Open Heavens Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY 8TH JUNE 2018

THEME: THE SURE ARMOUR II

MEMORISE:
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Ephesians 6:17

READ: 2 Corinthians 6:1-7

1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

MESSAGE

Yesterday we examined truth and righteousness as components of the sure armour of God. Today, our memory verse introduces two more components of this armour: Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit.

SALVATION
Our complete victory against the enemy begins and ends with the salvation of our souls. Our warfare with the kingdom of darkness started in the Garden of Eden, where the devil stole the mandate to rule over this world from Adam. Eve chose to believe the devil's lie and Adam disobeyed God by yielding to the devil. Adam sold himself and by extension his descendants to the enemy when he sinned against his Maker. This is the reason why Jesus always addressed the problem of sin fisrt before addressing any other problem confronting those who came to Him. Before Jesus healed the man sick of the palsy in Luke 5:17-26, He said to him:

“Man, thy sins are forgiven thee” Luke 5:20b

Jesus is still addressing the issue of sin first today. This is the reason why I know that as you surrender your life to Jesus today, the helmet of salvation will be your heritage, and you will have victory over your tormentors in Jesus' Name.

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. It is an offensive weapon with which we attack the enemy, and it is powerful through God to the pulling down of the devil's strongholds. Hear what the Holy Spirit says in Hebrews 4:12 about the power that is inherent in God's word:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Today, people short-change themselves by not taking heed to the word of God. I assume that people who trivialise the word of God don't know that it is the powerful attacking piece of our sure armour with which we obtain victory. Note that it is the word of God that you respect that will work for you when you apply it in spiritual warfare. I encourage you therefore to let the word of God dwell in you richly. Meditate on it and make it a part of you.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, grant me grace to continually treasure and uphold the salvation of my soul, and help me to live by Your word daily in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Kings 22, Acts 7:44-8:3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 15: NEARER MY GOD TO THEE

1. Nearer, my God to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
E'en though it be a cross
That raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be.
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!

2. Though like the wanderer,
The sun gone down.
Darkness be over me,
My rest a stone.
Yet in my dreams I'd be
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!

3. There let the way appear
Steps unto heaven;
All that Thou send'st to me
In mercy given:
Angels to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!

4. Then, with my waking thoughts
Bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs
Bethel I'll raise
So by my woes to be
Nearer, my God, to Thee!
Nearer, my God to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!

Open Heavens Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE:  THURSDAY 7TH JUNE 2018

THEME:   THE SURE ARMOUR I.

MEMORISE:
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Ephesians 6:14

READ: 2 Corinthians 1:7-11

7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

MESSAGE

Life is full of complex challenges which can be overwhelming. These challenges have frustrated some people to the extent that they despair of life itself. Leading them to take drugs, join the occult or even commit suicide, all in a bid to “escape” the reality of life’s problems. I pray that you will never be overwhelmed by the challenges of life in Jesus’ Name.  Our Lord Jesus Christ did not say we would be immune from trials and tribulations in life (John 16:33); rather He provided us with the sure armor with which we can confront and triumph over everything the enemy    throws at us. To be victorious in life, you need to first understand that life’s most devastating battles are not physical, but spiritual. Challenges that have their origin in the spirit realm have to be confronted with spiritual tools, which might appear foolish to the natural man. To help us triumph, Ephesians 6L14 introduces two important components of our armor: Truth and Righteousness.

A life of truth is a transparent and honest life that is based on the word of God, which Jesus declared to be the truth (John 17:17). Living a life of truth is powerful (2 Corinthians 4:2). Lies of any form are of the devil, and so when you live a lie, the devil will have foothold in your life with which to afflict you (John 8:44). However, if your life is based on the truth of God’s word, the devil will find nothing in your life to use against you. This was the case with our Lord Jesus Christ on the night he was betrayed. The devil came to examine His life if indeed He was without sin before going to the cross of Calvary, so that he could accuse Him of it and destroy the work of salvation before the last lap even started. In John 14:30 the Lord said:

“Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

Thank God Jesus had truth in His armor and there was no lie in Him. Little wonder He declared to Pilate that truth was truth was the purpose of His life (John 18:37).

The breast plate of righteousness is another official part of our armor. 2 Corinthians 6:7 says:

“By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,”

Righteousness is a gift that puts us in right standing with God and produces a life of uprightness in us (Romans 5:17, Ephesians 4:24). Having received the gift of righteousness, we are empowered to do the work of righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:34, Romans 6:18). Standing upon and walking in Christ’ righteousness defeats every rage of the devil against us. Are truth and righteousness part of your armor today?

KEY POINT:

If the devil examines your life, will he find a lie that he can  use as a foothold for his attack?


