OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: THURSDAY 19TH MARCH 2020
THEME: THE FIRE I.
HYMN 25: ROCK OF AGES, CLEFT FOR ME.
1. Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure
Save me from its guilt and power.
2. Not the labours of my hand
Can fulfill thy law’s demand;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone,
Thou must save and thou alone.
3.Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to thy cross I cling
Naked, come to thee for dress,
Helpless look to thee for grace:
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me , saviour, or I die.
- While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See thee on thy judgement throne,
Rock of ages cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee.
MEMORISE:
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Acts 2:3
BIBLE READING: Acts 2:1-3
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
MESSAGE
Our memory verse for today tells us straightway that there is a link between the Holy Spirit and fire. In Exodus 3:2, The Spirit of God spoke to Moses as fire burning in a bush. This was no ordinary fire as the bush was not consumed. Hebrews 1:7 says:
“And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire”.
Hebrews 12:29 says our God is a consuming fire. This verse was talking about the Holy Spirit. For you to fully understand this aspect of the Holy Spirit, let us look at 1 Kings 18:38:
“Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench”.
When Elijah prayed and fire fell from Heaven, it consumed the offering, the wood, the stone, licked up the water and the dust round about the altar. This is certainly no ordinary fire!
When you see a man who has fire, tread gently around him. Ananias and Sapphira were careless with the fire and paid with their lives (Acts 5:1-10). The fire also must not be grieved. When Jesus says that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven (Matthew 12:31), it is because the Holy Spirit is fire and carelessness can be fatal. That is why I pity people who fake speaking in tongues and joke with it. If only they knew who they were toying with, they would never try that.
The fire of the Holy Spirit is not the exclusive right of a limited number of people, you too can carry the fire of God if you are willing. It was not only the Apostles that were at the upper room when the fire of the Holy Spirit came, but it rested on every single one of them, including Mary the mother of Jesus and His brothers (Acts 1:13-14). The fire of the Holy Ghost can come upon you too if only you will lead a life of intense prayers and supplications.
PRAYER POINT:
The fire of the Holy Ghost is available to all who can pay the price in intense prayers and supplications.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 28-29.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE.