WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SEPTEMBER 25, 2022
TOPIC: DON’T FOOL YOURSELF
BY T. O. BANSO
“Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts 10 or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves — none of these will possess God’s Kingdom” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Today’s English Version).
In John 9, Jesus opened the eyes of the man who was blind from birth. The Jews later threw the man out of the synagogue because he said Jesus was from God otherwise He wouldn’t have been able to open his eyes. Jesus spoke with the man after he heard that the people had thrown him out of the synagogue. He revealed Himself to him as the Son of God. The man said He believed in the Son of God and worshipped Jesus.
Then Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind” (verse 39 New King James Version). When some of the Pharisees who were with Jesus heard what He said, they asked if they were blind too (verse 40). “Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains” (verse 41 New King James Version).
The problem with the Pharisees and other religious leaders in the days of Jesus was that they refused to acknowledge that they were blind. If they had admitted that they were blind, they would have been helped. Their eyes would have been opened. But Jesus couldn’t open their eyes because they didn’t believe they couldn’t see. Whereas this man who was born blind couldn’t see physically, the religious leaders were blind spiritually. They fooled themselves when they said they could see but were blind.
On another occasion, Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees blind guides (Matthew 23:16, 24). In verse 17, he called them, “fools and blind.” Jesus didn’t only open the eyes of the physically blind but also the eyes of the spiritually blind. But the religious leaders who fooled themselves that they were healthy when they were sick remained in their condition. Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12; Luke 5:31 New King James Version). He also said in Mark 2:17, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (New King James Version). How does a doctor help someone who does not believe he is sick? He won’t follow medical advice.
The religious leaders, like everyone else, were spiritually blind and sick but they refused to acknowledge this. Thus, they fooled themselves. Because they were wise in their eyes, they remained fools! Proverbs 3:7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil” (New King James Version). Don’t be wise in your own eyes. “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 26:12 New King James Version). Don’t be a fool.
Many today are like these Jewish religious leaders. They fool themselves because of their self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is foolishness. Those who are self-righteous reject God’s plan of salvation but their self-righteousness, which is like filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away” (New King James Version). However, Paul said in Philippians 3:9 that he didn’t have a righteousness of his own that was gained by obeying the Law but the righteousness that was given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that came from God and was based on faith.
Whoever thinks he can get into heaven through his righteousness is fooling himself. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 New King James Version). Jesus died for our sins. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts 10 or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves — none of these will possess God’s Kingdom” (Today’s English Version). Take note of the phrase: Do not fool yourselves. Paul noted that some of the Corinthian Christians were like these sinners before, but they had been purified from sin, dedicated to God, and put right with God by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Don’t fool yourself. 1 John 1:8 says if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. In other words, those who say they have no sin and don’t need the Saviour fool themselves. Everyone needs salvation. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:9-10 New King James Version).
Everybody needs the Saviour; everybody needs Jesus. Don’t fool yourself. If you haven’t keyed into God’s programme of salvation for humanity, do so now. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Peter said we could be saved only by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person (Acts 4:12).
Don’t fool yourself. You have heard this message. Therefore, you have no more excuses. Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin” (John 15:22 New King James Version). Jesus was talking about His rejection as the Messiah despite the works He had demonstrated that proved this. Whoever refuses Christ, thinking that he doesn’t need salvation fools himself. He will die in his sin and go to hell. As Revelation 20:15 says, anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Don’t fool yourself. Don’t reject the wisdom of God, priding yourself on worldly wisdom. “Do not fool yourselves. If you think you are wise in this world, you should become a fool so that you can become truly wise” (1 Corinthians 3:18 New Century Version). The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength (1 Corinthians 1:25).
Don’t fool yourself. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). The message doesn’t make any sense to those who are lost but it is the power of God to those who are being saved. You need Jesus in your life. You must be born again. Don’t fool yourself.
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 that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on 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 a palm tree and grow like a 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 pray that all those who are spiritually blind and sick will admit this today and come to Jesus. Open the spiritual eyes of all the blind guides and heal them spiritually. In the name of Jesus, all those who pride themselves on their righteousness will acknowledge that their righteousness is like a filthy rag and come to Jesus to receive the righteousness given through faith in Christ.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
