The Open Heavens 10 July 2026 devotional for today is CHRIST IN YOU
This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 10 JULY 2026 TODAY DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: CHRIST IN YOU
MEMORISE:
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 1:27
READ: Acts 16:19-34
19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
RCCG OPEN HEAVENS 10 JULY 2026 TODAY MESSAGE
The first time I visited the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison was in 1975. I went there with an elderly pastor, and we saw a young man playing the piano and dancing joyfully. I asked the elderly pastor whether the young man was about to be released, and he responded that the man didn’t have any hope of being released because he was serving a life sentence. I then asked the pastor why the young man was so joyful despite his circumstances, and he replied that the man was joyful because he had met Jesus Christ while in prison.
Beloved, if you are going through a bad situation, ! want you to know that no matter how bad it is, you have a reason to rejoice as long as you have Jesus. Today’s memory verse says that Christ in you is the hope of glory. When Christ is in a fellow, no matter what he or she is facing, such a fellow has hope for a glorious future.
A songwriter once wrote a song that says, “I am glad I belong to Jesus.” Another songwriter wrote, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.” These should be your declarations as a believer, even when the enemy knocks you down. Proverbs 24:16 says that the righteous may fall seven times, but they will surely rise again. This means that negative situations cannot keep you down permanently.
When the devil arranged for Jesus’ crucifixion and death, he thought he had won. However, 1 Corinthians 2:8 tells us that if the princes of this world had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Had they known that Jesus’ death would be their utter destruction, they would have tried to prevent Him from dying. In today’s Bible reading, the devil thought he had succeeded in shutting Paul and Silas up by getting them arrested. He didn’t know that God needed them to be in prison so they could show the jailer and his household the way to salvation. The devil’s attempts to make you fall will only lead to God being glorified in your life.
Child of God, are you going through a tough and uncertain situation? Rejoice because Christ in you is your hope of glory. Don’t despair or be discouraged. Rest assured that whatever you are passing through will give God a platform to announce His glory in your life, so long as you remain in Christ. May Christ indeed reveal His glory in your life, in Jesus’ name.
KEY POINT
As long as you have Christ in you, you have every reason to rejoice.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Ecclesiastes 1-4
Open Heavens HYMN 10: IN CHRIST ALONE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 10 JULY 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Colossians 1:27
“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.”
This verse unveils the greatest mystery of the Christian faith. Daddy Adeboye anchors today’s devotional on this text because it reveals that your hope does not come from favorable circumstances, material possessions, or human connections—it comes from Christ in you.
BIBLE READING: Acts 16:19-34
This passage records the dramatic account of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail.
The Man in Kirikiri Prison: A Life Sentence, Yet Full of Joy
1. The First Visit to Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison (1975)
“The first time I visited the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison was in 1975. I went there with an elderly pastor, and we saw a young man playing the piano and dancing joyfully. I asked the elderly pastor whether the young man was about to be released, and he responded that the man didn’t have any hope of being released because he was serving a life sentence.”
Consider the contrast:
| The Man’s Circumstances | The Man’s Demeanor |
|---|---|
| Serving a life sentence (no hope of release) | Playing the piano joyfully |
| Locked in maximum security prison | Dancing with abandon |
| Humanly speaking, his future was over | Behaving like a free man |
| No earthly reason for joy | Overflowing with supernatural joy |
“I then asked the pastor why the young man was so joyful despite his circumstances, and he replied that the man was joyful because he had met Jesus Christ while in prison.”
| What the Man Did Not Have | What the Man Did Have |
|---|---|
| Freedom to leave the prison | Christ in him |
| A release date | The hope of glory |
| Comfortable circumstances | Unshakable joy |
| Human reason to celebrate | Divine reason to celebrate |
He had met Jesus. That was enough. The walls did not matter. The life sentence did not matter. The chains did not matter. Christ in him was the hope of glory—and that hope produced joy that no prison could contain.
