Let Go Of The Old – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 22nd September 2013

Let Go Of The Old – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Sunday 22nd September 2013

LET GO OF THE OLD BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. Genesis 17:5

Read:

Genesis 17:1-7

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Genesis 17:1

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. Genesis 17:2

And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, Genesis 17:3

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Genesis 17:4

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. Genesis 17:5

And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. Genesis 17:6

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Genesis 17:7

Open Heavens Devotional Message
God is doing a new thing but some people are not prepared for it. In fact, some people have become so used to suffering that they are afraid of experiencing something different. I once prayed for somebody that when he is coming to the next convention of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, he would come in his own car. I noticed he did not say Amen, so I asked him if he heard what I said. He said he heard but that when one gets a car, he will begin to bother about a mechanic, insurance, fuel shortage and so on. There are some people who prefer to die poor. Why? They believe that if they are rich, armed robbers will begin to harass them; but are the poor also not victims of this?

If you were to compare, you will find out that being rich is still better than being poor, being full is better than being empty, progress is better than stagnation, etc. However, for the new to begin, the old must end. Take for example when Jacob experienced a change of name in Genesis 32:24-28, before he could be called Israel, his old name Jacob was done away with. God also changed Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. If there is going to be a new beginning in your life, be prepared to part with old habits, thinking and stereotypes. If you think being sick gives joy, I believe you need to think again. If you think that poverty will get you into Heaven, you need to rethink.

You can be the poorest man in the world and still end up in the hottest part of hell, whereas, you can be the richest man on earth and still be a king in Heaven. The deciding factor is not in what you have, but in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God does not train His children with sicknesses contrary to what people think. He received stripes for you to be healed. He has paid for your healing already because He does not want you to be sick. He gains nothing in delaying your miracle. Make bold to receive with thanksgiving what He has already accomplished for you on the Cross. Are you ready to let go of the old so that the new can have its course?

Bible In One Year:

Isaiah 51-54

Action Point
Ask God for the grace to completely leave the old for new blessings.
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Like Greedy David? – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 21st September 2013

Like Greedy David? – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Saturday 21st September 2013

LIKE GREEDY DAVID? BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Proverbs 1:19

Read:

2 Samuel 12:7-10

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 2 Samuel 12:7

And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 2 Samuel 12:8

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 2 Samuel 12:9

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 2 Samuel 12:10

Open Heavens Devotional Message
One enemy you must conquer on earth is yourself. If this is done, you will surely win other external battles because, the toughest battle is the one within. All who failed in external battles failed because they could not win the internal fight they had with lust, anger, pride, lies, disobedience, greed, unforgiveness, bitterness or vain glory. It is never too late to start that fight. Start today! May the Lord deliver victory to you!

Every major bible character had their weaknesses. The only difference was that while some brought theirs before the Lord and received help to overcome, others simply ignored theirs probably because they thought it was very small, but later it ended up defeating them. The truth is, that little vice in your character has great prospect for growth. If ignored over a period, the little foxes will become great giants. Some leaders who accommodated a little trace of anger some years ago cannot believe that today, the spirit of anger operates in them. The level of anger in them drives away enemies as well as friends, well-wishers, family and others. No sane person would like to stay or work with a highly temperamental person. Anger has destroyed several homes and relationships.

Greed had turned some friends into enemies. Greed has led to the untimely death of some business partners both in the world and in the church. Was it not greed that that led David to murder an innocent servant – Uriah even after all that God had given him? God hates greed! God has blessed some people in many ways but rather than being thankful, they are eyeing the little that others have. Do you know that some bosses are still eyeing the wives of their subordinates? Some believers that God has given several opportunities are eyeing the only opportunity that some other believers have. Some people today do not mind killing Naboth to get his only piece of land even when they have several landed properties. Yet, God told David that if what He had given him was not enough, He could have asked Him and received more. Are you a captive of greed? Repent today and fight it until God gives you the victory. 

