OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 22 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 22 OCTOBER 2024 READ: 2 Chronicles 27:1-6

1. Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

2. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly.

3. He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.

4. Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.

5. He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year, and the third.

6. So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 22 OCTOBER 2024 MESSAGE

Jotham was 25 years old when he began to reign, and he ruled Jerusalem for 16 years.

Jotham was considered a good king because he did what was right in the eyes of God. He recognised the importance of serving God from observing his father.

Therefore, throughout the course of his life, he sought the Lord, and God blessed him tremendously for being faithful to Him.

Some teenagers do not choose their fathers or mothers as role models because their lives are not worthy of emulation.

On the other hand, many teenagers have parents who live uprightly and who are mentors to other children, but they’d rather not follow their lifestyles.

This was the case with Prophet Eli’s children in 1 Samuel 3; they didn’t emulate the lifestyle of their father, and they ended up badly.

If you have godly parents or guardians, follow them as they follow Christ.

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 22 OCTOBER 2024 ACTION POINT

If you have godly parents or guardians, let them influence you in your walk with God.

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 22 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 43

LEAD US HEAVENLY FATHER, LEAD US

1. Lead Us, Heavenly Father, Lead Us
O’er The World’s Tempestuous Sea;
Guard Us, Guide Us, Keep Us, Feed Us,
For We Have No Help But Thee,
Yet Possessing Every Blessing
If Our God Our Father Be.

2. Saviour, Breathe Forgiveness O’er Us;
All Our Weakness Thou Dost Know;
Thou Didst Tread This Earth Before Us,
Thou Didst Feel Its Keenest Woe;
Lone And Dreary, Faint And Weary,
Through The Desert Thou Didst Go.

3. Spirit Of Our God, Descending,
Fill Our Hearts With Heavenly Joy,
Love With Every Passion Blending,
Pleasure That Can Never Cloy;
Thus Provided, Pardoned, Guided,
Nothing Can Our Peace Destroy.

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 22 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JEREMIAH 39:1-41:18 2 TIMOTHY 1:1-18

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 21 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did. 2 Kings 14:3

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 21 OCTOBER 2024 READ: 2 Chronicles 25:16-23

[16]And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king’s counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

[17]Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another in the face.

[18]And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

[19]Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

[20]But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.

[21]So Joash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another in the face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah.

[22]And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.

[23]And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 21 OCTOBER 2024 MESSAGE

Amaziah would have been a great king but for his flaws. He led the people to worship God, but he failed to remove the high places where the people sacrificed and burned incense to other gods.

This gave room for a double-standard life, which God hates. Amaziah also conquered the Edomites, brought back their gods, and sacrificed to them.

This idolatry resulted in a rebuke from a prophet of God, but he resisted the prophet and turned deaf ears to his warnings.

The ultimate defeat of Amaziah can be linked to overconfidence.

After conquering the Edomites, he challenged another king to battle, but unfortunately, he was defeated and captured.

It is very important to learn from Amaziah’s errors.

As a result of God’s love for you, He can send anyone to correct you when you err, but the onus is on you to listen and change your attitude.

Don’t become overconfident even when you know so much. Always be teachable and willing to learn

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 21 OCTOBER 2024 KEY POINT

Overconfidence kills; don’t give room for it.

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 21 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 56

NEARER, MY GOD TO THEE

1. Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee;
E’en Though It Be A Cross
That Raiseth Me,
Still All My Song Shall Be,
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee!

2. Though Like The Wanderer,
The Sun Gone Down,
Darkness Be Over Me,
My Rest A Stone,
Yet In My Dreams I’d Be
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee!

3. There Let The Way Appear
Steps Unto Heaven;
All That Thou Send’st To Me
In Mercy Given;
Angels To Beckon Me
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee!

4. Then With My Waking Thoughts
Bright With Thy Praise,
Out Of My Stony Griefs
Bethel I’ll Raise;
So By My Woes To Be
Nearer, My God, To Thee,
Nearer To Thee!

5. Or If On Joyful Wing
Cleaving The Sky,
Sun, Moon, And Stars Forgot,
Upward I Fly,
Still All My Song Shall Be,
Nearer, My God, To Thee;
Nearer To Thee!

