TODAY’S DEVOTION (FRIDAY 3RD JUNE 2022)
“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places. Deuteronomy 33:26-29 KJV
WELCOME TO THE 154TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE
This is the day the LORD has made we shall rejoice and be glad in it. He has woken us up again and given us the refreshing of spirit to start a new day. There is not need for boosting it with any herb or beverage, His presence remains the boost.
His presence will not always get you slain in the Spirit. If not, we will be falling and rising under the anointing everywhere, we go because His presence is everywhere with us. It will not always get us slain and will still do the most amazing things in our lives without our natural senses even knowing that God is doing something.
Even in Church, the presence of God will not always get you slain in the Spirit to do the most significant work in your life. We have a lot of God’s manifest presence in our services, for example. Many get slain in the Spirit wherever they are, even at home while following on TV, and amazing things happen after that.
Yesterday I received a testimony from someone who attended the Cyrus Generation Service. Her menstrual circle was healed after the Spirit of God touched her and she was on the floor. She said she had never had a normal circle for the longest time. But God restored her right in the service.
So, there are those the Spirit will slain to do significant things in their lives and there are those who will not fall under the anointing but experience God very significantly doing amazing things in their lives also.
God is sovereign, He chooses how He manifest in our lives and sometimes we also have to be positioned to experience such manifestations. Once our hearts are willing, His power will be present to heal, deliver and set free.
It is a new month and we are already in the third day of the month. The weather here in Kenya is changing to a cold weather. This is the most challenging weather time of my life since I was not born where the weather is like this.
I WAS BORN IN A PART OF NIGERIA CALLED THE RAIN FOREST BY CLIMATE GURUS.
We have frequent rain but not cold. In fact, I use to play in the rain and follow the erosion to wherever it leads. My mum said to me that it did not start in my adult life. That when I was less than a year, I crawled into the rain without anyone seeing me and followed the erosion until I ended up in the forest nearby. When the rain stopped, they realized I was not around. They panicked and began to look for me everywhere.
After a little while they heard my voice afar off in the forest, screaming and shouting, caught in a plant that has a chemical that strikes the skin with some sings like a scorpion.
You see, until you get into a rain forest, you will never know what came out of the mouth of God when He said;
…”Let the earth put forth [tender] vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees yielding fruit whose seed is in itself, each according to its kind, upon the earth. And it was so.” Genesis 1:11 APMC
The Bible said,
“The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.” (Genesis 1:11-13 AMPC)
I have once seen a tree that brings out sap like blood. If you are the superstitious type or the over spiritual, you will say you saw a tree bleeding. I remember saying that too Until the sap was taken and I was proven wrong. My delusion said to me “there are trees that bleeds” after seeing that wonder.
You may ask
“Sir, why are you sharing about your life? Share the word!”
Well my life is around the word, and the word around my life. I have not known any other thing in my life apart from the word of the LORD. Besides this month is my birth month, so let us glean some truths around my life. It will be helpful at the end.
SO, MY MUM AND HER SIBLINGS FINALLY GOT HOLD OF ME AND THE REST AS THEY SAY IS HISTORY.
I grew up in the rain forest of Nigeria and spent my adult life in North Central part of Nigeria where the climate is temperate and sometimes hot. So, being in Kenya, Nairobi specifically, at this time of the year is usually challenging for me.
If I try to live here the way I lived in Nigeria at this time of the year, it will be suicidal. The preachers and their members who wants me dead will have a funeral to attend in celebration saying like the Philistines, “Our god has delivered Samson into our hands.”
I will not live here, especially at this time of the year, the way I lived in my home country. Yes, I will not!
For instance, Where I grew up, we take chilled water because of the weather. In fact, I eat ice blocks. Doing that here at this time of the year will kill me.
Also, at this time of the year in Kenya, you have to be taking hot beverages at all time. In some places you have to be on warm water all through. Now, I am not used to all that, posing a major challenge. I have tried severally to conform but it has not worked.
If it was in my power, I would have been leaving the country this time every year and returning when the cold season is over. But the work of the King requires no such thing.
The lesson here is, I was not born here and I did not grow up here. So, my system and entire chemistry usually fight to survive this season of the year. I had to use heaters to condition the environment around me to align with the environment where I grew up.
Now to the reason for all these stories about my life.
Moses and Jesus Christ had almost the same valedictory sessions when their time on earth was over. Moses wrote the entire book of Deuteronomy and brought out the revelation of the eternal God being our refuge as we can see in our devotional text, and Jesus spoke eternal words that are still valid today and will remain valid in the age to come.
ETERNAL WORDS ARE WORDS THAT TRANSCENDS THE POWER OF TIME BECAUSE OF THE REALM WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM.
