WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MARCH 17, 2022
TOPIC: DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH THE DEVIL!
BY T. O. BANSO
“But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it” (John 12:4-6 New King James Version).
If you’re useful to the devil in a small way, you’ll be useful to him in a big way! The moment you decide to do business with the devil, he will continue to come to you whenever he has another business. If you’re doing business with the devil already whether in private or public, if he has another business, he’ll come to you. People often say that you don’t change a winning team!
Don’t do business with the devil. In other words, don’t work with the devil or collaborate with him. Don’t cooperate with him. Don’t carry out his assignments. Don’t be an instrument in his hand.
Don’t think you can do business with him and outsmart him. No. The devil will not let you go or he’ll try to come to you again. Even the Bible tells us that when an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it will seek to return with seven other demons if it finds its former abode empty, swept, and in order (Matthew 12:43-45). It loves to continue staying where it has stayed before.
Luke 22:3-4 says, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them” (New King James Version). Why Judas Iscariot? Why not another disciple?
Whereas somebody must betray Jesus, the Bible nowhere said it would be Judas. When the devil had an assignment for someone close to Jesus to betray him, he came to Judas, because he was his business partner! They both had been doing business together. How? Judas had been useful to him in carrying out a small assignment. He was a thief; he had been stealing from the purse as the treasurer of the ministry of Jesus.
John 12:4-6 says, “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it”(New King James Version). Judas was not interested in the welfare of the poor people. He was only interested in his pocket.
God didn’t make Judas a thief or a betrayer, but he became a thief and a betrayer by choice. When he went to meet his accomplices, the chief priest and elders, he named his price and they didn’t even negotiate with him; they paid him upfront. When he saw that Jesus had been condemned, he returned the money, thirty pieces of silver to them, but they rejected it. He threw it away and went to commit suicide, but they didn’t take the money back and put it into the treasury.
Matthew 27:6-8 says, “But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.’ And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day” (New King James Version)
Judas’ business with the devil may seem to have benefitted him for some time but the business eventually ended. Their relationship turned sour and Judas was the loser. He lost his soul and the money he was paid. You must have heard this statement: “If you want to eat with the devil, you must have a long spoon.” I say to you: don’t contemplete to eat with the devil at all, let alone get a long spoon. You can’t outwit or outsmart Satan, no matter how long your spoon is! Don’t eat with him.
People do business with the devil when they listen to him and yield to his temptations to sin. They do business with him when they obey his words and disobey the Word of God. James 1:12-15 said, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (New King James Version).
As the apostle Paul says, do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God (Romans 6:13). Don’t let sin have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace (verse 14).
Don’t do business with the devil; don’t cooperate or collaborate with him. Don’t do his bidding. Say no to the devil. There is no fellowship between righteousness and lawlessness (2 Corinthians 6:14). Look at Eve. She shouldn’t have entertained any discussion with the serpent, whom Satan entered to deceive her. Because she tolerated a discussion between her and the serpent, she disobeyed God (Genesis 3:1-7). Man fell because of that and was expelled from the Garden of Eden.
If you’re born again, don’t forget you have been delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom you have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).
Ephesians 5:8-11 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (New King James Version).
Abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Don’t be a slave to sin. You are a slave to whatever controls you (2 Peter 2:19b). Before, you allowed yourself to be a slave of impurity and lawlessness, but now choose to be a slave of righteousness so that you’ll become holy (Romans 6:19). Flee from sin. Humble yourself before God; resist the devil, and he’ll flee from you (James 4:7). Don’t do business with the devil. Don’t cooperate with him. Don’t do his will. You have no business with him.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner, and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, I reject Satan and his works; I have no business with the devil. I shall not work with the devil or collaborate with him in Jesus’ name. I pray that all those who are doing business with the devil will repent, surrender their lives to Jesus, and obey Him fully.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
