OPEN HEAVENS 2017 THINK IN THE SPIRIT – Thursday June 29th 2017 Memorise:  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6 Read:  Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Bible in one year:  1st Samuel 3-5, Lamentation 2:3-13, Hymn: Sing hymn 15 MESSAGE Life in the Spirit is possible, even though for most believers it still a struggle (Galatians 5:25). To grow your spirit-man, you need to earnestly seek more opportunities to be refilled with the Holy Spirit after being baptized with Him (Ephesians 5:18-19). To live in the Spirit, you need to think in the Spirit. In our thought life, many of us leave out the Holy Spirit, and this is one of the reasons why we don’t go far in our walk with God. Whenever God is left out of an equation, it never balances. This is why today’s Bible reading says we should acknowledge Him in

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES THURSDAY, 29TH JUNE.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ BE FIRED UP TO DO MORE. Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind (Psalm 67:2 TLB). In Revelation 22:7, the Master said, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Then in Matthew 28:19-20, He instructed, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” He’s coming back soon, and He’s given us the mandate to evangelize the world before He comes back. He said in Luke 19:13, “…Occupy till I come”; that means keep working; keep preaching; keep leading men and women into righteousness. There’s an urgency, a fervency in our spirits to share the message of His love around the world. We’re the bearers of His r

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES WEDNESDAY, 28TH JUNE. YOU DWELL IN HIM. RHAPSODY OF REALITIES WEDNESDAY, 28TH JUNE.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ YOU DWELL IN HIM. For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, "For we are also his offspring" (Acts 17:28). When you were born again, you were born into the environment called "Christ"; you dwell in Him. The Bible says, "...if any man be in Christ..." (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ is a place, and He's also a person. He's your home. In Him, you're at rest and at peace! You're safe, secure, and fulfilled; your joy and satisfaction overflow. What a place to be! Ephesians 2:6 tells us that God has made us sit together in heavenly places, "in Christ"; that's your environment; an environment of glory. It brings to mind the account of the Israelites, as they journeyed in the wilderness for forty years. The heat didn't scorch them by day, neither di

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES TUESDAY, 27TH JUNE.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ LOVE SO REAL. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not (1 John 3:1). The parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 reveals the Father’s unconditional and unfailing love for us; love so real, so intense, and so sublime. In that story, after living a riotous and profligate life, the prodigal son suddenly came to himself and decided to go back to his father (Luke 15:17-18). As soon as his father saw him from afar, he ran to him and embraced him. The first thing he told his father was, “Forgive me,” and his father did! This describes the love nature of our heavenly Father towards us. Once you repent, He’s quick to forgive you because He’s gracious, loving, and kind. When a believer who has strayed from the truth returns to God, He receives him gladly and establishes him in the right path. He’s nev

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES FRIDAY, 23RD JUNE.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ VICTORS FOR LIFE. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (James 1:2). As you grow in your Christian walk, you’ll definitely have your fight of faith; it’s a must for everyone. The Bible calls it a good fight, because you’re guaranteed to always win. Some people see the fight of faith differently; they see challenges as insurmountable difficulties. Every time something happens, they cry, feeling sorry for themselves. If only such people knew how much the devil likes to see them cry, and enjoys their frustration, they’ll never give him the luxury. Realise that as a Christian, Christ lives in you; that makes you a victor for life. The Bible says, “...greater is he that’s in you, than he that’s in the world” (1 John 4:4). This is a present-hour reality. Romans 8:35-37 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES WEDNESDAY, 7TH JUNE.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ THINK AND TALK PROSPERITY. Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever (Psalm 112:1-3). The Christian is an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ. Romans 8:17 says, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ….” This means all things are yours (1 Corinthians 3:21). If you function with this mind-set, you’ll always walk in superabundance. Some people have struggled all their lives; they’ve lived in lack, want and penury for so long that it has become so hard to believe in prosperity. The challenge is with their minds; if they can only think right, things will change. Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES THURSDAY, 1ST JUNE.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ GLORY REALISED. Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:26-27). What some Christians assume from our opening scripture is that if Christ is in you, you have a hope of glory in the future. In a sense, that’s correct; if Christ is in you, there’s hope in your life for glory. But what that portion of Scripture means is, Christ in you is the fulfilment of that hope of glory. He’s not saying we have a hope that we’re going to have glory in the future, or in the sweet by and by. The hope that man was looking forward to has been fulfilled in Christ. Christ in you is glory realised. The latter part of our theme scripture says, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery amon

