Looking at my own marriage and listening to the frustrations of many married women that I have heard complaining about their husbands, it seems that the men have one particular trait that really irks their wives – the unwillingness to do as they are told, how they are told to do it, and especially not when they are meant to do it. Men (some men at least) always seem to be able to find ingenious ways to delay till tomorrow (if ever), what needed to be done yesterday.
In this week’s devotional theme, we will be looking at a few men from the bible and see if we can identify some traits in their character that could be a reflection of ours.
The first man we will be looking at is Abraham.
Abraham or Abram as he was originally known, is one of the Patriarchs of faith that features very prominently in Judaeo-Christian theological writings.
This is what the bible says concerning Abraham in Genesis 15:6 –
“Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD considered his response of faith as proof of genuine loyalty.”
Abraham walked so intimately with God, that God declared concerning him, that Abraham was His friend:
“But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.” Isaiah 41:8
“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”And he was called the friend of God.” James 2:23 NKJV
So many times in his walk with God, we see in Abraham’s life, a single-minded commitment to obeying God and acting on His word with incredible faith andtotal dedication to the will of God. But this was not always so!
You see, Abram (as he was originally called), had a major flaw in his life – he was human; just like you and I are. He was also subject to human frailties and bouts of “flesh-ititis” (a new word I think I just invented…I googled it); times where the “realities” and pressures of life dictated responses in him, that were in disobedience to God’s instructions and will for his life, and a stark contradiction to the character of the man Abraham, that he would eventually be called.
Abraham obeyed God….Eventually.
Just as it was with Abraham, our acts of disobedience can be very subtle and will not always be very plain to see; especially not to ourselves. Our actions can sometimes be masked in seeming acts of generosity or loyalty which blind us to the reality of the fact that we are actually walking in disobedience to God’s perfect counsel in those situations.
Abraham made so many mistakes early on in his life. Mistakes that were the direct or indirect consequence of his disobedience to God; mistakes that caused him loss; cost him time, and delayed the fulfilment of God’s promises concerning his life and almost compromised his destiny. We will be examining some of these over the next few days.
Dear friend, think carefully about this –
You will always find a reason good enough for you to justify or excuse your disobedience if you look hard enough.
Maybe you are not even inclined to look at all, because you have now become blinded by the deception of the flesh into thinking that all is well.
Maybe you reading this today, are holding back on tithing and you are struggling against the conviction of the Holy Spirit who is gently nudging you not to withhold, so that you can see the awesomeness of God as He honours your obedience to His word.
Maybe you have been blindsided by the spirit of disobedience – anger, offence, unforgiveness, delay, comfort, convenience, fame, popularity, reputation, lust, hardship, challenges of life. These are some of the things that the flesh will take advantage of, to lure you or lull you into disobeying God.
Disobedience will sometimes yield you with seemingly “welcome results” or a fleeting “relief”; and that right there, is the unfortunate snare in its deception.
The so-called gains of disobedience are only temporary. It will always produce fruit that will surely go rotten in time.
Are you doing what God said for you to do, when He said to do it and how He said you should do it? Are you delaying, neglecting or even out right refusingto obey God’s instructions to you and have chosen your own way instead?
Hear what the word of God says to you today:
“There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12
Selah,
Pastor Wale Ola
LIFE APPLICATION 1. What is God saying to me in today’s message?
2. What was ministered to me in the bible verses that I read today?
3. What are the changes or adjustments I need to make in my life to align with the word of God?
4. What is my commitment to the word for today?
5. What practical steps can I take to benefit from the word I have read today?
This Week’s Memory Verse: Proverbs 14:12
PRAYER FOCUS Repent of any act of disobedience that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you today.
Make a commitment to address and redress the situation(s) immediately. Bind the spirit of procrastination and ask God to quicken an urgency in you to obey His word.
Consecrate yourself and pray a prayer of surrender to the will of God for your life.
Ask God to shut any doors in your life through which the accuser and devoured have been empowered to come in to attack you.
Pray that God will keep you by His grace and might in the Name of Jesus.
A few years ago, I had been working long hours on my computer trying to build our church website and creating the design for the production of our hospitality package.
As I rounded up the work for the day about 3.00am in the morning, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me: “Back up your computer”, as I made to shut down the computer. I hesitated for all of 10 seconds before I reasoned to myself that it was too late in the day to wait up for a system backup; I’ll do it in the morning.
Again, the Holy Spirit gently nudged me: “Back up your computer”.
In turn, I reasoned again in much less time than it took me the first time, that since I was shutting down the system anyway, I could always do the backup first thing in the morning when I turned on the system again. That made a lot of sense to me. I turned off the system and went off to sleep.
When morning came, I went into my study, switched on the computer ready to continue my work. As the computer began to boot up, it suddenly stopped midway, gave out three system chimes and the dreaded “blue screen of death” showed up! Soon after, a message showed up on my screen that I should standby, as my hard drive was being formatted. In layman’s language, 3 years worth of work stored on the computer – documents, pictures, music, videos. Every single byte of data was being wiped off the computer as I looked on helplessly. The machine had been infected with a virus! And no; turning it off and back on again didn’t stop the process!
As I frantically tried to do all I could to stop the process and redeem the situation, I could hear the Holy Spirit gently repeat the instruction which I had earlier ignored “Back up your computer”.
Message received, but It was too late now. After failing to get the computer to reboot, I thought maybe if I removed the hard drive from the bay, I could get it to boot off an external bay. As I tried to remove the drive from its mounting, I had a searing pain go through my hand, as a sharp metal plate cut through it.
Undeterred, I rushed off to the local electronics shops with my son Jordan to get the stuff that I needed.
As I pulled up in the last store we visited, he realised that his brand new iPod that he had brought with him was no longer in his pocket. It had dropped off somewhere and gotten lost as we went from store to store.
I learnt a very painful and costly lesson on obedience that day.
If I had backed up my system as the Holy Spirit had prompted me to, I would not have lost 3 years of work on my computer. If I had backed up the system, I would not have been cut by the metal plate; If I had backed up the system, Jordan would not have lost his iPod the way he did.
Those three dreaded, damning words of regret — I Should Have…
If I only had obeyed the voice of God; the prompting of the Holy Spirit!
Very often as believers, we unfortunately get ourselves into situations that bring pain, losses and suffering to ourselves and to our loved ones, as a result of our choices and decisions; and as a consequence of our disobedience to the will of God.
Dear friend, I want you to please reconsider the actions you are about to take this week – the choices and decisions that you are about to make. Listen to what the bible says:
“There’s a way that seems right to a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death”.Pro 14:12; Prov 16:25
Is there anything that God has been asking you to do or maybe even prompting you not to do? Please do not harden your heart in disobedience against the will of God for you.
Disobedience can be a very costly and painful experience for you to bear. Not just for yourself, but also for your children and even generations after them.
“26In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and it will be a refuge for his children. 27The fear of the LORD is like a life-giving fountain, to turn people from deadly snares.”(Prov 14:26-27)
I pray that God will strengthen you to do His perfect will for your life as you walk in obedience to His word in Jesus’s Name.
Shalom,
Pastor Wale Ola
LIFE APPLICATION
1. What is God saying to me in today’s message?
2. What was ministered to me in the bible verses that I read today?
3. What are the changes or adjustments I need to make in my life to align with the word of God?
4. What is my commitment to the word for today?
5. What practical steps can I take to benefit from the word I have read today?
This Week’s Memory Verse: Proverbs 14:12
PRAYER FOCUS Ask God to reveal to you, any areas of your life where you may be walking or
living in disobedience.
Acknowledge what God reveals to you, repent and ask God for forgiveness.
Pray to God to give you the grace to obey His instructions and commandments to you.
Ask Him to strengthen you not just to begin to do, but to completely obey Him.
Song for today: To Worship You I Live – Israel Houghton
A few weeks ago, I was talking with someone who had come over to the house for counselling. In the course of the discussions, he said to me with all the seriousness that he could muster; Pastor, I want to ask you two questions:
What does it really mean to please God? What does it mean to delight oneself in the Lord?
He had just heard a minister preach who said that there was nothing that we could do to please God, and he was a bit confused about that statement.
Is it true that there is nothing that we can really do to please God? I beg to disagree…Everything about that thought is a complete contradiction of what the bible teaches us!
In a way, both of the questions that my friend asked, are interwoven in their context.
When you delight yourself in the Lord, the end result is that you will live to please Him; and if you have a heart that seeks to please Him, you will end up delighting yourself in the Lord.
God desires for us to live to please Him; as the bible says in Revelations 4:11; He has created all things for His pleasure. To live to please God is the ultimate expression and manifestation of our love for Him. To please Him is to honour Him in every area of our lives. To please Him is to live the life of a disciple who will elevate God’s will above our own personal desires and aspirations. To please Him is to live like Romans 12:1
says in the Amplified translation of the bible:
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.”
