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OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: FRIDAY 28TH APRIL 2017 THEME: PRIVILEGES OF GOD’S CHILDREN I Memorise: Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:7 Read: Mark 7:24-30 7:24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 7:25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 7:26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 7:27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 7:28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 7:29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of th...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 25, 2017 Tuesday DON’T GIVE UP Galatians 6:1–10 | 2 Samuel 21–22; Luke 18:24–43 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 Bob Foster, my mentor and friend for more than fifty years, never gave up on me. His unchanging friendship and encouragement, even during my darkest times, helped carry me through. We often find ourselves determined to reach out and help someone we know who is in great need. But when we fail to see improvement right away, our resolve can weaken and we may eventually give up. We discover that what we hoped would be an immediate change has become an ongoing process. The apostle Paul urges us to be patient in helping one another through the stumbles and struggles of life. When he writes, “Carry each other’s burdens” and so “fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2), he is comparing our task to the work, time, an...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 24, 2017 Monday THE SMALL Psalm 116:1–9   Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17 My friend Gloria called with excitement in her voice. She had not been able to leave her home except for doctors’ appointments. So I understood why she was so happy to tell me, “My son just attached new speakers to my computer, so now I can go to my church!” Now she could hear the live broadcast of her church’s worship service. She raved about God’s goodness and the “best gift my son could have given me!” Gloria teaches me about having a thankful heart. Despite her many limitations, she’s thankful for the smallest of things—sunsets, helpful family and neighbors, quiet moments with God, the ability to remain in her own apartment. She’s had a lifetime of seeing God provide for her, and she talks about Him to anyone who visits or calls. We don’t know what difficulties the author of Psalm 1...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: SUNDAY 23RD APRIL 2017 THEME: A FRUIT-BEARING TREE ? MEMORISE: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:2 READ: LUKE 13:6-9 13:6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 13:7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 13:9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. MESSAGE Fruit-bearing is a necessity for every child of God. When the Scripture in Deuteronomy 7:14 says none shall be barren, this promise fundamentally extends to soul-winning and all other activities t...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 23, 2017 Sunday THE SHRINKING PIANO Philippians 1:1–11   He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 For three consecutive years, my son participated in a piano recital. The last year he played, I watched him mount the steps and set up his music. He played two songs and then sat down next to me and whispered, “Mom, this year the piano was smaller.” I said, “No, it’s the same piano you played last year. You’re bigger! You’ve grown.” Spiritual growth, like physical growth, often happens slowly over time. It is an ongoing process that involves becoming more like Jesus, and it happens as we are transformed through the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). When the Holy Spirit is at work in us, we may become aware of sin in our lives. Wanting to honor God, we make an effort to change. Sometimes we experience success, but at other times, we try and...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 22, 2017 Saturday ALWAYS LISTENING Nehemiah 2:1–9  The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 Dad was a man of few words. He had hearing damage due to years of military duty and wore hearing aids. One afternoon when Mom and I were talking a little longer than he thought necessary, he responded playfully, “Whenever I want peace and quiet, all I have to do is this.” Lifting both hands in a single motion, he turned off both hearing aids, folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes in a serene smile. We laughed. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over! My father’s actions that day remind me how different God is from us. He always wants to hear His children. This is underscored by one of the shortest prayers in the Bible. One day Nehemiah, a servant to King Artaxerxes of Persia, was visibly sad in the king’s presence. Fearful when the king asked him wh...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: FRIDAY 21ST APRIL 2017 THEME: CURE FOR BACKSLIDING Memorise: Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19 Read: Jeremiah 3:11-15 3:11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger forever. 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 3:15 ...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 21, 2017 Friday THE GIFT OF GIVING Luke 3:7–14   Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion. 2 Corinthians 9:7 A pastor breathed life into the phrase “He’d give you the shirt off his back” when he gave this unsettling challenge to his church: “What would happen if we took the coats off our backs and gave them to the needy?” Then he took his own coat and laid it at the front of the church. Dozens of others followed his example. This was during the winter, so the trip home was less comfortable that day. But for dozens of people in need, the season warmed up just a bit. When John the Baptist roamed the Judean wilderness, he had a stern warning for the crowd that came to hear him. “You brood of vipers!” he said. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:7–8). Startled, they asked him, “What should we do then?” ...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: WEDNESDAY 19TH APRIL 2017 THEME: BACKSLIDER-IN-HEART I MEMORISE: The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. Proverbs 14:14 READ: JUDGES 14:1 -3 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 14:2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. MESSAGE: Backsliding is not an event but a gradual process that occurs over a period of time until it gets to a noticeable stage. At that stage, people will begin to say an individual has backslid...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE: TUESDAY 18TH APRIL 2017 THEME: AN IGNORANT PRAYER Memorise: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 Read: 1 Samuel 15:17-22 15:17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and flght against them until they be consumed. 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, l have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed,...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE: MONDAY 17TH APRIL 2017 THEME: RULED BY MAMMON ? Memorise: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10 Read: 1 Timothy 6:6-11 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. MESSAGE A crafty and complex form of idolatry in o...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: FRIDAY 14TH APRIL 2017 THEME: CHANGE YOUR WAYS MEMORISE: Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: Matthew 3:8 READ: ACTS 3:13-19 3:13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorif|ed his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 3:16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 3:17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 3:18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfllled. 3...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE: THURSDAY 13TH APRIL 2017 THEME: l WILL PAY YOU YOUR WAGES Memorise: Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3 Bible in One Year: Leviticus 25,' Jeremiah 13:1-14 Read: Exodus 2:1-9 2:1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. 2:4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 2:5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 2:6 And when she had opened it, sh...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE: WEDNESDAY 12TH APRIL 2017 THEME: DIVINE VISITATION II Memorise: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, Luke 1:68 Read: Jeremiah 29:10-11 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 29:11 For I know the thoughts that l think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. MESSAGE ''And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people." Luke 7:14-1 6 The account of events in the above passage of Scripture is indicative of w...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: SUNDAY 9TH APRIL 2017 THEME: THE PRICE OF DISCIPLESHIP MEMORISE: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall f|nd rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29 READ: LUKE 9:23-26 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. MESSAGE After giving your life to Christ, you need to go further in your walk with God bybecoming a disciple. Many children of God these days don't know that discipleship has a price. They don't even ...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE: FRIDAY 7TH APRIL 2017 THEME: THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY Memorise: Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:21 Read: 1 Samuel 1:9-11 1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affiiction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then l will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. MESSAGE Most good things in life come at a cost. Many children of God may flnd it HARD to accept this truth, but it doesn't change its reality. The reason why some children of God may not want to accept this reality of life is that our salv...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE: THURSDAY 6TH APRIL 2017 THEME: THE POOR IN SPIRIT Memorise: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 Read: Luke 18:9-14 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his housejustifled rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humble the himself shall be exalted...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE: WEDNESDAY 5TH APRIL 2017 THEME: DIVINE HEALING Memorise: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. Matthew 9:21 Read: Luke 13:11-16 13:11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 13:12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13:13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 13:14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, there are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 13:15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? ...

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: TUESDAY 4TH APRIL 2017 THEME: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW COVENANT III MEMORISE: He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Matthew 19:8 READ: MATTHEW 5:31-32 5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. MESSAGE The paradigm shifts introduced by the Lord Jesus Christ ever since He came to reveal the perfect will of the Father to us are indeed numerous. One of these is in the area of divorce and remarriage. The Jewish leaders hated the teachings of Jesus and the change He came to introduce; for this reason, they wanted him dead fast! Indeed, no man ever spoke like Jesus did. The amazing thing i...