Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

Most Marines who had been to warfronts find it hard to return to normal life when their duty is over. Some of them are always on guard, reading everything and everyone from the view point of war. When they are among family members where they ought to fill the hour with jovialities, they stand aloof and look distant. In extreme cases they have mental breakdown. These and many more are a manifestation of ghost of battle which haunts them and makes it hard for them to adjust to normal life.

Allowing the ghost of past battles in your heart will dim your vision and dip your energy. Consign the battle of the past to the past; and let Christ give you a clean slate to work with.

Well, if you are like most people you have probably known some battles in life. The battles in question are not the ones fought with physical weapons of war, because they are spiritual in nature but having physical consequences. Our text says we wrestle! Battles are a universal phenomenon; so if you experienced some in recent time, you are in good company. What you must avoid is the ghost of battle. It must never be allowed to ruin the rest of your life. Marines who return from battle undergo extensive therapy just to regain the handle on life. They also count heavily on the support of friends and family members to navigate that terrible season of their lives. Wherever you can get help, go for it. Allowing the ghost of past battles in your heart will dim your vision and dip your energy. Consign the battle of the past to the past; and let Christ give you a clean slate to work with.

David was a man after God’s heart. Apart from heart contrition, I believe another factor that earned him that title was his impeccable zeal towards God. David would certainly be a course instructor with regard to being zealous for God. In Psalm 42,  he states that as the deer pants after the water, so does his soul pant after the Lord. When there is zeal, the language will express it. In Psalm 63, he does not only express a longing for God but states a desire to seek Him early. Genuine zeal will lead to a pursuit of God at whatever cost, even if it means giving up some time of sleep.

Genuine zeal will lead to a pursuit of God at whatever cost, even if it means giving up some time of sleep…Zeal is a general attitude which we demonstrate towards God and His cause. It is a trait that cannot be hidden.

What he says in Psalm 69:8-9 is revealing. He says he is become an alien to his brothers and his mother’s children because of his zeal for the House of God. It is not uncommon that people who are zealous toward God get misunderstood by their loved ones. Relations and friends may even cut off from them. This is one of the prices you pay for the zeal of God. For a final consideration, mention must be made of the enormous financial and material preparation which he made for the building of the temple. This teaches us that genuine zeal towards God will reflect in your giving towards His cause. Zeal is a general attitude which we demonstrate towards God and His cause. It is a trait that cannot be hidden.

Winter had set in substantially in the United States of America when my wife and I visited New York at a time. The conventional greeting from people was, “Keep warm.” So I shopped for some wears to fight the cold. One of the items that I bought was a hood that could keep my head and ears from frostbite. Unfortunately, I wore it wrongly; putting the back for front. That lasted for about two days before a brother-in-law corrected me. It was then I began to recollect how people had stared at me strangely since I started wearing it. Most people saw the error, but only one man picked the courage to address it.

It takes courage to correct people…What we must never forget is that pointing out people’s mistakes may save them from danger…Don’t shy away from correcting people; only let it be done in love.

It takes courage to correct people. Often times, we neglect the solemn duty of correcting people for fear of backlash. We are not sure whether our correction will be received favourably or not. So we prefer to keep a safe distance. What we must never forget is that pointing out people’s mistakes may save them from danger. Moses was going to wear himself out attending to the people of Israel. It took his father-in-law to point out his mistake. Moses received counsel to choose deputies who would handle petty administrative issues so that he could channel his energy to greater causes. Don’t shy away from correcting people; only let it be done in love.

In several places in scripture, it is made explicitly clear that sin is an unprofitable enterprise. One of its consequences is that it disinherits people of their estate in destiny. No clearer example can be cited than that of Adam and Eve. Their first abode was a luxury garden, fully enveloped by the glory of God. However, when they disregarded God’s commandment they were disinherited of it. Another example was Reuben. He was the firstborn of Jacob and was traditionally supposed to become the head of the clan. His indiscretion with regard to his father’s wife stripped him of that privilege.

…sin is an unprofitable enterprise…Even the capacity of the mind for ventures that can promote prosperity will be hampered. Every sin that a man commits shrinks the power of the mind for creative purposes.

It is helpful to note that in the New Testament, sin is no less disruptive than what you have in the Old Testament. The difference is that faith in Jesus gives power to overcome as He releases grace to those who come to Him. This grace must never be taken for granted; since we cannot dwell in sin and expect the grace of God to abound. Those who take grace as license for sin will soon realize that their capacity to hear and comprehend God will drastically reduce. Even the capacity of the mind for ventures that can promote prosperity will be hampered. Every sin that a man commits shrinks the power of the mind for creative purposes. A life consecrated to God will be in pole position to receive ideas from heaven for turnaround.

Due to greed and warped mentality of some preachers, the mention of the word prosperity draws the ire of those who have little knowledge of God’s word. Regardless, the Bible is clear that God is excited when His people prosper. “Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favour my righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27 NKJV. God is not averse to people prospering and living a decent life. There is nothing basically wrong with prosperity; it only becomes dangerous when the purpose is not known. That is when it becomes a trap to the soul.

Bogus words and dreams alone do not produce prosperity; it is when we can roll up our sleeves and engage in reasonable economic activities…Until you are doing some meaningful thing, God has nothing to bless.

Again, contrary to the misconception by any believers who leave their prosperity to merely prayer, we see from God’s word that it takes industry. In our text, Demetrius with his association of silver smelters  said, “by this craft we have our wealth”. Yes, God wants us to prosper, but it will come through acceptable channel. Bogus words and dreams alone do not produce prosperity; it is when we can roll up our sleeves and engage in reasonable economic activities. In the opening chapter of the book of Psalms, the writer praises the righteous. He compares him to the tree by the rivers of water and adds that whatsoever he does shall prosper. Until you are doing some meaningful thing, God has nothing to bless.

One morning after breakfast, Jesus turned to Peter and asked, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” It is not clear why Jesus singled out Peter. It could have been for the fact that he denied Him despite his avowed commitment before He went to the Cross. Perhaps, it was for the leadership role that Peter would assume after His ascension. Anyway, it is important to note that Peter replied affirmatively to every round of questioning; each of which was followed with the charge to feed the flock of Christ. From this, we notice that Peter received his purpose directly and openly from the mouth of Jesus.

…people distract themselves from their God-given purpose by becoming overtly concerned with what has been given to others…God would rather have you focus on what He has placed in your hands than being carried away with what others are doing. Distraction is a thief of purpose, and you must resist it.

In our previous meditation, we observed that people don’t find their purpose the same way. For instance, not everyone will have the privilege of hearing God’s direct voice to inform them of what they should do with their lives. Whether in a dramatic way or through serendipity, what is important is becoming clear of what God wants and pursuing it without distraction. Sometimes, people distract themselves from their God-given purpose by becoming overtly concerned with what has been given to others. Peter was about falling into this error when he asked what John’s purpose would be. God would rather have you focus on what He has placed in your hands than being carried away with what others are doing. Distraction is a thief of purpose, and you must resist it.