Sunday, August 1, 2021

2 Kings 18:4 Devotion by Stephen Taylor

2 Kings 18:4

He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time, the Israelites had been burning incense to it. It was called Nehushtan.

 

How quickly we can turn a gift from God into an idol and sin! The bronze snake mentioned in this verse was given to the Israelites as a sign of the coming Messiah and to show them that all who turn and look to Him in faith will be saved! But the power wasn’t in the bronze snake itself. It was in the One who gave them the snake, the Lord God Almighty!

 

The Israelites quickly turned the gift God has given them into a trap and a snare, and yesterday, I did the same thing! Yesterday, I unexpectedly received a tax return/stimulus check, and I instantly went to “What am I gonna do with this”?! I barely thanked Him and surely didn’t take the time to ask Him what He wanted me to do with His gift to me! How prideful, how arrogant, how selfish I became because of this little bit of money.

 

Money itself isn’t evil. It’s the heart posture behind it! Money isn’t something I struggle with normally, but selfishness and pride definitely are, and this incident revealed to me that the enemy will use different tools to catch you off guard and dig at those weak spots in our flesh! So, what’s the solution? The Holy Spirit brought me my answer from Matthew 18:8 – “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.”

 

I turned the gift God gave me into a sin, and now it has to go! I no longer get to choose what I do with it, but He does! You may think it’s legalistic, but to me, there is nothing in this world worth my relationship with the Lord, so trust me, it’s an easy choice! I say this to both confess my sins and share my struggles in the hope the Lord will be glorified and His people edified!

 

God bless! I love you all!!! Glory, Honor, and Praise forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ my King, and the Holy Spirit who leads me down His path!

 

 

 

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