OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL: WEDNESDAY, JULY 5TH 2017- LIMITED TO SWEET EXPERIENCES?

Memorise: And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. 2nd Corinthians 1:7
Read: Deuteronomy 8:2-7
2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.
6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lordthy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
7 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Hebrews 2:9-10
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 15-16, Ezekiel 1:1-21

1. Jesus is the Great Shepherd and He wants His sheep to eat and drink from that which He provides for them.
2. If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you will be filled. In other words, you will experience the right growth in the Kingdom when you are receptive, and not selective of what the Master gives.
3. Every good word of God counts in helping you grow to become like Jesus.
4. In the Church of God today, under the guise of “grace” or “liberty” found in the New Testament, a lot of funny things are happening. Some people choose to read only the New Testament, and call the Old Testament stale or outdated. Some others choose to read only specific portions of the Bible that speaks of blessings, while they never go to the portions on sacrifice and curses. Some people never want to see passages on tithes and offering and other forms of giving, believing that offerings do not go to God but to men. Some of such people prefer to donate their tithes to the poor and needy, rather than to pay it as tithes in their church. Such tendencies will definitely affect their growth and hinder them from enjoying God’s full blessings.
5. “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life” Mark 10:29-30
6. From the above scripture, we see that the Lord Jesus Christ did not promise us a life free of hardship. Anyone who goes through life experiencing only pleasure, abundance and happiness without any moment of sorrow, sadness, denial, lack or disappointment will not develop a strong, well balanced character. Such a person will be vain, will lack compassion for others, and be conceited.
7. God allows us to go through both the ups and downs of life so that we can truly fit into His plan for us.
8. A one-sided spiritual diet leads to uneven spiritual growth. Romans 5:3 says that tribulations helps us develop patience. Hebrews 2:10 tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was made perfect through sufferings. How can you then become perfect without undergoing hardship? 1st Peter 4:13 says that when we partake of Christ’s sufferings, we shall also partake of His glory that shall be revealed.
9. Don’t let anyone deceive you; you need to take in every truth of God’s word in order to become who you were created to be.

Period of trials in our lives are for purpose. It’s important for us to be sensitive and careful of the conclusion we make when it seems like there is no way out. Devil always awaits that moment when you will cause God or give up on Him. May that never be our portion in Jesus name. Job would have given up considering different wiles of the devil to make him cause God but thanks be to God for wisdom. God did not promise us affliction free life but victory is assured. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalms‬ ‭34:19‬. God bless Pastor E.A Adeboye and empower him for greater works in Jesus name.

Key Point
God allows His children to go through difficulties in order to develop their character.
HYMN
1 Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee. 

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