Open Heavens Devotional 2nd April 2018 Monday by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Memorise: “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” – Matthew 10:36
Read: Judges 15:9-15 (KJV)
9 Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.
10 And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.
11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.
12 And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
13 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
15 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 31-32, Philippians 4:2-23
MESSAGE:
The story of Samson in our Bible reading shows the reality of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in today’s memory verse. Samson had dealt a devastating physical and economic blow against the Philistines, and so seeking revenge, they laid siege on the town he was in. the Israelites asked why the siege and the Philistines told them how Samson had killed so many of them. To save their own necks, they struck an agreement that would see the Israelites bind and hand Samson over to the Philistines! One lesson here is that the damage which external enemies cannot inflict would be an easy task for the enemies within. The men of Judah decided to hand Samson, their kinsman, over to his enemies. Another lesson here is that while all the planning and bargaining to bind Samson was going on, God said nothing. However, as soon as these plans were carried out, God arose for Samson. When God arose, Samson’s enemies were divinely defeated with the jaw bone of an ass. You can see here that the feeble nature of a weapon does not matter when God is at war. I prophesy to you today: the Almighty God will arise and scatter all enemies of His plan and purpose for your life that are within your household in Jesus’ Name.
The enemy within your household may not always be human but could come in other forms, such as generational sickness that has claimed precious lives in your lineage. Today is the end of that sickness in Jesus’ Name. It might be a successive chain of poverty that has been transferred from one generation to another; that chain is broken today in Jesus’ Name. It could also be barrenness or failed marriages, but because you are representing God in your family, that enemy within your household is destroyed today in Jesus’ Name. However, my advice is that after these household enemies have been destroyed, keep worshipping God so that they do not resurface. Most of the time, these enemies are spiritual entities that relocate from dangerous zones where God’s children are. Here is what the Lord says about this in Matthew 12:43-45:
“43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. …”
Beloved, ensure you are a child of God who is given to the intense worship of God alone. You will live to see the end of all enemies within your household who have connived to hand you over to external enemies. You will triumph over them all in Jesus’ Name.
Action Point: Bind the operations and powers of all enemies within your household in Jesus’ Name.
Hymn 14: Onward Christian Soldier
1. Onward Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See, His banners go!
Chorus:
Onward, Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus,
Going on before.
2. At the name of Jesus
Satan’s host doth flee;
On then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver
At the shout of praise:
Brothers, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise!
3. Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God:
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod;
We are not divided,
All one Body we—
One in faith and Spirit,
One charity.
4. Onward, then, ye people!
Join our happy throng;
Blend with ours your voices
In the triumph song.
Glory, laud and honour
Unto Christ, the King;
This through countless ages
Men and angels sing
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