Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 1st January, 2017.
STARTING A NEW YEAR.

Memorise
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
- Ecclesiastes 7:8.

Read: Job 8:5-7.
5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

Message
Welcome to this New Year! It is always good to experience something pleasantly new. At the dawn of a new year, hopes are renewed, aspirations are born and expectations are high. But when the ups and downs of life take their toll in the course of the year, many people are not able to sustain the zeal and zest that they started the year with. Does this sound familiar? For some, it appears as if the events they experience in the course of the year are set up to completely dash their hopes. If this has been your experience, it shall be different this time around in the mighty Name of Jesus.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
Jeremiah 29:11.

As you take in the fresh New Year breeze, know for sure that God has something great in store for you which will unfold in the course of this year. Something huge is coming your way, so let your hope be fixed on the Lord. God wants you to end this year big and great, and to have your heart overflowing with joy. Remember that in the Kingdom of God, the end of a thing is always of greater significance than its beginning. Hence, the Holy Ghost in Job 8:7 said:
“Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.”

Because some people start a new year with little or nothing, they don’t expect anything great to come their way that year. If you find yourself in such a situation, know that if you settle some key issues in your life, you can be assured of a greater, bigger and glorious year. First, start the year with God (Proverbs 8:17). If you are still living in sin, the greatest way to start this year is by going on your knees, confessing your sins to God, asking for His forgiveness and inviting Jesus Christ to be your captain and pilot from now onwards. Also, you need to cultivate a personal relationship with God by studying the Bible regularly, fellowshipping with other believers in a Bible-believing Church, worshipping God and taking time to pray on daily basis. In addition, daily ask God for direction, wait to receive it, and be sure to follow as He leads. Utilise all opportunities that come your way and give your best to God and His work. If you do all these, I assure you that this year will end very well for you.

Action Point
Thank God for granting you access to this New Year. Let your thanksgiving be a daily offering to God this year.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 2nd January, 2017.
THE DIVINE BAKERY.

Memorise
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
- John 6:35.

Read: John 6:5-13 (KJV).
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Bible In One Year: Matthew 4-5, Isaiah 1:18-2:5.

Message
One of the titles of the Lord is “The Bread of life”.
“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35.

Do you know that no name or title of the Lord Jesus Christ is there just for fun? Each of His names is revealed to accomplish a definite assignment in the life of the one to whom it is declared. May the Lord’s names and titles become real in your life this season in Jesus’ Name!

In John 11:25, the Lord introduced Himself as the Resurrection and the Life. Less than an hour later, just to demonstrate the reality of that name, someone who had died and had been buried for four days came out of the grave alive. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I command every good thing that is dead in your life to experience a touch from the Resurrection and the Life now!

Similarly, He announced Himself as the Bread of Life. In our Bible text, a young boy handed over his lunch to Him, comprising five loaves of bread and two tiny fishes, and when that day ended, everyone present could testify to the reality of that title: The Bread of Life!

Whatever you hand over to the Lord Christ is multiplied by Him. When the young boy gave Him his loaves of bread and fishes, He began to break the bread. As people watched Him, they could not believe what they were seeing. The more they focused on Jesus as He broke the bread. The more they marvelled. He was breaking off thousands of pieces of bread from one loaf of bread, and yet that loaf in His hand did not get smaller! Why? It is because as the Bread of life, He Himself is the heavenly bakery. Having Him as Source means He can supply all the bread that is needed to feed the whole world. If He could feed the thousands of people in this passage, and if He could feed the nation of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness (without them engaging in any form of farming, fishing or hunting), He can definitely feed you and your family throughout your stay on earth. Therefore, hand over what He has given you back to Him! How much do you depend on Him for both physical and spiritual bread?

Key Point
The Best way to multiply what you have is to hand it over to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 3rd January, 2017.
ARISE AND SHINE.

Memorise
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
- Isaiah 60:1.

Read: Isaiah 60:1-5.
1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Bible In One Year: Matthew 6-8, Isaiah 2:6-22.

Message
Sometimes, we as children of God become so familiar with a passage of Scripture that we lose the essence of the truths embedded in it by the Holy Spirit. One such passage is Isaiah 60:1:
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.”

The first truth of Holy Spirit is the relaying to our spirit through this passage today is that this statement is an express command. Here, the Almighty God is commanding us to arise! It is someone who is either sitting or laying down that would be commanded to arise. So, when God says “Arise”, it presupposes that you are either sitting down idle, or that you are on a bed enjoying the sleep of death. I command this day that whosoever is wasting away his or her time in idleness or in the sleep of sin and death will arise in the Name of Jesus Christ! In addition, we are not commanded to arise into obscurity; rather, we are commanded to arise and shine. I also decree that all who are reading this devotional today will arise from their state of obscurity and mediocrity and come to the limelight of success in Jesus’ Name.

Another truth worthy of note in this same verse of Scripture is this: God is announcing that your light has come. Before now, the Lord did not command you to arise and shine because there was nothing to aid your shinning; but now, He is declaring that your light has come. I therefore say prophetically to you today that your light has come in Jesus’ Name. Here is the big revelation we must not allow to slip away from us: the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 60:1 declares “Thy light is come.” You may be wondering, “What is the light?” the question however should not be what, but Who is the light? John 8:12 reveals the answer:
“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.”

Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Isaiah’s prophetic writing in Isaiah 60:1 came to pass the day Jesus Christ came into this world.

Indeed there is darkness in this world; majority of us are witnesses of this fact. The darkness we are talking about is not the absence of physical light. We are talking about spiritual darkness, principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). Here are some pertinent questions for you to answer: Are you still in darkness? Why has your light not come? It may be because you have not embraced the Light. If that is the case, today is your day. Accept Jesus, the Light, into your life today and darkness will no longer comprehend you, and therefore will be unable to stop you (John 1:5).

Prayer Point
Father, let the light of Your Son, Jesus, shine upon me today, and let His glory help me.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 4th January, 2017.
DO YOU KNOW HIM?

Memorise
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
- John 14:9.

Read: John 14:4-11 (KJV)
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

Message
“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
Daniel 11:32

It is clear from the above passage of scripture that knowing God is the key to doing exploits. The knowledge of God releases the power that helps us perform exploits. To know God means to be a partaker of His divine nature and essence (2 Peter 1:3-4).
Because our God is a God of exploits, those who manifest His nature will consequently do exploits. To know God, you need to have experienced Him as God the Father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit. Someone might ask: Does this mean we have three Gods? The answer is no! He is only one God, but He manifests Himself in three personalities. How can this be? Permit me to use myself as an example. To my children, I am Adeboye the father; to my mother, I am Adeboye the son; while to my wife, I am Adeboye the husband. Does this make me three? No. I am still the same person. How I respond over an issue will be determined by the person I’m dealing with. The way I behave as a father will be different from the way I behave as a son or as a husband.

How God relates with you depends on whether He is relating with you as the Father, as the Son or as the Holy Ghost. To further illustrate, I will use the example of my beautiful crystal drinking glass-cup. If it falls from my son’s hands and gets broken, I will rebuke him sharply with words like: “Son, what is the matter with you? Don’t you know that you should not be careless with such an expensive cup?” But if the same cup falls from my mother’s hands, I would be gentle with her, showing understanding and care. In this case I would say “Mama, take it easy; I hope you were not hurt; I am sorry about that incident ma.” The same cup, the same me, yet my reaction as a father is different from my reaction as a son.

Similarly, there are some ways I would relate with my wife that cannot be applied to my mother. For you to boldly say that you know God, you must know Him personally under His three personalities. Can you say you truly know Him? Do you have firsthand knowledge of God as the Father? Have you experienced Him as the Son? Do you walk with Him as the Holy Spirit?
What strength or exploit has your knowledge of God produced in your life? Ask God to reveal Himself the more to you today.

Prayer Point
Father, more than You have ever done, reveal Yourself to me today.

knowing God is the key to exploit....exploit in businesd.family,career etc....but what is the actual meaning of knowing God ? pls some help out and pls bck it up with scriptures

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 5th January, 2017.
THE EVER PRESENT HELPER.

Memorise
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
- Psalm 46:1.

Read: 1 Kings 17:8-16.
8 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

Bible In One Year: Matthew 11-12, Isaiah 3:24-5:7.

