Open Heavens Daily Devotional For Wednesday, 25th January, 2017

OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DATE : WEDNESDAY 25th JANUARY 2017

THEME :  TAMING THE COBRA

Memorise:

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10

Read: Luke 19:1-10 (KJV)

1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

MESSAGE:

There are so many wonderful things to know about the person of God the Son. His uniqueness is summarised in Colossians 2:9:

“For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

He came to this world in the form of flesh to demonstrate the character of the 3 personalities found in the person of God. This means that if you want to know more about all the other persons of the Godhead, all you need to do is to take a close look at Jesus. He is the Great Physician who can heal all sicknesses and diseases. He is the One who can set the captives free and destroy all the works of the devil. Most importantly for us, He is the Saviour (Matthew 1:21). When He visited Zacchaeus, He declared to him that He had come to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). His blood cleanses from all sins (1st John 1:7), and it is only through His Name that we can be saved (Acts 4:12)

Several years ago, I visited an African nation and my host began to tell me about a particular government minister of that nation who was a very terrible man. He had killed quite a number of people and was so vicious that he was nicknamed “the Cobra”. When he said that, the Holy Spirit immediately told me to go and preach to him. I told my host, “I need to go and preach to the Cobra.” He looked at me in disbelief and said, “Sir, it appears you do not understand what I have been saying.” Then I replied, “If he is as bad as you say he is, then he needs salvation, and no other person can save him but Jesus.” My host reluctantly agreed to take me to his house, but he told me that he would stay back in the car. “If I wait for one hour and you do not come out, I will drive off”, he said. I agreed, and asked him to call the Cobra and inform him that a prophet is coming from Nigeria with a message for him. When I met the Cobra at his house, I said to him, “Sir, I have a message for you from the Lord.” “What message?” He asked. “Your days are numbered, your judgment is at hand, your cup is about to overflow, but the Almighty God has sent me to tell you that despite all your atrocities, He still loves you.” Within 15 minutes of talking, the Cobra was on his knees asking how he could be saved. Every “cobra” in your life shall be arrested today in Jesus’ Name! However, one effective way of doing this is by introducing Jesus Christ the Saviour to your enemies. I know this is the last thing some people will want to do. If you lead your enemies to the Saviour, you will have rest because they will become your defence and supporters. Don’t stop until all your enemies are saved.

Action Point:

If all your enemies are saved, you will experience progress without constraints. Pray for their salvation today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Luke 2-3 and Isaiah 22:5-25

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

HYMN 13 : WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE

Wonderful story of love;
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love;
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, oh, won’t you believe it?
Wonderful story of love.

Refrain:
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful, wonderful story of love.

Wonderful story of love;
Though you are far away;
Wonderful story of love;
Still He doth call today;
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal-bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation,
Wonderful story of love.

Refrain

Wonderful story of love;
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love;
For all the pure and blest,
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus,
Wonderful story of love.

Refrain