Category: Open Heaven Devotional

The Open Heaven 24 December 2025 devotional for today is LET GOD BE YOUR FATHER.

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 23 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 24 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: LET GOD BE YOUR FATHER

MEMORISE:
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:18

READ: Galatians 4:4-7:
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.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 24 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

In Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus said, “I cannot give the children’s bread to dogs.” This means that a person is either God’s child or a dog. Children have fathers, while dogs have masters. Children can walk up to their fathers anytime to ask questions and make requests, but dogs cannot.

While a child can sit with his or her father on the dining table to eat, a dog usually sits under the table to eat crumbs. Such dogs will go hungry if there are no crumbs. If you have not yet surrendered your heart to Jesus, you are not yet God’s child, and now is the best time to turn to Him and allow Him to become your Father.

God has numerous names; He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16), He is the Almighty (Job 23:16), and He is the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (Revelation 22:13). Despite all His names, when Jesus taught us to pray in Luke 11:1-2, He said that we should start by saying, “Our Father”.

The name God loves to be called the most is Father. As Father, God is our source and sustainer; He is our helper. No responsible father will see his children suffering and leave them to continue to suffer.

When I was a child, I often followed my father to his farm. We always had to cross a particular river on our way back, and occasionally, the river overflowed its banks. Whenever this happened, it would sweep the bridge that was built across the river away.

On one occasion that this happened, my father picked me up and carried me across the river on his shoulders because I was too small to walk on the riverbed and not be swept away by the currents. While he was walking through the river, I was playing with the water because I was on his shoulder. If an earthly father can do everything to protect his child, how much more our heavenly Father?

Beloved, if you are already a child of God and are experiencing challenges that are currently testing your faith, hold on to God; He is a loving Father, and He will surely see you through and bring you to an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11).

If you are, however, yet to surrender your life to Him and you want to experience His special love and care, then accept His invitation to become His child today, and you too will enjoy peace on all sides, in Jesus’ name.

REFLECTION

Is God really your Father? Have you surrendered your life to Him?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

2 John l; 3 John l; Jude 1

HYMN 13: Jesus loves me! This I know

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 24 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: 2 Corinthians 6:18
“And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
This is the ultimate promise of the New Covenant. The Almighty God, the transcendent Creator, makes an intimate, relational pledge to those who separate themselves for Him. He does not merely promise to be a benefactor or king, but a Father. This adoption is the highest privilege of redemption, granting us the rights, intimacy, and inheritance of true children.

BIBLE READING: Galatians 4:4-7
This passage details the theological mechanics of our adoption:
v.4-5: The Action of Redemption – “God sent forth his Son… To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Christ’s work purchased our legal standing as sons.
v.6: The Evidence of Adoption – “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” The indwelling Holy Spirit is the seal and the inner witness, prompting our intimate cry to God.
v.7: The Result – “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Our identity shifts from slaves under law to sons under grace, with a guaranteed inheritance.

The Supreme Privilege of Sonship

Pastor E.A. Adeboye uses the poignant analogy from Matthew 15 to draw a stark, eternal line between two identities: child or dog. The devotional elevates the truth that of all God’s magnificent titles, “Father” is the one He cherishes most in relationship with us. It is a call to move from the outer courts of servitude to the inner chamber of family intimacy.

1. The Two Identities: Child vs. Dog

The Child’s Privilege:

• Access: A child can approach the father anytime with questions and requests. This speaks to unlimited prayer and fellowship (Hebrews 4:16).
• Position: A child sits at the table, partaking of the full meal—the “children’s bread.” This represents the full inheritance, promises, and provision of God.
• Relationship: Defined by love, communication, and shared life.

The Dog’s Limitation:

• No Access: A dog relates to a master, not a father. The relationship is distant, based on command and performance.
• Position: Under the table, dependent on crumbs—the leftovers of grace. This is a life of spiritual scarcity, surviving on occasional blessings without secure promise.
• Vulnerability: “Will go hungry if there are no crumbs.” Their sustenance is uncertain and conditional.

2. The Father-Heart of God

The Name Above All Names to Him:
Among His sovereign titles (Almighty, King of kings), Jesus taught us to lead with “Our Father”(Luke 11:2). This reveals God’s deepest desire—not to be feared from a distance as a potentate, but to be known intimately as a loving Parent. This is the heart of the gospel.

The Nature of a Responsible Father:

• Source and Sustainer: He is the origin of our life and its continual support.
• Helper in Suffering: “No responsible father will see his children suffering and leave them.” Our earthly struggles are not ignored; they activate His compassionate intervention (Psalm 103:13).
• Protector: The personal story of Pastor Adeboye’s father carrying him across the flooded river is a powerful earthly shadow of our heavenly Father’s care. In the dangerous currents of life (illness, lack, despair), He carries us on His shoulders. We can have peace and even “play” in the midst of turmoil because our security is in His strength, not our environment.

3. The Pathway and Proof of Sonship

The Invitation to Become a Child:
For the unbeliever, the call is to “surrender your heart to Jesus.” This is not about religion, but a relational transaction where you accept His sacrifice and are adopted into the family (John 1:12).

The Assurance for the Child in Crisis:
For the believer facing faith-testing challenges, the command is to “hold on to God.” The basis is not the circumstance, but His unchanging character as a “loving Father.” His promise is to bring you through to the “expected end” of Jeremiah 29:11—a future of hope and peace.

The Inner Witness:
As Galatians 4:6 explains, the proof is the Holy Spirit within, causing us to cry “Abba, Father.” This is the instinctual, trusting cry of a child to a beloved parent, especially in times of need.

How to Live in the Reality of Your Sonship

1. Address God Primarily as “Father”:
Reform your prayer life. Begin every prayer with this intimate address. Let it shape your expectations from fear-based pleading to confident communion.

2. Claim Your Place at the Table:
Reject a “crumb mentality.” In prayer, boldly ask for and expect the “children’s bread”—the full provision, healing, and wisdom God has for His kids. You are not begging for leftovers.

3. Trust the Carry in the Current:
When you are in overwhelming situations, visualize your Heavenly Father carrying you on His shoulders. Your prayer becomes, “Father, I cannot navigate this on my own. Carry me through.” This posture replaces panic with peace.

4. Share the Invitation:
Understand that those outside of Christ are not just “sinners” but spiritual orphans. Share the gospel as the good news of adoption into a loving family, not just escape from judgment.

Warning: The Peril of Rejecting Sonship

To remain outside of Christ is to choose the identity of a “dog”—spiritually homeless, without promise, living on the unpredictable scraps of life’s circumstances. It is to forfeit the inheritance, protection, and intimate love reserved for children. It is the ultimate poverty.

Conclusion: Coming Home to the Father’s Embrace

Pray this:
“Abba, Father, I come to You today. I reject the identity of a spiritual orphan. I receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I embrace my adoption into Your family. Thank You for being my source, my sustainer, and my protector. When challenges come, remind my heart that I am Your child, seated at Your table and carried on Your shoulders. Let Your Fatherly love guide and keep me all the days of my life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Meditate on the “Abba” Cry: Spend time in quiet prayer, letting the Holy Spirit stir within you the childlike cry of “Abba, Father.” Let it be a prayer without words, a posture of trust.
• Study the Father’s Love: Read and reflect on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Note the father’s character: watching, running, embracing, restoring.
• Write Your Adoption Certificate: On a card, write: “I am a son/daughter of the Almighty God (2 Corinthians 6:18). I have access. I have a place at the table. I am carried.” Place it where you will see it daily.

Remember: Your highest identity is not sinner, not servant, not sufferer—but son, daughter. The King of kings wants you to call Him Daddy. Live in that shocking, glorious intimacy today.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). You are called. Believe it, and live like it.

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Read RCCG Open Heaven Devotional for Tomorrow

Download Open Heaven 24 December 2025 Devotional PDF

The Open Heaven 23 December 2025 devotional for today is CONDUCTORS OF THE ANOINTING III.

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 22 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 23 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: CONDUCTORS OF THE ANOINTING III

MEMORISE:
And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
Acts 19:11

READ: 2 Kings 2:19-22:
19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 23 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

Yesterday, I mentioned that God needs your hands to be clean so that He can use it to do great things. Your hands should bring blessings to people, not the other way around.

In Exodus 15:22-25, the Israelites got to Marah, and they couldn’t drink the water there because it was bitter. God showed Moses a tree, and he cut a branch from it, threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. I believe that if it had been someone else who threw that branch in the water, nothing would have changed.

In 2 Kings 4:38-41, somebody unknowingly added a poisonous herb to the food that was being prepared for the sons of the prophets. Upon tasting it, they said, “There is death in the pot.” Elisha then said, “Bring me some flour.” He put the flour in the pot, and the poison was neutralised. The flour became a potent antidote because the anointing flowed through the hands that poured it into the pot.

Years ago, I travelled to Lokoja, a state capital in Central Nigeria, and I saw a huge tree on a major road within the city. The road was built around the tree, and when I asked why, I was told that the tree could not be uprooted because there were evil forces surrounding it.

Quietly, I stretched my hand towards the tree and prayed a simple prayer. That night, there was a violent storm, and by the next morning, the tree had been uprooted. I decree that any tree that God has not planted in your life, family, or city will be uprooted today, in Jesus’ name.

God performed special miracles by the hands of Paul. Handkerchiefs and aprons were taken from his body to heal the sick and deliver those who were oppressed by demons (Acts 19:11-12).

Pieces of cloth that had come in contact with Paul’s hands and aprons that had come in contact with his body became healing vessels and demon chasers. In today’s Bible reading, the inhabitants of Jericho told Elisha that their city was pleasant, but the ground was barren, and the water was bad. He took some salt and poured it at the source of the water flowing into the city, and the waters became fit for use. It wasn’t the salt that performed the miracle; it was the hand of the anointed fellow that threw in the salt.

Beloved, I decree that as you raise your hands, any curse on your life, family, village, town, or country will be broken, in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER POINT

Father, please perform special miracles through my hands, in Jesus’ name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

1 John 1-5

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 23 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: Acts 19:11
“And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.”
This verse succinctly captures the dynamic partnership between divine power and human agency. God (“God wrought“) is the sole source of the miracle, but He chooses to work “by the hands of” a consecrated individual. The hands are the designated, anointed instruments through which God’s supernatural power is administered to meet specific human needs.

