Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 23rd October, 2016.
THE TOUCH OF FAITH.

Memorise
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
- Matthew 9:29.

Read: Matthew 9:20-22.
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Message
There is tremendous power in a touch. It may be positive or negative as there are categories and types of touches. Naaman knew the power in a touch, especially from representatives of God and said with a sense of disappointment when Elisha did not come out to touch him when he went to Samaria:

“…Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.” 2 Kings 5:11

A touch can bring death as in the case of Uzzah in the book of Samuel:

“And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.” 2 Samuel 6:6-7.

During one of our Conventions at the Redemption Camp in Nigeria, the Lord asked me to lay out a piece of cloth for people to touch by faith and receive their healing, with a warning that it should simply be touched and not held. A man went ahead to touch (I will say without faith) because he also grabbed the cloth. It took special grace and forgiveness of God for him not to die the moment he touched outside of faith; his entire body began to shake uncontrollably from morning till evening. It would have been a touch of death but for God’s intervention.

Another touch can bring healing as in the case of the woman with the issue of blood in our Bible reading for today.
“For she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” Matthew 9:21.

This is the touch of faith. The touch of faith can work for the one who touches and for the touched. In the same chapter of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus Christ was met by two blind men who were crying for mercy of healing. When Jesus found out that these men had faith to receive divine touches for healing, the Bible says:

“Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, see that no man know it.”
Matthew 9:29-30

The touch of faith is required anytime you need a miracle. I pray for someone using this devotional; the Lord will touch you for healing and deliverance today, and you will have a testimony in Jesus’ name. I also pray that whatever you touch by faith today will prosper in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Point
Father, please touch me in the areas where I need Your intervention today and let my joy be full in Jesus’ name.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 24th October, 2016.
OCCUPYING WHILE WAITING?

Memorise
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
- Luke 19:13.

Read: Joshua 13:1-6.
1 Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.
2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,
3 From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:
4 From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:
5 And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.
6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.

Message
The parables of Jesus sometimes were directed to the multitude and at some other times are directed to the disciples in particular. The parable of Jesus in the memory verse for today was directed to the disciples who were being prepared for the great commission (Mark 16:15-16). They were being told to occupy till He comes.

Sometimes we think the word “occupy” means “keep yourself busy” alone; it means more than that. We must not keep ourselves busy doing nothing substantial. To understand the import of Christ’s command in Luke 19:13 we must take a look at the Bible reading of today. The Lord gave a not too good assessment of the journey to the Promised Land under Joshua, which should be a food for thought for the Church of the 21st century.

“Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.” Joshua 13:1.

One lesson we must quickly learn from the above scripture is that Joshua was now old and there was no more strength and energy to lead the battle against the inhabitants of the land which God had given to them. They failed to occupy the Promised Land. In the same vain, when Jesus Christ told His disciples (and us by extension), to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, He was actually saying that we should go and occupy the land for Him and the Kingdom of His Father. It is beyond keeping ourselves busy just for its sake. The question now is, “Are we really occupying while we await His second coming?” Another food for thought is, in our evangelistic and missionary efforts, can we say we are occupying both the geographical and spiritual landscape and atmosphere of the world? What can we show for all the money spent on missions and evangelistic efforts? Have we taken a break in our efforts to occupy the nooks and crannies of world kingdoms like the disciples of old? We must remember that our mandate is to make disciples of all nations.

Beloved, we must not lose grounds any more. As a matter of fact, the grounds we have lost to the enemy must be taken back. Like David encouraged himself in the Lord after the raid of his barrack at Ziklag, we must summon courage to go after the enemy and recover back the Kingdoms that once belongs to the Church. The cathedrals that have been turned to bars must be brought back for the worship of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Christian nations that have turned secular must be revived and brought back to the light of the gospel of the Son of the Living God. May the Lord help us in Jesus’ name.

Action Point
Let us set a strategic plan to go to the “garrison” of the children of the bondwoman and take what belongs to our God back to Him because He is the God of all flesh.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 25th October, 2016.
SPIRITUAL ADULTERY FORBIDDEN!

Memorise
For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called.
- Isaiah 54:5.

Read: Hosea 2:2-5.
2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts.
3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.
4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.
5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

Message
The relationship between God and his human creatures could be likened to the relationship between a husband and his wife. God, who instituted marriage, patterned the relationship in marriage after His relationship with His people. This is why spiritual adultery is severely punished from time to time in the history of man and his interaction with his Maker.

“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim….And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before enemies.” Judges 2:11, 13-14.

God is jealous, like a man could be jealous over the relationship of his wife with another man, when his human creatures follow other gods besides Him (Exodus 20:5). The spiritual adultery which the children of Israel committed is vividly illustrated in the relationship between Hosea and Gomer his professional harlot-turned wife. The patience of Hosea with Gomer who was always going back to her whoredom like a dog that goes back to its vomit also illustrates God’s patience with His people who court with the people of the world. The bond becomes stronger when someone at the altar of repentance, betroths himself or herself to Jesus Christ, the original Bridegroom. The Bible says:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If an any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15.

Our Lord Jesus Christ also said that our love cannot be possibly shared between God and ephemeral things of this world. He said:

“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:13.

Serving God and mammon is spiritual adultery, punishable by rejection and shame.

The Bible says:
“Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts. Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.” Hosea 2:2-3.

Beloved, beware of spiritual adultery. Stick to Jesus Christ. The Lover of your soul and He will do you good.

Prayer Point
Father, please forgive me of any spiritual adultery I might have committed against You and our spiritual matrimony. For Christ’s sake, please do not reject me.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 26th October, 2016.
WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR?

Memorise
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13.

Read: Luke 12:15-20.
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Message
To know what you live for, you need to consult the Holy Scriptures and this is what we shall briefly do in today’s reading. What are you living for? The Bible says:

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Revelation 4:11.

The unfortunate thing about life is that, people live as if they own their lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ told us the story of a certain rich man who in one year had so much money that he started boasting of many years of enjoyment. While he was ranting and boasting, God said to him:

“Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:20-21.

Beloved, we are expected to live for God the Father, through Jesus Christ the Son. We are not supposed to live for ourselves anymore, because we have been bought with price. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ admonished us as peculiar people to show forth the praises of Him (Jesus) who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9). Moreover, Paul, another apostle corroborated this when he wrote:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20.

The apostle further wrote that, after we have given our lives to Christ, we should live a new life as becoming the saints. We should put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

This is the only way we can live for God and not for ourselves. May the Lord grant us the grace to live acceptably before Him in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Point
Father, help me to live for You alone in Jesus’ name.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 27th October, 2016.
COST OF DISCIPLESHIP.

Memorise
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
- Luke 14:27.

Read: Luke 14:25-27 (KJV).
25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Bible In One Year:
Zephaniah 1-3, Haggai 1-2, Psalms 89:1-14.

Message
Children of God are to decide wisely what they want to do with their relationship with Him. Jesus, in Luke 14:27 said;

“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

A Cross is a symbol of responsibility, to say the least. It is a pointer to the fact that the path of discipleship is rugged and demanding. It demands a high level of determination to follow without looking back when faced with sufferings and temptations. This is why Jesus said in Luke 9:62; “…No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The cost of discipleship is also found in the blessed call of Jesus Christ in Matthew 11:28-39:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

It is costly to follow Jesus Christ for many reasons. Firstly, He has a yoke and whoever wants to follow Him must bear that yoke with Him. An example of this yoke is found in John 4:43 where Jesus said; “…My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” Whoever fails to share this burden with Jesus cannot be His disciple.
Secondly, the one who wants to be a disciple of Christ must learn of Him, he must pattern His life after Christ’s life and one major way to pattern one’s life after Jesus Christ is to be meek and lowly in heart.

Philippians 2:5-8 says:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Beloved, you have to know that discipleship has its price, but it is highly rewarding. Jesus Christ said, “… and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”(Matthew 11:29).

Prayer Point
Father, help me to pay the cost of discipleship, so that I can gain the immeasurable blessing of a genuine disciple.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 28th October, 2016.
GOD GETS ANGRY TOO.

Memorise
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
- Psalm 30:5.

Read: Psalms 30:1-5.
1 I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Message
A truth catches one's attention in today's Bible reading; God can be angry! If this wasn't the case, the Bible wouldn't have said; "For his anger endureth but a moment". Jeremiah 25:6 further corroborates this fact by saying that the God of love can be provoked to anger:

"And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt."

It is only a false teacher or prophet that will teach that God is so lovingly holy, therefore, He can't be provoked to anger. This type of teaching makes children of God take the love of their heavenly Father for granted.

Having said this, we must also acknowledge the fact that His anger does not last forever. There is a condition though. When you don't take God and His mercies for granted, and you genuinely turn away from your wickedness, He will deal with you as if you have never sinned before.

Proverbs 28:13 says:
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

When God is angry with an individual, that fellow cannot know joy.

Psalms 32:10 says:
"Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about."

Going by this scripture, every man born of a woman is doomed for sorrow until Jesus Christ redeems him from the curse of sin. Our trust in the work of redemption without taking the One who made it possible for granted, will bring us unspeakable Joy. When our relationship is cordial with God, we can boldly say like the Psalmist; "weeping may endure for a night..." (due to the variable nature of life) "...but joy cometh in the morning."

When I first became General Overseer, anytime I returned from my missionary journeys, my wife would be eager to tell me about all the matters that needed my attention. After listening to them all, I would ask for my food and after the meal I would go to bed. My wife kept on wondering about my attitude. I had to explain to her the fact that joy will come in the morning because I was leaving everything to God while I sleep. Faithful is He who has promised us joy in the morning; it shall surely come

Prayer Point
Father, let my morning of joy come now.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 29th October, 2016.
NOT REPROBATE.

Memorise
But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
- 2 Corinthians 13:6.

Read: 2 Corinthians 13:5-8.
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

Message
To be a reprobate is very dangerous for the society and for the Christian faith in particular. The reason is not far-fetched; a reprobate does immoral and unethical things without any sense of guilt or remorse because his or her conscience has been seared with hot iron of defiance. In our memory verse for today, Apostle Paul affirmed his confidence in the Corinthians Church premised on the fact that they would do according to the godly instructions he gave them.

The problem of some of the 21st century believers is the philosophy of relativism which makes them think that an acceptable statement or action in the time of war will also be acceptable in the time of peace. For instance, if you kill while on a battle field, you are valiant and patriotic, however, if you kill in the time of peace, even as a soldier, you will be charged with murder. An extreme case of relativism is when killing in the time of peace is considered the same with killing in the time of war. This is a human error that should not be allowed in the body of Christ because it turns believers into reprobates.

In our text today, Apostle Paul admonished the Church at Corinth, and by extension, the Church of today to make sure they are still in the faith. He goes further to challenge us to prove that we are carriers of Jesus’ image. This is the reason why John, the beloved wrote in 1 John 3:9

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

Some people have sold themselves to reprobate minds, and so no number of sermons they hear can change them. They keep saying, “My conscience does not condemn me.” The truth is that a dead conscience cannot condemn, because it is not active.

Prayer Point
Lord Jesus, please cleanse my conscience with Your Blood so that it may be more active and sensitive for You.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 30th October, 2016.
GODLY SORROW.

Memorise
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
- Matthew 5:4.

Read: 2 Corinthians 7:9-10.
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Message
There are different categories of sorrow; the ungodly sorrow and the godly sorrow. Ungodly sorrow leads to deadly actions that drag its victims to either temporal or eternal perdition. The Bible says that Cain was sorrowful because his offering was not acceptable by God. That type of sorrow was ungodly because it pushed him to commit a great sin against God. He became the first murderer in the history of man, a deviant one at that. The Almighty God asked him, Where is Abel thy brother? And he confidently told God that he didn’t know where Abel was. Another example of ungodly sorrow is found in Judas Iscariot. The Bible says he actually felt sorry for how the event turned out, but his sorrow was not godly; he only felt bad because his plan to swindle the chief priest failed. He did not think of the injustice of the action in the first place. He would have been happy if Jesus had slipped away from His arresters like He had done in John 8:59. No wonder Judas Iscariot ended up killing himself.

On the other hand, godly sorrow is positive.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says:

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

When someone realises that he or she is a sinner and knows that the final destination is eternal perdition, if he becomes penitent like David after his encounter with Prophet Nathan, he will be forgiven.

Also, in the story of the people of Nineveh, after Jonah had handed down the coming judgement of God upon the city, they all, from the king to the least, engaged themselves in godly sorrow. The king declared a fast of both humans and animals 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.”

This positive sorrow was found in the Publican Jesus spoke of in Luke 18:10-14, he had godly sorrow void of self-righteousness and in verse 14, Jesus said:

“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other….”

Key Point
Don’t sweep your blunders under the carpets of self-righteousness; repent and exercise godly sorrow. You will be comforted by divine forgiveness.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 31st October, 2016.
BE COURAGEOUS.

Memorise
Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them; for the Lord thy God he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
- Deuteronomy 31:6.

Read: 2 Chronicles 32:7-8.
7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:
8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Message
Courage is a virtue that is not optional for children of God who want to fulfil destiny. Without courage, we can’t even say we are images of the Living God. This is why God Almighty always emphasizes the need to be courageous in the lives of those who He wants to use for special assignments. In the memory verse for today, Moses, the servant of God, encouraged the children of Israel to be of good courage, void of fear for people. There are many reasons why we cannot afford to be afraid of people.

Proverbs 29:25 says:
“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”

Anyone who wants to represent God in this world must be courageous, or else, he or she will make a mess of the divine assignment like king Saul did. When he was confronted with the half-obedience he exhibited concerning the Amalekites, he had this to say:

“…I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.”
1 Samuel 15:24.

Another reason we should not be afraid of any man is that God is with us. His name is Emmanuel. He himself said “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20).

