devotional 46

DAILY DEVOTION No. 49

RAISING A STANDARD

Psalm 94:16

16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

God is calling us to make a stand in society for what is right. Isaiah 59 says 19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

You and I are to lift up a standard of righteouness against the enemy. We are not to quietly sit back and do nothing when the enemy is reaping havoc in the lives of many around us. We are to have a voice against unrighteousness.

So many young lives are being destroyed around us because we as a part of the worldwide church are sitting back and allowing it to happen. The enemy is subtly bombarding the lives of many through the media with sexual material, things to gratify the senses and many values and ideals that are anti church and anti God.

Jeremiah 9:20-21 says 20 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation. 21 For death is come up into our windows, [and] is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, [and] the young men from the streets. Death is entering lounge rooms through the TV set, magazines, newspapers etc and entering the windows to the soul to have a devastating effect on so many people.

In Jeremiah 1:4-10 we read 4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I [am] a child. 7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I [am] a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I [am] with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

God had called Jeremiah as a prophet to the nations but all Jeremiah could see was his insecurities and inadequacies. So often you and I will not make a difference in our world because all we see are our weaknesses. We must look beyond our natural weaknesses or inabilities and see God who is all powerful and able to speak through us with great authority as we rely on His Spirit.

In Daniel 5:10-12 we read 10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to
the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, "O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble
you, nor let your countenance change.
11 "There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of
your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in
him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father––your father the king––made him chief of the
magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
12 "Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving
riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar,
now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation."

We must understand that like Daniel, we can affect the society in which we live. Why? Because God has given us His Spirit and the wisdom from the Spirit of God within us far outweighs the wisdom of this world.

Prayer

Father, help me to make a stand for righteousness. Never let me get to a place where I condone wickedness or become blase to unrighteousness happening around me.

Rod Best