SERMONS: Peace and Holiness

SERMONS: Peace and Holiness

Peace and Holiness

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL...
DATE : Tuesday 7 October 2014
THEME : PEACE AND HOLINESS
Memorise:
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord:
Hebrews 12:14
Read: 2 Corinthians 7:1-12
1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have
defrauded no man.
3 I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our
hearts to die and live with you.
4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am
filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.
5 For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were
troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.
6 Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by
the coming of Titus;
7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was
comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your
fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.
8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent:
for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for
a season.
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to
repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive
damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but
the sorrow of the world worketh death.
11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what
carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what
indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea,
what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this
matter.
12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done
the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the
sight of God might appear unto you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 SAMUEL 24-25 and PROVERBS 8:1-21
Message
To succeed in life and make it to heaven, you need both vision and action.
Vision is no doubt one of the most powerful forces available to man on earth
today. Vision gives meaning to life. Action springs out of what we
fundamentally desire. Someone once said, “Vision without action is merely a
dream. Action without vision is just passing the time. Vision with action can
change the world.” Specifically, what vision, coupled with action is needed to
change the world and ensure that we make it to heaven? It is the vision of
peace and holiness. We need peace to change the world. Christians are
enjoined to follow peace with all men (Hebrews 12:14). The Bible also makes
it clear that peace makers shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9).
As a Christian, you are expected to live at peace with your neighbours. The
first group of neighbours you should be at peace with are your loved ones.
These include members of your household or family. Ensure that you live at
peace with all members of your nuclear family which includes: your spouse,
your children, your parents and your siblings. You should also live peacefully
with all members of your extended family, being your uncles and aunties,
cousins, nieces and nephews. You should endeavour to live peacefully with all
members of your family, regardless of their religion and regardless of whether
they give you peace of mind or not. It is unscriptural for a Christian to neglect
his or her children or aged parents. Take good care of your children, parents
and all your loved ones. Ensure that you give them peace of mind. Another
group of people we should live peacefully with are those living in the same
community with us. Demonstrate true Christianity in your relationship with
every member of your neighbourhood. Let them identify the love of God in your
utterances and actions. Aside from your loved ones, it is your responsibility to
live peacefully with those who are not kindly disposed to you. These include
your persecutors and critics. Endeavour to be at peace with all who
despitefully use you. Additionally, you should pray for peace in your
community, nation and the entire world. It is your responsibility to pray for
global peace and share the Prince of peace with all the people who are in need
of salvation. Be prayerful and active in soul-winning, follow-up and
discipleship. It is however not enough to follow peace with all men. It is
mandatory for you as a child of God to live holy. Note that the only group of
people that will see God are the pure in (Matthew 5:8).
Action Point:
Make peace with your neighbours and all who have offended you.
AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

What is a Devotional and Why is a Devotional Importan

you go to church you probably hear people
talking about different devotionals. If you go to a
Christian bookstore, you probably see a whole
section of devotionals. So what are they and why
is there so much focus in church about them?
Defining a Devotional
When you look up the term “devotional,” you get
definitions like “a short religious service” or a
“devotional exercise relating to worship.” It
doesn’t really explain what a devotional is or why
we do them.
What most people talk about when they talk
about devotionals is a book that helps you grow
in your relationship with God. It is usually broken
down into daily chapters that you can read and
pray about.
The key to understanding the devotional is to
actually break down the work. “Devotion” is a big
clue to a devotional’s use. You show your
devotion to God by reading the passage and
praying on it every day. So the collection of
readings is then known as a devotional.
Using a Devotional
So why would you want to use a devotional?
What will it actually do? Well, Christians use their
devotionals as a way to grow closer to God and
learn more about the Christian life. Devotional
books are not meant to be read in one sitting,
they are designed for you to read a bit every day
and pray on the passages. By praying every day,
Christians develop a stronger relationship with
God.
Devotions, the act of reading passages and
praying, are a staple in most denominations. Yet,
it can get pretty overwhelming when you head
into that bookstore and see row after row of
different devotionals. There are devotionals that
also function as journals and devotionals written
by famous people. There are also different
devotionals for men and women.
Advertisement
Is There a Devotional for Me?
In the end, it is a good idea to start with a
devotional specifically written for Christian teens.
This way you know the daily devotions will be
geared toward the things you deal with every day.
Then take some time to skim through the pages
to see which devotional is written in a way that
speaks to you. Just because God is working one
way in your friend or someone else at church,
doesn’t mean that God wants to work that way in
you. You need to choose a devotional that is a
good fit for you

