MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL - 28/08/2026

FRIDAY - 28TH AUGUST, 2026

FAR FROM HOME

Luke 15:13, KJV

"And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living."

Something happens far from home that you have to overcome if you are far from home. It is backsliding when far from home. You may not treat it as important but a lot of people keep their testimonies for a number of reasons when they are in their usual community of men. 

They have built a reputation there - they might have been known with the Lord. It may be very difficult for them to take a new turn or a new stand now without facing backlash from those who have known them. So, they plough on by continually being in the Lord because of the fear or witness of people around them. Some of them may have the desire to sin but they fear one thing - they don't want what they have built where they are to collapse. However, what happens when they relocate? What happens when they find themselves in a new city or country? That offers them an ample opportunity to miss it big time. 

Especially if their presences have not been known in those new places, it means they can indulge in secret sins or love riotously and be confident that they will not be discovered, worrying nothing about repercussions. This experience has been found to be true in the lives of certain people who had change of job or got transferred to a new location, got posted to serve their fatherland in another state of the federation or those who for once travelled out of the country.

There's a breath of fresh air that a new location brings to us. I think it is that hope that deceives many people. In a new location, you can actually start all over again - either for good or for bad. One of the reasons why people change location is actually to go and start afresh or build something anew from the ground up in a new place. So, that's the advantage a new location offers. Only that, it could be the backsliding launch pad of many as well. Once you believe, you're now in the land of freedom, far away from home where no eyes watches you and where no one could accost you, I assure you that you easily can get lost. 

Look at the case of the prodigal son. The Bible says something fundamental about him. "...he gathered all together (probably after selling his inheritance and obtaining the proceeds from it) and took a journey into a far land...'

The question is, "why a far land? Why not stay still in their town? Why not the next village or city to them? Why a distant country? Why go through many customs and borders?"

You see, that's that thing. Guess what answer the Bible gives for that - "...and there wasted his living in riotous or wild living."

You see, why he went far from home was because he needed liberty to misbehave without feeling somebody was around looking at him. He wanted nobody's permission or caution to live his life. He didn't want to be brought to his knees or made guilty if he saw somebody from their church who knows him. Before he left home, he knew what he was going to do - enjoy his life riotously. So, he decided before hand what place to go and how far to go where no eyes, no correction voice or reprimanding stamina will challenge him. 

I want to believe that even if this boy had tendency to misbehave in him before leaving home, his father curtailed and reprimanded him for it. That's what he doesn't want. He wanted a place where he could go naked or wild without being called to order. He had to therefore travel away from every human sight who cares. For short, he went away to a land where nobody knows his identity, background, faith affiliation etc. It was there he started anew and lived so widely that the Bible says he squandered all he had riotously. 

Don't fall into this trap. Be a man of good grace and testimony. Irrespective of where you are, be tied to Christ. Don't get to your school which is far from home and lose your head. Maintain integrity and you'll reap the blessings that come with it.

PRAYER: Lord, may I carry you everywhere. When far from home, teach me to protect my testimony.

DAILY BIBLE READING PLAN 

Job 28:1-30:31; II Cor. 2:12-17, Psalm 42:1-11, Prov. 22:7

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