Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

If you are looking for a contemporary global symbol of perseverance, you may have to consider a South Korean woman, Cha Sa-soon. In 2005, she began her quest to obtain a driver’s license. She took the written test nearly everyday, five days a week, for three years. It was not until the 860th attempt before she passed the theory. Next was the practical test. She faced the skill and road tests 100 times before she passed. She desperately needed the license to help run her vegetable business. She must have spent anything between $11,000 to $21,000 for fees and lessons to achieve her goal. In recognition of her tenacious efforts, Hyundai, the South Korean car manufacturer gifted her a brand-new car.

Sustained enthusiasm is the bottom line for success…never allow a setback to destroy your enthusiasm. In all cases of falling, you must learn to fall forward…determined to get up after each failure. That is the prime attitude of all successful people.

Sustained enthusiasm is the bottom line for success. If you fail, as you would most likely do, conduct a bit of research to determine the cause of your failure. Doing this would have taught you a vital lesson on how not to do it another time. Besides, the experience gained from your previous attempts could be the lesson someone may need tomorrow. By all means, never allow a setback to destroy your enthusiasm. In all cases of falling, you must learn to fall forward. In our text, the prophet Micah was determined not to let the enemy have the last laugh over him. He was determined to get up after each failure. That is the prime attitude of all successful people.

In the pages of the book of Psalms, four things are recommended to be done at all times. In no particular order, the first thing is longing for the word or the Lord. “My soul breaks with longing For Your judgments at all times.” Psalms 119:20 NKJV. If the first is longing to know, the second is about doing, as a specific blessing is reserved for those who put the word to practice. “Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!” Psalms 106:3 NKJV. Most people can attempt some righteous deeds sometimes, but God is looking for those who will make it a lifestyle. Third thing to be done at all times is trusting the Lord. “Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” Psalms 62:8 NKJV. Perpetual trust is what opens us to the God of refuge.

We all daily eat God’s bread, both physical and symbolic bread, so we must learn to daily sing His songs of praises.

Finally, thanksgiving and praise must be at all times proposition. “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalms 34:1 NKJV. Why must blessing God be done at all times? It is because no one can fully declare His praise at once. “Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise?” Psalms 106:2 NKJV. God is so gracious in His dealings that before you finish uttering praise for an item, He has done several other things. We will always be in arrears in praising the Lord. Recently, I learned of a Finnish Proverb which says, “Whose bread you eat, his songs you’ll sing.” We all daily eat God’s bread, both physical and symbolic bread, so we must learn to daily sing His songs of praises.

In one of our recent entries, I made reference to our End Time Summit that took place in June. The focus was to learn about survival strategies for the end time. What we learned at the time was the need to maintain a sensitive spirit. Our text will pass for another secret for surviving the last days. To begin with, let us be reminded of what Paul said that the last days will be accompanied by perilous times. This will be due to people being consumed by self-love. In pursuit of self-love, people will throw caution to the wind. However, as the characteristic of God is all through history, He would normally leave a remnant out. So, the grim picture painted of the last days will not overtake everybody. Our duty today is to find out how to be among the remnant that will escape the perils of the last days. The answer is detailed in our text – it is by hearkening to the Lord. As our text shows, those who do this shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

It is only those who listen to the Lord that will be free from the fear of evil…To listen is more than taking in information intelligently. It goes with the implication of obedience…Hearing and obeying remains our safeguard against the flood of evil that the adversary will pour out in these last days.

The word “hearken” matches our modern use of the word listen. It is only those who listen to the Lord that will be free from the fear of evil. This throws up some thoughts. To listen is more than taking in information intelligently. It goes with the implication of obedience. In other words, it is only those who give God the opportunity to instruct them and follow through with obedience that will be able to escape the perils of the hour. Time has come to tune in to God afresh to hear what He has to instruct. Hearing and obeying remains our safeguard against the flood of evil that the adversary will pour out in these last days.

There are times when we have to be intentional in asking for certain things. V. W. Grant commended Gideon for questioning the angel that visited him about the signs of God that the fathers enjoyed and recorded. It is in the same spirit that the Psalmist is raising concern about “our signs”. Signs should be a non-negotiable privilege for the believers. Whenever we don’t see them, we need to do a self-examination and cry out to God.

Generally, believers are expected to conduct routine checks on themselves to determine where they stand in relation to God…Those whose lives depend on fellowship with God will quickly seek for what is wrong and amend immediately.

Generally, believers are expected to conduct routine checks on themselves to determine where they stand in relation to God. What are the instruments for these checks? The first one is the conscience. In 1 John3:20-21, we read: “If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything. And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God’s presence.”(GNT). In other words, our conscience is an umpire that sees not just the actions, but also the intent of the heart. Self-assessment can also be carried out by gauging the peace within. This could be seen as the other side of conscience. When a believer misses the mark of God, the conscience picks it first. The aftermath of that is the loss of peace on the inside. Those whose lives depend on fellowship with God will quickly seek for what is wrong and amend immediately.

Virtually all who have been used of God down history to do mighty things had one infirmity or the other. Infirmity here refers to any form of feebleness of mind and body or any other limitation. How did these men and women accomplish mighty things? It was because God compensated for their inadequacies. For Moses’ speech impediment, God raised Aaron for him, a man who could speak well.  The story of Gideon starts with the appearance of an angel to him as detailed in Judges 6. When he was called to deliver Israel from the hand of the Midianites, he complained of two things. The first had to do with his age. It would appear that Gideon was of a young age – the youngest in his family. Again, having figured out that a deliverance ministry of the magnitude that God would have him spearhead would require a whopping sum of money, he complained of his financial predicament.

The grace of God provided the necessary cushion so that his infirmities did not interfere with the assignment…God’s covering grace can fit into any situation that we find ourselves in.

Strangely, when God replied the poor young man, He made no reference to his complaints but simply said, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:16). Gideon thought he needed more maturing and more money to be relevant; God saw he only needed more of the divine aura. For Gideon, God gave him courage and divine presence. As for Paul who claimed he ministered with the infirmities of the flesh, God’s grace saw him through. The grace of God provided the necessary cushion so that his infirmities did not interfere with the assignment. God is aware of what you lack; and He has provisions in place to cover it. God’s covering grace can fit into any situation that we find ourselves in.

A couple of years ago, a young lady posted something suicidal on the social media. Her post became the third of such that I came across that week. When I got to church the following Sunday, I felt the need to lead the congregation to pray against depression and all suicidal tendencies. We live in the last days, and things are getting tougher. Shattered dreams, broken relationships , and other pressures are taking heavy tolls on people, including believers. The damaging effect of depression is one reason we must take the word of Paul seriously. He laid double emphasis on the need for rejoicing.

No child of God should allow himself to be trapped to a corner and pummeled unnecessarily by the devil. Help is in the house of God; and we have been mandated to bear one another’s burden.

What should believers do when it is difficult to rejoice as the Bible commands? That is when the services of other brethren may be needed. “Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand” (2 Corinthians 1:24). These “helpers of your joy” are the people we may call merchants of joy; and their efforts must be highly priced. They could be gospel Ministers who have oversight over us; or it could be people with whom we share affinity in the house of God. They help us to see the big picture and the hope that lies ahead. Barnabas was an expert in this. (Acts 11:22-23). No child of God should allow himself to be trapped to a corner and pummeled unnecessarily by the devil. Help is in the house of God; and we have been mandated to bear one another’s burden.