Don't be A Conniver

673- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 22:27b “And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.” Let's continue looking at these spiritual laws of cause and effect. These are sure promises from the mouth of God. This one doesn't sound so good does it? If you want to experience the shrewdness of God, then live a life of deviancy. But what does He mean by devious, and what does He mean by shrewd? To be devious is to live a life of distortion. It is to be crooked, false. It comes from a word that means “to knot,” Think of a knot on a fishing line on a reel. The line and reel will not function correctly with the presence of knots in the line. There will be major snags. So that's our part. If we want to live our lives as liars, twisting the truth into knots, then we are going to have to deal with the shrewdness of God. The word “shrewd” in the Hebrew means to twine or struggle. Picture two wrestlers grappling with each other and tying themselves up in a knot. Suddenly the richness of the language is very evident, and the actions of God are perfectly just. If you are going to be like a knot in a fishing line, conniving and causing snags everywhere you go, then God will be a similar snag unto you. Is this reminding you of anyone in Scripture? How about that conniving Jacob? Remember how he connived to steal his brothers birthright, purchasing it for a pot of stew? Remember how he connived to steal the blessing from Esau as he put on a hairy costume to fool his father into blessing him instead of Esau? What happened? He ended up fleeing for his life and the first night on the lam, he ended up in a wrestling match with God! Jacob lived the life of a knot, a snag, a conniver, and God literally showed himself shrewd, as He wrestled with Jacob and turned him into a knot. Here's the lesson. Stop conniving. Stop manipulating. You are only creating snags in your life and the lives of others. Let go, let God. It may take Him all night like it did with Jacob, but He alone can untangle the mess you have created with your manipulations.