Open Heaven 24 March 2023
MEMORISE: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving you own selves. James 1:22
BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 7:24-29 (KJV)
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
As opposed to the people who don’t have ears that we discussed yesterday, there are many who do have ears but are too paralysed to practice what they learn from the word of God. They can recall the Pastor’s sermon word for word but they don’t practice it.
They can probably even recite the Bible from Genesis to Revelation but it does not show in their lives because they do nothing in line with the word. These category of people are described in (2 Timothy 3:7) as: Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
These are people who learn but somehow, the word does not take root in them enough for it to change their character. The devil practically paralyses them and stops them from doing what they have learnt. If you are in this category, I declare your freedom today, in Jesus’ name.
One way the devil paralyses people after they have heard the word is through procrastination. They hear and are determined to apply what they have learnt, but then they procrastinate until they lose the zeal to do it. The day my Father-in-the-Lord taught us that worldly music attracts evil spirits while godly music repels them and attracts the Holy Spirit, I destroyed all the worldly music tapes that I had.
The night he preached about cleanliness, and pointed our attention to the dirt under our beds, that same night when we got home, my wife and I lifted up the mattress and cleaned under the bed and everywhere in our home. We did not wait until the next day.
That is the same way you should practice the word of God: with urgency! James 1:23-25 says that when you don’t practice the word immediately, it is like not adjusting your clothes while standing in front of the mirror. It would be useless to start adjusting them when you no longer have the mirror before you. Don’t let the devil paralyse you; act on God’s word as soon as you hear it.
KEY POINT: The blessing is in hearing the word of God and doing it James 1:23-25.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 SAMUEL 8-12
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – Act on the Word – written by Pastor Enoch Adeboye
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Open Heaven 24 March 2023
