Topic: Instant Obedience [Tuesday 6, June 2017]
Memorise: Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, – Titus 3:1
Read: Acts 8:26-38 (KJV)
26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Bible in One Year: Joshua 6-7, Jeremiah 43:8-44:10, Hymn: Sing hymn 14
MESSAGE:
Philip was a man of good report and full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3-5). Beyond this, he was also a man of instant obedience. In today’s Bible reading, just after concluding an extremely successful crusade in Samaria, the word of the Lord came to him saying, “Philip, leave this city and go to the desert,” What was his response? “Yes, Lord!”, and off he went. He did not even ask what he was going to do there. He did not ask what was going to happen to his converts in the city; he just moved. When he got to the desert, he saw a man in a chariot and the Holy Spirit spoke again: “Get into to that chariot.” Without hesitating, he said, “Yes Lord”, and he complied. He was indeed a man of instant obedience! Once he received an instruction and recognised the voice as that of the Holy Spirit, he immediately swung into action. How soon do you comply with divine directives? Some people hear God and they pretend it is not God speaking. When it comes to giving away something precious or something of great sacrifice: a treasured car, a mansion, large sums of money or a choice piece of land in a prime area, some people begin to pretend it is the devil speaking to them. They would begin to rebuke Satan where Satan is not even present.
Do you have this character of instant obedience? When some people receive an instruction from God, they will say they want to pray about it. Are you praying about it so that God will change His mind? Some will say they want some time to think about it. Some others will say, “Lord, I have heard You, but let me first discuss it with my spouse.” How fast do you respond to divine instructions? In the early days when I was a worker in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, being in possession of a car was a big challenge. Why? You could get to the headquarters of the church of Ebute-Metta, Lagos, in the morning, and after being greeted, you would be told, “Brother, please go to Ondo State (about 5 hours drive away) and pray with a particular brother who is sick.” Getting to Ondo, you may be told, “Sorry, he moved to his home town over the weekend”, and you would have to go there and trace his location. Nobody would give you money for fuel. When you got to church in the morning, you could not say when you would get back home. All you were expected to say is, “Yes Sir”. God is looking for those who can say “Yes Lord”, and He will use them for signs and wonders. If you can obey God promptly, you will go very far with Him.
Prayer Point: Father, give me grace for instant obedience.
Open Heavens 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.
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