Share
anglican devotional

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 20 December 2023 – Open The Doors

Click HERE to Read Previous MESSAGES

TOPIC: Open The Doors

READ: Isaiah 45:1-14 (NKJV)

  1. “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held — To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
  2. ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
  3. I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call [you] by your name, [Am] the God of Israel.
  4. For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.
  5. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] no other; [There is] no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
  6. That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That [there is] none besides Me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] no other;
  7. I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these [things.’]
  8. ” Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it.
  9. ” Woe to him who strives with his Maker! [Let] the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork [say,] ‘He has no hands’?
  10. Woe to him who says to [his] father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ “
  11. Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.
  12. I have made the earth, And created man on it. I — My hands — stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded.
  13. I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward,” Says the LORD of hosts.
  14. Thus says the LORD: “The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, [saying,] ‘Surely God [is] in you, And [there is] no other; [There is] no other God.’ “

THE MESSAGE:

One of the things that is very clear in Scripture concerning those who know the Lord, is what He is saying concerning ‘Cyrus’ (verse 1). You might as well put your name there. He wants us to subdue the nations before Him. This is not necessarily through the physical sword, but by the word of God as we witness to His salvation plans. Are you engaged in this? He wants ‘Cyrus’ to loose the armour of kings and to open before him the double doors (verse 1). The doors of sin have closed many out of God’s embrace. God wants us, by love and the sharing of the good news, to open this gate so that sinners might receive His forgiveness and be saved. Will you get more actively involved?

Paul’s passion and drive in this direction is attestable. He saw it as a task that must be done, and he did much to take the Gospel to places where Christ had not been mentioned. I visited one of the CAPRO mission fields sometime ago and I was touched by the sacrifices of the missionaries that were living in that ‘bush’ just for the sake of the Gospel. What are you doing to open the doors of salvation for the people today? Do you not know that Satan does not freely open the gate for his prisoners? Rise up today!

PRAYER: Lord, make me a useful instrument of Your rescue mission.

Share