DAILY GUIDE DEVOTIONAL; Walking in the footsteps of the Condemned

 Text: 1 Kings 16:1-14

It is a message and a warning. Kingdoms rise and fall at the dictates of the lord. He sets up the humble and disposes the haughty. It was just a downward spiral for the house of Israel. They kept getting more and more entangled in idolatry with each successive king. Instead of a retracing of steps we see wanton boldness and total collapse of godly worship. 

Jeroboam sinned, Nadab sinned, Baasha sinned and  Elah sinned. Each of these men had a precedence. They were witnesses to God's judgement over their predecessors and their entire family yet they didn't change. Why is sin so intoxicating that people find it so difficult to say No to it? What would it take these kings to hearken to the voice of God and refuse to continue in the error of Jeroboam. It wasn't hidden from them. God sent prophets each time to warn them and point out their sins to them yet, they refused to turn away. Rather, every successive king tried  to outdo the other person in evil. 

Does this scenario sound anything like our world today? Does it look like our churches today? Yes it does. Every new church generation is more worldly and full of dead works than the one before it. God gets displeased with a General Overseer and  picks another man to replace him. Instead  repenting of the evils of his predecessor (which he has brought into the body of Christ for which he's being condemned) and look for the ancient path,  he goes deeper into hypocrisy and "churchianity". 

We embrace noise more than we seek to know Christ.  We prefer empty shows and decorations. Our pastors are full of drama than they are full of the holy ghost. Things that were taboos are progressively being welcomed into the church and yet we say we are vibrant and we are serving God. We say we are in ministry to serve God whereas we are only after our pockets. Everything we do revolves around how much it will fetch. Evangelism has turned to invitation to church programmes for financial deliverance and breakthroughs. The list of our atrocities in the guise of serving God is endless. God cannot be mocked.

God has today sent Jehu to us. There is a message and a warning for each of us as we read this lesson:  "for as much as I exalted thee out of the dust and made thee Prince over my people Israel and thou has walked in the way of Jeroboam and has made my people Israel to sin to provoke me to anger with their sins, behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat". 

If you are a Christian, especially in the capacity of a pastor, a General Overseer. or  a leader in any capacity, do not forget that judgement will always start from the altar. Are you leading people into sin? Do you see error and turn a blind eye so that you will not loose members? God is watching you. He placed you in that position to lead people out of sin and not deeper into it. Today is still an acceptable time. Repent and be restored. God bless you as you do. Amen!

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