You will never be able to speak eternal words from the heart of the Father, until you have one leg in time and the other in eternity. Both of them as men, spoke eternal things that tells us they had one leg in eternity and the other in time when they were speaking or writing the words. Jesus said;
“And [now] I am no more in the world, but these are [still] in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep in Your Name [in the knowledge of Yourself] those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We [are one].
While I was with them, I kept and preserved them in Your Name [in the knowledge and worship of You]. Those You have given Me I guarded and protected, and not one of them has perished or is lost except the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot—the one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost], that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
And now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts].
I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world.
I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one.
They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world. Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. John 16:11-17 AMPC
The first verse of this scripture tells us Jesus indeed had one leg in eternity and the other in time when he said “I am not longer in this world.” Remember then He had not died or resurrected yet saying such things. The last verses tell us that we are not of this world and presented to us how to survive in a world that we are not of.
THERE ARE GREAT LESSONS TO DRAW HERE THAT REFLECTED IN THE STORY I SHARED EARLIER.
For the purpose of understanding, I will say I am not of this weather because I was not born here neither did I grow up in this place. I have to create the weather where I was born here in order to survive here. I hope you understanding me!
It usually cost me so much because of electrical bills and other things I had to buy and so forth. People have suggested I take garlic and other stuff but I do not like the smell of garlic and those stuff. So, I had to spend some cash to create the weather of the place I was born here at this time of the year.
The import of this story is, we are not of this world, so to survive in it, we must create the environment of the world that we are off in this world. Though it will not be cheap because of the cost it will inflict on our flesh, but it will worth it if we are to survive a world that we are not of. The Bible says;
“We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19 AMPC
We cannot survive a world that is under the power of the evil one if we do not create the environment of the world that we are part of in it. We will give up and become part of it through what the Bible calls “friendship with the world,” which is enmity with God, and then die and go to the very hell it is going it.
The reason why our Fathers were slain, sawn in two, persecuted, or destroyed was because the world as we know it is under the power of the evil world and they decided not to maintain friendship with it.
They did not commit any crimes, they only preached the gospel; they brought a gospel that turned criminals into saints and took the hearts of men from the false gods that were worshiped to the true God that should be worshiped.
THAT WAS NOT A CRIME BUT THEY PAID DEARLY FOR IT BECAUSE THE WORLD IS UNDER THE POWER OF THE EVIL ONE.
You see, preaching is not a crime but if you live in a world that is under the power of the evil one, preaching of the gospel or preaching of the authentic gospel can be criminalized. Yes, Righteousness or needed preaching is usually criminalized and treated as wickedness by people who are under the power of the evil one.
For instance, what I said about the olive oil being used to pour in places and anointing business places is being resisted by people who are under the power of the evil one. That is why they issue threats and try to destroy our reputation.
Whatever is under the power of the evil one will pass away when the evil one will be passing away! The Bible says;
“And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.” 1 John 2:17 AMPC
The world is under the power of the evil one. This scripture made it clear that it is going to pass away. That is why God placed us in a world that we are not part of. It is important that we create the environment of the world that we are part of so that we will not become part of a world that we are not part of and pass away with it.
To create the environment, you must understand and be familiar with the world that you are part of. That is why Christ gave some to be teaching apostles and Prophets; to tell us about the world that we are part of.
The Church have been ignorant of the revelation, that is why we have all become worldly and the world churchy.
We have developed great friendship with the world and lost touch with our real WORLD – the world of the eternal GOD. That is why we are like them in every bit. For instance, there is no difference between our marriages and theirs. There is no difference between our paradigms and theirs.
THE SPIRIT OF LAWLESSNESS RULES THEM AND THE SAME SPIRIT RULES US.
Our love for the world has made us lovers of pleasure more than lovers of GOD. We will not even align with God’s truth on use of oil, salts and all the nonsense we use in prayer, which are not fulfilling the great commission in any way!
We do not outsource our lives from the world we are of – the world of the eternal God. That is why for many He is not manifesting in their lives as their refuge. Hence walking in fear all the time. If the God of Heaven and earth begin to manifest in our lives as the eternal God, we will not be walking in fear.
Our devotional text tells us what will even be happening in the lives of those who make themselves our enemies. From God riding upon the heaven in our help, and in His excellency in the sky, to Him thrusting the enemy before us to say destroy, we will become a people saved by the LORD, kept in His everlasting arms. Hallelujah!
The verse says,
“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places. Deuteronomy 33:26-29 KJV
Remember, the focus of the Cry of the Spirit this month is on neutralizing unholy fear. The world that we are part of has no fear in it.
Fear is the environment of the world that we are not part of. So, whenever we become afraid, we should remember we have just tapped into a world that we are not part of and go back to God’s word of promise, and meditate on it.
It is through Holy Spirit enabled meditation that we get back to the world that we are part of. It is my prayer that the LORD will use these words and add to the building of our faith as He give us more inheritance among they that are sanctified Christ. Amen!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.
I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:97-105 NKJV