Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Wednesday May 13
YOU CAN BE REPLACED!
Memorise:
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Revelation 3:11
Read: Esther 7:9-8:2
9 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.
2 And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
Message
It is great folly to contend with God. This is why I pity those societies that have become anti-God and are challenging His commandments. God spoke about such people in Isaiah 45:9, saying:
"Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?"
God can enthrone and dethrone at will. He does whatever pleases Him. You are blessed when God acts positively towards you, but if He decides to move against you, pray for His mercy. The Bible in Daniel 2:21 says:
"And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:"
It is a grievous experience when God decides to replace an individual. Haman the Agagite experienced this, and you can see the result in our Bible reading today. King Ahasuerus promoted Haman above all his fellow princes. However, he thought it was by his own making that the promotion came. Little did he know that promotion does not come from the east or west, but from the Almighty God alone (Psalm 75:6-7). So, he began to misuse his highly exalted position to victimise the people of God. He continued to misbehave along this line until the Almighty God who ordained his promotion decided not only to demote him, but also to replace him. I pray for you as a child of God, that whosoever is using his or her position to victimise you shall be replaced in Jesus' Name.
For God not to replace you, you must learn from those He has replaced. You can be replaced if you don't make the best of the position of authority you are given to serve God's people. Beware of divine replacement because it can affect your future generations. Eli was replaced, and his house lost the priesthood forever. God categorically said that although He was the One who said Eli's house would walk before Him as priests forever, He had changed His mind about this (1 Samuel 2:30). Please run away from whatever will make God replace you. If you have done such things, you must repent quickly before he removes your candlestick (Revelation 2:5).
Prayer Point:
Dear Holy Spirit, nudge my heart away from doing anything that will make the Father replace me in Jesus' Name.
Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:9 & Mark 8:1-21... Read after the cut:
1 Samuel 20:1-21:9;
1Sa 20:1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
1Sa 20:2 And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
1Sa 20:3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
1Sa 20:4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
1Sa 20:5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.
1Sa 20:6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
1Sa 20:7 If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.
1Sa 20:8 Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?
1Sa 20:9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?
1Sa 20:10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?
1Sa 20:11 And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.
1Sa 20:12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;
1Sa 20:13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
1Sa 20:14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:
1Sa 20:15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
1Sa 20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.
1Sa 20:17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
1Sa 20:18 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
1Sa 20:19 And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.
1Sa 20:20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.
1Sa 20:21 And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth.
1Sa 20:22 But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.
1Sa 20:23 And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.
1Sa 20:24 So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.
1Sa 20:25 And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.
1Sa 20:26 Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
1Sa 20:27 And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?
1Sa 20:28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:
1Sa 20:29 And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table.
1Sa 20:30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
1Sa 20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
1Sa 20:32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?
1Sa 20:33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.
1Sa 20:34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
1Sa 20:35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
1Sa 20:36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
1Sa 20:37 And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
1Sa 20:38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
1Sa 20:39 But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
1Sa 20:40 And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
1Sa 20:41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
1Sa 20:42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
1 Samuel 21:9;
1Sa 21:1 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
1Sa 21:2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
1Sa 21:3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
1Sa 21:4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
1Sa 21:5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
1Sa 21:6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
1Sa 21:7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
1Sa 21:8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.
1Sa 21:9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
Mark 8:1-21
Mar 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,
Mar 8:2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
Mar 8:3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
Mar 8:4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
Mar 8:5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Mar 8:6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
Mar 8:7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
Mar 8:8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
Mar 8:9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
Mar 8:10 And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
Mar 8:11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
Mar 8:12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
Mar 8:13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
Mar 8:14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
Mar 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
Mar 8:16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
Mar 8:17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?
Mar 8:18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
Mar 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
Mar 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
Mar 8:21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?
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