OVERCOMING MOUNTAINS: OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL, 11TH APRIL, 2018

THEME: OVERCOMING MOUNTAINS

MEMORISE:
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Zechariah 4:7

READ: Matthew 21:19-22
19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

MESSAGE:

There are several ways of dealing with mountains, and today we will be considering seven of these. The first option we will consult is to turn back. You can say that because a mountain is blocking your way to success, you will no longer move forward. This was the negative attitude of the children of Israel in Numbers 14:1-4. The second way is to walk around the mountain, thereby wasting time and effort. For those who are born of God, going round a mountain is not an option.

Our Father's desire for us is to always move forward, in spite of what lies ahead of us. This is why he commanded Moses to charge the children of Israel to move forward, in spite of the Red Sea in front of them (Exodus 14:15). You will move forward today in Jesus' Name. The third way of dealing with mountains is to climb them. This may require a lot of effort but it is still better than going round in circles, and it is far better than going back. The fourth way you can deal with a mountain is to bore through the mountain or dig a tunnel through it.

When Moses lifted up his hands before the Red Sea, God caused the east wind to blow all through the night, and this created a way in the sea for the children of Israel to pass through (Exodus 14:21). Just as the east wind blew to create a road for the children of Israel through the sea, creating a tunnel through a mountain will require the assistance of the Holy Spirit. The fifth way to deal with a mountain is to blast it out of the way.

 In Joshua 6:20, when the children of Israel came face-to-face with the wall of Jericho, the Lord instructed them to shout. They did, and not did the wall fall, it was shattered and reduced to nothing. Indeed, God sent dynamite from heaven to blast the whole wall down. The sixth way we can deal with mountains is to relocate them. In Mark 11:22-23, the Lord says that if you have faith in God, you can command a mountain to change its position or get out of your way, and it will obey you.

The seventh way of dealing with mountains is to fly over them. In this scenario, although the mountain is still there, you Don want to turn back, neither do you want to walk around it, struggle to climb it or dig through it. Maybe you don't want to blast it because you want to use it as a reference point in future, and you don't even want to bother relocating it; all you want to do is to fly over it.

According to Isaiah 40:31, the condition you need to fulfil for you to experience this great feat is to wait upon the Lord. Are you ready to wait upon the Lord? The good news is that this is the easiest way for you to deal with mountains, and it is at your disposal if only you can wait upon the Lord.

ACTION POINT:
To deal with any mountain before you, consider the seven ways of dealing with mountains we have discussed; chose an effective method from them and do what is required of you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 18-19, 2 Thessalonians 1-2.

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE

1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.

4. When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Saviour, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!