Open Heavens 18 August 2018 Saturday Daily Devotional by Pastor E A Adeboye – The Root of all Evil

Memorise: “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.”- Ecclesiastes 5:10

Read: 1 Timothy 6:6-11 (KJV)

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Bible in One Year: Psalm 27-31, Matthew 22:1-22

Open Heavens 18 August 2018 Saturday MESSAGE:

Love can be very good if it is geared towards God and the things He approves of. However, love can be very dangerous if it tends towards the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life (1 John 2:15-16). One object we must never cast our affection on is money. In 1 Timothy 6:10, the Holy Spirit warns us of the dangers of falling in love with money, saying:

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

He went further to provide the antidote to the love of money, saying in 1 Timothy 6:6-8:

“6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

Our memory verse says something very profound about the love of money. It warns that if we love silver, it will never satisfy us, and that it is vanity to be obsessed with accumulating wealth, such as houses, cars, landed property, laurels of all kinds, chieftaincy titles, degrees of all sorts, etc. These are all vanity in the sense that they will never give the satisfaction that our soul craves. Apart from that, we can also die at any time and leave everything behind, as seen in story of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-20. It is therefore a great disservice to your peace and tranquility to love money or wealth. Based on his personal experience, Solomon spoke on this in Ecclesiastes 6:1-2, where he said:

“1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.”

Beloved, seek godliness with contentment, which can only be found in Jesus Christ. I encourage you to totally surrender your heart to Him, including that secret lust for money. The rat race for material things that will all fade away will only lead to frustration at the end of the day. However, having Jesus in your heart is a treasure that will never fade. Have you lost so much money or have you been disappointed financially, so much so that you are contemplating suicide? Please don’t do it! Jesus offers you abundant life, and it has provision and contentment in it. Reach out and receive it from Him today.

Prayer Point: Open Heavens 18 August 2018

Father, Circumcise my heart and cause contentment to take firm root in it, in Jesus’ Name.

Also Read: Open Heavens 17 August 2018 – Making A Spectacle

Open Heavens 18 August 2018 Saturday Hymn 9: The Old Rugged Cross

1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Chorus:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.

2. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

4. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Open Heavens 18 August 2018 Saturday 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 18 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: God Wants Your Home to Succeed (Part 2)

Dear Reader,

It is another wonderful week to bring God’s Word your way again. I shall be exploring the topic: God’s Interest & Involvement in the Family

You know that God is interested in the family set-up. Whatever is good is God. Whatever is not good is not God. God saw that everything He created was good, including the family.

More than at any other time in world history, today, the family is facing one of its greatest attacks. More than ever before, the family needs the help of God from the troubles, woes and calamities that befall it daily. God’s Word says:Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man (Psalm 60:11).

We have sought for help from man – traditional, political and spiritual places, only to find out that the help man claims to render is grossly inadequate. Man is still looking here and there in search of lasting solutions to the problems encountered in marriage. The Psalmist shows us the secret for an enduring solution from the above scripture.

God’s help is always available to us and it can reach you, no matter in what area of family life you desire it. I believe it is coming your way right now via this teaching. The degree of problems you have experienced in your marriage notwithstanding, God’s help is actually all you need.

Although it is your responsibility to build your home, the ultimate builder is God (Hebrews 3:4). Whatever is built outside Him, therefore, has no future. In 2 Chronicles 26, we are told the story of King Uzziah, who God helped against his enemies. And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwell in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims(2 Chronicles 26:7).You need God’s help much more than ever before in your family.

Uzziah had a stable government, because God helped him against his enemies. That is the same way I believe God is going to help you to combat your enemies (barrenness, poverty, confusion, etc.) in your marriage. As help comes to you from heaven, these enemies will all bow to you, in Jesus name!

In the story of creation is Genesis chapter 1, God saw everything He spoke into existence. But when it came to the issue of marriage, he didn’t just speak it into existence, He was practically involved in instituting it. God’s Word says: And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man (Genesis 2:18,21-22).

Since He is Almighty, God could have simply said, “Let there be marriage” or “Let there be family life”, and marriage would have been instituted. But the Bible says, “He took.” Even though it’s not explicitly stated, I strongly believe God must have come down physically into the Garden of Eden, to have been able to remove one of Adam’s ribs, while he was asleep.

