Memorise: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 2nd Timothy 4:7
Read: Genesis 14:14-24 KJV
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
Bible in one year:
1st Chronicles 18-20,
Acts 20:1-16,
Hymnal:
Sing hymn 16
Message:
Is it possible to be meek and militant at the same time? To be meek is to do what other people want without imposing your own opinion. It is having the power to act but refusing to use it to oppress others.
Being militant on the other hand means to use force or pressure to achieve your goals. How is it possible for a Christian to be meek and militant at the same time?
Our Lord, as part of the Sermon on the Mount, clearly taught us that it is a blessed thing to be meek (Matthew 5:5). In his letter to the Galatians, Apostle Paul also declared that meekness is a part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated meekness when He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Hear what He said in Matthew 26:53-54, when He was about to be arrested:
“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angles? But how often shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”
This same Jesus tells us that there are times when we need to be violent. In Matthew 11:12, He said:
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Paul further expounded on this truth, telling us the reason why we are in battle and providing the guidelines for how to shield and prepare ourselves for this violent warfare. In Ephesians 6:12, He wrote:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The beautiful swan which vigorously paddles away under the water to stay afloat is viewed as one of the most graceful animals on water because it appears calm on the surface. Our Christian life needs to emulate the posture of the swan. In the spirit realm, we need to display all the militancy that is needed to secure us a place in heaven and push the agenda of the kingdom of our God on earth. At the same time, in the physical realm, the fruit of the Spirit – meekness – must be visible in our lives.
Key point
You cannot keep the faith without giving the devil a fight.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons 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.
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