₦airaland Forum

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 2022

DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16TH 2022

TOPIC: TOUCHING GOD III

MEMORISE: “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” - Matthew 15:28

READ: Mark 10:46-52 (KJV)

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

MESSAGE:

You can touch God with your prayers. In our Bible reading for today, Bartimaeus cried until Jesus stood still. Jesus was touched by Bartimaeus persistently calling Him......READ MORE >>> Open Heavens 16 November 2022

Topic: A Dream Spouse!

Dear Reader,

I count it a great privilege to bring God’s Word your way again. This month, I will be unveiling to you what I titled, A Dream Spouse.

In the beginning, God made us objects of choice. That is, He gave us the freedom to make desired choices and then, holds us responsible and accountable for whatever choices we make.

The choice of a dream spouse is so crucial, because it is the base upon which a lifelong encounter of joy or vice versa is built. That is why it must be made with discretion, because it never leaves us neutral. It either adds to us positively or negatively.

God’s Word concerning your choice of a dream spouse says: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).

In the above scriptural verses, the words “fellowship”, “communion”, and “concord” stand out clearly. Going by their definitions, these three words communicate a clear message: “togetherness”. They simply summarize what marriage is all about.

Once these three components are taken out of marriage, it is doomed. Marriage is an inexplicable unification of two different individuals, who come together in a special covenant relationship. So, marriage is all about togetherness. If marital success is your goal, then these three must inform your choice.

However, there can be no real fellowship, communion or concord between a Christian and an unbeliever, because there is a world of difference between the life of a Christian and that of an unbeliever. The difference is clearly spelt out by their fruits (Matthew 7:20)! Both of them belong to two different kingdoms spiritually. With this understanding at heart, you will be laying a solid foundation because it is unbiblical for a Christian to marry a non-Christian.

As a Christian, you must ensure that your dream spouse is a Christian, because two people going into marriage must of necessity do so with someone in the same spiritual kingdom. The Bible says two people cannot walk together except there is some form of agreement between them (Amos 3:3).

There is a propensity for Christian youths to give in to social, financial, or parental pressures in their choice of a dream spouse. But I care to say, no matter where the pressure is coming from, you must make up your mind that nothing will drive you into a relationship with an unbeliever. That will be equal to building on a flawed foundation that would collapse like a pack of cards in no time. Beware!

Don’t be deceived to think that you can go ahead to marry an unbeliever, with the intention of converting him or her after marriage. You are not the Holy Spirit! A Christian marrying a non-Christian is disobedience to God’s Word. You cannot mock God; what you sow is what you will reap (Galatians 6:7).

Some believers will spend their time praying for God to put a seal of approval on their plan to marry an unbeliever; they want to make God approve what is contrary to His will. But God cannot be manipulated. He will never approve what is contrary to His will. Whatever God does not approve is doomed from the onset. So, dream of a Christian.

Dreaming of a godly spouse for marital success is triggered by a life in Christ, because two cannot walk together except they are in agreement. Therefore, you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour if you haven’t, by confessing your sins and saying this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”

If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

Source: http://www.flatimes.com/2016/03/dream-spouse-pastor-faith-oyedepo.html

Topic: Positive Minds - March 08, 2016

Jesus said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.… —Matthew 8:13

Sometimes when I stand behind the pulpit, and before I speak, I pause and my gaze sweeps across the audience. I look at the faces of the people. I love to see the bright smiles and expressions of anticipation, but there are always a few who look downtrodden and discouraged. I don't know anything about them and I don't want to judge them, but their faces look sad. They look as if they have lost hope and expect nothing positive to happen—and too often, they get exactly what they expect.

I understand those discouraged people; I was once one of them.

Here's a simple fact I've learned: Positive minds produce positive lives, but negative minds produce negative lives. The New Testament tells the story of a Roman soldier whose servant was sick, and the soldier wanted Jesus to heal him. That wasn't uncommon—many wanted Jesus to heal them or their loved ones in those days. But this soldier, instead of asking Jesus to come to his servant, expressed his belief that if Jesus would just speak the word, his servant would be healed (see Matthew 8:. Jesus marveled at his faith and sent out His word to heal the servant. The soldier's positive mindset—his faith—brought positive results. He expected healing, and that's exactly what happened.

Too often, we cry to Jesus to heal us, to take care of our finances, or to deliver us from problems, but we don't fully expect the good things to happen. We allow our minds to focus on the negative aspects. Doubt and unbelief war against our minds and steal our faith if we allow it.

As I wrote in my book Battlefield of the Mind, many years ago I was extremely negative. I used to say that if I had two positive thoughts in a row, my mind would get in a cramp. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but that’s how I saw myself. I lived with the same philosophy that other people have: If we don't expect anything good to happen, we won't be disappointed when it doesn't.