The Theology of Hope: Christ in You
“Beloved, if you are going through a bad situation, I want you to know that no matter how bad it is, you have a reason to rejoice as long as you have Jesus. Today’s memory verse says that Christ in you is the hope of glory. When Christ is in a fellow, no matter what he or she is facing, such a fellow has hope for a glorious future.”
| Without Christ | With Christ |
|---|---|
| No hope in suffering | Hope of glory in suffering |
| Circumstances determine joy | Christ determines joy |
| Prison is the end | Prison is a platform |
| Life sentence is hopeless | Life sentence cannot touch the soul |
“A songwriter once wrote a song that says, ‘I am glad I belong to Jesus.’ Another songwriter wrote, ‘Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.’ These should be your declarations as a believer, even when the enemy knocks you down.”
| Declarations of Hope | Why You Can Declare Them |
|---|---|
| “I am glad I belong to Jesus” | Your identity is not in your circumstances |
| “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow” | His resurrection guarantees your future |
| “This too shall pass” | Suffering is temporary; Christ is eternal |
| “My glory is coming” | Christ in you is the guarantee |
“Proverbs 24:16 says that the righteous may fall seven times, but they will surely rise again. This means that negative situations cannot keep you down permanently.”
| The World’s Pattern | The Believer’s Pattern |
|---|---|
| Fall once, stay down | Fall seven times, rise seven times |
| Defeated by circumstances | Victorious over circumstances |
| Permanent despair | Temporary setback, permanent hope |
The Devil’s Miscalculation: His Attacks Become God’s Platform
1. The Crucifixion: Satan’s Greatest Defeat
“When the devil arranged for Jesus’ crucifixion and death, he thought he had won. However, 1 Corinthians 2:8 tells us that if the princes of this world had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Had they known that Jesus’ death would be their utter destruction, they would have tried to prevent Him from dying.”
1 Corinthians 2:8 – “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
| What Satan Thought | What Actually Happened |
|---|---|
| He was killing Jesus | He was fulfilling prophecy |
| He was winning a victory | He was sealing his own defeat |
| The cross was defeat | The cross was the means of salvation |
| Death was the end | Resurrection was the beginning |
The devil’s greatest weapon (death) became the instrument of his own destruction. Jesus died, rose again, and took the keys of hell and death. Satan thought he had won. He had never been more wrong.
2. The Philippian Prison: Satan’s Second Miscalculation
“In today’s Bible reading, the devil thought he had succeeded in shutting Paul and Silas up by getting them arrested. He didn’t know that God needed them to be in prison so they could show the jailer and his household the way to salvation.”
| The Devil’s Plan | God’s Plan |
|---|---|
| Silence Paul and Silas through arrest | Use their imprisonment to reach the jailer |
| Discourage them through suffering | Use their midnight praise to shake the prison |
| Hide the gospel from Philippi | Send the gospel to the jailer’s household |
| What the Devil Saw | What God Was Doing |
|---|---|
| Beaten, bruised, in stocks | Preparing a testimony |
| Locked in the inner prison | Positioning them for the jailer |
| Silenced (he thought) | Amplifying their witness |
At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns. They did not complain. They did not despair. They praised. And God sent an earthquake that:
- Shook the foundations
- Opened all the doors
- Loosed every chain
- Opened the jailer’s heart
“The devil’s attempts to make you fall will only lead to God being glorified in your life.”
| The Devil Intends | God Uses |
|---|---|
| To destroy you | To refine you |
| To silence you | To give you a louder testimony |
| To imprison you | To set others free through your witness |
| To defeat you | To display His glory in you |
What the Man in Kirikiri Prison Understood
The young man serving a life sentence understood what many free people do not: Christ in you is enough.
| What He Understood | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| Prison walls cannot separate him from Christ | Your circumstances cannot separate you from His love |
| A life sentence cannot steal his hope | No situation is hopeless with Christ inside you |
| He could still praise while locked up | Your praise is not dependent on your freedom |
| His joy was not tied to his release date | Your joy is not tied to your breakthrough |
If a man serving a life sentence can play the piano and dance with joy, what excuse do you have for despair? If he can rejoice with no hope of earthly freedom, how much more can you rejoice with the hope of eternal glory?
