RCCG ROYAL Priesthood Sanctuary

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SATURDAY JULY 22ND 2023

THEME: LOVE AND GODLINESS II

MEMORISE: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 1 John 4:8

READ: 1 John 4:7

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

MESSAGE

Verse 8 of our text which is our memory verse, says: "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love" (1 John 4:8). This Scripture implies that not all people we find in Church know God or can be trusted. The early Church leaders did not take the issue of love lightly because they knew godliness is tested by the amount of love a believer possesses. Paul the Apostle prayed thus:

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
I Thessalonians 3:12-13

It takes love to be godly because God is love. This love made Him give up His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for us so that we would not perish (John 3:16 and 1 John 4:9). This is the standard that the Almighty God has set for those who claim to be His children. Love makes people go the extra mile in helping others. Jesus commended the good Samaritan in Luke 10:33-37 because the proof of God in us is doing good. Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated this as recorded in Acts 10:38:

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

James the Apostle describe love in practical terms when he wrote: "Yea, a man may say Thou hast faith, and l have works: sheweth me thy faith without thy works, and l will show thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18). The proof of godliness is service to humanity, according to 2 Timothy 2:21. John 15:9 also says:

As the Father hath loved me, so have l loved you: continue in my love

It is a divine commandment for all children of God to continue in His love. Are you living in the love of Christ?

PRAYER POINT
Father please fill me with every good work and let me reflect Your love to the world.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 29-31

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 13: JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW

1. Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong;
They are weak, but he is strong.

Refrain:
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.

2. Jesus loves me he who died
Heaven's gate to open wide.
He will wash away my sin,
Let his little child come in. [Refrain]

3. Jesus loves me, this I know,
As he loved so long ago,
Taking children on his knee,
Saying, "Let them come to me."

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY JULY 21ST 2023

THEME: LOVE AND GODLINESS I

MEMORISE: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1 John 4:7

READ: 1 John 4:7

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

MESSAGE

One great proof of godliness is seen in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life for us in love. He expressly commands us to love, according to John 13:34-35:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

By the rate which hatred is growing among some self-professing believers, we can ask, "Where is the fulfilment of this commandment?" There could be many reasons for this unpleasant development in the Body of Christ. One is the loss of focus on heaven - where we all aspire to spend eternity. Related to that is the love for this present age. When a person begins to feel jealousy towards another, hatred develops and before long, godliness is thrown to the wind. In our memory verse taken from the main text, John - the Apostle of love wrote:

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
I John 4:7

The above Scripture shows the importance of love among brethren. Beloved, are you in love? Remember, if you are not living in love, you are in death, according to 1 John 3:14, which says:

We know we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren, He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6:

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Be sure to remove hatred from your heart today, if you do not want all your Christisn service to be in vain on the last day. There's no godliness without love.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please rekindle Your love in me towards my brethren and let this same love propel me to go out in search of sinners, for their salvation.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 25-28

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 31: 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, O won’t you believe it?

Wonderful story of love!

Refrain:

Wonderful! Wonderful!

Wonderful story, 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 HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY APRIL 18TH 2023

THEME: DESTINY DESTROYERS: ANGER

MEMORISE: Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Eccl. 7:9

READ: Proverbs 14:29

29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

MESSAGE

Anger is one major tool that the devil uses to destroy destinies. Everybody knows clearly that no one just gets angry for no reason, without any provocation. Ecclesiastes 7:9 says, "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools". In Numbers 20:1-2, Moses - who had been laboring for God for forty years and leading a very difficult set of people, lost his temper just before he got to the promised land and so didn't enter into it. Watch it: anytime something is about to make you angry, quickly check yourself; the devil may be preparing to spring an attack.

Anger is very dangerous. There was a man whose only problem was anger. Whenever he got angry, he could do anything. He had just bought a brand new car, parked it in front of the house and was rejoicing when his son took something sharp and scratched it on the new car. This man saw it and out of anger, use the first thing he saw - a hammer, to smash his son's hand. The boy screamed. Upon realizing what he had done, the man rushed the boy to the hospital, where the doctor said

The only solution was to amputate the boy's fingers. The following day, he went to see the boy in the hospital and the boy said to him, "Daddy, when will my finger grow again?" The man went back home with a heavy heart. He then decided to go and check what the boy had written on the car anyway. The boy had written on the car, "Daddy l love you". The man was so devastated that he committed su***de.

Anger is temporary madness; that is why you hear people say, "I was mad with him" and they say it with pride. If you really want to fulfil your destiny, you have to deal with anger in your life.

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

Proverbs 16:32

Rule your spirit. Don't let anger bring you down.

PRAYER POINT

Father, destroy any root of anger in me., in Jesus name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2King 1-3

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME

1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save me from its guilt and power.

2 Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All could never sin erase,
Thou must save, and save by grace.

