Open Heavens 22 August 2018 Wednesday Daily Devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Performing Below Potentials?

Topic: Performing Below Potentials?

Memorise: “I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.”– Ecclesiastes 10:7

Read: Proverbs 6:4-11 (KJV)

4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

Bible in One Year: Psalm 45-50, Matthew 24:15-35

Open Heavens 22 August 2018 Wednesday MESSAGE:

The Preacher’s observation in today’s memory verse is worthy of our reflection. It is indeed an interesting sight to see servants promoted to the level of riding on horses; of course, God is more than able to do this for those who love Him. However, it is an evil thing when princes are relegated to the position of walking on foot as servants. For those who profess to be God’s special people, such a situation is an anomaly and must be avoided. It is practically the same as performing below potential. The pertinent question we should consider is, how come those who should be served are now in servitude? Thankfully, our Bible reading does not only reveal the cause, it also reveals the cure.

Laziness is the root cause of performing below potential. Any prince caught in the web of laziness will not amount to anything in life. Instead, his or her inheritance will go to other hands that are diligent, because God’s principles set out in Proverbs 12:24 says:

“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”

Poverty sends people to the field of servitude, and this is inevitable for the indolent. There is the story of two friends who went to an oracle to know their future. The seer turned to one of them and said, “Hail, the future king!” On hearing these words, he went away and began to celebrate himself as the future king, even though he was still in rags.

The seer turned to the other man and said, “You will die in abject poverty.” He was dejected, but determined in his heart that he would fight to be successful, and so he went into the jungle and began to farm. After many years, he became prosperous, having plenty goods with male and female servants. A famine came to the town where his friend was living, still waiting for his “kingdom” to come. While searching for food, citizens of this town discovered the hardworking man and his abundance of supplies. They begged him to become their king, promising to serve him in exchange for food to survive the famine. That was how a man who was supposed to die in penury became a king, while an expectant “future king” remained poor for the rest of his life.

In conclusion, please note that diligence itself is time-bound. There is time for everything under heaven. When some things are done belatedly, their purpose ends up being defected. Our Bible text teaches about the ant, which provides food in the summer and gathers what it needs in harvest. What you do today determines what becomes of you in future. The cure for poor performance is proper preparation. For example, if you’re ambition is to become just a messenger, you don’t need a university education for that. However, if you desire to become a captain of industry, more often than not, you will need more than elementary education to achieve this. A word is enough for the wise.

Prayer Point: Open Heavens 22 August 2018 Wednesday

Father, lift me up above mediocrity, and grant me grace to pay the price of good success.

Also Read: Open Heavens 21 August 2018 – Waiting for the Appointed Time

Open Heavens 22 August 2018 Wednesday Hymn 4: Trust and Obey

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Chorus:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Open Heavens 22 August 2018 Wednesday 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 Heavens 22 August. 2018.

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: Accessing Your Hidden Potential

God has freely given to you everything you are looking for in life but you need to relate with the Spirit of God to be able to have access to them.

2 Peter 1:3 –3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

There is nothing you are looking for that God has not given to you; including the money you need to start that business but the challenge is the ability for you to identify what God has given to you.

Believing to use what you don’t have for the next phase of success is actually a trap of the devil. God wants you to start with what you have and not with what is not available. Jesus had 5,000 men to feed but there was no food. He did not go looking for something far away; He had to use what was available to meet the need of that time which were 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

John 6:6 -And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

The reason many people are frustrated is because they don’t know what to do. If you know what to do with what you have, you will always overcome any challenge in business.

2Kings 4:1-2 – Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 2 And Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil.

So I ask you – what do you have around you? What is the divine endowment in you?

There is nobody who has nothing. There is something you have that you have not seen. God will always use what you have to create what you want. Your future success is in the present thing that is available right now; not in what is not available. Stop looking at what you don’t have yet; your success is right in what is available. God will not use what you don’t have to take you to your future; He will use what you have to take you to your next phase.

Consciously remove the ‘Not enough mentality” from your mind. Despising what is in your hand is actually destroying your future. What you have may not be enough in your physical eyes but with the supernatural grace of God on it, it is enough to start with if you can think and plan well.

