Author: Daily Devotions

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8).

Yesternight I took an evaluation of my week. This week has been exceptionally hectic. Too many lows than highs. A lot of disappointments. Day after day I had promises broken, and appointments rescheduled. It is the kind of week that can break even the strongest man. My “enemies were many” – their name is Legion. I found myself fighting against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. On more than one occasion I lost my cool and actually threatened a business partner.

As I lay in bed the name “Legion” kept playing in my head. Then I smiled. For I remembered Elisha telling his servant boy,

“Do not be afraid, … for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16),

and the apostle John says,

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

So, they can be Legion, but He who is for me is greater than all that can be against me”. He is stronger than the strong man. He is Christ, the Power of God.

So if you feel the way I felt, weighed down by disappointments, beaten down with trials and afflictions, buffeted by storms in the middle of the night, struggling with your flesh and pride. Fear Not! When the storm has reached its peak, when your night is at its darkest, when the fires have been heated up a hundredfold when Legion is unleashed,  the voice that hushed the storms of old, will speak to your situation. It will issue the same divine command – “Peace, be still” – and you will find that great calm in your soul.

So when I laid down yesternight, it was on the “all power” of Jesus that I laid. He was the pillow for my aching head, for my troubled heart, for my agitated soul. He disarmed all my fears and quieted my agitated spirit. The last thought before sleep overtook me was “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety”. This morning I woke up feeling very refreshed because Jesus passed this way!

There have been times when I have actually looked up into the skies and wondered “is there a God up there looking down at me and doing nothing?” I have called out, “Lord, just give me a little breakthrough. I am not asking for much, just this tiny bit. Like the crumbs that fall off the table.” The silence can be very frustrating. 

But it is especially in those moments that I have pulled my Bible close to me. Today, I am particularly drawn to this verse in the book of Isaiah.

“Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26)

That is a good moment to step out and stare at the clouds and the sun, the trees, the shrubs and flowers, and the flowers, and humans and animals milling about. I try to put a value on each thing I see, and quickly give up – they are priceless. Then I remember Jesus describing Himself as “Mighty to save” and I know He is not a God who lies. So I ask myself again – do you doubt that He will change your situation? Is He able to save you from your present circumstances? O, I know that what I am staring at right now needs urgent attention. It is what the “arm of flesh” calls “a do-or-die” situation. That situation where you want God to burst open the skies and say, “here my child this is your answer!”

As I stare at the works of His hands and consider what He has done in my life in the past, He calms my fears and sheds His peace in my heart. I am looking at the text message on my phone that indicates I have but a few hours to remedy the situation. And yet my heart is not troubled. I am not agitated. Not the least. My attention is drawn to: 

“He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth” (Isaiah 42:4). 

And I hear His voice asking me again, “Is anything too difficult for Me? 

I recall what has been written in Scripture to encourage me. Noah had been in the ark for several days. He must have started getting worried that God had forgotten about him. But God remembered him, and the flood subsided. Sarah was well advanced in age and must have resigned herself to the fact that she would be forever childless. But God remembered her and gave her Isaac in His time. Leah must have thought she was the most unloved woman on earth. She was married to a man who did not love her but had eyes only for her sister, Rachel. But God remembered her, and it was through Leah that God gave us Jesus. So I ask myself again – is anything too difficult for Him?

So when you see me singing and praising God even amid mounting challenges, it is because I know the God I serve. I hold fast to His promises. I hear the Psalmist say, 

“The Mighty One, God the LORD, Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down” (Psalm 50:1) 

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:8).

I know the might of Jesus by the battles which He has fought, the victories which He has won over sin and death and hell, that is why I rejoice to see Him leading captivity captive in the majesty of His strength. That is why amid my circumstances I sing His praises! For He is the Lord of Lords, and the King of kings, He is mighty to save, and He shall save me from my situation. I don’t know how, or when but I know He would. Because He will never let the waters overflow or the fire scorch me. Amen!

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

First Corinthians chapter 6 lists five promises from God. These are: First, divine indwelling: “I will dwell in them” (2 Corinthians 6:16). Second, divine manifestation: “I will walk in them.” Third, divine covenant: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Fourth, divine acceptance: “I will receive you” (6:17). Fifth, divine adoption: “I… will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (6:18).

Paul says, since we have these promises we are to CLEANSE OURSELVES (PURIFY OURSELVES). Our God is a Holy God, He cannot dwell in a filthy place. If our bodies are the temple of the Living God, then it must be clean to accommodate Him.

Our cleansing should be personal – “Let us cleanse ourselves.” We are not cleaning someone else. It is always tempting to see the “filth” in someone else’s house and not our own. We must put the scrubbing brush to our own house!

Our cleansing is a continuous exercise – We must continue vigorously to cleanse both body and mind. It is not a one off exercise. If we cleanse today and leave it for a day, dust would accumulate and make it dirty again.

Our cleansing should include all not some – “From all filthiness.” We are to clear every filth from our house. We cannot leave any filth there.

Our cleansing should be thorough –  “Of the flesh and spirit.” There are two classes of sin we are to deal with – filthiness of the flesh and filthiness of the spirit. Filthiness of the flesh refers to sins of the body, and include unholy lusts, unbridled appetites. Drunkenness, gluttony, licentiousness, inordinate affection, etc.  Filthiness of the spirit include, vanity, pride, conceit, haughtiness, and unbelief. All sin (be they of the flesh or of the spirit) is filthy in the sight of God.

