Security to stupidity!
Ruth 1:2”They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.”
We think of fun coupons, rewards points, holiday fun, air lines extra miles, travel awards and what not; yet we have little or zero knowledge of the ways of God –no wonder Christian homes are like grave yard! Are you listening? The book of Ruth opens gloomily with a husband and wife transgressing the Word of God! Eerie! The opening is like that of a horror movie! The man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. The consequences were devastating! All the men folks died, leaving the wives behind as widows! Now, now don’t hastily blame God! Look at the above scripture carefully, the scripture says the family left Bethlehem – House of Bread – and moved into Moab – domain of the devil – and remained there. Observe the words ‘ remained there!’ How can you not be hurt after getting very close to the devil? Tell me. Transgressions, disobedience, rebelliousness and pride has a price tag of punishment!
I advised a young man who was on fire for God to stay away from evil friends, he replied nonchalantly, ‘no problem, I’ll take care!’ Sadly, the devil took care of him and also took him away from God. It’s been several years since I have heard from him. We live wilted, wasted and worn-out lives because we refuse to take the right path! I’m talking about broken homes, divorces, rebellious kids, demon possessed children, bankruptcy and much more. The myriad woes is because of your myriad errors! This message comes with a caveat not to ignore godly advice and to stick to good friends! The Bible says: Proverbs 13:15 "The way of the transgressor is hard." 16 In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.”
The reason Elimelech and Naomi left Bethlehem was because there was famine in the land; let me speak to you here! At times, the present place where God sends you may not be comfortable, may not be cozy, may not be prosperous, may not be a place of all that you had dreamed about; yet, I advise you to stay where God sends you – the blessings would surely follow. After my miraculous healing, birth of my son, my encounter with God and my salvation experience, I was confident beyond doubt that God would bless me profusely. Before joining work after delivery, I would write scriptures of prosperity, blessings and happiness and would claim it every day. I was all decked up for a great start! I joined back work only to face heaps and heaps of problems! I was denied any promotion for the next nearly four years – I stayed like a piece of rag in my department. Let me tell you the flip side of the story: I had started a prayer cell at office which boomed awesomely, my ministry was growing, my outreach ministry was stretching, God opened doors for evangelism and much more! At times, there is a cross that we need to carry for the sake of Christ! God was working magnificently in my life!
Friends, your decisions can either kill or bless you! Make the right choice!
