Open Heavens Daily Dvotion - FAVOUR UPROOTS OBSTACLES, Saturday August 15th 2015

 FAVOUR UPROOTS OBSTACLES

Memorise: Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. Job 10:12

Read: Zachariah 4:6-9, 6.
 So he answered and said to me:“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’Says the Lord of hosts.7‘Who are you, O great mountain?Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!And he shall bring forth the capstoneWith shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ”8Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:9“The hands of ZerubbabelHave laid the foundation of this temple;His hands shall also finish it.Then you will knowThat the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.

Bible in one year: Genesis 19:1-21:7,

Genesis 19:1-21King James Version (KJV)
19 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
 John 13:31-14:14
31 Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
32 If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
36 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Message: In the journey of life, the enemy can place obstacles in the way of a man to prevent the actualisation of his destiny. Zerubbabel was a man commissioned by God to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem and to restore the worship of God at His temple. The Word of the Lord concerning this came expressly to him through several prophets and scribes, including Zechariah, Haggai and Ezra (Haggi 1:1-2, Zechariah 4:9, Ezra 2:1-2). In spite of these facts, the enemy still put difficulties along his way to prevent him from fulfilling God’s divine destiny for his life (Ezra 4:3-5). However, Zerubbabel found favour before God, and the unmerited favour of God was sent to uproot the obstacles the enemy placed in his way (Zachariah 4:7). This season, the Lord will remove every obstacle the enemy has placed in your way in Jesus’ Name.

 A particular sister trusting God for marriage attended one of our Holy Ghost services, and a word came from God that there was a lady present, whose mother was obstructing her from getting married. The Lord said if this mother continued to stand in her way, she would die within a week. On getting home, this lady told her mother the word she had heard from God. Her mother later stormed angrily into my office saying: “You are the one teaching people wrong things, and saying that I am going to die!” “When did I say that, mama?” I asked. “My daughter returned from your programme and came to tell me so”, she responded. To pacify her, I told her that I did not mention any names, and added, “Don’t mind her. That is how they claim what does not belong to them.” Pacified, she excused her daughter from my office. When we were both alone, she turned to me and said “Pastor, is it true that the mother in question will die?” “Mama, it is not you, but God’s word must be fulfilled. If the person in question fails to release her daughter to be married, within seven days, she will be buried”, I replied. She then confessed, “It is not that I don’t want her to marry, but the challenge is that if she marries, who will take care of me? She is the only one looking after me now.” I told her “Mama, if that is the issue, there is no problem. I will tell her husband that whatever your daughter has been doing for you before she was married should be sustained.” She then responded, “Alright, she can marry.” Within a week, after several years of waiting, a man looked in her direction and said she was the right woman for him. Today, the favour of God will turn God’s search light in your direction and completely flush out everyone standing between you and your expectations, in Jesus’ Name!

Prayer Point
Father, by Your favour, remove every obstacle frustrating the fulfilment of my destiny.

Dear Tania Omotayo, your man (wizkid) awaits you

ShadeRoomInc caught wizkid's comment to Dejloaf. He's single again?
I guess wizkid has just been disgraced here tho !

Five Star Music act Skiibii is not dead

This morning, I received a text message that Five Star Music artist Skiibii collapsed in his sitting room and died. And they sent me the photo above. The source said he'd dressed up and was going for his media rounds today when he suddenly fell and was unable to be revived. Because I know the guys at Five Star Music, I contacted them for confirmation. I actually called the music label's artist manager, Soso Soberekon, to confirm the news. Soso, who had already posted a candlelight image on his instagram page said he would call me back with confirmation, that they were just hearing about the incident, that he and Kcee were in Europe. He called me back at exactly 10.02am to confirm that Skiibii had passed on. So I carried the news.


But a few minutes ago (hours after I carried the news), Kcee called me to say Skiibii hadn't died. He said he received the news of his collapse this morning but said he wasn't sure what was going on because he was not in Nigeria. He said his brother told him Skiibii had been found with no pulse and wasn't breathing. They rushed him to the hospital and after hours there, he has been revived. Kcee told me he wanted me to be the first to announce he's back to life because I broke the news of his alleged death.

To be honest, I find this all very strange. Skiibii just released music and has been on the road for a week now promoting it. Someone said to me that all this could be a stunt...for him to trend (which he is - he's the number trending topic in Nigeria) and all media houses in Nigeria have carried his supposed demise.

If this is a stunt (Skiibii dropped a video just yesterday), then it's quite sad that they would go to this extent to make him known to Nigerians. I know a lot of Nigerian artists put up stunts, but to play with your life is sick! Extremely sick to fake your own death for fame and attention! But if it's not a stunt and he indeed woke from the dead, then I'm very happy for him.

Just for the record, Soso Soberekon confirmed Skiibii's death to LIB. He posted this this morning. (which he has since deleted)

Photos from the funeral service of Ooni of Ife

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo led other dignitaries to the interdenominational funeral service of the Ooni of Ife Oba Okunade Sijuwade which held at Enuwa Square, Ooni of Ife's palace today August 14th. More photos after the cut...

