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Open Heavens: Enemies Shall Flee

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RCCG Open Heaven Devotion 2012 – Pastor E. A. Adeboye (ISBN: 978-36079-4-4)
Download Open Heaven – iOpenHeaven , www.m.openheavensportal.net
(Previously available online @: http://www.rccgna.org/Resources/BibleStudy/Devotionals.aspx)

Thursday 6 December

Bible in one year: Jeremiah 13-16

ENEMIES SHALL FLEE

Memorise: I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. Exodus 23:27

Read: Exodus 23:27-30

Another benefit of God’s presence is fame. In the world, people go to ridiculous extent just to be famous; but do you know that if you can pay the price to be a carrier of His presence, you will attract honour, fame, popularity, promotion and joy? Joshua became famous through God’s presence.

So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country. Joshua 6:27

Joshua never thought he could step into the shoes of his master Moses. By the time God chose him, he battled with fear for some time. God had to keep encouraging him. What assisted him to succeed was the presence of God upon his life. As a result of this, not long after, he became known locally and internationally. If you want to be known or to be popular, simply key into God’s presence, be a carrier of His mighty presence and in a little while, you will become famous.

On the other hand, God’s presence can bring terror upon the enemies. When believers flee before their enemies, I begin to wonder what has gone wrong; it should be the other way round, for God has promised us that no enemy would be able to withstand us. Genesis 35:5 says:

And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

When God places His terror upon your enemies, they will be afraid of you. They will be incapable of hurting you, anyone or anything associated with you. This season, the terror of God shall come upon your enemies. You shall be untouchable to them. From today, your enemies shall be afraid of you. Any of them that planned to harm you will receive a divine rebuke. Do not fear the enemy. Stop running from them. They will be the ones running from you. Every blessing that your enemies have stolen shall be restored with speed this season in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, send Your fire upon every device of the enemies meant to cause accidents on our roads this season.

NB: Copyright is a benefit to society. It’s not just about financial gain.
One of the chief purposes of copyright law is to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the text.
Please learn more about the subject by referring to
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorized_King_James_Version#Copyright_status

Open Heavens: Special Secrets

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Wednesday 5 December

Bible in one year: Jeremiah 9-12

SPECIAL SECRETS

Memorise:And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Acts 1:7

Read: Acts 1:4 -7

Being a God of purpose and the greatest planner of the universe, God has a time table for each of His children. He alone knows our day of divine appointment hence we have no choice but to wait on Him, fully relying on His love, care, faithfulness and His unlimited power to do anything He has promised. No matter how close you are to God, there are still some secrets He will keep to His chest. For instance, as close as Jesus was to the Father, the Father did not disclose the exact day and time fixed for the second advent of Jesus. Why? The Lord loves us so much that He could have given us those details. Since He could not get that information from the Father, the best He could do was to relay to us the seasons – the signs that will precede His coming.

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Mark 13:32

In the same vein, while the disciples were asking the Lord some pertinent questions, Jesus plainly told them:

… it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Acts 1:7

Here the Lord was saying that anything God has kept close to His chest should not be what they should be worrying about. Today, some believers are busy asking God through prayer and fasting for information that is strictly reserved for Him. There is no way they will ever hear from God except the Lord tells them to stop wasting their time and rather channel their efforts towards areas that can give results. One way to manage your time as a servant of God or a believer in Christ is to identify areas not to pray about because no matter how much you pray about such an area, you will never get any result. You may be disappointed and think that God is unfaithful to you. No, He is not; you have simply failed to access the special secrets. If you are sensitive to the Spirit, He will not let you embark on such a fruitless mission. Consult the Holy Spirit daily.

PRAYER POINT:

Like Daniel spent valuable time seeking for information not meant for his day in Daniel 2:4, pray that you do not waste your time seeking what will be unprofitable to you.

Open Heavens: Drained?

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Tuesday 4 December

Bible in one year: Jeremiah 6-8

DRAINED?