Isaiah 43:2-3 says:
“When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.”

There are facts that should instill courage into us because faithful is He who has promised; He will fulfil it. In the Bible reading for today, kind Hezekiah, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, told the people to be courageous in the face of the threats of war from Sennacherib king of Assyria.

“With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” 2 Chronicles 32:8.

Prayer Point
Father, give me courage; don’t let me lose my ground of faith to the devil.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 1st November, 2016.
GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Memorise
And grieve not the holy spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
- Ephesians 4:30.

Read: Matthew 12:24-31.
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, this fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

Message
There are many Christians living in frustration and defeat because they have set themselves against the flow of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the key to the outpouring of revival and every endeavour in this new dispensation. The Holy Spirit is the secret behind every super-national occurrence. Do you desire to know the plan of God for your tomorrow? Get the Holy Sprit. Do you want to live a successful Christian life? Get the Holy Spirit. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, you will live a life of continuous defeat. As helpful as the Holy Spirit is, one should be careful in relating with Him. Ananias and Saphirra lied to Peter about how much they sold their land. They felt they were deceiving Peter, unfortunately, it was too late for them to realise that they had grieved the Holy Spirit.

There are numerous ways by which grieve the Holy Spirit. The moment a person begins to rebel against the instructions in God’s Word, such a fellow is asking for trouble from the Holy Spirit. At several points in the life of the children of Israel, they murmured against God. They were never satisfied with His provision. Psalms 78:40 says:

“How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!”

They grieved God for forty years in the wilderness. Their hearts were hardened and they refused to acknowledge the ways of God. As a result of this attitude, they were not allowed to enter into the rest of the Lord. May this not be your portion in Jesus’ name.

Another way people can grieve the Holy Spirit is when they despise the truth of God’s Word. The apostle, in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 said that the church must not quench the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit can be grieved when disciples begin to disobey God. Believers today should do everything possible to pattern their lives after the beliefs and practices that were maintained by the disciples of the early church. There should be no room for bitterness or evil feelings towards one another. There are some people who make deliberate attempts to deceive their leaders. Some try to act very cleverly. Some Christians still see themselves as being smart because their sins have not yet been found out. All these people are only waiting for the judgement of God unless they repent. Do not do anything that will make you an enemy to the Holy Spirit. Do not make yourself a stumbling block to the progress of others around you. Don’t have the ‘pull it down’ mind-set. Don’t scatter the good works others have done simply because you are in a position of influence. All those who do these will see the anger of God.

The Holy Spirit must not be grieved. He is always working hard against sinners. You have to allow the Holy Spirit to breathe on you with the breath of God so that your life can be filled anew. When your life is filled anew, you will find it easy to love what He loves.

Prayer Point
Father, help me not to grieve your Holy Spirit.

Thanks ...... you are doing a great job.
#HeavenIsMyFocus

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 2nd November, 2016.
HATER OF GOD?

Memorise
Thus saith the Lord; cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departed from the Lord.
- Jeremiah 17:5.

Read: Romans 1:28-32.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Message
The situation around us today requires quick intervention because the society is becoming unsafe due to emerging trends. There are many people rising up in many quarters, questioning the rationality of looking unto God. They hate the idea of putting God at the centre of human knowledge and existence. They question the efficacy of God’s knowledge and authority, and this is making the love of some believers wax cold. Haters of God are those who put the fear of man over and above the fear of God. They believe more in the inventions of man than in the creation of God. They are those who rely in their vain imagination rather than the absolute truth of God. They prefer to stay away from God and His house because they don’t want His truth to locate them. They prefer to use their wisdom to solve their problems rather than find solution in Christ alone. When they are in trouble, the first thing on their minds is running to the wrong place for solution, which eventually compounds their problem.

Looking up to a man when one should trust God can be a very futile endeavour. Those who put their confidence in man will always end up with frustrating experiences. If you keep to God He will keep you in perfect peace. There are many people who have no experience of what the Peace of God is. May this never be your portion in Jesus’ name.

Haters of God allow their hearts to be dominated by impure thoughts. They allow demons to control their hearts, and this is why they find it impossible to experience the Peace of God. You can make up your mind this day to be a lover of God.

Those who hate God will never know the peace of God. Don’t allow the power of hell to dominate your life. Every place of activity through which evil ideas come into your life must be avoided. Separate yourself totally from those things separating you from the blessings of God. Keep a distance from those negative connections and influences that lure you into evil including internet views and impure television programmes. Stop feeding your eyes with lust including items and materials. Don’t give yourself further to those things that will attract the wrath of God upon your life, things such as masturbation, fornication, incest, rape, same sex relationship, occultism, and pornography.

Through the power of God, you can dominate these evil practices that keep you away from the grace of God.

Prayer Point
Father, please give me the grace to please you.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 3rd November, 2016.
MATRIMONIAL ROBBER?

Memorise
And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
- Proverbs 5:20.

Read: Malachi 2:14-16.
14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

Message
There are some people who never knew what sickness, failure, poverty or stagnation was until they committed fornication or adultery. Fornication/adultery is a sin that attracts the automatic wrath of God because it involves your Body, Soul and Spirit. Those who secretly engage in the sin of adultery end up being reduced to a piece of bread. Some think that as long as their sins are not found out, they are safe. Ask King David, he will tell you that your sins will always find you out. Fornication and adultery will reduce you to a state of nothingness. Every precious thing in you will shut down permanently, the grace of God upon your life will be automatically removed and you will immediately become exposed to all forms of satanic attack. The cover of the Almighty God is removed and shame and reproach will become a daily occurrence to such a person. It doesn’t matter how long you may have spent in building your life, it begins to crush the moment you invite destruction.

A righteous person will be wise enough to avoid the dangers that come with the act of immorality. Joseph understood this and preferred that his garment be torn in the hands of Mrs Potiphar than that his destiny and colourful future be destroyed by a few minutes of pleasure. All those who give excuses about the negative sides of their spouses as an excuse for sleeping around are only being foolish. There is nothing outside that is not already given to you by God through your wife or husband. Don’t allow your life to end in shame and disgrace, because that is always the end of those who continue in extra-marital affairs. Stay with the spouse that God has given you and receive your emotional nourishment from that spouse. If you can’t find contentment in your marriage, then you can be sure you will never really find it anywhere else.

The plan and purpose of God for marriage is – one man to one woman. There is no perfect man or woman anywhere, you have to work with what/who you have, make lemonade out of your lemons.

You must stay far away from those people who can cause you to sin. This was the case with Samson in the book of Judges. Everywhere Samson went; his focus was always on woman, and he lost his life and all he had through a woman. You have to examine yourself to find out if there is any possible channel through which you can become a victim of fornication or adultery. Disconnect yourself from that man or that woman that wants to disconnect you from the place of grace. God is not just holy; He wants us to be partakers of His holiness. It is the holiness of God that secures the grace of God in our lives.

Action Point
A righteous man is identified by how much he loves righteousness and hates sin.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 4th November, 2016.
ENSLAVED BY FALSEHOOD?

