Thoughts by irene

24/03/2026

No matter what, God pass devil 💪

24/03/2026

😂

24/03/2026

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: TUESDAY MARCH 17TH 2026

THEME: THE INTENTIONAL PARENT III

MEMORISE: Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Matthew 7:17

READ: Psalms 34:1-3
1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

MESSAGE
Over the past two days, I have discussed how important it is for parents to train their children in God's way and some of the things they must consciously do to achieve this. A poorly trained child often grows up to become a nuisance to society. However, when children are brought up in a godly manner, they grow up to become adults whom their parents can be proud of and good models for other people to emulate.

As I round off this series today, I would like to mention again that parents should teach their children God's word, ways, and principles at all times. It is not enough to teach and guide them occasionally; parents must train their children at all times. For example, parents must teach their children when they are in the house, away from home, and when they sit, stand, or lie down (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). I will discuss one other thing that parents must do at all times as part of their lifestyle, and this is showing gratitude.

In today's Bible reading, David said that he would bless the Lord at all times, and His praise shall continually be on his lips. This is one of the things that parents must do non-stop; they should continualy praise the Lord. Some Christian homes are filled with grumbling, complaining, and all manner of negative talk. Raising children in such an atmosphere will condition them to have a negative mindset when they grow up to become adults. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says that we should always give thanks to God in everything, regardless of whatever situation we find ourselves in. Parents should let gratitude flow from their lips continually so that their children can pick up that trait from them. Many of the problems in society today stem from the fact that there are too many ungrateful adults who have grown up with a sense of entitlement.

In Genesis 22:1-18, when Abraham was taking Isaac up Mount Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice to God, Isaac asked his father where the lamb for the sacrifice was. This shows that Isaac knew that no one should go to worship God empty-handed. He had learnt the art of worship and thanksgiving from his father and must have seen his father practice it many times.

Giving thanks always is a very important thing that every parent must do to train up their children in the way of the Lord. Parents who are not grateful and thankful should not expect their children to be.

KEY POINT
Ungrateful parents usually raise ungrateful children.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judges 11-13

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 18: PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY
1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is
your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear;
now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.

2 Praise to the Lord, above
all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under his wings,
and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all
that is needful has been
sent by his gracious ordaining?

3 Praise to the Lord, who will
prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy
shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.

4 Praise to the Lord! O let all
that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath,
come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound
from his people again;
gladly forever adore him

23/03/2026

If you are still joking with parenting in this generation… then you really need to read this.

Today, I sat quietly at an event and observed something ;

A group of teenage girls maybe 17 or 18 years were chatting freely, laughing, just being young.

Then another girl walked in.
She looked beautiful, well put together, confident.

At first, it was all compliments…
“Your hair is so fine!” “Where did you make it?”

Then she said ;
“It’s bone straight… it cost over a million.”

And just like that… the atmosphere changed.

I watched the other girls.
The smiles reduced. The confidence dropped. The comparison started… silently.

You could almost feel it.

Suddenly, their own hair didn’t feel good enough.

Their appearance didn’t feel enough.

They didn’t feel enough.

That moment right there?

That is how IDENTITY crisis starts.

In quiet comparison.

This is why I am very intentional about my daughters.

Because a child who does not know who they are… will use the world to define them.

And the world is brutal.

Today it’s hair.
Tomorrow it’s phones.
Next tomorrow it’s body(BBL), money, lifestyle…

There will always be something.

If your child’s confidence is built on what they have, it will collapse the moment they meet someone who has more.

But if it is built on who they are?

Nothing can shake it.

As parents, we must raise children who:

Know their worth is not in appearance.

Understand that value is not in price tags.

Are confident without needing validation.

They can stand in a room and not shrink themselves.

The world is not waiting to build your child.
It is waiting to test them.

So don’t joke with parenting.

Build your children's IDENTITY so strong that even in a room full of “bone straight hair and millions”…
they will still sit confidently and know:

“I am enough.”

Olayemi Emmanuel

23/03/2026

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: MONDAY MARCH 23RD 2026

TOPIC: IN QUIETNESS AND CONFIDENCE

MEMORISE:
For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. - (Isaiah 30:15)

BIBLE READING: PSALM 112:1-9 (KJV)

1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

MESSAGE:
When you encounter people who take all kinds of attacks without reacting, even when they have the ability to fight back and win, you must be careful not to offend them. Such people are meek, and when they commit their attackers to God, it is better for the attackers to apologise and seek to resolve the issue immediately. This is because the God who can heal and deliver can also kill and destroy. When God is fighting on someone's behalf, everyone who is against that fellow will be unable to handle the consequences.

