Topic: Worth Celebrating — Monday 4, December 2017.

Memorise: Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. – Luke 19:20

Read: Luke 10:17-20 (KJV)

17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Bible in One Year: Psalm 102-105, Habakkuk 1:1-2:1, Hymn: Sing Hymn 12 – How Sweet The Name Of Jesus

MESSAGE:

If you are sure of your salvation from sin, you need to be grateful to God. The reason is that there is nothing else in the whole wide world that can transform a sinner into a saint other than the Name of Jesus and the power of His Blood. 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.”

No hero from any country can save you; neither can any prophet from any age or dispensation deliver you. No amount of money can buy you out of Hell, and no level of good works or moral uprightness can redeem you either. Only faith in the Name of Jesus and faith in the cleansing power of His Blood can save you. Thank God that Jesus fully paid the price of our redemption! If He had only paid in part, you can be sure that no one would have been saved today, going by Satan’s antecedents. However, Jesus fully paid for our redemption Hallelujah! To show that the price has been paid in full, shortly before He died on the cross, He publicly declared “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Therefore, you ought to daily thank God for your salvation. How often do you appreciate Him for saving your soul?

Today, many believers celebrate their birthdays, graduation from school, promotion at the office, appointments, winning big contracts and other major achievements in life, but many of these people forget to even say “Thank You Jesus for the salvation of my soul”. This is the benefit that should give you the greatest joy! After the 70 disciples sent out by the Lord for evangelism returned with fantastic testimonies of the success of their outing, the Lord shocked them by telling them that they were rejoicing over what was not the main issue. He then told them what the object of their joy should be:

“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” – Luke 10:20

Your salvation from sin is far more important than any other achievements you have on earth. Great is the value that God and the whole of heaven place on it. You should therefore thank God for it every day of your life, it is well worth it.

Key Point: If you knew the severity of eternal hell, you would treasure the salvation of your soul and thank God always for it.

Hymn 12: How Sweet The Name Of Jesus

Verse 1
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds,
And drives away our fear.

Verse 2
It makes the wounded spirit whole
And calms the troubled breast;
’tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.

Verse 3
o Jesus, shepherd, guardian, friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise l bring.

Verse 4
How weak the effort of my heart,
How cold my warmest thought
Hut when see you as you are,
I’ll praise you aslought

Verse 5
Till then I would your love proclaim
With every fleeting breath;
And may the music of your name
Refresh my soul death.

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.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

Topic: Celebrate God’s Greatness — Sunday December 3, 2017.

Text:  Psa. 104:1 (NIV), Psa.126:3 (NIV), Psa. 147:5 (NIV), Psa.145:3 (NIV)

Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

Our God is great and He deserves to be praised and celebrated greatly. In the King James Version, our last text above says, “great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” His greatness extends beyond what our minds can ever reason or imagine. Nothing and no one can measure up to His unimaginable greatness. As such, He deserves our unparallelled worship, adoration and gratitude.

Psalm 92:5 (NLT) says, “O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts.” By His great works and His deep thoughts, God has severally done marvelous things in your life and so He deserves your unreserved praise, worship and adoration.

God wants us to declare His greatness and He wants us to praise and celebrate Him for how great He is and for how He has manifested His greatness in various ways in our lives this year and even in the past. After Jesus cleansed a man who had been possessed with demons, He said to him: “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you,” Mark 5:19 (NKJV). Rejoice, sing, dance, thank Him and bless His name like never before. Let there be great joy in your heart. Testify of His greatness. We can never celebrate our God’s greatness enough, for He is greater than we can even praise Him for. As you praise and celebrate God for His greatness, He will show you even more of that greatness. You will continue to have bountiful testimonies of God’s greatness.

Prayer Focus: You are great, O God, and my life is filled with testimonies of Your greatness! I celebrate Your greatness.

Empowered to do Exploits…

CGMI Above Only Daily Devotional, was written by Most Rev. M.E. Benson-Idahosa, Archbishop of Church of God Mission International, CGMI.

As 2017 ends and 2018 begins, I decree: The testimony that will make people to ask you, “How Did It Happen?” shall locate you in Jesus Christ name.

Topic: Why Me Lord? -2 [Sunday, December 3, 2017]

Basic Scriptures: Psalm 34:1-22

Welcome to another blessed moment with the Lord. Doubt, unnecessary questions, feelings of confusion, anger and abandonment are only natural when we experience suffering or see someone we love suffer. Still, we must be assured that God understand our hurts and feelings. Yes, like faithful men of old, we can open our hearts to Him and express our doubts and anxieties (Exodus 5:22; Jeremiah 14:19; Habakkuk 1:13; Job 10:1-3), but we must realize that even though God does not always miraculously remove our trials, He responds to our fervent prayers. He can grant us the wisdom and strength to deal with them.

1 Peter 5:7 says: “Throw all your anxiety upon God” (Good News Bible). The KJV puts it thus: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.” No matter what you go through, never forget that, “the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears are open to their cry” – Psalm 34:15. See also Proverbs 15:3 – “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” That means He sees your tests (the evil) and your testimonies (the good)! Jehovah sees you and is planning a way out of every evil (harsh trial or temptation) for you.

When you stop worrying, you start winning! Consider this old Chinese proverb: “The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man perfected without trials.” And don’t forget that a path without obstacles in most cases does not lead anywhere. So, stop complaining and asking “WHY ME LORD”? Stop envying others! Stop comparing yourself to others and stop allowing depression to swallow up your joy!

As 2017 ends and 2018 begins, I decree: The testimony that will make people to ask you, “How Did It Happen?” shall locate you in Jesus Christ name. Yea! The shocking miracle that will make men to scream: “It is a lie! This is unbelievable! That is not possible. This your God is great,” shall locate your address in Jesus Christ name! If you hold on to this God, the Favor that Ridicules Labor, the Breakthrough That Surpasses Human Imagination And Expectation shall hit your life, family/ministry in Jesus Christ name.

Look forward to 2018 with hope and faith because I was told: IT IS YOUR YEAR OF SPECIAL DECORATION! Amen! Pray now!

(The 2018 ODM and “War Against Haman -13” booklets are out! Give them out as Christmas and New Year gift items. Get your copies from your nearest bookshop now! Give to FAMILY/ FRIENDS this month)!

Prayer Points: Take Song 2; I need thee………

1. Pray yesterday’s prayer points.

2. Satan, as 2107 ends, you cannot stop my life and ministry! My advancement is not negotiable! I loose my progress/end-of-year testimony in Jesus Christ name.

3. I refuse to murmur! By the grace of God, no attack or trial shall demote my life and ministry in Jesus Christ name.

4. One by One, pray and claim the PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS in the last part of today’s devotional write-up (pray it seriously). Pray about today NOW!

By Bishop (Dr) Chris E. Kwakpovwe (Cek)
Publisher/Writer Of ODM And

Rev (Mrs) Flora E. Kwakpovwe (Fek)
Co-Publisher/Writer Of ODM.