Message
The poor widow in today’s Bible reading was getting ready to eat her last meal and then die; but against her expectations, help came her way. This indicates that help can come to you when you need it the most. Psalm 46:1 tells us who our help is:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Sometimes, when a child of God is going through some difficulties, God may appear silent. That He is silent does not mean He is ignorant of what is happening. Though things may go on to deteriorate, He will step in before it’s too late. The Lord knows about that painful and highly detestable situation you have been living with. Although He has been quite for a while, He will now arise for you and arrest the situation. When it appears like the enemy is about to put you to shame, just in the nick of time, your help will locate you. God’s intervention shall not be late concerning your situation in Jesus’ Name. Can you imagine what would have happened if the fourth man had not appeared on time in King Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Daniel 3:25)? The three Hebrew children would have been history, but because He came right on time, they made history! You too shall make history! God will not be late for you. His intervention in your life shall be timely, and He shall shut up the mouth of your enemies.

Moreover, in the case of this widow, not only did help come in time, it kept on coming everyday because she was connected with the One called the All Sufficient God (Genesis 17:1). When you go into battle, your strength, wisdom and resources are limited to what you and your allies have. In other words, who you partner with in a crucial battle can either guarantee your victory or turn out to be your undoing. At such a decisive moment, the widow partnered with the God that is more than enough, and she never lacked again. Who is your ally today? When faced with a most trying time, who do you run to? If you run to man whose strength, wisdom and resources are limited, you will be unable to tackle that situation. If you run to a local or foreign deity, you will still be limited. Some people depend on charms, rings and amulets from so-called Indian spiritual temples for help. It’s a pity that after the serpent spirits of such temples have offered some form of fake assistance to them, those spirits end up turning them into their slaves, thereby ruining their destiny and that of their family members.
Partner with the One who can always help you.

Key Point
There is no helper like Jesus, and no one deserts in the time of need like Satan.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 6th January, 2017.
VOICE FROM HEAVEN.

Memorise
For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
- Psalm 33:9.

Read: Mark 10:46-52.
46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.
49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

Message
In Genesis 1:1-3, the Holy Spirit takes us back in time to the beginning of God’s creation. In this account, we are introduced to the voice of God for the very first time. All He said here was “Let there be light”, and light immediately appeared. That simple sound from Heaven instantly got rid of darkness. “Let there be light” could mean several things to different people, but basically it means “darkness depart!” In our Bible text, we read of a man who was born blind. He heard that Jesus was passing by, and so he began to cry to the Lord for mercy. He desired to hear a sound from Heaven, and he did all within his power to actualise his desire. “What can I do for you?” Jesus asked, and he answered, saying “Lord, I want my sight restored”. The voice from Heaven sounded “Receive your sight”, and immediately darkness gave way to light. Similarly, in Mark 5:1-15, the mad man of Gadara who had over 6000 demons living inside him had the opportunity of hearing a sound from Heaven. After he heard it, all those demonic forces in him promptly took their leave. Is your life surrounded now by the powers of darkness? I release the sound from Heaven to you: demonic powers and every form of darkness in your life depart now in the mighty Name of Jesus!

Prior to the sounding of the voice from Heaven in Genesis 1:3, there was so much chaos on earth; but immediately it sounded, light appeared and the first day was created. A young man once testified to his encounter with the creative power of the sound from Heaven. He was not only born blind, he also had no eye balls and his eye sockets were empty. One day, a great evangelist organised a week-long crusade in his area, and people daily led him there. On the first night of this crusade, the man of God preached about the creative power of God, and the blind man’s faith rose. “This is exactly what I need”, he said, but he went home still blind. The following morning, while washing his face, he discovered that his eye sockets which used to be very cold because blood never flowed through them now had some warmth. On the second day of the crusade, still nothing happened. But on waking up the following day, in those empty sockets, he felt something bulging. On the third day of the crusade, he heard a sound from Heaven saying “You can now open your eyes”, and his eyes were opened. Are your eyes physically shut? The sound from Heaven is saying “Open your eyes now!” Are you spiritually blind? The Lord of Heaven is saying to you, “Eyes be opened now!”

Prayer Point
Every form of darkness in my life and family, depart now!

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 7th January, 2017.
BE THOU PERFECT.

Memorise
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
- Matthew 5:48.

Read: Genesis 17:1-9 (KJV).
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Message
There are many misconceptions about God’s demand for perfection. These misconceptions have led some people to erroneously conclude that perfection is an unrealistic aim in the Christian walk, and should therefore be abandoned. To debunk this line of thought, our Lord Jesus Christ in today’s memory verse re-echoes His Father’s demand for our perfection. My prayer is that the power of God will come upon you today, and you will begin to live in perfection as God demands in Jesus’ Name. Why do people see God’s demand for our perfection as being unattainable? It’s because they think that perfection is to be attained by our strength. However, the truth of the matter is this: if man did not create himself but came to existence through the power and wisdom of God, by this same wisdom and power, God will help him to meet His demands. The problem with such people is unbelief. For this reason, the Bible in Hebrews 11:6 says:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Unbelief breeds disobedience. The case of the first man and woman shows this. They fell into imperfection through their unbelief in the efficacy and infallibility of God’s word! This is in contrast to Abraham, of whom God also demanded perfection, who responded to God’s demand in faith. This is why the Scripture say this about him:

“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
- Galatians 3:6.

From God’s point of view, perfection is total obedience to His instructions in faith. You are perfect if you obey what God asks you to do, even if it seems illogical or is politically incorrect. Obedience in faith brings justification, which is the key to perfection.

Do you find yourself in a state of unbelief? Are you one of those who don’t believe perfection is attainable? If you are, you must pray today like the man whose child was tormented by the devils in Mark 9:24:

“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Action Point
The Spirit of Jesus Christ helps us into perfection. Therefore, accept Jesus today and ask Him to give you His Spirit, and His Spirit will make you perfect.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 8th January, 2017.
PURSUING THINGS?

Memorise
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
- Proverbs 23:5.

Read: Proverbs 23:4-5.
4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Message
How you start a year is very important, because it can dictate the tone for the year. But more importantly, how the year ends will be determined by the goals you set and your pursuit of them. Some people start a year with little or nothing but end it in a great way; whereas some other people who start the year with quite a lot have little or nothing to show by the end of it. Why is this so? To get the most out of a year, you need to understand the actions and factors at play in determining the course of the year. One of such actors is God.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33

At the onset of every year, most people go about seeking material things. They set material goals and device strategies to accomplish them. Thereafter, they begin a race down the line and shun anything that might affect the realisation of their goals, dreams and aspirations. Yet, at the end of the year, many are still miles apart from the attainment of those goals. Even when they attain their goals, such people are often still left with a great vacuum in their soul that nothing else can fill. This is simply the result of God being left out of the picture in their pursuit of material things.

By this very nature, wealth can be very elusive. Before dissipating so much energy is pursuing wealth like most people will do this year, please consider what the patriarchs of old said about it. King David said that it’s possible to heap up wealth for users and spenders you do not know (Psalms 39:6). The patriarchs also said it is very dangerous to put your trust in their riches you have amassed because you can be disappointed by them when you least expect it. (Psalm 62:10, Proverbs 11:28). The preacher in Proverbs 23:5 further adds that riches can suddenly develop wings and take flight from where you think you have kept them securely. Where do they fly to? They fly towards heaven, back to God their original owner. For these reasons, you must put God at the centre of all your pursuits this year so that they can be meaningful. If you choose to seek and pursue after God, you will get the material things of this world with very little effort. This year, be wise! Don’t waste your time and effort pursuing things that should be pursuing you.

Key Point
When you run after material things at the expense of a thriving relationship with God, you tell Him to His face that He is not important in your life.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 10th January, 2017.
PROUD?

Memorise
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
- 1 Peter 5:5.

Read: 1 Peter 5:5-6.
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

Message
While seeking God’s face towards a particular year’s Convention of our church, the Lord asked me to go back to the basics. It was obvious we had forgotten some things, and God wanted to remind us of them. Indeed God’s ways are different from our ways; hence the need for us to always humble ourselves before Him. The big things, deep secrets and outstanding thoughts we expect to get from God may not come through the avenues that we think they will follow. There are certain lessons God may want to teach us and He would send us to the ants (Proverbs 6:6)! This shows that He can send you to what you think you cannot get anything from. He can teach you great lessons using a familiar terrain. He can use vessels you consider too junior in the ecclesiastical hierarchy to teach you things that will blow your mind. This is why you have to remain humble and meek because God can only teach those who are meek.

