Dangerous desires

Friday 17 August                                Bible in on year : 2 Kings 11-14

Memorise: And he gave them their request ;but sent leanness into their soul. Psalms 106:15

Read: Numbers 11:31-35

Some believers are so much in a hurry that they cannot wait on God for anything. If God expects you to wait, then you have nothing else to do but wait. In fulfilling His promises, God expects you to wait on Him.The Christian race is a marathon where patience is a key component.God rewards the patient. He also rewards the impatient. When you are impatient with God concerning a blessing,by the time He gives you the blessing prematurely , it will either cause you shame for the rest of your life or may even kill you. Psalms 106:15 says God gave Israelite their requests but added leanness to their souls. Why? While in the wilderness, God gave them a mono-food product- manna but they soon got tired of it and began to lust for meat. At some point , in virtually all the families, after complaining so bitterly,they sat by the front door weeping because they did not have meat to eat. In a wilderness situation, you are under trial and therefore you are not the one to dictate what you will go through but God.In Matthew 4:1-11, our Lord Jesus Christ also went through a wilderness situation. In His case , He fasted throughout. But because the Isrealites wanted to dictate to God how they should undergo their trial, God gave them flesh. As they put it in their mouths , the Lord sent a plague which destroyed many of them.

Self-will is a destroyer. Many people have severely hurt themselves as a result of their personal desires. If you find it difficult to submit your tastes, desires and habits to God, you will continue to hurt yourself. Some sisters so pressed the Lord for a particular brother as a husband to the point that the same God who had said "No" eventually said "Yes". How such sisters would have rejoiced and bragged about their accomplishment , not knowing that they had just signed up for their own unhappiness. Sometimes when God gives you your heart desires contrary to His will, everything may appear right but your soul will be plagued with leanness. A lean soul is on its way to destruction. The voice of God is cut off from the fellow and he or she will walk about as one who does not know where he or she is going.Check your desires!

PRAYER POINT: Father, every request I make or desire i have ,that can bring your judgment up on me,please do not grant such request and take such desires away from my heart.
Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

MASTER YOUR DESIRES

MASTER YOUR DESIRES

Saturday 28 July                                 Bible in one year: 1 Kings 11-13

Memorise:All things are lawful unto me,but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me,but i will not be brought under the power of any.1 Corinthian 6:12

Read: 1 Corinthians 6:11-13

If God has blessed you with wealth and riches,be cautious so that your prosperity will not become your undoing.Solomon was so blessed he could afford most things that came his way,he went on an acquisition spree.He bought everything money could buy and acquired all his eyes liked. He found himself in a pit of self-indulgence.In Ecclesiastes 2:10 , he said

and whatsoever my eyes desire i have kept not from them, i withheld not my heart from any joy;for my heart rejoiced in all my labour:and this was the portion of all my labour.

He had lost control! His money was now pushing him in every direction. Has God blessed you?Praise God! But never let it get to a point where you are no longer led by the spirit but by the spirit of mammon.You should remain in control of what you have not the other way. To this end Paul says:

All things are lawful unto me,but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me,but i will not be brought under the power of any.1 Corinthian 6:12

You don’t have to buy something because you can afford it.There are many things you can buy off the shelf but you don”t because you do not need them. Abundance can kill and power with control corrupts.To distinguish themselves according to their class,rich men eat certain processed  foods which at the end give them special illness which the poor do not have.Many like power but they fail to realise that it is a two-edged sword. Keep your power under lock and Key! Deliberately refrain from over indulging yourself. If a water bed will take away your prayer life,don’t buy it or if you have bought it, get it out.If television programs will continue to tempt you, avoid the box. If a particular type of car or house will make you to become proud, do something about it.Never allow what was meant to serve you become your lord.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, help me to put my desires under the control of your Spirit in me.Thank you for the past conventions of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). I pray that this year’s convention will witness God special visitation,power and harvest of souls as never experienced.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye