Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 13th March, 2017.
*CONSPIRACY & FORNICATION.*

_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 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_
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
- 1 Corinthians 6:18.

_Read: Job 5:12-14, 1 Cor. 6:18-20._
12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
14 They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

_1 Cor. 6:18-20._
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

_Message_
A conspiracy can be defined as a secret plan by a group of persons to do something unlawful or mischievous. Whenever you agree or partner with one or more persons to do something against God’s express word or will, you are guilty of conspiracy. The attitude of the Holy Spirit towards conspiracy is clear from His judgement against Ananias and Sapphira, who conspired to test Him with their lie (Acts 5:1-11). Ahithophel and Absalom also engaged in conspiracy against the Lord’s anointed, King David (2 Samuel 15:12). They paid for this sin with their lives, and they both died similar deaths through hanging (2 Samuel 17:23, 2 Samuel 18:9-14). Do you know that many people still conspire to lie to the Holy Spirit today? When auditors are visiting some churches, their pastors will connive with accountants to present doctored records. On arrival, when the auditor asks the accountant if the books presented are the actual financial records, they would affirm that they are. That is conspiring to lie to the Holy Spirit! Those who engage in conspiracy often die together, just like it happened to Ananias and Sapphira, Absalom and Ahithophel, and Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Numbers 26:9-10). This is where married couples need to be extremely cautions. If your spouse is going the way of destruction, never follow him or her. Do all you can to deliver him, but if the fellow refuses, let him or her take the evil step alone. Are you engaged in a conspiracy to defraud your employer or government? It’s time to pull out of such schemes and repent.

In like manner, the Holy Spirit hates adultery and fornication. Why? It is because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are His dwelling place. Adultery separates God from His temple. It keeps God outside His throne in your heart. Some people erroneously think that they can fornicate without affecting the presence of the Holy Spirit in them. No way! How can you expect the Holy Spirit, whose personality is defined by holiness, to dwell in a body yielded to filthiness? The Bible in James 4:4 says,
_“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”_

Fornication strips the glory of God away from you and clothes you in rags and shame. There is nothing glorious about sexual sin. It never adds anything to you; rather, it always takes away your prized possessions. Repent and flee fornication daily! Whatever separates God from you is something to resist by all means!

_ACTION POINT:_
Confess and repent of any form of conspiracy or sexual sins you are involved in. Break away from every form of relationship that facilitates these.

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 1-3
Isaiah 58:13-59:15.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 14th March, 2017.
*STILL KEEPING OLD PALS?*

_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_
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:24

_Read: Ephesians 4:17-24._
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

_Message_
An encounter with Jesus Christ is such a powerful experience that it can bring about a change of name (Mark 3:16). This change of name indicates a change of destiny. His power of transformation changes you from a sinner to a saint (Romans 1:7). There is no greater change than that of a changed life made possible by the redeeming power in the blood of Jesus Christ. If you were known as a night crawler before encountering Jesus, you will become known as a more responsible person after encountering Him. The truth is, if you really encounter Jesus Christ, you will lose most of your old friends because it would be difficult for them to relate with the new you. They won’t understand you anymore, because you won’t talk the way you used to talk, drink like you used to drink or even dress the way they dress. Following a definite encounter with the person of Jesus Christ, what you like and hate will change, so much so that if you fail to leave your old friends, they will be the ones to desert you. If you say you are born again, and all of your old pals still feel comfortable around you, your salvation is most likely not genuine.

Before I became born again, I had many friends, some of whom were sailors. When they returned from their trips, they brought me assorted alcoholic drinks. Therefore, when my friends wanted to drink alcohol, they would visit me because they knew I would have a lot in store. They sometimes said they could not pass by the house of the king without saying hello to the king. I never knew I was king of alcohol in those days. However, after my conversion, when my old friends visited me, I would offer them soft drinks. They would protest, saying that I already knew the choice alcoholic drinks they normally enjoyed, but I simply told them that I did not stock such anymore. Consequently, I lost most of my friends, but today, God has given me like-minded, godly people as replacements. Have you truly encountered Jesus? What changes have you noticed in your life? Are you still keeping all your old friends, or have they observed the changes in your life and dumped you? Sometimes, some people are afraid of losing their old friends, and as a result, they do everything to hide their new found faith from them. This is unacceptable in the Kingdom of God. The reality is that if you have met Jesus, you are linked to the greatest Friend anyone could ever have. You should be proud of that and let all your friends know about it. If you are ashamed of Him here on earth, He too will be ashamed to talk about you in Heaven (Mark 8:38).

_Action Point_
Some people have bars in their houses. If you are truly saved, such bars should not accommodate any alcoholic drinks. Get rid of that alcohol!

_Bible In One Year_
Exodus 4-6
Isaiah 59:16-60:7.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 15th March, 2017.
*DAVID: A RARE GIVER.*

_HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS._
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_
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
- 1 Peter 4:11.

_READ: 1 Chronicles 14-16_
14 Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.
15 Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work.
16 Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be with thee.

_Message_
Some people make all kinds of vows, pledges and promises before they receive the blessings of God, but after they experience the blessings, they make no move to keep their promise, redeem their vow or honour the verbal commitment they made to God. If you bare one of such people, repent now and make good your promises. If we take a close look at the patriarchs of old, we will find really determined people to learn from amongst them. Take for instance David. He was just a shepherd boy when the Almighty God picked him up and blessed him. What did he do with the blessings? He determined in his heart to build a temple for God, but God said to him, “Your hands are full of blood because you are a warrior. I cannot allow a soldier like you to build me a temple.” Then he replied, “Lord, if You will not allow me to build You a temple, I will provide most of the money needed to do it, while you can set someone else to supervise the building.” In 1 Chronicles 22 : 14 - 15, we see David fulfilling his promise to God on this. His heart was there. Most of the gold, silver, bronze and other materials that Solomon needed to build the house of God were provided by David.

Moreover, if you look closely at the events in 2 Samuel 24 : 22 - 24, you will discover something about David’s attitude towards giving. As a matter of principle, he never gave God a casual offering. Anytime he had the opportunity to give offering to God, he gave substantially and did it sacrificially. He delighted in giving wholesomely to God. No wonder he was blessed beyond measure, financially and materially. If you add up what he singlehandedly gave for the building of the temple in today’s terms, you can safely say he was a billionaire. He gave 3,400 metric tons of gold, 34,000 metric tons of silver and so much bronze that it could not be weighed. What is your attitude towards giving? Do you wait to be pushed, compelled or begged before you give to God? What is the most valuable thing you have ever given to God? Are you still in the practice of giving to God only when you can afford to?

When you receive God’s exponential blessings, they will be more than what you can handle. They will go far beyond what you need. What then do you want to do with such blessings? Have you told God about it? Do you have a burden or vision for the Kingdom of God that you will pursue?

_Action Point_
God is the greatest giver, and if you have His nature, you will give sacrificially like Him.

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
EXODUS 7 - 8
ISAIAH 60 : 8 - 22.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 16th March, 2017.
*OBEDIENCE AND MIRACLES.*

*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_
His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.
- John 2:5.

_Read: John 2:1-12 (KJV)._
1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

_Message_
Besides sowing seeds, obedience is another key factor that can trigger a miraculous harvest in your life. May the Lord grant you grace to obey Him completely in Jesus’ Name. To enter into this realm of the miraculous, all you need to receive is the divine directive, and immediately you comply with it, you will have your miracle. In our Bible reading, Jesus and His mother were invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. At some point, they ran out of wine. His mother came to tell Him of their need, but He simply said it was not yet time for a miracle. Pre-empting Jesus, maybe based on experience, Mary told the servants present to wait on Him, receive any instruction from Him and carry it out to the letter. Later, the Lord instructed them to fill up some water pots with water. The servants thought of arguing with Him that what was needed at the party was wine and not water, but remembering Mary’s strict instructions to do whatever He asked them to do, they complied. Therefore, Jesus asked them to fetch some of the water and serve the chairman of the wedding feast. Again, they wanted to argue, but recalling what Mary said, they obeyed. They took it to the chairman but prepared a ready-made answer should he taste it and ask why they served him water. However, on their way, the water became wine.

