OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY AUGUST 5TH 2025

TOPIC: OVERFLOWING PRAISE

MEMORISE:
“Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.” - (Psalm 147:1)

READ: 2 SAMUEL 6:14-16 (KJV)

14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

16 And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

MESSAGE:

In today's Bible reading, David praised God with all his might and danced with total abandon. This is a classic example of overflowing praise; no wonder God blessed Him beyond measure. When we overflow with praise towards God, He gives us blessings that are beyond measure. When you praise God, you please Him, and when you please Him, He makes even your enemies to be at peace with you (Proverbs 16:7). No wonder David never lost a battle; his overflowing praise always made God silence all his enemies before him. When you go out of your way to praise God, He goes out of His way to shower you with abundant blessings.

To really give overflowing praise to God, you cannot set limits to your praise; you have to praise Him without ceasing. This means that you keep praising Him everywhere you go and while going about your daily activities. This also means that your major preoccupation throughout all your days should be to give Him praise continually. This is why every time people see me, they notice that my mouth is always moving - I am always singing choruses to praise my God. I remember one time I travelled outside Nigeria; I went to a bookstore to buy some books. While picking the books, I was singing praises to God. A white man came into the bookstore, saw me, and made a joke about my singing. We laughed, shook hands, and as he was about to leave, he said, "Wait a minute, it is gone!" Apparently, he had been suffering from a backache for years. The moment I shook his hands in that mood of worship, the backache disappeared. If you want to experience constant miracles everywhere you go, even when you are not expecting it, then you should be giving God overflowing praise.

Those who give God overflowing praise do not wait for Him to do anything for them before they praise Him. They praise Him in season and out of season. Just the fact that they get up from their beds in the morning is enough reason to give Him praise. In return, God ensures that He meets their needs even before they ask so that they can put more time and focus into praising Him. Before any trouble comes, He settles it so that the flow of praise does not stop.

Beloved, make it a habit to praise God everywhere you go, and He will beautify your life with His abundant blessings.

KEY POINT:
To give God overflowing praise, you must praise Him everywhere you go and at all times.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JEREMIAH 6-8

AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE

HYMNAL: 18 - PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY, THE KING OF CREATION

1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy
health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
Now to His temple draw near;
Sing now in glad adoration!

2 Praise to the Lord, who o’er all
things so wondrously reigneth,
Who, as on wings of an eagle,
uplifteth, sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen
How thy desires all have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

3 Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully,
wondrously, made thee!
Health hath vouchsafed and, when
heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief
Ever hath failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade thee.

4 Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper
thy work and defend thee,
Who from the heavens the streams of
His mercy doth send thee.
Ponder anew
What the Almighty can do,
Who with His love doth befriend thee.

5 Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all that
is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come
now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen
Sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

*MEDITATIONS ON DAILY*
*ⓂANNA*

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5TH, 2025.

*DANGER OF HARDNESS OF HEART*

*TEXT:* EXODUS 7:14-25.

14.And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.
15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.
16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
17 Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.
18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.
19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.
21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.
24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.
25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river.

*Timeless Truth:*_"Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD"_ (Isaiah 26:10).

