TODAY’S DEVOTION (FRIDAY 1ST NOVEMBER 2024)
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Romans 9:14-16 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 306TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
Welcome to a great month, the eleventh month of the year 2024.
Prophetically, the number ten means measure, and the number eleven means extra measure. Get set for extra measure of God’s blessings this month as He crowns our year with His goodness!
David said to the LORD, “You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance” (Psalms 65:11 NKJV).
However, for God to give us extra measure, by crowning our year with His goodness sometimes, we have a responsibility on our side. God would always fix what the devil did in our lives, but what we did in our lives by ourselves, we are to fix. Yes, we are to fix, and He will give us the anointing, direction and wisdom to do it.
So, we have a responsibility. Which brings us to other prophetic meaning of the number 11.
The number 11 also means finish, last or stop. You can use the month to put to a stop whatever runs contrary to God’s prescribed behavior for you. You can also use it to finish whatever unfinished journey of faith you had planned to complete before the year ends.
That could be the only way to have God crown your year with His goodness.
Finally, you can use the month to decide on things you will never allow into your life again. Yes, you can decide not to allow any carnal, dark, or satanic influence to take you away from God’s word or paths for your life.
It is important to note that, whenever God crowns a man’s year with His goodness, the paths He designed for him for the coming year will be made to drip with abundance. That is why we must do anything His word says to have Him crown our year, this year, with His goodness.
When a year is ending like this, those who spent the months of that year walking in God’s will, ways and paths for their lives, will not miss His goodness. That is why you must use this month, to make sure you end all that did not let you walk in His paths this year.
HE WILL STILL CROWN YOUR YEAR WITH HIS GOODNESS IF YOU DO.
For those who are not aware, know that at the beginning of this year, the LORD said to us, “2024 is Our Year of Impact.” Yes, our year of Him impacting our lives so we can impact His kingdom. He then set paths for us to follow, and all through the year He was teaching us those paths and ways.
We have been a people of His mercies.
On this note, we are declaring November to be for us, “Our Month of God’s Mercy.” A major highlight in our devotional text this morning quoted God saying, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”
Sometimes we think that God’s mercy is for wicked people. While that might be true in some cases, it’s not true in some.
God’s Children needs more mercy than the lost. The reason is because it does not take any effort to stand strong in sin. But it takes a lot of effort, external support from Heaven, to stand strong in righteousness. Peter shows us this when He said,
Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. 1 Peter 4:18-19 NKJV
This scripture made it very clear that we need more mercy from God than the lost. The Bible made it clear that, the challenges of saying yes to Jesus are not easy. It says if we the righteous are scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear? We need a lot of mercy from God to retain our salvation having received Christ as LORD and saviour.
Understand that, becoming a true Child of God is not the end but the beginning.
The real warfare is not in becoming but retaining your position or status in the Spirit as a true Child of God. It’s possible to lose what makes you a true Child of God if there is no mercy in your life as a righteous Child of God.
JESUS TELLS US THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS HAPPENING WHEN HE SAID,
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13 NKJV
Losing your flavour as the salt of the earth is losing what makes you God’s true child on the face of the earth.
The Bible teaches that the greatest tragedy in the life of a Christian, is not the loss of his finances, family, friends or fortune. The greatest tragedy in the life of a child of God is the loss of his flavour as the salt of the earth. The lost of that which makes him or her a true child of God.
The book of Hebrews made it clear that once that is lost, even when you seek it with tears you will not find it again. Jesus Himself asked “but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” That is why we need God’s mercy as His righteous seed!
Jesus made it clear that if we loose our flavor as Children of GOD we cannot be seasoned again. The next thing that will happen is that we will become good for nothing; men and devils will be trampling on us. Sadly, that has become the lot of many in the kingdom today, that is why we need mercy!
Another highlight in our devotional text today says, “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” Meaning, to retain our flavour as the salt of the earth, it is not by might, nor by power, but by the mercy of the LORD!
Zechariah the prophet puts it this way;
So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6 NKJV
I believe God is answering us today and saying, “yes, you need to make sure you do not loose your flavour as my child, but it will not be by might, or by power, but by my Spirit.” In other words, it will be by His mercies!!
PAUL WOULD LATER WARN SAYING, “THEREFORE LET HIM WHO THINKS HE STANDS TAKE HEED LEST HE FALL” (1 CORINTHIANS 10:12 NKJV).
Now how do you take heed? One way is by knowing that, it’s not by might or power, but by the mercies of God, and then going all out for it. When it comes to “walking” and “talking” with GOD, or retaining your flavour as His child, it is indeed not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
If God’s mercy is upon your life, trials of faith will not be able to have you.
If God’s mercy is upon you, He will make sure you find a way of escape in any Circumstances that the enemy or you throw at you. Yes, sometimes the enemy throws things at us and other times we throw them at ourselves. But if the mercy of God is upon us, He will always make a way of escape for us. The Bible says,
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV
If you look at this scripture, you find another reason why we need God’s mercy. God’s mercy is the regulator of the impact of temptations on us. It will make sure we are not allowed to be tempted beyond “what we have spiritual capacity for” by creating a way of escape for us; especially when it becomes too much than we can bear.
What is the message this morning?
The month of November is declared unto us as our month of God’s MERCY. It is not because we are sinning or wicked; it’s because we are determined to live a “sin and wickedness” free life. As you take each step into the New Month, whatever douse of God’s mercy you need will begin to take steps towards you in Jesus precious name!
AMEN!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY;
“My soul still remembers and sinks within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” Lamentations 3:20-24 NKJV