Open Heavens Daily Devotion - HE USES FISHERMEN, Friday August 14th 2015

HE USES FISHERMEN

Memorise: Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 1st Corinthians 12:22
Read: Luke 5:1-11, 

Luke 5:1   And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

  Luke 5:2   And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

  Luke 5:3   And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

  Luke 5:4   Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

  Luke 5:5   And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

  Luke 5:6   And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

  Luke 5:7   And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

  Luke 5:8   When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

  Luke 5:9   For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

  Luke 5:10   And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.  
Luke 5:11   And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. 

Bible in one year: Genesis 17-18, And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
 John 13:1-30

Message: When the time comes for God to fulfil a plan He has predestined to happen, He looks out for those He can use for this purpose. God does not discriminate in His choice of persons to use to accomplish His mission. He can use the great or the small. When the time came for Him to choose those who would serve and learn under His Son, He chose some raw fishermen. Our God is awesome, and His ways are past finding out! In today’s Bible reading, when Jesus found Peter, He told him that from that day, he would no longer catch fishes from the sea, but human souls from the world. If God can use a raw uneducated fisherman like Peter, He can use you more. You are very useful to God. However, do you make yourself available for His use? Ironically, as the number of ministers is increasing, the number of those who are available for God’s use is decreasing. As a result of this, many people bear the title of minister, but they are not available to perform their assignments. Have we forgotten the acronym F.A.T., which stands for Faithfulness, Availability and Teach-ability? If God will use you, these three must be the code you live by. Today, because the people we consider more suitable for kingdom assignments are either too busy or giving too much excuses, God is moving to those who have made themselves available to do His work, even when those people appear less suitable for the work. Are you available to serve God? If you can create time to do your secular work that you will have to leave someday, why can’t you create time to serve your Maker who can reward you for your service in eternity?

There are some people who feel God cannot use them, because they have not yet bagged a degree, amassed some wealth or become famous. Oh, how mistaken they are! Do you know that God can use you just as you are? He can use you even in your limited state, if you will only turn your life over to Jesus. Do not wait to get your miracle first before telling others about the love of God. In any way you can share the gospel with the unsaved, go on and do so. Lead others to Christ. Use your influence to motivate people to do the right thing. Be a positive, holy influence on your peers. Remember, if you bear fruit for God’s kingdom, it will be His responsibility to do what He can to make you more fruitful.

Action Point
You are very important to God. If you fail to play your role in the Body of Christ, it could bring losses to God’s kingdom. Determine to play your role today.

Welfare of your troops should be uppermost in your mind - Buhari to Service chief

While decorating the new service chiefs at the state house yesterday August 13th, President Buhari charged them to ensure that the welfare of the troops in their command is uppermost in their mind and that they must make sure that they make available what is due to them;

    "You must be accountable for all men and equipment placed under your command. Your troops welfare should be uppermost in your mind. Take care of them and make available what is due to them. Concerted efforts should also be made to make judicious use of resources that are available to you"

Open Heavens Devotional - SPIRIT, NOT FLESH. Tuesday August 11th 2015

Topic: SPIRIT, NOT FLESH

Memorise: Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? Hebrew 12:9; Read: Isaiah 40:6-8, Bible in one year: Genesis 8-10, John 11:45-12:8

Reading: Man is limited because he is confined to a body made from dust (Genesis 3:19). He is also limited because even at his best, he is comparable to the flowers of the field (Isaiah 40:6-8), which grow, glow, fade and die. Sometimes, because they are glowing so beautifully, they are cut and used either for play or for decoration, after which they die. Unlike man, God is not limited, because He is a Spirit and He is not made of dust. Jesus in John 4:24 revealed the nature of God to us when He said:

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Not only is God a spirit, He is the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9). All spirits derive their powers from Him. If you can appreciate how powerful angels are, then you can begin to comprehend this God who created and empowered billions of angels and has the power to command them to cease to exist in a moment. Imagine that one angel alone, razed down the entire army of a mighty nation in just one night (2nd Kings 19:35). This should give you a little insight into how great and mighty the Father of spirit is.

To break away from our limitations as humans, we must move towards becoming more of spirit by becoming more like God. Man is a tripartite being made up of spirit, soul and body. All three components must be developed in that order. Your spirit must be given the greatest priority in development, followed by your soul. Your body should not be developed to the detriment of your spirit and soul. If you are not born-again, your spirit is dead, and the soul is heading for Hell. In the unsaved state, the flesh is in charge of an individual’s life. The flesh is a servant of sin and therefore, a slave to Satan. Wherever the flesh rules, Satan is in control. If your body is what dictates to you when you pray, how you pray, how often you eat, what to do with your passions and how you relate with God, you can be sure that it will never draw you closer to God. It will do everything possible to separate you from God and keep your spirit-man dead or weak. The longer you live in the flesh by gratifying it lusts, the weaker you become in the spirit. But if you can be born-again and develop your spirit-man by feasting regularly on God’s word, praying in the Holy Spirit, walking in obedience to God and worshiping Him in spirit and in truth, your limitations will give way to your empowered form. Decide to grow your spirit-man in all you do from today!

Action Point
Whenever you worship God, always engage your spirit-man.