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TEENS 21 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JEREMIAH 37:1-38:28 1 TIMOTHY 6:1-21

OPEN HEAVEN 28 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isaiah 55:6

OPEN HEAVEN 28 OCTOBER 2024 READ: Psalm 29:2:

² Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Open Heaven 26 October 2024

Open Heaven 27 October 2024

OPEN HEAVEN 28 OCTOBER 2024 TODAY MESSAGE

The Bible says you should seek God while He may be found and call on Him while He is near.

Once you hear that, the next question on your mind should be, “How do I know when God may be found or when He is near?” That question is very valid. However, what you really need to know is how to draw Him near to you.

John 4:23-24 says: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The Scripture above tells me that rather than trying to seek God while He may be found when I cannot even see Him, if I worship Him in spirit and in truth, He will be the One to seek me out.

Instead of me calling Him without knowing whether He is near or far, if I just concentrate on worshipping Him, He will draw near to me.

If you want God to always be near you, you must be committed to worshipping Him like no one else does. He is drawn to people that worship Him.

Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of Israel. Israel here refers to those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.

People generally move towards where they are being praised. Where I’m from in the Western part of Nigeria, if you are at a party and the musician suddenly starts singing your praises, it is expected that you will stand on your feet and go towards him or her dancing.

That is what happens when we sing praises to God; He draws near us. This is one major secret that David knew, which made God answer His prayers.

He said that whenever he wanted to approach God, he went in with praises and thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4). By the time he had praised and thanked God for a while, he will find himself in the very courts of God.

Once he had God near him, he could call on Him and be sure to receive answers to his prayers.

Beloved, henceforth, deliberately draw God close to you at all times with praise and worship.

OPEN HEAVEN 28 OCTOBER 2024 KEY POINT

Don’t ask God for anything until you have praised Him enough to draw Him close to you.

OPEN HEAVEN 28 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 1

ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME

OPEN HEAVEN 28 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 19-20

OPEN HEAVEN 27 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

OPEN HEAVEN 27 OCTOBER 2024 READ: Matthew 16:13-23:

¹³ When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

¹⁴ And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

²⁰ Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

²¹ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

²² Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

²³ But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

OPEN HEAVEN 27 OCTOBER 2024 MESSAGE

For everything we do, whether it is something we are saying, an action we are taking, or a decision we are making, there is a spirit within us influencing it.

In Matthew 16:13-23, Peter was saying to Jesus Christ in one moment that He is the Christ, to which Jesus Christ said flesh and blood could not have revealed it to him, implying that only the Spirit of God could have revealed that to him.

Not long after, the same Peter said to the Lord, “You will not die.” and the Lord turned to him and said, “Get thee behind me satan.”

This tells us that we must always check what spirit is influencing our actions. You can be a powerful man of God, filled with the Holy Ghost, and still be influenced by the devil.

When you read in 1 John 4:1 that you should test all spirits, don t just conduct tests on the spirits in other people; conduct a test on the spirit influencing you too.

Check the things that you are doing, saying and believing; check if they are in line with the Spirit of God.

How do you check what spirit is influencing you? Matthew 7:16-17 says: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Check the fruits you are bearing. Check if they are in line with the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

If what you are doing does not show love, you are not being influenced by the Spirit of God.

If you are doing something that is opposed to peace, it is another spirit influencing you. If a Christian decides to do something outside the will of God because he or she does not want to suffer for God’s will, he or she is following the will of the devil.

Beloved, you must always check what spirit is influencing you at every point in time. A good way to know is to check if your decisions and actions are in line with the various expressions of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.

If you are not born again, you should surrender your life to Christ so that you can be influenced by His Spirit. If you are a Christian and your decisions and actions do not reflect the fruit of the spirit, retrace your steps to being influenced by the Spirit of God only.

OPEN HEAVEN 27 OCTOBER 2024 KEY POINT

Always weigh your thoughts and actions against the expressions of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.

OPEN HEAVEN 27 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 33

GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH!

OPEN HEAVEN 27 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 16:13-23

OPEN HEAVEN 26 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. James 1:7

OPEN HEAVEN 26 OCTOBER 2024 READ: James 1:6-8

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

OPEN HEAVEN 26 OCTOBER 2024 MESSAGE

When you make a claim in a law court, you will be asked to provide an evidence to show that what you are saying is true.

The purpose of the evidence is to validate your claim and show everyone that you are sure of what you are saying.

If you have evidence, you will confidently present it to support your claim. If you, however, do not have any evidence, it will be hard to have that kind of confidence.
In other words, an evidence gives the claimant confidence.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 The above passage says that faith is the evidence of things not seen.

If your faith is really an evidence, you will be confident about your claims concerning God’s word and the things that you pray about, just like the claimant in the example I shared above.

You will not pray for something today and speak in doubt about the same thing tomorrow.

When you pray. you must believe with all your heart that what you have prayed for is already settled (Mark 11:24). It is only then that you can see your prayers answered.

Doubt must not be allowed in your heart at all. A little doubt will contaminate your faith and may hinder you from getting what you are praying for.

Matthew 21:21 says: Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Beware, however, because the devil will try to send fear into your heart. He will give you every reason for your miracle not to come, but you must attack him with the word of God.

Romans 10:17 says: “…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Whenever doubtful thoughts come, recite the word of God that counters it over and over again until the word drowns the doubts.

In Joshua 1:8,  the Bible says that to have good success, the word of God must never depart from your mouth. Note that it did not say from your heart but from your mouth.

Beloved, if you desire anything in your life, pray about it in faith and declare God’s word concerning it without any doubts.

OPEN HEAVEN 26 OCTOBER 2024 KEY POINT

Never ever allow doubt into your heart because there is nothing impossible with God.

OPEN HEAVEN 26 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 30

WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD

OPEN HEAVEN 26 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 13-15

OPEN HEAVEN 25 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:2

OPEN HEAVEN 25 OCTOBER 2024 READ: Mark 11:12-20:

12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

OPEN HEAVEN 25 OCTOBER 2024 MESSAGE

In today’s Bible reading, Jesus was hungry and went to get some figs from a fig tree nearby but unfortunately, He did not find any. Jesus cursed the tree, and it dried up.

Even though it was not the season for figs, meaning that it was natural for the tree not to have fruits at that time, Jesus still cursed it.

You may think that Jesus was being unfair to the tree, but He was sending a message to us with that act. You must never wait for the right conditions before you begin to bear fruits for your Master.

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. Ecclesiastes 11:4

If God has given a believer an assignment, he or she should work towards it whether the conditions are right or not.

If such believers keep waiting for the right conditions, they will never achieve their goals or fulfil their destiny.

If you keep observing the wind, you will not sow, and if you have already sown, if you keep observing the clouds, you will not reap.

You must set out to bear fruit even when the conditions around you do not suggest that you should.

When I became the General Overseer of RCCG, I got many promises from God apart from the covenant that God had with my Father in the Lord about the church’s great future.

All the conditions surrounding the church at that time were not palatable. We did not even have enough money to pay the General Overseer’s salary, not to talk of getting money to establish parishes around the world or hosting large meetings where millions of people will gather.

Even though the conditions did not look right, I still set out to do the things that God called me to do. When we moved to Redemption City, we did not have money to pay labourers to build the auditorium, not to talk of building a city.

I worked every night with other members of the church to build the first auditorium. Today, everyone can see the city that God promised us.

Beloved, if you wait for perfect conditions before you bear fruit, you will be just like that  fig tree, and I am quite sure that you don’t want to end up like it because Jesus said in our memory verse for today that any branch in Him that does not bear fruit will be cut off.

OPEN HEAVEN 25 OCTOBER 2024 KEY POINT:

There is no excuse for failing to bear fruits.

OPEN HEAVEN 25 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 12

ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

OPEN HEAVEN 25 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 11-12

OPEN HEAVEN 24 OCTOBER 2024 THURSDAY: TAKE A BREAK

OPEN HEAVEN 24 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2

OPEN HEAVEN 24 OCTOBER 2024 READ: Genesis 2:2-3:

² And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

³ And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

OPEN HEAVEN 24 OCTOBER 2024 MESSAGE

God rested on the seventh day of the creation week to set an example for us. He said in Exodus 23:10-11 that even the land should be cultivated for six years and then be made to rest in the seventh year.

We all need to take a break every now and then so that we can be refreshed enough to be effective at what He has called us to do.

Many people break down because they hardly take breaks. Some people have been working for years without taking any vacation.

What they don’t understand is that taking time to rest will help them to be more effective when they resume their work.

In 1 Kings19:1-8, Elijah had just called fire down from heaven and brought revival to the land. Then, he heard that Jezebel wanted to kill him and ran for his life.

By the time he gotto the juniper tree, he was tired, and in that state, he asked God to kill him. God knew that he really didn’t want to die; he just needed to take a break.

He made him fall asleep and sent an angel to feed him twice. After resting and eating well, he was strengthened to continue for the next 40 days.

Sometimes, the reason you feel frustrated is that you have not taken a break in a while. Just try sleeping and eating only for one day, and you will see the difference.

Taking a break is not expensive. If you don’t have money to travel or check into a hotel, you can go to a family member’s house or any quiet place where you know that no one will disturb you, and just rest there.

You need to rest weekly and yearly also, especially after a strenuous period of work, as Elijah did in 1 Kings 18.

No matter how anointed you are, as long as you are still in the flesh, you need to take a break once in a while.

The only reason I have been able to host the Holy Ghost Service every month for almost 40 years is that I take breaks when necessary.

After every major programme that lasts for at least one week, I take a break and get some good rest.

Don’t wait for a doctor to put you on bed rest because by then, it will be more expensive, and you will have no choice but to rest for a longer time than you want to.

OPEN HEAVEN 24 OCTOBER 2024 KEY POINT

God did not create your body to work non-stop. Take a break every now and then.

OPEN HEAVEN 24 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 29

WHEN PEACE LIKE A RIVER ATTENDETH MY WAY

OPEN HEAVEN 24 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 9-10

OPEN HEAVEN 23 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.Proverbs 4:25

OPEN HEAVEN 23 OCTOBER 2024 READ: Colossians 3:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2:

Colossians 3:1-3:

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.

Hebrews 12:1-2:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

OPEN HEAVEN 23 OCTOBER 2024 MESSAGE

In 2 Kings 2:10, Elijah was basically telling Elisha, “Son, you have asked a hard thing that I can’t give you, but God can give you.

Just don’t be distracted, stay focused.” Hebrews 12:1-2 says that you should lay aside every weight and look unto Jesus. Be focused.

The devil will try to put many weights on you to distract you, but you must stay focused. People may criticise you, lie against you, and say negative things about you, but you must remain focused.

Some years ago, people were criticising me almost everywhere. l ignored all of them and remained focused on what God called me to do.

By God’s grace, I am still marching on, but no one knows where some of the people that were criticising me are now.

The weights that the devil will try to use to sway your focus will not only be from people that dislike you; some of them will be from people that love you.

Their praises, for example, can be a weight that you must set aside so that you do not lose focus.

A man once offended a great king and should have been beheaded. However, the king decided to give him a test. The king told him to carry water in a spoon and walk for some metres.

If he spilt a single drop of water, he was to be beheaded. The king asked some people to stand on his left-hand side and criticise him; they were to rain abuses on him and keep booing him.

On his right-hand side, the king asked some other people to stand and keep praising and hailing the man until he got to the finish line. The man started walking, and the people on both sides did what they were told to do with all their strength.

At last, the man got to the finish line without spilling any water. The king asked him, “Which of these people helped you succeed?” He responded, “None of them. I was carrying my life in my hands, and so I did not listen to either of them.”

Beloved, you are carrying your life in your hands; don’t let anyone make you lose your focus.

OPEN HEAVEN 23 OCTOBER 2024 ACTION POINT

Set aside every weight that the devil is using to distract you and focus on achieving God’s purpose for your life.

OPEN HEAVEN 23 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 10

IN CHRIST ALONE

OPEN HEAVEN 23 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 7-8

OPEN HEAVEN 22 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:28

OPEN HEAVEN 22 OCTOBER 2024 READ: Genesis 32:24-29:

²⁴ And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

²⁵ And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

²⁶ And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

²⁷ And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

²⁸ And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

²⁹ And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

OPEN HEAVEN 22 OCTOBER 2024 TODAY MESSAGE

There is a powerful lesson in 2 Kings 2:1-15 that I will like you to pay attention to. Elijah gave Elisha a condition to meet in order to get the double portion in spite of the fact that he had been serving Elijah for so long.

If Elisha had not met that single condition, he would have gotten nothing from his father at his departure.

Many people think that getting blessed by a powerful man of God is enough to make them great. Yes, the blessing is powerful, but if a person does not wrestle out his or her greatness, such a fellow will remain on the same level.

Your father may have settled some things on your behalf, but you still have your own individual wrestling to de if you want to access those things.

In Genesis 27:26-30, Isaac blessed Jacob with an irreversible blessing. For sure, Jacob was going to be great, however, he had to wrestle to get the change of name that set him up for the benefits of the blessings he had received (Genesis 32:1-30).

Many rich people’s children think that because their parents are rich, they can never be poor. History is full of examples of people whose parents were very rich but who ended up poor.

If you don’t wrestle out your own greatness, you will eventually lose whatever inheritance is laid down for you.

Some pastors’ children think that their parents’ anointing makes them immune to the devil and assures them of making heaven.

However, Ezekiel 18:20 says that the soul that sinneth shall die. If you are a sinner, your father’s righteousness or anointing cannot cover you.

You must meet God for yourself and build a relationship with Him if you want to enjoy the benefits of what your father carries.

Without Pa Josiah Akindayomi, you might not know Adeboye today. I have always thanked God that when I got born again, it was in RCCG.

God brought me to a covenant church, and I rode on that covenant to become who l am today. However, even though the covenant is there, if I did not wrestle it out, I would never have succeeded.

I had to fast, pray, keep vigils, and work very hard. I made sacrifices, and I am still doing so today because I know that the covenant will go to waste if I don’t wrestle things out by myself.

Beloved, if you want to experience the blessings that God has arranged to help you succeed, get ready to wrestle them out yourself.

OPEN HEAVEN 22 OCTOBER 2024 KEY POINT

Don’t relax because you have a unique advantage; wrestle to make use of that advantage.

OPEN HEAVEN 22 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 15

Pass Me Not O Gentle Saviour

OPEN HEAVEN 22 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 5-6

OPEN HEAVEN 21 OCTOBER 2024 MEMORISE: Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Luke 6:26

OPEN HEAVEN 21 OCTOBER 2024 READ: Acts 12:1-3, Acts 12:21-24:

Acts 12:1-3:

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
² And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
³ And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

Acts 12:21-24:

²¹ And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

²² And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

²³ And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

²⁴ But the word of God grew and multiplied.

OPEN HEAVEN 21 OCTOBER 2024 MESSAGE

Today, I will conclude the teaching on the challenges of being successful by looking at the temptation to enjoy the praises of men and not returning the glory to God.

When you become successful, people will shower you with a lot of praise and might even give you glory for things that you didn’t do.

For example, after David killed Goliath, some women began singing, “Saul killed his thousands, David his ten thousands,” even though it was clear that it was God who gave him victory over Goliath.

This got David in trouble with Saul and Saul began seeking to kill him (1 Samuel 18:6-9). Beware of the praises of men.

Sometimes you will not be able to stop them, but you must pay no attention to them because the moment you start doing so, you will begin to feel like you are on top of the world, and before you know it, you will be taking the glory instead of giving it to God.

It was the praises of men that got Herod in trouble such that he was eaten up by worms in the presence of those who were praising him (Acts 12:22-23).

The praises of men can become so addictive that you will want to hear them all the time.

King Saul wanted to please the people all the time so that they could keep praising him, even to the point of disobeying God (I Samuel 15:24).

When you are doing well, people will praise you as if you are the best in the world. You should beware, because the moment you get so addicted to their praise and it drives you outside God’s will, you will realise that you are just mere dust.

There was a man that was regarded as being almost as powerful as my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, in those days.

He, however, let the praises of the people get into his head and eventually broke away with a large chunk of the church. By the time he died, he had a congregation of less than 50 people.

1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us that certain things happened to some people so that we can learn from them.

Don’t listen to the praises of people, as they will make you start doing things that you will end up regretting if you are not careful.

Remember, those shouting ‘Hosanna’ today, can turn around to shout ‘crucify him’ tomorrow. The praises of men are too volatile to be trusted.

OPEN HEAVEN 21 OCTOBER 2024 KEY POINT

The praises of men have destroyed many in the past; don’t let them destroy you.

 

OPEN HEAVEN 21 OCTOBER 2024 HYMN 19

ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME

OPEN HEAVEN 21 OCTOBER 2024 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 3-4