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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

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