Job 28:28
“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.”
INSIGHT
-Job reckons that divine wisdom comes through the fear of the Lord and enables us to depart from evil. In this same chapter Job recounts that God understands the way to wisdom and He alone knows where it dwells probably based on his experience. After going through the storm when he lost all his children, livestock and fell sick, he notes that wisdom is priceless. Its price is beyond rubies and cannot be bought with gold. The Lord gave him credit saying, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? (Job 2:3). Job held fast his integrity and did not curse God given the opportunity. He remained steadfast in his faith despite the grave troubles that he faced. It is through difficult experiences like economic and financial crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, corruption among leaders, closure of churches, collapse of businesses, heightened poverty and deaths, that our faith is tested. Job was able to withstand the test of time when he was found standing in faith even after his calamity, because he feared God and departed from evil. He also kept the culture of repentance and the Lord restored double what he had lost. Therefore, when we fear God, He fills us with His divine wisdom, He fulfills our desires, hears our cry and saves us (Psalm 145:19), His salvation is found near us (Psalm 85:9), He reveals to us His secrets and shows us His covenants (Psalm 25;14), He blesses us with His divine blessings (Psalm 115:13), and we are assured of prosperity and our descendants inherit the earth (Psalm 25:13). King Solomon says that to fear God and keep His commandments is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13). It is prudent then to fear God and depart from all evil, for this is the will of God in our lives.
PRAYER
Almighty and everlasting Father, we come to You with thanksgiving in our hearts. We dedicate this day and week unto Your able hands, show us Your grace. We declare that we shall not fail but succeed because You obtained victory for us Jesus. Thank You Jesus for this far that You have brought us and the far that You are taking us. Thank You for Your merciful love upon our lives, families and nation. Thank You for are good and Your mercies endures forever. Thank You for You have never left us orphaned. You have always been with us despite the huddles that we face. You the God of promise Jehovah, remember all the promises that You have for us, our families, children, churches and nation. Fill us with the spirit of Your fear that we may always fear You Lord and depart from evil. Forgive us all dear Jesus and heal our land. We have done evil before You Jesus have mercy on us. We have taken heed to Your laws and statutes, forgive us dear Jesus. Wash us with Your precious blood Almighty Father and deliver us from evil. As we go on to choose our new Chief Justice, may Your will prevail during this elections. Choose us a God fearing person who will choose justice over money, political influence and personal interests. A person who fears You and loves You Lord. Choose for us a president for 2022 who fears You and loves You Jesus. One who puts You first and the interests of Your people. Only You Lord declare the end from the beginning, bless us and shine Your face upon us merciful Savior. Heal our land and revive our economy dear Jesus. Revive our businesses and institutions. Heal all those who are sick and suffering merciful Savior. Help us to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and all other things You will add unto us. Teach us how to stand firm in faith in the midst of tribulations. Teach us how to fear You and to be obedient to Your holy will. Teach us how to love You and our neighbors as ourselves. Teach us how to forgive those who have offended us. Teach us how to do Your will Jesus. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus mighty name. Amen
Ezekiel 18:30-32
“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”
INSIGHT
-Ezekiel; God’s prophet from a priestly family was captured along with the captives in Babylon and was called to minister to the exiles. God spoke to him and through him about the sinfulness of Jerusalem and its fall, if they did not repent. Like other prophets, Ezekiel had to condemn Israel’s idolatry, moral corruption in public and private affairs. Ezekiel saw a vision of idolatry being practiced in the temple of the Lord which made the Lord jealous (Ezekiel 8:1-18). God promised restoration and spiritual renewal to His people by giving them a new heart and a new spirit if they departed from evil and harken to His voice. The Sovereignty and mercy of God as a righteous Judge is also displayed for He does not delight in the death of sinner calls each one of us to repentance. The Holy Spirit who dwells with all those who repent their sins and believe in Jesus Christ, rebukes us when we commit sin and helps us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Jesus; in Mark 9:43-48 notes that, if your hand, foot or eye causes us to sin, you should cut it off, for it is better to enter into life maimed, lame or with one eye rather than go to hell; where the fire shall never be quenched with all body organs. It is good then to do a self analysis of oneself and look keenly into your life and expose every secret sin to God, who desires that none should perish but all to come to repentance. Jesus calls us to repent, depart from evil and put our trust in Him; Who is the way to eternal life.
