OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR E.A.ADEBOYE, 12/05/2017

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY MAY 12TH 2017

THEME: LESSONS ON VOW

Memorise:

That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.Deuteronomy 23:23

Read: Judges 11:29-36 

11:29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

11:31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

11:32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands.

11:33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

11:34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

11:35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.

11:36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

MESSAGE:

Sometimes, some people promise God one thing, but when the time comes to redeem the pledge, they bring something else. Do you think that God does not have records in Heaven? Once you make a pledge to God, don’t try to change it. Ecclesiastes 5:6 says,
“Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?”

After you have committed yourself to a particular thing as a vow, if you later return to say “it was a slip of tongue, God will understand”, you are only deceiving yourself. Such an excuse is not acceptable to God. God expects you to stand by your words. Hence, as part of the requirements to stand in God’s holy place, Psalm 15:4 says if you make a vow, you are expected to do everything possible to redeem it, no matter the cost, sacrifice or inconvenience involved. Do you have this quality? It is part of the integrity we must have as believers.

Another lesson on vow is that you must be extremely careful before making a vow. Think very well before pledging a commitment to do a particular thing, because once it has gone out of your mouth, you may not be able to beat a retreat. Some people get carried away with zeal and make mouth-watering vow but later find it difficult to redeem it. Be careful! Only vow to give up what is within the limit of your capacity and not what you know you cannot cope with! The story of Jephthah is a very touching one. He needed victory so badly that he vowed to sacrifice to God whatever first came out of his house to meet him on his return. After the battle was over, as he returned home with great joy, it was his only child – his virgin daughter – that came out first to welcome him. He felt so bad. He realized the rashness of his vow, but he could not turn back from his promise. Finally, one more lesson on vows is that God does not like to hear the voice of vow-defaulters, and he would ultimately destroy their efforts (Ecclesiastes5:6). Is God fighting you over a vow you have defaulted on? Repent now and restitute. If need be, seek guidance of a Spirit-filled Christian counsellor or pastor. 

Action Point:

Unpaid vows are debts that can hinder you from making Heaven. Prayerfully recall your unpaid debts and redeem them fast.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Deuteronomy 16-17 
Jeremiah 29:24-30:9

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 14: TAKE MY LIFE 

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.

Prayer Points on Today's Open Heavens: (Friday, May 12th, 2017) - LESSONS ON VOW
1.I worship you, Father, because, you are a true and just God; and a covenant keeper.
2.Thank you, Father, for your kindness and faithfulness, to all those who obey and keep your covenants.
3.Father, in anyway, l have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me.
4.Father, let every yoke and battles that have come upon my life and family, as a result of failure to keep and fulfill my vows, be broken today, by your mercy, in Jesus' name.
5.Father, let my words, always, be my bond, as your child, in Jesus' name.
6.Father, give me the grace never to make a vow, that l will not be able to keep, in Jesus' name.
7.Father, empower me to fulfill and keep every promise or vow, that l make with my mouth, to you or to man, in Jesus' name.
8.Father, help me to redeem my vows to you, no matter the cost, sacrifice or inconvenience involved, in Jesus' name.
9.Father, help me to guard and keep the doors of my mouth, so that l will not be trapped, in making frivolous vows, that will be too difficult and painful to keep, humanly speaking, in Jesus' name.
10.Holy Spirit of God, please, bring to my remembrance every vow that is due, that l have failed to keep and give me the grace to redeem and restitute, the vow, in Jesus' name.
11.Father, let me never be carried away by zeal to make mouth-watering vows, that l will later discover, is beyond my limit and capacity to redeem, in Jesus' name.
12.Your Personal petitions.
( Phil 4:6)
13.In Jesus' name I pray.
(Jn 14:13-14; 15:16)
14.Thank you Father for answered prayers.
(1 Thes 5:18).
#GodBlessOurNation

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR PASSAGES

Deuteronomy: 16. 1. Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. 2. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. 3. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. 4. And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there anything of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. 5. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: 6. But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. 7. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. 8. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein. 9. Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. 10. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 11. And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there. 12. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. 13. Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: 14. And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. 15. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. 16. Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: 17. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. 18. Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 19. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 21. Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22. Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth. -

Jeremiah: 29. 24. Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25. Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26. The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks. 27. Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you? 28. For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 29. And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet. 30. Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, 31. Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie: 32. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.