OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL by Pastor E.A Adeboye (DATE : FRIDAY 12 AUGUST 2016) THEME : THE CHRISTIAN RACE

Memorise:
And if a man also strive for masteries, Yet is he not crowned,
except he strive lawfully. 2nd
Timothy 2:5

Read: Philippians 3:13-17, (KJV)
13 Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as
be perfect, be thus minded: and
if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16 Nevertheless, whereto we
have already attained, let us walk
by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.


MESSAGE
Apostle Paul admonished us in
his epistle to forget those things that are behind us as we journey
through the pilgrimage of this
earth. We should not allow the
things of this world to distract us
from the goal of eternal dwelling.

A Christian cannot lay hold of that which he strives for if he is still
distracted by the ephemerals of
life. The greater a person grows
in the knowledge of Christ, the
greater his desire to be with
Jesus will be. This is why my hope for Heaven is strong.

As a Christian who wants to dwell with Jesus, you have to deliberately submit yourself to the narrow way of Christian living. We must give our attention to those things that will endure the passing of this material
world.
As a soldier of the cross, you must allow your life to be influenced by those whose minds are set on things above. We must live up to the spiritual nature of the gospel after which we are called. We must continue to grow in the grace and
knowledge of God.

It is necessary to allow the Word of God to direct your life as you
press on to greater spiritual
heights. This is the only way you
will be able to communicate the
nature and character of God to
the world. We have to submit ourselves to the gospel, and
allow the Head of the Church
(Jesus Christ) to give us direction
in all our ways if we are to end
as divine champions. Those who
will be champions for Christ will be people of rugged determination who have set their minds on certain goals. They will pursue these goals relentlessly until they begin to see the kind of reward they desire in Christ.

You will never find a believer who understands the nature of the Heavenly race retreating because he is being discouraged.

They will never give any excuse
for non-performance neither will they allow failure to be placed at
their door step. They have only
one life to live and they do
everything to please Jesus Christ,
the Author and Finisher of their
lives.

There are many people who have
lost their miracles and blessings
because they stopped too soon.
They were not determined
enough, they gave in to certain
impossibilities as they journeyed through life.
This is a lie of the devil to cheat you of your blessings in Christ Jesus. Nothing is ever impossible before God according to Luke 1:37.

In my little walk with Jesus, I have met a lot of people who said what
they wanted to do at some point
in their lives was impossible. The
moment you agree that it is
impossible, it becomes impossible.

There are people who believe that it is impossible to live holy and this is why holiness is not a venture for
them.

Unfortunately, it is a strategy of the devil to deny them the blessings of living a holy life. There are young converts who have been discouraged by their leaders. They discovered that there is a great difference between what their leaders teach and what they practice, hence they give up their faith.

This is why it is very dangerous
to put your trust in any human
being. Put your trust in God because He is the only one who will never fail you. Make Jesus your Senior Partner. Know that if God is for you, nobody can be against you. Know that if God is the one backing you up, there is no amount of conspiracy against your life that will ever come to pass. No matter the size of the enemy and the direction of the attack, you are divinely secured.

Prayer Point:
Father, please let me finish my race without losing any battle in Jesus’ name.

Bible in one year: Isaiah 11:1-14:27 and Psalms 33:1-11

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE