Topic: Who Is Behind This Roadblock? [Thursday 22, June 2017]
Memorise: Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. – Psalm 26:2
Read: Numbers 22:22-31 (KJV)
22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
Bible in One Year: Judges 15-16, Jeremiah 51:27-44, Hymn: Sing hymn 4
MESSAGE:
“Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.” – Psalm 68:1
The above scripture is one of those very popular passages in the Psalms. When a baby Christian hears it, he will say “Amen!” Some adult Christians have even turned it into a song. A mature believer in Christ, I mean a real bone-cracker, will however react differently. When he or she hears this passage being quoted, the first thing he or she will do is to carry out a brief self-examination and introspectively ask: “I hope I am not one of these enemies?” In other words, he is not in a hurry to say amen. In 2 Samuel 12:1-7, after Prophet Nathan told King David the story of an oppressive act committed in his kingdom, the king rose up in fury and decreed, “That fellow must die.” Then the prophet replied, “You are the man, O king.” Be very careful how you judge others because Matthew 7:2 says,
“For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
If only some people were merciful while judging others, they too would have been shown mercy when they were going through their own judgement.
Beloved, before you cry to God to arise and let His enemies be scattered, first find out if you are not that enemy. Have you even tried to find out whether God is the one fighting you? In today’s Bible reading, God had told Prophet Balaam not to go and curse His people. Nevertheless, when Balak invited him to curse the children of Israel and promised him a lot of money, he disobeyed God. God therefore sent an angel to block his way. The donkey he rode on saw the angel and stopped, but because his own eyes were blinded by covetousness, he could not see the angel. What will you do if you find yourself in this scenario? You perceive something is blocking your way but you do not know what exactly it is, and you say, “You demon standing between me and my destiny, move!” You get a response saying, “I am not a demon but an angel.” You then insist and say, “No problem, whatever you are, move out of my way!” He then asks, “In whose name?” You say “In the Name of Jesus Christ”, and the response is, “Oh, He is the One who asked me to block your way!” What would you do? Today, many people are busy fighting non-existent forces of darkness that they believe are blocking their way. Go back to God and find out who is really blocking your way in order to pray correctly.
Key Point: Many children of God are doing God’s work their own way and refusing to do it God’s way. God is therefore grinding them to a halt!
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.
