Refusing The world's Delicacies

Generally, around where I live people hardly refuse offers. The idea is to grab as much as one can grab even if you don't need or may never never it. We don't think much on whether or not what is being offered can harm us; our response to most offers is "yes." I remember my late father's driver who worked with him for several years and became a member of my family. We often laughed at him because he never said 'no' when offered food and he in turn, would counsel us never to refuse a good offer. He counseled that even if you didn't need what was being offered, keep it for the rainy day. It was very funny to us then but I have come to realize that this is the mentality of a lot of people in my area which is also fast leading many, astray.

James 1: 14 - 15 "Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death."

Unfortunately, this is also the attitude of a lot of believers in my area. We have not learnt, despite that we are saved, that we must refuse certain offers. We still have the "grab" mentality that those who are yet to come to the knowledge of Christ have making it difficult for us to refuse the "delicacies" of the world.The devil knows this and has passed on this knowledge to his agents through whom he hopes to lure us back to himself. They are aware of this common weakness and use it to the utmost. They offer things we can hardly resist festering the greed in us and we never say "no". A lot of us would say, "let me do this once and ask God for forgiveness latter." The truth is you will do many others because the offers get more tempting until you are lured completely out of the kingdom.

Proverbs 5: 22 - 23 "An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness."

Many believers will not fulfill their destinies for this reason. We must learn self-control and/or discipline. We must learn to refuse things we ought to refuse even when we think we need it. It is even more sad when it is not something we need because we already have enough but we just want to save some "for the rainy day" or think we should have all. The devil always starts with an innocent looking offer and continues to pile them on until one is trapped and unable to resist him. He then begins to manipulate such people despite that they are still in church and may even be ministers. The truth is underlying all this is greed. It is true that the lure of the world is strong but we must learn to put a "knife to our throat"

Proverbs 23: 1-3 "While dining with a ruler, pay attention to what is put before you. If you are a big eater, put a knife to your throat; don’t desire all the delicacies, for he might be trying to trick you."

If we must be useful to God, then we must ensure that no one is able to put a price to us. It is often said that "everybody has a price, you just need to know how much or what it is." It cannot be so for us. The only price that needs to be paid for us has been paid and that is the blood of Jesus. We must be able to say "no" to certain offers. Many believers have fallen from great positions because they could not resist these "delicacies" yet God led them to the position they occupy without them playing games. They did not have to give anything, particularly not their souls to get to the office but having gotten there, the challenge has been to refuse the enemy's offers. It is a trap through which the enemy brings down believers and the success rate appears to be high.

Mark 8: 36 "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"

Proverbs 23: 4-5 "Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle."

Daniel and his friends were able to refuse a good offer.  This offer, on the surface of it, was not to trap them. The king said he wanted them to look nice but they knew who they were and knew what was not their portion. They could have argued that everybody had to eat the food and there was nothing they could have done about it but they realized that to be truly great, you must refuse satan's delicacies. Despite the fear of all that could happen if the king found out they had rejected his very rich food, they went ahead to refuse and continued to eat their seemingly miserable portion through which God worked mightily to bring them to a good place. The world we live in today offers us a lot of delicacies from the devil's table; like Daniel, we can and must say "no". The truth is there is a reward for remaining on God's side. Furthermore, that thing you think you will continue to eat secretly shall surely be exposed. One day, it shall be shouted on the rooftop for all to hear.

Proverbs 23: 6 - 8 "Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it. You will throw up what little you’ve eaten, and your compliments will be wasted."