Memorise: Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4:2
Read: Exodus 15:22-26
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.
23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.[a])
24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.
26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Bible in one year: 2 Kings 12 – 13, Acts 10:44-11:18
AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
1. One deadly habit that is very common among the people of God today is murmuring.
2. Like the Israelites of old, many children of God today engage in it without even realizing it! It is indeed a silent destroyer. For this reason, the Holy Spirit warns us against it in 1 Corinthians 10:10 saying: “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.” Do you know that there are times we think we are praying but we are actually murmuring?
3. In our Bible reading, the children of Israel were at Marah, where they found water that God had done for them, they did not consider that He already knew that they would pass through Marah and would have gone ahead of them to make provision for the water they would drink. All they could think of doing was to murmur about the bitter water.
4. The characters at play in the events that occurred at Marah are indicative of the two types of Christians we have in the Church today.
5. The first type behaves like the multitude who murmured, while the second type behaves like Moses who cried to the Lord for a solution.
6. It is interesting to note that the murmuring of the multitude did not exercise in futility because their murmurings did not change the bitterness of the water. The prayer of Moses, on the other hand, yielded positive results because his cry to God moved God into action. God showed him what to do to reverse the situation, and the people’s need for good water was met.
7. This mirrors what is happening with Christians today. We murmur about what we desire and the lack of it, instead of actually asking God and trusting that if He wills, our prayers will be answered.
8. Beloved, you need to ask yourself today which type of Christian you are between the two types we have considered.
9. I beseech you to examine your prayer life and relationship with God before answering this question. Are you the type of Christian mentioned in our memory verse, just lusting, desiring and fighting for things but yet getting nothing?
10. You need to ask God to reveal to you the truth on where you stand today. May the Almighty God hear your prayer in Jesus’ Name.
SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 Having some things happen in our lives is solely dependent on us. The scripture above said ask it shall be given to you and not grumble as you pray. It is very easy to get the details of some Christians because they narrate everything about them to God who knows all things. The rhema in today’s devotional is simply be specific when requesting from God in the place of prayer! We are daily refreshed as we study the Open Heavens devotional. God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.
Prayer Point:
Father, please forgive me for all the murmuring I have done against You consciously or unconsciously; I promise not to do so again. Please turn my unpleasant situation around today in Jesus’ Name
Hymn 2
I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
Chorus:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior!
I come to Thee.
I need Thee every hour
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.
I need thee every hour
Most Holy one;
Oh, make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son.
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