The Open Heaven 11 December 2025 devotional for today is WHEN GOD IS WITH YOU.
This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVEN 11 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: WHEN GOD IS WITH YOU
MEMORISE:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psalms 23:4
READ: Isaiah 41:10-13:
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 11 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE
Years ago, one of my children decided to buy a ticket for me to go on a cruise. For the first six days of the cruise, it was like heaven on earth; the sea was calm, the winds blew softly, and the skies were very clear.
However, on the seventh day, a storm came! Believe me, you don’t want to be on the ocean when there is a storm. The ship was several stories high, but the waves kept tossing it up and down like paper. Everything on board was shaking, and objects were flying around. It was very terrible.
Things got so bad that the captain called everyone on board together and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, don’t be worried. There are 12 categories of storms at sea. Category 1 is the mildest, while category 12 is the most turbulent – we are only caught in a category 10 storm.”
When I heard that, I became afraid. I turned to God and said, “God, what am I doing here in a category 10 storm? In my village, the biggest river is so small that an amateur swimmer can swim across it.” The captain continued, “Don’t worry, just go back to your cabins.”
When I got to my cabin, I asked God, “Lord, what am I going to do now?” He replied, “Son, when I was on earth, and I was in a boat that was caught in a storm, what was I doing?” I responded, “Lord, You were sleeping.” I knew exactly what to do. I immediately jumped on the bed, and in minutes, I was fast asleep.
By the time I woke up, we were already at the port, and everything was calm and peaceful. Anytime I tell this story, people ask me, “How could you sleep in such a situation?” I usually think to myself, “What else could I have done, jump into the ocean?” I didn’t even know how to swim; however, I had the kind of peace that only God gives. Also, if I had not learnt to hear God’s voice before the storm, I might have developed high blood pressure due to anxiety for nothing.
Beloved, if you are truly a child of God, then He is always with you. You can live a life free of anxiety if you spend quality time with Him daily because you will know His voice, and He will give you His peace – the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
KEY POINT
If you are a child of God, He will always be with you, and you will enjoy His peace when you spend quality time with Him.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Colossians 1-4
HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME
OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 11 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Psalms 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
This is the shepherd’s psalm of absolute security. It does not promise the absence of dark valleys, but the presence of the Shepherd within them. The “shadow of death” implies the most terrifying of circumstances, yet the believer’s confidence is rooted not in the circumstance, but in the companionship of God—His rod (authority) and staff (guidance) are active comforts.
BIBLE READING: Isaiah 41:10-13
This passage is God’s direct promise of presence and power in the storm:
v.10: The Triple Command – “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Presence, identity, strength, help, and upholding are all guaranteed.
v.11-12: The Promise of Vindication – All who oppose you will fail and perish. The storm will not have the final say.
v.13: The Personal Reassurance – “For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” This is the intimate, hand-holding assurance of God in the turbulence.
The Anatomy of God-Given Peace in the Storm
Pastor E.A. Adeboye uses a powerful personal testimony to teach that divine peace is not the absence of storms, but the presence of a proven God within them. The ability to “sleep” in the storm is the highest expression of faith—a total reliance on God’s presence and voice, cultivated long before the crisis hits.
1. The Inevitability of Life’s Storms
The “Seventh Day” Principle:
The storm arose after six days of heaven-like tranquility. This pattern is common in the believer’s life: seasons of great peace can be followed by sudden, violent turbulence. Storms are not evidence of God’s absence but are often part of the journey (John 16:33).
The “Category 10” Reality:
Some challenges are not mild disturbances; they are Category 10 life-storms that threaten to capsize our stability, health, or future. The captain’s announcement magnified the fear, illustrating how understanding the magnitude of a problem can paralyze us if we focus on it instead of on God.
2. The Source of Supernatural Peace: God’s Voice
The Prerequisite of a Trained Ear:
Daddy Adeboye highlights the critical point: “if I had not learnt to hear God’s voice before the storm, I might have developed… anxiety for nothing.” Peace in crisis is not spontaneously generated; it is accessed through a familiar relationship with God’s voice, built in the quiet days through daily fellowship.
