WISDOM FOR LIVING DEVOTIONAL
DECEMBER 1, 2020
TOPIC: THE LION SHALL NOT DEVOUR YOU
BY T. O. BANSO
âBe sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devourâ (1 Peter 5:8 New King James Version).
In what was supposed to prepare the ground for the delivery of a prophecy, a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour by the word of the LORD, âStrike me, pleaseâ (1 Kings 20:35 New King James Version). Unfortunately, the man refused to strike him. Most probably, he didnât know it was not an ordinary request but a command from the LORD. Therefore, he was wrong to have disobeyed.
In response, the prophet said to him, âBecause you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill youâ (1 Kings 20:36a New King James Version). Here is the sad aspect of the story: âAs soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed himâ (verse 36b New King James Version). Please take note of that phrase: As soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
I pray for you this first day of the month of December, the lion will not find you and kill you. A lion found that man; it didnât look for another person. We donât know where he departed to and where the lion came from. Ideally, a lion does not live in a city; it lives in the forest. If there is any in the city, it is often in the zoological garden! But a lion found this man where he went and killed him. I say again, no lion will find you anywhere you go; no lion will kill you.
When this man who was later killed by a lion refused to strike this prophet, he went away and found another man and made the same request: âStrike me, pleaseâ (verse 37 New King James Version). We donât know if the second man had heard about the death of the man killed by the lion before the prophet told him to strike him. Probably, he acted independently of the manâs case.
Nevertheless, the Bible says that this second man struck the prophet and inflicted a wound. The prophet needed to be struck and wounded in order to deliver a prophecy to Ahab, the king of Israel. He eventually bandaged the wound and disguised to deliver the prophecy.
1 Kings 20:38-40a says, âThen the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, âYour servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone” (New King James Version).
In reaction, Ahab said, âSo shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it” (verse 40b New King James Version). Quickly, the prophet removed the bandage from his eyes and Ahab recognized him as one of the prophets. The prophet then delivered his message:Â âThus says the LORD: ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his peopleââ (verse 42 New King James Version). Â Ahab went home to Samaria angry and sullen.
My focus is not on Ahab; my focus is on the man that a lion found and killed. The lion is one of the animals that the Bible talks about a lot. It is mentioned many times in a negative context. The Bible even likens the devil to a roaring lion. 1 Peter 5:8 says, âBe sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devourâ (New King James Version).
Verse 9 says to resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by our brotherhood in the world. A roaring lion found and killed that man. Figuratively, the lion symbolizes the devil; it represents the enemy. But it also symbolizes royalty and courage. Thus, it is sometimes used in a positive sense. Jesus is referred to as the lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5).
No lion, no devil, will find you and devour you these remaining days of the year and even beyond. Anywhere you go, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the One who disarmed principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15), will go before you and protect you.
Earlier in 1 Kings 13, a man of God had also been killed by a literal lion! This man of God who had gone from Judah to Bethel to prophesy against the altar at Bethel was deceived by an old prophet in the city to return with him to eat contrary to the instruction of God. No one will succeed in setting you up for a lion to kill you.
The same prophet who misguided him said as they were eating in his house, âThus says the LORD: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the LORD said to you, âEat no bread and drink no water,â Â your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathersââ (1 Kings 13:21-22 New King James Version). You wonât become a victim of anyoneâs deception. You wonât disobey God and become prey to a lion in Jesusâ name.
Verses 23-25 say, âSo it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. And there, l men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dweltâ (New King James Version).
Did you see that? The Bible says the lion met him on the road and killed him. As you go out and come in this season, no lion will meet you on the road and kill you. Significantly, the lion didnât eat him or the donkey that he rode. The lion stood beside his corpse. The people saw the lion and his corpse. The lion found its target and killed him. It didnât go after the passers bye. You wonât become the target of the lion, the devil, in Jesusâ name. The devil may roar like a lion but he wonât find you.
Talking about the sins of Judah, the Bible says her leaders had utterly rejected their God and because of this, a lion from the forest would attack them; a wolf from the desert would pounce on them. In addition, a leopard would lurk near their towns, tearing apart any who dared to venture out, for their rebellion was great, and their sins many (Jeremiah 5:5-6). Ensure you donât rebel against God thereby opening yourself to the enemy attack. Be willing and obedient (Isaiah 1:19).
David said in Psalm 22:12-13, âMy enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! Like roaring lions attacking their prey, they come at me with open mouthsâ (New Living Translation). Any lion that opens his mouth to tear you, the LORD shall break his teeth as David prayed in Psalm 58:6: âBreak their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!â (New King James Version). Job 4:10 says the teeth of the young lions are broken. That shall be your testimony.
Proverbs 28:15 says like a roaring lion and a charging bear is a wicked ruler over poor people. Anyone in authority who represents a lion in your life shall lose his power in Jesusâ name. The Most High who rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He wills and sets up over it the lowest of men (Daniel 4:17) will terminate their cruel rule over you.
The prophet Ezekiel says the conspiracy of Israelâs prophets in her midst was like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst (Ezekiel 22:25). No plot or conspiracy against you this season shall succeed. The conspirators shall be consumed in their plot. No lion will tear you like prey. This month shall not become a lion, devouring you. Nobody will seize what belongs to you or extort you. You wonât be widowed or orphaned.
The LORD who delivered David from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear (1 Samuel 17:37) will deliver you from whatever represents the lion as you go this month. Â He will not deliver you to the lion (1 Kings 13:26). Psalm 10:9 says the wicked lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den; he lies in wait to catch the poor. Any lion lying in wait secretly to catch you will wait forever. You wonât fall into the lion’s hand; you won’t walk into the lion’s den.
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 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:Â The adversary, the devil, may walk about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour but he shall not devour me in Jesusâ name. I shall not become prey to the lion. As the Bible says in Psalm 91:13, I shall tread upon the lion and the cobra; the young lion and the serpent I shall trample underfoot. Â O LORD, arise and stand against the wicked; bring them to their knees and rescue me from the wicked with Your sword! (Psalm 17:13).
(For over 300 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
  
  
  
  
