Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

A Nigerian who migrated to the United States reported that virtually all the things he used to pray for while at home were supplied by the Government. As a result, he wondered why he has to pray like he used to do. That man has a wrong notion of prayer. He sees it basically as a means to having our temporal needs met. When you check the prayer pattern taught by Jesus, you will discover that there is only a passing reference to our physical needs – “Give us this day our daily bread”. The rest covered issues of God’s kingdom, His will, subduing of evil, and being delivered from the power of sin. Prayer does more than meeting our temporal needs; it is what helps us to access the plans and purposes of God for us and the universe at large.

Prayer does more than meeting our temporal needs; it is what helps us to access the plans and purposes of God for us and the universe at large…God’s word is a mighty tool for prayer. Without the word of God our prayer is without warrant. God is not committed to what He has not spoken.

Daniel received visions whose relevance spanned through his days to the end of human history as we currently know it. His insight into apocalyptic event may not be unconnected to his life of consecration and prayer. A study of his writing also reveals to us the secret of his mighty prayer life. One of his prophetic prayers is recorded in Daniel 9; and that was inspired by reading the prophecy of Jeremiah which stipulated the time of the end of Israel’s captivity in Babylon. He understood that the time was due, and he began to pray on the basis of what God had planned. God’s word is a mighty tool for prayer. Without the word of God our prayer is without warrant. God is not committed to what He has not spoken.

In the opening verses of 1 Samuel chapter 23, David learned that the Philistines had come to assault Keilah. He mobilized his men to go and defend the city. His men did not see the rationale behind that expedition because it would bring them within a striking distance of Saul. He sought the Lord over the move and had the permission to go. First lesson is that God does not see as man does. Where the majority of David’s men said no, God said yes. David defended the city and forced the Philistines to retreat.

When you are dealing with issues of life and destiny, you cannot run on assumptions…As a child of God, your life should be run by every word that proceeds from the mouth of your heavenly Father.

Saul would later take his haunt for David to Keilah, the city he had just defended. One would think that that was an opportunity to repay the kindness shown them by David; but they were going to betray him into the hand of Saul. David enquired of the Lord and he learned that they would betray him. Had David assumed that the city would be kind to him, he would have met with disaster. When you are dealing with issues of life and destiny, you cannot run on assumptions. It was not only on this occasion that David sought the Lord for direction. He never took any step based on assumption. As a child of God, your life should be run by every word that proceeds from the mouth of your heavenly Father.

Nabal held a wrong image of David. Our text reveals his perspective of him. As far as he was concerned, David was a rebellious fugitive servant of king Saul. The first thing you need to learn is that no matter how hard you try, there are those who will hold the wrong version of your story. That should not be too much of a shock. An anonymous person wrote: ‘’Even  my own family failed to understand me, then how can I expect from others?” If people don’t understand you, count it as one of the things we encounter in life.

…no matter how hard you try, there are those who will hold the wrong version of your story…If people don’t understand you, count it as one of the things we encounter in life…So when you are misrepresented, take things in your stride and wait on God to vindicate you.

David was hounded all over the land of Israel for no fault of his. He had saved both Saul and the entire land from harassment in the hand of the Philistines. Due to his personal insecurity, Saul began to persecute an innocent soul. David and his men literally became scavengers, living from hand to mouth. When he heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, he felt that would be an opportunity to get some reward for watching over his flock. Nothing of such came for David. Rather, Nabal thought him to be a rebel bolting out from under Saul the king. Enraged by this misconception, David mobilized his forces with the intention of destroying Nabal and all his men. It took the timely intervention of Abigail to dissuade him from taking vengeance. Nabal eventually died some days after that at the instance of God. So when you are misrepresented, take things in your stride and wait on God to vindicate you.

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.