One thing that can come between you and the divine knowledge that will transform your life is pride. 1 Peter 5:5 says God resists the proud. The word “resist” in this verse is used in the present continuous tense. To “resist” is to forcefully push back against something. It implies that if you are proud, all your attempts to move closer to God shall be rebuffed by Him. This is why the proud cannot stay on the same platform with God. Are you proud? Today, many people are proud of their achievements: how many members they have in their local church parish, the size of their tithe, how many churches they have planted, how many souls they have won etc. One thing such people forget is that we can do nothing without Him. John 15:5 says:

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Some others boast over their wealth, or their privileged office or position, even their beauty and appearance. Some others have become distant from God because of the multiple academic qualifications they have acquired in various disciplines over the years; they forget that knowledge should set you free, and not cut you off from God. Whenever what you know attracts pride into your life, the knowledge has become counter-productive, capable of pushing you into serious trouble. Examine yourself today and ask God to destroy any trace of pride in you.

Key Point
If you allow a benefit that should draw you closer to God to separate you from Him, you are on the path to doom.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 11th January, 2017.
KNOWING THE FATHER.

HYMN 3: HOW GREAT THOU ART.
1. O LORD my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made;
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed:

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

2. When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze:
Chorus:

3. And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die - I scarce can take it in:
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
Chorus:

4. When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home - what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God how great Thou art!
Chorus.

Memorise
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.
- Genesis 14:19.

Read: Genesis 14:17-24.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth.
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
MATTHEW 22-23 & ISAIAH 9:1-12.

Message
The Almighty God is one, yet He manifests Himself as three different persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Different things happen that reveal the multifaceted nature of God's character whenever He manifests Himself as any of these three persons.

When God manifests Himself as God the Father, the earth trembles, the hills melt and the enemies scatter (Nahum 1:5). When He manifests as God the Son, He is seen as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). He also comes in the likeness of the fourth man who meets you in the fiery furnace and terminates the power of fire (Daniel 3:25). As God the Son, He comes as a gentle person who invites all who are heavy Laden to come to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28). When God manifests as the Holy Spirit, He comes as the consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). One man who experienced God as the consuming fire was Samson. Bound and delivered to his enemies, when the Holy Spirit came mightily on him, all the cords binding him were immediately consumed (Judges 15:14). This season, every cord that is tying you to the same spot shall be consumed by the fire of the Holy Ghost in Jesus' Name.

Moreover, speaking of God the Father, there are several things you need to know about Him; one of which is that He is the one who made the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). Because He made the heavens and the earth and everything in them, in Genesis 14 : 19, He is called Possessor of heaven and earth. What a powerful title! You cannot know God as Possessor of heaven and earth and still live in poverty. This title of God was revealed to Abraham through Melchizedek, king of Salem. Ever since then, wealth and affluence have existed in Abraham's lineage. You cannot know God the Father as Possessor of heaven and earth and still be homeless. He will definitely create a place for you when you upon Him. Your knowledge of God as Possessor of heaven and earth will release the power material possessions to you. Do have any challenge with accommodation? Maybe you have nowhere to lay your head. Jesus in John 14:2a says this to you :
"In my Father's house are many mansions..."

If you catch this revelation in your spirit, all your accommodation problems can be resolved when you call upon Him. Call upon Him today, and He will sort you out.

Key Point
If all you have is the Possessor of heaven and earth, you have everything.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 12th January, 2017.
HIDDEN SOURCE OF BLESSING.

HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.

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

[Chorus]
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops ‘round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

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

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

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

Memorise
Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
- Psalm 40:15.

Read: Psalm 40:14-17 (KJV).
14 Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
15 Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.
17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : MATTHEW 24 - 25 AND ISAIAH 9 : 13 - 10 : 4.

Message
When you are connected to the All-Sufficient God, you will not lack any good thing. Why? Bible scholars call Him Jehovah El Shaddai. In other words, He is the “Breasted One”. A baby sucks from the mother’s breasts. Every time the child calls for milk, it is always there. All of your needs can be fully satisfied in Christ. Sometime ago at our church in Ebute Metta (Lagos), I taught that when the Almighty God made this declaration.

“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:14

What He is actually saying in the original text, according to Bible scholars, is that if you ask anything from Him that He does not have, He will create it for you. How marvellous! I once told somebody of this and he in turn shared it with his friend. His friend said to him, “If your God is so powerful, why not ask Him to create for you a cow with four heads.” But the man replied, “I don’t need a cow with four heads. I would rather ask God to give me four cows. If you need the heads, you can have them while I keep the rest. “This season, the All-Sufficient One will be more than sufficient for you! He will meet all of your needs and satisfy you right on time!

From the story of the widow in 1 Kings 17:8-16, besides the lesson of help coming just in time, and that of help being delivered every day, another lesson the Holy Spirit will have us pay close attention to is the lesson of the source of help being hidden from outsiders. This is absolutely wonderful! When some evil-minded individuals know that you are doing well and blossoming, they will try all they can to discover the secret of your progress so that they can destroy it. Their purpose may be to erase any leverage or advantage you may have over them. Some people have become victims of such evil minds. But when God hides the source of your blessing, your enemies will try in vain to stop you. This was the experience of the widow. Because there was famine in the land, everyone, including this woman, was starving and losing weight.

Then God intervened by sending His servant to her and he hid in her house. Suddenly, people saw that she was shining and gaining weight. Her son was looking radiant and everything dramatically improved for them, but nobody could tell how. That will be your portion this season! The Lord will turn your situation around for good and hide the source of your change away from every enemy.

Prayer Point
Father, shut the eyes of everyone that would contend with my blessing, so that they will not see it, in Jesus’ Name.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 13th January, 2017.
*THE BENEFITS OF REDEMPTION.*

HYMN 11: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS.

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

2. Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

3. My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

4. The world behind me,
The cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me,
The cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

Memorise
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
- Romans 8:15.

Read: Galatians 4:4-7.
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Bible In One Year: Matthew 26, Isaiah 10:5-19.

Message
Anytime I remember what I suffered in the hands of Satan and his agents before I was redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, I cannot help but thank God for the salvation of my soul. As a matter of fact, fear was a major source of torment in my life before I met the Lord Jesus Christ. This fear was passed on to me by my mother, who later got saved by the grace of God. For fear that I might get killed, being her only male child, my mother sent me far away from my home-town. For several years I could not visit this town because I was afraid of death and I was afraid of the wicked people of this world. However, when the light of redemption beamed upon me and my family, we were liberated. This is why I am praying for you who may have been living in perpetual fear all the days of your life: that you will be delivered from the torment of fear in Jesus’ Name. Jesus did it for me and He will do it for you too. Deliverance from fear is one of the benefits of the redemption that Jesus Christ paid the utmost price for. Hear what the Bible says concerning this:

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
Hebrews 2:14-15.

Another benefit of redemption is access to the throne of the Almighty God (Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 2:18). At His throne, we lay down our petitions for His supernatural intervention over the challenges of our lives. Be assured in your spirit that once you are redeemed, you are in direct contact with the Almighty God. What brought about this privilege? Redemption!

For these reasons, if you are not yet saved, I am inviting you to the cross of Calvary, where Jesus Christ paid for your redemption in full. Confess your sins and accept Him as Lord and Saviour. Promise Him that you will abide by His Word and never to go back to the world. Something extraordinary will happen to you if you sincerely do this now. If you are a believer and you are still wallowing in fear, know that this is not your inheritance in Christ. Are you in doubt concerning your redemption in Christ? Consider where you may have missed your way and retrace your steps back to Calvary; restoration of your redemption awaits you there.

Prayer Point
Father, please don’t let the flesh, the world and the devil rob me of the benefits of my redemption in Christ. Let the whole world know that I am your child.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 14th January, 2017.
ACCESSING TRUE HUMILITY.

HYMN 9: ON THE HILL FAR AWAY

1. On a hill far away
Stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

2. O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

4. To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
Where his glory forever I'll share.

Memorise
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
- Philippians 2:3.

Read: Philippians 2:3-8 (KJV).
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Bible In One Year: Matthew 27-28, Isaiah 10:20-11:5.