Psalm 37:4 says to “delight yourself in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart”. But the verses before and after then, I
think throw a bit more light on how we can delight ourselves in the Lord:
Psalm 37:3a – “Trust in the Lord and do good…”
Interestingly, the New English Translation of the bible connects all three verses together in a “cause and effect” manner:
“3Trust in the LORD and do what is right! Settle in the land and maintain your integrity!
4Then you will take delight in the LORD, and he will answer your prayers.
5Commit your future to the LORD!
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.”
So we see a sequence of actions in the three verses of scripture:
– Trust in the Lord
– Do what is right
– Then you will take delight in the Lord
– Commit your future to Him, trust in Him
Are your ways pleasing to God?; Do you live a life that delights in pleasing Him in all that you do?
Selah,
Pastor Wale Ola
LIFE APPLICATION 1. What is God saying to me in today’s message?
2. What was ministered to me in the bible verses that I read today?
3. What are the changes or adjustments I need to make in my life to align with the word of God?
4. What is my commitment to the word for today?
5. What practical steps can I take to benefit from the word I have read today?
This Week’s Memory Verse: Romans 12:10
PRAYER FOCUS To round up this series on love that we have been meditating
on over the past two weeks, I’ll like to share this prayer with you that I wrote during my quiet time a few months ago.
Just Like You Are – A Daily Prayer of Consecration
I want to be just like You Lord, conformed to Your image, lost in Your embrace.
Let my eyes behold the wonders of your word and see what you see
Let my ears hear your word and receive instructions from you
Let my hands be strong and diligent in doing your work
Let my feet not find their own way, but only walk the paths that You have chosen for me.
Let my heart be ever set on you, overflowing with the abundance of Your truth
Let my mind be fixed on you; let it be the mind of Christ filled with wisdom that comes from you
Let my mouth say what you say, declaring your counsel with grace and authority
Let my voice be nothing more than an echo of your heart
Let my life be a manifest expression of your person and your glory
Let the very essence of who I am bring Praise and glory to your Holy Name.
Today’s Song – Your Love is Extravagant by Casting Crowns
“If Jesus is the hope of the world, we are His hands and feet”.Anonymous
I came across the quotation above a few days ago, when I was putting some media together for a project that I was working on.
It made such an impact on me, that I stopped what I was doing for a while, to ask myself how true that statement has been in my life. Have I really been Jesus’s hands and feet? Have you?
Contrary to what we might think or how we might sometimes act, Christianity is not a no-contact social event.
So many of us can get so consumed by our own needs, that we forget that our core mission to be witnesses of Jesus Christ is about us being “middle-men” for Jesus. it is about others being able to touch him through us, as well as Him being able to touch them through us.
We are supposed to be channels of His grace and conduits of His mercy; the very life of God, and the touch of His loving heart made available to all mankind.
This is a demonstration of the Good News – Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Physical Touch Physical Touch is one of the most expressive love languages and a major precursor of intimacy in a relationship. It is one of God’s primary love languages.
God loved man so much, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to walk on earth in human form, so He could touch man physically with His glory. Even though He inhabits the heavens and fills the earth with this glory, He still desires not just to live in temples made by human hands, but to live in the heart of every man that would open the door of their heart to Him. To live in man, to walk with man, to work through man – through you and me.
Unfortunately, it is much easier for many of us to be the eyes of Jesus, the ears of Jesus or the mouth of Jesus, rather than His hands and His feet!
It is much easier for us to see what is wrong in others, to speak about what is out of place in their lives, or even to hear “prophetic messages” about what needs to be done to fix things, but very often, we come miserably short of presenting ourselves as the vehicle of grace to bring that change – the hands and feet of Jesus, that will bring hope and life to that person that needs a desperate touch from God.
Dear friend, this comes down to what we have been talking about throughout this devotional series –
It is impossible for you to be the hands and the feet of Jesus, if you do not have the heart of Jesus. It is the love and compassion in His heart that move His hands and His feet.
Listen to what Jesus says in these verses from today’s scripture Matthew 25:31-46 (NET):
31″When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
37Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’”
What are you going to do about this?
I’ll leave you today with the words from the song by the late legendary Gospel singer Dottie Rambo, Touch Through Me.
I pray that this song will challenge you and encourage you to be more of a “showing” Christian than a “speaking” Christian – We have been called to show forth His praises. And remember, faith without works is dead!
