OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: MONDAY, JANUARY 29TH 2018- OPERATING UNDER PRESSURE?

Memorise: “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.” 1 Timothy 5:22
Read: 1 Samuel 15:20-24
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
Bible in One Year: Exodus 13-14, Romans 4

1. One of the tactics of the devil to bring down God’s people is to orchestrate situations that will put them under pressure, and then he attacks while they are vulnerable. He does this because he knows that operating under pressure can result in costly mistakes.
2. In today’s memory verse, we can identify some dangers of operating under pressure. One of these is that operating under pressure can make a person an accomplice to an evil deed.
3. For instance, in the name of charitable acts, you may be pressurised to unknowingly harbour stolen goods. As a pastor, the devil can quote scriptures to you out of context and thereby pressurise and intimidate you into officiating the marriage of a divorcee to another person, thereby causing you to partake in another man’s sin.
4. Another danger of operating under pressure is that the scars resulting from errors committed while acting unwisely often leave indelible marks on the victim’s life.
5. King Saul is a classical example of someone who let himself fall into the trap of operating under pressure. As the first king of Israel, he was more concerned about the opinion of people than God’s opinion of him. Contrary to the instructions God gave him concerning the battle against the Amalekites, he spared not only the king but also the fatted cows and sheep. He took the spoils of a battle he did not actually fight. Some ministers of God have also fallen into this trap today. After they have been used by God to perform special miracles, they run after financial gratification like Gehazi did (2 Kings 5:20-27).
6. Have your parents or society placed you under pressure to marry? Be very careful so that you don’t regret your actions later. I have this word for someone today: God will make everything beautiful for you in His own time (Ecclesiastes 3:1). At God’s own appointed time, that partner will emerge from the throne of grace and you will have a home comparable to heaven on earth.
7. Is it employment that you seek and the personnel manager demands that you go out with him before you can get the job? Say NO to such advances! Don’t let the pressure of unemployment drag you into prostitution or drug trafficking.
8. Are your parents-in-law saying you should come over to the village to offer sacrifice to ancestral spirits so that you can have your baby? You must not cave in to such pressures. Let the Bible be your guide. Refuse to find alternative to Jehovah El-Shaddai.
9. May the word of God remain a lamp to your feet and a light to your path in Jesus’ Name.

Sin and disobedience exposes believers to devil’s afflictions. It also deprives such believer of God’s help. May we never be afflicted by the devil in Jesus name. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.” Isaiah 59:1‭-‬3 We are daily refreshed as we study the Open Heavens devotional. May God continually increase Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.

Prayer Point
Father, grant me grace not to buckle under pressure, and help me to triumph like Your Son triumphed against the devil in the wilderness.
HYMN
1. I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
2. The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
3. Though none go with me, I still will follow;
Though none go with me, I still will follow;
Though none go with me, I still will follow
No turning back, no turning back.
4. My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
5. Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.

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