BE DISCREET

MEMORY VERSE: Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.1 Kings 13:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastes 3-4

BIBLE READING: Genesis 37:1 -11

The Lord sent a young prophet to Bethel (a town taken over by idol worship) to cry against an altar. He warned him not to eat or drink there. He also warned him not to return by the way he came. The prophet went to the altar in Bethel and cried against it. As God will have it, king Jeroboam was at the altar, burning incense, when the young prophet cried against it. When he heard the words of this prophet, he thrust out his hand and ordered his men to arrest the prophet. The bible says “And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him” (1 Kings 13:4). I pray every hand thrust out against you and your family shall dry up in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen. However, don’t thrust your hand against anyone especially your brothers and sisters in Christ. Also, be careful how you treat God’s ministers. 1 Chronicles 16:22 says, “Saying, touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm”. You can’t attempt to do His prophets harm and succeed. Today, many do His prophets harm by speaking against them or working against them. Please desist from such because the consequences are dire. Anyway, the king apologized and begged the prophet to entreat the Lord on his behalf. The prophet did and the Lord restored his hand.

To show his gratitude, the king decided to host this prophet but he refused. Without being asked, he began to tell the king how the Lord had warned him not eat or drink or return by the way He came. Did the king ask why he didn’t want to eat? I don't know. Was there any need to tell the king that the Lord had warned him neither to eat nor drink in Bethel? NO! A simple “thank you, your honour but I am not eating” would have sufficed. To make matters worse, he related all the Lord told him to the king in the presence of the whole world – in the presence of everyone present at the altar. Friend, you need to be discreet especially when it pertains to spiritual instructions. Not everything the Lord shares with you is for public consumption. You need to watch who you share things with and where you share things the Lord has told you. Proverbs 13:3 says, “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” Joseph almost lost his life because he could not keep his mouth shut. He had a dream where he saw his brothers’ sheaves bowing to his sheaf and he told his brothers the dream (Genesis 37). From that day, the brothers began to seek how to terminate his dream.

The prophet learnt to be discreet in a hard way. The sons of an old prophet were present at the altar when he cried against it. When these boys returned home, they related all that happened at the altar to their father. 1 Kings 13:11 says, “Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.” When the old prophet heard the story, he saddled on a donkey and went after the prophet. Unfortunately, he found him sitting under a tree and invited him back for a meal. At first, he refused but this wicked prophet lied to him that the angel of the Lord had instructed him to invite him for a meal. Without praying or asking God if He wanted him to return to Bethel, he followed the old prophet back home, ate and drank. While he was on his way, after eating at the prophet’s house, a lion met him by the way and killed him.

NOTE: If you are going to have a successful Christian walk you must watch your words.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world