Paying For Spiritual Service – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 3rd August 2013

PAYING FOR SPIRITUAL SERVICES BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8

Read:

1 Corinthians 2:12-13

(1 Corinthians 2:12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

(1 Corinthians 2:13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Open Heavens Message
One reason many people are failing God in ministry and in their secular jobs is because they are copying methods rather than following the Lord. Another reason is that they are following after the wrong things. If you pursue the wrong things or focus on what is not needful, it will definitely affect your results. When Naaman was leaving with all the goodies he came with, Gehazi vowed to go after him. What are you running after?

God sees the hearts of men. Naaman came to the man of God hoping to pay for his healing. The man of God was sensitive to the Spirit of God and so he refused to take a gift from him. There are some servants of God who have never refused a gift before. In fact, if something is not offered to them after God has used them to be a blessing, they take offence and begin to complain. Such people are following the path of Gehazi.

Romans 3:24 says we are justified freely by His grace. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 and Romans 8:32 say that God has freely given us the things of the Kingdom. Did you pay for your salvation, sanctification or baptism in the Holy Spirit? Did you pay for the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit that makes the miraculous possible in your life? Matthew 10:8 says,

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.”

Today, the greed of some ministers of the Gospel makes them to compel or cajole recipients of blessings from God's grace on their life to pay in cash or in kind. In other words, the concept of free reception and free delivery is fast becoming obsolete. Some ministers will say, 

'I laid hands on you and the cancer in your body disappeared. You know how much it costs to treat an incurable disease like cancer. If it is half of what you would have spent on treatment, go and bring it; after all, it is not easy to acquire the anointing'.

Has the anointing suddenly gone on sale? The Lord frowns seriously at this! If recipients of miracles on their own decide to show appreciation, that is fine; but it is very wrong for them to be compelled or cajoled to 'pay' for what they have received. If they pay, they may never see the need to turn their lives over to God.

Bible In One Year

2 Thessalonians 1-3

Key Point
If you sell the gift of God which should be freely given, you will be made to pay back on the day you have nothing at hand.



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Danger Of Silence – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 28th July 2013

DANGER OF SILENCE BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:
call unto me and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

Read:
2 Kings 4:1-7

(2 King 4:1) Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

(2 King 4:2) And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

(2 King 4:3) Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

(2 King 4:4) And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

(2 King 4:5) So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

(2 King 4:6) And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

(2 King 4:7) Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Open Heavens Message
There are several lessons to be learnt from the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:18-26, one of these is that in her time of need, she cried persistently for help until she got it. Another aspect for which she must commended is that when her son died, she did not immediately set out for the man of God but she first exercised her faith by placing the boy on the bed of the man of God. It was when the matter was beyond her faith that she set out to meet the man of God.

Today, many Christians are very lazy. They hardly exercise their faith in times of crisis. They used to calling one person or the other over most trivial matter. What happens if there is a crisis and there is no one you can call? Start trusting in the Lord. god wants you to grow. If only you can exercise your faith, no matter how small, it will begin to grow.

When the boy failed to wake up the bed of the man of God, she decided to take the matter to the man of God himself. Sighting her from afar, Elisha sent Gehazi his servant to her but she failed to disclose her problem to him. This raises the question of credibility and integrity. If as a minister of God people cannot share confidential matters with you, it may be that you rate quite low in integrity. If you are loose tongued and what is shared with you in secret filters out, and probably become common knowledge, then you will end up overseeing strangers. Are you trustworthy as a leader?

Moreover when she got to the man of God, she grabbed his feet, resolving not to leave him. The reason many people are still nursing their problem is because they are too quiet. If you keep quiet God will assume that you are enjoying the situation and He too will be silent on the matter. A widow of one of the sons of the prophets had a serious financial problem that could have led to her untimely death but she kept quiet. It was when she cried out that God arose for her. What situation are you or your family in? Cry out today and the Lord will come to your rescue.

Bible In One Year:
Deuteronomy 23-25

Key Point:
It is your outcry that tells God that you truly need what He thought you needed

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Why You Must Abide – RCCG Open Heavens Devotion Tuesday 23rd July 2013

WHY YOU MUST ABIDE BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

Read:
Proverbs 18:6-8

(Pro 18:6) A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.

