OPEN HEAVEN [15 JULY 2019] TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE

Open Heaven 15 July 2019: [Monday] Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye – To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice

TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE – Monday July 15^th 2019

Memorise: And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 2^nd Corinthians 10:6

Read: 1^st Samuel 15:17-22 (KJV)

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?

¹⁸ And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

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?

²⁰ And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I 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.

²¹ But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.

²² And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Bible in one year: Joshua 3-5, Ezekiel 17:7-21, Hymn: Sing hymn 3

Message:-

Disobedience has the evil tag of being the first sin man committed. The deadly mystery of this sin is that disobedient people more often than not never accept blame for their act.

OPEN HEAVEN 15 JULY 2019 TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE 

They tend to give excuses and blame other people or “factors beyond their control”. This is what Adam did when God questioned him concerning his disobedience. Genesis 3:12 says:

“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

Unfortunately, his excuse did not clear him of responsibility, nor did it deter God from punishing him. Another person who gave excuses for disobedience is King Saul. In today’s Bible reading, when he was confronted with his sin, he tried to justify himself by using the good act of sacrifice as an excuse for his disobedience. In response to his attempt at justifying himself, God’s prophet told him in 1^st Samuel 15:22:

“…Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

Open Heaven 15 July 2019: [Monday] Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye – To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice 

Let us take a closer look at King Saul’s excuse for disobeying God. 1^st Samuel 15:21 says:

“But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.”

Saul’s excuse was that it was not him, but the people, who took the spoil. This make one wonder who was leading who in the battle against the Amalekites. He was trying to pass the buck. He felt he could appease God or His prophet, Samuel, by presenting a big offering in the form of sacrifice.

Open Heaven 15 July 2019 Monday: Prayer Point

Beloved, in what areas are you disobeying God? You better repent today and cultivate the habit of living by the dictates of the infallible word of God. No amount of service you render to God can take the place of obeying His word. No amount of money given as seed offerings, tithes or donations can justify indulging in fraudulent practices at your place of work. May the Lord give you the grace to obey His commandments to the letter in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point:

Father, please help me obey You willingly and completely as a show of my gratitude to You for Your goodness and mercy over me.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Churches in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.

OPEN HEAVEN [14 JULY 2019] BEWARE OF THE STRANGE WOMAN

THE STRANGE WOMAN

Open Heaven 14 July 2019: [Sunday] Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye – Beware of the Strange Woman

BEWARE OF THE STRANGE WOMAN – Sunday July 14^th 2019

Memorise: For the tips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: Proverbs 5:3

Read: Proverbs 5:1-13 (KJV)

1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

² That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

³ For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

⁴ But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

⁵ Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

⁶ Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

⁷ Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

⁸ Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

⁹ Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

¹⁰ Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

¹¹ And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

¹² And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

¹³ And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

Bible in one year: Joshua 1-2, Ezekiel 16:53-17:6, Hymnal: Sing hymn 16

Message:-

Women are a blessing to mankind, created by God to address a special need (Genesis 2:18-20). 

OPEN HEAVEN 14 JULY 2019 BEWARE OF THE STRANGE WOMAN 

In fact, God’s will and purpose for the human race cannot be accomplished without the wonderful vessels that women are. Why then does the Bible identify some women as ‘strange’ in our memory verse? It is because the character of such women has deviated from the purpose of which God created them. a strange woman is an outsider operating where she does not belong. This includes but is not limited to adultery and fornication. The strange woman is also that woman who inappropriately knows everything about a man who is not her husband. She will likely use that knowledge to manipulate him to her own advantage. Wives, this equally applies to men other than your husband. Many people’s lives have been destroyed through loose talk with strange people about their marriages. Husbands must learn to communicate and relate with their wives and not strange woman, so that they can experience the joys and blessings of marriage.

Open Heaven 14 July 2019: [Sunday] Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye – Beware of the Strange Woman

From the time Satan misled Adam and Eve, this world has been full of deceit. You must therefore be on your guard not to get caught in the web of deceit. Strange women are deceitful in everything. They put on the appearance of elegance and perfection but they are empty inside. They pretend they can offer the comfort which a wife should provide, but the wisdom of God says in Proverbs 5:5:

“Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.”

Open Heaven 14 July 2019 Sunday Action Point

As seen in Proverbs 5:3, they pretend to be sweet and speak with a smile, but they are out to steal from you. A strange woman will steal the happiness of your home, and may even up stealing your home itself. Are you having issues with your spouse? Once you start finding succour elsewhere, you will not be motivated to work on your marriage, and as a consequences, you will continue to drift away from your spouse until your relationship is shipwrecked. At that stage, the strange woman will welcome you with open arms into her bosom. After she gets what she wants from you, you will then discover her true nature and character, but it will be too late. May this never be your experience in Jesus’ Name. Listen to this admonition in Proverbs 5:8 so that you don’t get caught in the web of the strange woman. It says:

“Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:”

Action Point

Check your relationship with the opposite sex: if you discover any undue intimacy that can become inappropriate, end it.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Churches in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.

PEN HEAVEN [13 JULY 2019] A CHILD OF GOD?

Open Heaven 13 July 2019: [Saturday] Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye – A Child of God?

A CHILD OF GOD? – Saturday July 13^th 2019

OPEN HEAVEN [12 JULY 2019] FIGHTING GOD?

Open Heaven 12 July 2019: [Friday] Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye – Fighting God?

FIGHTING GOD? – Friday July 12^th 2019