A mother eagle once sent one of her eaglets to hunt for food. On its hunt, the eaglet saw a mother duck with her ducklings, grabbed one of them and took it to its mother. On returning to their nest, the mother eagle asked the eaglet about what the mother duck did when it took her duckling, and the eaglet said that she just looked at him and did nothing. Surprised, the mother eagle asked, "It didn't fight or make a fuss?" "No," the eaglet responded. Immediately, the mother eagle told the eaglet to return the duckling and hunt for another prey. The eaglet returned the duckling, and the mother duck looked on without reacting. Thereafter, the eaglet saw a mother hen with her chicks and grabbed one of them. When the eaglet took the chick home, its mother asked how the mother hen reacted. "She was furious and reacted fiercely," the eaglet replied. Then, the mother eagle said that they could now eat. When they finished eating, the eaglet asked its mother why she asked it to return the duckling to the quiet mother duck and why they ate the chick of the fierce mother hen. The mother eagle replied, "The hen has done all it can by shouting; however, the duck who didn't fight back has handed you over to God, and the sky isn't big enough for us to hide from God."

Beloved, keeping calm in the face of negative situations and quietly trusting in God is a strategy for living victoriously. In Psalm 46:10, God instructs you to be still and know that He is God. When you refuse to feel threatened by the devil's antics and quietly put your confidence in God and not your abilities, you will experience God's mighty power that will cause a turnaround in whatever negative circumstance you might be facing. Never give in to fear; trust quietly in God.

KEY POINT:
The best strategy to overcome negative situations is to ask God for help, trust Him, and remain calm as you await His intervention.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 SAMUEL 4-7

HYMNAL: 16 'TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS

1 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
and to take him at his word;
just to rest upon his promise,
and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."
Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
How I've proved him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust him more!

2 O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
just to trust his cleansing blood;
and in simple faith to plunge me
neath the healing, cleansing flood! [Refrain]

3 Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
just from sin and self to cease;
just from Jesus simply taking
life and rest, and joy and peace. [Refrain]

22/03/2026

22/03/2026

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY MARCH 22ND 2026



THEME: YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL



MEMORISE: Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21



READ: Acts 5:1-11

1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.



MESSAGE

Today's memory verse tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Psalm 107:20 also tells us that God sent His word, and His word healed and delivered the Israelites from their destruction. Words can heal and deliver; however, as we see in today's Bible reading, they can also kill and destroy. Ananias and Sapphira died instantly after hearing the words that Peter, God's servant, spoke to them.

There is mighty power in the spoken word of God. God's word is so powerful that the Bible says it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). When this living word mixes with the living faith of a child of God, there is no limit to the miracles that can happen.

Several years ago, a man, who was seriously sick, came to the RCCG Headquarters in Ebute-Metta, Lagos. He had hypertension and a host of other ailments. As the Sunday School session started, the teacher said, "Today, we are going to study the crossing of the Red Sea. We are going to see the power of the One who can cause the sea to freeze. We are going to see the power of the One who can ask every storm to fall asleep." On hearing that, the man knew immediately that God had sent the word for his healing to him specifically through the mouth of the Sunday School teacher. He thought to himself, "Ah, my day has come!" He was so sure about it that he started crying for joy. Somehow, he knew that the Sunday School session was not just going to be about discussing the story of the Red Sea; he knew it was the set time for his healing. Before the Sunday School lesson ended, he was healed! His living faith mixed with the living word of God to produce his healing.

When you want to know a believer who has faith in God's word, you will hear it in his or her words. When others keep confessing negatively because of the negative situations surrounding them, he or she will keep declaring and believing God's word. When people say that there is a casting down because of unpleasant experiences, the fellow will boldly declare that there is a lifting up Job 22:29). Soon, the believer's reality will start aligning with his or her confession.

Beloved, speak God's word over the situations in your life with faith. Your words become powerful to heal and deliver when they are spoken in faith.



REFLECTION

Have you been speaking faith-filled words of life or faithless words of death?



BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 1-3



AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE



HYMN 11: STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD

1 Standing on the promises of Christ my King,

Through eternal ages let His praises ring,

Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,

Standing on the promises of God.