 
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 21;

Acts 7:23-43

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE


HYMN 2: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

1. I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
o Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

2. I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

5. I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

THEME: SOMETHING MORE THAN GOLD

MEMORISE: Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. – Acts 3:6

READ: Acts 1:3-8 (KJV)

3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 20, Acts 6:1-7:3-22

MESSAGE:

In Matthew 13:45, our Lord Jesus Christ likened the kingdom of heaven to precious pearl which a merchant sought. On finding just one of great value, he went and sold all that he had to buy it. In other words, there are some things worth more than gold, which every wise man or woman must go after. In addition to the kingdom of God, the anointing of the Holy Spirit is another of such things. I have on several occasions encouraged our ministers to seek the anointing more than any material thing. Today’s memory verse confirms the prime value of the anointing over any material thing in the life of a believer, particularly ministers of God. Although the early Church leaders did not have much in terms of material possessions, they were rich in the anointing of the Holy Ghost. One ordinary day, Peter and John were going into the temple for prayers when they saw a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb begging them for alms. The lame man was used to receiving alms, but Peter and John had nothing to give except the anointing. This anointing caused the lame man to rise up and walk. What Peter and John had was more than gold.

In the Bible text, we read about the promise Jesus Christ made to his disciples concerning the Holy Spirit, who is the Giver of the anointing. Jesus told His disciples that they must wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit before they could begin to exercise the authority in the Great Commission. For you to receive the anointing, you must learn to wait upon the Lord. It is worth waiting for because after the Holy Ghost anointing has come upon you, you will begin to effortlessly do exploits for God just as Peter was doing after he was baptized in the Holy Ghost.

Beloved, it is wisdom to prefer the Holy Ghost anointing to material things because at the end of the day, the anointing will attract those things that men run after to you. A classic example of a wise servant of God was Elisha, who demanded the double portion of his master’s anointing. It is rather unfortunate that the man who should have inherited the anointing of Elisha chose to inherit material things from an ex-leper. Alas, he inherited leprosy long with the material things he coveted (2 Kings 5:26-27). May that not be your story in Jesus’ Name. To receive the anointing, you must believe in the Name of Jesus Christ and live according to His standards. Develop a relationship with the Giver of the anointing by making Him your friend, and He will readily release His power to you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, the anointing of the Holy Spirit is more than enough for me; please release it to me today

HYMN 15: NEARER MY GOD TO THEE

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness comes over me, my rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!

There let me see the sight, an open Heaven;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer to Thee!

Open Heavens Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY 5TH JUNE 2018

THEME: YOU THINK YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH?

MEMORISE: For who hath despised the day of small things? – Zechariah 4:10a

READ: John 6:1-14 (KJV)

1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,

9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 18-19, Acts 6:1-7:2

MESSAGE:

One of the lies of the devil, which every child of God must reject, is that you have nothing good in your hands that can bring profit to your life. To perpetuate this lie, the devil may trivialize that gift of God in you as though nothing substantial can come out of it. Contrary to this lie, in Job 8:7, the Holy Spirit says to you:

“Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.”

Our memory verse also encourages us not to despise the day of small things. This was the problem with the unprofitable servant in Matthew 25:14-30. He thought he was not given enough talents to trade with and so he went ahead to hide what he was given. The consequence of this was that even the talent he was initially given was taken away from him, and he was punished for being slothful, indolent and insubordinate.

Beloved, what is that physical or spiritual gift you are looking down on? The Lord asked me to tell you to value it well so that it will not be taken away from you. Are you given an assignment that you think belittles your status in the Church or in your secular place of work? Please embrace it and do it as unto the Lord. In John 6:1-14, we read of how the disciples nearly missed the miracle of multiplication because they could not see how five loaves and two fishes could be used to feed several thousands of people. The widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7 also had a fantastic source of income, but she did not know it until the Lord had mercy on her and led her to Prophet Elisha, who opened her eyes to the “oil well” in a corner of her house!

Another lesson from the feeding in the desert is the blessing attached to giving. Imagine if the boy in this story had refused to release his fish and bread under the assumption that it was too small to feed the multitude! Some people die in abject poverty because they are stingy. They refuse to give from what they have until they become millionaires and have enough to spare! Many people think that they need millions before they can start a business that will lead to financial breakthrough. Beloved, all you need to do is to ask God what line of action you should take. Ask Him to take the lead and to be your senior partner while you follow. I pray that the Lord God of increase will increase you this season in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please increase the little I have today in Jesus’ Name.


HYMN 12: TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE

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 Heavens Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY 4TH JUNE 2018

THEME: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN GOD

MEMORISE:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 2:6

READ: Acts 27:18-25

18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

MESSAGE
Many children of God are genuine in their Christian walk, but they do not know their rights in God. For this reason, they unfortunately still live at the mercy of the enemy. A classical example of someone who knew his position in God is Elijah. How I wish all children of God would be just like Elijah in this regard. I tell you beloved, if this were the case, the whole world would have been won into the kingdom of God by now. When confronted by a group of soldiers ordered by the king to terminate his ministry, Prophet Elijah in 2 Kings 1:10 simply decreed:

"...If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty..."

Exactly what Elijah decreed was what happened, and this happened twice before the third group of soldiers learnt their lesson. The move of God is not found in the multitude of words or in vain repetitions but in the power of the Holy Ghost. However, you cannot walk in this realm without knowing who you are in Christ.

