Messages

Category.

Open Heavens By Pastor E.A Adeboye … 5th November, 2015

HELP FROM UNWILLING HELPERS – Thursday November 5th 2015

HELP FROM UNWILLING HELPERS 

Memorise: Arises, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 1st Kings 17:9
Read: Genesis 32:24-32, 24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.
Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 26:1-28:14
Colossians 1:1-23
One lesson about the workings and operations of God from today’s Bible reading is that prayer compels blessings out of unwilling helpers. There are some people who can help you but who deliberately refuse to do so for one reason or the other. If you fail to pray, you might be denied their help; but if you pray, your prayers can force them to have a change of heart, and move them to help you. Why did he say he would not let go until his desire was granted? It is because there is the possibility of unwillingness from destiny-helpers. In the Name of Jesus, all destiny-helpers who have refused to help you will have a positive turn-around and render help to you from today.
You need to understand the reasons why a destiny- helper may refuse to help the one he or she has been appointed to help. Many factors may be responsible for this, and one of such factors is sin. The greatest helper of destiny that anyone can have is God. God wants to help you, but sin ties His hands (Isaiah 59:1-2). Some people have maltreated their helpers unknowingly, only to later realise that the person they had treated badly has a significant role to play in their lives. Never oppress anyone, particularly those who appear to be in a disadvantaged position, because you don’t know what they will become later. Besides, if you are always antagonising your helpers, others who were meant to help you will soon take their flight from you.

 

In addition, prayer makes your helpers remember you and review your situation in your favour. Jacob wrestled with God all night and this moved God to remember his plight and review his situation. This is why God asked Jacob, “What is your name?” From that moment, things changed for Jacob. You may want to ask: “What if Jacob had not prayed?” The answer is that his story would have ended prematurely. Esau, his vengeful brother, who was very militant, would have taken revenge on him. This tells you that if not for the prayers you had prayed, and if not for the intercession of others to God on your behalf, you may not be where you are today. You need to pray so that you can arrive at God’s ordained destination ahead of you.  
Prayer Point
Father, in Your mercy, reverse today, whatever is making my destiny-helpers withdraw their help from me, in Jesus’ Name.

JESUS’ BLOOD IS ON THE MERCY SEAT

04
Nov

 Leviticus 16:14 He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

If you have watched the movie, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, you would remember that when the lid of the ark was lifted, strange-looking creatures floated out and destroyed the people around it. Interesting as it may be, this is biblically inaccurate—the ark of the Bible did not contain strange-looking creatures. What were the things inside it then?

There were three items in the ark: the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod and two stone tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments. (Hebrews 9:4) These items are actually symbols of man’s rebellion. The golden pot of manna represents man’s rejection of God’s provision. The rod of Aaron represents man’s rejection of God’s leadership and the two stone tablets of God’s commandments represent man’s rejection of His standard of holiness.

But because God delights in mercy, He had these items put away in the ark and covered with the mercy seat, which had two cherubim on it. (Hebrews 9:5) And once a year, the high priest would enter the holy of holies where the ark was and sprinkle the blood of the animal sacrifice on the mercy seat. This means that God’s eyes, represented by the eyes of the cherubim, did not see the symbols of man’s rebellion. As long as the blood was there on the mercy seat, He saw only the blood and accepted the people.

Today, Jesus is our High Priest and He Himself has sprinkled His own blood on the true mercy seat in heaven—the throne of grace. (Hebrews 9:23–26) Interestingly, the number of times that the Old Testament high priest had to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat—seven—speaks of Jesus’ perfectsacrifice. And because His sacrifice is perfect and He is perfect, we who are in Christ have perfect standing forever before God!

My friend, as you come to God today, don’t worry about falling short of His standard of holiness. He does not see your sins. (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17) He sees His Son’s blood on the mercy seat. You have perfect standing before Him forever!

Thought For The Day

God does not see your sins. He sees only His Son’s blood on the mercy seat.

Open Heavens 3rd November, 2015…. By Pastor E.A Adeboye

STEALING BY LIES: NOT ALLOWED – Tuesday November 3rd 2015 

STEALING BY LIES: NOT ALLOWED 

 

Memorise: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:8
Read: Revelations 21:7-8, 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 21:15-23:14, Philippians 3:1-4:1
In a particular church, some children and teenagers were asked to contribute some money for a specific purpose to their coordinator. After a while, the money contributed disappeared into thin air, and what was promised was never delivered. That is stealing! Such fraudulent actions can take Heaven away from its perpetrators. If you are guilty of such an act, go back and restitute, even if you have moved from that place to another. Do you know that some people need to restitute some items (for example, church-owned hymn books) and money to the churches they once attended in the past? Wherever you have a restitution to make, go and do so for the sake of making Heaven.
Moreover, stealing comes in different shades. Have you lied while filling your tax forms by declaring less than what you earn? You have defrauded the government. Do you have something that belongs to the government in your custody? Return it! Did you join others to share the proceeds of bribery, illegitimate deals and extortion in your office? Return it! Have you stolen a position from the rightful candidate through lying or mudslinging? Go and restitute your ways. Anything you fraudulently acquire must be returned to the rightful owner.
“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.” Proverbs 21:6
As a dealer in used cars, do you tamper with the mileage figures of cars you sell just to deceive potential buyers? Repent. When asked to supply some goods in a contract, do you look for fairly use ones, refurbish them and present them as brand new? Restitute! When you go for a course outside your place of residence, do you lie that you lodged in an expensive hotel, whereas you stayed in a cheaper hotel or even lodged with a friend or relative? Do you falsify figures? Some pastors manipulate attendance to enhance their periodic performance assessment. If you can deceive man, can you deceive God? Even if you succeed with that deception and get what you wanted, does God’s silence equal divine approval? Restitution is putting to rest something that is experiencing unrest. Until you restitute a pending matter, there can never be rest, no matter what else is done. God wants you holy. It must be His way and not yours.       
Key point
Every lie told is not gone into oblivion; rather, it is only waiting somewhere to implicate the liar.

 

‘HELP ME PRAY, HOLY SPIRIT’ by Joseph Prince

03
Nov

Jude 1:20

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

When my daughter Jessica was little, she woke up one night crying. She was not sick, but would not stop crying even though her mother and I tried to pacify her. I did not know what to do. I went to the restroom, sat on the floor and cried out, “Holy Spirit, You know what is wrong with my child. You know what she needs better than I do, so I yield her to You now.” I started praying in tongues and she stopped crying immediately!

Now, I wish that such instantaneous results are the norm, but they are not. On another occasion, I experienced severe pain from the back of my neck to my shoulders. I prayed for healing, but the pain persisted for quite some time and I was quite concerned.

One night, in my room, I knelt down and prayed, “Holy Spirit, You know this condition. I don’t know what it is, but I am asking You to make perfect prayer against this condition.” I started praying in tongues. I don’t know how long I prayed, maybe an hour or so, until I felt the burden lift. I finally fell asleep, still in pain. But when I woke up, all the pain was gone!

When you are faced with a crisis, you can tell the Holy Spirit, “I don’t know how to pray about this problem. I have done everything I know, but I don’t seem to be getting my breakthrough. Help me pray, Holy Spirit.”

And as you pray in the Spirit, you will feel like there is a prayer going on within you. Flow with it until you feel a release. You will feel peace, the burden lifting and a note of victory inside you. The Holy Spirit will assure you that everything is going to be all right or He will prompt you to do something. Then, you will find that what has been hindering you from receiving your breakthrough is removed, and in its place is the answer you need!

Thought For The Day

When you don’t know what else to do and don’t seem to be getting the breakthrough you need, ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray.

Today’s Word With Joel & Victoria Osteen – Blessings In Sleep

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:

“…He gives [blessings] to His beloved even in his sleep.”
Psalm 127:2, AMP

TODAY’S WORD:

The Lord longs to pour out blessings on you constantly—even when you sleep! Many people today struggle with sleeping at night. They stay awake or get poor sleep because they are constantly focused on their problems and worrying about tomorrow. But that’s not God‘s plan for you! He wants you to enjoy your sleep as a time of blessing and refreshing. Understand that God has His hand on your life even in the midnight hour. He wants to speak to your heart and restore your dreams. He is taking care of those things that concern you.

