OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY 1 MARCH 2020
THEME: ALWAYS BE BATTLE READY
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;
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.
2. Not the labours of my hands,
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears for ever 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.
4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my 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: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. – (Ephesians 6:10)
BIBLE READING: PSALMS 18:39 (KJV)
39. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
MESSAGE:
Any Christian who does not face battles from the kingdom of darkness is either considered irrelevant or relic. As long as you remain relevant, there will be battles to fight. So, if the devil no longer fights you, if he no longer tries to discourage you, it is not time to rejoice; it is time to check and see if you are still relevant in the kingdom of God. The Bible did not record that any of the first seven sons of Jesse who were not chosen to be kings ever had to fight lions and bears. When Paul was still in the world persecuting Christians, he never had to run for his life to Christ and became an evangelist, he faced battles everywhere he turned. The day you stop taking examinations is the day you stop getting certifications and promotions. While Goliath was bragging, even though everyone was still calling Saul the king, he had become a relic. In fact, (1 Samuel 16:14) says;
“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.” You will become a relic when you stop being battle-ready at all times. Those who are still making waves and troubling the kingdom of Satan must expect the enemy to fight back. In science, we learnt that for every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, the bigger the waves you are making, the bigger the reaction of the enemy, so you need to be battle ready at all times. To be battle-ready means that you have the armour of God on at all times.
This means that you must live a righteous life (the breastplate of righteousness), your salvation must be intact (the helmet of salvation), your faith must be strong (the shield of faith), you must always meditate on and memorise the word of God (the sword of the spirit), you must gird your loins with the word of God (the belt of truth), and preach the gospel everywhere you go (the sandals of the gospel).
Praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) must be your lifestyle. Are you always battle-ready?
ACTION POINT: Don’t become a relic, Put on the whole armour of God and be battle ready always.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 16-17
AUTHOR: Pastor E. A. Adeboye