OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL DATE: Tuesday 24th February, 2015.

THEME : POWER IN HIS NAME

MEMORISE : Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. PSALM 29 : 2.
READ : PHILIPPIANS 2 : 9 - 11.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 16 AND REVELATION 5 : 1 - 6 : 2.
One of the first things that a genuinely born-again Christian will quickly recognise about the Christian experience is the fact that there is power in the Name of Jesus. Immediately a fellow accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour, the powers that used to manipulate and controls things in the person’s life become paralysed as he or she begins to call upon the Name of the Lord. This is simply because all power belongs to Jesus ( Matthew 28 : 18 ), and He has deposited so much of his power in His Name. Seldom do you have the Lord making the same statement twice at one instance, but He did this with regard to His Name in John 14 : 13 - 14, saying :

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

At the mention of the Name of Jesus, irrespective of the environment or circumstance, every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth ( Philippians 2 : 10 - 11 ). The power in the Name of Jesus is so potent and active that there is no limitation whatsoever to what you can achieve through the application of the Name. The dead has come alive by the Name, sorrow has been turned to joy in many lives by the Name, and the Name has brought salvation to billions of souls.

The Name of Jesus carries supreme authority and unlimited power. Having understood this truth, you ought to praise His Name at all times and deploy the power in His Name against all challenges and circumstances you are confronted with. A certain man caught the revelation of the power in the Name of Jesus even before His death and resurrection, and he deployed it. He was not even one of the disciples who were with Jesus or among those who followed Jesus at all times. Yet, he understood the power in the Name of Jesus and he took advantage of it. Mark 9 : 38 - 39 says :

“And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.”
The power in the Name of Jesus will do you no good if you do not apply it. As you call upon the Name of Jesus today, may the potent power in His Name work for you in Jesus’ Name.

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES PASTOR CHRIS THE DILIGENT BEARS RULE. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND, 2015.

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute (Proverbs 12:24).
Proverbs 22:29 says, "Seesth thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." Just as diligence brings you before kings and into honour, slothfulness, on the other hand, leads to poverty and self-imposed servitude.

Proverbs 22:29 tells us that those who are slothful will stand before "mean men"; that phrase actually means "nobodies."
It's puzzling that some people could be described in the scriptures as "nobodies" or obscure and insignificant; people whose words and actions don't count! King Solomon called them vain men, meaning they're empty; their words and actions are worthless.

What they say have no value or impact. Now, remember, the value of your personality reflects in your words. Therefore, if a man's words are vain, and without value, what does that tell you? He's obscure, or irrelevant.

The Lord Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matthew 12:36).
Such people, even though they're of value, devalued themselves by not being diligent. They weren't made nobodies by God, the society, or by other people; they made themselves so.
Be diligent in all you do and pay attention to details. God says the diligent person will never be obscure or insignificant. I'm sure that's what you want in your life.

You want to be able to change things, and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. You want to be excellent, effective and sound in your job, and gloriously fulfil your destiny in Christ! Then be diligent. That's the key! Be a man or woman of dignity, integrity and honour.

CONFESSION:
My words are consistent with my Christ-nature and therefore have value! Now and always, I speak the words of faith. Through my words, I create a victorious and prosperous life, and set myself in a place of dominion, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

***** Rhapsody Of Realities ***** WHY STILL THE “GOD OF JACOB”? Friday, January 23, 2015.

And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations (Exodus 3:15).

The Bible shows us quite clearly that God is very interested in the meaning of names. Hence, He changed the name of Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of many), and Jacob (deceiver) to Israel, meaning a prince. However, you’d notice that even after changing Jacob’s name to Israel, he still introduced Himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Why still the God of Jacob, since He had changed the man’s name to Israel? After all, He didn’t say, “I’m the God of Abram,” but “the God of Abraham.”

The reason is that God was at the time concerned about the attitude of Israel as a nation. The people of Israel at that time acted in a manner that wasn’t consistent with God’s will for them. They acted in a way that depicted them as not different from other nations, and whenever they so acted, He called them Jacob. However, when they acted according to His Word, He called them Israel. Israel means a prince of power with God, whereas Jacob means swindler or deceiver. Thus, in saying, “I’m the God of Jacob,” instead of Israel, He lets us know that irrespective of Israel’s behaviour, He was still their God, and remained faithful to them.

It reveals something about the character of God: He’s faithful to us even when we’re not. He doesn’t change His character because of your character and behaviour. Whether you act like “Jacob” or you act like “Israel,” His Word concerning you is steadfast: He has loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3); He’s already accepted you as His very own (Ephesians 1:6). He doesn’t turn His back on you just because you erred.
God’s promises and blessings are not for you because you have acted like “Israel”; they’re yours because you’re in Christ. However, He expects you to be steadfast and unmovable, with unshakable faith in His Word.

