TODAY’S DEVOTION (SATURDAY 3RD DECEMBER 2022)
“But please, Job, hear my speech, and listen to all my words. Now, I open my mouth; My tongue speaks in my mouth.
My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge.
The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Job 33:1-4 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 336TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
We thank the LORD for giving us this day and give Him the glory for keeping us alive and well. The clock is ticking as we get closer and closer to the end of the year as determined by the Gregorian calendar.
Each of the days we have seen tells us what to expect in the days we are yet to see. If you do not have confidence in God, so long as the rest of this year and so long as the approaching year is concerned, just take a look at what the LORD did in your life during the days that you have already seen. It will give you faith for the days you are yet to see.
It pleases our LORD and savior Jesus Christ that we begin another 31-day journey of faith after the ones we have already had this year.
This time around we are journeying with the Holy Spirit on what He cried in his word, the Bible, about “the presence of God.” We call it 31-Day journey of faith with the Cry of the Spirit on the Presence of GOD.
We are on the third day of this journey. The LORD has already opened our hearts to some living truths on the subject. I am set for more; I believe you are set too!
Let me begin with an Old Testament family, and glean some truths from them as we launch into the subject of our contemplation.
One of the beautiful women who ever lived in Bible days was the mother of Samuel. Her name was Hannah!
In those days, polygamy was tolerated by God, so she was the first wife of one of the uncommon men in Israel. She was terribly persecuted by the second wife. The man’s name was Elkanah the Son of Jeroham, the Son of Zuph, an Ephramite.
I brought this woman to our attention because she married a man who could manage his home well. He was able to manage her seasons of travail very well as well.
I call this great Ephramite an uncommon man because he was one of the few men in the Bible that knew how to prepare their families to meet the LORD.
EVERY FATHER SHOULD KNOW THAT OUR FIRST CALLING IS TO BE PRIESTS OVER OUR HOMES.
And one of the assignments of a priest is to prepare those God has committed to them to appear before the LORD. This man was a worthy priest of his household, and knew how to do that. He knew how to get every member of his house ready for the annual prophetic assembly in Shiloh (that was before meeting at Shiloh was abolished by the LORD).
He placed substance in the hands of members of his household and made sure none of them appeared before GOD empty handed as it was required in those days. He made sure they faithfully appeared before the LORD. The Bible says;
“This man went from his city year by year to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were the Lord’s priests.
When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give to Peninnah his wife and all her sons and daughters portions [of the sacrificial meat].” 1 Samuel 1:3-4 AMPC
So many men today do not even care about getting their families ready for the presence of the LORD. Some do not even go the Church. They send their wives and kids to go while they stay away. That is not good. It is those who appear before GOD corporately that God will appear in their lives powerfully, especially to sort out their problems.
We can position each member of our households as men to be blessed if we take up our roles and begin to do what this ancient man did.
HIS FAITH LED TO HIS WIFE’S ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD.
The Bible says;
“The family rose early the next morning, worshiped before the Lord, and returned to their home in Ramah. Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
Hannah became pregnant and in due time bore a son and named him Samuel [heard of God], Because, she said, I have asked him of the Lord.
And Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow.” 1 Samuel 1:19-21 AMPC
We hinder so much in the lives of our families as men if we do not lead the way in and bring them into the corporate presence of the LORD. We will hinder them from being enriched with the power of the LORD. We will hinder each child and member of our house from receiving blessings from the LORD. Things that were barren in their lives will never be fruitful.
The wife of Elkanah, Hannah would later conceive by the power of God. But the conception was not just that of a Child in her womb but prophetic powers in her spirit which broke forth on her lips.
You do not know the prophetic grace our families receive if we, as men, lead them into the corporate presence of the LORD.
Under the prophetic powers that Hannah received, courtesy of her husband who led her to the corporate presence of the LORD, the women vomited mysteries that generations after generations have come to uncover. What a woman she became because of the kind of man she married.
May every man reading this become a catalyst of spiritual greatness and progress in the life of his household, in Jesus precious name.
One of the things that the wife of this man called Elkanah said, unveiled the character and nature of God to us. She said;
“No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
“Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” 1 Samuel 2:2-3 NKJV
When women who bring forth Children like Samuel speak, they vomit concealed things that must be unsealed. One of the concealed things here is in the last line of the verse.
IT SAYS “THE LORD IS THE GOD OF KNOWLEDGE; AND BY HIM ACTIONS ARE WEIGHED”
We cannot be walking with the God of knowledge and not be blessed with revelation knowledge along the way. That is why I believe, by the time we are through with this 31-day journey, like every other one we have undertook, our hearts will be filled with great revelation knowledge on the presence of the LORD.
There is something the LORD impressed in my heart today about the presence of God which I will like to share at this point.
Originally, mankind was created by the presence of the LORD (and as we saw it yesterday), he was placed in a supernatural Habitat called the presence of the LORD to live, the presence of the LORD therefore is all we need on this side of eternity. The last verse of our devotional text says;
“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Job 33:4 NKJV
This was one of the revelatory words that came out of the mouth of one of the Friends of Job who came to console him in his days of trial. Though he, like the rest of his colleagues, would later say things that God never liked, this one was an exception because of its accuracy.
What he said (the Spirit of the LORD has made me the breath of the Almighty gives me life) reminds me of how man was created.
The Bible says, God, in His concentrated presence, created the clay, and in the same density of glory super imposed Himself into the clay and the clay got up and became a living being called “mankind” or “Adam.”
I hope you understand me!
THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN BECOME IN THIS LIFE WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD.
Understand that the righteous is not designed to become anything significant without the active presence of the LORD running through him or her.
That is why if the righteous attempt to become anything in this life without the active presence of the LORD making it happen, it will definitely destroy him or her either in time or eternity.
This must have been what Elkanah knew that made him to make it a duty to take his household to the corporate presence of God as the LORD commanded.
He knew that he and his family were nothing without the presence of the LORD. He made sure that every opportunity to appear before God was not ignored or wasted.
He got Himself and family ready for each opportunity, paying every price that was necessary under the law, and God responded by making him the father of one of the greatest prophets in Israel. He became a significant man that generation have come to know and read about.
Eyes have not seen nor ears heard what God will bless you with if you lead the way in bringing your family to the corporate presence of the LORD. You only need to find a Church that carry the active presence of the LORD and make it your spiritual home, attending every meeting until your household receive a peg in the holy place.
May the LORD use these few thoughts that He inspired to further build our faith up and give us an inheritance among they that are sanctified.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY…
“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who fears, reveres, and worships the Lord, who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandments.
For you shall eat [the fruit] of the labor of your hands; happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) shall you be, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of your house; your children shall be like olive plants round about your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you out of Zion [His sanctuary], and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;
Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!” Psalm 128:1-6 AMPC