Daily Devotions

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Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye, 2nd April, 2016

 

ETERNAL DAMNATION 
Memorise: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but

he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16

Read: Mark 16:15-18, 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

 

Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 6:1-8:18, Proverbs 3:28-4:9
Eternal damnation is the worst thing that can happen to anyone, it is damnation for a lifetime here on earth and in eternity. Our Lord Jesus Christ said:
“And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”
Luke 12:4-5
Jesus Christ in the above passage is taking about eternal damnation for sinners and the ungodly. Many people choose eternal damnation indirectly by escaping the cost that godly living posses to them. in the midst of trials and tribulations, some children of God deny their Lord. Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:25-34 said we should not be anxious for what to eat or drink because our Father in heaven knows we will need them and so will provide them for us. We should not bow to the enticement of the devil. Rather, we should heed the Words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, even if this exposes us to some challenges that are, as a matter of fact, temporary. This is the reason Jesus admonished His disciples saying:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace in the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
To escape eternal damnation, therefore, we must accept the gospel of Jesus Christ wholeheartedly. It is unfortunate that there are many people in the Church today who do not believe the gospel. Some see the gospel as outdated; they believe that Christ came to redeem man from eternal damnation but they refused to keep to the terms and conditions of salvation. According to the text of our reading for today, accepting the gospel entails accepting the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives. We cannot do what pleases us anymore; we cannot afford to follow the whims and caprices of the world anymore (1st John 2:15-17). Moreover, we must learn His ways and imbibe His ideals (Matthew 11:28-30). Failure to keep to these principles of Christian living makes our profession of Christianity a mere exercise. Jesus Christ asked His audience:
“And why call ye me, Lord Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
Luke 6:46
May the Lord give us hearing ears and obedient hearts to do according to His perfect will.
Prayer Point

 

Father, drench me with new anointing, and remove every hindrance to its flow in my life in Jesus’ name.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye 1st, April 2016

DIVINE ALTERNATIVE 
Memorise: And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the

kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. 1st Samuel 15:28

Read: Acts 1:15-26, 15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers atJerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

 

Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 3-5, Proverbs 3:13-27
Many people do not know that God has alternatives for all His plans. This is why they behave as if God exists at their mercy. Such people cannot be more wrong in their perception of the Almighty God. The truth is that God cannot be held to ransom on any issue or event. This is why He always provides alternatives that are more often better than the original plan. Our memory verse for today confirms this, as we read about how God saw David as a better alternative to the first king of Israel, Saul. When a child of God becomes swollen-headed and he begins to disobey God in matters that seem very little like tithing and offering, first fruits and soul winning, he or she is on the way to being replaced. My prayer for someone using this devotional is that you will not be replaced in the scheme of divine projects in Jesus’ name.
In the Bible reading for today, there is a great revelation of God’s foreknowledge of all things and how this attribute makes Him provide alternatives beforehand. The replacement of Judas Iscariot was predicted by the mouth of King David who was also a prophet in his right. The implication of this revelation is that before Judas Iscariot chose to be a betrayer which in turn disqualified him among the twelve, God had planned an alternative for him! Another lesson we can learn from this as children of God is that whenever a way seems blocked, God has more than a thousand alternative ways to replace the blocked one. The Bible says:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
Beloved, learning from the story of King Saul and Judas Iscariot, we must be very careful about the way we lead our lives, so that what happened to them does not repeat itself in our lives, 1stCorinthians 10:6 says;
“Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.”
As I was growing up in my father’s house, I leant to be obedient through the experience of my elder brother with our disciplinarian father. My elder brother was a very strong young man with a good physique, strength and wresting prowess. Only a few young men among his contemporaries could dare challenge him to a fight. However, the day our father disciplined my elder brother and this so called ‘hero’ cried like a baby, I decided never to do anything that would make our father think of punishing me. God has alternatives to any child of His that is not law-abiding. Let us therefore beware of doing things that will make God replace us with someone else.
Prayer Point

 

Father, help me never to do that which will make You replace me in Your Kingdom.

