Open Heaven 23 July
MEMORISE: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” – (1 Corinthians 10:12)
READ: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (KJV)
1. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2. And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3. And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4. And did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.
5. But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven here
“For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.” – (2 Timothy 4:10)
Who was Demas? Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24 tell us that Demas was a fellow labourer with Paul, just like Luke, who wrote the Gospel of St. Luke. How could anybody be that close to Paul and end up back in the world?
I want you to get something clear: there is no one above the possibility of backsliding. The Bible says that Moses spoke to God face to face; he had seen His wrath, yet he disobeyed Him. Don’t think you are above the possibility of backsliding. This was Samson’s mistake. He had won so many battles that he started to feel invincible, so he relaxed in the lap of Delilah. Apostle Paul said that he kept his body under subjection so that he would not miss heaven (1 Corinthians 9:27).
Backsliding does not happen at once; it is a gradual process. The devil makes this process so slow that the one backsliding may not even realise it. When a person reduces the time spent praying and/or reading his Bible and starts attending fewer Christian programmes, before long, it will be normal for the fellow to go a whole day without reading his Bible or talking to God.
Once there is a separation, the devil will begin to introduce little things that don’t look like sin; if the fellow accepts those, then he will bring in the little sins and before long, he would have started doing things he once vowed never to do again. The devil may be many negative things, but he is no fool.
Check yourself: are you reducing the time you spend reading your Bible and talking to God every day? Are you beginning to have certain desires that you thought were already dead? If the answer is yes, then you urgently need another piece of iron to sharpen you; you need to be in fellowship with other Christians who can help rekindle your fire.
Take heed, the devil is on the prowl (1 Peter 5:8).
KEY POINT: Be sober and vigilant. The devil, your adversary is actively seeking whom to devour. Take heed.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 35-36
Thank you for reading today’s Open Heaven – Take Heed – by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.
Don’t forget to Follow Elanhub on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Open Heaven 23rd July 2020 Devotional
