OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL: SUNDAY OCTOBER 6TH 2024

TOPIC: DANGEROUS PRAYERS

MEMORISE: 

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, cand the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Philippians 3:10

READ: 2 Kings 2:9-12 

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces.

MESSAGE

In continuation of my teaching on the categories of prayer, I will focus on dangerous prayers today. Some prayers are dangerous because what will follow if God answers them will be dangerous. This is because to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).

The prayer for God to anoint you and give you spiritual gifts is a dangerous prayer. The greater your anointing, the more visible you will be to the enemy. When you read Judges 15, you will see how powerful Samson was. However, in Judges 16, you will see how dangerous that power was. This is why I spend quality time praying for my children who are evangelists. I thank God for their lives and the miracles happening through them, but l also know that the anointing makes them very visible to the enemy, and they need to be protected.

The enemy is always after anointed people. In 2 Kings 1:7- 15, the king sent a total of 153 soldiers to arrest Elijah. However, in 2 Kings 6:8-16, when the king wanted to arrest Elisha, who had a double-portion anointing, he sent the entire army. There is a level of wealth and influence that, if you ask God for and He gives it to you, will have dangerous results. This is why sometimes, God holds some things back from some people, because He knows that they cannot handle them. Like Elisha, if you ask for a level of the anointing and God gives it to you, your tongue will not remain the same. With it, you can bless, and you can also kill. In 2 Kings 2:19-24, Elisha spoke, and the curse that had been on Jericho for generations vanished. Also, he decreed a curse on 42 unruly children, and they all died immediately.

It is good to ask for great things, but when you do, remember Numbers 20:1-12. Moses had led the Israelites for 40 years, he made only one mistake, and God said that he wouldn't go into the Promised Land because of it. This is why it is important to always pray for your leaders, especially your spiritual leaders. The power that they possess can both heal and kill. In Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and Sapphira sold a land, brought less than the amount they received to Peter, and that deception cost them their lives.

Power can bless, kill, heal, and make sick; be sure you can handle it before you ask for it. In 2 Kings 5:1-27, Naaman was cleansed by obeying an instruction from Elisha, and Gehazi became a leper by another word from the same mouth.

KEY POINT

Make sure you are sanctified in Christ before you ask for great power from Him.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 14-17

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME

1. All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ Name!

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all!

2. Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race,

Ye ransomed from the fall,

Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,

And crown Him Lord of all!

3. Let every kindred, every tribe,

On this terrestrial ball,

To Him all majesty ascribe,

And crown Him Lord of all!

4. Oh, that with yonder sacred throng

We at His feet may fall!

We’ll join the everlasting song,

And crown Him Lord of all!