CAC Living Water Daily Devotional – The Permissive Will Of God (II)

CAC Living Water Daily Devotional |   Tuesday, December 7, 2021  | The Permissive Will Of God (II)

Topic: The Permissive Will Of God (II)

Date: Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Read: Deuteronomy 1:41-46

Deuteronomy 1:41-46  Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.

And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

MEMORISE:

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil (Proverbs 3:7).

EXPOSITION

God is not and will never be happy as long as we continue to lean on our own understanding. It has always been that the way that seems good to a man leads to destruction. There has always been this erroneous belief in man that he can do without God. That is why he attempts to do so many things without asking God or calling Him. Are you not in this category? Please, quickly make necessary amends. Israel had the consequence of their action in full: ‘And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day’ (1 Sam. 8:18).

One thing about God is that He deliberately made man to be able to make a choice – free moral agent. Man was never made a robot, which needs to be programmed before it can function. God will not force His will on us, aside very rare occasions, when He might need to prove some points.

In today’s text, precisely verse 43, ‘So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously went up into the mountain’, the Israelites had been warned not to go up to battle, because God was not with them. In deviance, however, they stubbornly went ahead. What did they get? God opened them up to be seriously battered by their enemies.

Are we in any ways different from these people today? Have you learned to trust in the Lord alone, and not on your own understanding? The Bible exhorts, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding’ (Prov. 3:5). Listen to, and obey God by His Spirit. Only then can you be enjoying His blessings unstoppably.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Lord, give me hunger and passion for You.

2. Nothing gives me joy and gladness than Your will for my life, O Lord; don’t let me walk in my own plan at the expense of Yours, again.

3. Lord Jesus, help this nation to be ready to take and do Your policy that will allow peace and prosperity to reign.

EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Ezek. 47:17 – 48:35; Dan. 1:1 – 1:21; 1 Jn 4:15 – 5:14

Author: Christ Apostolic Church  [Worldwide]