3 Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace:
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

4 While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY APRIL 11TH 2023

THEME: DESTINY DESTROYERS: PRIDE 1

MEMORISE: For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Luke 14:11

READ: Luke 14:7 -11

7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

MESSAGE

A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Proverbs 29:23

Pride is one of the greatest destroyers of men – especially those who have achieved something great. That means if the devil wants to bring a great man down, he does not have to bother himself sending witches and wizards to that man; all he has to do is bring out the pride in the man. Proverbs 25:27 says:

It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

Seeking glory for yourself will not bring you glory but shame. Stop seeking people to lift you on their shoulders as if you are the best thing to have come into the world; humble yourself. The devil was once a very special arch-angel in heaven, but pride got into his head because of how beautiful he was. He started seeking glory for himself, even the glory of God’s own throne. He ended up being brought so low that, at the end of time, he will be locked up in the pit of fire to suffer forever.

The prescription of God for every Christian is to prefer others above yourself in honour. Romans 12:10 says, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another”.

The day you forget that everything you have is given to you by God is the day you begin to decline. Nebuchadnezzar was warned in Daniel 4:24-27 like I am warning you now, but he didn’t heed the counsel. Pride rose up in him and he started to boast about the things that God had done through him, calling them his achievements. He was brought so low that he was eating grass with the animals in the bush. James 4:6 says those who want the grace of God to work in their lives must be humble. Be humble, pride is a destiny destroyer.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please destroy the root of pride in my life, in Jesus’ name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1King 6-7

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 15: PASS ME NOT O GENTLE SAVIOUR

1. Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

CHORUS
Saviour Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

2. Let me, at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.
[Refrain]

3. Trusting only in Thy merit
Would I seek Thy face
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
[Refrain]

4. Thou, the spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me.
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heaven but Thee
[Refrain]

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: WEDNESDAY 5TH APRIL 2023

TOPIC: THE GREATEST ENEMY OF MAN

MEMORISE:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
1 Corinthians 9:27

READ: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

MESSAGE

Your biggest enemy is not the devil, neither is it your mother-in-law, witches nor wizards. As a child of God, you know very well that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). The Bible made it clear that you are more than conquerors through Him that loved you (Romans8:37).

Your number one enemy is yourself. The one who is truly victorious is the one who has conquered himself. When you live according to the dictates of your flesh, you give it permission to destroy you and it is good at doing that.

"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."
Proverbs 16:32

Samson took down an entire city single-handedly but could not conquer himself. He was so powerful that cities feared him, but in the lap of a woman, he was the weakest of men. Even a little child knows better than to touch a piece of hot iron that had burned him or her before. In Samson's case however, he told Delilah a lie about the source of his power and awoke to find that she had used the information against him, yet he did not stay away from her. He told her another lie and she tried to exploit it and failed again, yet he did not stay away. To make matters worse, he told her the truth at last and ended up grinding corn for the same enemies that used to fear him (Judges 16:6-21). You may say Samson was a fool, but what about you? Have you been staying away from those sins that easily beset you?

When a child of God is really fervent, the devil starts searching out his weakness. The moment he finds it, he will try to use it as a weapon for that child of God to destroy himself or herself. That is why you must destroy that weakness before the devil uses it against you. Proverbs 25:28 says, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls". Control yourself so that you would be victorious against the attacks of the devil.

REFLECTION:
Have you conquered yourself?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Samuel 14-16

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 23: 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

DATE: MONDAY APRIL 3RD 2023

THEME: DON'T FIGHT GOD

MEMORISE: Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Isaiah 45:9

READ: Isaiah 45:9 -10

9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

MESSAGE

Sequel to the discussion we started yesterday, the side you take determines who you fight against. If you take the side of God, you would be fighting against the devil and his demons. If you disobey the Lord, then you have chosen the side of the devil and would thus be fighting against God. Believe me honestly, you don't want to fight God. He is too big for you to take sides against and survive.

God has His way of dealing with people who take sides with the devil through disobedience to Him. One way is to withdraw His support from such a fellow like He did in Joshua 7:1-12 when Joshua failed because he had accommodated sin in his camp. Another way is to completely forsake the fellow like He did Samson in Judges 16:18-31. There are many people experiencing either of these today but they don’t realize that it is God fighting them so they keep fighting without realizing that the One they are battling against cannot be defeated.

There was a lawyer who once told me that tithing was just a means for pastors to collect people's hard-earned money. I tried to explain to him that tithing was a commandment from God, but he refused to listen, so l said to him: "May l ask God to prove by Himself through you if tithing is His will or not?" He replied, "Pray the prayer" so l did. This brilliant lawyer lost all the three cases he handled immediately after this incident. This tarnished his reputation, and he lost some business. This man also owned a bakery and suddenly, during a festive period when most bakeries record higher demand and sales, all his bakers decided to resign from their jobs. He offered double their salaries, but they all insisted that they were leaving. Hard as he tried, he couldn't get new bakers. After he realized that this must be God fighting him, he came to me and said, "l agree now that tithing is God's will, please pray for me". We prayed a simple prayer; he appealed the three case she had lost and won all of them. His bakers also returned to work with him, and everything became good again.

