Memorise: “Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:”- Proverb 23:6
Read: Genesis 25:28-34 (Prayer Points For Open Heavens 31 January 2019)
28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Bible in One Year: Luke 12-13, Isaiah 29:15-30:7
MESSAGE:
In His infinite wisdom, God designed the human body to require food and water for sustenance. Being the Maker of all things, He is conscious of the fact that He created us with the basic need for food and drink, and He promised to provide these for us. As a child of God, you therefore need not to allow the anxiety of what to eat or drink overwhelm your heart in any way (Matthew 6:25-32).
Delicacies are expensive, mouth-watering meal received for kings, rulers, wealthy individuals and their companions. They are so temping because they are specially packaged to make them irresistible, and they typically have a lovely aroma, sumptuous appearance and fantastic taste.
Although delicacies or dainties are not in themselves evil, they are often associated with evil because Satan and his agents tend to use them as a bait to lure innocent souls into developing an unhealthy appetite for them.
In Proverbs 23:1-3, the wisdom of God teaches us not to desire the delicacies of leaders and wealthy people because they are more often than not deceitful meal. The story of Daniel and his compatriots in Daniel 1:8-18 clearly shows that basic food and drink are sufficient and not inferior to exotic delicacies and wine in providing the energy and nutrition that our bodies need to function effectively. Psalm 141:4 also teaches us that eating the delicacies of leaders or rich people can lead to covetousness and lure us into participating in their evil acts.
Consequently, children of God need to watch their appetite, knowing that God only promises us daily bread and not special delicacies, because He knows what is best for us (Luke 11:3). Let us therefore not develop a taste for delicacies or become addicted to them, so much so that their availability or lack therefore become a major determining factor in our lifestyle decisions, choice of association and general worldview.
As a child of God, be satisfied with what you have, so that you can live in total obedience to God instead of being at the mercy of the rich and powerful. For this reason, Hebrews 13:5-6 says:
“5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
The unhealthy appetite for delicacies and dainties has turned many Christians into sycophants and puppets, doing the bidding of wealthy and powerful leaders in order to keep up with certain levels of comfort. I pray that God will deliver anyone in this kind of situation today in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point:Father, please don’t let my life be controlled by the need for food or drink, and preserve my life and destiny from being destroyed by my appetite in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heaven 1 February 2019 Friday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
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