OPEN HEAVEN, RCCG DAILY DEVOTIONAL, FRIDAY 2 JULY 2021

TOPIC FOR TODAY, FRIDAY 2:7:21: Occupy until He returns

By Pastor E. A Adeboye

MEMORISE: And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. – Luke 19:13

READ: Joshua 13:1-6 (KJV)

1 Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.

2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri,

3 From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:

4 From the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, unto Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:

5 And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baalgad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.

6 All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Misrephothmaim, and all the Sidonians, them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 13

Open Heaven 2 July 2021 MESSAGE:

Jesus’ parable in the memory verse of today was directed to the disciples who He was preparing for the Great Commission in Mark 16:15-16. They were to occupy until His return. Sometimes, we think the word ‘occupy’ means ‘to keep busy’ alone; it is more than that.

We must not keep ourselves ‘busy’ doing nothing substantial. To understand the import of Christ’s command in Luke 19:13, we must look at the Bible reading of toady. The Lord assessed the occupation of the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership as below His expectation. This should be food for thought for the Church today. Joshua 13:1 says:

“Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.”

Also Read: OPEN HEAVEN 1 JULY 2021 – THE BREAD OF LIFE INDEED

Joshua became old and did not have the required energy to lead the battle against the inhabitants of the land which God had given to the children of Israel.

In the same vein, when Jesus Christ said that we should go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, he was actually saying that we should occupy the land so as to establish His reign on earth. It is beyond keeping ourselves busy just for the sake of it.

The questions now are, “Are we really occupying while awaiting Jesus’ second coming?” “Can we say we are occupying both the geographical and spiritual landscape and atmosphere of the world?” “What can we show for all the millions we are spending on missions and evangelistic efforts?”

“Have we paused our efforts to occupy the nooks and crannies of the kingdoms of this world like the disciples of old?” We must always remember that our mandate is to make disciples of all nations.

Beloved, we must not lose ground any more. As a matter of fact, we must recover the grounds we have lost. We must summon courage to go after the enemy and recover the kingdoms that once belonged to the Church and the cathedrals that have been turned to dens of sin. Christian nations that have become secular must be revived and brought back to the light of the gospel of the Son of the Living God. May the Lord help us.

Open Heaven 2 July 2021 ACTION POINT:

You must be active in spreading the gospel to the whole world and win back institutions and nations for the Lord our God.

Open Heaven 2 Juy 2021 HYMN 8: Ho, My Comrades! See The Signal

1. Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.

Refrain:
“Hold the fort, for I am coming,” Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to Heaven, “By Thy grace we will.”

2. See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;
Mighty ones around us falling, courage almost gone!

3. See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!
In our Leader’s Name we triumph over every foe.

4. Fierce and long the battle rages, but our help is near;
Onward comes our great Commander, cheer, my comrades, cheer!

SPECIAL NOTE!

Beloved Reader, the sweetest way to enjoy full blessings from God in this 2021 is to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord & Saviour. Remember! the Lord Jesus in John 3:3 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless ye are born again, ye cannot see the kingdom of God.”

If you are ready to give your life to Christ Jesus, please pray the displayed prayer below in faith:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I confess all my sin, have mercy on me, forgive me all my sin. Give me grace to go and sin no more. I invite You, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus name Amen.

If you just prayed this prayer of salvation now, please call the following numbers for counselling and prayer request on: 
08033440631 
07064979797 
08101204546 
08103830237 
Or mail: info@rccg.org, God bless you.

Beware! this period we are in today is fulfilling this saying of Jesus Christ:
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold,” Matt 24:12.

Our prayer for all of us is: any power, any problem that will quench our love for God and His unfailing Word, Holy Ghost Fire will destroy and flush them away.

Good Day Beloved, Thank you for your patient with us. Thank you for all your comments, observations, feedbacks and time spent on this platform. We cherish your presence here.

Beloved! We are in perilous time when kidnappings, banditry and other vices have become daily occurrences.

But the Lord is saying, do not be afraid! Be strong in the Lord! Be bold & be courageous! They will be defeated with prayer, because the God that answers prayer with signs & wonders is still alive.

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, & by the power in the Blood of Jesus, in this year 2021, you will never be a victim to whatever calamity, affliction, or tragedies
flying around in the name of Jesus, Amen!

Shalom!