TODAY’S DEVOTION (WEDNESDAY 30TH AUGUST 2023)
“But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood, because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession. Numbers 35:26-28 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 242ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS
We bless the GOD of Heaven and earth for bringing us to the second to the last day of this month. It all started with great expectations and faith in God, and today we can say, “Our God has been faithful.”
God designed the body of Christ to be a City of spiritual refuge for a lost world; a place dark and dying souls can find light and life. But He Himself was designed to be the refuge of His people.
In other words, as the Church was designed to be a spiritual refuge for a lost world, so was He designed to be a spiritual refuge for all who constitute His church on earth. We have seen that; He has been our refuge, that is why we are alive.
We give Him the glory for all He has been doing in our lives, as our city of refuge. We thank Him for all He has sheltered us from this month, and all He will shelter us from in the months to come. He will remain our Judge, our lawgiver, and our King. And so long as He remains all that, He will keep saving us; He will keep being our refuge.
Sometimes, I look at my life and says, “what would it have been if God had not been my refuge?”
Like David put it many years ago, when people attacked me, they would have swallowed me, when their anger flared against us, they flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, they would have swept us away. But Praise be the LORD who has been our refuge, and has not let us to be torn by their teeth.
I do not know who is sheltering you, if God is not your shelter or refuge, you will soon become history in a wicked world. Do not take refuge in anyone outside God. He alone is the surest refuge for you and I. He will shelter you with His love, His Spirit, His word, His grace, His power, His glory, and all that He is.
As we can see in our devotional text, we will be refreshing our hearts today on mysteries of cities of refuge. We did a whole teaching on that a few years back.
IN THE BIBLE, GOD SET SOME CITIES TO BE PLACES OF REFUGE.
Those cities where a shadow of three main truths; the first is what Christ is to those who find Him, the second is what the Church should be to the lost world, and the third, what God is to His Church on earth. The Bible says He spoke to Moses saying,
“Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to these you shall add forty-two cities.” Numbers 35:6 NKJV
Those forty-two cities represent the 42 generations. We taught about the mysteries in those generations few years back as well. The 42ndgeneration is a generation of a people of grace and power; the very generation that fulfilled the shadows of prophecies buried in the 42 cities.
In Bible days, these cities of refuge where meant for people who have committed one crime or the other.
God who is full of mercy, does not want even the worst criminal to die for his sins, but be given time to come to repentance. That is why He persuades men to repent. So, the cities of refuge were the cities of mercy, where people the Bible calls “Manslayers” ran into and were saved from the consequences of their crimes.
No matter what may be running after a people, if they run into the city of refuge, they will be saved from that thing. No one was permitted to execute punishment on any criminal who runs into the City of refuge. That was the justice system of God for the nation of Israel in Bible days. It holds a lot of truth for our days.
However, the criminal is expected to make use of the mercy shown to him to turn away from his wicked ways. Then return back to their possession after the death of the High Priest who was serving at their time of escape to the City of refuge.
I have said it repeatedly that the Old Testament is the will of God concealed, and the New is the will of GOD revealed. We are not to keep repeating its religious practices, like use of oil, use of water, use of salt, and all that. We are to unearth what God concealed in the Old, and align our lives with it.
THAT IS WHEN WE WILL HAVE A LIFE BY GOD’S DESIGN; THAT IS WHEN WE WILL HAVE TRUE CHRISTIANITY.
Either you believe it or not, God has placed apostles by content (not titles), to revealed to the Church what He concealed in the Old Testament, and rebuke the dark teachings and practices that have been developed from it. By God’s mercies, some of us are called to do so. Sadly, those with dark spirits are fighting us, and calling us all sorts of names.
However, that is normal because they did it to Paul and the rest of our fathers, who God raised and placed in his body to do the same thing in their age and time. Now, what was it that God concealed in this mosaic instruction around the cities of refuge? What did He conceal for us?
What He concealed is simple – among other truths highlighted in the beginning of this devotional, God concealed in it the revelation of local Churches as cities of refuge, and the impact they were suppose to make on the lives of men who worship there.
But if you look at most local churches today, especially those led by killer spiritual leaders, you will never find that. The Bible says,
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 NKJV
What do you think made those Cities of refuge Cities of mercy? It was not the location, but the presence of the name or reputation of the LORD in there. God literally put His name, “Merciful God,” in those Cities. The reason was, the gods of the heathen nations around were terrible and unforgiving.
