Open Heaven 12 August 2018 –  Let Him clean you up

Open Heaven 12 August 2018 Memorise:
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and foresaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 28:13

Open Heaven 12 August 2018 Read – Luke 19:1-10

1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Open Heaven 12 August 2018 Bible in one year – Job 36-38, Matthew 18:21-19:12

Many people will end up in hell on the last day because they refuse to allow God clean up their mess now. The Bible makes it clear that the Almighty God cleanses the lives of those who are yielded to Him. In Isaiah 1:18, He made a call to all those who will listen:

“Come now, and let us reason together , saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

One man who heard this call and yielded to it was Zacchaeus. Today’s Bible reading narrates how the Lord Jesus Christ cleaned up his terrible past, even though he was chief among the tax collectors. He had fraudulently and violently enriched himself with other people’s wealth. Click To Read – Open Heaven 11 August 2018

This explains why he longed to see Jesus for cleansing. When he could not reach Jesus, he climbed up to a sycamore tree in order to catch a glimpse of Him, and got what he desired.

How could such a terrible man get the attention of the Most High One? The Lord gave Him attention because He had already made this promise in Jeremiah 29:13:

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

This scripture was fulfilled in the life of Zacchaeus as it will be fulfilled in yours today. Your case will catch Jesus’ attention today and all your guilt shall be wiped away. An interesting aspect of this story is that while Zacchaeus was savouring the saving and cleansing grace of our Lord, some other people were busy murmuring that the Redeemer was ushering a lost sheep of the Father into the cleansing room of eternal life.

Open Heaven 12 August 2018

Another recipient of God’s cleansing was David. He caught the revelation of the cleansing grace of God, even in the dispensation of the Old testament. In Psalm 51:2 & 7, he cried to God to purify him, saying:

” Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

Beloved, something more effective than hyssop is now available, and it is the Blood of Jesus Christ. In 1John 1:7&9 the Holy Spirit said:

“Bit if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we ha e fellowship one with and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins . and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Blood is still available for  you today. Beloved, you have been involved in terrible acgd which you are so ashamed of? Surrender your sins to Jesus today in genuine repentance,confess your sin to Him and allow Him to clean you up with His precious Blood.

Open Heaven 12 August 2018 Action Point
Take every mess in your life before the throne of grace today and ask God to please clean you up.

We sincerely hope you’ve been blessed by today’s devotional message. Click the WhatsApp or Facebook button below the Hymn to share with your friends, families and colleagues. Please, drop a comment if you’ve truly been blessed by Pastor E A Adeboye’s message. God bless you! 

Open Heaven 12 August 2018 Hymn 3

How Great thou Art

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

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

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

Chorus:

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

Chorus:

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

Prayer Points For Today’s Open Heaven 10 August 2018 – Suffering As A Criminal?

Open Heaven 10 August 2018

1.Thank you, Father, for the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross for the remission of my sin.

2.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me.

3.Father, let every spirit of disobedience and procrastination, in my life be consumed by your fire, in Jesus’ name.

4.Father, fill me to the brim with your Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name.

5.Father, release upon my life the grace for prompt and immediate obedience, to every divine instruction, from you, in Jesus’ name.

6.Father, give me depth in your word, that l may be able to help true seekers to understand them, in Jesus’ name.

7.Father, let me be willing and ready to leave my comfort zone, in the city, to serve you in rural areas, where there are no basic amenities, if and when, l am required to do so, in Jesus’ name. Click Here To Read – Open Heaven 11 August 2018

8.Father, whenever, you give me direct instructions, give me the grace, never to begin to confer with flesh and blood, again, before carrying them out, in Jesus’ name.

9.Father, help me never to dictate to you, where and how to serve you, or question your authority and decisions, in Jesus’ name.

10.Father, let no sacrifice be too big or costly, for me to make, in furthering the course and expansion of your kingdom, in Jesus’ name.

11.Father, let there be a restoration of lost opportunities, goodness and favours, that disobedience to your instruction, in the past, has cost me, in Jesus’ name.

12.Your Personal petitions.( Philippians 4:6)

13.In Jesus’s​ name I pray.(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

14.Thank you Father for answered prayers. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Open Heaven 9 August 2018

1.I worship you, Father; the author and the finisher of my faith.

