TODAY’S DEVOTION (TUESDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2023)
“…who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.” Hebrews 11:33-36 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 38TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS!
We give God the glory for this beautiful day! We can not thank Him enough for all He has been doing for us, since they day we were all formed in our mother’s wombs. Some of us, while we were yet sinners, He did things in our lives that we do not even deserve.
We thank Him and remain grateful for all that.
What is the greatest sign of God’s love for us? Is it to sleep and wake up? Is it His healing of our sick bodies, or His mercies that have been keeping our critical body organs functioning properly? Or is it our escape from death and all the enemy throw at us?
Are the many miracles of divine sustenance, and defeats the LORD sent to the camp of our enemies the greatest sign of His love for us? While all these remains signs of His unfailing love towards us, the greatest sign of His love, in my opinion, is God becoming man to take our place and die on the cross. Jesus Himself said;
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:12-13 NKJV
The greatest sign of his love remains Jesus Christ becoming our judgment seat, our redemption sacrifice, and our mercy seat, all at the same time. Indeed, greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one’s life for His friends.
You can now understand why God wants us to grow to the level of friendship with Him. When we come to that level, we can lay down our lives for His course without looking for rewards for such service.
I believe the disciples, who later became His apostles, were able to lay down their lives for His course because they grew to the level of friendship with GOD, in their walk and talk with the LORD.
WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT CONSECRATION AS A CONDITION FOR SUPERNATURAL LIVING IN GOD.
It is important to note that friendship with GOD is a major consecration pattern we can find in the lives of the apostles. The decision to lay down their lives for the gospel, and the impact they had in ministry, was made possible by the supernatural lives they lived, through friendship with God.
The Bible says;
“Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.” Acts 6:1-7 NKJV
In this scripture, we can see the consecration pattern of the apostles that enabled them to live supernatural lives in their days. The last verses of the scripture even reveal the effect of the supernatural that broke out in their lives through friendship with God, on their ministry.
The wall of Judaism was broken, and many of the priests, especially some of them who were stone walling when Christ was physically present, became obedient to the faith.
SOME OF THE PRIESTS, I BELIEVE, WERE NOT JUST PRIESTS OF JUDAISM BUT PRIESTS OF DARK RELIGION AS WELL.
They all bowed and became obedient to the faith. Only the breaking forth of the supernatural can accomplish that. The consecration pattern is found in the verses that says;
“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:3-4 NKJV
Giving oneself to prayer, and to the ministry of the word, under the propelling force of faith and the Holy Spirit, will definitely result in the breaking forth of the supernatural of GOD in one’s life. Do not allow anyone confuse you about that. This consecration pattern has been one of the most effective consecration patterns, after the pattern called “pleasing GOD,” or “satisfying Him” by living up to His standard of righteousness, purity, and holiness.
The pattern of pleasing GOD and satisfying Him, was what we saw yesterday in the life and times of Enoch. We will need to add to it the pattern we find in the early church, to break forth easily, into the supernatural of GOD.
Understand that, no matter how pure, righteous, or holy we are, if we do not give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word, the supernatural of God will remain, either a dream, or a one-time-after-many-months occurrence in our life. We will not enjoy a regular flow of it.
That is why, a genuine life of purity is also a powerful prayer life. A life of purity can propel a person to give himself entirely to prayer, fasting, and the ministry of the word.
ALL OF THEM THAT WERE IN THE EARLY CHURCH, WHO ARE NOW IN THE CLOUD OF MANY WITNESSES, DID NOT LIVE IN THE SUPERNATURAL OF GOD CHEAPLY.
They paid the price of this consecration pattern: the pattern of giving oneself to prayer and to the ministry of the word. The prize of their price, was a faith that was born in them, leading to the breaking forth of the supernatural of God in their lives.
When the supernatural of GOD broke forth in their lives, through this consecration pattern, they were able to subdue kingdoms that could not be subdued hitherto, they were able to work righteousness, they were able to obtain promises, stop the mouths of lions, quench the violence of fire, and escape the edge of the sword.
Out of weakness they were made strong. Those who were caught up in battle, especially those with no strength to fight, found strength in their weaknesses.
They supernaturally became so strong that the armies of the aliens had to take off, and flee before them. Indeed, you will move from the ordinary to the extraordinary, when the supernatural break forth in your life. The dark supernatural will be troubled, even when you sneeze!
Yes, you will ascend a height of faith that mountains of devils hate seeing. You will join the league of those who were here before us: the league of God’s wonder men and women, who could dim the dark supernatural, even at the expense of their lives.
Our devotional text says;
“…who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.” Hebrews 11:33-36 NKJV
This scripture is a call to come to a higher league of men and women in GOD’s Kingdom!
It is a call to join those who are working righteousness, and obtaining uncommon promises made to them by the LORD. It is a call to join this amazing league of Christ men and women, who once lived on the face of the earth, and stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
CHILD OF GOD, THAT IS THE LEAGUE YOU BELONG.
You do not belong to the league that runs after preachers looking for miracles, prophecies, and deliverance. You belong to a higher league, and God sent me today to tell you that. You only need a Church that will train you to become part of that league practically.
You need a preacher who will train you to rise to the very consecration they rose in their days, and come into the very realm they came in. God said in his word;
“And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.” Jeremiah 3:15-16 KJV
This scripture is very clear on what you need this hour! You need a pastor who can feed you with knowledge and understanding, until you grow in consecration and join the league. That is when you will become the ark of God yourself, and see the supernatural break forth in your life like it did on the ark, in Bible days.
Friend, God is calling you to a higher level of Christianity. He is calling you to a result-oriented prayer life: a prayer life that even when you are spending one hour, you are giving yourself entirely to prayer and to the ministry of the word, during the hour.
From the lives of these men, who are currently in the cloud of many witnesses, we can learn that if our prayer and word life, is not preparing or positioning us for the breaking forth of the supernatural of GOD in our lives, there is something wrong with us. And that thing could be our revelation or our purity.
If our revelation and purity are intact, giving ourselves entirely to prayer and to the ministry of the word, even for one, two, or three hours a day (over time), will result in the supernatural of God breaking forth in our life.
The consecration of giving oneself entirely to prayer, and to the ministry of the word, which most times will involve personal fasting, will always result in a faith that brings a man to the realm, where the supernatural of GOD is at the tips of his tongue (words).
It is important that someone take the challenge from this word this morning, and begin to join this league of GOD’s wonder men and women.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” Hebrews 11:37-38 KJV