Whatever was strong enough to cause God to leave His throne in heaven must be very important. “He took”, because something very important was on the way for man. Rather than taking the rib from Adam’s side, God could have simply commanded the rib to come out. But He did it to show how dear the marriage institution is to Him. Therefore, it should be precious to you and me also. Not only did God take the rib from Adam’s side, He made a woman out of it, and brought her to Adam. These are action words that connote God’s physical involvement in establishing the family. God’s whole intention for instituting marriage is to take shame away from the life of man. God’s Word says: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:25).

God showed His interest in marriage by personally fashioning the woman and delivering her to her husband. It is, therefore, untrue to assume that the union of a man and a woman in marriage is man’s idea, cultural or traditional affair.

Therefore, to enjoy God’s best in your marriage, you must make Him the centre of your home. You must be ready to give Him top priority, recognizing Him as the foundation for a successful marriage. The problem with many couples is that they push God aside, and yet expect to enjoy divine benefits. They ignore the Word of God, which I call the “manufacturer’s manual”, and expect the product (marriage) to function perfectly. But it is impossible! God’s Word says: If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3).

God is the foundation for success in the home. When the foundation is faulty, no matter how righteous you may be, your home cannot stand. The right place to begin from is a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. This is done by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are already born again, rejoice because your case is settled. If you are not yet born again and you desire to do so right now, please pray this prayer with faith in your heart: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.

Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).

With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building a Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

“Please click HERE to read other inspiring articles by Pastor Faith Oyedepo”

Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.

Topic: The Grace of God Qualifies the Unqualified [TREM 17 August 2018 Daily Devotional]

“For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: …. ” 1 Corinthians 15:9, 10

The book of Deuteronomy chapter 23:3 tells us that a Moabitess cannot come into the congregation of the saints for up to ten generations but God had to violate it Himself because whatever He does is good. He does good and does no wrong. Rahab a professional prostitute and Ruth a Moabitess born out of incest were both in the lineage of Jesus Christ. That’s why you don’t write anybody off. I was looking in that lineage to see if I will see Sarah, Rachel, and Rebecca but I didn’t see them. Rather I saw people like Rehab, Tamar, then Beersheba. These were people we will normally write off as unqualified. But we serve a God that qualifies the ungodly.

In 1 Samuel chapter 16, no one gave David a chance. He was in the back side of the desert. He was in obscurity. Others were in the house presenting themselves but David was in the desert tending sheep. God had to supernaturally take him by Himself from the back side to the frontline. Who told you that because you are standing at the back of the queue that it will work according to queue.

Jesus sprang from the tribe of Judah where it was not mentioned that a Priest will come out of. Priests were to come out of the tribe of Levi but Jesus became a priest after the order of Melchisedec, to whom priesthood was not mentioned. God had to overrule and make something new. A priest after the order of Melchisedec sprang out of Judah and you belong to that order. Who told you that you must pass through the rules before things will happen for you?

Further Reading: Matthew 1:1-17, 1 Samuel 16:5-12

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Psalms 97-99; Evening- Romans 16

“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: Jesus Reached Out [Our Daily Bread 17th August 2018 Devotional]

Read: Matthew 14:22–33, Bible in a Year: Psalms 97–99; Romans 16

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. Matthew 14:31

Sometimes life gets busy—classes are hard, work is exhausting, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, and a coffee date is on the day’s schedule. It gets to the point where I force myself to read the Bible for a few minutes a day and tell myself I’ll spend more time with God next week. But it doesn’t take long before I’m distracted, drowning in the day’s tasks, and forget to ask God for help of any kind.

When Peter was walking on water toward Jesus, he quickly became distracted by the wind and waves. Like me, he began to sink (Matthew 14:29–30). But as soon as Peter cried out, “immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him” (vv. 30–31).

I often feel as if I have to make it up to God after being so busy and distracted that I lose sight of Him. But that’s not how God works. As soon as we turn to Him for help, Jesus reaches out without hesitation.

