OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL For Saturday 26 April 2014 - "MORE RICHES, MORE PRAYER" BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
Memory Verse:
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
Psalm 62:10
Psalm 62:10
Read: Genesis 13:14-18
14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : ZECHARIAH 11 - 14 and PSALM 90:1-6
Message
Every new promise from God calls for a new level of prayers. Promises yet to be fulfilled also call for perseverance in prayer. Abraham’s life reveals a secret and a law that guides the retention of wealth and the creation of more wealth. Rich people face many challenges in life.
The greater your riches, the bigger your challenges will be and consequently, the greater your need to pray. As Abraham continued in prayers, he prospered greatly and the land became too small to accommodate him and Lot (Genesis 13:4-6).
Abraham was now faced with the challenge of wealth management with his nephew whom he raised. Was Abraham going to allow this challenge lead to war between him and his nephew? He knew the God of peace would not justify that, so he wisely handled the situation and peacefully parted ways with Lot.
Some people don’t have problems with their neighbours until their businesses begin to grow. If you don’t know how to wisely handle the expansion of wealth, it could lead to the loss of everything you have. God is the source of pure wisdom, and the means of getting it is prayer.
Lack of wisdom in handling riches is the beginning of poverty. Ask those who used to be rich how they relapsed into poverty. They will tell you that if they had been wise, their situation would not have changed negatively.
As your riches increase, you need a commensurate increase in wisdom from God to manage and use it as He wants (Proverbs 24:6). God teaches the wisdom of generous giving, tithing, offerings, doing good, sharing with others and investing in kingdom projects so as to lay up our treasures in Heaven. Wealthy people who are godly know how to function as kingdom treasurers. Being an effective kingdom treasurer is the key to ever increasing prosperity.
When you manage the expansion of wealth wisely, the challenges you face in life will always be easily overcome. In order to cope with the challenges that follow increased riches, the more God blesses you, the more you have to pray.
Abraham increased in riches, got more promises from God and yet he managed to keep his prayer altar intact (Genesis 13:18). What a wise man he was! He did not allow the riches to take over his heart. Prayer is very necessary to keep the heart focused on God.
Riches demand the attention of the heart, but the prayerful rich man or woman cannot set his or her heart on them. Prayer will continually set your heart on God as your riches increase. You have the responsibility to pray and keep praying.
Prayer point
Father, let not riches take my focus away from you. As you give me breakthroughs in life, grant me grace to keep my prayer altar intact.
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