Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY MAY 7TH 2017

THEME: BE A PERPETUAL WORSHIPPER!

Memorise:

Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!Psalm 107:15

Read: 2 Kings 5:8-17

8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.

17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.

Message:

If you try to fathom the vastness of the universe and the precision with which all things work together to maintain a balance, you will appreciate the greatness of our God who created it all. When you then contemplate on the micro details of your place in this universe, and how God is still concerned about “little you”, showering you with His love, goodness, faithfulness, mercy and grace, you will be left with no other option than to forever worship Him. God deserves our worship. Worship should not be something you do for a period and then take a brake; it should be something you do for the rest of your life. How consistently have you worshipped God? One Bible character who understood this principle of worship is Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-17). Naaman had a physical burden that defied all medication until he met with the man of God, Elisha. He was asked to go to the River Jordan and dip himself in it seven times. He did this, and was cleansed. Thereafter, He returned to thank God with a lot of money, but the man of God turned down the gifts saying, “Freely I received, and freely I give to you.” Naaman then requested for some of the soil of the land, so that he could take it back to his homeland and build an altar where he would worship God perpetually. He plainly said to the man of God, “For what your God has done for me, I will serve no other god but your God for the rest of my life”

For a good number of people, God has done several big things for them, and yet they do not have an altar dedicated to worshipping His majesty in their homes. I am not referring to a physical building, but rather a place consecrated to worshipping God and God alone. Some people say that if only they had several rooms, they would dedicate one to God. Even if all you have is one-room apartment, you can just dedicate a corner of your room to worshipping Him. Sometimes ago, the only place I could worship God without distraction was in my bathroom. There I could sing and dance to God without anybody watching. I could jump and do whatever I wanted in my bid to worship Him. With the door locked, it would just be God and I. If you desire to worship God in spirit and in truth, start by getting a place where you can do that in your home. Also fix a time or times when you will do this, so that the manifest presence of God will always come down at such time. Get your Bible, hymn book, notebook, and anything else that can aid your worship and get on with it. Be a perpetual worshipper of God!

Action Point:

Worshipping God is one of the few activities we will continue to do in eternity. Ask God for grace to worship Him continuously and acceptably.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 5-6
Jeremiah 27:1-15

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 14: TAKE MY LIFE

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

2.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.

3.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.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. 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.

6. 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.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.

SATURDAY MAY 6TH 2017

THEME: SONS ARE SPIRIT-LED

MEMORISE:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14

READ: Romans 8:13-14

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 4 & Jeremiah 26:12-24

MESSAGE:

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”John6:36

To a natural man, the words of Jesus Christ and the message of the cross are all foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14). A person who is not living in the Spirit cannot comprehend the message of Jesus Christ because it originates from the Holy Spirit. This is why it takes the Holy Spirit to enlighten the eyes of the natural man’s understanding and convict his heart, before he can accept Jesus Christ into his life. To live in the Spirit, you need the Holy Spirit to quicken you. It is His work to make you alive and to strengthen you spiritually. When you are down or tired, if you pray in the Spirit long enough, you will find the strength to undertake the assignment ahead of you. Every assignment that God has for you is first spiritual and then physical. This is why you cannot effectively perform a divine assignment using only physical means. Even when you have to undertake the physical aspects of a divine assignment, you need spiritual stamina or input to be effective.

Moreover, if you live in the Spirit, you should also be led by the Spirit. Who leads you reveals who owns you (Romans 6:16). To understand what it means to be led by the Spirit, read up the account of the operations of the Holy Spirit in the life of Philip in Acts 8:26-40. If you are saved and you barely receive divine guidance from the Holy Spirit, you are still a babe in the Kingdom; but if you are regularly led of the Holy Spirit – meaning you hear His voice and follow His instructions – then you have most likely attained the level of maturity in the faith where you can be called a son (Hebrews 5:11-14). God is looking for sons and not just babes! There are several Kingdom assignments that God wants to give out, but He is looking for sons to take them up. Sons hear His voice and obey promptly, but babes find it difficult even to recognize God’s voice. Sons are guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth, because they can accept it and run with it, but babes cannot stand certain truths (John 16:12-13). If there are some truth from God’s word that can make you to turn back from following the Lord, you are still a babe and not yet a son. The word of God contains depths of truth. While babes read through it without getting much, sons carefully go step by step through it to harness the volumes of truth contained in it. Are you a babe or son?

