OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: WEDNESDAY 31ST MARCH 2021.
THEME: DO NOT DESPISE PROPHECIES II.
MEMORISE:
Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed 1 Samuel 2:30
READ: 1 Samuel 2:27-36
27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?
28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.
32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
36 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.
MESSAGE:
One reason the Lord may be telling you of a future event is so that you can do what is required for it to come to pass. For such prophecies, no matter how accurate they are, if you don't play your part; they would not come to pass.
I heard a story about two friends who went to enquire about their future from the village chief priest. The priest told one that he would become a king, while he told the other that he was destined to become a servant to his friend - the future king. The former went home rejoicing and decided that all he had to do was wait to be crowned king. The latter however, determined that he was not going to end up a servant. He went deep into the forest - where he had access to hectares of land and decided to start a farm. This man worked hard; clearing, planting, praying and God rewarded him with a bountiful harvest.
Years later, the village experienced a famine, and the villagers came to him as the news of his bountiful harvest had spread all through the land. They said to the young man "Please give us food and we will make you our king". He agreed and they made him the king. Later on, the other young man who the oracle had said would become king also came begging for food. He cried to him "Please king, give me some food and I will be your servant".
The prophecy came: one did something about it while the other did nothing. Eventually, it was the
one who acted wisely that was favored.
Beloved, it does not matter how great your destiny is, it does not matter how many great prophecies you have received concerning your future, if you are not ready to work, those prophecies will not come to pass. In fact, the greater the prophecy, the greater the work that must be done. God did not show you that great future just so that you can relax. He showed you so that you can do what is required; don't despise that.
Now, you may have been working hard towards that great destiny God has shown you, but it seems as though it would never become a reality. Don't worry, as long as you are sure that you are on the right path, everything will soon fall into place, in the mighty name of Jesus.
PRAYER POINT:
Father give me the grace to do all that is required for Your prophecies concerning me to come to pass in the mighty name of Jesus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Thessalonians 1-5
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 12: IN CHRIST ALONE.
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
Amen and Amen
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