TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 13TH March 2022)
“For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all mankind.
It has trained us to reject and renounce all ungodliness (irreligion) and worldly (passionate) desires, to live discreet (temperate, self-controlled), upright, devout (spiritually whole) lives in this present world,” Titus 2:11-12 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 72ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE
The LORD our God is faithful. He has given us life and sustained us with His breath for 72 days of this year. We are confident He will do the same the remaining days of the year.
As we embrace today, let us remember that we have a responsibility under God, to fear Him, allow His word to guide us, and serve our generation according His will. Let us treat our fellow humans right and not forget that God has a written judgement for every evil deed.
The Bible says;
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV
Many of us do not understand that the purpose of God’s grace is to help us do good deeds. It is to purge and guide us (from our secret or private lives to our public lives) so that we can live a life enabled for God-deeds not just good deeds, in a perverse and crooked generation.
Ordinarily, none of us can be measure up to God’s standard, that is why grace came to help us measure up to His standard.
Yes, None of us can stand in judgement because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But God’s grace was release to help us get an acquittal in Judgment, by functioning as an enabler of a right living that is pure and Holy before the LORD.
Our devotional text says;
“For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all mankind.
It has trained us to reject and renounce all ungodliness (irreligion) and worldly (passionate) desires, to live discreet (temperate, self-controlled), upright, devout (spiritually whole) lives in this present world,” Titus 2:11-12 AMPC
FROM THIS SCRIPTURE, IT IS CLEAR THAT ANY GRACE THAT IS NOT DELIVERING US FROM SIN IS AN ETERNAL GRAVE BEING PRESENTED AS GRACE.
Genuine grace will train us to reject and renounce all ungodliness and worldly desires.
To train is to teach a person a particular skill or type of behavior through practice and instruction over a period of time. God’s grace was released to teach us the skill of saying no to sin, thereby shaping our character or behavior through instructions in righteousness, and molding us to become Christlike.
If you read the Bible carefully, you will realize that this Grace from God have to work in us first, before working for us.
God designed His grace to work in us, by sanctifying and purifying our souls, so that we can lead holy and righteous lives. That is the only way it can work for us in the day of judgement. I hope you understand me..
Anyone who resist the grace of God from working in him, now, has resisted it from speaking for him on the Judgement day. Grace will never speak for who He did not work in.
Grace is the person of Christ manifesting His mercies in our lives; washing and delivering us from the penalty and practice of sin.
There can be no consecrated Christian living without His dynamic working, animating truths in our spirits and sanctifying our souls. He works that way in us while we are in this life so that He can speak for us in the life to come.
This 31-day journey is part of the activities of God’s grace to bring into perfection or maturity, as commanded by the LORD.
We have been looking at the salvation of the soul or the sanctification of all the five units that constitute our souls. The intelligence is the third unit we have been examining.
If we become sanctified in our intelligence, we will not be wise in doing evil. That was made clear in previous days. But there is something more!
The unit of the soul called intelligence has been defined as the unit that helps us in acquiring and applying knowledge, and skills. Without this unit learning will not be possible. There would be no certificates or even schools. This is the unit that helps us to read our books, write our exams, answer questions, solve issues, give counsel, provide leadership, reason, and do so much.
All mental exploits are products of this unit of the soul. That is why those who have no prowess in this area do not progress much in life. People do not realize that our progress in life depends on GOD and on the intelligence, He has given us.
IN CHURCH, MANY OF US THINK PROGRESS IS BY MUCH PRAYERS.
But in reality, progress is by intelligence. It is what is our heads that pits us ahead not necessarily what is on our lips.
What you find on the lips is a product of what is in the head; the intelligence. So, it is the proper application of our intelligence that is responsible for progress in life. That is why even when we pray, God’s initial response will be to boost our intelligence.
So when I say much progress is not always by much prayers, am referring to prayers that does not boost our intelligence.
There are prayers that does not boost human intelligence. In fact, it makes it stupid. It makes it over spiritual and completely disconnect it form reality, bringing someone to the realm of illusionary living.
That is why if we are not praying prayers that will help put our brain to work, we will have a lot to contend with, despite our prayers. If our prayers are not boosting our intelligence to make proper decisions, we will remain backwards in life despite our prayers.
Ordinarily, righteous prayers should boost our intelligence. The Bible says;
“ Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).” Jeremiah 33:3 AMPC
Right prayers boost the human intelligence by showing it things while in prayer; things that are great, mighty, fenced in and hidden in the spirit realm concerning any issue at stake, thereby boosting the intelligence. That is when we are able to distinguish, recognize, have knowledge of and understand the issues at stake while in prayer.
WHEN WE GET UP FROM OUR KNEES FROM SUCH INTELLIGENCE BOOSTING PRAYERS, WE BEGIN TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT GUARANTEE SUCCESS.
In other words, every intelligence boosting prayer brings forth an action that guarantees success. It was intelligence boosting prayer that Solomon prayed that made him the richest and wisest king to have ever lived. The Bible says;
“Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
Now, O LORD my God, you have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 1 Kings 3:4-12 NKJV
THERE IS SO MUCH IN THIS SCRIPTURE TO UNCOVER.
But the bottom line is, a man asked God for a boost in his intelligence and got much more than He asked. When was the last time did you spend days in prayer asking God to boost your intelligence? The Bible says;
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways”. James 1:5-8 NKJV
This scripture is a direct instruction from the LORD requesting that we ask for a boost of our intelligence. It is a boosted intelligence that results in a successful life. It is responsible for elevations, advancements and promotions in life. Meaning, most lives of failure and retrogression and etc. are caused by lack of proper use of the intelligence.
Someone must start praying intelligence boosting prayers so that his or her life can improve. You have been praying prayers that are not boosting your intelligence, now stop. Such prayers will never improve your life. Now start praying like Solomon. Start praying prayers that will boost your intelligence and improve your life.
Someone may ask, “how will a divine intelligence boost help us to build a consecrated life?” Daniel will have a lot to tell us in this regard! But let me make some things clear to us!
You see, sin is the greatest killer of things from above. If God grace you with a boosted intelligence through prayer, you will begin to see the need to protect it through consecrations. You will come to the very decision Daniel came to while in Babylon. Remember, he ended up becoming the most intelligence administrator in ancient Babylon and Persia. The Bible says;
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.” Daniel 1:8-9 NKJV
His decision to stay clean and avoid all forms of defilement to protect what they carry, made him and his friend ten times better than the rest. He knew he had a divine boosted intelligence, and sort to keep it pure because in God’s kingdom, it takes purity to keep Heavenly treasures powerful and effective.
I will stop here! We pick up tomorrow.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR TODAY!
Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”
So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.”
So, he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.
And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore, they served before the king.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.” Daniel 1:9-20 NKJV