Open Heaven 5 April 2022
MEMORISE: Ezekiel 18:24 – But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
BIBLE READING: Ezekiel 18:20-32
20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
21 “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. 23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. 27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. 28 Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
Another reason I am determined never to backslide is that if I do, the record of everything I have ever done for God would be erased. The Bible says in Ezekiel 18:24:
But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
It does not matter how far you have gone in your Christian race, how many souls you have won for God or how many Churches you have planted; the moment you become a backslider, everything you have done before would not be mentioned. It means one fellow can serve God all his life and then backslide just one month before he dies and he would end up in hell. Don’t you want to make it to heaven, live in your glorious mansion and see the Lord Jesus Christ whom you have served for so long? Why would you let one little temptation deny you of that glorious experience and make you end up in the hands of the devil?
In case you are not aware, there will be many evangelists in hell; some church workers and even ministers will end up in hell. If you don’t believe me, read Matthew 7:21-23. I pray you will not be one of such, in Jesus’ name. What is the use of serving God so much here on earth and still ending up in the same place that unbelievers will end up in? You had better put aside every sin that draws you back in your Christian race and face God squarely.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
What is that sin that is so alluring to you? Believe me honestly, it is not as valuable as your soul. Protect your soul and run away from sin.
PRAYER POINT: Nothing is worth losing your salvation over.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Samuel 14, 2 Samuel 15, 2 Samuel 16
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – Why You Should Not Backslide II – written by Pastor Enoch A.
Don’t forget to Follow Elanhub on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Open Heaven 5 April 2022
