TODAY’S DEVOTION (FRIDAY 21ST April 2023)
“receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into. 1 Peter 1:9-12 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 111TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS & WONDERS
The grace of God is indeed amazing in all of its ramifications. For 111th days we have slept and woke up even when we do not deserve it.
God’s grace and mercies have been our preservatives. God’s grace has been beautifully defined as getting what we do not deserve, while His mercy has been defined as, not getting what we deserve.
Indeed, we do not deserve to be alive, but we got it. We do not deserve forgiveness from sins, but we got it. We do not deserve divine provisions, but we got it. There is so much we do not deserve that we got from GOD and still get from Him every day.
Personally, I do not deserve to be a preacher, but I got it. It is called grace. On the mercy side, we all deserve to be punished for our short comings but we never got it. We deserve to be consumed by our sins, but we never got it. We deserve to be sick because of how we defile our bodies, but we never got it. We deserve to be oppressed of the devil for so many reasons, but we never got it. It is called the mercies of GOD.
We deserve so many evil things that are not happening to us because of our sinful nature, our ignorance of GOD, and how we treat Him. But we are not getting them. That is how the mercies of GOD works. When it covers you, no evil will come near you. It covers us in hope, that we will return a life of faithfulness and the fear of God to Him in gratitude.
Such grace and mercies are beautiful acts that can only be found in the Throne of the One and only true GOD.
In the days of our biological roots, when Africa was filled with the darkness of idolatry, I don’t think our fathers had it this good with those demons they worshipped. It was a no mercy, no grace galore. Those evil spirits really showed them what Satan is not capable of. Once you break their laws you are in for it, irrespective of the repentance.
The gods never showed mercy. They never demonstrated grace because such beautiful acts of love do not exist in the nature of Satan.
The kingdom of darkness does not have any form of light, and grace and mercy are two of the many forms of divine light that can shine in the darkness of sin, iniquity and trespass, without the darkness comprehending it. Yes, they can shine in the darkness of our evil and sinful deeds, whenever they spot repentance, restraining God from giving us the punishment we deserve, and preventing Him from withholding the blessings we do not deserve.
But it was not so with the deities our biological roots served. That was why they left them with curses, and all kinds of evil occurrences that are still speaking in the lives of many today, even when they no longer bow to the gods they bowed.
The consequences of serving God is generational, and the consequences of serving Satan is also generational.
Understand that just as God is a faithful giver of blessings, so is Satan a faithful giver of oppression and curses. Once Satan starts with one generation, he will continue to the next until they find God, and begin to serve Him, and obtain freedom from the works of the devil. That is why the doctrine of devils has never blessed anyone.
We have been looking at matters of doctrine, and today we want to launch a bit into the ministry of the prophets so long as the doctrine of Christ is concern. I have heard and seen so many bad things that some so called prophets are doing to precious lives.
NOT TOO LONG AGO I WAS TOLD OF HOW A PROPHET OF DARKNESS, CONSIDERED BY MANY AS A MAN OF GOD, GAVE A MIRACLE TO SOMEONE.
The victim of the prophet was very close to the person who was sharing this story with me. He said, she was dying of an ailment, and the so-called man of ‘God,’ sent one of the instructions that the bible describes as the doctrine of demons to the ailing woman.
Amazingly, she was instantly healed as soon as she obeyed. They were astonished.
This made the whole unsaved but ‘saved’ family to believe in the prophet. Then he began to release other prophecies that almost destroyed the life and ministry of this preacher because he was related to the woman who went seeking help from the prophet. They told me how what the LORD does by our hands saved them from death and destruction.
Sadly, the very woman who was healed by the prophet suddenly died months after her healing. That is the texture and nature of miracles from Satan; they heal you to hurt you later, and take away your death so that you can die later. The Bible says;
“So, Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door for the sheep. All others who came [as such] before Me are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not listen to and obey them.
