By“But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’” — Genesis 14:22 - 23 NIV
One fine morning, I walked with a friend to a morning lecture class. We got to a place where some people had raised speakers with loud sounds early this morning. I didn’t care what was happening. But my friend got infuriated. I quite remember him telling me that he makes silent oaths unto himself to end anything inappropriate in his neighbourhood in case he becomes the president of the country.
At first, I was surprised at his claims, but upon meditation and aligning it with scripture, I realized that what he said confirmed what Jesus said: “We are in the world, and not of the world.” In other words, we should desire to correct the evils of society by first confessing the Word unto ourselves consistently to prevent our spirits and flesh from suffering contamination.
We live in a world that lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19). What society hails as good is often seen as evil before God. And if we Christians don’t arise and shine, we can be deceived and become subject to the world’s corrupt systems.
Abraham was a man who lived unto God. He was in Canaan, a city having evil people like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah close to it.
One time, news came to him that his cousin Lot was kidnapped and sent into slavery after losing a war. He gathered enough men, attacked, and recovered everything lost, both people and possessions.
When he appeared before the king of Sodom, this king gave Abraham a proposal to take the possessions and give him his people. There and then, Abraham referenced a silent oath he made (only God knows when — because it isn’t written anywhere in scripture). He said, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’”
Abraham believed in the promise of God to make him the father of all nations (even though he hadn’t had a baby yet) so much that he rejected the reception of worldly possessions from the king of Sodom to add to his riches. He didn’t want anything worldly to take pride in the blessings of God upon his life and family.
In the same way, we’re in a world filled with corruption. Making silent oaths sourced from spiritual insight in the Word is a great tool that will help us choose to believe God’s promises over flashy things of the world that fade away over time.
Do you make spiritual confessions unto yourself when you see something not aligned with the Word, or do you adapt yourself to it? Don’t be deceived. The world and everything in it will pass away. Study the Word. Believe in God’s promises and keep speaking them unto yourself. By doing this, it’ll save you from being swayed to live by the evil systems of the world.
You’re a blessing.
Devotional Code: KGD // 2022 – 124
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