Bible In One Year:

Isaiah 47-50

Prayer Point
Father, uproot from my life every trace of anger, greed, bitterness and unforgiveness.
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Beneficial Problems – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Friday 20th September 2013

Beneficial Problems – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Friday 20th September 2013

BENEFICIAL PROBLEMS BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Read:

Acts 8:1-8

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. Acts 8:1

And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. Acts 8:2

As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Acts 8:3

Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. Acts 8:4

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. Acts 8:5

And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. Acts 8:6

For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. Acts 8:7

And there was great joy in that city. Acts 8:8

Open Heavens Devotional Message
From Mark 11:22-24, we understand that it is possible to move mountains. What is a mountain? It can mean a hindrance to progress. It can also be an obstacle preventing you from reaching your goal. A mountain can also be anything standing between you and your destiny. A hill is a problem while a mountain is a problem of a higher magnitude. Contrary to what many think and desire, mountains can really be useful. A mountain can be God’s own way of advertising you. Israel did not know David until Goliath came to the scene. God used the incessant harassment of Goliath to bring David to limelight. The mountain, through which God will advertise you, may you not run away from it. May it fulfill its divine purpose in your life!

Moreover, a mountain could be God’s way of waking you from sleep. In Acts 12:1, when Herod killed James, the church kept snoring, but when he grabbed Peter, they suddenly realised that if they did not do something about it, he would not stop at Peter but also kill the rest of them. So they began to pray. Are you sleeping spiritually? May the Lord get your attention by using a challenge to wake you up. In addition, a mountain can be God’s avenue for drawing you closer to Him. God can use it to develop you spiritual muscles. For instance, it was while Joseph was in prison that he became an interpreter of dreams. Until then, he was a mere dreamer.

Also, a mountain can help you to discover your potential. Philip never knew he had the potential to be a great evangelist until the intense persecution against the church that scattered all of them. Until then, he thought it was not enough for him to aspire to be an outstanding deacon, but when his friend and fellow deacon – Stephen was killed, and Saul was throwing Christians into prison, he ran and that was how he got to Samaria and brought joy to the city after leading them to Christ. You may never really know what is in you until you face a big problem. Henceforth, problems will have their positive effects on you.

Bible In One Year:

Isaiah 44-46

Prayer Point
Father, from today, let me see and benefit from the good sides of problems.
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Watching Your Company – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Thursday 19th September 2013

WATCHING YOUR COMPANY BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: Exodus 23:2

Read:

1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 1 Corinthians 15:33

Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:34

Open Heavens Devotional Message
It is great to be God’s firebrand. But what could make a firebrand lose heat? This can happen when it is isolated from its source of fire. This means once you are a firebrand, do everything possible to remain connected with your source of power. God is our source of power and the greatest of fires originate from him. Hebrews 12:29 says He is a consuming fire. The fire of God is very fiery. His fire is the one that neutralizes all other types of fire. When the three Hebrew children were thrown into Nebuchadnezzar’s fire which was the hottest fire as at that time, nothing happened to them because the more superior fire was already there before their arrival. God’s presence turned the enemy’s furnace into a suitable environment (Daniel 3:19-27). At the presence of the consuming fire, all other fires lose their efficacy. Similarly, when this fire came down in 1 Kings18:38, it consumed what literarily fire cannot consume – stone and water. During ordination, we usually pray that the Almighty God will overshadow those ordained. By this we mean that God will rule over them. If a firebrand is isolated from fire for long, it can lose its flame.

In addition, a firebrand may lose its heat and become cold if it keeps the wrong company. If you take a firebrand and drop it inside water, what happens? The fire will go out! 1 Corinthians 15:33 says no matter how good you may be, if you continue to associate with evil people, it will definitely affect you some day. This is why 2 Corinthians 6:14 warns us not to be unequally yoke with unbelievers. We can simply explain Amos 3:3 to mean, show me your friends and I will show you who you are. Who are your friends? When you meet, what do you talk about? Do you talk about soul winning, anointing, expansion of God’s Kingdom or you discuss sports, politics, fashion, economy, etc.? If you will be a firebrand and sustain it, you must be prepared to review your friends. Strictly abide by the instructions given in today’s reading.

Bible In One Year:

Isaiah 40-43

Action Point
Carefully examine all your friends and prayerfully determine which to drop, and which to retain.
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The Seventh Time – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Wednesday 18th September 2013

THE SEVENTH TIME BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

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

Read:

2 Corinthians 10:4-6

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 2 Corinthians 10:4

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5

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

Open Heavens Devotional Message
Another lesson from Elijah’s prayer encounter with God in 2 Kings 18:41-44 is that he kept praying until the seventh time before he got result. This tells us that God has a time table for everything according to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. There is a right time to answer every prayer request. There is a right time for every miracle. Apart from faith and salvation whose right time is now, all other things have to wait for their appointed time. The appointed time for a given blessing or miracle varies from one person to the other.