*INTRODUCTION*

*1. Warnings Ignored Rudely*

a. This is the first of a judgmental miracle in Egypt. It was understandable that Pharaoh would find it difficult to imagine that his national work force was released voluntarily without a fight. It would be too costly for him. However ,the problem with him was not his initial reluctance, but his unwillingness to open his mind to supernatural persuasion that would make him understand that the God Who is greater than all his idols was the one sending Moses. In the same vein, God seldom condemns and destroys a sinner because he sins. His problem with them is their unwillingness to open their eyes to the light of truth shining and their love for darkness rather than light.
*"And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go".* Pharaoh deliberately, hardened his heart and shut out the light that was shining at that time. Jesus also asserted that no sinner is condemned to hell because he sins, but because he refused to give in to the way of salvation or in other words, because he hardened his heart like Pharaoh did. *"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil"* (John 3:19).
b. The next thing that followed Pharaoh intransigence was warning.
*"Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood"*. This is always God's way. Refusal or rebellion against the truth is always followed with divine warnings. These warnings come through different ways to the wicked and to those who pose to be children of God. It may be directly through His Word and ministers and at times he may use circumstances or even dreams to give warnings. God used Balaam's ass to warn him as the ass collapsed under him mysteriously for two times. Balaam did not bulge (Numbers 22:21-38). Believers should be discernful to know when God decides to use circumstances to warn them of an impending danger due to a wrong decision they are bent on making. Warnings of the Lord to sinners or saints should not be taken for granted at any time regardless of how the warnings come. Divine warnings is the next stage of actions for those who are desperately bent on doing wrong. After divine warning, and the person still hardens his heart, he would have crossed the line of God's mercy. Think of Judas Iscariot. *"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy"* (Proverbs 29:1).

*Question*

Give examples of a sinner and a believer in the Bible who refused God's warning and exhausted the mercy of God.

*2. Wonders through "Insignificant" Rod*

a. The judgment was very strategic. All the nine plagues did not directly involve the loss of life except the 10th when their firstborns died. The judgment was targeted at the gods of the Egyptians in answer to Pharaoh who sincerely questioned, *"who is that God?"*. This first plague was to show Pharaoh that God is greater than all the prized and adored gods of the Egyptians. The first was River Nile. The Nile was worshipped as a god and ancient records show that they used to sing hymns and songs in its praise. Furthermore, there were gods worshipped as guardians of the Nile, the spirit of Nile and the bloodstream of Nile. All those gods could not help the Nile at all. They were all helpless. *"And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt"*. That was a clear signal to Pharaoh who loved many gods that this God of the Hebrews is superior by all standards to his national and personal gods. Sinners also manifest the same foolishness. They can hear or see mighty miracles of deliverance, healing and blessings through the name of Jesus. Instead of totally submitting and accepting Jesus as their only Saviour and God, they still cling to their religions, idols, sins and the love of the world. The hardened heart will not behold the majesty of God no matter how strong God's glory is shining. What Pharaoh saw was enough for him to have had to rethink and retrace his way back to God, but he did not. We will see later how he succeeded in deceiving his heart the most.
b. *"And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood"*. It is good to think a little about this rod which was an "insignificant" shepherd rod of Moses. It soon turned out to be an instrument of mighty miracles by God. It shows how God can lay His hand on seemingly insignificant persons, properties and possessions, anoint them with the Holy Ghost and use them beyond human imagination. The only thing needed is to surrender that life or thing to God. None should ever underrate how God can use him because of his birth, background, colour, race, status or any demanding thing. Yield yourself to Jesus and you will be surprised how impactful your life will be in life. DL Moody was an unlettered shoe maker who became a mighty revivalist. Apostle Ayo Babalola was an ordinary government stream roller operator. After about 70 years, his great impact and power packed revival could not be erased. With faith and obedience to the Spirit of God, the sky is the limit for anyone who desires to live a highly impactful life.

*Question*

Mention some insignificant things and seemingly insignificant people that God turned to mighty weapons in His hand.

