WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
NOVEMBERÂ 6, 2021
TOPIC: REMEMBER WHERE GOD BROUGHT YOU FROM
BY T. O. BANSO
âAnd remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath dayâ (Deuteronomy 5:15 New King James Version).
In your relationship with God, and journey in life, always remember where God brought you from and how He has led you to where you are.
In His dealing with the Israelites, God kept referring to their deliverance from Egypt, reminding them that they were slaves in Egypt before He rescued them. âAnd remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath dayâ (Deuteronomy 5:15 New King James Version).
Also, in Deuteronomy 24:18, God says, âBut you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thingâ (New King James Version).
Why did the LORD want them to remember that they were slaves in Egypt? Deuteronomy 16:12 says, âAnd you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutesâ (New King James Version). It is because this would enable them to obey the statutes or laws that the LORD had given them. If you canât remember where you were before you got to where the LORD has brought you, you may begin to misbehave and live contrary to Godâs instructions.
To help the Israelites from going astray, God kept reminding them, emphatically, to remember their past. âAnd you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thingâ (Deuteronomy 24:22 New King Jams Version). The command here refers to the instruction that they should show compassion on the disadvantaged by leaving part of their harvests for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Forgetting where the Lord brought you from wonât let you be humble and appreciate Him.
You were somewhere before you got to where youâre today. Donât forget that. Remember that it wasnât by your power that youâre where youâre today. The Lord led you from somewhere to this place. Psalm 78:53-54 says about the Israelites, âAnd He led them on safely, so that they did not fear; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And He brought them to His holy border, this mountain which His right hand had acquiredâ (New King James Version).
The LORD rebuked the Red Sea for them and it dried up; He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness (Psalm 106:9). The LORD led the Israelites in the daytime with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire (Psalm 78:14). Why should anyone forget such experiences? But they did, and went into idolatry!
You also had the wilderness and the Red Sea that the Lord led you through in life. Donât forget that. It wasnât by your power that you didnât die in that wilderness or drown in that Red Sea. It was the Lord. Remember the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life, leading you as a child of God (Romans 8:14).
I have listened to some people talk as if life has always been rosy for them. They talk as if they have never suffered in the past. They are pompous, arrogant, saying things that do not encourage those who are facing the challenges they had faced in the past before they experienced a change. But those who knew them when they were still struggling know they are not telling the whole story about their lives. They knew when things were tough for them.
But these people probably have a short memory or they were deceived by their wealth. Therefore, they conceal their past suffering but flaunt their wealth in the name of sharing testimonies! Remember where God brought you from. You have not always been where you are now. You were somewhere before not as good as where you are now. The story of your humble beginning will minister to people more than an unbalanced presentation of how you arrived at the height you are now in life.
Imagine someone who, in the past when things were tough felt like giving up many times, now boasting about how he had always known he would make it! This was someone who nearly packed up except for the encouragement of one or two persons at critical periods. He has forgotten all that now instead of saying the truth that in the journey of life sometimes one could feel like giving up just as he felt many times before God showed him mercy and had his breakthrough. That would edify people rather than projecting yourself as a mighty man of faith. Remember where God brought you from.
God told the Israelites, âAnd you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or notâ (Deuteronomy 8:2 New King James Version). Remember how God has led you since you were born or since you were born again. Humble yourself before Him, worship God and obey Him.
When Saul disobeyed God’s instruction to completely destroy the Amalekites, the prophet Samuel reminded him, âWhen you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?â (1 Samuel 15:17 New King James Version)
That was to remind him that he was nobody when God chose him as king. The Holman Christian Standard Bible renders 1 Samuel 15:17 thus: âSamuel continued, âAlthough you once considered yourself unimportant, have you not become the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.ââ Don’t forget where God brought you from.
When David impregnated Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, killed him and took His wife, God reminded him of his past, through the prophet Nathan, saying, âI anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!â (2 Samuel 12:7-8 New King James Version).
David was nobody when God chose him as king. He was an ordinary shepherd boy, discriminated against in his family. He shouldn’t forget that.
Remember your past. Whatever your achievements today, remember your small beginnings. Remember how the help of God brought you to where you are. I heard someone talk about how the seed he sowed in the past brought him into wealth in the ministry. But I will rather thank God for showing him mercy. He is probably not the biggest sower. What is the seed you sowed without the mercy of God?
Indeed, whoever sows sparingly shall reap sparingly and whoever sows bountifully shall reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6). But itâs God who determines the degree of bountifulness that He gives each bountiful sower. He gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater (Isaiah 55:10). Â âFor God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in youâ (2 Corinthians 9:10 New Living Translation). We must never be weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9).
Donât let your present status go to your head and cause you to misbehave before God and men. Remember where God brought you from.
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 â 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: Father, thank You for where you brought me from, the things you took me through, and where I am today. I repent of any way I have downplayed Your mercy that I have received that has advanced me in life. Holy Spirit, help me to always acknowledge the mercy of God over my life and how God has brought me to where I am today.
(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
  
  
  
  
