Open Heaven 29 July 2024 Monday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Your Phone Vs Your Bible

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Redeemed Christian Church of God Open Heavens 29 July 2024 TOPIC: Your Phone Vs Your Bible

MEMORISE: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:3 (KJV)

READ: Exodus 20:3-6 (KJV)

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 53-56

Open Heaven 29 July 2024 MESSAGE

Today’s cell phones are extremely effective; with them, you can communicate with anybody in the world. Despite this being a positive thing, you must be careful not to live under your phone’s influence. You must not get addicted to your phone or live by it because Jesus said that man is to live by every word that comes out of God’s mouth (Matthew 4:4). Your Bible is what you must be addicted to and live by, not your phone. If you are not conscious of this, your phone may easily replace the word of God in your life, and this is quite dangerous because the Bible says that our God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14).

Also Read: Open Heaven 28 July 2024 – Good Followership (4)

When you wake up in the morning, do you pick up your phone first or your Bible? You may say that you pick up your phone to check the time, but really, do you study the apps on your phone first or the verses in your Bible? Throughout the day, what do you have more on your mind, what you saw on your phone or what you read in the Bible? You are to meditate on God’s word day and night, not on social media feeds and reels. When you want to start a conversation with your friend in your DM, what interesting thing do you start with, a funny meme or a Scripture? Ephesians 5:19 says that we are to speak to each other in psalms and hymns, but many no longer have such conversations; it is all about celebrity gossip and memes. Can you see that there is a need to repent if your heart has been drawn away from God for so long without you knowing it? It is time to return to God’s word and become addicted to it again. It is time to begin to study the word first thing in the morning and last thing at night every day.

If your heart has been drawn away from God, to bring your heart back to God’s word, you will have to exercise a lot of self-control. You must take decisive actions and stick with them. For example, decide to charge your phone far from you and put your Bible beside your pillow at bedtime. This way, you will read it before you sleep and pick it up when you wake up. You may need to delete some apps that you are addicted to. The time spent on them can be put to better use in prayers and the study of the word of God.

Open Heaven 29 July 2024 KEY POINT

Don’t allow your phone to become the devil’s weapon against your spiritual life.

Open Heaven 29 July 2024 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 ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless 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 power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power 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 2024 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 for Today 2024.

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Open Heaven 28 July 2024 | Good Followership (4)

View previous message here – Open Heaven 27 July 2024 | Good Followership (3)

Open Heaven 28 July 2024 Sunday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Good Followership (4)

Open Heaven 28 July 2024 TOPIC: Good Followership (4)

MEMORISE: “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;” – Romans 15:30 (KJV)

READ: Matthew 26:36-38 (KJV)

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 50-52

Open Heaven 28 July 2024 MESSAGE
As I conclude my teaching on good followership which I started some days ago, it is important to note that no matter how strong leaders may appear to be, they need to be encouraged sometimes by their followers. This is primarily because leadership is full of ups and downs. During the down moments, encouraging leaders will go a long way in helping them to succeed. Speaking words of encouragement, sending gifts, and honouring your leaders in whatever way you can, will help them feel encouraged to keep going, despite the burden of leadership.

Many years ago, I felt discouraged. I had resigned from my lucrative lecturing job to become the church’s General Overseer and spent almost all my time praying for people and teaching them. There was a lot of burden on me, yet it seemed no one appreciated my efforts. One day, I was so discouraged and tired of my position as the General Overseer and then I fell asleep in my office. When I woke up, a young girl was in my office with a cake. She said that God had told her to bring me the cake. I don’t really like cakes, but I ate it because I was really touched by her thoughtfulness. When God lays it in your heart to do something to encourage your leader, please do not hesitate to do it; it may be the difference between the leader giving up or continuing the work.

A good follower will always try to reduce the stress on a leader rather than add to it. Leaders are human beings like you; they face challenges just like you do, and even more as a result of the leadership position they occupy. You may not be able to totally relieve them of the stress that comes with leadership, but you can encourage them so they don’t feel all their effort is a waste, and so they can keep doing more. Some years ago, I was really down, but what helped me to get up and keep going was the message of one of my daughters in the Lord. She said, “Daddy, let God carry you.” Your message may be what God will use to encourage your leader.

When Jesus was close to His crucifixion, He took Peter, James and John to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray alongside Him; He needed their encouragement for the task ahead.

Pray for your leaders. Sometimes, seeing that you are praying for them is the encouragement they need to keep going.

Open Heaven 28 July 2024 HYMN 8 – I Need Thee Every Hour
1 I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

2 I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r
When Thou art nigh. [Refrain]

3 I need Thee ev’ry hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain. [Refrain]

4 I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill. [Refrain]

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Open Heaven 27 July 2024 | Good Followership (3)

Open Heaven 27 July 2024 Saturday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Good Followership (3)

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Open Heaven 27 July 2024 TOPIC: Good Followership (3)

MEMORISE: “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.” – Galatians 2:11 (KJV)

READ: Galatians 2:11-14 (KJV)

11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 47-49

Open Heaven 27 July 2024 MESSAGE

One major leadership challenge is that some people see leaders as being superhuman when they are not. I mentioned yesterday that leaders need help sometimes, but beyond that, you should also note that they can make mistakes.

When leaders err, people are sometimes afraid to correct them. However, leaders need to be corrected so they don’t put their followers in trouble. I’m sure one of David’s regrets was not listening to Joab when he was told not to conduct a census because it led to the death of over 70,000 of his followers (1 Chronicles 21:1-14).

Also Read: Open Heaven 26 July 2024 – Good Followership (2)

As a good follower, you must not keep quiet when you see your leader going in the wrong direction; respectfully correct them. Years ago, I published a book in which I tried to justify the statement of the midwives in Exodus 1:15-19, where they said that the Hebrew women were very strong and delivered their babies without assistance. Somebody who read the book boldly came to me and said, “I know you are the General Overseer, but sir, this justification is wrong.” I realised the error, thanked him, and said, “I will go to God; He knows I didn’t mean to lead anyone astray.” I re-wrote the book, stood before the congregation, and said, “I have made a mistake. I wrote something in this book that should not have been written. I apologise.” I added, “So we don’t keep remembering it, I won’t tell you what the mistake is, but I want you to return the copies you have bought, and for every copy you return, I will give you two.” I got all the books back and burnt them. Thank God someone was bold enough to correct me. Today, with how God has increased our influence, it would have been difficult to erase that error from the minds of people in the body of Christ if that fellow had felt that I could not be corrected.

In correcting a leader, ensure that it is for the good of the leader and other followers rather than to show that you know better. Discuss with the leader privately, showing love and respect. Present the matter in a way that will be easy to accept, or find someone that is closer to the leader to present it on your behalf. The leader might find it easier to take the correction from that fellow than from you.

Open Heaven 27 July 2024 KEY POINT

Don’t stand aloof when your leader commits a blunder, correct him or her with love and respect.

Open Heaven 27 July 2024 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.

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

2 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 blest if we trust and obey. [Refrain]

3 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. [Refrain]

4 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. [Refrain]

Open Heavens 2024 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 for Today 2024.