Open Heavens 10 September 2018 Monday Daily Devotional by Pastor E A Adeboye
Topic: God wants your Input
Memorise: “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:”– Deuteronomy 28:1
Read: Exodus 4:1-7 (KJV)
1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
Bible in One Year: Proverbs 1-4, Mark 5:25-6:6
MESSAGE:
Many people see God as a magician: they want to just sit back and watch Him perform tricks to fascinate them. God does not work this way! He does not give miracles to onlookers. Those who experience His miracles normally have to make some form of input. When God was going to use Moses to perform miracles, Moses had to surrender his rod for God’s use. When He was going to feed the five thousand men, He asked for an input, and one of those to be feed brought five loaves of bread with two fishes. He could have turned stones into bread but He chose to use something given by one of the recipients of His miracle. Your tithe is the input you make for the devourer to be rebuked in your life (Malachi 3:10-11). Willingness and obedience is required from you so that you may eat of the good of the land you find yourself in (Isaiah 1:19). Humility is your input in order to receive God’s grace (James 4:6). Don’t listen to fake prophets who tell you that they can pray and fast on your behalf while you carry on doing whatever you like; they are nothing but thieves because God doesn’t operate that way.
I have come to discover in my walk with God that whenever there is a miracle around the corner, God ask me for an input. After I have played my part, He will then play His. Years ago, I had a Pajero SUV that I loved so much because it never gave me any issues. One day, while asking God for miracles, I heard Him instruct me to give my Pajero away to a particular ministry. It was difficult for me, but I eventually did it. The car was so valuable that the day the new owner came for it, my driver wept. However, during the next service we had after I did this, the number of people that God healed was so great that they could not be counted. There was one time I almost lost a miracle because I was reluctant to provide my input. In the past, we used to receive contributions from the different parishes of our church towards the feeding of those attending our annual convention. One year, just after the convention, God spoke to me, instructing me to tell the pastors that for the next year’s convention, we would not be calling for contributions. When I heard this, I was afraid. Many things rushed through my mind, and I asked myself, “How will the people be fed? I cannot afford to feed that great crowd alone!” I decided not to tell the pastors what the Lord had said, but God said to me, “You are about to lose a miracle.” I obeyed and told them. To the glory of God, we have been feeding people at the convention for over 30 years without those levies. God has never failed us, and even through the crowd has grown into multitudes, everyone still gets fed and there are leftovers. When God ask you for something, don’t withhold it, or else you may be hindering your miracle.
Key Point: When God decides to bless you, he opens doors to you, but you have to walk through these doors yourself.
Hymn 4: Trust And Obey
1. When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Chorus
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,
Not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the alter we lay;
For the favor He shows,
For the joy He bestows,
Are from them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
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