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES WEDNESDAY, 31ST MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ LEVELS OF MATURITY. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:13-14). Some Christians get very excited to read 1 Corinthians 1:30: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” Then, they come across James 1:5: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” and get confused. “Should one still ask for wisdom after Christ has been made unto us wisdom?” they wonder. Now, those two verses aren’t contradictory at all; it’s about levels of maturity in Christ. The Scriptures are given to us to guide and lead us, and as you study, you’ll find that there’re differ

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES TUESDAY, 30TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ HE IS GOODNESS PERSONIFIED. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17). God is good (Psalm 24:1). He’s goodness personified, but not many people see or perceive Him as such. They think He wants us afraid and apologetic all the time; so they try to be careful with Him, hoping not to offend Him. God isn’t that way. He’s not waiting to see you slip or make a mistake so He can sniff from heaven and wipe you off the face of the earth. He’s loving and kind. The Lord Jesus unveiled the Father to us as a loving Father. When He walked the earth, He represented everything that the Father is. The Jews knew God as the God of judgment. Then, they heard Jesus call God “Father”; that was new, and they understood what it meant. The Bible says, “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him” (John 10:31). They wa

HE MAKES YOU CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE. RHAPSODY OF REALITIES MONDAY, 29TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ HE MAKES YOU CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). One of the beautiful and amazing benefits of having the Holy Spirit in your life is that He makes you creative and innovative. He opens your eyes to see what others don’t see, and your ears to hear what others don’t hear. He anoints your eyes to see the right things, and your mind to understand and conceive lofty ideas. This brings to mind the famous words of Michelangelo, the great artist. He said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” He saw what he could get out of an ordinary piece of marble, which everyone else thought was just a stone with no value. From that same stone, he went ahead to create the famous statue of David. You’re born of the Master Craftsman, and that

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES SATURDAY, 27TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ HE'S EVERYTHING YOU NEED. After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1). The Lord is your exceeding great reward. To have Him is to have everything. He’s everything you need in life. He’s your satisfaction, your joy, and your fulfilment. Never think, “If I only had this or that, my life would be wonderful.” No. What you have is all you need, and you have Christ. Christ is everything. He’s all you need to produce whatever else you think you might require. Turn your attention away from everything else, to the Lord and He’ll lead and guide you in the glorious path that He’s destined for you. You belong to Jesus Christ, and He’s more passionate about your success than you could ever be. Therefore, have no fears; refuse to worry. Rest confidently in His love, knowing that He has everything it takes to lead yo

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES FRIDAY, 26TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ HE'S UNLIMITED. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God (Psalm 90:2). Many people have unconsciously placed a limit on God, who He is, and what He’s capable of doing. Notice what our opening verse says about His illimitable personality: from everlasting to everlasting, He’s God. That means both in the dateless past, and in the dateless future, He is God. Isn’t that amazing? No wonder the human mind can’t easily grasp things about Him. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” For example, there’re those who question the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus. They even say, “How can God, who is neither a woman nor a man, have a son?” When you ask such questions, you’re re

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES MONDAY, 22ND MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ HE'S ALIVE AND AT WORK IN YOU. For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13 NIV). The thought in our opening verse is such a powerful blessing. It lets you know that there’s a divine force, something supernatural and completely beyond you, that makes you do the things you do as a Christian. That force or power is Christ in you. When you study the life of Jesus in His earth-walk, you’ll see that power at work in Him. Acts 10:38 declares, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” It was God working in Him to give sight to the blind, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, mend the broken hearted, deliver those who were oppressed of the devil, and even raise the dead. That same Christ, in His mighty power, is at work in you thr

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL LIVE THE HIGHER LIFE. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). These are the words of Jesus; such powerful, comforting, lifting and encouraging words! He said, In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” What a confession. He lived the higher life. When He physically walked the earth, even though He was in a world plagued with gross darkness, economic hardships, sickness, oppression, disasters, death, etc., He was so detached from the problems and the influences of His day. He lived in another realm, unscathed by the vagaries of nature and corrupting influences in the world. Why was He so different? It’s because He had a peculiar mind-set; the mind-set of the righteous. And according to the Scriptures, we’re like Him. 1 John 4:17 says, as he is, so are we in this world.”

