OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY- 22/09/2013 - LET GO OF THE OLD BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

LET GO OF THE OLD

MEMORY VERSE

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Genesis 17:5

READ

Genesis 17:1-7

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Genesis 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

Genesis 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

Genesis 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

Genesis 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Genesis 17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

MESSAGE

God is doing a new thing but some people are not prepared for it. In fact, some people have become so used to suffering that they are afraid of experiencing something different. I once prayed for somebody that when he is coming to the next convention of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, he would come in his own car. I noticed he did not say Amen, so I asked him if he heard what I said. He said he heard but that when one gets a car, he will begin to bother about mechanic, insurance, fuel shortage and so on. There are some people who prefer to die poor. Why? They believe that if they are rich, armed robbers will begin to harass them; but are the poor also not victims of this?

If you were to compare, you will find out that being rich is still better than being poor, being full is better than being empty, progress is better than stagnation, etc. However, for the new to begin, the old must end. Take for example when Jacob experienced a change of name in Genesis 32:24-28, before he could be called Israel, his old name Jacob was done away with. God also changed Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. If there is going to be a new beginning in your life, be prepared to part with old habits, thinking and stereotypes. If you think being sick gives joy, I believe you need to think again. If you think that poverty will get you into Heaven, you do need to rethink. You can be the poorest man in the world and still end up in the hottest part of hell, whereas, you can be the richest man on earth and still be a king in Heaven. The deciding factor is not in what you have or do not have, but in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God does not train His children with sicknesses contrary to what some people think. He received stripes for you to be healed. He has paid for your healing already because He does not want you to be sick. He gains nothing in delaying your miracle. Make bold to receive with thanksgiving what He has already accomplished for you on the Cross. Are you ready to let go of the old so that the new can have its course?

ACTION POINT

Ask God for the grace to completely leave the old for new blessings.