TODAY’S DEVOTION (THURSDAY 11TH APRIL 2024)
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” Matthew 21:42-44 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 102ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
We give God the glory for another day and for waking us up this morning.
We thank the LORD for keeping us in the land of the living. With all we have seen, I will say the LORD is our portion in the land of the living. That is why we have not been consumed.
Nothing in God’s kingdom is by might or by power. All is by His Spirit.
However, it is not just by His Spirit, but by our will, allowing His Spirit to do the work, because if we do not co operate with His Spirit, we will never become what He wants us to be. The Bible says,
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;” Isaiah 1:18-19 NKJV
This scripture presents, reasoning together with the LORD as one of the keys to dealing with the sin problem. When we reason together with Him, especially by reading relevant scriptures that addresses the sin we might be trapped in, we will receive help from Him.
It further made it clear that, it is indeed not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit, however our will has a major role.
We can see clearly that everything God wants to do in our lives, as revealed, will also depend on if we are willing and obedient to come reason with Him. God can do nothing with any man if there is no wilingness and obedience on the part of the man, and we have to understand that.
Sometimes it will be the will of God for us to be delivered, blessed, raised from the ashes and made what Jesus wants us to be, but it is not always our will. So, you find the will of God frustrated by our lack of self-will to corporate with the LORD.
It is important to note that desiring to be free from something, healed, blessed, or made prosperous by the LORD, is not enough. There must be willingness and obedience. Those two can turn our lives around.
WILLINGNESS IS THE QUALITY OR STATE OF BEING PREPARED TO DO SOMETHING.
It is not just being prepared to do it, but being happy to do it. If we do not show a willingness to work with the LORD in His move to redeem us, if we are not prepared and happy about it, there will be nothing He can do.
It is those who are prepared and happy to work with the LORD, in His redemptive plans for their lives that will be obedient. They will obey the LORD to the detriment of the enemy and destruction of what might be happening in their lives.
That brings us to the subject of sound doctrine, the very mandate of our ministry. We are under command to uphold sound doctrine in our generation. The Bible encouraged us to obey sound doctrine.
When people obey sound doctrines, they put the enemy in an awkward position in their lives. They bring what some call “evil altars” that might be working in their lives to ashes. The right word is evil portals; they shut them down and free themselves from their powers.
When people obey sound doctrines, they paralyze the activities of evil men and women who might be up against them, and bring them to ruin. When people obey sound doctrines, all the demons, unclean spirits, or evil forces that might be against them will be put to flight.
Yesterday we shared about enjoying the goodness of the LORD, but it is important to note that, obeying sound doctrine is one of the major keys to enjoying the goodness of the LORD. If you want to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living, do not run away from sound doctrine.
It might be hard but receive it with joy and obey every detail of it. There is so much power in obeying sound doctrine.
When we obey sound doctrines, we unlock the blessing that makes rich and add no sorrow in our lives. When we obey sound doctrine, we walk in the dominion of Christ and come into grace dimensions that were not possible hitherto.
Everyone who obeys sound doctrine will end up putting their enemies in an awkward battle position. They will end up obtaining things from God that even long days of dry fasting cannot make available to them. That is why the enemy would not want any to obey sound doctrines.
HE WILL PREFER PEOPLE OBEYING GREEDY AND COVETOUS PROPHETS THAN SOUND DOCTRINES.
He will even give them miracles to obey those fallen preachers, or follow their deliverance rituals of raising or silencing altars, sowing this seed and that one, using oil, water, salt in prayer, and all that.
He will make them look for their lost stars so they will not know that they are the stars of righteousness by destiny, and should follow sound doctrines to actualize it. He will do so much to keep them outside sound doctrines.
He will even frustrate any move they make towards listening to it. He will make them develop an attitude towards it by developing an attitude towards the preacher. They will in some cases become prejudiced towards any holder of sound doctrines around them.
They will treat them with contempt, disregard, and all that, to make sure what they teach is not followed.
The enemy will go as far as making some people in church to demonize the holders of sound doctrines, call them names, and vilify them so that there will be no obedience to the faith they preach. He will stir their hearts to accuse them of dividing the body of Christ so that people will become antagonistic towards them.
There will be those who will be slain in the hearts of followers of dark religion and dark deliverance practices, so that what the LORD has given them to preach will never be respected. Friend, understand that as we get to the end of the age, Satan will keep stirring an average church member to hate holders of sound doctrines.
I have come to discover that Satan will never fight you if you follow any preacher whose messages are not helping you eternally. But He will fight you once you find one, and decide to become a disciple of Christ by obeying His sound doctrines the preacher teaches.
In most cases, all hell will let loose on you if you decide for a church that upholds sound doctrines.
The reason the enemy does all that is to make sure people do not listen and obey sound doctrines. He knows the power they will unleash in the spirit realm if they do, and how much his activities will become paralyzed.
Yes, Satan will fight you not to listen or obey sound doctrines, because of the power you will unleash in your life if you do. That must be understood.
ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT, THERE IS SO MUCH POWER, PROSPERITY AND PROGRESS IN YOUR LIFE.
But you will never actualize them if you do not follow the right paths in life; the paths of obedience and submitting to sound doctrines over time. Life is all about the foundation upon which it is built. You will build your life on a solid foundation if you live your days following sound doctrines.
A life on the foundation of sound doctrine is like a stone upon which anything falls will be broken. And if the person rises against anything in prayer, that thing will be grinded into powder. That is why the foundation of our faith was laid with sound doctrine.
A portion of our devotional text says;
“Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” Matthew 21:43-44 NKJV
This scripture makes it clear that the Kingdom of God is like a stone, not a pebble but a huge spiritual rock, that is bigger in spiritual appearance than the greatest mountain on earth. It is the very power behind sound doctrines.
That is why, if your life is built on the precious stones of sound doctrines, your life is actually built on the Kingdom of God.
In simple terms, the kingdom of God will be the foundation of your life; and if you go further to allow sound doctrines to govern your life, you will lead a life that cannot be penetrated by any evil occurrence, or defeated by any circumstances of life.
You will be like a city that is surrounded by walls and founded on a sure foundation. Satan will give warnings to his agents to stay clear because the glory of God will descend upon you, like mount Sanai, and make your life a furnace of His shekinah.
The message here is simple, make sound doctrines your desire in life.
Pursue and build your life on them, and the enemy will never have you to dinner. You will become all that God created you to be and lead a glorious life that even generations unborn, will be born and come to learn from. Amen!!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:1-5 NKJV