February 12
Dear father in heaven, we are grateful unto You for everything we are. Thank You for making us Yours, loving and caring for us no matter how unfaithful we. Help us Lord to be worthy children of Yours both now and forever more.
Praying TIME brethren, many people knows about praying to God, but they don’t know anything about praying to the Father. In other words, when they are praying they don’t sound as if they really know God as a Father. He is God to the world, but He is Father to me. Is He same to you my dearly beloved? There is real joy in knowing that the Father will answer our prayers.
Though our text today is a popular one but the Word of God is new every morning, so there must be something new to learn. Can I just ask you when we are confronted with challenges, who do we turn to? When David was confronted with a seemingly difficulty situation, he went ahead to ask of God what to do and our Father who never fail, answered Him. The same should apply to us. Let’s learn from our brother, David, so that we cannot only pursue but we will recover all:
“And David enquired of the Lord.” 2Samuel 5:23
When David made this enquiry he had just fought the Philistines, and gained a signal victory. The Philistines came up in great hosts, but, by the help of God, David had easily put them to flight. Note, however, that when they came a second time, David did not go up to fight them without enquiring of the Lord. Once he had been victorious, and he might have said, as many have in other cases, “I shall be victorious again; I may rest quite sure that if I have conquered once I shall triumph yet again. Wherefore should I tarry to seek at the Lord’s hands?” Not so, David.
He had gained one battle by the strength of the Lord; he would not venture upon another until he had ensured the same. He enquired, “Shall I go up against them?” He waited until God’s sign was given. Learn from David to take no step without God. Christian, if thou wouldst know the path of duty, take God for thy compass; if thou wouldst steer thy ship through the dark billows, put the tiller into the hand of the Almighty. Many a rock might be escaped, if we would let our Father take the helm; many a shoal or quicksand we might well avoid, if we would leave to His sovereign will to choose and to command.
The Puritan said, “As sure as ever a Christian carves for himself, he’ll cut his own fingers;” this is a great truth. Said another old divine, “He that goes before the cloud of God’s providence goes on a fool’s errand;” and so he does. We must mark God’s providence leading us; and if providence tarries, tarry till providence comes. He who goes before providence, will be very glad to run back again.
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go,” is God’s promise to His people. Let us, then, take all our perplexities to Him, and say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Leave not thy chamber this day without enquiring of the Lord.
The need to enquire from the Lord will save us from many thing including temptation. In our Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught his disciple to pray that should not be led into temptation and same should apply to us. Whatsoever He instruct them to do, we must give heed to as well, if we want to go far and please His Father who is in heaven.
“Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil [or, the evil one].” Luke 11:4
What we are taught to seek or shun in prayer, we should equally pursue or avoid in action. Very earnestly, therefore, should we avoid temptation, seeking to walk so guardedly in the path of obedience, that we may never tempt the devil to tempt us. We are not to enter the thicket in search of the lion. Dearly might we pay for such presumption.
This lion may cross our path or leap upon us from the thicket, but we have nothing to do with hunting him. He that meeteth with him, even though he winneth the day, will find it a stern struggle. Let the Christian pray that he may be spared the encounter. Our Saviour, who had experience of what temptation meant, thus earnestly admonished His disciples—”Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
But let us do as we will, we shall be tempted; hence the prayer “deliver us from evil.” God had one Son without sin; but He has no son without temptation. The natural man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards, and the Christian man is born to temptation just as certainly. We must be always on our watch against Satan, because, like a thief, he gives no intimation of his approach.
Believers who have had experience of the ways of Satan, know that there are certain seasons when he will most probably make an attack, just as at certain seasons bleak winds may be expected; thus the Christian is put on a double guard by fear of danger, and the danger is averted by preparing to meet it. Prevention is better than cure: it is better to be so well armed that the devil will not attack you, than to endure the perils of the fight, even though you come off a conqueror.
Pray this day first that you may not be tempted, and next that if temptation be permitted, you may be delivered from the evil one.
Dearly beloved, where are you tempted this day; take your time to recall various ways you have been exposed to temptation? Table it before your Father, He will make a way out for you. Don’t be afraid to mention your weakness before Him, don’t forget He is your Maker, He knows you more than you know yourself. All you need do is to humble yourself and ask Him to forgive you where you are weak, seek God help in your weak margin and the devil will not take undue advantage of you.
Hope you are blessed my dear.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Evang. Ifeoma Ohondu.
