OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - 09/05/2013 - INVITING YOUR SUBSTITUTE - BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

THURSDAY 9 MAY, 2013

INVITING YOUR SUBSTITUTE?

MEMORY VERSE

And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 1 Samuel 16:1

READ

1 Samuel 15:10-14

1Sa 15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

1Sa 15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

1Sa 15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

1Sa 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

1Sa 15:14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

1Sa 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

MESSAGE

If God should open your eyes to know who could possibly replace you, you will be seriously humbled. Some servants or subordinates that you are looking down upon today may unknown to them, be your replacements should you fail. You will be shocked that they could do a far better job of the assignment, and even succeed where you failed because one way or another, they have been understudying you and learning from your strengths and weaknesses. Has God given you an assignment? Do not joke with it! Strive never to fail God because He has some substitute waiting. This is one thing than keeps me humble having resolved never to be replaced until I finish my course. For this reason also, I will never do anything that will make God to replace me. What about you? If you used to win several souls to the Lord when you newly began the Christian race, but today you do not have time for God's most important activities; are you not creating room for your replacement?

God sent King Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites but he thought he was smart, and decided to eat what was forbidden. Today, some believers and leaders are eating their tithes and that of others, and they think they are smart. No! They are not! Some ministers of God are sparing the Agag they should have destroyed and explaining it away. Some pastors have not only committed adultery, but are keeping a steady immoral relationship with female workers or even wives of members. Why will God not replace them? Look at your life: what are you doing to provoke God to replace you? Immediately return to Him with fasting and prayer. Make relevant restitutions now and begin to serve, worship and praise Him as you have never done. Beloved, consciously give God reasons why you should not be replaced by a substitute through your new height of love, obedience and service. Some people can never be replaced because of their level of commitment to God. You too can be one of them.

KEY POINT

 If you are pleasing God with the assignment He gave you and men decide to scheme you out, and God allows them, God will give you something else that is far better, that will make them green with envy.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

1 Peter 1 - 2