Open Heavens 25 March 2023: [Saturday] Devotional By Pastor E.A. Adeboye – When God Allows Mountains I
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Open Heavens 25 March 2023 TOPIC: When God Allows Mountains I
Memorise: If thou faint in the day of
adversity, thy strength is small. Proverbs 24:10 (KJV)
READ: Daniel 3:1-30 (KJV)
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was
threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the
plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the
governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the
sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the
image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the
treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces,
were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the
king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations,
and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast
into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the
people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden
image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all
kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the
province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have
not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which
thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image
which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet,
flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall
down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye
shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who
is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was
changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and
commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was
wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery
furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats,
and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery
furnace.
22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace
exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound
into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and
spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the
midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of
the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of
God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace,
and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most
high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors,
being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no
power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed,
nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that
trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies,
that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language,
which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because
there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 13-14
Open Heavens 25 March 2023 MESSAGE:
While it is true that God can solve all problems,
when you go closer to Him, you would realise that once in a while, He allows
some mountains (problems) to stand in your way. The good thing however, is that
if He allows the mountain to stand in your way, it is because He knows you can
climb it. For example, in Job’s case, God only allowed what He knew Job could
overcome. (1 Corinthians 10:13) says that God will not
permit us to be tempted beyond our capacity and He would always provide a way
of escape as well.
ALSO READ: Open Heavens 24 March 2023
– Act On The Word
Sometimes, God allows mountains in the life of His children because he or
she is about to be promoted. Before every promotion, there is always an exam
that the fellow who is to be promoted must pass. No teacher will give
Advanced-level questions to primary school students in an exam. God will not
let you face a trial you cannot overcome.
In Daniel 3, after all the horrors of going into the fiery furnace,
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were promoted. Job 42:12-16 tells us
that at the end of Job’s test, his latter end was far superior to his
beginning.
When God allows mountains to stand in the path of His children, He also
gives them the required measure of grace to deal with those mountains. The
unfortunate thing is that many times, people refuse to use that grace and they
just let the temptation take over their lives. There is always a way of escape,
no matter how small; you just have to hold on to it so that you can overcome.
This is where you need the fruit of the Spirit called, “Longsuffering”. Don’t
look for alternatives to God simply because you are facing a mountain. Don’t
commit sin in a bid to get rid of that mountain because sin will only bring a
bigger mountain your way.
Hold on to God like Job did. Don’t deny Him when you are going through a
hard time; Don’t faint in the day of adversity; stand strong, His grace is
sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Open Heaven 25 March 2023 PRAYER POINT
Father, help me never to deny You, no matter what comes my way.
Open Heavens 25 March 2023 HYMN 2: Amazing Grace
1 Amazing grace! How sweet the sound!
That saved a wretch like me!
I was once lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
2 Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
3 The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
4 Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
5 The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
6 When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,
Than when we’d first begun.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Churches kleinanzeigen in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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