OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL MONDAY 19TH JUNE 2017, By Pastor E.A Adeboye

 THEME: LUST PULLS ITS VICTIM

Memorise:

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. James 1:14

Read: James 1:12-16

1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

MESSAGE

Many people have been taken captive in different ways. Some have become captives of war, while some others have fallen prey to traps set by the enemy. May God deliver us from satanic booby traps! However, you really need to exercise caution if you do not want to fall prey to the devil. Watch those things you take pleasure in because sooner rather than later, they can become the very things the tempter will use in enticing you! Today‘s memory verse tells us that temptations start with us: they emanate from what we secretly or openly long for. Some people nurse some unvoiced thoughts and ideas and do not really care whether those thoughts agree with the standard of Philippians 4:8. This standard states:
''....whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things''

For nonchalant Christians, the devil soon sets them up to reveal exactly what is in their heart, and thereafter they are confronted with temptations. An example here is Esau, who loved good food. He loved eating so much that the devil decided to use food to secure the loss of his destiny, and he fell for it. If you secretly admire the opposite sex, the devil will find out about it someday, and before long, you will be battling with sexual lust or some other form of immorality.

Men are drawn by their own lustful thoughts. Lust pulls the one lusting into further sin. Do everything possible to avoid lust because before you know it, it will bring you into the pit of sin. If you lust after money, before long, you will find yourself in a situation where you will be tempted to sell out on your salvation or betray someone who is close to you in exchange for money, like Judas lscariot and Joseph's brothers did. What do you secretly lust after? If you ignore it, you will later regret it by the time the tempter is through with you. This is the time to prayerfully check and cut off any seemingly harmless pull from lust. Where there is a pull, it continues until there is a build-up. When the build-up has become formidable, it will become too difflcult to resist its compelling force to sin. Therefore, do everything possible to love only those things that are good, and feed your mind on the word of God. Also, avoid the tendency for a build up by resisting the subtle lure of lust. Prayerfully keep your thoughts in check and closely monitor what you allow into your heart.

Action Point:

To prevent sexual sins, covetousness, murders and the likes, stop it at the thought stage. Don't allow it move from thought to lust.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Judges 9
Jeremiah 50:31-43

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 6: DEEPER, DEEPER

1. Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.

Refrain:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.

2. Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
[Refrain]

3. Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
[Refrain]

4. Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
[Refrain]

5. Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
[Refrain]

Lagos State And Nigerian Govt. Plan Festival To Aid Africans In Diaspora Trace Their Roots Back.

 Lagos State Government and the Federal Government have concluded arrangement to help over 15 million Nigerians in diaspora to trace their roots back home through the Badagry Diaspora Festival scheduled to hold between August 23 and 25.

Speaking at a news conference jointly addressed at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Oversees Affairs and Investment, Ademola Abass, both governments said the festival would be a replica of the 1977 Festival of Arts and Culture otherwise known as FESTAC 77, designed to assist Africans in diaspora to reunite with their ancestral roots.

Apart from putting issues of Africans in diaspora on the front burner, the festival, according to Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, would also provide platform to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Lagos State and Nigeria to the world and also promote tourism potentials of the country.

The presidential aide, who commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for throwing his weight behind the festival, said the event would host the largest gathering of Africans in the world, and that it was a thing of joy that many Africans in diaspora had already indicated interest in tracing their roots back home.

"For the first time, we have been having in Badagry a festival that brings people in the diaspora together but when we attended this festival few years ago, we sat together and said this would be the biggest cultural event to come out of Africa and so after years of planning, we have been able to come out with this programme this year coming up on August 23 to 25," said Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa.

"United Nations already has declared ten years as decade for Africa, and so within the said decade, Nigeria in particular, and Lagos will be putting up one of the biggest gatherings of diaspora all over the world that will gather in Badagry later this year.

"One of the unique events of the festival is the 'Door of Return'. A lot of people and things were taken out of Africa and Badagry in particular, and so our people in diaspora would be coming back through that door that we are calling the Door of Return, which is the opposite of 'Point of no Return. Beyond that, we will be showcasing the beauty and culture of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general through the festival," Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa said.

Responding to questions on number of people in the diaspora expected to grace the festival, Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa said many Nigerians in the diaspora have already indicated interest to be part of it, adding: "We don't have an accurate database but we are working on 15 million Nigerians in the diaspora and a lot of them are already coming."

