TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 31ST DECEMBER 2023)
“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee before Him.” Psalm 68:1 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 365TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS.
Yes, it is the last day of the year 2023. I would have said congratulations, we made it. But that will be wrong because we never got here by our own strength. So, we are to say to Jesus, “Thank you for bringing us here!”
The Bible says, He is the Day who made all days. He fashioned our days, and made them peaceful for us, that is why we are seeing the end of the 365 days of the year. We give Him the glory for all He did for us to get us here.
The unseen battles He fought, the seen victories we got, the clear directives He gave, and His mercies that saw us through when we never deserved to be alive the next day. We thank Him!
What a day to end a year on our planet.
Maybe let me share some things I learned many years back as a little boy. We were told that there were nine planets. But today science has discovered more. Each planet is in motion, on its own obit round the sun.
The first of the nine planets, is Mercury. Mercury is the closest to the sun. It is the fastest and smallest planet. It takes 88 days for it to go around the sun. The next is Venus.
Venus is the hottest planet. It spans in opposite direction to most of the planets. It is also one of the brightest objects in the sky, and takes 225 days for it to complete one trip around the sun.
Then we have the Earth, our own planet. It is the third and the only planet that God made habitable for humans.
Prophetically, we can understand why God placed it as the 3rd. Three is the number of resurrections. From Bible records, the earth has experienced five metamorphosis or resurrections, with two more to go.
The last one will make it the New Heaven and the New earth where righteousness dwells. It takes 365 days for the earth to complete its trip round the sun.
There are other six. We have Mars, the 4th planet, using 669.6 days to go around the sun. Then Jupiter the 6th, which is 318 times bigger than the earth. Then Saturn the 7th, Uranus the 8th, and Neptune the 9th.
Now, each planet has its own number of days that it takes to go around the Sun.
WHEN A PLANET COMPLETES ITS JOURNEY ROUND THE SUN, IT IS CALLED ONE YEAR IN THE LANGUAGE OF A LAY MAN.
Again, as stated earlier, our planet completed its journey round the sun today, that is why we are having the last day of the year. It is called end of a year or a cycle round the sun.
Our planet will start another journey round the sun tomorrow.
These are the scientific findings that make the end of a year just an ordinary thing. It only becomes extra-ordinary when the LORD teaches you to number the days that the Earth you live in takes to go around the sun, and apply your heart unto Godly wisdom.
Sunday is the first day of the week. It is also resurrection morning, as defined by the Holy Spirit using our Bible fathers. For our earth to end its trip round the sun today, I believe it is a sign; a prophetic sign that the Holy Spirit alone can uncover to us.
That is why we are spending its last hours around the sun in the manifest presence of God; and by the first day of the New Year, or the next journey of the earth around the sun, we believe our devotional text will come into effect.
The text says,
“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee before Him.” Psalm 68:1 NKJV
We believe, as we will be entering the new year, God will stir His watchers to make that declaration over our lives. It will be another version of the voice of the King among us all through our year of impact.
From these findings, it is clear that today is a unique year in time, as Churches all over the world and the lost world alike, prepare themselves to migrate to the New Year, but not a unique day in eternity.
THE REASON IS, IN ETERNITY THERE IS NO TIME; HENCE THERE ARE NO CROSS OVER SERVICES.
Actually, most of what we do in time has nothing to do with eternity! But as earlier stated, these things will be ordinary to you until you learn to number your days and apply your heart unto Godly wisdom.
There is so much we believers can apply our hearts unto as we embrace this season. Permit me to share one with us. I hope we are ready.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” I call this proclamation, “the Matthew 16:18 declaration.”
You see, when Jesus said He will build His church and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, He was simply saying (among other things) that, hell will not be able to protect itself from the incursions of God’s Kingdom any longer.
I like that! That is why we are winning on every side.
Friend, one of the major blessings of redemption was the destruction of hell’s defence system. Previously, it was impossible for the Kingdom of God to successfully carry out redemptive incursions on a large scale. You can see that in the Bible.
For instance, that was why only 8 people were saved in the flood of Noah, and only Lot, his two daughters, and wife came out of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in spite of the glaring approaching judgment.
At one time hell moved most Israelites to sexually defile themselves on their way to the Promised Land, leading to a great plague that killed 23,000 souls in the nation.
Hell had been successfully protecting itself against the activities of the Kingdom of God, mostly by banking on the fall of man. But that continued until redemption came.
When Jesus died, and resurrected from death, the entire defence system of hell was destroyed. The first-time souls were eternally saved on a large scale took place shortly after that; on the day of Pentecost.
After that day, total salvation of men by the preaching of the gospel became possible, and continued unabated.
HELL COULD NO LONGER DEFEND ITSELF.
I submit to you that your Redemption now depends on your Faith in the finished works of Jesus Christ, not in the fight of hell against your soul.
That is why, no matter how much hell rages against you, if you say yes to Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, and believe His word for your life, you will prevail.
What is the import of all these? Spend each day of the coming year saying yes to the LORD, His will and ways, and you will enjoy the best of the year. Hell will not be able to prevail against you.
If you spend each day believing in the word of the LORD for your life, and walking in His paths, hell will be shifted out of your space, and the blessing of the LORD will penetrate your world to keep you in perfect peace.
May the LORD arise on your life daily in 2024 and may those who rise against you be scattered.
May those who hate Him flee before Him. May their hate for you not destroy your life. May the LORD lift you up beyond your imagination. Amen and amen!
Finally, I want to submit to you that, the enemies of people who are governed by God’s word, living in God’s will, doing things in God’s way, and following His paths, are actually God’s enemies. That is why the Bible teaches us not to privatize our enemies.
If we privatize our enemies, we will not see the hand of the LORD rise against them.
Actually, it is hell that sways people against us. And they do it, not because of us, but because of the God we serve and represent. So, when men rise against us, they are indeed rising against God.
It is therefore a display of lack of prophetic wisdom to privatize your enemies.
When Moses made the declaration of our devotional text today, he was putting God’s active presence ahead of the people. Through Holy Spirit led utterances, prophets of God can send God’s presence ahead of a people they are assigned to.
If you believe I am assigned to you, then receive this word;
“JUST AS YOU WILL NEVER SEE 2023 AGAIN, AFTER TODAY, SO WILL THE EVIL WORK THE ENEMY USED THIS YEAR TO CREATE IN YOUR LIFE DISAPPEAR.
WHATEVER THE ENEMY ROLLED INTO YOUR LIFE DURING THE YEAR, WILL ROLL AWAY WITH THE YEAR!”
“I DECLARE DIVINE ELIMINATION OF ALL THAT DO NOT GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR LIFE TODAY, IN JESUS’ PRECIOUS NAME. AMEN!!”
“A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” Amos 3:8 NKJV