Topic: Divine Transformation II [Sunday 24 January, 2016]
Memorise: And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. – 1 Samuel 10:6
Read: 1 Samuel 10:1-6 (KJV)
1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?
2 When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
4 And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.
5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
Bible in One Year: Deuteronomy 32:46-34:12; Job 9:25-10:5
MESSAGE:
The Almighty God at creation set the natural laws in motion, and they started to function just as He commanded them. For example, the sun rises and sets at the appointed times and so does the moon. However, whenever God decides to showcase His sovereignty, He may decide to suspend these laws and do things as He pleases. He may even decide to bring something out of nothing or make somebody out of nobody. This is what people call ‘a miracle’. My prayer to someone using this devotional today is that a divine transformation will make you somebody where you have been looked upon as nobody in Jesus’ Name.
The story in our Bible reading today reveals a divine transformation in the life of the first king of Israel, King Saul. He was not just anointed as a king; he started to prophesy. The good news is that a better transformation which is equally divine is now available to whoever is willing to surrender his life to Jesus Christ. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold all things are become new.”
As a result of this experience, the believer becomes very important personality. Apostle Peter called us chosen, royal priesthood and peculiar. Beloved, do you desire divine transformation? There is only one person who can give you this experience; and this is Jesus Christ. The Bible says;
“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.” 1 Samuel 2:8
However, the divine transformation which makes an enemy of God become a friend of this same God, takes some responsibilities. Old things must pass away and the fellow must now live according to the principles of the Kingdom of God. The Bible says;
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” - 1 John 3:3
The reality which King Saul did not pay close attention to might have been responsible for his dethronement. This may also account for the downfall of many children of God, who God transformed and raised to be His ministers, but took the grace of transformation for granted and lost their position both in the ministry and in the Kingdom of God. This will not be your portion in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point: Father, please use Your almighty power to give me a pleasant transformation this season in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.
2 Chronicles 20:15
ReplyDelete…Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
Topics
Rest
Keywords
Salvation , Battle , Mercy , Fight
Scripture Reference
2 Chronicles
The Battle Is The Lord’s
Jan 23, 2016
When faced with a problem or challenge, we tend to ask ourselves, “What am I going to do?” And well-meaning family members and friends will come along and ask, “What are you going to do?”
Jehoshaphat faced a multitude of enemies. But instead of focusing on what he would do, he prayed, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)
When we turn our eyes to God, we will hear Him say, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s...You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord…” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17)
But standing still is the last thing we want to do when the enemy is coming against us. It is also the most difficult thing to do because we feel that we cannot just stand around and do nothing—we must try to save the situation. But God wants us to stand still and see Jesus our salvation fight for us.
So what do you do the next time you are faced with a battle and don’t know what to do? Jehoshaphat sent his singers to the front of the army to proclaim, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21) Some people will wonder, “Does that mean that I just sing and don’t do anything else when I have a problem?” No, that is not what I am saying.
Do what the situation requires, but don’t worry and don’t trust in what you do. Like Jehoshaphat, rest and trust in His mercy that endures forever. When you do that, God will turn your battlefield into the Valley of Berachah. Berachah means “blessings”. The children of Israel gave the battlefield this name because it took them three days to gather all the spoils of war! God turned their situation into a great blessing! (2 Chronicles 20:25–26)
Do you have a battle to fight? Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!
Thought For The Day
God wants us to stand still and see Jesus our salvation fight for us.