TODAY’S DEVOTION (MONDAY 26TH DECEMBER 2022)
“It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.” Mark 1:9-13 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 360TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
How time flies! It was like yesterday that “Happy New Year” screams ushered us into 2022. It was just like yesterday that some of us returned from our Cross Over Services.
Now the year has just five days to be over, according to the Gregorian calendar. Time indeed is on the run. However, it is not running to catch up with any one. It is just running to fulfill its destiny! I call it the manifestation of time.
The Bible unveiled the divine purpose of time when it says
“To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 AMPC).
From this scripture it is clear that time was created by GOD to fulfill redemptive matters and purposes in His eternal plans of mankind. One of them is the elimination of evil and the return of the human race to the timeless zone we once lived in as depicted in the Garden of Eden.
Yes, God created time to eliminate evil and all that constitutes the works of Satan, and return the human race to where we lived before the fall of man. It is just that this time around it is going to be a New Heaven and a New Earth where righteousness alone dwells.
That was what our Bible fathers looked for, and that is what every redeemed child of God today should look up to. The Bible says;
“But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which righteousness (uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God) is to abide.” 2 Peter 3:13 AMPC
The struggle and inadequacies of living in a fallen nature can be very terrible.
If you have not tasted a life of absolute uprightness in one hand and a life characterized by the bitter consequence of sin in the other, you will never understand what we are saying. You will never know how important it is to come into that New Heaven and New Earth where uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God exist.
IT IS AN EARTH WHERE THE ABILITY TO LIVE IN SIN WILL BE LOST FOREVER.
It is an Earth that will have a City called Jerusalem as its headquarters. That is why the Bible called it “the New Jerusalem.” The one we have now in Israel will be no more then. In fact, it will give way to the new one after the refurbishing of the earth as we know it with fire.
Yes, for those who do not know, the earth as we know it has its expiry date. It will be refurbished by the LORD to eternally wipe evil away from it. The first time God used this kind of move to wipe away evil on earth was in Genesis chapter 6 to 8. Noah was the survival instrument then. He used a global flood then that had some winds in it as well.
But at the end of it all, He looked at what happened and promised Noah, (the new delegated lord of the earth then), his sons and all living things that He will never again wipe away evil from the earth by water. He anchored the promise to a covenant.
Understand that there are three major elements that can be used to cleanse a place, city or the earth itself of evil; the winds, water and fire. God used the first two during the flood. Bible prophecy reveals that He will use the last one this time around.
In other words, the earth as we know it will be refurbished with fire to give way to the New Heaven and the New Earth where righteousness dwells. The Bible unveiled this revelation in these words. It 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.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish (pass away) with a thunderous crash, and the [material] elements [of the universe] will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.”
Since all these things are thus in the process of being dissolved, what kind of person ought [each of] you to be [in the meanwhile] in consecrated and holy behavior and devout and godly qualities,
While you wait and earnestly long for (expect and hasten) the coming of the day of God by reason of which the flaming heavens will be dissolved, and the [material] elements [of the universe] will flare and melt with fire?
But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which righteousness (uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God) is to abide.” 2 Peter 3:9-13 AMPC
FROM THIS SCRIPTURE, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE WORST DAYS OF WORLD HISTORY ARE NOT BEHIND US.
The worst days of world History are right ahead of us. How we live now will determine our end then. The Bible made it clear that there are a people who will not witness the refurbishing of the earth.
They will be taken out of it just before it happens.
Sadly, like it was with the wicked men and women of the generation of Noah, who rejected GOD’s mercy and refused to enter the ark, and consequently got wiped away from the earth of that age, there will also be those who will refuse to embrace Jesus Christ as their ark of safety, and will be wiped away along with the earth when it will be refurbished.
The Bible says;
“Since all these things are thus in the process of being dissolved, what kind of person ought [each of] you to be [in the meanwhile] in consecrated and holy behavior and devout and godly qualities,” 2 Peter 3:11 AMPC
From this scripture, it is clear that our escape from this approaching future lies in how we live our lives in the present. It lies in what kinds of persons that we are in the meanwhile.
Clearly, there is a kind of person we are to be for the meantime; a people that are consecrated, holy, devoted to GOD, and godly in all aspects of life. But none of that is possible without the indwelling presence of GOD. Which brings us to the focus of our 31-day journey.
We are on a 31-day journey of faith with the Cry of the Spirit on the Presence of God, and today is the 26th day of the Journey.
Recently, we have been feeding on Bible truths on the indwelling presence of God. God’s ultimate redemption plan is to indwell us because we were originally created to be His temples on earth.
THE FULFILMENT OF THE PLAN IS WHAT WILL SAVE US FROM THE FIERY FUTURE THAT IS APPROACHING.
The covenant is, if we serve as His temple in time, He will serve as our Temple in eternity. If we refuse to be His temple in time, our choice will hinder Him from being our temple in the day when the earth will be refurbished.
Residency on this earth should be re defined. It should be placed far beyond living in a beautiful place. God originally created residency on this earth to begin with who lives in us. That is why we cast out demons. Demons who live in people are illegal occupants. We cast them out so that GOD, the legal occupant can come in and take over His house.
If we do not re define residency on the earth as we know it, things will remain terrible with us, no matter where we live.
Everyone who have tasted a moment of truth will tell you that life on this earth is not about where you live or what you drive. Life on this earth is about who lives in you and what may be driving you.
Until we sort out the matter of who lives in us, or what is driving us, we will still not have peace wherever we may live or drive. It is the one who lives in you and what drives you in life that determines what happens to you in life.
Our devotional text unveils to us who should live in us and what should be driving us in life. It brought to our attention who lived in Jesus, when He was physically here, and what drove Him in life. The text says;
“It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.” Mark 1:9-13 NKJV
There is another dimension of truth we see here. The earthly life of Christ was driven by the Spirit of God that lived in Him. That tells us the person who lives in us is the one that will either be driving us or giving us things that will be driving us in life.
The Bible says the Spirit that lived in Jesus also drove Him into the wilderness. In fact, Jesus presented Himself at one time as “the Father’s House.” In other words, He lived on earth as “a dwelling place of the Heavenly Father” the same way we are called to live.
Child of God, if the Heavenly Father lives in us, there is nothing we are going to lack on this side of eternity. His presence will be indwelling us (giving us all things) and His will driving us (leading us all through). Life will take on a glorious, peaceful, prosperous and righteous turn if we allow GOD the liberty to live in us and drive us to where ever He desires.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” John 14:10-11 NKJV