BIBLE READING: 2 Kings 2:19-22
This passage is the paradigm for the transformation of a curse into a blessing through anointed agency:
v.19: The Problem Presented – A pleasant city with a fatal flaw: “the water is naught, and the ground barren.” This represents a life or system with inherent poison that stifles fruitfulness.
v.20-21: The Prophetic Prescription – Elisha calls for a new cruse (a fresh, unused vessel) and salt. He goes to the spring of the waters (the source) and casts the salt in, declaring healing in the name of the Lord.
v.22: The Permanent Result – “So the waters were healed unto this day.” The miracle was complete and enduring, affecting the entire city’s future.

The Anointed Hand: God’s Instrument for Transformation

Pastor E.A. Adeboye continues his profound teaching on the ministry of the hands, moving from their required cleanliness to their supernatural potential. Today’s devotional reveals that the clean, anointed hand of a believer becomes the point of contact where God transmutes curses into blessings, poison into nourishment, and spiritual strongholds into vacant lots.

1. The Transmuting Touch: Changing the Nature of Things

The Branch at Marah (Exodus 15:25):
The bitter waters of Marah represent life’s disappointments and curses. Moses’ hand, acting on God’s specific instruction, used a ordinary tree branch as a conduit to release a sweetening miracle. The hand of the anointed leader changed the very molecular structure of the water, demonstrating that God’s power through a man can alter the nature of circumstances.

The Flour in the Pot (2 Kings 4:41):
Flour, a mundane cooking ingredient, became a universal antidote to poison when it passed through Elisha’s hands. This illustrates that the anointing sanctifies common elements for supernatural purposes. The miracle was not in the flour but in the hand that administered it.

The Salt at Jericho (2 Kings 2:21):
Salt, often a symbol of preservation and covenant, was used. But Elisha emphasized it was not about the salt: “Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters.” His anointed hand, obeying God’s word, was the instrument that released the healing decree into the source, resulting in permanent transformation.

2. The Authority to Uproot: Confronting Spiritual Strongholds

The Lokoja Tree Testimony:
The tree on the road was more than a botanical specimen; it was a physical monument to a spiritual stronghold that intimidated an entire city, even dictating urban planning. Pastor Adeboye’s quiet prayer with a stretched hand was not a public spectacle but a spiritual command issued from a position of authority. The violent storm was the earth’s response to the spiritual eviction notice served by an anointed hand. This demonstrates that the believer’s hand, in faith, can command natural elements to execute divine judgments against spiritual obstructions.

The Decree Over the Reader:
The personal decree—“any tree that God has not planted… will be uprooted”—transfers the principle to the reader. It activates faith that our hands, lifted in prayer and declaration, can sever unseen roots of familial, personal, or territorial curses.

3. The Transferable Anointing: Power in the Proximity

Paul’s Handkerchiefs (Acts 19:12):
This is a unique level of anointing where power resided so richly upon Paul’s person that it transferred to inanimate objects (“handkerchiefs or aprons”) that had contact with his skin or hands. These became points of contact for faith, carrying the “special miracles” to a distance. This proves the anointing is a tangible spiritual substance that flows through and even from an anointed life.

The Principle of Contact and Release:
Whether it is a branch, flour, salt, a handkerchief, or a prayer of faith, the common element is contact with the anointed hand or person. This contact acts as a conduit, transferring God’s power from the spirit realm to the material need.

4. The Mandate: Your Hands as Instruments of Blessing

Hands That Bless, Not Curse:
The opening line sets the mandate: “Your hands should bring blessings to people, not the other way around.” Our hands are to be known as sources of healing, deliverance, provision, and breakthrough, not instruments of harm, theft, or corruption.

The Decree of Breakthrough:
The closing prayer of decree is not a wish but an exercise of priestly authority. It commissions the reader’s hands as instruments to “break” curses over every sphere of their influence, in the name of Jesus.

How to Function as a Transmitting Hand of God

1. Obey Specific Instructions:
Like Moses at Marah, be sensitive to God’s unique direction for each situation. The miracle was in the specific obedience, not in a generic formula.

2. Use What is in Your Hand:
God uses available, ordinary things (a branch, flour, salt). Don’t despise the mundane tools God places in your reach. Consecrate them through prayer and use them in faith.

3. Command, Don’t Just Plead:
Move beyond begging God to act. From a position of clean hands and a pure heart, stretch your hand toward problems and issue decrees based on God’s Word, as Jesus taught (Mark 11:23).

4. Believe for Transferable Grace:
Live so consistently in God’s presence that your very belongings and touch carry a residue of faith and power for those who believe.

Warning: The Ineffective Hand

An unclean, disobedient, or faithless hand cannot transmit God’s power. It would be like Moses refusing to cut the branch, Elisha doubting the flour, or Paul hoarding the handkerchiefs. Inaction or impurity renders the instrument useless, leaving the bitter waters undrinkable and the poison in the pot.

Conclusion: Stretching Forth Your Hand for Miracle

Pray this:
“Almighty God, I present my hands to You afresh. Anoint them as instruments of Your power. Let Your miracle-working virtue flow through them to heal the bitter waters, neutralize every poison, and uproot every unauthorized tree in my life and the lives of those I touch. I decree that my hands will only bring blessings, and I receive the authority to transform curses into blessings today, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Identify a ‘Marah’ or ‘Poisonous Pot’: Name one situation in your life or community that is “bitter” or “poisonous.” Stretch your hand toward it in prayer and speak a specific word of healing or neutralization from Scripture.
• Study the Miracle Workers: Meditate on the methods of Moses, Elisha, and Paul. Note their use of ordinary objects, their decisive commands, and their unwavering faith.
• Make a Faith Point of Contact: This week, pray over a simple object (a bottle of oil, a handkerchief) and give it to someone in need as a point of contact for their faith, instructing them to believe God for their miracle.

Remember: You are not just praying to God; you are partnering with God. Your clean, believing, obedient hand is His chosen instrument to administer heaven’s remedy to earth’s problems.
“And they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:18). This is your commission. Stretch forth your hand.

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Read RCCG Open Heaven Devotional for Tomorrow

Download Open Heaven 23 December 2025 Devotional PDF

The Open Heaven 22 December 2025 devotional for today is CONDUCTORS OF THE ANOINTING 2.

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 21 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 22 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: CONDUCTORS OF THE ANOINTING 2

MEMORISE:
The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
Job 17:9

READ: Psalms 24:1-5:
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 22 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

Yesterday, I mentioned that the hands are conductors of the anointing upon a believer’s head. What a believer does with his or her hands can determine how the Holy Spirit will operate.

In Exodus 17:8-13, when Moses lifted up his hands on a hilltop, Israel prevailed over their enemies; however, when he became tired and dropped his hands, Israel started losing. In Exodus 14:21- 28, Moses’ hands did something extraordinary; He stretched his hand over the sea, a strong east wind blew, and a way was created where there was none before. The east wind is another reference for the Holy Spirit in the Bible. This means that a believer’s hands can determine how the Holy Spirit moves.

In 1981, after I had just become the General Overseer of RCCG, I travelled to Ifewara, my hometown in South-West Nigeria. Then, there was no direct road linking Ife, a major city in the South-West region, to Ifewara. To get to Ifewara, one would have to take a route through llesha, a smaller city within the region, making it an extra 70-kilometre journey.

When I eventually got to my hometown, I told my people to make a request to God, and they asked for a motorable road linking Ifewara to Ife. I asked them where exactly they wanted the road to be built, and they pointed it out. I lifted my hand and said, “In the name of Jesus, let there be a road.”

Six months later, the government decided to build a road from Ife to Ifewara. There was no logical or political reason to do so, and they didn’t build it to get votes because it was during a military regime; they built it because God found a hand that He could use to create a way where there was none.

Beloved, God needs your hands to perform great miracles on the earth. Psalm 24:4 says that only those who have clean hands can ascend unto the Lord’s hill. Are your hands clean enough for God to use? Can He use them as channels to do His will on earth? You must not put your hands into anything that has an appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Don’t use your hands to give or collect bribes; it will grieve the Holy Spirit. Don’t use them to engage in fornication or doctor figures to illegally enrich yourself; that will also grieve the Holy Spirit. Make your hands available and usable to God so that He can do mighty works through them.

PRAYER POINT

Father, my hands are available for Your use now and always.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

1 Peter 1-5; 2 Peter 1-3

HYMN 7: I AM THINE O LORD.

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 22 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: Job 17:9
“The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.”
This verse links moral purity with increasing spiritual strength and steadfastness. “Clean hands” symbolize a life free from guilt, corruption, and unethical action. This cleanliness is not a passive state but an active condition that empowers the believer to “hold on” and grow stronger—implying that purity is the conduit for enduring power and progress.

BIBLE READING: Psalms 24:1-5
This psalm establishes the qualifications for standing in God’s holy place and being a vessel of His blessing:
v.1-2: God’s Absolute Ownership – All the earth and its fulness belong to Him.
v.3: The Penetrating Question – “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?” Access to God’s presence and power is conditional.
v.4: The Non-Negotiable Conditions – “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” This defines holiness in terms of action (hands), intention (heart), worship (soul), and speech.
v.5: The Promise – “He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” Clean hands and a pure heart are the channel for receiving and distributing divine blessing.

The Consecrated Conductor: Clean Hands for Divine Use

Building on yesterday’s teaching, Pastor E.A. Adeboye now focuses on the condition of the hands that conduct God’s anointing. The devotional powerfully argues that our hands are not neutral tools; they are moral instruments that either facilitate or frustrate the Holy Spirit’s operation. Clean hands become divine instruments for creating ways where there are none.

1. The Sovereignty of the Hands: How They Govern the Spirit’s Flow

The Moses Principle (Exodus 17:8-13):
Moses’ uplifted hands were not a magical gesture but a posture of intercession and dependence that determined the course of a national battle. His physical weariness directly affected the spiritual outcome. This shows that our physical acts of faith (prayer, praise, obedience) create the spiritual atmosphere for God’s intervention.