***** Rhapsody Of Realities ***** “MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!” Tuesday, January 20, 2015.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13).
The Lord once said to me, “I don’t want something good to happen to you, and I don’t want something bad to happen either.” He said, “If you’re still living at that realm where you still think something good is going to happen to you, then you’re not living a mature Christian life.” So I asked, “What then is going to happen, since I should expect neither good things nor bad things to happen to me?” Then He said, “Make things happen”; “You happen!”
Think about it: Could anything good or bad ever happen to God? Did you ever read in the Scriptures that God was happy because something good “happened” to Him? Or that He was sad because something bad happened to Him? He doesn’t function in such a realm. He makes things happen. In the same way, you’re a child of God, made in His image, born after His kind; you belong in His class. So, you shouldn't have anything “happening” to you; instead, you should be the one happening.
Satan, the adversary, may come around and try to make things “happen” to you but the Bible says you should resist the devil and he’ll flee (James 4:7). He can try all he wants to, but he’s no match for you; you’re superior to him; therefore, he can't make anything “happen” to you. It doesn’t matter how many demons are roaming around, trying to stir your nest; they're not a factor; you have authority over them all in the Name of Jesus.
Being born again, you have the ability of Christ in you to determine what you want in your life. Therefore, never allow yourself to be a victim of circumstances. Keep reigning in life. Apply faith in God’s Word to deal with situations and challenges. Subdue, tame, and rule your world for Jesus Christ. Keep making things happen in the Kingdom of God.

***** Rhapsody of Realities ***** REIGNING BY GRACE. Friday, January 16, 2015.

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).
While there’re many Christians today who are reigning in life and enjoying their glorious heritage in Christ, there’re still those who’re whining, crying, pleading and begging God for everything; toiling and failing, and this ought not to be. As seen in our opening verse, we’re not called to reign by our strength, but by grace through Jesus Christ; we’re sufficient in His sufficiency (2 Corinthians 3:5 AMP). Halleluiah!

Refuse to live as a victim in life; you’re called to reign. The word “reign” in our opening verse actually means “to king.” The Greek construction is accurately rendered thus: “…they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall king in life, by one, Jesus Christ.” You’re supposed to be “kinging” in life. This is what some of us have found out; we’ve received abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness, and as a result, we’re “kinging” in life; we’re living the life of dominion.

Sadly, some people look at us and think we must be doing something strange or wrong for our lives to be so glorious; but how could something wrong produce something so excellent? We’ve only taken advantage of the superabundant grace that’s available in Christ Jesus.
We’ve all been given grace in abundance: the grace of God that brings salvation—wholeness, preservation, health, peace, deliverance, safety, security, prosperity—and all the blessings in Christ Jesus, has appeared unto all men (Titus 2:11). However, the question is, “Have you received that grace?” It’s those who have “received abundance of grace” that'll reign in life.
This informs why the Apostle Paul charged Timothy to take advantage of the grace of God that’s in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1). Become grace-conscious. Grace is the overflowing of God’s ability at work in your life; it's the glory of God working in your spirit. The grace of God in your life brought about eternal life, righteousness, and oneness with the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “…he giveth more grace…” (James 4:6); meaning that there’s grace for everything and anything; whatever God has called you to do, there’s more than enough grace for it. Therefore, live in, and by, the “grace advantage.”

***** Rhapsody of Realities ***** “WORTHY OF HIM… AND FRUITFUL IN EVERY GOOD WORK" Thursday, January 15, 2015.

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-10).
This is so powerful. The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to pray this prayer for the Colossian Church. Notice the purpose of this beautiful, Spirit-inspired prayer: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).
This is God’s desire: He wants you to walk worthy of Him, pleasing Him in all things. That means when people see you, or are listening to you, they’ll testify of His goodness, because you’ve become the expression and testimony of His grace, greatness and love; the expression of His beauty. The Lord Jesus said something that buttresses this in John 15:5; He said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches….” We’re His extension, His beauty, and His glory.
The glory of a tree is in its branches. So if Jesus says He’s the vine and we’re the branches, He’s therefore saying His glory is seen in, and borne by, us. So everywhere you go, you’re showing forth His glory, pleasing Him in all things, and fruitful in every good work. It doesn’t matter what’s been assigned to you to do; you can be productive, effective and fruitful in that assignment. It’s part of our heritage in Christ. When we get involved in anything, it comes outright; growth, increase, progress and prosperity sets in. If that thing was a wilderness before we came, it becomes a “fruitful field,” and the fruitful field becomes a “forest.” Halleluiah!
You're not ordinary; when you arrive in a place, Christ has arrived! That’s the reason you can be fruitful in every good work. When you’re given a responsibility, or an official assignment, don't say, “I don't understand why I’m being asked to do this”; no! Don’t think or talk that way! Rather, see yourself as the right candidate for the job, and go ahead to make it a success.