All posts by Tunde Soniregun

Do Not Love Money

Devotions

DO NOT LOVE MONEY
1Timothy 6:3-16

When you look not into what God has not given you, God Himself will give to you what is good for you. Hebrews 13:5 – “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” What are you looking for outside of the will of God? How are you conducting yourself in the areas of your wants? There is a difference from what you want and what you need. Most time in our life, list of wants can be done away with without it affecting our life. Wants are not and will never be as important as needs. Often what is needed can be pressing and it can become unavoidable. When desire for wants grow based upon seeing what others have, walking in the avenue of sin becomes inevitable. Covetousness is a sin. In the Ten Commandments it is clearly stated that, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17) The Word of God that states “He will never leave you nor forsake you” is true only to those whose conduct is without covetousness and to those who conduct themselves with contentment. It is a blessing to have God be for us, but His entire blessing comes with conditions. His love, however, is unconditional. God wants us to be content with what we have. It is recorded in 1 Timothy 6:6-7, “Now Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” When everything that is seen becomes a desire, contentment will loose its place in our life and the power of God ceases to flow. The love of money often has a place where lack of contentment abides. Have you thought about your relationship with money? When set your love with money, you are bound in the wrong direction. The Word of God warns in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil; not just one kind but all kinds of evil. Be very careful in your pursuit for wants or else the devil will recruit you as part of those who will be spending eternity with him.

Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy that you should seek Him indeed and truth by living in contentment all the days of your life.

Agreement Is Power

Devotions

AGREEMENT IS POWER
Acts 3

In the gathering of two or more, there is the power of agreement. The power of agreement is a power of coming together and agreeing as one. Whenever such power is in place, doing good or doing damage can be inevitable. When men attempted to build the tower of Babel to reach heaven, it was with the power of agreement. God knew the power that is inhabited in coming together and operating as one so He intervened and stated, “’…Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.”(Genesis 11:6-8) The power of agreement in their possessions was meant to build against God and God disallowed them. Are you in position for any power of agreement? Just as it can be used to provoke self-destruction, it can also be used to provoke self-development. Jesus knew the power in agreement when He sent out His disciples two by two. Jesus pointed out, “…If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19) Agreeing together and not just coming together is the driving force that will always provoke the move of God in bringing forth result. Jesus constantly sent out disciples two by two. At every report of there being sent out two by two, testimonies were always reported. After the resurrection of Jesus, Peter and John maintained the power that is in agreement. Once, they were able to heal a man lame of forty years. The Bible records, “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.” (Acts 3:1-3) The point here is that Peter and John went together and it is true that two can not walk together unless they agree. The power of agreement is real and true only if there is togetherness in agreement and not in relating with each other silently in competition. So many battles would become easy to fight just by having a true and sincere partner with you in agreement.

Prayer for today: My God, I ask for Heaven’s direction that will lead me to a sincere partner that can always operate with me in the spirit of agreement. 

A Deadly Desire

Devotions

A DEADLY DESIRE
2 Samuel 13

Certainly, every wrong and evil desire will lead to a route of destruction. Absalom, Tamar and Ammon were all children of David. The Bible describes Tamar as a lovely person. It is recorded in 2 Samuel 13:2, “Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.” Any desire that is causing man to be in a distressful situation could be that such desire is not in line with God. When such desire remains persistent or continuous, it could be considered as a route or avenue to an untimely death. Ammon was so much consumed in the love for his sister to the point of sickness and to the point where an agent of evil stepped in as a counselor. The one and only better way of making any decision on confronting issues of life is in seeking for Godly counsel. Ammon’s crafty friend became his counselor in regard to dealing with his fleshly desire. This is what the word says about Ammon’s friend: “But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, ‘Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?’ Amnon said to him, ‘I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.’ So Jonadab said to him, ‘Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him’, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” (2 Samuel 13:3-5) On the first note, the desire of Ammon was a foolish one. In his desire, he should have received help from a Godly counsel. The crafty friend was the wrong one for Ammon and at the wrong time. Also, it was indeed foolishness for Ammon to listen to counsel where there was no wisdom. Wisdom, knowledge and understanding make all the difference in different steps that we take in life. It is important for us to know that, “When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil…” (Proverbs 2:10-12) Ammon did a shameful and disgraceful thing when he forced her sister to lay with her. After Ammon had fulfilled his desire concerning his sister, he hated his sister more than the love he had for her. Absalom could not let go the evil committed by Ammon so he sent his servants to kill Ammon. Evidently, Ammon died an untimely death because his desire drove him in the route of death. 

Prayer for today: Cause my heart to be kept with diligence against every thought that is not in line with Your Word.

