Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

Our text is drawing attention to a little creature called the spider. It is one of four little creatures that the book of Proverbs describes as wise, the other three being the ants, conies, and locusts. The spider is considered wise because it puts its hands to work, resulting in its making a mark even to the king’s palace. Even though hard work is stressed by this reference, we can consider it from another angle. To appreciate the point we are about to make, consider this: imagine that the spider is working hard at singing. How much progress or impact will such effort yield? Nothing, you would say. The reason is that the spider was neither created nor gifted to make melodies. All  it can do is to weave, and that is what takes it to the palaces. So it is the spider’s gift that is on display.

Here is the truth: Nothing can facilitate your journey to success and recognition like your gift. The starting point is to look inward and see what has been uniquely given to you…Those who discover, develop, and deploy their gifts are on their way to the top.

Most people desire to climb to the height of greatness in life, but few know how to go about it. Here is the truth: Nothing can facilitate your journey to success and recognition like your gift. The starting point is to look inward and see what has been uniquely given to you. What can you do that other people cannot? Or what can you do with relative ease better than others? These could be pointers to the gift of God in your life. Work on your gift until it becomes a skill. Someone will be willing to pay for it someday. As Proverbs 18:16 says, it is a man’s gift that makes room for him and positions him before mighty people. Those who discover, develop, and deploy their gifts are on their way to the top.

In our previous meditation, I made reference to a teaching done by one of our leaders on the subject of finance. In my opening remarks at the same retreat, I noted that you can expect to find two categories of people in every organization. People either serve as progress arresters or progress enhancers. I further stated that there may be progress arresters on purpose while some others do it ignorantly. What I did not mention is that individuals can also be progress arresters in their own lives. In our text, Paul mentioned six things that must be confined to the past: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking, and malice. These things come under the listing of what is described as works of the flesh. Those who allow works of the flesh to have a hold on them are arresting their own progress unwittingly.

Those who allow works of the flesh to have a hold on them are arresting their own progress unwittingly…All issues of life spring from the heart. If the heart is not cleansed of the works of the flesh, it is futile to expect great outcome in life.

The Bible makes clear that God has great plans for us. However, the flesh will contaminate the plans, delay their manifestation, or destroy them altogether. The flesh will always hinder the operations of the Spirit. To truly enjoy the best of God, we have to keep turning over a new leaf. David asked the Lord to create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him. This is an applicable prayer for everyone who longs to see God’s plan come to pass. All issues of life spring from the heart. If the heart is not cleansed of the works of the flesh, it is futile to expect great outcome in life.

At our annual Pastors/Leaders’ Retreat, one of our pastors taught on ROADMAP TO FINANCIAL SUCCESS. Among other things, he stressed the fact that risk is relative. Explaining further, he stated that investments with minimal risk turns in minimal returns, while those with higher risks have matching returns as well. This time-tested financial principle applies to life generally. Wherever you have great prospects will likely be a place of great resistance. The spies reported that the land was indeed good, but that giants were there too. To demonstrate how good the land was, they brought samples of the grapes which they had cut from the Promised Land. Rather than focus on the opportunities of the land, they got fixated on the giants. They lost their opportunity to wrong focus.

When God gives you an opportunity, stand your ground by faith and never be intimidated by the roar of the adversaries. Keep in mind that God will not open a door that He will not walk through it with you.

It is illusory not to expect opposition from the adversary when you are marching to your promised land. Paul found this out in his missionary journey. He found “real opportunity…for great and worthwhile work” at Ephesus, but there were many oppositions too. Paul did not allow the opposition to force him out of the doors which God had opened for him. When God gives you an opportunity, stand your ground by faith and never be intimidated by the roar of the adversaries. Keep in mind that God will not open a door that He will not walk through it with you.

There are no less than 15 blessings spelt out in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. They range from provision to protection and preservation. What is worthy of emphasis is that all those blessings are contingent on one thing – obedience to the voice of God. “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God” Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NKJV

We inflict ourselves with a curse when we don’t obey the Lord… Those who have learned to obey God at all times get immunity for themselves against every negative thing that may be thrown at them.

Obedience matters greatly in walking with God. It was the ground for which God blessed Abraham and made it trans-generational. On the flip side, disobedience will not only block all these blessings but also make one susceptible to a curse. A lot of believers live in fear of people who might curse them. They forget that a curse without a cause is impotent. They also forget that most curses are actually self-inflicted. We inflict ourselves with a curse when we don’t obey the Lord. This is stated clearly in our text. Those who have learned to obey God at all times get immunity for themselves against every negative thing that may be thrown at them.

One of the words we use to describe God is “Omniscience”. It conveys the fact that God is all knowing. He knows the end from the beginning and makes provision for the end from the beginning! The Omniscience of God is implied in our text. He foresaw a time when Israel would seek to have a king, like other nations, and set the parameters for it. That came to manifestation in the days of Samuel, about 500 years after God had spoken. In our text, one criterion was that whoever would be king must be a bonafide Israelite and not a foreigner.

To make good our office as kings, we must give heed to the word of God. We are to rule not by human ideas but by the word of God. The word of God is to be our light and lamp so we don’t stumble.

Other provisions were made which included that the king was to have a copy of the law of God and read it “all the days of his life”. Deuteronomy 17:18-19. By so doing, he would learn to fear the Lord and be energized to observe His laws and statutes. Studying the account of the kingdom, we realize that the kings that took heed to this counsel prospered, while those who distanced themselves from the law not only failed but plunged the nation into idolatry. The Bible calls us kings and priests who are to rule in this world. To make good our office as kings, we must give heed to the word of God. We are to rule not by human ideas but by the word of God. The word of God is to be our light and lamp so we don’t stumble.

Our text was the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy noted in Jeremiah 31:15. It happened when Herod felt mocked by the wisemen who refused to return to him to show the place where Jesus was. In anger he killed all children who were under two years of age. It is of interest to note that Jeremiah was called into his prophetic ministry around 627 B. C. That implies that the word he spoke took approximately 600 years to come to fulfillment. Let’s imagine that Jeremiah lived all through those years, watching from year to year not seeing his prophecy come to pass. Could he not have doubted himself and the source of the prophecy? Definitely he would wonder if he heard God correctly.

Unknown to many, the promises of God are tied to times and seasons; and no matter how hard we try they will not come to pass until the time appointed.

One of the hardest things to do is waiting for manifestation of a word or prophecy we have received from the Lord. Unknown to many, the promises of God are tied to times and seasons; and no matter how hard we try they will not come to pass until the time appointed. We often want things to happen at our own time, but God makes things beautiful in His time. Over 600 years elapsed but the word of God did not become impotent. God’s word does not weaken with age. If you are sure that you received a word from the Lord, hold on to it and never be discouraged. Faithful is He who promised who also will do it.