The theme for Open Heaven Daily Devotional June 27 2023 is What/Who Do You Worship.
SCRIPTURE: Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Ezekiel 14:3
When you ask people who or what they worship, they are most likely to tell you ‘God’, but then, many people are worshipping other things or persons apart from God. Some people worship their spouses, children, money, some their bellies, some their image on social media and, believe it or not, some worship their means of transportation. When I was in the grammar school, we had a teacher who had a bicycle that he loved so much.
Whenever he got to a place that was muddy, he would get down from the bicycle and carry it across. He preferred for his feet to get dirty than his bicycle. He worshipped his bicycle. Many come to God in prayers and get nothing from Him because He can see in their heart that there is an idol there. He knows that they only worship Him with their mouths, that their hearts are far from Him (Matthew 15:8). Since He is not their God, then He ignores them.
If at all the Lord answers, He does so according to the idols in their hearts. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols. Ezekiel 14:4 In Numbers 22:19-35, Balaam valued the treasures that the king promised him more than the instruction of God. After God had told him not to heed the king’s call, he still went back to God when the servants came back to ask if he should go, so God answered him according to the idol in his heart, telling him to go.
On his way, there was an angel waiting to kill him. Had it not been for the eyes of his donkey that were opened to see the angel, he would have been dead as a result of the idol of greed in his heart. Our God is a jealous God. He said in Exodus 34:14, “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous,is a jealous God”.
The moment you regard anyone or anything above God, He will leave you alone and believe me honestly, the worst thing that can ever happen to a person is for God to leave him or her.
OPEN HEAVEN FOR TODAY 27 JUNE 2023 REFLECTION
Do a thorough check on your heart and be honest with yourself. If there is something you regard higher than God, ask Him for mercy today.