Memorise: For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Proverbs 6:26

Read: Proverbs 6:23-26

Can you imagine a very wealthy man worth a billion dollars accepting an apple fruit his servant plucked from a bush thereby transferring all his wealth to the servant and becoming a servant to his ex-servant? This is the scenario between man and Satan. The same power God gave to man, which Satan took in exchange for the forbidden fruit is what he is using as a bait to destroy lives even today. One lesson we learn from this is that Satan is very good at getting something from nothing. How? The forbidden fruit he offered Adam and Eve was not his. Did he create any tree or anything in the Garden of Eden? Genesis 2:8-10 says God planted the garden and both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan succeeded in offering Adam what was never his in exchange for Adam’s most precious gift, which was power to dominate the world. Even today, it is still so. What he offers to those who go to him for power, wealth, fame, success, children or long life are the things he had stolen from others. He is only original when it comes to sin, apart from that, he is a master counterfeiter.

If you do not want to lose your most precious things, never go to the devil for anything. Many women who wanted to protect their children went to Satan to become witches only to be told to donate as food for other witches, the very children that they came to protect. When they refuse, they are threatened with death. In Satan’s kingdom, it is operation no mercy! It is only a fool that will go to receive anything from the devil. He has nothing of himself, but will only give you what he has stolen and in return he will take what you love the most. Following this trend, many men of God and believers have lost so many valuable things to the enemy especially through fornication. Some men of God think that they are still at the same level even after fornicating. What deception! Look at yourself very closely and you will realise that while you were fornicating, God’s grace in your life was being drained out. Before long, you will see yourself as you really are: an empty barrel. It will take you a lot of sacrifice, dedication and other prices you will have to pay, in order to get back what you lost. Your worst enemy is having illicit sex.

PRAYER POINT:

Every precious thing I have lost to the enemy’s camp, I recover now in Jesus name.

Thank God for past Congresses. Ask for God’s uncommon move, outstanding attendance and great harvest of souls in this year’s Holy Ghost Congress.

Open Heavens: Sin and Health

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Monday 3 December

Bible in one year: Jeremiah 3-5

SIN AND HEALTH

Memorise: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

Read: James 5:13-16

God gives power to the faint according to Isaiah 40:31. This shows that, He is ready not only to share His health and fame but also His power. Many times, as a result of fasting, my whole body will be weak. But the moment I stand behind the altar and take up the microphone, strength comes. All He wants you to do is to stay connected to Him as your Source. What do you do to be healthy? Psalms 107:17-19 says afflictions come on fools because of their iniquities. God wants you in perfect health so if you fall sick, it cannot be God. Sometimes, sickness is as a result of sin. According to 1 Peter 2:24; in such instances, God would first forgive your sins before healing you. This simply shows one is more important to God than the other. If you are sick, all that matters to you is regaining your health but God sees beyond your physical need; He sees the need of your soul; hence if you are not yet saved, He would prefer you got saved before healing you. Furthermore, after you are born again, since He has already come inside of you, it becomes easier to chase out sickness from the inside than when the devil is still in charge of the government of your life.

A classic case study on this is recorded in Mark 2:1-12 where a man sick of the palsy was brought to Him. Because He could see that the man was in need of salvation, He first forgave his sins before healing him. It is only unfortunate that sometimes instead of looking inwards when we are sick, we look for somebody or some demon to hold responsible. If only we can admit our mistakes like eating the wrong food, not taking enough rest, entertaining worries, not doing exercises or harbouring hurts, un-forgiveness and bitterness, etc., we will be able to know how to stop most sicknesses. If you admit your faults and confess them to Him, He will not only forgive you, He will also heal you (James 5:16). What are you doing that is currently keeping you sick? Stop it. If it is your diet, change it. If it is secret sin, confess and forsake it.

PRAYER POINTS:

Using 3 John 2, pray that God will heal and prosper your spirit, soul and body.