Three couples could wed on the same day but the right time for them to conceive and have their babies may differ from one another. Ten friends may graduate from the university on the same day, but the right time for them to have a decent job might vary one from the other. My prayer for you is that your right time will not pass you by. In addition to this, some people erroneously believe that because there is a right time for everything, they should therefore expect delays in every blessing. This is not true. The right time for certain miracles may not wait beyond five minutes. Some can be within one or more hours. Some can be within a day. Some blessing can come to you now. May you not miss your time now!

God does everything to time. In 2 Kings 5:1-14, Naaman remained a leper even after dipping the sixth time; but as he dipped the seventh time, he came out with a brand new skin. If you have not fully paid the price in prayer for certain requests, they will not be granted. This is why Matthew 7:7-8 says you must continue to ask. The seventh time speaks of completeness and perfection. It is when your obedience is complete before God that you can avenge the disobedience of the enemy in your life. Have you obeyed God fully in prayer, waiting on the Lord, praise and worship? Have you won all the souls God expects you to have won by now? Arise today and work towards completing your obedience so that your blessing too will be complete.

Bible In One Year:

Numbers 18-20

Key PointThere are certain blessings that may not be released to you until you have fully obeyed God.

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Healthy Habits: 11 Healthy Habits Your Kids Should Pick (Himalayan Times)

Healthy Habits: 11 Healthy Habits Your Kids Should Pick (Himalayan Times)

Healthy Habits: 11 Healthy Habits Your Kids Should Pick (Himalayan Times)

Most parents do more of just feeding, clothing and housing their kids and do less of teaching them good habits be it healthy habits, moral habits or otherwise. Kids easily pick up habits during their formative years of childhood. Don't be surprised when they pick more of what you do than what you say, if they are two different things. Here is list of premium picked 11 healthy habits parents should teach their kids.

Also Read: Parenting And Healthy Foods: Parents Send Kids Back To School With Healthy Meals And Snacks

As a parent you are the most important influence in your child’s life. A new born baby is like ‘clay’ in the hands of the parent, who is the potter. What shape the child’s life takes depends on how the ‘clay’ is shaped by the potter.

You are responsible for the habits your child forms. The foundation of your child’s future is laid by the habits that you help them develop during the formative years of childhood.

You pass your genes to your child. Children pick up your habits too — both good as well as bad. Show that you care about your child by inculcating healthy habits in yourself as well as  your child.

1. Fruits and Vegetables
• Children should have at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

• Parents should make an effort to incorporate a range of fruits and vegetables of different hues in their child’s meals — from red, blue, orange to yellow, green and white.

• Eating colourful food is not only fun but gives a range of nutrients to your child.

2. No Skipping Breakfast
• Teach your child that a healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it not only kicks starts our brain and metabolism but helps in weight maintenance and keeping chronic diseases at bay.

• Hearty and healthy breakfast is possible when dinners are light and early — 6.30 to 7.00 pm the night before.

3: Eat Every 2-3 Hours
• Research has shown that having small meals every two to three hours is healthier than having three big meals a day. Most day schools give food breaks to children every three hours, so pack two lunch boxes for your child instead of one. Serve him small frequent meals at fixed times.

4: Dental Hygiene
• Ensure your child brushes his teeth twice a day — after breakfast and before retiring to bed for the night. Children also need to be helped with brushing and need to be taught the right up-down movement of  the brush.

• Ensure that they gargle after every meal. A fun way is to ask them to gargle as per their age — if they are three years old, then three times after every meal.

• You must get regular dental checkups done for your child — once every six months.

5: Drink Water
• Seventy per cent of our body is made of water, so you should ensure that your child has at least eight glasses of water per day.

• Besides removing toxins from the body and making the brain alert, drinking water has innumerable health benefits.

6: Sleep For 9 Hours
• Ensure that your child has rested well so that he can function to the optimum level. Minimum nine hours every night.

• Having fixed bed time routine helps.

7: Read Books
• Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body. So, have a DEAR (Drop everything and read) time with your dear child every day. During this time you should either read aloud to your child or you both should read separately and discuss what is being read.

• Even if you start with as little as 20 minutes per day, it will go a long way in helping your child develop higher order thinking skills, vocabulary and communication skills.

