Open Heaven 20 December 2020 Memorize: He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: Proverbs 24:24
Bible Reading: Proverbs 24:23-26 Open Heaven 20 December 2020
23. These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him;
25. But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
26. Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.
Open Heaven 20 December 2020
MESSAGE: – Open Heaven 20 December 2020 Sunday Daily Devotional
Many times, we Pastors find ourselves in situations where we are faced with either speaking the truth or telling a lie to flatter someone who is influential or from whom we can get a lot of benefits. At such times, we must ensure that we do not lie. Our God has never been in support of respecting people to the extent of endorsing their wrongdoings.
It does not matter who the fellow is or how much you can gain from them, never lie to get their favour. When God told Prophet Jeremiah that He would be sending him to nations, he knew that meant that he would be confronting some really influential people, so he responded in Jeremiah 1:6:
“Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.”
And God reassured him in Jeremiah 1:7-8 thus:
“… and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”
This message is still relevant today: fear not, God is with you to deliver you. The elders have a saying that it is not the one who we are sent to that we must fear, but the one who sent us. Now, when God has sent you to correct an influential person, you need to do it with wisdom. John the Baptist confronted Herod and lost his head, but Nathan confronted David and the king repented. What is the difference between the way the two Prophets carried out their assignment?.
John the Baptist was straight and direct with Herod. The Bible says in Mark 6:18:
“For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.”
Nathan, in his own case, decided to tell the king a fictional story about someone else who did something similar to what David had done, so he got David to judge the case by himself and when David acknowledged the fellows sin, Nathan turned it around and said “Sir, that fellow is actually you”.
Thereafter, he went on to deliver the message God had sent him to deliver (2 Samuel 12:1-14). If Nathan had come straight to tell the king that the sword would never depart from his house, that God would raise his own family members to go against him and so on, he may have lost his head too.
KEY POINT – Open Heaven 20 December 2020
Make sure you deliver the message that God has sent you with, but ask Him for the wisdom with which to present it.
Open Heaven 20 December 2020 Hymn
Stand Up! Stand Up For Jesus
1. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the Cross!
Lift high His royal banner;
It must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
2. Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict,
In this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.
3. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own:
Put on the gospel armour,
And watching unto prayer;
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.
4. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh,
A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory
Shall reign eternally.
