devotionals. pastor E A ADEBOYE

PROVEN WEAPON? – Friday October 14^th 2016

Memorise: The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

Read: 1^st Samuel 17:38-47, (KJV)

 ³⁸ And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

³⁹ And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

⁴⁰ And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

⁴¹ And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.

⁴² And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

⁴³ And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

⁴⁴ And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

⁴⁵ Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

⁴⁶ This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

⁴⁷ And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord‘s, and he will give you into our hands.

Bible in one year: Daniel 7-8, Psalms 78:40-55

MESSAGE

One unfortunate thing about the spiritual warfare of this end-time is that many warriors of the Cross use weapons that have not been proven. As a result, they either die on the battlefield or become prisoners of spiritual wars.

Many of us are familiar with the story of David and Goliath, but it is possible that we missed one or two lessons in the story. As we continue to read and mediate on this popular story, we can gain insights into more reasons why the story was recorded for us to learn from. The first lesson we can learn is the fact that king Saul, as bad as his state of spirituality might have been as at that time was very concerned about the safety of the young man who was proving to be a “dare devil”. He put on David the weapons of his own defence. The question is; if this armour could help, how come the original owner did not use it to free his nation from the threat of the giant? We can quickly learn that it is a curse to be under a weak or discouraged leader. What saved the day was that David realised that the battle was not just a physical battle. So, he quickly turned spiritual in his approach to the battle with, (humanly speaking) the most ridiculous weapon of war.  In fact, Goliath himself felt that the battle had turned to a comic drama. Open Heavens 14 October 2016:- Proven Weapon? 1^st Samuel 17:42-43

“And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.”

Another lesson, particularly from the above scripture is that in spite of the disdainful weapon that David was carrying, Goliath still employed his spiritual allies; he cursed David by his gods. How I wish that all children of God will realise that it is not the grammar of the language they use that will do the work of conversion; it is by the Spirit of our God. Human methods have never worked in the history of the Church, men and women of God who succeeded in the ministry were those who allowed the Spirit rather than self might, power or administrative acumen to lead in their ministries. David was a better match for this warrior who was fighting through the spirit of divination and sorcery. He said: “…Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” The end of the story was victory for Israel and great defeat for the Philistines. David used the weapon he had proven and found to be true; the name of the Lord. 14 October 2016 Open Heavens.

Action Point

Use the Name of the Lord to confront the battles you are facing today and you will see them crumble before you. The Name is lethal.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye

WELL GROUNDED? –Wednesday September 14^th 2016

Memorise: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:17

Read: Matthew 13:3-9, (KJV)

³ And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

⁴ And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

⁵ Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

⁶ And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

⁷ And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

⁸ But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

⁹ Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Bible in one year: Jeremiah 44-46, Psalms 58

MESSAGE

To be well grounded is to be stable, firm and immovable. Stability is the state of being in a firm or unwavering situation, whether spiritually, physically, or emotionally. Stability is an important element of a settled life before God. God is popularly called Everlasting Rock, the Rock of Ages. God is very stable and dependable; you can completely rest in His love. That is why Hebrews 13:8 says: 14 September 2016 open heavens

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

Therefore, stability in the life of Christians is based on God’s unchanging nature. 2^nd Samuel 7:16 says:

“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”

Stability is required in order to resist and repel spiritual assault by the enemy, stability depends upon firmness of faith, and stability is a very important aim of the Christian ministry. An unstable Christian is a baby in the Lord who is yet to find his or her proper footing. Whenever they are exposed to the misbehaviour of other Christians, especially those considered as more mature than they are, it shakes them to the foundation of their belief. They usually look up to fellow men or women as their perfect examples, and therefore put much premium on such people. Consequently, the fall of such individuals may affect them to the point of taking a decision to stop serving God. They are easily tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine according to Ephesians 4:14:

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”

Open Heavens 14 September 2016:- Well Grounded?

Are you well grounded in the faith? Are you stable and dependable? Are you settled in your mind about important doctrines of the Bible? Or are you a confused person that is not very sure of what you believe? One of the terrible weaknesses of unstable Christians is the danger of falling victim to fake prophets and false teachers. Some have many ‘fathers and mothers in the Lord’; they are therefore eating regularly from different spiritual pots, making themselves victims of doctrinal confusion. I pray that God will establish you and plant your feet on the Rock of Ages forever in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Point

Father, please make me immovable, plant my feet on the Rock forever in Jesus’ name.