Beloved, disobeying God amounts to fighting Him and woe unto him that fight his Maker (Isaiah 45:9).

KEY POINT

When you disobey God, you're taking sides with the devil to fight Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Samuel 8-11

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD

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 nor a fear,
Not a sigh nor 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 nor a loss,
Not a frown nor a cross,
But is blest 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 favour He shows
And 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 DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY MARCH 28TH 2023

THEME: IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD

MEMORISE: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

READ: John 1:1 -10

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

MESSAGE

The simple statement, "In the beginning was the Word..." is pregnant with many meanings. One of those meanings is that before anything that exists now ever existed, the Word was already existing. In other words, He saw the beginning of everything else since all things were made by Him (John 1:3).

The day you dedicate your new house, that is the beginning of your dwelling in that house, but the day you laid the foundation of the house was also another beginning. When the architect began to draw the plan of the house was another beginning while the day you – the Landlord – conceived the idea to build a house was also another beginning all together.

Humanly speaking, the day your Father and mother met together to produce you is another beginning of the house, because if you were not born, you would not have thought of building that house. Jeremiah 1:4-5 says that before God formed you, He knew you. Thus that house of yours started in the mind of God long before you were born. God had in His plan a house that you were going to build even before you were born. Thus, no matter what it is that exists, it has its root in God. This is good news for children of God because since He was in the beginning of everything and everything was made by Him, then everything is controlled by Him – The Word. Therefore, when you simply speak the word of God into any situation, you gain control over it.

Before the mountains were brought forth, He has been God (Psalm 90:1-2). This is why Mark 11:22-24 says that if you have faith, you can speak to any mountain and it will move. For example, if the mountain of sickness wants to bring you down, you uproot it with the word of God in Isaiah 53:5 that by Jesus' stripes you are healed. If it is the mountain of failure, then you uproot it with the word in Deuteronomy 28:13 that says you shall be the head and not the tail. If it is the mountain of poverty threatening you, then you tell it the word in 2 Corinthians 8:9 thatJesus was made poor that you may be rich. The Word will grant you all-round victory in Jesus' name.

ACTION POINT

Search out what the word says about that mountain in your path and begin to declare it in faith.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Samuel 19-21

HYMN 6: I AM SO GLAD THAT OUR FATHER IN HEAV'N

1. I am so glad that our Father in heaven
Tell of His love in the book He has given;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see;
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.

REFRAIN:
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me,
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.

2. Jesus loves me and I know I love Him;
Love brought Him down my lost soul to redeem;
Yes, it was love made Him die on the tree:
Oh, I am certain that Jesus love me.

3. In this assurance I find sweetest rest,
Trusting in Jesus I know I am blessed;
Satan, dismayed from my soul doth now flee,
When I just tell him that Jesus loves me.

4. Oh, if there’s only one song I can sing,
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song in eternity be,
“Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me!”

5. If one should ask of me, how can I tell?
Glory to Jesus, I know very well!
God’s Holy Spirit with mine doth agree,
Constantly witnessing Jesus loves me.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY MARCH 26TH 2023

THEME: WHEN GOD ALLOWS MOUNTAINS II

MEMORISE: And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Isaiah 62:2

READ: Genesis 41:8 -41

8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:

10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker:

11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.

13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.

16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:

20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good

23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;

31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.

34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:

40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

MESSAGE

Many a time when God allows a mountain to stand in your way, it is because He wants to showcase you to the world. He uses your victory over mountain to show the world His investments in your life. In 1 Samuel 17:1-51, when Goliath was marching up and down, terrorising the nation of Israel, God was advertising the mountain so that everyone would see how big it was. At the time Goliath was boasting, nobody knew David yet. Nobody knew that anointing had already come on a little boy from an ordinary home; nobody knew that there was a teenage boy who had killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands. God was about to present him to the whole world. Thank God David did not run away from his mountain that day because by the time he was standing on Goliath's dead body, lifting his severed head, everybody knew he was someone special.

I pray God will use the mountain before you as an opportunity to showcase His glory upon your life to the whole world in Jesus' name.

Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven". God derives glory when His children shine their lights and displace darkness brought about by mountains. When there is a problem in your office, it may be the opportunity God has designed to showcase you in that office or industry. When there is crisis in your family, that could be God's arrangement to show everyone in the family that He has an anointed child in their midst and to draw them to Himself. Don't shy away from the problem, face it and solve it.

From our Bible reading today, we saw Joseph was already interpreting dreams as a prisoner before he got the opportunity to interpret the king's dream, which led to God showcasing him to the whole world.

You must diligently and consistently develop yourself so that the day God decides to showcase you to the world; you will be prepared and equipped to overcome the mountain by His grace.

REFLECTION

What are you doing to develop and prepare yourself for the day God decides to showcase you to the world?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Samuel 15-16

HYMN 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD

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 nor a loss,
Not a frown nor a cross,
But is blest 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 favour He shows,
And 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.