(Pro 18:7) A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

(Pro 18:8) The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Open Heavens Message
In John 9:6-7, a man who was born blind had contact with the Lord and his eyes were opened in a very dramatic way. If just one contact could do that much, how much more when you abide in Him. When you abide in Christ, He makes everything to become new. 2 Kings 4:8-17 tells of the Shunammite woman who offered Elisha food, and he decided to abide more regularly in the apartment she built for him.

Because he was abiding there, this woman who had lost hope of becoming a mother became the mother of a son. When you abide, there is a new beginning. The widow of Zarephath had the servant of God abiding with her and her son and what was supposed to be her last meal became the meal that sustained the trio for over two years of famine. Are you abiding in Christ? If you are today in Christ, tomorrow in sin, you are not abiding in Him.

Moreover, why do you need to abide in Him? Abiding in Him creates the perfect atmosphere to get the best results from God’s Word. Psalm 119:11 says,

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

If you are in a hurry to study God’s word, it will not sink into you, and you will be unable to reach the depth where you can get revelation. You need to read, study, memorise and mediate on the word, so that you can have good success (Joshua 1:18). You cannot continue in sin and expect a breakthrough from God because God is a miracle worker and not a magician. Abiding in Him helps you to stay holy.

Several years ago, a woman wanted to be fruitful. Like others who came. I laid hands on her and prayed. Much later she was angry that nothing happened even though she fell under the anointing. While I was about to pray for her again, the Lord stopped, and told me to ask this great woman how many boyfriends she had, beside her husband, and she said six. What some people are seeking is magic not miracle to prosper and become fruitful or successful through Him, you must be holy.

Bible In One Year
Ecclesiastes 7-9

Key Point
Anytime you step out of Christ, you are exposed to the bullets and arrows of the enemy. Stay in Him!

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Fulfilling His Purpose - RCCG Open Heavens Devotion Monday 15th July 2013

FULFILLING HIS PURPOSE BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: Ephesians 1:11

Read:
Ephesians 1:9-12

Open Heavens Message
Isaiah 60:1 commands us to arise and shine. To shine is to fulfill purpose. In Mark 10:46-52, when Bartimaeus was led to Jesus and He commanded his eyes to be opened, He was simply asking his eyes to fulfill the purpose for which they were created. No part of your body is there just for fun: every part has a purpose. Also in Acts 3:1-8, when Peter commanded the lame man to walk, he was only asking the legs to fulfill their purpose. Whenever Jesus heals or delivers an individual, it is in connection with creating fresh avenues for the fellow to fulfill divine purpose. In Mark 8:14-16, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law so that she could serve – fulfill her purpose.

Are you sick? The healing power of God will touch and heal you so that you can fulfill God’s purpose. God’s purpose for the man of Gadara was to be an evangelist, so when He came to him and met him occupied with insanity – which is the devil’s purpose, He delivered him and he fulfilled his purpose as an evangelist. Anything hindering you from fulfilling God’s purpose for your life shall be removed by the power of the Holy Ghost. In Esther 4:13-16, when the nation of Israel was facing organized extermination plans, Mordecai met Queen Esther and told her to fulfill her purpose. May you fulfill your purpose as president, governor, senator, minister, pastor, leader, etc. You are not occupying that vantage position for your own purpose but for His divine purpose.

You are not there to serve yourself, but to both serve and please Him. To allow you get into that office or position, He has displaced several other people who want to occupy it. Are you justifying His decision to choose you to serve His purpose? Have you been ordained? If yes, do you know that you were not just ordained just to bear a title or so that people will begin to address you by your title, but to fulfill His purpose? God did not call you into the office of a pastor or evangelist so that you can go about shaking your head and announcing that a great man of God is coming, but to preach His Word, win souls, disciple converts, lay hands on the sick, etc. Are you fulfilling His purpose? You cannot shine until you do this

Key Point
The position a believer occupies, the resources and achievements he gets and every opportunity that comes his or her way are all to help the fellow fulfill a divine purpose.

