Topic: Was It The Devil? [DCLM Daily Manna 26 April 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
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Text: Jeremiah 21:1-14
1 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.
6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.
7 And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.
9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
11 And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
12 O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
KEY VERSE: “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)
MESSAGE:
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 fallings 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.
Also Read: Open Heaven 26 April 2020 – Intercession For Leaders
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 woeful 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).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The route to hell comes after plying the road of procrastination.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 5-7
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