2.I worship and adore you, my Father, because, you are the rewarder of those, who diligently, seek you.

3.Thank you, Father, for sending your son, Jesus, to Calvary, to atone for my sin.

4.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus’ name.

5.Father, give me a faith that can move mountains and cause the impossible, to become possible, in my life, in Jesus’ name.

6.Father, let every spirit of doubt and unbelief, in my life, be consumed by your fire, in Jesus’ name. Click Here To Read – Open Heaven 10 August 2018

7.I speak to every mountain of sickness, disease, lack, poverty, discouragement, failure, shame, reproach, etc, in my life, “be thou removed and be cast into the sea”, in Jesus’ name.

8.Father, give me an overcoming faith; a faith so big, that could overcome all sorts of storms and challenges, of life, in Jesus’ name.

9.Father, give me the grace to humble myself, and seek your face through prayers, without ceasing, in Jesus’ name. Click Here To Read – Open Heaven 11 August 2018

10.Father, please increase my faith, and help me to be completely dependant on You in all that I do, in Jesus’ name.

11.Father, after my sojourn here on earth, please, count me worthy to see you in glory, in Jesus’ name.

12.Your Personal petitions.( Philippians 4:6)

13.In Jesus’ name I pray.(John 14:13-14; 15:16)

14.Thank you Father for answered prayers. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Open Heaven 10 August 2018 –  Suffering As A Criminal?

Open Heaven 10 August 2018 Memorise
But let non of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 1 Peter 4:15

Open Heaven 10 August 2018 Bible Reading: Romans 13:1-8

1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Bible in one year: Job 30-32, Matthew 17

“Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the Prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” John 14:30

This declaration made by our Lord Jesus Christ shortly before going to cross is very profound and significant to what He came to do for humanity. Prior to making this statement, in John 8:46 He also threw this challenge to the religious leaders of his time:

“Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why ye not believe me?”

Without these credentials, our savior would not have been qualified to redeem us. Glory be to God, we have a Redeemer who is without sin.

The early disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch because they lived like Christ after being taught His ways (Acts 11:26). This is what the Lord expects from us today. As seen in today’s memory verse, it should not even be mentioned amongst us that one of us is suffering as a result of criminal acts. Click Here To Click – Open Heaven 11 August 2018

Open Heaven 10 August 2018

This is very important for us to note because some Christians think they were born again into lawlessness. This is a wrong idea of our liberty in Christ. The Bible says Christians should be law abiding. It is an aberration when Christians are accuded of tax evasion. Click Here To Read – Open Heaven 9 August 2018

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us a perfect example in this regard when He paid His due taxes ( Matthew 17:24-27). We should therefore learn from the  Master. How would it have been if Jesus genuinely found guilty of the offences cooked up against Him ( Luke 23:4)? He would have been disqualified from carrying out the work of redemption, and we would still be in our sins today.

In today’s Bible reading, we are admonished by Paul yo obey higher powers. His understanding of God was profound that he knew that no person could come into power without God asserting into. If God installs a government for reasons best known to Him, disobeying such government in civil matters would amount to disobeying God. As a matter of  fact, our leaders are described as ministers of God ordained for our own good. For us to live peaceably in this world, let us therefore heed this warning in Romans 13:4-5:

⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

Open Heaven 10 August 2018 Prayer Point
Father, please give me the wisdom to give what belongs to Caesar to Caesar, and help me not to withhold what belongs to You from You, in Jesus’ Name.

We sincerely hope you’ve been blessed by today’s devotional message. Click the WhatsApp or Facebook button below the Hymn to share with your friends, families and colleagues. Please, drop a comment if you’ve truly been blessed by Pastor E A Adeboye’s message. God bless you! 

