Devotionals, First Week of December

We look forward to sharing a daily devotion with you. May God bless you as you follow along on the journey to learning and meditating on God’s word. Make sure you do not miss the next day’s devotional to be infused with hope daily.

December 1st, 2020

Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly- Proverbs 26:26

This verse comes following a few verses that show us how lies, deception, malice, and wickedness go together; how they are conceived and birthed in the heart, how they are expressed on the lips, how they are concealed from the intended targets who become victims, and how they are eventually exposed in public.

In Proverbs 26:23 we see that smooth words are compared to a shiny silver lining the outer part of a clay pot. This verse starts this passage of Proverbs 26:23-26 that has a similar theme with what we read in Matthew 23:25-28. In that Matthew passage Jesus talks about how pharisees appeared clean on the outside, but on the inside they were full of greed and self-indulgence. Jesus called them hypocrites. The Greek word used is “hypokritai” which means “an actor under an assumed character.” Think of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie “True Lies.” He is a spy in the real world but he appears to his family as a salesman. While in the movies such plots may be created when the actor is hiding identity for good reasons such as protecting his family, in the real world, the motivations are usually dark, concealing “greed and self-indulgence.”

Greed is the love of money. The Greek word used is “harpages” which means plunder. Taking other people’s data, resources, assistance, or money by manipulative or forceful practices. Self-indulgence is “akrasias” in Greek and it means “incontinence, intemperance, lack of restraint.” There’s usually a relationship between the two. Often bad people are deceptive in acquiring money because they want to indulge themselves in sexual lusts, alcohol and drugs abuse, or they are angry people without restraint who want “to be happy.”

Jesus told the pharisees “first clean the inside of the cup.” which means hypocrites are not hopeless. They just need to get their priorities straight. Not be content with what man sees, accepts, or condones, but what God sees, commands, and expects. If only they could heed such a call, they would not end up in broken relationships, angry business partners, and a collapsing society. For those who do not repent, we can take heart that God will expose them in public so that the damage they may intend to do will not harm many people and such evil will be stopped.

Prayer: Father, I live in world of deception. Make my heart free from lies and malice so that I do not partake in the sins of the world. Expose those around me and in this country who practice deception in order to satisfy their greed and self-indulgence so that people will be free. In the name of Jesus I ask for this, Amen!

December 2nd, 2020

For there’s nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open-Luke 8:17

Even though this verse is often quoted to warn people that whatever is done in darkness will be brought to light and judged in public, if we study it in the context of the verses that precede it and in the verses that follow, we see that it may have a different meaning from what it is normally used to mean. 

In Luke 8:11-15, Jesus gives the disciples the meaning of the parable of the sower. There are people who hear the Gospel and forget it because Satan has stolen it from their heart. He has blinded their eyes and they do not get fascinated with its message or fall in love with Jesus. There are those who hear the Word of God and get excited perhaps because of temporal blessings it can afford them such as health and wealth but they do not have strong roots that can withstand storms and hurricanes. They apostasize the moment they face hardships of life associated with the commitment to the Gospel. Then there are those who produce good fruits for the kingdom of God. This is where verse 16 and verse 17 follow. 

In verse 16, Jesus says “no one lights a lamp…and puts it under a bed…” It does not make sense to have a desk light for reading or doing things in a home office and yet place that light under a bed where it will not illuminate the desk to allow you to be productive. We can see that those who hear the Word of God and produce good fruits are children of light, they also tend to be the kind of people who love to tell others about Jesus and His Good News. In a sense, by sharing the Gospel, they get themselves grounded in the Word of God and develop deep roots that will stand the test of time. 

Then in verse 17, Jesus says that nothing hidden that will not be disclosed. Considering how much some Christians have associated this verse with the discovery, exposure, and calamity that comes with scandals that are brought to light, we can understand the seriousness Jesus places on hearing the Word of God and yet hiding its truths under a bed and not being good stewards of the message we have heard to share it with others who need it for their eternal salvation. God warns us “When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.”- Ezekiel 3:18. Hiding the Gospel is the worst scandal. The words of God we hear are not our property to keep and hide, they are treasures to share with others, they are the life that saves the world. Hiding the Gospel is cruelty and will surely not go unpunished. 

