OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE : SATURDAY 6TH JANUARY 2018
THEME : I SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED
Memorise:
I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. Psalms 119:31
Read : Isaiah 54:4-5
4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
Message
Shame is an undesirable experience of life. It is the outcome of disgrace, humiliation, reproach or degradation. It can simply be described as the loss of honour or respect as a result of wrongdoing or failure. The Bible reveals that shame has its origin in the fall of man in the Garden of Eden:
“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Genesis 3:7
When Adam and Eve engaged in gross disobedience to the commandment of God, the end result was shame. Shame is inevitable for whosoever will not give due regard to the commandments or instructions that come from the Lord. The devil delights in using the spirit of rebellion as a tool to knock people down from grace to grass. This was the case with King Saul. When he acted contrary to God’s clear instructions, the end result was the shame of rejection. God rejected him as king over His people Israel. 1 Samuel 15:26 says:
“And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.”
Are you experiencing any form of shame in your life? Has the devil succeeded in dragging you from grace to grass? I have good news for you today: No matter how terrible your past life has been, the Lord will wipe away your shame today in Jesus' Name. In today’s Bible reading , the Almighty God expressly gives you the assurance that beginning from now, your shame shall become history. To enforce the fulfilment of this prophetic message in your life, you must make a heartfelt cry for mercy through genuine repentance of those sins that have brought you shame. Proverbs 28:13
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Furthermore, you need to call upon the Lord like the Psalmist in today’s memory verse. What is that shame in your life right now? Is it the shame of sin, sickness, barrenness, or loneliness as a result of a broken home or ailing marriage? An end has come to it today; only believe! Be assured that the God who said you shall forget your shame is well able to do what He has said in His word. Indeed your shame shall become a thing of the past in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer point:
Father, remove my shame and cover my nakedness today in Jesus' Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 14-16 and Revelation 5:1-6:2
AUTHOR : Pastor E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 3: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SINS
- What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Chorus:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing this I see
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
For my pardon this my plea
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!Nothing can my sin erase
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Naught of works, 'tis all of grace
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!This is all my hope and peace
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
This is all my righteousness
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!