OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY- 26/09/2013 - UNPLUGGED? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

UNPLUGGED?

MEMORY VERSE

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15:5

READ
Joshua 7:7-12

Joshua 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas,  Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

Joshua 7:8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

Joshua 7:9 the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

Joshua 7:10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Joshua 7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

Joshua 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

MESSAGE

Besides isolation from the source of fire and wrong company, another factor that could cause a firebrand to lose its fire is when it is unplugged. Take for example the electric pressing iron: if it is plugged to the power source, no matter how many clothes you iron with it, it will remain hot. But assuming while you are singing and ironing, somebody unplugs it from the power source, you will continue ironing until you observe that the pressing iron no longer have impact on the clothes; by the time you check, the iron would have gone cold. Many leaders have gradually become cold unknowingly and as a result, they are ineffective in their spiritual assignments. This happened to Samson. While he was toying with strange women, Delilah unplugged him from his source of power. He woke up and thought things were still the same, only to find out that he had been reduced to the level of the natural, having lost the supernatural edge (Judges 16:18-20). You cannot toy with the sins of pride, disobedience and immorality and expect things to be the same.

In Joshua 7:1-9, the children of Israel suffered a most avoidable and disgraceful defeat from Ai. Their leader did not just ignore it but sought God's face concerning it. In verses 10-12, God told him the defeat was because He withdrew His support as a result of the sin of some of them. If you are no longer feeling God's presence, check your life. If the Holy Spirit is no longer moving you like He used to, check yourself. If you suffer a defeat from your enemy, check yourself. It is possible God is the One you are now contending with since you sinned. Trace the point you were unplugged. Repent with all sincerity and get connected again. Are you separated from God, get reconnected. Pay whatever price He wants of you until you are re-plugged. You cannot serve God without His backing. So seek His face today until you find Him.

KEY POINT

Any time you break off from the Vine, you are left to handle issues and challenges with your own strength.