OPEN HEAVENS AND OTHER DEVOTIONALS

1Sam 16:11 "And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all [thy] children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither." Glory. The Lord is assuring you this morning that THE KING MAKERS SHALL NOT REST UNTIL YOU ARE MADE THE KING. This means, YOUR MESSENGERS OF FAVOUR SHALL NOT REST UNTIL YOU ARE FAVOURED and YOUR MESSENGERS OF BLESSING SHALL NOT REST UNTIL YOU ARE BLESSED. Beloved, the number WILL NOT BE COMPLETE UNTIL YOU ARE THERE. I assure you with authority from above that YOUR HELPERS SHALL NOT REST UNTIL THEY LOCATE YOU IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.  Stay safe and OPERATE WITHIN GOD'S NETWORK AND CHANNEL.  Good morning and blessed day ahead.

MEMORISE: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 1 John 3:1  READ:  1 Peter 2:9-10  9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. MESSAGE: In 1John 3:2, John the Beloved could pondering on how privileged we are as believers to be called children of God. Apostle Peter explained the glorious implication of this in 1Peter 2:9-10:   "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people: that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but...

MEMORISE: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.                                                           Luke 10:19 READ:  Acts 13:8-12 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him. 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him b...

MEMORISE: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.  Deuteronomy 28:2  READ:  Malachi 3:10-12 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. See Also:  Open Heavens for 19 April 2021 MESSAGE: From Deuteronomy 28:1, we see that God can decide to bless an individual beyond his or her imagination. However, God can also change His mind concerning the decision later. This is because divi...

 MEMORISE: But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. Matthew 15:26  READ:  Matthew 15:21-28   21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.   22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.   23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.   24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.   25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.   26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.   27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.   28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great...

Psalm 119:130 "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." Halleluya. The Psalmist is confirming to you this morning that THE WORD OF GOD IS LIGHT THAT CAN STAMP OUT DARKNESS WITHIN AND WITHOUT. THE WORD IS ALSO GIVES UNDERSTANDING. The LORD is therefore admonishing you to ALLOW THE WORD ENTER YOU. Beloved, it's time once again to hear the WORD. PLEASE ALLOW IT TO ENTER YOU COMPLETELY. I decree and declare that the WORD YOU HEAR AND ALLOW TO ENTER YOU THIS DAY SHALL STAMP OUT ALL DARKNESS WITHIN AND AROUND YOU. EVERY WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING YOU REQUIRE TO MOVE FORWARD IN LIFE SHALL BE REVEALED TO YOU IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.  Please remember to stay safe and be saved genuinely as you SEEK THE LIGHT OF GOD, FOLLOW HIM AND DWELL IN HIM.  Good morning and blessed service ahead

MEMORISE: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.   Matthew 9:21 READ:  Luke 7:11-15 11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. MESSAGE: There are contacts and relationships that highly beneficial to all parties. Such contacts leave those who are involved in perpetual joy. On the other hand, there are some contacts that become the undoing of the people involved. Divine contact...

MEMORISE: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.  Revelation 2:5 READ: Esther 2:1-4 1After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. 2 Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king: 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: 4 And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so. See Also:  Open Heavens for 16 April 2021 MESSAGE: From today's Scr...

MEMORISE: And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty. Exodus 3:21 READ: Exodus 3:7-8 7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. See Also:  Open Heavens for 15 April 2021 MESSAGE: Divine intervention simply means the participation of God in any matter. When the Almighty God gets involved in your affairs, you will be wise and powerful. Nothing will be impossible to you and your challenges will become history.  We see this from the Scripture reading of today; the...

OUR WEAPONS OF WAR  By Pastor Chris  _*(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal*_ (man-made) _*, but mighty THROUGH GOD to the pulling down of strong holds (2 Corinthians 10:4).*_   The weapons of our warfare are mighty through the Holy Spirit to the pulling down of fortresses of darkness: mental, physical, intellectual, or financial fortresses. When fortresses are built against God’s work, God’s house, or the ministry of the Gospel, we deploy our weapons!  Not many Christians realize that we’re at war; the Bible tells us to “war a good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18). Our theme verse isn’t talking about the weapons of Jesus’ warfare, but “our warfare.” Thanks be unto God we have weapons! One of them is what the Apostle Paul called _*“...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”*_ (Ephesians 6:17).  That sword of the Spirit is the same thing Daniel referred to when he said _*“A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him...”*_ (Daniel 7:10)....

Psalm 139:14 "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well." Glory. The LORD is reminding you this morning that you are FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY CREATED. This means YOU WERE NOT CREATED IN ERROR BUT FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE, PART OF THE MARVELOUS DESIGN AND WORK OF GOD. This means everything about you is WONDERFUL AND MARVELOUS, HAVING BEEN CREATED BY AN ERROR-FREE GOD TO MAKE IMPACT IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT. SO AS YOU LAUNCH OUT TODAY,  DETERMINE TO  MAKE IMPACT AND POSITIVELY AFFECT YOUR GENERATION AND SO SHALL IT BE IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.  Always remember, to stay safe and be saved genuinely as you DWELL IN THE LORD AND LET THE LORD DWELL IN YOU.  Good morning and blessed day ahead.

MEMORISE: For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.        Psalm 5:12 READ:  Esther 5:1-3 1Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. 2 And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. 3 Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom. See Also:  Open Heavens for 14 April 2021 MESSAGE: Queen Esther found favor in the sight of her husband the king, and thus was promised blessings up to one-half of the kingdom, as we see in ...

