Today’s 333 Devotional: “Check With God First”

Don’t make a decision before you check it out first with God. Looks can be deceiving, take the story of Joshua and the Gibeonites.

After their resounding victories over Jericho and Ai, every people group heard about it and started gathering their forces to fight, but not the Gibeonites. It says they were cunning and deceitful in their approach.

Instead of gathering their forces, they sent an envoy in an attempt to trick the Jews into making a peace pact. They made themselves and their provision look like they had traveled a great distance and flattered and stroked the Jew’s ego.

While Joshua wondered if they were inhabitants of the land they were to conquer, he and the leaders were fooled.

“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live.” (Joshua 9:14-15a)

Just because something looks a certain way, inquire of the Lord first; get His take and wisdom regarding it before you decide. If not, it may cost you and your family.

Sometimes we think we’re so clever and wise that somehow in our own understanding we don’t need God’s wisdom. Isn’t that why God gave us a brain?

But Satan is crafty and cunning. Even in the beginning, he made Adam and Eve believe with their eyes and understanding, instead of listening and obeying God’s word.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made … When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” (Genesis 3:1, 6)

Satan can make something look a certain way in order to deceive us into thinking and doing something that will cost us. So, before we make a decision based upon what we see and think, let’s check it out with God first.