TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL (Friday 21st May 2021)
“I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’” Acts 26:17-18 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 141ST DAY OF OUR YEAR OF HIGHER HEIGHTS!
Glory to God for His faithfulness that has kept us all these days and even years. It has been the reason for our living. It has been the foundation of our lives.
If you are not kept by God’s faithfulness, the day you act in an unfaithful way, you will even lose your life. His faithfulness is constant and sure, that is why we are still here. He has taken us from devotional to devotional, truth to truth, grace to grace, and rhema word to rhema word.
He said,
“the words that I speak to you are spirits and life.”
It is His spoken words that have been giving us the life to use in running our lives. In Him is life and the life is the light of men; and the light in the word He speaks, shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehend it not. To him belong all the glory forever and ever!
In our devotional today, we will be looking at some deep truths that will take our faith to certain heights in God.
To start with, the most dangerous power on earth is not nuclear or electric power. The most dangerous power on earth is not the power of witches wizards, or demons. The most dangerous power on earth is not the evil power of a false prophet or prophetess who can put spell on people.
The most dangerous power on earth is the power of sin or waling in our ways that hands us over to Satan and all of the evil powers on earth. It is the power of the three-fold transgressions.
The three fold-transgressions are sin, iniquity and trespass; it is when they run our lives that these evil powers succeed against us.
Victory over every evil power on earth is a heritage of the righteous only not those who live in the three-fold transgression of sin, iniquity and trespass. The Bible says,
“They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abide forever.
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even forever.
For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.” Psalm 125:1-3 KJV
OUR PROTECTION FROM EVIL POWERS IS PARTLY TO PROTECT OUR SPIRIT NATURE FROM CONTACTING THE VIRUS OF INIQUITY.
The word iniquity means to twist. Our protection is to guard us against living a twisted life that God cannot behold or bless, because sometimes people twist their lives because of the evil that befalls them. He protects us from evil powers so that we will not twist our ways and come under the power of sin, iniquity and trespass.
God has a History of defeating other powers by just sitting on His throne and sending a word. It does not cost Him anything to do that. But when it comes to defeating the power of the three-fold transgression of sin, iniquity and trespass, He had to come down and became man to die on the cross.
In other words, it had to cost Him His precious blood. There is a whole lot of message there! But we cannot unfold it in a devotional. But when He became man and shed His blood, it destroyed the power of sin, iniquity and trespass, bringing down the entire power of Satan and release us from his grip. The Bible says
“..through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NKJV).
There is something you must understand here. You see, the coming of the LORD as the lamb that takes away the sin of the world, completely destroyed every legal right the enemy has over us. It made it illegal to die by his legal rights. But the warfare to re-establish what was destroyed by making the illegal legal has not ceased.
Today, when he tries to do that by using our sins, we can come against him by the blood of Jesus and be free. It is just that people think that you only come against him by the blood through prayer, hence still ending up defeated despite pleading the blood in prayer.
There are times you must come against Him by the blood through genuine repentance as you sorrow for your sin, in fasting and prayer. Restitution could be involved in some cases. It is very important we come against him by the blood of Jesus the right way, not the religious ways.
If we come against him the right way, we will stir up the utterances of the blood to speak for us and deliver us from his attacks.
It is very interesting to note that the power of our transgression was so dangerous that God could not destroy it by sitting on the throne and issuing a command. He destroyed it by becoming down as man and dying a shameful death.
It is also interesting to know that as we speak, death, and all of the hierarchy of darkness have lost their dominion over us. We only need to abandon our evil ways and spend the rest of our days following the ways of the LORD if we want to see the effect in our lives.
IT IS THOSE WHO ARE STILL FOLLOWING THEIR EVIL WAYS THAT WILL NOT EXPERIENCE THE EFFECTS OF THESE THINGS!
Which brings us to an important part of this devotional. This is exclusively for those who tremble at the word of the LORD.
Fiend, we should never underestimate the power of walking in our own ways. We will never be free from what the LORD freed us from on cross if we do. The LORD freed is from the works of Satan, and everything hell can muster against us. But it is only when we walk in His ways that we experience this freedom.
Most people who walked in their own ways in matters of getting and staying married, for example, have ended very tragically.
If you look at the ream of marriage and relationship, you find many young lives that have been wasted and are still being wasted for walking in their ways in marriage and relationship matters.
People do not know that marriage matters are destiny matters that we should not step into walking in our own ways.
The phrase Destiny matters, describe things that determines a man’s eternal destination after death. They also describe things that determines a man’s peace on this side of eternity. Waking in our ways, especially in destiny matters, has a way of keeping us very away from the mercies of the LORD demonstrated on the cross.
There are lives in the Bible that can speak to us this morning about the terrible consequence of walking in our own ways. From the life of king Saul to the life of Judge Samson.
In the days of the Bible, judges were likened to the apostles of the New Testament because they were called to set things in order under God when Israel had not come into the years of monarchy rule.
So whenever Judges or kings that ruled the nation, underestimate the power of walking in their own ways by abandoning the ways of the LORD, things do not usually end well with them and the entire nation. Because a twist will come in, leading to a season of defeat in wars, death and destruction.
For instance, King Saul underestimated the power of walking in his own ways in his days, which was why he abandoned the ways of the LORD and ended up in a shrine to consult a witch. I think he became so blind by his rebellion like many today, and began to consider the women to be a prophetess of God, like many do today.
When rebellion or ignorance blindfold you, every witch and wizard operating as a prophet or prophetess will be considered to be a servant of the LORD by your ignorant or rebellious heart.
THAT IS PART OF THE CURSE THAT FOLLOW IGNORANT OR REBELLIOUS CHRISTIANS.
