OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY 7TH MARCH 2022
THEME: BENEFITS OF A DIVINE ENCOUNTER.
MEMORISE:
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Joel 2:28
READ: Genesis 18:1 -14
1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
MESSAGE
When God comes visiting you, you can be sure you are in for pleasant surprises. As I have preached on several occasions concerning the issue of divine visitation, when God visits an individual, because He is a benevolent God, He does not come empty-handed as we see in our memory verse and Bible reading today. My prayer right now is that God will visit you with mercy and favor today, in Jesus' name.
When Abraham was entertaining the three travelers as we see in our Bible reading today, little did he know that they were messengers of the benevolent God he had encountered in Genesis 12. The story of Abraham teaches us that we must be hospitable if we would experience divine visitation. God visits those who share the same attribute of generosity with Him because He is generous. He is generous that He gave His only begotten Son as a ransom for our sins (John 3:16), thus becoming the Father of millions of people who were once disobedient creatures.
When expressing generosity or hospitality, you must do it willingly, not as if you are being forced to do it. The angelic visitors would not have waited had they noticed any unwillingness in Abraham, his wife and the men who dressed a whole calf with speed.
One of the important benefits of a divine encounter is that you will begin to hear from God and His verdict on your enemies shall be made known to you as seen in Exodus 14:1-4, 1 Samuel 16:11-13 and 1 Samuel 17:37. When you have a divine encounter, obscurity shall be terminated immediately and you will be launched into the limelight (John 9:1-7). A divine encounter usually leads to accelerated promotion, according to Exodus 7:1. Your mockers will bow to you as seen in 2 Kings 2:1-15. Most importantly, a divine encounter motivates people towards a closer walk with God in holiness and righteousness, empowering them to become a terror to the kingdom of darkness. Furthermore, a divine encounter makes people more productive and fruitful in the vineyard of God.
May the Lord grant you a divine encounter today, in the mighty name of Jesus.
Father, please help me to experience a divine encounter that would transform my life positively in Jesus name.
Click here for TODAY'S OPEN HEAVENS PRAYER POINTS.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JOSHUA 1-4
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 10: JESUS, MY LORD MY GOD MY ALL
1 Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all,
hear me, blest Savior, when I call;
hear me, and from thy dwelling place
pour down the riches of thy grace.
Refrain:
Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore;
O make me love thee more and more.
2 Jesus, too late I thee have sought;
how can I love thee as I ought?
And how extol thy matchless fame,
the glorious beauty of thy name?
3 Jesus, what didst thou find in me
that thou hast dealt so lovingly?
How great the joy that thou hast brought,
so far exceeding hope or thought!