Open Heaven 10 August 2018 Hymn 4

TRUST AND OBEY

1. When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey

Chorus:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt nor a fear
Not a sigh nor a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief nor a loss,
Not a frown nor a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favour He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do
Where He sends we will go
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Open Heaven 11 August 2018 – Your Help Comes From the Lord

Open Heaven 11 August 2018 Memorise
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills , from whence cometh my help. Psalm 121:1

Open Heaven 11 August 2018 Bible Reading: 2 Kings 6:25-27

25 There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels[a] of silver, and a quarter of a cab[b] of seed pods[c] for five shekels.[d]

26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”

27 The king replied, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?”

Open Heaven 11 August 2018 Bible in one year: Job 33-35, Matthew 18:1-20

An African adage says that it is not wise to weep in the presence of a person who has no capacity to console you. It is a waste of time and energy to shed your tears at a place where they will not give  any help in your favour. The Holy Spirit provides direction to genuine seekers of true help on where to get help. In psalm 121:2, He says :

“My help cometh from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”

Those who have been seeking help where there is non will be wise to heed these words. Concerning such people, Isaiah 31:1 says:

“Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!”

There was once a serious famine in Samaria, such that women started killing their own children for food. As the king of Israel walked by on the wall of the city on a certain day, a woman saw him and cried out for help. The King’s response to her is a great lesson you must take to heart today. In Kings 6:26a, he said:

Click Here To Read – Open Heaven 10 August 2018

“… If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?”

Open Heaven 11 August 2018

What an eternal truth this is! Beloved, in your Christian walk, you must develop to a point where you can say “My God is more than able to help me; if He will not help me, nobody else can.” This was the stand taken by the three Hebrew boys in Babylon. In Daniel 3:16b -18, they said to king Nebuchadnezzar:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

You need to come to terms with two truths today. First and foremost, the Almighty God is the Help that is so very much present in time of need (Psalm 46:1). Secondly, if the Almighty God cannot help you in your adversity, no “mighty man” or devil can help you. When the Lord sees that you consider him to be your only source of help, He will arise for you speedily. I pray for you that the Almighty God will help you in the day of your adversity, and you shall not be ashamed in Jesus’ Name

Open Heaven 11 August 2018 Prayer Point
Father, please send your help to me today in Jesus’ Name.

We sincerely hope you’ve been blessed by today’s devotional message. Click the WhatsApp or Facebook button below the Hymn to share with your friends, families and colleagues. Please, drop a comment if you’ve truly been blessed by Pastor E A Adeboye’s message. God bless you! 

Open Heaven 11 August 2018 Hymn 11

I have decided to follow Jesus

Verse 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.

Verse 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.

Verse 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.

Verse 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.

Prayer Points For Today’s Open Heaven 8 August 2018 – The Government of self

Open Heaven 8 August 2018

1.Thank you, Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith.

2.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus’ name.

3.Unto you, my Father, who is able to keep me from falling and present me faultless, before the throne of glory, I commit my soul, in Jesus’ name.

4.Father, sanctify and keep me holy and undefiled, till the end, in Jesus’ name.

5.Father, let every legal ground and points of accusations of Satan, against me, be destroyed by your mercy and by the blood of Jesus.

6.Father, increase me in the knowledge of you, and help me to pray according to revelations and knowledge, in Jesus’ name. Click Here To Read – Open Heaven 9 August 2018

7.Father, quicken my spirit, soul and body, to watch and to pray, without ceasing, that I may escape the tragedies of the end time, in Jesus’ name.

8.Father, keep me spiritually awake and alert, 24/7; please, don’t allow me to sleep the sleep of death, in Jesus’ name.

9.Father, when the trumpet shall sound, please, let me still be found in you, clothed in Your righteousness, faultless to stand before Your throne, in Jesus’ name.

10.Father, please, do all You need to do in me, to present me faultless before Your throne, on the last day, in Jesus’ name.

11.Father, when the roll shall be called in heaven, let me and Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the author of the open heavens daily devotional/ general overseer of RCCG, be counted, in Jesus’ name.

12.Your Personal petitions.
( Philippians 4:6)
13.In Jesus’ name I pray.
(John 14:13-14; 15:16)
14.Thank you Father for answered prayers.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Open Heaven 9 August 2018 – Unbelief: The Undoing of Man

Open Heaven 9 August 2018 Memorise
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Hebrews 3:8

Open Heaven 9 August 2018 Bible Reading – Hebrews 3:7-19

Be Faithful

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice,

8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,

9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.

10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray intheir heart,
And they have not known My ways.’

11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,

15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Failure of the Wilderness Wanderers

16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?

17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?

