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Tuesday, June 30th, 2015
CityLight Church’s One Year Bible Reading Plan
2 Kings 17:1-18:12
Acts 20:1-38
Psalm 148:1-14
Proverbs 18:6-7
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Commentary from Pastor Mike White:
The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. – 2 Kings 18:7
The King of Assyria had held the men and women of Judah captive for years. Hezekiah was the first king to break free from the foreign king’s stranglehold. The Lord blessed him in battle, and gave him victory over his oppressors. Finally, Judah was free!
The key to true freedom is radical obedience. Hezekiah “prospered wherever he went” (v 7; above) because he trusted God. He “held fast to the Lord…[and] did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments” (v 6). Hezekiah refused to become trapped in the faulty logic of the kings before him. They had rebelled against God, and the end result was captivity on earth. They had fought against God in the name of personal liberty; but Hezekiah refused to rebel against God for the sake of short-term gain.
The Bible does not put restrictions on our freedom. In fact, God’s word shows us the only way to true freedom. When we are obedient to God, we honor His design for us. When we put our trust in Him, and sacrifice short-lived (i.e. counterfeit) freedom for eternal (i.e. true) freedom, we will experience breakthrough like never before.
Trust in God, and allow Him to deliver you from all your adversaries. True freedom does not come from rebelling against God, but from obeying Him so He can finally set you free!
Prayer:
Father, thank You for leaving us proper instructions. Thank you for mincing no words as You explain to us exactly what You expect from us in Your Word. Help me to be radically obedient. Help me to seek after You and to forsake all else, in Jesus’ name!
© Michael D. White, 2015. All rights reserved.