WHEN YOU NEED HELP: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 28TH NOVEMBER 2018

MEMORISE:
And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: Deuteronomy 26:7

READ: Deuteronomy 26:6-9

6 And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

7 And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

8 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

9 And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

MESSAGE

Without question, every man or woman born into this world needs help at one point or the other. Knowing what to do when the need for help arises is a factor that differentiates victors from defeated people. A fellow ends up being defeated and frustrated simply because he or she could not access the help needed to overcome the challenges of life at the appropriate time. 

I pray that help will come to you speedily this season in Jesus' Name. Another factor that causes defeat is that some people don't even know when they need help. This is a serious situation. They move in circles on the same spot, thinking that they are making progress. You need to continually examine whether you need help so that you don't end up wasting precious time struggling alone. 

The great work the Lord committed into my hands as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God has taught me this vital lesson. When I became the General Overseer, I suddenly realised that I could not do the work by my strength and resources alone. So, the first thing I did was to make the original Owner of the work, the Holy Trinity, my Senior Partner and Ally. 

The next thing I did was to raise ministry helpers so that the work could be done as quickly as possible. If God is ministering to you to be a ministry helper, don't hesitate to obey Him.

Another thing you need to do when you suddenly realise that you need help is to know where the help will come from. In today's Bible reading, while under affliction and oppression, the Israelites correctly identified the LORD God of their fathers as the sure source of their help. After you have identified the unfailing source of help, the next thing you must do to secure your needed help is to connect yourself to that source and abide by the principles of that source. 

For example, if you have identify God as your surest Source of help, Deuteronomy 28:1-14 should be your guidng principle. You should not allow anything to derail you - not even the world with its technological advancements and 'modern' way of doing things, because many civilizations have come and gone, but God and His principles remain unchanged (Hebrews 13:8). In John 15:4, Jesus Christ told His disciples:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

Moreover, you must look up to God in prayer for the fulfilment of His promises like Daniel did in Daniel 9:1-3. When you do this, you, you can be sure that the testimony in Psalm 34:5 will become a reality in your life. It says:

“They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.”

ACTION POINT:
Go to God in prayer, asking for His help in whatever area you need help. Do not hesitate to reach out to those God ministers to your heart as channels of help to meet your needs.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 33, John 4:31-54

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 11: O GOD, OUR HELP IN AGES PAST

1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

2. Under the shadow of Thy throne,
Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure

3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same

4. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

5. Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away:
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

6. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.