OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY - 2/12/2013 - ANY QUERY FROM SATAN? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

ANY QUERY FROM SATAN?

MEMORY VERSE

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

1 Peter 3:15

READ

Daniel 3:14-30

Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

MESSAGE

A divine midwife must be in control of his or her choices and ensure that they are God-centred and not self-centred. They must be ready to take decisions even when it hurts them. They must also be prepared to respond to Satan's queries.

And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

Exodus 1:18

When the plot to murder the Hebrew male babies failed, the king summoned the midwives and issued them a query. In other words, he was asking them: 'Whose side are you on? Mine or theirs?' Do you know that Satan is not bothered about querying many believers? Why? It's because he cannot see any difference between their past and present lifestyles. If you still dress indecently, exaggerate events, think the same way and go to the same places you used to go before you were born-again, there will be nothing to query about you. The kingdom of darkness reacts to change and not stagnancy. If you have not practiced your Christian faith to a point where the devil or his agent will question you that: 'Who is that your God?' then you are not making an impact yet.

The three Hebrew children stood for their faith in God without being disrespectful to the king. They refused to bow to his golden image because they feared God. This caused them to be noticed as it appeared they were on one side, while the rest of the people were on another. God is usually interested when He finds one or more of His children ready to face Satan's query or persecution. Usually, based on His plan and purpose, He would decide on what to do in each of such situations. In the case of the three Hebrew children, He physically came down to let the crowd realise that there is a God in Heaven that is above man and gods who can do all things. He manifested Himself to also show that He can void the worst of man's anger, punishment or fury. If you can stand for Him, He will lift you up in the midst of opposing circumstances and at the end He would have introduced Himself.

ACTION POINT

Thank God for past Holy Ghost congresses. Pray that this year's congress will have something great for every participant.