SATISFIED? -Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Num 34-36
JOSIAH MADE A DIFFERENCE Wednesday, March 24, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds” (Prov. 27:23) READ: 2 Kings 23:24-25 There have been a few people who made a difference in their generation. In fact, some were so outstanding that their achievements are still challenging us today even though they lived several hundreds or thousands of years ago. One of such Bible characters was Josiah. He was a child who rebelled against his antecedents and strove to become a child of destiny.  He was born and raised up by his wicked father -king Amon (2 Kings 21:19-23). Amon was an epitome of wickedness: With no regards for God, he established idolatry in Jerusalem. His-two year reign was so evil that his servants could not stand it anymore; they conspired and assassinated him. His undoing was his wicked and idolatrous father Manasseh ( Kings 21:1-15). The Bible says he followed every evil path of his father and perfected his wickedness. It was right within this evil background that Josiah was born. Since his father filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, one would have expected that Josiah would be a super devil. But right from age eight when he started ruling, he started to follow God’s right path (2 Kings 22:1-6). He began to pull down the idolatrous shrines his father and grand father had erected. From this we learn that any bonafide child of destiny would make a difference irrespective of his or her antecedents. Today, children are blaming their parents for their inabilities, shortcomings and mediocrity.  You would hear them say, ‘I am not spiritually strong because of my fetish background’. Or, ‘I have weaknesses in these areas because I inherited them from my father’. Not Josiah! He had a very fetish background worse than any of us today but he chose to make a difference, and he did. In that idolatrous setting you come from, you can make a difference.  Similarly, he pulled down the idols and shrines his fathers had set up. He was violently on the Lord’s side.  He compelled the entire nation to return to God. All idolatrous formation of your fathers must be prayerfully pulled down. Every evil covenant made by your ancestors that is attacking your lineage must be destroyed so as to save your entire lineage. As a leader, you must be violently repentant.  You must not tolerate anything evil in the lives of your members (Proverb 27:23). You must be spiritually up and doing. You must be violent against every satanic formation against the lives of your members. Like Paul of Tarsus, you must violently take sinners from the kingdom of darkness and ensure they are in the light. Are you like Josiah? Are you making a difference? ACTION POINT: Father, today, I rebel against every evil covenant, agreement or curse emanating from my ancestors or my past in Jesus’ Name.