OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY AUGUST 17TH, 2023.
THEME: FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT III
MEMORISE:
God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
Psalms 68:6
READ: Psalms 23:1-6
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
MESSAGE
From Bartimaeus' story in Mark 10:46-52, we see that he called on Jesus for help, some people told him to shut up. He had not offended them, yet they hated him. This is however not surprising because darkness also stands for hatred while light represents love. Proverbs 14:20 says the poor is hated even by his own neighbors. Darkness goes hand in hand with poverty and poverty leads to hatred. People can hate you just because you are poor. Thank God light stands for love. Romans 8:37 says we are more than conquerors because of the One who loved us. When you come in contact with The Light, your victory is guaranteed. It doesn't matter how many people hate you, if Jesus is on your side, you will be a winner.
You would notice that, when Bartimaeus was crying for help, not a single person encouraged him until the Light of the world called for him. Bartimaeus was a lonely man. There is a direct link between darkness and loneliness. In Psalm 121:5, the Bible says the Lord is your shade upon your right hand. This means God is always with you. If you come in contact with the Light of the world, you can never be lonely again. There are many people who are rich and successful in their endeavours, yet lonely. This is because they have not come in contact with the Light of the world. Bartimaeus' loneliness ended the day he met Jesus because he instantly became a celebrity and we are still talking about him today.
Light drives away loneliness while darkness embraces it. Many times, loneliness is a result of works of darkness. It is the Light who made the statement in Genesis 2:18 that it is not good that man should be alone. Years ago, a mother came to me and said she needed help. She had four daughters- the youngest of whom was 28 years old, yet they were all single. As I was about tok pray, the Lord told me to ask some questions and I discovered there was a demon in their family who had laid claim to the girls. This demon was the one preventing them from getting married. We prayed and God gave us victory over the evil covenant. Within a year, all four of them were married. Any evil covenant you have entered into that may be stopping you from moving to the next level will be destroyed by the Light today, in Jesus' name.
KEY POINT
When you meet the Light, loneliness become a thing of the past.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 44-46
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 6: I AM SO GLAD THAT OUR FATHER IN HEAV'N
1 I am so glad that our Father in heav’n
Tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see:
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.
Chr. I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.
2 Though I forget Him and wander away,
Still He doth love me whenever I stray;
Back to His dear loving arms would I flee,
When I remember that Jesus loves me.
3 Oh, if there’s only one song I can sing,
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song in eternity be:
“Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me.”
Amen and Amen🙏🙌
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