If you can think enough, what you have is enough to start with because everything that God will use to lift mankind is hidden in another thing. The money you are looking for is hidden in something that you have. The widow’s wealth was hidden in the oil; it was the oil God multiplied for her to pay her debt. So, what you are looking for is hidden inside what you have now and God has given you to ability to discern and search it out.

Every financial and business success is hidden inside you, around you or in what is available now in your hands. There are people you will meet and your lifting will spring from them; so, it is not looking far but the ability to discern what is available now for your future.

Every potential is hidden in something. Until you recognize the potential that you carry, your future is not secured. For instance, the financial prosperity of your tomorrow is hidden in your seed today; refusing to sow the seed today is rejecting the harvest of tomorrow. A man who cannot see the potential of the seed in his hand today is destroying his harvest of tomorrow. Hence, see greatness inside what you have now.

The orange tree is actually hidden in the orange seed; throwing away the seed is throwing away an orange tree. Stop seeing life from the angle of obstacles; start seeing life from the angle of miracles. Stop seeing life from the angle of problems; start seeing life from the angle of promises. Stop seeing life from the angle of breakdown; start seeing life from the angle of breakthroughs.

Your ability to identify your hidden potential is what makes you great and takes you to your next phase. Stop wishing you have something; look at what is already available to you.

Most times, people wish they have more than what they already have. Stop wishing that you have more. See what that seed carries because your destiny is in what is available.

Bill Gates started his computer business with $200; so, it is not money that you need but you should be able to know what that seed carries. Start with what you have now and you will prosper in Jesus name!

Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see the potential in you; your future depends on it. Look inwards; there is something you have waiting to be harnessed. Use the available to obtain what you want.

You will not fail in life! You will not fail in your career! You will not fail in your business! You will succeed in the name of Jesus!!!

God bless you

Also Read: Other Inspiring Messages by Pastor David Ibiyeomie

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: The Dangers of Laziness [Seeds of Destiny 21 August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Scripture: Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. Proverbs 19:15

Thought For The Day: Victory does not belong to the lazy; victory belongs only to the strong and the audacious.

In the previous day we saw what idleness did to David, the King of Israel. He was idle at home when he was supposed to go to battle as other kings, and that led him into committing immorality with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. We also saw that idleness is the doorway to unrighteousness.

I would like you to take note of the following about indolence and laziness:
i) Indolence, laziness or idleness is the doorway to bondage
Captivity will never break for the idle man; bondage will never break for the lazy man; oppression will never go away from the indolent. Idleness, laziness, indolence establishes bondage. Victory belongs only to the strong and the audacious, not to the indolent and lazy (Genesis 27:40b).

ii) Idleness equals decadence
An idle person’s life eventually degenerates just as an idle house degenerates (Ecclesiastes 10:18).

iii) Idleness invites the company of the enemy
The devil tempts everybody but an idle man tempts the devil. To sit at home waiting for a job instead of doing what you find to do is a waste of life (2Samuel 15:11).

iv) Idleness paralyzes potential
A man of great potential will become useless in a short time because of the refusal to do anything; his life is not profitable to himself, God or the people around him.

My counsel is, avoid the lifestyle of idleness. Do what is available for you to do instead of waiting for what to do (Eccl. 9:10).

Remember this: Victory belongs only to the strong and the audacious, not the indolent and lazy.

Assignments:
1. Do not just sit and wait for jobs endlessly; do what is available until what is desired arrives.
2. Do not drag your feet through life; be active, smart and diligent.

Prayer: O Lord, I ask for the grace to do what is available until I get what is required. I refuse to live for nothing, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: DEADLY ENEMIES OF DESTINY (PART 4)

Daily Bible Reading: Job 1:1 to 3:26, 1 Corinthians 14:1 to 17, Psalm 37:12 to 29, Proverbs 21:25 to 26

Amazing Fact: Peregrine falcon can reach speed in excess of 200 miles (more than 320 KMs) per hour.

Today In History: 21/08/1888 – The adding machine was patented by William Burroughs.

Quote: Where a man is lazy, his life and destiny decay. Culled from 21 FOOLISH THINGS PEOPLE DO by Dr Paul Enenche.

