DCLM Daily Manna 4 April 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Unacceptable Order
TOPIC: Unacceptable Order (DCLM Daily Manna 4 April 2022)
TEXT: Amos 7:7-17 (KJV)
7 Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
8 And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.
14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
17 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
KEY VERSE: “But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.” – (Amos 7:13)
There are about 50 countries where it is most dangerous to follow Jesus. Most of these countries cluster around the Middle East, Asia and northern Africa. Majority of them persecute Christians and maintain appalling human rights records while still benefiting hugely from aids and assistance from predominantly Christian countries. Leaders of the free world allow these violations to continue because they are unwilling to speak out against these abuses for political reasons.
Prophet Amos was also asked by Amaziah the priest not to preach anymore in the northern city of Bethel. He advised Amos to relocate to Judah where preaching was allowed for the safety of his own life. Amaziah also accused Amos before Jeroboam the king of conspiring against his regime by preaching against Israel’s idolatry and the judgment that would follow. Amos, who was unshaken, told Amaziah that his commission was not undertaken on his own accord, but God called him to preach as Israel’s prophet.
There is a common trend in all the countries where Christian preachers and believers are persecuted. The authorities in those countries know that the light of Christ will soon dispel the darkness of the dominant religions there. In other places, such persecution is done with the full cooperation of worldly and compromised church leaders, like Amaziah, creating a monopoly where only their erroneous teachings are allowed.
Like Amaziah, all those who work against the light should expect to face the judgment of God eventually. And the nations that reject God shall be turned into hell (Psalm 9:17).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Whoever rejects light should expect darkness.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalm 24-30
DCLM 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.