When we’re unsettled by the chaos of life, it’s easy to forget that God is standing in the middle of the storm with us. Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt?” (v. 31). No matter what we’re going through, He is there. He is here. Next to us at that moment, in this moment, ready to reach out and rescue us.

Prayer: Lord, help me to turn to You in the midst of my busyness and life’s distractions. Thank You for always being here, ready to catch me.

God is waiting for us to turn to Him so He can reach out and help.

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

This message was written By Julie Schwab [Our Daily Bread Ministries.]

Topic: Give God a Way In [Kenneth & Gloria Copeland 17 August 2018 Daily Devotional]

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land. – Malachi 3:11-12

God is vitally interested in your finances. He wants to multiply and protect them. But He won’t be able to—unless you open the door for Him to do it.

How? Through tithing.

When you tithe, you give God the legal right to intervene in your financial affairs, to bless you richly, and to defend you against the destruction the devil brings. When you tithe, you lay a foundation for success and abundance. You establish deposits with God you can draw on when you need them.

But don’t wait until your back is against the wall to start. Begin now. Start developing your faith when things are going well by meditating on the blessings God’s Word promises you as a tither. Learn to act on that Word now, and when Satan tries to put you in a financial corner, he’ll fail. His power over you financially will have already been broken. Because you’ve established yourself on the covenant of God, Satan will have no chance against you. God will rebuke him for your sake.

If you haven’t yet opened the door and given God a way in to your finances, don’t wait any longer. Do it today. Then, when the pressures of tomorrow come, you’ll be prepared and protected by the special privileges that are guaranteed to those who tithe.

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 7:1-9

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: Same as the Beginning [DCLM Daily Manna 17th August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Text: John 15:18-27 (KJV)

Key Verse: “And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:27).

MESSAGE:

God has not changed the way employed to raise the Church from a small beginning to a mighty one. He called weaklings to be an impregnable Church that has withstood the most powerful forces mankind has seen. He used fleeing Moses to confront Pharaoh. He called herdsmen and simple men and women to record His laws. Finally, He opted for a carpenter and a peasant lady to raise His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ Himself brought together a group of unlearned and ignorant men to “go… into all the world, and preach”.

When Christ entreated for His disciples shortly before concluding His earthly work, it was a prophetic prayer: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word”. Since then, faithful Christians who believed Jesus through the disciples’ word have functioned in the power of that prayer. God uses ordinary people to do His extraordinary work, the same way He did it in the Old Testament and in the early Church. When Jesus told His disciples that they “also shall bear witness”, He was looking at both the disciples and contemporary Christians to get the work done. He expects us all in our little corner to go about God’s business everywhere we find souls through any means.

To do this great work, the presence of the Comforter is available to support and assure us of success. There will be revival and a repeat of the old-time movement of great crowds turning to Christ from sin and Satan if ordinary men and women do this extraordinary work for the Lord.

Thought For The Day: Preaching is extraordinary business by ordinary people.

Bible Reading In One Year: Jeremiah 35-37

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: Therapy for the Spirit of Inferiority [Seeds of Destiny 17 August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Scripture: Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Jeremiah 1:6-7.

Thought For The Day: It does not matter how negative what anybody has said about you; as long as God was not the one who said it, everything is under control.

Previously, we established that the spirit of inferiority is a limitation of life and destiny. A person’s mind-set either facilitates or frustrates Divine intervention. How you see yourself determines how the enemy sees you and handles you. This means, the mind-set of inferiority results in a life of inferiority. Inferiority complex limits a person’s destiny.

Having known this, what is the therapy for the spirit of inferiority?
i) See yourself the way God sees you
Look into the Bible and make a decision to see yourself the way God sees you (1Peter 2:9).

ii) Refuse to settle for what people say about you
Refuse to settle for the negative things people say about you. You can prove people wrong. I have proved people wrong in many ways in my life. Right from childhood, I have had negative utterances heaped against me from different people; some of them are very close to me. They never believed that I could amount to anything in life. But today, by the grace of God, many of the people who doubted what I would become in life have received help from me many times (Lamentations 3:37).

