Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY NOVEMBER 13TH 2017

THEME: FASTING PREPARES THE GROUND

 

Memorise:

And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Acts 13:3

Read: Acts 13:1-3

13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

13:3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Message:

Just before He began His earthly ministry, our Lord Jesus Christ embarked on a 40-day fast. According to Matthew 4:1-2, He was led by the Holy Spirit into this exercise. Do you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you? Has He ever led you to do some fasting before? If He has, did you simply obey Him, or did you make excuses as to why you couldn’t fast? From the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can see that fasting is necessary to equip us for the work of the ministry. When God commits a specific assignment into your hands, do you make out time to seek His face through fasting and prayer, or do you just jump into the assignment without necessarily seeking His direction, assistance, wisdom, protection and grace to succeed on the assignment? If you seek Him for assistance, it shows you realize your limitations and recognize that it is only through His power you can succeed in the assignment. In any case, Jesus clearly told us that we cannot do anything the way it should be done without Him (John 15:5). If we fail to seek His face, it shows we have confidence in ourselves, believing that we do not need Him to help us on the job. Beloved, you cannot do any divine assignment the way you are expected to do it without the backing of the One who sent you. From today, never embark on any assignment, be it spiritual or secular, without seeking God’s face in fasting and prayer!

In addition, when people are being prepared for the work of the ministry, prayer and fasting are needed to equip them spiritually. This was practiced in the early church. Acts 13:3 says,

                “And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

When some prophets and teachers gathered themselves together to minister to God, the Holy Spirit selected Paul and Barnabas from their midst, to take the gospel to other nations. What did they do after this? They took time to pray and fast with them before releasing them to go and do the work. Even today, fasting is still needed to equip the various levels of the Church workforce. From the level of foundational classes for young converts and above, we should encourage praying and fasting as a means of equipping the saints for the assignments ahead of them.

Action Point:

Any good thing that you are to embark on must first be subjected to prayer and fasting.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

Job 30-32

Amos 3:3-4:3   

                                                                                                             

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 14:   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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

DOES OUR WORSHIP BENEFIT GOD? – Sunday November 12th 2017


Memorise: I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Psalm 18:3


Read: Revelation 5:11-13 (KJV)

5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;


5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.


5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.


Bible in one year: Job 25-29, Amos 2:4-3:2, Hymn: Sing hymn 3


MESSAGE:

Giving is a common and crucial activity that every serious minded believer in Christ should regularly engage in. The wise believer would hear this and flow with it, but those who think they are ‘smart’ will hear and ignore it to their own undoing. Luke 6:38 say that you should give and it shall be given to you. Have you ever asked yourself who benefits when you give to God? Can you make God richer by giving to the owner of the universe? Can you add to the owner of silver and gold by giving to Him? Everything you have, you receive from Him (1st Corinthians 4:7). You are the one who gains from giving to God. When you refuse to give, who loses? The Holy Spirit answers that question in Proverbs 11:24:


“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.”


If you fail to give, you are the one who loses. Why? Your giving determines how far you go in life. Overflowing abundance is a product of sacrificial giving. If you have been sowing sacrificially to God and His Kingdom but you have not yet reached the level of swimming in abundance, you should be celebrated. Why? It is because you are not likely to die until God pays you back in full. The One who said we should owe no man cannot afford to owe you.


Moreover, when you praise God, who gains? Can your praises add to Him in reality?  In Psalm 18:1-3, David said several things about who God was to him. He said God is worthy to be praised, because he realised that when he praised God, he got delivered from his enemies. In other words, refusing to praise God would have resulted in him becoming a casualty in the hands of his enemies. So who loses if you refuse to praise God? Today’s Bible reading talks about God’s mass choir in Heaven. It says the size is something like 100 trillion. If God has such a great choir of angels and saved souls worshipping Him, what difference will adding or subtracting your voice from it make? Do you think that God will miss your voice? Therefore, who gains from worshipping and praising God? It is you! Every time God demands that we give something to Him, it is for our own good and not His. Only the fellow who wants to deceive himself or herself will think otherwise.


Action Point
Serve and worship God because your life, joy and peace depend on it.



hymn 3
HOW GREAT THOU ART

1. O LORD my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made;
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed:

Chorus:


Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!



2. When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze:

Chorus:


3. And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die - I scarce can take it in:
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

Chorus:


4. When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home - what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God how great Thou art!

Chorus.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 11TH 2017

THEME: WOUNDS LEAVE THEIR SCARS

Memorise:
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 1 Corinthians 3:17

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Message:

God is both the God of love and a consuming fire (1 John 4:8, Hebrews 12:29). He is extreme in His love for mankind, and He can also be extreme in His judgment. This is why you must never take Him for granted. All over the world, there is a resurgence in the doctrine of eternal security. This doctrine says that once you are saved, no matter what you do, your salvation is forever intact. This is one of the deceptive pills that the devil uses to drown souls forever in Hell in these last days. You shall not fall victim to this in Jesus’ Name!

Today, many people are not taking the totality of God’s word into consideration while interpreting scriptures that talk about God’s grace. Such people believe that grace is devoid of responsibility. Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and I am in total agreement with this. Also 1 Corinthians 15:10 says that whatever we are and whatever we become is by the grace of God, and I also totally agree with this. But beyond these, some people further believe that works are not necessary any more or else it won’t be grace. This is a lie! Philippians 2:12 says after being saved by grace, you must work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Did 2 Timothy 2:22 not command us to flee from youthful lust? In fact, 1 Corinthians 3:17 says,

“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

In other words, after being saved, you become a holy temple for God to dwell in. If you then go back to sin, God will bring His judgment on you. This too was written by the apostle of grace.

Beloved, never play with sin! Don’t joke with backsliding! Wounds can heal but the scars would remain as a reminder. The scarred flesh is never like the original. A scar is a dent on the body. It disfigures and distorts the fine form and beauty of the body. If you have a scar somewhere on your body and somebody looks at you there, the scar will be the very first thing they will see. When the prodigal son returned home, he was well received, and a feast was held in his honour, but he had lost his inheritance! He returned as a disenchanted son. After David sinned with Bathsheba and killed her husband, he later realized his evil, confessed it and was forgiven and restored to full fellowship with God; yet, the sword never departed from his house ever since! You can avoid scars! Live right before God and obey Him in all you do, and He will guide you to avoid the pits the devil has dug to orchestrate your fall.

Key Point:
Foolish people bring avoidable and unnecessary sufferings on themselves. Father, please give me a wise heart to avoid pitfalls.


BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Job 21-24
Amos 1:1-2:3  

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 11: I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS

1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

2. Though none go with me, I still will follow;
Though none go with me, I still will follow;
Though none go with me, I still will follow
No turning back, no turning back.

3. My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

4. The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 10TH 2017

THEME:
LOSING A DEAL.

MEMORISE:
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Isaiah 2:19

READ:
 Isaiah 2:18-22

18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;

21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Job 17-20, Joel 3

MESSAGE:
The Almighty God is not only a God of love and mercy but also a God to be feared. One reason why you ought to fear Him is that He can not only bless you, but He can also turn your blessing into a curse. In Malachi 2:2, something went amiss among the priest and God had this to say:

“If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.”

When you refuse to ascribe to God the glory due to His Name, or when you do not use the blessing God has given you to glorify Him, you may be provoking Him to turn that blessing into a curse. May God not curse your blessings in Jesus’ Name! This is why you must do all that is within your power to obey God always.