Memorise
Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.
- Proverbs 12:22.

Read: Genesis 3:1-6.
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Message
There are dangerous traps of the devil set to derail people from inheriting their possessions in Christ Jesus. There are many people who have been deceived and enslaved in falsehood because they were not sensitive. This is why Jesus warned that if care is not taken, even the very elect will fall for the deceits of the devil. By all standards, lies are the devil’s greatest weapons with which he enslaves people into falsehood. A lie is anything other than the absolute truth. The first man and woman to exist on the earth were victims of lie when the devil intentionally mis- interpreted the instructions that God gave them to keep. It is upon this that the Bible tells us to be as wise as serpents, because the devil will always try to prove to the children of God how ‘unreasonable’ the commandments of God are. You have to make up your mind to obey God rather than question simple instructions that are intended to make you happy and give you rest. The devil will also make efforts to question the reputation of God. Some teachers have taught that one can continue in sin since grace abounds. False teachers will tell you to live your life as you deem it fit because there is liberty in Christ. These are all lies of the devil; those who fall for them will always have woeful experiences. The scripture tells us not only to hate lies but to keep the utmost distance from it because those who engage in lies are abominable in the sight of God.

We need to be men and women who delight in the truths of God in all matters. The problem with human beings is that we always do not appreciate the truth when we find it. There are people who prefer to seek counsel from people that will destroy them through wrong counsels. Some people know that there is nothing biblical about their church, yet they remain in such places.

There are various wolves in sheep clothing parading themselves as true prophets sent by God, but if you allow the Lord to open your eyes, you will see clearly who they are. Many people have suffered untold damages in the hands of the fake prophets; this is why you need to be watchful. If you are a liar, or you are engaged in anything fraudulent, you need to stop it before the wrath of God comes upon you. If you are living a life that misrepresents the Kingdom of God, you have to quickly amend your ways before it becomes too late. If you give yourself to ungodly living, you will be enslaved by falsehood because you have refused to retain God in your knowledge.
Are you under a ‘man of God’ who is performing miracles, signs and wonders, but whose life does not resemble that of Christ? I will advise that you relocate immediately to where the Truth will find you.

Key Point
You shall know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 5th November, 2016.
WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

Memorise
Let brotherly love continue.
- Hebrew 13:1.

Read: Luke 10:30-37.
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Message
Love is the foundation upon which relationships are built. If your life will please God, then love is one action you must always practice. One of the basic principles of love is showing care for others. If you say you love, and you don’t show how much you care, your love isn’t genuine. Brotherly love should not only be restricted to the household of Christ, You must extend love beyond those you personally know. You need to show care to strangers too. At every given point in time, you must help those you come across to the best of your ability. When it becomes necessary, you must go the extra mile to show love to people, regardless of whether they deserve it or not. The very heart cry of Jesus is that we continue in love because we are partakers of His divine nature. Jesus Christ demonstrated the sacrificial love of giving himself for the benefit of those who did not deserve His love. Our Bible reading gives a clear picture of the kind of love that must not be mentioned among believers – the lip service kind of love, ‘missing in time of need’ kind of love et cetera.

Love, is a divine nature and since we have the mind of Christ, the love of Christ should be shared among us. When a person is driven by love, he will find it easy to apply the love of God in his behaviour towards others within his environment and also those outside his environment. There are people who claim to love Jesus, but they hate everyone around them. They suspect everyone around them; this is not the nature of Christ. The love of God will not make you condemn others or judge them. Jesus wants us to love our neighbours; that person next door, that staff in your office, that sinner on the way, that child with no one to run to, that widow who does not know where the next meal is coming from.

Criticism and condemnation is not a reflection of the mind of Christ, strife and division among brethren is not the nature of Christ, but of the devil. Love will always attract a beautiful attitude.

Love was one of the hallmarks of the early apostles; they did everything in the spirit of love. The early church loved each other so much that everybody’s needs were met. When there is love, there will be an elimination of jealousy and envy, whatever you do will be done in the best interest of others. When in love, we will no longer focus on just thinking about ourselves, but about the good of the other fellow. You must always have the desire to help people and add value to the lives of those around you. In 1 Samuel 18:1-4, the scripture tells us about the relationship that existed between Jonathan and David. Jonathan loved David the same way he loved himself. Jonathan made out time to meet the needs of David, he never bothered about himself. He just wanted to do what was right for the relationship; he was all out for the protection of David. Where there is love, there will be trust. Where there is trust, there will be growth. Love will bring commitment to the common good of all.

Key Point
Love is not easily provoked.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 7th November, 2016.
ARE YOU OVERCOMING?

Memorise
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
- Romans 8:37.

Read: John 16:31-33.
31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Message
God, in His Word, states that everyone who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. The experience of persecution is part of our heritage as believers in Christ Jesus. The world will treat you in a cruel manner simply because of your faith. They will do many things to hurt you simply because you have chosen to live righteous. There are a lot of prices to pay for being a disciple of Jesus Christ, however, the benefits of following Christ far outweighs its cost.

If you truly serve God the way you should, the world will persecute you. That is why I pity those people who live amiably with all and sundry. If you are a genuine believer and the world speaks so well of you and loves you so much, you have to be careful.

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps”
1 Peter 2:21.

Following the footsteps of Jesus may involve sufferings of all kinds. There are many people who say they are called into ministry, and they want to start the ministry by having all the comforts of life. They want offices that are fully air-conditioned; they want official cars, a place where their needs can be regularly guaranteed. Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having all these, but it should not become a condition for our response to the calling of God upon our lives. Nobody who is really devoted to serving the Lord will escape the kind of persecutions that people like David, Jeremiah, Daniel, Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego went through. David was persecuted because he killed a giant that Saul was unable to handle. Jeremiah was beaten and cast into prison because he declared the absolute Word of God to a sinful generation. Preaching the truth will always attract persecution, but you can be sure that the blood of those you told the truth will not be demanded from you. Daniel faced a lot of problems simply because he distinguished himself among the governors. Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego were cast into the burning furnace simply because they refused to compromise and bow to other gods.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us”
Romans 8:37.

This portion of the scripture tells us that there is no amount of pressure from the pit of hell that can take us away from the love of God. David was a conqueror because God did not stop with him until he got to the throne. Daniel was a conqueror because no king ever served in his life time without having to recourse with him. The same Hebrew boys that were cast into the fiery furnace were the same boys whose God was declared the only One whom the whole nation must worship. The Lord commands us to rejoice when we go through trials in life, because great is our reward. People may say all kinds of evil against you. They may hate you. They may decide not to involve you in any beneficial thing, just to put you off. Do not fret, because you will laugh last.

Prayer Point
Father, please, strengthen me that I may never bow to the pressure of life.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 8th November, 2016.
CATALYSTS FOR MIRACLES.

Memorise
Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
- Mark 9:23.

