NO FOOLISHNESS
1 Samuel 13

How to prevail over the issues of life is directly rooted in how you keep your heart. Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life.” This is not a suggestion but a command that will make the difference in the life of every man that is committed to this command. The heart takes a strategic position in the life of a man because it is where the giver of life looks to determine every action of man. Also, the same heart is where we determine and accept if there is God or there is no God. Psalm 14:1 recorded, “The fool has said in his heart that there is no God…” Confessing there is no God starts from the heart and not from the mouth. When such confession is communicated through the mouth, it always has its root in the heart. Any man that says there is no God through a non verbal communication speaks from the heart. A believer that claims there is God with their mouth but doing all that is contrary to the command of God is indirectly saying there is no God. A wise saying states that, “Action speaks louder than words”. This can be concluded by saying that, what you believe is what you behave. Every action or behavior is rooted in the heart and that is why Proverbs 4:23 stated, “…Out of it spring the issue of life.” Saul did not say there is no God when Samuel confirmed, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.” (1 Samuel 13:13) To be confirmed as being foolish by our action or behavior is the same as being identified as one that make a verbal confession that there is no God. In life, you are either wise or foolish. To be wise in the wisdom of God and not of the wisdom of this world is an evidence of the fear of God. Likewise, to be foolish in the things of God and not behaving what the word of God commands is as saying there is no God. Saul, in a confrontational war failed to wait seven days for Samuel’s sacrificial offering and decided to carry out the offering that could only be done by God’s ordained priest. Saul assumed priestly prerogatives and offered the burnt offering. Saul’s foolishness as declared by Samuel was Saul’s failure. Evidently, failure to obey God’s command is a passage to foolishness and a demonstration of unbelief. It does not matter how much you confess it that you are a believer, if how you live is not in line with God’s command, you are also saying there is no God.

Prayer for today: Ask God to open your understand that you may know not to say there is no God in any and every step of your life.

ONLY PRAYER
Psalm 6, 13

A believer that has ceased to pray is the one that has slipped into sleeping and slumbering. The importance of prayer cannot be well emphasized more than Jesus’ statement to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. He stated to His disciples, “…Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40) Evidently, by virtue of Jesus’ statement, it should be safe to say that, the elimination of prayer is an invitation for temptation. Despite His warning against sleeping, the disciples fell into sleep and Jesus came back and said to them, “…Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:46) Jesus repeatedly pointed out that sleeping will lead to temptation. How is your prayer life? Prayer is a prevailing weapon that must be in place for any overcomer in the world of wickedness. Paul and Silas received the breakthrough deliverance from their jailers when they prayed, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.” (Acts 16:25-26) Prayer is not playing games; it is a serious business that needs a serious investment. God is a prayer answering God and He will not fail to hear the prayer of His children. The same Peter that fell asleep at the Mount of Olives fell asleep again in the prison while waiting for the execution at the hand of Herod. In the case of Peter, “…Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” (Acts 16:5) Prayer delivered Peter from a sudden and untimely death. Wherever there is sleep, being enlightened will recede and helplessness will reign. David knew the consequences of giving in to sleeping rather than prayer when he prayed, “Consider and hear me, O LORD of my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”” (Psalm 13:3-4) Sleeping and not praying will lead to death, the enemy will prevail, and ending up in an unwanted ground or situation will have its way. It does not matter how long you have been in the Lord and neither does it matter the title that you answer to, sleeping will not excuse any believer that has a place for sleeping instead of prayer. Peter walked close enough with Jesus and he went to sleep against the warning of Jesus while Jesus was with him and when Jesus was gone. The word of God encourages us to ask and David asked when he called for help that will enable him to be kept from the devices of the wicked.

Prayer for the day: Ask God for the grace of enablement in your prayer altar.

