The Open Heavens 9 January 2026 devotional for today is FREEDOM OF WORSHIP I
This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 9 JANUARY 2026 TODAY DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: FREEDOM OF WORSHIP I
MEMORISE:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1
READ: Matthew 6:21-24
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
RCCG OPEN HEAVENS 9 JANUARY 2026 TODAY MESSAGE
All humans have the freedom to worship whatever they want to. Even in countries where people are restricted from worshipping publicly, nobody can restrict anyone from worshipping his or her ‘god’ privately.
This freedom to worship has been given by God; however, you must be vigilant at all times to know who or what you are worshipping because who or what you worship will determine what you become (2 Corinthians 3:18).
It is important that you examine your priorities because they are pointers to the people or things you actually worship. Some people do not know that their phones have become the god they worship. They take their phones everywhere they go, even into the bathroom.
Their eyes are always glued to their phones as they spend hours browsing through them. If they don’t have their phones with them, they will begin to panic and will not be able to function normally. Sadly, this often leads them into anxiety, depression, and many health challenges.
What you give your attention and resources to eventually shapes your values, thoughts, and behaviour. If your focus is primarily on material possessions, your social status, or even other people’s opinions, they can easily become idols in your life.
You must examine yourself regularly to know the things or people that mostly occupy your thoughts and what you exert most of your energy on. If these things or people are not aligned with your purpose in Christ, then you need to take heed, lest you fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Another subtle, yet common object of worship these days is work. Many Christians allow themselves to be trapped in the cycle of work such that they neglect their health, families, and walk with God. I know the value of hard work, so I work very hard and encourage people to do the same.
However, when work becomes the source of your identity, it has taken God’s place in your life. You must also be careful not to worship comfort and convenience. Today, many youths talk about living a comfortable life and unfortunately, their pursuit of this soft life has become the god they worship.
Beloved, the freedom of worship is a precious gift that God has given to you; however, you must use it to worship Him alone. You must also be mindful and disciplined to ensure that you are not worshipping an idol at any time. Keep your total focus on God at all times, and He will reward you with His grace and peace.
ACTION POINT
Sincerely assess your current priorities to determine whether anything or anyone is competing with God’s place in your life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Genesis 29-31
HYMN 7: I AM THINE O LORD
OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 9 JANUARY 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Galatians 5:1
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
This verse declares the essence of our salvation: a purchased freedom. However, it carries a dual command—to stand firm in that freedom and to vigilantly resist any new form of slavery. The greatest threat to spiritual liberty is often not external persecution, but internal idolatry.
BIBLE READING: Matthew 6:21-24
In this passage, Jesus exposes the direct link between our treasure (what we value most) and our heart’s worship. He concludes with the unshakeable law of single-minded allegiance: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Our focus is inherently singular; whatever commands it is our de facto master.
The Idolatry of the Heart: The High Cost of Misplaced Worship
Daddy Adeboye delivers a piercing diagnosis of modern spiritual bondage. The devotional moves beyond the obvious idols of wood and stone to expose the subtle, daily altars we erect in our lives. True freedom is not just freedom from sin, but freedom for exclusive, undivided devotion to God.
1. The Deceptive Nature of Subtle Idols
Idolatry is a Matter of Priority and Focus:
An idol is not merely a statue; it is anything that commands the supreme devotion of your heart, time, resources, and imagination. As 2 Corinthians 3:18 states, we become like what we behold. Your constant focus is your object of worship, and that object is actively shaping you into its image—whether it is God, a device, a career, or an ideal.
The Phone as a Case Study:
The smartphone is a powerful modern parable. When it is the first thing you check in the morning and the last at night, when its absence causes anxiety, and when it consistently interrupts communion with God and people, it has transitioned from a tool to a throne. It commands your attention, and you obey.
