OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - WEDNESDAY - 18/06/2014 - PROVOKING POSITIVE CHANGE BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

PROVOKING POSITIVE CHANGE

MEMORISE

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Ephesians 3:20

READ

Matthew 15:21-28

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

MESSAGE

Change is one event that is constant in life. Change denotes movement from one state to another. There are two categories of change: positive and negative. Due to the fact that change can either be positive or negative, Africans would say: “Change is good for the poor but bad for the rich”. Change in life is constant, certain and inevitable. Sometimes, change in a certain direction can be provoked, prolonged, shortened, averted or delayed. In today’s reading, we are told of how a particular woman experienced positive change. She was a Canaanite woman. She had a daughter who was grievously vexed with a devil. She desired a positive change – recovery and wholeness for her daughter. Her expectation was almost dashed until she provoked positive change. This season, you will provoke positive change from the Most High God in Jesus’ Name.

From this story of the Canaanite woman, we can learn a few lessons. The first thing to note is that she cried for mercy. She told the Lord how things were with her. She did not pretend like some people do. In 2 Kings 2:19-22, the inhabitants of Jericho provoked positive change from the Most High when they confronted Elisha with their situation of helplessness. Again, when faced with discouragement and apparent delay, the Canaanite woman persisted in worshiping the Lord. True worship will provoke positive change. John 4:23 says,

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”

Do you want to provoke positive change? Make up your mind to worship God in spirit and in truth. Matthew 15:7-9 presents a category of people who are hypocritical in worship. These are the people whose hearts are far from God. I pray that you won’t be among those whose hearts are far from God. Another lesson from this story is faith. The woman provoked positive change by her great faith (Matthew 15:28). To emphasise the importance of faith, God in four separate places said: “The just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). Faith is acting on the word of God (James 2:18). Are you passing through a negative situation? Are people aware of your predicament but no one seems to care? God cares. If you don’t lose faith, there will definitely be light at the end of the tunnel.

ACTION POINT

Pick an area of your life where you need positive change and follow the example of the Canaanite woman to provoke positive change in this area.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Leviticus 17-19;

Psalm 129-130