I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep. John 10:7-11 AMPC
This scripture is one of the best scriptures in the Bible. It is full of life and revelation of the texture of God’s kingdom, and whatever God does on earth, and the nature of our LORD and savior Jesus Christ. It tells us so much of what we will never see in any part of the kingdom of darkness, especially the part that work miracles.
From this scripture, we can see that no matter what miracle people get from a prophet or prophetess of darkness, it does not make them prophets and prophetesses of light. The agenda of Satan still remains to kill, to steal and to destroy, even when giving one a miracle they so desire, and the agenda will still manifest even after getting the miracle.
ONLY JESUS HAS AN AGENDA OF LIFE FOR THE HUMAN RACE.
His agenda of life remains unchangeable. He releases life by the hands of His apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers. He also releases life by the hands of those who call upon His name. No preacher of darkness can release such life, even when unleashing miracles to the oppressed.
Sadly, despite Satan’s unchangeable agenda, people still go to his prophets and prophetesses for help, especially those who present themselves as GOD’s servants. They go there because they see the miracles performed on their lives and advertise them everywhere, but do not see the approaching death and destruction.
Only Christ give miracles by laying down His life for us. Satan gives miracles by taking away our lives.
I reiterate again that He does not have an agenda of life. He is not the good shepherd. Jesus called all his agents and prophets, “thieves who came in by the back door.” He said they come to kill, to steal and to destroy. Today, they do all that through generosity, miracles, signs and wonders. And people look at their generosity, miracles, signs and wonders but do not look at the death in them.
Genuine prophets of God today are different from prophets of old in prophetic delivery and patterns, because the agenda is to give life by forming Christ in men. So, they carry Christ in their voices and they bring you at the foot of the Cross where you are trained to live a Christ centered life. They do not major their ministries on miracles and prophecies. Only the prophets of darkness do that.
End time prophets of God, are able ministers of the New Testament, who major their ministries in changing the moral landscapes of nations, cities, families and individuals, through the Spirit of prophecy. They execute the agenda of Christ (the agenda of Life) by releasing living truths as propelled by the Spirit of prophecy or the Testimony of Jesus Christ.
They foretelling and forth-telling, standing on the foundation of the more sure word of prophecy, the Bible.
SO, THEIR MINISTRIES DO NOT HAVE THE TEXTURE AND NATURE OF DIVINATION AND SORCERY.
It has the texture and nature of the Spirit of Prophecy. The Bible says the Testimony of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of prophecy. That brings us again to the subject of sound doctrine – the doctrine of Christ. The doctrine of Christ is the Testimony of Jesus Christ, executing His agenda of life, bringing life to the lost. That is why a New Testament ministry of the Prophet will breathe life into hearts, by unveiling sound doctrine to them.
In other words, by unveiling the doctrine of Christ, not in words which human wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing one scriptural spiritual thing with another – spiritual things with spiritual.
Do not forget, the prophetic anointing is an unveiling anointing.
Today it unveils Christ to people, not your bank account, your name, your number, facts about what you have done or what happened to you in the past, or your enemy. That will make you “prophet centered” not Christ centered. It will make the prophet the center of your life, and not Christ; defeating the purpose of prophetic ministry under grace.
Trust me, that is what the enemy wants. He is therefore, the author of such prophetic ministry that make the prophet the center of the life of the people.
Sadly, many do not understand this. They do not understand that prophetic ministry has changed with the resurrection of Christ. They do not know that the five-fold ministry gifts now execute the great commission (discipling the nations), hence they still carry prophetic ministry the way Isaiah and the rest of the prophets of Bible days did.
They do not know that they come under the spirit of Baal by doing that, because all prophets of darkness do prophetic ministry the way the old testament prophets unleashed theirs. They do it that way because Satan, the power behind them, do not have his own patterns. He cannot create patterns. He only photocopy patterns (Gods patterns) in unleashing his agenda.
So, he will follow the patterns of God to make Himself God, before us all.
