OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2026

Image
TOPIC: TOPIC: DELIVERANCE FROM THE BURDEN OF DEBTS MEMORISE : "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," Luke 4:18 READ : 2 Kings 4:1-7 1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into ...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. RESPOND WITH LOVE. : WEDNESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2020.

MEMORISE:
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

READ: 1 Corinthians 13:2

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

MESSAGE 
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 5:44

As Christians we are called to a lifestyle of love- unconditional love even towards enemies and unfriendly people.

Some years ago, I went to see a man in his office and although he knew I had arrived, he kept me waiting. He probably thought I would get angry and leave, but I waited patiently. Finally, after several hours, he came in to attend to me and met me smiling. He found it hard to believe. “You waited?” He asked and I responded “Yes sir.” Immediately, his previously unfriendly countenance towards me changed. Today, that ‘unfriendly’ man has a house in Redemption Camp. Responding with love to those who wrong you will confuse and win them over to your side.

Have people been hurting you with their words and actions? From now on, smile and do good to them. Is anyone persecuting you because you are a Christian? Why not pray for them to have an encounter with Christ, so they can change? When you report with love to those who hate you, some may see you as a fool and try to advise you otherwise. Ignore them and obey the counsel of Jesus because 1 Corinthians 1:25 says 

“…..the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Don’t abuse or insult anybody, your words should be seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6). Don’t try to avenge yourself because vengeance is of God and not man (Romans 12:19). Don’t pray for your persecutors to die because God is not interested in the death of a sinner (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). No matter what you are going through in the hands of anyone, always respond in love. By doing so, you will save yourself and the person too and this is the will of God.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, give me the grace to respond in love to all those who hurt me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 19-21

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 29:  WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS.

1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

2. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

3. Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

4. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
All to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
There will be no need for prayer—
Rapture, praise, and endless worship
Will be our sweet portion there.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6TH 2025

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: THURSDAY MAY 9TH 2024

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: SUNDAY, 22ND JUNE, 2025