Pray also that every effort you make will be prospered.

Open Heavens: Peace Through Praise

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Sunday 2 December

Bible in one year: Jeremiah 1-2

PEACE THROUGH PRAISE

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

Read: 2 Chronicles 20:20-30

When the Psalmist followed the multitude into God’s house, he went with joy. Without being forced, he began to praise God. In Psalms 100:1-5, we are told why we should praise the Lord: He is our Creator and we are His flock; He is good, His mercy towards us is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations. God also loves us to enter His presence with singing and with thanksgiving. He loves to see us joyful. Sometimes, if you can forget your worries and troubles and just rejoice exceedingly in His presence, by the time you return home, your joy would have become permanent, and when you search for the cause of your worries, they will not to be found.

It is unfortunate some of us have to be pushed or cajoled before we can let out a faint Hallelujah! I have witnessed unexpected things happen in the course of praising God. When we were about to start a church in Otukpo, Benue State (Middle Belt Nigeria), I was to talk on divine healing in one of the sessions. But they so praised God intensely that all I could remember was Luke 1:37. Suddenly God started to move in the place and a crowd gathered; some people were baptised in the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues. When you praise God adequately and eulogise His name until His “head swells”, things that you never expected will begin to take place. Praise is a very effective weapon in the hands of those who know how to use it. If you know how to offer high praises to God, your enemies will be in trouble. If you doubt this, ask King Jehoshaphat and he will tell you of his experience (2 Chronicles 20:1-30). Some powerful nations gathered to fight Israel. The king heard it and was afraid. But unlike some of us, he turned his fears over to the Lord, and sought His face with his people and at the end, they began to praise God. As they offered high praises, the three nations destroyed themselves and left a great booty for Israel, which took them three days to pack. When the other nations who were secretly planning to attack Israel heard it, they all began to quake. That was how Israel enjoyed peace through praise. You too can enjoy peace by simply praising God.

ACTION POINT:

Spend today praising God for His mercies and goodness towards you and your family.

Open Heavens: Identified by Boldness

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Saturday 1 December

Bible in one year: 2 Timothy 1-4

IDENTIFIED BY BOLDNESS

Memorise: The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

Read: Psalms 34:1-5

The righteous is identified by the level of boldness he or she exudes in God. Proverbs 28:1 says:

The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Righteousness builds up your faith in God until all the space for unbelief and doubts are completely occupied. Every righteous act gives you some elements of boldness. Righteousness contains the tried and tested building blocks for boldness. The one who is living righteously has confidence that all is well and cannot easily be pushed around by circumstances or enemies. The righteous does not respond to threats in fear but rather with joy as the fellow knows whoever threatens him is threatening the Almighty God and is assured that enemy will soon become history. It is sinners and those believers who have skeletons in their cupboards or lack knowledge that are easily afraid. A lizard moves across their door and they panic. If you are easily scared, check yourself: something is either wrong with your life of righteousness or you do not know who you are. You might have compromised on holiness at some point. The righteous pride themselves not in their ability, knowledge, wisdom, wealth or achievements, but in the ability of their God.

The righteous are people of courage. They know that their God is in charge. This was why Daniel could go into the lion’s den and also why the trio could enter Nebuchadnezzar’s fire. Psalms 34:2 says it is in God we make our boast. Daniel 11:32 says the knowledge of God in you produces strength and exploits. When you meet the righteous who knows his or her God, the boldness that will be seen from such a fellow will inspire others to covet the God of that believer. Are you bold? Are you radiating courage wherever you go? Every sin you allow into your life depletes your boldness. Ensure you live right before Him so that you can demonstrate His boldness in your life.

KEY POINT:

If you live in sin, you are a victim of fear. If you live in righteousness, you will exude courage.