The Creative Authority (Exodus 14:21-28):
When Moses stretched his hand over the Red Sea, he was acting on God’s command. His obedient hand became the point of contact for the “strong east wind”—the Holy Spirit—to execute a creative miracle. The believer’s obedient hand can signal the Spirit to move in ways that defy natural laws, creating pathways through impossible situations.

2. The Testimony of the Created Way: A Road from Faith

The Natural Impossibility:
The lack of a direct road was a geographical and political obstacle, isolating the town. The request of the people aligned with God’s desire for connectivity and progress for His people.

The Prophetic Act:
Daddy Adeboye’s lifted hand and decree (“let there be a road”) was not a prayer begging God, but a command releasing the creative authority vested in a clean, obedient vessel. He acted as God’s vice-regent on earth, using his hand to “pull down” a heavenly blueprint.

The Sovereign Fulfillment:
The government’s unexplained action—without logical, political, or electoral motive—is a classic hallmark of divine intervention. God used the clean, anointed hands of His servant to orchestrate circumstances in the natural realm. The hand created a demand on heaven, and heaven moved earthly authorities to comply.

3. The Imperative of Clean Hands

The Access Requirement (Psalm 24:3-4):
You cannot ascend to God’s hill (place of intimacy and authority) or stand in His holy place (minister effectively) with defiled hands. Clean hands are a prerequisite for being a conduit of blessing (v.5).

What Defiles the Hands:
The devotional specifies:

1. Bribery (giving or receiving): Corruption that perverts justice and integrity.
2. Fornication: Sexual impurity that violates the temple of the Holy Spirit.
3. Fraud (“doctor figures”): Dishonest gain and deception.
   Such actions “grieve the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30), creating a spiritual short-circuit that halts the flow of anointing.

The Positive Charge (1 Thessalonians 5:22):
We are commanded to “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” Clean hands avoid not only evil but anything that looks like it, maintaining a spotless testimony and an unobstructed connection to God.

4. The Outcome: Stronger and Stronger

The Promise of Increasing Strength (Job 17:9):
A life of clean hands is not a life of weakness, but of accumulating strength. Each act of integrity, each refusal to compromise, fortifies the believer’s spiritual authority and increases their capacity to be used for “greater works” (John 14:12).

Usable to God:
The ultimate goal is to have hands that God finds “available and usable.” This means hands ready for prayer, ready for service, ready to heal, ready to give, and ready to be lifted in prophetic authority.

How to Cultivate and Maintain Clean Hands

1. Daily Examination and Confession:
Use Psalm 139:23-24 as a daily prayer. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any defilement in action or motive. Confess and repent immediately to keep short accounts with God (1 John 1:9).

2. Establish Boundaries of Integrity:
Set non-negotiable rules for yourself regarding money, sexuality, and speech. Decide in advance that your hands will not touch what is unclean, even if opportunity arises.

3. Use Your Hands Positively for God:
Counteract the potential for defilement by actively using your hands for holiness: lift them in worship, lay them on the sick in prayer, open them in generous giving, employ them in diligent work.

4. Seek Accountability:
Have a trusted spiritual friend or leader who can ask you the hard questions about your conduct in business, relationships, and private life. Transparency is a guardian of purity.

Warning: The Grieving of the Spirit

To use anointed hands for unclean purposes is a profound contradiction that saddens the Holy Spirit. It is like using a surgeon’s sterilized scalpel to handle garbage. The instrument becomes contaminated and unfit for its sacred purpose until cleansed. Continued defilement leads to a loss of power, a withdrawn anointing, and ineffectiveness in ministry.

Conclusion: Lifted Hands, Cleansed for His Use

Pray this:
“Holy God, whose eyes are too pure to behold iniquity, search my hands and my heart. Forgive me for every act that has defiled my hands. Wash me thoroughly, and create in me a clean heart. I consecrate my hands to You today—may they be instruments of righteousness, lifted in prayer, stretched out in faith, and used only for Your glory. Make them a channel through which Your Spirit moves to create ways where there are none. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Conduct a ‘Hands’ Audit: Write down the primary activities your hands are engaged in each week (work, hobbies, interactions). Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight any that compromise cleanness.
• Perform a Prophetic Act: Identify an “impossible” situation (a broken relationship, a financial dead-end, a health issue). Lift your clean hands over it and speak God’s word with authority, believing for a creative miracle.
• Study the Consequences: Read about the defiled hands of Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20-27) and the clean hands of Daniel (Daniel 6:10). Note the starkly different outcomes.

Remember: Your hands are your point of contact with the world. They can either transmit God’s creative power or spread the contamination of sin. Clean hands are not weak; they are the strong, authorized instruments of the Almighty.
“I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8). Lift up holy hands. Let them be your offering, your weapon, and God’s tool on earth.

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Download Open Heaven 22 December 2025 Devotional PDF

The Open Heaven 21 December 2025 devotional for today is CONDUCTORS OF THE ANOINTING.

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 20 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 21 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: CONDUCTORS OF THE ANOINTING

MEMORISE:
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psalms 23:5

READ: John 4:34-38:
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 21 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

As we see in today’s memory verse, God places the anointing on a man’s head. However, a man’s hands are the conductors of that anointing.

In 1 Samuel 17:34-37, David smote the lion and the bear with his hands. With his hand also, he held the sling that brought Goliath down (1 Samuel 17:49). In Judges 14:5-6, Samson was going down to Timnath when a lion roared at him. The anointing came on him, and he tore the lion in half with his bare hands. In Judges 15:14-15, it was also Samson’s hands that grabbed the jawbone of an ass and turned it into a weapon of mass destruction

An anointed person’s head is like an electricity generator, and the fellow’s hands can be likened to wires that conduct electricity to where it is needed. The anointing on a person’s head determines the power the fellow carries in his or her hands.

One day, I was in a store abroad buying books, and as is my custom, I was singing choruses while picking the books off the shelves. After a while, a man came to me smiling, and he said, “It must be such a lovely day, seeing how happily you are singing.” I laughed and shook his hand because he had extended it for a handshake. As he turned to leave, he exclaimed, “What just happened? It is gone!” Apparently, he had been suffering a backache for years, but as he shook my hand, the pain disappeared. A casual handshake resulted in a miracle because my hands conducted the anointing upon my head into the needed vessel.

Beloved, you need God’s anointing upon your head if you want His power to flow through your hands. You must spend quality time in fellowship with God so that He will anoint you.

When God anoints you, you will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. As a believer, your hands must be actively doing God’s work. When you see sick people, lay hands on them.

Don’t withdraw your hands from doing God’s work because the anointing you carry will remain dormant if your hands are not taking it to where it is needed. The more you lay hands on the sick, the more demand you will place on the anointing upon your life, and the more it will grow.

As the anointing upon your life grows, God will trust you to handle bigger things because He knows that your hands will deliver the things that He wants to do.

REFLECTION

Are your hands actively doing God’s work?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

James 1-5

HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 21 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: Psalms 23:5
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
In the shepherd’s psalm, the anointing is a divine act of favor, consecration, and empowerment in the midst of adversarial circumstances. It is not for private enjoyment alone; it is given in the “presence of mine enemies,” implying it equips for conflict and establishes dominance over opposition. The overflowing cup signifies abundant resource for both personal sustenance and service to others.

BIBLE READING: John 4:34-38
This passage reveals the spiritual mechanics behind the work of the anointed:
v.34: “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” The anointing fuels obedience and completion of divine assignments.
v.35-36: The Urgency of Harvest – The fields are ready. The work involves reaping, and both sower and reaper rejoice together. The hands are for harvesting.
v.37-38: The Principle of Labor – “One soweth, and another reapeth… I sent you to reap…” God assigns the work to our hands; we enter into the labor of others. The anointing makes our hands effective in the collective harvest.

The Circuit of the Anointing: From Head to Hands

Pastor E.A. Adeboye provides a masterful and practical theology of the anointing. He explains it as divine voltage placed upon the believer (the head) that must be conducted through active, obedient labor (the hands) to bring power to the point of need. The anointing is dynamic, intended for transmission, and grows through use.

1. The Theology of the Anointed Person: Generator and Conductor

The Head as the Generator:
The anointing (chrisma) is the consecrating and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, bestowed by God upon the believer (1 John 2:20, 27). It is the source of spiritual power, wisdom, and authority. This is the “oil” God pours on the head.

The Hands as the Conducting Wires:
Hands represent our capacity for action, work, touch, and ministry. They are the means by which the anointing is translated from internal potential into external manifestation. Without the hands, the anointing remains contained, like electricity in a disconnected generator.

2. Biblical Proof: The Anointing in Action Through Hands

David’s Hands (1 Samuel 17):
His hands practiced with the sling (skill), fought the lion and bear (courage), and ultimately delivered the stone that felled Goliath (victory). The anointing for kingship was conducted through his skilled, courageous hands.

Samson’s Hands (Judges 14-15):
His hands ripped a lion apart, seized the jawbone of a donkey, and killed a thousand men. His unparalleled physical strength was the conduction of the Nazirite anointing upon his life. The power flowed through his grasp.

The Apostolic Pattern:
The early church laid hands on the sick (Mark 16:18), on new believers (Acts 8:17), and on ministers (Acts 13:3). The “laying on of hands” was the prescribed method for conducting spiritual grace and power.

3. The Personal Testimony: The Casual Conduit

The Unconscious Flow:
Pastor Adeboye’s testimony is profound. He was not in a “ministry mode”; he was shopping and singing. The anointing was so settled upon his life as a result of consistent fellowship that it flowed unconsciously through a casual handshake. The man’s back was healed not by a prayer, but by the touch of an anointed hand. This demonstrates that the anointing can operate through the personyou are, not just the prayers you pray.

The Anointing Addresses Need:
The power flowed to “the needed vessel”—the point of pain. The anointing is intelligent and targeted when released through a submitted life.

4. The Cultivation and Growth of the Anointing

Source: Quality Fellowship:
“You must spend quality time in fellowship with God so that He will anoint you.” The anointing is not a merit badge; it is the overflow of intimacy. It comes from abiding in Christ (the True Vine, John 15:5).

Activation: Active Hands:
“Don’t withdraw your hands from doing God’s work.” Obedience in service completes the circuit. Praying for the sick, serving the poor, teaching the word—these are the acts that “plug in” the wires and allow the power to flow.

