OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2023.
TOPIC: RESIST THE DEVIL
MEMORISE:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
READ:
ACTS 13:6-12
6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:
7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
MESSAGE:
In John 14:12, Jesus Christ said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father".
In Mark 4:35-41, when a storm arose on the sea while Jesus was sleeping in the boat, the first thing He did was to rebuke the wind. The passage above therefore means that you will do even greater rebuking of storms.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, but He is also the Lion of Judah. It is true that you should be as gentle as a dove, but not when dealing with a snake. He was gentle, but when He got into the temple and saw what should not be there, He overturned tables and drove out the traders. That certainly wasn't gentle! You also are the temple of the Most High God. When you see someone trying to hinder you from fulfilling your purpose, you must not handle them gently; you must rebuke them.
Isaiah 54:17 says it is your heritage for any tongue raised against you to be condemned. In other words, it is your heritage to rebuke anything trying to hinder your destiny. You cannot be gentle with them; you must rebuke them so that they don't destroy you.
Many years ago, a son of mine was living in a building where a witch doctor also lived. The man often complained that my son's prayers were disturbing him so, I told him to cast the witch doctor out, but he said, "No Daddy, we are both tenants in the same building; we can live with each other". I said, "Okay". The next time I saw my son, he looked very unhealthy. He said the witch doctor got some of his customers, who were police officers, to arrest him because his prayers were disturbing him. The police locked him up for days, and the mosquitoes in the cell dealt with him. I then asked him, "Are you now ready to send that wicked fellow out?" He agreed; we prayed and the man moved out of the house.
Will you let the devil hinder your destiny?
PRAYER POINT:
Father, paralyse every agent of darkness that tries to hinder me from fulfilling my purpose now, in Jesus' name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
MICAH 1-4
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 21
STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF CHRIST MY KING
1. Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring;
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Refrain:
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God, my Savior
Standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises of God.
2. Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
3. Standing on the promises of Christ, the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love's strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword,
Standing on the promises of God.
4. Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List'ning ev'ry moment to the Spirit's call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
Amen and Amen🙏🙌
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