MFM Daily Devotional 16 January 2024
TOPIC: Lessons from the Life of Prophet Nathan
FIRE SCRIPTURE: 2 Samuel 7:1-17
7 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee.
4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying,
5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
MEMORY VERSE
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”
Isaiah 55:8
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 49, Genesis 50, Exodus 1, Luke 5, Luke 6, Luke 7
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES: Even the holiest of men sometimes makes mistakes. Whenever you are wrong be humble enough to admit it and be strong enough to correct it.
PRAISE AND WORSHIP: Take praise and worship songs as you’re led by the Holy Spirit.
PROPHETIC WORD FOR TODAY: The spirit of error and mistakes shall not come close to you, in the name of Jesus.
MFM Daily Devotional 17 January 2024 MESSAGE
Today, we want to begin a study on the life of one of the finest Bible characters, Prophet Nathan. He was a prophet during the reigns of King David and King Solomon.
In 2 Samuel 7:1-3, when David discussed his intention to build a temple of worship for God with him, the Bible records this: “And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.” But later that day, the word of God came to Nathan and told him that David’s intention was not in line with the divine plan.
The divine plan was for his son to build the temple. Earlier, in the morning, Nathan must have probably spoken based on emotional excitements and also as a result of the good relationship between him and the king. Note that not every good idea is God’s idea; so we need to be careful.
READ MFM Daily Devotional 16 January 2024 – The Overcoming Blood of Jesus (III)
Nathan had made a mistake. Wasn’t he a prophet of God? Definitely, he was a divine oracle that interpreted the heart of God to kings. We all sometimes make mistakes. Samuel, a prophet of God of no mean status, also made the same mistake when he thought Eliab was surely the Lord’s anointed. But God intercepted him and told him Eliab wasn’t His choice.
The response of Nathan in this scenario has a whole lot to teach us. When God’s word came to him, he wasn’t ashamed to admit his limitations and correct his error. In verse 17, he humbly went back to show David the true counsel of God as against what he earlier predicted. Making mistakes is not the issue; the real issue is how we respond when we are confronted about our mistakes.
When King Saul was confronted about his error, he was too egoistic to admit it. He was more concerned about public opinion than how God feels and that led to his undoing. How do you handle issues when you realise that you have made a mistake? Do you seek to cover it up or do you admit and make your ways right with God and man? I advise you to take a cue from Prophet Nathan.
MFM Daily 17 January 2024 Prayer Points
𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆
1. Father, help me to humble myself, in the name of Jesus.
2. Spirit of error, die, in the name of Jesus.
3. Mistakes, programmed to shatter my life, be deprogrammed by the blood of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.
𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆
4. O God my Father, do not leave me to myself, in the name of Jesus.
5. I shall not be too big for God, in the name of Jesus.
6. Arrow of pride and error, assigned to bring me low, backfire by fire, in the name of Jesus.
7. Enemies of my prophetic destiny and calling, be disgraced, in the name of Jesus.