PRAYER
Lord Your are merciful and Your mercies endures forever. Lord You are good and Your mercies endures forever. We appreciate You Jesus for Your sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world. You died so that we may live. You resurrected from the dead so that we may live with You forever. We come before You today Jesus with repentant hearts, asking for mercy. We repent of all our sins, forgive us dear Jesus. Lord You have said in Your word that, if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then You will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and will heal their land. Forgive us all our sins merciful Savior and heal our land. Forgive us our sins, sins of our family members, ancestors, churches, colleagues, president, members of parliament, governors, women representatives, senators, Mca’s, other leaders, nation and entire world. Forgive us dear Jesus, we have sinned and gone against Your holy will. Forgive us where Your people have consulted other gods and departed from You. Forgive us for all forms of idolatry we have thought of in our hearts or done. Create in us clean hearts Oh Lord and renew a steadfast spirit within us. Give each one a new heart and a new spirit, Holy Spirit and teach us to do Your will. Grant unto us the gift of salvation that we may have eternal life with You. Teach us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling loving Father. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen
Proverbs 3:5-8
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
INSIGHT
–This is a scriptural text that we all know which has a deep sense of purpose. It is clear that those who submit themselves under God’s divine care or guidance shall always enjoy His benefits. God gives them the wisdom which is profitable to direct, depart from evil and turn aside from the by-paths of sin. The fruit of this is peace and good health. King Solomon put his confidence in the Lord and did not depend on his own understanding. When Adonijah his brother conspired to capture his throne and openly rebelled against him, Solomon pardoned him. Familial peace was restored until Adonijah again tried to make a move for the crown by attempting to marry David’s widow, Avishag. For that, the newly crowned Solomon had him killed in a decisive early move of his kingship. King Solomon’s reign was characterised by peace and prosperity, and the Lord granted him wisdom, wealth and long life. We are also called to submit every decision to the Lord and not to depend on our own understanding but to shun from evil and He will grant us good health and peace.
PRAYER
Like a dear pants for brooks of water, our souls pant for You Oh Lord our God. Our soul waits for You God of heaven and the earth, our Help and our Shield. Our hearts are glad in You for we trust in Your holy name. Let Your steadfast love dear Father be upon us, even as we hope in You. You will keep us in perfect peace for we trust in You our Lord and Savior. We submit all our cares and burdens unto You Jesus for You care for us. We submit our thoughts and intentions unto You Jesus, direct us in the way we should go. We submit our children, relative and society to You lead our paths. We submit our government, leadership and nation unto You Jehovah, take over everything that pertains to our nation and give us victory in all things. Fight for us our battles and give us victory dear Jesus. Grant us peace in our judiciary dear Jesus. We trust in You Jesus, grant us good health and peace, prosperity and long life, favor and wisdom we humbly beseech You. We put all our trust in You Lord, increase our faith. You are our everlasting Rock and Fortress, all our hope is in You Lord. Amen
1 Peter 3:11-12
“Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”
INSIGHT
-The Lord rebuked evil during the days of Abraham with Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah, Moses, Daniel, Jonah, John the Baptist, Paul, many other patriarchs and still does it today. He dealt with sin and the consequences were clear. From today’s verses we see that; God’s eyes are on the righteous but His face is against all those who do evil. Apostle Paul condemns evil deeds and provides a list in Romans 1:29-32 which include:- greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, insolence, arrogance, boastfulness, disobedience to parents etc. Apostle Peter gives a rather conclusive disposition that to depart from evil one has to love. By loving our brothers and sisters, showing courtesy, compassion, tenderness to them, returning evil with good, refraining from evil talk and deceit, is a formula he provides that offers peace. Therefore, seeking peace and pursuing it, is the way to depart from evil and follow after love, and the Lord hears our prayers and answers us.
