OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE : Friday 24 October 2014

THEME : TURNING WEAKNESSES INTO BLESSINGS

Memorise:
And said unto him, hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Matthew 21:16

Read: Exodus 4:10–12
10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.


BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 KINGS 7:1-8:21 and PROVERBS 16:6-19

Message
Our God is a God of miracles. He moves in mysterious ways and He still calls people to His side today. Many people have the call of God on their life but do not know. Some people believe they are too weak to be used of God, while some others, who are already in a position of service, are facing frustration or even failure. God is not the author of confusion. He calls His own into blessings and glory. There are times in the service of God when we have to move, and there are other times when we have to wait patiently for His move. Proverbs 3:5 says:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Are you weak and confused? Trust in the Lord. God has not forgotten the weak. When God calls a person to His service, He doesn’t chose Him on the basis of how clever, talented or educated he is (1 Corinthians 1:26). God had to strip Paul of all his pride vis-à-vis his qualifications, status and achievements before sending him to the ignorant and outcast people called Gentiles (Philippians 3:. Paradoxically, God used the ignorant and unlearned Peter in proclaiming the Good News to the elite Jews of the Roman Empire (Acts 2:5&14). The good news about weaknesses is that, the Holy Spirit is available to qualify for God’s service, the weak who puts his or her trust in the Lord.

To turn weakness to strength, you should be meek and humble. This does not imply that you should give in to a sense of inferiority complex, self-pity, self-hatred or self-consciousness (2 Corinthians 12:10). Weaknesses and inadequacies can become blessings if they press us to depend on Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9). Another step to turning your weaknesses to strength is to exchange your strength for His strength. To do this, you must acknowledge your weaknesses, limitations and great need for God. You must also present yourself as a living sacrifice to Him (Romans 12:1). Learn to wait on God (Isaiah 40:31). Patiently wait for His time. Ensure that you do not take any major decisions or major actions until He shows you that it is time to act (Luke 24:49). Don’t get ahead of God, neither should you lag behind Him. Wait patiently on Him in prayer and fasting (Psalm 69:6). Spend quality time each day to read the Bible and to pray. Finally, you should develop a strong devotional habit and expect opposition and trials. You should know that when you try to go deeper and higher with God, the world, your human nature and demonic principalities will oppose you.

Key Point:
When you wait patiently on the Lord, He purges the dross of sin and flesh away from you and His power begins to work in you and through you, with supernatural results.

AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

more grace I pray