Open Heaven 25 November 2023: When God Purifies II
MEMORISE: Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Daniel 4:37
BIBLE READING: Daniel 4:23-37 (KJV)
And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
29 At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
Read Yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
Following yesterday’s study, the second kind of fire God uses to purify His children is the fire of affliction.
Let us take Job, for example. When you look at Job 30:1, you will be shocked to discover that Job had that little contamination called Pride.
After he lost everything, he discovered that God has a way of making a fellow humble by fire. God used the fire of affliction to remove pride from his life.
Some people have asked me why I am always saying ‘Yes, Sir’ and ‘Yes, Ma’am’ to everybody. I wasn’t like that before.
I was one of the proudest persons you could ever meet – even though I was poor, but God taught me a lesson that settled the issue of pride in my life forever.
When I got born again, one of the greatest blessings I received from God early on was the ability to hear Him.
I was also the interpreter for the General Superintendent of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
One day, for whatever reason, one of the Pastors came to me and asked me to interpret for him during his ministration.
I felt offended. “Who does this man think he is? Doesn’t he know that I am the General Superintendent’s interpreter?” I interpreted quite all right, but I was very upset.
After the Service, as I was going to my car, I heard God say clearly, “So you are now too big to interpret for my servant”.
I stopped hearing from Him and everything became silent.
As soon as the devil discovered that I was no longer hearing from God, he tormented me.
I prayed, wept and fasted, but God was silent all through.
Believe me, honestly, it is better not to have heard from God at all than for Him to stop speaking to you.
God will not leave you alone, in Jesus’ name.
The period God stopped talking was a terrible time for me.
In desperation, I told Him, “Lord, I make a covenant with You: if I am going to offend you tomorrow, take me away today”. And then He started to speak to me again.
Thus, when you see me saying “Yes, Sir” to the driver or the cleaner, it is because fire burnt pride out of me.
If God is to use you, one way or another, He will have to purify you because only those pure in heart will see Him on the last day.
KEY POINT: Father, if there is any impurity in me that I am refusing to let go easily, please take it away by force, in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 4-7
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – When God Purifies II – written by Pastor Enoch Adeboye
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Open Heaven 25 November 2023
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