Open Heavens Devotional for Sunday 31st May, 2015: IT IS FOR YOUR GOOD

TOPIC:  IT IS FOR YOUR GOOD - Sunday May 31, 2015

Memorise: 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

Read: Genesis 50:15-21
15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Open Heavens for Saturday 30th May, 2015: A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENCE

TOPIC: A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENCE - Saturday May 30, 2015]

Memorise: And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. - Acts 24:16

Read: Romans 14:16-21
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

MESSAGE:
The Church of Jesus Christ on earth will be healthy and pleasant if Christians would live with a conscience void of offence. Unfortunately, offences often arise here and there in the Body of Christ today. This is caused by the misuse of opportunities, wealth and other material possessions. For this to be uprooted from the Church, we need to apply the spiritual principles that Apostle Paul laid down in 1 Timothy 6:17-18:

Open Heavens Devotional For Friday 29th May, 2015: WHAT HAS YOUR AFFECTION?

TOPIC: WHAT HAS YOUR AFFECTION? - Friday May 29, 2015

Memorise: Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. - Colossians 3:2. 
 
Read: Colossians 3:1-6
1. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6. For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
 
MESSAGE:
I have observed that one of the reasons why many Christians find it difficult to live according to the standards of the Bible today is that their mind is not set on the things of heaven, and the reason for this is the coming of material prosperity to the church. Is it then a mistake that God has prospered us materially? Certainly not! Abraham was blessed, Isaac was blessed and Jacob was also blessed, but yet, they all served the Lord. King David even blessed the Lord for material prosperity among other things. Psalm 103:1&5 says,

CARING FOR THE NEEDY - Open Heavens Devotional for Thursday 28th May, 2015

CARING FOR THE NEEDY - Thursday May 28, 2015

Memorise: For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. - Deuteronomy 15:11

Read: Matthew 25:34-40
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Open Heavens for Wednesday 27th May, 2015: THE PRICE OF BEING A STANDARD

THE PRICE OF BEING A STANDARD – Wednesday May 27th 2015

Memorise: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you - 2 Corinthians 6:17 
 
Read: 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18 
 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
 
MESSAGE:
To become a standard or a positive reference point, there is a price to pay. Going though the Bible, one will see that all those who got outstanding approval from God had at least one thing in common, which is that they stood out for God before they became a reference point. One of such Bible heroes is Elijah. He stood out for God on Mount Carmel. He risked being killed by the numerous prophet of Baal whom he had challenged. As a matter of fact, he was considered to be Public Enemy No. 1 by the ruler of his day, Ahab (1st Kings 21:20) 

Open Heavens for Tuesday 26th May, 2015: DRESS TO BE ADDRESSED

TOPIC: DRESS TO BE ADDRESSED - Tuesday May 26, 2015

Memorise: And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. - Exodus 2:19

Read: Exodus 2:16-20
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.

MESSAGE:
Many of today’s Christians don’t pay attention to their physical appearance. They have overstretched the fact that physical appearance may be deceptive at times.

Open Heavens for Today, Sunday 24th May, 2015: ARE YOU READY?

TOPIC: ARE YOU READY? - Sunday May 24, 2015

Memorise: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. - 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Open Heavens Devotional for Saturday 23rd May, 2015: DON'T BE CARELESS

TOPIC: DON'T BE CARELESS - Saturday May 23, 2015

Memorise: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. - Matthew 24:42

Read: Matthew 24:37-44
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Open Heavens for Thursday 21st May, 2015: THE POWER OF SIGHT I

TOPIC: THE POWER OF SIGHT I - Thursday May 21, 2015

Memorise: Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. - Proverbs 29:18

Read: John 9:1-7
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

Open Heavens for Wednesday 20th May, 2015: THE TURNING POINT IV

THE TURNING POINT IV – Wednesday May 20th 2015
 
Memorise: He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. Ecclesiastes 5:10

Read: 2nd Kings 5:15-20

MESSAGE
Gehazi was the servant of Prophet Elisha. He was privileged to be the apprentice of a great prophet and had the potential of inheriting at least the double portion of Elijah’s power that was upon Elisha. However, his covetousness ruined his destiny as a would-be great prophet. He decided to go after the material things of this world at the expense of his prophetic calling. He was so determined to go after worldly things that he even swore by God that he must “possess his possessions”. Like present-day worldly preachers, he seemed to be saying:”….. after all, he that labours by the altar must feed by the altar.” Consider his words in 2nd Kings 5:20:

“But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.”

