Open Heavens 5 June 2018 – You Think You Don’t Have Enough?

Topic: You Think You Don’t Have Enough? [Open Heavens 5th June 2018, Tuesday Daily Devotional]

Memorise: For who hath despised the day of small things? – Zechariah 4:10a

Read: John 6:1-14 (KJV)

1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

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

7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,

9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

Bible in One Year: 1 Kings 18-19, Acts 6:1-7:2

MESSAGE:

One of the lies of the devil, which every child of God must reject, is that you have nothing good in your hands that can bring profit to your life. To perpetuate this lie, the devil may trivialize that gift of God in you as though nothing substantial can come out of it. Contrary to this lie, in Job 8:7, the Holy Spirit says to you:

“Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.”

Our memory verse also encourages us not to despise the day of small things. This was the problem with the unprofitable servant in Matthew 25:14-30. He thought he was not given enough talents to trade with and so he went ahead to hide what he was given. The consequence of this was that even the talent he was initially given was taken away from him, and he was punished for being slothful, indolent and insubordinate.

Beloved, what is that physical or spiritual gift you are looking down on? The Lord asked me to tell you to value it well so that it will not be taken away from you. Are you given an assignment that you think belittles your status in the Church or in your secular place of work? Please embrace it and do it as unto the Lord. In John 6:1-14, we read of how the disciples nearly missed the miracle of multiplication because they could not see how five loaves and two fishes could be used to feed several thousands of people. The widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7 also had a fantastic source of income, but she did not know it until the Lord had mercy on her and led her to Prophet Elisha, who opened her eyes to the “oil well” in a corner of her house!

Another lesson from the feeding in the desert is the blessing attached to giving. Imagine if the boy in this story had refused to release his fish and bread under the assumption that it was too small to feed the multitude! Some people die in abject poverty because they are stingy. They refuse to give from what they have until they become millionaires and have enough to spare! Many people think that they need millions before they can start a business that will lead to financial breakthrough. Beloved, all you need to do is to ask God what line of action you should take. Ask Him to take the lead and to be your senior partner while you follow. I pray that the Lord God of increase will increase you this season in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point: Father, please increase the little I have today in Jesus’ Name.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click HERE to read Open Heavens 4th June 2018, Monday Daily Devotional – Know Your Rights In God 

Hymn 12: Take My Life, And Let It Be

1.Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.

2.Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3.Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose,
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Open Heavens 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.

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.

The post Open Heavens 5 June 2018 – You Think You Don’t Have Enough? appeared first on Flatimes.

Guatemala Volcano Death Toll Up to 33, Expected to Rise

The charred landscape left behind by Guatemala’s erupting Volcano of Fire was still too hot in many places Monday to pull out bodies so thickly coated with ash that they looked like statues. First-responders in helicopters managed to pull at least 10 people alive from the ash drifts and mud as the death toll rose to 33 and was expected to go much higher.

Ash was piled up to the rooflines of some homes and rescuers used sledgehammers to break through the roofs of some completely buried houses to see if anyone was trapped inside.

Residents of El Rodeo, about 8 miles (12 kilometers) downslope from the crater, said they were caught unaware by the fast-moving hot ash and rock when the volcano west of Guatemala City exploded Sunday, sending towering clouds into the air.

Searing flows of ash mixed with water and debris gushed down the volcano’s flanks, blocking roads and burning homes.

Hilda Lopez said the volcanic mud swept into her village of San Miguel Los Lotes, just below the mountain’s flanks, and she didn’t know where her mother and sister were.

“We were at a party, celebrating the birth of a baby, when one of the neighbors shouted at us to come out and see the lava that was coming,” the distraught woman said. “We didn’t believe it, and when we went out the hot mud was already coming down the street.”

“My mother was stuck there, she couldn’t get out,” said Lopez, weeping and holding her face in her hands.

Lopez’s husband, Joel Gonzalez, said his father had been unable to escape and was believed to be “buried back there, at the house.”

