Today’s Open Heavens devotional (3 March 2026) is SIN IS A REPROACH I
The daily devotion guide is written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 3 MARCH 2026 DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: SIN IS A REPROACH I
MEMORISE:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
READ: John 5:1-15
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 3 MARCH 2026 MESSAGE TODAY
In today’s Bible reading, Jesus healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. Shortly after that, He found him in the temple and warned him to stay away from sin or a worse illness would afflict him.
Jesus’ warning shows us that a fellow’s sin can attract reproach and bring the fellow under the influence of the forces of darkness. If a person sins and does not repent, today’s memory verse tells us that such a fellow will be paid for committing that sin, and that payment is death.
In Mark 2:1-12, the Bible tells us about a paralysed man who was brought to Jesus. It took four men to carry him on his sick bed to the house Jesus was preaching in, and because the house was so full that there was no space to pass through at the entrance, the men who carried him had to break through the roof to lower him into the house. When Jesus saw him, He knew the man needed a miracle, and the first thing He said was, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” In other words, Jesus was saying,
“Unless we get your sins out of the way, you won’t get the miracle you need.”
Sin always hinders people from receiving their miracles, and there is always a need to take the sins that have blocked their access to God’s blessings away so that the path to their miracles can be opened. The paralysed man’s sins landed him in a mess, but when he came in contact with light, it destroyed the mess.
When a person comes in contact with light, it destroys every form of darkness in his or her life. If there is any reproach in your life that was caused by your sin, as you ask God for forgiveness today and promise not to return to it, I decree that the Lord will send His light into your life to take away the reproach, in Jesus’ name.
Beloved, sin is always a reproach; it brings shame and death. Righteousness, however, attracts God’s upliftment (Proverbs 14:34). To receive God’s promotion, you must confess and repent of any sins that might exist in your life. Jesus is willing to give you a brand-new start when you turn to Him.
Don’t let your sins keep you from enjoying God’s help; confess them and repent of them today, and your heavenly Father will remove everything that represents a reproach in your life (1 John 1:9).
KEY POINT
Sin can stop God’s light from shining upon you and His blessings from flowing into your life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Deuteronomy 30-32
Open Heavens HYMN 34: YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 3 MARCH 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
This verse establishes the stark spiritual economy governing humanity. It presents two opposing payment systems: the earned wages of sin, which is death (spiritual separation, corruption, and ultimately eternal death), and the unearned gift of God, which is life in Christ. You cannot collect both payments; you are either under contract to sin or under grace through Christ.
BIBLE READING: John 5:1-15
This passage powerfully demonstrates the connection between sin, sickness, and salvation:
v. 5-6: Jesus singles out a man in a condition of prolonged helplessness (38 years).
v. 8-9: The healing is immediate and commanded by Christ’s authority.
v. 14: The crucial post-healing encounter. Jesus finds him and issues a solemn warning: “Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.” This links the man’s past sin to his infirmity and shows that healing is holistic.
v. 15: The man’s response is to testify about Jesus, moving from a victim to a witness.
The Sin That Blocks The Miracle
Pastor E.A. Adeboye uses the encounters of the paralyzed man in Mark 2 and the infirm man in John 5 to teach a critical spiritual principle: unconfessed sin can create a blockade against God’s blessing, and true deliverance requires dealing with the root cause, not just the symptoms.
1. The Crippling Cost of Sin
Sin as a Spiritual Wage:
- It is Earned: “Wages” imply compensation for work done. Persistent, unrepentant sin accrues a debt, paid in the currency of death—which manifests as spiritual decay, relational breakdown, physical infirmity, and reproach (Proverbs 14:34).
- It Creates Blockades: As seen with the paralyzed man, sin can land a person in a “mess”—a state of stagnation and helplessness where they cannot get to God on their own.
Sin Attracts Dark Influences:
- Jesus’ warning in John 5:14 confirms that willful sin can give legal ground to “the forces of darkness,” inviting affliction and potentially worse consequences than physical illness.
