The Open Heavens 12 January 2026 devotional for today is WHAT IS MAN? II
This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 12 JANUARY 2026 TODAY DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: WHAT IS MAN? II
MEMORISE:
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1 Peter 2:2
READ: Galatians 4:1-5
1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
RCCG OPEN HEAVENS 12 JANUARY 2026 TODAY MESSAGE
Yesterday, I explained that God’s original design for mankind was for us to have dominion on the earth and everything in it; however, man lost that dominion when sin crept in, but Jesus Christ came to restore us to our original state. I also explained that once you become born again, you become greater than everything around you because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).
Unfortunately, many Christians are still living under the bondage of the devil. They have dominion as God intended originally but fail to exercise this dominion.
Beloved, you cannot exercise dominion as a baby Christian. Galatians 4:1 says:
Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
To really take your place as a child of God, you must grow in the Spirit by praying and studying the word of God diligently and regularly. Many Christians brag that they have been born again for many years; however, spiritually, they are still babies because they haven’t grown as they ought to.
Some Christians should have grown spiritually to the point of being able to raise the dead by virtue of God’s anointing upon their lives, yet they do not have the courage to lay hands on someone suffering from a headache.
As a child of God, you should desire God’s word so much because it is the food you need to grow spiritually. 1 Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” Jesus also said in Matthew 4:4 that man should not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.
Beloved, if you want to walk in the dominion that God intends for you to operate in, you should live by God’s word just as you survive and function physically by eating food. Like Jeremiah, who said that he ate God’s word (Jeremiah 15:16), you must also consume God’s word even more than you consume physical food.
You must also pray regularly. In fact, when you study the word of God regularly, it will push you to pray because as you study, you will find yourself longing to speak to the One whose word you are studying. Prioritise spending quality time with God daily by praying and studying His word, and you will indeed walk in dominion in every aspect of your life.
KEY POINT
To operate in your God-given dominion, you must pray and study the word of God diligently and regularly.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Genesis 39-41
HYMN 3: ANCIENT WORDS
OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 12 JANUARY 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: 1 Peter 2:2
“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
This verse establishes spiritual growth as an imperative, not an option. The desire for God’s Word is portrayed as the instinctive, life-sustaining hunger of a healthy newborn. Without this continual intake, growth is stunted, and the believer remains in a state of spiritual infancy, unable to function in their inherited authority.
BIBLE READING: Galatians 4:1-5
This passage powerfully illustrates the difference between legal status and functional experience. An heir may own the entire estate, but while he remains a child, he lives under tutors and governors, no better than a servant. His adulthood—the time of full possession and exercise of his rights—is determined by his maturity, not just his birthright.
From Heir to Ruler: The Necessity of Spiritual Growth
Daddy Adeboye builds on yesterday’s foundation of restored dominion to address the critical gap between possession and practice. Many believers, he notes, live in bondage not because they lack authority, but because they lack the maturity to exercise it. Spiritual adulthood is the bridge between being an heir of dominion and being a governor in dominion.
1. The Tragedy of the Infant Heir
The Gap Between Title and Function:
Galatians 4:1 reveals a spiritual paradox: a child who is “lord of all” in title lives like “a servant” in experience. This is the state of a believer who is saved (an heir) but unchanged, untaught, and undiscipled. They have a birthright to authority but a lifestyle of bondage because they have not grown into their inheritance.
Stunted Growth and its Consequences:
Spiritual infancy is marked by a lack of courage and power. The devotional uses the stark contrast between raising the dead and fearing to pray for a headache. The potential (the anointing) is present, but the maturity to release it is absent. Stunted growth leaves the believer vulnerable, dominated by the very circumstances they are called to dominate.
2. The Non-Negotiable Diet for Growth: The Word
The Word as Essential Nourishment:
Physical life requires food; spiritual life and growth require the Word. Jesus’ statement in Matthew 4:4 equates the Word with the very sustenance of life. To neglect the Word is to choose spiritual malnutrition. Daddy Adeboye emphasizes that dominion is exercised by those who “live by” God’s Word, meaning it becomes the core substance of their daily decisions, thoughts, and declarations.
The Jeremiah Model: Consumption:
Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them.” This goes beyond reading to a digestive, assimilating process. It implies meditation, internalization, and making the Word one’s own reality. You must consume it with more relish and regularity than your physical food.
3. The Symbiosis of Word and Prayer
The Word Fuels Prayer:
Authentic study of Scripture naturally ignites communion. As you discover God’s heart, promises, and commands in His Word, you are compelled to respond in conversation—in worship, petition, and intercession. The Word gives prayer substance and direction.
Prayer Activates the Word:
Prayer is the realm where the truth of the Word is applied to specific situations through declaration and supplication. It is the “governing” act that executes the authority revealed in Scripture. Without prayer, the Word remains theoretical knowledge. Without the Word, prayer becomes powerless sentiment.
How to Pursue Mandatory Growth
Schedule and Prioritize Consistently:
Growth is intentional. You must schedule and protect daily time for the Word and prayer as non-negotiable appointments. Dominion is won in the private place of spiritual discipline before it is seen in the public arena.
Move from Information to Transformation:
When you study, ask not just “What does it say?” but “What must I do or believe because of this?” Allow the Word to interrogate your life and reshape your thinking. This is the process of renewal that leads to authoritative living (Romans 12:2).
Step Out in Faith-Sized Obedience:
Begin to exercise your growing authority in incremental steps. If you read about healing, lay hands on the headache. If you read about provision, sow a seed in faith. Spiritual muscles, like physical ones, grow through use.
Warning: Eternal Infancy is a Self-Inflicted Tragedy
To remain a baby Christian by choice—through neglect of the Word, prayerlessness, and disobedience—is to voluntarily live beneath your privileges. It is to choose the nursery over the throne room, and bondage over dominion. God has provided the nourishment; you must choose to eat.
Conclusion: Pray for a Ravenous Hunger and Maturity
Pray this:
“Heavenly Father, I reject every form of spiritual stagnation. I crave the pure milk of Your Word with the desperate hunger of a newborn. Transform my appetite; let me consume Your Word more than my daily food. As I feed, cause me to grow up into Christ in all things, that I may shed the limitations of spiritual infancy. Empower me through prayer to step into the full exercise of my dominion as Your mature child. I choose to grow, in Jesus’ name!”
Action Steps:
- Conduct a Growth Audit: Honestly assess your spiritual diet and exercise. How consistent and meaningful is your Word intake? How fervent and faith-filled is your prayer life? Write down one improvement for each.
- Adopt the “E.A.T.” Method for Study:
- Engage the text (read carefully).
- Apply it (What does this mean for me today?).
- Transform through prayer (Pray the Scripture back to God and over your life).
- Exercise Your Authority Muscle: This week, identify one “headache”-sized problem (a worry, a minor ailment, a small frustration) and deliberately address it with a specific scriptural promise in prayer. Act as the governing heir you are.
- Find a Growth Partner: Share your growth goal with a mature believer who can encourage you and hold you accountable to your Word and prayer commitments.
Remember: You are an heir to the Kingdom. Don’t live like a servant in the nursery. Grow up. Your dominion awaits your maturity.
“Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” (1 Peter 2:2). Your growth is your responsibility.
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