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OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-THE QUALIFIED - 7/4/2014



Yesterday’s message was titled “THE REALITY OF FAITH ”. Today’s message is titled “THE QUALIFIED” as provided by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in Open Heavens Devotional (Adeboye, 2014). In today’s message, we have been asked to memorise 

2 Corinthians 3:5: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God"  and read Philippians 3:5-9. 

The Bible in one year for today has been taken from Daniel 1-2 and Psalm 78:1-8 (Adeboye, 2014).

Quoted below is  today's message for our usual discussion
"Any genuine child of God would want to be used by God for great things. God's decision to use a person, or how far He would go in using an individual, rests on several factors, of which self-inadequacy is prominent. We need to realise straightaway that there is no adequacy anywhere apart from God. Many passages of scripture attest to this. He is the one that owns power (Psalm 62:11), and power according to scientists is the ability to do work. This has to do with adequacy. What about wisdom? He is the Source and the Giver (Colossians 2:2-3, James 1:5). How about strength? Isaiah 40:29-31 says that He gives strength and might. In light of these therefore, no man ought to think of himself as adequate. Whether it is knowledge, strength, power, wisdom, connections etc, none of these can qualify a person as adequate before God for divine choice. As a matter of fact, relying on your natural abilities before God amounts to pride.When God called Moses to go for Him to set the Israelites free from the bondage of Egypt, the reply Moses gave was: ”Who am I?” This shows a sense of inadequacy. He was saying: ”Are you sure you are not picking the wrong person?” Beloved, until a man empties himself of all that he is, God cannot use him. Only empty vessels can be filled (2 Kings 4:3-4). Many of God's people are still full of themselves or of something else apart from God's resources. This is why God is not using them optimally. You need to take a look at yourself; maybe you are also still full of yourself. Maybe you think you can get the job done by your education, oratory prowess, human connections, charisma etc. This is not the way of God. God in reply said to Moses, ”Moses you are right, you are forgotten at the backside of the desert, you are nothing, but that is why I AM picking you”. Beloved, if you go through scripture, you will discover that those used of God were those who either were nothing or those who reduced themselves to nothing. If at any time He picked anyone who seemed to be ”something”, such persons had to empty themselves of what they were - Saul of Tarsus for instance (Philippians 3:8). If you are chosen by God while you are nothing, all you need is His presence. His assurance to you is this: ”My presence will be with you”.That is all you need."
Today's prayer point is "Father, I empty myself of all my pride and personal acclaim, fill me up and use me for your glory."


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