When you cast your cares on Him and trust Him to work out every detail of your life, you’ll be able to enjoy that sweet sleep that He has promised. Make the decision today to enjoy the blessing of the Lord as you sleep tonight. Say a prayer before you go to bed and cast your cares on Him. As you allow the Lord to bless and refresh you in sleep, you’ll see a tremendous change in your waking hours. You’ll be more invigorated, more alert, and full of the blessing of the Lord in every area of your life!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of blessing. I ask that You teach me to receive that blessing even while I sleep. I cast my cares on You and trust that You are working behind the scenes in my life. Thank You for watching over me and protecting me. Thank You for refreshing me as I sleep tonight in Jesus’ name. Amen.“

IS YOUR LOVE FOR GOD PROVEN? – Monday November 2nd 2015

IS YOUR LOVE FOR GOD PROVEN? 

Memorise: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 1st John 4:8

Read: 2nd Timothy 4:7-8, 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing

Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 19:1-21:14; Philippians 2

MESSAGE!

If you can prove to God that you truly love Him, you will provoke greater love and great blessings in return. After Paul showed God how much he loved Him, not only did God perform special miracles through him while he was still alive (Acts 19:11), God also showed him glorious crown awaiting him in Heaven. How great and awesome it is to see the reward reserved for you in Heaven. Some of us desire to have this experience. While this is a good desire, the question is: have you demonstrated your love for God beyond all reasonable doubt? In fact, God made Paul aware of the time he would finish his Christian race; death did not come to him as a surprise. There are so many things that you may not have easy access to as a believer in Christ until you prove to God that you love Him unconditionally, willingly and sacrificially.

Solomon is another person who demonstrated his love for God. He did this by giving a powerful, record-setting offering. This moved God to give him a blank cheque, so that he could ask for whatever he desired.  He asked for an understanding heart that would enable him govern God’s people successfully. God granted him his request and gave him even much more. In other words, if you can prove you love for God, even when you do not know what to ask for, God will give you what you need and much more. 

God loves you and me. He showed this when Jesus died in our place on the cross of Calvary, to save us from eternal death that awaited us as the just retribution for our sins. Jesus never sinned. He was the only One who lived on earth without sinning, yet He willingly gave up His righteous, spotless and sinless life for us so that we will no longer perish. 1st Peter 3:18 says:

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

If you accept His love today, all your sins will be washed away from the record books by His Blood. You will then become a child of God. But if you reject His love, you may be inviting eternal wrath and damnation to yourself. Give your life to Jesus today. If you are already born-again, ask for grace to live Him more. You can have the best that God has reserved for you by showing Him how much you love Him. Show it through obedience to Him, consecration and sacrificial giving. Let nothing be too much for you to give to God; after all, He gave you all that you have, and He owns the blessings you will yet receive. 

Key Point

 

God establishes your love for Him through the small and big tests you face.

When God Ran

02
Nov

Luke 15:22

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.

If you are a believer, you are probably familiar with the touching story of the prodigal son that Jesus shared. Who do you think the father in the story represents? Jesus’ Father in heaven, of course. Jesus was giving us a picture of His Father, who is also our Father.

In the story, the father was seen running toward his son, who was returning home. (Luke 15:20) Do you realize that God is never described as being in a hurry in the Bible? He is always cool and composed. The only time He is portrayed as being in a hurry is in this story. Though improper in Jewish culture, the father held up his robe and ran. Where was he running to? Why was he in such a hurry?

The father was in a hurry because he had seen his son, who was still a long way from home. He was running toward his son as he could not wait to embrace and kiss his child again.

The father was in a hurry to clothe his son with the best robe. My friend, our Father has put the best robe—the robe of righteousness—on us. In doing so, He has reinstated us as sons of the Most High God, a position which we had lost when Adam fell.

The father was in a hurry to put a ring on his son’s hand. Like the authority that is invested in the signet ring of a rich man’s son, our Father is eager to put back into our hands the authority to invoke His name, so that we can walk in dominion every day.

The father was in a hurry to put sandals on his son’s feet to assure him that he was still his son—only servants went about barefoot. Our Father never wants us to feel like hired servants or outcasts. We are always His sons.

Beloved, if the Father appears to be in a hurry, it is only because He is in a hurry to assure you of your position as His precious child!

Thought For The Day

If the Father appears to be in a hurry, it is only because He is in a hurry to assure you of your position as His precious child!

