ESOCS Devotional 25 November 2022
TEXT: EZEKIEL 11:14-25
MEMORY VERSE: “‘But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,’ says the Lord God.” Numbers 11:21
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
The source of all rebellion and stubbornness against God is the heart, especially when it is filled with unfaithfulness. The detestable things, what are they? They are the things that God hates. He abhors them because they are abominations in His sight. They lead to unrighteousness; and they make people become affiliated with the devil and far away from God. People who have the detestable things in their hearts have a strange identity: the identity of Satan. This is because they have his nature in them; and not the nature of Christ. Consequently, they love to do the things that please him. They exhibit the characters that could only be associated with that evil one. There is no purity in their souls. Their hearts continually lead them to sin and iniquity.
People who have such hearts do not have brokenness. They do not make an inward examination of themselves to find out their spiritual state in order to know whether they are still in God. They do not care about the ways of God or the things He wants from them. They are grossly attached to the world. They crave for the things that pattern to ungodliness and are comfortable with the detestable things of the world.
In many instances, the Scriptures point to the heart as the base for all the positive or negative attitudes found in a man; and consequently emphasize the need to work on it earnestly and jealously guard it against intrusion by all things that do not pattern to godliness (Prov. 4:23). The Lord desires uprightness of heart from us. But in most cases, the heart of man easily yearns for the things that displease God; and worst still, man derives much pleasure from such things and slight his Maker in the process. Man under minds the necessity to align himself with his Creator and hate the evil one with genuine hatred. In today’s world, man clamours for all the things the devil projects and promotes in different ways. True gospel people have largely found it difficult to convince the world of their need for Jesus, even in the Church. Many in the church are spiritually dead because they are completely cut off from God because of the things they do (Rev. 3:1). Yet, they know that the evil one does not mean well but to destroy their souls in the fire of hell; and abort their eternity with the Lord. Someone said, “Why do people follow the devil instead of Jesus who means well for them?” The simply answer is: “I don’t know why”; only the individuals who have consciously refused to be born again may explain.
However, we should always remember that God has a terrible reward for disobedience. He has said, “I will recompense their deeds on their own heads.” Let us be “careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8); and hate the detestable things of the world.
CHALLENGES
- What genuine efforts do you make to keep away from things that God hates?
- Do you make conscious efforts to do only the things that please God?
PRAYERS
- Pray God to give you the spirit to hate the things of the world with perfect hatred.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
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ESOCS Devotional 25 November 2022
