Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL 

DATE: WEDNESDAY  AUGUST 30TH 2023

THEME: BECOMING A SPIRITUAL GIANT 

MEMORISE: 

But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 

1 Corinthians 12:31

READ: Acts 19:11 -16

11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:

12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

MESSAGE

God wants you to grow spiritually so that you would eventually become a giant in the spirit realm. In 1 Corinthians 12:31, God says you are allowed to covet earnestly the best gifts. When l read that passage, l told God, Lord, give me a double portion of the Spirit of Elisha, double the spirit of Peter, double the spirit of Paul, double the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry, add everything together and double it again". He responded that l was asking for trouble because people would not let me rest. I said l wanted it still because l could not afford to be anything else but a spiritual giant. You must make up your mind not to be an ordinary Christian from today.

If you want to become a spiritual giant, 2 Kings 2:1-8 teaches that you must be loyal to your own Elijah. When Elijah wanted to leave this world, Elisha followed him three times; each time, Elijah told him to go back, but he refused. Your Elijah is your father-in-the-Lord. In 2 Kings 2:9-15, when Elijah was departing, Elisha got a double portion of his spirit.

One day, l was praying that my children would be greater than l, and one of them said, "Anyone who will be greater than you probably will never eat again". He said that because of how often l fast, but then l told him not to leave God out of the equation. It doesn't matter how great God made your father-in-the-Lord, you can become greater just by honoring and being loyal to him. Elisha got a double portion of the spirit of Elijah because he pursued the same vision as he.

Learn to minister to the one whom God has placed over you spiritually. In 2 Kings 3:11-12, the Bible tells us that Elisha ministered constantly to his spiritual father. It wasn't long after that in 2 Kings 13:14 that we read that a king called him "Father". If you are committed to honoring your father-in-the-Lord by serving him, you would receive something that you could otherwise have labored greatly in the spirit to get. Somebody once said that the tail of a lion is more powerful than the head of a dog. Your father-in-the-Lord is already a lion; if you are committed to following Him as he follows Jesus, you can do greater things than when you are on your own.

KEY POINT

You can become a spiritual giant by honoring and being loyal to your spiritual leader.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 21-22

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 18: PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY

1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, 

the King of creation!

O my soul, praise him, for he is 

your health and salvation!

Come, all who hear; 

now to his temple draw near,

join me in glad adoration.

2 Praise to the Lord, above 

all things so wondrously reigning;

sheltering you under his wings, 

and so gently sustaining!

Have you not seen all 

that is needful has been

sent by his gracious ordaining?

3 Praise to the Lord, who will 

prosper your work and defend you;

surely his goodness and mercy 

shall daily attend you.

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,

if with his love he befriends you.

4 Praise to the Lord! O let all 

that is in me adore him!

All that has life and breath, 

come now with praises before him.

Let the Amen sound 

from his people again;

gladly forever adore him