Open Heaven 16 June 2023 TOPIC: Just Start
MEMORISE: “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” – Joshua 1:9 (KJV)
READ: Isaiah 43:15-19 (KJV)
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 62-68
MESSAGE:
I grew up in a very poor home. My father was extremely poor, yet he had two wives and many children. He also had a small farm that could not support the family if he died. So, I decided that I wasn’t going to die in that state of poverty and I knew that the only way out was to study hard in school. I studied hard and gained admission to Ilesha Grammar School but when the results came, my mother called me into the room and said, “You this boy, what are you trying to do? You know we have no money, and you say you want to go to Grammar School.” Then she begged me, “Please my boy, Christmas is coming, I will buy you good clothes. Forget about this Grammar School.” I told her, “I don’t want Christmas clothes. I want to go to school.” This was in 1955. To show her how serious I was, I refused to eat for two days and was prepared to continue my hunger strike on the third day when she and my father somehow got some money and deposited it to the school. One way or the other, I finished secondary school and gained admission into the university and today I am where I am.
Success does not come to people who consider their limitations before they move.
The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. – Proverbs 26:13
No matter the odds against you, if you can ignore those odds and just set out, there is success waiting for you out there. See those things that you call limitations as tests challenging your abilities. A champion is rated by the opponent he faces, the bigger the opponent, the greater the title. The stronger the opposition you face; the greater your level of success. Most people know the heavyweight champion of the world, but if you are to ask around only a few know the lightweight champion.
The reason my success story is interesting to many is because of the low level I came from. Get up and face those limitations; the reward will be worthwhile.
Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. – 2 Chronicles 15:7
KEY POINT:
There is no limitation you cannot surmount if you have Christ in you (Philippians 4:13).
HYMN 5: Blessed Assurance
1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
2 Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight,
Angels descending, bring from above;
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
3 Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blessed,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
