OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - WEDNESDAY - 19/2/2014 - FIT FOR DIVINE FAVOUR BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

FIT FOR DIVINE FAVOUR

MEMORISE

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

READ

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

MESSAGE

Do you know that even the African elders have a saying that they have seen princes become slaves and slaves become landlords? This saying of the elders is philosophically aligned with the Bible (Ecclesiastes 10:7). Many times, the fact that a person is very energetic and hardworking is not necessarily an indication that the person will be successful and great in life. If human prowess and efforts were really the automatic yardsticks to great heights, then many of those people still struggling up the ladder of achievements would already be on the mountain top of success. The Bible spells this out in Ecclesiastes 9:11:

“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

Favour is that currency by which you do little and obtain great results; it is that factor by which what others are struggling and sweating to accomplish, gets done by you almost effortlessly. It is favour that causes someone to be singled out of a multitude for special and pleasant treatment. Divine favour makes you someone that others would be willing to sacrifice their convenience to make comfortable. This was what happened to me years back on my first trip to Canada for a conference. On the long queue for registration on a very cold night with the ground wet, the registration officials came to me at the back of the line, collected my particulars and went on with my registration. Not only that, I was offered a cup of tea and an old man pulled off his jacket, laid it on the wet and cold field for me to sit on. What else made this happen, if not the God of the whole universe at work, moving these people to treat this first time visitor from Nigeria like a king. Jesus of course, has made believers kings and priests to his Father (Revelation1:6).

All children of God are entitled to this favour, however, it has to be accessed by each one individually. You as a child of God should make yourself a favourite of God to enjoy His divine favour at the highest level. How? Through praise, worship, complete obedience, witnessing Jesus, holy living and being full of faith. For instance, Mary the espoused wife of Joseph did not just become favoured to be the mother of the Jesus; she was a virgin. Today, many of our young women have defiled themselves with men, even among those who say they are children of God.

PRAYER POINT

Pray that God will qualify you by Himself for divine favour through a life of praise, fear of God, faith and total obedience like Mary.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Isaiah 56:9-59:21; 

Psalm 41