King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Discerning Truth
Date: Friday April 13, 2012
Today's Chapters: 1 Kings 13-15

Hello My Friend,

The biggest threat to a person seeking to know Christ and a true Christian is a false Christian, one who appears godly and religious on the surface, but when we are not looking is more sinful and wicked than those who live in the world. The Bible says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world...Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error...Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” - 1 John 4:1,4-6,13.

Once God divided the kingdom it did not take long for both sides to start doing evil in God's sight. First, we learn that Jeroboam brought idol worship and religious ceremonies similar to feasts of God into the Northern Kingdom. He sent a young prophet to warn Jeroboam to stop causing his people to sin through these abominable acts. However, it wasn't Jeroboam that fell into a trap, it was the man of God.

“And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest...Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father...And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread...He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.” - 1 Kings 13:7-9,11,14,15,18.

The young man died that day because he chose to listen to the false prophet rather than God, this is an illustration of salvation. There is only one way to be saved from death and that is through Jesus Christ alone, this information is available to us straight from God's mouth through His Word. God's Word supersedes any persons words and if any person is trusting in their religion or any other additions other than accepting Christ alone for their salvation will end up like this young man. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” - 1 John 5:11-13.

God consistently tried to get Jeroboam to take idol worshiping out of Israel, but he refused, he did not want to serve the Almighty God on his terms. However, being one of God's people he knew that the Almighty God was the only one who could truly make things happen. So, when his son got severely ill he sent his wife to seek counsel from a man of God in the Southern Kingdom. “At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people...Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:..Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.” - 1 King 14:1,2,7-9,12.

Whether we keep an account of God's mercies upon us or not, God does and He will set them in order before us, if we are ungrateful, to our greater confusion. Ahijah foretells the speedy death of the child then sick, in mercy to him. He was the only one in the house of Jeroboam who worshiped God. To show the power, mercy, and grace of God He will save some out of the worst families, removing them from the evil to come in there familes, to the good to come in a better world. “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” - Philippians 1:20,21.

Now, in the Southern Kingdom, Rehoboam, Solomon's son also led the nation to sin, first, he followed in his fathers footsteps by allowing the false gods to remain in the kingdom, but he even allowed abdominal acts to take place, which Solomon never allowed, making him and the nation to sin even more than the Northern Kingdom. “And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.” - 1 Kings 14:22-24.

Just as one leader can bring evil upon a nation a godly leader can bring good upon a nation. Asa, would be the first godly king in the Southern Kingdom since David. He not only got rid of the abominations, but the idols as well, one of which his own mother made. “And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron.” - 1 Kings 15:11-13.

We have a choice, live God's way or live our way, choosing God's way always leads to peace, choosing our way always leads to suffering. The only way we can know that we are doing things God's way is by knowing God's way. People can tell you what they think is God's way, but the only way to know for sure is getting in His book and finding out. If you are saved the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, that means He can teach you how to understand His Word and to discern whether or not someone who claims to be a Christian is living and teaching truth or just a big liar. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” - 2 Timothy 2:15,16.

Today's Psalm: 30:15 - “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

Today's Proverb: 4:10 - “Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.”

Today's Prayer: God, I truly want to live in Your will, I do not always understand what Your will is, but as I learn and grow by reading Your Word and getting around those who seek the same I know I can get there. Thank You for Your mercy, grace, and patience to wait for me to learn and grow in Your will. Lead me and guide me in your will and ways. Let me be careful and mindful of false men of God seeking to cause me to go against Your Word and ways and cause me to fall into sin. Also, open my heart to understand the things that I may be doing on my own that goes against Your will and ways. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be. Visit: God's Price
Missed A Devotional? Visit: The King James Bible Study Blog
Subscribe To This Devotional Through Google Groups: King James Bible Study
Visit The Official Site Of: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus