Open Heavens 7 September 2023 Thursday – The Works Of Grace II
MEMORISE: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you“. Ezekiel 36:25
READ: Isaiah 1:18 Open Heavens 7 September 2023
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Open Heavens 7 September 2023
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 41-43
MESSAGE: – Open Heavens 7 September 2023 Thursday Daily Devotional
We identified the first work of grace to be God’s call to man for salvation. Once a person heeds this call and surrenders all to God, He moves on to the next work of grace salvation. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:7 Salvation is the point at which God blots out all your sins of the past and gives you a clean slate to start with. Many people find it hard to believe that God can cleanse their sins completely, but that is the exact truth. It doesn’t matter how badly you have sinned, Jesus can make you a new creature in Him. That is why the salvation experience is referred to as being ‘born again’. The devil has no grounds to accuse you of any past sin.
When you become saved, the first thing you will notice is that you experience peace like a river. This is because sin is a weight on your heart. Matthew 11:28-30 says after Jesus draws you and you come to Him, if you decide to take His yoke on yourself, He will take your burden and then you will have rest. The burden He takes from you is the burden of sin. Once that burden is lifted, your soul will be at peace. This peace is difficult to describe but when you experience it, you will know. If you have never experienced it before, then you need Jesus to save you and cleanse you from all sins.
If you don’t have that peace anymore, you need to run back to your Saviour and rededicate your life to Him. The second thing that marks the salvation experience is joy the joy of the Lord. It will be impossible to hide this type of joy. The Monday after I gave my life to Christ, when I got to work, my Head of Department could practically see that I was radiating with joy.
He asked if I had attended a party during the weekend. I told him I hadn’t attended any party, but I got the invitation to a wedding where I am the bride and Jesus is the groom. Once your sins are cleansed, your soul begins to rejoice. Anyone who backslides always notices that the joy they used to feel is gone. That is why David said in Psalm 51:12 that God should restore unto him the joy of his salvation.
Prayer Point – Open Heavens 7 September 2023
Father, please wash me clean with Your blood.
Open Heavens 7 September 2023 Thursday Hymn
HYMN 2: – Amazing Grace
1 Amazing grace (how sweet the sound)
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.
2 ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!
3 Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come:
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.
4 The Lord has promised good to me,
his word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.
5 Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease:
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.
6 The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine;
but God, who called me here below,
will be forever mine.
Father, please take away the burden of sin, poverty, fear and sickness from me and my family in Jesus name. Amen