If God dwells in us, let us make the house clean for so pure a God. The good news is that God is ready to help us with the cleansing, we can ask God to grant us the grace to cleanse both our body and our spirit. 

So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright. (Genesis 25:33)

I was in a very tight spot, I had missed the deadline. I was going to lose the contract. Then a “savior” came along. All I had to do was “change the dates on the proposal, and he slipped it in. A very harmless act. I won the contract, and “properly thanked my destiny helper”. So why did I feel something was wrong? Why was I not rejoicing?

I had listened to the voice of Satan. All through that morning he kept whispering in my ears “sell me your birthright” and I played right into his hands. I recounted the many times I had played into Satan’s hands and sold my birthright. Then, I remembered when Satan took Jesus onto the mountain and showed Him all the glory of the world, and asked Jesus to bow to him. Satan was willing to give Jesus all that the world had to offer if He would “sell His birthright”.

What would make you sell your birthright? Elsie had an affair with John so that she would have money to pay her school fees. Education was more important to her than her birthright. John falsified papers to get money to pay his rent. Homelessness was more important to him than his birthright.

Bible says, Esau despised his birthright (Genesis 25:34). Do you also despise your birthright? Satan is whispering in your ears today, “sell me your birthright”. What would make you do it? Wealth? Fame? Power? Marriage? Children? 

“and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”. (1 Corinthians 10:4)

As the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, the rock at Mount Sinai was the source of literal water for them. Today, Jesus our Rock is the source of “living water” to all who believe in Him. Are you thirsty? Drink from the Rock of your Salvation. Everyone who drinks from this Rock shall never thirst again, for the Water “shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life (John 4:13-14).

When you lean your whole weight against a large rock, you realize it is immovable and fully capable of supporting you. A rock speaks of stability. Is your life lacking stability? Do you need someone to lean on? Someone you know will not be moved by the heavy load you carry on your back? Run to the Rock of your Salvation and “cast your burden on the Lord” (Psalm 55:22). David run to his Rock ad testified that “He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a ROCK making my footsteps firm.” (Psalm 40:2).  

When life becomes “shaky” remember that nothing moves or changes Jesus. He is not affected by the convulsions of society or the confusion of government. He is our rock. He stands secure. He will not be moved. And neither will you if you are hidden in the cleft of the Rock of your Salvation.

Dear Lord God, I am lifting up those who are lost and have wandered away from the Rock of Salvation.  Draw them to you so they can run to the Rock, where Jesus has stretched his hands for whosoever will, come and drink from the water of life freely. And may they find shade under the Rock from the scorching sun of despair. Amen!

“Now, therefore, give me this mountain.” (Joshua 14:12).

Mountains come in different shapes and forms. For some people, it may come as an illness; for others as a financial crisis; for others as failure in relationships or to give birth; and yet for others as failure in business or career. When confronted with such mountains, many people give up. They say, “This is too difficult to overcome.” They have been defeated before they even began.

Mountains are there to be conquered. Zechariah 4:7 says, “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!”. Caleb was not going to allow the mountain to prevent him from entering into the promises of God. He knew the God he was serving, and so could confidently say, “Now, therefore, give me this mountain. For I will surely conquer it.” He looked beyond the mountain, to see his big God.

What promises has God made to you? God says,

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life” (Joshua 1:5).

Wherever you go, God will cause fear to fall on the “mountains” in front of you,

“No one shall be able to stand against you. The LORD your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you” (Deuteronomy 11:25).

Your “mountains shall fall at your side,

“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” (Psalm 91:7).

Would you allow fear and doubt to rob you of these promises?

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1: 20).

“Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.” (Joshua 21:45).

“He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back unto him self.”  (Genesis 8:9)

After Noah and the ark had been many days on water, he sent out the dove. It wandered far and near but found no dry land. The bird was tired, its wings wear weary; it must have been hungry and thirsty, so it returned to the ark. And Bible says, Noah “reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back unto himself.” 

Have you wandered away from the Ark? From the place of safety and security? Are you tired and weary from all your wanderings away from Christ, the Fountain of Living Waters? You have travelled far and near, and there is no dry land for you to settle on. Are you trying to craft out your own salvation rather than trust in Christ? Bible says, “they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13). 

The prodigal son soon got tired of his “broken cistern” and returned to the Fountain, and he was readily and heartily welcomed. “Come”, Jesus calls to you, “Come out of this life of hypocrisy, come out of this life of chasing after temporal things, come out of chasing after things that do not satisfy – and I will give you rest!” He will not condemn your past, but will give you a better future!

I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay;

He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:1-3)

God lifts us up and guides us to a safe place – the rock – where we can freely worship Him. The moment we give our lives to Jesus Christ, a new song is put in our mouth to sing – “The Song of the Redeemed”. 

Dear Christian, today let us sing our new song. Let the Spirit of the Lord fill us, and enable us to sing a new song unto the Lord. He is lifting us out of the miry clay of disappointment, out of the miry clay of indebtedness, out of the miry clay of frustrations, out of the miry clay of doubt. And He is setting us on the Rock which is higher than ourselves. 

As we lift our hands to worship and praise Him, may our song be our confession of faith, hope, joy and power in the Holy Spirit. We have been given a royal pardon, our past is washed away. We have been blessed and set free by His blood. Let us raise our voices and sing, “Bless the Lord, O, my soul” for He has put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.