TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 5TH MARCH 2023)
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 64th DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS!
It is the first day of another week, and as God will have it, we are starting the week again in God’s corporate presence. The Christian faith is the only faith on earth that gives you an opportunity to start your week in God’s presence. That is one of the many proofs of God’s seal of approval on it.
As we all assemble in our different corporate worship centers, may the LORD grant us the mercy to find grace to help us in time of need. The grace one need to survive a week (and even more than a week), can be found in the place of the corporate fellowship of GOD’s people.
In the kingdom of GOD, there are two basic ways we come to the throne of grace; we can approach it alone, and can approach it in corporate fellowship. Each has its own delivery, or kind of blessing it leaves on our lives.
We just finished a week-long apostolic renewal summit where we learned about things that comes to us when our private prayer lives are alive. Those are the blessings that comes upon us when we approach the Throne of Grace as individuals. But when we approach as a people in corporate fellowship, we get blessings that can be called “the rod of your strength.” That is what enables us to rule in the midst of our enemies.
The Bible says;
The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Psalm 110:1-2 NKJV
This was originally a messianic Psalm, and was fulfilled in part when the LORD ascended into Heaven to be crowned King of kings and LORD of lords.
Now, because God still maintains His redemptive manifestation (of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), Jesus is presently seated at His right hand, watching God the Holy Spirit, put all enemies under His feet. The Bible says the last enemy that will be put under His feet or destroyed will be death.
BUT WHILE IT LAST, RODS WILL BE COMING OUT OF ZION, TO ALL WHO APPEAR IN ZION, TO ENABLE THEM RULE IN THE MIDST OF THEIR ENEMIES.
When we come for corporate fellowship as a Church, we have appeared in Zion. That is why the Bible said we should not forsake the gathering of the brethren. When we appear in Zion, with a hungry, focused and sincere heart, we receive the rod of our strength to rule in the midst of our enemies.
When we say enemies, we must understand that in the days of the Bible, the ultimate enemies they had, were the Godless nations Israel was mandated to dispossess and retake the lands that God had given to Abraham, which they occupied. In other words, wicked people the Bible calls the workers of iniquity, where the enemies.
But today, things have changed. We are in a New Covenant. This covenant is the covenant of Grace, and it instructed us to love our human enemies. So, we do not have to treat people as our enemies. They are candidates of salvation. We are not to hate them, else making Heaven will become an impossibility.
There are much more serious enemies that God supply strength for us to rule in their midst, which when handled, human enemies will be cheaply neutralized by the LORD. That strength comes sometimes, as mercy, love, and truth from God’s presence as we appear in Zion; resulting in fidelity towards GOD, and the purging of iniquity out of our hearts, thereby, making our ways to please the LORD. And the Bible says, when our ways pleases the LORD, He makes even our enemies to be at peace with us.
Here is the full text of that scripture in contemporary rendering;
“By mercy and love, truth and fidelity [to God and man—not by sacrificial offerings], iniquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil.
When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:6-7 AMPC
This scripture contains what the LORD supplies to us when we appear before Him in Zion, resulting in a worshipful fear for Him that makes us depart from iniquity. He supplies the mercy, love, truth and fidelity towards God and man. He supplies a purging of iniquity from our hearts, resulting in the release of that worshipful fear to depart from and avoid evil.
THAT IS WHEN OUR WAYS WILL BEGIN TO PLEASE THE LORD!
If our ways begin to please the LORD, the responsibility of dealing with human enemies will be practically shifted to God. He will begin to bless those who bless us, and curse those who curses us without we getting involved in the fight. We will be loving them, despite what they may be doing to us, while the LORD responds to all the evil they may have or plan against us. The Bible says;
“The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.” Psalm 37:32-33 NKJV
This scripture will become real in your life as soon as your ways begin to please the LORD, and the responsibility of dealing with human enemies is taken over by the LORD. There are other scriptures that will become real in your life. Scriptures like Isaiah 54:17, that promises us protection against the weapons they form against us, and Isaiah 8:9-10 and Isaiah 44:24-26, that holds so many other precious promises.
