OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY 17TH DECEMBER 2020.

THEME: ON THE LORD’S SIDE?

MEMORISE:

 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Matthew 12:30

READ: Exodus 32:22-26

22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

MESSAGE:

The Israelites had departed from God while Moses was on the Mount. They had begun to worship a golden calf which Aaron was pressured to make for them. This made Moses ask “Who is on the Lord’s side?” (Exodus 32:26)

Even in God’s service, people have varying motives.

While many may profess to be for God, their claims may not be entirely true, considering their secret lives. However, some Christians are true friends of God; in private and in the open. Even when they make mistakes, they don’t give excuses or seek to cover them up; they repent immediately. Their objective is ‘holiness unto the Lord’. Are you on the Lord’s side?

As there are two sides to a coin, so there are to the spiritual also: the good and the bad, Heaven and hell, God’s kingdom of light and Satan’s kingdom of darkness. You are either on one side or the other.

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” Joshua 5:13

Like the angel in the above passage had his sword drawn, so does everyone in the sprit realm, but who is your sword working for or against?

With every word you say and every action you take, your sword is swung, for or against God. If you conspire with people to sin instead of rebuking them, you are swinging, for or against God. If you consciously give erroneous interpretations of the Bible to fellow believers, you are clearly against God and on the side of Satan.

So many tongue-speaking ‘Christians’ are with the devil. This is dangerous. I pray for God’s mercy on such people.

Whose side are you truly on? 

ACTION POINT:

Examine your heart to see if you are truly on The Lord’s side. Make amends in repentance today if you find yourself wanting.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  1 Timothy 1-6

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 4: BLESSED ASSURANCE, JESUS IS MINE.

1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

o Refrain:

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels, descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY 18TH DECEMBER 2020

THEME: SUPPORT MISSIONARIES.

MEMORISE:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

READ: 3 John 1:5-7

5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;

6 Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:

7 Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

MESSAGE:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

As we pray for and bless the Shepherds around us with gifts, let us not forget those in hostile and war-torn communities too.

It is not God’s will for missionaries to be abandoned while wealthy Christians enjoyed His blessings in the urban centers. Usually, these gospel crusaders risk their lives, having left their cities and families to do God’s work in places most of us would not consider going to. This is why we must support them with both our prayers and resources.

You can commit a certain percentage of your monthly income to support a missionary group. What you consider negligible could go a long way to ease their burden. A constant supply of food and amenities for their communities would make their audience more receptive, while also giving them some influence even amongst the rulers of the land.

When Christians missionaries first arrived Nigeria, their work was easy because as they came with Bibles, they also brought education for the children and medicines for the sick. If they hadn’t succeeded, perhaps many more of us would have been involved in rituals today.

Modern Christians have not supported mission trips as much as in the past, thus, allowing the devil spread his message of perversion like wildfire.

Those who would have loved to be missionaries hold back because of the fear that no one would remember them. Some have left the mission field, not for their sakes, but for their children’s. A little help could reverse the trend. You may not be able to go to the field but you can also win souls to God with your resources and prayers. Don’t miss this opportunity. Support missionaries today.

KEY POINT:

If you cannot go on mission trips, at least support those who do.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Titus 1-3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 9: HOLD THE FORT.

1. Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky!

Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.

o Refrain:

“Hold the fort, for I am coming,” Jesus signals still;

Wave the answer back to Heaven, “By Thy grace we will.”

2. See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;

Mighty ones around us falling, courage almost gone!

3. See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!

In our Leader’s Name we triumph over every foe.

4. Fierce and long the battle rages, but our help is near;

Onward comes our great Commander, cheer, my comrades, cheer!