OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - 05/05/2013 BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

SUNDAY 5 MAY, 2013

COMMITMENT TO HIS PRESENCE

MEMORY VERSE:

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

 Psalm 55:17

READ:

Psalm 55:16-17

Psa 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

MESSAGE

Your opinion of sin goes a long way to show your level of commitment to God your source. In Genesis 39:9, Joseph saw the temptation to sleep with his master's wife as a great wickedness against his source. How do you see sin? For many who claim to be believers today, sin is a tolerable event - something they do not mind doing once in a while, especially because they believe they can be forgiven. This view is not only wrong but also unfortunate. Going by what Joseph said, every fornicator is not just wicked but extremely wicked, irrespective of the fellow's profession of faith. If you are committed to an unbroken link with your source, you will definitely have zero tolerance for sin.

Another thing that identifies a committed individual is his commitment to God's presence. This could either be at a personal or corporate level. If you are committed to His presence, you will start your day by entering into His presence. One Bible character who did not joke with God's presence was David. He created time for personal fellowship with God on daily basis aside from corporate worship. In Psalm 55:17, he says,

“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice.”

Everyday is split into Evening, morning and noon. Yet, in each part of the day, David found time to personally fellowship with God. Do you make it a point of duty to enter into His presence before you leave the house in the morning, and before you go to bed? If you are truly committed to the Lord, you will not joke with His presence. If you can be in His presence very early in the morning to praise, worship and thank Him, and to hear from Him and thereafter commit your day into His hands, you can be sure that victory will be yours for that day. If you follow the life of Jesus, you will realise that the secret of His success in public ministry is His private prayer life. In addition to personal fellowship with God, the committed is equally devoted to God's house – house fellowship, regular and ad hoc church programmes. He is happy to attend a programme in God's house like David (Psalm 122:1). You cannot be committed to God and yet continue to make excuses for absenting yourself from God's house. If you are not committed to God's presence, you are not committed. How committed are you to God's presence?

ACTION POINT

If you are not excited about going into God's presence, ask God to shed abroad by the Holy Ghost the love for His presence in your heart.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Judges 13 - 15