FOR HE DOTH NOT PROPHESY GOOD CONCERNING ME, BUT EVIL.

Memory verse: And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. 1 kings 22:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 11-13

One of the mistakes some of us make is, when we are given counsel, we twist the counsel and claim that we are being insulted. A man, who had just acquired a property, was speaking to his friend who was looking to acquire a property. As they conversed, the one who had just acquired a property asked his friend (who was looking to acquire a property), how much deposit do you have for the mortgage? (The man bought the property on mortgage and the friend was seeking to do the same too). The friend mentioned the figure, (it was enough to get a mortgage), the fellow who had just acquired the property counseled his friend to shelve the idea for a short while and save more. The friend who was looking to acquire a property went ballistic, oh…. what are you trying to say…. Are you calling me a poor man…. Is it because I asked you a question, that’s why you are insulting me...Bla, Bla, Bla. At the end, he stormed out angrily. All the friend said was, you do not have enough funds to secure a mortgage, he took it personal and twisted it to mean that the friend was calling him a poor man. He stopped talking to the friend, later he did something he should not have done and that landed him in jail.

Ahab was guilty of this too. Any time the prophet gave him a counsel that was not what he wanted to hear, he would twist it to mean something else. Because Micaiah had not been saying things he wanted to hear, he told Jehoshaphat that Micaiah hated him. 1 Kings 22: 8 says And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. Before Micaiah arrived at the scene, Ahab had concluded in his heart that Micaiah would prophesy evil about him. Most of the counsel, Micaiah gave to Ahab was about his future. Micaiah told Ahab, go back, the Lord will not go with you. Ahab took it personal, and jailed Micaiah. At the end, he went and was defeated. Not only that, he perished. What advice, have you been given, that you have twisted and taken personal? Your pastor said, don’t marry that guy, you said your pastor hates you. You were counseled to study Economics instead of Medicine; you got angry and said, oh they are indirectly telling me that I do not have the brain to study Medicine. The pastor counseled you to submit to your husband, you said he is calling you a rebellious woman. The enemy uses this mindset to put a lot of people in bondage and get them in trouble. I remember a particular sister was denied visa, she got angry and said things are always working against her. Meanwhile, she was the one who did not fill the form correctly. Your boss advised you to smile more; you twisted it to mean that he is saying you are not friendly. Someone asked you for a receipt, you got angry and said the fellow is calling you a thief.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to accept the truths that will transform my life.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.