SUNDAY 8TH JULY 2018 THEME: BE COURAGEOUS.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY 8TH JULY 2018
THEME: BE COURAGEOUS.
MEMORISE:
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen
your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Psalm 31:24
READ: Joshua 1:1-9
1Now after the death of Moses the servant
of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD
spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses'
minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore
arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this
people, unto the land which I do give to
them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall
tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I
said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon
even unto the great river, the river
Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and
unto the great sea toward the going down
of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand
before thee all the days of thy life: as I was
with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not
fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto
this people shalt thou divide for an
inheritance the land, which I sware unto
their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous,
that thou mayest observe to do according to
all the law, which Moses my servant
commanded thee: turn not from it to the
right hand or to the left, that thou mayest
prosper withersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out
of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written
therein: for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong
and of a good courage; be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy
God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
MESSAGE
In the kingdom of God, o be courageous is
to have the spiritual, emotional and moral
willpower to speak and act without fear in
the face of distress or concerns over a
threat or challenge being faced. Courage is a
cardinal virtue that is required to handle any
godly leadership position or spiritual
assignment. To underscore the importance
of courage, saying like “fear not”, “bee
strong” and “be courageous” were used in
several passages of the Bible to encourage
God’s appointed leaders. For example, God
commanded Joshua to be strong and to be
of good courage four times in Joshua
chapter one alone. In Daniel 10:19, a
heavenly being encouraged Daniel saying,
“Fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong,
yea, be strong”. God also encouraged
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Zerubbabel,
Jeremiah, Peter, Paul and several others in
similar fashion. The Lord will support you,
encourage you and grant you the fortitude
to overcome every obstacle and challenges
of life in Jesus’ Name.
Moreover, God often instructs His children,
especially leaders amongst them, to embark
on assignments that are new and great,
unprecedented, unbelievable, unrealistic and
practically impossible by any natural means.
The nature of God’s assignments usually
strikes fear, doubt and confusion into
people’s hearts, making it difficult for them
to proceed with such tasks without first
receiving divine support and
encouragement. Courage therefore derives
from the hope and assurance of the divine
presence in such circumstances. This was
what prompted Moses in Exodus 33:15b to
say:
“If thy presence go not with me, carry us
not up hence.”
Confronted with the impossible task of
leading the Israelites to the Promise Land,
he hinged willingness to move forward on
the assurance of God’s presence. David also
singlehandedly ran through a troop because
God was with him (2 Samuel 22:30). I pray
that God’s presence will see you through
your present challenges and catapult you to
your breakthrough in Jesus’ Name.
Courage is demonstrated in various ways,
such as leading God’s people against their
enemies, proclaiming the gospel to others,
and exercising the authority of God’s
kingdom in your sphere of influence. God
gives strength to His people and enable
them to be courageous by giving them faith
, God proves Himself faithful to His
faithfulness enable His people to trust in Him
for sustenance in everyday life. Children of
God are created to be the head and not the
tail. You were created to take charge as a
leader wherever you find yourself. You
therefore need to be bold, strong and
courageous because that is your heritage in
Christ.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, help me to overcome every craving in
me that will lead to spiritual death in Jesus’
Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicle 9-10
Acts 24: 1-21
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 4: TRUST AND OBEY.
1. When we walk with the Lord in the light
of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us
still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
o Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the
skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we
share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove the delights of His
love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He
bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His
feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we
will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.