Read: Mark 9:19-29.
19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And often times it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Message
In the Kingdom of God, there is no room for impossibility. Impossibilities only exist in the realm of the physical. As far as the dictionary of heaven is concerned, everything is possible.

“For with God nothing shall be impossible”
Luke 1:37

It doesn’t matter how hopeless a situation can be, there is hope in Jesus. Without miracles, signs and wonders, there will never be any credibility to the Christian faith. In the realm of the miraculous, events that are contrary to natural laws can take place. This is because the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are miracles. But, to operate in the miraculous, you need to first find your identity in Christ Jesus. Your newness in Christ Jesus will give you access to His divinity so that you can call those things that be not as though they are. However, there are certain things that trigger the occurrence of signs and wonders in a person’s life. An understanding of the position of a child of God in the scheme of things will determine how much possibility such a person can command. There are so much wonders that happen when the Name of Jesus is called in righteousness. That Name is enough to silence everything that God has not planted in your life. That Name commands immediate results. There is a release of miracles once the Name is called in Spirit and in truth.

When the irreversible becomes reversible, then the miraculous is at work as we find in the case of Ezekiel and his encounter with the dry bones. I decree into the life of someone reading this devotional; you are the next in line for a miracle in your family. In Genesis 1:3, “God said let there be light” and immediately there was light. Whenever God is present, you can expect miraculous happenings. What is that problem that you are presently facing? By the power of God, it shall be resolved now in Jesus’ name.

Doubts and unbelief are the opposites of the miraculous. When we don’t believe what God is saying concerning any situation, it becomes impossible to receive what God has promised at such times, but if you constantly walk in faith, it will make your testimonies a reference point. Worship is also a catalyst for the miraculous. Every time you get to that point where you forget about your problems and you worship His Person, knowing well that His Person and Power is greater than your problem, you can be sure that your miracle is on its way. Also, when you enforce the Name of Jesus on any situation, you can be sure that the condition will change for the better. At the mention of His name, yokes are destroyed, oppositions naturally give way and long endured problems become a thing of the past. God’s presence in your life is a guarantee for a continuous flow of signs and wonders. If you keep His presence, you will live a life of continuous victory and celebration.

Prayer Point
Father, let me be the next in line for a miracle.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 9th November, 2016.
WHY YOU NEED JESUS (I).

Memorise
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
- Matthew 1:21.

Read: John 8:1-12.
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Message
Those who are born of God do not commit sin because the seed of God is in them. The moment a person becomes born-again, sin becomes distasteful to such an individual. The moment a person comes in contact with Jesus; he becomes a new creature. There is no amount of morality and self-righteousness that can declare one a saint, this can be done only through the help of Jesus Christ, because until there is a shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. The primary reason why Jesus came to the earth is simply to deliver people from sin. The moment sin is removed; there will be a great relationship with God. It is sin that takes us far from God.
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and we see this in the life of the woman caught in the act of adultery. There was something Jesus saw that others didn’t see. Jesus saw a sinner afflicted with the works of the devil. Jesus knew that the moment a woman like that comes to the knowledge of the Truth, she would be free from condemnation. Right there, the grace of God found her and she went and sinned no more. There are many honourable things to gain from living a holy life. 2 Timothy 2:19 says:

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

The moment a person departs from the life of sin and turns to the path of holiness, he becomes a vessel unto the Most-High God. The life of such a person becomes honourable. There are many people who claim to be Christians today but are living in sin. A genuine Christian must keep sin at a distance, live a life of good works through Jesus Christ and be a vessel that is clean both within and without.
Jesus showed the Pharisees their hypocrisy with respect to the case of the woman caught in adultery. They accused Jesus of breaking the law. They wanted to trap Jesus through her case, only to be caught in their own trap. They vanished one after the other by the time Jesus showed them the motives of their actions. This is why you must come to Jesus, no matter how terrible you feel you might have fallen. You cannot fall below His grace.

“But God demonstrated his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
Romans 5:8.

There is a sure reward for those who forsake the path of sin and choose the path of righteousness. Righteousness will exalt you, but sin will always bring reproach.

Key Point
Who you follow determines what follows you.

You are doing a good job sir. keep it up
Am following you every morning. Thanks

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 10th November, 2016.
WHY YOU NEED JESUS (II).

Memorise
The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
- John 10:10.

Read: John 10:1-10.
1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he
calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them,
and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for
they know not the voice of strangers.
6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not
what things they were which he spake unto them.
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I
am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the
sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and
shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly.

Message
The fight against the devil is a fight that you must win. You must make a deliberate decision to keep the devil out of your life. There is nothing good that can come from him.

“The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Jesus stated categorically here that both Himself and the devil have clear missions. Anyone who is not saved through Jesus is already a victim of the activities and works of the devil. There are many people who have accepted defeat from the devil; they see themselves as being unable to do anything about the activities of the devil in their lives. The seed of Christ enables you to overcome the devil in every aspect of life, but you must be on guard against the devil’s activities in your lives. Thieves are always after treasures, they bother themselves with things that are valuable and this is why you must keep your life and guard it away from the devil.

Those who think they are enjoying what the devil has to offer are only deceiving themselves. The devil has nothing good to offer. The devil is a thief who comes with the evil intent to steal, kill and destroy. Majorly, he wants to steal the heart and affections of people for God. Deception is the devil’s greatest tool, he is a strategist in deceiving people, this is why the Bible tells us to-

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”
Ephesians 6:11.

It is only in Jesus Christ that you can experience true riches and enjoy the fullness of living. It is only in Christ that there are blessings that have no link to sorrow. Those who do not allow Jesus to have a say in their lives are only destroying themselves, because the devil will put them in total bondage. Those who know the voice of God will follow Him because He will speak peace into all their storms. He will set those that are in captivity free.

The Christian’s number one treasure is salvation. The salvation of your soul is worth more than all the wealth in the world. Jesus teaches us that nothing can be as valuable as the soul and nothing is worth being replaced with your soul. _The devil is after the salvation of our souls because thieves are only after treasures_. The devil would do anything within his power to make us loose our salvation. The challenge is to keep our salvation even if we lose everything else.

Key Point
Those who assume that the devil is no thief do so at their peril. Be wise!

Thank you Sir. May the Lord bless you. Pls keep it up.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 11th November, 2016.
WHAT IS YOUR PRIORITY?

Memorise
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
- Philippians 3:7.

Read: Philippians 3:10-15.
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Message
In the category of the early Apostles, Apostle Paul could be called a latecomer. He was not privileged to be among the direct disciples of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, this latecomer did more exploit than all the Apostles that were before him. By the time he was through with his period of preparation, the handkerchief of Paul was already performing wonders.
It is not how early you begin that matters, but your level of commitment, determination and the amount of sacrifice you make for God. Apostle Paul made a rugged determination to forget his societal status, he left his profession because he knew that time was not on his side. It is not great events that make great people, but great decisions. Apostle Paul decided to count all his gains as loss for the sake of Christ. He abandoned all the self-glory and carried his cross and followed Jesus. The reason why many people have not been able to manifest the way God expects them to is that they are not ready to burn the bridges behind them.

