Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

One of my friends was travelling from our town to Lagos, Nigeria, many years ago and happened to sit by a lady who looked rather somber. When he probed what the matter was, she disclosed that she worked for the State Security Service and had misplaced a sensitive key which could lead her to jail. That seeming chance event led to a fruitful and happy marriage that lasted many years. I also heard of one Elle Peter recall how she got married to her husband. She was trying to reach someone by phone. Somehow, she mistakenly dialled someone else with whom she had no contact. The receiver notified her that she had dialled the wrong number, but that in any case she had a lovely voice. He then wondered if he could call her again. That “mistake” led to both of them getting married and having two kids together.

With God, nothing is too condemned that cannot be redeemed.

Our text of scripture says that God “works all things according to the counsel of His will”. A twin of that will be Romans 8:28 which says that God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. In God’s sovereign will and surpassing wisdom, He can work out all things until they fit into His eternal plan. Jonah made a mistake when he headed to Tarshish instead of Nineveh. God sent a fish to swallow him then he got vomited on the third day. That later became symbolic of the days that Jesus would spend in the belly of the earth for our redemption. With God, nothing is too condemned that cannot be redeemed.

In His maiden teaching, Jesus taught us to be wary of putting others to shame because of little faults in their lives when we have bigger ones in our lives. Those who know that we run this Christian race by grace are hesitant to rush to conclusions and condemn people. They realize that it is the grace of God that makes a difference in their lives and are willing to extend the same to others as well. Someone said that the best way to forget other people’s faults is to remember ours. How true this is! If you consider the fact that you are far from perfect, you will be less critical of other people in their weaknesses.

A critical spirit does no good; for even when that attitude is borne out of a recognizable advantage, it may lead to pride.

Spiritual maturity can be measured in several ways. However, one outstanding method is to examine one’s level of forbearance. The higher you grow in the Lord, the more you can put up with the shortcomings of others. To someone at a much lower level of maturity, your forbearance will look like compromising standards. Whereas immature people tend to be severe with other people’s weaknesses, mature ones focus on themselves, looking for areas needing further improvement. One man uncannily said that some apply the law of Moses to the failures of other people, but employ grace to their own. That is the height of hypocrisy. A critical spirit does no good; for even when that attitude is borne out of a recognizable advantage, it may lead to pride.

Our text is drawing attention to a little creature called the spider. It is one of four little creatures that the book of Proverbs describes as wise, the other three being the ants, conies, and locusts. The spider is considered wise because it puts its hands to work, resulting in its making a mark even to the king’s palace. Even though hard work is stressed by this reference, we can consider it from another angle. To appreciate the point we are about to make, consider this: imagine that the spider is working hard at singing. How much progress or impact will such effort yield? Nothing, you would say. The reason is that the spider was neither created nor gifted to make melodies. All  it can do is to weave, and that is what takes it to the palaces. So it is the spider’s gift that is on display.

Here is the truth: Nothing can facilitate your journey to success and recognition like your gift. The starting point is to look inward and see what has been uniquely given to you…Those who discover, develop, and deploy their gifts are on their way to the top.

Most people desire to climb to the height of greatness in life, but few know how to go about it. Here is the truth: Nothing can facilitate your journey to success and recognition like your gift. The starting point is to look inward and see what has been uniquely given to you. What can you do that other people cannot? Or what can you do with relative ease better than others? These could be pointers to the gift of God in your life. Work on your gift until it becomes a skill. Someone will be willing to pay for it someday. As Proverbs 18:16 says, it is a man’s gift that makes room for him and positions him before mighty people. Those who discover, develop, and deploy their gifts are on their way to the top.

In our previous meditation, I made reference to a teaching done by one of our leaders on the subject of finance. In my opening remarks at the same retreat, I noted that you can expect to find two categories of people in every organization. People either serve as progress arresters or progress enhancers. I further stated that there may be progress arresters on purpose while some others do it ignorantly. What I did not mention is that individuals can also be progress arresters in their own lives. In our text, Paul mentioned six things that must be confined to the past: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking, and malice. These things come under the listing of what is described as works of the flesh. Those who allow works of the flesh to have a hold on them are arresting their own progress unwittingly.

Those who allow works of the flesh to have a hold on them are arresting their own progress unwittingly…All issues of life spring from the heart. If the heart is not cleansed of the works of the flesh, it is futile to expect great outcome in life.

The Bible makes clear that God has great plans for us. However, the flesh will contaminate the plans, delay their manifestation, or destroy them altogether. The flesh will always hinder the operations of the Spirit. To truly enjoy the best of God, we have to keep turning over a new leaf. David asked the Lord to create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him. This is an applicable prayer for everyone who longs to see God’s plan come to pass. All issues of life spring from the heart. If the heart is not cleansed of the works of the flesh, it is futile to expect great outcome in life.

At our annual Pastors/Leaders’ Retreat, one of our pastors taught on ROADMAP TO FINANCIAL SUCCESS. Among other things, he stressed the fact that risk is relative. Explaining further, he stated that investments with minimal risk turns in minimal returns, while those with higher risks have matching returns as well. This time-tested financial principle applies to life generally. Wherever you have great prospects will likely be a place of great resistance. The spies reported that the land was indeed good, but that giants were there too. To demonstrate how good the land was, they brought samples of the grapes which they had cut from the Promised Land. Rather than focus on the opportunities of the land, they got fixated on the giants. They lost their opportunity to wrong focus.

When God gives you an opportunity, stand your ground by faith and never be intimidated by the roar of the adversaries. Keep in mind that God will not open a door that He will not walk through it with you.

It is illusory not to expect opposition from the adversary when you are marching to your promised land. Paul found this out in his missionary journey. He found “real opportunity…for great and worthwhile work” at Ephesus, but there were many oppositions too. Paul did not allow the opposition to force him out of the doors which God had opened for him. When God gives you an opportunity, stand your ground by faith and never be intimidated by the roar of the adversaries. Keep in mind that God will not open a door that He will not walk through it with you.

There are no less than 15 blessings spelt out in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. They range from provision to protection and preservation. What is worthy of emphasis is that all those blessings are contingent on one thing – obedience to the voice of God. “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God” Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NKJV

We inflict ourselves with a curse when we don’t obey the Lord… Those who have learned to obey God at all times get immunity for themselves against every negative thing that may be thrown at them.

Obedience matters greatly in walking with God. It was the ground for which God blessed Abraham and made it trans-generational. On the flip side, disobedience will not only block all these blessings but also make one susceptible to a curse. A lot of believers live in fear of people who might curse them. They forget that a curse without a cause is impotent. They also forget that most curses are actually self-inflicted. We inflict ourselves with a curse when we don’t obey the Lord. This is stated clearly in our text. Those who have learned to obey God at all times get immunity for themselves against every negative thing that may be thrown at them.