The_pearl

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY 1ST JULY 2019

THEME: BACKSLIDING: A NEGATIVE REBIRTH.

MEMORISE:

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. Proverbs 14:14

READ: Daniel 4:28-33

28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

MESSAGE

The spiritual regeneration experience can either be positive or negative. The type that Jesus recommended to Nicodemus in John 3:3-5 is the positive kind. Describing it, the Holy Spirit says in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

However, there is also the negative kind of rebirth. When a person who was filled with good works turns around and begin to behave badly, such a person is manifesting the symptoms of negative rebirth. The Bible refers to this as backsliding. According to today’s memory verse, a “backsliding”. According to today’s memory verse, a backslider begins to behave abnormally, exalting personal satisfaction above God’s will.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s transformation in today’s Bible reading demonstrates what negative rebirth is all about. In the twinkling of an eye, he changed from a royal majesty to an animal, to the extent that he began to graze like cattle! When a child of God suddenly develops the appetite for alcohol, cigarettes, pornography or extramarital affairs, he or she has experienced a negative rebirth. Don’t be surprised therefore when you see holiness preachers of yesteryear beginning to say that holiness is an illusion-they have undergone a negative rebirth. Are you in a backslidden state? My prayer for you is that the Almighty God will restore you, and every satanic appetite for sin shall vanish from your life in Jesus’ Name.

Why did Nebuchadnezzar experience negative rebirth? The answer lies in Daniel 4:27- he refused to take heed when God’s prophet warned him to turn from his wicked ways. It is amazing that in spite of the miracles that Nebuchadnezzar experienced, including seeing the Son of God walking around in the fiery furnace, he continued to be arrogant before God of heaven (Daniel 3:22-25). In like manner, is it not surprising that in spite of reality of HIV/AIDS, some people still practice prostitution and have several people patronizing them? It is more disheartening when one sees Christians or ministers of God for that matter going back to their old vomit and engaging in sexual immorality and fraudulent practices. Are you one of such people? God is saying to you today in Ezekiel 18:31:

“Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

It is time for you to repent so that times of refreshing can be poured over your life (Acts 3:19).

ACTION POINT:

Examine your life today to see where you need positive rebirth through genuine repentance. If the Lord is speaking to you on this matter, go ahead and repent without further delay.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 7-8
Ezekiel 8:7-18

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 9: IN CHRIST ALONE

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY 1ST JULY 2019

THEME: BACKSLIDING: A NEGATIVE REBIRTH.

MEMORISE:

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. Proverbs 14:14

READ: Daniel 4:28-33

28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

MESSAGE

The spiritual regeneration experience can either be positive or negative. The type that Jesus recommended to Nicodemus in John 3:3-5 is the positive kind. Describing it, the Holy Spirit says in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

However, there is also the negative kind of rebirth. When a person who was filled with good works turns around and begin to behave badly, such a person is manifesting the symptoms of negative rebirth. The Bible refers to this as backsliding. According to today’s memory verse, a “backsliding”. According to today’s memory verse, a backslider begins to behave abnormally, exalting personal satisfaction above God’s will.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s transformation in today’s Bible reading demonstrates what negative rebirth is all about. In the twinkling of an eye, he changed from a royal majesty to an animal, to the extent that he began to graze like cattle! When a child of God suddenly develops the appetite for alcohol, cigarettes, pornography or extramarital affairs, he or she has experienced a negative rebirth. Don’t be surprised therefore when you see holiness preachers of yesteryear beginning to say that holiness is an illusion-they have undergone a negative rebirth. Are you in a backslidden state? My prayer for you is that the Almighty God will restore you, and every satanic appetite for sin shall vanish from your life in Jesus’ Name.

Why did Nebuchadnezzar experience negative rebirth? The answer lies in Daniel 4:27- he refused to take heed when God’s prophet warned him to turn from his wicked ways. It is amazing that in spite of the miracles that Nebuchadnezzar experienced, including seeing the Son of God walking around in the fiery furnace, he continued to be arrogant before God of heaven (Daniel 3:22-25). In like manner, is it not surprising that in spite of reality of HIV/AIDS, some people still practice prostitution and have several people patronizing them? It is more disheartening when one sees Christians or ministers of God for that matter going back to their old vomit and engaging in sexual immorality and fraudulent practices. Are you one of such people? God is saying to you today in Ezekiel 18:31:

“Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

It is time for you to repent so that times of refreshing can be poured over your life (Acts 3:19).

ACTION POINT:

Examine your life today to see where you need positive rebirth through genuine repentance. If the Lord is speaking to you on this matter, go ahead and repent without further delay.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 7-8
Ezekiel 8:7-18

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 9: IN CHRIST ALONE

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY 28TH JUNE 2019

THEME: LET HOPE ARISE.

MEMORISE:

When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. Job 22:29

READ: Acts 27:13-36

13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

26 Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.

27 But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;

28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.

29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,

31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.

34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.

35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

MESSAGE

Hope is a confident expectation for something to happen in the future. When rooted in God, it provides motivation to live the Christian life, even in the face of anxiety and despair. Hope is a loyal compassion of faith which helps a Christian to have peace in spite of adversity, persecution and oppression. God’s desire for us is that we abound in hope. Romans 15:13 says:

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Are you facing the headwinds in life? Are you asking yourself if it is worth it to hope against hope? Yes, it is worth it, if your hope is anchored on the Creator of Heaven and earth! In Luke 5:1-5, Peter was in the pit of hopelessness, having exhausted all his wisdom, business expertise and strength without anything to show for it. He was about to call it quits when the Master of the universe stepped in and told him to hope for a catch of fish from the same water that had been unproductive all through the night. One lesson from this is that God uses different methods to meet His children’s needs. In 2 kings 8:1-2, the Lord told a woman to relocate because the city she lived in was about to make another effort in the same river where he had failed, and both cases fielded good results. Are you faced with an extreme case of despair? Has the unexpected happened already and hopelessness is staring you in the face? The word of God in Job 14:7 is saying to you today:

“For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.”

No matter how hopeless your situation appears to be, if you put your hope in Jesus, He will surely turn that situation around for good in a way that is beyond human understanding (Colossians 1:27, 2 Kings 3:9-18).

God is our hope, salvation and peace. Even in times of deep sorrow and despair, don’t yield to the temptation of seeking respite in drugs, strong stimulants or suicide. God wants you to turn to Him for a situation, and you can always count on Him for consolation and encouragement. I pray that no matter what you are passing through right now, you will not take any step that will lead to your destruction in Jesus’ Name. finally, hopelessness fizzles away the moment God speaks concerning a matter (Acts 27:21-25). Are you in a hopeless situation? Take time to seek God’s intervention, asking Him for a word for that situation. I pray that the light of God will shine on your life and hope will arise for you today in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please remember me for good; don’t let my hope in You be dashed, in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 2-3
Ezekiel 6:1-7:4

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 7: MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ the solid rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to veil His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath His covenant and blood
Support me in the ‘whelming flood:
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When the last trumpet’s voice shall sound,
O may I then in him be found.
Clothed in his righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before his throne.