Skip to main content

RIGHTS OR MERCY? Saturday 4 June

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye


MEMORIZE: “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me” (Mk. 10:47).

READ: Mark 10:46-52

It was when the Israelites cried to God that the Lord heard their cry and decided to send them a savior (Exodus 2:23-25). In other words, until you cry to God over certain issues, Heaven may not pay attention to the matter. If you cannot cry to God about your predicament, it simply means you are comfortable with it, or that you can still tolerate it. Whatever you can tolerate will continue. When you are tired of a particular negative trend like sickness, it will itself know it’s time to go. For many of God’s people, going by their attitude to unpleasant events in their lives, they obviously have not yet reached breaking point.

In Mark 10:46-52, erstwhile blind beggar Bartimaeus reached the point of saturation regarding his lack of sight. He pondered if he had the right to demand healing from Jesus and felt qualified. All he could ask for was mercy. He got the Lord’s compassion because he asked right. What right does a secretly sinning believer have to demand for God’s intervention in any area of his or her life? He has lost it! This is why many who should be asking for mercy but are demanding God’s blessing as a matter of right, even when they know they are not in right standing with God, may be experiencing prolonged unanswered prayers.

A particular brother was to do Law course some years ago. He ran into several difficulties. His pastor and some others began to intercede on his behalf claiming God’s promises as a matter of right on his behalf but nothing happened. Then one day, after a vigil in their church, the Lord revealed what the brother had been doing secretly. As a result, the pastor changed his prayer to request for mercy. Not long after, respite came and he was able to make headway. Are you still claiming your Kingdom rights when you have defiled your body or displeased God? Sorry, you have temporarily lost your Kingdom benefits. Repent, make restitution where necessary and ask God for mercy. It is when you are living right, and pleasing God that you could stand on your Kingdom rights.

KEY POINT
Effective prayer means knowing how to pray about any given situation-whether to demand for your right or to ask for mercy.

Bible in One year: Matt. 12-15

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BENEFITS OF UNITY Sunday 27 November

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 18:19) READ: Acts 2:1-4 U nity is a powerful force in the universe. However, uniting against God, His Word or His children causes God to arise in defence of His Name. This is the other side of power of unity. Barring this, unity can accomplish almost anything on the face of the earth. In Genesis 11:5-6, God said that if the people of the earth were left with one language and as united as they were in building the city and tower, they will be unstoppable. The united are unstoppable. Unity is a powerful tool for achieving plans and purposes. But if operated in righteousness within the Christian fold, it is even more powerful. “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it sha...
Post a Comment
Read more

DANGERS OF LOVING THE WORLD Sunday 4 December

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is of the world.” (John 2:16). READ: 2 Timothy 4:10-11 W hen you love the world, it can affect salient arrears of your life. This is why we must pray for leaders to shun worldly lusts and focus on the things of God. The love of the world can stand between you and your requests. A leader who loves the world will be incapable of making effective intercession for the flock. The love of the world also terminates spiritual life. The fellow who loves the world will find his or her love for God ebbing by the day. With love for the world, it will be impossible to love God with all your heart. Yet, God demands 100% love from you. “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut. 6:5). “For Demas hath forsaken me, ha...
1 comment
Read more

YOUR VOICE SHALL BE HEARD Wednesday 26 October

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye MEMORIZE: “As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.” (Psalm 18:44). READ: Psalm 18:43-45 W hen Bartimaeus was steps away from his breakthrough, the crowd around him shouted him down. But by the grace of God, he doubled his efforts and cried out the more. He simply told the crowd: ‘If you think you have heard noise you have not heard anything yet’. The reality is that if you need help and send a faint cry in the midst of a crowd, they will want to shut you up. But if your cry is unparalleled, defying the voices of the opposition, there would be a general consensus by the crowd for you to be attended to, at least so that they can have their peace. This season, by the mercy of God, there will be a meeting of the crowd hindering your blessing and their consensus would be that you receive immediate attention. Another lesson from this story is that while peop...
Post a Comment
Read more