ANY PRICKS? – Monday March 20th 2017
Memorise: Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 1st Timothy 4:2
9 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost
1st Timothy 1:16-20
16 Howbeit
for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might
shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should
hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
18 This
charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies
which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good
warfare;
19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Bible in one year: Exodus 17-19, Isaiah 65:1-12, Hymn: Sing hymn 7
MESSAGE:
“Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 2:38
For anyone who wants to partake of salvation from sins, Satan and the world, God requires genuine, heartfelt repentance. In Acts 2:37,
after preaching to multitudes, they asked Peter, “What shall we do?” He
simply replied, “Repent and be water-baptized, and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit.” From this response, we understand that the
Spirit of life Himself is a gift, and that if you will have Him, you
must start from place of repentance. If you want to experience the move
of the Spirit in your life, begin with repentance. Repentance is the
foundation stone on which faith in Christ is built. Anyone who claims to
be a servant of God but who did not start from the place of repentance
is only engaging in self deception. Examine yourself today. Are you
saved? Have you truly repented?
After
you have successful laid the foundation of repentance, your conscience
will be purged by the Blood of Jesus and made to come alive through the
prompting of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14, Romans 9:1);
to the extent that if you as much as tell a lie, you won’t get away
with it. You will remain troubled until you confess and restitute the
lie. If you are never under the pressure of the Holy Spirit to make
right your wrong deeds, you can be sure that something is wrong with
your foundation. Many years ago, while travelling to Lagos from Ilasha
(South-West, Nigeria), I forgot to buy a gift for my father in the Lord.
By the time I got to Surulere, Lagos, I realised this oversight and so I
bought some oranges to give to him from there. As Papa peeled and
sucked the oranges, he said, “These oranges are sweet. You must have
bought them on the way.” “Yes sir”, I replied. The Holy Spirit said to
me, “You just lied.” My response to this was “How did I lie? Roadside is
roadside, whether at Surulere or between Ilesha and Lagos.”
The Spirit
then said, “You know his question meant whether you bought them on your
way from Ilesha to Lagos.” I replied, “Does it matter? Does this affect
the sweetness of the oranges?” The Spirit insisted, “You have lied.” So I
turned to my father in the Lord and told him I bought the oranges at
Surulere, Lagos and not on my way from Ilesha, and Papa exclaimed, “Holy
Spirit!” He knew the Spirit was dealing with me. Does this same Holy
Spirit deal with you when you lie or sin? If your conscience is not
responding to the pricks of the Holy Spirit, it means you have strayed
from Him.
Prayer Point
Father, quicken every part of my conscience that has been seared by persistent disobedience.
Open Heaven Daily Devotional, 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.
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