TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 12TH JANUARY 2025)
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 12TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY.
Today, we will be looking at one other beautiful truth that will be required for us to have a year of Victory indeed. I consider it to be not just a truth to live by, but a secret to apply to the circumstances of life that might come our way this year.
The word is simple. It says “God is in control but not in absolute control of everything in our lives.” He is in sovereign control of everything, but not in delegated control of everything. He has delegated some controls to mankind.
Yes, I reiterate again that during creation, He left some delegated controls to man, and showed Him how to use them. He also placed a justice system to guide our judgment. That explains why we will all give account of how we use those controls.
One word we can use to define the controls is the word “DOMINION.”
He gave dominion or delegated control over the earth to man. You must understand that there are aspects of our lives that are not under God’s absolute control. They are in our control. If we understand that, we will stop blaming God for what we are responsible for.
It is important to note that it is wrong to blame God for things happening on earth that people are using the delegated control God gave man to do; things like rape, killings, murders and etc.
Some steal from others, oppress people, and make life difficult.
Those in political power do so many wicked things that make people wonder where God is. But God is in Heaven. People are just wicked. They make bad things happen to others using the delegated controls God gave to man.
THEY MISUSE THE CONTROL GOD DELEGATED TO MAN AND MAKE PEOPLE BLAME GOD OR HATE HIM FOR NOTHING.
The only way God can stop them, is either by persuasion, or allowing their evil to consume them using the power of time, or by slaying them in one way or the other.
Friend, there are controls God gave to you so that you can determine how things turn out for you. He will never stop you from using them, but will persuade you to use them well. The controls cannot be replaced by prayer. Prayer has its role, and the controls has its role.
If you do not understand this secret, you will spend the year 2025 asking God to do things that are absolutely under your control to do. If that happens, you will pray, and pray and pray, and remain the same.
God sent this word to make sure that does not happen.
It is important for us all to understand that we are not to commit to God through prayer, what the LORD has already committed to us, through divine delegation to do. If we do that, we will be praying prayers without seeing answers; we will be asking God to do things that require that we do the right thing to get done.
For instance, you do not ask God to cook for you, weed or trim your Garden. Those are the things He has given you delegated authority to do. You just get up and do them without even praying about it. These little examples attest to the fact that God is not in delegated control of our lives, but not in absolute control.
He has given us dominion to do things that are required for us to get results in life. Make use of that in 2025 and improve your life. Make use of God’s delegated control, as led by His word and Holy Spirit, and all will be fine. A key statement in our devotional text says,
“Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
In other words, “let them have delegated control over the fish of the sea (everything that concerns the water), over the birds of the air (everything that concerns the air), over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth (everything that concerns the land).”
The scripture speaks of the control delegated to mankind which all of us have. We are therefore required by God’s word, to use the controls wisely, especially in 2025, else we will ruin our lives during the year.
Let us conclude the devotional by looking at God’s appointed tool for managing the delegated control given to us. That tool is wisdom, divine wisdom.
It is with divine wisdom we manage the controls God has delegated to us.
IT IS NOT THROUGH THE INFLUENCE OF THE FLESH OR ANY OTHER.
Divine wisdom is the guiding principle of creation and the foundation of God’s actions. It is knowing the greatest goal in any situation, knowing the best way to achieve it, and properly applying knowledge to achieve it. The Bible teaches that Divine wisdom is the most essential ingredient for living.
You cannot be given delegated control over almost all of God’s natural creation without the tool to manage it. In fact, man was not independent when the controls were given to him. He was totally dependent on God! The tool for managing the controls was not in the human plane.
All these goes to tell us that God designed that He manage the earth through man, by leading, influencing and guiding Him on what to do. He designed that He manage even the life of man by the same principle. It is that principle we call divine wisdom.
2025 is not like any other year. Whatever is not from God should not be use in managing our lives.
You have dominion or delegated control to stay healthy, live long, be able to pay your bills, live a righteous and holy life, pray always, make decisions and do a lot of other things to make your life beautiful. But you will never see the blessing of those controls until you bring them under God’s control.
Yes, we are to put our controls under God’s control.
In other words, the very control God gave us, is to be given back to God to guide us on how to use it in managing our lives, else, we will regret having it. That is the word of the LORD for today.
The sources of divine wisdom are the Bible, the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the men and women God has positioned in His church to teach His word, and other things with His special oil. Make 2025 your year of walking in divine wisdom and all will be well.
Learn to collect wisdom daily from God by meditating in His word and asking for wisdom to guide you when you are in the cross roads of life. Amen!!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY;
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 1:5-8 NKJV