TODAY’S DEVOTION (WEDNESDAY 26TH April 2023)
“And what shall I say further? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, Others had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment.
They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated—
[Men] of whom the world was not worthy—roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised,
Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them].” Hebrews 11:32,36-40
WELCOME TO THE 116TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS & WONDERS!
Time is a major redemption tool in the hands of the LORD. Today, the LORD has added another day to our lives in time. We give Him glory for the peace, progress, health, joy, mercies and compassion we have seen.
What add flavor to a day is the presence of the peace, progress, health, joy, mercies, compassion and much more from Christ to us. The Bible calls Him the Day! If the Day Himself is not there to make your day, you will have a very bad day.
One day in my life without God’s mercies, will leave my day messed up badly. Yes, one day in your life without God’s mercies, will leave your day messed up badly. It is those who do not appreciate this that may never agree. It is the rain of mercies that God allows to fall on both the righteous and the wicked, that makes a person’s day meaningful.
We have been moving from one day to another since birth, because the LORD did not allow the devil, our flesh and the evil and corrupt system of this world, that some are in covenant with, to ruin our lives. I join David this morning to say again and again, “Blessed be the name of the LORD who have daily loaded us with benefits. Blessed be His holy name who has not given us to the will of our enemies.”
Talking about the will of our enemies, we are easily drawn to take people who have been antagonistic towards us as enemies. But we have neglected the most dangerous and maybe the real enemies around.
The real and most dangerous enemy we have, is not that antagonistic person out there. You may not agree with me, but calm down a little let me share some thoughts with you here. I know we have people in our lives who may have cost us so much harm and destruction, but the doctrine of Christ on such people shows us that they are not the most dangerous enemies in our lives.
The doctrine says;
“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy; But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].” Matthew 5:43-45 AMPC
CHRIST WILL NOT ASK YOU TO PRAY FOR A VERY DANGEROUS AND ETERNALLY CONSEQUENTIAL ENEMY.
He asks us to pray for our human enemies and those antagonistic guys out there because they are not the most dangerous enemies in our lives. Why are they not? The reason is because, the ultimate of God for mankind is that all be saved from His coming Judgment on sin and Satan. In other words, the ultimate vision of GOD for mankind is salvation; making Heaven when any die.
Antagonistic people may oppose you like enemies, but cannot stop you from making Heaven on the final day, except you use what they may be doing to you to stop yourself. The persecution the early Church face and those who walked with God in time past attest to this fact.
A portion of our devotional text says;
“They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated—
[Men] of whom the world was not worthy—roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith….”
You can see in these scriptural verses that, despite the dare-devil antagonistic people our fathers had in their lives, they still won divine approval before God and made it to Heaven. They used what they did to them, to perfect their ways before God, and make Heaven.
So, it is not what an antagonistic person may be doing to you that will hinder you from making Heaven or succeeding in life, but your reaction to what the person may be doing to you. It is our reaction to the bad things people do to us that hurts us eternally, not really what they do.
The best way to handle an antagonistic person is not to resist or pray against them. That is the doctrine of Christ. The best way is to pray for them; that you do, by handing them over to God on your prayer knee. You tell the LORD to have His way in their lives, and bring them to His light. They could become a treasure in your life when that happens.
It’s just that sometimes you need to pray for them standing away from their reach so that they will not harm you. You need to pray for them, separated from them completely if they are very dangerous. However, no matter how dangerous they are, from the eyes of eternity, they are not the most dangerous enemies we can have.
THEY ARE NOT THE MOST DANGEROUS ENEMIES IN OUR LIVES SO LONG AS OUR ETERNAL DESTINIES ARE CONCERN.
In fact, in most cases, they are not even enemies but catalyst of progress, it depends on your revelation and connectivity with God. There is a table God makes for us before our enemies. Such tables cannot be made if there are no antagonistic people in your life.
So, when we say God did not give us over to the will of our enemies, we are not just referring to antagonistic people in our lives, but the most dangerous enemies one can have, so long as his or her eternal life is concern. The enemies are, the devil, the flesh, and the evil and corrupt system of this world.
