Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the month of November, the eleventh month of this year. My prayer is that God will load your life with all kinds of good things in the month that will make you forget whatever pain or loss you may have experienced in the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now, as we begin this new month, I want to encourage you to devote yourself more and more to walking in righteousness. Why? First, it is because God will satisfy those who do so with everything they need in life, regardless of how hard things may be where they are. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” He also says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Cf. Matthew 5:6 & 6:33)
Therefore, if you give yourself to walking in righteousness, God will see to it that you do not lack anything good, in spite of how bad things may be where you are. You too, of course, must learn to receive God’s provisions for you through prayers, a confession of His word and diligent labour. But you can rest, assured that He will not deny you anything you need, if you give yourself to walking in righteousness.
The second reason you should give yourself to walking in righteousness is that God will protect you as you do so. One of the reasons people don’t want to give themselves to righteousness is fear of persecution. And as we see in the bible, anyone who truly wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2Tim 3:12). However, the bible also shows us that there is protection from all forms of persecution for every child of God that gives himself to walking in righteousness. All they need to do to enjoy it is to reach out to God for it.
For example, because of Daniel’s devotion to righteousness in handling his duties as a government official, he was severely persecuted by his colleagues, who were mostly sorcerers. And when they realized that they could not bewitch him or flaw his excellence in service, they set him up. So, he was thrown into the den of lions. (Cf. Dan 6:1-18).
But did God abandon him? No! Instead, He sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions that were with him. So, they could not hurt him. Eventually, it was those who ganged up against him, along with their wives and children, that were eaten up by those hungry lions. (Cf. Dan 6:19-24)
Now all this is in agreement with the word of God that says:
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”” (Ps 91:11-14NIV)
Therefore, don’t ever again be afraid of being persecuted for doing what is good and right in the sight of God. That is because you will have His protection. And that will result in your elevation and also in the disgrace of your enemies, as it was the case with Daniel.
Have a lovely November 2024.
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