24/01/2024
OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: WEDNESDAY JANUARY 24TH 2024
TOPIC: WHAT IS GOD'S TEMPLE? 1
MEMORISE:
“Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” - (Isaiah 56:7)
GENESIS 28:10-17 (KJV)
10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.
11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
MESSAGE:
Many people don't know why they need to go to church or any place of fellowship at all. They think to themselves, "Why can't we just sit down at home? After all, God is everywhere." So, for the next few days, I intend to spend some time looking at what God's temple really is.
God's temple is the house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7), and before anyone says that this is just in the Old Testament, Jesus Himself, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrew 12:2), further validated it in Matthew 21:12-13.
We go to the One who hears prayers (Psalm 65:2) in the house He has dedicated and assigned as the house of prayer. I know you can pray anywhere, and God will hear you, but there is a difference when you pray in the place that was originally assigned as the place of prayer. In such a place, the atmosphere is already charged, and there are heavenly protocols in place already to ensure that prayers said there are answered. When a place has been dedicated as a house of prayer, there is tremendous power there.
For many years when I lived in the house that is now known as Open Heavens House, I had a small room that I called my prayer room. It is a room that was assigned as a place to pray and meet with God. As a result of the constant prayers that went on there for long hours, a portal between heaven and earth was created there, just like the one we see in our Bible reading for today. Many people had prayed for certain situations without results, however, when they entered that room to pray, testimonies followed. For example, there have been records of people entering the prayer room with glaring physical defects, and by the time they would come out, the Lord would have touched them, and the defect would have disappeared. What made the difference was not so much in the words they said but that they prayed in a place that had become a portal between heaven and earth.
When a place has been dedicated as a place of prayer, and intense prayers have been going on there for many years, you better believe that such a place is saturated with immense power. You can pray on your own every day, but in addition to that, every time you have the opportunity to go to church to pray, please don't miss it.
KEY POINT:
The temple of God is a place that is saturated with tremendous power, make sure you go there to pray as often as you can.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EXODUS 28-30
AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 22 - SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER! SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER!
1 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my Father's throne
make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter's snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
2 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
the joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
where God my Savior shows his face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
3 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
thy wings shall my petition bear
to him whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I'll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
