May 14, 2026 Devo

May 14th, 2026

Powerful Words from the Prophets
“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal? Some people pour out their silver and gold and hire a craftsman to make a god from it. Then they bow down and worship it! They carry it around on their shoulders, and when they set it down, it stays there. It can’t even move. And when someone prays to it, there is no answer. It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.” – Isaiah 46:5-7 (NLT)
“A Guaranteed Win”

Jack Whittaker was one lucky man. That is, until he wasn’t. On Christmas of 2002, he won $315,000,000 in the lottery. He opted for the lump sum payout, as many people do. After taxes, he received $113,000,000. He thought his problems were over. But they had actually just begun.
Jack liked to live large and decided to carry a large amount of cash on him wherever he went. Because of that, he ended up getting robbed multiple times. One time, he had $545,000 stolen out of his car while he was in a strip club! As you can imagine, he was bombarded by scam artists and people trying to get their hands on his money.
The money didn’t help his family life either. His granddaughter’s boyfriend died of an overdose at Whittaker’s house. Later, his granddaughter died as well. Then his daughter died from cancer. Finally, his marriage collapsed. Jack eventually referred to winning the lottery as a “curse.” He said that he wished he had torn up the ticket and that it had done nothing but “poison” his life.
Gold and silver can’t save you. Whether you fashion them into idols or turn them into houses, cars, clothes, and exotic living, they are gods without power. They can’t bring your life healing, wholeness, or peace. Often, as in Jack’s case, they only make your life worse. And they certainly can’t save you from the troubles life brings your way.
Put your trust in the Lord today. All the lesser gods that this world holds up before us have no real power. They can’t save our souls, mend our relationships, comfort us in our losses, or break the chains of our addictions. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly.” Open your heart to Him and allow Him to give you what you’re truly looking for. It isn’t even a gamble. Jesus is a Guaranteed Win! That’s God’s Word for you today.