OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY- 24/11/2013 - WATCH THAT OLD PROPHET! BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

WATCH THAT OLD PROPHET!

MEMORY VERSE

To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Isaiah 8:20

READ

1 Kings 13:11-22

1 Kings 13:11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

1 Kings 13:12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.

1 Kings 13:13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,

1 Kings 13:14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.

1 Kings 13:15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

1 Kings 13:16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:

1 Kings 13:17 For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

1 Kings 13:18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

1 Kings 13:19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

1 Kings 13:20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back:

1 Kings 13:21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the  Lord thy God commanded thee,

1 Kings 13:22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers.

MESSAGE

When the young prophet on a divine assignment to Bethel rested on his way back home, contrary to divine instructions, a number of things happened (1 King 13:1-31). First, the devil caught up with him. Whenever you are on the path of absolute obedience, you are ahead of your enemies. It is difficult for the enemies to catch up with such a fellow. It will require a lot more effort, time and other resources to catch up with such an individual. But if you are in disobedience, it is either you are at par with your enemies, or they are ahead of you and you are the one striving hard to catch up with them. Secondly, the obedience of the prophet in all other areas was nullified and he became known as the disobedient prophet. This tells us once again that one act of disobedience is capable of rubbishing several acts of obedience. Never mix obedience with disobedience! If you say you are an obedient child of God, obey Him all the way. It is only when your obedience is fulfilled that you can revenge all acts of disobedience in your life. If you are disobedient to God, why will the earth not disobey you? Thirdly, instead of being rewarded for the area you obeyed, you will be punished for the area you disobeyed. It is a terrible thing to rest before you reach your goal!

When you are on fire for God, be extremely careful. There are those who would wish you were not as successful. Some people will envy you and do all they can to bring you to their level. Watch out for the old prophets! This young prophet never knew that he was a subject of envy by the older prophet who had lost his fire, zeal and commitment. Some of such leaders might have backslidden and may now be serving their own masters other than God. The older prophet lied that God sent an angel to void the original instruction he was given. Do not accept just any prophecy from any one, or anywhere. Test them and compare such prophecies with the word. False prophets abound with a mission of deceit and destruction. Lastly, learn that the fellow who lures you into sin may survive it and still have an opportunity to repent while you may not. Do not yield to compromise!

KEY POINT

Ignoring an event that is bound to happen is the height of foolishness