Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE: SUNDAY APRIL 7TH, 2024.

THEME: THE ANOINTED VS THE ANOINTED

MEMORISE: 

And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to

stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.

1 Samuel 24:6

READ: 1 Samuel 24:1-6  

1 And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.

2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.

5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

MESSAGE

Yesterday, I talked about how dangerous the anointing can be when it is not properly handled. However, many anointed people believe that the caution to be careful with the anointing does not apply to them. This is not true. The fact that you are anointed does not give you permission to cause another anointed man of God harm. This is one of the major killers of some ministers of God; they speak evil of their colleagues, and when the repercussions come, they go to God complaining and wondering why things are not going well with them.

In 1 Samuel 24:1 -6, a rare opportunity presented itself for David to kill King Saul, who had been seeking ways to kill him. David's followers were happy about the opportunity, but David refused to kill him. However, so that Saul would know that he came close enough to kill him, he cut off a small part of his clothes. The Bible says his heart smote him, meaning that he was uncomfortable with what he did. Even though God had forsaken Saul. David still acknowledged that he could not lift his hand

against him because he was anointed. 

I remember when I was ordained a pastor and got anointed, for three days after they poured the oil on my head, I didn't take my bath because I treasure the anointing. It took me a while to realise that no amount of soap can wash away the anointing. Once a person has been anointed, the fellow remains anointed even when he or she backslides. Even in that backslidden state, you must be careful of how you treat the person because of

the anointing. I have never said anything negative about pastors who have left The Redeemed Christian Church of God dishonourably. The reason is that the oil is still on their head, and I don't want any trouble with God.

The only exception is when God Himself authorises the action. For example, God may use the vessel that He used to anoint a man of God to deal with the same man of God. In this case, the vessel is acting as a representative of God. In 1 Samuel 15:27-29, Samuel refused to worship with Saul, and because Saul didn't want to be embarrassed in front of his cabinet, he pulled Samuel back and tore his clothes. Samuel turned around and said, "Your kingdom is torn from you." He made it clear that the reason he was making that decree was that the Lord who sent him to anoint Saul was pronouncing judgement on him.

KEY POINT

No matter how anointed you are, never dishonour another anointed fellow.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Samuel 23-24

AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 5: BLESSED ASSURANCE

1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

  This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

This is my story, this is my song,

  Praising my Savior all the day long.

2 Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

3 Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest;

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.