OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY AUGUST 18TH 2024
THEME: UNDER YOUR FEET
MEMORISE: And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 2:6
READ: Mark 16:16-18
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
MESSAGE
There was a man in my village called Kaka, who was the leader of the occultists. It was generally believed that he single-handedly protected the town from all forms of evil, and he was feared by all. When we wanted to open the RCCG parish in my village, the place we found suitable for a rally was close to Kaka’s house. Surprisingly, when an altar call was made during the rally, Kaka came out of his house to give his life to Christ – he had been listening to the worship session and sermon. Later that night, he came to my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, and said, the way you spoke about your God, He must be really powerful.” Papa said, “Very, very powerful.” Kaka said, “In that case, now that I have given my life to Jesus, I would need help with an idol in my house called shigidi. It is an effigy that has been in my family for generations and that we send out at night when we want to kill someone. It is so dangerous that we must not sleep until it returns, and we must kill a ram to welcome it. Upon its return, it will step on the ram’s blood and drink it. Thereafter, it will return to its position and become just like an ordinary effigy. I am afraid of the trouble that might follow if l throw shigidi away.”
Papa decided to send me over to remove the effigy. I went to Kaka’s house with the pastor of our parish in Ilesha and a church worker that I thought to be a strong prayer warrior. When Kaka saw me, he felt sorry for me, “Ahhh, Adeboye’s son, you are the one they sent?” When my colleagues saw shigidi, they ran out of the house, leaving me alone with the effigy. It was smeared with blood and adorned with alI manner of charms. I said a prayer, broke the effigy into pieces, removed the shrine in front of the house, and threw everything into a river. After three weeks, I returned to my village and visited Kaka at home. When he saw me, he shouted, you are still alive?!” That was 1975. I am still alive almost five decades after.
Beloved, the devil and his demons are under the feet of even the smallest child of God. You are a part of the body of Christ, and Ephesians 1:21 Says that Christ is seated far above all principality and powers.
KEY POINT
Never ever be afraid of demons that you can trample under your feet.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 49
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME
1. All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!
2. O seed of Israel’s chosen race
now ransomed from the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all.
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all!
3. Let every tongue and every tribe
responsive to his call,
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all.
To him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all!
4. Oh, that with all the sacred throng
we at his feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.
We’ll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.