At least 33…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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Pakistan: Christians Told They Can’t Have a Church in Muslim-majority Village

Pakistan: Christians Told They Can’t Have a Church in Muslim-majority Village



Christians in a village in Pakistan’s Punjab province have been told to remove every visible sign of Christianity from their church, six months after being forced to sign a form pledging they would no longer hold services.


The 40 Christian families in Nayya Sarabah (Chak 336) village, part of Toba Tek Singh district near Faisalabad, haven’t held a service since before Christmas.


Muslim resident Hajji Muhammad Siddique told World Watch Monitor that, as “Muslims are in the majority in the village, we can’t allow a church here.”


“Now we are working with the civil administration to give a piece of land to Christians outside the village,” said Siddique, 73, who runs a dispensary. “When it is done, we will make the Christians write an agreement that they will sell this current church building or at least dismantle the church structure and crosses.”


“Most of the Christians of the village work as brick-kiln labourers,” he added. “It is only Rafaqat Masih, who, being a retired army personnel, is trying to be a leader and has helped build a church in the village.”


The church is run by Pastor Samuel Masih, but it is Rafaqat Masih, a union councillor for minorities, who has been at the forefront of efforts to resolve the matter.


Most of the Christians are poor labourers. The church belongs to Full Gospel Assemblies, an evangelical group…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

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Sharaya Colter Still Defends Paige Patterson, Calls Seminary Statement ‘Unfounded Attack’

(Photo/Screenshot:Facebook; YouTube)Paige Patterson, 75, speaks at the AWAKEN Conference in Las Vegas, NV, in January 2014. Sharaya Colter appears in inset photo.

The wife of a former staffer at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary remains unwavering in her defense of Paige Patterson and dismissed the seminary board’s statement that Patterson was terminated partly because he lied about reporting an alleged student rape at another seminary. She called it an “unfounded attack.” 

“The most recent charge against Dr. Patterson is one to which he gave an answer that satisfied the board of trustees May 22, which is why it wasn’t named as a reason for his removal from the presidency. I was not privy to his reply but I do trust his character,” Sharayah Colter, wife of former chief of staff at SWBTS, Scott Colter, wrote in a statement released on Twitter Sunday.

“I’m sure when the full truth is revealed about this too, the accusation will be seen for the unfounded attack that it is. There are things even Jesus said and did that, if taken out of context, would have seemed incriminating. But of course there was nothing incriminating about our perfect, sinless Savior,” she added. 

The chairman of the board of trustees, Kevin Ueckert, revealed on Friday that their decision…

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Church minister warns of threat to orphan facing deportation

Church of Scotland minister Rev Brian Casey launched a petition to help keep Giorgi Kakava in Scotland on Thursday, with more than 50,000 people having signed it in the last three days.

The youngster was just three when he fled Georgia with his mother Sopio Baikhadze, after she discovered his father – who later died – owed money to gangsters there.

 

The minister, who met the boy at primary school, became more involved with helping him when his mother – who was known as Sophie – died in February after suffering a “long and painful illness”.

Rev Casey, of Springburn Parish Church, said: “I conducted her funeral and have been supporting Giorgi ever since.

“Sophie was in the middle of an asylum application when she died and this has left Giorgi at threat of deportation to a country he doesn’t know and a language he cannot speak.”

The minister said: “Giorgi came here after his mother discovered that his father owed money to gangsters. They threatened Georgi’s life and his mum Sophie fled Georgia and came to Glasgow.

“I have known Giorgi since he went to the primary school I am the chaplain for and he is a gentle, thoughtful, intelligent and funny boy. A typical 10-year-old Scottish boy.”

He added: “Giorgi is, to all intents and purposes, Scottish and is doing well at his primary school. If he was returned to Georgia against his will, he would be under threat.”

Giorgi’s…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Report shows how faith groups can be better prepared for emergencies after Grenfell

Religious think tank Theos released a new report entitled After Grenfell: the Faith Groups’ Response.

It states that faith organisations were vital to the response efforts and had a major impact.

 

“In the chaos, the role of the diverse faith groups in the community stood out. Churches, mosques, synagogues, and gurdwaras all stepped up to the plate, responding practically, emotionally and spiritually to a moment of pain and confusion. At least fifteen separate centres run by faith communities responded,” it said.