Bible In One Year:
Jeremiah 17-20

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Self Prophecy - RCCG Open Heavens Devotion Sunday 14th July, 2013

SELF PROPHECY BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Joel 3:10

Read:

Mark 5:25-34

Open Heavens Message
What you say about yourself and about your situation in the midst of a crisis is of keen interest to both God and the devil. When the Israelites kept speaking of dying in the wilderness when confronted with little challenges, it got to a time that God gave them what they had been confessing – death (Numbers 14:26-39). On the other hand, the Shunammite woman kept confessing that ‘All will be well’ and later that ‘All is well’ and her dead child came back to life.

What are your confessions? Stop complaining, murmuring and grumbling as these will never help you. Rather, confess what you want about the situation. Mark 11:23-24 says if you command the mountain to relocate and you doubt not, it will be so and you will have what you say. When people are saying trouble is coming, reply them by saying ‘All will be well’. It does not matter what anybody may say: what matters is what God hears from you, which will determine your future. What are you saying in God’s ears?

Some people take note of what other people – particularly experts are saying about health, economy, etc. but they hardly ever say something good to themselves. The statement – ‘All will be well’ from the Shunammite woman was only a self prophecy and God honoured it. She did not wait for Elijah before speaking prophetically into her life. Why don’t you learn to prophesy into your life? When I wake up in the morning, I go before my mirror and begin to prophesy to myself: ‘it is going to be well with me’, ‘I will find favour from God and men’, etc.

When things took a negative turn in the situation of the woman with the issue of blood and there seemed to be no way out, she resorted to self prophesy. She said, “if I can touch the helm of Jesus’ clothes, I shall receive my healing”. She touched and she was whole. Some people see self prophesy as self deception. They will query it by saying: How do I say all is well when all is not well? Joel 3:10 says that is how to engage words: confess strength in time of weakness, health in time of sickness, wealth in time of poverty, freedom in time of bondage, etc. Use your words to beautify your life by confessing what you desire. The Lord will honour your confession.

Key Point
Your confessions affect your receipts. Some people are receiving bad things today and they wonder why. They have forgotten that in some recent or distant past, they used their mouths to call such things to themselves.

Bible In One Year:

Jeremiah 13-16

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Attitude Of Worship - 2 - RCCG Open Heavens Of Monday 8th July 2013

ATTITUDE OF WORSHIP - 2 BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:10-11

Read:

Revelation 4:2-11
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. Revelation 4:2

And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. Revelation 4:3

And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. Revelation 4:4

And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Revelation 4:5

And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. Revelation 4:6

And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. Revelation 4:7

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. Revelation 4:8

And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, Revelation 4:9

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Revelation 4:10

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

Open Heavens Message
You can take a different positions in worship, but a great position in which to worship God is to go flat on your face on the ground. Do you know that this is still the practice in Heaven? Revelations 4:10 says

“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,”

When you go on your face before God, you are telling God that you are not in any way competing with Him. You are making yourself of no reputation in His presence. It means everything you have amounts to nothing. This is why the 24 elders in their highly exalted position in Heaven push their crowns aside, lie flat on their faces before God, and worship God. Some of us are still very proud when we say we have come to worship God. The clothes we wear are far more important to us than the worship we need to offer to God. How much is that cloth? When your life is not even enough to worship God, is it a cloth of a few thousands of Naira, Pounds, Dollars, or Euro that will be of greater worth to you?

When you lie on the ground before Him, you are saying, ‘Not I but thou be seen, heard and feared oh Lord’. If you can, this is a great position to take whenever you truly want to worship the Lord. It is a position of complete and absolute surrender. It is a position of showing your depth of weakness so that His strength can take over. It is a position that shows you count yourself as nothing so that He can take you up. It is a position that will definitely get something out of God. How do you worship God? If you go to Him telling Him that you are strong, He may either let you go just the way you came or even take away the strength you think you have. But a broken or a contrite heart God cannot despise.

Bible In One Year:

Titus 1-3, Philemon

Key Point
If your worship is devoid of humility, it will not be acceptable.




