OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL – FRIDAY – 2/10/2015 – STEALING FROM GOD – BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

STEALING FROM GOD

Memorise

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Corinthians 6:20

Read

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

18  Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 

19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 

20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Message

The Bible makes it clear that aside from stealing from men, it is also possible to steal from God. Malachi 3:8 says:

"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."

Your tithe is one tenth of your income, increase or profit. It belongs to God and should be set aside for God immediately after the provision comes. Not paying your tithes can introduce a curse from God into the blessings He has given you. If a man curses you, someone with a higher spiritual authority can break the curse. For example, if your pastor curses you, the general overseer with a higher spiritual authority can break it; but if God curses you, to whom will you run? It is important you pay back to God 10% of everything He gives to you. It is also important you do it the way He expects it to be done. Your tithe must be brought into God's storehouse, and God must be given a free hand to spend it as He directs. Some people believe that as children of God, they can use their tithes to rescue someone who is in need or in critical condition in the hospital. No! You don't have that right! If you spend your tithe like that, in God's record, you will still be a debtor.

In addition, you can also steal from God by denying Him access to, or using inappropriately, whatever part of you He has claimed ownership of. In today's memory verse, we see that God has claimed ownership of our body and our spirit. He therefore expects that anything we do with our body will be such that will bring glory to His Name. Doing otherwise is stealing from God. For example, overeating, or taking any substance that can destroy your body, makes your body unavailable to its Owner; this amounts to stealing from Him. Any time you engage your body in any sinful act, you are guilty of inappropriate use of God's property and therefore a thief. Also, God demands access to your spirit in the place of prayer and meditating on His word. If you deny Him this, you are stealing from Him because He has claimed ownership of your spirit. If at the time you should be fellowshipping with God in your spirit, you are busy watching television or engaging in any other type of activity that does not connect your spirit to God, you are stealing your spirit away from God. In what ways have you stolen from God? Repent and restitute today.

Prayer Point

Father, in whatever ways I have stolen from You, I ask that You forgive me. I repent of these and ask for grace to glorify You with my body and spirit at all times.

Bible in one year

Leviticus 25:8-26:13;

1 Corinthians 14:26-15:11