Many years ago, a young man came to me saying he needed a major breakthrough. Then I asked him, “will you serve the Lord?” He chorused with enthusiasm, “I will serve Him!” so I told the Lord, “Almighty God, see this young, zealous man who is ready to serve you. Please bless him. “Some days later, he returned to me with excitement and said, “Sir, my landlord has a house with 13 flats for sale. He says I can sell the property for any price; all he is asking me to give him is a particular amount that is less than half its worth!” So I said to him, “Congratulations! Your breakthrough has come at last. How many flats are there again?” “Thirteen”, he replied. Then I said to him, “That means you will give one flat to the God as your tithe.” At this, he got angry and said, “This is the trouble with you pastors! This is the reason why people should not even share their testimonies with you!” So I asked him to forgive me. He said “this is my very first breakthrough”, and I replied, “I am sorry sir”, and he left. He thereafter sold the house to a prospective buyer, and he took the amount he earlier agreed with the landlord to him. The landlord looked at him strangely and said, “Which house did you sell?” “The house at plot so and so sir”, he replied. The landlord said to him, “Did I ever ask you to sell that house?” “Yes sir, you did, and you asked me to bring so much for it”, he replied. The landlord then yelled, “You think you can use black magic on me, right? If you don’t leave here now, both you and your witchdoctor will face the music! “The young man returned to me, saying he was now ready to do what I asked, but I said to him, “Leave me out of this. It is strictly between you and God. Go and settle with Him. “Are you prepared to honour God with the blessings He has given you?

KEY POINT:
God has had to shut some doors because the beneficiaries were not ready to do what He wanted them to do with the open doors.

AUTHOR:
PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 3:  
HOW GREAT THOU ART

1. O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

2. When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
[Chorus]

3. And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
[Chorus]

4. When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then shall I bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"
[Chorus]

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THURSDAY NOVEMBER 9TH 2017

THEME: YOU WILL FACE MOCKERS.

Memorise:

And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 2Kings 2:3

Read: 2Kings 2:1-3

2:1 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2:2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

Message:

God allows you to go through test before giving a prize. Unfortunately, some people do well for a while, but when it comes to the crucial tests of life, they fail. May you never fail in the tests of life in Jesus’ Name! One lesson that is evident in today’s Bible reading is that to get to your higher glory, you may meet with discouragers, mockers, and dream killers. Even the Lord Jesus Christ faced mockers in His own family. Most members of His family did not even believe in Him until after His resurrection (John 7:5, Acts 1:14). In John 7:4, they scoffed at Him saying:

“For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.”

Some people will not want you to dare that great height because they have tried it several times and failed. They cannot stand you achieving what they could not achieve. Some others will mock you just to discourage you and weaken your faith. Beloved, a lot of the distractions you will encounter from people on your way to the higher glory God has for you will be borne out of envy. Just look at what Elisha went through with the sons of the prophets on his way to his promotion. Regardless of their motives, every ministry of discouragers and mockers organized against the fulfillment of your destiny shall fail and be completely frustrated this season!

Moreover, it is glaring that there is so much work to be done for you to enter your higher glory. In other words, higher glory is not meant for everyone. It is especially not for the idle or lazy folks. It is not for procrastinators. Higher glory is not for wishful thinkers. It is for those who are diligent. It is for those who work extra hard, those who can burn the midnight oil. It is for those who can make sacrifices and be focused on the set goal until it is realized. Are you prepared for this? I pray that you will be successful in all the assignments you need to perform in order to enter your greater glory in Jesus’ Name! It is not just enough to work hard: you must also be ready and be able to take up more or higher responsibilities. Some people limit themselves in this area. Are you capable of handling higher assignments? If you are wise, while you are on a particular level, you can open yourself to learn more things – particularly those things above your current level. You must be teachable. Are you willing to learn?


Key Point:
Learning should be continuous. After graduating from formal school, you should enrol yourself in the school of self-development.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Job 13-16
Joel 2:18-32  

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 7:   OH JESUS I HAVE PROMISED

1.       O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.

2.       Oh, let me hear Thee speaking in accents clear and still,
I dare not trust my judgment: Thy way shall be my will;
Oh, speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
Oh, speak, and help me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.

3.       O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end—
Oh, give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

4.       Oh, let me see Thy footprints, and in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone;
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;
And then in Heav’n receive me, my Savior and my Friend.