Increase: Through Demand:
“The more you lay hands on the sick, the more demand you will place on the anointing… and the more it will grow.” This is a vital principle: the anointing expands under the tension of use. Like a muscle, it strengthens when exercised. Avoiding ministry leads to a dormant, atrophied anointing.

How to Become an Effective Conduit of God’s Anointing

1. Prioritize the Secret Place:
Your “generator” is fueled in prayer, worship, and the Word. Without this, there is no voltage to conduct. Make fellowship with the Holy Spirit non-negotiable.

2. See Your Daily Life as a Ministry Field:
Your hands are not just for Sunday service. Be ready to conduct God’s power at work, in the market, or at home—through a touch, a word of encouragement, or an act of service.

3. Step Out in Obedient Faith:
Begin to lay hands on the sick as Jesus commanded (Mark 16:18). Start with simple prayers. Do not let fear of “no result” keep your hands idle. The anointing grows in the attempt.

4. Guard the Purity of Your Conductors:
Your hands must be clean (Psalm 24:4). Unconfessed sin, malice, or corruption can “short-circuit” the flow of the anointing. Maintain personal holiness.

Warning: The Tragedy of a Disconnected Life

A believer can have an anointed head (a position in Christ) but have inactive, idle, or unclean hands. This results in a life that carries potential power but manifests no practical miracles. It is like having a power plant in your city while sitting in darkness. Such a life frustrates the purpose of the anointing and leaves a hurting world untouched.

Conclusion: Completing the Circuit for God’s Glory

Pray this:
“Heavenly Father, Anoint my head afresh with the oil of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me for idle or unclean hands. Connect my conduct to Your consecration. Make me a willing and pure conductor of Your power. Let Your anointing flow through my hands to heal the sick, comfort the broken, and establish Your kingdom. I offer my hands to You today; use them as Your instruments, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Identify Your “Hands”: List three practical ways you can use your skills, time, or touch to minister to others this week (e.g., pray for a colleague, help a neighbor, volunteer).
• Study the Conduits: Meditate on the ministry of hands in the Bible: Jesus touching lepers (Matthew 8:3), Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:15), Paul’s handkerchiefs (Acts 19:12).
• Practice the Flow: This week, intentionally lay hands on and pray for at least one person in need. Do it as an act of obedience, not based on feeling.

Remember: You are a walking power station. The Generator (the Holy Spirit) is upon you. Will you connect the wires through obedient action? The world is waiting for the current of heaven to flow through your hands.
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). The anointing is for going about and doing. Let your hands deliver what your head carries.

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Download Open Heaven 21 December 2025 Devotional PDF

The Open Heaven 20 December 2025 devotional for today is IT IS SETTLED.

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 19 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 20 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: IT IS SETTLED

MEMORISE:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16

READ: Psalms 33:8-9:
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 20 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

Whenever God speaks, whatever He says is final (Psalm 119:89). Isaiah 55:10-11 makes it clear that when God sends His word on an errand, it will not return to Him until it has finished its assignment. This means that if God sends His word to a fellow and that fellow refuses to accept it, that word will go to someone else because God’s word can not, and will not, return to Him without accomplishing what it has been sent to do.

Now, if this same word dwells in your heart, you can use it to accomplish great and mighty things to the glory of God. You can tell sicknesses to disappear from your life and the lives of others, and they will disappear. You can command poverty to leave, and it will leave.

To settle negative issues with God’s word, however, you must allow His word to settle fully in your heart. When something settles somewhere, it has found a conducive resting place there. When Noah sent out a dove after the flood, the Bible says that the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned to the ark (Genesis 8:9). Until you make room for God’s word in your heart, it cannot settle in you. God’s word will settle difficult situations in your life and the lives of others if you let it dwell richly in your heart.

People are often called rich because they have lots of money. Those who have only a few thousands in their bank accounts cannot claim to be rich. Similarly, you cannot claim to be rich in God’s word when you know only a few verses in the Bible. You must immerse yourself in God’s word and allow it to fill every part of your being by reading and studying it daily.

Never be satisfied with yesterday’s revelation; seek to know God’s word anew daily. His word will dwell richly in you as you meditate on it.

When a cook wants a lump of meat to fully absorb some seasonings, he or she will soak the meat in the seasonings for hours to marinate it before cooking. This is what meditation does; it marinates your heart in God’s word and makes you rich in it.

Beloved, let God’s word dwell richly in you and honour it at all times by obeying it completely.

This way, whenever you speak it into any situation, God will surely back it up.

KEY POINT

You will accomplish great things with God’s word when you allow His word to dwell richly in you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Hebrews 11-13

HYMN 21: STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF CHRIST MY KING

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 20 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
This apostolic command reveals the word of God not as a static text, but as a dynamic, inhabiting reality. To “dwell richly” means to take up ample, luxurious residence, permeating every aspect of the inner man. The result is not private bliss, but corporate wisdom, edification, and worship that overflows to others.

BIBLE READING: Psalms 33:8-9
This psalm declares the creative and sovereign power of God’s spoken word:
v.8: “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” The proper response to His word is reverent fear.
v.9: “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” This is the foundational nature of God’s word: it is performative. Its very utterance is the cause of its own fulfillment. It creates reality.

The Settled Word and the Settling Word

Pastor E.A. Adeboye masterfully teaches on the dual nature of God’s word: it is an unstoppable force in the world, and it must become a settled resident in the believer. The devotional explains that the word only becomes a tool in our mouths for “settling” life’s issues after it has first “settled” as the ruling authority in our hearts.

1. The Unstoppable Nature of God’s Spoken Word

Final and Accomplishing (Isaiah 55:10-11):
God’s word is compared to rain and snow that water the earth and accomplish His purpose. It is sent on an errand with a mission. It cannot be recalled or neutralized. If one person rejects it, it moves to another willing vessel. God’s agenda will be fulfilled; the question is whether we will be the conduit or be bypassed.

The Performative Power (Psalms 33:9):
At the cosmic level, God’s word is creative and causative. “He spake, and it was done.” This same inherent power is packaged within the Scriptures. When spoken in faith by a heart where it dwells, it carries the same divine “DNA” to create, command, and change circumstances.

2. The Prerequisite: The Word Settled In You

The Dove Principle (Genesis 8:9):
The dove returned to the ark because it “found no rest for the sole of her foot.” For the word to “settle” in us, our heart must be a prepared, conducive, and welcoming resting place—an ark of safety for truth. A cluttered, hard, or worldly heart offers no rest for the word.

From Visitor to Resident:
Many believers have the word as an occasional visitor (during sermons or crises). God calls it to be a permanent resident. A resident has rights, access, and influence that a visitor does not. The word must transition from something you reference to the governor of your thoughts, emotions, and decisions.

3. The Wealth of the Word: Spiritual Riches

Beyond Pocket-Change Verses:
Knowing a few memory verses is like having a few dollars—useful, but not wealth. True richness (“dwell in you richly”) implies a vast, readily accessible treasury of Scripture. It is comprehensive knowledge that allows the Holy Spirit to bring forth the “right word in season” (Proverbs 15:23) for any situation.

The Marination of Meditation:
Meditation is the slow, soaking process that transfers the word from your mind to your spirit. Like marinating meat, it allows the flavor and essence of the Scripture to penetrate every fiber of your being. This is how the word becomes part of you, altering your spiritual composition.

4. The Outcome: The Settling Word Through You

Authority Over Circumstances:
When the word dwells richly, you can speak it with authority into sickness, poverty, and demonic oppression, and it will accomplish its errand. Your mouth becomes the delivery system for God’s unstoppable word. You are not begging God to act; you are releasing what He has already spoken into the situation.

God’s Backing is Guaranteed:
“Whenever you speak it into any situation, God will surely back it up.” Why? Because you are not speaking your opinion; you are re-uttering His already-sent word. You are aligning yourself with His will, and He is honor-bound to confirm His own word (Isaiah 44:26).

How to Let the Word Dwell Richly

1. Prioritize Depth Over Breadth:
Don’t just read chapters to check a box. Choose a portion (a verse, a paragraph) and marinate in it through the day. Ask: What does this say about God? About me? Is there a command to obey, a promise to claim?

2. Create a Conducive “Ark”:
Purify your heart through repentance. Remove the clutter of excessive media, worldly anxieties, and sin to make ample, clean room for the word to rest and rule.

3. Obedience is the Proof of Settlement:
A settled word produces immediate obedience. If you read “do not worry” but continue in anxiety, the word is a visitor. Let obedience be the act of nailing the word to the doorpost of your heart, declaring it the owner.

4. Speak it Systematically:
Don’t wait for a crisis. Develop the habit of speaking Scripture aloud in your prayers, declarations, and conversations. This reinforces its residence and exercises your spiritual authority.

Warning: The Futility of an Unsettled Word

A word that is known but not settled is like the dove over the waters—it has no place to land and produce life. Such a believer may be able to quote Scripture but remains powerless against life’s storms. They try to use the word as a magic formula in crisis, but it lacks the settled authority that comes from rich indwelling, and thus often seems ineffective.

Conclusion: Becoming a Living Ark of the Word

Pray this:
“Lord Jesus, You are the Living Word. I invite Your word to come and settle richly in my heart. Forgive me for treating it as a visitor. Marinate my spirit in Your truth through meditation. Make my heart a resting place for Your voice, so that I may speak with Your authority and see Your promises stand fast in my life and in the lives of others, for Your glory. Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Launch a Marination Project: Choose one chapter (e.g., Psalm 91, Ephesians 1). Read it daily for two weeks. Each day, write down one fresh insight or application. Let it sink deep.
• Audit Your Spiritual Wealth: List the top 5 life situations you currently face. Now, list 5 specific scriptures that address each. If you struggle, you’ve identified an area for wealth-building.
• Practice the “Settling” Prayer: When you read a potent promise or command, pray: “Lord, settle this word in my heart. Let it find rest here and produce its full fruit.”

Remember: The same word that created the universe lives in you. Its power is not diminished, only contained by the limits of its dwelling place. Enlarge that place. Let it dwell richly. Then, you will speak, and it will be done.
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). Let it be sent from His mouth to your heart, and from your heart to a waiting world.

