OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 4TH, 2023.
TOPIC: BENEFITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS II
MEMORISE:
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Psalm 34:15
READ:
PSALM 34:7-22
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
MESSAGE:
Another major benefit of righteousness is that when evil is about to come for you, God takes you out of its way and substitutes you with an unbeliever. This is clearly stated in Proverbs 11:8: "The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead."
This is called the Law of Substitution. When trouble wants to swallow the righteous, God will stop it and may put a substitute in his or her stead. There are many instances like this in Scripture. The people who threw Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego into the fire are the ones who died instead of the Hebrew boys who were saved by the Lord, because the furnace had to be fed (Daniel 3). The people who threw Daniel into the den of lions were also the ones the lions ate (Daniel 6).
Many years ago, a lady came to me for prayers. She said she had a dream that her husband, who was on a trip, would be brought back in a casket. I asked her if her husband was born again, and she said yes. We prayed about the dream and she left. After some time, I saw an obituary in the newspaper, and the fellow there had the same surname as this sister. The following Sunday in Church, I asked her about the obituary wondering if it was her husband. She responded saying it was not her husband, but a relative of his. Death was coming for a believer; God revealed it to us so we could pray and when we did, He delivered the righteous from death, while an unbeliever became the substitute. There is no life insurance policy as good as living holy.
When you live a righteous life, you go through life with boldness, knowing that tomorrow will be alright. The Bible says in Proverbs 28:1: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion."
If you believe that the policemen around you carrying revolvers are your protectors, wait until they come across people carrying AK47s, then you will discover that you are on your own. The righteous are as bold as a lion because they know that they have God on their side. I want to challenge you to make a commitment today. I want you to go to the Almighty God and tell Him you are committing to a life of righteousness.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, I am committing to You to be pure and holy from now on.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
MATTHEW 7-9
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 23
TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE
1. Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise,
Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for thee,
Swift and beautiful for thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from thee,
Filled with messages from thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every power as thou shalt choose,
Every power as thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
It shall be thy royal throne,
It shall be thy royal throne.
6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
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