Chorus

Standing, standing,

Standing on the promises of God my Savior;

Standing, standing,

I’m standing on the promises of God.



2 Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.



3 Standing on the promises I now can see

Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;

Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,

Standing on the promises of God.



4 Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,

Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,

Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,

Standing on the promises of God.



5 Standing on the promises I shall not fall,

List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.

Resting in my Savior as my All in all,

Standing on the promises of God.

21/03/2026

OPEN HEAVENS 2026 DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SAT, MAR 21, 2026

TOPIC: ROOTED IN BLESSINGS

MEMORISE:

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: - (Genesis 12:2)

READ: Genesis 28:10-22 (KJV)

10. And Jacob went out from Beersheba, 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.

18. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

19. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

20. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,

21. So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

22. And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

MESSAGE:

Yesterday, I mentioned that curses attack roots. Similarly, divine blessings also go root-deep. For example, in Genesis 22:16-18, God blessed Abraham and said, "Through your seed shall the whole earth be blessed." Two generations later, after Jacob deceived his father into blessing him, God appeared to him in a dream and said, "I am the God of your fathers, Abraham and Isaac." That statement clearly implies that the blessing over Abraham and Isaac had flown through Jacob's roots to him. In other words, Jacob had been blessed even before his birth.

Beloved, the next time someone tells you, 'God bless you,' do not take it for granted. Someone once came to me and said, "Daddy, pray for me," and I replied, "God bless you." After saying this, he refused to go because he still wanted to tell me about his problem. He didn't understand the magnitude of what I said when I told him, 'God bless you.' Nowadays, people have turned 'God bless you' into a greeting; however, when it comes from someone with the God-given authority to bless you, you don't need any other blessing.

God has given fathers the authority to bless, so when your father blesses you because he is pleased with you, it goes root-deep. In Genesis 27:1-4, Isaac told Esau to go hunting and prepare him a special meal. There was food in the house, but he was setting Esau up for a special kind of blessing. When Jacob came in with the special meal just the way his father wanted it, Isaac was deceived. He ate the meal and pronounced the blessing on Jacob. When he discovered that he had made a mistake, he told Esau that he had blessed Jacob and that nothing could be done to reverse it. Esau was devastated and pleaded for a little blessing. The 'little' blessing he got still produced massive results in his life because years later, as Jacob returned home and was told that Esau was on his way to meet him, Jacob, who had the lion's share of the blessing, began to tremble. God had blessed his brother, who had the little portion of the blessing, so much that he had four hundred bodyguards around him!

to our

Child of God, seek to live a life that pleases your heavenly Father and attracts His blessings. Today, I decree in the name that is above every other name, "God bless you."

PRAYER POINT:

Father, please help me to live a life that attracts Your overflowing blessings.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

Ruth 1-4

HYMNAL:

HYMN 26 - THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING

1. There shall be showers of blessing:

This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing,

Sent from the Saviour above.

CHORUS:

Showers of blessing,

Showers of blessing we need;

Mercy-drops round us are falling,

But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing:

Precious reviving again;

Over the hills and the valleys,

Sound of abundance of rain.

3. There shall be showers of blessing:

Send them upon us, Oh Lord!

Grant to us now a refreshing;

Come and now honour Thy Word.

4. There shall be showers of blessing:

Oh, that today they might fall,

Now, as to God, we're confessing,

Now as on Jesus we call!

20/03/2026

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: FRIDAY MARCH 20TH 2026



THEME: THE ROOT CURSE



MEMORISE: 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. 2 Kings 2:21



READ: 2 Kings 5:20-27

20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.

21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?

22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.

23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.

24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.

25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.

26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?

27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a l***r as white as snow.



MESSAGE

In Mark 11:12-20, Jesus cursed a fig tree for not having any fruit on it, and it dried up from its roots. I believe the detail that the tree dried up from its roots was added to let us know that curses attack roots; they always go root- deep.

Immediately after Jesus cursed the fig tree, the disciples could have looked behind them as they left the scene and discovered that its leaves were still green. I imagine that one of them could have said to himself, "Jesus missed this one because the leaves on the tree are still as green as ever." Little did they know that the curse was already taking effect from the tree's roots.

Beloved, be careful of curses, especially divine curses. If a man curses another man, it can be reversed by another man with a higher spiritual authority. However, when it is a divine curse, no one can reverse it, except God. There are several people who have been cursed but still look 'green'.

