DCLM Daily Manna 3 May 2025 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Strange Dressing
TOPIC: Strange Dressing (DCLM Daily Manna 3 May 2025)
KEY VERSE: “And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel” (Zephaniah 1:8).
TEXT: Zephaniah 1:1-9 (KJV)
1 The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked: and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.
4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham;
6 And them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor enquired for him.
7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
MESSAGE:
When government officials in the State of Georgia decided to streamline the licensing process by allowing drivers to upload their own photos, they did not anticipate the unintended consequences. But recently, they decided to be a bit more explicit in their instructions. A recent Facebook post from the Georgia Department of Driver Services read, “Attention, lovely people of the digital era. Please take pictures with your clothes on when submitting them for your Digital Driver’s License and IDs.”
In Zephaniah’s prophecy made up of just three chapters, indecent dressing was mentioned as a sin to be punished by God. There is a clear link between the digression into idolatry, the culture of immoral practices, and indecent dressing. Of particular mention was the worship of the hosts of heaven, and the abominations of the surrounding nations, prominent among which was Baal, the Canaanite god of rain and fertility. God also promised to punish those who advanced the culture of indecency and sanction the princes and king’s children who modeled it.
Right from the book of Genesis, after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and became aware of their nakedness, they made leaves to cover themselves, but God provided animal skin for proper coverage and protection against the cold weather. Since then, clothing has been an established feature of man’s existence. After the Fall, man acquired a depraved nature which is expressed in many ways including lust of the flesh and the eyes. Beyond covering, clothing has become part of our identity. It is an expression of our principles, character, and virtues.
Believers in Christ in whose lives “old things are passed away” may not be able to stop the indecent dressing in the world, but they are not expected to adopt them. Our dress sense should be guided by decency and modesty (1 Timothy 2:9,10). Some church authorities have surrendered to the stiff resistance they faced in their attempt to correct erring members. Some influential leaders and members of churches are, disappointingly, at the vanguard of the promotion of the strange apparel frowned upon by God. Indecent, extravagant, suggestive displays in appearance, behaviour, and communication do not glorify God and are unbecoming of a true Christian.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Indecent dressing may seem normal to the world, but they are strange to God’s people.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Judges 1-4
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
