Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

According to Apostle Peter, believers have been given “exceeding great and precious promises” 2 Peter 1:4. Be that as it may, we must admit that these promises in no way state that we have immunity against all life’s difficulties.  Christianity does not paint a picture of El Dorado here on earth. Nowhere is it written that once you enter the ship of salvation, the voyage will be on calm waters only. Life generally is a difficult terrain because of the fallen nature of all things. Even the Captain of our salvation had to go through suffering to chart a course for our deliverance. Without mincing words, Jesus told His disciples that tribulation would come their way in this world. Rather than being downcast, they should rejoice because He has already overcome on their behalf. So, believers can rejoice in spite of the troubles.

Perspective is the key to survival in the difficult seasons of life. God will not allow a thing that He would not turn around for your joy by and by.

Our rejoicing in the midst of trouble should stem from two considerations. Firstly, as we hinted earlier, Jesus won a victory which has effect on all who put their trust in Him for salvation. Secondly, we can rejoice in difficult moments because we know they will not last forever. This consideration made Paul write to the Romans that they should rejoice in hope (Romans 12:15). Similarly, he made it clear to the Corinthians that whatever suffering we may endure at the moment is insignificant in the light of the eternal glory that awaits us. Perspective is the key to survival in the difficult seasons of life. God will not allow a thing that He would not turn around for your joy by and by.

The Bible is clear about the fact that we are in a warfare. It further spells out the fact that the warfare is spiritual in nature. So I often find it funny, in not tragic, when I see believers resort to physical weapons in the name of doing battles. I have seen videos of some who went to prayer with dane guns, cutlasses, brooms, or what have you. How those items would be able to deal with principalities and powers is beyond my comprehension. The book of Ephesians gives details of the weapons available to us for the battles of life. No physical weapon made the list. On another note, being familiar with the appropriate weapons alone is not sufficient for victory. Those weapons work in conjunction with a life of obedience. Apostle Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that though our weapons are mighty through God for pulling down all strongholds; they are only effective when our obedience to the Lord is complete.

…victory or failure is not determined by the size of battle we face. Small battle without God on our side is doom; big battle with the Captain of the Hosts is a walk-over. Unfailingly, obedience will always woo God to our side.

The place of obedience in battle is better illustrated with the campaign of the children of Israel at Ai. Joshua’s first campaign was a huge success. Following the instructions of God, the massive wall that shielded Jericho came crashing down, and they defeated the country. But when they faced a small, little known city called Ai, they suffered a defeat. The reason was because they had disobeyed God. Achan took of the stuff that God had forbidden them from touching. We understand from here that victory or failure is not determined by the size of battle we face. Small battle without God on our side is doom; big battle with the Captain of the Hosts is a walk-over. Unfailingly, obedience will always woo God to our side.

Ahaziah succeeded Ahab, his father. Bible account shows that he had a domestic accident that left him seriously injured. He was so apprehensive about his health and future that he sent to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron. He wanted to know if he would survive. The messengers had not got the chance to deliver their errand when the angel of the Lord sent Elijah to denounce the king. God’s displeasure was that the king abandoned Him as the true source of information and the controller of the future for a lesser god. The verdict was that he would not survive the illness. He died shortly after.

 The occult promises to provide safe landing for the future…Any attempt to put the security of our future into the hands of the occult is a recipe for trouble.

What happened here was that the jealous nature of God kicked in. God did not hide it from the people the fact that He is jealous! Take a look at Exodus 34:14 – “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” (KJV). Look at that again for confirmation. God is not only jealous; His name is Jealous as well! The dictionary gives several ideas of what it means to be jealous. I like the one that says to be jealous is to be “intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness”. God will not accommodate a rival. It is either Him alone or not at all. This is the spirit behind the first commandment where God said we should not worship any other God besides Him. The world is gradually being sucked into the occult. The occult promises to provide safe landing for the future. It is all deception. God’s word already warned that there should be no palm readers or necromancers among his people. Any attempt to put the security of our future into the hands of the occult is a recipe for trouble.

In general parlance, we say that the first impression matters. That is because many people will not have the opportunity to get a second impression of a person or situation before drawing conclusions. Yet, first impression could be misleading. Samuel was a prophet of God of no mean repute. However, he became a victim of first impression. The Lord asked him to go into Bethlehem Judah, specifically to the house of Jesse, to anoint a king in place of Saul. He was completely taken by Jesse’s first son. “So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” I Samuel 16:6 NKJV. Eliab was the first son and first to be paraded. Samuel thought he had hit the bull’s eye as his language revealed – “surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him”. God had to restrain the prophet not to look on the physical attributes.

No human assessment can be hundred percent accurate, because we do not have access to the inner workings of the people that we see. So don’t be in a hurry to slam the door on people because the first impression you got was negative.

How many times have you also assessed people based on externalities? Or, how many times have you been judged because of what people can see on the outside? We make this mistake often; and it is about time we went beyond the veil of externalities, considering things from outward appearance alone. God does not judge from outside impression; He looks on the inside, including the motive behind what is seen. No human assessment can be hundred percent accurate, because we do not have access to the inner workings of the people that we see. So don’t be in a hurry to slam the door on people because the first impression you got was negative.

The social media took the world by storm in the past 10 years or thereabout. The creator of this powerful means of communication exploited an insuperable need in human beings – the need to connect. God made humans to operate in societies. Another way to view that is to say that we are made for partnership. Though we all have different purposes and assignments, some form of cooperation will be required to make good of them. In our text, Judah invited Simeon to assist him take possession of his inheritance. He built an alliance with his brother to actualize destiny. He was humble enough to ask for help when necessary.

God made humans to operate in societies…Partnership is an abiding principle we find throughout the word of God…If you can’t work with people, you will limit the scope of your accomplishment.

Partnership is an abiding principle we find throughout the word of God. It runs from Genesis to Revelation. God used it in Genesis at creation. “Let us make man in our own image”, He declared. Great feats are hardly achieved by solo efforts. They come by team efforts. Ants secure their future through teamwork. In the book of Ecclesiastes, partnership is praised. “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NKJV). If you can’t work with people, you will limit the scope of your accomplishment.

Many years ago, a man illustrated how God guides. He compares it to driving at night. It is not possible for your car light to see the entire length of the road at one time. Perhaps it sees some 40 or 50 meters. As you drive, you see a little more and a little more until you reach your destination. This illustration is applicable to our pursuit of success and other good things of life. In our text, Moses put down what might be described as divine principle of conquest. He informed them that God would drive out the nations before Israel, so that they would be empowered to conquer them. However, the conquest would come in stages and not in one fell swoop. God would give them the land in sequence as was necessary to support their population. God’s law of conquest is a little at a time.

God’s law of conquest is a little at a time…When people bite more than they can chew, problems set in…Over time, those little, little steps will compound and give us the breakthrough we desire.

A lot of people adopt the “pressure cooker” approach to life. They want everything to happen and that right now. This approach may not be unconnected to the increasing cases of depression in our days. When people bite more than they can chew, problems set in. Learn to receive the word and promises of God with cautious optimism. Do same for your ideas and projects. Thinking that we can grab all the fullness of the promise at a time or pull off a gigantic project at once might lead us to a life of anxiety. When we walk with God, it is guaranteed that all things will fall into place, only that it will be a little at time. Over time, those little, little steps will compound and give us the breakthrough we desire.