LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
 
Monday 4th May 2026

THE FOOL’S MISTAKE

Scripture Reading: Psalm 14
 
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, none does good._ Psalm 14:1
 
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘fool’ does not refer to low intelligence or education. Rather, it refers to a person who is morally depraved and has descended to the lowest of human behaviour – a person who is completely unconcerned about others. A highly educated person who is immoral and wicked would qualify as a fool in this passage.

Has said in his heart.

To say something in your heart is to convince yourself that something real is not real. The fool, therefore, convinces himself that something self-evident is not what it is; or a person who is wise in his own eyes.

There is no God.

The fool knows there is God yet seeks to convince himself that there is no God. There is no human being who honestly believes there’s no God. God’s presence is so clear in creation that it only takes a huge effort to deny His presence. At the core, every human being is aware of God even if they don’t acknowledge Him.

They are corrupt.

 To corrupt something is to seek to use a good thing for a bad purpose. Those who convince themselves that there is no God turn out to be corrupt in their ways. Even when they are considered ‘good’ people, at heart, they are people who will endorse behaviour that is contrary to sound judgment.
 
Those who deny God, reject His word and His ways. They use the creation of God to serve their selfish purposes. They take things that God has created to serve a purpose and use those things to serve a different purpose.
 
We are seeing more and more of this attitude in our world. In all areas of life, people are turning their backs on God and overturning His laws. May the Lord help us to remain faithful to Him in all that we do.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I know you as my Creator and Lord. Help me not to turn my heart away from you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.