Open Heavens for Tuesday 19th May, 2015: THE TURNING POINT III

THE TURNING POINT 111 – Tuesday May 19th 2015

Memorise: And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? Genesis 25:32

Read: Genesis 25:29-34


MESSAGE
While the decisions made at crossroads resulted in a great future for Moses, Elisha, Daniel, Peter, Paul and Ruth, the decision of Esau at such a moment blighted his future. Esau found himself at a crossroads when his brother, Jacob, offered him food (a present need) in exchange for his birthright (a future asset). He experienced a negative turning point when he chose to sell his birthright. He filled his stomach with bread and pottage of lentils, gulped some drinks, rose up and went his way, but he forever lived to regret it. The Bible in Hebrews 12:16-17 says:

“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel for meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

THE TURNING POINT II : Open Heavens Devotional for Monday 18th May, 2015

TOPIC: THE TURNING POINT II - Monday May 18, 2015

Memorise: And Ruth said, intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: -Ruth 1:16

Read: Ruth 1:11-16
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Open Heavens Devotional for Sunday 17th May, 2015: THE TURNING POINT 1

THE TURNING POINT 1 – Sunday May 17th 2015

Memorise: And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. Exodus 3:3

Read: Exodus 3:1-6
1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the  backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Open Heavens Devotional for Saturday 16th May, 2015: CHILD OF DESTINY

TOPIC: CHILD OF DESTINY - Saturday May 16, 2015

Memorise: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nation. - Jeremiah 1:5

Read: Exodus 1:15-17
15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

MESSAGE:
A child who fulfil destiny can never be destroyed by the enemy. The fact that you alive today is a pointer to the fact that you have a destiny to fulfil, and this destiny is a good one (Jeremiah 29:11). By Pharaoh’s calculations, Moses was born to die. He orchestrated a diabolical arrangement with the midwives so that even before Moses was born, death was already waiting for him. However, the plan of God for Moses was quite different from Pharaoh’s plan. The good news is that God’s plan for you supersedes that of any human entity (Lamentations 3:37). Always be conscious of the fact that you are created for a divine purpose.

Open Heavens for Friday 15th May, 2015: UNCIRCUMCISED IN HEART?

TOPIC: UNCIRCUMCISED IN HEART? - Friday May 15, 2015

Memorise: Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. -Acts 7:51

Read: Romans 6:1-10
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
 

Open Heavens Devotional for Thursday 14th May, 2015: YOU NEED THE DIVINE TOUCH

TOPIC: YOU NEED THE DIVINE TOUCH - Thursday May 14, 2015

Memorise: For she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. -Matthew 9:21

Read: Matthew 9:20-22
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

MESSAGE:
The entrance of sin into this world destroyed so many things about humility. It provoked God to pronounce a curse on the ground and banish mankind to a life of sorrow and pain in Genesis 3:16-17:

Open Heavens for Wednesday 13th May, 2015: YOU CAN BE REPLACED!

TOPIC: YOU CAN BE REPLACED! - Wednesday May 13, 2015

Memorise: Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. -Revelation 3:11

Read: Esther 7:9, 8:2
Esther 7:9 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.

Esther 8:2 And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

MESSAGE:

It is great folly to contend with God. This is why I pity those societies that have become anti-God and are challenging His commandments. God spoke about such people in Isaiah 45:9, saying:

“Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it, What makest thou? Or thy work, He hath on hands?”

OPen Heavens for Tuesday 12th May, 2015: DIVINE INVOLVEMENT COMPARED

TOPIC: DIVINE INVOLVEMENT COMPARED - Tuesday May 12, 2015

Memorise: And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit with is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. -Numbers 11:17

Read: Exodus 2:13-15, Exodus 3:7-8

 Exodus 2:13-15
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

Exodus 3:7-8:
7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Open Heavens for Monday 11th May, 2015: PRESS INTO YOUR DAY OF FAVOUR

TOPIC: PRESS INTO YOUR DAY OF FAVOUR - Monday May 11, 2015

Memorise: For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. -Psalm 5:12

Read: Esther 5:1-3
1 Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.
2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.
3 Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.

Open Heavens for Sunday 10th May, 2015: SIGNS OF HIS PRESENCE

TOPIC: SIGNS OF HIS PRESENCE - Sunday May 10, 2015

Memorise: Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. - Psalm 100:2

Read: 2 Samuel 6:10-12
10 So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.
11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the Lᴏʀᴅ blessed Obed-edom, and all his household.
12 And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.

Open Heavens Devotional for Saturday 9th May, 2015: ENGAGE IN WONDER-WORKING PRAISE

TOPIC: ENGAGE IN WONDER-WORKING PRAISE – Saturday May 9th 2015

Memorise: But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praise of Israel - Psalm 22:3

Read: Acts 16:25-26
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and
immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

MESSAGE:
Praise directed towards God is a lethal weapon of spiritual warfare. This is so because God inhabits the praises of His people. Children of God must not joke with their praise life. It would be logical to say that if prayer is the “master key”, then praise is the “principal key”. You need to catch the revelation of what the Psalmist is saying in Psalm 22:3:

“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”

In other words, God, the wonder-working Father, dwells in the praises of His people. The implication of this revelation is that wherever God is, the supernatural is always present. In the habitation of the Almighty, wonder-working power is present and breakthrough is commonplace. However, we must get it right; it is the praise we channel towards God that He receives. God will only take what you give to Him. Those who sing the praise of pastors or of themselves, particularly during testimony time, are missing a great point without knowing it. It is not your prayer or the prayer of your pastor that did the wonders; rather, it is the mercy of God in action upon your life. He alone deserves your praise.

