OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH

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TOPIC: SPIRITUAL EYES II MEMORISE :  Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.  Psalm 119:18 READ :  2 Kings 6:15-23  15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man...

CONTENDING WITH GOD Tuesday 1 May 2012

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Memorise: Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. Proverbs 13:10
Read: James 4:6-7
Apart from impure thoughts and cravings of the body, another area you must exert your victory over the flesh is pride. As stated in the memory verse, a proud person is always in contention – fighting with those he thinks he is better than; such a fellow will do everything to show that he is better than them. The proud is always in competition with those who appear better off, just to prove a point that he or she is superior. In doing this, the proud will make derogatory statements about such people and cut them to size just to show that he knows it better or can do it better. The proud finds it difficult to acknowledge the sincere work or effort of others because he thinks such will displace him from being on top. The proud sees himself or herself as number one in all things. Apart from contending with men, the proud also contends with God. Anyone who is proud or haughty and is speaking so much about God is only a pretender. By reason of their contention with God, they have enthroned self as number one in their lives, making God their running mate. Are you finding it difficult to recognise the efforts of those that are better than you in certain areas? You are simply proud.
Psalms 73:6 says some people are compassed with pride. This implies that it is possible for pride to be visibly glaring in the life of someone that is full of it. You can be clothed in pride just as you can be clothed in humility. You can identify a proud person from his or her looks, carriage, dressing, speech, behaviour, giving, prayer, Christian service, work, attitude, etc. Unfortunately, Isaiah 13:11 says the same reason that makes the proud fellow haughty is the reason that will make him fall. Every proud individual is headed for a fall and proud people end up being destroyed (Proverbs 16:18). Some people are proud but they don’t know it. If you exalt yourself by your words and conduct, you shall be abased (Matthew 23:12). James 4:6 speaks of something quite frightening: It says God resists the proud which confirms that God is always contending with the proud. Is there pride in your heart? Ask God for forgiveness and to uproot every trace of it from your life today.
KEY POINT:
The humble is more powerful than the proud because whereas the humble has access to unlimited grace, the proud may not access an iota of grace.
 
Bible in one year: Exodus 5-7

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