• As per the American Academy of Pediatrics, daily reading lays the foundation to the child’s academic success. Reading aloud age appropriate books to children should begin at six months of age.

8: Physical Exercise
• Ensure that your children are first exposed to as many sports as possible — tennis, swimming, cricket, athletics, karate et cetera.Then choose one or two which they like and encourage them to play it regularly for the fun of it and not as a part of preparing for some competition. They should play the sport at least three to four times a week.

• It may take some time before the children to decide which sport they really like, so do not give up easily.

• You can just take them to the park and play with them or arrange for the neighbours’ children to play with yours.

• You will have to restrict screen time to ensure that children derive pleasure from sports as well as reading.

9: Gratitude
• Train your child to be grateful. Gratitude improves your child’s health, relationships, emotions, personality and career.

• Grateful children score better in exams, are more energetic, happier, have stronger relationships, healthier, kinder, sleep better, exercise more, more spiritual, less materialistic, less envious, and have better self esteem.

10: Positive thinking
• Children can get easily discouraged with the challenges they face. It is important to make them realise that they are lovable, capable and unique, no matter what situation they are in.

• Optimism or seeing the brighter side of life is a trait which is a learned one.

• No child is born optimistic. You have to train them by helping them focus on the ‘positive’ in life. They should be prepared for the worst but hope for the best.

• Ask your children to write statements about what they want to change about the way they see themselves or the world around them. Put them in places where they can see it every day, such as the bathroom mirror, closet, bedroom wall. Example of some affirmations can be ‘I can do whatever I focus my mind on’, ‘I am intelligent’, ‘Learning is fun’.

11: Spend Time With Family And Friends

• Money is a very important commodity in our life as it makes our lives comfortable and gives us opportunities to grow. However, true happiness is achieved only by having warm fulfilling relationships.

• No matter what toys you get for your child, they can never substitute for the time you spend with them.

• For your children to have your ‘memories’ later, you need to spend time in their ‘now’ to create them.

• Make it a point to have at least one meal ‘family meal’ everyday where all members of the family are present. The family that eats together stays together.

• Encourage your child to develop a range of friendships during school years by encouraging play dates. School day friendships will teach them life skills such as cooperation, sharing, getting along, conflict resolution, problem solving. It will set them up with life skills they can draw from years to come.


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Post Credits

Post Site: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/

Post Author: Kirti Agarwal Pasboloa

Email:  kirtiagarwalpasbola@yahoo.com

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Use Your Two Wings – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Tuesday 17th September 2013

Use Your Two Wings – RCCG Open Heavens Devotional Tuesday 17th September 2013

USE YOUR TWO WINGS BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

Memorise:

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Hebrews 1:9

Read:

Hebrews 1:8-9

But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Hebrews 1:8

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Hebrews 1:9

Open Heavens Devotional Message
When a bird flies, it is usually with two wings. A bird cannot fly with one wing. As a divine wing, you need your two wings to fly. 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 talks of these two wings. It says while the Jews seek for signs, the Greeks seek for wisdom. Both are found in Jesus Christ and you need both to enjoy your flight. The power of the Holy Spirit brings the miracles and by the grace of God, for many of us, this is becoming a regular feature in the midst of God’s people. However, the area where many are lacking is in the area of wisdom. It is disturbing to know that many of us want benefits without responsibilities. In Isaiah 1:19, we see both sides: your responsibility is that you must be willing and obedient before the benefit of eating the good of the land will come.

Acts 1:8 also speaks of both sides; it says you will receive power as long as you are prepared to be a witness of the goodness of the Lord. Do you want more anointing? Hebrews 1:8 says you must love righteousness and hate iniquity so that the anointing can come. There are some people who are asking for more anointing through prayer and fasting and God is equally ready to give them, but He will not because they are not prepared to mortify their flesh. Some have not dealt with lust for the opposite sex; some have not subdued covetousness while others are still harbouring pride or unforgiveness

If God answers that prayer and releases the anointing, it will not only backfire on them but also on God’s Kingdom. In other words, why some have not received answer for more anointing is not because they have not prayed enough but because they have not balanced their request with a commensurate level of righteousness. Are you the one hindering the fresh and higher move of God in your life? Address the issue of holiness in your life, speech, dressing, attitude, deeds and thoughts. Be clean through and through.

Bible In One Year:

Numbers 15-17

Key Point
Holiness and anointing, fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit must be balanced or there will be trouble.

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