TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 31ST JULY 2022)
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Therefore, many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?
Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” So there was a division among the people because of Him.
Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. John 7:37-44 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 213TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
It has indeed been two hundred and thirteen days of God’s amazing grace in our lives. Today completes the first month of the last half of the year. We are beginning the second month of the half tomorrow.
See what the LORD has done for us! Friends, It will be proper at this point to sit down for a moment and think of His goodness.
Think of every bit of what He has done for you, in you, and around you. Remember how He forgave your sins, how He healed your diseases, how He neutralize the enemy for you, how He made sure the rod of the wicked did not rest upon you.
Remember how He vindicated you, oh yes remember.
Remember how He fought your battles and struck the enemy before you. Remember how He answered your prayers.
Remember how He did not allow you to be put to shame, how He made darkness light before you, and guided you as the apple of His eyes. Let gratitude spring up from within you!
Yes, He took care of our families; our children went to school and returned safely. He was a refuge and a strong tower for us. We should remember all that.
Remember how each day brought a portion of His mercies to you.
The Bible says as our days so shall our strength be; meaning GOD will make sure the days do not diminish but increase our strength. He kept this word by daily loading us with benefits. We should not forget that.
Let us align with David this morning. Let us say;
“Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:” Psalm 103:1-2 NKJV
When you forget His benefits gratitude will disappear from your heart. When gratitude disappears from your heart, miracles will begin to vanish from your life. The things God does will begin to disappear, leaving you with mountains of impossibilities to be struggling with.
A LIFE THAT LACKS MIRACLES FROM GOD WILL BE A TERRIBLE LIFE TO LIVE.
It could be receiving miracles from the devil or any other realm, it will still be terrible. I am told the stories of those who went to a prophet here in Nairobi and another in Mombasa all in Kenya, to collect miracle water in other to make their businesses prosper.
The business prospered for a while, but other things began to diminish. Then the business also collapsed and the people slipped into depression. But they still follow those prophets and still use the waters.
Miracles from wrong sources will always ruin your life in the long run.
If they had met the LORD, the authentic Christ, He won’t have given them miracle water. He would have given them the Holy Spirit and made sure living waters flow out of belly or spirits. The living water is the Holy Spirit who is superior to any other force on earth.
As we can see in our devotional text, the LORD Himself said;
….“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39 NKJV
Today Jesus has been glorified. The Holy Spirit have been given. It’s been like that for two thousand years.
Whoever gives you water to pray with today is a scam. He or she is using dark powers to solve your problems. They could be preaching well but they are not doing you well with the water, oil, and etc. they give you for miracles.
Their ‘good’ preaching is just a smoke screen! Am not saying their deliverance from sinful living preaching. I said their ‘good’ preaching; their persuasive words of human wisdom. What the people want to see and hear.
From what Jesus said in our devotional text, it is clear that the Holy Spirit will not give anyone miracle or holy water today. Every miracle water today is from the water spirits. It is the spirits that manifest as snakes that you are provoking when you use water to pray.
I have met people who went as far as Nigeria from Kenya to collect such waters, whose homes are presently filled with the activities of the snake spirits. When they close their eyes to pray or sleep, they see them. To some, there are seasons when they experience some forces like a river or an ocean flowing into their homes.
ALL OF THEM WENT THROUGH A LOT OF OPPRESSION BEFORE COMING TO US.
We introduced those who were willing to Christ and they began a walk with Him under our tutelage until He gave them rest.
If you are using miracle or ‘holy‘ water to pray and are not experiencing oppression yet, it’s just a matter of time. What is even worst will begin to happen to you. Because even these victims of satanic deception that I met never experienced that at first.
Sadly, even after you have stopped, the snake spirits will keep following you because of the sacrifices you have made. It sealed a covenant with them.
So, they will keep following you until you begin a genuine walk with the LORD.
I did not say until you are prayed for. Being prayed for is good but it’s not always enough in some cases. A walk with the LORD is all you need.
For 31 days today, the LORD has been schooling us on miracles, signs and wonders. He has opened our understanding to some types of miracles that happen in His kingdom. This is to save those appointed unto Salvation from the deception that is on ground today.
When it comes to receiving miracles from the LORD, there are things you should never use in prayers. You may not like what we are saying but that’s the Bible truth.
As we have already seen, the LORD will never tell any of His servant to give you miracle or ‘holy‘ water, or oil to pray with or ask you to use any gadgets in prayer. All that have been abolished on the cross and fulfilled in Christ.
If you keep practicing what have been abolished on the cross, and fulfilled in Christ, you will hinder the power of the cross from working in your life. Only the power of the cross can replace curses with blessings, keep us beyond the reach of spiritual attacks, fill our hearts with peace, and deliver us from all oppressions of the devil without asking us for seeds.
USING THESE THINGS WILL NOT ONLY HINDER THE POWER OF THE CROSS IN YOUR LIFE, BUT WILL CONNECT YOU TO UNCLEAN SPIRITS THAT WILL OPPRESS YOU MUCH LATER.
Using those things will make sure you do not see scriptural promises made to our generation fulfilled in your life. Promises like having rest from the days of adversity, and all that.
God’s ultimate plan for your deliverance is to make you a carrier of His power in your spirit not a carrier of miracle gadgets that sorcerers give in the name of GOD.
No one will be oppressed of the devil or not prosper in business if he or she comes to the faith position in Christ where the Spirit of GOD flows out of our belly like living water. The early Church was full of such believers that’s why you will never see where water was given to any in the book of Acts.
Even the aprons they took from Paul were not duplicated or repeated because the spirit of lawlessness would have taken it over.
Sadly, people who are blind to this truth have been deceived by preachers who stood on that to practice sorcery on their life.
When it comes to matters of miracles, you must recognize the multitude of demons that people tap into, and others unleash upon their lives ignorantly in the name of seeking divine intervention. We must recognize the false Christ that is in charge of deliverance by seed sowing, miracle or ‘holy’ water, oil, salt, prayer clothes, soil, pots, and etc. and run away from him.
We must recognize that we will never have rest until we meet the true LORD. When we meet the true LORD, the manifestations will be different.
THE REST OF OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT SAYS;
Therefore, many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee?
Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” So, there was a division among the people because of Him.
Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.” John 7:38-44 NKJV
Those who said “this is the Christ” where accurate. Those who said “Truly this is the Prophet” were right but not accurate because Jesus was more than a prophet.
But those who said “will the Christ come out of Galilee” where dead wrong in all fronts, because they never saw the deity of Christ in manifestation. They were too used to the old wine that they could not recognize the new.
Now, let us carry out a short apostolic investigation on the first two audiences. Let’s sense the Cry of the Holy Spirit from their reaction
The Cry of the Spirit in the voice of the first audience tells us one way to recognize the true Christ today. It made it clear that when we met the true Christ, their will be an encounter that will cause His Spirit to begin to flow out of our bellies (human spirits).
The flow of the Spirit out of us will be like living waters. Hallelujah! It will turn our lives into a fruitful field and terminate all kinds of sufferings and afflictions. That is what every one in need of deliverance should pursue.
Show me a man or woman whose spirit has become a fountain of Living water, and I will show you a man or woman who will not need miracle or ‘holy’ water, oil, salt or etc. for their business to prosper.
The Bible simply said “whatever they do will prosper.”
That tells us that many so-called preachers and their members are yet to meet the LORD! That is why they use these inventions and teach others to use the same. The day the LORD Himself will unveil the depth of what we just stated to you, it will strike you with awe.
Now, let us see the Cry of the Spirit in the second audience.
The cry of the Spirit in the voice of the second audience tells us how a true prophet of GOD will function today. The Cry made it clear that a true New Testament prophet will push you into the substance of the shadows of the Old Testament.
He will bring you to the glory!
HE WILL NOT REPEAT THE PRACTICE OF THE SHADOWS ON YOU CALLING IT PROPHETIC ACTS.
He will not use oil, salt, water, pots, stones, prayer clothes or etc. to minister to you. He will push you into the reality of all the prophets demonstrated before the cross.
That is why prophetic ministry in the New Testament is different from prophetic ministry in the Old.
You do not see people like Isaiah who prophesied naked for three years, Jeremiah who made yokes, Elijah who called down fire and etc. you will see simple men and woman preaching the message of Christ and pushing men and women into GOD’s redemptive plans for their lives.
Any prophet who is not having same Characteristics is an end time prophet of Baal. There is a second coming of the prophets of Baal.
Child of God, It’s been a 31-day journey of faith on a very important topic of the kingdom. A lot have been shared, and there is a lot more yet to be shared. We believe whatever have been shared will change our lives and turn it around if we walk in its light.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
It is my prayer that you spend the rest of your days as a Christian contending for the faith!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3-4 NKJV