Message
One of the virtues that made the work of our salvation possible is humility. It took great humility for our Lord Christ to take up the form of a man and to die the shameful death of the cross. The secret of our Lord’s humility lies in the state of His mind. For this reason, the Holy Spirit in Philippians 2:5 says this to us.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”

Many Christians believe they are humble, but only adversity reveals a man’s true character. It takes the mind of Jesus being transplanted into you to experience true humility. God’s humility is not feigned like what we generally see today. A man behaves and speaks as though he is humble, but under provocation he throws caution to the wind. At this point, you will see how haughty or cocky he really is. Are you struggling to stay humble? Ask that the mind of Christ be made manifest in you today! Do not stop asking until you see yourself manifesting Christ humility. When you surrender your life to Jesus at salvation, the mind of Christ is grafted into your spirit (1 Corinthians 2:16). It however takes the sanctification experience to fully manifest this new mind without struggling. Through sanctification, there is an overflow of grace that is released to you, enabling you to easily manifest the nature of God that you have received through salvation.

We need true humility today like never before. Many years ago, I was the official interpreter for the founder of our church: translating his sermons from Yoruba, the local dialect, to English. Then one day, a pastor was asked to preach, and he came and asked me to interpret for him. I felt insulted. “Who do you think you are to be asking the interpreter of the General Superintendent to interpret for you?” I mused. Right then, God taught me a big lesson which cost me a lot, but thank God I was later restored.

Later on, I became the General Overseer (G.O.) of the church, and I had the opportunity of visiting one of our church parishes. I got there during an evening service, and one of the deacons was about to preach. He had already opened his Bible to begin the message when he was told “the G.O. is here.” I was brought up to the altar and he said to me, “Thank God you are here sir, please go ahead and preach. “I answered, “No, you go ahead and preach, while I interprete for you.” “I can’t do that sir” he replied.
Then I said, “I command you to.” For five minutes, he was shaking because here he was, a deacon preaching, and the G.O. was interpreting. The Holy Ghost then took control of him and he was able to focus on the word. Through humility, it becomes easy to submit one to another and to esteem others better than ourselves. Are you humble?

Prayer Point
Father, grant me the grace to easily manifest the mind of Christ in humility every day.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 15th January, 2017.
FOLLOW GOD'S ORDER.

HYMN 7: O JESUS, I HAVE PROMISED.
1. O Jesus, I have promised,
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.

2. Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
In accents clear and still,
I dare not trust my judgment:
Thy way shall be my will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
To hasten or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.

3. O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend.

4. Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then in Heav'n receive me,
My Savior and my Friend.

Memorise
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
- Matthew 6:32.

Read: Matthew 6:24-33.
24 No man 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.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Message
God's design for you as His child is not for you to pursue material things; He rather wants material things to pursue you (Deuteronomy 28:2, Psalm 23:6, Isaiah 60). When you pursue material things, you will use up so much effort, strength, wisdom and resources. Even after realising your goals, you might still not be satisfied. Do you know that if God is not behind your pursuit, time and again the goal posts can be shifted, thereby making the realisation of your dreams a mirage? There is a user of this devotional in this very situation. Every year, you have continued to pursue a particular goal without success. Sometimes it appears within your reach, but before long, it becomes unattainable. Your goal keeps eluding you because you forsook your relationship with God to pursue your personal desire. If you can return fully to God today and remain with Him, you will suddenly realise that what you have been pursuing all these years is already in your hands.

A look at today's Bible reading reveals to us certain truths. First, God knows your needs. He does not need you to tell Him before He realises what you need. When God brings you into a new year, He definitely knows you and your family need food for 365 days, a roof over your head, clothing, transportation, energy and water, etc. He even knows the needs that you yourself have not yet identified. He does not just take a global but an eternal view over you and all that is yours. Also, He is interested in how you meet those needs. Those who do not know God have a way of meeting their own needs which is at variance with God's plans. The godless pursue material things at the expense of a personal relationship with God. If you are a bonafide child of God yet pursuing material things, then you are living like the godless. To simplify things for His people, God designed that we should pursue Him, and not things. He wants us to make Him our first priority in all that we do. As we seek Him, He will cause those things the godless are busy chasing after to come effortlessly to us. This year, stop being wise in your own eyes! Seek God as never before. Put Him first. Give Him time every day. Thank Him, praise Him, worship Him and obey Him. When you do all these, you will realise at the end of the year that your achievements have exceeded your expectations.

Key Point
Whenever you pursue material things, God is sidelined and unhappy that such things have taken His place in your life.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 1-2
Isaiah 11:6-12:6

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 16th January, 2017.
OPENING OR SHUTTING THE DOORS.

HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

[Chorus]
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops ‘round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

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

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

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

Memorise
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
- Hebrews 11:6.

Read: 1 Kings 17:8-16 (KJV).
8 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

Message
If you learn to give liberally to God, you will be rewarded with increase through divine favour. Whatever you give to the Lord will be multiplied. The widow of Zarephath, who was in a very sorry state, was asked to give the man of God a little cake from her last meal. Thank God she did. Millions of people have read about her all through the ages because of what she did. By that singular act of obedience, she has gained so much recognition and is a celebrity in God’s Kingdom. Do you know that if she had focused more on her need, and if she had told the prophet to leave her alone, she would have taken a meal which would have been her very last before dying? May you not eat the last meal that could become your very first in a continuous line of blessings for the rest of your life!

Moreover, this woman gave God’s servant a cake, but she got flour and oil in return. If you give God a cake, He will give you flour and oil on an enduring basis. He expects you to then do the baking yourself. He will not come down to do the baking for you. Beloved, do not sit down expecting money to rain down from Heaven. God can open doors, even mighty doors of blessing to you. However, when He does this, it is His expectation and your responsibility to recognise and walk through them. Such open doors will cause you to work hard.

After I was saved, I used to argue about tithes. As a mathematician, I told then that if 100% of my academician’s salary was not enough for my needs, how would 90% be sufficient after paying 10% as tithe? One day, God cautioned me about this, and I began to pay my tithe. God then began to open doors of opportunities to me. As a lecturer, private practice was out of the question. One day my dean called me and said he just discovered that I was the best mathematics lecturer he had, and so he was sending me to teach in a particular secondary school for girls. Consequently, extra income flowed in. When the results of the school leaving certificate exams for these girls were released, they excelled in mathematics without stress, and the news spread. Other schools began to call for me. God’s word is true. Are you faithful to God in your tithes? If you are, you will be creating a platform for open doors, but if you are not, you will be shutting the doors to blessings with your own hands.

Key Point
Violating God’s command makes a man his own enemy.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 3-4, Isaiah 13:1-16.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 17th January, 2017.
FIRST DEAL WITH SIN.

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

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

2. Your many sins are all forgiven,
Oh! hear the voice of Jesus;
Go on your way in peace to heaven,
and wear a crown with Jesus.

3. All glory to the risen Lamb!
I now believe in Jesus;
I love the blessed Savior’s name,
I love the name of Jesus.

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

Memorise
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
- Mark 2:5.

Read: Mark 2:1-12.
1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Message
In Romans 6:23, the Bible establishes that there is a relationship between sin and death. From observation, we know that sickness is an agent of death. For the discerning mind, it follows that there is also a relationship between sin and sickness. In 1 Kings 17:17-18, when the son of the widow of Zarephath died, she cried out to God's servant saying,
"What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?" 1 Kings 17:18b

What was she really saying? She had the understanding that death could come as a result of sin, and that sickness is agent or forerunner of death. If you want to enjoy the long life that God has promised His children, you must therefore keep a safe distance from sin. If you are still living in sin after confessing Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and at same time you expect God to keep death far away from you, you must be joking. Every act of sin you willfully engage in exposes you to the agents of death. You shall not destroy yourself before your God-ordained appointment with death in Jesus' Name!

Similarly, In Mark 2:1-12, when a man who was paralysed from neck down was brought to Jesus, as bad as his condition was, the Lord simply ignored what every other person cared about and forgave him his sins first. Nobody thought this was relevant. The Lord did this because He could see that this man's spiritual condition was far worse than his physical state of health. For this reason, I often marvel when some ministers focus on healing the sick before preaching salvation to them. Several prayers for the sick are unanswered because of the presence of sin in their lives. It is wisdom to deal with the sin in the life of the sinner before asking God to heal the fellow. If the sick sinner is healed before being asked to surrender to Jesus, he may refuse to surrender at all after receiving the healing. He may think his healing is by chance and not from your prayer, and if returns to his sin, the sickness may come back. If he then dies in his sin, his soul will go to hell. But if the fellow is first made to receive Jesus Christ before being healed, there is a greater chance of him following the Lord. Even if the healing is not manifested, if he dies, his soul is saved from eternal hell. Always deal with sin first!

