OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY 19th SEPTEMBER 2017

THEME: THE GROUND IS NOT FOR YOU

Memorise:

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Proverbs 24:16

Read: Luke 22:31-34

22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

22:33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

22:34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

Message:

It's a fact of life that we are all susceptible to making mistakes. However, when we make mistakes, we must have the strength of character to admit our mistakes and also to resolve never to repeat them again (Proverb 28:13). A child learning to walk will stand up, take a step or two and fall down again. You will observe however that in spite of these falls, he or she does not give up trying. The child will repeatedly make attempts at walking, and in the process of time, that child will not only walk, he or she will also run, leap and jump, all without falling to the ground like before. Do not turn a mistake into your final destination. Can you believe that because some people made a mistake in their faith in Christ, they gave up the race entirely and decided to die there? That is most unfortunate! Some people cannot forgive themselves for their denying Jesus at a very crucial moment when their faith was tested, or for falling into a particular sin that they have been preaching against all along. Such people need to learn from the example of Apostle Peter, who thrice denied Christ. The Lord had to make him realize that it was not over yet. That same Peter was the one who later led the other disciples in defending their faith in Christ and in propagating the Good News of the gospel around the world.

"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me." Micah 7:8

One lesson from this scripture is that the fact that you slipped and fell does not mean that the enemy has won the battle over your life. He hasn't. It also says that there is the possibility of a comeback. From where you fell, you shall arise in Jesus' Name. Your rise shall be more formidable! You may say that your case is a bad one because you have fallen so many times and you therefore concluded that it was better to stop trying. Oh, how wrong you are! Proverb 24:16 says it is possible for the righteous man to fall seven times and still rise. To fall seven times simply refers to the possibility of falling to a point of experiencing what most people will call the final or ultimate fall. Yet, even at that, if you are a child of God, the Lord says that you should not give up hope. Make another attempt at reconciling with the Lord, confess your weakness to Him, and ask for His help. He will lift you up and He will sustain you afterwards. So are you still on the floor? Arise now!

Key Point:

Falling and rising in the Christian faith does not make you a failure; it only shows that you are at the babyhood stage of maturity and would need to trust Jesus Christ the more.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

Ezra 7-8

Ezekiel 43:13-27

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 4: THROUGH THE LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOUR

1 Through the love of God our Saviour,

All will be well;

Free and changeless is His favour,

All, all is well.

Precious is the blood that healed us,

Perfect is the grace that sealed us,

Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us,

All must be well.

2 Though we pass through tribulation,

All will be well.

Ours is such a full salvation,

All, all is well.

Happy still in God confiding;

Fruitful if in Christ abiding;

Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding:

All must be well.

3 We expect a bright tomorrow;

All will be well.

Faith can sing through days of sorrow,

All, all is well.

On our Father's love relying,

Jesus every need supplying;

In our living, in our dying,

All must be well.