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES THURSDAY, 18TH MAY. EMULATE HIM IN YOUR LOVE-WALK. RHAPSODY OF REALITIES THURSDAY, 18TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ EMULATE HIM IN YOUR LOVE-WALK. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith (Galatians 5:22). Your maturity as a Christian is measured by the love of God that you express to others. Romans 13:8-10 says, “Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law….love is the fulfilling of the law.” 1 John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” The new creation is created to love. Observe our opening verse again; it doesn’t say, “But the fruits of the spirit are…”; rather, it’s specific. It says, “…the fruit of the spirit is love…,” letting you know that love is the dominant fruit of the recreated human spirit. It’s important that you understand and walk in the d

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES TUESDAY, 16TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ THE SPOKEN...WRITTEN...AND INCARNATE WORD. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us… (John 1:14). God’s Word first came to man as the “Spoken Word.” The Bible shows that He spoke directly to men, such as Moses, Joshua, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He also spoke to men through angels (Hebrews 2:2). In Hebrews 1:1, we read that God spoke to the fathers through the prophets. He then commanded the prophets to put the message He gave them into writing. Thus, from the Spoken Word, we got the “Written Word,” given for the purpose of witness and evidence. With the Written Word, God’s people could compare His message given to different prophets, at different times, and see a consistency. This way, they’d always know what to do, where to go, and how God wanted them to live. God yet moved further, and this time He spoke His Word in a most remarkable way, through the Man, Christ Jesus—the Word incarnate. The Word became fles

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES SUNDAY, 14TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ ACCESS TO GREATER WISDOM. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Notice that the verse above doesn’t say, Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us Lord and saviour….” Yes, He’s our Lord and Saviour, but that’s about all that many Christians know Him as. He’s however also our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption. Howbeit, in our study today, we’ll major on Him as our wisdom. Christ is your wisdom. Do you know what that means? We all celebrate and admire Solomon for being the wisest man that ever lived, but Christ, the embodiment of wisdom Himself, lives in you. That completely outshines what Solomon had. You don’t operate with human wisdom anymore; you have access to greater wisdom. You have accurate insight into reality. You have understanding of the deepest things in life, and the abil

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES FRIDAY, 12TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19). Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; it’s God’s house. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” You’re to glorify God in your body as well as your spirit. This means you can’t afford to have your body ravaged by sin, Satan, sickness and disease. You must say, “No” to the devil, to cancer, asthma, leukemia, or any kind of sickness or infection! Declare, “No illegal transaction of the enemy can take place in my body, because the Holy Ghost lives in me!” Understand that though your body is God’s house, it’s your responsibility to keep it flourishing in health. You have the right to decide what happens in your body. Romans 8:13 says, For if ye live

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES TUESDAY, 9TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ DISCOVER JESUS. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). Man doesn’t know reality until he finds Jesus, the Son of the living God. But who exactly is Jesus, the man of Galilee? First, He’s the Word-incarnate. This is an amazing truth. Think about it: Your word is the expression of who you are. It’s the expression of your views, opinions, thoughts, emotions, and ideas. In the same way, the Word of God is the totality of God’s thoughts, ideas, opinions, will, and emotions. John 1:14 tells us that God’s Word was personified, and the result was the man, Jesus: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us He’s the expression of the thoughts, will, and emotions of God. His laughter was God laughing; His smiles were the smiles of God. When He stretched out His hand, that was God stretching out His hand. When He loved, that was God’s love manifested. Everything He d

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES MONDAY, 8TH MAY.  http://bit.ly/2dZqtLQ GROWING AND MULTIPLYING BY THE WORD. And the word of God increased… (Acts 6:7).. If you study the portion of Scripture referenced above in context, you’ll realize that the Word didn’t increase without the disciples. At this time, all they had was the spoken Word; they didn’t have the epistles or the written Word about Jesus. They went everywhere preaching what they heard and saw. So, the Word increased because they increased. The Word went forth in them, and anyone who tried to persecute them, persecuted the Word. That’s what Jesus said from heaven when Saul of Tarsus was persecuting the Church (Acts 9:4,5). In Acts 12:24, it gets better, “But the word of God grew and multiplied.”We previously read that the Word of God increased, but it’s not enough to increase; there’s got to be growth and also multiplication. Imagine that as a Pastor, your church is increasing, and then the Lord says to you, “You’ve got to move to the