Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

It is a fact of scripture that God does not tempt anyone. In other words, God will never put a stumbling block on the path of anyone with the intention of making them sin against Him. However, God will sometimes try our hearts to understand inclinations and priorities. Some people will face the test before they gain prominence. For some others, it is when they have already made it to the palace. Such was the case with Daniel and his colleagues in Babylon. Having been screened and shortlisted as trainees who would eventually serve in the palace of king Nebuchadnezzar, they were entitled to a ration of the king’s delicacies. Well, on the surface that was a privilege of a lifetime, dining with the most powerful king on earth. However, these men turned down the offer. It wasn’t just a matter of food on the platter; it was their faith and conviction on trial. It was about the laws of the God of Israel who said there should be no other gods besides Him.

God is still looking for people who will dare to obey Him fully in all circumstances. Such men and women remain His candidates for trust positions.

They were aware that the food served to the king was first offered to idols. To partake of such food would mean subscribing to the idols, a negation of the laws of God. At the risk of their lives, they rejected the offer and chose a simple meal plan. God blessed their food and made them better than those who feasted on the king’s delicacies. They took a stand for God, and He eventually stood for them when it was a matter of life and death. God is still looking for people who will dare to obey Him fully in all circumstances. Such men and women remain His candidates for trust positions.

It will not be far from the truth to say that Jesus had “mixed multitudes” in His team. When He first recruited them, they demonstrated different character flaws that could make an onlooker conclude that they were wrong choices. He had Peter for a braggart. Thomas was a perpetual doubter. James and John had issue with hot temper, never mind that they were equally egoistical. They were the ones who wanted to sit on either side of Jesus in His kingdom. It is interesting that Jesus bore all their excesses with patience. Except for Judas, all of them went on becoming the voice and face of Christianity after His ascension. Patience had its perfect work in them. Patience can turn things and people around and bring out the best in them.

Patience can turn things and people around and bring out the best in them…Most people are like diamonds in the rough. It would take someone of patient inclination to educate and polish them so they can be released into the fullness of destiny.

The admonition of Paul to the brethren at Thessalonica to be patient with all may have been born out of experience. At one time, he could not tolerate the inconsistency in Mark. Remember that Mark tagged along Paul and Barnabas in their first missionary journey. The young man, however, abandoned the mission midway. That was the cause of the separation between Paul and Barnabas. Whatever Mark became must have been because of the patient mentoring he received from Barnabas. Years after, Paul found Mark an asset. “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.” (II Timothy 4:11 NKJV). Most people are like diamonds in the rough. It would take someone of patient inclination to educate and polish them so they can be released into the fullness of destiny.

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus put several things in the old order to rest. One of them has to do with vengeance. The old order was “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. In other words, treat people as badly as they treat you. Several reasons make pursuit of vengeance an undesirable course of action. One, there is no justice in vengeance. If someone hurts you with words, for example, when you want to pay back you will look for something more damaging. If you give more than you received you are already unjust. On another note, when someone is bent on exacting vengeance for every wrong, he sets himself up to be treated without mercy when he himself errs.

We belong to the new order where love covers a multitude of sins…“Do not avenge” … Those who do it break His law…towing the path of vengeance is usurpation. God says that vengeance is His; trying to do it yourself is presuming to usurp God’s work.

The story of the servant in Jesus’ parable comes to mind here. He was forgiven of a huge debt. Shortly after that he grabbed a fellow servant by the throat to demand a lesser amount. He wound up in jail. Jesus put the old order to rest in His teaching on the mount. He reminded them how the law says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. In the new order, He would rather have them suffer wrong than taking issues into their hands. We belong to the new order where love covers a multitude of sins. Finally, we find two more reasons to avoid taking vengeance in Romans 12:19 – “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” “Do not avenge” is a direct command of the Lord. Those who do it break His law. Secondly, towing the path of vengeance is usurpation. God says that vengeance is His; trying to do it yourself is presuming to usurp God’s work.

For 20 long years, a woman prayed regularly, believing for the salvation of her husband. One night, the man came under conviction of the Holy Spirit and shook terribly in bed. Apparently that night, the man himself was praying that his wife would lead him to the Lord. Now, twenty years is a long time for someone to wait, pray, and believe; but it was worth the wait after all. Jesus taught several things about prayer, one of which is importunity. He spoke a parable in Luke 18. The very first line of that chapter introduced us to the objective of the parable – “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” Luke 18:1 NKJV. 

He wants people to pray without fainting…You must resist the temptation to give up, otherwise precious hours previously invested in prayer would be a waste of time…keep pushing in prayer.

He wants people to pray without fainting. To give up is a temptation that every prayer warrior faces, particularly when the answer does not seem imminent. You must resist the temptation to give up, otherwise precious hours previously invested in prayer would be a waste of time. When you take a burden or concern to the Lord, you are to stick with Him until one of two things happens. Firstly, you can stop praying when the object of your prayer has been delivered or at least you have received the assurance that the answer is on the way. In this case you can shift from request to thanksgiving. The second option is if the Lord asks you to stop praying about the matter. He did that to Paul regarding the thorn in his flesh. Outside these two, keep pushing in prayer. Now, here comes again the place of the Holy Spirit. It is through Him we obtain help to counter our infirmity of either not praying at all or giving up midstream.

Without mincing words, Jesus told His disciples that without Him they could do nothing (John 15:5). To that extent, He exhorted them to abide in Him. We can transpose the same word and counsel to the Holy Spirit without any fear of misrepresentation. Before He rounded off His mission on earth, Jesus promised that He would send another Helper just like Him. Just as they could do nothing without Jesus, so would they not be able to do anything without the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has three dimensional work in our lives. He is involved with past, present, and future…the Spirit of the Lord serves as a capacity builder.

The Holy Spirit has three dimensional work in our lives. He is involved with past, present, and future. He handles the past because He reminds us of all things; He is involved with the present because He teaches us all things;  and He connects us with the future as He shows us things to come and guides us into all truth. There is yet another dimension to the ministry of the Holy Spirit as we can see from the text. Jesus had told the disciples that all He taught them was not all that needed to be taught. He stopped at the level that they could handle. However, He promised that the Spirit would help them to receive more of the mysteries of the Kingdom. By implication, the Spirit would enlarge their capacity and help them understand. In other words, the Spirit of the Lord serves as a capacity builder. If all these are the things to enjoy from the Holy Spirit, then He is the priciest treasure and we must walk carefully so as not to grieve Him.

The last chapter of Saul’s life was a total contrast to the first. When Samuel anointed him with oil, the Holy Spirit came into his life and he prophesied. So evident was the Spirit’s manifestation that the people questioned one another, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” How can we explain that a man who was full of the Spirit at a time lost it and ended up being tormented by an evil spirit? It would seem that he grieved the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”  If we grieve the Holy Spirit until He gives way, the evil spirit will definitely take over.

If we grieve the Holy Spirit until He gives way, the evil spirit will definitely take over…When disobedience becomes a pattern, we consign the Holy Spirit to an ineffective position.

It is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit; otherwise the warning would not have been necessary. However, quenching the Holy Spirit is not an incidental event. The Spirit is hardly quenched through a lone incident; it is usually a final product of some gradual process that may be imperceptible. Anyone who finally quenches the Spirit must have been grieving Him for some time. When disobedience becomes a pattern, we consign the Holy Spirit to an ineffective position. A rebellious attitude is repulsive to the Lord, but a broken and contrite heart will remain a conducive environment for the ministry of the Holy Spirit.