Open Heaven 2 December 2018 Sunday Daily Devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Purpose of being Alive

Topic: The Purpose of being Alive (Open Heaven 2 December 2018)

Memorise: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”- John 15:2

Read: Luke 13:6-9 (KJV)

6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 40, John 6:25-51

Open Heaven 2 December 2018 Sunday MESSAGE:

The parable told by Jesus of the farm owner and his fruitless fig tree should make us realize that nothing goes for nothing. The farm owner was not keeping the fig tree on his farm for decorative purpose; he wanted it for fruits. After waiting for years, the tree remained fruitless, and so he decided to get rid of it. Beloved, are you fulfilling any purpose in God’s kingdom? Are you just a statistic on the number of Christians alive or are you bearing fruit?

As long as you have breath, you have a purpose and cannot afford to stay fruitless, lest farm owner decides it’s time to cut you down. The terrifying part of today’s story is that the farm owner was prepared to disregard his labour of past years over the fruitless fig tree and ignore the potential of getting any fruits from it in future. At that point, he only counted the tree as nothing but a waste of farmland.

In today’s memory verse, Jesus clearly stated that every branch in Him that does not bear fruit will be cut off. As a born-again Christian, you are one of His branched (John 15:1). Every believer needs to be the branch of the vine that yields fruit and is pruned to yield more fruit, particularly the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Our actions, purpose and attitude need to flow from the fruit of the Spirit for us to be considered fruitful.

The good news today is that the vinedresser intervenes on behalf of the fruitless fig tree, asking the owner to give him one more year to carefully manage it. If it remained fruitless after one year, then the owner could finally decide to cut down the tree. Beloved, examine yourself today to determine if you are not currently fruitless. Perhaps you are even undergoing your one year grace period before being cut off and replaced with a fruitful tree? What is the motive behind your actions and work for God today? Are you exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in all that you do? In addition to manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, we are also expected to bear fruits of souls into God’s kingdom, and these fruits must remain. The fruit of souls you win to Christ will remain when you follow them up and teach them the ways of the kingdom. May the Lord strengthen you as you faithfully do all this in Jesus’ Name.

Open Heaven 2 December 2018 Sunday Prayer Point:

Father, help me to fulfill the purpose for my existence in Jesus’ Name.

Also Read: Open Heaven 1 December 2018 – The Death of the Righteous

Open Heaven 2 December 2018 Sunday Hymn 7: Wonderful Story of Love

1. Wonderful story of love;
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love;
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love.

Chorus:
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful, wonderful story of love.

2. Wonderful story of love;
Though you are far away;
Wonderful story of love;
Still He doth call today;
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal-bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation,
Wonderful story of love.

3. Wonderful story of love;
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love;
For all the pure and blest,
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus,
Wonderful story of love.

Open Heaven 2 December 2018 Sunday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven 2 December 2018 Sunday Daily Devotional.

Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

Topic: Free Your Faith [Kenneth Copeland Devotional 2 December 2018]

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any. – Mark 11:25

Few people realize just how closely connected faith and forgiveness are. Jesus taught about that connection in His sermon on mountain-moving faith that’s recorded in Mark 11:22-26.

He said, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive” (verses 24-25).

Jesus backed those two sentences up together on purpose. He wanted us to know that releasing those who have wronged us is fundamental to receiving from God. He wanted to impress on our hearts the fact that we cannot have our prayers answered and hold grudges in our hearts at the same time.

Unforgiveness clogs the faith channel and keeps you powerless against the mountains in your life!

If you’ve been praying for something and you just can’t seem to get an answer, check your heart for unforgiveness. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring any grudge that’s hidden there to light. Unclog the channel of faith and you will soon see things you’ve been praying for come to pass.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Kenneth and Gloria Copeland’s Daily Devotional Here’’

This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.

Topic: Religious Pride Brings Dissension [Andrew Wommack Devotional 2 December 2018 ]

Mark 15:10 “For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.”

The Jews were God’s chosen people and therefore, God’s representatives on earth. Yet, they lied and condemned an innocent man to death. Pilate could see that their real motivation for wanting Jesus dead was envy. They were doing all their religious works to be seen of men, and were upset that Jesus was getting more recognition than they were. If these Jews would have thought about what type of witness they were giving, even they would have known that their actions were not inspired by God.

We should remember that we are God’s witnesses on earth, or as Paul said, “We are epistles… known and read of all men” (2 Cor. 3:2). Judging our actions in the light of, “What kind of witness will this give to others?” will help us discern whether or not we are being led of God.

The chief priests had deceived themselves and other religious people into believing that they were condemning Jesus for godly reasons, but even an ungodly ruler like Pilate could see through their lies. Religious bondage blinds people to the truth even more than sin does.

These rulers wanted to retain their power and authority, so they fought against the power and authority of Jesus. This is still the same today. Men use doctrinal issues to disguise the real issue. The truth is that, “Only by pride cometh contention” (Prov. 13:10). People who love to have the preeminence (3 Jn. 9) are usually the instigators of persecution.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Andrew Wommack Daily Devotional

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net).

Topic: All He Requires [Billy Graham Devotional 2 December 2018]

Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? — John 11:40

If you are a young man or young woman hooked on dissent or despair, ready to split, then lend me your attention. My answer concerns your dreams, and the element in your make-up called “faith.” All that God requires of anyone in taking his first step toward Him and toward total self-fulfillment is faith—faith in His Word, that teaches that God loves you and that you were alienated from Him by sin, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, that when you make a personal surrender to Him as Lord and Savior, He can transform you from the inside out.

Prayer for the day: Your Word, heavenly Father, brings me hope and redemption through Jesus Christ—thrusts through the despondencies of life and says You love me!

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Billy Graham’s Daily Devotional HERE

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.