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Open Heavens 13 January 2015 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Divine Replacement

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Topic: Divine Replacement [Open Heavens 13 January 2015]

Memorise: And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. – 1 Samuel 15:28

Read: Esther 2:1-4

1 After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.  

2 Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:

3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:  

4 And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

MESSAGE:

“And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.” – Esther 2:17

From the scripture above, you will observe that divine replacement has both positive and negative sides to it. For Vashti, the divine replacement that occurred was negative, but for Esther, it was positive. I pray that you will enjoy the positive side of the divine replacement coming your way this season in Jesus’ Name. The Bible says that it is God Almighty who sets kings on thrones (Romans 13:1). The One who installs a king has the power to unseat the same king. Just as there is divine placement, so also is there divine replacement (1 Samuel 15:28). Endeavour to keep your God-given position and avoid replacement. You will not be replaced in Jesus’ Name.

The story behind the replacement of Vashti with Esther in Esther 2:1-17 should teach us some lessons as Christians. We should heed the warning in Revelation 3:11:

“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”

It is a pity that many so-called children of God are no longer holding fast their position of adoption.

They are selling their birthrights like Esau of old for a morsel of food. It was pride that replaced Queen Vashti. She momentarily forgot that she was only a queen because her husband was the king. She flouted the order of her husband, the king, and before she knew what was happening, someone else had taken her crown. To avoid divine replacement, we must be careful to obey every instruction given to us by our Saviour, King and Husband- Jesus Christ. One of such instructions is the commandment to bear fruit (John 15:16-17). When we bear fruit, we honour and complement His work of salvation. When we love our brethren, we establish His lordship on earth. However, when we refuse to bear fruit, we seem to make His death a waste. Also, when we behave in a manner that does not edify the brethren, we have no love. For example, when a so-called sister dresses to ‘torment’ the libidinal instinct of brothers, where is the love of God? There is no love in being a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 8:13).

Prayer Point: Father, please prevent me from doing anything that will make me lose my position in Christ, in Jesus’ Name.

Bible in one year: Isaiah 38-40; Acts 8:4-25

Open Heavens Daily Devotional written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.