OPEN HEAVENS FOR 14TH MAY 2026

TOPIC: MIND YOUR FOOTPRINTS II

MEMORISE:

“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” — Proverbs 13:22

<

READ: Matthew 7:16-20 (KJV)

16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

MESSAGE:

If a fellow constantly takes the wrong steps in life, there is a high tendency that his or her children will do the same. However, if the fellow takes good steps in life by making the right decisions, his or her children will also have a greater chance of taking good steps in life. This is because children naturally follow their parents’ footprints.

For example, in society today, there are many men who, despite hating their fathers for beating their mothers, have become wife-beaters themselves. This is because the moment their fathers opened themselves up to the spirit behind that violent and evil act, they allowed that spirit to have access to their sons also.

Years ago, a single mother asked my wife to speak to her daughters to stop engaging in illicit relationships with men. When my wife started speaking to the girls, one of them said, “Please, counsel our mother to also stop bringing all sorts of men to the house.” The daughters were only taking after their mother, and they knew that as long as she continued in that behaviour, it would be difficult for them to stop.

If you want to be a good parent, decide today to leave a good legacy for your children to follow. Don’t become a bad example to them; rather, determine to be the kind of parent they can look up to and emulate.

Some parents think they can do certain things in secret without their children knowing, but believe me, children know far more than people think they know. They can sense many things that are going on around them.

Sometimes, children inherit certain traits from their parents even before they are born. For example, in Genesis 20:2, Abraham lied to Abimelech that Sarah was his sister. Several years later, Isaac, who had not yet been born when Abraham lied to Abimelech, repeated the same lie (Genesis 26:7). Isaac’s son, Jacob, continued the pattern of deception when he stole his brother’s blessing by lying to his father (Genesis 27:1-29), while Jacob’s sons conspired to deceive their father about what happened to Joseph, their brother (Genesis 37:31-33).

Beloved, don’t cultivate unhealthy patterns and habits because your children will be in line to inherit them from you, and unless God intervenes, such negative patterns will continue from generation to generation. Determine today to leave footprints of godliness and righteousness that your children can follow.

I pray that the Almighty God will help you as you commit to this, in Jesus’ name.

REFLECTION:
What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind for your children?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Chronicles 25-28

HYMN 59: I WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS

1. I want to be like Jesus,
   So lowly and so meek;
   For no one marked an evil word
   That ever heard Him speak.

Chorus:
I want to be like Jesus,
I want to be like Jesus;
So gentle and so lowly,
I want to be like Jesus.

2. I want to be like Jesus,
   So very full of love;
   That I may be like Him in this,
   When I reach heav’n above.

3. I want to be like Jesus,
   So strong to do God’s will;
   That I may all my days fulfill
   His purpose and His plan.

4. I want to be like Jesus,
   So patient in the race;
   That I may one day see His face
   And look upon His grace.

DEVOTIONAL COMMENTARY

Based on Open Heavens 14th May 2026 – “Mind Your Footprints II”

Introduction: The Footprints You Cannot Erase

Yesterday, Pastor Adeboye began this series by teaching that people are watching you—your children, your spouse, your neighbours, and even strangers. Today, he takes it further: your footprints do not disappear when you die. Your children will walk in them.

The question is not whether you will leave a legacy. The question is what kind of legacy you will leave. Every parent leaves footprints. Some leave footprints of righteousness that guide their children toward God. Others leave footprints of sin that lead their children into destruction. The choice is yours.

The Natural Inheritance: Children Follow Parents

The devotional begins with a simple but profound truth: children naturally follow their parents’ footprints. This is not a possibility; it is a tendency. If a father constantly takes wrong steps, his children will likely do the same. If a mother makes poor decisions, her daughters will often repeat them.

Why? Because children learn by imitation long before they learn by instruction. They absorb your attitudes, your habits, your emotional responses, and even your spiritual patterns. You cannot teach them one thing and live another—they will follow what you do, not what you say.

The Man Who Became What He Hated

The devotional gives a painful example: many men who hated their fathers for beating their mothers have become wife-beaters themselves. They despised the violence. They swore they would never repeat it. They hated their fathers for it.

But they became exactly what they hated.

Why? Because “the moment their fathers opened themselves up to the spirit behind that violent and evil act, they allowed that spirit to have access to their sons also.”

This is a crucial spiritual truth. When you engage in sin, you are not just damaging yourself. You are opening a door. The enemy does not just attack you; he attacks your lineage. The spirit behind that sin gains access to your children through the gateway of your participation.

This is not an excuse for the children’s choices—each person is responsible before God. But it is a warning to parents: your sins create an atmosphere, and your children breathe that air.

The Mother Who Blamed Her Daughters

The devotional shares a revealing testimony from Daddy Adeboye’s ministry. A single mother asked his wife to speak to her daughters about stopping their illicit relationships with men. The mother was concerned and wanted correction for her girls.

But when the pastor’s wife began to counsel the daughters, one of them responded: “Please, counsel our mother to also stop bringing all sorts of men to the house.”

The daughters were not the problem—they were the fruit of the problem. Their mother was living in sexual sin, and her daughters were simply following her example. The mother wanted her daughters to change without changing herself. But as long as she continued, it would be difficult for them to stop.

This is the painful reality: You cannot expect your children to live differently than you live. They may not say it. They may even rebel against it publicly. But patterns are caught, not just taught.

The Lie That Traveled Through Four Generations

The devotional gives a biblical example that should shake every parent. Look at the pattern:

Four generations of deception. The lie started with Abraham, and it kept reproducing. Isaac was not even born when Abraham told his lie, yet he repeated the same lie years later. The pattern continued through Jacob and into his sons.

This is the power of a negative legacy. You may think your sins are private. You may think they only affect you. But they can echo through your family for generations—unless someone decides to break the cycle.

What Children Really See

The devotional makes a powerful statement: “Children know far more than people think they know. They can sense many things that are going on around them.”

Parents often think they can hide their sins:

• They close the bedroom door

• They wait until the children are asleep

• They conduct secret calls in private

• They post on social media under fake names

• They pretend everything is fine while hiding addictions

But children are perceptive. They sense tension. They notice changes in mood. They overhear whispered conversations. They see the phone being hidden. They know when something is wrong—even if they cannot name it.

You may think you are keeping secrets. But your children are absorbing patterns that will shape their entire lives.

The Good News: You Can Break the Cycle

The devotional does not leave us in despair. It offers hope: You can decide today to break the cycle. You can determine to be the kind of parent your children can look up to and emulate.

Here is how to leave a positive legacy:

1. Decide Today
The change starts with a decision. Say aloud: “I will not continue the destructive patterns of my parents. I will not pass on the sins of my ancestors. I will be a different tree.”

2. Repent and Renounce
If there are generational sins in your family line—anger, sexual sin, lying, addiction, violence, pride—repent on behalf of your ancestors and renounce the pattern. Pray specifically: “I break the cycle of [specific sin] in my family line. It stops with me.”

3. Become the Example You Want to See
Do not just tell your children what to do—show them.

• If you want them to be honest, be honest.

• If you want them to be pure, be pure.

• If you want them to love God, love God openly and passionately.

• If you want them to control their anger, control your anger.

Your life is their curriculum.

4. Create New Patterns
Abraham’s pattern of deception was broken only when his descendants turned back to God. You can start new patterns today:

• Family devotions and prayer

• Honest communication

• Quick forgiveness

• Kindness under pressure

• Faithfulness in marriage

These new seeds will produce a new harvest.

5. Pray for Your Children and Grandchildren
The memory verse speaks of leaving an inheritance to your children’s children. That inheritance includes prayer. Pray over your grandchildren even before they are born. Pray over your great-grandchildren. Your prayers can reach generations you will never meet.

What Kind of Tree Are You?

