IT PAYS TO LIVE HOLY II - Wednesday 31 December 2014

Memorise:

For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about,

and will be the glory in the midst of her.

Zechariah 2:5

Read: Job 1:8-10

1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my

servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and

an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God

for nought?

1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his

house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed

the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ACTS 27-28 and SONG OF SOLOMON

8:8-14

Message

Everybody in this world wants to be secure. Witchcraft is

prospering because people feel insecure and they are looking for

security from any available source. The unfortunate thing is that,

looking for security from the forces of darkness is looking for

security from the very person who wants to destroy you. Those

who are living a holy life have the protection of the Lord Almighty.

This is because God has built a hedge around them. In Job

1:9-10, the Bible tells us that God had put a hedge around Job

and his household. God put a hedge around Job because he

served Him. Job got into the predicament that befell him because

God wanted to prove a point to Satan. Around every holy child of

God, there is an unseen wall. Satan cannot pass through this wall

because it is made of fire. The Bible in Zechariah 2:5 says,

"For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about,

and will be the glory in the midst of her."

Satan knows that he is going to end up in the Lake of fire. He is

therefore not very anxious to taste this fire yet, so when he sees

anybody who is surrounded by this fire, he keeps his distance.

God has made so many promises to those that are holy. Psalm 91

contains classical examples of these promises. You cannot abide

in the secret place of the Most High without being holy. Without

being holy, God's promises cannot be yours. The fire of the

Almighty God is so hot that when it surrounds you, the fire of this

world will make way for you to pass. We have a good example in

Daniel 3:24-28, where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were

put in the fiery furnace. Their experience confirms what the

scripture says concerning the holy in Isaiah 43:2:

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and

through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou

walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall

the flame kindle upon thee."

There is however one thing that can remove the security covering

from you. This is sin. Whenever you sin, you create a barrier

between you and God. It is therefore dangerous to sin, not even

for once because you may not be able to recover from the

devastating effect of the ensuing satanic attack in the course of

your backsliding. I pray that your fire will not go out in Jesus'

Name.

Prayer Point:

Father, whatever will take away your banner of protection over my

life, withhold me from such from now on.

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PERFECT CHRISTIAN? - SUNDAY 28 DECEMBER 2014

MEMORISE: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48

READ: JOB 1:5-8

1:5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 

1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 

1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 

1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 20:17-22:21 and SONG OF SOLOMON 5:10-6:9

MESSAGE

When we compare two things and we say one is better than the other, it may not necessarily mean that either of the two is desirable. But when we say something is perfect, it means that it is good in itself and there is no evil complaint about it. It also means that it is so good that there is no need to improve on it. This is the definition of the perfect Christian. A perfect Christian is a Christian that is without blemish – a Christ-like individual indeed. There are different categories of Christians. There are those who have been saved but not sanctified. These ones easily get annoyed. They cannot be described as perfect Christians. Some Christians are saved and sanctified. These ones do not get annoyed. There was a time we were rehearsing a drama that was to be staged in our church. A part required that the actor should become very annoyed. Our main actor could not bring himself to be angry. We could not even get someone among us to teach him how to be angry. May you be sanctified to perfection in Jesus' Name.

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."
1 Peter 1:2
To become a perfect Christian, you must first and foremost be Holy Spirit filled. The Holy Spirit is indispensable in the life of any Christian. Without the Holy Spirit, it is not possible to have any of the dimensions of the fruit that the Holy Spirit causes a Christian to bear which makes a Christian perfect (Galatians 5:22-23). For one to be a perfect Christian, some things must manifest in the fellow's life. First, all things have to be done according to how God Himself would do them. You must aspire to please God in all that you do. Before doing anything, no matter how trivial, first ask how you think God would do it. Knowing that God can only do things perfectly, you will see to it that it is perfectly done. Secondly, a perfect Christian will aspire to get to where God wants him to reach. He will never stop or rest until God's purpose for his life is accomplished. Many Christians backslid because they had thought that their position was the highest spiritual height they could attain and as a result, they became contented and stopped striving higher. May the Lord bring you to perfection this season in Jesus' Name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, make me as perfect as you want me to be in Jesus' Name.

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IS GOD SILENT? - SATURDAY 27 DECEMBER 2014.

THEME : IS GOD SILENT?

MEMORISE : Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
ISAIAH 59 : 1.

READ : ISAIAH 59 : 1 - 3.

1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 

2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 

3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ACTS 18 : 18 - 20 : 16 AND SONG OF SOLOMON 5 : 2 - 9.