Key Point
When confronted with the problems of sin and sickness, it is wisdom to deal first with sin because it could be the root cause of the sickness.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 5-6
Isaiah 13:17-14:11

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 18th January, 2017.
HE CONTROLS ACCOMMODATION.

HYMN: THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME.
1 This world is not my home I'm just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Chorus:
Oh Lord you know I have no Friend like You
If Heaven's not my Home then Lord what will I do
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

2 I have a loving mother just over in gloryland
And I don't expect to stop until I shake her hand
She's waiting now for me in Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore!

3 Just over in gloryland
We'll live eternally
The saints on every hand are shouting victory
Their songs of sweetest praise
Drift back from heaven's shore
And I can't feel at home In this world anymore!

Memorise
"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
- John 14:2.

Read: John 14:1-3.
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 In My Father's House are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I Am, there ye may be also.

Message
In Genesis 14:17-24, God the Father was revealed to Abraham as the Possessor of heaven and earth. Abraham received this revelation, and he set his heart to run with it. He controls accommodation. He was ready to forfeit the spoils of war because he was fully persuaded that he would never lack. He could take the risk of starting afresh because he knew the Lord as Possessor of heaven and earth. The end result was that his wealth was greatly multiplied. Oh how true it is that the knowledge of God strengthens and births exploits! If you are afraid of poverty or of permanent loss, then you do not yet know the Father as Possessor of heaven and earth. If you are afraid of dying small or dying in want, then you have not yet appropriated this revelation of His person in your spirit.

By the grace of God, I have seen this revelation of God as Possessor of heaven and earth work for me. In 1979, my father-in-the-Lord, together with me and four others visited Tulsa, Oklahoma for a Kenneth Hagin camp meeting for the very first time. We had made no prior hotel reservations because information about the camp meeting came to us quite late. Some people tried to discourage us from going by saying, “How would you go to far away America without a hotel reservation?” But we still resolved to go. Something within me told me that if my Lord has gone to prepare mansions for me in Heaven, He will surely provide a place of accommodation for me in America. On arrival, someone received us at the airport and began to call up different hotels. Even those that were about an hour drive away were all fully booked, and we also did not have a means of transportation. Suddenly, it was impressed on my heart that we should call the nearest hotel to the venue of the camp meeting, telling them that we were missionaries from Africa and that we needed a room. The brother that received us checked the phone book and placed a call. Their response was that they would give us a room! I then told the brother to ask for another room. When he did, they asked us where we said we were from again. We repeated that we were missionaries from Africa. They then agreed to give us two rooms. On reaching the hotel, because I did not want us to share the same room with our father-in-the-Lord, I asked for yet another room. “Where did you say you are from?” I was asked. “We are missionaries from Africa, “I repeated, and the response was, “I will give you three rooms.” The Lord will open your eyes to know Him as Possessor of heaven and earth, and He will solve all your accommodation-related problems in Jesus’ Name.

Key Point
The Son of Man had no place to lay His Head, so that you will always have a roof over your head. Amen!

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 7-8
Isaiah 14:12-32.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 19th January, 2017.
HE SENT HIS WORD.

Hymn 12: JESUS LOVES ME:
1. I am so glad that our Father in heav’n
Tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see:
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.

Chorus:
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.

2.Though I forget Him and wander away,
Still He doth love me whenever I stray;
Back to His dear loving arms would I flee,
When I remember that Jesus loves me.
Chorus:

3. Oh, if there’s only one song I can sing,
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song in eternity be:
“Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me.”
Chorus:

Memorise
"He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."
- Psalm 107:20.

Read: Jeremiah 33:1-9.
1. Moreover The Word of The Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
2. Thus saith The Lord Thy Maker thereof, The Lord that formed it, to establish it; The Lord is His Name;
3. Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
4. For thus saith The Lord, The God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;
5. They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city.
6. Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.
7. And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.
8. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.
9. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.

Message
It often breaks my heart to see the children of God, who ought to value the word of God, which is the source of our power and our defence, trivializing it as if they do not know what they stand to lose when they do not heed it. Or the danger inherent in ignoring it. The Bible warns us against such an attitude in Hebrews 2:1

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”

When the word of God comes to an individual, maybe in the form of prophecy, through the written word or by any other means, it is a wise thing to pay close attention to it. The word of God comes for many reasons and for different purposes. Going by today’s Bible text, we can see that the word of God was sent to the people of Judah for the purpose of deliverance and for the restoration of their freedom which had been lost to the Chaldeans. For this reason, I always warn members of the congregation during our services never to dose off, because they do not know when God would send a specific word of prophecy that would settle their cases. At often times in the Old Testament, before the people of God went to war, the word of God would go forth announcing their victory and that always settled the battle (2 Kings 3:17-19, 2 Chronicles 20:13-15). Likewise, in our meetings, before the people start to pray after the sermon has ended, God through His spoken word would often have already settled their cases. The word of God comes at times to bring peace in the time of crisis, as in the case of Judah (Jeremiah 33:6). When Jesus Christ was in the boat with His disciples and the devil was playing pranks through the tempest, a word of peace settled the turbulent waves of the sea (Mark 4:39). I therefore prophesy into your life right now, your troubled life, marriage, business or career receives peace now in Jesus’ Name.

It is equally comforting to note that when a child of God is exposed to the word of God, he or she receives spiritual cleansing. It is therefore unfortunate for any child of God to run away from the sound teaching of the Bible by failing to read it, study it or listen to it being preached. To underscore this salient truth, the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17:17 prayed thus:

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Prayer Point
Father, please grant me The Grace to align my life to conform to Your Word, and through Your Word, deliver me from all forms of destruction in The Name of Jesus. Amen!

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 9 and Isaiah 15:1-16:11.

May our life align towards His word and may His word deliver us from every form of destruction in Jesus name..... Amen

Shalom!

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 20th January, 2017.
VIOLATING THE LAW OF KINDS?

HYMN 9: ON THE HILL AWAY.
1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

2. O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary.
Refrain

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me.
Refrain

4. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I'll share.
Refrain

Memorise
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen. 6:6.

Read: Genesis 6:1-6
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Message
Our God is light, and in Him there is no space for the slightest speck of darkness (1 John 1:5). Those who profess having His nature cannot therefore harbour any element of darkness in them! Right from the beginning, the Lord caused there to be a clear distinction between light and darkness. After He commanded light to be, the next thing He did was to separate the light from the darkness, and He gave them distinct names to avoid any form of confusion (Genesis 1:4-5). Through these actions, God has established a template for those who profess His name to be separate from darkness. Just as God called light out of darkness at the beginning, He has also called us out of the darkness of this world into His marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 4:9).

Having called us out, the next thing He did was to separate us from darkness, and then He gave us a unique identity (Colossians 1:13). Having done all these things, this one thing He demands of us: that we remain separate (2 Corinthians 6:17). As a believer in Christ, you have nothing in common with unbelievers. Your responsibility to them is to lead them to the true light. Believers are a kind and unbelievers are another kind (2 Corinthians 6:14-16). When believers begin to mate, fraternise and fellowship with unbelievers, they violate the law of kinds and evoke God’s anger.

When there is a cross-breed of goat and dog, violating the law of kinds, what do you think will be the result? It will be a beast. The end product is usually strange, detestable and something abominable. Some people erroneously believe that God understands cross-breeds. No, He doesn’t. He hates such with despicable firmness. In ancient times, the devil sowed the idea of cross-breeding. He caused fallen angels to mate with women, and he polluted the entire earth with the breed resulting from this aberration; all in an attempt to block the emergence of the seed of the woman earlier prophesied in Genesis 3:15. This brought so much grief to God to the extent that He decided to wipe out the whole human race. Today, when men mate with men or women mate with women, they violate the law of kinds established by God and cause Him grief. Also, when a man goes for gender-reassignment surgery to take on the features of a woman, develop breasts and even attempt to conceive, he is violating the law of kinds. In what ways are you violating the law of kinds today? Repent and straighten your crooked path! Cut off from that unequal yoke so that God can receive you.

