Topic: DO NOT OBSERVE LYING VANITIES  [Church of God Mission International] Above Only Daily Devotional 26 May   2022

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ABOVE ONLY DEVOTIONAL

BY: ARCHBISHOP M. E. BENSON IDAHOSA

THURSDAY MAY 26TH, 2022.

DO NOT OBSERVE LYING VANITIES

Jonah 2:8 (KJV, AMPC) When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. *When my soul fainted upon me [crushing me], I earnestly and seriously remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple. Those who pay regard to false, useless, and worthless idols forsake their own [Source of] mercy and loving-kindness.

A lying vanity is something that appears real but is not real. Lying vanities distract us from reality; especially spiritual realities. In the Bible, the words ‘idols’ and ‘idolatry’ do not only refer to carved images that people worship, they also refer to covetousness and everything that we worship or give the attention that we are supposed to give to God alone. One major way we observe lying vanities or cling to worthless idols is by allowing anything to distract us or discourage us from being or doing what God wants us to do. The devil is an expert in twisting things and painting pictures and scenarios that will cause us to desire certain negative mind-sets and do certain negative things that we are not supposed to do. When we do such things or have such negative mind-sets, we may find ourselves missing out on the grace and blessings that God has in store for us.

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For example, it was the wrong mind-set that Jonah had about the people of Nineveh that made him unwilling to go and minister to them as God had instructed him to. In running away, he almost lost his life. Sometimes, the idol that we worship is ourselves. We do this by prioritizing our pleasure and warped mind-sets over the word and will of God. Haman allowed himself to be distracted by the fact that Mordecai was not worshipping him and greeting him in the same way every other person was doing. Because of this, he directed all of his focus into punishing Mordecai, by eliminating all the Jews in the land of Shushan, (Esth. 3:1-6). When we allow the attitude of people towards us to distract us from loving, ministering or showing mercy to them, we are observing lying vanities and forsaking our own mercy.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, please help get rid of every negative mind-set I have that can distract me from being and doing everything that you want from me.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR READING PLAN
1Kings 8, 2Chron.5

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