TODAY’S DEVOTION (SATURDAY 1ST APRIL 2023)
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 91ST DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS!
Indeed, blessed are the people whose God is the LORD! The eternal God has been our refuge all these days, and underneath our lives have been His everlasting arms. He has been ministering to us on this platform, and will keep ministering to us all through the time appointed by the Father.
Today, we want to refresh our memory on Doctrine.
The importance of doctrines cannot be over emphasized. They shape the human life and determine people’s destinies. Our lives are products of the doctrines we have absorbed either from movies, events, people that the circumstances of life used to place in our lives, religious centers, or etc.
Most of the time, it is not a demon in our lives that is responsible for our problems, but a doctrine in our hearts. That is why if you begin to check the doctrines you have been absorbing, and make proper decisions about them, your life will begin to radiate the glory of GOD.
You will never be better than the quality of the doctrines you have absorbed into your life over time. They have a way of forming the foundation of your life. When the doctrines we have absorbed over time are responsible for our spiritual or natural problems, there is no amount of prayer or fasting that can change our situation.
Very few are really aware that doctrines are the greatest influencers of destiny. That is why many do not check matters of doctrines before giving their lives to churches, preachers, suitors, friends, business partners and etc. to influence.
You must understand that the life of that man you want to marry, is already established on a doctrine you need to check because doctrines don’t only come from pulpits. Doctrines comes from people’s life styles, movies we watch, upbringing, social media handles, cultures, traditions, and etc.
Yes, the Life of the women you want to bring into your life is already established on a doctrine that is either good or bad. That business partner or friend is already founded on a doctrine. Whatever it is will influence you either good or bad.
Evil company will corrupt good manners if that company is founded in wrong doctrines.
By definition, the word doctrine means a principle or position in a branch of knowledge or system of belief. In government, it is a statement of fundamental administrative policy especially in international relations. In legal systems, it is a principle of law established through past decisions, like what is called the doctrine of necessity.
In military, it is a principle or set of strategies. For the layman, it is something that is taught. In religion, it is a belief or set of beliefs held or taught by a religious group or organization.
So, from governments, to legal systems, to the military and religious circles, the word doctrine has shaped decisions, determined and influenced wars, brought nations into perils or glory, made governments strong or weak, saved or killed many.
In religious circles, it has led to the destruction of many lives as well as the salvation of others, depending on the type that was absorbed. That was why the Berea Christians in the days of Paul were very wise. They were eager for the word of the LORD, but not gullible like many of us are today.
The Bible says they received the word with readiness, but did not absorb it until they had searched the scriptures daily to find out if what they were hearing was true. They only absorbed into their lives doctrines that were scripturally sound.
THAT IS HOW TO TREAT ANY DOCTRINE IN ANY RELIGIOUS CIRCLE.
The Bible says;
“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Therefore, many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.” Acts 17:10-12 NKJV
If you look at this scripture, Paul was the one these guys checked the scriptures to prove if what he was saying was true. I mean the great apostle Paul, allowed himself to be crossed examined with scriptures, by fair-minded people. That was interesting. It showed how those great men of GOD carried themselves in ministry. They were wrapped in a mantle of humility.
Today, a preacher will carry a rod in his hands and say “Daddy has said this and that….now pray looking at the rod in my hands” and none will say, “sir, please wait so we can check if what your daddy said agrees with the doctrine of Christ, because it looks more like the doctrine of the gods of Egypt.”
The rod Moses lifted up was pointing at the reed Sea not people. No one prayed looking at it. We are not to pray looking at rods but at Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Most of us preachers are treated as infallibles. Our aura influence people around to treat us like ancient of days; we are unquestionable gods. You will be treated like a rebel today if you have a fair-mind. Now, am not saying wicked mind. But most believers have wicked and not fair minds.
WE PREFER HAVING PEOPLE WITH BEWITCHED MINDS AROUND US INSTEAD OF WITH FAIR – MINDS.
That is why even when we are falling into sin, preaching lies, practicing divination or witchcraft, no one will be aware. They are too ignorant and stupid to be. We know that bewitched minds will not cross examine our claims with scriptures, they will just believe hook line and sinker, whatever doctrine of devils we peddle.
We forget that there is no preacher in our day that is greater than Paul, who humbled himself before the fair-minded Berea Christians. None is even near the sandal of his greatness both in Heaven and on earth, yet many of us do not want our messages to be cross checked with the scriptures.
We are the ones preaching doctrines of devils like the doctrine of redemption of first born, raising or breaking of altars, and all nonsense, yet we do not want to be cross examined with scriptures.
We do not want to be checked by fair-minded people (not stupid critics but fair-minded people) who are ready to receive us and the doctrines on our lips, but want to first check the word if what we are teaching is sound.
Another word for doctrine is Teaching or Instructions. Today, we have a church system that hates cross checking the teachings and the so-called spirit led instructions of its leaders with the word. The system is so bewitched that if you try it, you will be cursed and thrown out as an agent of the devil.
Because of lack of checks by fair-minded people, so many lives have absorbed things from the kingdom of darkness and made their lives dark. There are entire local churches today, that are swimming in the belly or ocean of witchcraft, for not being fair-minded enough to check the claims of their papas with the word.
