Open Heaven For Today 2024 Friday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Seek God First
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TOPIC: Seek God First
MEMORISE: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;” – Psalm 63:1 (KJV)
READ: Psalm 63:1-8 (KJV)
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and glory, as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 My lips shall praise thee Because thy lovingkindness is better than life.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, I rejoice in the shadow of thy wings.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 4-7
Open Heaven For Today 2024 MESSAGE
The story I shared yesterday reminds me of three Ugandan boys I met at the Christian program in Kenya. Those boys were probably hungrier for God than any of us in that program. During break times, while everyone was buying sandwiches, those three boys sat together, praising God. I asked why they never ate when everyone else ate, and they responded that food was not their concern. Firstly, they had no money to buy food. Secondly, they said they were praying to return safely and not get arrested or even executed by the then-Ugandan military ruler upon their return. They had eaten nothing for three days and were just glad to be there. Whatever little I had, I shared with them for the rest of our stay. I told them to write to me when they returned home safely, and they did to the glory of God.
Your hunger for God should be so great that you won’t even remember to eat when it is time to seek Him. You should be so hungry for God that you are willing to risk your life just to know Him more. I am amazed whenever we call a fast, and some people grumble. They are not hungry for God enough to fast for just a few days in the year to draw closer to Him.
In the 1970s, I gathered some RCCG youths in ‘Youth Camp.’ Accommodation and feeding were usually included in our payment for the venue, but people rarely cared to eat after the sessions. I had to beg them to eat so we would not waste the food. They didn’t care much for food; they only wanted the word of God. Jeremiah 15:16 says:
Thy words were found, and I ate them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
What exactly are the things you are hungry for? Food? Fame? Money? Put them aside and let your hunger and thirst every day be for God. Matthew 6:33 says:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Beloved, please get your priorities right. In our Bible reading today, David said that his soul will follow hard after God. Can you say the same for yourself?
PRAYER POINT
Father, let there be an insatiable hunger for You in my heart.
HYMN 8 – I Need Thee Every Hour
1 I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford?
Chorus
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 power
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 2024 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical churches in the world, and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile, and PC. Open Heaven for Today 2024
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Comfort In Service
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TOPIC: Comfort In Service
MEMORISE: “Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth.” – Psalm 26:8 (KJV)
READ: Jeremiah 29:12-13 (KJV)
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 1-3
Open Heaven For Today 2024 MESSAGE
Nowadays, many churches are set up to make the congregants very comfortable; this is fine. However, we must not get carried away such that we prioritize comfort over why we come to services – to encounter God. Whether there is comfort or discomfort, forget your social status and rush there when you know that God is in a meeting! Don’t go for Christian programs to seek comfort; no big men are in the house of God (James 2:1-9). If you go to church to flaunt your social status, there is something profoundly missing in your Christian life.
I first went to a Christian program outside Nigeria in Kenya around 1975. Our group could not afford a hotel or even travel tickets. We had to pray for God to provide the tickets, and He did. Fortunately, there was a boarding school with dormitories made available for free to anybody coming for the program. I was a university lecturer, and so many of us were in those dormitories, but I didn’t care; we weren’t there to show off; we went to seek the Lord. Thank God I went through that because I can never forget the experience; that was the first time I saw God’s throne room. I will gladly sleep on the floor to see God’s throne room.
One thing I know about God is that you must search for Him to realize Him honestly. This is why Isaiah 55:6 says you should seek Him while He may be found. You must seek God diligently if you want to get to know Him. When seeking His face concerning something, how comfortable you feel should not be a hindrance.
I remember one time when I had been praying concerning a matter for about two years. I was invited to preach at a meeting, where God answered me. I might have never heard from God if I had missed that meeting. God shows up when two or three are gathered in His name, so if you have been seeking Him concerning a matter. He hasn’t shown up; go to a fellowship where people are gathered in His name and remind Him of His promise in Matthew 18:20. After the fellowship, whatever discomfort you may have experienced in seeking Him will be gone. Still, your encounter with Him will remain forever. Sometimes, you may have to choose between getting your miracle and comfort – I hope you choose wisely.