Also speaking, Mr. Abass said the State Government was delighted to partner with the Federal Government and other promoters of the festival, as the event was in sync with the cardinal objective of the present administration in the State to use tourism, hospitality, entertainment and sport to promote excellence.

He said apart from the fact that the festival was coming at a time the State was celebrating the 50 years of its existence, the festival would be utilized to showcase the giant strides of Governor Ambode's administration in transforming Badagry to the next tourism hub in Africa.

"This festival is going to be utilized to promote the huge efforts that the present administration in Lagos State has been putting into turning Badagry around in terms of infrastructure, in terms of tourism and so many other things and so this forthcoming celebration falls squarely within our government agenda to promote tourism and also to promote investment.

"As you know, we are developing a Sea Port in Badagry among so many other things and so the festival will be a win-win for everybody especially for us in Lagos State," Abass said.

On his part, Babatunde Mese-Waku, President of African Renaissance Foundation, one of the promoters of the festival, said a Brazilian, Baye De Santos, whose root has been traced to Ketu in Benin Republic, would be honoured at the festival for his contribution towards promoting issues relating to Africans in diaspora.

Also, Rufai Ladipo, Managing Director of Agile Communications Ltd, the marketing firm for the festival, said series of activities have been lined up for the festival including carnival procession, boat regatta, fishing competition, dark era procession, diaspora dinner, beauty pageant, cultural displays, heritage site visits, heritage night, festival market, international music concert and international symposium, among others.

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL SUNDAY 18TH JUNE 2017, By Pastor E.A Adeboye.

THEME: lT`S WHAT YOU TOLERATE

MEMORIZE:
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
 1 Peter 5:9

READ: Matthew 8:14-15

14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.

15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Judges 7-8 , Jeremiah 50:17-30

MESSAGE

When Jesus came to Peter's house in today's Bible reading, He met his mother-in-Iaw down with a fever. He touched her and she was healed instantly, and she then began to attend to their needs. This clearly tells us that Jesus does not tolerate sickness in our bodies. However, the question is, do you tolerate sickness? Some people are tolerant of things they should not accept. Tolerating sickness is telling that sickness that it is welcome in your body. Some people tolerate certain sicknesses that are traced to certain natural conditions. For instance, when a woman is pregnant, people expect her to go through morning sickness. While this is mild for some people, it can be very tough for some others. Nevertheless, if you know your rights as a spiritual Hebrew woman and stand in faith against any form of ill health, you will receive strength to go through pregnancy in good health and not in sickness. To do so, you must be strong in faith and tell sickness that it is not welcome because you have no room or space for it. 1 Timothy 2:15 says,
''Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

In other words, if you are truly a godly woman, you should not be taken down by the dangers of childbirth that affect ungodly women. Stand in faith and live holy, and your conception and delivery will be most pleasant!

In the same vein, some sicknesses are attributed to old age. An elderly man who was still quite active suddenly got up one day and realised he had difficulty walking. He tried some self-medication to no avail, and so he was taken to the hospital. The doctor examined him and told him his sickness was as a result of old age. He was advised to just manage it with certain medicines. There are some people whose eyesight fail them due to old age, even as early as 60 years old. For a child of God, you can stand in faith, resist such sicknesses and enjoy good health all through your life. At 120 years old, when it was time to go to be with the Lord, Moses still retained the strength of his youth (Deuteronomy 34:7). Caleb also retained his strength at 85 years old (Joshua 14:10-11). If you stand in faith, what affects others will not be able to affect you. If you refuse to resist these sicknesses, you will become a victim just like everyone else. The choice is yours.

KEY POINT:
If Jesus has carried your pains and sorrows according to Isaiah 53:4, why are you still accepting to carry them?

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4:
THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOUR

1. Through the love of God, our Saviour,
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favour,
All will be well;
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us,
All will be well.

2. Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation,
All will be well.
Happy when in God confiding,
Fruitful if in Christ abiding,
Holy through the Spirit's guiding,
All will be well.

3. We expect a bright tomorrow;
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All will be well;
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying
In our living, in our dying,
All will be well.

Evans Wife, Uchenna Cry Out To Nigerians; Have Mercy On Us.

The wife of arrested notorious kidnapper Evans spoke with Vanguard.


My name is Uchenna Precious Onwuamadike, the wife of the Chikwudubem Onwuamadike who you call Evans.   I am 31 years old.   I got married to Evans at the age of 17 at Oraifite, Anambra state in 2004.