One lesson from this story is that God searches for certain attributes in people before giving them their desired miracles. If you want a miracle, you must approach God in faith (Hebrews 11:6). Also, if there is no divine instruction or word from God backed up by total obedience from man, that miracle may never see the light of day. Before performing a miracle, God searches to see whether there is any word of His to honour by this miracle. In other words, if no prophetic word, word of revelation or promise of the Scripture is available concerning the situation, seeking for a miracle in such a case could lead to disappointment. No wonder the Psalmist in Psalm 138:2 said
_“I will worship toward thy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name._

In addition, if you truly desire a miracle, you must first crave to be acquainted with the God of miracles. Our God is a God of relationship. He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24, John 15:15). He can sustain His relationship with you even to generations after you depart from the earth. Lastly, after God has given an instruction, nothing short of total compliance is required to trigger your miracle. To get a miracle, God has His part to play, and so do you. How well are you playing your part?

_Prayer Point_
Father, send me a word that will usher me into a miraculous harvest.

_Bible In One Year._
Exodus 9-10,
Isaiah 61.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 17th March, 2017.
*HOSTS AT HEAVEN'S GATE.*

_HYMN 15: O SPREAD THE TIDINGS 'ROUND._
1. O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound.
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

Refrain:
The Comforter has come! The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n,
O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!

2. The long, long night is past; the morning breaks at last;
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills the day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

3. Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
To every captive soul a full deliv'rance brings;
And thro' the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

4. O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mine
To wond’ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine -
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine?
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

_Memorise_
Set your affection on things above, not onthings on the earth.
- Colossians 3:2.

_Read: Colossians 3:1-4._
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

_MESSAGE_
In the world we live in today, a lot of people are overwhelmed by sorrow and are living in depression. It is therefore no accident that one of the crucial assignments of the Holy Spirit is the work of comforting the sorrowful and uplifting the depressed (John 16:6-7). His comfort shifts your focus away from your fears, wipes away your tears, sets your mind on the bigger picture you should see, gives you peace in the midst of the storm and gives you a reason to live beyond that moment of depression. In the end, He also gives you strength to help others in similar situations. In any area you need the comfort of the Holy Spirit, receive it today in Jesus' Name!

Several years ago, while still lecturing at the University of Lagos, I had a particular student We referred to as Brother Moses, He was a passionate soul-winner. His passion for the lost endeared him to me. We became so close that you would even think he was my biological first-born son. After he graduated from the university, he was posted to the northern part of Nigeria for his mandatory one-year service in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. Within a few months of his service year, his fellow corps members had fallen in love with him. Then suddenly, he died. His fellow corps members could not accept this, and so they began to pray. He died at about 10am and by 2pm he came back to life. He told the brethren the Lord asked him to come back to tell them that they were praying the wrong kind of prayers, and that their noise was disturbing Him. The Lord said they should not be praying for Brother Moses to return from glory to join them on earth; they should rather be praying for themselves to finish the race and end up in glory. As soon as he delivered this message, he lay back on the bed and off he zoomed back into glory! When I heard of this incident, I grieved so much. I tried to comport myself with dignity during the Church service but immediately after the service and at other times when I was alone, I wept over and over again. On the third day, the Lord asked me why I was crying. I told Him it was because Brother Moses had died, but He corrected me that I was weeping because Brother Moses left me behind. Then the Lord asked me this: _"How would you feel if you travelled abroad to a place you have never been to and suddenly you bumped into someone you knew before?"_

I said I would be happy. Then He replied, "When you get to Heaven, Jesus will be there to receive you, but Brother Moses will be there to specially receive you." That brought comfort to me like nothing else! Beloved, your loved ones who died in the Lord will be waiting for you at Heaven's gate when your time on earth is up. Just fight the good fight of faith and pray that you finish well.

_Action Point_
Pray that God should cause the leaders of your nation to walk in honesty and truth. Pray also that their hearts will be filled with the fear of God and true love and concern for the people.

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 11-12
Isaiah 62.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 18th March, 2017.
*GUARD YOUR FAITH!*

_HYMN 1: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE._
1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour Divine;
Now hear me while I pray;
Take all my guilt away;
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine.

2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire;
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire.

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my Guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.

4. When life's swift race is run,
Death's cold work almost done,
Be near to me.
Blest Saviour, then, in love
Fear and distrust remove.
O bear me safe above,
Redeemed and free!

_Memorise_
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
- Jude 1:20.

_Read: 1 John 5:4-5._
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcome the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the World, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

_Message_
As you go through life, the winds, waves and storms of life will work against your progress, but be encouraged by the testimony of those who have successfully gone ahead of you in the Christian race. They serve as witnesses of God's ability to keep His children from falling (Hebrews 12:1). God not only calls, He also keeps and sustains the called. Jude 1:24 says,
_"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,"_

Be assured that God can keep you from falling. He can also keep you from failing. He can preserve you on your trip to destiny. He can keep you saved and living right before Him. Have you been unstable in your Christian faith? Has sin, Satan and the world been buffeting you, so much so that you are not experiencing the reality of a triumphant Christian life? The One who is able to keep you faultless will begin to strengthen you from today! By His grace, you will no longer be a victim of sin. The yoke of an inconsistent walk with God is broken today! Receive grace to live faultless before God's throne in Jesus' Name!
"For whatsoever is born of God ovvercometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith:" 1 John 5:4.

If you are truly born again, you have been placed in a position that is in opposition to sin, Satan and the world. These entities will come against you on a daily basis. However, you should not be afraid, because God has given you the faith that overcomes. It is your duty to feed this faith and make it grow. Faith is like your body that requires food daily. The right food will strengthen and increase it, enabling it to withstand opposing forces, while the wrong diet will cause it to grow weak, lean and even die. Don't kill your faith! Separate yourself from all those who constantly tell you that you can't make it. Put a distance between you and anyone that wants to lure you into sin. Also, watch your activities on the internet and social media, so that you do not destroy your faith. Feed and develop your faith daily by studying the Bible, listening to messages of true servants of God, listening to testimonies, seeking counsel from godly counsellors and by praying in the Holy Spirit. If there is one thing you need to jealously guard always, it is your faith.

_Key Point_
With faith, you can win all the battles of life and make Heaven. Don't give up the fight of faith!

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 13-14
Isaiah 63:1-14.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 19th March, 2017.
*LIFTING SPIRITUAL LOADS.*

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_
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Philippians 4:6.

_Read: Mark 1:23-27._
23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

_MESSAGE_
Besides physical and material burdens, the devil also weighs people's lives down with marital burdens. He does this in order to prevent them from actualising God's plan and purpose for their lives. A person who is weighed down by a heavy load cannot think of moving forward. Mark 5:25-34 tells us the story of the woman with the issue of blood. According to Mosaic Law, the fact that her blood kept flowing continuously implied that she was permanently considered to be unclean. She was therefore ostracized from society. In that state, no man dared come near to propose to her. Even if a man was brave enough to marry her, she had very slim chances of bearing children. Hannah also faced a marital burden as she battled with barrenness, which her mate used in taunting her. She never planned to be barren but barrenness attached itself to her until the Burden-Bearer stepped in. Are you laden with a marital burden? Is there no peace in your home? Is the enemy turning your spouse against you because of the delay in conceiving? Have you been weeping quietly because of the marital burdens you are forced to bear? This season, the Burden-Bearer will intervene in your situation and turn things around for good!

Moreover, some people are battling with spiritual burdens. Today's Bible reading tells us of a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit. Although this man was regularly attending church, a demon was still living inside him. He was like a time-bomb waiting to explode. He did not like what he was carrying, but he could not do anything about it until he met Jesus. Compared to the mad man of Gadara, his case was even tolerable (Mark 5:1:20). He would come to church, sit in the crowd, and yet nobody knew what he was going through. Many years ago, while visiting my mother, some people brought a man who looked almost normal to me. To demonstrate what was wrong with him to me, he simply scratched his head and brought out a cockroach. He dipped his hand into his hair again and another insect came out. He put his finger inside his ear and I could hear the sound of a motorcycle. After a short exhortation, I simply asked him to give his life to Jesus, and he did. I then called on the Burden-Bearer to intervene. When he returned two weeks later, everything had changed. Have you been secretly battling with some spiritual burdens? The Lord will deliver you today! Whatever is responsible for that strange burden in your life, I command it to return to where it came from. You are free from today!

_Prayer Point:_
Every strange burden in my life and family, the word of the Lord is against you; lose your grip now and return to your source in Jesus' Name!

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 15-16
Isaiah 63:15-64:12.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 20th March, 2017.
*ANY PRICKS?*

_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:_
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
- 1 Timothy 4:2.

_Read: Romans 9:1 & 1 Timothy 1:16-20._
1 I say the truth in Christ, lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.

16 Howbeit for this cause l obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
18 This charge l commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare:
19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

_MESSAGE_
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. " Acts 2:38.

