SATURDAY - 8TH JANUARY, 2022
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE - Olusola ADEJUMO
THE DANGER OF LINGERING
Read Genesis 42
Genesis 43:8-10, KJV
"8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: 10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time".
At the first journey of the sons of Israel to Egypt to buy grain, Joseph knew them to be his brothers and he asked them personal questions. He also accused them of being spies. They did all to prove their innocence which led to their telling the stories of their lives and birth. This led to their saying they still have a brother in the person of Benjamin who didn't take the journey with them. To this end, Joseph requested that Benjamin be brought on their next journey to have them verified as truthful men. So, he took Simeon and bound him in their eyes.
After the narration of all these things to Jacob, he refused to allow Benjamin take a journey with them. He has been bereaved of Joseph and there is Simeon already detained in Egypt. What a complicated life for this elderly man. This refusal spanned awhile until the bought grain finished and there was need to go back to make a new purchase. Jacob would still not allow Benjamin to go yet Joseph had vowed solemnly not to allow them see his face unless he proves them by seeing Benjamin, his own mother's son. Judah while trying to persuade their father gave surety to Jacob about the safety of Benjamin. While speaking to convince him, he said, "if we had not lingered, we would have returned from the second journey".
Did you see the danger of lingering there? Did you see what not taking action when it should be taken could cause? If Jacob had not exercised fear and they had gone on that journey since before their grain finished and were now at strait, they would have returned. There's always a disadvantage of lingering when the time is ripe. Is there an action you should take now that you're postponing for reasons that are not tangible? Is there a journey, schooling, proposal, project etc that you should throw yourself into but which you're refraining from for the sake of fear despite the fact that the time for such is ripe. Nothing stops them from going to Egypt except for Jacob's fear that Benjamin might be lost like his brother Joseph. Yet, at day's end when they needed grain, he agreed by submitting to take a step of wisdom, exercise faith and hanging all on "whatsoever will happen, let it" [Gen.43:11-15].
Don't linger again. Put in for that study now, start that building project, go into that business. Judah's witness was that they were shortchanged not to have returned the second time. Those who linger don't finish on time. Their mates who are early starters would have been ahead of them. By the time they wake to the reality of having lingered because they were forced to a rude awakening by time, regret of, "I could have given birth to my first born, could have finished my M.sc, could have laid my house's foundation etc by now" would be visiting and coming out of their mouth.
Don't linger. Identify your fear and eliminate them. Throw yourself into it in the Spirit of faith. Our fear is just a disguise like Jacob's was. The Lord is with you and that's all that matters. The time is ripe and your time is now.
PRAYER: Lord, let me be able to take that one important step that will lead to a great unfolding of destiny for me this year. I resist fear. I launch out.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Genesis 16:1-18:15, Matthew 6:1-24, Psalm 7:1-17, Proverbs 2:1-5
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