NO TO CONFORMITY
Romans 12

The sound and clear warning by Paul the Apostle, in Romans 12:2 states, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Conformity is defined as an action or behavior in correspondence with current customs, rules, or styles. The warning for believers is not to be conformed to this world. Unfortunately, in the church of today the warning is clearly falling onto deaf ears. Conformity to this world is thriving even among the believers of the Word. What is it about this world? The ruler of this world is the wicked one; the liar and the destroyer, the devil himself. He engineered the falling of man when he led Adam and Eve into disobedience that kicked them out of where God had placed them, the Garden of Eden. The mind is his field of operation and the result of mind operation is evident in the physical. Believers of the Word are called not to be conformed to this world and the refusal not to conform to this world is rooted in the mind. The mind is to be constantly renewed or the world will remove the mind from where the Lord wants it to be. The mind is the battleground where the enemy wants to take over before it transforms into the physical. The renewing of the mind is based on commitment and constantly meditating on the Word of God. The one who goes around looking for someone to devour is an active one and he operates on a constant and consistent basis in his mission. As a believer, having been able to avoid most of the worldly customs, the possibilities of allowing pride, self centeredness, stubbornness, rebellion and being arrogant should not be having its way in the life of a believer. The mind is a place that has to be kept with all diligence by staying away from the worldly customs. A mind that stays on the Word of God stays on God. Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in you.” The Word of God is the source of perfect peace and it is no secret to those who dwell in the Word to know the perfect peace that surpasses all understanding. Do you desire a perfect peace; the peace that surpasses all understanding? Be renewed in the Word of God as delivered by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Prayer for today: My God and my Father let the truth of your Word triumph in me all the days of my life.

RISE RIGHT
Jonah 1
 
Rising up to the calling of God is one thing but going in the wrong direction is another. When going in the right direction of His calling is in place, it becomes obedience. Rising up to His calling and not going the right direction is an act of rebellion. Many have received the calling and rose in the direction of their calling by responding to the purpose of the calling. Rebellion is refusal to submit to God’s authority and rule. Rebellion is the most common act among believers because to disobey one of His commands is to have disobeyed all. There is no minor disobedience or serious disobedience; disobedience is flat-out sin. Jonah, the reluctant missionary, received the Word of God but chose rather to move into his own world. Jonah 1:2-3, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 “But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” The Word of God clearly stated that he should arise and it is mentioned that he arose, but he did not follow the Lord’s direction. Job’s disobedience was a conscious and deliberate one. He heard God clearly and he clearly relegated the command as if the command did not exist. Many have been called but very few are responding. A believer who receives the call of salvation but yet turns away from the Word of God is no different from Jonah’s act of disobedience. The evidence of not walking in the command of God is sleeping in His command. Quite a number of times, Jesus talked about the issue of sleeping. He mentioned it in the Parable of the ten virgins. When the ten virgin went to sleep, both the ones who could afford to sleep and the ones who could not afford to sleep, fell asleep. During Jesus’ transfiguration on the mount, sleeping took the place by Peter, John and James and they almost missed out on all that was important. When Jesus went to the Mount of Olives with His disciples following, He gave a command: “…Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40) The disciples could not stay awake but fell asleep. The call of duty was neglected and sleeping had its way. They slept through until Jesus came over, “Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”” (Luke 22:46) Rising up and not moving in direction of His command is as sleeping in the place of watching and waiting for Jesus. There is a reason for each and every one of His callings but to disobey any of His calling is an attempt of falling in line with Jonah’s disobedience.
Prayer for today: Deliver me O Lord from every spirit of disobedience.