For anyone who wants to partake of salvation from sin, Satan and the world, God requires genuine, heartfelt repentance. In Acts 2:37, after preaching to the multitudes, they asked Peter,

"What shall we do?"
He simply replied,

"Repent and be water-baptized, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

From his response, we understand that the Spirit of life Himself is a gift, and that if you will have Him, you must start from the place of repentance. If you want to experience the move of the Spirit in your life, begin with repentance.

Repentance is the foundation stone on which faith in Christ is built. Anyone who claims to be a servant of God but who did not start from the place of repentance is only engaging in self deception. Examine yourself today. Are you saved? Have you truly repented? After you have successfully laid the foundation of repentance, your conscience will be purged by the Blood of Jesus and made to come alive through the prompting of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14, Romans 9:1); to the extent that if you as much as tell a lie, you won't get away with it. You will remain troubled until you confess and restitute the lie. If you are never under the pressure of the Holy Spirit to make right your wrong deeds, you can be sure that something is wrong with your foundation. Many years ago, while travelling to Lagos from Ilesha (South-West, Nigeria), I forgot to buy a gift for my father in the Lord. By the time I got to Surulere, Lagos, I realised this oversight and so I bought some oranges to give to him from there. As Papa peeled and sucked the oranges, he said,

"These oranges are sweet. You must have bought them on the way." "Yes sir", I replied. The Holy Spirit said to me, "You just lied." My response to this was "How did I lie? Roadside is roadside, whether at Surulere or between Ilesha and Lagos." The Spirit then said, "You know his question meant whether you bought them on your way from llesha to Lagos." I replied, "Does it matter? Does this affect the sweetness of the oranges?" The Spirit insisted, You have lied."

So l turned to my father in the Lord and told him l bought the oranges at Surulere, Lagos and not on my way from llesha, and Papa exclaimed, "Holy Spirit!" He knew the Spirit was dealing with me. Does this same Holy Spirit deal with you when you lie or sin? If your conscience is not responding to the pricks of the Holy Spirit, it means you have strayed from Him.

_Prayer Point:_
Father, quicken every part of my conscience that has been seared by persistent disobedience.

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 17-19
Isaiah 65:1-12.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 21st March, 2017.
*IT MAY NOT MAKE SENSE.*

_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 my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
- Isaiah 55:8.

_Read: 2 Kings 4:1-7._
1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels: borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

_Message_
Total obedience remains a major key to unlocking the doors of signs and wonders. In our Bible reading, when the man of God gave some instructions to the widow whose sons were about to be taken into slavery, she had every right to call them stupid instructions. He told her to go and borrow empty vessels from her neighbours. With the human understanding, one cannot see the relationship between borrowing empty containers and the money she needed. Also, she was asked to pour the oil in her little bottle into large containers.

How can a small bottle of oil fill up one large container, not to mention several containers? That is exactly the point. Blessed are those who will not argue with God. If you ask about my greatest secret, it is simply that l do not argue with God. He has asked me to do many things that the rational mind will call "foolish", and yet I never argue. Why? I discovered a long time ago that my brain is too little to understand this great God. The Bible in 1 Corinthians 1:27 says,
_"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty"_

Many years ago, when God asked me to go to the current site of the Redemption Camp, which was still a dense bush then, I did not argue. I could have advanced several reasons for not going. I could have said it was the operational base of armed robbers, or that it was very far from Lagos, or that there was no electricity or water supply there. Back then, we needed a place where a lot of people could converge for our convention. By the grace of God, I did not argue.

Today, the result is there for all to see. If you can be "foolish" enough to obey God completely, you will definitely become a candidate for signs and wonders. Many of the divine instructions that produce outstanding results do not make sense. It did not make sense when an axe-head fell into the river and the servant of God sank a piece of wood into the river to make the axe-head float (2 Kings 6:1-7). It did not make sense when a simple march of four helpless and hopeless lepers towards the enemy's camp became the thunderous hustling of thousands of chariots and horses, thereby chasing away the forces that had besieged Samaria (2 Kings 7:1-7).

It does not make sense when you are in need and God instructs you to give Him or His servant the last you have on you (1 Kings 17:10-14). It may not make sense to you, but it does to Him. The sooner you accept His "foolish" instructions the better for you. If you have to wait until it makes sense, then the miracle might be delayed indefinitely.

_Key Point_
God's mode of operation may sound foolish, but it always gets the desired results.

_Bible In One Year_
Exodus 20-21;
Isaiah 65:13-25.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 22nd March, 2017.
*ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE?*

*_Hymn 2: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS._*
1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—

2. Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?

3. Precious Savior, still our refuge
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

_Memorise:_
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17.

_Read: Deuteronomy 28:11-13._
11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.

_Message_
If there is any single word that symbolises Jesus Christ, it is the word, "Change". While some changes are for good, some others have negative consequences. Encountering Jesus Christ brings positive change to you. Everything about Jesus spells change. The moment He was born into this world, things began to change. Even the old calendar was changed to reflect the years before Christ was born (BC) and the years after (AD). By His virgin birth, He introduced change to the rules of childbirth. This is why "meno-pause" can become "meno-play". By the change He brought, we have seen a 56 year-old woman testifying before the people of God with her newborn baby. No wonder Jesus said God can raise children out of stones (Matthew 3:9). Are you trusting God for the fruit of the womb but menopause is telling you that your time is past? Tell it
that because your Saviour and Master, Jesus, stands for change, it cannot stand in your way. Shortly, you shall celebrate with your own baby!

If you are connected to Jesus, you cannot but experience glorious changes in your life. Nothing that He created can stand in your way. If what He created cannot stop you, how then can the evil forces and evil mechanisms that were designed by the hordes of hell stop you? They also answer to Him! Indeed, the moment He walked on water, He not only defied the law of gravity, He also made it respond to His will (Matthew 14:23-27). By this act, the man who said what goes up must come down began to have problems with his postulates. If you encounter Jesus, you go up and stay up. This is why Deuteronomy 28:13 says,
_"And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:"_

Is the law of gravity affecting your business, ministry, academics, family or spiritual life? I command its downward effect to cease dragging you down from now on! From today you shall go up, and your ascent shall be unstoppable. You shall be the head and stay ahead. Ask for a definite encounter with Jesus today. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, that is the best place to start.

_Key Point:_
If you have Jesus, you will be an agent of positive change everywhere you go. Do you reflect this change?

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 22-23
Isaiah 66:1-14.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 23rd March, 2017.
*FRUITFULNESS: A MUST!*

_Memorise_
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
- Genesis 17:6.

_Read: Genesis 17:4-6._
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.

_Message_
The very first mandate of God to mankind is to be fruitful (Genesis 1:28). This tells you how important your fruitfulness is to God. I declare that this is your season of fruitfulness! Today, everything standing in your way to fruitfulness shall be uprooted and destroyed in Jesus' Name. Speaking of fruitfulness, you can be fruitful in different areas of life. Do you know that it takes just an idea to become a billionaire? Yet there are people who receive idea after idea. ldeas just keep coming to them because they are fruitful. Every spiritual embargo hindering you from receiving workable, lucrative, life-changing ideas is destroyed today in Jesus' Name! From now on, you are connected to God's storehouse of ideas, and you will never run out of them!

The Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-17 had everything: a good name, financial resources, political connections and a supportive extended family, but she did not have her own child. Sometimes, life turns out this way. You may be okay in every area of life except one. You may be making progress in every area except one. Do you know that God is interested even in that area where you are challenged? Yes, He is. If you are experiencing such, today, the Lord will make a way for you! It is your turn to be fruitful.

I was in Britain not too long ago, and among the testimonies I heard was one from a friend of mine, who is a professor. This testimony made me dance. His secretary had been trusting God for the fruit of the womb for some time, and so he called me, requesting to bring her to me for prayers. However, l was already on my way out at this time, and so l asked him to give her the phone. I prayed with her, and the Almighty God backed up the voice of His servant. By the time he called again, she had delivered triplets! Are you trusting God for a baby? The door is opened to you now. Receive your children in Jesus' Name! Has your intellect been unfruitful? Have you been struggling with poor grades in your academic work? Receive a touch from God today. I command your intellect to be fruitful from today! Draw closer to God. Show Him how much you love Him. Worship Him, praise and thank Him. Give to Him and minister to His servants. Make Him happy by winning souls. The Lord will arise for you today.

_Action Point:_
Make these declarations over your life: I receive the grace to be fruitful from now on, and every hindrance to my fruitfulness is destroyed today in Jesus' Name!

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 24-25
Isa. 66:15-24.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 24th March, 2017.
*REOPENING CLOSED CASES.*

_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 living, in our dying,
All must be well.