PRAYER POINT:

Father, give me ears that hear your Spirit, and give me a heart that follows His leading.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 15: THE COMFORTER HAS COME

1. Oh, spread the tidings ’round,
Wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts
And human woes abound;
Let every Christian tongue
Proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

Refrain:
The Comforter has come,
The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from Heav’n,
The Father’s promise giv’n;
Oh, spread the tidings ’round,
Wherever man is found—
The Comforter has come!

2. The long, long night is past,
The morning breaks at last,
And hushed the dreadful wail
And fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills
The day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

3. Lo, the great King of kings,
With healing in His wings,
To every captive soul
A full deliv’rance brings;
And through the vacant cells
The song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

4. O boundless love divine!
How shall this tongue of mine
To wond’ring mortals tell
The matchless grace divine—
That I, a child of hell,
Should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain]

5. Sing till the echoes fly
Above the vaulted sky,
And all the saints above
To all below reply,
In strains of endless love,
The song that ne’er will die:
The Comforter has come!
[Refrain:]

MUSIC- Amazing Musical Scales

Music - Topic: SCALE

 What is a Scale?

According to the Harvard Concise Dictionary of music,  Scale is a collection of pitches arranged in order from lowest to highest and vice versa
Scale is gotten from an Italian word SCALA which means ladder, this Scale can be defined as "a series of 8 notes arranged in alphabetical order, ascending or descending, starting from any note and ending with its Octave".  Dr.  H. C Nwafor.
In music, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental  frequency or pitch. Scale ordered by increasing pitch  is an ascending scale and a scale ordered by decreasing pitch is a descending scale. 
C D E F G A B C is an example of a scale

 NB: There are some scales that are not 8 notes. We will see them as we move further


         LIST OF SCALES
the following are the list of scales we will be dealing with.
1. Major
2. Minor
3. Chromatic
4. Whole Tone
5. Gypsy
6. Pentatonic
7. Octatonic
8. Blues.

1. Major scale. It is noteworthy to know that before the major scale there was something called The Church Modes. The church modes were the tonal basis of early music until roughly the end of the 16th century  that is the end of the Renaissance. The major and minor scale replaced the modes and remained prominent until the 19th century, when composers rediscovered the early church modes and also became interested in other scales.
The major scale or lonian scale is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music
Major scale is also called the Diatonic scale. Central to the structure of Western tonal music is the diatonic scale,  a scale that includes 2 semitones (S) and 5 whole tones (T) arranged in the pattern embodied in the white keys of the pianoforte, taking C as the starting point  T T S T T T S.  In principle any of the Seven pitches of the scale can be taken as the starting point,  this rearranging the order which the tones and semitones occur
A major scale from C will become  C D E F G A B C.  C to D  is a Tone,  D to E  is a tone,  E to F is a semitone,  F to G is a tone, G to A is a Tone,  A to B is a tone and B to C is a semitone give us our C major scale.
To arrive at the  next major key scale using the circle of fifth for the Sharp series, we count 5 steps forward from C and that will be C D E F G. So to get the G Major scale using the T T S T T T S format. G to A is a tone, A to be is a tone, B to C is a semitone, C to D  is a tone, D to E is a tone,  E to F is a semitone and we need a tone,  we simply sharpen the F to make our major scale correct,  then F# to G is a semitone.  Making the scale of G major,  G A B C D E F# G.  Continue to circle if fifth until you get the last major scale. Also useful when finding our key placement.

