Prayer Works Morning Devotion: June 24, 2025

The Qualities Of God As Revealed In His Names

"Exodus 20:1-5 - El Kanna - Consuming Fire, Jealous God"

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Good morning, everyone. Let us begin with prayer. Heavenly Father, how we need your spirit every day.

Heavenly Father, how we look to you for all that you would have for us to have. How we depend on you and rely on you and trust you Heavenly Father. For all that, we are for all that we will do for all that we need. 

Knowing Father, that as we are studying your names that you are the almighty God. That you are that you were that you will be. So we thank you, Heavenly Father, for this day and thank you for your blessings.  

Thank you for the word that your spirit will lead us in today and we pray Heavenly Father that your word will be planted as a seed and all hearers and that you will speak through me Heavenly Father not let me speak from your spirit, speak through me.  

So thank Heavenly Father for this time for fellowship and we do glorify you and we love you and we praise you in Jesus name, Amen. Good morning, family Pastor Zee will be joining us to close us out in prayer.  

But this morning we're going to continue looking at the names of God and the name This morning is a name that has puzzled me and it is El Kanna and it means consuming fire, jealous God and I always got jealous that has such a negative connotation.  

How could God be jealous? And then so I, you know, began kind of looking into this, what does jealous mean? And there is a worldly definition of jealous and there is a biblical sense of jealous.  

So the worldly definition of jealous means more like you're envious of someone who has something you don't have. You know, if someone has a nice car or a nice home, you know, or they have some ability or skill that you wish you would have and you want that, but you don't have that.  

That's not what this named El Kanna means. When it comes to God, God is jealous of our worship, which he rightly deserves. And we're going to look at Exodus 20:1-5 to see where this description of God and his name of God as a jealous God comes into play.  

So this is Exodus 20, and I'm going to read verses 1 through 5. And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  

You shall have no other gods before me. So here God is taking his claim. He's identifying himself to the Israelites in the desert. They have been brought to Mount Sinai and they are there and he is giving them his commandments through Moses.  

He's brought them out of over 400 years of slavery and he brought it out with such incredible signs and wonders that there could be no doubt that it was only by the Lord God that the Israelites were freed from the tyrannical and extremely powerful Pharaoh, so God says I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.  

What has God brought you out of? What has been your Egypt? What has been your bondage? So he's saying, hey, I'm the one who did this for you therefore, you shall have no other gods before me.  

Don't give anyone anything even yourself. Don't make yourself the God that has freed you from your Egypt and from your bondage. Know that it is the Lord God who brought you out of bondage?  

So verse four goes into say you shall not make for yourself a carved image. Any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth, you shall not bow down to them, nor serve them.  

So here, as you know, Pastor Zee likes to say whenever you see something in the Bible that tells us something we should not do, it's because we have a tendency to do this. So here you see here.  

We have a tendency to create images and to create our own gods in the image that we want and we can shape it into the something that we imagine in heaven or in the earth or beneath the earth, or even in the in the water, and we will worship those things.  

So God is saying, because we have a tendency to do that, he says look, don't, don't get it twisted, don't be confused. You shall not do this. You shall not worship anything and think that anything is a substitute for me, your Lord God.  

I am the invisible God but I am the Lord God. You can't make me. You can't shape me. You don't know what I look like. So how dare you try to shape anything anyone in my image and bow down and worship them.  

So let me continue on and here's the part where it says for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God. So jealous in the sense that he deserves our worship. And when we make images of our own gods, we provoke God to jealousy and God's like hey I am your Lord God. I delivered you, I freed you. I created this earth for you.  

How dare you give anything or anyone your worship. I am the Lord your God. So he says I am for I the Lord your God, am a jealous God. So he's warning them right away. Hey, look, it's not going to go over too well if you do these things.  

If you elevate anything, anyone, any place, any activity, whatever it is that you're doing. If that is getting in the way or that is becoming more important than your worship of me, you got to know it's not going to go well. It's not going to sit well with me. 

So the verse continues for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the 3rd and 4th generations. So think of iniquity that is intentional, deliberate, unadulterated, unapologetic sin.  

It is a practice of sinning and you know your sinning. So he says, I'm going to, if you bow down and worship other gods, you're basically telling me that you are rejecting me and that you want to live in your sin.  

And that you hate me and it says this by saying the iniquity of the fathers I will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the 3rd and 4th generations of those who hate me. And I'll just pause here and, you know, talk about something.  

When it comes to the generational curses that are in families now, God is saying for those who have elevated things, people other false gods above me.

Demonstrating by their actions that they hate me and they love their sin more, I'm going to require of some sort of punishment, not only on them but on their children if they continue to hate me.  

So for all of us who are walking in the love of the Lord. Those curses have been broken. So just because things are going wrong in your life and you're struggling with things personally, if you have given your heart to the Lord.  

