Wednesday, July 15, 2020

DAY 197 (2020) - Pride brings plague, offerings stop plague! (Please click here for English podcast)



Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence
2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile
2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:


     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”



2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word, Time with Abba (Psalm 73:15-28,1 Chronicles 19:1-21:30; Romans 2:25-3:8; Proverbs 19:10-12)

     
      TWA Bible link: http://api.pastoralcareschool.org/twa/

     Today's main passage:

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”
But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.
But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.
Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”
The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”
13 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
14 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15 And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
17 David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”
18 Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord.
20 While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21 Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
22 David said to him, “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.”
1 Chronicles 21:1-22

    Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to him.    

    My Listening
    The topic I received today is: Pride brings plague, offerings stop plague!

    Today 1 Chronicles passage record why God used a plague which human could not control to punish David because of his pride and how did David take action to repent and God stopped the plague.
    1. Satan incited David to show forth his military power and his own glory not to give glory to God
    2. God used a plague to punish David to show him that God is the Lord and King, not David
    3. David built an altar to make offering to God in the place where the angel stood. He took action to repent showing to God and all people that he returned to God and worshipped God only
    4. God accepted David's offerings and stop the plague. David got a lesson and not to take pride in his own success and glory again

     Well, we do not know why and how come this pandemic develops to a stage that no one on earth can control. May be it is somewhat similar to David's situation, because of the pride of human beings, of nations! In the mean time, most churches have a financial crisis because members cut down their weekly offerings due to many reasons!

    What I received from Jesus today is a very important inspiration:
    1. Only God can stop this pandemic
    2. We as disciples of Christ need to be as close as we can to the Lord and praise Him as often as we can each day
    3. The place that the angel stood somewhat represent the place of God's presence and that is you home church. We need to make offerings beyond what we can afford to kick out Satan's cunning strategy to destroy your church's financial stability
    4. When you make offerings beyond what you can afford of your time and money, God will be with you and this pandemic cannot hurt you, your family and your church. And, may be because of a big revival worldwide, God will stop this pandemic!

    Do you believe in what I just said? If you do, you will be richly blessed and God will use you to bless your home church and beyond!

     Dear Lord Jesus,  
     Help us to make offerings of our time and money to our home church in the midst of this pandemic to demonstrate with our action that you are our Lord and King and as a plead for you to stop this plague. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.
       
     Reflect on these questions:
     1. What kind of inspiration have you received from today's message?
      
      2.  What is your next step?
    
           Family Corner:
     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 
     


   Please click "Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone" to receive more messages from Jesus to you and the fresh anointing from the Holy Spirit:

     

       To know, learn and practice this method of Time with Abba, please click this link: https://www.pastoralcareschool.org

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