Pst. E.A. Adeboye 27 December
PAINS OF SEPARATION - 2
Memorise: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide
in me. John 15:4
Read: 1 Samuel 4:1-11
Besides the Lord Jesus Christ, another Bible character who went
through the pains of separation from God was Job. In Job 23:1-9, right in the
middle of his trial, Job made several attempts at contacting God but he could
not sense Him around. He had questions to ask but no answers. He had prayers to
make but they were not granted. He had pains but no relief. How he needed an
explanation over the troubles he was going through! The temporary loss of
fellowship with God multiplied his pains and he complained bitterly. In
addition, Saul, the first king of Israel was separated from God not out of a
trial of faith but out of persistent disobedience. If you continue to disobey
God, at a particular time, He will cut off from you. When God left King Saul,
God's place was occupied by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:13-14), This spirit was
saddled with the task of afflicting him once in a while. At such a time, you
would take him for a mad fellow until he calmed down. Following this example,
God's separation from someone can cause insanity. Apart from this, after God
left Saul, God replaced him with David even though he was still physically the
one on the throne of Israel.
The children of Israel also experienced the effect of separation
from God. They were at war with the Philistines and at some point, they brought
the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield and shouted. They thought they could
now overcome their enemies. Unfortunately, the scared Philistines still
defeated them because Israel had sinned and God had withdrawn from them (1
Samuel 4:2-8). It simply shows that you could have the Ark but not have the God
of the Ark. It is dangerous to call on the name of Jesus while fighting your enemies
when you still have sins in your life or you are not even born again. He may
hear you out of His mercy like many have experienced and you may get the
disgrace of your life like the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:14-17), Never fight
the enemy or demons when you are not spiritually in tune. Do everything
possible to retain God's presence with you because you are only assured of
victory over enemies when He is with you.
KEY POINT
When you are not sure of God's presence, don't dare anything in
your own power, wisdom or ability.
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