For example, a fellow might break away from his or her local church in a malicious manner and still look fine on the outside; however, the fellow's roots might have been affected, and with time, the consequences will begin to manifest. If you remove a branch from a tree, it dies instantly; however, it is not immediately apparent. It is only after a while that it will start turning yellow before it eventually turns black. When it is yellow, people might think it is prosperous, only to discover later that it was actually dying.

In today's Bible reading, when Elisha pronounced a curse on Gehazi, he said that Naaman's leprosy would cleave to him and his seed forever. The curse went straight to the roots of his lineage such that any fellow who came from that lineage would carry the curse. In 2 Kings 2:19-22, the men of Jericho came to Elisha to tell him that their city looked beautiful, but they had severe problems. When they brought him the new cruse of salt he requested, he went straight to the source of their river so he could tackle the city's curse from its roots.

Child of God, are you experiencing the aftermath of a curse that you or someone in your lineage brought into the family? I speak to the roots of that curse now, and I decree that every inherited curse will cease to function in your life and family from this moment, in Jesus' name.



PRAYER POINT

Lord, please remove any curse that might be operating in my family from its roots, in Jesus' name.



BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judges 20-21



AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE



HYMN 27: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

What a friend we have in Jesus,

all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

all because we do not carry

everything to God in prayer!



2 Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer!

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer!



3 Are we weak and heavy laden,

cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge--

take it to the Lord in prayer!

Do your friends despise, forsake you?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield you;

you will find a solace there.

20/03/2026

19/03/2026

OPEN HEAVENS 2026 DEVOTIONAL

DATE: THU, MAR 19, 2026

TOPIC: GOD HATES HYPOCRISY

MEMORISE:

He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. - (Job 13:16)

READ: Acts 5:1-11 (KJV)

1. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2. And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

MESSAGE:

In Mark 11:12-20, the Bible tells us about a fig tree that failed to produce fruit for Jesus to eat when He was hungry. Usually, when figs are in season, fig trees give a sign by producing many leaves, signalling that there are fruits on them. The fig tree in this passage, however, had leaves but no fruit - it was a show of hypocrisy. It is also a show of hypocrisy when a minister leads prayer or worship in church and puts up an impressive physical performance but hardly prays or worships in private. A preacher once said that some believers pretend to be very strong in the Lord when they have just failed Him.

In Job 8:13, the Bible says that the hope of hypocrites will perish. Today's memory verse also tells us that God doesn't want hypocrites in His presence - this is a serious warning to believers. Job 15:34 says that the congregation of hypocrites will be barren, and Job 20:5 says that the joy of a hypocrite will not last because it is for a moment. One of the passages in the Bible that challenged me as a young Christian is the story of Ananias and Sapphira, which is today's Bible reading. The couple sold a piece of land, kept a part of the money, lied to Peter about it, and this cost them their lives. I thought their punishment was harsh; the land and the money were theirs, after all. However, the issue was that Ananias and Sapphira attempted to deceive the church. God hates lies, and no liar will go to heaven (Revelation 21:8). As I studied the couple's story, I discovered that God punished them because they were hypocrites.

Many believers fall into the trap of hypocrisy when they fail to give accurate reports of things that are entrusted into their care. Even some pastors are known to inflate their church's attendance records, and when they are asked how the church is doing, they say, "Great". I believe that a fellow is not doing great until the person doubles what the Lord has placed in his or her hand, as we see in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).

Beloved, when you pretend to be who you are not just because you want to look good in the eyes of the people around you, you are only deceiving yourself. Rather, seek God's face to help you to become who He wants you to be.

KEY POINT:

Hypocrisy attracts God's anger. Avoid it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

Judges 17-19

HYMNAL:

HYMN 31 - YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION

1. Yield not to temptation,

For yielding is sin;

Each victory will help you

Some other to win;

Fight manfully onward,

Dark passions subdue;

Look ever to Jesus,

He'll carry you through.

CHORUS:

Ask the Saviour to help you

Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;

He is willing to aid you,

He will carry you through.

2. Shun evil companions,

Bad language disdain;

God's name hold in reverence,

Nor take it in vain;

Be thoughtful and earnest,

Kindhearted and true;

Look ever to Jesus,

He'll carry you through.

3. To him that o'ercometh,

God giveth a crown;

Thro' faith we will conquer,

Though often cast down;

He who is our Saviour,

Our strength will renew;

Look ever to Jesus,

He'll carry you through.