Based on today's Bible text, I have often taught my children that Paul had some credit in his account with God, and so for his sake lives were saved from physical perdition. Having given his all to Christ, he was conscious of the credit he had with Him. For this reason, when he suffered shipwreck with a host of other prisoners, crew and soldiers, he prayed that God should spare their lives. He even encouraged them to eat because God had spoken with him, assuring him of the safety of every life in the ship. Many lessons can be derived from this, the profound of these being that Paul knew his position in Christ. In other words, he understood his rights in Christ.

Do you know your position in Christ? Are you aware of your kingdom rights? Can you gauge your credit balance with God? The knowledge of your current standing with God will cause you to improve your relationship with Him in order to appropriate benefits of life in Christ. When you do this, I can assure you that you will no longer find yourself living at the mercy of the devil and circumstances again.

ACTION POINT:
Examine yourself to see how much credit you have with God. Endeavour to increase your credit with Him so that you can always have something to draw from in the days of adversity.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Kings 16-17, Acts 5:22-42

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 16: STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS

1. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Ye soldiers of the Cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From vict'ry unto vict'ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished
And Christ is Lord indeed.

2. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict
In this His glorious day!
Ye that are men, now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.

3. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone:
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armour,
And watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.

4. Stand up, stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor's song
To him that overcometh
A crown of life shall be;
He, with the King of Glory
Shall reign eternally.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY 3RD JUNE 2018

THEME: THE ENEMY'S STRONGHOLD

MEMORISE:
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

READ:John 8:42-47

42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

MESSAGE

Many people cannot identify the enemy's stronghold, and that is why they remain under his bondage perpetually. It is unfortunate to observe that even many so-called "deliverance ministers" are victims of this ignorance too! This has rendered their efforts and zeal ineffective and has even made them victims of the enemy they claim to deliver people from.

What is the enemy's stronghold? The answer is found in John 8:44:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

The story of how man fell in Genesis chapter 3 corroborates the reality that deception is the strongest chain with which the devil has held men down over the ages. Many times I wonder why those who are seemingly educated or enlightened are caught in the trap of the devil, but then I quickly remember my own days of ignorance. I remember an occasion where despite all the logic I had learnt from mathematics, I still went to a witchdoctor for protection, and he gave me a charm which eventually turned out to be a lie of the devil. I had two road accidents in one day with this charm hanging in a hidden part of the driver's seat of my car. Thank God for saving me!

In Genesis 3:2-3, Eve told the old serpent, which is the devil, what God had said about the forbidden fruit in the middle of the garden, but the father of all lies said to her:

"Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:4b-5

This was the epitome of all lies, and the devil is still using this strategy to destroy people's lives and send them to an eternity in hell. Beloved, which of the devil's lies have you believed? Is it the lie that some books of the Bible, especially the espistles of Paul, were not originally written for you and so are not applicable to you? Is it the lie that tithes and first fruits are Old Testament ordinances and so should be ignored by New Testament worshippers? I pray for you, just as Jesus did, that you will embrace the truth in the infallible word of God today, and this will set you free (John 17:17). The great truth you need to embrace today is found in the words of 2 Timothy 3:16:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please give me divine wisdom to always detect the lies of the devil so as to always escape his snares in Jesus' Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Kings 14-15, Acts 5:1-21

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 9: THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Chorus:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.

2. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

4.To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY 2ND JUNE 2018

THEME: THIS IS MY STORY

MEMORISE:
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 1 Timothy 1:15

READ: 1 Timothy 1:11-17

11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious:  but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

MESSAGE

Everyone has a story, but our individual stories are different. I prophesy into your life today that your story will be a pleasant one to hear in Jesus' Name. When the creation story began in Genesis chapter 1, it was a pleasant story of restoration. Genesis 1:1-3 says:

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

However, this story changed when man fell from grace to grass. Man began to wallow in pain, sorrow, agony, poverty, sickness, hopelessness and uncertainty. The worst of this calamity was man's alienation from his Creator. Speaking about this, Genesis 3:22-23 says:

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken."

From this point forward, the story of man became this pitiable narrative:

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

However, at the appointed time, God Almighty made a way for all of mankind to change this story. He made unlimited grace available to us. This grace is unlimited because it is available to all who will receive it to change their story. It was this grace that changed the story of people like Apostle Paul who we read about in our Bible text today.

Beloved, your story can change as well if you will give your life to Christ and completely yield to His Lordship. If a chief among sinners like Saul of Tarsus could become Apostle Paul, I assure you that your own story will also change if you believe in the work of redemption that Christ came to offer us. After you accept this work of redemption, all other unpleasant stories about you like joblessness, poverty, sickness, handicapping situations, demonic oppression and eternal death will change. You will have a new story to tell, like the man who was born blind but whose story changed in John 9:25. After God has changed your story, be willing to share it with others, just as Paul and the man born blind did. When you do this, God will continue to give you new pleasant stories to share to the glory of His Holy Name. What is your story today?

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please give me a pleasant story to share to the glory of Your Holy Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Kings 12-13, Acts 4:23-37.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 3: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SINS

1. What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Chorus:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2. For my cleansing this I see
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
For my pardon this my plea
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

3. Nothing can my sin erase
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Naught of works, 'tis all of grace
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

4. This is all my hope and peace
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
This is all my righteousness
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!