*3. Wicked and Imitating Rebellion*

a. Apart from the fact that Pharaoh himself hardened his heart and he bore the full responsibility, the deceivers, magicians, evil counsellors and false preachers and prophets of his day added to the hardness of the heart. *"And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said"*. What did the magicians do? They dug into the ground for fresh water and turned it to blood through the power of Satan. The fact that it emboldened Pharaoh the more showed that it was not natural, but supernatural. It showed that it was not figurative, but physically real. The magicians could turn fresh water to blood, but could not turn bloody water into fresh as Moses did later. This is just the character of Satan. All he does is to imitate God and His works to deceive people. Furthermore, Satan is only interested in destroying people. Doing good and helping people out of their problems are never part of his economy. Even when he appears to do something good, the plan is to turn it to a razor bone in the mouth and throat of those who swallow it. That is how Satan brings different religions and offers under the camouflage of helping someone, but alas, the end result is to destroy. He has done this and sent multitudes to hell. Don't allow him to catch you with his deception. There is no single good in him.
b. Beware of false prophets, counsellors, companions, helpers, spouses and friends who smile at you as helpers and may even want to kiss you in love, but deadly poisons are in their mouth. Only Jesus is the truest and the most trustworthy Friend. *"And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also"*. Beware of all those preachers who always pour water of confusion on the Word of God with "it does not matter". Well, we all saw the end of Pharaoh.
*"And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river"*. Pharaoh was so hardened that he did not care about the plight of his citizens. *"And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river"*. A devilish leader thinks more of his ego, self and power than the welfare of people he is expected to lead and care for.

*Question*

What are the things giving you false security that you don't take some important teachings of the Bible seriously?

*Prayer Points*

1.Ask God to search your heart with His Word and Holy Ghost, reveal and remove any form of hardness in your heart .
2.Ask God to lay hands on you and use you mightily in this generation .
3.Ask God to deliver you and keep you from every form of deception that will damn your soul .
4.Pray that every believer will chose the path of wisdom and obedience to the Lord

*HYMN* Have you counted the cost

*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:*
NEHEMIAH 9-11.

Buy the truth and sell it not. Your eternity and holiness is not for sale.

Faith-filled speech cultivates
miracles. Negative speech fertilizes stagnation.
“The Battlefield of Your Mind
Is Won or Lost on Your Tongue."

THIS MONTH OF AUGUST BECOMES MY MONTH OF WONDER'S AND MIRACLES IN JESUS NAME. MY GOD SHALL CONTINUALLY INCLINE HIS EAR UNTO ME, AND HEAR MY SUPPLICATIONS. EVERYTIME I PRAY, HEAVEN'S SHALL IMMEDIATELY AND EXPRESSLY ANSWER MY REQUEST, IN JESUS NAME.

Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, has revealed that her journey to football stardom began with selling olive oil and zobo drinks in church before becoming one of Nigeria’s most celebrated female players.

The 25-year-old Atletico Madrid forward shared her story on Saturday during the August edition of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries’ monthly ‘Power Must Change Hands’ programme at the church’s Prayer City in Ogun State.

According to the Lagos-born star, her childhood involved long hours of hawking olive oil, kunu, and zobo within church premises during deliverance programmes.

She said those early struggles taught her resilience and instilled in her a deep faith.

Ajibade, who captained Nigeria to win its 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco, told the congregation, “Whenever things are tough at my club or with the national team, I pray. I do my part through hard work, but never forget to seek God’s help.”

She continued, “I was once one of those young girls out there hawking olive oil, kunu, and zobo drinks in most of the deliverance programmes, but today, I give glory to God. Please, don’t give up, keep praying, keep fasting, keep working and keep believing.”

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Psalms 23:6 (KJV) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

May God's goodness and mercy envelope me and my household and business all through our lives time with evidence of God's blessings in Jesus Mighty Name
At anywhere I walk in shame and rejection may God's grace and favour return me back in honour and fame that will permanently turn all my mockers into my slave and servants for the rest of their life in Jesus Mighty Name
God let your mercy and grace do the unthinkable and unimaginable of wonders and miracles in my life and family and business that will make the world to fear God and worship Him for the rest of their life in Jesus Mighty Name
Good morning and See You On Top

I pray for you this glorious Sunday that you will experience and see great and unique manifestation of the power of God in a new dimension today and forever. God will open doors unto you that no man can shut. Today, your joy will be full and complete with divine miracles. God will completely make manifest His blessings on you and your household. Today, the wind of change will blow in your direction, and you will experience a positive change in your situation. You will break new grounds with ease and beyond your imagination. Your hope,dreams, and expectations will surely manifest, and you will sing a new song in Jesus' mighty Name Amen, happy Sunday.