2. Self-Examination: Identifying Your Altars
Your Thoughts and Energy Reveal Your Gods:
You must audit your mental and emotional expenditure. What occupies your daydreams? What conversation topic excites you most? What problem consumes your worry? The answers point to your functional deities. If these are not Christ and His purpose for you, you are in idolatry’s grip.
The Altars of Work, Comfort, and Status:
- Work: When it becomes the source of your identity, worth, and security instead of a domain for stewardship, it is an idol. It leads to the neglect of health, family, and spiritual vitality.
- Comfort (The ‘Soft Life’): The pursuit of a pain-free, hassle-free existence as the ultimate goal is idolatry. It makes convenience your god and shrinks your capacity for sacrifice, service, and endurance.
- Status & Opinions: When your value is determined by your social standing or others’ approval, you are a slave to people. You worship at the altar of human praise.
3. The Consequence and the Correction
Idolatry Leads to Bondage and Breakdown:
Daddy Adeboye notes that phone worship leads to “anxiety, depression, and many health challenges.” This is the inevitable fruit of idolatry: it promises life but delivers death; promises freedom but delivers a crushing yoke. It distorts your values, drains your peace, and derails your destiny.
The Call to Vigilance and Discipline:
Freedom must be guarded. It requires the discipline to regularly “take heed” (1 Corinthians 10:12)—to pause and conduct a spiritual inventory. This isn’t a one-time event but a lifestyle of conscious realignment, ensuring that Christ alone sits on the throne of your heart.
How to Guard Your Freedom and Worship God Alone
Implement Practical Boundaries:
Create “no-phone zones” (e.g., during prayer, meals, first hour of the day). Deliberately schedule and protect time for family and spiritual disciplines. Let your calendar reflect that God is Lord of your time.
Conduct the “Treasure Test” Regularly:
Ask yourself weekly: “Where did my money go most easily? What did I most hate to be interrupted from doing?” Your financial records and your irritations are truthful ledgers of your heart’s treasure.
Replace Don’t Just Remove:
Idolatry fills a vacuum. You cannot simply stop worshipping an idol; you must actively, passionately worship the true God. Increase your intake of His Word, your time in heartfelt praise, and your service to His kingdom. As you behold Christ, the false gods lose their appeal.
Warning: Freedom to Choose is Not Freedom from Consequence
God gives the freedom to worship anything, but He does not suspend the spiritual law that we become enslaved to whatever we choose. The “yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1) is self-chosen. Playing near an idol’s altar always leads to entanglement.
Conclusion: Pray for a Purified and Single-Minded Heart
Pray this:
*”Lord Jesus, my Liberator, I stand fast in the freedom You purchased. Search me, O God, and know my heart; see if there is any idolatrous way in me (Psalm 139:23-24). I dethrone every subtle idol—my phone, my work, my desire for comfort, the opinions of others. I enthrone You alone. Let my thoughts, my time, my resources, and my affections be wholly Yours. Grant me the discipline to guard my heart and the grace to behold only You, in Jesus’ name!”*
Action Steps:
- The 24-Hour Fast: This week, fast from your primary potential idol (e.g., social media, work emails, entertainment) for 24 hours. Use the time for prayer and reflection. Note what cravings or anxieties arise—they reveal the idol’s hold.
- The Priority Realignment Plan: Write down your God-given priorities (e.g., Personal Devotion, Family, Health, Ministry). Now audit last week’s time. Where is the disconnect? Make one concrete change to align them.
- Worship Declarations: Each morning, declare before God: “Today, You alone are my God. I worship You with my time, my talents, and my treasure.” Verbally reject the worship of any other thing.
- Accountability Partnership: Share this devotional with a trusted friend. Give them permission to ask you monthly: “Have you noticed any new ‘altars’ in your life?”
Remember: Your freedom is precious and costly. To stand fast in it requires that you worship the Liberator, not the chains. Your heart is a temple; guard it for its one true Resident.
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…” (Galatians 5:1). Guard your freedom jealously.
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