Skip to main content

PRELIMINARY CALLING Sunday 6 February

Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye

MEMORIZE: “To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:” (Gal. 1:16).

READ: Galatians 1:15-16

Ideally, to qualify for leadership positions in the church of God, you must first be called. Believers are ‘called-out’ people. You are first called out of sin and worldliness into God’s Kingdom. Until you genuinely respond to this preliminary call, you cannot taste the new birth. This makes you unfit to lead God’s people. Today, many who have not yet known the Lord give themselves big titles, claiming that God has commissioned them. The Lord is a Holy God. He will not appoint sinners. Until the problem of sin is settled, that individual remains unusable—his gifts, knowledge and earthly achievements notwithstanding.

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:” (Gal. 1:15-16). From the passage above, Paul had Jesus Christ in his heart before he was called to make Him known to the world. You cannot give what you don’t have. Anyone who does not genuinely have a personal relationship with Christ, but is leading God’s people, is not a leader but a hireling. Do you have the Jesus you are preaching to others?

According to Christ’s prayer for the disciples recorded in John 17:6-8, Peter and his colleagues were ‘called out of the world’. They left everything that meant something to them and followed Him. In our midst today, within the leadership cadre, there are many square pegs in round holes – misfits. Whenever a wrong person is appointed to a position, it is possible that the one making the appointment is biased, influenced, bought over, blind, careless, prayer-less or simply mischievous. Leaders must be very careful in the choice of those who will lead others in God’s house. Anyone who is not genuinely saved and heading for Heaven must be dropped from unlawful occupation of a kingdom office. Your soul is more important than your service. Are you a backslidden leader? You can hide your state from men but not from God. Which is more important to you – the office or your soul? Ask the Lord to have mercy on you today. Whenever you are spiritually sick, leave the work, attend to your soul and ensure it is well, before you make a comeback.

KEY POINT
It takes a healthy soul to provide beneficial leadership.

Bible in One year: Esth. 4-7

Comments

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...

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...

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...