TODAY’S DEVOTION (THURSDAY 15TH AUGUST 2024)
“Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:5, 27-29 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 228TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
Glory be to God for waking us up and leaving His breath in our nostrils. Indeed, the Spirit of God has made us; the breath of the Almighty gives us life. It is the 228th day of a long 365 days trip. God has been faithful.
One major thing that you need as a human being, to succeed on the face of the earth, and be all that God has created you to be, is to be able to control what you hear. We call it “visionary hearing.”
The Bible says, “as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” But the whole thing begins with what we hear, because as a man hears with his ears, so he thinks in his heart. What you think in your heart is a function of what you tuned your ear to. That is what shapes what you become in life.
Visionary hearing involves not tuning your ears to things that are not increasing the works of the Holy Spirit in your life, keeping you pure before God, or helping you to become all that God has called you to be. It involves not tuning your ears to things that lack eternal relevance, or the New Testament definition of prophetic accuracy.
Talking about prophetic accuracy, it is important to note that, prophetic accuracy in our dispensation (i.e after the cross), is no longer measured by a word coming to pass or factual things said about you. It is measured by how much of Christ is formed in you, and how much the word helps you to align with the righteous ways and will of the LORD.
Before the cross, a word coming to pass after the delivery of a prophecy, was the definition and determinant of prophetic accuracy. The LORD established that in that age and time when He said these words to Moses;
“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:20-22 KJV
IF YOU LOOK AT THIS SCRIPTURE, YOU WILL REALIZE THAT A WORD COMING TO PASS WAS THE ONLY WAY THE PEOPLE OF OLD COULD KNOW IF A WORD WAS FROM GOD.
But today, if you use that indices, you will even call what Satan says a word from God, because he is also prophetic. Yes, no spirit being is not prophetic because they can see what is coming ahead. So, the fact that a word comes to pass does not make it a word from God, neither does it make the word accurate.
This measurement became obsolete over time because over the years, Satan raised men like Balaam, to be speaking words that came to pass. It led to the deception of many and the worship of other gods like Baal, Ashtoreth, Tamuz, and etc. as the One and only true God.
It led to the acceptance of what is satanic as divine.
That is why in the New Covenant, a word coming to pass does not make any one a true prophet or prophetess. It is the formation of Christ in people, through one’s prophetic ministry, that makes the person a true prophet or prophetess of God.
The Bible indeed said many false prophets will rise in our days to speak words that will come to pass to deceive if possible, even the elects. Sadly, that means some believers will be deceived, but not the elects.
Yes, the five foolish virgins will be deceived, but not the five wise ones. People who will take prophetic accuracy as the measurement for authenticity, will be deceived; Church people who are not progressing in their theological development will be deceived.
As a New Testament believer, understand that Prophetic accuracy these days (after the cross) is no longer measured by a word coming to pass or factual things said about you.
It is measured by how much of Christ is formed in your character, and how much worship of “the One and only true God” is exhumed from your heart. It is measured by how you can now know the difference between light and darkness without running after prophets to prophesy to you.
IT IS MEASURED BY HOW MUCH IT HELPS US KEEP TO THE LAW OF VISIONARY HEARING.
The law of visionary hearing is all about not giving heed to false prophecies but to accurate prophecies by the definition of the New Testament. It is all about choosing what you hear because of where you are going in Christ.
It covers all that has to do with choosing what you allow into your mind or heart because of the paths the LORD has carved for you in life. The Bible says;
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 KJV
One of the major requirements of visionary hearing is avoiding what I call chewing gum prophecies. Yes, it is important to note that visionary living will involve not following chewing gum prophecies, and there are so many of them in church and on social media today.
One may be wondering what are chewing gum prophecies?
Chewing gum prophecies are prophecies that gums you to the personality of the preacher or prophet, instead of the person of Christ, His word for your life in the Holy Scriptures, or His presence. They are prophecies that make you value the word of a prophet more than the testimony of Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible.
Such prophecies make people seekers of what prophets are saying instead of disciples and students of the Bible. The prophecies make someone a soul that goes from place to place, looking for prophecies from people he or she consider prophetic.
They prevent people from having the discipline to sit down with the Spirit of the LORD, to search the scriptures and improve their personal walk and talk with the LORD. Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39 NKJV)
SADLY, SO MANY CANNOT DO THIS SIMPLE FAITH BUILDING ACTION.
The spiritual plague of chewing gum prophecies is what many in Church are struggling with today. Going about looking for who to prophesy to you, especially in your day of crisis, instead of paying attention to the word of Christ in the Holy Scriptures, is not visionary living. It is a path to ruin.
Indeed, every year is Heavily pregnant, and you may be eager to know what the LORD has in store for you, but be careful of chewing gum prophecies. They are an enemy of visionary hearing.
I submit to us that we do not need a prophet to know what the years of these era are pregnant with. Once you understand Bible prophecy you will know all that. We must avoid following the voices of the stranger in so many prophets and prophetesses today.
Our devotional text says;
“Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:5, 27-29 NKJV
Once you become familiar with the voice of the LORD in the Holy Scriptures, you will no longer entertain the ministry of preachers, who are strangers to the word of truth and righteousness.
In fact, they will lose your followership and financial support; they know that, hence warning their victims against ministries God has raised to mature them in the faith, and make them familiar with His voice of truth and righteousness in the Holy Scriptures.
I believe enough has been shared for the day.
As we bring this to a close, understand that Visionary hearing is not running after seers or dream interpreters. It is not running after prophetic people to hear what the LORD might be saying to you. It is running after the more sure word of prophecy, the Bible, and those who will help you understand what it is, so that you might know what the LORD is saying to you, and align your ways to it.
It is not following chewing gum prophecies.
Here is the conclusion of the matter, change what you hear with your ears. If you change what you hear, you will change what you think. If you change what you think, you will change who you are. If you change who you are, you will become all that God has preplanned you to become.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:1-5 NKJV