OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: FRIDAY, AUGUST 11TH 2017- TRICKS OF THE DEVIL I

Memorise: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
Read: Isaiah 14:12-16
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
Bible in one year: 2nd Kings 7-8, Ezekiel 23:1-21

1. A trick is a cunning act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit a person.
2. One of the greatest tricks by which the devil deceives men today is to cause their hearts to be lifted up in pride.
3. Through pride, the hearts of mankind have rebelled against the knowledge and authority of God. Pride comes with arrogance, pomp, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, boasting, high-mindedness and haughtiness.
4. It is especially dangerous because of its silence and the stealth by which it operates.
5. When pride is well seated in the heart and has taken full charge of a person, it becomes extremely difficult to pin down. However, we thank God because the light of God’s word is bright enough to expose it in all its forms.
6. To understand pride, we need to consider the first entity in whom pride was found: Satan. Isaiah 14:13-14 reveals the thoughts of his heart that made God depose him from his exalted position in Heaven: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
7. A careful consideration of the above scripture shows that pride is basically a sin that has its roots in the attitude of the heart. Hence, Proverbs 21:4 speaks of “a haughty look” and “a proud heart” as sin.
8. The first thing to watch out for in a man or woman with pride in their heart is the emphasis on their person in their speech. The speech of such people is normally laden with the personal pronoun ‘I’. In a single short statement, Satan made reference to himself five times: “I will ascend, I will exalt my throne, I will sit, I will ascend above, and I will be like the most High.”
9. Secondly, the proud displays an unwarranted attitude of confidence and inordinate ambition, such as displayed by Satan. He was not satisfied with where God placed him, and he actually wanted to supplant God Himself. He was so confident of himself that he thought he could ascend into Heaven and exercise dominion over all the angels of God, all by himself.
10. However, pride cannot remain internalised and hidden. It often finds expressions: through speech (such as boasting), through looks and through behaviour, such as acts of impatience and contemptible treatment of others.
11. The Bible highlights the inevitable downfall of a proud person, and we should learn from what happened to Satan (Proverbs 16:18, Ezekiel 28:16-19).
12. The proud will not escape God’s terrible judgement; therefore, be warned!

Satan fell because of pride and he was disgraced and did not only lose his position but was also sent away from heaven. He therefore made up his mind to disgrace as many that will allow him dominate their heart with one of his wiles which is pride. Proverbs 11:2 reveals that “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.” God’s reaction to satan’s attitude makes it clear that He is not pleased with the proud and pride disgusts Him. “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6. However, the next verses tells us how to overcome the devil as well as his wicked plight against men. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” James 4:7‭-‬10. All these above reveals that humility brings grace, wisdom and upliftment. We should therefore embrace God and His word and then satan will flee from us and his wiles won’t prosper in our lives in Jesus name. God be praised for Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, please expose every hidden tendency of pride and related attitudes in my life and completely destroy them, in Jesus’ Name.
HYMN
O Jesus, I have promised
  To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
  My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
  If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
  If Thou wilt be my Guide.
 
 
Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
  In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
  The murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
  To hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
  Thou Guardian of my soul.
 
O Jesus, Thou hast promised
  To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
  There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
  To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
  My Master and my Friend.
 
Oh, let me see Thy footprints,
  And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
  Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
  Uphold me to the end;
And then to rest receive me,
  My Savior and my Friend.
 

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