The solfa note of the major scale is "Doh ray me fah soh la te doh".
Read more on major scale

 2. MINOR SCALE.
The major and minor scale share the same key signature but different starting point.
The minor start a minor 3rd below the major scale.
NB: A minor 3rd has 3 semitones. E.g. The relative minor of C Major will be C  B A. Let us check if we are correct. C to B is a semitone, B to A is a tone=(2 semitones). So the relative minor of C major is "A" minor, hope you noticed I wrote the minor in small letter.
Minor scale is of 3 types
A. The Natural
B. The Melodic
C. The Harmonic.
   A.  The natural minor scale is the same thing as its relative major only that it is starting a 3rd below. It is formed with this pattern: W  H  W  W  H  W  W .
Let's try this pattern with A minor scale (with the relative cale of c major), a-b is tone T(w), b-c is H,  c-d is w, d-e is w, e-f is H,  f-g is w, -g-a is w
 Nb: w stands for whole note(tone)
         H stands for half note(semitone)
The natural minor of C major will now be "a b c d e f g a". The solfa notation is: "lah te doh ray me fah soh lah"
   B.  The Melodic minor scale,  this scale has it's 6th and 7th degree raised will ascending and naturalized while descending. In other word, a sharp (#) is added to the 6th and 7th degree while ascending and a natural sign added while descending. The Melodic minor descending and the natural minor are the same thing.  E.g. the melodic minor of C major is "a b c d e f# g# a" while ascending and "a g f e d c b a" while descending.
Therefore, the solfa notation is; Ascending "lah te doh ray me fe se la" but descending order of it is "lah soh fa me ray doh te lah"
   C. The Harmonic minor scale. The harmonic minor has only it's 7th degree raised both in ascending and descending. E.g. The harmonic minor scale of C major is " a b c d e f g# a" . The solfa notation for both the ascending and descending order of harmonic minor is "lah te doh ray me fah se la" & "la se fah me ray doh te lah".
Read more on minor scale

 3. Chromatic scale : The Chromatic scale is a scale in which each note or pitch is separated from its neighbour by a semitone. (A Semitone is the smallest possible distance between two notes). The notes of an equal-tempered such as piano instrument, chromatic scale are equally spaced. An equal-tempered chromatic scale is a non diatonic scale having no tonic because of the symmetry of its equally spaced notes. Thus this scale includes 12 different notes or pitches and like others scales has the starting note repeated at the end making it 13. It has all the white and Black Keys of the pianoforte taken together.  The chromatic scale pattern is: H H H H H H H H H H H H.
  "C"  chromatic scale will be,   C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C
The solfa notation of Chromatic scale ascending is " Doh, De,  ray, re, meh,  fah,  Fe, soh, se, lah, le, teh, doh,  descending Doh, teh, taw, lah, law, soh, saw, fah, meh, maw,  ray, raw, doh.
Read more on chromatic scale

4. Whole Tone Scale:   The Whole tone scale is made entirely of whole step. It is among the most familiar scale, it has no semitone. This scale has only 6 notes and of course the starting note repeated at the end making it 7 notes.
The pattern for this scale is W-W-W-W-W-W For instance, starting the scale on key C, it will be; C D E F# G# A# C. The solfa note will be Doh ray me fe se le doh.
Read more on whole-tone scale

5. Gypsy Scale.  Before I tell you about the scale, I think is wise for us to under Gypsy music.  The itinerant people known as Gypsies are thought to have come from northern India and where known throughout Europe by the 15th century. They are widely distributed in the Near, Middle East and in America. Their music is correspondingly varied and little is known of what may have constituted a purely Gypsy tradition. What is known as Gypsy music in various regions is most often music native to the region in question and that has been adapted Ans modified by Gypsy musicians. The " flamenco music of Spain is a prominent example.

The music most widely thought if as Gypsy music is however  the product if Hungarian Gypsies adapting a variety of local genres.  By the late 18th century,  the characteristic Hungarian Gypsy Ensemble was already known,  consisting of two violins,  cimbalom and double bass.