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Download Open Heaven 20 December 2025 Devotional PDF

The Open Heaven 19 December 2025 devotional for today is YOU CAN NOT CHEAT GOD

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 18 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 19 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: YOU CAN NOT CHEAT GOD

MEMORISE:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Galatians 6:7

READ: Proverbs 3:5-7:
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 19 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

Years ago, a man who was completely stiff was brought to the RCCG headquarters; he couldn’t move his hands or bend down. We asked him if he would give his life to Jesus, and he did. We prayed a simple prayer, and immediately, he was healed. He was able to kneel, raise his hands, clap, and move his body in ways he couldn’t do before.

For about two weeks, he was regular at church services, but after that, he stopped coming. We decided to follow him up, so we visited him at home and asked why he had not been coming to church.

He responded by asking us if it was the church that healed him. We told him, “Of course not; it was God, but He used the church.” Then He said, “What then is the problem? If you go to a hospital and you get well, won’t you go home? I came to your church, and I got healed. There is no need for me to keep coming back.”

We eventually left him alone, and some months later, as I was driving by, I saw him by the roadside in a worse condition than he was before his initial healing. This time, not only was his entire body stiff, his mouth was wide open, and saliva was dripping uncontrollably from it.

One thing about demons is that they don’t rest. When a demon’s host runs to God and gets delivered from the demon, after some time, it will return to see the state of the fellow. If it sees that the fellow, having received his or her miracle, has decided that he or she doesn’t need God again, it will invite seven more demons that are stronger than it to possess the fellow again. Eventually, the fellow who thought that he or she could use God just to get healed will realise that his or her case has become worse (Matthew 12:43-45).

Some men who are living wayward lives join churches because they want to get married to good Christian ladies. However, they often discover, after getting married, that they have been deceived into marrying someone like themselves who is not genuinely born-again, and also came to the church to look for a Christian husband.

Beloved, in my over 50 years of walking with God, I have discovered that people who think that they can use God and turn their backs on Him always regret it. Never be like such people!

KEY POINT

Those who try to use God deceitfully always end up regretting their actions.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Hebrews 9-10

HYMN 34: YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 19 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: Galatians 6:7
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
This verse is the immutable law of spiritual consequences. It confronts self-deception head-on, declaring that God’s moral order cannot be tricked, manipulated, or treated with contempt. The harvest is infallibly tied to the seed. To attempt to use God for selfish gain is to mock His omniscience and holiness, guaranteeing a proportionate and often severe reaping.

BIBLE READING: Proverbs 3:5-7
This passage outlines the antithesis of using God—the posture of wholehearted trust and reverence:
v.5: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” This forbids the independent, utilitarian mindset that sees God as a tool.
v.6: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Continuous acknowledgment, not temporary exploitation, is the key to divine guidance.
v.7: “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” The fear of the Lord—awe, reverence, and obedience—is the only wise posture. Self-cleverness is folly.

The Catastrophe of Attempting to Use God

Pastor E.A. Adeboye shares a chilling, firsthand account to illustrate a grave spiritual truth: God is a Person to be known and served, not a force to be exploited. The devotional starkly warns that those who approach God with a consumer mentality—seeking His benefits while rejecting His Lordship—invite a harvest of compounded spiritual ruin.

1. The Consumer Mentality: God as a “Hospital”

The Miraculous Encounter:
The man received a genuine, instantaneous, and powerful miracle—a total healing from debilitating stiffness. This demonstrated God’s limitless power and mercy.

The Fatal Misinterpretation:
The man’s reasoning—“If you go to a hospital and you get well, won’t you go home?”—revealed a profound error. He categorized the church (and by extension, God) as a service provider, and himself as a consumer who had received a product (healing). The transaction was complete. This reduced the Almighty to a celestial doctor’s office and salvation to a cured symptom.

The Rejection of Relationship:
His question, “What then is the problem?” exposed a heart that saw no need for ongoing fellowship, worship, or discipleship. He wanted the gift but spurned the Giver. This is the essence of “using God.”

2. The Spiritual Dynamics of Regression (Matthew 12:43-45)

The Vacuum Principle:
Deliverance creates a cleansed but empty “house.” If that house is not occupied by the Holy Spirit through a living relationship with Christ, it becomes vulnerable. Demons are relentless scouts; they return to assess the state of their former property.

The Law of Worse Condition:
If the “house” is found empty—devoid of the new occupant (the Holy Spirit) and the furnishings of faith (prayer, the Word, fellowship)—the returning demon initiates a hostile takeover with reinforced strength (“seven other spirits more wicked”). The final state is “worse than the first.” The man by the roadside, stiff with an open, drooling mouth, was a living portrait of this terrifying scripture.

3. The Deception of Ulterior Motives

The Case of the “Bridal Hunter”:
The example of men joining church to find a virtuous wife extends the principle beyond healing. It highlights using the church community and the guise of faith for a selfish social or personal agenda. The tragic irony—“deceived into marrying someone like themselves”—reveals that God is not fooled. The harvest of such deception is a marriage built on mutual pretense, not godly foundation.

The Principle of Sowing and Reaping:
In both cases, the individual sowed seeds of deceit, pretense, and utilitarian faith. They reaped a harvest of compounded bondage and relational disaster. They mocked God’s discernment and reaped the consequences.

4. The Wisdom of a 50-Year Walk: The Testimony of Truth

The Unfailing Verdict:
Pastor Adeboye’s authoritative conclusion from a lifetime of ministry is sobering and absolute: “people who think that they can use God and turn their backs on Him always regret it.” This is not a theory but an observed, spiritual law confirmed by countless testimonies of ruin.

The Exhortation:
“Never be like such people!” This is a direct, pastoral command. It calls for vigilant self-examination to root out any hidden, manipulative, or consumerist attitude in our approach to God.

How to Cultivate a Heart of Reverence, Not Exploitation

1. Examine Your Motives in Prayer:
Regularly ask: “Am I seeking God’s hand for what He can give, or His face for who He is?” (Psalm 27:8). Let your primary prayer be for deeper relationship, not just resolved needs.

2. Embrace Discipleship as the Goal of Salvation:
Understand that salvation is not a ticket to heaven but the beginning of a lifelong apprenticeship to Jesus. The miracle is the invitation into the Kingdom, not the end of the journey.

3. Fill the “House” Daily:
After any deliverance or blessing, be doubly diligent to fill your life with the Word, prayer, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. A blessed life must become a fortified life.

4. Serve Without Agenda:
Engage in church and ministry as a servant, not a schemer. Serve to give, not to get (position, spouse, connections). Let your service be an outflow of gratitude, not a strategy for gain.

Warning: You Cannot Mock the Discerner of Hearts

God sees the intent (Hebrews 4:13). To come to Him with a hidden, selfish agenda is the height of folly. It insults His intelligence and treats the blood of Christ as a mere transaction fee. Such deception is always uncovered, and the reaping is often public, painful, and irreversible in its earthly consequences.

Conclusion: Choosing Fear Over Flippancy

Pray this:
“Sovereign Lord, Discerner of all hearts, search me and reveal any way in which I have treated You as a means to my own ends. Forgive me for a consumerist faith. I renounce all deception and ulterior motives. I choose to fear You, to acknowledge You in all my ways, and to seek Your face above all Your gifts. Fill every chamber of my life with Your Holy Spirit, so that I may never be an empty house for the enemy. I receive You as my Lord, not just my Helper. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Conduct a Motive Audit: Before your next major prayer request, write it down. Then write your answer to: “Why do I want this? How will receiving this deepen my relationship with and dependence on God?”
• Study the Consequences: Read Matthew 12:43-45 and the story of King Saul (1 Samuel 15). Note the pattern of partial obedience/initial blessing followed by rejection and a worse state.
• Commit to “Abiding”: Memorize John 15:4-5. Let it be your daily reminder that your calling is to remain in vital, submissive connection to Christ, not to occasionally visit Him for supplies.

Remember: God is a loving Father, not a cosmic vending machine. He gives good gifts to His children, but He will not be manipulated by spiritual customers. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; the attempt to use Him is the beginning of destruction.
“The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). Seek Him, not just His works.

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Read RCCG Open Heaven Devotional for Tomorrow

Download Open Heaven 19 December 2025 Devotional PDF

The Open Heaven 18 December 2025 devotional for today is DON’T TAKE GOD FOR GRANTED

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 17 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 18 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: DON’T TAKE GOD FOR GRANTED

MEMORISE:
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and l in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 15:5

READ: Matthew 10:28-33:
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 18 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

When I became the General Overseer of RCCG, I decided that everyone who attends our annual conventions would be fed by God during the conventions.

I made the decision by faith as I was a pastor and did not have a secular job. I announced that everyone would be fed twice daily during conventions and I showed them 1 Kings 17:4-6 where God fed Elijah twice daily.

One of the young men in the church, a baker, volunteered to provide us with bread for breakfast during our conventions, and he did this consistently for some years.

One year, however, he decided that he would stop supplying bread because he didn’t like one of the sermons I had preached, but he didn’t inform me of his decision.

During one of the morning sessions that year, we sang and praised God until around 11 am as we waited for bread to arrive; however, no bread was supplied.

Around noon, I sent for him and asked, “What happened? Did the vehicles bringing the bread break down on the way here?” He said, “No”. Then, I asked him what the problem was, and he replied, “I am not bringing bread anymore.”

Immediately, I sent for my wife and asked her, “How much do we have for the evening meal?” We gathered the money together and bought bread for breakfast. Somehow, God helped us to overcome the situation.

Years later, I woke up one morning and saw the young baker in front of my house. I asked him, “What can I do for you? You are here very early.” He replied, “I could have come earlier, but l discovered that one of my car’s tyres was flat.” I asked him, “What about the spare tyre?” He said that he had none. This was a man who used to have at least 14 cars.

Beloved, don’t think that you can take God for granted because He is doing some great things through you now. Don’t think that He cannot do without you; in contrast, it is you who cannot do anything without Him and will be nothing without Him, as we see in today’s memory verse.

Only foolish people will take the people in power in their country for granted. Therefore, imagine taking the One who is in control of the entire universe (Colossians 1:16-17) for granted. God is way bigger than you, so if you have been taking Him for granted in any way or you have not been honouring Him as you should, repent now.