To become a divine champion, you must take a rugged determination to set your priorities in order, while others are wasting their time with frivolities, you must invest your time in personal spiritual development. The future belongs to those who prepare for it. You have to set your mind on certain things you want to see happen in your life. Apostle Paul pursued his goals relentlessly and nothing ever distracted him from the ultimate picture. There are many people who are far from their miracles because they have refused to let go. There is nothing I left for the sake of the ministry that God has not compensated me for with something much better. You have to make up your mind to forget those average goals and press forward for greater exploits in life. I made up my mind a very long time ago that I would not be an ordinary person. The choice is yours, to be or not to be? I made up my mind that I will be God’s choice forever. This is why I cannot take the grace of God upon my life for granted, because I know that the moment you remove God from my life, there will be nothing left. You must make up your mind that your priorities will be set right. Crave excellence and don’t settle for less. Be a standard for the world to behold in holiness and righteousness. Make up your mind that no matter what the cost is, you will pay it to be God’s favourite.

One thing you can be sure of is that nobody ever gives up something for Christ and not be rewarded here on earth with the assurance of eternity. There is nothing in this world that can ever be measured with the salvation that comes through Jesus. In comparison, there is no basis for comparing the worth of this world to the reward of eternal life. The glory of God that would be revealed to us is far beyond any possible acquisition by the works of man.

Prayer Point
Father, let my life be lived for Your glory.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 12th November, 2016.
GOD OF VENGEANCE.

Memorise
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
- Romans 12:19.

Read: Ezekiel 25:12-17.
12 Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God.
15 Thus saith the Lord God; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred;
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.
17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.

Message
God is against His children repaying evil to those who have done them evil. It is not in the place of any genuine child of God to seek revenge.
“Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that you should inherit a blessing”
1 Peter 3:9.

No one can avenge like God. This is why I don’t worry myself about my enemies, I just report them to my father and I have the rest of Him. When God fights your enemy, even you who was hurt will begin to pity them. This is because there is no one that can stand the anger of the Almighty God. Anyone you are trying to revenge, you are already playing God and the consequence is unbearable. Society may tell you to do otherwise. Reasoning may tell you to repay evil in return for the wrong done to you, but the scripture demands that you act differently. You are an ambassador of Christ, you are a peace maker, and you must do everything to prove that. In the world, people are taught to seek revenge, but the opposite is expected from children of God. We should hand over those who have hurt us to God. Moses handed over the rebels to God. Joseph handed over his elder brothers to God. Job forgave his accusers and left them to their conscience.

It is even possible that some people within your team will for no just reason antagonise all your actions and intents. They may show you so much hatred and make every move to work against the plan of God for your life. Some will harbour hatred just because the Lord is prospering you. Some may wish you bad, and go to the extent of including such wishes in their prayer points. But you must not fight for yourself; just allow them to face the great Avenger. We must be harmless and inoffensive so that we don’t give people reasons to quarrel with us. We must labour to preserve peace. The world hated Christ without a cause, yet he died for them. When they brought Him before Pontius Pilate, they could not find any blame against Him, yet they demanded that He must be crucified. This is the same Jesus who chose to love an unloving world. He died for us while we were yet sinners. He is called the judge of Israel (Micah 5:1). If He takes over your case, your enemies are in serious trouble. If He decides to advocate on your behalf, there can never be any appeal against His verdict. When He decides to be your witness, you can be sure that He will put all of them to shame. Is anybody troubling your peace in your home, office, neighbourhood, school, the Almighty God will put them where they belong in Jesus’ name. No matter what the enemy does, your prosperity, progress, provision and security is guaranteed in Him. The enemy that has lifted himself against you and all the voices that are fighting against your glorious destiny shall be truncated in Jesus name. The Lord will show up for you and take over all the battles of your life, and you can be sure that victory is yours. The most important thing is to stay on the Lord’s side.

Key Point
When the Lord is on your side, you can sleep with your two eyes closed.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 13th November, 2016.
ACTIVATING THE GLORY OF GOD.

Memorise
Jesus said unto her, said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God.
- John 11:40.

Read: John 11:39-44.
39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Message
God is the only one who has the final say over your life; He will never permit any unpleasant situation to have a final say in your life nor allow your life to be at the mercy of people. He decides what happens to you at every given point in time because He is the Alpha and the Omega. If anybody ever tells you it is over, I congratulate you, because God is about to open a new chapter in your life that will amaze the world. Does your case seem hopeless like that of Lazarus? I prophecy into your life; you are the next in line for a miracle. Have you been married for all these years and you have no child? Welcome to your morning of fruitfulness. _Simon Peter was a professional fisherman, he knew when the fishes would be in the river and he went with the right equipment, yet he struggled all night without a breakthrough_
*You have satisfied all requirements for that position, yet there is no positive response, I decree a supernatural lifting of every embargo placed upon your breakthrough in Jesus’ name*

Believing what God says about the condition we are going through is very vital to our walk as Christians. When we believe the Word of God, we are expressing our confidence and trust in His divine attribute. There is nothing beyond Him. Martha had already given up on Lazarus. According to her, Jesus’ coming was unnecessary because the situation had gone past what He could do anything about. She consoled herself with the fact that on the day of resurrection, she would see her brother again, but she did not recognise that the resurrection is not a period but a person. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. This is why you cannot afford to continue in sin. If you want to activate the glory of God in your life, you have to know Him.

To activate the glory of God, you must have faith in His Word. Faith is an act that produces an evidence of His glory. Faith is what gives meaning to your calling as a child of God. You need faith to do exploit in life. You need faith to win all the battles of life. In the atmosphere of faith, nothing is impossible for you. God dwells in the realm of the supernatural and anyone who will be able to access His glory must operate beyond the normal realm. If we take the Word of Jesus Christ and rely absolutely on His power and faithfulness, we shall see a daily occurrence of the glory of God in all our ways.

You must learn to always look beyond the grave and lift your eyes to God Almighty. Overlook all the reports, conditions, difficulties and obstacles. Lift up your eyes to the Lord in prayer, in praise, in worship and in fasting, and you will be surprised at what the Lord will do. There is no solution elsewhere; the real glory is in Christ Jesus.

Prayer Point
Father, let Your glory be made manifest in my life.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 15th November, 2016.
HOLIDAY IN YOUR CHRISTIAN WALK?

Memorise
And Jesus said unto him, no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
- Luke 9:62.

