March 24, 2020 Open Heaven Devotional :- Sheep Or Goat?
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Open Heavens Devotional 2020 By pastor E A Adeboye
DATE: Tue, Mar 24, 2020
TOPIC: Sheep Or Goat?
MEMORISE:
“Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.” – (Psalm 119:4)
READ: Matthew 6:31-34 (KJV)
31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek;) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
MESSAGE : Jesus is the Shepherd of sheep, not goats. John 10:27 says:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
The sheep is totally dependent on the shepherd while the goat is stubborn and disobedient. No matter how anointed you are, if you are disobeying or ignoring God in any way, you are behaving like a goat.
Jesus Christ said His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. Did you see any part of that passage that talked about the sheep asking questions? No. When Jesus gives an instruction, His sheep obey immediately. They trust Him and know that He will not mislead them.
Has God been telling you to reach out to certain people for so long but you are stalling? Has He been asking you to write a book, but you are wondering if people will buy it? Has He been nudging you to sow something into His work, but you are wondering how you will cope after sowing the seed? Obey today. It is a dangerous thing for God to stop asking or nudging you to do something, because it means He has found someone else. Act fast before He gets a replacement for you.
Many times, His instructions don’t make logical sense, but that is exactly what a miracle is – something that is logically impossible. A long time ago, God asked me to tell the Pastors in The Redeemed Christian Church of God not to contribute for feeding during the annual convention anymore; that He would use me to feed the people. I was afraid, so I ignored the instruction until He said “You are about to lose a miracle”. I quickly announced it, though my plan was to sell the two cars we owned back then to pay for the feeding. I had decided that, once the provision ran out in the middle of the Convention, I would simply announce that the programme was over, assure everyone that, they had received their miracles and could go home. What little faith I had! It’s been over twenty years now and l have not had to sell any car to feed the people during our programmes.
KEY POINT:
When God instructs, His sheep obey immediately and completely.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Joshua 9-11
HYMNAL:
Hymn 30 – When we walk with the Lord
1. When we walk with the Lord,
In the light of His word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
CHORUS:
Trust and obey!
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt nor a fear,
Not a sigh nor a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief nor a loss,
Nor a frown nor a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favour He shows
And the joy He bestows
Are for them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way,
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.