OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY 31 MARCH 2017
THEME: THE WAYS GOD FIGHTS
Memorise:
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.Mark 16:20
Read: Isaiah 54:16-17
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
MESSAGE
Psalm 24:8-10 reveals our Heavenly father as the Lord of Hosts, who is mighty in battle. As a Man of war, there are some battles He may fight for you, while there are some others He may fight with you. He may also fight some battles through you. In Exodus 14:13-21, when the children of Israel were confronted with the Egyptians and the Red Sea, they thought their end had come, but Moses told them to be quiet, to wait and watch as the Lord would fight for them. Sure enough, God parted the Red Sea for them to go over, and He drowned all their enemies. The reason why some people are in defeat is because they are trying to fight the battles that only God can fight for them. You may want to ask this question: how do I identify such battles? May God open your eyes to know the battles meant for Him alone! I also pray for that God will not ignore the battles only He can fight on your behalf. The Lord will arise for you, as you give Him quality praise and worship, and He will drown your enemies.
In a battle against the Amorites in Joshua 10:9-14, while Joshua was busy fighting, God also was busy hurling stones upon his enemies. God and Joshua fought together and victory was won. This is an example of a battle where God fights with you. In this case, God may just be waiting for you to start the fight before He joins in. Consequently, if you wait for Him to start the battle, He may never do so. Take for instance the battle for the salvation of souls; God expects us to go and preach the good news of the gospel to sinners, and then He will back us up with signs and wonders (Hebrews 2:4). If you don’t go out to evangelise, you may never see the signs and wonders promised by God being manifested in your life.
Finally, there are battles God will fight through you. In such cases, God will be behind the scenes while He puts you forward. The enemy will then examine you to see how vulnerable you are. He will be attracted to attacking you because to him, you will appear to be an easy prey. However, when he attacks, God will quietly tell you what to do, and the enemy will be floored. In Mark 11:23-24, Jesus said you are the one to speak to mountain in faith, and God will move it into the sea. You are the one to condemn any tongue that rises against you while God frustrates every weapon designed against you (Isaiah 54:17). In all of these, are you correctly playing your part?
Prayer Point:
Father, teach my hands to war and my fingers to fight only the battles You want me to fight. Also, grant me the grace to engage the enemy the way You want it done.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 39-40 and Jeremiah 5:1-17
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 3: HOW GREAT THOU ART
1. O lord my God!
When I’m in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands hath made;
I see the stars,
I heard the rolling thunder
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed
Chorus
Then sing my soul,
My Saviour God to thee;
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul!
My Saviour God to thee;
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!
2. When through the woods
And forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the tress;
When I look down,
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook,
And feel the gentle breeze.
Chorus
3. And when I think
That God, His Son not sparing
Sent him to die,
I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross,
My burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died
To take away my sin.
Chorus
4. When Christ shall come,
With shout of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration,
And then proclaim
“My God, how great Thou art!”
DATE: FRIDAY 31 MARCH 2017
THEME: THE WAYS GOD FIGHTS
Memorise:
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.Mark 16:20
Read: Isaiah 54:16-17
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
MESSAGE
Psalm 24:8-10 reveals our Heavenly father as the Lord of Hosts, who is mighty in battle. As a Man of war, there are some battles He may fight for you, while there are some others He may fight with you. He may also fight some battles through you. In Exodus 14:13-21, when the children of Israel were confronted with the Egyptians and the Red Sea, they thought their end had come, but Moses told them to be quiet, to wait and watch as the Lord would fight for them. Sure enough, God parted the Red Sea for them to go over, and He drowned all their enemies. The reason why some people are in defeat is because they are trying to fight the battles that only God can fight for them. You may want to ask this question: how do I identify such battles? May God open your eyes to know the battles meant for Him alone! I also pray for that God will not ignore the battles only He can fight on your behalf. The Lord will arise for you, as you give Him quality praise and worship, and He will drown your enemies.
In a battle against the Amorites in Joshua 10:9-14, while Joshua was busy fighting, God also was busy hurling stones upon his enemies. God and Joshua fought together and victory was won. This is an example of a battle where God fights with you. In this case, God may just be waiting for you to start the fight before He joins in. Consequently, if you wait for Him to start the battle, He may never do so. Take for instance the battle for the salvation of souls; God expects us to go and preach the good news of the gospel to sinners, and then He will back us up with signs and wonders (Hebrews 2:4). If you don’t go out to evangelise, you may never see the signs and wonders promised by God being manifested in your life.
Finally, there are battles God will fight through you. In such cases, God will be behind the scenes while He puts you forward. The enemy will then examine you to see how vulnerable you are. He will be attracted to attacking you because to him, you will appear to be an easy prey. However, when he attacks, God will quietly tell you what to do, and the enemy will be floored. In Mark 11:23-24, Jesus said you are the one to speak to mountain in faith, and God will move it into the sea. You are the one to condemn any tongue that rises against you while God frustrates every weapon designed against you (Isaiah 54:17). In all of these, are you correctly playing your part?
Prayer Point:
Father, teach my hands to war and my fingers to fight only the battles You want me to fight. Also, grant me the grace to engage the enemy the way You want it done.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 39-40 and Jeremiah 5:1-17
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 3: HOW GREAT THOU ART
1. O lord my God!
When I’m in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands hath made;
I see the stars,
I heard the rolling thunder
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed
Chorus
Then sing my soul,
My Saviour God to thee;
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul!
My Saviour God to thee;
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!
2. When through the woods
And forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the tress;
When I look down,
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook,
And feel the gentle breeze.
Chorus
3. And when I think
That God, His Son not sparing
Sent him to die,
I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross,
My burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died
To take away my sin.
Chorus
4. When Christ shall come,
With shout of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration,
And then proclaim
“My God, how great Thou art!”
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