THE CRY OF THE SPIRIT DEVOTIONALS – BY RICHARD E. S. TAKIM

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL (Monday 2ND August 2021)

“Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

“But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 NKJV

WELCOME TO THE 214th DAY OF OUR YEAR OF HIGHER HEIGHTS!

This year is really running very fast. I can’t believe that we on the 8th month already. That speaks of how fast we are approaching the consummation of all things revealed in Bible Prophecies. It is very important that we see the handwriting on the sand of time about the end of our days as we know them.

Sadly, a lot of people are still perishing. Not just the lost in the outer darkness, but those we think we have brought into Christ. You may argue, but so many of us in Church have not truly encountered the LORD as the coming King. Hence so many, from the pulpit to the pew, are perishing.

One way you know a man or woman in Church who is perishing, is in how he or she handles the word of truth and righteousness. If what the Bible says have been made clear by the Holy Spirit, directly or indirectly to them, and they still cannot agree with truth, it’s a sign that the gospel is still veiled to them.

If the gospel is still veiled to you, then you will not make Heaven if you die in that state.

Talking about spiritual veils, I want you to understand that there are two kinds of gospel ministries today; we have those that are adding veils of spiritual blindness to the ones the god of this world has already put on people’s minds. That they do to primarily, scoop worship and wealth from them.

We also have ministries and Churches God is using to remove veils from people so that they can see things in scriptures as God intends and connect the glory of GOD for our age.

The ministries that are removing veils from the hearts of men and women have one distinguished hallmark; they have renounced the hidden things of shame. In other words, they do not walk in craftiness calling it wisdom, nor handle the word of God deceitfully.

Their ministries are simply driven by a pure motive not by a money motive; hence the manifestation of the truth is what you see. They commend themselves to people’s conscience and do not ‘zombify’ them with great words of emptiness. One of the many things you find that will happen in our days, according to Bible prophecy is the rise of ministries that will put veils on people’s hearts.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND BIBLE PROPHECY.

Many do not know that the most solid Christians in the early Church were those who were taught what we now know as Bible Prophecy as soon as they gave their lives to Christ. That alone is a lesson that if our faith is anchored on the revelation of the ages to come, we will remain solid in Christ and hell will never have us back; especially, in a season of the falling away like the one we find ourselves.

So many today, are departing from the faith that was once delivered to the saints and God wants it stopped. He wants this population of hell through hyper deception by some in Church to stop.

Jesus indeed warned us that as we approach the end of times or days, there will be catastrophic events that will shake the human world. But these events will be preceded by hyper deception both in the Church world and the outside world.

It will take a daily cultivation of “Hyper Spiritual sensitivity” and “Deep Discernment” for us to be able to deal with and overcome the scourge of hyper deception in our age. It means if we will not cultivate Spiritual sensitivity and deep discernment this end times, we will be victims of deception.

It is saddening to know that people are in hell today not because of their sins but because of deception. They were deceived not to believe in the gospel to have their sins cleansed before death took them out.

Some were deceived that there is no hell and there is no heaven; but when they died the reality dawned on them. Others were deceived that the redemptive death of Jesus Christ was a criminal punishment for ‘his’ sins and that ‘he’ did not die for anyone. Some even died believing the lie that Jesus is not God but a prophet, hence ending up in hell.

While others who believed in His redemptive death, believed that He died for their sins, but they did not believe that they have to accept that sacrifice for their sins by living His kind of life on the face of the earth; a life of Holiness and righteousness, hence finding themselves in hell.

To these unfortunate ones, the grace of God was “a license for sin” instead of “a pardon from sin.” They were deceived hence not knowing that the grace of God is God’s empowerment to go and sin no more.

THEY TOOK IT FOR GOD’S PERMIT TO KEEP SINNING WITHOUT THE CONSEQUENCES.

