Open Heaven 21 May 2018 – Under Authority?

Open Heaven 21 May 2018 Memorise:
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the Angel departed from her. Luke 1:38

Open Heaven 21 May 2018 Bible Reading: Mathew 8:5-13

The Faith of the Centurion

⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.

⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

¹² But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

Open Heaven 21 May 2018 Bible in one year: 2 Samuel 17:18, 1 John 1:1-2:6

Open Heaven 21 May 2018 Message

The reason why the children of God are not living a triumphant life daily is because they refuse to submit themselves to authority and the Lordship of their father, the Almighty. Some are like the prodigal son who sought premature freedom and independence from his father (Luke 15: 12-13).

In today’s Bible Reading, we see a man who knew what it was to be under authority and the blessings that comes along with it. This man is the centurion, whose faith our Lord Jesus Christ described as great. After Jesus had decided to go with him to heal his servant, this centurion did not deem it necessary for Jesus to go to his house, because he was a man under authority and he understood the attendant implications of this.

He knew Jesus was under authority and had great authority. He also believed that if Jesus exercised His authority over demons from where he was, they would obey Him. Hear what he said in Mathew 8:8b

“Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.”

It is interesting to note the contrast between the proud attitude of Naaman and the humble disposition of this centurion to spiritual authority. (2 Kings 5:11). The holy spirit reveals the secret to spiritual authority in James 4:7 where he says,

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

This is where the problem lies with some children of God. First thing first; we must submit to the authority of God in his word before we can resist the devil and his attacks. When we follow this order, the devil will definitely flee from us because we are operating under God’s authority in his word.

Regardless of who is speaking it, the word of God must be respected and given its rightful place in our lives. You must submit to the authority of God’s word by being a doer of it if you will experience a performance of its purpose in your life (James 1:25). Open Heaven 19 May 2018

Open Heaven 21 May 2018

Beloved, are you under the authority of Almighty God in his word? It is all well and good if you are. However, if you find it difficult to submit to God’s authority in his word, you will experience the frustration of the word not working for you. Open Heaven 20 May 2018

If you are in this situation, repent today and submit to God’s authority in His word that is forever settled. One more lesson you should learn from today’s Bible Reading is that while many shall come from all over the world to benefit from the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the children of the kingdom who refuse to submit to God’s authority would be cast away. This will not be your portion in Jesus Name.

Open Heaven 21 May 2018 Prayer Point:
Father, please keep me under the pavilion of the authority in your word today. Don’t let me depart from your secret place

Open Heaven 21 May 2018 Hymn 4

Through the love of God our Savior

Through the love of God our Savior,

All will be well;

Free and changeless is His favor;

All, all is well.

Precious is the blood that healed us;

Perfect is the grace that sealed us;

Strong the hand stretched out to shield us;

All must be well.

Verse 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.

Verse 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,

Or in living, or in dying,

All must be well.

Open Heaven 20 May 2018 – From Jacob To Israel

Open Heaven 20 May 2018 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

Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Bible Reading For Today: Genesis 35: 9-15

¹¹ And God said to him, “I am God Almighty^[d];be fruitful and increase in number. A nationand a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.

¹² The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

¹³ Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.

Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Bible reading in one year 2 Samuel 15-16, 2 Peter 3

Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Message

Jacob was the second son of Issac. His early life projected a lifestyle and behavioral pattern that closely matched his name, which can be interpreted as supplanter, impersonator, deceiver or usurper. However, he received mercy from the Lord and has a divine encounter where God decided to change his name. In Genesis 32:28, God said to him:

“…thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel…”

The renaming of Jacob as Israel (which means “triumphant with God”) was a spiritual event that had far reaching effects on his physical life and his personality. Immediately after his identity was changed, Jacob stopped exhibiting the characteristics of his old name. The old things about Jacob passed away and all things became new for him as Israel. Open Heaven 19 May 2018

I pray for someone reading this Devotional that every old symptom of sin, sickness, poverty, bondage and oppression shall pass away from your life today in Jesus’ Name.

Open Heaven 20 May 2018

It is important to note that what happened to Jacob in the Old testament is closely related to the regeneration experience seen in the New Testament. Regeneration is the change brought about by the spirit of God, which makes a person new creature in Christ Jesus.

The salvation that Jesus brought to us is not simply to energize the old creation with new ability and power; rather, it brings about a new creature that has the divine nature of God (2 Peter 1:4). It ignites a spiritual process wherein everything working against the regenerated person is thoroughly dealt with (Colossians 2:14).

The practical result of this is spiritual regeneration evidenced by radical change in the nature, character, desires and motives of the transformed persons.

The new creature is so new and different from the old that it even requires new diet to survive, which is the word of God. That is why Matthew 4:4b says:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”

Concerning regeneration, the key element is change. God is calling all of mankind to change through the power of his word. However, there is a strong resistance to this change in every human being. (Romans 8:7).

This resistance comes from the mind and the body, and must be overcome before any real change can make manifest. The transformation experience requires serious effort to overcome this resistance. (Romans 12:2). Whenever anyone surrenders his or her life to Jesus, God takes hold of the old lifeless creature and fashions it into a new creature that is Heaven-bound, full of life and suitable for His use. Have you experience this transformation indeed?

Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Key Point:
The inner transformation that Jesus gives must manifest as outward change for all to see

Open Heaven 20 May 2018 Hymn 12

Sing Hymn 12: How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds

In a believer’s ear!

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,

And drives away his fear.

Verse 2:

It makes the wounded spirit whole,

And calms the troubled breast;

’Tis manna to the hungry soul,

And to the weary, rest.

Verse 3:

Jesus! My Shepherd, Husband, Friend,

 O Prophet, Priest and King,

 My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,

 Accept the praise I bring.

Verse 4:

Weak is the effort of my heart,

 And cold my warmest thought;

 But when I see Thee as Thou art,

 I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

Verse 5:

Till then I would Thy love proclaim

With every fleeting breath,

And may the music of Thy Name

Refresh my soul in death!

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: (Wednesday, May 16, 2018) – Hospitable?

1.Thank you, Father, for freely giving me all things, pertaining to life and godliness, through Jesus Christ, your son.

2.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus’ name. Open Heaven 18 May 2018

3.Father, give me the grace to love my neighbours as myself, and to do unto others, as I want them do unto me, in Jesus’ name.

4.Father, let every spirit of stinginess preventing me from giving, be consumed by your fire, in Jesus’ name. Open Heaven 17 May 2018

5.Father, release upon my life, the spirit of hospitality, generosity and giving, in Jesus’ name.

6.Father, I refuse to go to hell, on account of stinginess, please, give me a large heart and make me an addictive giver, in Jesus’ name.

7.Father, make me an addictive giver, particularly to, strangers, the poor, the needy, the fatherless and the widows, in Jesus’ name.

8.Father, make me an instrument of spreading your love everywhere, through hospitality and giving, in Jesus’ name.

9.Father, let nothing be too big or too costly, for me to spend or sacrifice, in your cause, for the expansion of your kingdom, in Jesus’ name.

10.Father, as you have freely given me all things, please, help me to freely give and use, all the resources that you have endowed me with, to serve you and your church, in Jesus’ name.

11.Thank you, Father, for all that you have used Pastor E.A. Adeboye for, in my life and in your church, please, reward him abundantly, 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).