Let the Holy Spirit Guide You by Joyce Meyer – posted November 02, 2015

Let the Holy Spirit Guide You

by Joyce Meyer – posted November 02, 2015

For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide [even] until death.
—Psalm 48:14

Often when my husband, Dave, and I travel, we hire a guide to show us the best and most important sites to see. Once, however, we decided to explore by ourselves; that way we could do what we wanted to, when we wanted to.

We quickly found that our independent trips were nearly wasted. We often spent a large part of the day getting lost and then trying to find our way again. We have found it to be the best use of our time to follow a guide rather than wandering aimlessly to find places ourselves.

I believe this example relates to how we are in life. We want to go our own way so we can do what we want to do, when we want to do it, but we end up getting lost and wasting our lives. We need the Holy Spirit guiding us through every day of our time on this earth. God is committed to guide us even until we leave this life, so it seems important to learn how to hear what He is telling us.

The Holy Spirit knows both the mind of God and God’s individual plan for you. His road map for you is not necessarily like anybody else’s, so it doesn’t work to try to pattern your life after someone else or what he or she has heard from God. God has a unique plan for you, and the Holy Spirit knows what it is and will reveal it to you.

Perhaps you are like I was and have wasted many years walking your own way without seeking God’s guidance. The good news is that it’s not too late to turn and go in a new direction—toward God’s plan and purpose for your life. It is not too late to learn how to hear from God. If you are sincerely willing to obey God, He will guide you on an exciting journey of learning to hear from Him every day of your life.

Trust in Him: Following a guide requires trusting someone or something other than yourself to lead the way. God will never fail you, so you can trust Him to be your Guide in life.

WHEN DOES GOD WORK Today: 2015-11-02

WHEN DOES GOD WORK

Today: 2015-11-02

…When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up  a standard against him.

Isaiah 59:19

God is strongest when the battle is toughest.

You don’t know how strong your God is until you are faced with strong men.

Whenever you are confronted by mighty men, remember the almighty God.

God steps into your matter only when you don’t know what next to do and where next to turn as human. IIChr.20:1-24.

You don’t know what God can do until you acknowledge that you don’t know what you can do.

He is described as the very present help in trouble, and that is when we think he is absent. Ps. 46:1.

The anointing became strongest on Samson when the Philistines shouted the loudest on him. Judges 15:14-17; 14.5-6.

God rises to scatter His enemies only when they have gathered. Ps.66:1. God does not engage in small fight.

God is too big to be invited into a small fight.

God rises only to challenge.

What it takes to move God against your opposition is faith that is demonstrated by the combination of rest, (calmness) and action.

RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NOT SIN IMPUTED TO YOU by Joseph Prince.

01
Nov

Romans 4:8

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

You are blessed today because all your sins are forgiven in Christ. God does not count your sins against you. Instead, He counts you righteous in Christ. That is why you are the blessed man to whom the Lord does not and will not impute sin!

What happens to such a man? Let’s look at the story of Jacob to find out.

The Bible records how Jacob had deceived his father and cheated his elder brother Esau of his firstborn blessing. (Genesis 27:1–41) Yet, in spite of his sin of deception, God chose to speak to Jacob. And no, God did not say to this cheat, “You terrible sinner! How can you deceive your own father? You are cursed!”

No, to deceitful Jacob, God said, “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants…Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:13–15) Here was a man to whom God did not impute sin!

God did not rebuke Jacob at all. Instead, we hear Him telling Jacob, “I will give to you…I am with you…I will keep you…I will bring you back…I will not leave you…” Jacob certainly did not deserve these blessings. This is one man who walked in the truth of Romans 4:8—“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin”! Now, I am not encouraging you to sin, but I want you to see the love and grace of God toward us.

If Jacob was so blessed, how much more you and I today, who are under the new covenant of grace established by the blood of Jesus. How much more is our blessedness because Jesus has removed all our sins at the cross!

Beloved, because of Jesus’ finished work, God does not impute sin to you. What He does impute to you isrighteousness apart from works. (Romans 4:6) And because you are righteous, get ready for His blessings! (Proverbs 10:6)

Thought For The Day

Because of Jesus’ finished work, God does not impute sin to you, but righteousness apart from works.