During their life time, they called Him, “LORD, LORD” but did not do what He said. That is why the Bible made it clear that except there is genuine repentance, none of those among us today who are repeating same errors will see His blessed face when they die.

So people go to hell because they are deceived. That is why Heaven considers ministries that are raised by God to expose deception and deal strongly with it, as some of the greatest ministries born on the face of the earth. The true gospel of Jesus Christ actually exposes deception. Don’t forget, He is the way the TRUTH and the life. Truth will indeed expose falsehood.

God has raised and planted ministries on earth today that we must encounter to be free from deception. Personally, if I had not encountered such ministries myself, to further reinforce what I already knew as an upcoming minister of the gospel, I would have been deceived too.

I remember attending conferences in Nigeria that were capable of turning any preacher into a money spinning machine or a diviner called prophet. If God has not come to my rescue, I would have been doing ministry today believing that the anointing oil is the Holy Spirit, praying with sand, salt, candles, mats, bottles of water is deliverance ministry.

I would have been dishing our money scooping revelations and prophecies to the naïve and smiling to the bank saying “the LORD is good.

I would have taken sorcery for prophecy and divination for prophetic ministry and yet not know that I have been deceived and that I am being used to deceive others. Ministry to me would have been all about how much money I can scoop from people through the promise of liberty and miracles and all that.

Sleeping with the beautiful woman and young girls who come to me for pastoral oversight would have being nothing to me.

BUT GOD MET ME EARLY ENOUGH AND SAVED ME FROM THE DISSIPATION AND CORRUPTION WE ARE SEEING IN CHURCH TODAY.

I can tell you, Child of God, that if you are not planted in a ministry that is raised by God to deal with hyper deception these end times, you will become a victim of deception. Sadly, every deceived person believes that he is the one walking in truth, and that others are in error. Just as a mad man sees sane people as mad, so do deceived people see those walking in discernment as mad.

I have never seen a deceived person who does not treat those who know the truth of the gospel as mad. Deception is actually akin to insanity!

For instance, those who are being told to sleep with prophets and prophetesses for cleansing are doing it trusting that God will use it to cleanse them. They do not usually see anything wrong with it until the promises they got from their prophets fail to come to pass.

Those who are being told to sow this seed and get that miracle, drink this oil and get that breakthrough and etc. are seeing nothing wrong with the rituals. In fact, if you try to show them what the Bible says about what they are doing, they will say you are judging them or criticizing their man of God. They have been deceived or “zombified” hence not seeing the light of the gospel.

A major highlight in or devotional text today says,

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

In 1998, I had my first experience where people in Church complained that the things I teach are too deep for them to understand. Even some pastors will come up with rebukes and some form of corrections, telling me that they don’t even understand what I am saying.

I WAS ADVISED TO WATER IT DOWN.

The development worried me so and confused me at the same time because young believers and those who were not even born again usually understood me when I teach. That was when it began to dawn on me that it was not that they were not understanding me. It was their hearts that was refusing to accept it. The religious veils in their hearts needed to be lifted for the word of the LORD to penetrate into their hearts.

If there are veils in your heart, the Bible says it’s a sign that you are perishing. Apart from perishing eternally, there is perishing also in time.

People are perishing in marriages, financial troubles, sinful habits, and etc. God wants them free; however, they must have the veils in their hearts dealt with.

The purpose of present day apostolic and prophetic ministries by content (not by Titles) among other intents, is to deal with the veils in the heart of believers so they can step into realms where deception and error can no longer ensnare them. That realm is a realm of God’s glorious Light!

You cannot get to that realm drinking from fountains where preachers preach themselves and how to get earthy success instead of preaching Christ.

You cannot get to that realm giving heed to preachers whose ministries does not have the manifest presence of Jesus Christ as “the commander of LIGHT from darkness.” If you will get to that realm, you must plant yourself in ministries that are operating in that realm.

It’s a new day for you, in Jesus precious name!

YOU CAN MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.”

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 NKJV