OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2026

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TOPIC: THE LAKE OF FIRE MEMORISE : And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15 READ : Revelation 21:8, Revelation 21:26-27 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. MESSAGE I was shocked when I heard someone say several years ago that he was preparing to go to hell. He even said that he wanted to take my Father in the Lord, me, and one other person along with him. The most shocking thing was that the individual who made that statement was a senior minister in the church at that time. Today’s ...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. NOT A VIRTUE! FRIDAY 22ND JULY 2016

Memorise:
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. Proverbs 26:11

Read: Proverbs 15:20-21

20 A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

21 Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.

Message
Foolishness is not a virtue; rather it is a vice that costs its victim eternity in hell fire. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). In other words, lack of the fear of God is the beginning of foolishness. So, when someone decides to live without the fear of God, he does whatever he pleases without consideration for the Word of God, he feels he is free to do whatever he likes with his life, he behaves as if he owns his life, but in actual sense, his life is borrowed and the owner may ask for it anytime. Our Lord Jesus told a parable of a prosperous farmer who did not reckon with God in all his dealings. Considering the wealth he had possessed he said:

"And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" Luke 12:19-20

Some people who claim to be children of God behave foolishly sometimes. Our memory verse for today says: "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly." Some brethren who had been modest and holy are now regretting their past pure Christian life! Those vanities they forsook in the past are now back in full force. This scripture is now fulfilled in their lives. Jesus said when a demon is cast out of a man, he goes away but after sometime he comes back to check whether that life is still empty. If he finds the life empty he goes back to take seven more powerful demons to take possession of the life (Luke 11:24-26).
It is foolishness to go back to your old lifestyle after you have been cleansed from your former sins and impurities. The Bible says:

"For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning."
2 Peter 2:20

In the past, you could identify a child of God from afar off (with few exceptions of those who were pretenders). Many things that are now being celebrated were abominations in those days. It is unfortunate that a wholesale return to those vanities is now in vogue. Some Christian scholars were brought to me in my office by their leaders many years ago and I saw assorted wild paintings- red, green, silver, brown, pink etc on their faces and lips. I could not help but tell them that that was the first time I would see Bible scholars in such a wild exhibition of vanities.

Their leader then promised that he would do something about it and that when Lazarus came out from the dead he was gradually striped of the grave clothes he had on. Theologians know how to explain things away. Beloved, going back from your first love is not a virtue; it is rather a vice. Repent today, tomorrow may be too late.

Action Point :
Check your life and see if there is any foolish act of sin, unrighteousness or backsliding. Repent.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ephesians 1:1-4:16 and Psalms 18:20-28

Author: Pastor E. A. Adeboye

HYMN 4: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

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