TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 18TH DECEMBER 2022)
“Thus has God fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (the Messiah) should undergo ill treatment and be afflicted and suffer.
So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord;
And that He may send [to you] the Christ (the Messiah), Who before was designated and appointed for you—even Jesus,
Whom heaven must receive [and retain] until the time for the complete restoration of all that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets for ages past [from the most ancient time in the memory of man]. Acts 3:18-21 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 352ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
We bless the LORD of Heaven and earth for another week that is standing before us. Doubtless, this is one of the last weeks of this year. It will be a week of Christmas as we have known it for years.
I want to again appreciate God for taking me and my family, spiritual and biological, from one Christmas to another. It is out of His mercies that we are not consumed. Not all who saw the last Christmas are still alive. But we are here, not because we are more righteous but because the lines fell upon us on pleasant places.
As we all get ready for a time of corporate fellowship, it is important that we remember the essence of corporate fellowship for believers. It is for the renewal of our strength not for collection of tithes.
Oh yes, am not against giving. There is nothing wrong with giving substance to the LORD as we assemble to worship Him according to divine pattern. But there is everything wrong with a preacher making that the ultimate purpose for gathering.
It is saddening to see that many of us in ministry treat corporate fellowship like Sunday services as avenues for acquisition of riches; we look forward to it because of the opportunity to steal from people in the name of God, sell our bottles of oils and holy waters, or manifest some ecclesiastical intimidation.
Because of how some preachers treat Sunday services, sometimes its better to stay at home and fellowship with the LORD alone if there is no good church around.
I would prefer sitting at home with the LORD than to attend an oil drinking, altar raising or breaking church, because when corporate fellowship began in the book of acts it was primary to celebrate the resurrection of the LORD, receive some rods of grace and truth for the purpose of living the Christian life, and becoming all that God has called us to be.
It was usually a season of interlude of prayer, then an interlude of blessing God, then an interlude of hearing the word and being discipled and then an interlude of serving God with our substance.
PEOPLE’S HEARTS WERE SET ON FIRE BY THE LORD AND SPIRITUAL LIVES REVIVED OR RENEWED DURING THOSE MOMENTS.
Experiencing a higher level of the presence of GOD was usually the reason for assembling. It is my prayer that the entire body of Christ get back to the eternal purpose of corporate fellowships like Sunday services.
The indwelling presence of the LORD has been our focus lately in our 31-days journey of faith with the Cry of the Spirit on the presence of the LORD. Today is the 18th day of the journey. And God have been faithful to us.
One of the major truths that should keep resounding in our hearts even as we continue this journey is the primary purpose of the indwelling presence of the LORD; which is to strip us off of every filthy garment. That is why people who carry the indwelling presence of God live holiness enabled lives. You cannot find sin having dominion over them.
With what we have learned so far, it is clear that falling into sin and living in it is only possible when the indwelling presence of GOD in our lives is not in its full strength. If it is in its full strength the way it was in the life of Jesus when He was physically here, the prince of this world may come, but he will have nothing to lay claim of in our lives.
We will be tempted in all points and yet be without falling into sin.
Having the indwelling presence of God in its full strength in our lives should be our goal as believers. It all depend on what we do on daily bases with God, His word, His Holy Spirit, and the flesh.
One major reason why the indwelling presence of GOD strips us of filthy garments is for it to fully occupy every detail of our lives.
When it occupies every detail of our lives, we can have it in its full strength. It is therefore important that we learn how to yield to the indwelling presence of GOD in our lives, so it can completely strip us of filthy garments and manifest its full strength in our lives.
There are seven things the indwelling presence of God will do in our lives to strip us of filthy garments and bring us to the place of experiencing its full strength in our lives. Those are the things we want look at.
The first is conviction of sin, judgment and righteousness.
THIS IS USUALLY THE INITIAL MANIFESTATION OF THE INDWELLING PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE LIFE OF ANY MAN.
It will announce itself in the life of an un-regenerated heart and begin to convict it of all wrong doing.
To convict means to declare to be guilty. It will show you who you really are if you are unsaved, a sinful Christian, or one who have no time for GOD. It will declare you guilty of any sin you may be living in, and show you the consequence or judgment that awaits you so that you will begin to desire God’s mercies and a life of righteousness.
This is the encounter that pushes us to rush to the horns of the altar of God’s mercy in Heaven through prayer, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, and begin to confess our sins to the LORD or to those He has appointed to watch over our souls.
The Psalmist described the kind of heart cry that could come out of us during those blessed moments in these terms;
“When I kept silence [before I confessed], my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord [continually unfolding the past till all is told]—then You [instantly] forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!” Psalm 32:3-5 AMPC
There is something most present-day believers do not know; it is called God’s hands of displeasure. Very few know it.
The reason is because many are still in the outer darkness and the outer court. Very few carry sufficient indwelling presence of God to be able to sense His hands of displeasure, especially when they are about saying, doing, or taking the direction of a thing that is not good in God’s sight.
IT IS THE INDWELLING PRESENCE OF GOD THAT HELPS US TO KNOW WHEN SOMETHING IS NOT PLEASING TO THE LORD.