_Memorise_
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
- Psalm 2:4.

_Read: Daniel 6:10-17._
10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

_Message_
The Lord of hosts never loses a war. If He gives up a battle, it is because He wants to use that medium to win a war. Our God is always full of surprises. When Daniel’s enemies were plotting against him, God knew about it but He kept quiet. By the time Daniel fell into their trap and was thrown into the lions’ den, God did nothing about it. After the entrance to the lions’ den was shut behind Daniel, everyone thought he was finished. By the following morning however, God sprang some surprises on them all. The fellow they thought was dead and digested in the bellies of the lions came out alive.

You are coming out from wherever the enemies placed you – alive, stronger, richer and better! All the mischief makers who though Daniel’s case was closed received a rude shock: his case was reopened, and what they thought was in their favour turned against them.

That case that was decided against you in your office or in your extended family shall be revisited in Jesus’ Name! What they though was closed shall suddenly be reopened. The Lord will spring surprises on your enemies this season! In addition, the table turned for Daniel’s enemies. Not only were they now to become food for the lions, so also were their family members. This season, all those plotting against you shall be completely wiped out! None of them shall escape in Jesus’ Name!

Another surprise God sprang on the enemies of Daniel was that, by the reason of Daniel’s miraculous deliverance from the lions’ den, the God of Daniel became officially recognised and feared all over the kingdom as the true and living God. In Daniel 6:26, the king said,
_“I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.”_

Beyond this, after the coast was clear, Daniel prospered in the kingdom. He remained relevant in the corridors of power in successive government and was recognised as a man that could not be ignored. Daniel 6:28 says,

“So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

If you are prepared to the utmost price for the Kingdom of God, you can be sure you will receive divine compensation beyond your imagination.

How are you living today? Can you take a stand for the Lord in righteousness and refuse to compromise with sin?

_PRAYER POINT:_
Father, upturn every case the enemy has judged and concluded against me, my loved ones and members of my local assembly in Jesus' Name!

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 26-27;
Jeremiah 1.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 25th March, 2017.
*ARE YOU GROWING?*

_HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER..._
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Chorus:
O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
Chorus.

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
Chorus.

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Chorus.

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
Chorus.

_Memorise_
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
- Hebrews 5:13.

_Read: Hebrews 5:11-14_
11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

_Message_
Attaining maturity in the Kingdom of God is a process that occurs in stages, the first of which is babyhood. When a person becomes born again, he or she has to first learn the basic principles of life in Christ. Believers at this stage are fed with the milk of Gods word (1 Peter 2:2) They cannot take anything hard because they are babies. They depend on others to simplify processes for them. Just like babies in the natural realm, other people must carry them and clean them up; all they do is eat, play and sleep. If you are too dependent on others, you are most likely still in the babyhood stage spiritually, irrespective of your biological age. If you are very selective of the word of God you read, believe and practice, you are a baby. If you are always complaining about other people, what they did and how they did it, you could just be a baby. Spiritual babies are so dependant on the prayers of others. When confronted by the storms of life, if instead of going on your knees to pray, you find yourself pursuing one pastor or prophet around to pray for you, it is because you need to grow up.

Another level of maturity is adulthood. Christians in this stage are mature and no longer depend on milk but eat strong meat. Hebrews 5:14 says this about them:
_“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”_

One major difference between those in babyhood and those in the adulthood stage of maturity is their level of discernment. Babes cannot discern anything. Anywhere people erect a signpost and call it a church, a babe will go there to worship. To him or her, every church is a Church of God. On the other hand, adults are more discerning. They are able to test every spirit they come in contact with by comparing the character of such spirits with the Holy Scriptures. They are also able to apply the “fruit test”, for every tree will be identified by the fruit it produces. An adult Christian is able to differentiate between good and evil. He or she can tell who is a servant of God and who is not. Can you call yourself an adult Christian? How sharp is your ability to discern? Are you able to discern between right and wrong? It is amazing that some Christians, who claim to have been saved for several years, still cannot discern between true and false prophets. Are you fellowshipping with people you should not be fellowshipping with? Can you differentiate the Holy Spirit from unclean spirits at any point in time?

_Prayer Point_
Father, grant me grace to grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR_
EXODUS 28
JEREMIAH 2:1-19.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 26th March, 2017.
*LADEN WITH CAREER BURDENS?*

_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_
For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
- Psalms 107:16.

_Read: Luke 5:1-11._
1 AND it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

_Message_
One of the method devised by the devil to impede our forward march on the straight and narrow is to steal our joy and happiness. To achieve this, our enemy may make use of career burdens. The presence of career burdens might be the reason why you see some persons who were not as intelligent as you were during your school days, even those who graduated several years after you did, now far ahead of you career-wise. A fellow under this yoke may want to hide when he or she come face to face with an erstwhile junior, who is now better placed. Many years ago, while still lecturing at the University of Lagos, a professor applied for an advertised job and was invited for interview, when he got to the boardroom where the interview panel was sitting, he soon discovered that the chairman of the panel was one of his students who had recently graduated. He therefore said to the panel, “I am sorry, it seems I came to the wrong room?” “You are not in the wrong room sir”, replied the ex-student. But he insisted and left.

You need to periodically take stock of your career to ensure you are where you ought to be. If you are deeply unhappy at your job because you are not positioned at the level where you ought to be, the devil might be playing dirty tricks on you. Are you in a situation where some people you interviewed for employment are now superiors in the same office? Have you been denied your promotions for several years inspite of your hard work, and as a result, not only are your mates now your superiors, even your juniors have become your superiors? If you are experiencing any of these, you might be operating under a career burden from the pit of hell. The aim of this burden is to make you frustrated and disillusioned.

Similarly, when your efforts are not receiving commensurate rewards like Peter in our Bible reading today, you might be carrying a career burden. Peter toiled all night long but caught nothing. I can relate with his experience because I love to fish. When I want to relax sometimes, I go fishing with my hook. From experience, within five minutes of casting the hook, a fish is taken; but occasionally, I spend hours without catching a single fish. Not too long, after spending some considerable time, I eventually caught a fish, but while pulling it out, it jumped back into the river, and there was nothing I could do about. You might have failed in your career or business, not because you wanted to fail or because you were lazy: the presence of a career burden might be the cause. In the Name of Jesus, in any way you have been a victim of this wickedness of Satan, you are delivered today! That burden is destroyed and taken away from you! All you have lost over the years is restored to you this season!

_Prayer Point:_
I command that every career burden in my life and family be lifted now in Jesus' Name!

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 29-30
Jeremiah 2:20-32.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 27th March, 2017.
*DIVINE ACCEPTANCE.*

Memorise
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
- Isaiah 65:24.

_Read: Acts 10:30-44 (King James Version)._
30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

Message
“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24.

The above scripture contains a very profound promise from God to His people. The Lord manifested His commitment to fulfilling this promise in today’s Bible reading. Acts 10:44 says,
“While Peter yet spake those words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”

Before Peter finished his sermon, he had not even made any altar call or said any prayer when God poured out His Spirit, and the fire fell on all those hearing his voice. The answer to Cornelius’ prayer came while Peter was still speaking, in consonance with the promise of God in Isaiah 65:24. Do you know that the devil still delays prayers? This is why it is very important for us to be baptized in the Holy Spirit; this helps to expedite answers to our prayers (Romans 8:26). When you pray with your understanding or in a language the devil understands, he can take steps to hinder the answer to that prayer. In Daniel 10:1-14, when Daniel decided to set himself apart to seek God’s face in fasting and prayer, God immediately dispatched an angel to bring him the answer to his request that very day. However, the devil equally sent a principality to block the way of this angel for 21 days, until reinforcement was sent to help him. If you pray in the Spirit, the devil will be thrown into confusion, and he won’t know when the answer to prayer is coming; neither will he know the angel bringing it. In that way, the answer to your prayer is not hindered.

In addition to answering the prayer of Cornelius, God also accepted his offerings. There is nothing as painful as offering something to God and He refuses to accept it. When Cain’s offering was rejected, he was so devastated that he murdered his younger brother (Genesis 4:3-5). On the other hand, when Solomon’s offering was accepted, he received a divine visitation (2 Chronicles 1:6-12). Let me share what I normally do during offering time with you. When the minister says we should lift up our offering to God and pray, l asks God to send down His fire and take up the offering to Himself. So before I drop the offering in the basket, it is already gone. The cheque may be in the basket, but the actual offering has been taken by fire to Heaven. I pray that from today, God will accept all your offerings and sacrifices to Him!

