The Open Heavens 23 May 2026 devotional for today is SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED II.
This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 23 MAY 2026 TODAY DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED II
MEMORISE
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Psalm 13:3
READ: Judges 16:19-21
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
RCCG OPEN HEAVENS 23 MAY 2026 TODAY MESSAGE
There was once a young man who was the secretary of a cult group at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in South-West Nigeria. One day, he gave his life to Christ and decided to leave the cult. Immediately, the other cult members decided to kill him because he knew their secrets.
One night, after arriving in his hostel from the library, he was very tired, so he said a quick prayer and got on his bed to sleep. As he lay on his bed, the Holy Spirit nudged him to get up and pray. He got on his knees, said another short prayer, and tried to sleep again. However, he got another nudge to pray, and he just thought to himself, “Well, let me pray just as God wants.” He did so, and as he got up from his knees, he saw a huge demon with charms all over its body walk into his room, even though the door was locked.
The demon made its way towards him, and he immediately started rebuking it in Jesus’ name. Slowly, the demon retreated from the room.
When he told me about the incident, I asked him, “Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?” He replied, “I’d have thought I was dreaming too; however, because of how I shouted when rebuking the demon, my roommate moved on his bed, and as he did so, his leg touched the demon as it retreated. My roommate’s leg, which touched the demon, swelled to three times its normal size, and he spent a year treating it.” Being spiritually discerning can be the difference between life and death.
As we read in Balaam’s story yesterday, disobedience to God’s instructions can prevent a Christian from discerning spiritual things. Are there instructions the Lord has given you to follow? Don’t try to negotiate your way out of complete obedience to Him. Always obey God’s instructions, because it will make your heart more sensitive to hearing Him.
Toying with sin will make a believer become spiritually dull. Samson didn’t know when his hair was cut because sin had made him spiritually dull. He was fast asleep and didn’t know that he was in trouble until Delilah woke him up. When he awoke, he wanted to fight the Philistines as he had always done, but he was unaware that God had left him.
Beloved, flee disobedience and sin so that you will remain spiritually discerning. May you not become spiritually insensitive and sleep the sleep of death, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT
Father, please help me to obey You at all times so I never become spiritually insensitive
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Nehemiah 8-10
Open Heavens HYMN 30: WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 23 MAY 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Psalm 13:3
“Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.”
This verse is a desperate prayer for spiritual awakening. David fears not physical death but spiritual slumber—a state where his eyes become heavy, his discernment dims, and he becomes vulnerable to the enemy. He asks God to “lighten” his eyes, to restore clarity and alertness. The “sleep of death” is not just physical cessation; it is the state of being alive but unaware, awake but insensitive, breathing but blind to danger.
BIBLE READING: Judges 16:19-21
This passage records the tragic downfall of Samson. Delilah had been trying to discover the secret of his strength. Finally, after days of nagging, Samson told her that his strength lay in his uncut hair—his Nazirite vow to God. Delilah lulled him to sleep on her lap, called a man to shave off the seven locks of his head, and then woke him saying, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.” He awoke thinking he would shake himself free as before, but “he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.” The Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and bound him to grind grain in prison. This passage demonstrates that sin dulls your spiritual senses to the point where you don’t even realize when God has left you.
The Sleep of Spiritual Insensitivity
In today’s devotional, Pastor E.A. Adeboye continues his teaching on spiritual discernment. He moves from Balaam’s blindness to Samson’s slumber. Both men had great spiritual gifts, but both became spiritually insensitive. The result? Balaam walked into danger, and Samson woke up in chains.
The Testimony of the Cult Secretary
The devotional opens with a powerful testimony that illustrates the life-or-death importance of spiritual discernment. A young man at the University of Ife had been the secretary of a cult group. When he gave his life to Christ and left the cult, his former brothers decided to kill him because he knew their secrets.
One night, he returned from the library exhausted. He said a quick prayer and went to bed. But the Holy Spirit nudged him to get up and pray. He got on his knees, said another short prayer, and tried to sleep again. Another nudge. He thought, “Well, let me pray just as God wants.”
He prayed earnestly. As he got up from his knees, he saw a huge demon—covered with charms—walk into his room. The door was locked, but the demon entered anyway. The young man began rebuking the demon in the name of Jesus, and slowly, the demon retreated.
When he told Daddy Adeboye about the incident, the General Overseer asked if he might have been dreaming. The young man’s response was chilling: “I’d have thought I was dreaming too; however, because of how I shouted when rebuking the demon, my roommate moved on his bed, and as he did so, his leg touched the demon as it retreated. My roommate’s leg, which touched the demon, swelled to three times its normal size, and he spent a year treating it.”
This is not a dream. This is the spiritual realm intersecting with the physical world.
The lesson: If this young man had ignored the Holy Spirit’s nudging and gone to sleep, he would have been dead by morning. His spiritual discernment—his sensitivity to the Spirit’s prompting—was the difference between life and death.
Samson: The Mighty Man Who Didn’t Know God Had Left
The Bible reading gives us the tragic example of Samson. He was a man with a supernatural calling. He was a Nazirite from birth. The Spirit of the Lord moved upon him mightily. He killed a lion with his bare hands, destroyed 30 Philistines, and slaughtered 1,000 with the jawbone of a donkey.