Open Heavens Daily by Pastor E.A Adeboye.. 31st, March 2016.

“LORD JESUS” A MERE SLOGAN? 
Memorise: Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall

enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

Read: Luke 6:43-46, 43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

 

 Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 2, Proverbs 2:12-3:12
There are those who know God and there are those who claim to know Him, but do not submit to His Lordship. They come to the presence of God, but their sins do not allow His glory to rub off on them. They are religious in nature and partake in every ritual of the church but it is only for the benefits of being seen as members of the community of saints. They depend on their own righteousness and not the grace of God. They read the scriptures but the scriptures do not reflect in the way they live. They understand all the letters of the commandments but there is no life in their spirit. Their hypocritical nature draws people away from Christ. Do you know God, or you are only claiming to know Him? Is your life in harmony with the message you preach? It is the conduct of your life that will be used in justifying whether you know Him or not. As a tree in the vineyard of God, are you producing good fruits or bad fruits. Is your life a good example whose life does not conform to the requirements of the master cannot enter into thekingdom of God. When you hear the Word of God, do you obey it? Are you motivated by the love to obey Him? One cannot claim to love Jesus and not be willing to abide by His standards. There is no other foundation upon which one’s life can be fruitful eternally outside Jesus. It is not enough to know what is in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation; what is required of us is to live by the Truth in His Word.
The people who are blessed are those who do not have a life style of sin, because true joy comes from doing the will of God. You are to be defined by your desire to do that which is pleasing to God at all times. Your mind should be focused always on godly things. Let Jesus be your source of life so that you can truly live. The faith of a child of God is continually nourished by the Word of God. When you hear the Word of God, it should produce faith in you, and faith should compel you to do what is acceptable before Him. For those who know Him as Lord Jesus, they are blessed. If He is your Lord, there is no room for pride and arrogance in your life. You must empty yourself of self-reliance and submit to His Lordship. The one that is humble will always look to Jesus and place all of his inadequacies before the Cross. Your nature as a Christian who is under the ruler-ship of Jesus must change for good; the focus is no longer on self. If Jesus is Lord over your life, you cannot seek the downfall of others. There will be no room in your heart for evil motives because your heart now reflects the pure nature of God. No room for hypocrisy.
“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.”
Psalm 15:1-2
Your heart should produce a holy life and be focused only on God. Apostle Paul said “that I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). Is He your Lord or ‘Lord Jesus’ is a mere slogan to you?
Key Point
If He is your Lord, you will do His will.

 

Open Heavens By Pastor E.A Adeboye…30th, March 2016

 

THE FAITH OF A CHILD 
Memorise: And said, verily I say unto you, excerpt ye be

converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of God. Mathew 18:3

Read: Matthew 18:1-4, 18 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

 

Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 1, Proverbs 2:20-3:12
One of the greatest lessons to learn from little children is that they don’t worry about anything. This is the way God expects us to relate with Him; relaxing and putting all matters in His care, knowing that it will always end up in our best interest. Nothing good can be achieved when we trust only in ourselves, because every step we take will always lead to one mistake or another. Your faith in God must be real. A father will promise his son an aeroplane even though the man does not own a bicycle, yet the child believes, because his father said so. As a child of the Almighty God, you should humbly come before Jesus, surrendering all your desires and worries to Him. With this attitude, you will always leave His presence with a confirmation that all your requests are granted. Real faith goes beyond the natural to a point in which those things that seemed impossible become possible. Faith causes events contrary to natural laws to take place. Faith is required to move the immovable and to reverse the irreversible.
When you go into the presence of God, focus on Him and worship Him. He will wipe your tears and remove all forms of worries, sorrows and problems from your life. Seek the face of God concerning anything He wants you to do. As you release your faith and follow God as a child who trusts the instructions of his father, you will be amazed at the wonderful things that will begin to manifest in your life. Sometimes when I go before God with the aim of presenting my requests, He asks me to do something sacrificial myself. At a moment in the history of RCCG, when we were not growing the way I wanted, I decided to seek the face of God by engaging in some spiritual exercises. Suddenly the Lord asked me what I would give to Him, I responded by saying that I was ready to give anything in order to see the kind of Church I was praying for. Then, He told me to sow my Pajero jeep which was as good as a private jet to me at that time. I loved my Pajero so much because it was one car that never gave me problems, but the Lord asked me to sow it into another ministry and I obeyed. The day the representative of that ministry came to pick it up, my driver wept; but that was the beginning of a turning point in my ministry. It was really painful to give out the car, but the pain could not be compared to the joy that I eventually had, simply because I believed in God’s faithfulness.
Faith in God is very vital to our walk as Christians. It is an expression of our confidence in God and on His promises. Nothing ever works without faith. Repentance is impossible without faith. The prodigal son had faith in his father, knowing that the worst that could happen was that he would be made a servant. Through his act of faith and his going before his father in true repentance, his sonship was restored. Do you think you have missed it beyond repairs? Have faith in God. Do you think that opportunity will never come again? Have faith in God.
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”
1st John 5:4
Key Point

 

Nothing works without faith.

STEP OUT OF DEFEAT – (Open Heavens daily for teenagers 2016) Tuesday 26th January 2016

STEP OUT OF DEFEAT – (Open Heavens daily for teenagers 2016) 

Memorise: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according

unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Psalms 51:1

Please Read: 1st Kings 21:17-29, 17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.

19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

23 And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

 

Bible in one year: Jeremiah 7:1-8:17; Acts 15:12-35

MESSAGE!!!

Samsondied with the enemies; this was due to carelessness on his part. If you feel that you have fallen into sin this how to get out, and is also the route to not fall into sin;

  • Pay close attention to God’s voice (Deuteronomy 28:1). This can come through the Bible, through His messenger or sometimes by God speaking directly to your spirit.
  • Be ready to do what God tells you. ( Revelations 2:5)
  • Pull yourself together out of any defeat you may have experienced.

David knew this secret and he employed it to his advantage. My prayer for you is that, in whatever area you have suffered defeat; the Lord will restore and grant you permanent victory in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point

Call God today to receive you in all areas.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye… DAY THREE MIRACLE – Sunday January 3rd 2016

Memorise: And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:10

 

Read: Genesis 1:9-13, 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

 

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Bible in one year: Numbers 20:10-22:21, Psalm 145:14-21

MESSAGE!!!

Many children of God do not know the depth of the common saying, “Order is the first thing in heaven”. They quote this statement awkwardly without giving it the necessary importance it requires. In the real sense of it, orderliness is the nature of divine administration. My prayer for someone using this devotional is that if your life is disorganized, it shall be divinely fixed in Jesus’ name.

Our God is the God of order; He ordered the course of the universe by His Word. This is the reason why we must give the Word of God pre-eminence in our lives. The Lord said to Jeremiah; “…. I will hasten my word to perform it.” (Jeremiah 1:12). The Almighty God does not take His own Word with levity like some of us do. Bible teachings come in form of doctrines and living by them is inevitable if we are to live orderly. Jesus Christ said in John 7:17:

 

Disobedience to God’s order brings chaos and unimaginable calamities as the story of Adam and Eve’s fall reveals (Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:9-19). I encourage the user of this devotional to begin to place a high premium
on the Word of God, even as God Himself does. In the second pastoral epistle of Paul to Timothy we read:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

2nd Timothy 3:16-17

On the third day, God set in order the course of the universe by His Word and things began to work, even till this day; the seas in their places, the dry land, a variety of vegetation and fruit bearing plants.

Our God is the God of both creation and provision: He creates to provide. This means lack was not originally planned to characterize the life of man. I pray that everything that you need shall be orderly provided for your pleasure this season in Jesus’ name. However, pay close attention to the Words of the Great Provider.

