SUNDAY - 4TH DECEMBER, 2022
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE - Olusola & Oreoluwa ADEJUMO
HAVE YOU HEARD GOD'S COMMANDMENT? - His Pleasure Series 005
Read Acts 5:23-42
Acts 5:38, KJV
"And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:"
Have you heard God's commandment? He's saying refrain! It is salvation to hear God when He's sounding the alarm and blowing warning. Or else, one's bones will be broken because a crash and a collision with Him and His pleasure will be inevitable. God is saying I should sound the alarm in Zion and say to some who are currently found in the wrong estate and doings like the High Priest and Chief Priests in today's passage to refrain. It is coming out loud and as a blast. God intends you'll hear and hearken immediately. The refrain of the Lord here isn't what you can postpone. It is what you should agree to and take as the final and last order or else, "you'll dash your foot on a stone" with no bearing up or remedy. This is therefore an address to believers, backsliders or any who could be faulted by the Lord. God is saying , "refrain." It means, "don't persist in that particular act."
What was the shout of Gamaliel to the entire congregation? "Refrain!" Refrain means to "hold still, stop doing, put an end to immediately, bring to a halt, let stop, shut down, shut off etc." When God said "refrain" through Gamaliel's mouth, He intends none of those there would continue to persecute the disciples or continue in their former ways to them. Whenever God issues the word "refrain", He wants to give people a fresh start and wink at their days of ignorance. Apostle Paul while speaking says "the time of ignorance, God has winked at but now commands all to come to repentance (Acts 17:30)." That's God's mind and that abrupt, sudden, blasting, fearful salvation and preservation call is to halt you from going the way of Balaam and reaping his reward. God doesn't come with a loud well written stop sign to someone if they're doing His pleasure and they're doing it right. It's either they're not doing His pleasure at all or they're not doing it right. So, God is saying, "stop building." You must have seen houses under construction with the stop sign before. That means, "refrain." Such work has not earned approval. If God calls you to refrain from a thing, I'll say He loves you. What is dangerous is God having to refrain you from a work by calling you away because you've become heady and wouldn't surrender and agree to refrains. God doesn't want any to stand as an opposer to His will. That's why He manifested wondrously to Paul and asked, "why do you persecute Me?" But if you persist being heady, in that manner, you'll leave God with no other option but to be taken away by the owner of your soul.
On another ground, this refrain alarm may also be to those who started out with God genuinely but who in their walk and partnership with Him in ministry are now being found wanting. If you refuse to refrain, God won't be blamed because your chance was given to you but you didn't want people to perceive something is amiss by being out of what they've known you with so there won't be sudden enquires that could give you away. Therefore, many keep on labouring as if nothing is wrong between them and God. Wait soonest for the final "refrain" that will take you off the earth and you'll see that in the grave, there's no repentance.
Where are you and who are you to trouble God's people and work? God is not joking here or taking it lightly with you. Like He spoke to these gathering of haters and contenders with His will, He's saying, "refrain from that your persistent wicked act against My work and people." I'm hearing His voice in me and I can perceive His motivation quickly, He's saying, "stop and go on no more." Not refraining is consequential. May you not therefore become the simple who doesn't see ahead; breaks all instructions by yet going ahead and eventually get punished. May you hearken, take a U-turn and be today refrained from every way of error and falsehood.
PRAYER: Lord, enlighten me on a way of life or action I need to refrain from. May I not become a clog ignorantly or intentionally to the doing of Your pleasure. May I exercise prompt obedience even when it's disgraceful.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Daniel 6:1-28; 2 Peter 3:1-18; Psalm 119:129-152; Proverbs 28:21-22
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