19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Bible in one year – Job 25-29, Matthew 16:5-28

Unbelief has been reoccurring problem of mankind in spite of the abundant sign and wonder which the Almighty has demonstrated over the years. It is even more pronounced in this generation, where knowledge based on observation has tremendously increased as indicated by the Holy Spirit (Daniel 12:4).

Because the human mind is crafted from childhood  to be built around sense-based observations and not on faith, unbelief reigns supreme within the natural mind. No wonder the Lord Jesus Christ in Luke 18:8b asked in this question:

“Nevertheless when the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

You may think unbelief is just a problem of the world, since anyone who comes to God must believe that ud, according to Hebrews 11:6. Well, let me announce to you that more than ever before, the problem of unbelief is now characteristic of the church. Click Here To Click – Open Heaven 8 August 2018

The early church also had this problem and this was why the Holy Spirit sent us this warning in Hebrew 3:12

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any if you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”

The devil has craftily repackaged this old menace of unbelief in our time. When the authenticity of the Bible is being questioned and the relevance of its content to the 21st century Church is being debated among high ranking church councils and leaders, should we be looking for unbelief elsewhere?

Decades ago, some scholars sowed the seed of unbelief, and the church seemed to be careless about it. They suggested that the New Testament needed to be “demystified”,  so that the modern man could embrace the divine literature. In essence, certain things such as the accounts of miracles should be removed from the new testament so that Christianity could sound logical to the modern mind.

Open Heaven 9 August 2018

The Evangelicals and Pentecostals never thought that this  evil seed will find its way into their fold. Now we know better. Today we have a situation where several Church leaders don’t believe in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Several so-called archbishops don’t believe Jesus is the only wat that leads to salvation. Several Christians don’t believe in the reality of eternal punishment in hell fire.

This and several other forms of unbelief has taken hold in the hearts of many simple hearted Christians who are too lazy to search the scriptures to experience of the truth of God’s word themselves, little by little, the core of our faith as Christians is being eroded away.

The question that Jesus asked about our faith, which seemed so farfetched in His days is increasingly becoming real in our day. This is why the Holy Spirit is saying to us  in Habakkuk 2:4b

“… but the just shall live by his faith.”

What is the state of your faith in God and his immutable word today?

Open Heaven 9 August 2018 Prayer Point
Father, please help me so that my faith may not be eroded by unbelief under the guise of ‘modernism’.

We sincerely hope you’ve been blessed by today’s devotional message. Click the WhatsApp or Facebook button below the Hymn to share with your friends, families and colleagues. Please, drop a comment if you’ve truly been blessed by Pastor E A Adeboye’s message. God bless you! 

Open Heaven 9 August 2018 Hymn 10

There shall be showers of blessing

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

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

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

[Chorus]

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

[Chorus]

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

[Chorus]

Open Heaven 7 August 2018

1.Thank you Father for your power of restoration.

2.Thank you Father because you are the God of harvest.

3.Father, let every sin that is blocking my reward and harvest in your vineyard be blotted out by the blood of Jesus.

4.Father, awaken Youe church from our  deep slumber, in Jesus’ name.

5.I decree life to every part of my spiritual and physical life, in Jesus’ name.

6.Father, please deliver me from the lies of the devil in the form of old prophet heretics

7.Father, help me to wake up to Your expectations from me in areas such as holy living, soul winning and service to humanity

8.Father, let there be uncommon and total restoration of all your blessings and opportunities, that have eluded me, in Jesus’ name. Click to read – Open Heaven 8 August 2018

9.Father, let all the rewards and harvests of the divine and good labours of my ancestors be released to me today.

10.Father, I shall not fall to the Devil’s tricks, In Jesus Name.

11.Father, grant all the heart’s desires of Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the author of the open heavens daily devotional and general overseer of RCCG, and uphold him till the end. More grace to his life and family, in Jesus’ name.

12.Your Personal petitions.
( Philippians 4:6)
13.In Jesus’ name I pray.
(John 14:13-14; 15:16)
14.Thank you Father for answered prayers.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Open Heaven 8 August 2018 – The Government of self

.