The Pattern from Christ:
When Jesus’ disciples panicked in the storm, He was asleep (Mark 4:38). His peace came from His perfect union with the Father. God’s question to Pastor Adeboye, “what was I doing?” directed him to emulate Christ’s posture of restful trust in the Father’s sovereign care. True peace mimics the Savior’s.
3. The Posture of Perfect Trust: Spiritual Sleep
“Sleep” as an Act of Faith:
In the storm, sleep is not negligence; it is the definitive act of surrender. It is declaring, “I am not in control, and the One who is, is trustworthy.” It is the physical manifestation of Psalm 4:8: “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
The Futility of Alternative Responses:
The rhetorical question—“What else could I have done, jump into the ocean?”—exposes the insanity of fear. Panic offers no solution; it only exhausts us. Trust is not a passive resignation but the active choice to rest in God’s active care.
4. The Outcome of Trust: Divine Deliverance
The Calm After the Storm:
The testimony concludes with arrival at the port in calm. God did not necessarily still the storm the moment Pastor Adeboye slept (though He can); He carried him and the ship through it. The peace of God within him was greater than the storm around him, leading to safe passage.
The Peace That Guards (Philippians 4:7):
This is the “peace that passes all understanding.” It is a divine garrison that guards the heart (the seat of emotions) and mind (the seat of thoughts) from being captured by anxiety, even while the storm rages externally.
How to Cultivate the Ability to “Sleep” in Your Storms
1. Build Your “Before the Storm” Routine:
Your daily “quality time” in prayer, worship, and Scripture is training your spiritual ear. When the crisis hits, you won’t be scrambling to find God’s frequency; you will know His voice immediately.
2. Internalize the Promise of Presence:
Memorize and personalize Psalms 23:4 and Isaiah 41:10. Make them your mental default settings. When fear arises, declare aloud: “You are with me. You strengthen me. You uphold me.”
3. Practice Surrender in Small Things:
Train your trust muscle by consciously releasing minor anxieties to God daily (a delayed commute, a minor inconvenience). This builds the reflex to surrender major crises.
4. Ask the Right Question in Crisis:
Instead of “God, why is this happening to me?” ask Pastor Adeboye’s question: “Lord, what am I going to do now?” This invites His directive wisdom and shifts you from a victim mindset to a follower’s posture.
Warning: The Peril of an Untrained Spirit
A believer who neglects daily communion with God is like a sailor who never learns to navigate. When the Category 10 storm hits, they will be ruled by panic, fear, and human reasoning, which only amplifies the storm’s terror within their soul. They may survive, but they will do so with “high blood pressure”—spiritual and emotional damage that was unnecessary.
Conclusion: Anchored in the Unshakable Presence
Pray this:
“Lord Jesus, my Good Shepherd, thank You that You are with me in every valley and on every turbulent sea. Train my ear to know Your voice so intimately that in the sudden storm, my first response is to find rest in You. I renounce the spirit of fear and anxiety. Fill me with Your peace that defies all circumstances, and let my life be a testimony that with You, I can sleep through any storm, in Your mighty name. Amen.”
Action Steps:
- Identify Your “Category 10”: Name one overwhelming situation you are facing. Write “PSALM 23:4” on a card and place it where you will see it daily. Speak it over that situation.
- Establish a Daily Anchor: Commit to 15 minutes of quiet, listening prayer each morning this week. Ask God to speak through His Word and His Spirit.
- Study the Sleepers: Read and meditate on Jesus sleeping in the storm (Mark 4:35-41) and Peter sleeping in prison (Acts 12:5-6). Note the divine peace that preceded divine deliverance.
Remember: The storm is not your address; it is your passage. You are walking through the valley, sailing through the sea. Your cabin is the secret place of the Most High, and your Captain is the Lord of the waves. His presence is your peace.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee”(Isaiah 26:3). Stay your mind on Him, not on the waves.
Read RCCG Open Heaven Devotional for Tomorrow
Download Open Heaven 11 December 2025 Devotional PDF
Leave a Reply