Also Read: Seeds of Destiny by Pastor Paul Enenche

Today’s devotional was written by Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), headquartered at Abuja, Nigeria, with Pastor Paul and Becky Enenche, as the Senior Pastors. It is a power-packed arena where God’s Presence, Principles and Power are at work for the salvation, healing and restoration of human destinies and dignities

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: In Absolute Control [DCLM Daily Manna 21st August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Text: Psalm 93:1-5 (KJV)

Key Verse: “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea” (Psalm 93:4).

MESSAGE:

A man got insanely frustrated about God and decided to spit at Him. As he positioned his mouth heavenward and spat, the wind returned the full measure of the spittle upon his face. Martin Luther once wrote to Erasmus of Rotterdam. He said, “Your thoughts of God are too human”.

That can be said of the vast majority of people living in the world today.
Indeed, they have morphed on from this shallow knowledge of God to outright denial of His existence. But “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:4). As the scepter of unbelief and ungodliness is being raised in line with long predicted end-time norms, it is important to reassure ourselves that God is still in control. His reign has been from eternity past; He reigns till date and will reign forever. He reigns over every being and nature. The earth, the order in it and all planets, derive their stability only from His providence.

Satan may lift up floods of opposition and waves of persecution to blur the brilliance of the glory of the Omnipotent. Yet, He remains, “I AM THAT I AM”. He is on high and is mightier than the noise of doubt and unbelief, human philosophies and profanity, willful ignorance and brazen rebellion. His word and revelation are infallible and everything about Him is holy.

The Church eagerly awaits the fuller demonstration of this glorious reign at the Millennial Reign of Christ. Meanwhile, it serves to have a deeper understanding of God’s true nature and sovereignty. This should bring us more comfort, courage, confidence and commitment.

Thought For The Day: To perceive God’s reign, have Him reign over your life.

Bible Reading In One Year: Jeremiah 41-45

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read Deeper Christian Life Ministry, DCLM Daily Manna HERE

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

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: In Progress or Completed? [Our Daily Bread 21st August 2018 Devotional]

Read: Luke 23:44–48, Bible in a Year: Psalms 107–109; 1 Corinthians 4

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

One of the first prayers I learned as a little boy was “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep . . .” It was a prayer I learned from my parents, and I taught it to my son and daughter when they were little. As a child, I found great comfort in placing myself in God’s hands with those words before I fell asleep.

There’s a similar prayer neatly tucked away in the “prayer book” of the Bible, the Psalms. Some biblical scholars suggest that the phrase “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Psalm 31:5) was a “bedtime” prayer taught to children in Jesus’s day.

You may recognize that prayer as Jesus’s final cry from the cross. But Jesus added one more word to it: Father (Luke 23:46). By praying that word in the moments before His death, Jesus demonstrated His intimate relationship with the Father and pointed believers toward their home with Him (John 14:3).

Jesus died on the cross so we could live in the wonder of a relationship with God as our heavenly Father. How comforting it is to know that because of Jesus’s sacrificial love for us, we can rest in God’s care as His children! We can close our eyes without fear because our Father watches over us and has promised to wake us up to life with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I receive the gift of forgiveness You offer me through the cross. Help me to turn from my sins and follow You, all the way home.

A bright new morning awaits us in Jesus.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Our Daily Bread Devotionals HERE”

This message was written By James Banks [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Hell Can’t Put Out the Light [Kenneth & Gloria Copeland 21 August 2018 Daily Devotional]

In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it…. – John 1:4-5, The Amplified Bible

Whenever things around you get dark and you feel the devil is about to overpower you, remember this: You have the Light of the world in you, and try as they may, all the forces of hell can’t put it out!

Even when you’re at your weakest, even when you feel like the light within you is small, the devil’s darkness is no match for you.

Let me show you what I mean. Imagine for a moment that you’re in a large auditorium that has no windows or doors to let in outside light. The place is so black you can’t see anything, not even your hand in front of your face. There’s nothing around you but complete darkness!

