February 2021 Special Divine Encounter: God Bless You Part II

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL...
DATE: WEDNESDAY 19TH APRIL 2017
THEME: BACKSLIDER-IN-HEART I
Memorise:
The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own
ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from
himself. Proverbs 14:14
Read: Judges 14:1 -3
14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw
a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the
Philistines.
14:2 And he came up, and told his father and his
mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath
of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore
get her for me to wife.
14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him,
Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy
brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest
to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And
Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she
pleaseth me well.
Message:
Backsliding is not an event but a gradual process
that occurs over a period of time until it gets to a
noticeable stage. At that stage, people will begin to
say an individual has backslidden, but what they fail
to realise is that it did not start at that point.
Backsliding begins in the heart. When a believer
becomes filled with his or her own ways, that
believer has begun to backslide. That person would
always be right in his or her own sight, and others
would be wrong. Such a person would no longer
take advice from anybody, becoming a loner. ln
today's
Bible reading, we see the case of Samson, an
anointed Nazirite to the Lord, who began to
backslide right from his heart. The way today's
Bible reading begins is significant: "And Samson
went down...". When a person begins to go down,
may the Lord have mercy on him or her. As he went
down, he saw an abomination that enticed him: a
Philistine woman. He came to his father and mother
to tell them of his intention to marry the Philistine
woman. His parents counselled him against this
abominable desire, but regardless of their warning,
Samson said "Get her for me; for she pleaseth me
well."
When a child of God begins to nurse the idea of
getting engaged to an unbeliever, no doubt, he or
she has started backsliding in the heart. An
unbeliever should not be an attractive option for a
genuine child of God. A female child of God should
flnd it repugnant for a smoker or drunkard to
become her husband;
after all, such a person will get intimate with her
after wedlock with smoky lips or a mouth saturated
with alcohol. A Christian brother should also see it
as degrading to be married to a lady operating
under the influence of the spirit of Jezebel —
knowing full well how Jezebel destroyed her
husband (Ephesians 2:2, 1 Kings 21 :25). You are
influenced by the environment you live in and the
people you are intimate with. An unbelieving woman
or man will act as a weight around your neck,
dragging you down to the pit of hell. The different
abominable things going on in the world are enough
to deter a genuine child of God from marrying a
person who is not under the Lordship of Jesus
Christ. Such a person is not restrained from doing
whatever the devil suggests to his or her heart and
does not share the same standard of the word of
God as a moral compass for life. Today, we hear of
wives sleeping with drivers and domestic staff, and
we also hear of husbands sleeping with housemaids
and their wife's sisters -things that are abominable
in the sight of God. Do you know that an unbeliever
might not flnd these things abominable? lt is a
terrible thing to be associated with an
"uncircumcised Philistine" in these end times.
Beware of backsliding!
Prayer Point:
Father, completely destroy the works of the devil in
my life and in Your Church.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Numbers 7
Jeremiah 16:1-13
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 16: GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES!
God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the Bible is loved and taught,
Homes where the Master's will is sought,
Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!
God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the father is true and strong,
Homes that are free from the blight of wrong,
Homes that are joyous with love and song;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!
God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the mother, in caring quest,
Strives to show others Your way is best,
Homes where the Lord is an honored guest;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!
God give us Christian homes!
Homes where the children are led to know
Christ in His beauty who loves them so,
Homes where the altar flres burn and glow;
God give us Christian homes;
God give us Christian homes!