Some seventeen years ago, I preached a message titled: "When God Is Silent". In that message, I said that when people think God is silent, He is actually speaking but they are not listening. God also seems to be silent when people don't want to accept what He has to say. God seems to be silent when people have made up their minds on the kind of response they expect to get from Him without which they would not listen to Him. God is silent when a covenant with Him has been broken as it was with King Saul. Saul wanted to hear from an agent with familiar spirits and also from God. God goes silent when He sees that He is not the only counsellor or source of guidance you have. If you have prayed to know God's mind on certain issues and it seems God is silent, turn a searchlight on yourself. When your desire stands between you and God, it may appear God is silent. His apparent silence is actually speaking to you that there is something you have to give up. When God is silent, there may be an idol in your heart as stated in Ezekiel 14 : 3 :

"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?"

When God is silent, sin may have created a barrier between you and Him according to our Bible reading of today. When God is silent, your request may be borne out of a wrong motive (James 4:3). We need to bring down the glory of God for our prayers to be answered. The descent of God's glory brings deliverance because the Lord of the glory is strong and mighty in battle; the Lord of hosts is His name. When I was a lecturer at the University of Lagos, there was a student who urinated in the examination hall. The invigilator was embarrassed and decided to rush the boy to the campus clinic, but the boy objected and asked for his pastor to be sent for. My office phone rang and the caller briefed me on what had happened. Quickly, I got to the place and commanded the demon oppressing him to lose his hold on him in Jesus' Name. God answered immediately and he was set free. He went to change his clothes, returned to the examination hall and finished before everybody else. The shortest way of calling God's attention when it seems He is silent is through intense praise. God dwells in the praises of His people. God's glory announces His Person and presence; it is a revelation of His power and awesomeness. No enemy can stand His glory. Call on Him today, listen to what He has to say and praise Him intensely.

ACTION POINT :

Think over what God has spoken to you about and see whether you have ignored some. If you have, make restitution and you will hear Him clearly for a sense of direction.

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CHRISTIAN COURTSHIP - FRIDAY 26 DECEMBER 2014.

DATE : FRIDAY 26 DECEMBER 2014.
THEME : CHRISTIAN COURTSHIP.

MEMORISE:
Marriage is honourable in all, and
the bed undefiled: but
whoremongers and adulterers
God will judge.
Hebrews 13:4.
READ: Ephesians 4:14-15.
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;
15.But speaking the truth in
love, may grow up into him in all
things, which is the head, even
Christ:

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ACTS
16:16-18:17 and SONG OF
SOLOMON 4:9-5:1.

MESSAGE
It is one thing to choose the right
partner in marriage; it is another
thing to choose the right
approach to courtship. A wrong
approach to courtship,
particularly Christian courtship,
can have a negative impact on the
right choice. Therefore, believers
that are in courtship must be
Christian through and through if
they would eat the good of the
land of marriage (Isaiah 1:19). An
important lesson for ladies to
learn is that, a man is at his best
in courtship. He would call you by
different pet names. He would
tease you and make you feel
secure. These are the normal
sweet words you should hear in
courtship. However, when the
wedding ceremony is over, his
hidden shortcomings will be
exposed because he can no
longer hide them. The saying that
"love is blind" is true but
marriage is the tool to open the
eyes of the blind lover. You will
discover the real personality of a
man or woman after the wedding
ceremony.
For courtship to be Christian in
nature, the admonition in today's
Bible reading must be our
watchword. Courtship between
two children of God must not be
handled childishly. It should be
handled with maturity as
expected of a serious
relationship. There are many false
doctrines flying around and
children of God must beware of
them. For example, some people
believe that once you are in
courtship, you can begin to co-
habit, doing all sorts of ungodly
things together. They call it "trial
marriage". This has no place in
Christianity. It is whore-
mongering . More often than not,
after these so-called brothers
have had their fill of the so-called
sisters, they dump the sisters for
those they regard as "reserved
and self-discipline d". In the
same vein, there are terrible
wolves in sheep's clothing among
some so-called sisters too. They
try to make unsuspecting naïve
brothers get them pregnant and
the result is what we call shot-
gun marriage. This is a marriage
not properly prepared for.
Christian courtship must be
characterised with sincere
gestures. It involves sharing past
and present experiences with
your would-be wife or husband.
It should look beyond the present
to future aspirations. You should
lay your future bare in the hands
of Jesus Christ. Though there may
be sincere disagreements during
courtship, these are not strong
enough reasons to break the
courtship. However, if a courtship
is full of troubles that you are
almost getting suffocated with
sinful or legalistic demands of
your partner, you need to have a
rethink of the relationship. This
situation calls for fresh prayer.
You may have made a mistake in
the first place.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please guide our youths
during Christian courtship; let
such relationships culminate in
holy wedlock and a glorious
marriage.

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SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER 2014.

THEME : DETECTING FALSE PROPHETS.

MEMORISE : Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 JOHN 4 : 1.

READ : 1 JOHN 4 : 1 - 4.

1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 

3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ACT 6 - 7 AND SONG OF SOLOMON 1 : 1 - 10.

There are different categories of prophets. We have genuine prophets and counterfeit prophets. You might have been deceived by a false prophet, but if you search very well, you will find a genuine one who will deliver the correct message of God to you. One thing is certain: God will always deal with false prophets at His own time and in His own way ( Deuteronomy 18 : 20 ). God always confirms the words of His genuine prophets ( 1 Samuel 3 : 19 ). The apostles warned us in their epistles against listening to false prophets. Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 2 : 1 warns that :

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

The children of God must be aware of the various ways by which prophecies come to people. Prophesies can originate from any of these sources: the Holy Spirit, the human spirit and the spirit of the devil. In 2 Chronicles 18 : 19 - 22, we read about a lying spirit which took possession of the mouth of self-made prophets of King Ahab. To counter the operations of false prophets in your environment, you must be armed with the truth of the word of God. One way of knowing false prophets is by weighing the content of their prophecies on the scale of the word of God. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ in Galatians 1 : 9 wrote that :

“As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

For instance, it is a false prophet that would prophesy to a married woman that her real husband is yet to come. This is why children of God must be well-grounded in God’s word. A child of God that is well-grounded in God’s word, will know the scripture in Matthew 19 : 6 that says,

“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

When a prophet prophesies to a born-again lady that an unbeliever is the man God has chosen for her, 2 Corinthians 6 : 14 - 18 will reveal the falsehood of such prophetic utterance. It is equally important that a child of God possess the gift of discerning of spirits ( 1 Corinthians 12 : 10 ). May the Lord equip you with perfect knowledge of His word to be able to weigh every prophecy that comes your way in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT :

Father, enlighten my eyes of understanding to decipher false prophets in Jesus’ Name.

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The Fullness of Time - Saturday December 20, 2014

Topic: The Fullness of Time [Saturday December 20, 2014]

Memorise: To everything there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven: - Ecclesiastes 3:1

Read: Acts 2:1-4
2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place.
2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a
rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they
were sitting.
2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as
of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.


MESSAGE:
When the day of Pentecost was fully come, the Holy Spirit came
upon the disciples of Jesus Christ.
This event makes it clear that our God is a God of times and
seasons ( Daniel 2:20-21 ). If you look at the life of Elizabeth -
the mother of John the Baptist, you may be wondering: Why the
delay of the fruit of the womb in the life of such a devoted
daughter of Zion? The answer is found in the later event of the
birth of John the Baptist, who Jesus Christ acknowledged as the
greatest of all the prophets ( Matthew 11:11 ). He was born by
the same woman that was considered barren for many decades.
When the fullness of time came, Elizabeth conceived and gave
birth to the forerunner of the Messiah (Luke 1:11-16 ). The
Almighty God moves very fast whenever He wants to do
something.
When it seems God is slow in taking action, you can be sure
that it is because His time has not fully come. God is not a slow
worker at all. This is established from the creation story where
in six days, God accomplished the creation of the entire
universe ( Genesis 1 ). There is a time in a man’s life when delay
is not a good option. In 1 Samuel 17:51 , we read of the fast
move of God in David’s life.
It would have been another story if David had delayed in
separating the head of Goliath from his body after the stone
from his sling had dazed Goliath to the ground. The Bible says:
“Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and
took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and
slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the
Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.“
One characteristic of the fullness of God’s time is its sudden
arrival. The Bible says:
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were
all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came
a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting.” - Acts 2:1-2
It took God just one day to kick away famine from Samaria
according to 2 Kings 7:1-18 . Suddenly, food became surplus in
the land after God moved into the situation of a people who had
started killing their children for food. For someone using this
devotional, you will receive sudden breakthroughs this season
in Jesus’ Name. Your day of celebration shall fully come this
season in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point: Father, please let my miracle come suddenly in a
way that the enemy will not be able to do anything about it.
Bible in a Year: Acts 4-5

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WHAT DO YOU WANT? II- FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER 2014

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

THEME: WHAT DO YOU WANT? II

MEMORISE: 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. Esther 5:3

READ: PROVERBS 4:7-8

4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and

with all thy getting get understanding.