He met me while I was coming back from lesson as a student of All Saints Secondary School, Oraifite and I was in class 6 going to take my West African Examination. After we met, I agreed to go with him because of my poor background.

He told me his father married three wives when he was six years old and threw his mother out of his house. He said that one of the wives influenced his father to drive them out of his house also and they were forced to stay with outsiders.   Evans was taken to his grandmother who trained him.   He told me his father accused the mother of being adulterous before driving her out of his house.

Our marriage is blessed with five children. Our first issue is 12 years plus and her name us Udochukwu.   After we got married, he said I should stay with his mother in his village at Akanmiri, Umudim, Nnewi   to teach me how to be a good housewife.   I was there for three years before he took me to Lagos.   We were living at Satellite town in 2006 and after one year, he relocated us back to the village because he could not pay house rent.

While in the village, he normally came to see us.   We spent three years in the village and relocated to Ghana.   On our way to Ghana, we passed through Lagos and stayed at Benny Hotels in Festac where we spent two days before travelling to Ghana.

He spent a month with us in Ghana before coming back to Lagos.   I was pregnant with our fourth child in 2010 when he left for Nigeria to come back in two months time.   After I gave birth, he came back four months later and was able to clear the accumulated bills we kept for him because I borrowed money from friends to clear hospital bill. When he came back, he complained bitterly that things were rough for him in Nigeria and that customs seized his goods.

I was not aware that he was into kidnapping and all the criminal acts he is being associated with now.   All I know about his business is that he was into haulage, buying engine and spare parts for trucks and imports exhaust pipes.   That was what he told me.   The reason he kept me in Ghana was because he said our children should get quality education.

I have spent six years here and after I stopped hearing from him, I called and complained bitterly but he said I should stay for some time.   I then called his friend, Okechukwu, who now   lives in China. He told me that he has not been seeing him and that he spends most of his time with a girlfriend in Festac.     When I called him to complain, he was angry with me and warned that I should stop listening to gossip.   He said that If I should return, I should go to his younger brother’s house in Lagos until he is ready to get accommodation for us.   The brother was formally living in Lagos but he is in Brazil now.   So, when it was impossible to pay my children’s school fees, I packed my bags and baggage and came back to Lagos with our children.

We stayed at his brother’s house at Agric, close to Trade Fair until he took us to a house in Magodo where he claimed he owed rent pending the completion of his own house there.     We have spent just one year in that house in Magodo.   I have no idea of the type of business he was into but he told me that his friends overseas used to buy phones and jewelries for him.


EVANS
While in Lagos, i was idle and I pressured him to find something for me to do and he promised to do that.   Several times, I asked him to take me to his office but he said they move from place to place to offload goods in haulage business and share profits.   I can’t remember having any visitor in our house.   It is only the agent called Sunny that helped us to pack into our house that I know.     At times, artisans come to do one repair or the other, that’s all.

I don’t know any of his friends and if we were invited to parties, he would not allow us to attend.     He told me that he has no friends and that he hates associating with people.   I was always indoors because he warned me to beware of Lagos women that they are wayward.

I was staying indoors and it was only when I was sick that he took me to a hospital in Ikeja. I always have BP and it makes weak.   We went back to Ghana on the 6th  of this month and he promised to join us in no distant time.   On the 9th, I called him to know when he would be coming   and even the youngest of our children was crying, begging him to come as soon as possible and he promised to come.   In the afternoon, I called but he was not picking.

I called again, there was noise in the background and the line was switched off.   I then called the driver that took us to the motor pack when we were going to Ghana and he told me that there was a problem, that police came and arrested Oga and that they came with a fair complexioned lady.   When I heard all the allegations against him, I called his brother in Ghana, his mother, father and other relations but I could not get them.

I then called their last born, a student at Oko Polytechnic but he said he had not spoken with him for long.   I was confused until I opened Niger news and Vanguard Websites. That was how I got the shocking news about my husband.   I collapsed and later called my kids to inform them what I just read about their father.   Since then, I have not eaten, I am still in shock. Our children could not believe what they were reading about their father.   They are saying that he cannot do all the things they said he did.

In fact, while we were in Nigeria, he had never slept outside our house.   My children were crying when they saw his bloody eyes and swollen face.   Our condition was worsened when I saw my picture with him and our children on the face book.   I don’t know where they got it.   I have not been receiving money from him, I have never seen his money.   The only thing I know is that there was a time he bought an expensive watch in Dubai and I wanted to know why he bought it when he could not open any business for me.

