Memorise: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 2 Timothy 4:7
Read: Genesis 14:14-24
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
Bible in one year: 1 Chronicles 18-20, Acts 20:1-16
AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
1. Is it possible to be meek and militant at the same time?
2. To be meek is to do what other people want without imposing your own opinion.
3. It is having the power to act but refusing to use it to oppress others.
4. Being militant on the other hand means to use force or pressure to achieve your goals.
5. How is it possible for a Christian to be meek and militant at the same time?
6. Our Lord, as part of the Sermon on the Mount, clearly taught us that it is a blessed thing to be meek (Matthew 5:5). In his letter to the Galatians, Apostle Paul also declared that meekness is a part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
7. Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated meekness when He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Hear what He said in Mathew 26:53-54, when He was about to be arrested: “Thinkestthou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be!”
8. This same Jesus tells us that there are times when we need to be violent. In Matthew 11:12, He said: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force.”
9. Paul further expounded on this truth, telling us the reason why we are in battle and providing the guidelines for how to shield and prepare ourselves for this violent warfare.
10. In Ephesians 6:12, He wrote: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
11. The beautiful swan which vigorously paddles away under the water to stay afloat is viewed as one of the most graceful animals on water because it appears calm on the surface.
12. Our Christian life needs to emulate the posture of the swan.
13. In the spirit realm, we need to display all the militancy that is needed to secure us a place in heaven and push the agenda of the kingdom of our God on earth, at the same time, in the physical realm, the fruit of the Spirit – meekness – must be visible in our lives.
SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
Perfect example when it comes to meekness is our Lord Jesus Christ. He’s companionate and He’s called the Lamb, at the same time He can also manifest as Lion depending on the situation. Consider what he said in Mathew 26:53-54, when He was about to be arrested: “Thinkestthou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled. We should not forget that same Jesus rebuked them of merchandising in the House of His father. Spirituality does not cripple you of exercising your power when needed. God bless and strengthen Pastor E.A Adeboye in Jesus name.
Key Point:
You cannot keep the faith without giving the devil a fight
Hymn
Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished
And Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!
The rumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict
In this His glorious day.
Ye that are men, now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger.
And strength to strength oppose.
Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you;
Ye dare not trust your won
Put on the Gospel armor,
And, watching unto prayer,
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long:
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh
A crown of life shall be;
He, with the King of glory,
Shall reign eternally.
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Joesphine Ehigie
TJ