TODAY’S DEVOTION (THURSDAY 4TH APRIL 2024)
“The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:28-32 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 95TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
Glory be to the LORD God for giving us another day. It has been 95 days of His faithfulness. Without God’s faithfulness, nothing works in the lives of His own, even in the lives of those who have refused to be His own.
Yes, Prayers will not be answered because prayers are only answered when His faithfulness is present. It is His faithfulness that releases the mercy that gets our prayers answered.
Talking about the power of His mercies, understand that without God’s mercies, even our Salvation will be impossible; it takes God’s mercies to be saved. Without God’s mercies, Doctors will treat ailments but no healing will come.
Without God’s mercies, those who are rich with the prosperity of the wicked, and those whose hearts are ruled by wickedness, will be having a field day over the rest of mankind, oppressing and exploiting with no one to cry for help. In fact, without God’s mercies, People will even sleep and not wake up!
God’s mercy is so important that one would say, “It is better to have a life without money, than to have a life without God’s mercies.” God’s mercies can always bring money, but no amount of money can buy God’s mercies.
THAT EXPLAINS WHY DAVID SANG OF THE MERCIES OF THE LORD ALMOST EVERY DAY OF HIS LIFE.
It explained why the book of Psalms has more verses on God’s mercies than on anything else. Entire chapters were dedicated to God’s mercies. Telling us that, if our lives are dedicated to God’s mercy, no devil can mess us up.
We will not be in the dark as in what to do.
Everything God does revolves around His mercies for mankind. That is why our sins and wickedness have not consumed us. He looks at the big picture. For instance, God will look at how the life of a terrible sinner will turn out if He shows him or her mercies, then delay judgment.
Yes, He will not move to destroy the sinful person at once. He will look at how the person will turn out under His mercies and restrain His judgement.
That is why he has not answered some of your prayers on your enemies. He wants them alive but without the ability to hurt you, while you want them dead. That is why the Bible says we should pray for our enemies, not against them.
God’s mercies surround them so that it can change them from being your enemies to becoming your friend. The Bible says;
“When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7 AMPC
God’s vision is to make our enemies to be at peace with us, either by changing them or chaining them. Our job is to keep living a life that please Him, praying for them and not against them, because His mercies are around everyone to bring them to repentance.
God shows people mercies so that they can change and become what He wants them to be. And for many cases, things have turned out well. That is why some of us are saved.
His mercies have moved depraved people who are willing to be changed, from terrible sinners to awesome saints.
EVERYTHING GOD DOES REVOLVES AROUND HIS MERCIES.
He said in His word;
… “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
So, then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Romans 9:15-16 NKJV
Indeed, God’s mercies revolves around all He does, so long as His redemptive plans for mankind are concerned. The Bible made it clear that even when His speak to us, He speaks from His mercy seat.
It could be strong warnings, thundering rebukes, or sentences passed over our evil deeds, it still comes from His mercy seat, so that as soon as a trace of repentance can be found, judgment can be withheld. He said to Moses;
“You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.
And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.” Exodus 25:21-22 NKJV
This scripture made it clear that the cry of His Holy spirit usually comes to us from his mercy seat. Even on matters of Doctrine, God speaks to us from His mercy seat.
That is why it is dangerous to listen to any other voice or doctrine, because they will not be coming from God’s mercy seat, making it impossible for your life not to be messed up by sin and Satan.
Most times, the voice of most prophetic people come from the portals of hell.
I have seen prophets and prophetesses, say things that they claim are from God, and concluded that the people they are speaking to will never be shown mercy by the LORD, even if they repent. That tells us where they speak from.
THEY ARE NOT SPEAKING FROM GOD’S MERCY SEAT.
Some have said, if the people do not bring this sacrifice or the other one, God will judge them. To prove they are genuine, they will twist some Bible stories to buttress their so-called prophecies.
The true God does not speak from the judgment seat, He speaks from the mercy seat. That is why, no matter what you might have done, God’s true mercies will be accessible whenever repentance is available.
Today, we will be going a step further to talk about things you will never see if you are not seated under genuine teachings or doctrines.
