DCLM Daily Manna 24 September 2021 — Delayed For Good
TOPIC: Delayed For Good (DCLM Daily Manna 24 September 2021)
TEXT: Exodus 23:20-33
20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.
KEY VERSE: “I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.” – (Exodus 23:29,30)
MESSAGE:
Stories abound of people who missed fatal accidents by a whisker. It is either they arrived a few seconds after a public bus got fully booked or they missed their flight by a few minutes.
Also Read: Open Heaven 24 September 2021 – Follow Good Leadership
In the series of instructions to the children of Israel before their entry into the Promised Land, God told them about a guardian angel – the messenger of God – who at this time was manifested in the pillar of the cloud and fire. The angel was to be obeyed, because His presence in Israel was the authority of God among the people. The lands they were to possess were inhabited by idolatrous people and the children of Israel were told beforehand not to expect instant defeat of the enemies.
The reason such sudden and absolute defeat of the enemy might not be desirable at the initial time was to avoid opening another area of concern – invasion of wild beasts. In life, people who suffer afflictions in one way or the other yearn for total deliverance. Many people have fallen into the sin of murmuring and complaining over the seeming delay of divine intervention in their lives.
Perhaps, these delays are deliberate as God orchestrates such for the ultimate good of His children. Many people turn their back on God as soon as they are delivered from problem of sickness, poverty or other afflictions. The blessing of God must not be abused but accepted with gratitude. Believers must learn to give thanks to God even when it seems their blessings are delayed.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God’s time is still the best for man.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Proverbs 24-26
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