Prayer: Father God, I have heard your Gospel and I know its exceeding riches. I am sorry that I have not always been a faithful steward of your mysteries of our salvation in sharing Christ with people around me. Help me to be a bold witness who does not hide the light so that I will be able to stand before the Son of man, ready to testify that what you taught me was widely shared. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen !

December 3rd, 2020

 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment- Proverbs 12:19

The truth is powerful because it is a spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:14). The weapons of our warfare as Christians are not carnal, physical, or draw their efficiency from what this world admires and seeks after.

The truth, first of all,  sets us free from bondage to sin (John 8:32). This is because of encountering Jesus who is the way, the truth and life (John 14:6) and also because the Word of God becomes alive in those who receive it, quickened by the Spirit, to give us new desires, motivations, intentions, and work in us both to will and to do according to God’s good pleasure. By knowing the Word of God, which is “The word of truth”- Ephesians 1:13; John 17:17, we avail ourselves of the most powerful means God has placed at our disposal to demolish the lies of the devil that come into our hearts and ears.

We are constantly being lied to and deceived, and sometimes we may not even realize this. “The heart is deceitful above all things”-Jeremiah 17:9. We deceive ourselves in many ways. We may deceive ourselves that God does not love us when He has shown His love by giving His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. What more love do we need to be shown? We deceive ourselves when we think that God loves us but He desires no good things for us. This is also not true because Romans 8:32 says that because the Father gave us the best He could give us, His only Son to die for our sins, then we can trust the Father to “freely give us all things.” We deceive ourselves when we think that we can disobey God and still live blessed and happy lives. This is also not true because “the wages of sin is death.”- Romans 6:23 and “without holiness none shall see the Lord.”- Hebrews 12:14. How can we be blessed when we are headed to Gehinnom ? How can we be happy apart from the presence of the Lord? We should be more worried about the deceptions we tell ourselves in our own hearts than the deceptions that other people will bring to us.

Nevertheless, we are assured that those who lie to us whether they are friends, business leaders, politicians, or enemies, are held to the same standard that God holds us to. God does not have 2 systems of justice. He does not require us to know the truth and speak it while overlooking the ungodliness of the wicked. The NIV in Proverbs 12:19 says “a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” While the NLT says that “lies are soon exposed.” The Hebrew word used is “Argiah” which means “instant” and “suddenly.” We see it used in Numbers 16:21, 45 “that I may consume them instantly.” Sometimes, because God is slow to anger, we may not realize how transient lies are, and sometimes even wonder why He may allow deception to thrive for a while and cause distress. But we should rest in the knowledge that God is all-powerful and He has appointed only a moment for deception to last.

Prayer: Father God, these are perilous times.  I face tempest within and tempest without. My heart deceives me so many times and I am deceived by the world in what I read and watch. Lord, help me anchor my heart in your Word, because your Word is truth, so that it can set me free from deception within. I also ask that you expose lies around me and society at large, so that those who deceive are held accountable. I ask for this in the name of Jesus, Amen !

December 4th, 2020

Do you not know this of old, since man was placed on earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless momentary- Job 20:4-5

 These words of Zophar are a true observation of history, though, of course, we know that God rebukes him along with Eliphaz and Bildad for over-generalizing this principle when it comes to the righteous (Job 42:7).  The book of Job is very difficult theologically, especially in our modern society, as we tend to think everything is black and white when it comes to the hardships that the righteous may face as Job’s friends seemed to assume.  In this particular situation of Job, suffering was not caused by some kind of sin that Job had committed that God wanted to punish, rather because Satan had been allowed to bring the disaster to test Job’s character. Was Job going to curse God in his sufferings and die in blasphemy or was he going to hold onto his faith even when everything seemed confusing?