The name protected those who ran into those Cities in repentance unlike what the gods of the heathen nations around were doing. It was what GOD was doing in those cities that inspired that scripture in proverbs 18:10. Indeed, the name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are saved.
If the name is in a Church, everyone who runs into that assembly in repentance will be saved. They will be saved from curses without having them go through some curse breaking rituals or deliverances; they will be saved from what they call evil altars, without being asked to break or silence them, or raise good altars, and all that. They will be saved from all oppressions of the devil, without being asked to sow any seeds.
They will be saved from whatever may be following or pursuing them, all by the blood of Jesus Christ. This truth is evident at the Cry of the Spirit Ministries here in Nairobi. You can join us to have a fore taste.
NOW, LET US TAKE NOTE OF WHAT THE BIBLE DID NOT SAY
One way to understand what God is saying in scriptures, is to uncover what He did not say. Sometimes what God did not say, will be more insightful than what He said, because it will help you understand what He said.
Now, it’s worthy to note that the Bible did not say, “the name of the LORD is a strong tower, the wicked run into it and are saved.” It says, “the righteous.” Meaning, those who commit the crimes that necessitated their escape to the city of Refuge, are expected to run into those cities in repentance.
The lesson here is, you do not join a local Church where the name of the LORD is, and remain in your Old ways, if you really want to be saved from all oppressions of the devil, and from eternal judgment. You join repenting of your old ways. Repentance, like I have always said, is the only way to withdraw mercy from God!
In Bible days, people who do not run into the cities in repentance, are usually found loitering outside the boundaries or limits of the cities and repeating their crimes; thereby loosing God’s mercy and exposing themselves to the avenger!
A major Highlight in our devotional text says,
“But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood,
From this scripture it’s so clear that People who loiter outside the Cities of refuge will lose the covering of God’s mercy over their lives. In Bible days you loiter outside the City by physically going outside the limits of the City, and if the manslayer finds you outside the limit, you are gone!
What truth can we glean from here?
Let’s begin with an outer court revelation of this. If God brings you to a living Church headed by a true spiritual leader, you are expected to spend your spiritual walk with Him, within the limits of Bible truths. In the early Church, some of the limits GOD set, bordered on integrity and holiness – limits that are still in place in every true Church today.
ANANIAS AND HIS WIFE SAPPHIRA WENT BEYOND THEM AND PAID DEARLY FOR IT. THE MANSLAYER CAUGHT THEM RIGHT IN CHURCH AND KILLED THEM!
If you look at the conversation that ensured between their Pastor, apostle Peter, and Ananias, you will realize that the pastor never asked that God should kill him for not walking in holiness. He simply asked “Ananias why has Satan filled your heart…” the next thing that happened was death.
The manslayer got him because he was found loitering outside the Biblical limits of the city of the spiritual refuge God had given them! This still happens today. From their lives we can learn that, if you are being hunted by devils for what you did, as soon as you join a true Church, forsake your old ways and all will be well with you.
If you look at this truth with a prophetic eye, you will realize that, there are so many Cities of spiritual REFUSE called Churches today, but there are also Cities of spiritual refuge. If God places you in one please study the scriptural limits around the cities and don’t go beyond them!
Understand that, your life will be full of the spiritual refuse of sin, iniquity, and trespasses if we belong to cities of spiritual refuse called Churches. But if you belong to any Church that is a spiritual refuge indeed, your life will be full of peace.
If you want your life to be full of holiness, purity, peace, and power, locate a Church that is a city of refuge by the eye of the Holy Spirit, and plant yourself there. Then spend the rest of your days within the truth of God’s word taught there.
The life of Ananias and wife teaches us that, it is dangerous to be found in the spirit, loitering outside any city of refuge the LORD may have planted you in.
Spend your days in the local church the LORD may have placed you, within the scriptural limits He has set for the house. Do not go beyond the limit of righteousness and become wicked. Live within the limit of purity, a covenant walk with God, a healthy prayerful life, and faithfulness.
There is a prophecy being fulfilled right now in our age and time. God is taking people from Cities of spiritual refuse – Churches filling the lives of people with spiritual refuse – and bringing them to Himself through Churches filling people with His Glory. May you find a Church that will be filling you with the glory of God from week to week! AMEN
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY:
“But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord.
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.” Jeremiah 23:3-8 NKJV