How to Maintain Hope When Circumstances Are Dark (Practical Steps)
Based on Daddy Adeboye’s teaching and the examples of Paul, Silas, and the man in Kirikiri Prison, here is how to keep Christ as your hope of glory:
1. Recognize That Your Circumstances Are Not Your Identity
The man in prison was not defined by his cell. He was defined by Christ in him. You are not your problem. You are not your failure. You are not your diagnosis. You are a carrier of Christ.
2. Praise Before the Earthquake
Paul and Silas did not praise after the earthquake; they praised at midnight while still in chains. The earthquake came because they praised. Do not wait for the breakthrough to praise. Praise until the breakthrough comes.
| Before the Earthquake | After the Earthquake |
|---|---|
| Paul and Silas sang hymns | The jailer and his household were saved |
| They praised in chains | The chains fell off |
| They worshipped in the dark | The prison doors opened |
3. Refuse to Believe the Devil’s Lie That This Is the End
The devil wants you to think that your current situation is final. It is not. The righteous fall seven times and rise again. This setback is a setup for a comeback. This prison is a platform for a testimony.
4. Look for the Hidden Purpose in Your Pain
Why was Paul and Silas’s imprisonment necessary? To reach the jailer. Why is your current trial necessary? There may be someone watching—someone who needs to see how a Christian responds to suffering. Your witness in the trial may be the key to someone else’s salvation.
5. Declare Your Hope Aloud
Do not keep your hope silent. Declare:
- “Christ in me is the hope of glory”
- “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow”
- “I am glad I belong to Jesus”
- “This trial will end in God’s glory”
Warning: Do Not Let Your Prison Steal Your Song
Daddy Adeboye’s devotional carries a sobering warning: it is possible to be free physically but imprisoned in your spirit by despair.
| The Physically Free Prisoner | The Physically Imprisoned Free Man |
|---|---|
| Out of jail but bound by worry, fear, depression | In jail but joyful because Christ is in him |
| Has freedom of movement but no freedom of spirit | Has no movement but complete freedom of spirit |
| Complains about inconveniences | Sings in the darkest dungeon |
Which one are you? Are you free but miserable? Or are you in a difficult situation but full of hope because Christ is in you?
Conclusion: Your Prayer for Hope and Glory
Daddy Adeboye closes with a prayer that Christ will reveal His glory in your life. Do not despair. Do not give up. Christ in you is the hope of glory.
Pray this:
“Lord Jesus, I thank You that You live in me. I thank You that Christ in me is the hope of glory. Forgive me for the times I have allowed my circumstances to steal my joy—when I have despaired as if I had no hope, when I have complained as if You were not with me. Today, I remember the man in Kirikiri Prison—serving a life sentence, yet playing the piano and dancing with joy. If he could rejoice in that prison, I can rejoice in mine. I declare: I am glad I belong to Jesus. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. I will not despair. I will not be discouraged. Whatever I am going through, You will use it as a platform to announce Your glory. The devil meant it for evil, but You will turn it for good. I will praise at midnight. I will sing in the stocks. And the earthquake is coming. In Jesus’ mighty name.”
Action Steps:
- The Prison Audit: Identify one area of your life where you feel “imprisoned”—a difficult situation, a chronic problem, a seemingly hopeless circumstance. Ask God: What if this prison is actually a platform for Your glory?
- The Midnight Praise Practice: This week, at a time when you feel most discouraged, deliberately stop and praise. Sing a hymn. Declare God’s goodness. Do not wait for the feeling; praise by faith.
- The Hope Declaration: Write Colossians 1:27 on an index card: “Christ in me, the hope of glory.”Place it where you will see it every morning. Every time you see it, say aloud: “I have hope because Christ lives in me. My future is glorious, no matter my present.”
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