OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR 28th SEPTEMBER 2017

By
THEME: HEED THIS INVITATION     

Memorise:
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. John 7:37

Read: John 7:37-39

7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Message:

"How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?" Deuteronomy 32:30

Although praying corporately is good, it should never be regarded as a substitute to a vibrant personal prayer life. Some people quote the above scriptures to justify remaining at the level of corporate prayers, and as a result they consider efforts towards personal prayer to be a waste. It is not a wasted effort! God wants to relate with us individually and develop a personal relationship with us, just as He wants to relate with us as a group. For this reason, in Isaiah 51:2, He said this to us:
"Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him."

Even when we are in a group meeting, God still wants to maintain a personal link with each of us. God is a personal God. When two brothers came to give offering to God, the Lord related with them individually (Genesis 4:3-10). How often do you spend time alone with God?

Moreover, there are great benefits that come from staying alone with God. If we look at the example of the widow of the prophet in 2 Kings 4:1-7, we can see some of the benefits of individual prayers. When she was asked to shut the door on herself, several things happened to her, one of which is that she went in empty but came out full. She took several empty vessels with her into the room, and all the vessels were filled up. Even today, as you personally separate yourself to access the Throne of Grace, our empty vessels will be made full. In today's Bible reading, while attending the feast of the Jews, the Lord made a call. Although it was made publicly, it was a personal call. He said anyone who was thirsty could come to Him and be filled. If you can cultivate your personal relationship with God by creating regular time to be in His presence, you will always be filled, even when you enter His presence empty. Today, the Lord is sending you an invitation to come into His presence and He will fill you up. Your emptiness can be completely swallowed up as you spend personal time with Him. Are you ready to have your emptiness filled? How hungry are you? It is your level of hunger and thirst for Him that will determine how filled you will get. So, how hungry or thirsty are you today?

Action Point:
Identify things that are working against your ability to spend time alone with God and prayerfully deal with them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Esther 4-7
Ezekiel 48:8-20

                                                                                                                     
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 14:  TAKE MY LIFE

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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

APOLOGY LETTER

By
ONIDURO: FINALLY TOPE ALABI APOLOGISES OVER 'ONIDURO STATEMENT. ▪︎"Let Me Acknowledge That My Mistake Was That I Externalised A Personal Message In Public; And I'm Awfully Sorry For Doing That." Initially, I didn't want to delve into the controversy over the gospel hit song, "Oniduro," because I have intervened behind the scenes in concert with other stakeholders in gospel music ministry. However, I discovered that online media would not allow the dust to settle calmly. I want to state that Tope Alabi, Adeyinka Adesioye a.k.a Alaseyori and Tolu Adelegan are all members of the same family of God and they belong to the same calling – singing ministry. "Adeyinka is my daughter in ministry. Her Pastor asked me to pray for her because she took after me, which I did wholeheartedly.  Envy who? Never!  I love the girl so much.  She can confirm to you, sir, that we relate so well. God has given each of us the grace to go as far as His enablement could carry ...
Read more

BRITAIN FURIOUS WHILE TRUMP REMAINS UNAPOLOGETIC AS FALLOUT SWELLS FROM HIS ANTI-MUSLIM VIDEOS

By
Image
British Prime Minister Theresa May. Prime Minister Theresa May blasted Trump for crossing a line by posting the inflammatory videos on his Twitter page Wednesday — and then warning May to essentially mind her own business and focus on Islamist terrorism instead of him. But officials were careful to note that ties with the United States are stronger than the current flare-up with the White House. "It's increasingly clear that any official visit from President Trump to Britain would not be welcomed," tweeted London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim to hold the office. Khan has repeatedly called for Britain to withdraw an invitation for Trump to visit — and his stance appeared to gain backing amid the outrage against the president. In a sign of the disruptive wake unleashed by Trump, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd had to remind Parliament and the public that Britain's relationship with the United States was bigger than one president — and t...
Read more
By
Image
Northern governors blame immigrants for herdsmen attacks Author:  Kess Ewubare UPDATED:  2 DAYS AGO VIEWS: 48700  TWEET IT!    SHARE ON FACEBOOK    SEND VIA EMAIL    SEND ON WHATSAPP - The northern governor’s forum resolves to work with relevant stakeholders to secure Nigeria’s borders and register Fulani immigrants entering into the country - The chairman of the forum, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno, emphasises the need for every Nigerian to see security as his or her business - Shettima acknowledges that the country is experiencing lots of challenges, particularly in the northern region The northern governor’s forum (NGF) has alleged that most of the herdsmen responsible for the attacks on communities in Nigeria are immigrants from Senegal and Mali. Northern governors blame immigrants from Senegal and Mali for herdsmen attacks across the country. The chairman of the forum, Kashim Shettima of Borno, di...
Read more

