Wednesday, April 30, 2014

OPEN HEAVENS FOR WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL, 2014 - Care For The Brethren

TOPIC: CARE FOR THE BRETHREN

Memorise: But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.    
                    Philippians 4:19

READ: Romans 15: 25-27                         BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 8-11; Psalm 93

Message:

Apostle Paul in the Bible reading for today, teaches us one missing ingredient of true discipleship in today’s contemporary Church; which is the ministry of care. Despite the great anointing with which Apostle Paul was ministering to both Jews and Gentiles, it is amazing to read that the ministry of care was not absent from his vocation as a preacher of the gospel. It is also interesting to note that the lives of the early apostles of Jesus Christ were not only in alignment with the teachings of Jesus Christ but were also in alignment with their own teachings. Jesus Christ taught that his followers should be hospitable, kind hearted and generous. He said to us in Matthew 10:42 that:


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

OPEN HEAVENS FOR TUESDAY APRIL 29, 2014 - Mystery of Divine Code


 


TOPIC: MYSTERY OF DIVINE CODE


READ: 1 Corinthians 2: 6-10                  BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 3: 14-7: 17; Psalm 92

Memorise: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7

Message

The Lord in His infinite wisdom has always hidden His divine plans and purpose in codes. Obviously, it is impossible for the devil and his cohorts to understand or crack these heavenly codes. One of such codes is: “the seed of the woman”. The Almighty God gave the very first hint about the “seed of the woman” in Genesis 3:15, where He said that the woman’s seed shall bruise the head of Satan. Here, we have the very first direct individual reference to the Lord Jesus, which is also a direct messianic prophecy pointing to Calvary, where the Lord Jesus would defeat the devil and his hosts. This was a mystery through the ages as there is no passage of the Bible with a clue as to when this would happen. Later down the line, God gave generic information about the nature of the woman who would bear this “seed” through Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14).

Monday, April 28, 2014

OPEN HEAVENS FOR MONDAY APRIL 28, 2014- Living Above The Storms

TOPIC: LIVING ABOVE THE STORMS

Memorise: And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. Exodus 14:15

READ:Matthew 14:22-32                      BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 1:1-3:13; Psalm 91

Message:
Meteorologists have observed that there are different kinds of storms. The nature of these storms varies by their location. Some places are stormier than others. Storms also vary in strength, the level of danger they pose and the extent of damage they cause. Relating this to life’s situations, storms can take different forms in the life of a person. A storm could be economic, political, financial, social to name but a few. The storms of life put men under intense pressure and have the capacity to toss them to and fro. Although storms may be an undesirable natural phenomenon, their occurrence has some great advantages for human life and the environment. Similarly, the storms of life have hidden advantages too.
 Men have found ways to predict storms and have devised methods to control and reduce the level of damage they cause. By applying different precautionary measures, people are able to survive the impact of storms. If such measures have proved successful, how much more will God’s safeguards protect us from the storms of life?

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Open Heavens for 27th April, 2014 - SUFFICIENT GRACE

                  TOPIC: SUFFICIENT GRACE

Memorise: And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

READ: 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Malachi 1-4; Psalm 90: 7-17

                              Message

There is nothing God wants us to do for Him or to become that is not possible through His grace. His grace is sufficient for us. Whatever we encounter or experience while serving the Lord, His grace is sufficient to see us through. His grace insulates us from any pains, afflictions and difficulties that we may go through so that we are not destroyed by them. This same grace guards our hearts in times of pleasure, abundance, joy and prosperity so that we are not carried away. Paul desired that God would remove the thorn in his flesh. He specifically prayed on the matter three times but the Lord told him that He would not remove the thorn in his flesh. Instead, He supplied sufficient grace for Paul to carry on as though the affliction did not exist. Paul’s experience is similar to that of Jesus who also prayed three times to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, requesting that the cup of sin and suffering should pass over Him. Paul and Jesus prayed with a sense of submission to the will of God. God did not grant either of their requests, but He supplied sufficient grace for them to go through what was before them. Jesus went to the cross by God’s grace and Paul finished his race with the thorn in his flesh by the same grace.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

OPEN HEAVENS FOR SATURDAY APRIL 26, 2014 - MORE RICHES , MORE PRAYER

                                                       TOPIC: MORE RICHES, MORE PRAYER

Memorise: Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your     
                    heart upon them. Acts 62: 10
READ: Genesis 13: 14-18          BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zechariah 11-14; Psalm 90: 1-6

Message:

"Every new promise from God calls for a new level of prayers. Promises yet to be fulfilled also call for perseverance in prayer. Abraham's life reveals a secret and a law that guides the retention of wealth and the creation of more wealth. Rich people face many challenges in life. The greater your riches, the bigger your challenges will be and consequently, the greater your need to pray. As Abraham continued in prayers, he prospered greatly and the land became too small to accommodate him and Lot (Genesis 13:4-6). Abraham was now faced with the challenge of wealth management with his nephew whom he raised. Was Abraham going to allow this challenge lead to war between him and his nephew? He knew the God of peace would not justify that, so he wisely handled the situation and peacefully parted ways with Lot. Some people don't have problems with their neighbours until their businesses begin to grow. If you don't know how to wisely handle the expansion of wealth, it could lead to the loss of everything you have. God is the source of pure wisdom, and the means of getting it is prayer.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Open Heavens for April 25, 2014 - GREATNESS IS COSTLY

TOPIC: GREATNESS IS COSTLY

Memorise: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about
                   doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. Acts 10:38
READ: Judges 13: 2-5                BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zechariah 6: 9-10:12; Psalm 89: 38-52

Message

God is in the business of making champions out of men and He is already making some people champions. However, there are some people who may not want to become champions. You may wonder why. It is because the cost of becoming a champion is very high! In those days when I used to be a boxer, when you are preparing for a tournament, there were certain things you had to do. For example, you would wake up by 5 a.m. and do some road walks. You beat the air while you jog. You cannot eat certain foods when you are preparing for a championship. To be a champion is not an easy thing. To remain a champion is even harder. When you become a champion, there are several people who will be seeking to dethrone you.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Today's Open Heavens- 24/04/2014: NOTHING TO HIDE

TOPIC: NOTHING TO HIDE

Memorise: God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.   Psalm 62:11



    READ: 1 Kings 18: 30-35       BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zechariah 1: 1-6:8; Psalm 89: 15-37

At the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah told the people to come near and see what he was about to do. From this example we see that the ways of God are transparent. Christianity is not a secret cult. We do not hold our services with doors locked. Everyone is free to come and see what we are doing. If you belong to a society where they say they are serving God and they shut the doors to outsiders, it is a secret society, even if they cover the whole venue with Bibles. If you belong to a group where they say your wife cannot come in, even if they read all the chapters in Psalm, it is a secret society. In the church of the Living God, the doors and windows are wide open because there is nothing to hide. Also, after Elijah prepared the altar, he asked them to pour water on it three times until the place was running with water. This he did so that nobody would say he had fire under the altar. It was also a way of saying he trusted his God. He was saying there were no tricks or gimmicks. If you are in a church where they hide people who give testimonies, get out of there because it does not belong to God. In the true church of God, everything is honest, true and open so that people can come and see.


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Open Heavens Devotional for 23/04/2014

TOPIC: HOME TRAINING

READ: Joshua 24:14-15      BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zephaniah 1-3; Haggai 1-2; Psalm 89:1-14

Memorise:  Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.         Proverbs 22: 15

Message

After Moses sent twelve people to go and spy on the Promised Land, ten of them returned to say it was impossible to take the land. The first person to speak against this line of thought was Caleb (Numbers 13:30). God gave this testimony about Caleb in Numbers 14:24:

"But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went; and his seed shall possess it."

 Many parents are content that they are serving the Lord but are not doing enough to make sure that members of their household serve the Lord too. In Genesis 22:7-9, we read about Abraham and Isaac. Abraham taught Isaac how to submit to him and to God. When Isaac asked Abraham where the item of sacrifice was, Abraham said God would provide one. Isaac did not ask any other question after this because his father had taught him how to submit to his God. After Abraham had prepared the altar, he told Isaac to lie on it and he obeyed. At this time, Abraham was over a hundred years old while Isaac was a strong youth. If Isaac had decided to run, Abraham would not have been able to stop him or catch up with him. Isaac submitted totally.

Monday, April 21, 2014

OPEN HEAVENS for 21/04/2014 : DISCERNMENT - HOW VITAL!

TOPIC: “DISCERNMENT - HOW VITAL!”

READ: Acts 16:16-18    BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Micah 5-7; Psalm 87

Memorize :  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1Cor 2:14
Today's message
"One of the methods Satan and his agents use in deceiving people is the act of camouflage. The Holy Spirit has put us on notice concerning this in 2 Corinthians 1 1 :14-15:

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."