OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TEENS FRIDAY 11TH MAY 2018: WHOSE IMAGE ARE YOU?

MEMORISE: Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

Please read: 1 Samuel 30:1-6

MESSAGE:
Discouragement is a great tool in the hands of the enemy. The devil usually does not apply
discouragement when you are in high spirits or
when you are happy; discouragement comes.when you are in low spirits, sad and unhappy. If
there is something you have been looking up to God for that is pending, that is when you become a candidate for discouragement.

The devil introduces discouragement when you are tired,
weak and sometimes helpless (1 Kings 19:4). To
overcome discouragement therefore, allow the
joy of the Lord to be your strength. Be filled with God’s Word and hold on to His promises at every point in time.

Moreover, when you are closest to achieving your goal, the enemy can bring discouragement.
We often fall prey to this because of our inability.to see beyond now. Open Heaven 13 May 2018

Whenever the devil tells you that you cannot achieve a thing, immediately tell him that the Word of God says you can do all things by God’s strength. Never believe the lie of
the devil or of men. You can do all things through the strength of the Lord that is inside you.

Receive divine encouragement from Heaven
today in Jesus’ name. Open Heaven 12 May 2018

ACTION POINT:
Use positive confessions and Bible-based
declarations to counter any discouragement you
may be facing now.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Kings 1-3
John 3:22-36

Hymn 1
1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

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

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

4. When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Saviour, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!

Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heavens: (Friday, May 11, 2018) – Spiritual Sensitivity

1.Thank you, Father, for translating me from the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of your dear son, Jesus, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

2.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus’ name. Open Heaven 13 May 2018

3.Father, I want to be vibrant for you, please, set me on fire for you, in Jesus’ name.

4.Father, give me the grace to be subject to the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name.

5.Father, empower me to be spiritually alert and sensitive to the things of the spirit, in Jesus’ name. Open Heaven 12 May 2018

6.Father, open my spiritual eyes that I may be able to see beyond the physical, in Jesus’ name.

7.Father, open my spiritual ears, to hear the inaudible, spiritual conversations in heavenly places, in Jesus’ name.

8.Father, in the midst of life’s spiritual battles, please, do not allow me sleep the sleep of death, in Jesus’ name.

9.Father, let every insulator in my life, that has been preventing the free flow of your power and anointing, be destroyed, by the blood of Jesus.

10.Father, let every power, quenching the light of the spirit, in my life, be consumed by your fire, in Jesus’ name.

11.Father, lift up the head of Pastor E.A. Adeboye, above those of all his enemies, 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 13 May 2018 – Decision Making II

Memories
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:16

Open Heaven 13 May 2018 Genesis 25:29-34

29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Open Heaven 13 May 2018 Bible in one year: 2 Samuel 1-2, 1 Peter 1: 1-12

The original intention and will of God for mankind is that we would maintain our innocence while still exercising our free will to make decisions in total obedience to His word. His desire is for us to make the decisions in conscious and deliberate submission to His authority, not out of ignorance but in innocence. Life involves making decisions at different levels and under various circumstances.

To help is navigate our way through life successfully, the Scripture offers us guidance on how we should make decisions, while providing examples of good and bad decisions and their consequences. Relying on the human knowledge of good and evil motivates people to reason things out and arrive at seemingly good decisions that are based on prevailing culture, level of intelligence and personal preference, without any serious consideration for obedience to the will of God. The truth is, decision- making is the most vital aspect of life because the quality of a person’s decision determines the level of success or failure he or she attains.

The Bible narrates some classic examples of bad decisions made over the ages of their consequences. The most harmful of this is found in Genesis 3:6

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes ,and a tree to be desired toake one wise , she took of the fruit thereof…”

This was the decision that got the whole of humanity into trouble, but thank God for Jesus who redeemed us by His Blood. Another example is Esau who chose to sell his birthright for bread and pottage , and he lost it forever. Samson also made bad choices , including his decision to mingle with strange women, which destroyed his life, made him lose his lower and cause him to die in the camp of his enemies (Judges 16:1).

