TODAY’S DEVOTION (Friday 11th February 2022)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:6-9 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 42ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE
Obviously, the blessing of the LORD that makes rich and adds no sorrow is the reason we are all alive today. It is the reason we all slept and woke up safe and sound. It is important that we give God thanks for His blessings!
When the word blessing is mentioned, sometimes people’s mind goes to money or related desires. But the blessing of the LORD is not money but that which makes money available. The blessing of the LORD is the presence of the LORD with a man making good and beautiful things happen. Money could be it!
It could also be sleeping and waking up for 42 days of a new year!
One of the major manifestations of God’s blessings I have seen is the blessings of His mercies and lovingkindness. I have come to discover that no matter how far one is from God, and no matter how much he or she has fallen, if he or she cries unto God for help, mercies and forgiveness, God hears.
That is a major blessing that is responsible for the salvation of many of us. It is a blessing that has kept some of us, if not all of us, in the race, despite our frequent failures as we press into perfection in Christ. It is a blessing that makes one understand that God does not give up on the worst sinner, neither does He abandon any.
A young man who have spent his days stubbornly refusing the LORD Jesus Christ, and have always acted very rebellious, was taught by his Godly mum, who had been desiring that he comes to the LORD, not to ever think that God will give up on him.
The woman said to her, “Son, no matter how far from GOD you are, no matter what you have done wrong, if you cry out to GOD from your heart, He will hear you and will forgive you!” She never knew those were the words that would open the gates of Heaven to him in his dying moments many years later.
EVERYONE HAS THEIR MOMENTS OF TRUTH. WHAT THE HEAR BEFORE THE MOMENTS COMES, IS IMPORTANT.
I think, if we teach people about the everlasting love of the LORD that does not strengthen one’s hands in wickedness but desires that he or she come to repentance, irrespective of what they may have done wrong or how far they may be from the LORD, it will bring them to the LORD in their moments of truth.
If we make men understand how the blessing of God’s mercies, forgiveness, and lovingkindness works, they will come to the LORD genuinely instead of take advantage of it to continue with a life of sin. Calling upon the LORD in a moment of truth, and asking Him for mercies and forgiveness, is a major aspect of God’s blessings.
There are aspects of God’s blessings that are material in nature. But the most significant aspects are immaterial in nature. They are actually responsible for the availability of the material aspects.
Apart from God’s mercies, forgiveness and lovingkindness, there is the blessing of divine attention. It is the blessing of divine attention that make God hear us when we pray. How to make the most of this blessing is actually the purpose of our 28-day journey of truth on righteous prayers.
For ten of these days, we have heard from God on how to make the most of this blessing; He has taught us secret codes to carrying and maintaining the fire of righteous prayers.
We saw in His word that it all begins with having a prayer heart, which we have learnt can be cultivated over time.
Without a prayer heart, there are dimensions of the blessing of divine attention that we may never see. Especially the very destiny changing dimensions Jesus walked in when He was physically on earth. The very dimensions that our fathers like Moses, Elijah and the rest walked in when they came face to face with the military forces of darkness.
We are right in a replica of the very moments they found themselves in when they were here.
THE WHOLE CREATION IS WAITING FOR OUR MANIFESTATION.
We cannot afford to manifest less the grace they manifested because the glory of the later house shall be greater than the former. This and other reasons, presented right from the first day that we started this journey, is the reason why we must cultivate effective prayer heart.
Yes, prayer hearts that can become a firm foundation for powerful prayer lives. To cultivate such prayer hearts, it begins with having a pure heart; a heart free from strange fires and evil flames, as shared in previous devotionals. Then it continues with a life of meditation in God’s word. A part of our devotional text says,
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
The kind of meditation that will keep the prayer fire burning within us and give us a prayer heart, is not just a one-time meditation on the word we are to do during our quite time, but a constant control of the mind by directing it to think only or meditate on things that are noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, vitreous and praiseworthy.
Yes, a constant discipline of our minds not to allow thought systems that exalts themselves above the knowledge of God to grew in them will be necessary to having a prayer heart. Meditating on the things the LORD outlined in our devotional text will be very helpful in making sure such thoughts systems do not grow.
The Bible says “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV). One way to keep our hearts is by disciplining our minds not to allow thought systems or strongholds that exalts themselves above the knowledge of GOD to grew out of them and pollute our hearts.
When thoughts systems that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God grow in us, we become Satanic because anything Satanic exalts itself against the knowledge of God. The spirit of lawlessness rules hearts that belong to minds with thought systems that exalts themselves against the knowledge of GOD.
AND PRAYER COMING OUT OF MOUTHS WITH HEARTS THAT ARE RULED BY THE SPIRIT OF LAWLESSNESS WILL NEVER BE ANSWERED.
They can never be answered because there will be no humility to unlock the answers they need in prayer. Apart from lacking humility, they also lack the presence of GOD’s will. The spirit of lawlessness pits a heart against all that is God’s will. It is amazing how people whose hearts are opposite GOD’s will seek Him in prayers for help.
Many forget that it is when we pray according to GOD’s will that He hears us. The Bible Says;
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15 NKJV
Many who pray to GOD for blessings, miracles, signs or wonders, run their lives opposite God’s will and ways, then come to Him for help when trouble comes.
They do that because their hearts are ruled by the spirit of lawlessness. The spirit of lawlessness corrupted their hearts because they have thought systems in their minds that exalts themselves against the knowledge of God, and opposes anything that is called God. These are the breed of people who run after charlatans for help, and are told or made to give money for miracles, and trained to believe there is nothing wrong with it.
They are the ones that gets miracles by the power of the demon of deliverance, and do not care. They are the with the character to turn immature, untaught or false preachers into prayer contractors. They hire them with their monies so that the preachers will keep praying for them.
They believe in the practice of giving preachers money from time to time, while the preachers pray for them from time to time. I call that prayer contracting system.
The people who engage this system believe in writing prayer points to have them prayed over by those they consider anointed men of GOD, and sometimes send their tithes and offerings along so that the preachers will see and pray for them.
THEY ARE THE PRAYER-POINTS-WRITING-AND-SENDING & THE PRAYER-FOR-ME BREED OF CHRISTIANS.
Child of GOD, the Bible says we should pray for one another but not the way these things are being done today. The truth remains, we are in a different spiritual season. You will not survive the season being the prayer-point-writing-and-sending or the Pray-for-me kind of a Christian. You must learn to unlock Heaven yourself, only then can we pray for one another effectively.
The first part of our devotional text says,
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
I think it is an anxiety that steams from lack of a proper relationship with the LORD that make some people engage the prayer contracting system when in need of divine intervention. Amazingly, they get some miracles through the system.
While some are performed by GOD as an act of mercy pending when they will jettison that way for the right way, majority are performed by the demon of deliverance.
Yes, the reason is because if we are dealing with the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, we would not be told to give any money for the miracles we need, because nothing comes from God by giving money. Only Baal collects money and releases miracle in return.
We can go on and on, but I believe the LORD has spoken to someone this morning. Use the wisdom the LORD has imparted to add to the building process of your prayer life.
God wants us up there, touching Heaven to Change earth on our prayers knee. Not down there, crying like slaves and going about looking for who to pray for us. He wants us to have the heart of righteous prayers. He wants us to have great grace in prayer.
God wants us to be able to pray for ourselves privately and unlock great results publicly. Hallelujah!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:5-6 NKJV