Open Heavens Devotional for Thursday 3rd July, 2014: NO WAIVERS

TOPIC: NO WAIVERS

Memorise: Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Hebrews 5:8

Read: Hebrews 5:8-9
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 
 
Message
Ministry is in stages. You start from being an onlooker – a spectator who is eager to observe and learn, then you move on to being sent, after which you get to the level of going on your own. I recall the first time I laid hands on people in church on returning from a Kenneth Hagin camp meeting in Tulsa, USA in 1979. I saw Kenneth Hagin laying hands on people and they fell under the anointing and received miracles. On my way back to Nigeria, I talked it over with God in the plane. The following Sunday, I asked people to queue up, I laid hands on them, and they fell under the anointing – a practice I never believed could happen.

In the service of God, there is always a higher level you can move on to. For instance, Acts 5:15-16 says Peter moved up to the level where even his shadow was healing the sick. This season, the Lord will take you higher until you get to the very top! Whatever level you have achieved in ministry or in business, there is still a higher level you can attain. There is always space at the top for high climbers.

As you desire to move from one level to another, there are new requirements you must meet. In God's school, no one moves higher without satisfying some greater qualification requirement. As far as God is concerned, there is nothing like automatic promotion. You must earn your promotion because you cannot bribe or manipulate Him – not even with worship!

 As good as David and Jesus were in worshipping God, they still had to move from grade to grade in God's school. In conventional schools, if you do exceptionally well in your performance, you can get a double promotion. But in God's school, no detail is ignored. The test you could not pass must be repeated irrespective of where you run to. For instance, if you fail a test in submission to authorities and decide to leave to another church to start afresh, you will continue from where you stopped. Until you pass that test, there is no promotion to the next stage. It is therefore wisdom to humbly take your lessons in a gospel church and prayerfully pass the tests so that you can move to the next level. If Jesus was given no waivers, don't expect any if you want to get to the top.
 
Key Point: There is no cutting corners in God's service.

Bible in a year: Numbers 20: 10-22:21, Psalm 145:14-21

 Source: OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL, VOLUME 14, 2014 by Pastor E.A Adeboye of RCCG