Action Point
Ask that advocates of the recent gay rights movement will receive God’s mercy. Pray that God will open their eyes to the truth of His word, and that His word will prevail.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 10:11
Isaiah 16:12 - 17:14.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 21st January, 2017.
HOW SELFLESS ARE YOU?

HYMN 9: ON THE HILL FAR AWAY.
1. On a hill far away
Stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

2. O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
(Refrain)

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
(Refrain)

4. To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
Where his glory forever I'll share.
(Refrain)

Memorise
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
- Mathew 20:28.

Read: Matthew 20:24-28.
24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Message
The Holy Spirit made it clear that some of the prevailing characteristics of people living in the last days would be selfishness, self-centredness and inconsideration of others (2 Timothy 3:1-5). But for those of us who are the elect of God, He says this to us:
“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
Philippians 2:4.

If you are fully focused on yourself and hardly think of others, you have been overtaken by the bug of the last days. If all your prayer points are centred on yourself and your family, you will need the further work of grace to sanctify you. When you are filled with the compassion of Jesus, other people’s interests will be paramount in your heart. You will not want to offend them, and you will think more about their wellbeing. You will also intercede for people with various challenges in your extended family, church, community, state or nation. If you are struggling with helping others, you need to allow the Holy Spirit work on your mind to bring it in conformity with the mind of Christ.

When you manifest the mind of Christ, genuine humility will be seen in you. The mind of Christ will affect the way you run your business, ministry, family, etc. It will affect your love for those under you and the level of sacrifice you are willing to make for God and His people. Jesus could give up His life for many because of the kind of mindset He had. If you have the mind of Christ, regardless of the number of signs, wonders and miracles God has done through you, you will be unable to boss people around, virtually expecting people to worship you. If you have the mind of Christ, you will be a true servant leader, and you will obey God without conditions or limits. Only the fellow manifesting the mind of Christ will be able to give anything the Lord requests of him or her. With this mindset, just like Paul, you will be prepared to suffer any hardship, take any risk and even lose your life for Jesus (Acts 21:8-14). With the mind of Christ, you will be able to say like Paul,
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Philippians 1:21.

Prayer Point
Ask that the Spirit of holiness will be manifest in the body of Christ worldwide.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Mark 12-13
Isaiah 18.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 22nd January, 2017.
PATHWAY OF THE FOOLISH.

HYMN 11: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS.

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

2. Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

3. My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

4. The world behind me,
The cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me,
The cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

Memorise
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
-Psalm 14:1.

Read: Psalm 14:1-4.
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.

Message
One of the characteristics of the godless is that they seek their personal goals without thinking about God. The things they seek after have overtaken the space that God created in them for Himself. Do you know that today, believers, using the excuse of not having time, are chasing after material things at the expense of cultivating a personal relationship with God?

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” Psalm 14:1.

If you think in your heart that God does not exist, even when you have not verbalised such thoughts, God has heard you. If you are one of those who believe that although God exists, He is too slow, too weak or too inconsequential to bring about the needed intervention in a given situation, you are in the same class with the godless. God simply call such people fools.

Why would God call someone a fool? If a person considers the whole observable universe – the sun, the moon, the stars, galaxies, planets, plants, the seas, lakes, rivers, beautiful landscapes, all the mineral deposits in the soil, water springs, the skyline, rain and various weather conditions – and still concludes in his or her heart that these things created themselves, though accepting that no human hand created them, such a person is best described as being on a fool’s path. You do not need anyone to tell you that there is a God somewhere; a very great and massive God who created all these things, and who supervises their operations. A fool is someone who denies obvious truths and facts. Similarly, a fool is one who decides to live the way he or she pleases. Many people live the way he or she please. Many people live their lives the way they do right now because they never think of the day of reckoning. Believe it or not, that day will come for everybody. A fool also is the fellow who pushes God aside but pursues the gift and blessing He gives. How can you desire to receive gifts from God without wanting to know the Giver of such gifts? Unfortunately, many believers are letting go of their personal relationship with God for material pursuits and are fast becoming fools. They are on the highway of foolishness. Are you considered a fool? Repent, beat a retreat and make God your number one priority today.

Key Point
Men hardly fail to take credit for their achievements, yet they readily rob God of His.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Mark 14 & Isaiah 19:1-15.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 24th January, 2017.
FIND OUT THE CAUSE.

HYMN 5: THE GREAT PHYSICIAN 
1. The Great Physician now is near,
The sympathizing Jesus;
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,
Oh, hear the voice of Jesus!
Sweetest note in seraph 

Refrain:
Sweetest name on mortal tongue;
Sweetest carol ever sung:
Jesus, blessed Jesus!

2 Your many sins are all forgiv’n,
Oh, hear the voice of Jesus;
The veil ’twixt you and God is riven,
Redemption wrought by Jesus.

3 All glory to the dying Lamb!
I now believe in Jesus;
I love the blessed Savior’s name,
I love the name of Jesus.

4 His name dispels my guilt and fear,
No other name but Jesus;
Oh, how my soul delights to hear
The charming name of Jesus!

Memorise
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
- 1 Corinthians 11: 29.

1 Corinthians 11:27-32 (KJV).
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Message
Sin has wages for anyone who partakes in it (Romans 6:23). The word of God is so true about this. Do you know that the occurrence of most sicknesses and diseases can be traced to the problem of sin? As a child of God, if you find yourself sick at anytime, it is proper to first check yourself and be sure that sin is not secretly doing its dirty work on you. There are times when I have prayed from my heart for the sick and some of them either remained sick or even died. At such times, I returned to God to ask what could be wrong. “Lord”, I would ask, “What is happening? I have done what you asked me to do. You said these signs shall follow the believers, and that if I lay my hands on the sick they shall recover; why is it that these ones have failed to recover?” The response I often got was “Son, you don’t know the full story.” In other words, sin was secretly at play in some of those cases.
Several years ago, I was invited to pray for a certain chief in Ogun State, Nigeria, who was sick. When I got there, I asked him if he was a Christian, and he responded in the affirmative. “Are you born-again?” I asked. “Yes, I am a child of God” was his reply. Then I assured him that he was going to get well. I prayed, but nothing happened. I sent two of my prayer warriors under strict conditions to pray and fast for seven days interceding for this man, but nothing happened. Thereafter, I myself decided to go on a 21-day fast for him, but that night, the Lord told me it was good to fast, but not for this chief, because he was not going to be healed. “Lord”, I protested, “He told me he is a believer.” The Lord told me to ask him seven simple questions that every born-again Christian would find easy to answer. When I did, he realised that certain events that were shrouded in secrecy were out. I asked him if he had repented of a particular incident over which he had a case in court. He had drowned the boat of some witnesses who were on their way to testify against him in court. To keep this secret ever got out, he had poisoned the fellow who drowned the boat for him. if the secret ever got out, he would have lost the court case. Instead of repenting of these grievous sins, he simply warned me not to visit his house again. Are you sick? Is that sickness caused by a hidden sin you haven’t confessed? There is a particular user of this devotional who has been battling with one sickness or the other. If you can trace it carefully, you will realise it started when you began to steal money from your church. Repent and restitute your ways, and you will be healed.

Prayer Point
Father, have mercy on all my unsaved family members; save them and heal all of their sicknesses.

Bible In One Year:
Luke 1
Isaiah 21:1-22:4.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 25th January, 2017.
TAMING THE COBRA.

Memorise
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
- Luke 19:10.

Read: Luke 19:1-10.
1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Message
There are so many wonderful things to know about the person of God the Son. His uniqueness is summarised in Colossians 2:9:
“For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

He came to this world in the form of flesh to demonstrate the character of the 3 personalities found in the person of God. This means that if you want to know more about all the other persons of the Godhead, all you need to do is to take a close look at Jesus. He is the Great Physician who can heal all sicknesses and diseases. He is the One who can set the captives free and destroy all the works of the devil. Most importantly for us, He is the Saviour (Matthew 1:21). When He visited Zacchaeus, He declared to him that He had come to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). His blood cleanses from all sins (1 John 1:7), and it is only through His Name that we can be saved (Acts 4:12).

