OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY - 06/09/2013 - OBEYING WITHOUT QUESTIONING BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

OBEYING WITHOUT QUESTIONING

MEMORY VERSE

But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Jeremiah 7:23

READ

1 Kings 17:1-5

1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LordGod of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

1 Kings 17:2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

1 Kings 17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

1 Kings 17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

1 Kings 17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

MESSAGE 

God is a good and wonderful God but He is not a democrat. Democracy has its benefits but in God’s Kingdom, it has several limitations, hence God adopts a theocratic style of government. If you would be God’s favourite, you must learn to obey Him unquestionably. In 1 Kings 17:1-16, after Elijah announced the seizure of rain, God told him to go to Brook Cherith and that birds will feed him there. He went without asking any questions. If God tells you to go and preach at a particular location you hate to go, would you pretend as if it was the devil that spoke to you? Or would you ask: ‘Father, why me, why not somebody else?’ When the water at Brook Cherith dried up, and God said, ‘Go and meet the widow’, he did not question but simply obeyed.

Some people have become so learned, enlightened and refined to the point that they query God. They summon God to explain why He wants them to do what He asked them to, or else, they will not obey. If you taste what it means to be a divine favourite for one month, you will do almost anything just to remain His favourite.

Moreover, anyone who wants to be God’s favourite must be ready to spend quality time with Him. A couple who after marriage hardly spend time together, will after several years not be able to show the fruit of their union. The fruit of the Spirit is developed as you spend time in God’s presence, right in the midst of contrary circumstances. So also are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If you want to heal the sick or raise the dead, first go and stay in His presence. There is hardly anyone who walked in the miraculous by the power of the Holy Spirit without being incubated by the Holy Spirit. Do you really want to be His favourite? Even if you are not presently His favourite, you can work your way into being one by the things you do from today. As you pay the price, the Lord will make you His favourite.

KEY POINT

Obeying without questioning is the height of trust, while questioning before obedience is the height of mistrust.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

2 Samuel 9-12