KEY POINT

Don’t ever take God for granted; you are nothing without Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Hebrews 5-8

HYMN 8: I Need Thee Every Hour

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 18 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: John 15:5
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
This is Christ’s definitive statement on the source of all spiritual life and productivity. It establishes an absolute dependency: the branch derives its entire life, sustenance, and capacity to bear fruit from the vine. To be severed from the Vine is to be rendered instantly fruitless and lifeless. “Nothing” means exactly that—no genuine spiritual impact, no lasting success, no divine favor.

BIBLE READING: Matthew 10:28-33
This passage frames the proper fear and value system of a disciple:
v.28: Fear God, not man – “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” This is the ultimate perspective on who holds real power.
v.29-31: God’s Detailed Care – Even sparrows are under His watch; you are of more value. This shows His sovereign power is matched by intimate care.
v.32-33: The Principle of Acknowledgment – “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father… But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny…” How we relate to Christ here determines how He relates to us before the ultimate throne.

The Folly of Presuming Upon God’s Grace

Pastor E.A. Adeboye shares a sobering, first-hand testimony to illustrate a critical spiritual law: God is not indebted to any human vessel. The devotional powerfully demonstrates that those used by God must never confuse their role as a channel with being the source. To take God for granted is to initiate a process of personal decline, for He will defend the honor of His name and His work.

1. The Divine Work and Human Partnership

The Step of Faith:
Daddy Adeboye’s decision to feed thousands by faith, based solely on God’s promise in 1 Kings 17, shows that the work’s origin was divine. The provision was always God’s responsibility. The baker was merely a divinely arranged channel for a season.

The Illusion of Indispensability:
The baker began to see himself as the source, not a conduit. His logic shifted from “God is using me” to “they need me.” This is the foundational error that leads to taking God for granted. He confused his temporary role with permanent, irreplaceable necessity.

2. The Anatomy of Taking God for Granted

Withdrawing Support Over a Personal Offense:
The baker’s reason for stopping was not divine leading, but personal grievance (“he didn’t like one of the sermons”). He used God’s provision as a weapon to express his displeasure with God’s servant, effectively holding God’s people hostage to his personal feelings. This treated a holy trust as a personal commodity.

The Silent Rebellion:
He did not communicate his decision. This showed a lack of reverence, accountability, and basic respect for the work of God. It was an act of silent defiance, presuming his absence would cripple the convention.

God’s Response: Immediate Substitution:
God’s work is never stalled by a man’s withdrawal. He immediately provided another means (the Adeboyes’ personal funds). The lesson is clear: God is never without a plan B when a man’s pride triggers plan A’s failure. The vine does not die when one branch becomes unfruitful; it draws life through another.

3. The Inevitable Harvest: From Provider to Petitioner

The Law of Reciprocity in Action:
Years later, the once-prosperous baker (owner of 14 cars) stood before the same man he slighted, without a spare tire, in need. His decline was symbolic: he who withdrew provision now lacked provision. He moved from being a solution to being a supplicant.

The “Flat Tire” Principle:
The flat tire with no spare is a metaphor for self-inflicted vulnerability. When you abandon your post in God’s system, you remove yourself from the flow of His sustaining grace and protection. You are left exposed to the ordinary setbacks of life, without a divine backup.

4. The Correct Posture: Fear, Honor, and Abiding

Fear the Right One (Matthew 10:28):
The devotional argues that if it is foolish to take an earthly leader for granted, how much more catastrophic to take the Sovereign Creator for granted? The proper posture is fear of the Lord—a reverential awe that acknowledges His absolute authority and our total dependence.

Honor as a Non-Negotiable:
To honor God is to reverence His word, His servants, and His work. It is to treat our role in His kingdom with humility and sacred diligence, knowing we are unworthy servants (Luke 17:10).

Abide or Nothing (John 15:5):
The only safe place is abiding—a conscious, continuous, dependent connection to Christ. Outside of that connection, we are capable of nothing of eternal value and are on a path to personal diminishment.

How to Guard Against Taking God for Granted

1. Regularly Acknowledge the Source:
Begin every day, every project, and every act of service with the declaration: “Without You, Lord, I can do nothing. This is Your work, and I am Your vessel.”

2. Serve with a Detached Heart:
Hold your ministry, career, and resources with an open hand. Be willing to be used, and be willing to be set aside, without your identity crumbling. Your calling is a stewardship, not a possession.

3. Heed Correction Humbly:
If a sermon or counsel from God’s word convicts you, receive it as from the Lord. Never let offense at the messenger cause you to withdraw from God’s work or people.

4. Repent of Any Presumption:
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any area where you have begun to act as if God is lucky to have you on His team. Repent immediately of pride, silent rebellion, or a critical spirit toward His appointed leaders.

Warning: The Inevitable Downward Trajectory

The baker’s story is a warning. Taking God for granted starts in the heart (pride, offense) and manifests in actions (withdrawal, rebellion). The consequence is not always immediate, but it is certain: a gradual or sudden erosion of the very grace that made you useful and blessed. You exchange the joy of being a channel for the desperation of needing one.

Conclusion: Clinging to the Vine in Humble Fear

Pray this:
“Lord Jesus, the True Vine, forgive me for every trace of pride, for every moment I have acted as if Your work depended on me. I renounce the spirit of presumption. I acknowledge that without You, I am and have nothing. I choose to abide in You today, with a heart of fear, honor, and total dependence. Use me as You will, and set me aside as You see fit. Let my life always bring honor to Your name, not grief to Your Spirit. In Your mighty name, Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Audit Your Dependence: List three key areas where God is currently using you (e.g., a role at church, providing for your family, a ministry). Write beside each: “This is God’s work through me. I am replaceable. He is the source.”
• Study the Fall of the Presumptuous: Read about Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16-21) and Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:28-33). Note how pride in their position led to being cut off from it.
• Practice Immediate Obedience: This week, if the Holy Spirit convicts you of something through a sermon or your Bible reading, act on it immediately. Let no offense take root.

Remember: You are a branch. Your health, fruitfulness, and very life are contingent on a continuous, humble, vital connection to the Vine. Guard that connection with holy fear, for apart from Him, you can do nothing—and you will have nothing.
“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). All is grace. Handle it with reverence.

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Read RCCG Open Heaven Devotional for Tomorrow

Download Open Heaven 18 December 2025 Devotional PDF

The Open Heaven 17 December 2025 devotional for today is DON’T BECOME AN EX-CHAMPION.

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 16 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 17 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: DON’T BECOME AN EX-CHAMPION

MEMORISE:
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will l give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
Haggai 2:9

READ: 1 Samuel 13:13-14:
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 17 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

There are people who used to be wealthy or influential but have little or nothing to show for it today. There is nothing as terrible as being a fellow who used to be wealthy or influential.

For example, when those who have never had a car struggle to enter a public bus and someone steps on them, they would see it as something normal. However, people who used to have their own cars might find it difficult to adapt when they find themselves in a similar situation. Also, if they complain about getting stepped on while struggling to enter a public bus, they might feel really insulted when people say, “If you don’t want to be stepped on, why not get your own car?” May you never be a has-been, in Jesus’ name.

There is nothing as terrible as being an ex-champion. Boxers will tell you that the moment you become a champion, other boxers in your category will want to challenge you to a fight.

If you want to remain a champion, it means that you need to work harder than you used to before you became a champion. If you relax after becoming successful, saying, “I am the best; everybody already sees how good I am,” you might soon lose your edge and become irrelevant. Instead, you must start working harder on becoming more excellent. The things you need to do to remain at the top are even more rigorous than what you must do to get there.

When God called me to become a pastor, I prayed that I would become so influential for the kingdom, and I can tell you with all confidence that the way I used to pray before l got to the level I am now is nothing compared to how I pray now. As God has continued to take me higher, I have been fasting more, studying my Bible more, preaching more sermons, and working harder generally. This is how I have been able to maintain an upward trajectory.

Beloved, if you want to be the best in your field, you must be ready to put in all the necessary efforts. Most importantly, to remain at the top, you must be ready to put in even more efforts by acquiring more and more knowledge, networking more with other experts in your field, and generally working harder. I pray that you will get to the top and remain there, in Jesus’ name.

KEY POINT

It takes more effort to remain at the top than to get there.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Hebrews 1-4

HYMN 12: ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 17 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: Haggai 2:9
“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.”
This prophetic word speaks of increasing glory, not diminishing returns. God’s desire for His people is a forward-moving trajectory where each season surpasses the last. It is a promise against becoming a “has-been,” ensuring that the best is always ahead for those who align with His rebuilding process. The promise culminates in peace—the wholeness and settled prosperity that comes from sustained divine favor.

BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 13:13-14
This passage is the classic biblical narrative of a lost throne and a “has-been” king:
v.13: Samuel’s Rebuke – “Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God.” Saul’s disobedience (impatience and presumption) was the crack that began his decline.
v.14: The Divine Decree – “But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart… because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.” The mantle was removed because character did not match the calling. He transitioned from king-in-waiting to king-in-decline.

The Peril and Principle of Sustained Excellence

Pastor E.A. Adeboye delivers a powerful and sobering message on the fragility of success. Using vivid analogies and personal testimony, he teaches that reaching the top is only half the battle; the greater challenge—and work—is staying there. The devotional warns against the complacency that creates “has-beens” and prescribes the discipline of increasing effort as the only safeguard.

1. The Tragedy of the “Has-Been”

The Psychological Agony:
The example of the former car owner on a crowded bus illustrates that loss is felt most acutely by those who have known better. The “has-been” lives with the tormenting memory of past glory, making present humiliation unbearable. It is a state of regret and social displacement.

The Spiritual Analogy:
This is the condition of the backslider or the believer who loses their spiritual edge. They once walked in power, favor, and intimacy (“their own car”) but now struggle in the flesh, vulnerable to the “stepping” of the enemy and the world’s scorn.

The Prophetic Prayer:
“May you never be a has-been, in Jesus’ name.” This is a prayer for sustained relevance, continuous favor, and the grace to finish well.

2. The Champion’s Dilemma: The Fight to Stay on Top

Increased Target, Increased Effort:
Becoming a champion makes you the target for every contender. The defense of the title requires more discipline, more training, and more strategy than winning it initially. Complacency (“I am the best”) is the champion’s deadliest opponent.