4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring

thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACT 1-3 and ECCLESIASTES 12:1-8

MESSAGE

The awesomeness of wisdom is stated in the Bible reading

of today. There are lots of lessons on wisdom we can learn

from the experiences of Bible heroes and heroines like

Solomon and Esther. One of such lessons is this: “There are

things that money cannot buy, but wisdom can get you

almost everything you need in life”. Money cannot buy you

sleep even though you may have the money to buy a water

bed. Money can buy you education but money cannot buy

you wisdom. While it is wisdom to abstain from what can

kill you, what do we see in our society today? We see a

doctor who has acquired medical education indulging in

chain-smoking. He has education but he is not wise enough

to abstain from a potential killer – smoking. We have heard

of lawyers, who in spite of their legal education are caught

in criminal acts. They have legal education but are not wise

enough to resist the temptation of criminality. Only God

gives wisdom and to Him we must turn to for it. I pray for

you today that the wisdom to ask for the right thing that will

cause the fullness of your joy shall be given to you today in

Jesus’ Name. King Solomon asked God for wisdom and he

got it. He later testified to its indispensability in Proverbs

4:7:

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and

with all thy getting get understanding.”

When Solomon asked for wisdom and he was given, all other

things followed. Where there is wisdom, there is wealth. It is

interesting to note that in Solomon’s era, kings came to

listen to his wisdom, and with every visit, they brought

fortunes to bless and appreciate him (1 Kings 10:23-25).

When Queen Esther was asked to make her request known

to the king, she did not ask for peanuts like additional

crowns, jewelleries, boxes of clothes etc; rather, Queen

Esther asked for her life and the lives of all her people,

which were in jeopardy. Where there is life, there is hope.

Queen Esther knew this and went for it. What do you really

want? It is a pity that some people do not know what they

want or what is good for them. I advise you to ask for

wisdom that comes from God today and the rest shall be

added unto you (James 1:5). It takes wisdom to heed to

correction, especially when it comes from the Holy word of

God (Proverbs 9:8-12). It is wisdom to seek first the

kingdom of God and His righteousness; it is certain the rest

shall be added unto you.

PRAYER POINT:

Lord, give me godly wisdom to be able to pray aright. Give

me wisdom to be able to live an acceptable life to yo

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GATES & EVERLASTING DOORS

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 2014 BY PASTOR E.A
ADEBOYE.

DATE:TUESDAY 16 DECEMBER 2014.

MEMORISE:
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever
ye shall bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven: and
whatsoever ye shall loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 18:18.

READ: Psalm 24:7-10.
7.Lift up your heads, O ye
gates; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of
glory shall come in.
8.Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty, the
LORD mighty in battle.
9.Lift up your heads, O ye
gates; even lift them up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of
glory shall come in.
10.Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts, he is the King
of glory. Selah.


BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ESTHER 1 and
ECCLESIASTES 10:1-7.


MESSAGE:
When you work like an elephant
and eat like an ant or you are
sorrowful while others are
rejoicing, it may be that you are
under the influence of gates and
everlasting doors. When you
continue to meet brick walls in all
directions you move, you may be
under the influence of gates or
everlasting doors. The good news
for someone using this
devotional is that God is going to
lift the negative gates and
everlasting doors that have been
standing on your way to success
today in Jesus’ Name. There are
lessons to learn from today’s Bible
passage. The first is that gates
have heads, and whatever has a
head must also have a body, and
whatever has a head and a body
is an entity. Secondly, these
entities are unseen, which means
that they are spiritual entities that
cannot die. Therefore, it takes the
power of the Most High to deal
with them. I pray that every
spiritual entity working against
your progress shall be destroyed
today in Jesus’ Name.
“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.”
Ephesians 6:12
For us to deal with spiritual gates
and everlasting doors, we need
spiritual weapons. This is the
reason why the Holy Spirit said
that we should put on the whole
armour of God (Ephesians 6:11).
What are the components of the
armour of God? The armour
includes: truth, righteousness and
the acceptance of the gospel of
peace. This means that for evil
gates and doors to shift ground
for your good, you must be born-
again by accepting the gospel of
Jesus Christ (John 3:5). Not only
this, you must also live in truth
and righteousness. Moreover, you
must take up the shield of faith,
the helmet of salvation and the
word of God with prayer and
supplication. The King of Glory will
come into your life and the
situation of gates and everlasting
doors will disappear. There was a
rich man who was plagued with
negative gates. When we were
called to assist him with prayers
so that he might be delivered, we
asked him to give his life to Christ
but he refused. The gate and
everlasting doors of Hell got rid of
him. My prayer for you is that you
will not be a victim but a victor in
Jesus’ Name. For this to happen,
today is the day of salvation for
you if you are a sinner. If you are
a backslidden believer, you must
repent and return to your first
love.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, every evil gate and
everlasting door blocking my way
to breakthrough, destroy them
completely today in Jesus’ Name.

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