Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

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.

Despite the volume of wisdom verses that Solomon wrote, he has been used as motivation for the wrong reason by some. A few years into my stay in Port Harcourt, Rivers State of Nigeria, I chanced upon two young men in a secluded field one day. They each had a bottle of beer on one hand and a wrap of marijuana on the other. I felt constrained to witness Christ to them; trusting in the process they would be delivered from their dangerous addiction. One of them later startled me when he said that marijuana was discovered on Solomon’s tomb, and it has the property to make someone wise! In another development, a man who married his 48th wife claimed that he got his inspiration from Solomon. He claimed that marrying many wives is ordained by God, and his model is King Solomon.

Without the skillfulness of the Spirit one can use the Bible to self-destruct…A wrong interpretation of the word will invariably lead to wrong moves.

The word of God is described as a two-edged sword. It is important we know how to handle it. When you read the Bible, take note that not everything is to be applied literally. It is important to note that the things that are written are to warn us of dire consequences of certain choices. Without the skillfulness of the Spirit one can use the Bible to self-destruct. In view of this, Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the letter of the word kills; it is only the spirit of it that gives life. The man who justified his multiple marriages is certainly hooked to the letter. A wrong interpretation of the word will invariably lead to wrong moves.

I met a man in the first quarter of this year. He is an estate developer who seemed to have done quite well for himself. As we broached over various topics, he reminisced on his younger years which he described as time of stupidity. He recalled how he wasted the opportunities that youth came with. When the chips are down, the difference between two persons may be traceable to how they handle their favourable moments.  This truth is applicable in all realms – physical, spiritual, economic. At our favourable moments we sense a rush of energy, a chance meeting with someone with vital information, or an open door for higher service. Failing to seize the moment may lead to life-long regrets.

When the chips are down, the difference between two persons may be traceable to how they handle their favourable moments…Failing to seize the moment may lead to life-long regrets…When it comes to issues of life and destiny, our motto should be JUST DO IT! You cannot afford to wait endlessly for things to be convenient before you act.

From our passage we see that a favourable moment came to Felix to reconcile with God. As Paul preached on the subject of righteousness, temperance, and the Judgment of God, Felix’s heart was literally burning. He came under heavy conviction of the Holy Spirit. That should have been the turning point in his life, a time to commit to the saving grace of God. However, he failed to seize the moment, promising to call for Paul at a more convenient season. Few things are achievable in life with convenience, not the least the salvation of our soul and an intimate walk with God. When it comes to issues of life and destiny, our motto should be JUST DO IT! You cannot afford to wait endlessly for things to be convenient before you act.

Our annual end time summit for this year was held June 26th-28th. The theme was “Survival Strategies for the End Time”. A key factor for survival these days is sensitivity of spirit. In a number of passages, the Bible warns against excesses with regard to the appetite. Hear what Proverbs 25:16 says for example: “When you discover something sweet, don’t overindulge and eat more than you need, for excess in anything can make you sick of even a good thing” (TPT). Still on the need to exercise restraint, Thomas Brooks said, “Many more perish by intemperance than by violence. Intemperance is the source and nurse of all diseases. More perish by surfeiting than by suffering. Every intemperate person digs his own grave with his own mouth and teeth, and is certainly a self-tormentor, a self-destroyer, a self-murderer”. Put in other words, intemperance is violence against one’s body.

…intemperance is violence against one’s body… Intemperance will lead to deadness of spiritual faculties, making it difficult to receive signals from the Spirit of God.

Now, if by some stroke of luck an intemperate person is able to maintain his health and stay alive physically, yet there are other dimensions of existence that are at risk. This is the point of our text. Intemperance will lead to deadness of spiritual faculties, making it difficult to receive signals from the Spirit of God. This may prove more ruinous than physical death as one may be out of alignment with God and not know it. Temperance has the power to keep both the physical and spiritual components alive. There is a time appointed by God to round off the affairs of the world as presently constituted. It will give way to the golden era of the saints. Such a season requires keen spiritual sensitivity. If there is no danger of missing the time, Jesus would not have sounded the warning.

Job 29 will readily pass for a lamentation on the part of the author. As we would say, Job was longing for the good old days. He hit at something of interest in verse 4 – “As I was in the days of my youth, When the secret of God was upon my tabernacle” Job 29:4 KJV. What made those days peculiar? It was because Job lived by the secret of God. Someone may ask, “How much is the worth of a divine secret?” Daniel would explain it better. By divine secret, Daniel was able to recall the king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and decipher its meaning.  That became the escape from death not only for him and his colleagues, but for every other wise man in Babylon.

…one divine secret became a lifeline for several people, as well as serving as a ladder for career growth…the secrets of God are not just thrown around indiscriminately. An essential condition to fulfill before we can enjoy divine disclosure is stated in our text – the fear of the Lord.

On his part, Daniel was promoted. And when he spoke to the king on behalf of his friends, they were equally promoted in Babylon. So, one divine secret became a lifeline for several people, as well as serving as a ladder for career growth. It is comforting to note that God has not run short of secrets. Daniel describes God as one who “reveals deep and secret things” (Daniel 2:22). Revelation of deep things is a continuous and beneficial act of God. Whatever secrets that the Lord might choose to reveal now will not be any less potent in their effect than what we have recalled here. The only thing we need to add is that the secrets of God are not just thrown around indiscriminately. An essential condition to fulfill before we can enjoy divine disclosure is stated in our text – the fear of the Lord. In its basic elements, the fear of God refers to departure from evil. You can boil this down to complete obedience to the voice of God.