Even though we may not be able to generalize the above Scripture that every tragedy is associated with wickedness as God’s people could face situations that are misunderstood; where real, concrete, tangible wickedness exists, the above Scripture is a correct observation. This understanding is correct if we take into consideration the Scripture that we read in our devotional yesterday in Proverbs 12:19.  These two Scriptures-this one for today in Job and that one of yesterday in Proverbs, say the same thing. It is also the overall theme of what we are uncovering this first week of December. How evil is exposed and how it does not get a foothold, even though it may appear to succeed temporarily.

Verse 4 looks at how God has dealt with sinners “since man was placed on earth.” When Adam and Eve sinned, they were immediately kicked out of Eden. God did not try to find a way “to work it out” to keep them there despite their disobedience. God’s standards were not lowered then, they would not be lowered later, and they will never be lowered at any time. The words of Jesus like “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away”- Matthew 24:35 and “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law “- Matthew 5:18; establish that fact. Man will always be expected to meet God’s standards of righteousness.

Verse 5 then says “that the triumph of the wicked is short and the joy of the godless is momentary.” The Hebrew word used in the first phrase of this verse is different from the one we saw in Proverbs 12:19 yesterday while the one used in the second phrase is the same.  The word translated as short here is “miqquarowb” which is similar to what is used in Ezekiel 7:8 “Now I will shortly pour my wrath.” The related word to this is “quarob” which means “near” and its use is various as can be seen in Leviticus 10:3 where it means to come near God and Genesis 19:20 where it means Lot requesting to flee from Sodom to a nearby town. As for the word translated momentary in that Job verse, it is “raga” which means instant or suddenly as we saw yesterday. A passage that explains this beautifully is what the Psalmist understood when he went into God’s temple regarding the prosperity of the wicked as we read in Psalms 73:17-19. “In an instant they are destroyed.” “Suddenly they are destroyed.”

We should not rejoice in the triumph of evil because love does not rejoice in evil of any kind (1 Corinthians 13:6). We only want to rejoice in the truth and its triumph. We should also take comfort that God has only appointed a brief moment for evil to appear to be victorious as a snare for those whose hearts are not set on Him.

Prayer: Father God, I thank you that all things work out for good for those who love you. I pray that today you may continue to manifest your glory in the earth, that deception can only last a moment , and the triumph of evil is wiped out suddenly just as it has been since man was placed upon the earth. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen !

December 5th, 2020

He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him- Daniel 2: 21-22

Daniel speaks these words while praising God for revealing Himself and the mystery of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. God had just saved his life. The wise men of Babylon were going to be executed because of that mysterious dream. None could tell what the dream was and the king was furious. Daniel and other Jewish men would have been executed as well. However, Daniel knew that God knows all things, including what the king had dreamed in a dream, and he requested time to seek God to find out what the dream was. For many Christians today, this sounds like “mission impossible.”  How can you know what a king’s dream was when you weren’t in his house, cannot see his brain, or have not heard it from him? Daniel seemed to enjoy the spiritual blessings that many Christians lack today, even after God has generously made access to such mysteries even more widely available. “I will pour out my Spirit in the last days, your sons and daughters will prophesy, young men will see visions, and old men will dream dreams.”- Acts 2:17.

 When Daniel was introduced into the king’s court he said “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.”- Daniel 2:28. Daniel explained that the things the king had seen were prophetic in nature as they described what was going to happen in the future. The statue the king had seen had a head of gold, chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of bronze, and its legs were of iron , and finally the feet were made of part iron, part clay. In the dream, a stone that was cut out of a mountain without any human hands involved, fell and smashed the feet. The result was that even the iron in the legs, the silver in the chest, and the gold in the head were all broken in pieces. The interpretation of the dream itself is not in the scope of our devotional today, but the very fact that Daniel could know these things is our focus. How did he know this? The Holy Spirit showed them to him. He asked and urged his 3 friends, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) to pray with him. We realize that, the mysteries that God has hidden that may be world-changing, are just a prayer away. If, we as believers, claim to worship the same God that Daniel worshipped, and we are “in the last days” that Acts 2:17 promised about, then why don’t we zealously, eagerly desire to know mysteries like Daniel ?

