Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY 26TH, NOVEMBER 2023.

THEME: REAL PROMOTION 

MEMORISE

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

Psalm 75:6

READ: 1 Samuel 13:8-14

8 And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.

10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.

11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;

12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.

13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.

14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

MESSAGE

There are different types of promotions. When a human being promotes you, don’t rejoice too much because it is temporary.

However, when God promotes you, you are really promoted. Even though you become the president of a country like America, you can only hold the position for a maximum of eight years.

When man promotes, it is temporary; only God gives real promotion that no one can interfere with.

Since we know now that the only way to really make progress in life is to be promoted by God, then we need to find out His criteria for promotion.

God promoted David from being a shepherd boy to becoming the king of Israel for one simple reason – David was sold out to the will of God (Acts 13:22).

David was not a man to argue with God. With David, God’s wish was his command.

The reason God gave Jesus a name that is above every other is what He said in John 4:34: “…My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work”.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus wished the cup of suffering for the sins of the world could be taken away from Him, but He said to God, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

When Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray, one of the prayer points He mentioned was: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

God wants His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Therefore, when He sees someone willing to do His will, He promotes that fellow to a position of authority.

If God promotes somebody because the fellow started in humility and submission to Him, but along the line begins to disregard His instructions, that fellow would be demoted immediately.

That is what happened to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:24-28. Saul started out well, but somewhere in-between, he preferred to please the people over doing God’s will.

Some people have been asking God to promote them, but they have no regard for His will. Promotion will only come when you surrender completely to God’s will.

KEY POINT

If you truly want to be promoted by God, then you must be sold out to doing His will.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 8-10

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 30: When We Walk With The Lord

1. When we walk with the Lord, In the light of His word, What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain: 

Trust and obey! For there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey.

2. But we never can prove The delights of His love, Until all on the altar we lay, For the favour He shows And the joy He bestows Are for them who will trust and obey. 

3. Then in fellowship sweet We will sit at His feet, Or we’ll walk by His side in the way, What He says we will do, Where He sends we will go, Never fear, only trust and obey.