Prayer Point
Father, I offer myself as a living sacrifice to You. Accept me and release Your holy fire on me. Fulfil Your promise by expediting the answer to my prayers and cause my joy to be full.

Bible In One Year:
Exodus 31-32,
Jeremiah 2:33-3:10.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 29th March, 2017.
*THE MIX.*

_HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER..._
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Chorus:
O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
Chorus:

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
Chorus:

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
Chorus:

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
Chorus:

_Memorise_
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
- John 10:27.

_Read: Mathew 25:31-46._
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Unclad, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or Unclad, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: Unclad, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or Unclad, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

_Message_
"But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" Matthew 10:6.

The Lord deliberately refers to His own as "sheep". He affectionately calls them "My sheep". From the above scripture, we can see that even when He is referring to sinners or those yet to be saved, he calls them "lost sheep". The Lord's parable in Luke 15:3-7 makes it clear that His sheep can get lost. It also illustrates that the shepherd goes looking for the lost sheep until they are found. This means it is possible for sheep to go astray, but when the shepherd goes searching for them, he finds them and brings them back to the fold. In John 21:15-17, in His post-resurrection appearance to Peter, Jesus repeatedly asked him to feed His sheep and His lambs. A lamb is a baby sheep. Jesus does not pastor goats but sheep. He never said feed my "goat." Never!
This is why I tell my children not to call themselves "Pastor kids" because kids are offspring of goats and rams. God has no place for goats.

However, in our Bible reading today, you will observe that the sheep and goats got mixed up together. This is so because wherever the sheep gather, goats would subtly infiltrate their fold (Mathew 13:24-30). This is why some people are heading for Heaven while some others are heading for Hell in the Church. The final separation will take place on the last day. God allows the goat to coexist with sheep, but on the last day, He will separate them: the sheep will be on the right, while the goats will be on the left. He will address them separately and send them to their separate eternal destinations. This is very serious!

Furthermore, this co-existence of sheep and goats gives room for pretence. That means the fellow sitting next to you might be a goat pretending to be a sheep. You also might be a goat pretending to be a sheep. This calls for self examination. Jesus gave the criteria for discerning a goat from a sheep in John 10:27 He said
_"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"_

Do you pass the test of hearing His voice and following in His footsteps? Does He know you? I was telling one of my sons recently how my father in the Lord used to ask me to pray for patience. In those days, when I saw someone not fully complying with what we were taught, I would go to Papa, compelling him to do something about it. He would just ask me to pray for more patience. Today, I understand better. God allows goats and sheep to co-exist. Are you goat or a sheep?

_ACTION POINT:_
Use the Criteria set by Jesus in John 10:27 to judge yourself on whether you are His sheep. If You have strayed from the fold, return to His loving arms and surrender your life to Him.

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 35-36;
Jeremiah 4:3-18.

Thanks for today. You missed the post yesterday...

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 30th March, 2017.
*SEASON OF DOMINION.*

_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 living, in our dying,
All must be well.

_Memorise_
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
- Psalms 72:8.

_READ: PSALMS 72:4-9._
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

_Message_
Beyond fruitfulness, part of the first mandate of God to mankind is to subdue and have dominion over all creatures He has made. Genesis 1:28 says,

"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

To dominate is to be in charge or to take control. If God did not want you take charge, He would not have mandated you to dominate. By the time God stepped into the appalling slavery situation of the Isrealites, Pharaoh, who was once in control, became the one begging for help (Exodus 12:30-32). He even asked Moses to pray for him. In that situation where you have been the underdog, God is turning things around and putting you in charge in Jesus' Name. It is now time for you to suppress your oppressors and tormentors, and to subdue under your feet those who had earlier taken you captive. I command the tables to turn for your good today in Jesus' Name!

Meanwhile, it is good to know that since God has once turned around the situation of the oppressed, He can do it again. Even if nobody has ever had dominion before in your Family, it will start with you. Fear not! In Joshua 10:12-14, while fighting the Amorites, the sun was about to set when Joshua interrupted it. The problem is that most of us run from the enemy rather than confront him. David did not run from lion, the bear or even Goliath. Rather, he confronted and fought against them all. In January of a particular year, I went to preach in Denver, Colorado. At that time it was very cold, and I don't like it cold. Maybe that is partly why God made me a Nigerian. I prefer the Nigerian weather. On receiving the invitation, I asked my Daddy if I should go, and He said yes. I asked Him, " What are we going to do about the cold?" God then assured me that He would go with me. From the first day I arrived until the day I left, people were wearing T-Shirts because summer replaced winter. To know that this was not just a coincidence, within two hours after my plane took off at 5pm, more than 10cm of snow fell. You too can tap into God's mandate to dominate situations and circumstances around you from today. You will dominate sin, your passions, your body and your finances from today in Jesus' Name.

_PRAYER POINT:_
Father, because it is my season of dominion, please arise and subdue all contrary forces working against me.

_BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:_
Exodus 37-38
Jeremiah 4:19-31.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 1st April, 2017.
THE HEALING NAME.

HYMN 2: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS.
1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

2. Have we trials and temptations?
ls there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer!

3. Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge-
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield you;
You wilt find a solace there.

MEMORISE:
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
- Mark 16:17.

READ: ACTS 3:1-9.
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.

_Message_
There are many great things the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ can do in our lives, one of which is healing. It is unfortunate that many believers today, like Gehazi of old, prefer financial and material gains to the power in the Name of Jesus. They trade the precious Name of Jesus Christ for the ephemeral things of life. It is also highly regrettable that this divinely exalted Name, which God the Father gave to His Son, is being despised by many today. Philippians 2:9-10 says this about that Name:

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;"

Here's good news for you: every kind of sickness in this world is included among the things that bow at the mention of the Name of Jesus.

Today's Bible reading shows us one of the reasons why we need to give pre-eminence to the Name of Jesus Christ. Peter and John, two of the Lord's apostles, were entering the temple at the hour of prayer, and a lame man (who was born lame) looked up to them for alms. Although they had no money, but because they knew and cherished that Name, they used its healing power to give what money could not buy to this man. In Acts 3:6b, Peter said:

"Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."

The result of this effective use of the Healing Name is that a lame man, who never walked all his life, began to walk and to leap! I therefore command every storm raging in your life to be still in Jesus' Name. Have doctors written off your case? I command that sickness to leave you alone right now in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ.

Beloved of God, I am introducing the Healing Name to you today, and that Name is Jesus. If you have not encountered the owner of that Name, may I introduce Him to you as the Saviour of the spirit, soul and body. Through His Name, He can deliver your ailing body from the grip of any terminal disease. All you need to do is to accept Him as your personal Lord and Saviour. Believe He can heal you, and He will surely heal you by His Name.

PRAYER POINT:
Jesus the Healer, I believe in Your Healing Name; please have mercy on me and heal me today through Your Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 1-3,
Jeremiah 5:18-6:5.

_Happy New Month_

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 2nd April, 2017.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW COVENANT (I).

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'II 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
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
- Matthew 5:20.

Read: Matthew 5:21-24.
21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Message
The Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to manifest the nature and character of God to us. He also came to establish a new covenant between God and mankind through His blood (Luke 22:20). By establishing a new covenant, He did away with the old. Hebrews 8:7-8 says,

"For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:"

He showed us the character of this new covenant through the relationship He had with the Father while here on earth, and through the words that He spoke. For this reason, we need to pay close attention to the things He said, if we want to reap the full benefits of the new covenant in His Blood.

ln today's Bible reading, Jesus reveals some of the characteristics of the new covenant. He said that being angry with your brother without a genuine reason is tantamount to murder in the sight of God! For this reason, the Bible in Ephesians 4:26 says:

"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:"

lt is even better not to be angry at all because being angry can degenerate into having murderous thoughts. We tend to say things that engender strife when we are angry. For this reason, the wisdom of God in Proverbs 15:1 admonishes us, saying:

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger."

Of course you know that most times, you don't speak soft words when you are angry.

Similarly, Jesus said if you call your brother a fool, you will be in danger of Hell Fire. There are many ways a man can call his brother a fool - not necessarily by the words of mouth alone. When you take a person for granted and take advantage of him or her, you are calling that person a fool. When you cleverly cheat on your spouse, you are calling him or her a fool. In light of these truths, if you have done anything synonymous to murder, you need to repent and make restitution. You may have angrily destroyed the career of a man who has mouths to feed. You have killed such a fellow, because he can no longer perform his obligations as a bread winner. If you are guilty of such, your salvation lies in repentance and restitution: seeking forgiveness from God and the wronged fellow. Whoever has ears, let him give heed to the message of Jesus Christ.

