal. However, when God surrounds your life with His presence as a mountain, you become immune to all attacks of your enemies. It is not that they won't try; but their attempts will fail. Many believers take God's protection for granted, because it is not physical or tangible to them, however, it is very visible to their enemies who operate in the negative spiritual realm.

For so long, Satan desired to harm Job but could not, because of the protective wall he called a hedge.

"Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land."
Job 1:10.

The enemy knows the areas God's protection covers in the lives of believers. They know the areas that are exposed, and it is those exposed parts that they usually target. If you are toying with sin, you are gradually exposing yourself to the enemies. From Satan's reply, he must have been frustrated in previous attempts to harm Job. He could touch just anybody but Job. As long as you are inside the protective cover of the Lord, the enemies will be frustrated concerning you. They will look for every opportunity to strike at you, but finding none, they will attempt to distract you from the path of holiness into sin. If they can succeed in getting you to sin and especially get you to continue in that sin, God will withdraw, and they will take over. Ensure you remain under His cover.

Prayer Point
Father, please, help me never to shed Your covering over me in Jesus' name.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 31st December, 2016.
ACCEPTABLE SERVICE.

Memorise
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
- James 1:27.

Read: Romans 12:1-2.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Message
The major difference between David and the other soldiers at the war front was simply the fact that David could not stand the insult and blasphemy against the God of Israel. He knew God so well, and he feared and honoured Him so much that he decided to confront the giant warrior called Goliath without any fear of losing his life. David, in this case, took the meaning of acceptable service to another level. It can be very painful when the authority of God is so challenged, you will want to do anything to defend Him even if it means doing so with your life. In 1 Samuel 17:23-26, Goliath came out, boasted exceedingly and asked; "Where is the God of Israel?" For as many as had no intimate relationship with God, this threat, challenge and disgrace meant nothing to them. But then, one day, a little boy who loved the Lord was there, he heard Goliath talk against his God and he got very angry. His love for God propelled him to dare this giant that was bringing shame on God and His people.

It can be very painful when you have a problem that has persisted, especially when you know that your God is more than able to solve it. People may even ask, "Did you not say your God can do all things? Why has He not done yours?" Yes, it can be painful, but you must be prepared to love God to the extent of not minding what people say about your condition.

In Psalms 115:1-3, when the unbelievers were asking the psalmist: "Where is your God?" instead of being embarrassed or wallow in self-pity, he was not bothered. Infact, he began to make excuses for God because of his love for Him. He replied them: "Are you asking of my God because of this little problem? My God is still in Heaven. He is still on the throne and He cannot be dethroned. If you must know, my God does whatever He pleases and He is not accountable to anyone. Whether He does it or not, you cannot take Him to court. He knows the right time to solve this problem because your time and mine may not be His. Is it not for me? I am prepared to wait for His time; I am not in any hurry". With that kind of answer, the mouths of the enemies will be stopped. How much do you love God? The proof of your love for God against all odds is the mark of an acceptable service unto Him!

Prayer Point
Father, I commit my life to You wholeheartedly.

Hymn 14: ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS.

_We bless God for keeping us even to read the devotional till the very last day of 2016; this time next year, by the Grace of God, you & I will be alive in good health...Happy New Year in advance._

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SATURDAY JULY 29TH 2017
THEME: HELP FROM ABOVE
Memorise:
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

Read: Psalm 121: 1-4
121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

121:2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

121:3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Message:
The reason why many people pray without getting answers is because their prayers are actually directed to men instead of God. Today, many people seeking jobs, contracts, spouses and admission into academic institutions prefer to ask for help from those they believe can assist them instead of going to the true source of help: God. The truth about receiving help from man is that men are most unreliable, limited in resources and ability and can be swayed by situations and circumstances. Where do you channel your request to?

In 2 Kings 6:26, a woman in dire need cried to the King for help, and the King responded to her cry with these words:
“…If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?” 2 Kings 6:27
This king recognized that God is the true source of help we all need. No wonder David, in today's Bible reading, said that he would look up to the source of his help: God. Who is your helper? To whom do you turn or run for help in time of need? God is the true Helper because He is the All-Sufficient God. He is the creator and owner of the earth and everything in it (Psalm 24:1). He has all the ability, knowledge and power, and so He can do anything, answer any question and solve all problems. Ecclesiastes 5:8 says He is higher than everyone and everything, and so He is above all. Psalm 91:1 calls Him the Most High.

He is also the most influential, because the mention of His Name compels everything and everyone else to bow to Him (Philippians 2:9-11). He is so powerful that with just a simple statement, the toughest of requests is granted (Psalm 33:8-9). His word is final on any issue; hence, you do not need to accept any negative verdict from any other source (Lamentations 3:37). He stands as the Universal Judge who can upturn any judgment as He pleases in favour of those He loves. It is a great privilege to have access to this God, table requests before Him and receive answers to our requests. If you find it difficult to make your requests known to God, it is obvious that you do not know Him, or you are proud. From now on, make it a habit to praise and worship Him and thereafter make your request known to the true Helper (Philippians 4:6). He will help you today.

Action Point:
Spend an hour thanking God for how He has helped you thus far, and then ask for His help on every difficult situation you are confronted with.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Kings 7 & Ezekiel 16:59-17:10

AUTHOR:
PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOUR
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.