TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL (Sunday 7th February 2021)
“Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.” Psalms 46:8-9 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 38TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF HIGHER HEIGHTS
It is the first day of the week, and God has granted us mercy to begin it in corporate worship. I hope you find a good church group to fellowship this day if you have none.
Our devotional today will teach us truths from a well of wisdom that was dug few years back. You see, when our LORD and savior Jesus Christ walked physically on this earth over 2000 years ago, He did so many things and said so many things that were not even written in scriptures.
He healed sicknesses and diseases that were not recorded. He did domestic miracles in the house of the source of His flesh that were not recorded. He did so many supernatural things that John would later write to say if all were recorded; there would have been no space to keep the books. I believe that was then; because with technology advance today, everything would have entered a flash drive.
God wanted everything seen and recorded that was why He performed those miracles. But as it has always been with mankind, the frailty and inadequacy of humanity was not able to capture all that divinity wanted captured in those days and preserved for our generation.
Frequently, I have always found myself in the midst of a strong prophetic presence of God, receiving messages and deep truths from the Spirit of the LORD that my hands were too weak and slow to write down. In such moments I just throw in the towel asking the LORD to write or seal them in my spirit.
But there are some of the moments that I will cry unto God and say “Please LORD slow down” and my spirit will be disconnected immediately because, except He speak by the hands of an angel, God cannot slow down when His Holy Spirit is speaking to you directly. You have to step up in faith to catch up with Him. What am trying to say is, God usually speaks from eternity and most times time cannot handle the speed at which the word comes.
But in the beginning it was not so. Adam could keep pace with God during such Spirit to spirit communication. The fall of man really reduced our ability to keep pace with the God who inhabits eternity while speaking to us in time.
The same happens in corporate fellowships; God’s presence will come down so heavily that our flesh will be too weak to stand. That is when some fall to the ground. On few occasions I have fallen to the ground while preaching.
HIS GLORY CAME DOWN AND I COULD NO LONGER STAND.
Jesus did and said so many things when He was physically on earth that the frailty of humanity then could not capture and store up for subsequent generations except for what we find in the Holy Scriptures. One of the things Jesus said that was captured and written down in the Bible for us is what we call the “signs of the end” and what He called “the beginning of sorrows.”
He said nations will rise against nations, there will be bitter betrayal even among blood relatives, and there will be earthquakes, wars and rumors of war among other things.
Talking about wars and rumors of war, our devotional text today said God “…makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire”
If God makes wars to cease why then will He allow such things to happen on the face of the earth? The answer is simply, His entire plan is to allow wickedness to destroy itself and bring the redeemed human race back to genesis chapter 1 and 2 where there was no evil.
This is where giving your Life to Christ is very important; because if Jesus is not your LORD and savior, and if you are not living His life on the face of the earth, you won’t be among the redeemed human race that will exist then. You will be lost forever when the events will take place.
I consider salvation the greatest blessing of God for mankind!
Now, the Bible did not say God will take away the righteous from the earth when these things will begin to take place. He will do that when we are close to the very end; He will do it through what we call the rapture of the Church. But before then, except for those who will go to be with the LORD, we will be here.
It is therefore important that we know how to survive in the midst of these wars Jesus prophesied.
The LORD began to show me that no matter what may be happening in the world during those moments He will make wars to cease around those His blood has washed and His Spirit has filled. That is how He is going to put a difference between the righteous and the wicked.
People will again discern the difference between those His blood has truly washed and His Spirit filled, and those His blood has not washed or His Spirit filled. These are the things that makes me urge us to live a life worthy of our calling. Righteous will be our life insurance this end times more than prayer, fasting, or giving; as important as they are.
ISAIAH SAW THESE DAYS AND PROPHESIED SAYING;
“In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.
“Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.” Isaiah 54:14-17 NKJV
If you look at this scripture carefully, you will realize that it is when we are established in righteousness that people who assembly against us will perish, and weapons that may be formed against us will not prosper. It is only when we are established in righteousness that tongues that may rise against us will be condemned.
Righteousness is the only insurance scheme GOD ordained for the human race.
The word that Isaiah prophesied concluded with the statement “this is the heritage of the servants of the LORD.”
Not being established in righteousness is the greatest killer of the Church. We ask people to sow seeds, fast and pray, sacrifice towards our Church projects but we do not get them established in righteousness. That is why there are wars among us – spiritual and physical.
Isaiah did not say in sowing seeds you shall be established. We give to advance the course of the King not to buy things from God. Isaiah did not say in “praying and fasting” (as important as they are) you shall be established. He said in righteousness we shall be established.
WHAT GOD HAS DECREED TO COME TO US BY RIGHTEOUSNESS CAN NEVER COME TO US BY ANY OTHER MEANS.
If every act of sowing seeds, sacrificing towards God’s work, praying and fasting were acts of righteousness then even the devil’s Children are righteous. Because they also do that towards his will.
As I bring this to a close, I want you to understand that the greatest things that will ever happen to you as an end time Christian is living a life of righteousness. If we will add righteousness to our tithing, offerings, sacrifices, prayer, and fasting, we will be the most glorified people on the face of the earth. We will move in waves of glory and advance to Higher heights; wars will cease in our lives and peace will become permanent.
I want to admonish you this day to wake up to righteousness.
You are a Son and daughter of a great king not a barking dog. You are a son and daughter of a great King not a dirty pig. Do not go back to your vomit of sin (past life). Do not sit spiritually in filth like pigs do naturally. Awake to righteousness and you will come into the inheritance of the righteous spoken of by Isaiah.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY;
“Do not be deceived:” Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 NKJV
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Psalms 46:10-11 NKJV