TOPIC: SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED II
MEMORISE:
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; - (Psalm 13:3)
READ: Judges 16:19-21 (KJV)
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
MESSAGE:
There was once a young man who was the secretary of a cult group at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in South-West Nigeria. One day, he gave his life to Christ and decided to leave the cult. Immediately, the other cult members decided to kill him because he knew their secrets. One night, after arriving his hostel from the library, he was very tired, so he said a quick prayer and got on his bed to sleep. As he lay on his bed, the Holy Spirit nudged him to get up and pray. He got on his knees, said another short prayer, and tried to sleep again. However, he got another nudge to pray, and he just thought to himself, "Well, let me pray just as God wants." He did so, and as he got up from his knees, he saw a huge demon with charms all over its body walk into his room, even though the door was locked. The demon made its way towards him, and he immediately started rebuking it in Jesus' name. Slowly, the demon retreated from the room. When he told me about the incident, I asked him, "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" He replied, "I'd have thought I was dreaming too; however, because of how I shouted when rebuking the demon, my roommate moved on his bed, and as he did so, his leg touched the demon as it retreated. My roommate's leg, which touched the demon, swelled to three times its normal size, and he spent a year treating it." Being spiritually discerning can be the difference between life and death.
As we read in Balaam's story yesterday, disobedience to God's instructions can prevent a Christian from discerning spiritual things. Are there instructions the Lord has given you to follow? Don't try to negotiate your way out of complete obedience to Him. Always obey God's instructions, because it will make your heart more sensitive to hearing Him. Toying with sin will make a believer become spiritually dull. Samson didn't know when his hair was cut because sin had made him spiritually dull. He was fast asleep and didn't know that he was in trouble until Delilah woke him up. When he awoke, he wanted to fight the Philistines as he had always done, but he was unaware that God had left him.
Beloved, flee disobedience and sin so that you will remain spiritually discerning. May you not become spiritually insensitive and sleep the sleep of death, in Jesus' name.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me to obey You at all times so I never become spiritually insensitive.
AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NEHEMIAH 8-10
HYMNAL: 30 WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD
1 When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2 Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey. [Refrain]
3 But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey. [Refrain]
4 Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we'll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey. [Refrain]
Comments
Post a Comment