12-09-2019, 09:01 AM
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY 9TH DECEMBER 2019
THEME: POINT OF DECISION.
MEMORISE:
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. Exodus 32:26
READ: Hebrews 11:24-26
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
MESSAGE
A decision is a conclusion or resolution reached after due consideration of a subject matter. Making decisions is a routine process that is of vital importance to all human endeavors. An individual’s level of success and achievements are usually the product of past personal choices concerning what to eat, where to go, what to wear and who to relate with on daily basis. We also make decisions based on our personal preferences in the area of religion, education, vocation, fashion and marriage. However, life often leads us to a point of decision where the choices before us have the potential of changing the course of our lives permanently for good or bad. How a person handles such turning point decisions goes a long way in determining the fulfillment of his or her destiny in life. Abraham’s response to God’s demand to offer his only son as burnt offering determined the course of his life (Genesis 22:2). As a result of his obedience, Abraham received an irreversible blessing of eternal value (Genesis 22:16-17). Ruth also reached a point where she needed to make a critical decision, and the decision she took changed the course of her life for good forever. She took a great decision to abandon her home in pursuit of the true God, saying in Ruth 1:16:
“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:”
Through this decision, she became an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As believers in Christ, we are privileged to have insight into God’s truth, as recorded in scriptures or received through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. We must therefore be careful not to resist God’s will or rebel against His commandments in any way. Many people resist God’s truth because of their own pride and self-centeredness. Some claim to be born again, but their true color becomes exposed by their refusal to give up worldly pleasures and those things that are socially acceptable but contrary to God’s word. There are others still who appear to be committed to God, but their heart is lured away from the ideas of Jesus Christ by anxieties, ambition and the gods of money, position and power. The fact remains that God does not force commitment on anyone; we have the right to count the cost and carefully consider the implications before committing ourselves to Him in any way. A person’s decision to become born again is a solemn undertaking to obey God’s word, and it is a life-long commitment of total submission to the will of God in holiness. I decree that as you endeavor to walk in obedience to God, the Lord will manifest His power in every area of your life and cause your blessings to overflow in Jesus’ Name.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, help me to make decisions of positive eternal value in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 100-104
Zephaniah 1
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 12: DEEPER, DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS.
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
o Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
DATE: MONDAY 9TH DECEMBER 2019
THEME: POINT OF DECISION.
MEMORISE:
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. Exodus 32:26
READ: Hebrews 11:24-26
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
MESSAGE
A decision is a conclusion or resolution reached after due consideration of a subject matter. Making decisions is a routine process that is of vital importance to all human endeavors. An individual’s level of success and achievements are usually the product of past personal choices concerning what to eat, where to go, what to wear and who to relate with on daily basis. We also make decisions based on our personal preferences in the area of religion, education, vocation, fashion and marriage. However, life often leads us to a point of decision where the choices before us have the potential of changing the course of our lives permanently for good or bad. How a person handles such turning point decisions goes a long way in determining the fulfillment of his or her destiny in life. Abraham’s response to God’s demand to offer his only son as burnt offering determined the course of his life (Genesis 22:2). As a result of his obedience, Abraham received an irreversible blessing of eternal value (Genesis 22:16-17). Ruth also reached a point where she needed to make a critical decision, and the decision she took changed the course of her life for good forever. She took a great decision to abandon her home in pursuit of the true God, saying in Ruth 1:16:
“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:”
Through this decision, she became an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As believers in Christ, we are privileged to have insight into God’s truth, as recorded in scriptures or received through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. We must therefore be careful not to resist God’s will or rebel against His commandments in any way. Many people resist God’s truth because of their own pride and self-centeredness. Some claim to be born again, but their true color becomes exposed by their refusal to give up worldly pleasures and those things that are socially acceptable but contrary to God’s word. There are others still who appear to be committed to God, but their heart is lured away from the ideas of Jesus Christ by anxieties, ambition and the gods of money, position and power. The fact remains that God does not force commitment on anyone; we have the right to count the cost and carefully consider the implications before committing ourselves to Him in any way. A person’s decision to become born again is a solemn undertaking to obey God’s word, and it is a life-long commitment of total submission to the will of God in holiness. I decree that as you endeavor to walk in obedience to God, the Lord will manifest His power in every area of your life and cause your blessings to overflow in Jesus’ Name.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, help me to make decisions of positive eternal value in Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 100-104
Zephaniah 1
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 12: DEEPER, DEEPER IN THE LOVE OF JESUS.
1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
o Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.