The scale found in much of the music played by the Gypsy musicians in Hungary in the 19th century  and has be called Gypsy scale, the Formula/pattern is: W,  H, W+H, H, H, W+H, H. 
The C Hungary Gypsy scale will be: C D Eb F#(Gb) G Ab B C. The solfa notation is: doh ray re fe soh se t d.
The Intervals are: 1, 2, 3b, 4#, 5, 6b, 7 
The Semi-notes: 2 - 1 - 3 - 1 - 1 - 3 - 1
There is also Spanish Gypsy Scale
Click here for Spanish Gypsy scale. 

6. Pentatonic scale :  Pentatonic scale is a scale consisting of 5 notes. Although there are many ways to construct a pentatonic scale,  it can be easily played on the piano by using the Black Keys only.  The scale occurred in China as early  as 2000 B.C. It is called Penta because it only pick five(5) notes from the eighth(8) note major scale
C# D# F# G# A# C# or C D  E G A.
 In solfa notation  Doh ray me soh lah.  The Pentatonic scale is sometimes reffered to as Anhemitonic because it lacks semitones.
Read more on Pentatonic scale

7. Octatonic Scale. The Octatonic scale has 8 notes per octave arranged in a pattern of alternating whole tones and half tones.

With the FORMULA H-W-H-W-H-W-H-W 

Octatonic scale is C C# D# E F# G A A# C
                Doh de re m fe soh lah toh doh
Read More on octatonic scale

8. Blues Scale  is  C Eb F Gb G Bb C..
The blues scale is actually a 6 note scale. The scale is
built will scale degrees 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7, and 1 again.
The solfa notation is doh, re, fah fe soh taw doh. Read more on blues scale


Inspired by: Lamina Folusho
Edited by: Adigun Oluwatosin


Please, feel free to drop in the comments box for corrections, contributions and questions.

References:
1.https://www.pianoscales.org/spanish-gypsy.
2.http://musictheoryblog.blogspot.com.ng/2007/01/scales.html?m=1
3.http://decipheringmusictheory.com/?page_id=724
4.http://www.simplifyingtheory.com/pentatonic-scale/
5.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_scale
6.http://www.jazclass.aust.com/scales/scablu.htm

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY MAY 5TH 2017

THEME: ANY PENDING VOWS?

Memorise:

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Ecclesiastes 5:4

Read: Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

5:6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

MESSAGE

Our God is a God of faithfulness and He takes vows seriously (Deuteronomy 7:9). In Genesis 28:20-22, Jacob made a vow to the Lord at a time of distress and uncertainty in his life. Twenty years later, after the Lord had prospered Him, the Lord reminded him of the vow he had made unto Him (Genesis 31:13). Later, the Lord reminded him yet again of his vow and instructed him to move on from where he was to the place where he would fulfill the vow (Genesis 35:1-6). It does not matter how long ago you made a vow, God doesn’t forget!
“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.” Ecclesiastes 5:4

One of the lessons from the above passage is that you are not compelled to make a vow to God. However, if you do, don’t delay in redeeming it, or else, God will regard you as a fool. It is important to note that in life, what comes or doesn’t come to you will be largely determined by your sspiritual standing or status before God. If God sees you as righteous, He will release all the blessings reserved for the righteous upon you, as long as you ask Him. In order words, if your status before God is that of a righteous fellow, God will treat you with respect. He will treat you like he would treat His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who accorded you that your spiritual status and change the way God relates with you. For instance, if you fail to pay your vow after so long a time, your status is changed from that of a righteous person to that of a fool. Eventually, you lose the honour, respect and royal treatment God accords to the righteous. Why? It is because a fool denies the existence of God (Psalm 14:1). In other words, if you believe God exist and is aware of your vows, you would hurriedly redeem it. When you do not pay your vow to Him, you are saying that God does not exist, and this puts you into the same category as King Nebuchadnezzar, who in Daniel 3:15 pompously asked, “who is that God that can deliver you from my hands?” When God is thrown such a challenge, whether verbally, in thought or in actions, He is forced to accept the challenge and to prove His existence. Vow defaulters call for God’s divine hammer to fall on them. Some people make a vow or pledge to God, yet one or two months after God has kept His part, they are still dillydallying their vow. Are you defaulting in your vows to the Lord? Ask God for forgiveness and immediately set out to redeem them.

