OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SATURDAY 21ST MARCH 2020
THEME: THE FIRE III.
HYMN 15: IN CHRIST ALONE.
1. In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ, I stand
2.In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ, I live.
3. There in the ground, His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave, He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
4.No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to the final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I will stand.
MEMORISE:
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Luke 3:16
BIBLE READING: 1 Kings 18: 31-38.
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
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.
MESSAGE
In 1 Kings 18:38, the fire consumed the water. In this context, water represents tears and sorrow. The Holy Spirit is the comforter who licks up your tears and gives you comfort. For all those tears you shed at night behind closed doors, God sees you and He will send His Holy Spirit to comfort you. Note that Elijah had purposely asked that water be poured on the sacrifice. There are certain sorrows that are self-caused; the Holy Spirit comforts us in such also (John 14:18).
That is why I have good news for anyone who may have made several mistakes in the past: the Holy Spirit will wipe your tears and give you a fresh start in the mighty name of Jesus.
The fire also consumed the dust. Humans are made out of dust (Genesis 2:7). The dust represents human flesh. One of the names of the Holy Spirit is the transformer as we see in 1 Kings 18:46:
“And the hand of the LORD as on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel”.
When the hand of God (another name of the Holy Spirit) came upon Elijah, he became stronger and faster than chariots drawn by horses. He was transformed. In Judges 15:14-15, we see the Holy Spirit transform the jaw bone of an ass into a weapon of warfare. Romans 8:11 says:
“But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you”
When the fire of the Holy Ghost comes on you, you no longer live by the flesh but by the spirit. The moment you are baptized by the Holy Ghost and fire, you become transformed. May you experience the transforming fire of the Holy Spirit, in the mighty name of Jesus.
PRAYER POINT:
Make time to pray in the Holy Ghost for at least one hour today.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 32-34.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE.