TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL (Tuesday 29th December 2020)
“And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 363RD DAY OF OUR YEAR OF REJOICING
God has been faithful and has given us another day!
The book of Ecclesiastes 12 tells us one of the major reason for that; fearing Him and departing from evil remains the focal point. Whenever we make that our purpose for living, we generate peace around us and prevent evil from breaking forth through us.
Now, one may wonder if evil can break forth through someone. Yes, It can!
For instance, every atrocity on earth has never been directly carried out by demons. Every atrocity on earth have been carried out by those who allowed evil to break forth through them.
Our world would have been as peaceful as the LORD GOD created it to be if not for people who allow themselves to be used as gates of hell on the face of the earth.
There is a way you can wire yourself to corruption and moral decay until you become a gate of hell on the face of the earth.
Yes, there is a way you can follow the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life and become one of those evil can use in breaking forth into the human race and carrying out its nefarious activities of killing, stealing, and destroying.
Now, either you believe it or not, there is no kind judgment in God’s justice system for those who allow evil to break forth through them.
People who allow sin, iniquity and trespass to break forth through them, may look okay on this side of eternity, but will never be okay if they step out of this life.
YOU MAY ASK HOW DO PEOPLE ALLOW EVIL TO BREAK FORTH THROUGH THEM?
Let us begin with those outside the Church. When politicians tell lies and make people believe they are working for their interest, then use that to win elections. They have allowed evil break forth through them.
That is why nations governed by such people do not see prosperity. They move from one adversity to another until those politicians become fat with their national wealth.
You see very bad policies that brings poverty and untold hardship on the populace promoted and established. You see very heart breaking corruption destroying the destiny of all and making their daughters harlots and sons criminals.
When people walk in deceit they allow evil to break forth through them. That is the bane of nations that allow people to ascend the place of its leadership through deceit, lies or propaganda.
On individual level, people can also allow evil to break forth through them by the conduct of their lives….
For instance, when we spread slander or gossip, sow seeds of discord or give evil counsel like the one David’s son got from his friend, leading to him raping his half-sister and bringing the sword of blood on David’s household; we are allowing evil to break forth through us.
When we help people in feeding their lust or pride, we are allowing evil to break forth through us. If you read the book of 2 Samuel from chapter 13 to 18, you will understand what am saying.
The evil that broke out in the house of David by the counsel of Jonadab the son of Shimeah, lasted for months. It was like an inferno that almost consumed the house of David.
It started with the rape of Tamar, as earlier stated, and ended up in the dethronement of David for three months and death of some of His key sons and choice men. Both Amnon and Absalom who became the principal actors in the whole saga did not live to tell the story.
That is how bad it is to allow evil to break forth through you. It can come back to consume you beyond redemption!
There are so many people in the days of the Bible who took decisions that allowed evil to break forth through them and either stopped or sabotaged the plan of GOD for their lives and others.
Eve allowed evil to break forth through her leading to the fall. The generation of Noah allowed evil to break forth through them leafing to the flood. When Sarah could not wait for God’s promise yo be performed at its appointed time, she decided to make Abraham sleep with her maid. Ishmael broke forth through her decision.
Sadly, the world is yet to recover from the cost of her decision.
SINFUL ACTS OR CONDUCTS, CAN ALLOW EVIL TO BREAK FORTH THROUGH US.
Now, God did not create us for evil to break forth through us. God created us for Him to break forth through us. So, when we allow evil to break forth through us, we have defeated His purposes for our lives and will always regret it at a later end.
Most of what we go through in life are just a boomerang or result.
We took decisions that allowed evil to break forth through us, to kill, steal or destroy hence suffering for it. If our problems are caused by the evil that broke forth through us to consume others, we will never be free by the prayers we or others say for us. We can only be free by repentance.
There is so much about this important subject. But the most important part is how to lead lives where evil will not break forth through Us.
Our devotional text said;
“And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
For evil not to break forth through us, we must lead lives that allows the manifest presence of God to rest on us.
If we lead lives that do not allow God’s presence to rest on us, other things will be resting on us! That explains why so many are going about with so many problems in their lives. They are leading lives that will not allow the presence of GOD to rest on them, hence carrying other things on them.
Many carry diseases, others curse, and many others one form of spiritual problem or the other. Again, if God’s manifest presence is not going with us, or resting on us, we will never have rest, because there will be things from the pit of hell that will rest on us.
There are so many incurables resting on many today! I am not against medical science but God’s original provision for our health was His manifest presence resting on us. That is why, except one has fulfilled his or her day, whatever defies medical science do not survive when taken to the place of His manifest presence.
The manifest presence of the LORD remains the only place where the pressures of life can be freely and permanently dealt with.
People who do not understand the importance of God’s presence will not mind even if He did not follow them into the coming year. That is why they go to spend the last hours of a preceding year and the first hours of a new year in a club house or a drinking spot.
OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT MADE IT CLEAR THAT IF HIS PRESENCE GOES WITH US, GOD WILL GIVE US REST.
He will give us rest from sicknesses and diseases, rest from lack and poverty, rest from insecurity and depression, rest from satanic attacks and oppressions. It is therefore, important to do what Moses did in His days as we prepare for 2021. It is important to be clear to the LORD that if His manifest presence will not go with us, He should not take us there.
Sadly, many have been leading their lives without the presence of God. That is why they are depressed, oppressed, unhappy, and all the wrong keep happening to them. God’s presence may not prevent the evil from coming, but it will glorify God when it comes by dealing with it to our amazement.
As we bring this word to a close today, I want you to understand that the difference between your success and failure in life, as a Kingdom Citizen, will not be determined by how much you will work towards it alone, but how less evil you will allow to break forth through you, and how much good or God’s manifest presence will find a resting place in your life.
Friend, it will not be determined by how much monies you give as seeds to preachers.
As we exhaust the last days of 2020, make this devotional words of Moses your meditation and prayer and use it as an anchor scripture to seek His presence, and shut down any life style that will allow even to break forth through you. Stepping into 2021 without making that decision will not be of help to you!
LET THIS WORD REMAIN STRONG IN US
“Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” Exodus 33:15 NKJV