Open Heavens: Better Things Are Above

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Friday 30 November

Bible in one year: Psalms 127-132

BETTER THINGS ARE ABOVE

Memorise: Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2

Read: Colossians 3:1-3

After John wrote the letters Jesus dictated to him, he looked up and saw a door open in Heaven. He was invited to come and see certain things. From the first chapter of the book of Revelation to Revelation 4:1, we see three doors. Revelation 3:8 talks about an open door of prayer, missionary activity, etc. The second door is in Revelation 3:20 which speak of the door of choice. The third door in Revelation 4:1 speaks of heavenly revelation. When heavenly doors are open, you will see beautiful things. Heaven is a super planet crafted with the best architecture, building construction, beautification, engineering, etc. The beauty of Heaven is indescribable. What we can only do is to search for things that come a little close to what is there. If you are a lover of beautiful things, well- crafted and highly designed houses, well planned streets and other magnificent things, wait until you get to Heaven. There is simply nothing to be compared to this planet! Somebody who visited said the gold and precious stones on earth are incomparable to those in Heaven.

When you look at Heaven, you see the glory of God. You see God’s unbeatable taste in beauty and yet in all of Heaven, you cannot find anywhere a single sin is being committed. Who says you cannot be wealthy and live in affluence without staining your garment of righteousness? Heaven is full of beauty. Many of us are so busy about earthly things that we may never have the opportunity of seeing a vision of open Heavens. This is why Colossians 3:1-3 says you should set your love and attention on heavenly things. If you look to the earth, you will only see and receive from the earth. Change your focus today. There are better things above. There is better news above. There are more glorious sights above. Turn your eyes up and see what God sees. As you look to the Lord from today, He will open your eyes to see what you never saw. The Heavens will open to you this season.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, open my eyes to see visions of Heaven.

Open Heavens: Forceful Reconciliation

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Thursday 29 November

Bible in one year: Psalms 120-126

FORCEFUL RECONCILIATION

Memorise: And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; Genesis 26:28

Read: Genesis 26:27-31

On their way to the Promised Land, the children of Israel faced several threats and dangers from contrary situations but God’s presence protected them from all evils. Moses knew how valuable God’s presence was so he insisted that if God was not going anywhere with them, they were going to stay where His presence was (Exodus 33:14-15). From today, as you bask in God’s presence at home, school, church or work place, you will enjoy His full protection in Jesus name. Similarly, God’s presence gave them victory over their enemies. God had to overthrow stronger, larger and more powerful nations for their sake before they could inherit Canaan (Deuteronomy 4:37-39).

In addition to these, God’s presence also gives prosperity as can be seen in the life of Joseph (Genesis 39:2-3). It is easy to prosper when God’s presence goes with us. When God is the only missing ingredient in an arrangement that has the best brains, failure may result. He makes all the difference. Is God with you today? Is God in your business? Is He in that project you have been planning? If you have the capital, idea, personnel but God is not there, you are not yet ready to start. Let Him always be in your boat. Moreover, the presence of God can compel our enemies to reconcile with us when they realise they cannot overcome us in battle. That was the experience of Isaac in Genesis 26:27-31. The same people that sent Isaac away went to look for him in his new location. They observed that through God’s presence with him, he prospered everywhere he turned. They were afraid that he could become so mighty that he may become allied with their enemies to destroy them. So to forestall that, they came to make peace with him. Are your enemies still fighting with you? If you can allow God’s presence to be mighty in your life, your enemies will be forced to be at peace with you.

KEY POINT:

It is very dangerous to fight anyone carrying God’s presence as defeat is guaranteed!

