KJB Daily
Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2016
Chapters: Judges 18-19
Message: Judges: Be Led By Christ
Hello My Friend,
I have always been a natural born leader, so, you can imagine my surprise when I chose to give my life to Christ and discovered that I had to look to Him for direction with everything I do. Take it from someone who is very independent, it is not easy to depend on anyone, even Almighty God who must have more things to deal with than my problems. How proud are we to think we cannot depend on God for our smallest or biggest problems? The truth is, more than we think. As Christians, we must understand that Christ wants to be in every part of our lives, to lead us and direct us through every step we take. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:5,6.
“lean not unto thine own understanding.” Let me tell you, this is ninety-nine percent of our problem, we do not want to come to God for the easy stuff, thinking we know what we are doing. Israel spent over three hundred years going back and forth with God, as long as they had an earthly leader directing they did pretty good, but once they had no leader they directed their own paths, which were terrible. The tribe of Dan, failed to drive out the Canaanites from their portion of land so they searched in other tribes land, upon their search they found the house of Micah, ambushed them, took the idols, and convinced the Levite priest to come with them.
“And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.” - Judges 18:17-20.
“And the priest's heart was glad,” This was supposed to be a man of God, one who studied and followed the word of God, but instead of His word, he followed his heart. The heart is the most deceitful thing we posses because it often follows our emotions rather than our reason. When we push pass the loneliness, fear, anger, envy, jealousy, hate, or pride, that is when we find our true heart. Only Christ can keep our heart in the right direction. “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” - 1 John 3:20-22.
All this goes to show us that most people know God exists, they want Him in their lives, and are willing to go through lengths to get His approval. The sad thing, they do what is right in their own eyes, and instead of getting God, they create their own. The house of Micah went after the tribe Dan and overtook them, but Micah could not get passed them taking his gods and let them take over.
“And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.” - Judges 18:22-26.
“Ye have taken away my gods which I made,” Micah thought he lost everything he had, including God. The truth us, he never had God in the first place because He will have no other gods before Him. God is not some statue or picture we can bow down to and get answers from, He is God. We do not need an object to show us who He is, He shows us every day when we see the beauty of the world, the birth of a baby, and everything in between. The key to seeing God is having faith, and the only way to know Him is through Jesus Christ. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” - 1 John 5:12,13.
The repercussions of not letting God lead us rarely effect just the individual, it effects everyone around them. We learn of this through another man who thought he was doing right, another Levite, he married a prostitute who was not an Israelite. The woman left him and went back home to her father, four months later the Levite went to retrieve her resulting in a mess, introducing them to adultery, homosexuality, rape, murder, and vengeance.
“And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.” - Judges 19:11,16,21-24.
“certain sons of Belial,” It is the sons of devil that put such wicked thoughts into the minds of people. It saddens me every time I read this story, a woman sexually insulted and loses her life in the hands of wicked men. A man loses his wife because they walked into the wrong place at the wrong time. Forget the events that led to all this happening, no one deserves to be treated that way, no one. This was not God's fault. It was the fault of those who had no respect for a person's life, the fault of people who entice others to walk down their wicked path, and the fault of a society that closes their eyes to such behavior out of fear. They would have done the same thing to the man. We are living in a wicked and corrupt world, we cannot let it lead us, we must let Christ lead us. When we do not let Him lead us we are going to do what we think is right, and not going to make the wisest decisions. Yes, bad things happen to the saved also, but with Christ leading us we are better protected. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” - Proverbs 18:10.
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed in the days there was no king in Israel. Israel was to be different than the rest of the world, God was to be their King, but they rejected Him for an earthly king, just like they still reject Christ today. “But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.” - John 19:15.
Today's Prayer: (Excerpts From Psalm 31) God, In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. Keep us protected and safe from those who are wicked, and lead us all the way to the promised land. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
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Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
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Date: Thursday, March 18, 2016
Chapters: Judges 18-19
Message: Judges: Be Led By Christ
Hello My Friend,
I have always been a natural born leader, so, you can imagine my surprise when I chose to give my life to Christ and discovered that I had to look to Him for direction with everything I do. Take it from someone who is very independent, it is not easy to depend on anyone, even Almighty God who must have more things to deal with than my problems. How proud are we to think we cannot depend on God for our smallest or biggest problems? The truth is, more than we think. As Christians, we must understand that Christ wants to be in every part of our lives, to lead us and direct us through every step we take. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:5,6.
“lean not unto thine own understanding.” Let me tell you, this is ninety-nine percent of our problem, we do not want to come to God for the easy stuff, thinking we know what we are doing. Israel spent over three hundred years going back and forth with God, as long as they had an earthly leader directing they did pretty good, but once they had no leader they directed their own paths, which were terrible. The tribe of Dan, failed to drive out the Canaanites from their portion of land so they searched in other tribes land, upon their search they found the house of Micah, ambushed them, took the idols, and convinced the Levite priest to come with them.
“And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.” - Judges 18:17-20.
“And the priest's heart was glad,” This was supposed to be a man of God, one who studied and followed the word of God, but instead of His word, he followed his heart. The heart is the most deceitful thing we posses because it often follows our emotions rather than our reason. When we push pass the loneliness, fear, anger, envy, jealousy, hate, or pride, that is when we find our true heart. Only Christ can keep our heart in the right direction. “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” - 1 John 3:20-22.
All this goes to show us that most people know God exists, they want Him in their lives, and are willing to go through lengths to get His approval. The sad thing, they do what is right in their own eyes, and instead of getting God, they create their own. The house of Micah went after the tribe Dan and overtook them, but Micah could not get passed them taking his gods and let them take over.
“And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.” - Judges 18:22-26.
“Ye have taken away my gods which I made,” Micah thought he lost everything he had, including God. The truth us, he never had God in the first place because He will have no other gods before Him. God is not some statue or picture we can bow down to and get answers from, He is God. We do not need an object to show us who He is, He shows us every day when we see the beauty of the world, the birth of a baby, and everything in between. The key to seeing God is having faith, and the only way to know Him is through Jesus Christ. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” - 1 John 5:12,13.
The repercussions of not letting God lead us rarely effect just the individual, it effects everyone around them. We learn of this through another man who thought he was doing right, another Levite, he married a prostitute who was not an Israelite. The woman left him and went back home to her father, four months later the Levite went to retrieve her resulting in a mess, introducing them to adultery, homosexuality, rape, murder, and vengeance.
“And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.” - Judges 19:11,16,21-24.
“certain sons of Belial,” It is the sons of devil that put such wicked thoughts into the minds of people. It saddens me every time I read this story, a woman sexually insulted and loses her life in the hands of wicked men. A man loses his wife because they walked into the wrong place at the wrong time. Forget the events that led to all this happening, no one deserves to be treated that way, no one. This was not God's fault. It was the fault of those who had no respect for a person's life, the fault of people who entice others to walk down their wicked path, and the fault of a society that closes their eyes to such behavior out of fear. They would have done the same thing to the man. We are living in a wicked and corrupt world, we cannot let it lead us, we must let Christ lead us. When we do not let Him lead us we are going to do what we think is right, and not going to make the wisest decisions. Yes, bad things happen to the saved also, but with Christ leading us we are better protected. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” - Proverbs 18:10.
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed in the days there was no king in Israel. Israel was to be different than the rest of the world, God was to be their King, but they rejected Him for an earthly king, just like they still reject Christ today. “But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.” - John 19:15.
Today's Prayer: (Excerpts From Psalm 31) God, In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. Keep us protected and safe from those who are wicked, and lead us all the way to the promised land. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2016 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
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