Beloved, God has the final say. Accept and believe only what God says about you. It does not matter how negative what anybody said about you; as long as God was not the one who said it, everything is under control. It does not matter what they have said about you, if God did not say it and you refuse to believe it, you have no problem. For example, some people might have said that you can never get married in life or that you can never succeed. It is only confirmed if you believe it; if not, it will never come to pass. You will succeed and excel contrary to any negative pronouncement over your life in Jesus’ Name.

My counsel is, discard people’s negative opinions about your life; believe only what God says about you in His Word (Proverbs 19:21).

Remember this: It does not matter how negative what anybody has said about you; as long as God was not the one who said it, everything is under control.

Assignments:
1. Do not allow yourself to be swayed, distracted or discouraged by people’s negative opinions about you.
2. Accept and believe God’s word about your life from the Scriptures.

Prayer: O Lord, I reject every negative opinion and pronouncement about my life and destiny contrary to Your Word. I receive the grace to see, believe and become what You have said about me in Your Word, Lord in Jesus’ Name.

FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: DEADLY ENEMIES OF DESTINY (PART 5).

Daily Bible Reading: Nehemiah 12:27 to 13:31, 1 Corinthians 11:1 to 16, Psalm 35:1 to 16, Proverbs 21:17 to 28.

Amazing Fact: African Grey parrot, the most intelligent bird in the world, often whistles, clicks or make other sounds.

Today In History: 17/08/1859 – A hot air balloon was used to carry mail for the first time. John Wise left Lafayette, IN, for New York City with 100 letters. He had to land after only 27 miles.

Quote: If you esteem your own reputation, associate with men of good quality. It is better to be alone than to be in a bad company. Culled from WHO ARE YOU? by Dr Paul Enenche.

Don’t Forget To Attend: The Home church meeting tomorrow by 6pm at the centre nearest to you. Come with your friends and loved ones

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: Righteousness Is A Gift [Andrew Wommack 17th August 2018 Daily Devotional]

Luke 18:9 “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:”

Text: Luke 18:9-14

People who are self-righteous often despise others. No one can compare himself with God’s perfect standard and feel good about himself. To trust in ourselves, we have to constantly compare ourselves with others. This breeds a critical attitude towards others that exalts self by debasing others.

No one can ever be righteous in the sight of God through his own righteousness. Our actions benefit us in relationships with people and prevent Satan from having an opportunity against us, but they cannot make us right (righteous) with God. We must trust in God and receive His gift of righteousness completely on the basis of faith in what Christ did for us. This is the truth that this parable is presenting.

Most people are unaware that there are two kinds of righteousness. Only one type of righteousness is acceptable to God. One form of righteousness is our own righteousness. These are the acts of holiness that we do in an attempt to fulfill the commands of the Old Testament law. This is an imperfect righteousness because human nature is imperfect and incapable of fulfilling the law.

God’s righteousness is not something that we do, but something that we receive as a gift through faith in Christ. It’s not possible to trust in our own righteousness and in God’s righteousness. A person who believes that he must earn God’s acceptance by his holy actions must not believe in God’s righteousness, which is a gift. It has to be one or the other; we cannot mix the two. Righteousness is not what Jesus has done for us plus some minimum standard of holiness that we have to accomplish. God’s righteousness is perfect. Accept this gift He offers to you.

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: Cast Your Cares [Billy Graham Daily Devotional 17 August 2018]

Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat-they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food-for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. — Matthew 6:26 (TLB)

Some section hands on a British railroad found a thrush’s nest under a rail. Peacefully sitting on her eggs, the hen was undisturbed by the roar of the fast trains above and around her. Someone has written a little verse which goes:

“Said the robin to the sparrow,
‘I should really like to know,
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.’
Said the sparrow to the robin,
‘Friend, I think that it must be,
That they have no heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.’”

Jesus used the carefree attitude of the birds to underscore the fact that worrying is unnatural. I am learning in my own life, day by day, to keep my mind centered on Christ, and the worries and anxieties and concerns of the world pass, and nothing but “perfect peace” is left in the human heart. God has taken the responsibility for our care and worry.

Put your mind at ease with these Bible verses.

Prayer for the day: Lord Jesus, I’m happiest when I’m fully trusting You. This day help me to be constantly grateful for Your care and faithfulness.

“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.