"Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him" - Luke 4:8 (NIV).
It is the US President Abraham Lincoln who once said that a house divided against itself can't stand. He was referring to the American civil war (1861-4) where the southern states fought to separate from Northern states divided over the issue of slavery. Eventually the North won and the union was preserved.
Just as it is with nation states or kingdoms, the same holds in the spiritual realm. If our loyalty to God is divided between his kingdom and that of Satan then how can we prosper! But sometimes this is exactly the case with a war of divided loyalties raging within us and denying us of deserved prosperity.
We clearly see this when we find those professing Christ also practicing a worship of other gods. Some call it syncretism, which is a combination of different religious beliefs into one. It's quite common in some places to find a church lay reader with an ancestral shrine at the back of his house!
One thing we know is that ours is a jealous God. "You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods" (Exodus 20:5). When our loyalties are divided between Christ and Satan we do not only hinder blessings to flow in our lives but invite the wrath of God upon us. As they entered the promised land, the Israelites were warned, "But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed" (Deuteronomy 30:17-18).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, today I pray that you are my only God whom I worship in spirt and truth for there is no other God but you alone, this I pray in Jesus's name.
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24/04/2024 - 25/04/2024 All day“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Psalm 20:4)
Premier Joseph and King David have a particular common characteristics: two individuals who were blessed with success, in their work. When Joseph was taken into the household of Potiphar, “The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered...When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant” ( Gen 39:2-4).
Even when he was imprisoned later, on false accusations, “The LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there” (vv 21-22). Later in his life he is made second in command of Egypt by Pharaoh. “You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 41:40).
For David, after he disposed off Goliath, “Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army” (1 Samuel 18:5). His success on the battle field would soon cause trouble for him when the troops started singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (vv 7).
In spite of Saul’s anger at the comparison and even trying to kill him, for David “in everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns” (vv 14-16). Eventually, the throne would pass on to David.
Success in life is one of the blessings the Lord has marked out for believers. These individuals were successful because the Lord was with them. The only one who does not wish to see success of us, is the enemy Satan, who comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). May we pray that our lives are characterized with the anointing of success, because the Lord is with us!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that I bask in your success, in all that I do, because as was with your servants Joseph, David, Daniel and others, you are with me, and this I pray in Jesus’ name.