Open Heavens: Habakkuk Also Waited

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Wednesday 28 November

Bible in one year: Psalms 119

HABAKKUK ALSO WAITED

Memorise: Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Hebrews 2:1

Read: Hebrews 2:1-3

While going through his trial, Job waited on the Lord. At long last, God sent His Word and solution came into his situation. Beloved, wait on His Word in every situation you find yourself. Habakkuk learnt to do so. In Habakkuk 2:1-3, he said before he will do anything at all, he will wait to hear from God on the matter. Why? It is because that is the most important event on which subsequent actions would be based. Has a brother proposed to you in marriage? Do not tell him “Yes” or “No”. Tell him, ”give me time to pray about it”. If he comes again while you are yet to hear from your Father, tell him, ”I need more time to hear from God”. If he is too much in a hurry, let him go. All brothers in Christ cannot possibly be your husband. When the right person comes, one way you will know he is not a “hit and go” is that he will tell you he has reached his last bus stop and is prepared to wait as long as it takes. Patience is one good criterion for sieving who is serious and mature from the one who thinks marriage is all about sex.

Moreover, the fact that we are waiting does not indicate that God has shelved His responsibilities towards us as mortals do. When some people ask you to wait, they mean that you should forget about your expectation. Those kept on their waiting list would have waited so long before they realise they were only wasting time. When God says wait, He will surely respond to you. After Habakkuk had earnestly prayed against the evil of his days, he expected God to do something especially since He disapproves of their evil deeds. But when God’s judgement on the wicked appeared delayed, even though Habakkuk could not understand it, he resolved to wait. Are you in similar situation where you have done all that God expects for a particular promise to be fulfilled, yet no answer appears in sight? Just wait. His answer will surely come and when it does, if you consider its timing, it could not have been better timed.

KEY POINT:

If you move on when the spiritual traffic light turns red, you will infringe on spiritual laws of motion and will pay for it.

Open Heavens: Expensive Exchange

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Tuesday 27 November

Bible in one year: Ezekiel 46-48

EXPENSIVE EXCHANGE

Memorise: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8

Read: Luke 4:1-6

From Luke 6:38 we understand that it is when you give that something will be given back to you. This is a divine principle that works for anyone. The devil knows this and has applied this same principle and obtained results from it. For instance, when he took the position and authority of being god of this world from Adam, what did he do? Did he say: Relinquish your position and authority over the earth to me so that I can now be in charge of your domain? No! All he did was to offer him the forbidden fruit. As soon as Adam received and ate the fruit, he sinned against God. The devil jumped up and started to quote that since he is now a sinner, he could no longer retain what he got in holiness. And since he had already given to him, he has a right to receive his harvest. What could Heaven do about this? The devil had smartly played his card and so he quietly collected from Adam the authority God had bestowed upon him. From that moment, the devil began to use Adam’s authority to torment, trouble, terrorise, humiliate and destroy both Adam and the whole of the human race.

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. Luke 4:6

From the time of scoring this victory over Adam, the devil has been dangling Adam’s power before men and taking over their souls. The only way that power could be regained was either forcefully by God, which will make the devil to accuse God of arbitrariness or by engaging the Devil on a level playing field and defeating him. This was why Jesus had to come as a man to rescue mankind. When He came, the devil dangled the same power before Him and the Lord said, “I have come to recover what you stole from Adam”, but Satan said, ”I did not steal it. Adam willingly relinquished it to me”. When did he do that? It was during the exchange – when he accepted the forbidden fruit. If you don’t want to lose anything, never accept anything from Satan. Anything you receive from him gives him the authority to take precious things from you in return. Any exchange programme with the devil will always leave the human side the worse for it. Have you been receiving from the devil? He will have his pound of flesh. Be wise.

KEY POINT:

If the devil gives you one Naira, he will attempt to collect one million Naira in return.

Open Heavens

Open Heavens Devotional

Author Archives: semmyk

Open Heavens: Enemies Shall Flee

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Open Heavens: Special Secrets

Aside

Open Heavens: Drained?

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Open Heavens: Sin and Health

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Open Heavens: Peace Through Praise

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Open Heavens: Identified by Boldness

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Open Heavens: Better Things Are Above

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Open Heavens: Forceful Reconciliation

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Open Heavens: Habakkuk Also Waited

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Open Heavens: Expensive Exchange

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