KEY POINT
Don’t miss your miracle because you are looking for comfort.
HYMN 11 – I’ve Found A Friend In Jesus
1 I’ve found a friend in Jesus; he’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Apple-tree of trees, in Him alone I see
All I need to do is cleanse and make myself entirely whole.
In sorrow, He’s my comfort; in trouble, He’s my stay,
He tells me every care on Him to roll:
He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
2 He all my griefs has taken, and all my sorrows bore;
In temptation, He’s my strong and mighty tower;
I’ve all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
From my heart, and now He keeps me by His power.
Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus, I shall safely reach the goal:
He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
3 He’ll never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith and do His blessed will,
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
With His manna He, my hungry soul shall fill.
Then, sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll:
He’s the Apple-tree of trees, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
Open Heavens 2024 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical churches in the world, and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile, and PC. Open Heaven for Today 2024
Open Heaven For Today 2024 Wednesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Fellowship Of His Suffering
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TOPIC: The Fellowship Of His Suffering
MEMORISE: “But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.” – Matthew 20:22 (KJV)
READ: Matthew 20:21-23 (KJV)
21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 1-4
Open Heaven For Today 2024 MESSAGE
Over the past two days, I have been discussing some lessons from Philippians 3:10, and today, I will be going even more profound. Apostle Paul said clearly that he wanted to know the fellowship of Jesus’ sufferings; in other words, he wanted to partake in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Ordinary Christians don’t pray this kind of prayer; the prayer of the ordinary Christian usually sounds as follows, “God heal me, set me free, give me a car, prosper me, promote me, make me fruitful.” You won’t hear an ordinary Christian praying, “God, let me suffer for you.” I pray that you will leave the company of the ordinary today and enter into the company of the extraordinary, in Jesus’ name. Paul was a great example of an extraordinary Christian. He was eager to know God and to suffer for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:16-17 says:
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if we suffer with him, we may also be glorified together.
When we suffer with Jesus, we can be glorified with Him. Paul said, “Let no man trouble me; I bear in my body the marks of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:17). In other words, he was saying, “I have scars to show that I suffered with Him.”
God glorifies those who are partakers of the sufferings of Christ. It’s like a responsible man whose wife suffered with him during tough times. When things get better, there will be nothing money can afford that he will not buy for her. One of the reasons I value my wife greatly today is that when I resigned from lecturing and moved into the middle of nowhere, telling everyone that it is a city that God promised me, she moved in with me. It was tough, but she backed me all the way and partook in my suffering. Now that things are better, she is partaking in the glory.
Are you seeking opportunities to experience the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering? Have you suffered with Him in any way? Congratulations if you answered ‘Yes’ genuinely to these questions because when it is time to be glorified, you will be glorified with Jesus. If you, however, are among those denying Him, remember that He said that He would also deny such persons before His Father in Heaven (Matthew 10:33).
PRAYER POINT
Lord, I want to know the fellowship of Your suffering. Please let me partake in Your suffering.
HYMN 12 – Onward, Christian Soldiers!
1 Onward Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See, His banners go!
Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus,
Going on before.
2 At the name of Jesus
Satan’s host doth flee;
On then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory!
Hell’s foundation’s quiver
At the shout of praise:
Brothers, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise!
3 Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod;
We are not divided,
All one Body we—
One in faith and Spirit,
One eternally.
4 Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane;
But the Church of Jesus
Constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never
‘ Gainst the Church prevail;
We have Christ’s promise,
Which can never fail.
5 Onward, then, ye people!
Join our happy throng;
Blend with your voices
In the Triumph song.
Glory, laud, and honor
Unto Christ, the King;
This has happened through countless ages
Men and angels sing.
Open Heavens 2024 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical churches in the world, and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile, and PC. Open Heaven for Today 2024