FIERY FIRE
Daniel 3 

Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego received a promotion to be over the affairs of the province of Babylon. Before the promotion, they were minding their business. In the midst of all when promotion came, evil agenda visited them.  The time of promotion brought them to the position where they had to worship the gold image of King Nebuchadnezzar. Three friends of Daniel could not compromise their God and this was communicated to King Nebuchadnezzar. “There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:12) The response of the king was that of rage and fury. The king went further and required the three friends of Daniel to worship the image but still they refused. As a result, the king declared, “…If you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” (Daniel 3:15) The threat could not gain any ground with the three friends of Daniel because the three friends knew the God who they served so they boldly responded. “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3: 17-18) The three friends of Daniel did not help their case but added more gasoline to their fire. That day you received a promotion, enemy fire was kindled by your close or distanced one. Your promotion triggered an insurmountable confrontation in the camp of your enemy and a fire to destroy was kindle in an attempt to terminate what the Lord has done for you. The fire to terminate Daniel’s friends was a fiery one but it failed to terminate them.  Their termination instead turned out a better continuation. The king celebrated the God of the three friends and made a new decree. “… Any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” (Daniel 3:29) You are not in a state of termination. By God’s grace, you are in for a better continuation. You shall overcome and He will give you a better promotion.

Prayer for today: The One and only Able God bring about a quick turnaround in my situation; convert every pain into a blessed and glorious gain for my life.

CONFESS IN CONFIDENCE
Psalm 91 

The Psalmist confessed in confidence, “I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:2) Refuge is a shelter or protection from danger. Fortress means any place of exceptional security. In this world of challenges the only place of refuge and fortress indeed and in truth is in the Lord. The Psalmist thought it and said it right. It is a statement of confession and confidence that can only be declared for no other god but the One and the only King of kings and the Lord of lords. The Psalmist later testified in the same Psalm, “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11) For any believer that has come to the understanding of God as our refuge and fortress, nothing works better than meditating: “Lord give your angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways” When there is a security in all ways, there will be a safe and final arrival at every expected end of journey. It does not matter how troubled a journey is when there is consistent confession for God, who alone is the true refuge and fortress, will not fail in giving His angels charge over every confessing believer. Peter was marked and set for an imminent death in the hand of King Herod who earlier killed James, the brother of John. While Peter was bound in chains, sleeping at night between guards and awaiting for his time of execution the following occurred. “Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”” (Acts 12:7-8) An angel was charged to keep Peter away from the trap of death. Peter was lead away from his untimely death to the ground of safety and security. Is there any situation that has placed you out of His place? Is there any way that you have been reduced to a point of no way out? The same God who was is the same God that is today. If you will begin to confess and confide in Him as your refuge and fortress, He will not fail you. In His covering over you, no evil shall bring you down neither shall there be plague near your dwelling place. God is faithful and He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Prayer for today: Lord God, I confess that you are my refuge and my fortress, cause me to trust in you all the days of my life.   

OBEDIENCE IS FULLY FOLLOWING

1 Samuel 15:1-23

In your following there is no excuse; there is no distraction. When there is a confession to follow Him, there has to be commitment in following Him. Commitment will build up to consistency and then continuity will have its place. In the journey of life, continuity is the rule of the race. There is no giving up on following when storm rises. When you follow Him, you do not have to walk how others walk, you do not have to see like they see, and you do not have to hear what they hear. The way to follow is in keeping focus on the leading Master. Some went to Him voluntarily and ended up with excuses. He called some, but they could not handle the weight of the cross. In following Him, there is a route of escape and it delivers from dying a cheap death. When the general population is dying a cheap death, true followers will be driving away from cheap death. It is amazing how He led some through the Red Sea in the face of their enemy. He led them through but they cannot get through to their promise land because they failed to follow Him fully and continuity was not in place. Obedience should be in full compliance and whenever it is short of full compliance it becomes disobedience. Thousands of the children of Israel followed Him but only two (Caleb and Joshua) were able to follow Him fully. A half obedience is worst than no obedience. Saul entered into the role of demonstrating half obedience. God commanded Saul to go and attack the Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they had by not sparing them. God wanted Saul to kill all including animals because of what the Israelites suffered at the hand of the Amalek when they were on the way from Egypt. Saul took command into his hand in 1 Samuel 15:9, “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.” It is disobedience in it is own class when there is a failure to fully comply in His word. Half-obedient makes hypocrites out of those that come to the Lord, and do not follow him. The children of Israel, because they were not following Him fully, journey was terminated in the wilderness. To obey God is to follow His Word. Following the Word of God is obeying God.

Prayer for today: This day, ask God to deposit in your life the spirit that makes man to follow Him fully, completely and consistently.