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Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: John answered and said, A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. John 3:27 Read: 2 Chronicles1:6-15 S olomon benefited from the Spirit of wisdom. If you were asked what his secret was, you may say he was endowed because he asked for wisdom. But what made God to visit him on that crucial night? It was his offering. In today’s bible reading, Solomon gave a thousand burnt offerings. It was his generosity; he gave what probably nobody ever gave to God before this time. But who gave this young boy the idea to do such a thing? God did and God equally inspired him to ask for wisdom to enable him rule God’s people. That was a most unselfish request when he was given an open cheque to ask for anything. As seen from the memory verse, even the grace to give comes from above. There are natural misers who are only comfortable when they don’t have to spend. Anytime they intend to give and they...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. John 9:4 Read: John 9:1-7 T ime has a way of conspiring against us. It gives us the illusion that everything is standing still and nothing is lost. It appears to tell us never to worry. Anyone who falls for this illusion would regret at the end of the day, having failed to accomplish what he or she was supposed to. In John 9:4, Jesus says: I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. If only you can follow the principles of Jesus, there is no way you will not succeed both on earth and in Heaven. A wise person will strive to do the most important things in life at youth because at old age, there wouldn’t be much strength and vigour to do them. According to our Lord Jesus Christ, it is wise to do God’s work while a youth. That is, there is need ...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; Genesis 2:21 Read: Genesis 2:21-25 W hen dealing with God, you cannot but learn to be patient. Many have lost their miracles because they could not endure for an additional minute, hour, day, month or year and so on. If you have expectations – particularly great expectations, you will have no choice but to wait as long as is required. Patience is part of the price you pay in receiving from God. During the period of waiting, God will check out certain things in your life and help you learn and add what you lack, make you better prepared, and cause you to understand Him some more, so that when He releases the blessing, it will endure. If you check from the beginning, you will see men having to wait on God to get their desires. If the issue is of paramount importance...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Proverbs 23:21 Read: Proverbs 26:13-16 G od reveals in Revelation 1:6 that if you are born again, you are a king with God. As such, you should be decked with your royal robe. But do you know that laziness strips the believer of this robe replacing it with rags? A king that is clothed in rags will be treated like a slave or mad fellow. How are you clothed today? Many people cry to God to prosper them but when God looks at them intending to answer them, He realises they have no capacity to contain His blessings. Do you know that to prosper, you require hard work? To sustain it, you may require a higher level hard work. Hence, Proverbs 22:29 says: Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. If you fail to work had when you are young, yo...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Romans 11:21 Read: Romans 11:17-23 G od is the Potter and we are the clay. Going by Jeremiah 18:1-4, you can either yield yourself completely to Him letting Him do whatever He wants with your life, or He may change your destiny completely. Because Eli’s children refused to fully yield to God, He changed His mind concerning the glorious future ahead of them (1 Samuel 2:30). Initially, He wanted them as a priest-producing lineage, but later, God said the survivors of Eli’s generation would be beggars. Their destinies were changed from being fathers of the nation to servants and beggars. It is a terrible thing to resist God! Are you resisting Him today? Is there any instruction He has given to you that you have not yet complied with? Repent and restitute your ways! Stop toying with naked wire that is carrying current at high vol...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1 Read: 2 Corinthians 6:1-9 G od loves hardworking people but hates the laziness. When He looks for people to give assignments, He often looks for hardworking people. If you see a lazy and nonchalant fellow occupying an ecclesiastical position, ask him how he got there because God has no business with lazy bones. Even when a person becomes mad, that state of insanity does not take away industry or hard work from the fellow. When you observe mad men, you will know those who were hardworking and those who were lazy among them. The lazy ones will sit all day long or scavenge in one location for virtually the whole day, but the hardworking ones will go far distances – even travelling several kilometers on foot. Sometimes while travelling from one state to another, you will see some mad fellows...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee; goodness if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shall be cut off. Romans 11:22 Read: Isaiah 38:1-8 G od moves in mysterious ways to perform His wonders. In performing such wonders, God can overrule anybody’s decision, action or plan at any time. He can also overrule His own decisions but nobody can overrule God’s. Overruling Himself reveals His two sides. In Isaiah 38:1-8, the Most High sent His prophet to King Hezekiah asking him to put his house in order because his time was up. But Hezekiah told God he was not ready to die yet. What did God do? The Lord sent His prophet back to tell him that he would no longer die but rather have an additional 15 years. On this side, God could allow His mercy prevail over your life to a point that He will bend the rules just to favour you. This season, the Lo...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:16 Read: Genesis 39:7-13 I t is on record that an excellent spirit was found in Daniel (Daniel 6:3). This is the Spirit of wisdom. He does not come cheap but is given only to those who deserve Him. Matthew 7:6 says holy things are not meant for dogs and precious things are not for sinners. Who can possibly receive the Spirit of wisdom? He is for those who are pure and undefiled like Joseph. It is common to hear that a man is chasing a lady but in Joseph’s case, it was the madam of the house that was after him. Some men wish they had the opportunity to sleep with the wife of their boss. If it does not come, they can spend hours fantasising on a possible occurrence. Joseph had all the chances of sleeping with his master’s wife but he did not. She made all the promises you can think of but he kn...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Hebrews 12:15 Read: Matthew 6:12-15 I t is difficult to avoid friction in any society. An African proverb says: The one who says, don’t touch me, will not go to the market, and the one who says, Don’t spill water on me, will not go to fetch water from the local river. As long as you interact with people, misunderstanding is bound to come. No reasonable person will be angry without a cause. It is friction that generates hurt, pain, bitterness and un-forgiveness. When the one you trust disappoints you, it hurts. When people speak evil or lie against you, you will feel pain. As long as you live in a community, somebody must step on your toes. The truth is, offences must come but the problem here is how do you handle them when they occur? For instance, if you are upset by ...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalms 37:4 Read: Psalms 37:3-7 W hen the lame man at the Beautiful gate saw Peter and John, he expected to get some money but he got what money could not buy – healing. This tells us that sometimes, God may not exactly give us our requests based on our limited expectations. Being the good God that He is, even when we are looking for fish, He wants to make us fishers of men. When we are looking for healing of a particular ailment, God wants to turn us into His healing agents in addition to giving us good health. When the erstwhile lame man was healed, he did not go back to beg for bread. He could now walk with his legs and seek for a decent job. He could now fend for himself. Do you know that many times we focus on our wants while God focuses on our needs? While you focus on today, the Lord is focusing on your tomorrow. Whi...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 2 Peter 3:14 Read: 1 Kings 19:19-21 L azy people love to sleep. Proverbs 19:15 says slothfulness casts the slothful into deep sleep. As good as sleep is, it is bad to sleep when you should be working. If you find yourself given to much sleep, watch it, slothfulness might be creeping into your life. The slothful can sleep at any given time. God hates laziness with a passion. If you are lazy, you will not be in God’s good books. You will enjoy God’s favour if you are lazy. In spite of the volume of work available in the Kingdom, God has no assignment for the lazy unless they first deliver themselves from laziness. God shops around for the hardworking. In today’s reading, God saw Elisha very busy in his farm and told Elijah to call him and God was not disappointed. Are y...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24 Read: Matthew 6:22-24 G od demands full commitment from all His children. If you say you are born again, then never stand in God’s way. Some years ago, I was invited by the Anglican Church to preach on any topic I was led to speak on. I decided to speak on salvation, sanctification and baptism in the Holy Spirit. One of the members came and asked: “If the wind wants to blow and somebody is blocking it, what will happen?” I replied, “Whoever is blocking the way will be uprooted”. Our God is sitting in Heaven and saying to you, “this is the deal”. Agree with Him and receive the benefit or reject the offer and be prepared for destruction. Psalms 33:8-11 says the whole world should fear Him because whatever He says stands. ...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. Daniel 1:19 Read: Daniel 1:3-4 M any children of God who entered their promise land did not enter because they were super humans, but because they received divine inspirations and promptings which they simply obeyed. Some others who failed to enter failed because they refused His promptings. May you not neglect the inspiration that will lead you into your breakthrough in Jesus name. However you need to know that grace chooses who to bless and it is not by chance. In Luke 5:1-7 the Lord got to the lake of Gennesaret and met two boats belonging to two different people. And He chose Peter’s boat. Why? It is because He does not choose lazy people. In God’s Kingdom, there is no room for lazy bones. He will never show mercy to the last fellow because his lazin...