STOP BEING NAUGHTY!
"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." - James 1:21 (KJV)
According to this Scripture, one of the things that we have to lay aside is "naughtiness." "Superfluity of naughtiness" is when one abounds in evil or some disobedient conduct. Anything that runs counter to God's will amounts to evil, wickedness and disobedience. This, in other words is "naughtiness".
Usually, we associate naughtiness with children. Marks of a naughty child include being angry or answering back when he's taught, corrected or reproved. Haven't we found ourselves most times angry with God for not doing our bidding?
But who are we to argue with God over matters of our lives? Don't we realize that He's the Omniscient God, whose ways are past finding out?
God demands that we don't answer Him back. When He tells us to do something, we shouldn't argue with Him or doubt Him or disobey Him. That is the essence of the inclined ear. It means that we come to God and we say, "God, You're the Leader; I'm the follower" (Matt 4:19). "I'm willing to let You lead me in the path of righteousness for your name sake" (Ps 23:2). I bow down my ear and listen. When the reverse is the case, it's simply naughtiness!
Naughtiness is when you know God's will as regards the salvation of your life and you choose to disregard it to pursue your own agenda. Those that have not received Christ as Lord and Savior are examples of this form of naughtiness.
Naughtiness is when God speaks and you doubt Him. Gideon is a good example of this form of naughtiness. After that God told him that he was with him to defeat the Midianites (Judges 6:12,14,16) he went ahead nevertheless to put fleeces to verify God's veracity (Judges 6:36-40).
Naughtiness is when God reveals His will to you and you keep seeking Him to see if He would change it to suit your vain pleasures. Balam is a good example of this form of naughtiness. God had told him not to go with the messengers from Balak the king of Moab (Num 22:12); but his greed for gain, rewards of divination and his love for the "wages of unrighteousness" (2Pet 2:15) made him to seek God again (Num 22:19), if peradventure He would change His mind; until he was "rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet." (2 Peter 2:16).
Naughtiness is when God asks you to do something and you disobey Him and you do what pleases you. King Saul is a good example of this kind of naughtiness. God had despatched him to destroy utterly the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:2-3) but out of disobedience, he spared Agag the king of Amalek and a host of animals for sacrifice to God (1 Sam 15:8-9).
Naughtiness is when God uplift you from the dunghill; but instead of depending on Him for sustenance, you choose to scheme events to keep yourself in place. Jeroboam was a good example of this type of naughtiness.
On the platter of gold, the Lord had made him king over the Northern kingdom of Israel. To maintain himself as king and to forestall the people from reverting to Rehoboam, especially as everyone went to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, Jeroboam set up golden calves in Bethel and Dan for idol worship (1Kings 12:25-31).
To demean the Lord, His Word and Will and in disobedience, thereof, esteem something else in His place, is sheer naughtiness! Stop it!
PRAYER:
In the name of Jesus, I live to please God and I put off all naughtiness as I walk with the Lord. Amen.