Prayer Point

Father, please set my life in order, and don’t allow me to do things against Your will.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye… DAY TWO MIRACLE – Saturday January 2nd 2016

DAY TWO MIRACLE
Memorise: And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Genesis 1:6

Read: Genesis 1:6-8, 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Bible in one year: Numbers 18:1-20:9, Psalms 145:1-13
MESSAGE!!!
The Word of God has created powers. According to our Bible reading of today, the power in the Word of God created space where there was none. It seemed like there was no space for further creation and the Almighty God wanted to create what now constitutes the present day universe. So the Word created the space (firmament) between the water and dry land for further creation. The Bible says:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
John 1:1-3
There are lots of lessons we could learn from this creation story: The Word of God, when allowed to do His work, will always make a
way where there is no way and a space where there seemed to be no space. When the Israelites got to the Red Sea and it seemed like they were stuck between the hosts of Pharaoh and the Sea, the Lord, through Moses, told them to move on. It takes faith in God to obey such a command, thank God they did and their obedience paid off, because the Word made an expressway from them to pass through:
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the mist of the sea.”
Exodus 14:15-16

Another lesson to be learnt here is; people of God should always talk to God about their challenges. Moses did this effectively and God spoke at every given time, he became a problem solver because he heard from God always. Also, when God speaks, a miracle is potentially performed, but its ultimate manifestation is dependent on human agents. We short-change ourselves of miracles when we fail to heed the Word of God. We should not forget our positions in the Creation Order. i.e. Image of God. It was Moses who divided the sea not God, though under the influence of God’s Word. The Word empowered the process by decree, “… and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the mist of the sea.” Settled! My prayer for you is that, as you obey the Word of God this year, you will begin to do the impossible in Jesus’ name.
Action Point
Examine your life and see if there are ways in which you have not been taking heed to God’s Word.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye. DAY ONE MIRACLE – Friday January 1st 2016

DAY ONE MIRACLE
Memorise: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Genesis 1:3
Read: Genesis 1:1-5, 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Bible in one year: Psalms 144, Numbers 16-17
MESSAGE!!!
We read in the Book of Genesis that God created the heaven and the earth in six days. Going by the account of the book of Genesis, we can assuredly say that the miracle of the universe was performed in six days! I pray for someone using this devotional; by the time you go through the first six days of this year, listening to God through this devotional, the everlasting miracles you need for the rest of your life shall be yours in Jesus’ name.

The first challenge that confronted the universe was darkness, and this was the first thing God dealt with. When an individual gropes in darkness, he is likely to fall into a ditch and thereby end his life. In other words, darkness is potentially harmful. This is why there must be light; and there will be light in your life today in Jesus’ name. God said in Genesis 1:3:
“Let there be light: and there was light”

One lesson we must learn here is that it was when God spoke His Word that the miracle of light occurred. Many people do not know what they lose when they refuse to allow the Word of God to penetrate their lives. Those outside the Church do not allow the Christian witnesses and evangelist going around their neighbourhood to preach them with the Word of God that will liberate them from darkness. Even, ‘modern day Christians’ close up their hearts to the Word of God. This is the reason why many have been in the Church for years and their lives have remained the same. They came sick and they have remained sick; they came poor and they have remained poor; they came bound and they have remained bound. What a waste of opportunity. My prayer for someone using this devotional is that the Word of God will penetrate your life forcefully today, and
you will have the miracle of the light of the Living God.TRRADIO3
When there is darkness, there will be no activity. God knows this, and that’s why He first tackled the problem of darkness which the devil brought upon the earth when he was cast down.
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhibiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
Revelations 12:12
When there is darkness, stagnation is inevitable. Also, we should take note of this phrase in the above scripture; “because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” It simply reveals that the devil works round-the-clock to get his victims before they discover the light of God in Christ. So, if you are reading this devotional and you have not come into the light of God in Jesus Christ, today is your day of salvation; now is the acceptable time (2nd Corinthians 6:2). I decree the miracle of the first day into your life in Jesus’ name.
Prayer Point
Father, send Your Light into darkness of my life today in Jesus’ name.

Happy New Year!!!

