Topic: Find out the Cause [Tuesday 24, January 2017]
Memorise: For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. – 1 Corinthians 11: 29.
Read: 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 (KJV)
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
Bible in One Year: Luke 1, Isaiah 21:1-22:4
MESSAGE:
Sin has wages for anyone who partakes in it (Romans 6:23). The word of God is so true about this. Do you know that the occurrence of most sicknesses and diseases can be traced to the problem of sin? As a child of God, if you find yourself sick at anytime, it is proper to first check yourself and be sure that sin is not secretly doing its dirty work on you. There are times when I have prayed from my heart for the sick and some of them either remained sick or even died. At such times, I returned to God to ask what could be wrong. “Lord”, I would ask, “What is happening? I have done what you asked me to do. You said these signs shall follow the believers, and that if I lay my hands on the sick they shall recover; why is it that these ones have failed to recover?” The response I often got was “Son, you don’t know the full story.” In other words, sin was secretly at play in some of those cases.
Several years ago, I was invited to pray for a certain chief in Ogun State, Nigeria, who was sick. When I got there, I asked him if he was a Christian, and he responded in the affirmative. “Are you born-again?” “Yes, I am a child of God” was his reply. Then I assured him that he was going to get well. I prayed, but nothing happened. I sent two of my prayer warriors under strict conditions to pray and fast for seven days interceding for this man, but nothing happened. Thereafter, I myself decided to go on a 21-day fast for him, but that night, the Lord told me it was good to fast, but not for this chief, because he was not going to be healed. “Lord”, I protested, “He told me he is a believer.” The Lord told me to ask him seven simple questions that every born-again Christian would find easy to answer. When I did, he realised that certain events that were shrouded in secrecy were out. I asked him if he had repented of a particular incident over which he had a case in court. He had drowned the boat of some witnesses who were on their way to testify against him in court. To keep this secret ever got out, he had poisoned the fellow who drowned the boat for him. if the secret ever got out, he would have lost the court case. Instead of repenting of these grievous sins, he simply warned me not to visit his house again. Are you sick? Is that sickness caused by a hidden sin you haven’t confessed? There is a particular user of this devotional who has been battling with one sickness or the other. If you can trace it carefully, you will realise it started when you began to steal money from your church. Repent and restitute your ways, and you will be healed.
Prayer Point: Father, have mercy on all my unsaved family members; save them and heal all of their sicknesses.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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