Read: Ezekiel 3:20.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Message
God’s ultimate purpose for saving people is to make them true worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. He wants souls that will conform to the image of His son, Jesus Christ. The will of the Almighty God for us is not just that we stand out in life. For our Christian walk to be commended by the host of heaven, we need to remain focused and committed to the end. We should not allow the things of this world to deter us from the pursuit of true worship. Anyone who has said “goodbye” to the world should never go back. You cannot afford to go on a holiday during your Christian walk. Don’t create an opportunity for the devil and his demons to access your life. Continue to dwell in the presence of God through witnessing, the study of His Word, in prayers and in fasting. Lot’s wife missed it because she could not let go of her worldly affection. She did not make progress and she became a pillar of salt. This will not be your portion in Jesus’ name. Have you been walking with the Lord passionately and you are getting tired? You need to check your life. If you quit, then you have lived for nothing. Those who begin the work of God must resolve in their hearts to go all the way. Every time you look back, is tantamount to taking a holiday and it is very dangerous because that is the window through which the devil will strike. His mission is to kill, to steal and destroy the lives of those who have separated themselves for Jesus. As long as you remain in Christ, you are secure. Looking back is drawing back and drawing back is moving towards perdition. Heaven is only for those who can endure to the end.

Heaven is only for those who can endure to the end.
Heaven is for over-comers and Jesus is our only way there. Hence, there should be no room for sin in the life of anyone who wishes to make it to heaven. As long as your mind is made up, there should be no going back to the past. A moment of ungodly pleasure will destroy a life of testimonies. Joseph refused to take a break with his master’s wife; he ran and delivered himself from the devil’s trap. Don’t look back to those things you have dropped for the sake of Christ. Apostle Paul counted his achievements as dung. He pursued Christ till the very last moment. A disciple is a person with a singular focus, under one master. He must possess a single eye and live a single life. As long as you still have a mind for the world, you cannot be a candidate for His glory. One desire uppermost in my mind is to see believers live a life of excellence that demonstrates the magnificence of heaven. This can only happen when you walk in the revelation of 1 John 4:17; “because as he is, so are we in this world”. The one who wins will only be crowned if he runs with focus. You must run according to the rules of God. You have to forget the past and press forward for fresh victories in Christ Jesus. The zeal in our hearts must be so great that nothing will hinder us from fulfilling the plans and purpose of God for our lives. You cannot afford to stop running until you are called up into glory. Endure to the very end.

Key Point
Heaven is for great finishers not good starters.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 16th November, 2016.
ETERNAL LIFE STARTS HERE.

Memorise
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition: that the scripture might be fulfilled.
- John 17:12.

Read: John 17:9-12.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Message
In our Bible reading, Jesus explained that those that the Father gave to Him have been safely kept and there was none that was missing except the son of perdition. Children of perdition are those who revolt against the teachings and guidance of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ kept the disciples in the faith and His labour over them was not in vain.
Today, we see the evidences of that investment through the spread of the gospel from one nation to another. This is possible because of the labour of the Apostles who were first commissioned to spread this good news.
When you follow Jesus through and through, He will keep you from falling into the persecution of your enemies. They will try all their best to trap you, but the Almighty God will always deliver you from their traps.  One truth we must always remember is that we are weak and we cannot keep ourselves. This is why it is important to be a partner with Jesus. Once you leave your life in His care, you can be sure that your blessing is guaranteed in Him. The Almighty God will keep you in Jesus’ name.

There are sons of perdition that will refuse to be kept by Jesus Christ. They will always intentionally disobey the instructions of the father. They are usually referred to as rebellious children who will not allow their lives to be governed by the truth in the Word of God. When a person who has been in God decides to forget his creator and also refuses the assembly of the brethren, such a person is already lost. It is not good for one to be left alone. Demas was left alone because he had given his heart to the world. Lot’s wife looked back and she became forgotten. The sons of Eli did not fulfil their destiny despite the fact that they had all the opportunities to succeed in life. Children of perdition are those who have not said goodbye to sin. They are still living in sin and sin is a destroyer not a builder. Sin separates people from the blessings of God; it does not attract them to the place of God. At salvation, God comes inside of you and turns your journey towards perdition to the path of eternal life. This means that you and God are on the same page, and you are running away from those things that will affect His relationship with you. If you resist His will, you will not be a partaker of His glory. This is why you have to leave behind all those things hindering you from serving God and surrender all to Him. Judgement is coming; to be forewarned is to be foreharmed. Tomorrow may be too late. There is still an opportunity for you to rededicate your life. God rewards those who allow their lives to be guided by Him with pleasant blessings and assurances of security. Those who refuse the government of Jesus have already exposed themselves to the wickedness of this world. You will not miss it in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Point
Father let nothing take me away from You in Jesus’ name.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 17th November, 2016.
*NARROW IS THE WAY*

_Memorise_
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it.
_Matthew 7:14_

_Read: Matthew 7:13-14_
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

_Message_
Making it to heaven isn’t an easy thing to achieve. It makes a firm decision to make it there irrespective of what others may be doing. Those engaged in self-righteousness, laziness and hypocrisy will not find a place in heaven. There are many people who are heading for destruction because they refuse to obey the commandment of the Almighty God. They do just what they want, but on the last day, the judgement of God will not spare them because nobody can escape that day. This is why you have to be serious with your Christian walk. Confessing that Christ is our Lord is not sufficient to earn us a place in the kingdom of God. Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:10 said:

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death".

There is a higher expectation from those who will make it to the kingdom of God, and this is why we need to understand that we need the help of the Almighty God. Jesus said there are people who profess Him as Lord everywhere they go, but not all of them will make it to His Kingdom. *Are you a Pastor, Evangelist, Teacher, Apostle or an intercessor? All these are not sufficient to make one enter into the Kingdom*. In other words, you can have all these titles and still miss the narrow way if your life is not in line with the pattern of Christ.
Are you still living your life as a natural man? If yes, you cannot go through the narrow way. The natural man will have to be redeemed through the Blood of Jesus before he can access the narrow way. Those who are not living their lives in accordance to the dictate of God cannot make it through the narrow way. Those who are still slaves to sin are far from the narrow way. The way to eternal life is for those who are redeemed through the Blood of the Lamb and have crucified their flesh. They have become alive to the realm of the spirit. The narrow way is for those who are walking in the spirit and are no longer fulfilling the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).  You have to make up your mind to be free from every bondage of sin and condemnation of the devil. Your life will have to be directed by the Holy Spirit, so that you are no longer ruled by your natural desires. Only those who manifest the fruits of the spirit in their lives will be able to go through the narrow way. If any of the fruit is absent in your life, there is an urgent need to do a self-appraisal before it becomes too late. The narrow gate is for those who know Christ and have lived their lives for Him. If your life is not conforming to the purpose for which He died, then you have to run to the cross for salvation.

_Prayer Point_
Father by Your grace, please help me to make it on the last day.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 18th November, 2016.
_*BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS.*_

_Memorise_
And what I say unto you I say unto all, watch.
- Mark 13:37.

_Read: Mark 13:30-37._
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

_Message_
Because some people do not want to be confronted with the truth of the Word of God, they run from Bible believing churches to places where their atrocities can be allowed and covered. No matter how far you run from the truth, one day, you will be confronted by it. False prophets will never allow you to see the light of the Word of God. The Word of God reveals and when your eyes opened, you will be able to differentiate between the real and the fake. False prophets will never deliver the mind of God to their followers because they are false. Their messages are in various colours and they use numerous ways to manipulate their victims. This is why Jesus Christ has admonished us to be watchful and careful of false prophets who are wolves, but hide in sheep’s clothing. When they want to penetrate the life of anyone, they begin to tell you of your past in accurate details. You need to be sensitive in the spirit to know what is in their hearts. There are many innocent children of God who have given false prophets access into their lives. Unfortunately, some of them never recover from the damage done to them.