Sometimes it does that by showing us how terrible we look spiritually, especially after a lawless deed or a sinful act. After convicting us of our sins, the next thing the indwelling presence of God will do in our lives to strip us of filthy garments is to bring us to repentance.
Conviction comes first, then repentance second; there are five more, but let us look at this one, called repentance.
Repentance is the second work of the indwelling presence of the LORD that ultimately results in striping us of filthy garments. It is a change of mindset that has six characteristics in it.
The first is acknowledgment of our sins like the prodigal son did in Luke 15; it involves seeing yourself guilty of wrong doing and in need of mercy.
This is the part that connects the first work of the indwelling presence of GOD, conviction of the Spirit.
As you begin to see your sin, it fills you with sadness. The indwelling presence of God begins to let you feel what the LORD feels, then it begins to use the experience to start striping you of the filthy garment. Then it moves to the second characteristics, which is sorrow for sin.
That is why any repentance that lacks acknowledgement of sin and sorrow for the same is false.
Sadly, most present-day preachers quench this work of the indwelling presence of GOD in the lives of erring believers with teachings like “stop judging, or condemning yourself, Christ has not judged or condemned you. Forgive yourself, God has forgiven you.”
It is really saddening.
Sorrow for sin is we judging ourselves so that we will not be judged. Telling people not to yield to the indwelling presence of GOD that is making them sorrow for their sins is misleading and eternally dangerous.
If there is no sorrow for sins, then there will be no repentance. If there is no repentance, forgiveness for sin cannot be withdrawn, hence bringing one under the penalty.
What is sorrow for sin? It is not just a sadness for sinning against GOD, neither is it the sadness of being caught. Sorrow for sin is a godly feeling of displeasure and pain for committing sin. It is a holy thing that creates a clean or a changed heart within an erring soul. It is a major work of the indwelling presence of GOD as it seeks to strip us of any filthy garment.
IT HAS A WAY OF BRINGING ONE TO THE THIRD CHARACTERISTIC OF REPENTANCE, WHICH IS CONFESSION OF SIN.
To confess is to make our sins known to the right ear for the sake of obtaining mercy and healing the breaches. The right ear could be God’s ear or the ear of someone who is in higher spiritual authority, and with the grace to minister to you.
Confession to the right ear will bring one to the fourth characteristic of repentance, which is shame for sin.
It is genuine repentance that makes one ashamed of what he may have done. If your repentance lack shame for the sin you committed, it is not genuine. Feeling ashamed of what you did is a work of the indwelling presence of GOD. It is to strip you of the filthy garment.
Everyone with God’s indwelling presence, even in its minutest form, will feel ashamed after falling into sin. It was shame for sin that made the prodigal son say to his father, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” This fruit of repentance restored him back to his position.
Shame for sin is another work of the indwelling presence of GOD that strips us of filthy garments. That is why as soon as the prodigal son became ashamed of his sin and made that statement to the father, the next word that proceeded from his father was a command to the servants to put rich robes on him.
From his story, its clear that shame for sin is a major catalyst of restoration in GOD’s kingdom. But so many today, especially we preachers have no shame again by the things we do. We do despicable things and walk away shamelessly as if nothing has happened. That’s the hallmark of one who has lost his salvation.
If salvation is there, we will repent and feel ashamed over what we may have done.
When repentance lack shame for sin, it will never unlock the blessing of repentance, which is restoration; there will be no times of refreshing from the LORD. That brings us to the fifth characteristics of repentance, which is hate for sin.
You will always hate what you are ashamed of. To hate means to feel intense dislike. It is a major work of the indwelling presence of GOD in our lives as it seeks to strip us of filthy garments. We cannot say we have repented of our sins without hating the sin.
IF WE DO NOT HATE IT, WE HAVE NOT REPENTED OF IT, AND WE DO NOT FEAR GOD.
The Bible says;
“The reverent fear and worshipful awe of the Lord [includes] the hatred of evil; pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted and twisted speech I hate.” Proverbs 8:13 AMPC
Hate for sin will always result in the sixth characteristic of repentance, which is turning away from sin.
Repentance from sin actually means turning away from sin. You will naturally turn away from what you hate. You will get to the place of repentance towards God and faith towards our LORD Jesus Christ if you turn away from sin.
We have seen six characteristics of a major work of the indwelling presence of GOD called repentance. Understand that if your repentance has the six hallmarks, it will unleash the blessing on you.
Our devotional text says so much about the blessing. A major portion of it says;
“So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 3:19 AMPC
If repentance is genuine, sins will be blotted out and times of refreshing released. In other words, filthy garments will be removed and rich robes given to us. That explains why the devil hates repentance and why he will not let any preacher preach it.
Sadly, there are no cutting-edge preachers today preaching the gospel of repentance. It is really saddening!
I believe enough has been shared for the day!
Yesterday we saw how God’s indwelling presence delivers us from the penalty, practice and presence of sin. Today we have seen two processes it takes to get that done. We have seen conviction and repentance. When we return tomorrow, God willing, we will see the other five.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
“But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].
If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts].
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
If we say (claim) we have not sinned, we contradict His Word and make Him out to be false and a liar, and His Word is not in us [the divine message of the Gospel is not in our hearts].” 1 John 1:7-10 AMPC