OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - WEDNESDAY 07/08/2013 - GET INTIMATE WITH GOD BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

GET INTIMATE WITH GOD

MEMORY VERSE

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

 Psalm 119:103

READ

1 Kings 19:11-13

1 Kings 19:11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

1 Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

MESSAGE

 “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

 2 Corinthians 4:18

Worldly things are temporary while heavenly things are eternal. In other words, earthly things like wealth, material possessions, earthly achievements and goals, position and fame are all for the earth and therefore short lived. One day, they shall all cease. On the other hand, spiritual things like things about God and His Kingdom, serving God at whatever capacity, doing God's will and spiritual goals are heaven-bound and have eternal consequences. The average believer is torn between focusing on the physical and the spiritual. Where is your focus today?

Your focus will be determined by your level of spiritual maturity. The joy of growing old in the Lord is that it opens your eye to seeing more of the unseen than what is commonly seen. More intimacy with God gives you a sharper spiritual vision and a keener spiritual audio ability. One of the ways God speaks is through the still small voice according to 1 Kings 19:11-13. To be able to hear Him by this very low voice, you must completely down play noise and seek Him in absolute quietness. This may require you finding a very quiet place for God and you, and He will speak to you. When you deliberately draw closer to God, you will hunger and pant after His Word. You will go beyond reading to studying and digesting God's sweet Word (Psalm 119:103).

Moreover, how can you prolong your days on earth? This is a function of what you do and what you don't do. Stop cheating on others! Deuteronomy 25:15 says,

“But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

If you are into manufacturing, and make a product on whose packet you write 10 grams, let it not be less than what you declared. It is your duty to ensure that whatever you use for measurement is right. Do not employ false measure. Some traders would beat in their measuring cans, tins and containers so that they can save something for themselves every time they sell their goods. A true believer in Christ cannot do this because he or she fears God. How honest are you in your dealings?

PRAYER POINT 

Father, as I grow older in Christ, help me move closer to You and be more like You.