OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY - 7/11/2013 - CONTAMINATED LIKE MIRIAM? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

CONTAMINATED LIKE MIRIAM?

MEMORY VERSE

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Proverbs 14:30

READ

Numbers 12:1-10

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.

(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.

And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

MESSAGE

The way you end the race is more important to God than how you started it. Many started so well; in fact, most believers started out on a great note, but along the line, after the wear and tear of the battlefield has taken its toll on them, many allow what they had disallowed and if they continue that way, they will end the race in shame. The Lord will sustain you to the end. You shall not be a causality of the battles on the way to the heavenly Jerusalem.

Let us consider Miriam. She started well at a very tender age. She was a vessel of honour to God. In Exodus 2:1-9, she was the one who watched over Moses when the basket he was in, was placed at the river. She was the one who met Pharaoh's daughter and successfully secured the deal to bring in a Hebrew nurse her mother to be paid to take care of Moses. By the time we get to Exodus 15:20-21, she was called a prophetess and she led all the women in a mass choir to sing of their victory over the Egyptians. But in Numbers 12:1-10, this same Miriam had become leprous because she envied her brother Moses and spoke against him. Proverbs 14:30 says,

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Is it possible that envy has soiled your anointing? Are you envious of the fellow God promoted above you even when he is a younger minister? Remember, nobody gets anything except it is given to him from above. The Almighty God knows exactly where He placed you. If you serve Him with all your heart, He will bless you there. A brother can be a deacon and be far more anointed than a special assistant to the General Overseer. Even when men manipulate positions, they cannot manipulate the anointing that comes from God. If you are a victim of church politics, never mind: look up to God and serve Him with all your heart. Ask Him for His power and He will give it to you. Man may take office or position from you but they cannot take the power God has given you. Stay pure!

KEY POINT

It is relationship not title that matters with God.