Soldier of the cross

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL...
DATE : Monday 6 October 2014
THEME : A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS
Memorise:
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3
Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-7
1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the
same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he
may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he
strive lawfully.
6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 SAMUEL 21-23 and PROVERBS 7:10-27
Message
I believe that knowledge and wisdom are crucial to our greatness in life.
Simply put, knowledge is information that is censored by intelligence, while
wisdom is the right application of knowledge. One piece of knowledge every
child of God should have is the fact that every sincere Christian is a soldier
of the cross. Christians are combatants, and we are expected to be equipped
for battle. Ephesians 6:11 says,
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil.”
The first group of enemies Christians wrestle against are principalities,
powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high
places (Ephesians 6:12). It is our duty as soldiers of the cross to earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). A saint
is holy, and the faith delivered to the saints is of great value. Therefore, no
evil conduct must be found or even mentioned among soldiers of the cross.
How should a soldier of the cross live? We are to resist the devil (James
4:7). Resisting an opposing force is serious business. Whoever will resist
the devil should first and foremost submit himself or herself to God.
Prioritise only the needful in your life and let God be your first priority. As
soldiers of the cross, the principle of proper prioritisation is relevant to our
growth in Christ. Someone once said the reason most major goals are not
achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first. Many
Christians find it difficult to make God their first priority because petty and
mundane matters steal much of their time. Unfortunately, many are living for
the wrong things. They fail to know that part of being wise is to know what to
overlook. If God will be your Number One, there are many things you will
have to flee from or refuse to touch. One of such things is sexual immorality.
The scripture enjoins us to flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18). In the same
vein, we should flee idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14). A Christian soldier
knows, as Paul did, that all things are lawful, but not all things are
expedient. As a soldier of the cross, it is your duty to be sober, vigilant and
watchful. You should set your affection on heavenly things, not on the
mundane (Colossians 3:2). Soldiers of the cross are the elect of God and
should therefore put on the attributes of mercy, kindness, humbleness of
mind, meekness and longsuffering. We should learn to bear with one another
and to forgive one another. Finally, every soldier of the cross is expected to
demonstrate the true love of God. You should also be thankful and allow the
peace of God to rule in your heart.
Action Point:
Spend quality time in worship and in singing spiritual songs with grace in
your heart to God.
AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

