OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR E.A.ADEBOYE 13/04/2017

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL... DATE: THURSDAY 13TH APRIL 2017 THEME: l WILL PAY YOU YOUR WAGES Memorise: Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3 Bible in One Year: Leviticus 25,' Jeremiah 13:1-14 Read: Exodus 2:1-9 2:1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2:2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 2:3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. 2:4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 2:5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 2:6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Exo 2:7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? Exo 2:8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. 2:9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. MESSAGE Many people who are blessed with the gift of children are not conscious of the fact that children are the heritage of the Lord, meaning that God is their rightful owner, and they are gifts from Him. This is why an adage from my village says "Rich people cannot flnd children to buy in the market." What money cannot buy can only be obtained from the Almighty God. What then should be the attitude of parents to these priceless gifts? The answer can be seen in the story of the birth, adoption and upbringing of Moses, the child who later became the mouthpiece of the Almighty God. Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had commanded that every newborn male child should be immediately killed. His mother tried to hide him for three months, but when he could no longer be hidden, she decided to drop him off by the bank of River Nile. Pharaoh's daughter picked him up from there and adopted him as her own. By God's providence, the princess gave Moses to a nurse who happened to be his mother. Hear what the princess said to her: "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it." Exodus 2:9b There are many lessons we can learn from this story. By adoption, Moses was the child of Pharaoh's daughter, but she gave him over to a nurse to nurture him for her. This mirrors God's divine arrangement, whereby He, being the owner of children, hands them over to parents to nurture them for Him. ln other words, just as the princess told Moses' mother, "nurse this child for me", God is also saying to parents, "nurse this child for Me." The princess also told Moses' mother that she would pay her wages for a job well done. God is equally telling parents that if they properly nurture children for Him and not for themselves, He will reward them well. lt is unfortunate that many parents are nursing God's heritage for themselves or the devil; hence, they are getting their wages from the flesh or from the devil. This is the reason why many children have turned out to be a curse to their parents - breaking their hearts because the parents nursed the children for themselves and not for the Lord. On the other hand, godly parents who train their children to fear the Lord are paid the wages of peace of mind from God at old age. The children of such parents prosper under the grace of Jesus, which they have been exposed to from infancy, and they are battle axes in the hands of their original Owner, the Almighty God. Prayer Point: Father, give me wisdom to nurse the children You have divinely placed in my care, and may I not miss my reward for nursing them according to Your counsel AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE HYMN I6: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES! God give us Christian homes! Homes where the Bible is loved and taught, Homes where the Master's will is sought, Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought; God give us Christian homes; God give us Christian homes! God give us Christian homes! Homes where the father is true and strong, Homes that are free from the blight of wrong, Homes that are joyous with love and song; God give us Christian homes; God give us Christian homes! God give us Christian homes! Homes where the mother, in caring quest, Strives to show others Your way is best, Homes where the Lord is an honored guest; God give us Christian homes; God give us Christian homes! God give us Christian homes! Homes where the children are led to know Christ in His beauty who loves them so, Homes where the altar flres burn and glow; God give us Christian homes; God give us Christian homes! CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE HYMN

Prayer Points on Today's Open Heavens, ( Thursday, April 13th, 2017) - I WILL PAY YOU YOUR WAGES 1.Thank you, Father, for the gifts of children and for counting us worthy to nurse them on your behalf. 2.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, have mercy and forgive me. 3.Father, give me wisdom to nurse the children You have divinely placed in my care, in your way, and when they grow up, do not allow them to depart from it, in Jesus' name. 4.Father, let me not miss my reward for nursing your heritages, according to Your counsel, in Jesus' name. 5.Father, let my children be useful for your glory and for the expansion of your kingdom, in Jesus' name. 6.Father, let every plan of Satan over the life of my children be scattered, in Jesus' name. 7.Father, put your fear in the hearts of my children, and let your fear, keep them far away from iniquities, in Jesus' name. 8.Father, let my children prosper under the grace of Jesus, that they have been exposed to, since infancy, and use them as your battle axe, in Jesus' name. 9.Father, let every weapon of the enemies, fashioned against your heritages, in my care, be destroyed today, by the blood of Jesus. 10.Father, let my children be fruitful, in all areas of their lives and in all good works, in Jesus' name. 11.Father, as many, who are looking unto you for the fruits of the womb, answer them today, (mention names), in Jesus' name. 12.Your Personal Petitions. (Philippians 4:6) 13.In Jesus' name I pray. (John 15:16) 14.Thank you Father for answered prayers. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). #GodBlessOurNation And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,  Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.  And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,  And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,  Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,  Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.  And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.  According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.  And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.  And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.  And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.  And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.  The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.  And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.  And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.  And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.  And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.  Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.  And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.  And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.  Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.  And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.  And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.  And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.  And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.  And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:  Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.  And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.  And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.  Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.  And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.  And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.  Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.  And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount. Exodus 25:1‭-40KJV Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.  So I got a girdle according to the word of the Lord , and put it on my loins.  And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying,  Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.  So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.  And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.  Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.  Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,  Thus saith the Lord , After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.  This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.  For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord ; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.  Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?  Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the Lord , Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.  And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord : I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.   Jeremiah 13:1-14KJV