OPEN HEAVENS Devotional – Friday January 22nd 2016
TOPIC: WALKING WITH GOD III
Memorize: He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who
hath not lifted upon his soul
unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:4
Read: Psalm 24:3-6,
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of
the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure
heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from
the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that
seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
Bible in one year: Deuteronomy 19:1-31:13, Job 8:20-9:12
MESSAGE
Walking with God requires living holy because God is
holy. According to the Scriptures, two can’t walk together if they do not
agree. When we live holy, we are in agreement with God. The Lord spoke with
Abram thus:
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord
appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me,
and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1
In our Bible reading for today, we are confronted with
some fundamental requirements for an acceptable walk with God. The first one is
clean hands. If your hands are defiled, you cannot walk with God. What is it
that defiles a man’s hands? Blood money is one; money that belongs to another
person or organisation but you have taken unlawfully is another. Also, your
hands are defiled by the unlawful touch of another man’s wife or another
woman’s husband.
“Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be
burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth
in to his neighbour ‘s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.” Proverbs
6:27-29
Moreover, only a man with a pure heart can effectively
and acceptably walk with God. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked,
but God is able to remove this wickedness. This is why everyone must surrender
his or her heart to God for spiritual surgery through genuine repentance. The
Scripture says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. If we
confess our sins to God, He is faithful to give us and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. God also promises:
“And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new
spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and I
will give them an heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep
mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their
God.” Ezekiel 11:19-20
Jesus Christ said that we cannot serve God and Mammon.
Also, the Bible enjoins us not to love the world and its vanities. Failure to
heed this scriptural injunction is lifting up our soul unto vanity. The love of
money can hinder our Christian walk with God. It makes Christians do such
things as swearing to false affidavits. May the Lord deliver you from anything
that works against your walk with God in Jesus’ name.
Action Point
Using 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18, pray that
God will enable you to shun anything that will hinder your walk with Him.
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