Although Paul and Silas were kept in prison, they did something unusual of people in trouble. Even when people know that they are the architect of their own problems, they still try to justify themselves by raining curses on their tormentors. This was not the attitude of Paul and Silas. Their case was different because they were apprehended for preaching the gospel. They were thoroughly beaten and cast into prison. While they sang praises, the Almighty God came to inhabit their praises. This should not be surprising, because the promises of God are Yea and Amen. He had already promised that He would inhabit the praises of His people. Since this is true, what prison gate could have resisted the coming of the King of glory? None! It is written:

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.”- Psalm 24:7

Paul and Silas engaged in wonder-working praise and they experienced wonder in their ministries. God is no respecter of persons; what He did for them, He can do for you also. Learn to engage in the praise of God to unleash His wonder-working power. I pray that as you engage in the praise of the Almighty God, you shall receive the wonders of a life-time in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point: Devote at least one hour to the praise of God the Almighty without asking for anything.

Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 14, Mark 6:7-29

SOURCE: OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL, VOLUME 15, 2015

Open Heavens for Friday 8th May, 2015: PRAYING WONDER-WORKING PRAYERS

TOPIC: PRAYING WONDER-WORKING PRAYERS - May 8, 2015

Memorise: And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. -Luke 6:12

Read: John 11:41-44
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said,Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice,Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them,Loose him, and let him go.

Open Heavens for Thursday 7th May, 2015: WHAT'S IN A NAME

TOPIC: WHAT'S IN A NAME - Thursday May 7, 2015

Memorise: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among nations, beginning at Jerusalem. -Luke 24:47

Read: Luke 1:30-35
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Open Heavens for Wednesday 6th May, 2015: POWER IN THE SPOKEN WORD

TOPIC: POWER IN THE SPOKEN WORD - Wednesday May 6, 2015

Memorise: The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. -Matthew 8:8

Read: Matthew 8:8-13 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion,Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Open Heavens for Tuesday 5th May, 2015: TRANSFORMED BY THE NEW CREATION

TOPIC: TRANSFORMED BY THE NEW CREATION - Tuesday May 5, 2015

Memorise: And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. -l Corinthians 6:11

Read: Luke 8:1-3
 1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

MESSAGE:
One of the most profound wonders you will find anywhere in the world is the wonder of a transformed life. When a person who was demon-possessed suddenly becomes a vessel unto honour, what wonder can be greater than this? Such a person remains a wonder throughout his or her lifetime. This was the testimony of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2). It is wonderful for a demoniac to become a financial backer of God’s kingdom. Another example of a transformed life that become a wonder is the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:28-30). From being a promiscuous person, she became a lady evangelist. The Bible in John 4:39 says this about her impact:

Open Heavens for Monday 4th May, 2015: THE MIND OF JESUS

TOPIC: THE MIND OF JESUS - Monday May 4, 2015

Memorise: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: -Philippians 2:5

Read: Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

MESSAGE:
The Lord Jesus Christ invites us into His rest in today’s Bible text. However, before we can obtain His rest, we must have the same mind as His. To have the same mind as Jesus, we must learn of Him. Many would-be Christians fail realise that what makes Christ unique is not His complexion or stature, but the life that He lived while on the His complexion or stature, but the life that He lived while on the earth – a sanctified life of love, compassion, holiness and perfect obedience of His Father. He said in John 17:19 that:

Open Heavens Devotional for Sunday 3rd May, 2015: THE AGONY OF A BACKSLIDER

TOPIC: THE AGONY OF A BACKSLIDER - Sunday May 3, 2015

Memorise: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. -Revelation 2:5

Read: Judges 16:18-21
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Open Heavens for Saturday 2nd May, 2015: FROM GRASS TO GRACE

TOPIC:  FROM GRASS TO GRACE - Saturday May 2, 2015

Memorise: The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools. -Proverbs 3:35

Read: Esther 8:15-17
15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.
17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

Open Heavens for Friday 1st May, 2015: A NEW BEGINNING OF PROSPERITY

TOPIC: A NEW BEGINNING OF PROSPERITY - Friday May 1, 2015

Memorise: This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. -Exodus 12:2

Read: Exodus 12:33-36
33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

MESSAGE:
When the Almighty God grants a new beginning to an individual or a nation, it could be a new beginning of prosperity. Imagine the Hebrew nation which for over four hundred years had been at the mercy of their Egyptian rulers, coming out of Egypt as millionaires simply because the Almighty God decided to grant them a new beginning. I pray for you that this month shall be to you as the first month of the year in astonishing prosperity in Jesus’ Name. How did the Lord do this for the Israelites? The Bible says that He gave them favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for. The treasures of the Egyptians were transferred to them without them having to shoot an arrow. The Bible in Proverbs 16:7 says: