AUGUST 16, 2021 CAC LIVING WATER DEVOTIONAL : TOPIC – STANDING IN THE COUNSEL OF THE LORD.
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CAC LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE.
MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2021.
STANDING IN THE COUNSEL OF THE LORD.
Read Jeremiah 23:16-18
MEMORISE: For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, and has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? (Jeremiah 23:18).
EXPOSITION
The word of the Lord will be rare where there is no revelation will be lacking when those who are supposed to be mouthpieces for God fail to stand in the counsel of the Lord. To stand in the counsel of the Lord is to see and hear God’s Word. Also, it is to pay attention to His Word and listen to His voice. It is all about keeping daily appointment with God through personal Bible study and private prayer. This is popularly known as Quiet Time. When a minister of God with Him in His throne room (Psa. 82:1).
Moreover, no minister of God has any right to counsel others when he is not ready to hear and follow the counsel of the Lord (Jer. 23:22). The ministers of God fall into temptation of putting forth their own words as God’s Word, or stealing the words of others and presenting them as divine revelations, when they fail to stand in the counsel of the Lord (Jer. 23:28-32). You cannot give what you don’t rapport with. People of God are misled, if they listen and follow those leaders who have not first listened to God. We will be safe from many snare, if we can diligently follow the rule of listening only to those who have first listened to God (Jer. 14:14; 23:21; 27:15).
Messages from the so-called mouthpieces of God can be God-given or man-made. We should not just accept any message. Test the spirits behind it (I Jn. 4:1-3). First, does the message align with the Word and ways of God? Second, does it advance God’s kingdom? Third, does it stand the test of time? The bottom line here is that every Christian must develop the capacity to hear from God directly through keeping daily appointment with Him in personal Bible study and private prayer. Get matured.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Father, cause me to move closer to You more than ever before.
2. Father, help me to maintain my relationship with You on daily basis through the reading of the Bible and prayer.
3. Father, remove all the obstacles before all Your servants to create enough time to seek Your face everyday.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Psalms 37:1 – 39:1; Romans 8:23 – 9:5