OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY 4TH JUNE 2021.
THEME: DIVINE SECURITY I.
MEMORISE:
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. PProverbs 28:1
READ: Daniel 6:20-22
20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
MESSAGE:
Every one of us wants to be secure. This is why people search for security from any source. Unfortunately, many strays into the hands of the one who wants to destroy them. The good news is Christians who are living holy already have the protection of God and have no need to worry. This is because God has built a hedge of fire around every child of His, such that Satan cannot reach us (Zechariah 2:5). When Satan sees a child of God who is surrounded by fire, he keeps his distance.
From the story of Daniel in our Scripture reading today, we see that it pays to live holy. Daniel 6:22 says:
"My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt."
Psalm 91:1 and 4-10 also contain some of God's promises to His children; you must however be holy to access them. You cannot abide in the secret place of the Most High if you are not holy. This is because "...it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs" (Mark 7:27).
When God builds His fire around you, it will be so hot that the fire of this world will give way. The story of the Hebrew boys in Daniel 3:24-28 confirms what Isaiah 43:2 says concerning the holy: "...when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." As much as God is ready to secure you, engaging in sin can remove this cover and put out the fire. Whenever you sin, you create a barrier between you and God. Flee every appearance of sin because you may not be able to recover from the effect of the satanic attack that may come from it. I pray that your fire will not go out in Jesus' name.
Samson foolishly drove away the fire of protection from himself (Judges 16:20), and the consequences were terrible. Beloved, if you want to be secure in this evil world, I advise you to live holy from today.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, help me not to do anything that will take away your banner of protection over me and my family.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: James 1-5.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 9: O GOD OUR HELP IN AGES PAST.
1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2. Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4. Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
5. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
6. The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in foll’wing years.
7. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.
8. Like flow’ry fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flow’rs beneath the mower’s hand
Lie with’ring ere ’tis night.
9. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
