TODAY’S DEVOTION (THURSDAY 20th April 2023)
“And he shouted with a mighty voice, She is fallen! Mighty Babylon is fallen! She has become a resort and dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every loathsome spirit, an abode for every filthy and detestable bird.
For all nations have drunk the wine of her passionate unchastity, and the rulers and leaders of the earth have joined with her in committing fornication (idolatry), and the businessmen of the earth have become rich with the wealth of her excessive luxury and wantonness.” Revelation 18:2-3 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 110TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS & WONDERS
Glory be to God in the highest and peace to men of good will. We bless the LORD our God for another day. Day unto day we have seen His goodness and night unto night we have seen His mercies.
When there was no one to help us, God was there doing what He has a history of doing. Indeed, a Father of the fatherless He has been. Like I have always said, when we say fatherless, we are not just referring to people whose fathers have died but also those whose fathers are as good as dead.
I think it is more painful to have a father who is alive but appear dead in your life than to have a father who is actually dead. The one alive but dead will make you bitter and hateful. But the one that is dead is even dead in your emotions and imaginations. Even if he was not a good father, you will not be bitter for too long with a dead man, except you are mentally unstable.
However, either dead or alive but dead, God is still a Father of the fatherless. I have tasted both ends. When my Dad was alive, because of the circumstance of life he faced, he could not do much. He was almost like a father who is alive but dead. Finally, he died and I was pained, but I never missed him in terms of economic support.
The goodness of God as a father of the fatherless was what saw me and my siblings through. The Bible says;
“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.” Psalm 68:5-6 NKJV
In this scripture, you see the different manifestations of the LORD, designed for the lives of different classes of needy people. While those in solitary and those who are bound, are visited by the LORD as one who sets the solitary in families, or bring the bound into prosperity, the fatherless will always have God made manifest in their lives, as a father of the fatherless.
Personally, I grew up to discover that if we want God to manifest Himself in our lives as a Father of the fatherless, we must among many other things learn to listen to Him, follow His directives and obey His doctrines.
If you do not treat Him as a father, by being an obedient and submissive child who listens to His words and follow His doctrine, you will not be treated like a son by Him.
THAT WAS WHY HE SAID IN ONE OF THOSE FATHER SON RELATIONSHIP REPAIR SESSIONS TO HIS FIRST-BORN SON ISRAEL;
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is the [reverent] fear due Me? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise My name. You say, How and in what way have we despised Your name?” Malachi 1:6 AMPC
Salvation makes us Children of God, and as Children of God, we are expected to treat Him, not like a deity up there, but a Father down here; down in our hearts. That was why Jesus taught saying, “when we pray, we should say our Father who art in heaven” because heaven want us to enjoy the fatherhood of God to the fullest.
But so many people are not enjoying the fatherhood of God for lack of revelation and lack of spiritual character.
We do not treat Him as a Father, hence not getting the manifestations of what He does to His Children. The Bible says as a Father pities His children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. He does so much to those who will honor Him as a Father.
One major reason many do not honor Him as a father is, they did not grow up under good fathers.
From the experience I have had with young men and women, who show so much disrespect and dishonor after treating them as sons and daughters, I can tell why people do not enjoy the blessings of the fatherhood of God. Even when God give them fathers, they do not treat them as fathers. They tear them down like enemies.
As children of God, we are expected to honor God as FATHER, and there are so many ways the Bible teaches that we do that, one of it is listening to Him and following His doctrine. He said in His word;
“My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.” Proverbs 4:20-22 AMPC
TRUE SONS LISTENS TO THE VOICE OF THEIR FATHER. THEY MAKE HIS DOCTRINE THEIR WAY OF LIFE
If we treat God as our Father, by giving His sayings or doctrine the attention and submission it deserves, we will see life – prosperous life and health – great health. These words of truth on doctrine, will help us achieve that if we have a willing heart to turn away from wrong doctrines.
Yesterday we said wrong doctrines will make us listen to three very destructive voices. The first two are the voice of the flesh and the voice of the devil.
Sometimes the only way you can know if a doctrine is right or wrong is by what it makes you follow. If it makes the voice of the flesh your shepherd instead of giving you the power to crucify the flesh, you are following the doctrine of devils, deceiving spirits, or traditions of men; sometimes instilled into hearts using twisted scriptures or true sayings of the LORD.
Today we will be picking up from there.
The third voice that a wrong doctrine will make us listen to, is the voice of this world. When we say this world, we are referring to the evil and corrupt system of this world that is ruled by lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
The Bible warns us against being friends of this world and being lovers of the world. Obviously, we become friends of the world and lovers of the same when we begin to pay attention to its voice.
When we become friends or lovers of the world, we provoke God to Jealousy; and no one can withstand His jealousy. He has a history of not blessing anyone who treats Him that way. He has always broken them back to submission instead. Sadly, the rebellious have perish eternally for not listening.
He said to Moses “for the LORD your God is a jealous God.”
Whenever we follow wrong doctrines, we become listeners of the voice of the evil and corrupt system of this world. When we become listeners of the voice of the evil and corrupt system of this world, we become lovers or friends of the same. When we become lovers or friends of the same, we become like unfaithful wives; because we will not know when we will begin to have illicit affairs with it because of what it has to offer.
GOD TAUGHT IN HIS WORD THROUGH ONE OF HIS APOSTLES SAYING;
“You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?” James 4:4-5 AMPC
If we chose to be friends of the world, we will become an enemy of God instantly. No one will make Heaven as an enemy of God. No believer will enjoy the peace of GOD on this earth living the Christian life as an enemy of GOD.
From this scripture, it’s clear that taking a stand as an enemy of God by being the world’s friend, makes a believer behave like an unfaithful wife having illicit affairs; yes, having affairs with the evil and corrupt system of this world because of all the riches it offers.