I admonish you to take your time to read them, and find light and understanding directly from the LORD. The bottom-line of what we are sharing this morning is this, if we appear before God in Zion, in full respect of the protocols for appearing before God, we will obtain mercy to find grace to help in time of need.
OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT SAYS;
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV
When we obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need as we appear in Zion, (which is a corporate appearance before the Throne of God) the grace we find will manifest as strength to rule in the midst of our enemies.
For our dispensation, the enemies are not human enemies, but what makes human enemies succeed against us; which is, walking in the flesh, having friendship with the evil and corrupt system of this world, and not being able to resist the devil steadfastly. The Bible says;
“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:4-7 NKJV
If you look at this scripture, you will discover that walking in the flesh, and maintaining friendship with the world, will make us enemies of GOD; people who cannot submit to Him. When we remain enemies of God, we will not be able to have the fitness to resist the devil. That is why God gives us the rod of the strength to overcome the flesh, and maintain no friendship with the world, when we appear before Him in Zion.
So, whenever you appear before God in Zion, know that God will give you the rod of the strength you need to steadfastly resist the devil, by overcoming the flesh, and having no friendship with the world. Consequently, seeing the word of the LORD made manifest in your life by giving you dominion over human enemies.
THAT BRINGS US TO OUR FOCUS SINCE WE STEPPED INTO THIS MONTH, “FAITH POSITION FOR PRECIOUS WORD CARRIERS.”
We have been looking at faith positions to take, and flesh positions to avoid, in other to see the word of the LORD come to pass in our lives, as precious word carriers.
One of the faith positions to take is the faith position of appearing before God in Zion, along with other brethren. It is a position that will help us not to take the flesh position of friendship with the world and a flesh-controlled life. Consequently, lacking the fitness to resist the devil.
Do not forget, if we cannot resist the devil, he will frustrate all word manifestations in our lives. The faith position of appearing before GOD in Zion, with fellow brethren, is a major faith position to take after that of obedience. It is a beautiful faith position that will help any of us see the word of the LORD that we carry, changing our lives and turning it like the Garden of Eden.
However, we must be aware that, not all Church gatherings today, are appearances before God in Zion. So, we should not expect to get the rod of the strength to overcome the flesh, have no friendship with the world, or build an internal resistance against the devil, everywhere we see people gather in corporate fellowship as a local church.
Sadly speaking, if you have a heart or hunger for the divine, you will easily know that most gatherings these days are gatherings around money, the demon of deliverance, enchanting personalities (politicians, Bishops, pastor’s wives, general overseers, apostles, prophets, financial contributors to church projects and etc.), and flesh based religious systems.
Jesus made it clear that some gatherings are gatherings around the throne of Satan, that is why people leave with minds that are full of the things of men, like money making, carnal desire for the opposite sex, desperation for marriage, desire to get prosperity by all means, earthly success that jeopardizes eternal success, and etc. instead of the things of God.
JESUS CALLS SUCH PLACES ASSEMBLIES OF SATAN. THE BIBLE WORD FOR IT IS “SYNAGOGUES OF SATAN.”
As we bring this to a close, understand that you will never have a heart that will allow the eternal word of the LORD you carry, to be fulfilled in your life, if you are worshiping in the wrong Church (a synagogue of Satan). You will never have the heart that pleases God when you fellowship in the wrong place.
Child of God, worshiping in the right church is a faith position to take to see God’s word come to pass in your life as a precious word carrier, and worshiping in the wrong place is a flesh position to take, if you want the word you carry to be defeated and not come to pass.
Do not forget that God promised bringing us to our own fold or spiritual families. He said, it is when we find our fold that corporate fellowship will begin to fulfill its intention in our lives. Which is, spiritual fruitfulness that brings increase, and multiplication of His Spiritual blessings.
It is my prayer that GOD will use these precious thoughts we have shared this morning to keep building you up, in Jesus precious name. Amen!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the LORD.
Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the LORD.
“But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. Jeremiah 23:1-3 NKJV