Those you are the cursed breaker in your family believe that. Because you don't elevate anyone anything above God because you acknowledge God as the Lord your God, because you do not provoke God to jealousy by going after anything anyone, false God, but you love him. 

This curse is not for you, it's for those who intentionally choose to elevate whatever it is if they want to do above obeying God those he says, I will visit the iniquity of those people upon their children to the 3rd and the 4th generations because by their behavior they're showing that they hate me.  

But he also gives a promise. But showing mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments.  

So here we see in these passages so much we can learn about who God is. He is a freer he frees us from our bondage. He frees us from our Egypt's but he has a requirement of us. He has a requirement of us that we acknowledge and we acknowledge him as the Lord God, the Almighty God that we don't put anything or anyone above him.  

So I ask you what in your life? Who in your life is getting in the way of you fully loving God and keeping his commandments? God says I am a jealous God. Are we doing anything in our lives that is provoking God to jealousy?  

Because those things we are doing are slapping God in the face in a spiritual sense, or turning our backs on God or putting God on a shelf and saying yeah you know, God. Yeah, I believe I believe you. I believe you exist.  

However, I'm choosing to not worship. I'm choosing not to love you. I'm choosing not to keep your commandments, and it's not by accident. It is an intentional choice. Those people, God will visit. The iniquity of their sin on them and their children. 

But which we have to remember but if we're not doing that, if we are loving God and keeping his commandments, he will show mercy. So let's think of let's think on that today, my brothers and sisters.

If you are walking in love with God and keeping his commandments and not intentionally sinning, hey, we're all, we all fall short. You know, we all fall short.  

We all are, have a tendency to sin it in us. But if you are not practicing that if you're not saying if you're not aware of what is right and what is wrong, and you intentionally choose to do what's wrong.  

There will be consequences for that. That's like telling God I hate you. I don't want you in my life. So under those circumstances, don't you think God has every right to be jealous? But look at what a great God we serve that if we turn from that.  

If we reject that way of living and thinking and being she will show mercy to us. So what in your life do you need God's mercy for? And he notice he doesn't qualify the mercy. He doesn't say oh, I'll show you mercy here in this thing, I'll show you mercy in that thing.  

You know, I'll show you mercy a little bit of mercy. I'll show you 25% mercy. No, there's no qualifying of the mercy. It's boundless. It's whatever we need mercy on and the mercy of God is greater than anything that we could ever need or want, because it is this mercy through which he sent his son.  

This unhindered, abundant, everlasting mercy that God will forgive us when we turn to him, when we ask for his forgiveness, when we seek to walk in his commandments, when we love him and think about his servant David.  

I mean just studying the life of David just gives my heart so much comfort, even going back to the Patriarchs, none of them were perfect. Each and everyone of them had such an incredible capacity for blundering, lying, sinning, cheating, doubting, trying to, you know, do things for God when they think God is moving too slowly.  

But yeah, but yeah. He loved them because they loved him and he showed them great mercy. So let's take comfort in that today, my brothers and sisters in Christ, we serve in Almighty God who is merciful and faithful. 

So no matter what you're going through. Don't turn your back on God. Don't think that God doesn't care. God loves us so much and he is worthy of our devotion of our worship, of our obedience.  

He is worthy, the creator of the heavens and the Earth, the creator of human beings, the creator of you is so worthy of your praise. Your honor, your glory. Don't be stingy with it. Don't be hesitant with it.  

Be like a child running to God, arms open wide, leaping into his arms and saying our Father you are so worthy. And God our Father, he wants to be our Father as Jesus taught us to pray our Father. 

So let's remember that my brothers and sisters in Christ. Don't provoke God to jealousy by elevating anything or anyone above him.

I think it's really important that whatever you're doing. If it is getting in the way of your worship of God, or if it is in clear defiance of what God has commanded us to do in his commandments.  

And when Jesus has told us how we should live, if you're choosing to defy those things, even in the small things there, there are no small sins. It's all sin to God and he wants better for us. He wants us to walk in purity.  

He wants us to walk in truth, he wants us to walk under the shadow of his wings. He is our protector. He's our provider, he is all the things that we've been learning about. So don't let anything or anyone be more important than God.  

Calvin and I are at a stage in our life now where we have to adapt our lives around what we're doing for God. Before we would try to squeeze in the things that we would do for the Kingdom around our interests or around you know what we want to do.  

But God has been calling us and saying that if you want to go deeper with me. If you truly want to get closer to me and climbing the mountain to encounter me. In every increasing ways then I need you to make new priority. I don't need you.  

I don't want to be adapted to your life. I want you to adapt your life to mine, to mine, to me. What I'm calling. Don't just take me out when it's convenient, but seek me in all things as we learned and now Bible study on Sunday.  

See God in everything. Even the little things seek him. You're giving me your car glory God, walk with me trying to make a decision about what to purchase at the grocery store, Lord God what should I do?  

You know, trying to decide what you should do with your children this summer. Lord God, what's wise? What do you want me to do? What should I cook, you know? What should I say to this person? How should I write this e-mail? How should I conduct myself in this meeting?  

You know, there's nothing, there's nothing too small. How should I have this conversation with my brother or sister or daughter or son? Whatever it is, there's nothing too small. There's nothing too big for our Almighty God.  

So let's not provoke God to jealousy and remember he has conditions and he has promises. And we as believers have his great promise of mercy. And everything that we need is in that one word, mercy.  

So I'm going to turn it over now to Pastor Zee to give final words and close this out in prayer. Good morning, everybody. You know, thank you so much, you know when you were just teaching there you know, I just went back to what was the first original sin. 

The first original sin is that the devil exalted himself, in other words, he turned warship that was meant for God to himself and then God kicked him out. Now the difference between angels, which the devil is a fallen Angel with us is that we are created in the God class. 

So like yesterday when we say, when Jesus says give Caesar what belongs to Caesar. So the imagery that was on the coin belonged to Caesar, so it says go ahead and give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give God what belongs to God. And yesterday we said we are created in the image of God. 

So we give worship because we are giving back what belongs to God. So this issue of God being jealous is not jealous of something that you can give. It’s jealous of something that he has given you in the first place.  

So that you could give it back to him. So if I give you something, or if Veronica gives me something and it belongs to her and says hey, when you're done using it, give this back to me and I choose to give that to somebody else.  

That's a violation of principle because I've taken what does not belong to me and given it to somebody else. So when the scripture says offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to him. It's your reasonable form of worship.  

It's simply implying that the very first thing that anyone of us should think of is how am I offering this body, this vessel that is carrying God's spirit, remember we are only human beings because of what God put inside of us.  

When he breathed into man, we became the living soul. Without him breathing into us, we are not living souls. So when we are living souls that's why the scripture asks us to worship him in spirit and in truth. In other words, your soul shall make a boast of the Lord, not your flesh.  

So usually when you think about how we worship other things, we worship other things and mostly, it's not because of our soul.

We worship other things, mostly because of our flesh. And our flesh did not come from the Lord. It came from the ground that he created.  

But the soul, that's why we're asked to do it with the soul. So when you find yourself worshiping other things, most likely you're doing it in your flesh. And that's taking something that's honorable and using it towards something that is dishonorable, that is perishable, flesh.  

So again, like Vee say, let's pay attention even to the smallest and littlest things that we might accidentally or on purpose be worshipping. You know, I watch sports sometimes.

I find myself watching something and I check myself when I feel like I'm so much into it in the way that I shouldn't be into it. It's not that important.  

So let's pay close attention to that, because, again, it provokes God to jealousy. Let us pray, Heavenly Father first and foremost, we want to repent of the spirit of idolism and idolatry.  

We know, sometimes accidentally or on purpose, we find ourselves worshipping other things and putting too much effort into things that does not glorify you, be it people, be it things, be it what we saw somebody do. But we know ultimately all glory, all worship belongs to you.  

So, Father in our efforts to do right, we know sometimes we get it wrong, but we want to repent and ask for forgiveness for the spirit of idolatry and idealism. We know we live in a country that its culture is permeated with idolism and idolatry worshipping people. 

So Father as your children, we humble ourselves before you and repent for this spirit that is so invasive and so subtle that sometimes it shows up in small little places that we could actually ignore it. But we ask for forgiveness for we know we're just mere mortals.  

So we thank you for giving us mercy and the reason we have mercy is because you knew that we are sinful in our nature hence, we need mercy from God.

So we humble ourselves this morning and ask for forgiveness for any form of idealism, idolatry, or any form of worship that we have rendered to something else other than you.  

Help us in our efforts and give us the wisdom to see those things that we might be worshipping and so we can change our ways. We thank you for being slow to anger, for being merciful and giving us mercy every morning.  

And we claim ours today for we know that in our efforts we can easily sin. Help us as we move forward to offer these bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable for we know it is our reasonable form of worship.  

We were created in your image hence we want to give this image back to you, for it rightfully belongs to you.

So thank you for how you have structured these holy systems for us to walk in and for us to understand you and for us to relate with you in our efforts to be your children and Christians, and to find ourselves living in this Kingdom. 

So I pray, Lord, for wisdom in everything that we do. We pray, Lord, that you continue to highlight our minds towards the things that you care about. 

So that we are quick to change our ways so we can fit our lives into what you are doing spiritually, other than the other way. Thank you and we bless you this morning.  

Now, as we go through this day, lead us not into temptation, continue to deliver us from the evil one, for thine is the Kingdom, the power in the glory forever and ever we say, Amen. Brothers and sisters, may the Lord bless you today.  

May the Lord strengthen you, give you wisdom in your interactions with different people and may the Lord walk with you and may you be aware of his presence and we thank the Lord for you and may the Lord bless your families in Jesus name, Amen.  

Brothers and sisters, make sure you are staying hydrated out there in this heat, Amen. We'll see you tomorrow.