June 11
1 Kings 11
Solomon takes wives from (and makes allegiances with) foreigners, and God judges him.
INSIGHT
Not long after the Lord reminds Solomon of the blessings of obedience and the cataclysmic consequences of disobedience, Solomon disobeys. After taking foreign wives who turn his heart from the Lord, Solomon begins to worship Ashtoreth and builds a "high place" of worship for Chemosh and Molech, detestable pagan gods. True to His word, the Lord raises up an adversary, Hadad, to plague Solomon. God's purpose is not to punish. He wants the adversity to turn Solomon's heart back to Him. When you suffer adversity, examine yourself to see if there is sin in your life. That is not always true, but it is something to which we must be sensitive.
PRAYER
Bless the Lord and praise Him for His goodness because He forgives our sin:
Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11).
You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You,
nor is there any God besides You, according to all
that we have heard with our ears (2 Samuel 7:22).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face
to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads,
and our guilt has grown up to the heavens (Ezra 9:6).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus,
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the Scripture says,
"Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame" (Romans 10:9-11).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
-- Greater love for the lost
-- The work of missions in Africa
-- Your activities for the day
Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:6).
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