Open Heaven 21 October 2022 TOPIC: The Word III
MEMORISE: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” – 2 Timothy 4:2 (KJV)
READ: Psalm 119:127-130 (KJV)
127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.
129 Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 6-7
There is the tendency for Christians, especially ministers of God to put the gift of the Spirit before the word of God in their lives. They want people to see the signs because they believe that it authenticates them in their eyes, after all John 4:48 says:
Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
Such people, therefore, work the gifts more than they preach the word. Any ministry where this is done will not stand the test of time. Everything you do or say must be based on the word of God and you must project it to everyone you meet. God referred to the people he has sent to you to lead as sheep (John 21:15-17) and they can only be fed to grow with the word of God. 1 Peter 2:2 says:
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
In John 6:25-35, when the people were looking for Jesus because He had the power to multiply food, He rebuked them, saying that they should have been looking for the Bread of life – the Word of God, instead. If a person forces a prophecy out when God is not speaking, just because people are expecting one, such a fellow will not last long in the Christian race.
Someone asked me to tell him his future. I asked if he was born again and he said “No”. I then responded, “Your future will not be good because the word of God says that it shall be ill with the wicked” (Isaiah 3:11). He then asked, “What if I had said I was born again?” I said, “Then I would have told you that your future will be glorious because the word of God says, “Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him” (Isaiah 3:10). Everything must be based on the word of God.
It is the entrance of God’s word, not the miracles or prophecies, that brings light to the souls that you are ministering to (Psalm 119:130). If you base your ministry on spiritual gifts rather than the word of God, it will not last. I have been in ministry for over 45 years now. I have seen many ministries rise and then fall, just because of this mistake.
Live by the word of God.
1 Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all,
hear me, blest Savior, when I call;
hear me, and from thy dwelling place
pour down the riches of thy grace.
Refrain:
Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore;
O make me love thee more and more.
2 Jesus, too late I thee have sought;
how can I love thee as I ought?
And how extol thy matchless fame,
the glorious beauty of thy name?
3 Jesus, what didst thou find in me
that thou hast dealt so lovingly?
How great the joy that thou hast brought,
so far exceeding hope or thought!
4 Jesus, of thee shall be my song;
to thee my heart and soul belong;
all that I have or am is thine,
and thou, blest Savior, thou art mine.
Open Heavens 2022 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven for Today 2022