Categories: Devotionals

A professional or amateur

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE : Sunday 5 October 2014 THEME : A PROFESSIONAL OR AN AMATEUR? Memorise: And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. 1 Chronicles 12:32 Read: 1 Chronicles 11:11-25 11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time. 12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties. 13 He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines. 14 And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great deliverance. 15 Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 16 And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines' garrison was then at Bethlehem. 17 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate! 18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD, 19 And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest. 20 And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had a name among the three. 21 Of the three, he was more honourable than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the first three. 22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. 23 And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. 24 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties. 25 Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard. BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 SAMEUL 18:17-20:42 and PROVERB 6:28-7:9 Message Success in life, business and ministry does not come easy. Success is realising God’s desires for you and responding obediently in order to reach your maximum potential. Attainment of success is determined by multiple factors, but it takes a combination of drive, patience, energy, a ‘can do’ attitude, efficiency and toughness to be successful. Slothfulness is one of the worst enemies of success. Proverbs 18:9 says: “He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.” Do you want to be successful in your chosen field? Be professional and avoid slothfulness. The two things that differentiate a professional from an amateur in any discipline are: thought patterns and the order of prioritisation. Though there is no single behavioural characteristic alone that can be said to lead consistently to success, there appears to be quite a consistency of behavioural patterns among successful people. For one, all successful people are intensely interested in their ventures. They are disciplined, focused and sincere disciples of their trade. Moreover, a very successful person has a feeling of personal adequacy. They all have the attribute of “I can do it if I try hard enough”. In addition, successful people are hardworking people. A sense of direction is another secret of success. A sense of direction urges action, shapes action, allows the value of action to be assessed and allows decisions to be made more easily. All highly successful people are both effective and efficient. They do things right and manage their time and resources very efficiently. They never stand still and expect things to fall into place. It must be said also that there can be no success without the personal attribute of honesty, sincerity and integrity. All successful people are goal-setters and go-getters. They set short term goals but more importantly, long term goals. Another important trait of successful people is that they are creative. Success comes as a result of generating new ideas, seeing things differently, and mobilising profitable ideas to get results. Finally, production, enthusiasm and commitment to make things happen are critical to success. A lethargic person who is not interested in innovation and production cannot be successful. Who are you, and how prepared are you for good success? Are you a professional or an amateur? Action Point: Outstanding success is of God and mediocrity is not righteousness. Pray and plan to be successful in your chosen profession. AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

Categories: Devotionals

Joyce meyer

https://www.joycemeyer.org/productfamily.aspx?category=newreleases

SOCIAL DEVIANT

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL...
DATE : Saturday 4 October 2014
THEME : SOCIAL DEVIANTS!
Memorise:
Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of
riot, speaking evil of you:
1 Peter 4:2
Read: Acts 17:5-9
5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain
lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city
on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out
to the people.
6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto
the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down
are come hither also;
7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of
Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard
these things.
9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them
go.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 SAMUEL 17:1-18:16 and PROVERBS 6:16-27
Message:
A Christian can be described as a little Christ. While on earth, Christ
exhibited integrity in all His utterances and actions. He said His children
would do greater works. Are you born-again? Are you a true child of God?
With self-discipline and appropriate preparation, you can become effective
in exhibiting integrity. Integrity as a way of life and our effectiveness in
every field depends on the measure of our preparation. The more prepared
we are, the more effective we become. Therefore, to become effective in
exhibiting integrity, you must be prepared.
God’s standard for His children is perfection (Matthew 5:48). It is pathetic to
note that many societies lack integrity. In a society where integrity has
become a scarce commodity, a person of integrity is sometimes seen as a
social deviant. Occasionally, efforts are made by bad elements of such
societies to neutralise his or her influence. This can be by subtle or outright
persecution, imposition of sanctions, or by a collective effort to undermine
his or her personality. History confirms however that a person of integrity is
always a winner. Why? He or she is consistent and credible. Are you a
person of integrity? Credibility defines integrity. The benefit of integrity is
confidence and the ability to influence others positively. The more credible
you are, the more confidence people place in you, thereby granting you the
privilege of influencing their lives. The contrast is also true. The less
credible you are as a person, the less confidence people place in you, and
the more quickly you lose your position of influence. Are you a Christian
leader? The secret to rising and not falling is integrity. Integrity is germane
to your success in ministry. There is no denying the fact that the more
credible you are, the longer your staying power and the more successful
your ministry will be. In the same vein, the less credible you are, the
shorter your staying power and the less successful your ministry will be.
Every leader needs integrity because it builds trust. A man must have
followers in order to be a leader. In order to have followers, a leader must
have their confidence. Hence, the supreme quality of a leader is
unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, whether it
is in a church, on a football field, in an army barrack or in an office. If a
man’s associates find him guilty of being a phony, if they find out that he
lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. Your teachings and actions must
square up with each other. Society may see them as deviants but the first
great need of a Christian leader is integrity and high purpose. Are you
viewed as a social deviant? Don’t lose your integrity.
Key Point:
A man’s character determines the character of his organisation. Be a person
of integrity.
AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

Categories: Devotionals