The Law of Increasing Rigor:
“The things you need to do to remain at the top are even more rigorous than what you must do to get there.” This is a universal law in all spheres: spiritual, professional, and personal. Maintenance at a high level demands a higher output of energy and wisdom than the initial ascent.

3. The Personal Testimony: The Ministry of Increase

The Prayer of Ambition:
Pastor Adeboye reveals he prayed to “become so influential for the kingdom.” This was a God-honoring ambition for increased impact, not personal fame.

The Discipline of Sustenance:
His stunning admission: “the way I used to pray before I got to the level I am now is nothing compared to how I pray now.” As God promoted him, his spiritual disciplines intensified proportionally: more fasting, more Bible study, more preaching, more work. His upward trajectory was fueled by an upward curve in personal sacrifice and diligence.

4. The Blueprint for Sustained Relevance

Continuous Knowledge Acquisition:
In a changing world, resting on past knowledge guarantees obsolescence. The believer must be a perpetual student of God’s Word and their God-given field.

Strategic Networking (Fellowship):
“Networking more with other experts” speaks to the need for iron-sharpening-iron relationships (Proverbs 27:17). In the Spirit, this means deep fellowship with other committed believers and mentors who challenge you to grow.

General Increase in Effort:
There is no substitute for hard work. The grace for increased capacity is activated by increased labor. You must be “ready to put in even more efforts.”

How to Build a “Latter House” of Greater Glory

1. Guard Against Spiritual Complacency:
The moment you feel you’ve “arrived” is the moment you begin to decline. Cultivate holy dissatisfaction. Pray, “Lord, let the glory of my latter days be greater than the former.”

2. Intensify Your Discipleship Post-Promotion:
If God blesses you with influence, wealth, or platform, immediately increase your prayer time, giving, and service. Let your spiritual growth outpace your material or social growth.

3. Study the “Has-Beens” and the “Finished-Wells”:
Analyze Saul (the has-been king) versus David (who finished well despite flaws). Study Hezekiah’s lapse (2 Chronicles 32:25-26) versus Paul’s sustained fight (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Learn from their patterns.

4. Embrace the Burden of Leadership:
Understand that higher levels bring heavier burdens. Like Nehemiah, be prepared to combine vigilance (watchfulness) with work (Nehemiah 4:9). The top is a place of greater responsibility, not just greater comfort.

Warning: The Ease of the Downward Slope

It is easier to descend from a height than to climb it. The descent often begins with a single act of disobedience (like Saul), a season of neglected discipline, or the pride of accomplishment. The fall is not always immediate, but the trajectory, once set, is difficult to reverse without drastic repentance and recommitment.

Conclusion: Securing an Upward Trajectory

Pray this:
“Lord God of Haggai’s promise, I desire a life of increasing glory for Your name. Forgive me for any complacency. Save me from the tragedy of being a ‘has-been.’ Fill me with the discipline of a defending champion. As You lift me higher, give me the grace to pray more, study more, work harder, and humble myself deeper. Let my latter days truly be greater than my former, and in this place, give me Your perfect peace, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Conduct a “Champion’s Audit”: In your primary calling (career, ministry, home), list three specific things you did to “win your title.” Now, list three new, more rigorous disciplines you need to adopt to defend it.
• Increase Your Spiritual Output: This month, consciously add 15 minutes to your daily prayer time or add one extra day of fasting. Match your spiritual input to your current level of responsibility.
• Find a “Contender”: Identify someone godly who is excellent in your field. Seek their counsel. Let their passion challenge your comfort and sharpen your edge.

Remember: Your past success is not a resting pillow; it is a launching pad. The anointing for the next level is found in the increased sacrifice of your current level.
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). The pressing never stops until we see Him. Keep pressing.

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Read RCCG Open Heaven Devotional for Tomorrow

Download Open Heaven 17 December 2025 Devotional PDF

The Open Heaven 16 December 2025 devotional for today is LEARN EVERYDAY.

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 15 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 16 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: LEARN EVERYDAY

MEMORISE:
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Psalms 25:9

READ: Acts 17:10-11:
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 16 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

Someone once said that the world is a school, and those who are wise go to school to take lessons every day because there is always something to learn there.

Proverbs 9:9 says that if you give instructions to a wise man, he will become wiser. You must be open to learning from others because everyone has something to teach you, even children. A teachable fellow is always willing and ready to learn.

Mark 4:25 says;
For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath

Anyone who is willing to learn every day will have more understanding and wisdom. A teachable fellow is open to knowledge and is always willing to add other people’s wisdom to his or her own. When you are teachable, you learn mainly through instructions, not by experience.

For example, if you keep telling a boy not to put his hand in a fire and you constantly keep him away from hot objects, if the boy is not teachable, he will always want to run towards what you are trying to save him from. One day, he might eventually put his hand in the fire and get hurt.

However, a teachable child will listen to instructions, obey them, and grow in wisdom. He or she will not have to experience the pain that comes from disobedience by nursing wounds that could have been avoided.

David was a very teachable fellow. Many times in the Bible, he prayed and asked God to teach him; He was always willing to learn. In Psalm 25:4, he asked God to teach him His paths.

When you are open to learning about God’s paths, you can never miss your way. In Psalm 119:26 and Psalm 119:33, he asked God to teach him His statutes so that he could keep them until his death. In Psalm 119:66, he wanted to learn good judgment and knowledge. Also, he asked God to teach him to do His will in Psalm 143:10. No wonder, up until today, David remains the most celebrated king that Israel ever had.

Today’s Bible reading talks about some believers from Berea who were ready to learn. They received the word of God with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily. The Bereans were hungry for God’s word and remained meek enough to search the Scriptures daily.

Beloved, be like the Berean Christians and be committed to learning every day.

PRAYER POINT

Dear Lord, I am willing to learn of You daily. Please teach me so that I can become more like You.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Philemon 1; Titus 1-3

HYMN 8: I Need Thee Every Hour

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 16 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: Psalms 25:9
“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.”
This verse establishes the fundamental link between attitude and instruction. God’s guidance and teaching are not reserved for the intellectually brilliant or spiritually elite, but for the meek—those who are humble, teachable, and free from the pride of self-sufficiency. Meekness is the fertile soil in which the seeds of divine wisdom grow.

BIBLE READING: Acts 17:10-11
This passage presents the biblical model of a teachable believer:
v.10-11a: The Bereans’ Posture – They “received the word with all readiness of mind.” Their hearts were open, eager, and predisposed to believe.
v.11b: The Bereans’ Practice – They “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”Their openness was balanced with discernment. They were teachable, not gullible. Their learning was active (“searched”), consistent (“daily”), and anchored in the ultimate authority (“the scriptures”).

The Heart of the Lifelong Learner

Pastor E.A. Adeboye elevates teachability from a simple virtue to the defining characteristic of true wisdom and spiritual safety. The devotional contrasts the painful tuition of personal experience with the blessed path of learning through instruction, using David and the Bereans as biblical archetypes of a mind perpetually open to God’s teaching.

1. The World as a School: The Principle of Continuous Learning

The Wise Man’s Perspective:
The opening statement frames life itself as a classroom (“the world is a school”). The wise person understands that every person, circumstance, and day holds a lesson. This mindset transforms mundane interactions and even trials into divine tutorials.

The Law of Increase (Mark 4:25):
In the context of knowledge, this verse means: “To him who has [a teachable heart and a willingness to learn], more [understanding, wisdom] will be given. But from him who has not [a teachable spirit], even what he [thinks he] has [his current knowledge or position] will be taken away.” Teachability attracts increase; pride guarantees loss.

2. The Profile of a Teachable Person

Open to All Sources (Proverbs 9:9):
A teachable person understands that God can instruct them through anyone—elders, peers, and even children. Their pride does not filter the messenger. They ask, “What can I learn here?” not “What does this person know?”

Learns Mainly by Instruction, Not Just Experience:
This is a crucial distinction. The unteachable child must touch the fire to learn it burns—a painful, slow, and dangerous education. The teachable child learns from the parent’s warning. Spiritually, this means learning from God’s Word and the counsel of the godly saves us from the self-inflicted wounds of sin and error.

Characterized by a Spirit of Inquiry:
Like David and the Bereans, the teachable heart is marked by active seeking. They don’t wait passively; they pray like David (“teach me”) and search like the Bereans. Their teachability is proactive.

3. The Biblical Model: David, the Student King

The Content of His Requests:
David’s prayers reveal what a wise person wants to learn:

1. God’s Paths (Psalm 25:4): Direction for life’s journey.
2. God’s Statutes (Psalm 119:26, 33): The specific rules and principles for holy living.
3. Good Judgment & Knowledge (Psalm 119:66): Practical wisdom for decision-making.
4. God’s Will (Psalm 143:10): The ultimate purpose and plan for his life.

The Result of His Teachability:
His humble pursuit of divine instruction directly contributed to him becoming “the most celebrated king Israel ever had.” Authority and anointing flowed to a man who knelt in humility before God as his Teacher.

4. The Danger of an Unteachable Spirit

The Path of Needless Pain:
The child running toward the fire is a picture of the believer who resists godly counsel, biblical warnings, and the Holy Spirit’s conviction. They insist on learning everything the hard way, nursing avoidable wounds that delay their destiny.

The Loss of What is Held:
The Mark 4:25 principle warns that a closed, prideful mind will eventually lose even the revelation, position, or gifting it currently possesses. Stagnation sets in, followed by regression.

How to Cultivate a Teachable Spirit

1. Pray the Psalms of David Daily:
Incorporate prayers like “Teach me your paths, O Lord” (Psalm 25:4) and “Teach me to do your will” (Psalm 143:10) into your daily devotions. Let these shape your heart’s desire.

2. Practice the Berean Method:
When you hear a sermon or receive counsel, don’t just accept or reject it. Take it to the Scriptures. Search them daily to see if what was said aligns with God’s Word. This is teachability with discernment.

3. Seek and Submit to Spiritual Authority:
Place yourself under the instruction of godly pastors and mentors. Value correction and receive it without defensiveness. See it as God teaching you through them.

4. Embrace Humility as Your Default Posture:
Consciously reject the thought, “I already know this.” Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal something new in familiar scriptures or situations. Assume there is always more to learn.