Action Point
Father, keep me away from the spirit of anger, and grant me the grace not to use curse words on people.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 3rd April, 2017.
*CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW COVENANT (II).*

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'II 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
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
- Matthew 5:29.

Read: Matthew 5:27-30.
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profltable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Message
Under the old covenant that God had with the children of Israel, a person was not guilty of sexual immorality, like fornication or adultery, until they performed the act. This was the basis of the poser thrown at Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees in John 8:4-5

"They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?"

What they failed to realise was that Jesus came to establish a new covenant with mankind and not to perpetuate the old. Under the new covenant, Jesus made it clear that it is not until you sleep with someone other than your spouse that you are guilty of sexual immorality. Rather, in Matthew 5:28, He said thus:

"...whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

This is food for thought for us who live in such times as this, where nudity and lust are glorified and glamorised by the world. This however should not be the case in the Church of Jesus Christ. When we promote the lust of the eye by allowing nudity in the Church, we expose members to sexual immorality, even if they do not actually carry out the act. A member of the choir who dresses seductively to lead praise and worship songs will not lead the congregation into the presence of God; rather, he or she will leave the congregation worse off than they were before coming to church. This is not a question of being legalistic; it is a matter of divine principle as put forth by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We should remember that God can only be worshipped in spirit, because He is a Spirit. When we then, in the name of liberty, promote adultery and fornication through lust, are we operating in the same Spirit as the Almighty God we claim to worship? Hear the recommendation of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:29

"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profltable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."

Based on the standard laid out in this recommendation, if a member of the Body of Christ conducts himself or herself in a way that exposes the people of God to committing sexual immorality through lust, such a fellow should be corrected in love and warned to desist. Further appropriate spiritual sanctions can be applied if the fellow does not heed this warning.

Are you in any way living in sexual immorality? Repent and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you!

PRAYER POINT:
Father, restrain me from becoming a stumbling block to my fellow believers in all that I do.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 6-7;
Jeremiah 6:22-7:7

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 4th April, 2017.
*CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW COVENANT (III).*

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'II 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
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
- Matthew 19:8.

Read: Matthew 5:31-32.
31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Message
The paradigm shifts introduced by the Lord Jesus Christ ever since He came to reveal the perfect will of the Father to us are indeed numerous. One of these is in the area of divorce and remarriage. The Jewish leaders hated the teachings of Jesus and the change He came to introduce; for this reason, they wanted him dead fast! Indeed, no man ever spoke like Jesus did. The amazing thing is that these leaders believed they were doing the will of God by killing Him. John 11:49-50 says,
"And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not."

Just like these Jewish leaders of yesteryears, some church leaders and pastors today try to justify their error in the area of divorce and remarriage, thinking that they are doing what is expedient for themselves or for the parties concerned. In our Bible reading for today, in opposition to the accepted standard of His time, Jesus revealed the perfect will of God concerning this. Hear what He said:
"But l say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." Matthew 5:32

In Matthew 19:3-10, when Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees on the issue of divorce as applied from the time of Moses, they were shocked to learn His standpoint on this matter. Jesus revealed to them that they had been living under the permissive will of God in this area (Matthew 19:, and He also reinforced what He had already said about divorce and remarriage in His Sermon on the Mount. Just as so many people are perplexed by this teaching today, even the disciples of Jesus were also perplexed by it (Matthew 19:10). However, that is the verdict of the new covenant. We have to accept the standard the Master has set and walk in it. Whoever has ears, let them hear what Jesus Christ is saying to those who want to enjoy the provision of the new covenant in His Blood.

Prayer Point:
Father, help me to meet up to the standard of the requirements of the new covenant, and bless me through it, in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 8-9
Jeremiah 7:8-26.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 5th April, 2017.
*DIVINE HEALING.*

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.
[Refrain]

3. All glory to the risen Lamb!
l now believe in Jesus;
I love the blessed Savior's name,
| love the name of Jesus.
[Refrain]

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.
[Refrain]

Memorise
For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
- Matthew 9:21.

Read: Luke 13:11-16.
11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, there are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

Message
As children of God living in times of advanced technological developments, one truth we must never lose consciousness of is that God is still in the business of healing people. Some may want to ask why God still cares about healing people, since He has endowed humanity with laudable insights into the causes and cures of various sicknesses and diseases. The answer is not far-fetched: there are sicknesses that are not of physical origin; rather, they are demonic all inflicted. Orthodox medicine is incapable of healing such sicknesses. Although orthodox medicine will always have a name for every sickness or disease it is confronted with, the truth of the matter is, some of these afflictions have their operations being supervised from the pit of Hell. Today's Bible text tells the story of a woman who was bound by the spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. Jesus Christ ministered deliverance to her, and He set her loose from that bondage of sickness. We might not have known the source of her infirmity, but for the opposition voiced against her being healed on the Sabbath day. Jesus, in His response to the objections raised, revealed the source of this woman's infirmity to be Satan. ln Luke 13:16 He said:
_"And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?"_

Nevertheless, the good news is: irrespective of whether a sickness stems from demonic or physical sources, the Almighty God is still interested in healing His people of all ailments afflicting them, especially those who believe in what He is capable of doing. In Jeremiah 32:27, the Lord Himself challenges us with this question:
_"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"_

By this, He is telling us that since He created the human body, He cannot be incapable of flxing any problem that may arise within it. Automobile manufacturers cannot be incapable of flxing problems emanating from their inventions. In the worst case scenario, they will replace a problematic part of an automobile, and the whole system will bounce back to life. Even if automobile manufacturers cannot flx the problems of their inventions, the Almighty God can fix His. There is no sickness too small to attract God's attention; neither is there any sickness too big to intimidate Him. The onus is on you to develop the living faith that will attract His healing hands to perform the needed miracle
on you. My prayer for you is that your body will receive divine healing today in Jesus' Name.

Prayer Point:
Father, please lay Your healing hands on me and heal all my infirmities.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 10-12
Jeremiah 7:27-8:3.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 7th April, 2017.
THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY.

HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER.
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Refrain:
O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
ln Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
[Refrain]

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
[Refrain]

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
[Refrain]

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
ln His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
[Refrain]

Memorise
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
- Matthew 17:21.

Read: 1 Samuel 1:9-11.
9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affiiction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then l will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

Message
Most good things in life come at a cost. Many children of God may flnd it HARD to accept this truth, but it doesn't change its reality. The reason why some children of God may not want to accept this reality of life is that our salvation is freely given to us. They would reason that since the precious salvation of our souls is free, other precious things of the kingdom should also be without a cost. They forget that although salvation is free for us, it came at the expense of the precious Blood of Jesus, shed through His gruesome death on the cross. The fact that it is given to us for free does not mean it was freely acquired by the Giver. Just as a child should not think the bread he is eating freely from his father's table is actually free — as the father would have laboured for the money with which the bread was purchased — believers also should not think that it cost the Father nothing to give His only begotten Son for the redemption of our souls.

When Jesus Christ was healing the sick and delivering those that were oppressed by demons during His earthly ministry, the disciples wanted to perform the same feat. They were however disappointed when they discovered that they could not do what the Master was doing. They therefore asked Him
why they could not cast a demon out (Matthew 17:19). Here is the Master's response to them in Matthew 17:20-21:
_"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."_

From this response, we understand that you cannot be eating three square meals with snacks in between and expect demons to obey your every command. Years ago, my children in Britain asked me to begin conducting a monthly Festival of Life Service in the UK. I declined, the reason being that | could not minister at a Festival of Life Service without making adequate spiritual preparations. Hannah, Samuel's mother, knew that God needed a priest to replace Eli, and so she promised God that if He gave her a son, she would give the boy back to Him. God immediately granted her request because she was ready to pay a price for what she wanted. Beloved, what is the motive behind your request? If it is to glorify God, be sure you will have it today.

Prayer Point
Father, grant me the grace to constantly mortify the deeds of the body through fasting and prayer, so that Your Spirit may operate freely without hindrance in my life.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Leviticus 14
Jeremiah 8:18-9:11.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 10th April, 2017.
THE KING IS COMING.

HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER.
1 Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Refrain:
O deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
ln Thy precious, holy Word.

2 Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
[Refrain]

3 Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
[Refrain]

4 Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu'ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
[Refrain]

5 Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow'r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
[Refrain]

MEMORISE
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

READ: Acts 1:9-11.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

MESSAGE
One of the reasons why there is spiritual decadence in the Church today is the loss of focus on the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus knew this would happen and for this reason, He gave us the parable of a king who went on a journey to a far country, leaving behind his servants to work and await his return (Luke 19:12-27). Our King is coming back to be the Judge of both the living and the dead. As a preview of the nature of the judgement He will declare against those who rejected His Lordship over their lives, Luke 19:27 says,
"But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me."

