DCLM Daily Manna 22 May 2023 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Want To Be Truly Free?
TOPIC: Want To Be Truly Free? (DCLM Daily Manna 22 May 2023)
KEY VERSE: “And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 7:3).
TEXT: 1 Samuel 7:1-12 (KJV)
1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord.
2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.
5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord.
6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him.
10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.
12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.
MESSAGE:
There are many people who long to be free from one form of bondage or the other. They are really dissatisfied with what they are going through and would do anything or pay any price for their freedom. However, they fail to identify and deal with the real cause of their bondage. Except this is sincerely addressed, such people can never be really free in the true sense.
The Israelites were also in bondage for many years. They suffered the oppressive aggressions of their neighbours, the Philistines. They lived every day in fear as there was no one able to stand against these fearsome aggressors. Worse still, the nation had lost the confidence to approach God for help. They had backslid and had turned to strange gods. As Samuel stepped into the scene, he made a bold call for the nation to return fully to the Lord as the only and guaranteed condition of getting deliverance.
Getting spiritual freedom from all your spiritual aggressors has just one condition: give up all sins and return fully to the Lord. Many people fast and pray for days, attend different deliverance services and seek prayers from several deliverance ministers but fail to address the cause of their bondage and afflictions. Sometimes, it is because many of those ministers fail to point them to the cause of their bondage and the true condition for their freedom; or that they too are not willing and sincere enough to give up their sins.
If you wish to be truly free, you must be willing to give up all your sins and turn wholly to the Lord. He has the power to deliver and set you free from every bondage, no matter how long you have been in it.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Peace with God is the pathway to freedom.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Samuel 3-5
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.
