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Open Heaven 7 November 2023 Topic: Beware Of Pride I
Memory Verse: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
Bible Reading: 1 Kings 19:13-18 (WEB)
13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
15 Yahweh said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
16 Anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place.
17 He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
18 Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.”
Also see; open-heaven-6-november-2023
Today’s Open Heaven 7 November 2023
In our Bible reading for today, you will see that God I’ told Elijah to anoint three people to replace him.
This is because you can see pride in Elijah’s response when he says, “And I, even I only, am left…”.
There is only one “I AM” and that is God Himself (Exodus 3:14). This is why, when Jesus Christ called Himself ‘I AM’ in John 8:58-59, the Jews were furious that He compared Himself to God.
Of course, at that time, they did not know about John 1:1 and 14, which says Jesus is God who became flesh and dwelt amongst us.
The name I AM must be reserved for God and God alone. When you search the Scriptures, you would discover that the words ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’, ‘mine’ are the languages of pride.
That was the language of Satan in Isaiah 14:12-15. When you find someone always saying ‘I’, ‘my’, you know you are most likely dealing with a proud fellow.
Beware of this because the higher you go, the greater the risk of you saying ‘I’, ‘my’, ‘me’ all the time.
We see an example in the strong and anointed man of God called Samson. In Judges 15:14-16, where the power of God came upon him and he killed thousands of soldiers with a jaw bone, he said,
“With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men’: There was no, “Thank You, Lord” to the One who sent down the power; it was all about himself.
Even when God had clearly restored his strength in Judges 16:25-28, when the enemies had caught him and plucked out his eyes and he wanted to pray just one more prayer before dying,
what did he say? And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, 0 Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me,
I pray thee, only this once, 0 God, that 1 may be at once avenged
of the Philistines for my two eyes. Judges 16:28 It was about him all the way.
That is why, as strong and anointed as he was, he fell so low that he ended up blind and grinding corn for his enemies before dying with them.
Also see; open-heaven-1-november-2023
Today’s Open Heaven 7 November 2023
Points: Beware of pride because it can make you fall so low that your enemies would begin to rejoice over you.
Hymn: Amazing Grace
Bible in one year: John 13, John 14, John 15
