Open Heaven 7 November 2019 – Shaken But Unmoved

Open Heaven 7 November 2019 Daily Devotional By Pastor E.A Adeboye – Shaken But Unmoved

TOPIC: Shaken But Unmoved

MEMORISE:
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and said the Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” – (John 1:29)

READ: Matthew 11:1-11 (KJV)
1. And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

2. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

3. And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

4. Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see;

5. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

6. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

7. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

8. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

9. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

10. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

11. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist; notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Esther 1-3, Hosea 11

MESSAGE:
In our walk with God, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are mere mortals saved and empowered by grace. Those who arrogate the power and capabilities of God to themselves end up being disappointed when faced with the reality of their own limitation and inadequacies. Such people find it hard to forgive themselves when they make mistakes, and this is a dangerous place to be in.

Those who remain down after falling from grace are, more often than not, those who can’t forgive themselves for the errors they made. We must always remember that we need Jesus as our all in all. He himself said that we can do nothing without him (John 15:5).

Open Heaven 7 November 2019 – Shaken But Unmoved

As we go through life, things will happen that might shake our faith, but what is important is that our faith remains unmoved. Some of those who have gone ahead of us also had their faith shaken, but it is because they remained unmoved that we celebrate them as heroes of faith today. One of such persons was John the Baptist.

In today’s memory verse, John the Baptist confidently announced the arrival of the Lamb of God, the Messiah, who would take away the sins of humanity; thus bringing an end to four hundred years of silence in the prophetic realm in Israel. He clearly knew who he was and what he was talking about.

Many of those who heard his declaration about Jesus Christ believed him and followed Jesus, including some of his own disciples (John 1:35-42). However, in today’s Bible reading, we see a sobering turn of event in his life. This same John the Baptist was asking if Jesus was the Messiah! Prior to this, he had been cast into prison, and faced the risk of being executed. While in prison, he heard of the mighty works Jesus was doing, which pointed to the fact that was as the long-awaited deliverer of Israel. He therefore expected that Jesus would use His Messianic authority to free him, more so as he was His forerunner.

However, for reason best known to Him, Jesus did not do this, his kingdom not being of this world (John 18:36). Discouraged and perplexed, John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus whether He really was the Messiah, for Israel’s Saviour would surely not have allowed him remain incarcerated for speaking the truth! John’s faith in Jesus was indeed badly shaken.

Nevertheless, knowing what it is to be human, Jesus did not rebuke John; rather, He answered his questions in a way John would understand as a prophet. This steadied his faith to the very end, even as he was beheaded. Is your faith in Christ being shaken? I pray that God will uphold you as you go through that trial of faith today, in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINT:
Father, please uphold me with Your right hand of righteousness, and let the trial of my faith produce praise, honour and glory in me at the appearing of my Lord.

HYMNAL: Hymn 8 – My faith looks up to Thee

1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire;
As Thou hast died for me,
O may my love to Thee
Pure, warm and changeless be
A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And grief around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.

4. When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Saviour, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul.

Read Yesterday’s Devotional

Open Heaven 7 November 2019 Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.