Now, imagine one little lightning bug flying around that auditorium. Every eye in there would turn toward it. As small as that little light is in comparison to the great darkness around it, you would still be able to see it. That massive blackness wouldn’t be able to do a thing to shut off that bug. Everywhere he flew, the darkness would just have to yield. It would always be dispelled by his light.

When the circumstances around you begin to get black and you’re tempted to despair, think about that lightning bug. Meditate on the fact that Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, is in you. When the revelation of that hits you, you’ll never again let the darkness back you into a corner. You’ll start chasing it down—overcoming it with your light!

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:8-16

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: Know your Standing in God [TREM 21 August 2018 Daily Devotional]

“I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” Isaiah 43:11

The word ‘Saviour’ includes being saved from sin, disease, poverty, insecurity, fear, and torment. The Scripture says the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runs into it and they are saved. It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This announces that without Jesus there is no saviour. Acts 4:12 says: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” There is no other god beside him and there is none that can deliver out of His hand. That makes you safe in God’s hand there is nothing the devil can do.

It is very important that you make up your mind where you stand in God. Your positioning in God is so strategic and very important. The enemy is shooting at random and nations are in trouble. This is not the time to stand on the fence. You must know your standing in God. Your positioning in God must be firm and strategic. Know who you believe and be persuaded that He is able to keep and preserve that which you have committed to Him.

How do we position ourselves in view of these challenges? Jesus said in the book of John: I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (John 17:15 KJV). Speaking further He declares: And for their sakes I sanctify myself…………. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:1&19).

Beloved, you need to position yourself firmly by the knowledge of the errorless word of God. According to the book of 2 Peter: “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (2 Peter 1:2, 3 KJV)

Further Reading: Proverbs 18:10, Psalm 18:2

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Psalms 107-109; Evening- 1 Corinthians 4

“If you missed yesterday devotional click HERE to read TREM Daily Devotional by Dr. Mike Okonkwo’’

Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.

Topic: Trust in Jesus as Your Savior [Andrew Wommack 21st August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Matthew 19:16 “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

Text: Matthew 19:12-20

On the surface, it appears that this rich young ruler was “right on” in the way he approached Jesus and sought salvation. He ran, kneeled down to Jesus, and openly professed Him as a Good Master. What could be wrong with that?

First, he acknowledged Jesus as good but not as God. This is a pivotal point.

Every major religion of the world acknowledges that Jesus lived and will even admit that He definitely was a good man, but they won’t recognize Him as God. If Jesus was only a good man, He couldn’t save anybody. Jesus didn’t just come to show us the way to God. He was the way, the only way unto the Father.

No man could come unto the Father, but by Him (Jn. 14:6). Jesus had made this point publicly many times before. This is the reason that Jesus responded to this young man’s question the way He did. Jesus was saying, “God is the only one who is good. You must accept me as God or not at all.” Jesus was either who He claimed to be or He was the biggest fraud that ever lived. He has to be one or the other. He cannot be both.

Second, he asked what he could do to produce salvation. He trusted in himself and believed he could accomplish whatever good work Jesus might request. This is completely opposed to the plan of salvation that Jesus came to bring.

Jesus obtained salvation for us through His substitution and He offers it to us as a free gift. All we must do is believe and receive. This rich young ruler wasn’t looking for a Savior. He was trying to be his own savior. This is the reason Jesus referred him back to the commandments. He either needed to keep all of the law perfectly or he needed a Savior. Jesus desired to turn this man from trusting in himself by showing him God’s perfect standard, which no one could keep, so that then he would trust in a Savior.

Also 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: What Heaven Will Be Like [Billy Graham Daily Devotional 21 August 2018]

And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him. — Revelation 22:3

The Bible indicates that Heaven will be a place of great understanding and knowledge of things that we never learned down here. Sir Isaac Newton, when an old man, said to one who praised his wisdom, “I am as a child on the seashore picking up a pebble here and a shell there, but the great ocean of truth still lies before me.” And Thomas Edison once said, “I do not know one millionth part of one percent about anything.” Many of the mysteries of God—the heartaches, trials, disappointments, tragedies, and the silence of God in the midst of suffering—will be revealed in Heaven.

Prayer for the day: All the questions will be answered, loving Father, when I take my place in heaven to praise You.

“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.