EVENTUAL TERMINATON
Judges 16

When Sampson slipped and went to sleep, he died physically before his time. Samson’s fall began when he started lying in response to Delilah’s question. Delilah wanted to know where Samson has been getting all his strength from, “So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.” (Judges 16:6) Regardless of the relationship between Samson and Delilah, nothing should have called for Samson’s response. However, Samson responded, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” (Judges 16:7) Sampson lied in his response to Delilah when there was no need for Sampson’s response to Delilah. Samson’s secret was not supposed to be public information but to be preserved information. Samson’s response can be considered entertaining evil. Whenever we get ourselves exposed to unnecessary evil devices giving out information that should not be, then we are set for eventual termination. Samson positioned himself wrongly as he entered into a chain of lies. Samson’s lying revolved from one lie to another lie. Regardless of how Samson’s case can be looked into, his link from one lie to another is an evidence of deception. The more deception exists; it will eventually lead to destruction. Sampson’s own was a self destruction. Delilah and the agents that wanted Samson for destruction refused to give up because they were on a mission. The instruction for Delilah at the beginning of the assignment to get Sampson down was, “…Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” (Judges 16:5) The mission’s statement was “entice him”. Have you been getting yourself entangled in any sort of enticement that can deliver you or your faith into an eventual termination or destruction? In every of God’s assignment for our placement in His divine agenda, we have to continually remind ourselves that we are called alone for The Kingdom’s purpose. The bible made us to realize, “Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” (Isaiah 51:2) The word of God is written for our learning and it will lead us in the right direction of life. Samson did not do it right when he revealed a secret that was to be jealously guarded. As a result of his action, the source of his strength was terminated and he was overpowered.

Prayer for today: O Lord my God, allow me not to be entangled with any enticement that will expose me to eventual termination. 

CLING TO HIS TESTIMONIES
Numbers 14:1-24

God is a jealous God. A jealous God will always protect His name, He will always honor His word, He will jealously protect the ones that give Him attention and He will not allow His testimony to be terminated. Testimony of a jealous God is important and is constantly being protected from being contaminated by any negativity. Testimonies of God are powerful and they will always provoke answered prayer and pave the way for a breakthrough. Once, Moses used testimonies to deliver the children of Israel from being struck and wiped out by God. The children of Israel provoked the anger of God when the spies made a negative report of what the land looked like. In response to their rebellious provocation, God responded to Moses, “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” (Numbers 14:11-12) The children of Israel with their rebellious act forgot the testimonies of what God did on their behalf and could not remember what He could do when they gave in to complaining. Moses could not hold on but reminded God about the testimonies of His doing, “…Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’” (Numbers 14:13-16) As grievous as the sin of the children of Israel was before God, when Moses reminded God about His testimonies, God pardoned their sin. God’s pardon spared them from being wiped out as He had earlier planned to. Testimonies of God are powerful and will deliver from every situation including shame. Will you cling to His testimonies for your deliverance? The Psalmist stated, “I cling to your testimonies: O LORD, do not put me to shame!” (Psalm 119:31) What else or where else would you be looking for your salvation to come from but the grace of God. Be encouraged, meditate on His testimonies and you will navigate safely in this world of wickedness.
Prayer for today: Father, let your spirit help me cling to your testimonies so that deliverance will be my portion, in Jesus name. 

POWERED VOICE
Psalm 29

Psalm 29 describes the voice of God: “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars…” (29:3-5) Can you identify if He has been sounding in your direction? God cannot say it wrong and none can testify wrong in His voice. The Psalmist continues: “The voice of the LORD divides the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth…” (Psalm 29:7-9) Do you imagine what is it behind the voice of God that makes it so powerful? Inside the voice of God inhabits the very Word of God. The Word God is creative; the Word of God is deliverance and the Word of God is preservation. The Bible records: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-2) The Word that has been sounding in your direction through the pages of Bible is the Word of God. The Word of God is God and God is His Word. What is it that is leading you in your ways? Indeed your ways might seem right, but they are wrong. The only way that is right is the way of God. The way of God is life and it is truth. When we begin to listen to the Word of God, we will undoubtedly walk away from the way of death. God is not a slave master; He is a saving Master for anyone who will listen to His Word. The Word of God states in Psalm 32:8-9, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle…” God wants the best for all of His creation who will take a rest in the instruction and the direction of God that leads every obedient one to be under the guidance of the eye of God. Through Abraham’s life, every instruction and direction of God that sounded in his direction made Abraham to become what the Lord called him to be. Abraham listened and walked in no way that seem right to him but rather only in the way of God. Abraham was identified by God as a friend of God because he lived a life of obedience. To live life under the instruction and direction of God is by a grace that needs to be constantly desired.

Prayer for today: Ask God to enable you to live a life of obedience to His instruction and direction.