TODAY’S DEVOTION (WEDNESDAY 23RD AUGUST 2023)
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.” Psalm 57:7-8 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 234TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS
Our devotional today will be short and simple! Sometimes, God will speak just one word, and it will melt into over ten thousand words in our spirits. I pray that will be your experience this morning.
A song writer once wrote; “There are days I wake up feeling on top of the world. And there are days I wake up feeling the world is on top of me.” Life is in day and night seasons. There are nights and days of life!
The Bible made it clear that the days of life are characterized by joy, and the nights of life are characterized by weeping. It says weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. Sometimes, weeping is a seed for joy.
There are things you must do in the kingdom of GOD weeping, in order to reap some other things with joy. It is those things that make weeping a seed! Yes, weeping can be a seed for rejoicing, if you are in GOD’s will.
For instance, Jesus gave His life for us weeping, today He is highly seated above all principalities and power, triumphing over them. The early church preached this gospel with tears – they sowed the gospel into the hearts of men in tears. Today, they are reaping the eternal joy of doing so in Heaven. The Bible says,
“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalms 126:5-6 NKJV
SADLY, THIS SCRIPTURE IS BEING USED AS ONE OF THE MONEY-MAKING SCRIPTURES IN CHURCH.
When scriptures are used as money making machines, it blinds the church from seeing the deep truths buried in them. This scripture carries a great principle of progress in a man’s walk and talk with GOD. It shows us two seasons of human life. It makes it clear that there are seasons of life that are characterized by day (joy), and there are seasons of life characterized by night (tears).
Sometimes you wake up in the morning facing the night season of life!
Now, what do you do when you wake up feeling down, dejected, disappointed, discouraged, and completely worn out about life? What do you do when you wake up not even feeling to sing to the LORD like you have always done, or have a word of prayer? What do you do when dark feelings becomes your prison?
Yes, because of the pressure of life, it is very possible for our feelings to become dark, even creating a prison for us. When our feelings become dark, creating a prison for us, the only thing to do and the only way is to rise and terminate the prison term. You terminate the prison term by turning to the Spirit of God for Help.
You turn to the Spirit of the LORD, by listening to a Holy Ghost activation song or message. You turn to the Spirit, by joining fellow believers in fellowship. Yes, God filled fellowships, not empty religious fellowships. You turn to the Spirit by joining other believers in fellowships where the kingdom of GOD is being demonstrated and the Holy Ghost moving in word and power!
Friend, we all pass through hard things. But turning to the Holy Spirit for help remains the best way out of hard things.
There are days I wake up not even sensing God at all or feeling born again. I just feel zero. But the LORD has taught me to always learn to turn to His Spirit and go beyond my feelings. He does not relate with us based on our feelings, He relates with us based on His plans for our lives.
In our devotional scripture today, you will discover that David may have woken up that morning feeling flat. But he knew that what he felt, was not a pointer to what Heaven thought concerning him. That was why he said to the LORD, “O God, my heart is steadfast…”
DARK FEELINGS DWELL IN THE REALM OF THE SOUL NOT THE SPIRIT
So, they can disappear in moments. When you feel flat, sense and stand on what is in your spirit or heart not what is in your “feel.” Break the prison doors and come out. We can learn from David that what we feel in an immediate present is not a pointer to what God feels about us. Feelings are not permanent but His plans for our lives are permanent.
As you pass through this day, remember you are not what you feel but what God says about you. Get up, shake off the dust, and rejoice in the LORD. Make peace with who you need to make peace with, if a person is involved and move on.
One major secret that breaks the prison house of dark feelings and brings us out, is what I call prophetic rehearsals. When dark feelings become your prison, rehearse what God may have said or done in your life in the past, and move on.
Our apostolic fathers lifted up their faith when they were attacked by dark feelings. They never stayed in its prison the way we do.
Time to lift up your faith unto the LORD! Time to say, like our fathers did, “I know, my redeemer lives, I know my redeemer lives. Let all creation testify, let the life within me sing, I know my redeemer lives.”
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Job 19:25-26 NKJV