MAN COMMITS SUICIDE BY FIRE,BURNS BEYOND RECOGNITION

By
Image
Shock as Abuja Man Commit Suicide, Set Himself in a Rented Hotel Room (Photos) 17th Feb 2017 The dead man. The residents of Nyanya, a satellite town of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja, were left in total shock on Thursday, after a man believed to be in his early 60s, set himself ablaze in a rented hotel apartment. According to DailyPost, the incident also saw the entire hotel completely raid by fire, even as the deceased, Dr. Isaac Ojukwu, was equally burnt beyond recognition. While narrating the ugly incidence to newsmen in Abuja on Friday, Sylvanus M. Itodo, the Owner of the burnt Hotel who is an Associate Professor at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, said it still remained a shock, how an adult would just wish to take his own life, without a particular known reason. “We were all sitting together that fateful night (Wednesday night) before he left to watch football match and I also left the hotel premises by 11pm, to go and sleep. “It was around 12a...
Read more

NORTH KOREAN IMAGES SUGGEST MISSILE/S MAY BE CAPABLE OF HITTING ANYWHERE IN AMERICA - U.S EXPERTS SAY

By
Image
North Korea said the new missile reached an altitude of about 4,475 km (2,780 miles) - more than 10 times the height of the International Space Station - and flew 950 km (590 miles) during its 53-minute flight. Images released by North Korea on Thursday appeared to show it has succeeded in developing a missile capable of delivering a nuclear weapon anywhere in the United States and it could be only two or three tests away from being declared combat ready, U.S.-based experts said on Thursday. North Korea released dozens of photos and a video after Wednesday's launch of the new Hwasong-15 missile, and leader Kim Jong Un declared the country had "finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force". U.S.-based experts, some of whom have been sceptical about past North Korean claims to have put all of the United States in range, said data from the latest test and the photos appeared to confirm North Korea has a missile of suffici...
Read more

A PLEA FOR THE RETURN OF MAN'S STOLEN ASHES

By
Image
Julia Wilkinson (left), of Charlotte, North Carolina, and her mother Mary Wilkinson (right) stand by as police officers (reflected in the window) discuss their investigation into items stolen from their rental car at the Anchorage Square parking lot in San Francisco, California, on Thursday, April 13, 2017. The ashes of Joe Wilkinson, the father and husband to Julia and Mary were among many things that were stolen. Melanie Woodrow (not pictured), a television reporter at abc7 called a police commander which instigated a police investigation. Julia Wilkinson had planned to look for her fathers remains in pawn shops in the Haight but instead met with police officers at the scene of the crime near Fisherman's Wharf. Mary Wilkinson had planned to spend Thursday amid the majestic redwoods of the North Coast, scattering the ashes of her late husband on what would have been his 57th birthday. Instead, the North Carolina resident and her daughter, Julia, were stuck in San Francisco an...
Read more

HEAVILY PREGNANT BEAUTICIAN BEATS HOUSEMAID TO DEATH

By
Image
A beautician, identified only as Oby, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly beating her maid, Miracle, to death on Lateef Aregbe Street, Ago Palace Way, Okota, in the Isolo area of the state. PUNCH Metro learnt that the mother of two had descended on the eight-year-old on Saturday and beaten her till she collapsed and gave up the ghost. She was allegedly plotting with some persons to dispose of the corpse when some neighbours raised the alarm and reported the case to the police. The suspect was subsequently detained at the Isolo Police Division. A resident of the area, who did not want to be identified, said the suspect had been beating Miracle for months. He explained that anytime Oby, who hailed from Anambra State, was confronted by neighbours, she would shun and insult them. He said, “She is a beautician and has two children and she is heavily pregnant with her third child. Her husband was deported from Libya before he travelled again to An...
Read more

MAN KILLS GIRLFRIEND,SLEEPS WITH HER CORPSE

By
Image
A 35-year-old man identified as Sunday Ushie on Monday confessed to killing his girlfriend, Nnena Samuel, and went ahead to have sex with the corpse.     According to Punch Metro, the incident happened on January 26, 2017 in Adijinkpor village in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State. Ushie, a cocoa farmer in Akparabong, confessed to the crime, saying that she never gave him the opportunity to have s*x with her while alive. He said that he invited her to his house and killed her with knife before having s*x with the corpse. The farmer, who said he was regretting his action, blamed the incident on the devil. He said, “It is the work of the devil. I do not know how. I am the one that killed her. I killed her with knife. She was my girlfriend and I knew her for just two months before this incident happened. I slept with her corpse after killing her. “It was strange sleeping with a dead corpse. I never had s*x with her when she was alive because she never ga...
Read more