OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY - 1/12/2013 - WRONG TIME TO QUIT! BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

WRONG TIME TO QUIT

MEMORY VERSE

But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Hebrews 10:39

READ

2 Kings 13:14-18

2 Kings 13:14  Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.

2 Kings 13:15  And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.

2 Kings 13:16  And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.

2 Kings 13:17  And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.

2 Kings 13:18  And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.

MESSAGE

You are a work-in-progress in God's hands. He is not done with you yet. You are on your way to your destiny and by the grace of God; you shall not terminate the trip prematurely. Thank God for where you are and what you have achieved. But thank God much more for where He is taking you to. You will fulfill His divine purpose for your life in Jesus name. When we came to the Redemption camp and built the first auditorium, virtually everyone concluded that it was the biggest in Africa and that we should build a wall around it. However, by the grace of God, I knew that was not God's limit for me. We have since expanded it four times and thereafter built the second auditorium. When the second auditorium was built, it was seen as being too big, but today, it has become too small to accommodate us during some big programmes. Has the devil been telling you to stay where you are, that you have gone far enough and cannot go higher? Is he telling you to stop struggling, rest, retire and leave the rest to fate? Don't listen to him! Beyond your present place of turmoil, there is a rest; beyond your place of comfort and rest, there is a better place!

The devil has succeeded in making many people lazy so as to snatch their destiny. When you ask people to pray for one hour, some will say: 'Pray for a whole hour? What are we asking for?' The most tragic thing for a man is to quit while at the threshold of total victory. In today's reading, when Elisha was about to die, he gave the king an opportunity of a life time to ask and defeat his enemies. He gave him a bow and some arrows to shoot. He fired three and stopped. When the man of God told him the implication of having partial victory, he should have apologised and resumed shooting until he was stopped, but he did not go further. Have you made an effort on an issue that was inadequate and you gave up before it could yield fruit? Then you are not different from the king. If your effort is insufficient, then put in more effort. No matter how young you are, you are getting older daily. There was a time believers use to hold onto God in prayer until the answer came, but now, we want instant answers as if God is our houseboy. He is not.

PRAYER POINT

In the name of Jesus, I resist every force or power compelling me to quit the good thing the Lord has placed before me. I receive grace to see its great end