OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. TUESDAY 23 DECEMBER 2014.

THEME : NO IMPOSSIBILITY.
MEMORISE : For with God nothing shall be impossible. LUKE 1: 37.
READ : 2 KINGS 2 : 9 - 10.
9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
 
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ACTS 10 : 1 - 12 : 5 AND SONG OF SOLOMON 2 : 8 - 17.
     Elijah told Elisha that he had asked a hard thing, after the latter requested for a double portion of his anointing. This tells us that even for a great prophet of God, there were things considered hard and difficult. However, in Matthew 19 : 26, we are told that all things are possible with God. The track record of God’s almightiness shows that truly nothing can be difficult for Him. All we need to do is to leave everything in His hands. He is capable of doing what no earthly president or emperor can do because the Psalmist says that power belongs to God ( Psalm 62 : 11 ). Even when a man promises to do something for you, what he can do is limited to the extent his strength can carry him, whereas God has unlimited power and resources. Also, the influence of a man determines what he can do to influence your situation positively. The Almighty God is the Most Influential. In 2 Kings 4 : 8 - 17, we read about a rich woman who took care of Elisha and his servant. When Elisha wanted to say “thank you” for her hospitality, the woman said she needed nothing because, not only was she influential, she also had influential relatives. But her influence could not remove her barrenness. The prophet who served the Most Influential God, pleaded with the Almighty and she had a baby boy.
After Elisha requested a “hard thing” from Elijah in 2 Kings 2 : 10, Elijah told him that :
“..........if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.”
     The lesson here is that we must have focus. In other words, if you look up, you will receive help from heaven ( Psalm 121 : 1 - 2 ). Paul in Ephesians 1 : 19 - 21, told us that God’s power is exceedingly great towards us, it is far above all principalities, and powers and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. This is what you need to look up to. You are likely to see problems if you look down. If you focus on your problems and raging challenges, you are likely to sink like Peter in Matthew 14 : 26 - 31. If you look around, you are likely to see other people with similar problems to yours and become complacent in seeking solution to your problem. In life, you are likely to become what you focus your attention on. When I attended Kenneth Hagin’s Camp meeting many years ago, what I saw encouraged me to work towards having a large congregation of saved and Heaven-bound believers. My aspiration became bigger when I visited Yonggi Cho’s church in South Korea shortly after my experience at Kenneth Hagin’s Camp meeting. Remember, there is no impossibility with God.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL-- MONDAY 22 DECEMBER 2014.

THEME : FORSAKING ALL TO GAIN ALL.

MEMORISE : And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 1 KINGS 17 : 15.

READ : MARK 10 : 28 - 30.
28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ACTS 8 - 9 AND SONG OF SOLOMON 1 : 11 - 2 : 7.
     Elisha was the son of a wealthy farmer ( 1 Kings 19 : 19 ). He was unlike Elijah the son of a nobody, whose father’s name was not even mentioned in the Bible ( 1 Kings 17 : 1 ). Yet, Elisha followed this materially poor but spiritually rich prophet of Yahweh. When a fellow is called to forsake the business world to do spiritual work, he or she may not know the glory that is waiting for him or her. When Elisha forsook the flourishing farming business of his father, little did he know that kings will later call him “father” ( 2 Kings 6. : 21 ). In the text of today’s scripture reading, we read of how Jesus assured His disciples that their sacrificial living shall be rewarded in a hundredfold here and hereafter. As a result of the demand of God for my service on a full time basis, I had to leave the university campus where I had a duplex with a servant quarters to myself, to live in a very small “boys’ quarters” in Mushin, a poor Lagos neighbourhood. The apartment was obviously too small for me and my entire family. So, I asked God to give me a bigger house in other to give my family minimum comfort. The Lord then told me that I should not be asking for a house because He was preparing a city for me. Today, the Redemption Camp is the beginning of the fulfilment of the promised city. The city is still being awaited, because my Father in heaven said that we have not seen anything yet.
     Whenever God wants to bless an individual, he sets the fellow up for the blessing. For example, when God wanted to bless Abraham, he set him up by asking Abraham to give him his only son Isaac as a burnt offering. The end of the whole drama was that after Abraham proved his love for God, God restrained him from killing his son and then swore that he would bless him and that through Abraham, the whole families of the earth shall be blessed. Abraham was not only blessed, he became a blessing ( Genesis 22 : 15 - 18 ). Also, when the widow of Zarephath was to be blessed, she was set up by the demand of Prophet Elijah. He asked her to first prepare him a meal before hers, even though there was only one meal left in the house. The widow gave all to gain all, as she and her son were fed for about three and half years of famine ( 1 Kings 17 : 10 - 16 ). This principle is still at work today. If the children of God can learn from the experience of the people of old and trust God to the point of not withholding from God whatever he ask us to surrender to Him, then this principle will work for us. As you begin to surrender totally to God from today, you will always have more than you bargain for in Jesus’ Name.
 
ACTION POINT :
What is God demanding from you? Give it to Him and you will receive pleasant surprises.
AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE