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Written by Dick Mills

"And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes" (Mal. 3:11).

The devourer needs to be defined. The Hebrew word akal (aw-kal) means, "to eat, consume or burn up." It was used by Bible writers to define the actions of drought, famine, war, pestilence, and plague. To "rebuke the devourer" is to check, curb, and deter anything that consumes time, energy, or cash flow.

In this verse the Lord promises to put a stop-gag on that which consumes our time. How many times have you started out a day with a plan for getting things done, only to look back at the end of the day and realize that your time had gotten away from you? The Lord has promised to rebuke the devourer of time.

The same promise applies to energy. During the average eight-hour workday, we expect to achieve a stated number of goals, to complete so many assigned tasks, to produce a certain predetermined amount of output for our efforts. It is always disconcerting to look back at the end of the day and compare how much we intended to get done with how little we actually accomplished. The Lord has promised to rebuke the devourer of energy.

This promise also applies to money. You buy tires, and they wear out too soon. You buy shoes, and they do not last. You buy groceries, and run out before the week is over. You spend money, yet have nothing to show for it. God has promised to rebuke the devourer of finances.

With God's blessings, you and I can get sixty minutes of time out of every hour, eight hours of productivity out of each working day, and a hundred pennies of value out of every dollar spent. What a blessing!

Source: The Spirit-Filled Believer's Daily Devotional by Dick Mills
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers