Seeds of the Kingdom 16 January 2022 Daily Devotional By Ellel Ministries International
Previous Seeds of the Kingdom Daily Devotional
Topic: Good News – Bad News
Today’s Scripture:
“If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.” – Psalm 81:13-14, NIV
Seeds of the Kingdom 16 January 2022 Message:
As you read through Scripture you soon identify recurring themes. Things that are said time and time again – often in different ways, but ultimately proclaiming the same message. The theme of today’s Scripture is one that is found all the way through the Bible – from Genesis to Revelation! It reads like a lament from God for His people, who are always having to suffer the consequences of ignoring the living God, going their own way, worshipping false gods, losing God’s protection and missing out on His blessing!
They then become vulnerable to their enemies and God is unable to help them for they are using their God-given freewill to follow a pathway of their own choosing. And in so doing they are opening wide the door to the influence of the enemy in their lives and ultimately to his control. This same pattern can often be the way people, yes even believers, live their lives today. They choose to lay aside the guidance of God’s Word and follow their own inclinations. They ignore the instruction of Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding.”
If you trust in your own ideas, when they are at variance with God’s Word and His ways, you are headed along a wrong pathway and towards the place where your enemies will be waiting for you at the next bend in life’s road. Sadly, many is the time I have had to be the bearer of both the good news and the bad news! Which one would you like to hear first, I might say? The bad news is that because of the way you have been living your life, it’s no surprise that you are now encountering real issues in your life and it seems as though you are never able to overcome the problems you face. The good news is that “if we confess our sins . . . God is faithful just and will forgive us . . . and purify us from all sin” (1 John 1:9).
And so it is that in life there are choices that have to be made – do I go God’s way or my way? The rich young ruler went away sorrowful – his money had become an idol and the thought of giving it up was too much for him. There are many things God asks of us that can seem like a sacrifice, but when the sacrifice releases God’s protection and blessing, is it really a sacrifice? The fact is that it was Jesus who paid the ultimate sacrifice, so that we could walk out of the enemy’s jail and into the freedom of eternal life. Is it too much, therefore, to ask that we should desire to walk in His ways with hearts full of gratitude and thanksgiving?
Seeds of the Kingdom 16 January 2022 PRAYER
Thank You, Lord that You desire to subdue our enemies and release Your blessing into our lives. Forgive me, I pray, for the times when I have walked away from the pathway of life and found myself in enemy territory. Help me, Lord, to be on my guard against temptations and distractions so that I may know the blessing of Your presence and protection. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
TODAY’S AUTHOR
Peter Horrobin is the Founder and International Director of Ellel Ministries International, which began in 1986 as a ministry of healing in the north-west of England. The work is now established in over thirty-five different countries, providing teaching, training and personal ministry opportunities. (www.ellel.org)
After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in Chemistry, Peter spent a number of years lecturing in College and University, before leaving the academic environment for the world of business. Here he founded a series of successful publishing and bookselling companies.
In his twenties he started to restore a vintage sports car (an Alvis Speed 20) but discovered that its chassis was bent. As he looked at the broken vehicle, wondering if it could ever be repaired, he sensed God asking him a question, “You could restore this broken car, but I can restore broken lives. Which is more important?” It was obvious that broken lives were more important than broken cars and so the beginnings of a vision for healing and restoration was birthed in his heart.
A hallmark of Peter’s ministry has been his willingness to step out in faith and see God move to fulfil His promises, often in remarkable ways. His book, Strands of Destiny, tells many of the amazing stories of what God has done in the past thirty years.
Peter has written many books including The Complete Catalogue of British Cars. And for the past thirty-five years he has been the editor of Mission Praise, one of the largest-selling hymn and song books in the UK and originally compiled for the visit of Billy Graham in 1984.
In this season of their lives, Peter, and his wife Fiona are concentrating on writing so that all their knowledge and experience can be made permanently available in book form through Sovereign World Ltd and other publishers around the world. His book Healing Through Deliverance is now a Christian classic.
See Peter Horrobin’s page for more information.