 In the way Daniel praised God in the verses of our devotional, we see that he acknowledged that it was God who sets up kings and removes others. In our modern times, there are many things that can result in changes of government leaders like elections, wars, resignation after scandals, financial crises, mass popular protests, coup d’etat, electoral fraud, sudden death of a president, etc. Yet, all of these situations that change government leadership are under the sovereignty of God just as it was in Daniel’s times. He is the one who changes times and seasons, He is the one who brings into power one administration and dismisses another, regardless of the means employed. This verse does not say whether it may seem just or unjust for such things to occur, it only says that God does it, period. From the Babylonians to the Persians to the Greek to the Romans, changes in world affairs governments weren’t necessarily orderly or even peaceful. God makes those decisions, He rules over all. He also reveals mysteries, things that are hidden. Because knowledge is power, the discovery of certain mysteries, secrets, or hidden things, can mean a world of difference in changes of governments in world affairs. If a country is about to attack another and intelligence about that is leaked, it could stop such plans and prevent change of leadership. That is because of actionable intelligence or critical information disclosed to block such plans. When secrets are revealed, it may cause people to act in a certain way and orchestrate affairs of nations in a certain direction.

 Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you know all things and nothing is hidden from your eyes. Indeed, your eyes run to and fro around the earth to show yourself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are set on you. I pray that you open my eyes to see things I am not aware of, reveal mysteries that may be helpful to guide my path in the choices of daily life I have to make, personal or ministry, or those that may affect other people in society. Reveal hidden things to the saints in Christ around the world, so that corruption is exposed, terrorist plans are exposed, or anything that may be harmful to people comes to light in order to save lives. Continue to bless the nations and bring good leadership for the good of the church. In the name of Jesus I ask for this, Amen !

December 7th, 2020

This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”- 2 Kings 6:11-12

 As we saw in our last devotional, there’s a God in heaven who reveals mysteries (Daniel 2:28) and Daniel was just one of many in God’s house who had tasted the goodness of God and had seen His faithfulness in revealing great and mighty things. In the Scripture of 2 Kings 6:11-12 we have today, we see how God’s prophetic revelations helped Elisha warn the king of Israel of ambush several times as the king of Aram tried to set up strategic camps to hurt Israel and all of those would be revealed to Elisha, who in turn told the king of Israel and avoided them. Evil plans against God’s people were thwarted because of those prophetic revelations. It was at that time that the king of Aram was enraged because all his plans were being exposed and he wanted to know if there was a leak going out from his generals.

 It’s amazing what the men and women of God of the Bible knew about God and experienced with Him, things that seem quite astonishing even in our internet age. Today, because of internet, it is possible to uncover many secrets because of computer hacks and dumps online, the leaks from people who are close but opposed to a certain leader going to the media, who then spread the word to the public, and all sorts of data gathering and information collection schemes that are ubiquitous these days. Elisha had no Google, no Facebook, and no advanced technology, and yet he could see and hear what happened in the meetings that the king of Aram held with his inner circle.

In this, we are again challenged that the grace of the last days that God has given “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams”- Acts 2:17, should be received, treasured, and fought for because of the immense blessing it brings for our protection, provisions, promotion, and proclamation of the message of the greatness of our Lord. We see that in Joseph’s life, we see that in Daniel’s life, and we are seeing this in Elisha’s life. In our times, even the least in the kingdom of God should not be intimidated by such revelations those great men had because “the least in the kingdom is greater…”- Matthew 11:11. We do not have to be great, we just need to avail ourselves of Gospel-standard spirituality. It will be life-changing and world-changing, even if it is carried by the least of all God’s saints. The Lord challenges us “ call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know”- Jeremiah 33:3. Let us respond to that invitation.

 Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you have given such testimonies of your goodness and greatness. That you have always cared about the protection of your people, provided for their needs, promoted them in ways they could not accomplish in their own strength, and helped them proclaim the glories of your precious name. I pray that you help all of us who believe in Jesus today to do the same. Give us a passion to call upon you and see you show great and unsearchable things to our generation. In Jesus’ name. Amen !