WAS IT THE DEVIL?

FRIDAY, 7TH JULY, 2023.

By: PASTOR DR. SAMUEL AYORINDE – General Overseer, Anchor of Life & Redemption Ministry Int’l

TOPIC:  WAS IT THE DEVIL 

MEMORIZE: "And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath" (JEREMIAH 21:5).

SCRIPTURE READING:  JEREMIAH 21:1-5.

“The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, 2 Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us. 3 Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: 4 Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. 5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.”

EXPOSITION:

Satan is blamed for everything evil. A thief who is caught red-handed with stolen items blames the 'devil' for pushing him into the act. This happens often whenever people need a convenient scapegoat to bear the blame for their shortcomings and failings in life. While there is a certain sense in which that can be true, it fails to take into consideration all the other issues, including our own personal responsibility for our actions.

Jeremiah told a stunned delegate from Zedekiah, king of Judah, that God Himself was fighting against Israel for their utter disregard for divine instructions and their willful practice of idolatry. With this revelation, Israel was now doomed to surrender to their enemies, go into captivity and have their beautiful cities and the temple burnt with fire. God promised to withdraw His protection over His own people, assist the Babylonians in gaining access into the city and ensure Israel was defeated. Only those who surrendered to the Babylonians were guaranteed their lives. The king of Judah together with his counsellors were worried about the Babylonians who were already laying siege to Jerusalem without considering that their main enemies were themselves and that God was responsible for this scourge.

Most times, we blame the devil for being behind our troubles. If it is not the devil, then it must be the work of an enemy somewhere, perhaps a witch or wizard in the village who has cast a spell on us.

But the first thing to do whenever things go wrong is to look inwards, pray and find out if our ways are right with God. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

KEY POINT: Better to first look inwards, when challenges arise.

DAILY BIBLE READING IN A YEAR –  Proverbs 4 - 6.

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ANCHOR OF LIFE is the daily devotional guide written by PASTOR DR. SAMUEL AYORINDE. It is an extraction of God’s word designed to draw the sincere seekers closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word. Read, Meditate, Pray and Share this message to others. For prayers, Counseling and further enquiries, call or whatsapp +2347032993319; +2348056130469. Or Email: anchoroflifeministry@gmail.com