Seek Him Endlessly

Devotions

SEEK HIM ENDLESSLY
2 Chronicles 26

The same King Uzziah who died before Isaiah could see and receive his calling was described as a king who started right but ended up wrong. At the beginning of Uzziah’s reign, he sought God. The Bible records that as long as Uzziah sought the Lord, God made him prosper. (2 Chronicles 26:5) As he continued in seeking God, he won wars of conquest and wars of expansion. By virtues of his victories, “…he became exceedingly strong.” (2 Chronicles 26:8) God made him prosper in every area of his direction and he became victorious all round. It is recorded of him that, “…his fame spread far and wide; for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.” (2 Chronicles26:15) Evidently, God does not bless or increase man by accident. Uzziah was not elevated to be strong and famous across the nations by accident. Uzziah was doing what was right in the eyes of God before God began to elevate him. The Bible makes us realize that Uzziah sought God. Are you expecting elevation from God? All that it requires is seeking Him diligently. The fact about seeking God is that there should never be an end in seeking Him. As long as there is life in your being, seeking Him should never cease. Seeking Him should be a daily and ongoing routine. The seeking of yesterday will not and cannot be counted for today. Further, to stop in seeking Him is to cease from dwelling in His presence. Uzziah enjoyed the hand of God in every area of his life, “…but when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” (2Chronicles 26:16) The fame that spread for Uzziah when he sought God made him to feel strong all around him. With his fame, pride set into his life. What pride does is to prepare man for a ride into self destruction. Evidently, Uzziah rode into self destruction because of his pride. Are you beginning to feel strong in what you are doing? To be strong is not an evidence of not to be wrong. To be strong could lead to the sense of self accomplishment. In self, the danger of pride inhabits. With pride, man is set-up for self-destruction. Uzziah got carried away by assuming a position of a priest in his attempt to burn incense on the altar of incense. Are you shifting focus in any area of your calling? Keep focus on God and your purpose will never be diverted.

Prayer for today: O Lord my God, I ask for help never to take my eyes away from what You have called me for. Impact in me the grace to seek You all the days of my life.

August 2009 Issue

Monthly Newsletter

“…We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint…” (Romans 5:3-4)

It is better to be lost and found than to be found and then lost. The children of Israel were lost and down in bondage for over four hundred years before God visited them with favor and salvation. They were lost and found; they were set for the Promise Land. He that found the children of Israel will find you. If you have been found by the grace of God from the depth of sin, He wants to take you to an expected end–a Promise Land that was purchased for us by the blood that was shed on Calvary. God that found and brought the children of Israel out of bondage did not mean for them not to get to the Promised Land. To be free from bondage is incomplete until your arrival at the final destination. Many ways lead to the promise land, but the only way that will enable you to get there is the way of the wilderness.
WAY OF WILDERNESS
It is not your choice; it is the choice of the one who called you. To get to the promise land, you will have to go through the wilderness. Any other way will take you back to Egypt. The way of the wilderness is a way of no return. Exodus 13:17, “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, ‘Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’”
WHY WAY THE OF WILDERNESS?
The way of wilderness is for you not to return, but to keep you going. It is the way that God has put everything in place for you to travel within a reasonable amount of time. It is a way where you are going to be equipped on how you will live and enjoy where He is taking you to. Are you on the way to your promise land? On the way, you will bump heads with the enemy because the enemy does not want to see you prevail. However, if the way you have taken for yourself is smooth, with no ups and downs, no head-on collision with the enemy, it may become a way that seems right to you, but you may also be in the same direction as the enemy. You are no threat to the enemy because you are heading in the same place. The way of wilderness, is not a habitation, it is a passage.
CHALLENGES ON THE WAY OF WILDERNESS
The children of Israel, by virtue of disobedience, inability to wait on God, inability to let the past be in the past so the future could emerge in there life, and inability to focus on God for direction, lost track in the wilderness. The journey was to take them eleven days, but they journeyed for forty years. All that started the journey above the age of twenty did not get to the expected end except for Joshua and Caleb. The way of wilderness that we are in is not to kill us, it is to keep us and get us to where we are going. You may have been wondering why you have all these difficulties in your way. If you will only let God take control, then you will see all that you have considered as difficulties to be challenges that will make you grow. Nothing is accidental for us as a child of God. Deuteronomy 8:2, “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you will keep His commandments or not.” Do you really trust God as the only God that will always remembers with favor and always visits with salvation?
KEEP FOCUS
In the way of wilderness, when you lose focus, you will begin to complain, you will begin to remember all your past that can easily contaminate your present. You will rebel against the people whom God has put in place in your life as a shepherd. You will not be able to see help where God has positioned help for you. Do not look back like Lot’s wife. Let all your wants rest for now. Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Focus on where you are going. Where you are now is your building process. Believe that God is with you and He shall see you through if you are focused on Him.

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”(Numbers 23:19)