OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY - 18/07/2014 - BEFORE YOU ASK BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

BEFORE YOU ASK

MEMORISE

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Isaiah 65:24

READ

Isaiah 65:23-24

23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

MESSAGE

In 1 Kings 18:30-45, it was after Elijah built a new altar to the Lord that he heard the sound of imminent heavy rain which did fall. This implies that after a new altar has been raised to the Lord, you will begin to hear the sound of abundance of rain. God wants to bless you but for most people, the present altar cannot take it because it is in a state of disrepair. The repair of the altar must precede the much awaited breakthrough. You must do something about the state of God’s altar if you want to operate at a higher level of anointing. If you leave the altar the way it is, it shows you do not want to make progress. Ephesians 3:20 makes it clear that God can do far beyond our request. If you build a new altar for God, even before you ask, He would have answered you.

During Christmas time many years ago, my youngest boy, my driver and I went out for our evangelism outreach programme tagged: Lets-Go-A-Fishing. When we got to the venue of the outreach programme, we saw a notice board which read: ‘Turkey for sale’. I said to myself, “Since I was born, I have never had turkey for Christmas”. I waved off the thought as we went on to fish for souls. By the time we got back home, three turkeys were waiting for me. On getting to the headquarters of our church at Ebute Metta (Lagos) that Sunday, I shared the testimony and quickly added jokingly that the testimony was not an invitation to them to come for lunch at my place. Before I arrived home that day, several other turkeys had joined the three. This might be nothing to those who kill a cow or more for Christmas, but it was significant for me. The point is that if you please God a hundred percent, before you ask for one thing, you will get ten. Before you open your mouth, he would have heard and responded. What is the state of the altar you have made to God? If you fix God’s altar, He will fix your problems. If you fix God’s altar, you will be fixed.

KEY POINT

When a man’s way pleases the Lord, He gives Him beyond his request and sometimes answers him even before he asks.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Deuteronomy 19:15-22:12;

Job 6:8-23