Several years ago, I visited an African nation and my host began to tell me about a particular government minister of that nation who was a very terrible man. He had killed quite a number of people and was so vicious that he was nicknamed “the Cobra”. When he said that, the Holy Spirit immediately told me to go and preach to him. I told my host, “I need to go and preach to the Cobra.” He looked at me in disbelief and said, “Sir, it appears you do not understand what I have been saying.” Then I replied, “If he is as bad as you say he is, then he needs salvation, and no other person can save him but Jesus.” My host reluctantly agreed to take me to his house, but he told me that he would stay back in the car. “If I wait for one hour and you do not come out, I will drive off”, he said. I agreed, and asked him to call the Cobra and inform him that a prophet is coming from Nigeria with a message for him. When I met the Cobra at his house, I said to him, “Sir, I have a message for you from the Lord.” “What message?” He asked. “Your days are numbered, your judgment is at hand, you cup is about to overflow, but the Almighty God has sent me to tell you that despite all your atrocities, He still loves you.” Within 15 minutes of talking, the Cobra was on his knees asking how he could be saved. Every “cobra” in your life shall be arrested today in Jesus’ Name! However, one effective way of doing this is by introducing Jesus Christ the Saviour to your enemies. I know this is the last thing some people will want to do. If you lead your enemies to the Saviour, you will have rest because they will become your defence and supporters. Don’t stop until all your enemies are saved.

Action Point
If all your enemies are saved, you will experience progress without constraints. Pray for their salvation today.

Bible In One Year:
Luke 2-3,
Isaiah 22:5-25.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 26th January, 2017.
SINGLED OUT.

HYMN 8: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.
1. "Great is Thy faithfulness,"
O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not,
Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been
Thou forever wilt be.

Chorus:
"Great is Thy faithfulness!"
"Great is Thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided,
"Great is Thy faithfulness,"
Lord, unto me!

2. Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Memorise
And many leper were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
- Luke 4:27.

Read: Luke 4:25-27
25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

Message
When God opens treasures to you but blinds your enemies from seeing them, the experience is simply wonderful. However, when your tomorrow becomes permanently settled for good, it is even more wonderful. This is what the Lord sent His word to do in Isaiah 3:10
“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”

Beloved, if you are genuinely born again and in right standing before God, no matter what the devil does, no matter how hard he fights against you, and no matter the number of forces that gather together to stand in your way, you will prevail at the end. Sometimes, God keeps quite and allows your enemies to believe that they have the upper-hand against you; but just when they think it is all over for you, the Lord will suddenly arise on your behalf and bring them under your feet. Also, never think that your labours are in vain. They are not! God keeps a record of them. that you did not enter your harvest today does not mean your harvest is lost forever. You shall not lose your harvest! There can only be some delay, some temporary setback, but you will enter your harvest. Have you been separated from your harvest for so long? This season, the Lord will arise for you, scatter all the impediments on your way and give you a great harvest, in Jesus’ Name.

Beloved, it shall be well with you. Your tomorrow shall be alright. Your tomorrow is secured in God and not in your nation’s economy.

When God prospers you to the level where you can say, “By the grace of God, I now have enough to take care of me and my family for the rest of our lives”, then that can be described as being even more wonderful. Beyond this, the experience of the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 : 8 - 16 can be described as most wonderful because, of all the households in a country suffering a nationwide famine, this widow’s household was the only one singled out for favour. The miracle of divine provision was limited to her particular household alone. When you are singled out this way, the negative things that affect others will not affect you. Also, the good things that other cannot get, no matter how hard they try, will be yours with little or no effort. This year, the Lord will single you out for protection against any form of famine, disease or pestilence. The Lord will single you out for an uncommon blessing that will leave your enemies in the dark in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point
Pray that the youths of your nation will get to know God and serve Him with all that they have.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Luke 4 - 5
ISAIAH 23.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 27th January, 2017.
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

HYMN 4: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOUR.
1 Through the love of God our Saviour,
all will be well.
Free and changeless is his favour,
all, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us,
All must be well.

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

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

Memorise
And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
- Luke 22:40.

Read: Luke 18:1-8.
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Message
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the Holy Spirit says this to us “Pray with ceasing”. This statement is not a piece of advice but rather a command. The reason why we should obey this command is revealed in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples in Luke 22:40b
“Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”

The disciples did not take this admonition seriously for obvious reasons of the sorrow that overwhelmed their hearts after their Master’s valedictory speech. This is a lesson to us all that we should not allow circumstances weaken our prayer lives. The result of their prayerlessness was catastrophic. Most of them lacked the courage to stand firm when their Master was arrested. They would have obtained the needed courage in the place of prayer. They therefore could not resist the temptation of running away. Peter, the one who had appeared to be the boldest among them turned out to be bold only in the flesh; he ended up denying his master three times. He had no spiritual courage to follow through with his boast of readiness to die with the Master (Matthew 26:35). What a great lesson to us all! The arm of flesh will always fail (Jeremiah 17:5).

There are many lessons we can learn from the story of the widow in today’s Bible text; first of which is that the judge intervened in her case not because he was interested in her. Rather, it was her relentless prayer that compelled him to act and avenge her of her enemies. Secondly, this woman did not change her prayer at any time. In other words, she was consistent in her prayer, and so there was no need for additional witnesses to be called in, or for more evidence to be presented. Many people gamble in their lives, not knowing exactly what they need. They are unstable like the waves of the sea, being driven by the wind. Concerning such people, Apostle James in James 1:7-8 writes:
“For let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ through this story assures us that our heavenly Father, unlike the unjust judge, will answer us speedily, but on one condition: if we pray in faith and trust in His justice. Therefore, ask of the Father today in faith, and you will receive beyond your wildest imagination.

Prayer Point
Father, avenge me of every adversary of Your plan and purpose for my life this year.

Bible In One Year:
Luke 6
Isaiah 24:1-20.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 28th January, 2017.
*BE THANKFUL.*

_Memorise_
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
- Psalm 100:4.

_Read: Luke 17:11-19._
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

_Message_
One great expectation of the Almighty God is that man, whom He created in His image and likeness, will appreciate His benevolent deeds to them. It is unfortunate, however, that from generation to generation man has been ungrateful. This is even more pronounced in these last days (Romans 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:2). From today’s reading, we can see how expectant our Heavenly Father is for us to express appreciation whenever He does us good. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to show us the character of the Father, revealed this expectation to us through His reaction when only one leper returned to say “Glory to God in the highest”, even though ten were healed.

“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” Luke 17:17-18

When we fail to appreciate God for who He is and for what He continuously does for us, we rob Him of His rightful glory and honour. Indeed, ingratitude is an act of robbery against God. It is also dangerous, because your joy cannot be full if you are unthankful. Of the ten lepers that were healed, the only one we can consider to have received the fullness of joy is the one who returned to give glory to God, because Jesus crowned his healing with wholeness.

There is another dimension to being grateful to God, which has to do with our appreciation of what He did for us when He gave His only begotten Son as atonement for our sins. The only way to show our gratitude for this gift is to accept His offer of salvation, which is free for us but which cost the life of the immaculate Son of God. We must embrace this offer with every sense of gratitude because there are consequences for rejecting it. Hebrews 2:3 says,

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed into us by them that heard him;”

Beloved, the most profound gratitude we can show God, for all the things He has done for us, is to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to live by the ideals He brought from His Father. God bless you as you do so today.

_Prayer Point_
Father, I thank you for the salvation of my soul through Christ, my Lord. Help me to live by His teachings to the glory of Your Holy Name.

_Bible In One Year_
Luke 7,
Isaiah 24:21-25:12.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 29th January, 2017.
*DIRECTION FOR TRUE SEEKERS.*

*HYMN 11: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS.*
1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

2. Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

3. My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

4. The world behind me,
The cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me,
The cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

_Memorise_
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable with him.
- Acts 10:35.

_Read: Acts 10:1-8._
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
8 And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.

_Message_
_“And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 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.”_
Romans 1:27-28.

From the scripture above, it is true that nature abhors a vacuum. Your mind was designed to retain the knowledge of God. However, if it is not used for that purpose, do not be surprised that it will become filled with junk and warped reasoning. How true the word of God is throughout the ages! What this scripture foretold centuries ago is exactly what we find being manifested right before our very eyes today. One reason why some people attach themselves to sodomy, lesbianism, bestiality and all kinds of abominable acts today is because they have shut their hearts to the truth of God’s word. This includes those gays who profess to be religious. Such people do not have a true, inward relationship with God. Are you battling with evil thoughts? Then fill your mind with the knowledge of God, His word, His ways and His testimonies, and there will be no space for junk and the lies of the devil in it.