Action Point:

Take stock of all your pending vows and take steps to redeem them today!

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 2-3
Jeremiah 25:34-26:11

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 14: TAKE MY LIFE

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

2. 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.

3.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.

4.Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. 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.

6. 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.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY MAY 4TH 2017

THEME: HELP FOR THE HELPLESS

Memorise:

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46:7

Read: Psalm 9:18-20

9:18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

9:19 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.

9:20 Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men.

MESSAGE

There are general blessings and also personal blessings. I have observed that anytime David wanted to discuss something that is very important to him, he normally personalize it. For instance, in Psalm 23:1, he says,
 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
He did not say, “The Lord is our shepherd”. He was simply saying, “I can only speak for myself; I don’t know about you.” I pray that you will experience God as the Good Shepherd, so that you can testify personally and not just by sharing other people’s experiences. A shepherd is a person who looks after sheep. One thing you will observe about sheep is that they are very defenseless against predators. They cannot bite, they have no claws, and they cannot run fast; their only defense is the shepherd.

You will agree with me that it is a very frightening thing to be defenseless in a hostile world. It is indeed a horrible feeling to be completely helpless. When a man is sick, he runs to the doctor hoping to be healed, but when the doctor tries his best and says there’s nothing he can do, the sick becomes hopeless. When a man has serious financial problems, he runs to his bank expecting a bailout, but what will he do when the bank insist on using assets he doesn’t have as collateral? In the same way, when a child is sick, he looks up to his parents for help and care, but how will the child feel if his parents tell him that the forces battling against him are beyond their capability? Worst still, imagine how you will feel if your pastor tells you that after praying all manner of prayers, there is nothing more he can do to help you! It is a terrible thing to feel lonely or forsaken by relatives and loved ones. A man who once experienced such a situation used these words to express his feelings in Psalm 102:6-7:
“I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.”

Have you been in such a situation? Do you feel exposed, naked and prone to shame? Are you facing the worst of times with no one to defend you? Has everyone you thought could help deserted you and now you think life is worthless? I bring you good news today! There is hope for the hopeless and cover for the naked. God can still do something about that hopeless situation you are going through. God is very close to you, and He will reach out and touch you today. The Lord will make a way for you! Call on Him and tell Him you have no one to help you but Him. Ask Him to help you now. He will answer and turn your situation around for good.

Key Point:

When everything else has failed, never give up your hope for a better life; although it may take time, help will surely come.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 1
Jeremiah 25:17-33

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR

1. Through the love of God our Savior,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favor,
All, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us,
All must be well.

2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well.
Ours is such a full salvation,
All, all is well.
Happy still in God confiding;
Fruitful if in Christ abiding;
Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding:
All must be well.

3. We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well.
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All, all is well.
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying;
Or in living or in dying;
All must be well.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

WEDNESDAY MAY 3RD 2017

THEME: FINDING ALTERNATIVES?

MEMORISE:
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:7

READ : Genesis 16:1-4

1Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
NUMBERS 34-36 & JEREMIAH  25:1-16

MESSAGE

After several years of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Sarah sat down one day, had a long thinking session, and came up with an alternative plan which she presented to Abraham, and he accepted it. She had been barren for several years and was now obviously tired of being in that state; hence, she decided to give Hagar, one of her slaves, to her husband hoping to get a child through this arrangement. How mistaken she was! Sarah’s experience has a lot to teach contemporary Christians. When God is leading you in a certain direction, or if He has made a promise to you, any contrary opinion or alternative is borne out of impatience, doubt or unbelief. Its when people can no longer wait for God’s plan that they come up with their own alternatives. One lesson from this story is that man’s alternative charts a new course for you, which can take you completely out of God’s original plan.

Just like Abraham and Sarah, many people have come up with alternatives that have landed them at destinations they never expected. But for God’s patience and mercy, the step Abraham and Sarah took was enough to derail them from God’s original course. The reason why the Holy Spirit says in Proverbs 3:5-6 that you should subordinate your plans under God’s will is so that He can guide you along His original plan for your life. Believe it or not, God has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 1:4-5). If you follow this plan, you will definitely obey God’s word and remain in His will. God’s word never negates His will for your life (James 1:18). The question is, “Are you still in God’s plan?”