He kept on teasing me, claiming it came from a friend.   It was only when we wanted to travel to South Africa last year Christmas where we spent two years that he gave me N200, 000 for the trip.   I have never seen him as a rich man. While with him, we made sure we had all we wanted to eat and that’s all.   I can’t remember seeing any sign of affluence in him.

He is not a proud man and he has been wearing one sandal and slippers for long now.   He does not go for parties.     In fact, I have never suspected him as a criminal.   If I have been seeing any strange things, I would have suspected him.   We have three cars, one Hilux, one grand Cherokee and an SUV.

The N20m they said he sent to me through transfer was given to one Hausa man to pay into an account in Ghana to be used in paying our rent and furnish the house in Ghana.   I know he banks with GTB only.   Their staff used to visit us in the house.

I am not aware that he has five girlfriends and I have never suspected him because he did not keep late nights.   It was shocking to hear about his girlfriends.   He did not answer calls in my presence. I uses to see his phones being charged but he normally switched them off.   I always asked him why use pin code to lock his phones and that he lived a secret life but he threatened to beat me if ever I touched any of his phones.

I didn’t even know the security pin.   He would leave the house sometimes in the evenings with his phones and would come back between 8pm and 9pm. Most of the things I read about him are strange to me. As his wife, I should have seen the signs but I have not.   He has cancer and does not drink alcohol nor smoke anything.   I have never seen gun in our house.   I don’t know where they got those frightening guns. He has never told me he has another house at Igando.   Any time he went out, he always called to ask after the children and reassure me that he would be back soon.

I am suspecting that whatever happened to him must have come from his father’s second wife.   I don’t know what he did to him when he was young but he told the story.   He said that after their mother was driven out of the house, he was with his brothers playing outside one day when the second wife called him to pick a bucket and collect water for her.

He was four years then, he picked the bucket, collected water and when he came back, she removed her dress and she was wearing only a bag made from animal skin on her waist.   She brought seven small stones from the bag, gave to Evans and ordered him to pour the stones into the bucket to know if the gravel would rise (sail) on top of the water or not.

Evans said he did as she directed but the only thing the woman did was to take the bucket back and ordered him to go back and play with his brothers.   He said he told his father later but he said he was telling lies.

I feel very bad because I did not know if he was doing all these or not.   Even if he was into all these, why did he not stop because of me and his children?   All the time when we pray, he used to promise God that he would tell Him his story later in life.

Here reads psalm 23 a lot.   Even his phone, he sets alarm for 12 noon to read psalm 23.   He took part in our daily prayers in the morning, evening and night.   He used to lead us in prayers.   We attend Anglican Church.     He has never given them money to show off. We used to give N5000 or N10,000 and the highest we have given so far was N50,000 when we baptised one of our children.

I am appealing to the powers that be to spare his life (crying), as I speak now,   I am kneeling down with my children, crying and begging for forgiveness.   Have mercy on us. He did not know what he was doing.   

He did not know what came over him. I am ready to come back to Nigeria and plead on his behalf.   What I am reading in the news is shocking.

Though, I have not heard that he killed anybody but all those he injured or took their money should please forgive him because me and my children.   

They should kindly forgive him, he will repent.   God knows I will not be alive and see my husband doing bad thing and keep quiet.    All his wealth should be sold off and given to his victims.

Evans is a good man.   He takes care of all his relations including the children of the second wife we are suspecting did this to him.   He has just two houses in Ghana but I have never seen them.

   I saw the house on his phone. Since I have been living with him, he has never injured anybody or beat me.   He has milk of human kindness in his heart.   

He has not been harsh or wicked to anybody.   He always advised us to be prayerful I (starts crying again) and complains bitterly any time I failed to pray.   His neighbours also know him as a kind and generous man.

Members of my family are worse hit by this ugly development.   They said some people brought newspaper publications to show them about their in-law and they have been wondering if he actually did all that because he has been good to all of them. 

  I am from a very good, God-fearing family and if any of us had suspected this in him, they would have forced me out of his house for long.   I am ready to come back and testify on his behalf.   I will also like to see the Governor of Lagos state and explain the whole thing to him.

They said he is rich but I have only N13, 000 in my Diamond bank account. He does not give me money.   He told me he will be paying N40, 000 into my account every month but after two months, he stopped, claiming that he was penniless.