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. Psalms 75:6 Read: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 G od neutralises curses and promotes. Nobody will want to lift another person above himself. When somebody is talking about promoting somebody else, it is to a level such that the promoted fellow is still under him. For instance, in Genesis 30:1-5, when Potiphar promoted Joseph and put him in charge of all he had, he still remained a slave. Also, if a human being promotes you, the same fellow may demote you as it happened in Joseph’s case. But when God decided to promote Joseph, He took him above his master to a level where he became a master, while Potiphar became his servant. God’s promotion caused them to switch roles. This season, the Lord will promote you. He will lift you so high that those above you will be placed under you. Similarly, in 1 Samuel 16:1-13, God said He had chosen David...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7 Read: Daniel 6:1-31 W isdom is a priceless virtue that anyone who wants to succeed must have. In life, there are major and minor acquisitions. Wisdom falls into the class of majors. That is, even if you could not acquire anything at all, you must not miss out on wisdom. If you could sell all your earthly possessions in exchange for wisdom, it is worth it. Wisdom is more than money. When you have it, even if you were the poorest, you will end up attracting great riches. Besides being an attribute, wisdom is a spirit. Isaiah 11:2 speaks of the spirit of wisdom. Those who have this spirit always excel. They stand out. An example here is Joseph. In Genesis 41:13-44, after interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams and giving advice on what should be done, Pharaoh was swept off his feet. And Pharaoh said unto h...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18 Read: Isaiah 28:18-21 I come from a family where our great-grandfather was a mighty warrior. He had several males and female slaves. At a particular time when his wife was pregnant, he impregnated one of his female slaves also. While his wife was well catered for, the slave girl was neglected so she cursed the family saying that because of the way she was treated, anytime a woman in that family delivers a baby girl, and tasted oil or salt within 7 days or 9 days if in the case of a boy, the child would die. They soon realised that the curse had become active in the family. So they ensured women who delivered kept away from salt and oil until I became born again and everything changed. You are a change agent and you are in your family ...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted. Proverbs 10:24 Read: Acts 3:2-8 W henever hopelessness is brought to the God of hope, it has no choice but to change form. Do you know that your dry bones shall live again? That ground that has refused to produce will surely produce. Has your womb been without a baby for so long? It is because it is selective of the child it wants to carry. After Sarah’s 25 years of barrenness, the same womb that refused to conceive seed, conceived a covenant child – Isaac. Are you physically barren? Shortly, you shall carry your baby. Have you been barren for so long? Your Isaac is on the way. Has your business been unable to attract contracts or to give you profit? The Lord will make you fruitful. That dry business will begin to give you good yields from today. Expectation can produce miracles. Expectation can remove barrenne...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hate. Proverbs 14:17 Read: Proverbs 14:17-18 A part from pride, another work of flesh you must exert your Christ-given victory over is anger. Pride and anger are related. It is those who feel superior to others that are easily irritated or take offence by what others have done to them. A messenger is not likely to be angry or mad at his boss if the latter insults him. But if the messenger insults his boss, he can be fired. Anger is a vice that has robbed many and will yet rob many more of their blessings. According to Ecclesiastes 7:9, it is only a fool that will allow anger to remain in his bosom because if you will be angry at all, it must not go with you to bed (Ephesians 4:26). However, God expects you to avoid anger because of His classification, an angry fellow belongs to the class of atheists who deny God’s existence (Psalms 14:1...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Psalms 119:10 Read: Proverbs 3:5-6 O ur God never does things in half measures. When He saves, he does it completely. That is why Hebrews 7:24-25 says He saves to the uttermost. What of when He heals? He heals completely, which is why when He healed Naaman the leper, He gave him a brand new skin (2 Kings 5:1-14). When He delivers, it is also total hence John 8:36 says once He sets you free, you are truly free. When He casts out demons from someone, none is left. Thorough deliverance is done once and for all. God has no room for half measures. Revelation 3:15-16 says He will not accept anything in half measures. If He wants something cold, it must be freezing cold and when He wants something hot, it must be at boiling point. In 1 Samuel 15:1-23, King Saul lost his crown because of partial obedience. God prefers total obe...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:27 Read: Romans 8:26-27 I n Mark 5:1-20, the Lord Jesus Christ was at a graveyard. But what was He doing there? He was paying visit to a mad man who had made the graveyard his residence. In whatever hoe you are hiding the Lord will visit you. By the time the man saw Jesus at a distance he ran to him, fell on his face and worshipped Him contrary to what the demons in him wanted. Who told this man to take such an action? It was the Spirit that inspired him and told him, “That is the fellow who can deliver you. Shut your ears to all the other voices you are hearing now, run with all your strength to Him and when you get there, worship Him”. He obeyed the prompting of the Spirit and he was delivered that day. This tells us that God can even prompt a mad fe...