Beloved, this will not be your portion in Jesus' Name. However, you must always remember that our King is coming, and you must also remember what He is coming to do. This attitude will guide you on how to comport yourself in readiness for His return. Do not be deceived by the error of those who claim that Jesus Christ will not come again or that He has already come in the spirit. These are all lies of the devil. The angels who addressed the early disciples after Jesus was taken up to Heaven said this to them in Acts 1:11:
"...this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

You can therefore rest assured in your heart that Jesus will surely come back. Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming to put the devil where he belongs (Revelation 20:10). All the angels that fell along with the devil, referred to as demons, will also partake of the eternal damnation that will befall him (Matthew 25:41). Our King is also coming to give rewards to every believer according to his or her works. The Lord in Revelation 22:12 says,
"And, behold, l come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

Beloved of God, ensure you are one of those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. If your name is already there, work hard to receive commendation and a good reward from the Master. lf you labour for the expansion of God's Kingdom through evangelism and witnessing or through giving and intersession, you can be sure you will not miss your reward when the King returns.

PRAYER POINT
Father, at the second coming of your Son, Jesus Christ, may l not be put to shame. Please give me the grace to be watchful as I live according to your word.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Leviticus 19-20
Jeremiah 10:17-11:8.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Tuesday 11th April, 2017.
*DIVINE VISITATION (I).*

HYMN 10 : THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS.
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
And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
- Genesis 21:1.

Read: Genesis 18:1-10 (KJV).
1 And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

MESSAGE
Our God is a benevolent God; He visits an individual, He does not come empty-handed. If you are privileged to receive a visitation from Him, you can be sure you are in for pleasant surprises. My prayer for you is that God in His infinite mercy will visit you today in Jesus’ Name. When Abraham entertained three strange men in his tent, little did he know that they were messengers of the benevolent God. Take a closer look at all the effort Abraham put in just to entertain visitors he could ordinarily have regarded as casual passers-by. Genesis 18:6-7 says,

“And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measure of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.”

From this passage, it is obvious that Abraham engaged his entire household in making these visitors comfortable.

There are many lessons you can learn from Abraham’s experience which will make it possible for you to enjoy the blessing of receiving a divine visitation. First, you must be hospitable if you want to experience a divine visitation. Concerning this, the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 13:2 says,

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

God visits those who share His attribute of generosity. God is so generous that He gave His only begotten Son as a ransom for our sins. Consequently, He became the Father of millions of people who were once alienated from Him. Secondly, when you are showing generosity or hospitality, you must do it willingly, and not as if you are being constrained to do it. The angelic visitors would not have waited if they had noticed unwillingness in Abraham, his wife or his men in receiving them. It was after the strange visitors had eaten their fill that they delivered the message they brought from God. Angels don’t eat human food, so how come theses ones ate the food Abraham served them (Genesis 18:? This can only be explained by the sovereignty of the Almighty God. They were transformed and given a human nature in order to be able to eat, so as to teach us valuable lessons. One of these lessons is that when God requests for your tithe, offerings or your first-fruits, it is because He wants to set you up for a divine visitation in your business or chosen career. Be wise!

PRAYER POINT
Father, please visit me with your awesome presence today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Leviticus 21-22,
Jeremiah 11:9-23.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Thursday 13th April, 2017.
l WILL PAY YOU YOUR WAGES.

HYMN 16: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES!
1. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the Master's will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

2. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the father is true and strong,
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
Homes that are joyous with love and song;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

3. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the mother, in caring quest,
Strives to show others Your way is best,
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

4. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
Homes where the altar flres burn and glow;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

Memorise
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
-Psalm 127:3.

Read: Exodus 2:1-9.
1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3 And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

Message
Many people who are blessed with the gift of children are not conscious of the fact that children are the heritage of the Lord, meaning that God is their rightful owner, and they are gifts from Him. This is why an adage from my village says "Rich people cannot find children to buy in the market." What money cannot buy can only be obtained from the Almighty God. What then should be the attitude of parents to these priceless gifts?

The answer can be seen in the story of the birth, adoption and upbringing of Moses, the child who later became the mouthpiece of the Almighty God. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had commanded that every newborn male child should be immediately killed. His mother tried to hide him for three months, but when he could no longer be hidden, she decided to drop him off by the bank of River Nile. Pharaoh's daughter picked him up from there and adopted him as her own. By God's providence, the princess gave Moses to a nurse who happened to be his mother. Hear what the princess said to her:

"Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it." Exodus 2:9b

There are many lessons we can learn from this story. By adoption, Moses was the child of Pharaoh's daughter, but she gave him over to a nurse to nurture him for her. This mirrors God's divine arrangement, whereby He, being the owner of children, hands them over to parents to nurture them for Him. ln other words, just as the princess told Moses' mother, "nurse this child for me", God is also saying to parents, "nurse this child for Me." The princess also told Moses' mother that she would pay her wages for a job well done. God is equally telling parents that if they properly nurture children for Him and not for themselves, He will reward them well.

lt is unfortunate that many parents are nursing God's heritage for themselves or the devil; hence, they are getting their wages from the flesh or from the devil. This is the reason why many children have turned out to be a curse to their parents - breaking their hearts because the parents nursed the children for themselves and not for the Lord.

On the other hand, godly parents who train their children to fear the Lord are paid the wages of peace of mind from God at old age. The children of such parents prosper under the grace of Jesus, which they have been exposed to from infancy, and they are battle axes in the hands of their original Owner, the Almighty God.

Prayer Point
Father, give me wisdom to nurse the children You have divinely placed in my care, and may I not miss my reward for nursing them according to Your counsel.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR :
Leviticus 25;
Jeremiah 13:1-14.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Friday 14th April, 2017.
CHANGE YOUR WAYS.

HYMN 11:
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'II carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'Il carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I'Il 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
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
- Matthew 3:8.

Read: Acts 3:13-19.

Message
Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, hypocrisy has been a character trait of mankind. For this reason, God has continuously reached out to man with the message of living a changed life. The Mosaic Law was all about making the Israelites live a life that was different from that of all the other nations around them, a life of change which conforms to God's expectation. At different points in time, when they erred from the Mosaic Law, God still sent prophets to them with the message of change. One of such prophets was Ezekiel. Speaking through him, the Lord demanded that His people repent and change from their hypocritical ways (Ezekiel 14:6). The Lord also spoke through Prophet Ezekiel about the change of life He would bring about by the regeneration of the human spirit through Christ (Ezekiel 36:25-27). When this prophecy was to be fulfilled, the Lord sent John the Baptist to preach the baptism of repentance. However, John discovered that some people were just coming religiously for baptism without any intention of changing their ways, and he had this to say to them:

"Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Matthew 3:8-9

The apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ also had the message of change forming the central theme of the gospel they preached. In spite of the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders, the apostles did not mince words in declaring heaven's demand for a change of life to the people of their day. Peter in Acts 3:19 boldly declared thus:

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord,"

It is sad, however, that many modern-day preachers have deleted the message of change from their sermons because they would not want to be "offensive" to modern minds. What such preachers fail to realise is that the message of change is the only hope for the world. The message of change brings repentance, and repentance brings times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. I therefore beseech you to effect the necessary changes befitting of a Christian pilgrim in your life today. Remember, tomorrow may be too late!

PRAYER POINT:
Father, grant me the grace to change my crooked ways, and give me the strength of character to walk with You on the straight and narrow path all the days of my life.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 26-27
Jeremiah 13:15-27.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Saturday 15th April, 2017.
*AND HE SPENT ALL.*

HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWER 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
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.
- Proverbs 11:24.