ASSURANCE OF BREAKTHROUGH 

Open Heavens 27 July 2016: Wednesday daily devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye – assurance of breakthrough

Memorise: Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. Job 22:28

Read: 1^st Samuel 30:6-8, (KJV)

^30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

^30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

^30:8 And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

Bible in one year: 1^st Thessalonians 5, 2^nd Thessalonians 3, Psalms 20

MESSAGE

Breakthroughs are of the Lord. The earlier the children of God understand this fact, the better for them. People look around for breakthroughs as if their power will bring it to pass. It is pardonable for unbelievers but it is not acceptable to professed children of God who know what the scripture says about breakthroughs.

“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, this is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Zechariah 4:7

This is one of the reasons why we know that our tomorrow shall be alright. I discovered this a long time ago and the words “my tomorrow shall be alright” became our anthem in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Not because I know how to go about things, but because I discovered that the breakthrough of a man has already been established before his creation. For example, it was not man that forced light to come, neither was it man that created the animal kingdom over which he was made king. Why should I worry about how God will bring about my breakthrough? My breakthrough is settled in Christ.

Divine guidance is the secret of breaking through obstacles and challenges of life. In our Bible reading for today, we read about the secret of the victory David had at the raid of Ziglag. After David has wept for his loss, he gathered himself together and asked God if pursuing the troops that invaded him would be a profitable one. To receive unfailing breakthrough, asking God for divine guidance is inevitable.

Moreover, a prayer of decree can guarantee assurance of breakthrough according to today’s Memory verse

“Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ assured us of breakthroughs against all obstacles that the enemies may try to bring our way:

“…. Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”

Matthew 21:21

Beloved, the Almighty God is the Source of all human breakthroughs. Therefore, bring yourself to the favour of your Maker today and you will experience the breakthrough of your dreams. (27 July 2016 open heavens)

Prayer Point:

Father, please remove all obstacles in my way to breakthrough and cause me to excel in Jesus’ name.

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT OPTIONAL 

Open Heavens 25 July 2016: Monday daily devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye – righteousness is not optional

Memorise: As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death. Proverbs 11:19

Read: Hosea 10:12, (KJV)

¹² Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Bible in one year: Colossians 1-4, Psalms 19:1-6

MESSAGE

It is interesting to note that the righteousness that mankind has detested from generation to generation, right from the fall, is not optional! Many scholars have endeavoured to explain away what righteousness entails and play down its importance to the point that sermons that encourage righteous living are now scarce. Sweet and pet talks have replaced sermons that demand righteous living. This is why St. Paul admonished his spiritual son, Timothy thus:

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”

2^nd Timothy 4:2-3

There are some lessons to be learnt from the above scripture; firstly, sermons that will produce righteous living must contain reproof, rebuke, exhortation and doctrine. Secondly, there is a time in the life of a Christian pilgrim when he will have to make himself intentionally available to reproof and rebuke. This is because, after a long stay in the Church environment, which might have earned him titles, he might no longer be teachable. Thirdly, righteous living required indoctrination; doctrines that are sound. In other words, there are doctrines that are not sound. So, believers must beware of doctrines of the devil.

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”

1^st Timothy 4:1

Today, some children of God make righteousness an optional virtue to their own danger because the scripture cannot be broken. It says:

“Fellow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”

Hebrews 12:14

Beloved, it is true we shall be ultimately saved by grace. This is why we must pray for that grace to live righteously without struggle, because there is no grace is struggle. This is what makes the Christians faith unique. Our God is able to help us live for Him if we are willing and obedient. If we will not rationalise sin but admit it as it is and cry to God for help. The Bible says:

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

Titus 2:11-12

I pray that as you desire righteousness today, the grace of God will bring it upon your life in Jesus’ name. (25 July 2016 open heavens)

Prayer Point

Father, let your grace abound in my heart so that I may begin to live life pleasing to you as from now in Jesus’ name.