OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY 20TH DECEMBER 2017

THEME: A MATTER OF CHOICE

MEMORISE:
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. Psalm 35:27

READ: Genesis 32:3-6

32:3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

32:4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

32:5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and women servants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

32:6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

MESSAGE:

If you measure life by the experiences of some people, you will live far from your God-given purpose and barely scratch the surface. Some people are alive but only just surviving from day to day. In Luke 13:11-17, the woman who was bound for 18 years did not die, but she was merely surviving and not living. Also, the man with the unclean spirit in Mark 1:23-26 was continually going to church, and yet he was inhabited by an unclean spirit. It was even in the synagogue that the Lord met him. Although he was living, he was the captive of a demonic spirit. What of Naaman who appeared to be a distinguished and successful man, and yet he had a problem that no man could solve (2 Kings 5:1)? Just like the individuals in all these examples, many people today are barely surviving, and are not living life as purposed by God for them. God not only wants you to live life, He also wants you to enjoy the abundant life that He gives (John 10:10). Are you not tired of “managing”, struggling to survive, and living from hand to mouth? If you are truly tired, the Lord will make a way for you.

God is interested in the overflow of His blessings upon your life. He does not just want you to be healed; he also wants His healing virtue to flow through you to others. He wants you to be free from captivity, and beyond this, He also wants you to set the captives free. God does not want you just to be rich but also to lend to nations. He wants you to be so prosperous that when nations cannot balance their budgets, they will come and pay you a visit. God wants you to bring great joy to your family, community, city and nation. However, no matter how much He wants the overflow for you, He will respect what you want for yourself. He cannot force an overflow of His blessing on you when you want so little of it. There are different levels of greatness, and your choice of the type of life you want for yourself has a role to play in determining how great you become. Let us see the example of Esau. Yes, he sold his birthright, but as a seed of Abraham, he was so blessed from the remnant of blessing pronounced on him that he had 400 bodyguards. How many bodyguards do ministers, senators, state governors or even presidents have today? So you would agree that Esau was not doing badly. However, compared to Jacob his brother, who became a great nation, the difference is definitely clear. Do you want to merely survive, or do you want to be truly blessed with the overflowing portion of God’s blessings? The choice is yours!

PRAYER POINT:
Father, I am tired of just managing to survive. I choose the overflow of Your blessings. Please release it to me and my family now.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Proverbs 5-8
Zachariah 8:9-23

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

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 There shall be showers of blessing:
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This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

Refrain:
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

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 There shall be showers of blessing,
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Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

Refrain:

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 There shall be showers of blessing;
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Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing,
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

Refrain:

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 There shall be showers of blessing:
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Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we’re confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

Refrain:

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 There shall be showers of blessing,
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If we but trust and obey;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
If we let God have His way.

Refrain: