WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JANUARY 31, 2026
TOPIC: DON’T LET THE LORD BE AGAINST YOU
BY T. O. BANSO
“‘Behold, I am against you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more’” (Nahum 2:13 New King James Version).
Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The LORD was determined to destroy Nineveh because of her sins. He sent Prophet Jonah to announce the city’s impending destruction (Jonah 1:2).
After Jonah had reluctantly delivered the message, the people repented, and the LORD didn’t destroy the city (Jonah 3). Nevertheless, the city fell back into sin, and between 100 and 150 years later, the LORD pronounced judgment on her through the prophet Nahum, and she was destroyed.
The LORD said to Nineveh in Nahum 2:13, “‘Behold, I am against you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more’” (New King James Version). Nineveh would be visited with the same violence and destruction she had visited on other nations. The once-powerful nation would be subdued, conquered, and left desolate.
If you read chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Nahum, you’ll see the sins of Nineveh and how the LORD planned to deal with her. Nahum 3:5-6 says, “‘Behold, I am against you,’ says the Lord of hosts; ‘I will lift your skirts over your face, I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame. I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle” (New King James Version).
Verse 7 says, “It shall come to pass that all who look upon you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her?’ Where shall I seek comforters for you?” (New King James Version). The LORD executed His judgment on Nineveh when the time was ripe. A coalition of Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes conquered her.
If the LORD is against someone, it doesn’t matter the high position the person has attained; He can bring him down. It doesn’t matter the wealth he has acquired. He can be reduced to nothing! God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). If God resists or opposes someone who will assist or support him?
However, if the Lord is for you, who can be against you? (Romans 8:31b). If He is against someone, whoever is supporting him is just wasting his time. He will fail woefully. Don’t let the Lord be against you. In other words, don’t let Him be your enemy. If someone forsakes the Lord and continues to live as His enemy, He becomes his enemy, too. 2 Chronicles 15:2b says, “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (New King James Version).
But there should be no reason for any child of God to make God His enemy or become His enemy. If you have not given your life to Jesus, give your heart to Him today. Don’t continue to be against God and live contrary to His Word. Don’t continue to live as His enemy. In Romans 1:30, some people are described as haters of God. Don’t hate God. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for your sins and the sins of the world (John 3:16).
The LORD told Nineveh, “‘I am your enemy!’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ‘Your chariots will soon go up in smoke. Your young men will be killed in battle. Never again will you plunder conquered nations. The voices of your proud messengers will be heard no more” (Nahum 2:13 New Living Translation).
It was not only Nineveh that the LORD was against in the Bible. He is no respecter of persons; He shows no partiality (Acts 10:34). If a people continue to wallow in sin, as the people of Nineveh did, He would be against them. He did just that in the Bible. He told the sinful nations that He was against them. He not only announced their punishment but executed it.
In Jeremiah 21:13, the LORD said to the city of Jerusalem, “‘Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain,’ says the Lord, ‘Who say, ‘Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter our dwellings?’’” (New King James Version). The “inhabitant of the valley” refers to the city of Jerusalem.
The LORD didn’t say that He would excuse the sins of the people of Jerusalem just because they were Israelites with whom He had a covenant. No. “‘But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings,’ says the Lord; ‘I will kindle a fire in its forest, and it shall devour all things around it’” (Jeremiah 21:14 New King James Version).
Furthermore, in Ezekiel 5:8-10, the LORD said, “Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations. Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds” (New King James Version).
The LORD again said to Jerusalem (Israel) in Ezekiel 21:3-5 that He was against her. Hear Him: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you. Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north, that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore” (New King James Version).
No child of God should take Him for granted and provoke Him to anger. If God is against His children, it is not rejection but discipline to bring them to repentance. It is different from when God is against an unbeliever. “But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32 New Living Translation).
If God is against anyone, it won’t make any difference who is in his favour; he cannot succeed. The psalmist says in Psalm 118:6, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (New King James Version). You must be on the Lord’s side so that He can be on your side, too! God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11b).
Against Babylon, the LORD said in Jeremiah 50:31, “‘Behold, I am against you, O most haughty one!’ says the Lord God of hosts; ‘For your day has come, the time that I will punish you” (New King James Version). In Jeremiah 51:25, the Bible repeats the phrase, “Behold, I am against you.”
The LORD said to Tyre in Ezekiel 26:3, “Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up” (New King James Version). The latter part of verse 6 says, “Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”
To Sidon, He said, “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon; I will be glorified in your midst; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I execute judgments in her and am hallowed in her” (Ezekiel 28:22 New King James Version). The LORD repeats in the latter part of verses 23 and 24 that they will know He is the LORD. That’s a weighty statement. I pray that the Lord will not permit in your life something evil that will reveal His glory and power to others, as He did to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Come to the Lord today. He loves you, and you should love Him also by obeying Him.
If you’re a Christian, don’t live as the enemies of the cross – those who profess to be Christians, but their lives prove otherwise. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19 New King James Version).
You’ll also find that the LORD said to the following nations that He was against them: Egypt (Ezekiel 29:3); Mount Seir (Edom) (Ezekiel 35:3); Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal (Ezekiel 38:3; 39:1). He pronounced judgment on them and the defeat of their armies.
Unrepented sins or continued disobedience can cause Him to be against one. Don’t continue to disobey the Lord. Hear what Samuel told the Israelites: “If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers” (1 Samuel 12:14-15 New King James Version).
The LORD promised to set His face against the Israelites if they disobeyed Him (Leviticus 17:10; 20:1-3; 26:14-17). Don’t do what will make God set His face against you, i.e., turn against you. Disobeying the Lord is the same as dishonouring Him. Don’t!
Don’t let the Lord be against you. Obey Him. The psalmist says, “I am determined to obey you until I die” (Psalm 119:112 Living Bible). What a resolve! In verses 33-34, he says, “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I’ll wholeheartedly obey” (Living Bible). What a commitment!
Let this be your resolve also. Be committed to obeying the Lord. Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15 New King James Version). Don’t be against the Lord, and don’t let the Lord be against you.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please 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 heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising 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 invite Jesus 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 must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church 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: Holy Spirit, help me not to persist in disobeying the Lord, thereby provoking His anger against me. I shall obey the Lord wholeheartedly all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Holy Spirit, help those who are living as enemies of God to repent and give their lives to Jesus Christ. Make all those who profess to be Christians but are living as the enemies of the cross repent and come to Jesus today.
(For over 900 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.
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