Warning: The High Cost of a Closed Mind

An unteachable Christian is a danger to themselves and a liability to the Body of Christ. They are prone to error, resistant to correction, and often become critical and divisive. They forfeit the gentle guidance promised to the meek and instead wander into confusion and failure, all while blaming others.

Conclusion: Enrolled in the School of the Spirit

Pray this:
“Heavenly Father, my Eternal Teacher, crush every seed of pride and self-sufficiency in my heart. Make me meek and truly teachable. Give me the eager readiness of the Bereans and the humble hunger of David. Guide me away from the painful lessons of experience and teach me swiftly through Your Word and Your Spirit. Let my life be a testament to the blessing of a student who never graduates from Your school, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Conduct a Teachability Audit: Reflect on the last time you were corrected. Did you get defensive, make excuses, or receive it with thanks and self-examination? Ask a trusted friend for an honest assessment of your teachability.
• Study a “Fire” Story: Read about a biblical character who learned the hard way through experience due to being unteachable (e.g., Samson, Saul). Contrast them with a teachable one (e.g., Timothy under Paul).
• Commit to a New Learning Habit: Choose one area where you feel weak (e.g., prayer, understanding prophecy, personal finance). Find a biblically sound book or teaching series on it and commit to studying it this month.

Remember: Your spiritual growth is directly proportional to your teachability. The most powerful person in the room is not the one talking, but the one listening—to God and to others.
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (Proverbs 9:9). Choose today to be a perpetual student in the school of Christ, and watch your wisdom and impact increase.

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The Open Heaven 15 December 2025 devotional for today is YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW

This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

• Read: RCCG Open Heaven 14 December 2025 Devotional

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OPEN HEAVEN 15 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL

TOPIC: YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW

MEMORISE:
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Galatians 6:8

READ: Proverbs 6:6-11
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

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RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 15 DECEMBER 2025 TODAY MESSAGE

Whatever people put into their lives will determine what they will get out of it. If all they put in are worldly pleasures, then there will be no greatness; however, if they are diligent, they will be prosperous (Proverbs 12:24).

My Father in the Lord told a story of two young men who went to consult an oracle to find out what the future held for them. The oracle told one of them that he would become a king and the other that he would be a servant. The one the oracle predicted to become a king immediately began to act pompously, while the second one said to himself, “What have I done to deserve this fate? Why must I be a servant?” He kept thinking about what the oracle said, and he became angry.

When he got home, he took his cutlass and hoes, went far into the jungle, and began to cultivate a portion of the jungle. He would wake up every morning to clear bushes and plant seeds until late at night.

Whenever he felt pain, he would tell his body, “You cannot be tired because l refuse to be a slave.” Years passed, and he kept on expanding the farm.

After a while, there was a famine in his town. The townspeople spent all their money and didn’t have any food to eat. One day, a hunter went far into the jungle to look for meat and he stumbled on this young man’s store of food. He went back to his townspeople to tell them what he had found and they all came there too.

They did not have money to buy the food so they begged the young man to please give them food and they will serve him. He agreed and they crowned him as their king. One day, as he sat on his throne, the other man who the oracle said would become a king came begging and said, “Please don’t let me die of hunger; give me food and I will be your servant.”

Beloved, whatever you sow into your life is what you will reap. If you put in diligence, you will reap abundance because the soul of the diligent shall be made fat (Proverbs 13:4). If you sow to your flesh, you will reap corruption, as we see in today’s memory verse.

If you want the best in life, you must put in the best, and having Jesus in control of your life is the best you can ever have. Follow Him diligently and obey His instructions so you can get the best out of life.

REFLECTION

What are you sowing into your life?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

2 Timothy 1-4

HYMN 32: TO THE WORK! TO THE WORK! WE ARE SERVANTS OF GOD

OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 15 DECEMBER 2025 COMMENTARY

MEMORISE: Galatians 6:8
“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
This verse presents the ultimate spiritual law of harvest, framing every choice as a seed sown into one of two fields: the flesh or the Spirit. The harvest is inescapable and matches the nature of the seed. “Corruption” speaks of decay, loss, and ruin, while “life everlasting” speaks of vibrancy, permanence, and divine quality of life both now and eternally.

BIBLE READING: Proverbs 6:6-11
This passage uses nature to rebuke human laziness and prescribe diligence:
v.6-8: The Ant’s Example – “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.” Diligence is self-motivated, proactive, and timely.
v.9-11: The Sluggard’s End – “How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?… So shall thy poverty come…”Poverty is personified as an armed robber that arrives as the direct consequence of inactivity and sleep.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping in Destiny

Pastor E.A. Adeboye uses a powerful parable to illustrate that destiny is not a fixed prophecy but a harvest field. Your future is not merely foretold; it is farmed. The devotional reveals that your daily choices—your “sowing”—are the decisive factor in whether a prediction of greatness becomes a reality of servitude, or a prediction of servitude becomes a throne of abundance.

1. Two Responses to Prophecy: Presumption vs. Protest Fueled by Action

The Presumptuous Heir:
The first young man heard “king” and immediately “began to act pompously.” He assumed the title without doing the work. He sowed seeds of pride, idleness, and entitlement into the field of his flesh. His harvest was destitution and servitude.

The Protesting Planter:
The second young man heard “servant” and reacted with righteous indignation (“Why must I be a slave?”). However, his anger did not become bitterness; it became fuel. His protest catalyzed proactive, relentless labor. He sowed seeds of diligence, pain, and perseverance into the field of his future.

2. The Anatomy of Diligent Sowing

It is Isolated and Unsupervised:
Like the ant with “no guide, overseer, or ruler,” the young man went alone “far into the jungle.” True diligence is intrinsic motivation; it doesn’t need an audience or a boss to compel it. It is work done in the secret place that God rewards openly.

It is Painful and Relentless:
He worked “from morning till night,” feeling pain but commanding his body to submit to his spirit’s resolve: “I refuse to be a slave.” Diligence conquers the flesh’s desire for comfort. It is the daily crucifixion of laziness.

It is Expansive and Forward-Thinking:
“He kept on expanding the farm.” Diligence is not static; it increases capacity. He was not just farming for today, but creating a vast storehouse for an unknown future famine. This is the wisdom of the ant gathering in summer.

3. The Inevitable Harvest: Famine Reveals the Sower

The Famine as the Great Revealer:
The famine exposed the true state of each man’s “field.” For the idle town, it revealed poverty. For the diligent farmer, it revealed abundant provision. Crisis doesn’t create character; it reveals the harvest of what was sown in seasons of obscurity.

The Harvest of Authority and Honor:
The townspeople didn’t just buy food; they pledged service and offered kingship. Diligence, when it meets a universal need, produces not just wealth, but legitimate authority, honor, and leadership (Proverbs 12:24, 22:29). The one who refused to be a slave became a king by serving others with his provision.

The Full Circle of the Law:
The prophetic “king” became the beggar, and the prophetic “servant” became the king. The oracle was not wrong; it was a revelation of potential based on the law of harvest. Each man’s sowing determined which potential was realized.

4. The Ultimate “Best” to Sow: A Life in Christ

The Supreme Investment:
“Having Jesus in control of your life is the best you can ever have.” This is the ultimate sowing to the Spirit. To give Christ your allegiance is to plant the seed of eternal life and divine purpose into the soil of your soul.

The Diligence of Discipleship:
“Follow Him diligently and obey His instructions.” This is the practical sowing: daily obedience, steadfast faith, and persistent pursuit of His will. This is how we “sow to the Spirit” and guarantee the harvest of “the best out of life”—a life of meaning, peace, and everlasting fruit.

How to Cultivate Your Destiny Harvest

1. Identify Your “Jungle”:
What is the neglected, difficult area of your life that requires cultivation? (Your skill, your spiritual life, your finances, your education). Go there today and start clearing the bushes of excuse.

2. Embrace the Pain of Growth:
When your flesh complains during diligent effort, speak to it like the young man did. Declare your God-given destiny over your temporary discomfort: “You cannot be tired, because I refuse to be a slave to [laziness, debt, ignorance, sin].”

3. Work for the Future Famine:
Don’t just live for today. Ask: What “famine” (economic shift, family need, old age) might come? What storehouse (skills, savings, spiritual depth) can I build now through diligent sowing?

4. Audit Your Current Sowing:
Are you predominantly sowing to the flesh (pleasure, procrastination, anger) or to the Spirit (prayer, the Word, service, holiness)? Remember, you will reap a multiplied harvest of whatever you are planting.

Warning: The Corruption of Fleshly Sowing

To sow to the flesh is to invest in things that are inherently temporary and decaying—worldly pleasures, sinful habits, selfish ambition. The harvest is not just lack, but corruption: ruined health, broken relationships, spiritual emptiness, and eternal loss. The presumptuous heir reaped this.

Conclusion: From Prophecy to Harvest Throne

Pray this:
“Almighty God, Lawgiver of the Harvest, forgive me for times I have been presumptuous or idle with my destiny. I reject every spirit of sloth. Fill me with the diligence of the ant and the resolve of the faithful farmer. I submit every area of my life to the lordship of Jesus Christ—the best seed I can sow. Help me to labor diligently in Your Spirit, that I may reap a harvest of life, authority, and abundance for Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Action Steps:

• Define Your “Farm”: Write down one long-term goal (spiritual, professional, personal). Break it into the smallest possible “daily hoeing” action. Commit to doing that action every day this week.
• Study the Sowers: Meditate on the diligence of Joseph in Potiphar’s house and in prison (Genesis 39). Note how his faithful sowing in obscurity led to a harvest of leadership.
• Fast from Flesh-Sowing: For one week, consciously replace one activity that “sows to the flesh” (e.g., mindless scrolling, gossip) with one that “sows to the Spirit” (e.g., Scripture memorization, edifying conversation).

Remember: Your future is a farm, not a fixed fortune. The prophecy over your life reveals the potential harvest, but your diligence with the seed determines the yield. Sow relentlessly to the Spirit in the hidden place, and the day will come when others will come to your well-stored house and crown you with honor.
“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute” (Proverbs 12:24). Choose this day to be a sower, not a sleeper. Your harvest awaits.

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