WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
APRIL 24, 2024
TOPIC: THERE IS NO OTHER GOD BESIDES GOD!
BY T. O. BANSO.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:5-6 New King James Version).
Monotheists believe in (worship) one God while polytheists believe in (worship) many gods. On the other hand, henotheists believe in the existence of many gods but worship one while atheists believe there is no God. Human beings hold different opinions about God.
Those who worship other gods are deceived or deceive themselves that they are worshipping the true God. The people of Athens fall into this category. They were worshipping objects and even had an altar with the inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD (Acts 17:23).
Paul spoke to them showing them the unknown God they were worshipping. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring’” (Acts 17:24-28 New International Version).
People, in ignorance, may worship “AN UNKNOWN GOD” or idols, being deceived that they are worshipping the true God, there is only one God, the incomparable God. The Bible makes this very clear. God said this about Himself, and others attested to this. God is not to be worshipped with other gods; He is the only One that must be worshipped. Moses told the Israelites, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4 New International Version). Therefore, we must love God with all our heart, soul, and strength (verse 5). You must love Him with your entire being. You must not worship any god together with God. You cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13).
Exodus 20:3-6 says, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments” (New International Version). There are other passages in the Bible, forbidding the worship of idols (Deuteronomy 5:8-10; Exodus 34:14; Psalm 81:9; Jeremiah 25:6).
Worship the living God. God is the only true God, and there is no other God besides Him. There is none comparable to Him. “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?” (Isaiah 40:18 New King James Version). God always wants to show that there is no other God besides Him because He is a jealous God. In Exodus 9:14, God told Pharaoh, “For at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth” (New King James Version). Note the latter part of this scripture: that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.
God likes to demonstrate His power to His enemies and the enemies of His people to know that He is not one of the many gods pagans worship, but the true God, and there is no God besides Him. This truth was not in doubt by the time God finished with Pharaoh and his nation, Egypt.
God is God; there is no other God besides Him. He said in Isaiah 45:5-6, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other” (New King James Version). At the end of Isaiah 45:14, God also emphasized that He is God and there is no other God.
Verse 18 says, “For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it [a]in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: ‘I am the Lord, and there is no other’” (New King James Version). There is no other God besides God. He made everything and was never made. The idols made nothing but are the works of men (Psalms 115:4; 135:15; Deuteronomy 4:28; Habakkuk 2:18-19; Isaiah 37:19). God made everything for Himself (Proverbs16:4a). He created man for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11 New International Version). The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below, and there is no other (Deuteronomy 4:39).
It is an error for anyone to try to worship another god together with God. It is foolishness to leave God and worship idols. “People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood!” (Jeremiah 10:8 New Living Translation). The objects such people worship are not limited to things made of wood. Those who worship idols are stupid and foolish, as the Bible says.
Romans 1:21-23 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles” (New International Version).
Don’t join the “stupid and foolish” people. In case you’re worshipping idols, repent and come to God today through His Son, Jesus Christ. Paul said, “We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4b New King James Version).
There is no other God besides God. God said in the latter part of Isaiah 45:21: “1fAnd there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me” (New King James Version). This is God’s testimony about Himself. His testimony is indisputable. He said further in verse 22, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (New King James Version). He is incomparable; there’s no one like Him.
God asked in Isaiah 40:18, “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?” (New King James Version). The answer is negative. “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me” (Isaiah 46:9 New King James Version).
In his prayer for the Israelites, Solomon testified that that is no other God besides God. He said in 1 Kings 8:59-61, “And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the Lord be before him constantly, day and night, so that the Lord our God may give justice to me and to his people Israel, according to each day’s needs. Then people all over the earth will know that the Lord alone is God and there is no other. And may you be completely faithful to the Lord our God. May you always obey his decrees and commands, just as you are doing today” (New Living Translation).
There is no other God besides God. He delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the furnace of fire. Speaking about this deliverance, Nebuchadnezzar, who earlier commanded that they should be thrown into the furnace of fire, said, “Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way” (Daniel 3:29 New International Version).
Whatever you are going through, rest assured that God is God, and there is no one like Him. The devil is not more powerful than God. God will change your story. You will experience restoration and be reassured that He is God and there is no God besides Him.
This is what God told the Israelites: “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. y people shall never be put to shame” (Joel 2:25-27 New King James Version). You will experience in your life what will reinforce the truth that there is no other God besides God.
If you believe in the living God, not an idol, do not be afraid; there is no one like Him. He can bring the dead back to life and create what does not exist (Romans 4:17). God said in Isaiah 44:8: “Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one” (New King James Version). God has no rivals. He will demonstrate in your life that He is God and there is no other God besides Him. Keep believing in Him and worshipping Him.
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 declare that You are God and there is no other God besides You. I shall not worship any idol but You. Holy Spirit, help me to worship God in spirit and truth all the days of my life.
(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.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
