TODAY’S DEVOTION (Sunday 12th May 2019)
“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” 1 John 5:19 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 133RD DAY OF OUR YEAR OF GOING FORWARD.
I trust the LORD to do a work in our lives today even as we get ready for corporate fellowship in our different Church groups.
Today the LORD has a word for us from the Cry of His Spirit!
You see, the fall of man indeed handed over all delegated control of the earth to the evil one until Jesus came. Even at that, the whole world is still under his sway. The devil has not stopped killing, stealing and destroying despite the first coming of Christ.
Where can one really hide from the devil and all his evil works since the whole is under his sway? Can we hide under our beds, or in the sea? Where can we really hide from the evil one?
The Only place we can hide from the evil one is under the ROCK OF AGES! And one way to hide under Him is to listen to Him speak to us by His Holy Spirit daily.
The Bible makes it clear that Day unto Day He utters wisdom and He has been doing that to us through these devotionals. This month He is speaking to us about becoming deeply Intimate with Him.
You see, the ROCK OF AGES has been reduced to a prosperity charm by many in the Church today. As a result, everything about God, the Bible and Christianity is all about money to so many people. There is also another breed who take fame as the reason for serving God. They want to be flying to the best places of the world to display how faithful their God is.
Almost everyone in Church today has a carnal reason for serving God. We either go to Church to get married, be saved from witches and wizards, be free from poverty, become famous in the land etc. Eternity is not really the treason for serving God.
TO SO MANY, INHERITING THIS FALLEN EARTH AND ITS RICHES IS THE ULTIMATE REASON FOR SERVING GOD!
A large percentage of people go to Church for earthly reasons hence becoming gullible and falling into the hands of wolves and mediums called prophets and prophetesses. When God prosper us, we start using the money for pleasure rather than for God. The Spirit of God wrote by the hands of Paul saying;
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”
“unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” 2 Timothy 3:1-6 NKJV
These dangerous times are upon us and many are not even aware!
There has never been a time the Church has loved pleasure more than GOD than now. It has empty us of the presence of the true God and plagued us a life that is full of forms of godliness but no power. Living very powerless lives on the face of the earth has become the hall mark of most Christians.
So many of us run after the earthly at the expense of the eternal.
Everyone wants to fly out to some countries and explore the world. And these are supposed to be born again Christians who God has called to be soldiers of the cross. But we disqualify ourselves from the call by entangling ourselves with the affairs of this life.
A generation that runs after the earthly at the expense of the eternal will always run into the prepared attacks of their enemies. They will fall under the sword of their enemies. That is why lovers of pleasure in the Kingdom do not last long. They are easily cut down by the evil one. You find them running senselessly into the satanic and falling under its sword.
OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT TODAY SAID THE WHOLE WORLD LIES UNDER THE SWAY OF THE EVIL ONE.
If you love pleasure more than God, the evil one will successfully sway people to destroy you. The easiest way to set yourself up for sudden destruction is to replace pleasures with countless hours with God and His word.
In fact, those who truly spend countless hours with God do not have time for pleasure. Their taste buds and feelings will be so fine-tuned with God’s eternal glories that earthly pleasure will look like filth to them.
THAT IS WHY I WONDER WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING TO OUR SO CALLED PREACHERS WHO LOVE GOING ALL OVER THE WORLD TO SPEND THE PEOPLE’S TITHES AND OFFERINGS ON PLEASURE TRIPS SALTED WITH FEW GOSPEL MEETINGS AS A COVER UP! Obviously, we have lost the glory like the devil and have been confined to the anointing. That is why we do that.
Men who carry the glory do not go for pleasure trips. They go for prophetic trips.
While Satan is busy creating more pleasurable sites on earth and stirring the world towards a deep love for pleasure, the Holy Ghost is busy calling on us the elect to get intimate with Jesus Christ. Whose call will you heed to.
The Call you heed to will determine your peace in this devil infested world and the life to come. Don’t forget what we started this devotional with. Since the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one where can we hide from the devil and his evil works? We can only hide in the ROCK OF AGES through Deep intimacy with His Holy Spirit. That is the only place to hide. That is where the Psalmist called “the secret place of the Most High.”
Here is the secret; he that dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. But he that dwells in the secret place of earthly pleasure shall abide under the shadow of sudden destruction. The Choice is yours!
Again I ask, will you heed the call to be deeply intimate with Jesus or you will respond to the call to be one of those who love earthly pleasure more than God?
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY;
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.”
“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Psalms 91:1-8 NKJV