Your Refreshing Daily Devotional

An important safety measure in our walk of faith is being able to strike a balance. In other words, no truth should be overstated in relation to others, otherwise error will occur. This line of thought can be endorsed by a quote of a Pastor, Dr. Anietie John Ukpe, a man that I have known for decades at Insight Bible Church, Uyo. He said, “Some say do not be sin-conscious, but I believe it is better I be sin-conscious than grace-presumptuous – for only those who see their sin clearly can truly marvel at grace deeply.” If one goes on the lane of hyper-grace, the tendency to live presumptuously is high. I think the need for balance was the reason for General William Booth’s apprehension when he said, “I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.” William Booth died in 1912, so his words are apt to describe our generation.

The only way to remain steadfast and not swept away by the tide is to hold the word of God sacrosanct in all things…we must remain attentive to the Holy Spirit and follow His every impulse.

William Booth was correct, and frighteningly so. We now have a generation who sees Christianity as hip-hop culture complete with its street fashion, music and language. They proudly identify themselves as the “woke” generation and question everything that we know about historic Christianity. They talk of “going deep’’ but are an example of those who the Bible regards as having the form of godliness but deny the power thereof. What General William Booth described is synonymous with the last days. The only way to remain steadfast and not swept away by the tide is to hold the word of God sacrosanct in all things. In addition, we must remain attentive to the Holy Spirit and follow His every impulse.

Apostle Paul exhibited such a degree of flexibility that enabled him to increase both his reach and impact. Philippians 4:13 is an expression of flexibility – “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Philippians 4:12 NKJV. Of course, our text also testifies about his flexibility.

Being adaptable helps you respond quickly to developments around you. It helps minimize risks while increasing your chances of taking advantage of opportunities…It is foolishness to cast our ways in concrete and never adapt even when new light emerges.

Adaptability is one of the several important skills for survival. Here is a quote attributed to Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Being adaptable helps you respond quickly to developments around you. It helps minimize risks while increasing your chances of taking advantage of opportunities. We can find a biblical parallel to this in the parable of the prodigal son. We can blame him for all we care, but we cannot take away from him his adaptability skills. After he lost his fortune, he adapted by joining a pig farmer. With life becoming more difficult, he adjusted and went home to his father, willing to work as a servant. A little while later, he was fully restored. It is foolishness to cast our ways in concrete and never adapt even when new light emerges.

A simple definition of revelation is divine disclosure which can come in a wide variety of ways. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” Hebrews 1:1-2 NKJV. In our previous meditation, we learned that God imparts our heart with His counsel. At other times, His counsel can come to us through dreams. To make king Nebuchadnezzar know His global plan, He gave him a dream. When he could not remember his dream, he sought help from the astrologers as well as his wise men. They were equally clueless. Daniel and his friends sought the face of the Lord, and the secret was disclosed to Daniel in the night through a dream as well. As Daniel worshipped and thanked God for the disclosure, he described Him as one who “reveals deep and secret things”.

If we don’t have as much of divine disclosure today as before, it is not to suggest that God has stopped communicating with people. Rather, it is because our generation has not learned the importance of pressing into God.

Take note of the tenses used here, it is in the present. God revealed secrets in the past, and He is still doing so today. That disclosure averted the death sentence on Daniel, his friends and the wise men of Babylon. The king also promoted Daniel and his friends in his kingdom. One disclosure from God can radically affect your life and the lives of several others who are connected to you. God is not partial. If He disclosed secrets to these men because they sought Him, He will do the same for us if we also seek Him appropriately. If we don’t have as much of divine disclosure today as before, it is not to suggest that God has stopped communicating with people. Rather, it is because our generation has not learned the importance of pressing into God.

What we have as “heart” in our text may as well be called spirit as both are sometimes used interchangeably. Proverbs 20:27 says, “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.” Through direct impact on man’s spirit or heart, the Spirit of the Lord is able to expose every hidden motive. Besides this, the heart of man is also the receptacle of God’s pure counsel.

Once the heart is fully possessed by God, it whispers divine counsel every turn of the way…The stillness of the night increases our sensitivity to the voice of God. Learn to take advantage of the night season.

A heart fully yielded to God becomes a priced possession to the owner thereof. Rather than churning out evil and wickedness, it becomes a sort of Global Positioning System (GPS) showing where to go and what to do. This is the thrust of our text today. The Psalmist exulted in God for His wonderful counsel. The primary way the counsel came was by instruction of the heart, particularly in the night season. Once the heart is fully possessed by God, it whispers divine counsel every turn of the way. Our text is wonderfully rendered in The Passion Translation (TPT): “The way you counsel and correct me makes me praise you more, for your whispers in the night give me wisdom, showing me what to do next.” When in doubt of what to do next, listen to what God will drop in your heart. The stillness of the night increases our sensitivity to the voice of God. Learn to take advantage of the night season.