They will give them olive oil to drink claiming they are sending the Holy Spirit into their bodies to heal them, but they will not check if it is a doctrine of Christ or not. In the doctrine of Christ, the Holy Spirit is not transmitted into our bodies by drinking olive oil. God says in His word,
“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” Joel 2:28 NKJV
HE DID NOT SAY I WILL GIVE YOU OLIVE OIL TO DRINK SO THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL ENTER INTO YOUR FLESH AND HEAL YOUR BODY
But if you question these things in places where that is practice, you will be called all manner of names by those who have been bewitched by the doctrine, and labeled an antichrist. But that is the devil trying to prevent his works from being exposed. The reason the Bible says we should test all things is to expose the devil using the scriptures, and stop his works among us.
But many do not know. They see it as an attack on other so-called men of God, or an attack on other preachers or on their papas. Our devotional test says;
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 NKJV
If you look at this scripture, you will see that we are in dangerous times because our times are the later times Paul wrote about. Though it started few years after his death, ours is like the later times of the later times. He said in our days many will depart from the faith.
Like I have always said, he did not say “they will deny the faith,” no! He said they will depart from it!
This is a major work of the devil that will be carried out in our days, to make sure that many of us who started with the LORD do not end with the LORD. The prophecy said, they will be speaking lies in hypocrisy after giving heed to deceiving spirits.
THAT EXPLAINS WHY MOST CHRISTIANS, WITH PREACHERS LEADING THE PACK, HAVE BECOME PROFESSIONAL LIARS.
The Bible says, what will pull them away from the faith, are the doctrines of devils peddled by deceiving spirits that they will absorb over time; the doctrines of breaking and raising of altars, doctrines of redemption of first born, doctrines of sacrificial giving instead of offering your body as a living sacrifice, oil drinking, holy water using, rod carrying, salt using, candle lighting, incense burning, and etc.
The Bible made it clear that these and other doctrines of devils will pull the people away from the ways, will, holiness, purity and righteousness of God. The will begin to have a form of godliness without power. They will become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
Sadly, these deceiving spirits will be mostly hosted by famed spiritual fathers, because of the great influence they have over people. Do not forget, Satan will not put a deceiving spirit in someone who is not influencing anyone. And because the people will be made to believe that their papas or Daddies can never be wrong, they will keep following the deceiving spirits wherever it leads them.
I want to submit to you that the worst position to take under a preacher is to believe that He cannot do anything wrong. You will not know when you will be swallowed by the hell that is enlarging itself daily. I don’t know if my wife can remember this, one day, during a conversation, she looked at me and said, “you cannot be wrong,” but I snapped in immediately saying, “please don’t’ say that!”
Then I said to her “You do not understand what I go through every weekend before coming up to preach! I can be very wrong, that is why I spend hours with the word and shiver for days, before coming to preach.” She stood there in disbelieve.
Because I have always pointed the scriptures to people when I teach, so to her I know so much. Finally, she understood why everything I have been teaching have been aligning with the Bible. I cannot teach, preach or pray outside the doctrine of Christ. That will mess things up.
SO, I MUST STUDY BECAUSE I WILL BE WRONG IF I DO NOT.
Yes, I believe I can be very wrong, hence spending hours with the word to make sure I do not preach wrong doctrines. That was how I discovered that most of what many of us preachers preach, or teach today, are simply fame seeking, crowd pulling, money making or pride inflamed doctrines.
Sadly, there are people who will only realize how much their papas or Daddy have destroyed them when they close their eyes in death. When they were alive, they believed that their papas, daddies, bishops, or fathers in the LORD, cannot be wrong, and followed everything they asked them to follow without behaving like the fair-minded Berea Christians.
But there is another part that is more troubling; the immaturity of many believers. So many do not know the word, hence even if they want to be like the Berea Christians, they can’t be accurate because they do not know God’s word intimately.
In fact, they prefer following God to meet their needs than to know Him.
This has left a huge ignorance in the hearts of many, allowing these deceiving spirits to thrive by the hands of their bishops, apostles, pastors, prophets, daddies, papas and mamas. In fact, even if they were to check the doctrines of their leaders, there will be no scriptural soundness to do so.
Many have not been taught sound doctrines, they just joined churches looking for miracles, breakthrough and deliverance, without even caring about who may be dishing out the breakthroughs they seek; either God or Satan.
A false doctrine will appear true to you because most false doctrines are tailored around human needs. As we bring this to a close, I want to submit to you that this word we are bringing to you afresh, will change your life, so long as the issue of doctrine is concern.
God will give us the accuracy of spirit and fitness to check the doctrines we hear before absorbing them. We will no longer err in spirits when dealing with matters of doctrines, neither are we going to be walking in the doctrines of demons any longer. Amen and Amen!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY
“Therefore, thus says the Lord, Who redeemed Abraham [out of Ur and idolatry], concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not then be ashamed; not then shall his face become pale [with fear and disappointment because of his children’s degeneracy].
For when he sees his children [walking in the way of piety and virtue], the work of My hands in his midst, they will revere My name; they will revere the Holy One of Jacob and reverently fear the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur [discontentedly] will accept instruction.” Isaiah 29: 22-24 AMPC