OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-TUESDAY-02/02/2016-INTIMIDATED
-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
INTIMIDATED?
Memorise
Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
Lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour 1st
Peter 5:8
Read
1st Kings 19:1-4
And Ahab told
Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets
with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah,
saying, so let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the
life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for
his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his
servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the
wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for
himself that he might die; and said, it is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not
better than my fathers.
KJV
MESSAGE
Discouragement is usually defined as a lack
of courage, a state of mind which is marked by fear of failure and loss of
hope. Discouragement is one of the powerful weapons commonly used by the devil
to keep children of God from fulfilling their purpose. Satan used it against
the Israelites to prevent them from entering Canaan because they were
intimidated by the circumstances surrounding conquering the Canaanites; the
Canaanite cities were very large, well-fortified, and seemingly un-defeat-able.
These caused the heart of the Israelites to melt within them to the extent that
they lost faith in the Word of God, and could not act on the promises of God.
Discouragement is failure to live by faith
because it usually leads to doubt, and an inability to view circumstances
around us from a divine perspective. Discouragement is therefore a sinful state
of mind that is unable to adjust to disappointments and unfavourable
circumstances in line with the Word of God and His promises. It is important to
note that discouragement is a powerful weapon of intimidation in the hands of
the devil. It usually comes whenever a person has an important objective to
achieve. For example, Israel had an objective given to them by God; the walls
of Jerusalem were to be rebuilt. As the people embarked on the project with
vigour and determination, they were faced with opposition from enemies and even
fellow Jews. The situations become intimidating to the point of demoralisation
as recorded in Nehemiah 4:10-23. At a point, some of the workers became
discouraged while the wall was yet half finished, then the opposition
intensified their attack using fear and intimidation as the chief weapon. All
these were masterminded by the devil to make it impossible for the Jews to
rebuild the wall of Jerusalem at that time. 1st Peter 5:8-9 says, The Bible
admonishes us to be sober, vigilant, and watchful, always ready to resist and
confront anyone that may want to weaken our hands from doing whatever
assignment the Lord has committed to us.
By the grace of God, the success story of
the Redeemed Christian Church of God is being told all over the world today,
but when we first started, the steps that God used to bring in the results that
are being celebrated were terribly criticised both within and outside the
Church. I decree that all oppositions to your success and breakthrough
will be silenced today in Jesus’ name.
Prayer point
Father, don’t let me ever fall for
discouragement from satanic intimidation.
Bible in one year
Matthew 21:28-23:39, Job 14:18-15:6
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