POWER WITHOUT CONTROL?- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Deut 1-3
POWER WITHOUT CONTROL? Thursday, April 1, 2010
MEMORIZE: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Pro. 16:32) READ: 1 Cor. 14:29-33 For God to use you, every element of laziness, shoddiness, procrastination must be purged out of your life. God selects those He uses. He has no place for lazy bones. Is God already using you? Praise God! But if you still frolic with laziness, you could peg the extent to which He can use you. May the Lord fulfill His total plan for your life in Jesus’ Name.  Hebrews 12:29 says our God is a Consuming Fire. In Exodus 3:1-4, we see the Consuming Fire in a bush while the bush remains unburnt. Literally, it is impossible for a bush to be covered in flames of fire without a single leaf being burnt; but with God it is possible. This tells us that God is fully in control of His power.  God’s fire does not consume until God decides it should. If you carry the anointing and it is causing havoc to your loved ones, you are not able to control the power you carry. Some highly anointed brethren are yet very careless with words. They speak like any average man but unlike average people whose words lack power, their words are powerful and so when they make pronouncements even in normal discussions, some terrible things happen. The more empowered or anointed you are, the more control you should exercise. What is the use of power without control? “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (1 Cor. 14:32). When God fills you with His Spirit, you will still be the one to stir up, or release the Spirit. In other words, you should be in-charge. The spirit that comes upon you and completely erodes your will, throwing you into the gutter and rubbishes you, is most likely not of God. God’s Spirit is controllable because God is a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33). If you cannot control the power in you, you may be telling God not to give you more. If you ‘mistakenly’ burn your loved ones or spiritual children due to inability to tame your tongue, you are allowing the anointing to work against you. Or whenever you curse your biological or spiritual children out of annoyance, you are using the anointing meant for building them up to pull them down. Proverbs 16:32 says self control is a priceless virtue - greater than conquering a city.  To what extent do you control your tongue and actions? ACTION POINT: It is far better not to have power than to have it without control. Ask God to give you the strength to control the power you have.