Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
MEMORIZE: “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3)
READ: Malachi 3:1-3
When Christ is before you, your steps will be divinely guided. When God led us to the camp ground, many people thought I was nuts. But I knew who was leading me. Today, the same people say that was a wise move. God’s counsel is laden with wisdom which may not be apparent to the recipient of such a counsel or speculators who are seeking opportunity to find fault. Sadly, many people who have confessed faith in Christ are without divine guidance because they have adopted a nature that is alien to God’s. Psalm 25:9 says God will guide the meek. Christ will only go before those who are meek. A meek fellow is someone who has power, ability or authority to fight back at his or her attackers but deliberately refuses to do so. If you are vengeful, you are something but meek. The meek is like a tamed horse. God cannot guide some of His children because instead of forgiving their offenders, they are busy fighting or praying judgemental prayers against them.
Colossians 1:27 speaks of Christ in you. Bible writers carefully chose their words. Christ ‘in’ you means ‘the Anointed One in you’. God created man from the earth (Gen. 2:7). Just as beneath the earth are tremendous resources such as iron, brass, silver and gold; inside you lies tremendous potentials that only the Anointed One can unearth. In John 14:12 Jesus says those who believe in Him will be able to do greater works. Through His power, you can heal the sick, raise the dead and do what people call impossible. However, before God can use you to do these, there is a need for you to pass through his ‘refining fire’. This will change you from your raw state to a usable finished state. When iron is extracted from the ground, it is purified by fire. If iron stays long enough in the fire, it becomes steel. It is the refining of brass in fire that turns it into bronze. Silver and gold are also refined after being brought out of the ground. You need to be refined for the gold, silver or bronze in you to come to the limelight (Zech. 13:8-9; Mal. 3:23). According to 1 Peter 1:7, such refining may come as trials of faith. If you have not gone through trials, it might be the reason why you have not achieved much. Ask for grace to go through fiery tests victoriously.
PRAYER POINT
Some people go through fire but instead of delivering their gold, they are burned by it. Pray that fire will reveal your gold.
Bible in One year: Judg. 9-12
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