Sometimes we ask how wrong doctrines succeeds in making us listeners of the voice of the evil and corrupt system of this world, even after knowing the danger? The reason is because the doctrines presents how to access the riches and treasures of this world. They come most times as prosperity gospel, and captures the hearts of the undiscerning because of their need for money.
We all know that an average church member today wants to get rich by all means, because the dangerous doctrine has made some believe that, having money is a sign of Christianity; and no one with such a dangerous belief will not be a friend or lover of this world.
THAT IS WHY YOU FIND PEOPLE WHO WORSHIP IN CHURCHES WHERE THIS DOCTRINE IS TAUGHT HAVING ILLICIT AFFAIRS WITH THE WORLD.
You find so many in Churches where wrong doctrines that make people listeners of the voice of the world, are presented as the gospel of prosperity, having strong love for pleasures instead of God.
You find them living perilous Christian lives; a Christian life governed by the love for self, love of money, pride, evil boasting, blasphemy, disobedience to the voice and ways of the LORD, lack of self-control, love for pleasure rather than love for GOD, destitute of the truth, and etc., thereby producing forms of godliness without power.
The Bible says from such we should turn away.
When we follow these wrong doctrines that promises us the best of this world, our desire for the riches or treasures of the world will become stronger than our desire for GOD. You will find some of us so desperate that we will not care about what we do to get money or other forms of material prosperity. We will be defining prosperity as having money instead of leaving it the way GOD defined it – having enough of His presence in our lives to make good things happen, or keep good things happening.
The Bible call the treasures of this world the treasures of Babylon. They are ruled by the spirit of Babylon itself that sits like a woman in the spirit realm. Unveiling this spirit in the Bible, and how it will be finally destroyed, our devotional text says;
“And he shouted with a mighty voice, She is fallen! Mighty Babylon is fallen! She has become a resort and dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every loathsome spirit, an abode for every filthy and detestable bird.
For all nations have drunk the wine of her passionate unchastity, and the rulers and leaders of the earth have joined with her in committing fornication (idolatry), and the businessmen of the earth have become rich with the wealth of her excessive luxury and wantonness.” Revelation 18:2-3 AMPC
Indeed, as it stands now, if you look at the texture and nature of the wealth in most prosperous Churches, you will find the wealth of this spirit in their midst.
MANY PREACHERS AND THEIR MEMBERS ALIKE HAVE BECOME RICH WITH THE WEALTH AND EXCESSIVE LUXURY AND WANTONNESS THIS SPIRIT OFFERS.
Through listening to its voice and practicing what they teach as the doctrine of prosperity, they have drunk the wine of her passionate unchastity, and joined with her in committing fornication or idolatry (exalting earthly treasures above GOD). The Churches have become rich with her excessive luxury and wantonness, calling it God’s blessings. They have lost true love for God in the process, presenting what look like it as one.
The presence of this dangerous spirit in the Church today, and its teachings that many call motivational teachings and prosperity messages, have destroyed the fabric of true Christianity. That is why many will be destroyed in the day of judgment. The Bible further warned us saying;
“Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].
And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 AMPC
I want to submit to you that if you have an eternal destiny to fulfill in Christ, do not plant yourself in churches many call prosperity churches. Do not be in churches with the wealth of the woman called Babylon.
GOD HAS PRE-DETERMINED HER FALL AND IS CALLING ON US TO DEPART FROM HER WAYS AND RICHES.
That’s is why the word says;
“…the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.”
This word is to bring us to the place of doing the will of God, and take us away from the place of getting rich by cherishing the world and the things in it. It is to separate us from the wealth this spirit offers and keep us following the LORD for the true riches of the Kingdom.
We are not against financial prosperity because God wants us to prosper financially. We are against the prosperity that is gained through intercourse or friendship with the world. And if you have eyes you will know that it is virtually what all mega Churches celebrate today as kingdom wealth.
Enough has been shared already. It is time to bring this to a close.
In closing I want to submit to us that the only antidote to all these dangerous spirits that are parading the present Church, is the doctrine of Christ. The Doctrine of Christ will always bring us to the way of the cross. The way of the cross will free our lives from these spirits and keep us spiritually sound in our walk and talk with God.
There are many times it will generate pains in our lives but there is no time that it will not keep us sound in Christ. The doctrine of Christ on spiritual life wants us sound in Christ, carrying the seed of God and growing as it, not carrying the seed of Babylon and growing with it.
God has His own kind of prosperity for us. It is called the prosperity of the righteous. It is not a mixture of wealth, luxury and wantonness or depravity. That is why it comes as our soul prospers.
In other words, it is dependent on the prosperity of our spiritual lives. That is why we can only get it in the way of the cross, not the way of this world.
It is my prayer that GOD will use these words to perfect His plans for our lives. Amen and amen!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR US TODAY!
“I then heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out from her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues.
For her iniquities (her crimes and transgressions) are piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and [her] crimes [and calls them up for settlement].
Repay to her what she herself has paid [to others] and double [her doom] in accordance with what she has done. Mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed [for others].
To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled in her wantonness [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that measure impose on her torment and anguish and tears and mourning. Since in her heart she boasts, I am not a widow; as a queen [on a throne] I sit, and I shall never see suffering or experience sorrow—
So shall her plagues (afflictions, calamities) come thick upon her in a single day, pestilence and anguish and sorrow and famine; and she shall be utterly consumed (burned up with fire), for mighty is the Lord God Who judges her.
And the rulers and leaders of the earth who joined her in her immorality (idolatry) and luxuriated with her will weep and beat their breasts and lament over her when they see the smoke of her conflagration.” Revelation 18:4-9 AMPC