2. The Priority of Forgiveness Over Symptom Relief
Jesus’ Order of Operations:
- In Mark 2:5, Jesus saw the faith of the friends and the need of the paralytic. His first declaration was not “be healed,” but “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
- The Principle: The root blockage to the man’s miracle was not muscular or neurological, but spiritual. Forgiveness cleared the legal obstacle so that healing could flow unimpeded. The miracle of healing then became the visible proof of the invisible miracle of forgiveness (Mark 2:10-12).
The Danger of Healing Without Holiness:
- The John 5 account shows that it is possible to receive a miracle (healing) while the root issue (sin) remains unaddressed. This leaves a person vulnerable to a “worse” condition—perhaps spiritual deception, hardness of heart, or a more severe form of bondage.
3. The Liberating Power of Light
Contact with Christ is Exposure and Cleansing:
- Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). To come into contact with Him is to have every form of darkness in one’s life exposed and destroyed. The Light does not ignore sin; it reveals it in order to remove it and the reproach it causes.
- The Promise: As Pastor Adeboye decrees, when we ask for forgiveness and renounce our sin, God sends His light to take away the associated shame and blockage.
From Reproach to Righteousness:
- Sin brings reproach (shame, disgrace, hindrance). Righteousness in Christ attracts “God’s upliftment” and promotion (Proverbs 14:34). The exchange is made at the cross.
4. The Paralytic’s Testimony (Mark 2:12)
Immediate and Public Transformation:
- The man who was carried in walked out, carrying his own mat. His physical healing was undeniable, but the greater miracle was his forgiven and restored state before God.
- Key to Deliverance: The combination of persistent faith (brought by friends) and authoritative forgiveness (spoken by Christ). He needed both.
How to Remove the Blockade of Sin
Radical Honesty Before God:
- Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart (Psalm 139:23-24). Ask, “Is there any sin blocking my access to Your blessing?”
Specific Confession and Repentance:
- Follow the 1 John 1:9 model. Name the sins specifically to God. Repentance means to turn away—make a conscious decision, with His help, to abandon that path.
Receive Forgiveness and Renounce the Ground:
- Verbally receive God’s gift of forgiveness by faith, not by feeling. Then, renounce any legal right you gave to darkness through that sin. Command every associated reproach to leave in Jesus’ name.
Walk in the Light Continually:
- Develop a lifestyle of immediate confession. Don’t let sins accumulate into a blockade. Stay in fellowship with other believers who can bear your mat in faith (James 5:16).
Warning: The Peril of a Partial Cure
Seeking Blessing While Clinging to Sin:
- This is spiritual hypocrisy and leads to a worse state (John 5:14). God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Humility is shown by confession.
Treating Symptoms, Not the Disease:
- Focusing only on praying for the miracle (healing, breakthrough) while ignoring the sin that caused the blockage is futile. Address the cause first.
Conclusion: Your Pathway Cleared
Pray this:
“Lord Jesus, Light of the World, I come to You now. I confess and repent of the sin of [name it specifically]. I ask for Your forgiveness, based on the blood You shed on the cross. I renounce all association with this sin and every legal right I gave to the enemy through it. I receive Your gift of forgiveness and eternal life right now. Send Your light into my life to destroy every block, every reproach, and every work of darkness. Heal my body, soul, and spirit, and set me on the path of Your righteousness, for Your glory. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.”
Action Steps:
- The Blockade List: Write down areas where you feel stagnant, blocked, or under reproach. Pray over each one, asking God to reveal any underlying sin that needs to be confessed.
- Claim 1 John 1:9: Write this verse on a card. For the next 7 days, read it aloud each morning as a declaration of your cleansed status before God.
- Testify of Your Cleansing: Like the healed man in John 5, tell a trusted Christian friend, “I have been forgiven and set free.” Your testimony seals your deliverance.
Remember: The gift of God in Christ is greater than the wages of your sin. Your miracle is on the other side of a clean heart.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). Be cleansed, and be free.
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