TODAY’S DEVOTION (MONDAY 13TH FEBRUARY 2023)
“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:19-22 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 44TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS!
We thank the LORD for giving us this beautiful day. It is a day that He has made; meaning a day He has put together. Whatever GOD put together, is usually beautiful. We shall therefore, rejoice and be glad in it.
We are grateful for His mercies, kindness, compassion, grace, power, faithfulness, and steadfastness that has kept us alive. Even when we push Him away by our attitudes and sins, His Spirit remains to save those who repents and return back to Him. I do not see God getting tired of receiving the repentant, or transforming those who call on Him to transform their moral nature.
David knew that, hence not running away from God like Cain, and continuing in his wicked ways. He returned to God in repentance when he sinned, and requested for both forgiveness and a change in his moral nature, using this prayer language:
“For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against You, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.” Psalm 51:3-13 NKJV
If you sin against the LORD, do not be just concerned with Him forgiving you, and neglect the most important part, which is Him changing your moral nature.
DAVID REQUESTED FOR BOTH AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PSALM.
That was why he never committed adultery again. He never sinned against God again. He became a standard, within the righteous standards of that dispensation, for other kings that came after him.
When it comes to matters of seeking mercies from God for sins committed, it is important to note that, no I-will-not-do-this-again-promise we make to God will stand, if our moral nature and carnal desires remain unchanged.
We must seek God’s forgiveness for our sins in repentance, then spend quality time on the threshing floor, asking His Holy Spirit to change our moral nature, transform our carnal desires, and take away the psychological taste bud for that sin, so that we will not commit it again.
Trust me, He will do it if we seek Him with all our hearts. The Bible says;
“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity…” Jeremiah 29:12-14 NKJV
Now, how do we seek God with all our hearts and find Him, when it comes to matters of repentance from sin, and not going back to our vomit again? Do not forget, the word says it is when we find Him, that He terminates our captivity. He said “I will be found by you, … and I will bring you back from your captivity…” This time is the captivity of sin!
So, how do we find Him?
One way of seeking Him, until we find Him to deliver us from the captivity of a particular sin, is by getting all spiritual resources we can find, from a preacher of righteousness, especially on the sin we want to stop committing (along with a Bible with contemporary rendering that we can understand).
And then going to a solitary place to spend quality time with GOD on the threshing floor, listening, reading, and meditating.
WE DO THAT WHILE PRAYING FOR A CHANGE IN OUR MORAL NATURE.
As we pray and listen, or meditate on what we are listening to, or on what we are reading, the Holy Spirit will begin to apply the truths we are meditating on, to our innermost beings, and using them to purge us in our secret parts, especially where that source of that moral issue exists. He will purge us with the hyssop of that word, cleans, and wash us, and we will become whiter than snow on the inside; feeling very clean.
Then we will leave that place with a new heart and a new spirit, created by the LORD. We will even receive the anointing to teach transgressions and help others who are trapped in the same habit. That is one way to achieve consecration after salvation.
It is one way we cleanse ourselves to become vessels of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Yes, it is one way we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to GOD. It is one way we deal with the sin that so easily entangles or ensnares us. It is one way we run with patience, the race that is set before us. It is a beautiful way of consecrating after salvation, so that iniquity will not be our ruin.
The Bible says;
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV
The phrase, “the cloud of many witnesses” in this scripture, brings us back to what we have been looking at of late; consecration patterns in the cloud of many witnesses.
All that are in the cloud of many witnesses, lived supernatural lives, while they were here on earth. Their lives remain a testimony, that there can be no supernatural living in God, for His redeemed sons, if there is no consecration in the lives of His own. We will tap into the dark supernatural without consecration.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MAJOR TRUTHS WE HAVE LEARNED SO FAR, ON THIS 28-DAY JOURNEY WITH THE CRY OF THE SPIRIT.
The responsibility to consecrate is on us, who are saved. The responsibility to depart from iniquity, using God’s grace upon our lives is resting on us. The responsibility to cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit is resting on us.
That is why the scripture of our devotional text says;
“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:19-22 NKJV
Consecration will always involve, being intimate with GOD, turning away from iniquity, cleansing ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, fleeing away from impurities, and whatever desecrates. It will involve pursuing purity, fleeing from unrighteousness, and all that feeds our sinful nature.
IT WILL INVOLVE CLINGING TO WHAT STARVES THE SINFUL NATURE, AND WEAKEN IT COMPLETELY.
It will involve using the grace of God upon our lives to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the LORD out of a pure heart. Yes, peace with those who call on the LORD Jesus out of a pure heart, not the hypocrites.
You see that also in another portion of the Bible. It says we should turn away from those, who have a form of godliness, but deny its power; in other words, resist the holiness or character of God. In fact, consecration will involve separating from people, who have become a catalyst of sinful living in our lives; because sin, iniquity, and trespass are infectious.
It will involve coming out of their networks, cultures, systems, traditions, lifestyles, and all that they do that is not rooted in the righteousness of God. It will involve being single for God (not marital status).
Being single for God, is being separate for His purpose.
It is coming out of all that promotes sexual immorality, lawlessness, Godlessness, unrighteousness, super flow of wickedness, and all that breeds what rules the sons of disobedience, using the grace of God upon our lives. If we will walk in the supernatural of God, consecration must be the key, and being single for God, must be embraced.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”
“I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, 7:1 NKJV