We have been looking at the doctrine of Christ on eternal life. It is clear that if we do not fight the good fight of faith, by building a resistance against these three, we will not be able to lay hold on the eternal life that the LORD gave us by His death, burial and resurrection.
There are battles that rages against our souls on daily bases to make sure we do not make it. These battles can be intense. That is why spiritual warfare is part of the activities that take place in the Spirit’s realm.
In every school of the Spirit, you will be trained to fight for your soul first, not your money or any other earthly thing. Your soul first! Jesus says, “in your patience, possess ye your souls.” Fight for it! Do not let the flood of corruption around you get into it.
Making Heaven is not cheap. You will be fought intensely, and the battle will rage around your soul; it will be required that you fight back.
That is why as soon as your Christianity becomes approved before God; as soon as you begin to walk before Him in purity, holiness, and righteousness, all hell will break loose. Yes, as soon as your feet are planted on the narrow way that leads to life, the entire forces of hell will begin to move furiously against you.
MAKING HEAVEN IS NOT CHEAP MY FRIEND. WE MUST FIGHT OUR WAY THROUGH UNTIL WE GET THERE.
And what to fight is not that antagonistic person in your life. What to fight is the devil, the flesh and the evil and corrupt system of this world. All spiritual warfare proceeds from these three, and it centers around the fulfillment of our prophetic and eternal destinies.
It is the flesh, the devil, and the evil and corrupt system of this world, that are responsible for many not being in Heaven; not fulfilling their eternal destinies in God.
The doctrine of Christ on eternal life, teaches that we put up a good fight of faith, and overcome the three. It teaches that we keep the fire burning, persist in the fight for our souls, and keep our faith pure and strong. That was what our fathers did.
When you are keeping the fire burning, the fight for your soul going, and the faith strong and pure, you will never have it peaceful on this side of eternity. Jesus Himself said, you will have tribulation.
Our devotional text testifies of the tribulation that our fathers had when they did the same. It says;
“Others had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment.
They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated—
[Men] of whom the world was not worthy—roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfilment of what was promised,” Hebrews 11:36-38 AMPC
From this scripture, it is clear that because of their righteous desires to possess their souls, and make sure they were not given to the will of their enemies (namely the devil, the flesh and the evil and corrupt system of this world), they did one thing that made the world not worthy of them. That thing was clinging unconditionally to Jesus Christ, His will and His ways, in a perverse and crooked generation.
You will have a persecution free, nominal and lukewarm Christian life, if your Christianity is not proceeding from a faith that clings to God’s will and ways alone.
The Day your Christianity changes, and you begin to cling unconditionally to God’s will and ways, all hell will begin to break loose in your life, especially if you are in a crooked and perverse generation. That is what the doctrine of Christ on eternal life teaches.
You see, the world does not like people who cling to God’s will and ways. They call them haters due to their views. But those who are trapped in its system, needs the saving power of GOD (His redemption and life virtues), that flows out of the lives of those who cling to God’s will and ways unconditionally, to be saved.
When the LORD allows us to go through fiery trials because of our faith, it is to bring out of us what the dying world around us needs to be saved; a saving power that can only come out of us, when we are standing strong in faith, despite fiery trials, temptation or persecution.
While death will be working in us due to the fiery trials, life will be coming out of the experiences and bringing redemption for the lost to the lost. This is one major deep truth that every child of God should know.
I believe enough has been shared for the Day; enough to meditate on and build our faith with.
Once again, this morning, God has spoken to us from the doctrine of Christ on eternal life. Now, it is time for application of the truths found. It is time to fight the devil, the flesh and the evil and corrupt system of this world as never before, using God’s grace and truth. It is time to decide not to be given to their will!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.
Thus death is actively at work in us, but [it is in order that our] life [may be actively at work] in you. Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak,
Assured that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up also with Jesus and bring us [along] with you into His presence.
For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.” 2 Corinthians 4:11-16 AMPC