To keep within God’s will, you must be filled with His word and His Spirit, prayerful, watchful, thankful and humble. Why? The natural man within you will always come up with alternatives to God’s perfect plan for your life. You need to be watchful because some alternatives may look like the original plan, but in essence, they are miles apart. If you will access God’s perfect plan for your life, then you must leave no space for the flesh or the devil to give you an alternative. You must trust, rely on and completely depend upon God. God’s choice is always the safe choice. For this reason Proverbs 29:25b says,
“…but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
If you depend on God 99% and leave 1% for an alternative, that is enough to derail you. Never rely on what you think you know or your assessment of the situation. No matter how brilliant your ideas may be, God has something better. Bring your plans before God’s searchlight and let Him tell you if its okay or not.

ACTION POINT :
Has impatience made you pursue your own alternatives? Stop and beat a retreat today!

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR

1. Through the love of God our Savior,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favor,
All, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us,
All must be well.

2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well.
Ours is such a full salvation,
All, all is well.
Happy still in God confiding;
Fruitful if in Christ abiding;
Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding:
All must be well.

3. We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well.
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All, all is well.
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying;
Or in living or in dying;
All must be well.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

TUESDAY MAY 2ND 2017

THEME: GROW IN GIVING

MEMORISE:
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Luke 6:38

READ: Luke 6:36-38

36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
NUMBERS 32-33 & JEREMIAH 24

MESSAGE

God is interested in the prosperity of His children. Although He has made His resources available to us, it will take obedience and compliance with His principles to tap into them. To tap into the financial resources of heaven, you must pay your tithes, give offering and fulfill your pledges and vows. You must be ready to give, if you want something in return. A while ago, while preaching at a particular church, as I issued some prophetic decrees over the congregation, I noticed that their response of “Amen” was quite loud. Then I jokingly said one of them will buy a new jet, and the loudness of their response nose-dived. Another time, I was in the same church and repeated what I said before; this time, their response was much louder. So I said to them, “You people are different.” I perceived that their faith and understanding of giving had grown.

Proverb 3:9-10 says if you can honor God with your first fruits, you will be dazed and amazed at what He would do I your life. It is one thing to have knowledge, and it is another thing to apply it. I once shared with some pastors that your teacher will never teach you all he knows, otherwise he wouldn’t be a teacher; but your father will be willing to teach you all he knows, although he may reserve one or two till moments before his death. In other words, there are certain secrets that a person can only get from his or her father, and I would like to share one of those secrets that God has revealed to me with you. One day, while sitting quietly somewhere, God said to me, “Son, what kind of pastor would you like to be?” I replied, saying “Daddy, I am sorry I don’t understand the question” He then further asked, “Do you want to be the best or worst, the greatest or the least, the richest or the poorest pastor?” I told Him I wanted to be the best, greatest and richest pastor, and He went silent. At a church programme not long after, the Lord asked again, “Son, what kind of pastor did you say you want to be?” I quickly replied, “The best, greatest and richest pastor.” Then He asked me to give the highest denomination in my pocket. I reluctantly obeyed. At another meeting, He again asked me the type of pastor I want to be, and I responded as before, and He instructed me to double what I normally gave as offering. I easily complied this time around because things had started changing for me since I began to obey His instructions on giving. When I shared this testimony some years ago, someone told me he moved up to giving N10,000 for every offering. I congratulated him and told him I was at that stage in 1998 but had since surpassed that. Although my giving was sacrificial initially because things were hard for me, I give glory to God that things are no longer hard. If you don’t grow up in your giving, you may not be enlarged in your receiving.

PRAYER POINT :
Father, raise more Christ-like leaders to mentor your people, and make me one of such.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Saviour above.

Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops ‘round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing,
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.
[Refrain]

3. There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.
[Refrain]

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!
[Refrain]