ICS Daily Devotions
His Voice And Word As Our Guide
1 John 2:16-17 (KJV) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
We often live in cities that are very driven by the desire to be rich and everything that comes with it. In the mind of many people, they tend to think that riches will bring them happiness, acceptance, security, status, recognition, power and love. The saying is “When you are rich then you will have it all! You will be happy and everything will be alright.” If they are honest with you, they will share with you that there is a price to pay for being affluent. It might have cost them their marriage, their relationship with their children and they are unsure who their true friends are and their health is in a very bad state.
Not every rich person is happy, secured, loved and finds fulfilment in life. In fact, many rich people who have had enough money, well-travelled, own luxurious cars and homes are seeking for spiritual retreat because the void in their lives can only be filled by God.
There is a certain spirit within a city that is influencing people. We cannot deny that the prince of the power of the air, the ruler of the air, the principalities and power have no influence over a city. They do have influence over a city but the Kingdom of God also rules and reigns in our lives. Therefore, we are able to live our lives differently in accordance to the Word.
Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'”
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
One of the many referrals to thorns in the Bible is people. The thorns are referring to people who influence our lives. The thorns will always grow faster than the seed. It is easier to learn about wickedness and bad behavior than to change for good. The Bible says, the thorns grew up among the seed and choked the growth of the seed. The thorns block the sunlight from reaching the seed. Therefore, the seed yielded no crops.
Not everyone whom we mix with is a positive voice of influence in our lives because they may not hold the same values and principles as us. They are those who value their investment, work, status, possessions and everything in this world more important than God, relationship with our family members and church.
The devil will continue to tell the same lie and tempt everyone in the same way that he has tempted Jesus. We will not know that we are deceived until we come to a realization or awaken by the foolishness of it. Satan can use it to shackle us and get us off course.
As Christians, we recognize the danger of being driven to be rich at all cost and the financial bondage that comes with it. Many people spend what they don’t have by relying on credits. They want to sustain their lifestyle. They will have multiple credit cards, overdraft and resort to taking a loan from friends. They will use credit card A to pay B, use the overdraft to pay the minimum payment for credit card C and borrow from friends for others. When the banks finally caught with the person and he cannot repay, he has to declare a bankrupt! It brought sorrows rather than peace!
Hence, we need voices that will influence us correctly. It should be the voice of God through His word and godly counsel. It should be the seed that is sown into our hearts to lead and guide us so that we will truly experience the abundant life that He has given or intended for us to enjoy.
Sermon series: There is power in the seed