PRAYER
You formed my inward parts loving Father; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God. How vast is the sum of them. Thank You Lord for Your merciful love upon my life. Thank You for guiding me through my childhood until now. I come at Your feet dear Jesus humbly asking You to forgive me all my sins and give me grace to turn away from them. May You remove any offense or anything that displeases You from my inward parts. Remove merciful Father any accusation that is against me, my family members, our church, leaders and nation from the courts of heaven, and wash us with Your precious blood. Release everlasting Father all those who are under the yoke of slavery, captured by different forms of addictions and those who are demon possessed. All those who practice prostitution, adultery, fornication, pornography, masturbation, drug addiction, alcoholism, gaysm, lesbianism, incest, child abuse, complaining and murmuring, witchcraft, sorcery, gossip, slander, murder, corruption, pride, lying and all forms of evil. Have mercy on us all Lord. We all have sinned and fallen short of Your glory Lord, forgive us merciful Savior. Forgive us all dear Jesus and help us to turn away from evil wicked way that displeases You and is not of Your kingdom. Give grace to all the street children and release them from the streets that they should go serve their purposes. Grant us the grace dear Master to serve You in the way that You have called each one of us. You have said in Your word that, the prayer of a righteous man avails much, hear our prayers and answer us dear Jesus. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive all those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
Acts 15:28-29
“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
INSIGHT
-It was common practice in certain pagan religious festivals that food polluted by idols was their delicacy. They enjoying the food which retained blood during their practice of idol worship. This was forbidden in the Jewish law as noted in Leviticus 17:10-12. We have seen an increasing number of people who practice witchcraft and join some cults like freemason, and we are called to prayer. Sexual immorality was also taken casually, which griefs the Holy Spirit. We know that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit and sexual immorality defiles our temples. The Holy Spirit calls us to depart from all evil so that the gifts He gives us may be effectively utilized for the glory of His name. When we depart from evil, we obtain success and favor in that we do.
SUMMARY
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The message He spoke in the ancient days through His priests and prophets; is the same message that He speaks to us today. Whatever He declared evil is still evil today and whatever He declared good is good today. Nothing is new under the sun. Whatever happened in the Biblical times is still evident now even if the design of occurrence or orientation might have changed. The God of Abraham and Moses is still our God today. The God of Ezekiel and Jeremiah is the One we praise today. In Proverbs 4:27; God invites us to focus our eyes on Him and not to turn to the right hand nor to the left; but to remove our feet from evil. To depart from evil then, we need to first recognize what sin is. Sin is anything that goes against the will, nature and character of God. God sets the standards of righteousness and gives us the grace to depart from sin. Secondly, we need to repent of all sin. After recognizing our sins, we need to turn away or change our minds from practicing them and move towards the light of salvation. 1 John 1:9 reminds us that, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Jesus does not take pleasure in the death of anyone but calls us to repentance and have faith in Him. Third is to replace sinfulness with Godliness. 1 Timothy 6:11 reminds us to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness. Godliness is the grace that enables us to operate by the spirit of the fear of the Lord; as we are encouraged to be holy because God is Holy. Godliness is achieved by continuous reading and studying the word of God, prayer, devotion and praising God; which causes a renewal of the mind. Jesus notes in Luke 22:46; that we should pray lest we fall into temptations. Since God is love, we obtain Godliness when we love God and our neighbours and pursue peace with everyone. Forth is to access the will of God in our lives through faith in Jesus Christ. When we have faith in Christ, we submit our plans to Him and trust Him with all our hearts. He gives each one a new heart and a new spirit through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Who transfuses our blood with His and makes us His heirs. We then operate in victory through the power of the Holy Spirit for the benefit of His kingdom and glory of His name.
PRAYER
Jesus You are the same yesterday, today and forever, we appreciate You for who You are in our lives. Holy; holy; holy are You Lord God Almighty, Who was, Who is and Who is to come. We sing a new song to You Jesus and proclaim Your holiness in all the earth. Empower us dear Jesus our Lord and Savior through Your grace to walk in holiness and depart from evil. You are Holy Lord and have called us to be holy, grant Your grace of holiness Holy Spirit. We are sorry for the many times we have grieved You Holy Spirit, forgive us. Be with those of us who worship idols and consult demonic forces among us that they may know You and believe in You dear Jesus. Deliver our nation Jesus from all forms of idolatry and forgive us, we humbly ask You. Protect us from all evil and cover us with Your hedge of fire we humbly ask You. We thank You Lord for the candidates who have just received their results. Be with them Jesus and help them to transit with ease to the next level. Grant success unto all the other candidates who are finalizing their exams next week that You may grant them good success. Grant favor dear Master unto all our children that they may be successful in life and know You at an early age. Our lives, families and nation belong to You Jesus, we submit all to You. We seek Your grace and presence in all that we do Holy Spirit, guide us in all things for the glory of Your name. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now, and forever more. Amen