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 8TH 2017

THEME: WHEN THE BEST COMES LAST

Memorise:

But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. Matthew 19:30

Read: Genesis 1:26-31

1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Message:

A look at the creation story as recorded in Genesis Chapter 1 shows that man, the most important of God’s creation, was created on the sixth day. He was the last of God’s creation, even though he was the most significant. After man was created, God then rested from His work. One vital lesson here is that being first may not always mean being the most important, while being the last may not always mean that you’re the least important. Further reinforcing this truth, Jesus said:

“And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.” Luke 13:30

This is good news to us all. Are you the last child of your family and consequently you’ve believed yourself to be the least? You are simply short-changing yourself! Joseph was the 11th of 12 brothers but he was the one who became a father to them all. Concerning Joseph, it is written:

“And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.”  Genesis 50:18

There are many children who were born last in their families that are presently graced with the gift of becoming the light that every other member of their families looks up to. From today, you will come to the limelight in Jesus’ Name! The lord will lift you up. However, you need to drop every faulty mindset you have now.

Moreover, another lesson here is that God can reserve the best for the last. When men have exhausted all their efforts and failed, God can show up and intervene in that particular situation. At the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, Jesus waited for the wine to run out before He supplied a more superior wine (John 2:1-10). Sometimes when God wants to assist us in certain situations, we shove Him aside, telling Him we are mature and can help ourselves. He therefore steps aside and allows us to exhaust our abilities. If you are wise, you will agree with God early enough so that you do not have to waste so much effort in the long run. Yes, you can have the best towards the end! Indeed, do you know that God has reserved the prosperity of some people till they are in their late forties and above? Probably because He wants them to first mature spiritually, mentally and physically, knowing that after maturing, such people will be able to easily cooperate with Him over how He wants the blessing used. Whatever stage your life may be in right now, don’t discount yourself. It’s not over until God says so.

Key Point:
Whether you arrive now or later, what is important is that you manifest at your appointed time.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Job 9-12
Joel 2:1-17

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 3:   HOW GREAT THOU ART

1. O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

2. When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

[Chorus]

3. And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

[Chorus]

4. When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then shall I bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"

[Chorus]

Open Heaven Daily Devotional

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 7TH 2017.

THEME :
SEEING JESUS PURIFIES.

MEMORISE  :
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
MALACHI 3 : 3.

READ  :
2 CORINTHIANS 3 : 15 - 18 :

15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR :
JOB 5 - 8 AND JOEL 1.

MESSAGE  :
When you see Jesus, everything blocking your vision will give way. At the time I came into ministry, we served God selflessly. Nobody had to promise any of us a house, car, position or title. We just loved God and we were ready to serve Him no matter the cost. We were ready to take the shame and suffering that came along with our service. Furthermore, when we suffered, we did not grumble or complain because our focus was on Jesus. This is where our focus should also be today. In Mark 10 : 17 - 22, a young man came to Jesus to find out what he needed to do in order to make Heaven. The Lord told him to go and sell all that he had and give to the poor, and then he should take up his cross and follow Him. This was too much for him to bear, and so he went away grieved. He thought he had met all the requirements but the Lord told him what he lacked which he never knew of. Beloved, when you see Jesus, you will realize what is lacking in your life that you never thought about. When you see Jesus, you will be able to see yourself more clearly and deeply. Jesus is the mirror through which you see yourself for who you really are.

 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64 : 6.

It was after Isaiah saw the Lord that he realized he had been inviting God’s judgment on himself as well as on the people. He did not know that his lips, which he thought were  anointed, were also unclean ( Isaiah 6 : 1 - 7 ). He saw his true picture and he cried out to God for help. When you see the Lord, it will change your prayer point, and you will begin to pray more appropriately. Isaiah cried for help and God sent an angel to touch his lips with a coal of fire from the altar to purify his lips. Malachi 3 : 2 - 3 says the sons of Levi must be purified by fire. This is why servants of God should not be afraid of trials. When you go through very trying times, it is likely that God wants you to be purified. He wants to take out the dirt and anything that will not allow you to truly manifest the grace of God that is upon your life. It takes you seeing Jesus to know how dirty or unclean you really are. Seeing your true state through Him will motivate you to call on Him for help.

KEY POINT  :
Looking at Jesus, the perfect eternal mirror makes you see yourself in the realities of eternity.

HYMN 6 :
DEEPER, DEEPER
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
[Refrain]

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
[Refrain]

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
[Refrain]

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
[Refrain]

AUTHOR : PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE.