[Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: What is your ‘but’?

Read: 1 Kings 10:14-11:1-25

Meditation verse:

“But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of  Pharoah: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and  Hittites” (1 Kings 11:1).

King Solomon had great wisdom and wealth. “All his drinking vessels were gold,  and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one  was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. For the king  had merchant[e] ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the  merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. So, King  Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. Now all the  earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in  his heart. Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments,  Armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year” (1 Kings 10:21-25).  

But King Solomon loved many foreign women. He clung to them in love and  when he was old, they turned his heart after other gods; “and his heart was not  loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David” (1 Kings 11:4).  Solomon’s lineage suffered severe consequences because of this, God tore the  kingdom out of the hand of his son. He also raised up adversaries against  Solomon.  

Each one of us has a “but” that we must deal with. Do you know yours? It is  foolishness to cover up or ignore your weaknesses. The first step in dealing with  it is to be true to yourself and acknowledge it as a struggle. No matter the height  you have attained in life, it will take just a little folly on your part to bring you  down. Some people are struggling with lust, others can’t say no to alcohol. For some it is anger, unforgiveness or a hot temper. Sexual immorality, lust, pride,  ego, alcoholism, drug addiction or anger are some of the many evils with great  potential to destroy you and everything you have built, in a matter of seconds.  Several great men have sacrificed their greatness on the laps of strange women.  Refuse to be numbered amongst the lot.  

If there is a ‘but’ you are currently struggling with, rather than denying its  existence, own up to God and let Him help you deal with it before it destroys  you. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put  to death the deeds of the body, you will live”. (Romans 8:13).

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

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