Omega Fire Ministries Rhema for Living 11 November 2021 | Thursday Daily Devotional
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Covetousness is Deadly
by Dr. (Mrs) Lizzy Johnson-Suleman
BIBLE READING:Â Numbers 5-8
TEXT: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1 Timothy 6 :6.
One of the commandment of God that must not be neglected is the injunction against covetousness (Exodus 20 :17; Luke 12 :15).
Covetousness denotes having a strong desire for things that belong to other people. This act is condemned in the strongest possible terms in scriptures (Eph. 5 :3; Col. 3 :5).
Covetousness can take the form of having a strong desire for another man’s money, goods, properties, spouse, position or title. Covetousness is insidious. It spends gradually without being noticed, eventually causing serious harm.
Going through scriptures, we can identify many fruits of covetousness. In Genesis 31 :41; covetousness was responsible for the oppression Jacob faced in Laban’s house. Jacob was the son-in-law of Laban. He served him faithfully as a shepherd, yet Laban was still covetous of the little Jacob had; so much so that he made life unbearable for him.
Another fruit of covetousness is theft (Joshua 7 :21) and robbery (1 Kings 20 :6). Achan in Joshua 7 :24 – 25; lost his life and the lives of his wife and children to covetousness. In 1 Kings 20 :1 – 6, Benhadad the king of Syria waged war against Israel because of covetousness. The prevailing problems of robbery, piracy, militancy, terrorism and other issues of insecurity are traceable to covetousness. Covetousness is also responsible for meanness as seen in the case of Naboth and Ahab. It is also responsible for unscrupulousness and scoffing (2 Kings 5 :20; Luke 16 :14).
A born-again child of God should not be covetous because covetousness is not a fruit of the Spirit. Covetousness can result in serious family trouble (Prov. 15 :27). It leads to disappointment (Eccl. 5 :10), folly (Jer. 17 :11), apostasy (1 Tim. 6 :10) and misery (1 Kings 21 :4). To avoid covetousness, examine your life on a daily basis and repent whenever a trait of covetousness is noticed.
PRAYER: My Father! My Father! As I begin to pray, Holy Spirit kill every trait of covetousness in me.
Omega Fire Ministries Rhema for Living 11 November 2021 Daily Devotional from the Desk of Dr. (Mrs) Lizzy Johnson-Suleman, Omega Fire Ministries International, Auchi Edo State