The first is lack of the sanctifying presence of God. Yes, you will never experience the sanctifying presence of God if you are not seated under sound doctrines. That is why people who sit under false or dark doctrines live a life of sexual perversion.
Others walk in lies, deceit, and desire for the things of this world instead of the things of God. Those who want to engage the supernatural will always use salt, oil, water, or other deliverance inventions to summon the supernatural.
You find so many not saved at all because the presence that would have gotten them saved is not there. They just play religion and lead hell bound lives calling themselves born again.
God’s vision is to restore man back to full fellowship with Him, and get him back to the fullness of the different dimensions of His presence. The doctrine of Christ is the key to getting back there.
Sadly, so many preachers peddle either doctrines of men, false doctrines, or doctrines of demons today.
That is why you find churches running either as money making machines, metaphysical cults, social clubs, political parties or places of theatrical performance.
YOU CAN HARDLY FIND A CHURCH WITH THE SANCTIFYING PRESENCE OF GOD THAT TRANSFORM THE MORAL LIVES OF PEOPLE THESE DAYS!
You easily find churches leading people to raise altars, sow this seed, and that other seed, go to this mountain and pray, and etc. But you hardly find a church focusing on your morality and Heaven worthiness.
You hardly find a church with God’s sanctifying presence due to the dark or money-making doctrines on the lips of most preachers.
It is what a church teaches and practices that makes the church what it is. If they are not teaching and practicing the doctrine of Christ, they are an assembly of Satan on earth.
One may be wondering why many preachers today are not preaching sound doctrines. The answer lies in the depth of our consecrations as servants of God. It takes dying to get to the realm of the Spirit where sound doctrines are kept for each generation.
If a preacher is not willing to pay the price, he or she will not be able to get there. He or she will at best be stealing from those who have paid the price, and in most cases, owning the revelations.
Sadly, that will not be good for those who hear him or her, because the Bible says;
“Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell. Proverbs 9:17-18 NKJV
If you understand this scriptural warning, you will never seat under a preacher who is preaching a revelation that is not his; one who is teaching things he did not die the necessary death in God’s presence to get.
The Bible says you will sit there enjoying the revelation, but will not know that it carries death (or corruption), and that being a guest of that revelation, will bring you under the spirit of hell, because her guests are in the depths of hell.
The word death represents absence of the life or active presence of God. It also means absence of the sanctifying presence of God.
YOU WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE THE SANCTIFYING PRESENCE OF GOD THAT TRANSFORMS OUR MORAL NATURE UNDER STOLEN REVELATIONS.
Sadly, most preachers will keep preaching from stolen revelations, or books they bought from famed preachers because, they do not preach the gospel to reform the morality of people, they preach to retain followership and grow in riches.
The Bible says the guest of stolen waters are in the depths of hell.
Hell is a place, and hell is a spirit. As a spirit, it will never let you have the fulness of any dimension of the manifest presence of God.
The vision of God for us all, is that we come to the place of the fullness of His presence; the many dimensions of His manifest presence, and only sound doctrine will help us get there. The Bible says;
“Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.” Psalm 42:7 NKJV
This scripture contains Gods vision for you and I.
We must therefore, learn to sit under preachers who are not in ministry for the crowd and the money. We must learn to sit under those who preach to reform us, not those who preach to grow their riches, contacts, accessibility to great men of the earth, fame, and etc., by making us their loyal followers and financial supporters.
Our devotional text says;
“The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully.
What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:28-32 NKJV
This scripture affirms all we have shared this morning, and it is as clear as the sun on God’s will and direction for us, especially in the area of which preacher to sit under.
As we bring this to a close, I want to submit to you to move from dream interpretation preachers, to scripture interpretation preachers, and your life will be well. Sit under interpreters of divine will, not interpreters of dreams.
Sit under preachers who do not steal the revelation of others.
Go for sound doctrines that drop like the rain! Pursue teachings from those who have died the death to preach what is on their lips. Avoid stolen waters by all means. Amen!!!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTUTRE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass.
For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:1-4 NKJV