Read: Luke 15:11-14.
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

Message
Many people do not know that the act of giving has principles that must be followed in order to get rewarded for it by God. Due to their ignorance, such people have become discouraged from giving because they had given in times past without getting the results which they rightfully expected. The truth of the matter is: giving has principles, and unless you follow these principles, you will have no result for your giving. For example, if you sow your corn or wheat on the sea, you will definitely get nothing. Therefore, we must learn the principles of giving in order to have the desired results for our giving. God will never owe any man; He gave us His word of assurance on this in Hebrews 6:10:
_"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister."_

However, you must know the type of ground you sow your seed into. For example, it is an exercise in futility to sow your seed into a church ministry where the more money comes in, the more women the leader acquires to his pleasure. Also, when you give to a ministry which you know diverts your seeds into private estates and into taking care of the body instead of using it for winning souls, do not expect any reward from God. Apart from being selective of the type of causes you give to, you must also learn to give intelligently. ln today's Bible reading, the prodigal son took all that he had, left the environment of accountability and spent everything recklessly. The result of his wild lifestyle is glaring in Luke 15:14:
_"And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want."_

It is an established truth that giving brings blessings upon the giver (Proverbs 11:24a). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself established this in His teachings (Luke 6:38). However, there is another truth we also need to pay close attention to in Proverbs 11:24b, which says:
_"...and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty"._

In other words, though we are not expected to "spend all", we must not fall into the error of conserving more than is necessary. This is the word of God. Those who live a lifestyle of spending their all always become a nuisance to the body of Christ through excessive borrowing. Learn from the story of the seven years of plenty and the strategy of conservation given by Joseph against the succeeding seven years of famine (Genesis 41:33-36). Also, learn from the ants how to manage your resources prudently (Proverbs 6:6-. May God give you wisdom along this line, so that you can spend and give wisely.

Prayer Point
Father, give me wisdom to manage the resources You have entrusted to my hands.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Numbers 1-2
Jeremiah 14:1-12.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Sunday 16th April, 2017.
*GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT.*

HYMN 15: THE COMFORTER HAS COME.
1. O spread the tidings 'round,
Wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts
And human woes abound.
Let every Christian tongue
Proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

Refrain:
The Comforter has come!
The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heav'n,
The Father's promise giv'n,
O spread the tidings 'round,
Wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!

2. The long, long night is past;
The morning breaks at last;
And hushed the dreadful wail
And fury of the blast,
As o'er the golden hills
The day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

3. Lo, the great King of kings,
With healing in His wings,
To every captive soul
A full deliv'rance brings;
And thro' the vacant cells
The song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

4. O boundless love divine!
How shall this tongue of mine
To wond'ring mortals tell
The matchless grace divine -
That I, a child of hell,
Should in His image shine?
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

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

Read: Acts 5:1-6.
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
6 Ancl the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

_Message_
One of the attributes of the Holy Spirit that confirms to us that He is a person is that He can be grieved. Indeed, the Holy Spirit can be abused to the point of being grieved. At this point, He can decide to show His Almightiness like the other two personalities of the Godhead. This is the reason why Apostle Paul admonished us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30).

There are many reasons why it is dangerous to grieve the Holy Spirit. One of such reasons is located in today's memory verse. We are sealed unto the day of redemption by the precious Holy Spirit in our lives. This seal serves as a covering that shields us from the activities of Satan and his cohorts. If you make your Covering annoyed to the extent that He deserts you, in that case you will be left without a shield protecting you against evil spirits. This is very dangerous because we cannot pass through this world of evil as pilgrims without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Another reason why it is dangerous to grieve the Holy Spirit is that His wrath could be very devastating. The story in today's Bible text confirms that no man can withstand His wrath. Ananias and Sapphira his wife grieved the Holy Spirit and they were punished by death. What did they do to grieve the Holy Spirit? They lied to Him. Many so-called believers would regard this as a "simple lie", but it was enough to grieve the Holy Spirit, and He struck them dead. Cooperating with a liar can also grieve the Holy Spirit as in the case of Sapphira, Ananias' wife. It is dangerous to keep company with liars because the same punishment meted out to the original liar would be received by the accomplice. In times past, Christians used to be persecuted in various establishments because they would not cooperate with liars who would get to work at 10 a.m. but register 7 a.m. as their resumption time. Today, some Christians are doing worse, even in Church offices.

Rebelling against the Lordship of the Holy Spirit over your life is another way through which He can be grieved. When you get to a point where you refuse to take instructions from the voice of the Holy Spirit within you, then you have rebelled against His Lordship. The Bible in Isaiah 63:10 says,
_"But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them."_

Beloved, let us heed the admonition of Paul and desist from grieving the Holy Spirit by all means.

Prayer Point
Father, please pardon me in any way I have grieved Your Holy Spirit, and give me the grace never to do so again until I see you in glory.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Numbers 3
Jeremiah 14:13-22.

*_...He is risen, halleluyah!_*

Open Heavens Devotional.
Monday 17th April, 2017.
RULED BY MAMMON?

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
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
- 1 Timothy 6:10.

Read: 1 Timothy 6:6-11.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Message
A crafty and complex form of idolatry in our world today, which has been around for a long while, and yet seems to go unnoticed by most people, is the reverence and premium place given to the god of money (Mammon) in the hearts of mankind. Our Lord Jesus Christ was very clear when He stated what the first and greatest commandment was in Matthew 22:36:
_"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."_

When our love, which should be given to God exclusively, is diverted to money, we err from the faith and expose ourselves to dissatisfaction and many sorrows. The Bible in Ecclesiastes 5:10 says,
"He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity."

I am sometimes puzzled as to why people run after vanity. ln some countries of the world, government offlcials embezzle billions from their sovereign wealth and cart their loot away to foreign lands. Some of these officials have become even "richer" than their country by this act. One wonders what they would do with all this stolen money. Nothing reasonable for sure! For such people, money has become their god, and so they worship it to the extent that the more they acquire, the more difflcult it becomes for them to spend. Find out from some so-called rich people, they flnd it difficult to spend their millions. They eat like paupers because money is their god. In today's Bible reading, the Holy Spirit offers us a way out of Mammon's bondage. He said:
_"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."_ 1 Timothy 6:6-8.

Beloved and fellow pilgrims, our stay here on earth is too short for us to run after Mammon. Let us follow the Master intimately, because He is the only One that would always stand by us, even after we close our eyes in death. Mammon would change servants immediately the fellow who worships him breathes his or her last. Let us be wise and follow after godliness.

Prayer Point
Father, please fill my heart with godliness and contentment. Grant me the grace to love You more than anything else in this world.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Numbers 4
Jeremiah 15:1-9.

Open Heavens Devotional.
Wednesday 19th April, 2017.
BACKSLIDER-IN-HEART (I).

HYMN 16: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES!
1. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the Master's will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

2. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the father is true and strong,
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
Homes that are joyous with love and song;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

3. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the mother, in caring quest,
Strives to show others Your way is best,
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

4. God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
Homes where the altar flres burn and glow;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!

Memorise
The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
- Proverbs 14:14.

Read: Judges 14:1-3 (King James Version).
1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

Message
Backsliding is not an event but a gradual process that occurs over a period of time until is get to a noticeable stage. At that stage, people will begin to say an individual has backslidden, but what they fail to realise is that it did not start at that point. Backsliding begins in the heart. When a believer becomes filled with his or her own ways, that believer has begun to backslide. That person would always be right in his or her own sight, and others would be wrong. Such a person would no longer take advice from anybody, becoming a loner. In today’s Bible reading, we see the case of Samson, an anointed Nazirite to the Lord, who began to backslide right from his heart. The way today’s Bible reading begins is significant: “And Samson went down….” When a person begins to go down, may the Lord have mercy on him or her. As he went down, he saw an abomination that enticed him: a Philistine woman. He came to his father and mother to tell them of his intention to marry the Philistine woman. His parents counselled him against this abominable desire, but regardless of their warning, Samson said “Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.”

When a child of God begins to nurse the idea of getting engaged to an unbeliever, no doubt, he or she has started backsliding in the heart. An unbeliever should not be an attractive option for a genuine child of God. A female child of God should find it repugnant for a smoker or drunkard to become her husband; after all, such a person will get intimate with her after wedlock with smoky lips or a mouth saturated with alcohol. A Christian brother should also see it as degrading to be married to a lady operating under the influence of the spirit of Jezebel – knowing full well how Jezebel destroyed her husband (Ephesians 2:2, 1 Kings 21:25). You are influenced by the environment you live in and the people you are intimate with. An unbelieving woman of man will act as a weight around your neck, dragging you down to the pit of hell. The different abominable things going on in the world are enough to deter a genuine child of God from marrying a person who is not under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Such a person is not restrained from doing whatever the devil suggests to his or her heart and does not share the same standard of the word of God as a moral compass for life. Today, we hear of wives sleeping with drivers and domestic staff, and we also hear of husbands sleeping with housemaids and their wife’s sisters – things that are abominable in the sight of God. Do you know that an unbeliever might not find these things abominable? It is a terrible thing to be associated with an “uncircumcised Philistine” in these end times. Beware of backsliding!

Prayer Point
Father, completely destroy the works of the devil in my life and in your Church.

Bible In One Year:
Numbers 7; Jeremiah 16:1-13.