For instance, Isaiah prophesied for three years walking naked on the streets of Jerusalem, just to show Israel that they were naked in the Spirit. Jeremiah at one time made yokes to show to the people what the LORD is saying to them. Moses used a rod while in and out of Egypt. God would later request that He put the rod in the ark, as a result no other prophet used rods again.
Moses did not only use rods, he used water, sprinkled blood, sacrificed animals, built the Tabernacle and did so much prophetic similitudes. He and all Old Testament prophets had just one Agenda, to prophesy and create paths for the coming messiah.
SATAN NOW COPY ALL THESE PATTERNS, AS WE CAN SEE IN THE MINISTRY OF HIS PROPHETS, MANY CALL GOD’S PROPHETS.
There was this prophet who almost stripped himself naked before the whole church to bring a word of prophecy to someone. They call it prophetic similitudes and twist Hosea 12:13 to demonstrate the deception. But they do not know that the Old Testament is the will of God (Christ) concealed, and the New Testament is the will of God (Christ) revealed. Whatever the prophets did then is not to be repeated today because Christ has already come.
When the New Testament Prophetic Anointing comes, it comes to help us unveil what was concealed (Christ) in the prophetic ministries of the Old Testament Prophets. A true prophetic ministry today will never copy paste what the Old Testament Prophets did calling it prophetic similitudes.
Understand that, any prophetic anointing that copy paste what those guys did before the Cross, is not of Christ. It is the spirit of Nehushtan in operation.
Those Old Testament Prophets were propelled by the Spirit of Christ to inquire, search carefully and prophesy through prophetic similitude the grace of GOD (Christ) that was to come, and now has finally appeared to all men.
OUR JOB, AS NEW TESTAMENT PROPHETS, IS TO UNVEIL WHAT THEY CONCEALED IN THEIR PROPHETIC MINISTRIES.
We are to unveil the sufferings of Christ and the glories that will follow that they concealed in their prophetic similitudes. Yes, everything hidden in what they said and did is to be unveiled by the Spirit of Prophecy, now working in the New Testament church. And God’s holy apostles and prophets are to lead this move in every Church generation. I hope you understand us.
Our devotional text for the day says;
“receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into. 1 Peter 1:9-12 NKJV
The Old Testament prophets, ministered in their generation birthing things through similitudes that concerns our generation. Whatever the LORD revealed to them was for us not for them. The job of present-day prophets is to make what was revealed to them then (Christ concealed), known to us today (as Christ revealed).
For instance, it is to tell us that the use of Oil by Moses and other Prophets of Oil, was to announce the arrival of the Holy Spirit, and that now that He has arrived, we should no longer use the oil in prayer. Using the oil today is obsolete. James asked the Jews Christians to use it then because they had no revelation – it would later mix Christianity with Judaism. But Paul would later come to extract it out completely.
Yes, the present-day prophets of God will unveil the mysteries behind the Tabernacle of Moses, the rod that was in his hands, the mana in the golden pot, the animal sacrifices, the tablet of stones and etc.
THEY WILL NOT COPY PASTE WHAT MOSES DID.
There is so much on this beautiful discourse that will help us to understand the doctrine of Christ. But enough has already being shared for the day.
As we bring this to a close, understand that there can be no proper teaching of the doctrine of Christ, without the prophetic anointing for today, as the Testimony of Jesus Christ. The prophetic anointing is an unveiling anointing; hence it will help us today in unveiling Christ as concealed in what the Old Testament prophets prophesied and demonstrated.
The prophetic anointing, with the texture of the Testimony of Jesus Christ, is what is missing in the lives and ministries of most present-day famed prophets. They are the present-day prophets of Baal in the Church.
If you do not have the revelation of the Testimony of Jesus Christ, you will call these prophets of Baal, prophets of God.
They divine and foretell but cannot get hearts established in the doctrine of Christ. They are part of the end time prophets of Baal, because Baal’s agenda is to turn hearts away from the true GOD, using so many things that were used in the Old Testament, and majoring in astonishing the people with on point prophetic deliveries, confirmed with miracles, signs and wonders.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your ]stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:13-20 NKJV