Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

A long time ago, I watched where an Islamic Cleric did some form of advocacy for God. In the course of his lecture, he asked the students: “If you were God, how many of you would do certain things differently?” A number of the students raised up their hands. He objected, and then went on to say that if they were God they would do everything exactly the way God has done it. The logic is that if they were God they would see everything the way God does and still arrive at the same verdict.

Our prayer is a strong safeguard for leaders. We have no moral authority to condemn people that we have not first held up in intercession.

People are always too eager to condemn leaders for things they do or fail to do. The truth is if we step into their shoes, see the same thing and surrounded by the same foes, we will probably not fare better. In our text, the whole camp condemned David. They concluded he was the reason for their losses. Most leaders mean well; perhaps they are always surrounded by the forces of hell that want to hijack the ship of the state. This is why everybody must watch over leaders in prayer, so that their decision will not be hijacked by the devil. Our prayer is a strong safeguard for leaders. We have no moral authority to condemn people that we have not first held up in intercession. Paul’s admonition that prayer should be made for kings and all men at large deserves a new emphasis.

Mr. Robert Broeksmit has been the CEO of Mortgage Bankers Association of America since 2018 to date. During the crisis enforced by Covid-19 pandemic, his association sought for ways to alleviate the difficulties faced by their debtors who could not service their loan because of job loss in the face of Coronavirus pandemic. Robert said the association would be willing to grant them forbearance. He then went on to emphasize that it is not forgiveness they are granting, but forbearance. What he meant was that for the period when their debtors are off-work, they would not be pressed to pay up. However, when situations return to normal they would still have to pay what they owe. In economic language, forbearance is a form of stopgap measure.

Sin is a debt that we all owed… when someone comes to Jesus they are forgiven completely…Jesus paid it all! This understanding takes away the guilt of sin and a conscience laden with dread. If you are in Christ you are free indeed!

That made me to appreciate God’s love and free gift in a deeper sense. Sin is a debt that we all owed. Ideally, we should all be paying back with our dear lives, since the wages of sin is death. Now, God sent Jesus to the world as a proof of His great love, not to give us forbearance but forgiveness. In other words, when someone comes to Jesus they are forgiven completely. They will not have to worry if God is going to ask them to pay up in the future. Jesus paid it all! This understanding takes away the guilt of sin and a conscience laden with dread. If you are in Christ you are free indeed!

It was on February 4, 2013 that a 75-year old man, Chung Kim shot and killed a couple, Michelle Jackson and Jamie Stafford. The couple lived in an apartment directly above Kim’s. For months, Kim woke up to find Dog’s poops falling into his patio from the couple’s balcony. He complained directly to the them and then to the authorities and the apartment management. Nobody did anything, or so he thought. So in a fit of anger, he pulled his gun and killed them both. Ironically, he did not kill the dog that caused the mess. He was later tried and found guilty of murder, and that bagged him life sentence. Unfortunately, the couple had five children; three were in school on the day of the shooting. This is one illustration of a war where all parties lost. The couple lost their lives, their kids were left as orphans, and Chung Kim lost his liberty for the rest of his life.

…anger is insanity, even if only momentarily. When people are angry, they often lose their senses…The Bible warns us against compulsive anger. It can never produce anything positive. Sometimes, a little more restraint can bring resolution to what irks us.

I have always maintained that anger is insanity, even if only momentarily. When people are angry, they often lose their senses. They speak swelling and swearing words, many of which will never be considered under normal circumstances. They cancel relationships that could prove to be a lifeline in the future. The Bible warns us against compulsive anger. It can never produce anything positive. Sometimes, a little more restraint can bring resolution to what irks us. Unknown to Chung Kim, the couple were already penned for eviction in matter of days. When he took laws into his own hands, everything was messed up, including his own life.

I had a scheduled flight from Abuja to Uyo, Nigeria on May 31st, 2026. The ticket sent to me by the protocol team stipulated departure time for 5 pm. I got to the airport early and was promptly checked in. Presuming that I had a lot of waiting time before departure, I went and sat at the Executive Lounge so I could be relaxed. I was barely 30 minutes there when I heard a call announcing final boarding to Uyo. I was stunned, wondering what had happened. I was later informed that the flight had been shifted to depart one hour earlier than scheduled. I was the last person to board the plane, narrowly escaping missing the flight. My problem was that I did not get an update on the change.

…how easy it is for believers to confuse what God had said with what He is saying, what He has done with what He is doing, and where God had been and where He is at the present moment…We must learn to connect with every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Putting a spiritual spin on this, we know how easy it is for believers to confuse what God had said with what He is saying, what He has done with what He is doing, and where God had been and where He is at the present moment. Without knowing the difference, we will be stuck. We might even end up destroying ourselves unwittingly. In our text, God asked Abraham to go and sacrifice his son, Isaac on Mount Moriah. When he got to the mount, God spoke to him again not to go ahead with the plan. What if he did not hear that latest instruction? He would have destroyed the most precious gift in his life and truncate his posterity. In Revelation 1-3, we are enjoined to hear what the Spirit is saying, not just what He once said. We must learn to connect with every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Our previous meditation was premised on the fact that having a revelation of the Almighty God would prime us for endless experience of wonders. The ground for this assertion is that it is only those who know Him that can put their trust in Him. The more you know Him, the more you trust Him; and the more you trust Him, the more of His awesome wonders you enjoy. However, this only captures an aspect of God. The other side is to come to terms with the fact that God is not only awesome in power, He is equally awesome in mercy. It is His mercy that releases His power in our direction when we can neither see nor trust Him.

The more you know Him, the more you trust Him; and the more you trust Him, the more of His awesome wonders you enjoy…God is not only awesome in power, He is equally awesome in mercy…The mercy of God simply took over where knowledge and faith were non-existent.

The story of the mad man of Gadarenes will drive this message home. His distorted mind was in no position to know God or trust him. He was beside himself and could neither trust God nor pray to Him. At the end of it all, Jesus delivered him most powerfully. Our text sums up what happened. It was not the faith of the man nor his revelational knowledge of God that changed his story; it was the mercy of God. The mercy of God simply took over where knowledge and faith were non-existent. We should forever sing of the mercies of God, for by them we are not consumed and get to enjoy what we cannot have by merit alone.

In 1792, William Carey preached a sermon which he titled AN ENQUIRY INTO THE OBLIGATIONS OF CHRISTIANS TO USE MEANS FOR THE CONVERSION OF THE HEATHEN. In it he made a statement that has become so famous over the centuries. He said, “Expect great things from God; attempt greats things for God.” While one may not be able to state with exactitude what inspired this line, it is possible to hazard a guess. William Carey must have seen into the awesome greatness of God and His vast resources, upon which he challenged people to expect great things from Him.

It is only the mighty God that can do great things. If we catch a revelation of this mighty God, we will not cease to experience great things all our days.

This agrees with the tenor of our text. Mary was first puzzled when the angel announced that she would give birth to a child without knowing a man. When the angel told her that the power of the Holy Spirit would come upon her and make the impossible possible, she surrendered to the sovereignty of God on the matter. She later summed up what happened to her in our text. It is only the mighty God that can do great things. If we catch a revelation of this mighty God, we will not cease to experience great things all our days.