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you. (1 Peter 4:12, NKJV) *FAITH IN THE MIDDLE* It’s easy to have faith at the start—when your baby is born, or you marry that beautiful girl, or you start a business, it’s exciting. It’s also easy to have faith at the end—when you can see the finish line, you’ve fought the good fight, and now the dream is in sight. The challenge is having faith in the middle—when it’s taking longer than you thought, when you don’t have the funds, and when it’s dark and difficult. In the middle is where most people are tempted to give up. But God never promised that we would reach our destiny without opposition, without disappointments, without things we don’t understand. Instead He says not to think it strange when these things come against us. That means to not get upset because somebody did you wrong, or because the business slowed, or because your child takes a wrong turn. God is still on the throne. S...

Judges 11:1 NKJV Jephthah was the illegitimate son of a man called Gilead. His mother was a prostitute. He grew up in the household of Gilead's other legitimate sons who later chased him away. "'You will not get any of our father's inheritance,' they said" (v. 2 NLT). So he ended up living in a cave. While there, he took a band of misfits and rebels and developed them into a great army. When the Ammonites threatened Israel, the elders turned to him for help. "But Jephthah said to them: 'Aren't you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now when you're in trouble?' 'Because we need you,' the elders replied. 'If you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you ruler over all the people of Gilead'" (vv.7-8 NLT). Not only did Jephthah lead them to victory, he's named with honour in the Bible along with people like Abraham, Moses, and David. His life is rich wit...

April 14 | Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 25–26; Luke 12:32–59 *LIVE LIKE IT’S MORNING* The fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth. EPHESIANS 5:9 *READ EPHESIANS 5:1–9* When I have to travel across time zones by air, I try various remedies to avoid jet lag. I think I’ve tried them all! On one occasion, I decided to adjust my in-flight eating to the time zone where I was heading. Instead of eating dinner with the rest of the passengers, I kept watching a movie and tried to fall asleep. The hours of elective fasting were difficult, and the breakfast that came right before we landed left much to be desired. But living “out of sorts” with those around me worked. It jolted my body clock into a new time zone. Paul knew that if believers in Jesus were to truly reflect Him in their lives, they would need to live out of step with the world around them. They “were once darkness” but now they were to live as “children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). And what might that look li...

Phil 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice." Halleluya. The Lord is commanding you this morning to REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS. Why? Because, YOUR CASE IS ALREADY SETTLED. The emphasis on REJOICE in the above passage is to let you know that _*REJOICING SHOULD BE YOUR LIFESTYLE*_. The Lord is saying YOU HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO REJOICE BECAUSE JESUS HAS SETTLED IT. Beloved, be confident and remain steadfast in the knowledge that you have STRONG REASONS TO REJOICE - YOU ARE A FAVOURED CHILD OF GOD. HE HAS PROMISED NEVER TO LEAVE NOR FORSAKE YOU. HIS PROMISES TO YOU ARE YES AND AMEN. FAITHFUL IS HE WHO HAS PROMISED. YOUR CASE IS SETTLED IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.  Remember to stay safe and REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS.  Good morning and blessed day ahead.

MEMORISE: Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11 READ:  Isaiah 40:28-31 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. See Also:  Open Heavens for 13 April 2021 MESSAGE: Choosing to be in God's presence is a thing of wisdom because it guarantees joy and everlasting satisfaction (Psalm 16:11). Therefore, if you are wise, you will always seek to be in His presence. No wonder the Psalmist wrote in Ps...

Secret 1 Everyone you marry has a weakness. Only God does not have a weakness. So if you focus on your spouse's weakness you can't get the best out of his/her strength. Secret 2 Everyone has a dark history. No one is an angel. When you get married or you want to get married, stop digging into someone's past. What matters most is the present life of your partner. Old things have passed away. Forgive and forget. Focus on the present and the future.             *Secret 3* Every marriage has its own challenges. Marriage is not a bed of roses. Every good marriage has gone through its own test of blazing fire. True love proves in times of challenges.  Fight for your marriage. Make up your mind to stay with your spouse in times of need. Remember the vow: For better for worse. In sickness and in health be there.               *Secret 4* Every marriage has different levels of success. Don't compare your marriage with that of a...

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20, NKJV) *Extraordinary* We all have things we’re believing for—dreams to come to pass, problems to turn around. We’d be happy if it worked out our way, but sometimes what we have in mind is not God’s best. We think ordinary; God thinks extraordinary. We think enough to get by; God thinks abundance. We think let me manage this addiction; God thinks freedom. We ask for the possible when God wants to do the impossible. We look at things logically, but God is a supernatural God. He specializes in exceeding our expectations. What He has planned for you is bigger, more rewarding, and more fulfilling than you’ve dreamed. You may wonder how you’re going to accomplish your dreams or how you’re going to get out of that difficulty. God has it all figured out. He has the right people lined up. He knows how to put you at the right place. W...

April 13 | Bible in a Year: 1 Samuel 22–24; Luke 12:1–31 *THE FROSTING OF FAITH* I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5 *READ 2 TIMOTHY 1:1–5* Hand in hand, my grandson and I skipped across the parking lot to find a special back-to-school outfit. A preschooler now, he was excited about everything, and I was determined to ignite his happiness into joy. I’d just seen a coffee mug with the inscription, “Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting.” Frosting equals fun, glitter, joy! That’s my job description as his grandma, right? That . . . and more. In his second letter to his spiritual son Timothy, Paul calls out his sincere faith—and then credits its lineage both to Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). These women lived out their faith in such a way that Timothy also came to believe in Jesus. Surely, Lois and Eunice loved Timothy and ...