Thursday, November 20, 2014

Open Heavens Devotional for Friday November 21, 2014: YOU CAN STAND OUT II

TOPIC: YOU CAN STAND OUT II

Memorise: 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. Luke 19:5

Read: Luke 5:17-20
17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.


Message:
Due to the current challenges confronting the life of some believers, they wonder in their hearts if they can ever make it. They wonder if life will just pass them by. They wonder if they can ever stand out among their contemporaries. If you belong to this class, I have good news for you: yes you can become outstanding among others in spite of your current situation. There were many sons of the prophets in the days of Elisha, but only he stood out, so much so that the king of the land acknowledged him, calling him my father. To this end, as previously learnt yesterday, you need to have a vision of what you want to become in order to stand out. You need to choose to change because your choice in life determines your chance. You must be prepared for new ideas. You must maintain good relationships, as the greatest poverty is to not have good friends. Also, you must be informed on current happenings around you.

Besides all these, you must be teachable. From our scripture reading, the man sick of the palsy and his friends, came to the teaching service of Jesus; this shows that these men were teachable. When you stop learning, you stop growing and then you begin to degenerate. It is either one is moving forward or else one is drawing back. You will ever move forward in Jesus’ Name. You cannot be reached if you are not teachable. So many of God’s people are just too full of themselves, they are self-conceited and are impervious to corrections. This will not help you become a success; it is the deceit of the devil to rob you of a good future.

Furthermore, the sick man and his friends were determined. Determination is the route to distinction and excellence. With their determination, they broke every barrier that was on their way. You also must be a barrier breaker. Sternly confront every obstacle on your way and pull them down by the power of God in your life. This power is generated through a life of holiness and prayers. Finally, the friends of the sick man positioned him before the Lord. You must position yourself also before the Lord for your miracles, just like Zacchaeus did to gain the attention of Jesus (Luke 19:3-5).

Prayer Point: Father, every barrier standing against my getting to the top, let them be demolished in Jesus’ Name. Lord, help me to stand out among my peers.


BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 CHRONICLES 22: 2-24:31; PROVERBS 29: 10-21

SOURCE: OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL, VOLUME 14, 2014

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