Memorise: And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. Matthew 14:23
Read: Matthew 5:14-16, Acts 13:1-2
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Acts 13:1-2
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Bible in one year: Isaiah 20-23, Mark 15:6-32
AS REVEALED BY PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE IN TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
1. I would like to share an important truth with you today. To be effective in your assignment in life, you need both a private and public ministry.
2. In private, you minister to the Lord with prayers and fasting, like Anna and the prophets and teachers in Antioch did (Luke 2:36-37).
3. Many spiritual battles won in public were settled in the place of private spiritual warfare.
4. A good example to show the importance of private ministry is when Moses confronted the Amalekites in the place of private intercession. Moses was still grappling with the grumbling and murmuring of the people he was leading when the Amalekites confronted them with war. Immediately, he activated both a private and public ministry to tackle the Amalekites. He told Joshua to lead the physical battle, while he and his two lieutenants went into private spiritual warfare. Confirming the popular saying that the spiritual controls the physical, Exodus 17:11 says: “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.”
5. We can safely conclude that there is no success in public ministry without a solid private ministry. This principle is constant and relevant from generation to generation. It also applies to people in business. Even our Lord Jesus Christ combined these two dimensions of ministry, as seen in today’s memory verse. After public ministration, our Lord would retreat to His private ministry of prayer, where He recharged His spiritual battery.
6. However, private ministry without public ministry is like a sumptuous meal that is not brought into the banquet hall for consumption.
7. As revealed in our Bible text, our light is not meant to be hidden under a bushel. We must be wary of being lopsided as Christians. Some of us even say “ I am called to be this and not that,” thereby limiting the extent to which the Lord can use us. There is no reason a prayer warrior cannot witness to the perishing souls around him or her. In the same vein, an evangelist who claims to be called to propagate the gospel may end up frustrated without a prayer ministry of intercession for the souls he or she is going out for. This is because we are not wrestling with flesh and blood when we go out to fulfill our public ministry (Ephesians 6:12).
8. Beloved, God is speaking to you today so that you can fulfill your assignment in life.
9. You can combine giving, which should be done in private, with witnessing. You can combine your evangelism with serious intercession.
10. Make full proof of your calling by engaging in both private and public ministry. God bless you.
SHORT REFLECTION BY THE LIGHT POINTERS
The truth is that the physical is often controlled in the Spirit and we cannot be ignorant of it. Every believer must therefore take it as responsibility to engage in spiritual that will manifest in the physical. Just like Pastor Adeboye reveals “We can safely conclude that there is no success in public ministry without a solid private ministry”. May the Lord continue to give us success in both spiritual and physical battles of life in Jesus Name. Glory to God for His son Pastor E.A Adeboye for this devotional.
Prayer Point: Introduce a balance into your private and public ministry. How often do you minister to God?
Hymn
Nearer, my God, to Thee;
Nearer to Thee;
E’en though it be a cross
That raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.
Though, like a wanderer,
The sun gone down,
Darkness comes over me,
My rest a stone;
Yet in my dreams I’d be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.
There let me see the sight,
An open heaven;
All that Thou sendest me,
In mercy given;
Angels to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.
Then, with my waking thoughts
Bright with thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs
Bethel I’ll raise,
So by my woes to be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.
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Joesphine Ehigie
TJ