OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

AUTHOR:

PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

TUESDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER 2020 

TOPIC : GOD IS COMING TO YOUR HOME III

 

Memory Verse: 

Deuteronomy 23:14 - For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

Bible Reading: Luke 22:8-14 

8.  And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.

9.  And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?

10.  And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.

11.  And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?

12.  And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.

13.  And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.

14.  And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

Bible in one year: Daniel 7-9 

Message: 

Several years ago, I promised to visit one of my Pastors. I had told him I would stay only a few minutes, pray and leave. Since he wanted me to stay a bit longer, he devised a means. He got a very good collection of hymns and started playing just before I arrived. I ended up staying for hours. Do you know God will cut His visit to some homes short if the environment is not conducive?

“therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. Deuteronomy 23:14”

My Father-in-the-Lord - Pa Josiah Akindayomi, once preached a message about this. He said we must keep our houses clean if we want God there. God detests dirt so much that if He finds any unclean thing in a camp, He leaves (Deuteronomy 23:14 ). He asked: When last did you clean under your bed? If it is full of dust and dirt, God cannot stay. Those who work with me know that, if you claimed to have cleaned a room and I find dust at the top of the door, you may have to repeat the cleaning because I want anywhere I am to be conducive for God to stay.

Pa Akindayomi also taught us that God cannot stay where ungodly music is played. This is because music carries a spirit with it. If you play godly music, the spirit of God will stay, but if you play worldly music, demons are invited to stay. What kind of music do you play in your home? This can determine if God will stay in your home or not. Finally, God is love. He cannot stay where strife and bitterness persist. If you are always fighting and insulting your spouse, you are sending God away. Instead, pray together, raise an altar of praise in your home. Once there is an altar where you and your family meet to pray and praise God, you can be sure He will dwell with you for as long as you want Him to. Jesus loves you and He wants to stay in your home; make it conducive for Him today. 

Prayer Point: 

Using the lessons learnt today, make sure everything is in place for your home to be conducive for God to stay in when He comes.

HYMN 5: DEEPER, DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS.

1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus

Daily let me go;

Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,

More of grace to know.

Refrain:

Oh, deeper yet, I pray,

And higher every day,

And wiser, blessed Lord,

In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,

Take me deeper still,

Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,

And His perfect will.

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,

Deeper let me go!

Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,

Let me fruitful grow.

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,

Till all conflict past,

Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image

Perfected at last.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

AUTHOR:

PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

FRIDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 2020 

TOPIC : BECOMING AN EXEMPLARY LEADER II

 

Memory Verse: 

Genesis 11:4   - And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Bible Reading: Genesis 11:1-6 

1.  And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2.  And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3.  And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.

4.  And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

5.  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

6.  And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Bible in one year: Ezra 4-6

 

Message: 

Rarely will anyone see a better way of doing things and not connect with it. If you want to do the extraordinary, your followers must first and foremost share the same vision with you. Before the people started working on the project in Genesis 11, the leaders had spelt out the vision to everyone. Don't expect people to join you when they don't know where you are going. Sell your vision so convincingly that they will adopt it as their own and be ready to pay any price to get there. Habakkuk 2:2  says: 

“And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”

As a leader, is your vision written for all your followers to see? Is it plain enough for them to understand? Is it available on all tables rather than just your table? If you answered yes to all, then you have laid the right foundation for your followers to key into your vision.

Habakkuk 2:2  says the vision should be plain upon tables, not just a table. Thus, every stakeholder must be aware of the vision. Long before our exponential growth started in the RCCG, we made it compulsory for the vision and mission statements to be displayed publicly in every parish. Everyone knew our number one vision is to make heaven and the second is to take as many as possible with us. So, we were always looking for ways to start new parishes of the Church. Today there are so many parishes around the world, not because I am an expert at planting them, but because the vision is no longer just mine, it is everyone's. 

Sometimes ago, I prophesied that the work would be so much, I wouldn’t be able to attend to all and even ushers would perform wonders. 

Today, by the grace of God, miracles happen during praise and worship sessions at some of our services. A lot of members and workers are already being used of God. One woman even raised three dead people in one day, something I am yet to do.

Reflection: 

Is your vision plainly written down for all your followers to see?

HYMN 20: 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 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 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 grief 

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 thy sky, 

Sun, moon, and stars forgot, Upwards I fly 

Still all my songs shall be Nearer my God to thee, 

Nearer to thee!