But sin dulled his senses.
Delilah had been sent to discover the secret of his strength. She nagged him day after day. Finally, he told her the truth: his strength lay in his uncut hair—the sign of his consecration to God.
Notice what happened next:
- She lulled him to sleep on her lap.
- She called a man to shave off the seven locks of his head.
- She woke him saying, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.”
- He awoke and thought, “I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.”
But the Bible records the most tragic words in his story: “He wist not that the LORD was departed from him.”
Samson didn’t know. He thought he was still strong. He thought he could still fight. He thought the presence of God was still with him. But sin had made him spiritually dull. He was fast asleep while his hair was being cut. He didn’t know he was in trouble until Delilah woke him. And by then, it was too late.
The Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and bound him to grind grain in prison.
The Connection Between Obedience and Discernment
The devotional draws a direct line between obedience and spiritual sensitivity.
“Disobedience to God’s instructions can prevent a Christian from discerning spiritual things.”
- Balaam wanted to go because of money, so God had to speak through a donkey to get his attention.
- Samson toyed with sin, so he lost his strength without even realizing it.
- The young man obeyed the Holy Spirit’s nudging, and his life was saved.
When you obey God promptly and completely, your heart becomes more sensitive to hearing Him. When you negotiate, delay, or disobey, your spiritual senses grow dull. You become like Samson—strong in your own mind but powerless in reality.
How Sin Dulls Your Spiritual Senses
1. Sin Makes You Sleep When You Should Be Alert
Samson was fast asleep while Delilah cut his hair. The young man was exhausted, but the Holy Spirit woke him. Sin makes you comfortable at the wrong times. It makes you rest when you should be praying.
2. Sin Makes You Think You Are Still Strong
Samson thought, “I will go out as at other times.” He didn’t feel any different. His muscles still felt strong. His confidence was still high. But the source of his strength was gone. Sin deceives you into thinking nothing has changed while everything has changed.
3. Sin Makes You Blind to Danger
Samson didn’t see the Philistines coming. He woke up already captured. The young man, because he was sensitive to the Spirit, saw the demon entering and fought it. Sin blinds you to the enemy’s approach.
4. Sin Makes You Lose What You Never Realized You Lost
The most tragic phrase in Scripture: “He wist not that the LORD was departed from him.” Samson lost God’s presence without knowing it. You can lose your anointing, your protection, your discernment—and not even realize it until disaster strikes.
How to Stay Spiritually Alert
1. Flee Disobedience
The devotional says: “Flee disobedience and sin so that you will remain spiritually discerning.” Not resist—flee. Not negotiate—flee. Run from anything that would dull your senses.
2. Obey Promptly
When the Holy Spirit nudges you to pray, pray. When He tells you to speak, speak. When He warns you to stop, stop. Do not delay. Do not negotiate. Prompt obedience keeps your spiritual senses sharp.
3. Check Your Spiritual Vital Signs Regularly
Ask yourself:
- Do I still hunger for God’s word?
- Do I still sense His presence in prayer?
- Am I still sensitive to His promptings?
- Is there any unconfessed sin blocking my connection?
If the answer to any of these is troubling, stop everything and seek Him.
4. Pray for Lightened Eyes
The memory verse is a prayer: “Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Pray this daily. Ask God to keep your spiritual eyes open, alert, and sensitive.
5. Stay in the Company of the Awake
The young man was in a room with a roommate who later suffered from touching the demon. But the roommate was not the one who saw the danger. Stay close to believers who are spiritually discerning. Their alertness can protect you.
Conclusion: Don’t Sleep the Sleep of Death
Samson woke up blind, bound, and grinding grain in a prison. The man who had killed a thousand Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone became a laughingstock for his enemies. All because he played with sin and lost his discernment.
Do not let this be you.
- When the Holy Spirit nudges you to pray, pray.
- When He warns you to stop, stop.
- When He prompts you to obey, obey.
Your spiritual discernment is the difference between life and death. It is the difference between victory and captivity. It is the difference between finishing your race and grinding in prison.
Pray this:
“Father, lighten my eyes. I do not want to sleep the sleep of death. Forgive me for the times I have been like Samson—playing with sin, ignoring Your warnings, thinking I was still strong when Your presence had departed. Sharpen my spiritual senses. Help me to obey promptly when You speak. Let me never be caught unaware by the enemy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Action Steps:
- Identify any area of disobedience: Is there an instruction from God that you have been delaying or negotiating? Obey it today.
- Check for “Samson” patterns: Are there areas where you have been toying with sin, thinking you can handle it? Flee today.
- Practice immediate obedience: This week, when you sense the Holy Spirit prompting you—even in small things—obey immediately. Build your sensitivity.
- Pray Psalm 13:3 daily: Write it down. Pray it every morning: “Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.”
- Stay awake: If you find yourself spiritually drowsy—no hunger for the Word, no desire for prayer, no sensitivity to the Spirit—stop everything and seek God. Do not let the drowsiness deepen into sleep.
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