Monday 21 April 2014

“DISCERNMENT - HOW VITAL!” - 21/04/2014

“DISCERNMENT - HOW VITAL!” - 21/04/2014

Yesterday’s message was titled “CHRIST BEHIND YOU ”. Today’s message is titled “DISCERNMENT - HOW VITAL!” as provided by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise 1Corinthians 2:14: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. " Today's reading was taken from Acts 16:16-18 and the Bible reading in one year is Micah 5-7  and Psalm 87  (Adeboye, 2014). 

Quoted below is today's message for your input.

"One of the methods Satan and his agents use in deceiving people is the act of camouflage. The Holy Spirit has put us on notice concerning this in 2 Corinthians 1 1 :14-15: ”And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” From the time of the early church, the agents of darkness have sought to come into the church without being noticed, so that from within, they could carry out the mission of their master, which is to steal, to kill and to destroy. If they could attempt this in the earliest days of the church (as was the case of Simon the sorcerer - Acts 8:9-24), what should one expect in the end-times, when without doubt the devil knows that he has but a short time before his destruction (Revelation 12:12)?

By the nefarious activities of these nice looking, seemingly harmless, active and warmth-exuding evil geniuses, not a small number of promising ministries and ministers have been cut short. Some bright stars of the kingdom have been dimmed by the enemy's deep penetration into the centre of operation and into the life of the undiscerning leadership of the church. The world will say ”unsuspecting leadership” because they exist in the realm of the senses where suspicion is used in fishing out ”suspects”. In the kingdom of God however, we should not think that mere suspicions would enable us to identify fake brethren who are working as agents of darkness. This is tantamount to operating by the arm of flesh (1 Samuel 2:9). We are bound to make mistakes if we rely on our sensory observations rather than on the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in discernment. In our Bible reading of today, a young lady had been following Paul and his team for several days, announcing them to be servants of the Most High God. No human intelligence would have identified her as a devil (which she truly was); in fact, she would have been considered a potential minister (a prophetess) whom Paul (a missionary) could entrust the leadership of the church to at his departure. Thank God that was not to be. I guess Paul by himself did not know who she really was until the day the gift of discernment of the Holy Spirit manifested."

The action point for today is to Pray that God will make his ministers recognise the need for the gift of discernment to be in   operation in our churches and that God will graciously pour this gift on His church.

I apologise for the inability to post yesterday's message due to unexpected shortage of internet plan which I couldn't sort out immediately because of the long weekend

Thank you and God bless you for your contribution. Wishing you a happy Easter and I pray that Jesus Christ, the Reason for the season will shower you with His gifts as you desire it today, amen.

Reference:
Adeboye, E. A. (2014) Open Heavens: A Guide to Close Fellowship with God, Volume 14, 2014. Nigeria: Open Heavens Media Limited.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you yetunde, but you can still send yesterday's message becausei still need it.

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    1. I've already updated it. God bless you.

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  2. Thanks so much my sister, may the glory of the Lord God abide with you forever His words will not depart your life and mine and the reason why we are all doing His will following His way will never be in vain in Jesus name. amen

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  3. God Bless you for this great work The Lord is using you for.

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  4. Thanks a lot sister. The Lord continue to uphold you in Jesus name

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