Open Heaven 24 July
MEMORISE: “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – (Luke 9:62)
READ: 2 Peter 2:20-22 (KJV)
20. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven here
Our God is a builder – He builds lives, and He has a plan for every single person here on earth. Jeremiah 29:11 says:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
The moment someone surrenders his life to Christ, He begins to build that fellow into something great. However, every time the fellow backslides, the building will be affected. I also like to use the analogy of a sculptor for this. A sculptor may decide to carve a lion out of a piece of wood but find it uncooperative, breaking easily, and thus decide to carve a cat from what is left of it.
If at some point while sculpting, the piece of wood breaks again, the sculptor may then decide to make a rat with what is left of the wood. If the wood breaks yet again such that it cannot be salvaged, the sculptor could turn it to firewood.
Every time you backslide, you frustrate the ultimate plan of God for your life.
Each time a person falls out of the faith, they are just like that piece of wood that keeps breaking. When they get back on their feet, God may decide to continue with what is left, but believe me, except by divine mercy, they cannot be what He originally planned for them.
God’s original plan for Samson was that he would deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines and then be their leader, but he didn’t fulfill destiny. Gehazi could have become a greater prophet than Elisha, but he ended up with leprosy. Backsliding can cost you your destiny; beware.
The main danger of backsliding is being thrown into hell fire. Some people get the chance to stand again after backsliding, but not everyone does. Judas Iscariot had been falling and rising while he was Jesus treasurer (John 12:6), but one day he fell and never had a chance to rise again. It is a disaster for anyone who has had an encounter with Christ to still end up in hell.
PRAYER POINT: Father, let me never do anything that can make me fall short of Your glory in the mighty name of Jesus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 37-39
Thank you for reading today’s Open Heaven – Dangers of Backsliding 1 – by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.
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Open Heaven 24th July 2020 Devotional
