TODAY’S DEVOTION (FRIDAY 22ND April 2022)
“In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts).
[Thus you were circumcised when] you were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [[h]to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [[i]as displayed] when He raised Him up from the dead.
And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions,
Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross.
[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].” Colossians 2:11-15 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 112TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE
It is another weekend of the Year, and it please the LORD that we be alive and well, to see it. Now, for a moment, forget about whatever you may be going through, or may have done wrong that is grieving you and thank Him.
Forget about the darkness that you may be struggling to come out from and thank Him for light; thank Him for your redemption and for being your mercy seat. As our mercy seat, He took away our judgment. He will not allow the enemy of sin, iniquity or trespass to have the final say in your life. So thank Him!
The Bible made it clear that God have been mindful of us. Yes, He is still mindful of you even after you have sinned. That is why His greatest vision for your life when you are sinning is to come to repentance, not judgment.
Most times we think punishment and judgment is His vision; especially if you are righteous in your ways and pure in your heart and then find yourself in sin, you begin to think of punishment from God. But His ultimate for our lives at the time of sinning against Him is always not punishment or judgement but repentance.
The Bible says;
“The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 AMPC
Look at that word, “extraordinarily patient.” When you depart from the ways of the LORD, do not keep going that path thinking yours is over, like Adam hide himself in the trees saying all is lost. I believe if Adam had not hide Himself, had it come out looking for God and saying “Father where are you, we have sinned” the story would have been different. But Her allowed God to be the one looking for him.
Please when you fall into sin, be the one looking for God to help you out and bring you back to paths of righteousness. Do not allow God to be the one looking for you. You may not like what will happen when He finds you. He is extraordinarily patient towards us all, especially when trapped in sinful living or growing in grace.
So, when you find yourself in sin, do not think that instant punishment or judgment is on the way. Again, I say He is is extraordinarily patient towards us when we are found in sin, looking for our repentance not our destruction. Let that get sealed in your spirit; however, let it not strengthen your hands to keep sinning. Let it rather push you out of sin and bring you to repentance.
THE BIBLE DID NOT SAY GOD IS PATIENT, THE BIBLE SAYS HE IS EXTRAORDINARILY PATIENT.
That is heavier than what any can conceive. His extraordinary patience is not because He loves sin or want us to continue in it. It is not because no one can be perfect. It is because everyone can be perfect through His extraordinary patience. The miracle working power of His extraordinary patience is responsible for many of us still being in the faith even after the abominable things we had done, and some of us are still doing.
It is because of the miracle of His extraordinary patience that even the wicked are not destroyed at the instant of their wickedness. They are given a long time to repent; to see God’s vision for their lives come to pass. If the LORD has such a package for the wicked, how much for His righteous ones who just became careless and slip back into a life of sin.
Wake up from the pool of sin and get back to God. That is the doctrine of Christ. He demonstrated the doctrine when the women caught in adultery was brought to Him, and still demonstrate it today. It is called the doctrine of His mercies; it wants to see us repent not perish in our sinful ways and rebellious lives.
Do not forget that GOD is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance. So, when next you find yourself in sin, do not dream of punishment or instant judgment. It will never come in most cases. Dream and press into repentance; press into God’s vision for your life at that time.
Keep pressing through prayers and re-dedication, even if it is not working. Just keep pressing like Peter and David. You will one day find repentance and get back to the paths of righteousness.
DO NOT GIVE UP OR LISTEN TO THE SEDUCTION OF THE FLESH.
Sadly, when we did not see instant judgment or punishment for our sinful deeds, due to God’s extraordinary patience, instead of repenting from our sins, we are deceived to repeat them. Our flesh will tell us, “that is it. I told you nothing will happen. Just go on feeding me with that sin.”
But that is a very dangerous thing, because persistent sin first makes us food for demons to feed on, not rebels for God to judge. If you understand that you will not go on responding to your flesh. You will make use of God’s extraordinary patience to quit that life of sin.
Look at what God said to Satan when he was being judged for stepping into the Garden to do what he did. The Bible says;
“And the Lord God said to the serpent, because you have done this, you are cursed above all [domestic] animals and above every [wild] living thing of the field; upon your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust [and what it contains] all the days of your life. Genesis 3:14 AMPC
The words “dust and what it contains” in this scripture is not sand but sinful deeds; basically, deeds from the filthiness of the flesh and the filthiness of the spirit. The filthiness the flesh are things like sexual sins, strife, drunkenness, and etc. The filthiness of the spirit are things like hate, pride, unforgiveness, and etc.
You may not be a fornicator, adulterer or a drunk, but if you hate anyone, do not forgive those who offend you but seek revenge, if you walk in bitterness or pride persistently, you will be food for demons one day. That is what you should remember if you find yourself sinning again and again.
Do not think of instant punishment from God because it may never come, on this side of eternity because the Bible says God will bring everything into judgement, and there is a day set for it. Work towards making sure you do not fill your life with sinful deeds.
MAKE SURE THAT WHAT THE ENEMY IS GOING ABOUT LOOKING FOR TO FEED ON IS NOT FOUND IN YOUR LIFE.
Make sure the dust of the filthiness of the flesh or the filthiness of the spirit do not cling for too long to you, else your life will become playing ground for demons because of the sinful deeds they may find to feed on.
Understand that there are wicked spirits that goes around looking for sinful deeds to feed on. Yes, there are wicked spirits that goes about looking for sinful deeds to feed on. The Bible says
“Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 AMPC
He will never seize and devour those who have no sinful deeds in their lives for Him to feed on. It is when he finds something to feed on in our lives that he can seize us and begin to devour us; when he finds something to feed on in our marriages, he can destroy them. When he finds something to feed on in our health, he can destroy our health. When he finds something to feed on in our families from generation to generation, he can be unleashing destruction in our families from generation to generation.
The goal of the Christian faith is to make sure the enemy do not find something to feed on in our lives. That brings us back to our 30 day consideration – Doctrine; specifically, the doctrine of Christ on spiritual life. Jesus said in His word;
“And now I have told you [this] before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may believe and have faith in and rely on Me.
I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]” John 14:29-30 APMC
If you want to live a peaceful life in time and eternity, these precious words of Christ must be given double attention, and your personal life checked from time to time with the light in the verse. Yes, we must from time to time, beam the light in the verse upon our lives with the truths buried in it.
THERE ARE TRUTHS THAT CAN BE GLEANED FROM WHAT THE LORD SAID HERE.
First of all, Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly, but we can never have that life and peacefully enjoy it if the prince of this world finds a sinful deed in our lives to feed on. That is one of the major truths to glean from this scripture. Persistent sin will first make us food to be fed on not rebels to be punished by the LORD.
We can never have the life Jesus came to give us and see His promises come to pass in our lives if the devil has a claim on us, or something in common with us, or something that belongs to him in our lives. No believer can enjoy this life if the enemy has something in common with them. None of us can enjoy the blessings of the LORD if he has a claim on our lives.
None, and I say none, no matter how prayerful, can enjoy the best God has to offer having something that belongs to him in their lives.
In our short holiday trip to Nigeria, we saw this truth again and again.
I had just dropped my mum off with my car and driving back to the Transcorp Hilton where are lodging when these things begin to come to my mind. She had traveled over 10 hours to come see the kids because we could not go to the village due to obvious reasons. Then I began to share the experiences I had in my early ministry when I had some people who I now know belong to the devil in my life.
All the 19 years I spent with them, there was no aorta of progress in my life. The LORD’s presence was in my life stronger than what it is today. I had raw revelations and greater grace, but saw no progress in my life for those 19 years. I would have ended in a pit of sorrows if I had not separated from them.
What brought the stories of the experience back to mind was what I heard. I was told since 2014 that I left them, they are still in one spot. I mean no progress in their ministry. I saw how my life would have been if I had not acted madness and left them. Indeed, if you have people who belong to the prince of this world in your life, he will have power over you no matter how prayerful you may be.
Most time people carry men and women who belong to Satan (by the kind of life they are living) and make them their allies, ministry partners, church members or spouses. Blind people marry into families that belong to certain departments of the kingdom of darkness, hence unleashing hell upon their lives.
EVEN THOSE WHO CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN LED BY THE SPIRIT END UP IN THE PIT BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT DEALING WITH THE TRUE HOLY SPIRIT.
The truth remains, if the prince of this world has claim on us, or something in common with us, or things in us that belongs to him, he will keep having power over us. His attacks against us will be successful. He will be victorious in battle against us in all fronts.
That is why when you see a serious child of God being successfully oppressed of the devil, there is something in their life state is in common with him. If it is not something in common with him, it will be that he has a claim over them, or something that belongs to him exist in their lives.
By virtue of redemption, he should have no such ground in our lives. But because many of us are yet to experience the circumcision that redemption brings, that is why we are having such problems. Our devotional text says;
“In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts).
[Thus you were circumcised when] you were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [as displayed] when He raised Him up from the dead.
“And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions,
Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross.
[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].” Colossians 2:11-15 AMPC
From this scripture, it is clear that the death of Christ made it impossible for the enemy to have such legal ground in our lives.
But he still has in the lives of many, including believers because many of us are yet to be circumcised. We are yet to be circumcised with the circumcision not made with hands; the circumcision performed by Christ Himself using sound doctrine to strip us of the body of our corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts.
I think enough have been shared for the day; enough to absorb into our spirits and become all that God has called us to be.
In closing, I want to reiterate the need for the doctrine of Christ. That is the only doctrine that will strip us of the corrupt, carnal nature and its passion and lust, and help us not to give any place to the devil in our lives. That is the doctrine that will take us to the cross where such encounters happen.
The cross must strip us of the corrupt carnal nature with its passions and lust before it implements in our lives the cancellation of the handwriting that are written against us. This is one major truth that you do not hear any where except in the School of the Spirit. And since so many are not walking in the Spirit where the school exist, but in false doctrines and doctrine of devils, they are ignorant of it.
If the cross has not stripped you, what it cancels will remain valid in your life. If the cross has not stripped me, what it cancels will remain valid in my life. We must all understand that and align with it so that we will not be deceived by deliverance gurus and charlatans.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old un-renewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, rejecting all falsity and being done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another.
When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.
Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].
Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.
Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin). Ephesians 4:22-30 AMPC