The Bible reading in Matthew 7 asks a simple question: Does a good tree produce bad fruit? No. Does a bad tree produce good fruit? No. The fruit reveals the tree.

Apply this to your family:

You cannot give what you do not have. You cannot lead where you do not go.

The Difference Between Inheritance and Legacy

The memory verse distinguishes between two things:

• Wealth (material inheritance)

• Legacy (the character and spirit you pass on)

A sinner may accumulate wealth, but that wealth eventually passes to the righteous. But more importantly, a good man leaves something far more valuable than money: a legacy of character, faith, and righteousness that blesses generations to come.

You can leave your children a large bank account and a bankrupt soul. Or you can leave them a modest account and a rich inheritance of godliness. Which is more valuable?

Reflection Questions for Every Parent

The devotional ends with a reflection question: “What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind for your children?”

Consider these deeper questions:

1. What patterns from your parents do you see in yourself today? (The good and the bad)

2. What patterns are your children currently learning from you?

3. What would your children say is the most consistent thing about your character?

4. What do you need to repent of to break a cycle in your family?

5. What new pattern will you start this week?

Conclusion: Be the Ancestor They Need

A popular saying goes: “Be the ancestor your descendants will thank God for.” That is the call of today’s devotional.

You may have inherited negative patterns from your parents. You may have already passed some patterns to your children. But today is a turning point. You can say: “It stops with me.”

• The cycle of anger stops with me.

• The cycle of dishonesty stops with me.

• The cycle of sexual sin stops with me.

• The cycle of addiction stops with me.

• The cycle of divorce stops with me.

And then you can start new cycles:

• The cycle of prayer starts with me.

• The cycle of honesty starts with me.

• The cycle of faithfulness starts with me.

• The cycle of kindness starts with me.

• The cycle of godliness starts with me.

Your children are watching. Your grandchildren will hear stories about you. The patterns you set today will echo for generations.

What will they say about you?

Will they say, “My parent was a person of prayer, integrity, and love”?
Or will they say, “My parent was angry, dishonest, and distant”?

The choice is yours. The legacy starts now.

Prayer for Today:

Father, I come before You as a parent, a grandparent, and a future ancestor. Forgive me for the patterns I have inherited and for the patterns I have passed on. I break every cycle of sin in my family line—anger, lying, sexual sin, addiction, violence, pride, fear. It stops with me today.

I determine to be the example my children need. Help me to leave footprints of godliness and righteousness that my children and grandchildren can follow. Let my life be a tree that produces good fruit. And let that fruit continue for generations to come.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Action Points for RCCG Members Worldwide:

1. Examine your family patterns – Write down the negative patterns you have observed in your family line (anger, addiction, divorce, dishonesty, etc.). Be honest and specific.

2. Renounce each pattern – Pray specifically over each one, declaring: “The cycle of [sin] stops with me in the name of Jesus.”

3. Ask your children (if old enough) – “What is one thing you wish I did differently?” Listen without getting defensive. Thank them for their honesty.

4. Start a new pattern this week – Choose one positive habit to model: family prayer, honest conversation, controlled anger, kind words, or faithful devotion. Practice it intentionally every day.

5. Pray over your grandchildren – If you have grandchildren, pray for them by name. If you do not yet, pray for the generations to come. Your prayers are part of their inheritance.

6. Memorize Proverbs 13:22 – Write it on a card. Put it on your mirror. Let it remind you daily that you are leaving an inheritance for your children’s children.

7. Join the RCCG prayer chain for families – Pray with other believers for the breaking of generational curses and the establishment of godly legacies in RCCG families worldwide.

A Final Word to RCCG Members:

As members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, you are part of a global family that values holiness, prayer, and godly living. Pastor E. A. Adeboye has consistently taught that the church’s strength depends on the strength of Christian homes. Your home is a mini-church. Your children are the next generation of disciples.

Do not underestimate your influence. The footprints you leave today will determine whether RCCG remains a lighthouse for generations to come. Be the ancestor your descendants will thank God for.

God bless you as you mind your footprints.