Do you know that God is seriously searching for those who are seeking for Him? The Bible in Psalms 14:2 says:
_“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.”_

Wherever He finds them, irrespective of the religious sect they belong to, one way or another, He charts a path for them to come out, get to know and serve Him in the right way. This was the experience of Cornelius. This officer in the Roman army was still practising Judaism after Jesus had come to introduce salvation by faith in Him. Despite the fact that Jesus had come and had finished the work of salvation, and the gospel was being preached, Cornelius continued worshipping God the same way he had always done before. Nevertheless, God saw the sincerity of his desire for Him, and He arranged for Him to meet Apostle Peter, who taught him the new and living way to God. There are people in different faiths who are truly seeking God but are doing so wrongly. Pray that like Cornelius, God will lead them the right way, out of where they are into His kingdom.

_Key Point_
Having a PhD in an academic discipline does not necessarily make you wise before God. Wisdom comes from seeking God.

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Luke 8 and Isaiah 26:1-19

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 30th January, 2017.
*HARVESTING BEYOND BREAD*

HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

[Chorus]
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops ‘round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

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

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

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

_Memorise_
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:6.

_Read: 2 Kings 4:8-17._
8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.
12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.
16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt
embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

Message
To be a successful farmer, there are several activities you must carry out in the right order. You have to get a suitable farmland, cut the grass and fell the trees, make the ridges and therefore sow your seeds. After sowing, you have to watch out for weeds that come to destroy your harvest, and when they show up, you have to take them out of the way. You have to also water your seed always. If you do all these, you will get a bountiful harvest. All these are reflection of what you need to do in order to get a bountiful harvest in the Kingdom of God. One important point you need to take to heart is that after you have done your part, _God is the One who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6)._ Every increase that comes to your seed comes from God and not necessarily from the soil. This season, the Lord will give you increase in every good area you are sowing in Jesus’ Name.

However, what you reap will be determined by what you have sown. For instance, the young boy in John 6:5-13 did not only give bread, he also gave fish to Jesus. If you give Him bread, He will multiply it back to you. If you give Him more than bread, you will also get more than multiplied bread. The boy gave the Lord and fish, and at the end of the day, he got 12 baskets full of bread and fish.

One lesson here is that sowing and reaping is not the exclusive preserve of adults. Teach your children to sow into the Kingdom of God. Teach them to pay tithes on the gifts they receive from their uncles, aunties and friends of their parents. They can even tithe their pocket money as they go to boarding school or university. The earlier they imbibe such Kingdom principles, the better for them.

Indeed, if you give the Lord more than bread, you will get more than bread in your harvest. In our Bible reading, rich woman of Shunem started by providing food for Elisha. She then moved beyond providing bread to providing accommodation. When her harvest came, God went beyond bread and took care of a long standing need in her life that she had already given up hope on: her desire for a child. The seed she sowed into Elisha’s life defied all scientific and diabolical reasons for her barrenness and gave her a baby boy. God knows your needs – even your deep, unvoiced needs.

What are you giving to Him? If you are not yet giving Him anything, start giving something today! Are you giving only what you can easily part with? Take a step further today and sow sacrificially. Your seed will carve out a path into the fullness of your joy.

_Prayer Point_
Thank God for the body of Christ, the leadership and all that God is doing through His Church.

_Bible In One Year:_
Luke 9,
Isaiah 26:20-27:13.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 1st February, 2017.
FREE INDEED.

HYMN 11: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS.
1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

2. Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
Though none go with me,
I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

3. My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

4. The world behind me,
The cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me,
The cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

Memorize:
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
John 8:36.

READ: John 8:31-36
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Message
A lot of people go to unbelievable and unimaginable places seeking for solutions to their numerous problems and challenges, but all to no avail. Some people even go to the devil to find freedom. How can you seek freedom from an entity in bondage? Today, I pray for you that every wrong avenue from which you have been seeking freedom will be shut in Jesus’ Name. The Almighty God will show you solutions to the challenges confronting you in Jesus’ Name. It is often said that you cannot give what you don’t have. This is very true, and that is why you need to run to Jesus for all of your needs. There is no question in your life that He does not have an answer to. There is no problem He cannot solve, no sickness He cannot heal and no negative report that Jesus cannot overturn. There is no pit dug for you that He cannot close, neither is there any weapon fashioned against you that He cannot raise a standard against.

Beloved, it’s only in Jesus that you can have true freedom. If you really want to be free, you need to become a disciple of His. A disciple of Jesus is a follower of His person and principles. There are many people who go to church and deliverance meetings who are not disciples of Jesus. They are just among the multitudes who are interested in His miracles and blessing, and yet have no interest in making Him their personal Lord and Saviour. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is a personal decision wherein an individual has to make up his mind to respond to the love of God. It is accepting to be on the Lord’s side. It is a deliberate intention to pay close attention to the word of God and allowing your life to be guided by it. This is the only way your freedom can be guaranteed. Over and over again you hear in adverts that tobacco smoking is dangerous to health, yet some people have remained under its bondage. Even some medical doctors, who know the serious negative effects of smoking, cannot help themselves from the bondage of this habit. Today, there shall be an end to every habit that is injurious to your life in Jesus’ Name. Come to Jesus and surrender to Him absolutely. Only after doing this will you enjoy total freedom from all bondage of strange voices, satanic oppression, obsession, suppression and depression. He is the only Truth that can set you free. Once you are set free in Jesus and you continue to abide in Him, no one can put you back in bondage again. An end has come to all the works of the devil in your life. Now is the dawn of a new beginning. No matter how much you have been afflicted by the agents of hell, your freedom has finally come in Jesus’ Name. I release the power of God to deliver you from all demonic attacks right now, in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point:
Thank You Father for the victory You have given me through Christ Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
LUKE 12-13 AND ISAIAH 28:14-29.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 3rd February, 2017.
*RESULT-PRODUCING PRAYER.*

_HYMN 4: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOUR._

1 Through the love of God our Saviour,
all will be well.
Free and changeless is his favour,
all, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us,
all must be well.

2 Though we pass through tribulation,
all will be well.
Ours is such a full salvation,
all, all is well.
Happy, still in God confiding,
Fruitful, if in Christ abiding,
Holy, through the Spirit’s guiding,
all must be well.

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

_Memorise_
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Read: Mark 11:22-26.
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

_Message_
Result-producing prayers are prayers that remove mountains. They are prayers that put the forces of hell to flight. They part Red Seas and make a way for you into your promised land. These are prayers that guarantee the achievement of impossible feats and open the door to outstanding success. They are prayers that put business ideas in the heart of entrepreneurs and make their businesses remain at the cutting edge of prosperity even during an economic crunch. It is the type of prayer that stills every storm in the life of an individual. Result-producing prayers make deliverance from evil powers possible. By these prayers, a beggar is raised from the pit and made a channel of blessings to generations after him. From today, your prayers will command outstanding results in Jesus’ Name.

A lot of people pass through this world like an ant: unnoticed and unknown. Their minds are so beclouded by the powers of darkness that they do not understand the will of God for their lives. There are several people at various crossroads in life who have no clue of what to do next. For some, their hopes are dashed and purpose lost. It is only in the place of prayer *–result-producing prayer–* that you can put a stop to such activities of the devil. Prayer is a wonderful privilege the saints of God can use to access the promises of God. When you engage in violent prayer, it releases your faith. Faith in turn enables you to call those things that be not as though they exist. It sees life in death, prosperity in poverty, salvation in the enslavement of sin, fruitfulness in barrenness, redemption in destruction and miracles in the face of insurmountable problems.
The problem I have seen in the Body of Christ is that ministers theorise prayer. Prayer is a potent weapon that can produce speedy results. It should be consciously engaged in settling any unrest, challenges, confrontations, intimidations and difficulties that one faces in the journey of life. Prayer is not theoretical, but a practical demonstration of God’s power. I have been to prayer meetings where ministers preach so much about prayer but end up not leading people in prayers. I have also seen people, who were asked to lead prayers, get distracted by other issues after getting to the pulpit. The power of the cross of Calvary will destroy every yoke, bondage, spell, attack and curse that has been waging war against your prayer life in Jesus’ Name.

_Key Point_
It is dangerous for a minister of the gospel to preach more than he prays.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Luke 16:17,
Isaiah 29:15-30:7.