Open Heaven 13 May 2018

Furthermore in 1 Samuel 13:8-9, King Saul’s decision to offer the required burnt offering in the absence of prophet Samuel made him lose everything. The Lord would restore everything you have lost today in Jesus name.

The Bible also contains examples of those who made good decisions. Joseph refused the sexual advances of his master’s wife, and God ensured that his dreams came to pass ( Genesis 39:7-9). Open Heaven 11 May 2018

In Ruth 1:15-16, against all odds, Ruth decided to follow her mother-in-law, and the God of Israel settled her. She became the great grandmother of king David, and our Lord Jesus Christ later came out from her lineage. I pray that you would not make the wrong decisions that will change the course of your life for evil in the mighty Name of Jesus

Open Heaven 13 May 2018 Prayer Point
Father, please help me depend on you for all my decisions in life in Jesus’ name

Open Heaven 13 May 2018 Hymn 9

Open Heaven 12 May 2018 – Decision-Making I

Memories
And if it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve ; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood , or the gods of the amorites , in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve the LORD.  Joshua 24:15

Open Heaven 12 May 2018 Bible Reading
Ruth 1:11-18

11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;

13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.

14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

Are you presently in any of life’s crossroads? God expects that your decisions would be the end result of a process of reflection on the available choices before you, informed and sustained by a concern to please Him.

You therefore need guidance from the Holy Spirit before making up your mind on any issue, especially the difficult ones. Our loving Father has provided assistance for our decision-making process through the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures, individuals and the natural world around us.

In Joshua chapter 24, the All-knowing God knew that the Israelites would soon have to make the conscious decision of either serving Him or the gods of the nations around them. He therefore presented His case on why the should serve Him by reminding them of how He brought Abraham their Father out of his native land, across the river, into the Promised Land.

He future recounted how He delivered them from slavery in Egypt and took them through the wilderness with miracle, signs and wonders attending every aspect of their journey. The Lord then announced to them that if they found it difficult to serve Him wholeheartedly after everything He had done for them, they were free to choose whom they would serve. However, Joshua immediately answered for himself that he and his family would serve the Lord

Why would God give his people the option of serving other gods? The truth of the matter is, our God’s leadership is not authoritarian or forceful. He will tell you his rules and regulations, and make his position on issues very clear.

He will also reveal what awaits you in the future based on the choices you make today. You can be sure that He would allow you to have your way, and He will also give you the opportunity to exercise your free will.

However, you must be ready to accept the repercussions of your choices and take responsibility for your actions at the end of it all. If you are a good student of the Bible you would observe that each time someone acted contrary to God’s word, they always suffer terribly for it. Open Heaven 11 May 2018

For example contrary to God’s warning, Is real decided to have a king instead of letting God lead them through His Prophets. They turned deaf ears to God’s warning in 1 Samuel 8:18 and they suffered terribly for it in the hands of Solomon and the succeeding kings. Open Heaven 10 May 2018

Rather than act in defiance to God’s instructions, it is always better to heed to His counsel. Be ready to reason with God in His word and through prayers, and you will be rewarded with divine directions that wills lead to your breakthrough (Isaiah 1:18)

Open Heaven 12 May 2018 Prayer point

Father, please help me to always act according to your will and to remain in your favor in Jesus’ Name

Bible in one year : 1 Samuel 29-31, Jame 5

Open Heaven 12 May 2018 Hymn 5

The Great Physician now is near,

The sympathizing Jesus;

He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,

Oh, hear the voice of Jesus!

Sweetest note in seraph 

Sweetest name on mortal tongue;

Sweetest carol ever sung:

Jesus, blessed Jesus!

2 Your many sins are all forgiv’n,

Oh, hear the voice of Jesus;

The veil ’twixt you and God is riven,

Redemption wrought by Jesus.

3 All glory to the dying Lamb!

I now believe in Jesus;

I love the blessed Savior’s name,

I love the name of Jesus.

4 His name dispels my guilt and fear,

No other name but Jesus;

Oh, how my soul delights to hear

The charming name of Jesus!