TODAY’S DEVOTION (MONDAY 30TH MAY 2022)
“Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:21-25 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 149TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE
We believe our God will grant us a beautiful week this week. He will be with us and do in our lives what He has determined to do. Yes, His counsel for our lives will stand. Because of that No counsel of the wicked one will have a place in our lives this week.
Yes, as His own breed on the face of the earth, His mercy will make sure the rod of the wicked will not rest upon us.
The Bible says;
“Those who trust in the LORD ARE like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.”
“For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.” Psalm 125:1-3 NKJV
One major thing you should know is, the LORD is more faithful than the sun that has been rising and setting faithfully for thousands of years.
He is ever gracious and compassionate. We are not banking on our prayers, as good as it is to pray, neither are we banking on our fasting, as good as it is to fast. We are banking on His unconditional love and everlasting mercies to see us through. The Bible says,
“For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:11-14 NKJV
This scripture reveals the nature of our God.
OUR HEARTS ARE ESTABLISHED ON HIS NATURE AS A FATHER AND ON HIS WORD OF PROMISE FOR OUR LIVES.
We believe He is ever merciful and kind, yet not allowing sin to take root anywhere. To Him belong all the glory in Jesus precious name!
Today is the second to the last day of our journey with the cry of the Spirit on practical Christian living. The LORD has taught us a lot. We have heard Him use this platform to teach us amazing things about this important aspect of our faith. What is left now is application; yes, we are to start applying the truths learned to our daily lives.
Our devotional text says;
“Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:21-25 NKJV
To start with the devotional text begins by asking us to lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness. That reminds me of the state of the church. Everyone who is honest can attest to the fact that the church today is full of people who are filthy and overflowing with wickedness. Especially preachers.
Wickedness is not just sin but an attitude that opposes anything that is the will of God for the now which many have not come to the knowledge of.
The present Church is full of people who are overflowing with a very bad attitude that opposes anything God. They only stick to what is like God but not really Him. That is why they fight the present truth and resist those who are established in it.
Many are just in Jesus but not in Christ. Jesus is the religious aspect, Christ is the present truth aspect. It is in Christ that we are saved but in Jesus we are introduced to salvation. That is why your Christian life takes a new turn once you come into Christ after a long time of staying in the Jesus realm.
This is strong meat for the mature.
SO, I DON’T EXPECT EVERYONE TO AGREE WITH ME JUST AS BABIES ARE NOT AGREEING WITH ME ON THE USE OF OIL!
When you are still in the Jesus realm, you will never be practical with your Christianity. You will be religious. You will be involved in prayer caravans and pouring oil on streets of cities and blowing the shofar.
We did some of those things when we were there too, until the word of the LORD came the way it came to them this month but we did not resist and attack the vessels God used, like they are resisting and attacking. We moved!
We walked into the new wine and our lives became knitted to Christ Jesus and His present truth of steeping into substance from the shadows.
There is an over flow of wickedness and filthiness that blindfolds the spirit of the believer from seeing things in the light of the present truth. But you will never know that it exists until the LORD bring you to the mirror of His word on the same. What you do thereafter is what determines if the divine intent for bringing you to it will be fulfilled or not.
A part of our devotional text said;
“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
We are not expected to allow to be on our lives whatever the light of GOD’s word has said “take away from your walk with God.” There is no way we will become a perfect Church that way until we do what the word says we should do.
Do not forget, the LORD is coming for a perfect Church. Bible prophecies says so. That is why the five foolish virgins will be left behind.
Yes, those who are described by the LORD as foolish virgins will be left behind because they refused to pay the price of buying the oil in the word through implicit obedience. They remained with shadows and refused to press into substance.
They believed they cannot be perfect and that we are all sinners. Hence choosing imperfection and a life of falling and rising, sinning and confessing, until they season came. The Bible says;
“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.”
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
“Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Matthew 25:6-12 NKJV
WHAT JESUS SAID TO THE FOOLISH VIRGINS IS TROUBLING
He said to them “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.” That should ring a bell because it is the same thing, so to speak, that He said in Matthew 7 that those who did miracles, casted out demons, and prophesied all in His name will hear from him. He will tell them “depart from me for I know you not. You who practice lawlessness.”
Meaning the believers who are part of the foolish virgins are those practicing lawlessness today. They do not believe in perfection or following the divine order of God for the now. They resist what the mirror of GOD’s word shows to them, and refuse to be doers of any word that threatens their carnal fame, ungodly fortunes, and the attention that Babylon has given them.
All of the foolish virgins are those who hear the word but do not become doers of the word.
The Bible says “they are like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was” simple because he believes he cannot be perfect or sinless, hence becoming part of the foolish virgins.
May the judgement of the foolish virgin not be our portion on the final day in Jesus precious name! Because many of us may not be alive when the rapture will take place, it is therefore important that we do not leave this world as part of the foolish virgins.
You see, the destiny of the believers who will be part of the foolish virgins when Christ comes, will even be better than those who will die before He appears.
THE REASON IS BECAUSE THEY WILL USE THE GREAT TRIBULATION PERIOD TO BECOME PART OF THE TRIBULATION SAINTS. AND STILL MAKE IT TO HEAVEN.
But those who are alive now, who will die before the rapture will not have any opportunity. Because there is no life or repentance in the grave. They will be the ones Jesus will say to, on that day “depart from me, for I known you not. You that practiced lawlessness” that is despite their doing so much for the LORD, and seen by people as great men and women of God or faithful believers in Jesus.
It is important to note that God has standards, and that it is His true word (what Paul call sound doctrine, and John the beloved, the doctrine of Christ) that need to work in us to help us meet the standard.
If we are ignorant of the standard’s , or resist them by refusing to do them after being taught, we will lead our Christian lives below the standard and die and go to hell sadly like the foolish virgins.
I think the greatest battle before every believe today is how not to be a foolish virgin having surrendered our lives to Christ. It is not demons or witches. Curses or late marriage. It is not altars or whatever the preachers are misleading people with. It is how not to live and die as a foolish virgin.
Sadly, most preachers we have today, especially the oil carriers, cannot help us move away from being foolish virgins. In fact, their ministries are making us foolish virgins.
To be a foolish virgin is much easier today because we have so many preachers that can help us be. The problem lies in being part of the wise virgins. There are few preachers helping us to be wise virgins. And they are being attacked and persecuted daily by those who are not helping us, and also by their members.
A wise virgin will look herself in the mirror of the word and deal with any wickedness or filthiness that the word reveals exist in her life. She will follow progressive theology. She will be a student of the present truth.
She will not use oil, water, salt and any of the gadgets being used today calling them symbols of the holy spirit or prophetic acts. She will fight the Nehustan spirit and press daily into the substances of the shadows, and by GOD’s help, become perfect in Christ before her days on earth are over. That’s what I and my house have decided to do!
Yes, She will spend her days looking at the perfect law of liberty and continuing in it, and not be a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, until her days are fulfilled. That is what will give her sufficient oil in her lamp and extra to meet her LORD when he comes for her or she goes to him.
I believe the LORD has spoken to us today. Time for application. Time to be doers of the word and not hearers only. Time to be part of the wise virgins and walk away from being part of the foolish ones.
Time to go for sufficient oil not carrying oil in bottles and quoting James 5:14 and Mark 6:12 or so. Time to press into the glory where wise virgins are processed for eternity.
Time to walk away from the harlot Church. Time to find a church headed by a preacher that will help you be part of the wise virgins. No sentiments!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
“In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped.
And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the ]blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning,
then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night.
For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.” Isaiah 4:2-6 NKJV