Open Heaven 20 May
MEMORISE: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” – (1 John 2:1)
READ: 1 Kings 18:29-39 (KJV)
29. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
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. Open Heaven 20 May 2021 Thursday Daily Devotional
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.
39. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
As believers, there are a number of lessons we can learn from the Scripture reading of today. We see that there is a possibility of breaking down God’s altar. When a child of God commits sin, he or she breaks down the altar of God. When that happens, the fellow needs to repair the broken altar before he or she can make progress spiritually, physically and materially. Elijah repaired the broken altar before he proceeded to offer his sacrifice. The result was that God answered his prayer by fire.
You must know that you cannot walk with God while dabbling in sin. In the event that you slip into sin, God does not expect you to remain in that state; you must repair the broken altar immediately like Elijah did. There are many altars in the life of a child of God that the devil wants to destroy. These include the altar of praise, the altar of prayer, the altar of faith, to mention just a few. By the time you are done repairing the altar, your insufficiency becomes history, your weakness becomes strength and the impossible becomes possible (Matthew 17:20). Don’t allow the devil say otherwise to you; a broken altar can be repaired.
As you repair the broken altar of God in your life through genuine repentance today, the Lord will turn your lack to abundance in Jesus’ name. When the bible says that we are the temple of God in (1 Corinthians 6:19), it is saying something important. One of the features of the temple is the altar. The altar is very significant in worship because it symbolises the throne of God.
The altar is where God abides and does whatever He wants. It is the place where He issues out decrees and orders the events that must take place in the universe. It is a privilege therefore to be the living temple of God and by extension the throne where God abides and exhibits His majesty. (1 Peter 2:5) says: Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, and holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Your sacrifice will not be acceptable to God if there is sin in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and repent of every act of unrighteousness now.
ACTION POINT:
Take the inventory of your life and see where the altar of God has been broken down. Repair it by way of repentance, restitute your ways and cry to God for complete restoration.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 12-13
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – Repent – written by Pastor Enoch A.
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Open Heaven 20 May 2021
