OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MONDAY 15TH JULY 2024
MEMORISE:
“He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.” – Proverbs 21:21 (KJV)
READ: Deuteronomy 28:1-15 (KJV)
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
9 The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
MESSAGE:
The law of righteousness is one law that many people know but hardly comply with. It is simple; obey God, and you will excel (Deuteronomy 28:1). Jesus put it this way in Matthew 6:33:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
If you seek God’s righteousness and seek to do things that are right in His sight, without a doubt, the material things that other people are seeking will begin to pursue you and overtake you. This is a law that cannot be broken.
When my father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, was alive, he used to say that it is what your father has that he will use to take care of you. Romans 6:16 says that whomever a person yields himself or herself to obey is that fellow’s master. This means that if someone obeys the devil and commits sin, the devil will take care of the fellow with what he has. Also, if the fellow obeys the Lord and lives righteously, God will take care of him or her with what He has. The devil has nothing else to offer than to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10); if anyone obeys him, that is what he or she will get. If you obey Christ and live in righteousness, the same John 10:10 says that what He has to offer you is abundant life.
Beloved, there is absolutely no gain in sin. The things that look like the gains of sin are actually baits of the devil. When a hunter is trying to catch an animal in the forest, he puts the animal’s best food inside a trap. When the animal tries to grab the food, it gets trapped. Beware of whose food you are eating. If you have to compromise on God’s word to get that food, it is only a trap for the devil to destroy your soul. Whatever hunters use to feed their catch is nothing compared to what they will take from the catch.
The devil will never give you anything without collecting more from you. Obey the law of righteousness, and you will enjoy the blessings of God.
KEY POINT:
Righteousness exalts you, while unrighteousness debases you. Choose wisely.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 4-8
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 10 – In Christ Alone
1 In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my Light, my Strength, my Song
This Cornerstone, this Solid Ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
2 In Christ alone, Who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This Gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
3 There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
4 No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
Signs of the end: Lust
READ: 1 John 2:15-17
- Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
- And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
MEMORISE: 1 Corinthians 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
MESSAGE:
Lust is an insatiable thirst for something that doesn’t belong to a fellow. Today, our focus will be on the lust of the flesh that involves being attracted to the opposite sex in an immoral way. If you engage in late-night phone calls that trigger sensual thoughts, then you must watch out. If you visit internet sites that make you think about having sex, then you must be careful. All these are subtle attempts of the devil to get into your heart and make you sin against God.
One of the major tools that the devil uses to truncate the destinies of God’s children is lust, which leads to sexual sin. Your body is God’s temple; therefore, you should be careful about the content you let into it and the actions you engage in.
Do not be like those who sin with the intention to ask God for forgiveness thereafter. It will only lead to destruction as it happened with Samson (Judges 16:30-31)
KEY POINT:
Flee from lust.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Chronicles 19:1-21:30 Romans 2:25-3:8
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 47, HOLY, HOLY , HOLY, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY
- Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord God Almighty!
Early In The Morning
Our Song Shall Rise To Thee;
Holy, Holy, Holy,
Merciful And Mighty!
God In Three Persons,
Blessed Trinity!
- Holy, Holy, Holy,
All The Saints Adore Thee,
Casting Down Their Golden Crowns
Around The Glassy Sea;
Cherubim And Seraphim
Falling Down Before Thee,
Which Wert And Art
And Evermore Shalt Be.
- Holy, Holy, Holy,
Though The Darkness Hide Thee,
Though The Eye Of Sinful Man
Thy Glory May Not See,
Only Thou Art Holy;
There Is None Beside Thee,
Perfect In Power, In Love,
And Purity.
- Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord God Almighty!
All Thy Works Shall Praise
Thy Name, In Earth And Sky, And Sea;
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful And Mighty!
God In Three Persons,
Blessed Trinity.