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye, GOD’S WAR INSTRUMENT – Thursday December 31st 2015

GOD’S WAR INSTRUMENT
Memorise: Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms: Jeremiah 51:20

Read: Isaiah 41:14-16, 14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Bible in one year: Song of Solomon 5-8, Jude 1

MESSAGE!
Because holiness is the nature of God, living a holy life makes you a partner with God in His work. 2nd Corinthian 6:1 say:
“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”
What a great privilege this is! When you have the same nature as God, He will not look at your limitations; rather, He will lift you up so that He can relate with you. God wants to partner with you. He wants to be able to seek your opinion on issues; not because He does not know what to do, but just to make you known that you count before Him (John 6:5-6). Living a holy life makes you count before God, and it gives you relevance before Him (Genesis 18:17-19).
Moreover, holiness empowers you to plead your cause before God. As a sinner, you cannot stand before God, because your sins have disqualified you to begin with. But when you approach Jesus
and accept Him as your saviour, His blood washes you clean and He stands as your lawyer to plead your cause (1st John 2:1). Thereafter, as you imbibe His holiness and allow His nature to express itself through you, you are empowered to plead your own cause before God (Hebrews 4:16). Holiness also qualifies you to plead for others: are you living a holy life? How well are you pleading your cause and that of others before heaven’s court?

Similarly, living a holy life makes you God’s sharp battle axe: you become a fighting instrument in His hands (Jeremiah 51:20). A life of holiness is a declaration to the kingdom of darkness that you are on God’s side permanently. You therefore become a very useful instrument in God’s hands. Isaiah 41:15 says:
“Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains; and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.”
One of my sons once had a dream where he saw his hands being exchanged with iron hands. Even though he tried to resist what the angels were doing, he could not stop them. Thereafter, the Lord used him mightily against the kingdom of Satan and is still using him today. The more you live a life of holiness, the more likely it is that God will use you to do greater things and to fight bigger battles. Are you living a holy life?
Prayer Point

Father, make the Body of Christ a sharp battle axe in your hand in these last days.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye… EFFECTIVE TRACKING DEVICE – Tuesday December 29th 2015

EFFECTIVE TRACKING DEVICE
Memorise: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Matthew 7:7

Read: Daniel 10:10-14, 10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
Bible in one year, Ecclesiastes 8:14-12:14, 2nd John 1
MESSAGE!
From the experience of Daniel in our Bible reading today, we understand that praying effectively makes it impossible for your blessings to pass you by. When you pray, your blessings are branded with your name, and as you continue in prayer, a heavenly courier is sent with your package. When you pray some more, the courier will deliver the package to you. Do you know that there are blessings which were released from Heaven but which never got to their owners? One likely way of losing your blessing is to stop praying about them. if you stop, by the time they are being sent, they could get missing in transit. So many blessings have been lost due to a lack of follow-up prayers.
Let us look at Daniel’s experience. He had a burden to unravel a particular mystery; so he set out to fast and seek God’s
face on the matter. A day passed, a week passed, and another week passed, but he kept on praying. It was after three weeks that the answer came. The angel who brought the answer told him that from the day the request was made, it was heard and an answer was sent, but certain forces of darkness delayed him until Angel Michael came to assist him. This tells us that the battles in heavenly places are real. No wonder Ephesians 6:12 says:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
These forces exist and they are out to delay or deny you your blessings. If you lost faith and stop praying, the enemy might divert them.
It is one thing to pray and have the answer released, but it is another thing to receive the answer. Today, it is possible to send something by post and track its movement from country to country up to its destination through the internet. Prayer is the spiritual tracking device you need to track your blessing from Heaven until it arrives in your hands. Once you start praying on a particular issue, don’t stop. Keep on praying until the answer gets to you. In addition, it is necessary to specifically pray against every spiritual agent of hindrance. Paralyze every diversionary agent of darkness. Pray against blessing thieves and hijackers, and envelope your blessings in the Blood of Jesus.
Key Point
Prayer is like a hook with rope tied; with it you can catch your blessing, and pull it until it gets to you.