Amy Plender, research assistant with Theos, told Premier News Hour the immediacy of the response should be commended.

“Due to living in the community and being really rooted in the community they [faith groups] were able to open their doors within the hour of the first 999 calls,” she said.

“It was practical. They received and distributed food, water and clothing to people who had fled with literally just the clothes they were standing in.”

However, she noted that while the response was great, it wasn’t perfect and there is room to improve.

She said faith groups should have a financial and material donation system in place for when donations start flooding in.

Plender also stressed the importance of faith groups being noticeable in the community.

“If you’re a church that ever uses a dog collar… making sure you’re visible,” she said.

“Wearing your dog collar in…

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Univ. of MN Students Start Petition to Keep Medical Fellowship with Planned Parenthood

Univ. of MN Students Start Petition to Keep Medical Fellowship with Planned Parenthood



A group of students at the University of Minnesota is petitioning the university to reinstate a fellowship for medical students that would allow the students to partner with a local Planned Parenthood facility.


The petition calls on the University not to “allow partisan politics to influence education, particularly when it deprives our medical students of an opportunity to become further trained in essential reproductive healthcare.”


“Our hope is that our voices are heard loud and clear,” said the co-author of the petition, Trish Palermo, according to LifeNews.com.


The University initially suspended the fellowship after receiving many complaints from students, parents, and pro-life groups who were concerned that the school was partnering with Planned Parenthood and encouraging medical students to learn how to abort babies.


The fellowship is currently under review for at least a year, but some students hope to get it reinstated for the fall semester.


In response to the petition, the university wrote in a statement: “The Medical School did not make this decision [to suspend the fellowship] alone. The decision was made by President (Kaler) and his senior advisers at a critical point in the legislative session with the threat of elimination of the university’s bonding request.”


 


Photo courtesy: Flickr.com


Publication date: June…

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Supreme Court victory for Christian cake maker

US based Jack Phillips from Masterpiece Cakeshop said it went against his faith to provide the cake back in 2012.

Judges at the court ruled 7 to 2 in his favour.

 

They said the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, who took the case against Phillips, showed hostility to religion.

The judges added that the rights of Jack Phillips had been violated under the first amendment.

Phillips was supported in the legal action by religious freedom group Alliance Defending Freedom.

ADF

 

Speaking after the verdict was announced on Monday, ADF Senior Counsel Kristen Waggoner said: “Jack serves all customers; he simply declines to express messages or celebrate events that violate his deeply held beliefs.

“Creative professionals who serve all people should be free to create art consistent with their convictions without the threat of government punishment. Government hostility toward people of faith has no place in our society, yet the state of Colorado was openly antagonistic toward Jack’s religious beliefs about marriage.

“The court was right to condemn that. Tolerance and respect for good-faith differences of opinion are essential in a society like ours. This decision makes clear that the government must respect Jack’s beliefs about marriage.

In a similar case in the UK, Ashers Bakery is currently awaiting a verdict in its appeal against a court…

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Pope expresses ‘sorrow’ at Nicaragua bloodshed

The Catholic leader also appealed for peace in the Latin American nation, amid unrest first prompted in April by new legislation which cut social security and pensions.

The news agency of the Holy See, Vatican News, said: “Uniting himself to the concerns of the country’s bishops, the Pope called for an end to all violence and prayed for the victims and their families.”

 

Despite, swiftly revoking the unpopular law he introduced, President Daniel Ortega has seen himself become the focus of disquiet in Nicaragua – which is home to 5.9 million people.

Francis said that the Catholic Church is always supportive of dialogue but “it requires active engagement in respect for freedom and, above all, life.”

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

 

Human rights campaigners have accused police of using excessive force against demonstrators.

President Ortega says he has no intention of quitting.

AP Photo/Esteban Felix

 

On Saturday, two people died when police laid siege to a church where approximately 30 opposition supporters sought refuge – 20km south of the capital Managua. They were later freed after Catholic authorities intervened.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

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