I could have excused my negative attitude by telling everyone about my disappointments in life and I had many. It wasn't just my lack of expectation. It was more than that. Because I thought negatively, I spoke negatively. When people told me of their spiritual victories, I'd think, That won’t last. When people spoke of their faith, I'd smile, but inwardly I would think that they were gullible. I could always figure out ways that plans would go wrong or people would disappoint me.

Was I happy? Of course not. Negative thinkers are never happy. It's too long of a story to explain how I came to face that reality, but once I realized what a negative person I was, I cried out to the Lord to help me.

I learned that if I kept studying the Word of God, I could push away negative thoughts. God's Word is positive and uplifting. My responsibility was to become the kind of believer who honors God with her thoughts, as well as with her actions and her deeds.

I understood the remorse David must have felt when he wrote Psalm 51: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love... is the way he starts. I especially meditated on verse 9: Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities. I hadn't sinned the same way David did, of course, but my negative thinking and bad attitude was sin. It wasn't just weakness or a bad habit. When I focused on negative thinking, I was rebelling against God.

The Lord had mercy on me. As I continued in His Word and in prayer, He freed me from Satan's stronghold.

Freedom is available for all of us.

Gracious God, thank You for every deliverance in my life. Thank You for setting me free from negative and wrong thinking. Thank You for defeating Satan in this area of my life. Amen.

Source: http://www.flatimes.com/2016/03/joyce-meyers-daily-devotional-march-8-positive-minds.html

Internet pioneer Ray Tomlinson, who is credited with the invention of email, has died at the age of 74.

The US computer programmer came up with the idea of electronic messages that could be sent from one network to another in 1971.
His invention included the ground-breaking use of the @ symbol in email addresses, which is now standard.

Tomlinson died of an apparent heart attack on Saturday, according to reports.

He sent what is now regarded as the first email while working in Boston as an engineer for research company Bolt, Beranek and Newman.

The firm played a big role in developing an early version of the internet, known as Arpanet.

However, Tomlinson later said he could not remember what was in that first test message, describing it as “completely forgettable”.
His work was recognised by his peers in 2012, when he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.

Mr Tomlinson is credited as sending the first email as we know it today – and commandeering the @ symbol as a way to simplify how it works.
For something so groundbreaking, the first email was adorably anti-climatic. Just read how he described it during an interview in 2009.
“Every time you test you have to generate some sort of message.

“You might drag your fingers across the keyboard or just type the opening phrase from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address or something else – so technically the first email is completely forgettable and therefore forgotten.”

Yes there’s spam. Yes there’s phishing attacks. Yes there’s work mailing lists that ding constantly, or “reply all” fiascos.
But email itself has never been the problem, just the people that use it.

That said, one hopes email is replaced one day. It’s widely accepted that it’s not an efficient communication method, and it disrupts the focus of anyone trying to get things done.

Source: http://www.flatimes.com/2016/03/ray-tomlinson-man-invented-email-dead.html

Topic: Lesson from Royalty [Tuesday March 8, 2016]

Text: 1 Kings 10:1-13

Key Verse: "And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions" (1 Kings 10:1).

Most cultures place high value on spices and seasonings. It was the quest for a shortcut to the spice- producing nations of the East that resulted in Christopher Columbus' voyage of 1492 and his discovery of America.

It was intended to discover a shorter all-water route to China and India than the route around Africa that was being opened up by the Portuguese. From our text, the Queen of Sheba came searching for something too. Her aim was not to acquire material things; she had enough. Somehow, she knew that Solomon's success was due to his relationship with the God of Israel. So, she came to see for herself the blessings that Solomon enjoyed. She arrived with great pomp and wealth.

Her camels were laden with gold and spices for Solomon. When she met with the king, she plied Solomon with difficult questions. Of course, Solomon had no problem answering any of these, impressing the Queen who exclaimed that the report she heard in her own country about his achievements and wisdom was true.

The Queen of Sheba wasn't just impressed with Solomon's wisdom, she was also impressed by his riches and how he used those riches for his people. It is amazing that she made the long journey to Israel. What could she possibly want to ask King Solomon that could not be asked of someone in her own pagan country? She would have had "seers", "astronomers", "clairvoyants", "magicians" at her service. The subject of utmost importance that warranted a trip of this magnitude was "concerning the name of the Lord".

What impressed her more than his position, power prosperity and prestige was his relationship with his God. When she learned that Solomon's God was the One responsible for his glory, she wanted to know more! What is the object of your search, your journey and your desire in the world?

Thought for the day: Seeking heaven alone brings true happiness.

Bible Reading in one Year: Numbers 5-7

Source: http://www.flatimes.com/2016/03/dclm-daily-manna-Tuesday-march-8-2016-pastor-kumuyi-manna-lesson-from-royalty.html