You will be doing exactly what Saul did, and certain demons will be masquerading as the Holy Spirit, angels or departed saints to speak to you like the demon that masqueraded as Samuel to speak to Saul. Sadly, you will believe and take them to be God like he did.
Amazingly, people who read that portion of the Bible today still think it was Samuel that Saul really spoke to. That is how bad the case is even today. That is why we are seeing tragic ends of rebellious people.
God will later kill Saul for doing so, meaning, God could allow you to die for going to consult a witch or wizard who parades themselves as His servants. That is why some of those we have prayed for to be saved from the curse that came upon them for walking with false prophets and prophetesses, do not survive. They die!
Child of God it is very expensive to walk with a false prophet or prophetess. It is very expensive to support their ministries with your finances in the name of tithing to them of seeding. It is very expensive to be their spiritual sons and daughters. You may die carelessly like Saul.
The Bible says,
“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.
But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore, He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.” 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 NKJV
Of late, people are dying for the same reason Saul died and many are on their way to the grave for the same reason. This is very saddening because they went to those people thinking they were servants of the LORD. And God warned them in some ways but they did not listen.
God will never allow you to die by the sword of falsehood without sending warnings. It is just that we do not listen. Most times we go as far as cutting off links with those God has built over the years to be used in warning people of falsehood in the Church like Saul did by killing the priests of Nod.
And once you have cut the ties or contacts, you will remain at the mercy of the witch or wizard. If you see the kind of hatred coming form those who call themselves pastors in Kenya against our ministry, you will understand what am saying. Satan will stir you to kill the voices that God would have used to save you from falsehood, by cutting off ties with them before sending the sword to cut you down.
The so called pastor network want their victims kept under falsehood until they are slayed by the sword of falsehood. But the gates of hell shall not prevail.
There also some who are not with prophetess and prophets of darkness but operate the very divination spirit they operate. These ones are still on the danger list. They operate in the very spirit those witches and wizards called prophet and prophetess operates.
Everything about divination brings people under the gates of death. You must know that!
And how do people contact this spirit? Some is by inheritance, others by transfer from one with it, to one who desire it thinking he or she is receiving an anointing or blessing. People also come under the spirit by walking their own ways in destiny matters.
Again, it is very expensive to walk in your own ways.
Those who walk in their own ways end up carrying the spirit of divination by attempting to walk in the supernatural while living sinful or rebellious lives. You find so many becoming partners of shrines of witches and wizards paraded as prophetic altars or ministries, like Saul became.
SADLY, THEY HAVE A WAY OF ENDING TRAGICALLY LIKE SAUL ENDED.
That is why the authentic gospel will show you the ways of the LORD, and urge you to cease walking in your own ways. You own way of getting and staying married, your own way of pursuing money, your own way of running ministry, your own way of pursing a career, your own way of doing things.
The Bible made it clear that if you lead a Christian life that walks in your own way, you will end up carrying the spirit of divination or associating with those who carries it.
If you carry the spirit of divination or associate with those who carry it, it will be treated as a prophetic anointing because of your blindness, resulting in a tragic ending. But God sent this word this morning to prevent that from happening. He wants us saved from the sword of falsehood.
People who walk in their own ways lead a Christian life that is good at consulting mediums for guidance. They lead a Christian life that is described by the LORD as unfaithfulness. If they do not turn from it, they will find themselves sharing in the heritage of Saul. The heritage of tragic end.
The life of Saul tells us that the power of walking in our own ways should not be underestimated.
Other Bible characters comes to mind at this point. Samson underestimated the power of walking in his own ways and lost his anointing on the laps of Delilah. David underestimated the power of walking in his own ways (sleeping with another man’s wife), and the result was devastating. He lost his sons and almost lost the Throne.
There lives teaches that if we underestimate the power of walking in our own ways and start having sexual relations with people we are not legally married to like David did, destruction will break out in our lives like it did in his life. Sadly, preachers who use David to cover their sexual sins, do not tell people that.
Many in Church today have underestimated the power of walking in their sinful ways; the power of walking or living in sexual sins, hatred, rebellion, bitterness, jealousy, lust, pride, drunkenness, deceit, the love of money, wickedness, vengeance and etc. leading to the destruction of many lives.
You must understand that Sons and daughters of Jesus Christ who underestimate the power of walking in their own ways will always loose precious blessings in the kingdom.
There is only one thing God wants us to do to our own ways, He wants us to turn away from them.
HE WANTS US TO HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP WITH THEM.
Our ways are part of the unfruitful works of darkness. That is why the Bible warned;
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret (Ephesians 5:11-12 NKJV).
Sometimes people do not know that their own ways are part of the unfruitful works of darkness that are to expose to the rights ears; things we should have no fellowship with. Sadly, many are having fellowship with their evil ways because they are right in their own eyes. A blindness has covered them!
Some of us do not even know that the many deeds that appear righteous in the eyes of the present Church are evil in God’s eyes; that is why GOD is raising apostolic and prophetic ministries to help us.
God ordained insightful EYE OPENING, and amazing restorations to be part of the things we get when we give ourselves entirely to hearing and following the authentic gospel. That is why you find every genuine apostolic mandate opening the eyes of people.
A major highlight in our devotional text today says;
“I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins.”
This was the mandate God handed over to Paul during His salvation experience. It remains the mandate the true Church. That is why any gospel ministry or Church assembly, that is not turning people from darkness to light, by opening their eye to abandon their wicked ways, is considered a failed ministry in the kingdom. most of them are gates of hell.
I pray that as you go through this day, the Spirit of the living God will keep ringing the bell of abandoning your own ways in your spirit man. You will not cease hearing Heaven using the truths you have been taught by the teachers of the word God set over you, to say to you, “here is the way, walk in it.”
It is a new day for you in Jesus precious name!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY
For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you.
And though the Lord gives you The bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers.
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:19-21 NKJV