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Be His Friend – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 6th July 2013

BE HIS FRIEND BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. John 15:15

Read:

Genesis 18:17-18
And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Genesis 18:17

Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? Genesis 18:18

Open Heavens Message
The God we serve is not only a God of choice and promise but also a friendly and loving God. Genesis 18:17 says,

“And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?”

By this, God meant that because of his friendship with Abraham, it has become difficult for Him to hide certain future event from him. As high as God is, yet is He not ashamed to make the works of His hands His friends. Our Lord Jesus Christ also exhibited the same character. In John 15:15, Jesus declared:

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” 

In other words, when you newly give your life to Christ, He may keep some secrets from you until He tries you out and sees you are ready and worthy of being trusted with divine secrets. In the Kingdom, a child is seen as no different from a servant until he grows into maturity (Genesis 4:1-2).

If you are wise and move on from being a child who may or may not obey Him, to being His bond servant – who would always obey Him, you will begin to learn His trust and confidence. Then, He will start to share some secrets with you, and would wait to see how you handle such privileged information. When He has tested your level of commitment, love and loyalty, and He is satisfied, He will upgrade the relationship by making you a friend. Abraham was a friend of God and Christ’s disciples were also elevated to become His friends.

From that moment onwards, He told them virtually everything the father revealed to Him. At what level are you operating? Becoming His friend has nothing to do with the number of years spent in the Kingdom. There are believers of 5, 10, and 20 years or more who are still children and hence like servants. They have not been able to upgrade their relationship to friendship status; yet there are converts of six months or one year of whom the Lord is almost finding it difficult to do without. They are already operating as His friends, enjoying lots of divine secrets. Locate yourself where you are and move up.

Bible In One Year:

Psalm 40-42

Key Point
God wants to upgrade you to the level of friendship but it will take your cooperation and willingness.



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Still A Potential Champion? – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Thursday 4th July 2013

STILL A POTENTIAL CHAMPION? BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

…..and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. Ecclesiastes 11:3

Read:

Proverbs 6:9-11
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Proverbs 6:9

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: Proverbs 6:10

So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. Proverbs 6:11

Open Heavens Message
There are three categories of champions: potential champions (champions to be), reigning champions (existing champions), and ex-champions (those who were once champions). Of the first category, virtually everyone was born to this world with the potential of becoming a champion. But as you would expect, it is one thing to have the potential to be something, but it is entirely different ball game to run with the vision and actualize this potential.

Every man is a potential father but not all men become fathers. This also applies to women. Not all women who had the potential of becoming a mother eventually became one. Every good potential in your life shall be pursued to its logical conclusion in Jesus name. in Bible times, Gehazi had the potential of having four times the anointing of Elijah, he could have become a super champion, but he bungled it.

In 1977, at a congress we held at Ilorin (Nigeria), during the prayer time, I told the brethren that God told me that one day, The Redeemed Christian Church of God will be all over the world, and that it will take place very soon. They said amen. I was speaking as a potential champion then. Some among those who said amen left us. Also, in 1983, during our first Church Convention at the camp grounds, when we had about 15 or 16 buildings in all, we slaughtered a total of 10 cows during the Convention. I told them that someday, we will be using trailers to bring cows to our Conventions, and they said amen. In that particular year’s Congress held at Ilorin, I travelled in the company of a brother we were ordained together as pastors on the same day. 

On our way, I prophesied that The Redeemed Christian church of God will soon be all over that place. He said amen. Today, out of the five potential champions ordained the same day with me; I am the only one still in The Redeemed Christian Church of God. Of the five, I loved one so much. Whenever I travelled to his station of service, we would sleep on the same bed. As we lay on bed, I share with him the future the Lord as shown me. Yet, as close as we were, he never caught the fire. It is possible to sleep by the fire and never be ignited. May you not die as a potential champion! May your potentials become a reality this season. What are you doing to bring your potentials into reality?

Bible In One Year:

Psalm 34-36

Key Point
A potential champion and a champion started from the same place but while the former did not do enough to bring his potential into reality, the later went the extra mile.

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