Open Heaven 8 August 2018 Memorise
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Luke 6:46

Open Heaven 8 August 2018 Bible Reading For Today – Luke 15:11-21

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.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

Open Heaven 8 August 2018 Bible in one year – Job 21-24, Matthew 15:21-16:4

The story of the prodigal son can aptly be summarized as what happens under the government of self. Although man was created to have dominion, he was not created to be governed by  self. This truth accounts for the instruction God gave man in Genesis 2:15-17

“And the Lord God took thr man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat : But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die.”

One can safely assume that the purpose of these instructions was to let man know that he is under divine governance. It is unfortunate that the devil sold the idea of self-government to man. This same idea was what lead to the  devil’s fall from grace, and as a matter of fact, he continued to be the problem of man even today (Isaiah 14:12-15).

The Lord is asking you today : are you living under the government of self or planning to detach yourself from the governance of heaven? Please don’t tread this path. None of those who did it before you have ever had a good story to tell. Psalm 2:1-5 tells us that God is sorely displeased by attempts to rebel against His Lordship.

People tend to see obeying God’s instructions as slavery, just as the prodigal son saw the control of his Father as slavery. The prodigal son wanted his “freedom” , and so he decided to break away from his father’s control, not because his father was wicked or because he was suffering or lacked anything.

Open Heaven 8 August 2018

All he wanted was self-rule, and he suffered for it. Every story of self rule initiated against God’s governance ends in chaos, regret and unbearable suffering. The unfortunate thing is that the government of self is finding its way into today’s Church. Today any church leadership that tends to be built around the governance of God’s spirit is often maligned, ridiculed and condemned. Click To Read – Open Heaven 7 August 2018

From the onset, the church of God was designed to be ruled by the Holy Spirit. He is the Vicar that Jesus Christ sent to us after his ascension into heaven. Whatever we do outside the Holy Spirit is invalid. I have said this several times , and because it is the truth and the truth is constant, I cannot retract this statement.

Years ago when certain brothers demanded freedom from our church, I told them that any freedom more than what they have already under God would amount to bondage. Those who did not believe me then, who found a way of getting the freedom they desired, understand this truth better now. Beloved voluntarily put yourself under the governance of God; it pays now and it will not be worth it in thr hereafter.

Open Heaven 8 August 2018 Prayer Point
Father, please forgive me in any way I have sought self rule , and take control  of my life from now onward in Jesus’ Name

We sincerely hope you’ve been blessed by today’s devotional message. Click the WhatsApp or Facebook button below the Hymn to share with your friends, families and colleagues. Please, drop a comment if you’ve truly been blessed by Pastor E A Adeboye’s message. God bless you!

Open Heaven 8 August 2018 Hymn 2

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

Verse 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!

Verse 2:
Have we trials and temptations?
Is 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.

Verse 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 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.

Prayer Points For Today’s Open Heaven 6 August 2018 – Worldliness Defined

Open Heaven 6 August 2018

1.Thank you, Father, for your promise, never to leave or forsake me, even, though, the whole world does.

2.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, have mercy and forgive me.

3.Father, give me the grace to run away from every appearance of evil, in Jesus’ name.

4.Father, let me never be unequally yoked with unbelievers, in all my life’s endeavours, except to bring them to the saving grace of our Christ Jesus.

5.Father, give me total victory and make me an overcomer, in the battle over sin and all the activities of the flesh, in Jesus’ name.

6.I take authority over principalities and powers; rulers of darkness of this world; and spiritual wickedness, in high places, in Jesus’ name.

7.Father, give me the grace, never to compromise my faith, in the face of persecution, or for the filthy lucre of this world, in Jesus’ name.

8.Father, help me to separate myself from the world, unto you, in holiness and let my purity and loyalty to you, stand out, for the whole world to see, in Jesus’ name.

9.Father, keep me occupied with things of eternal spiritual values, that, there will be no room to pursue, worldly, mundane activities, in Jesus’ name. Click to read – Open Heaven 7 August 2018

10.Father, keep me holy, undefiled, and without blemish, until the coming of Christ, in Jesus’ name.

11.Father, make me like a tree planted by the rivers of water, let me flourish and be fruitful, in season and out of season, in Jesus’ name.

12.Your Personal Petitions.
(Philippians 4:6)

13.In Jesus’ name I pray.

(John 15:16)

14.Thank you Father for answered prayers.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18).