MOMENT OF ENCOUNTER DEVOTIONAL
By Prophet Dr. Abiodun Adesida
🎓 Topic: THE SCHOOL OF EXPERIENCE
"God's Training Ground for Extraordinary Destinies"
📖 Anchor Scripture
"And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock... The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."
— 1 Samuel 17:34–37 (KJV)
🔥 Devotional Message
One truth runs like a golden thread throughout Scripture: God never entrusts great assignments to untested men.
Before God gives a platform, He first gives a process. Before He grants promotion, He permits preparation. Before the crown comes the cross, and before the throne comes the training.
Many believers admire David on the battlefield, but forget David in the sheepfold.
They celebrate Joseph in Pharaoh's palace but conveniently skip Joseph's pit, Potiphar's house, and prison (Genesis 37–41).
Everyone wants to wear the crown, but few are willing to carry the cross (Luke 9:23).
It appears Heaven operates a school that no one volunteers to attend!
The admission requirements are unusual:
- Wilderness Studies.
- Waiting Room Theology.
- Humility 101.
- Advanced Patience.
- Faith Under Fire.
The tuition fee?
Faith, patience, obedience, and perseverance (James 1:2–4).
The examinations?
Unexpected.
Open-book?
No.
Open-heaven?
Yes!
Some Christians pray,
«"Lord, enlarge my territory like Jabez!" (1 Chronicles 4:10)»
God quietly replies,
«"Wonderful prayer. But first, pass the examination of faithfulness in little things." (Luke 16:10)»
Another says,
«"Father, let the nations hear my voice!"»
The Holy Spirit whispers,
«"Your neighbours have not yet heard your kindness."»
We often ask God for promotion, while Heaven is still marking yesterday's examination on character.
Remember, God is more interested in who you are becoming than where you are going (Romans 8:29).
David never learnt courage by reading a scroll titled 'Seven Easy Steps to Defeat Giants.'
No.
His lecturers were named Lion and Bear.
Attendance was compulsory.
Missing practical classes meant becoming lunch!
The lion thought it was stealing a sheep.
Unknown to the lion, it had just become part of David's ministry training.
Even Goliath unknowingly became David's graduation ceremony.
No wonder David declared:
"The LORD that delivered me..." (1 Samuel 17:37).
He did not trust in his sling.
He trusted in the God who had trained him.
📚 Distinguished Graduates from God's School
David — Faculty of Wilderness Leadership
Courses Taken:
- Shepherding with Excellence (Psalm 78:70–72)
- Courage Under Pressure (1 Samuel 17)
- Worship in Solitude (Psalm 23)
- Divine Dependence
God took him from following sheep to shepherding a nation.
Joseph — Department of Betrayal and Divine Promotion
Joseph's lecturers included:
- Jealous brothers (Genesis 37)
- Slavery (Genesis 39)
- False accusation
- Prison administration
Every disappointment became a divine appointment.
By the time God promoted him, prison had already taught him integrity, administration, forgiveness, and wisdom.
As Genesis 50:20 reminds us:
"Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."
Moses — School of Brokenness
Acts 7:22 tells us Moses was mighty in words and deeds.
Yet God took him from Pharaoh's palace into Midian for forty years (Exodus 3:1).
Why?
Because God often removes pride before releasing power.
Sheep became Moses' professors before Israel became his congregation.
Esther — School of Preparation
Before wearing the crown, Esther first wore patience.
Before entering the palace, she entered preparation (Esther 2:12).
She discovered that discernment is sometimes holier than speed.
She understood that there is "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7).
✍ Paul — Department of Divine Reorientation
After meeting Christ, Paul expected immediate ministry.
Instead, God enrolled him in Arabia (Galatians 1:15–18).
Before becoming an apostle to nations, he first became a student of divine revelation.
Sometimes God hides His servants before He reveals them.
📖 Lessons from the School of Experience
- Tribulation produces perseverance (Romans 5:3–5).
- Patience perfects character (James 1:3–4).
- Whom the Lord loves, He disciplines (Hebrews 12:6–11).
- Obscurity often precedes visibility (Luke 16:10).
- The battle belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47).
- All things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28).
God never wastes pain.
He converts tears into testimonies (Psalm 126:5).
He turns scars into sermons.
He transforms trials into triumphs.
Heaven's Official Notice Board
ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS OF THE HOLY GHOST ACADEMY
- No testimony without a test.
- No message without a mess.
- No resurrection without a cross.
- No glory without suffering (Romans 8:17).
- No crown without endurance (2 Timothy 2:12).
Students attempting to bypass God's process will kindly repeat the semester.
Promotion comes only after divine approval.
As Proverbs 24:10 warns:
"If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."
🙏 Prayer
Father, thank You for every lesson You have allowed in my life. Give me grace not to despise the days of small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Help me to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3). Refine my character, strengthen my faith, and prepare me for every assignment You have ordained for me. Let every painful season produce eternal fruit in my life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
🔥 Prophetic Declaration
I decree in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ:
Every wilderness you are passing through shall become your school of divine promotion.
Every lion and every bear confronting your destiny shall become credentials for your next level.
Like Joseph, you shall move from the prison to the palace.
Like David, you shall move from the sheepfold to the throne.
Like Moses, your wilderness shall produce your burning-bush encounter.
Like Esther, your preparation shall lead to divine elevation.
Like Paul, your hidden season shall produce heavenly revelation.
The Lord shall perfect all that concerns you (Psalm 138:8).
Your process shall not destroy you—it shall distinguish you.
You shall graduate from God's School of Experience with honour and fulfil your divine assignment, in Jesus' mighty Name.
📖 Remember
God is not merely preparing a blessing for you; He is preparing you for the blessing.
"For after ye have suffered a while, the God of all grace... make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." — 1 Peter 5:10
Your graduation day is nearer than you think. Keep trusting the Great Teacher.
Shalom!
Prophet Dr. Abiodun Adesida
CAC IBUDO ÒNÀ ABAYỌ (Solution Centre) cacsolutioncenter@outlook.com
📞 07007002462 | 08058140045