A true prophet of God will not play god in your life. A true prophet will do all within his calling to help you receive God first before you begin to talk of receiving His blessings. For you not to be a prey to false prophets, you have to be cautious and spirit minded, this is the only way to identify ‘pastors’ relating with you on the basis of what they want to get out of your life. False prophets will not ordinarily leave you until they have completed their mission of stealing your treasures, killing your investments and destroying your glorious destiny through manipulation and deceits from the pit of hell. It is important to note that the 21st century false prophets are not just those people you see in long white apparels and dreadlocks. The false prophets of the present age are now more refined and sophisticated. They now where Italian suits and speak Queen’s English, but deep inside of them, they are like a sepulchre.

Not all who introduce themselves to you as ministers are genuine ministers. You have to look beyond the titles and the influence they wield. You should check the kind of fruits they bear in the journey of the faith they profess.

_Prayer Point_
Father, deliver me from every false prophet in my life in Jesus’ name.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 20th November, 2016.
THE VISION OF HEAVEN.

Memorise
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
- Revelation 21:7.

Read: Revelation 21:1-7.
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Message
You cannot overcome the trials and temptations of life, if you have not caught the vision of heaven. It is the vision of heaven that will encourage, stimulate and empower you to forge ahead as you violently take the Kingdom of God (Matthew 11:12). There is a popular saying: “What you see is what you get”. The underlying truth in this statement is that you cannot aspire for what has not been introduced into your consciousness. I told some of my children in a meeting many years ago, that the reason my father did not struggle to build a house with bathrooms and toilets was that he had never seen a house with toilets and bathrooms.

One of the secrets of the dogged determination of the early disciples to make it to heaven was that most of them saw a vision of heaven. This is the reason why Stephen for example, prayed that his executioners’ actions won’t be counted against them. He caught a vision of heaven with Jesus Christ giving him a standing ovation for being a hero of faith (Acts 7:55-56, 60).

In our Bible reading for today, another prominent leader of the early Church, John the beloved, saw the vision of heaven and narrated what he saw and heard. In heaven, there shall be no more death, sorrow, crying and pain. Having seen all these and heard a great voice out of heaven saying such pleasant things that shall soon come to pass, the Church was determined to lay down their lives for the sake of the Kingdom. As if that was not enough, Jesus Christ in Revelation 21:6-7 said:
“…It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

When a child of God sees a vision of heaven, he will not need much persuasion to do more than he is currently doing in the Kingdom business of soul-winning and holy living. The reason is that it is only those that overcome that shall inherit the beautiful heavenly Jerusalem. My life never remained the same ever since I started seeing my heavenly home. This is why I cannot be persuaded to slow down in the Kingdom business. Like Apostle Paul, I am still pressing towards the mark of the high calling of God. What about you?

Prayer Point
Father, open my eyes to see a vision of heaven today in Jesus’ name.

Hymn 10.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 21st November, 2016.
MIRACLE-PRODUCING OBEDIENCE.

Memorise
His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
- John 2:5.

Read: John 2:1-11.
1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Message
Many people do not know the secret of daily miraculous living. They think it has to do with strange things or occultism. Little do they know that a life of obedience enhances the supernatural intervention that results in miraculous events. It is unfortunate that even some children of God are missing out this truth as well. In our Bible reading for today, we can see the confirmation of the title of today’s devotional reading. There was a marriage ceremony in Cana of Galilee and our Lord Jesus, His family and disciples were present. There came a need that only God could meet. The mother of Jesus Christ knew that the Representative of God was on ground to do what was humanly impossible. So, she approached the Miracle Worker but not without a seemingly negative reaction. It is interesting to note that despite our Lord’s reaction, His mother gave a profound instruction to the waiters. “…Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” (John 2:5). Afterwards, Jesus Christ instructed the servants to fill the empty water pots with water and asked them to go ahead and serve it as wine. I decree to someone using this devotional; whatever potential shame the enemies are planning concerning you, God will intervene with a miracle that will nullify it.

There are lessons we must quickly learn from this story; God always involves man in the process of miracle-working events. When man cooperates with God through obedience, he experiences the miraculous. Naaman said that his expectation was that the man of God will come out and touch him. Howbeit, he was disappointed; he was to be part of the process. He had to go and dip himself in the Jordan River seven times before he could experience the miracle he sought for. He almost missed it when he refused to comply with the instruction of the prophet of God.

Another lesson we must learn from this story is that whenever you are trusting God for a miracle, you must not only be ready to receive instruction from God, you must also be attentive to the details of the instruction. After you get the message right, you must then go ahead and carry out the instruction. The servants indeed fetched the water; they also served it as wine under the instruction of our Lord. One may think it is simple to do what the servants did. They took the risk of being accused of playing on the intelligence of the people that came to the ceremony. Beloved, perfect obedience will change your story, just be willing to do whatever God asks you to do.

Prayer Point
Father, give me the spirit that trembles at Your Word and does whatever You want me to do.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 22nd November, 2016.
DEALING WITH ANCESTRAL CURSES (I).

Memorise
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
- Galatians 3:13.

Read: Colossians 2:14-18.
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

Message
Many people are suffering from curses which they know nothing about because the cause of the curses took place a very long time ago in their lineage. As a matter of fact, if you think you haven’t inherited any lineage curse, you should remember that of Adam and Eve, from who we inherited pain, hunger, sickness and death. We must deal with these curses if we want to live a meaningful and fulfilled life. In our memory verse for today, we are assured of a way of dealing with ancestral curses. Curses, including the one we inherited from Adam and Eve, are being dealt with by the work of redemption wrought by Jesus Christ, our Lord. He was made a curse for us so that we can be delivered from the terrible consequences of sin and curses. Christ was to be made a sin and a curse; He felt the agony of this exercise and played asking if the deal could be amended:

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Luke 22:41-42.

Jesus Christ went to the Cross with the age-long curses upon humanity. However, Jesus endured to the end and cried “It is finished”, that is, the price of the curse has been paid in full. Hence, the human race was liberated. This is the reality which Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ described in Colossians 2:14-15.

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

Beloved, if you want to effectively deal with the ancestral curses in your life, there is only one way and Jesus is that Way. He is the Lamb of God that is worthy to liberate you from the Devil. The Bible says He is the only One that is qualified to open the seal of freedom (Revelation 5:1-14). Today, I advise you to surrender your life totally to Jesus Christ if you have not done so. He will make a public show of those demonic influences hovering over your life and you will be free and blessed.

Prayer Point
Father, I plead the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain for my deliverance and I break my link with my demonic past in Jesus’ name.