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. Isaiah 28:18 Read: 2 Kings 2:19-22 B esides overruling, the God we serve – the Most High God – overrules curses. In 2 Kings 2:19-25, Jericho was a beautiful city, yet there was barrenness, death, bad water, etc. as a result of a curse placed over it by Joshua (Joshua 6:26). But through the servant of the Most High, the curse was lifted. A lesson here is that not only can individuals or families be cursed, but communities and cities can equally be cursed. Living in a cursed community is not an interesting experience. Virtually everyone there will suffer from affliction brought about by the curse. But you, as a change agent, can break the curse over your community and set everyone there free like Elisha did. Another lesson is th...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20c Read: 2 Chronicles 20:20-22 A child should benefit from the support system of its parents. Applied to believers, we benefit from the support system our Father has set up for us through the ministering of angels. I once was with my sister and her husband as a child. One day, before she left for their farm, I asked her for a description of its location, which she gave me. I later went in search of the farm believing it wasn’t far off based on her description. In the course of my search, I lost my way. I did not know how to get to the farm or my way back home, and there was nobody to tell me where I was. Suddenly, I saw a small white dog. I did not know where it came from but it wagged its tail at me and began moving, as if trying to lead me somewhere. I did not follow it. It looked back at...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law; being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: Galatians 3:13 Read: Exodus 32:19-26 G enerational curses have been one major area that has battled a lot people. In some families, certain ailments run throughout the various generations. Jacob placed a curse on Reuben and he also cursed Levi (Genesis 49:5-7). However, in Numbers 3:6-12, God said Levi should be brought near and dedicated to Him in place of actual firstborns. There are different classes of firstborn – those who opened their mother’s womb and those that God chose to be number one irrespective of their position in the biological hierarchy of the family. Earlier, Jacob cursed Levi that he shall be scattered. That curse was operational until one day; Moses went up to meet God on the mountain in Exodus 32:15-28. While he was away the Israelites went into id...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own baby now dead, when he was about an hundred old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: Romans 4:19 Read: Romans 4:17-19 T he patriarchs of old were often times confronted with very frustrating and hopeless situations yet they overcame. Are you in a hopeless situation, is that hopeless situation presently asking, where is your God? You will prevail. One of such patriarchs was Abraham. He waited for about 25 years to see the fulfilment of God’s promise concerning Isaac. Boy! That was no joke. At the age of 75, God made the promise. Even at that time, there was very little that man could do, yet God allowed things to degenerate to a point of total hopelessness – when he was 100 years and his wife 90 years. Abraham’s case was a very bad one. The scripture says his body was no longer responding and so was the womb of his wife. For his expectation to prod...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. Proverbs 16:5 Read: Proverbs 16:5-6 G od is not happy with the proud and He treats them with disdain. Unfortunately, many of God’s children celebrate the proud and treat them with respect and great honour. No! They don’t deserve it! Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respected not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Psalms 40:4 God does not expect you to feed the emptiness of the proud fellow or else you may lose the blessing He pronounced above. If we relate with the proud the way we should, they will get the message and retrace their evil steps. How are you relating with the proud today? According to Psalms 31:23, God has lots of reward for the proud fellow but what king of reward is it? It is shame, disgrace, demotion, disappointment and ultimately ...

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye Memorise: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Ephesians 1:12 Read: Ephesians 1:3-5 T he sun and the moon have their different sphere of influence. Unlike the moon, the light of the sun influences those under it to stay awake and work. It gives life, while the light of the moon –which is a reflection – influences those under it to close shop and sleep. What does your light do – cause drowsiness or alertness? From Genesis 1:26-28, we understand that man was created for a purpose – to dominate everything God had made including the sun, moon and stars. You were created for a purpose, even if you were conceived by mistake, you are not an accident. Were you a product of rape? Even then you still have to fulfil God’s purpose on earth. God needed a particular man a specific woman to come together in order to have you. If your father just impregnated your mother and disappeared, it could...