WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JUNE 25, Â 2021
TOPIC: IGNORANCE, A RECIPE FOR FAILURE IN LIFE
BY T. O. BANSOÂ
“Be like obedient children; do not let your lives be shaped by the passions which once swayed you in the days of your ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14 Twentieth Century New Testament).
Hosea 4:6a says God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Ignorance is destructive. An ignorant man is a dangerous man, both to himself and everybody around him. Peter told the Jews and their leaders that they killed Jesus in ignorance (Acts 3:17). Nobody will argue that an ignorant man, holding a firearm, is a danger to those around him, and even himself. In life, the probability of an ignorant person failing is extremely high
Ignorance manifests in many ways. Lack of adequate knowledge and skills necessary to excel in one’s area of operation or field of practice in life can limit one’s performance, and, therefore, hinder one’s success. If you want to succeed in your profession, career, discipline, or practice, pay the necessary price to acquire the training or knowledge that will make you a force to be reckoned with.
Nobody will leave a highly competent, efficient, and effective professional to patronize a mediocre person except he is looking for a cheap service, and of course, such a fellow may end up being penny-wise, pound-foolish. Don’t be ignorant in your field and hope to succeed. “Wise people treasure knowledge” (Proverbs 10:14a New Living Translation).
Many are ignorant of the Word of God, of the promises of God because they don’t study the Word and meditate upon it to do according to what is written. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8 New King James Version). You cannot replace the Word of God with prayer and you cannot obey the Word of God you are ignorant of. It is not going to work.
Many people are not yet saved because of their ignorance. The Bible says their understanding has been darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and the blindness of their heart (Ephesians 4:18).
Some have established their own righteousness, which can’t save them. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:3-4 New King James Version).
Ignorance of the will of God for one’s life is another kind of ignorance. Some are labouring as fools “The labor of fools wearies them, for they do not even know how to go to the city!” (Ecclesiastes 10:15 New King James Version). They are operating outside the will of God for their lives and not employing biblical principles hence they’re not recording success. They’ll only continue to daydream about success until they change.
You have to find out the will of God for your life and switch over to it. It is what you get done in the pursuit of it that is called success. It has nothing to do with what others are doing. It is about what God has called you to do.
Ephesians 1:18 says, “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people” (New Living Translation).
Ignorance of the devices of the devil is another kind of ignorance that will hinder a man’s success. Paul said, “Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11). You should not glorify the devil, but you should not underrate his intelligence! He has wiles, devices; and you should not be ignorant of this. Don’t let him take advantage of you.
These wiles or devices are neither hidden nor new; they are things he has used before and is still using because they are still working for him! They are well documented in the Bible. Study your Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you.
Satan is man’s enemy and his ministry is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He doesn’t want any Christian to succeed. He wants Christians to return to their old way of life and continue in sin as in the days of their ignorance. But Peter wrote, “Be like obedient children; do not let your lives be shaped by the passions which once swayed you in the days of your ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14 Twentieth Century New Testament).
Some Christians are ignorant of spiritual gifts. Paul told the Corinthians that concerning spiritual gifts, he did not want them to be ignorant (1 Corinthians 12:1). How can something you’re ignorant of benefit you or how can you benefit from it? Similarly, some Christians are ignorant of spiritual warfare. The Bible says we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and power and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
Some think they know, but they don’t know. It is one thing not to know and another thing not to know that you don’t know. The latter is a more complicated case! Imagine a man who is amid warfare and yet does not know; he is already a defeated being. The religious leaders in the days of Jesus were blind but they didn’t know. therefore, Jesus couldn’t heal them.
Many don’t succeed because of multi-dimensional ignorance! They require the multi-faceted wisdom of God to get out of the woods. In the school of life, wisdom is the principal! Wisdom will direct your life to the path of success. The Bible says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7 New King James Version).
Wisdom is profitable to direct. “If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success” (Ecclesiastes 10:10 New King James Version). Lack of wisdom – knowledge of what, where, when, how, and when – will lead a man to nowhere. Only fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7b).
Wisdom will always prevail over ignorance. If you want to succeed in life get wisdom and with all your getting, get understanding. Don’t tolerate ignorance in your life.
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 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 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: Holy Spirit, deliver me from ignorance; teach me what I don’t know; let me understand more what I already know.  I shall not be ignorant of the devices of the devil in Jesus’ name. Holy Spirit, flood my heart with light. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, I receive wisdom and understanding. I shall not labour as fools.
(For over 600 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
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