TODAY’S DEVOTION (MONDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2023)
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 254TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS
Oh, what a school of the prophets we had yesterday, with destiny encounters. Schools of the prophet have always been like that; even when it’s just a day. We thank God for His mercies. It made our weekend a glorious one.
These apostolic and prophetic training schools have been full of grace and truth. We can see what our Bible fathers experienced in their days. Obviously, we have moved a step further in our walk and talk with God as individuals, and as a spiritual family. To God belong all the glory!
It’s been our season of “Schooling in the things of GOD,” and we pray the season will not end because discipleship involves learning every day.
Those who have decided to be spending their days at the feet of Jesus Christ; learning and unlearning, have made the best decision. That was what the LORD said to Mary, one of the two sisters of Lazarus.
The Bible says;
“Now while they were on their way, Jesus entered a village [called Bethany], and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching.
But Martha was very busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities; and she approached Him and said, “Lord, is it of no concern to You that my sister has left me to do the serving alone? Tell her to help me and do her part.”
But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 AMP
These two women represents two generations in Church; those who are busy with the WORK of the LORD, and those who are busy with His WORD. Martha was busy with His work, making preparation for Jesus, but Mary was busy with His word, sitting at His feet to learn.
We have made up our minds not to be part of the generation that is busy with His work, but His word; because, when you get busy with His word, it will work in your life and help you do His work as well; the work of putting your life in order with the LORD, and influencing others to do the same.
DAVID WAS BUSY WITH THE WORD OF THE LORD, BUT SAUL BUSY WITH THE WORK. THAT WAS WHY SAUL LOST THE KINGDOM.
If you are not busy with the word of the LORD, you will never obey the voice of the LORD like Saul. But if you are busy with it, you will be a man after God’s heart; after God’s will, ways and standards, like David.
Saul could not obey one instruction of the LORD because he was more interested in being king then getting busy with the word of the King of Kings Himself.
When you get busy with His word, it will result in a life of obedience, submission to His will, humbling yourself before Him, seeking to please Him, and helping others to do the same. It will promote your intimacy with God, and help you serve your generation according to His will.
It also has a way of bringing you to a supernatural environment in Christ, that will keep the Blessings of God flowing in your life.
When you get busy with His word, the classes never come to an end. They do not come to an end because they in a realm of His glory. Nothing in God’s glory comes to an end. So, the sessions are unending. You move from depth, to depth, height to height, and get to the place of sweet communion with the Holy Spirit and His holy words.
Apostle Paul wrote saying;
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33 NKJV
When you get busy with the WORD, you will find this scripture true in your life. You will discover that the wisdom and knowledge of God are unsearchable, and His judgment are past finding out. The classic version of the amplified Bible, puts it this way;
“ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!” Romans 11:33 AMPC
I advise that you go through this scripture again, and let God speak to you from its content.
THAT IS ONE SMALL WAY TO BET BUSY WITH THE WORD!
Getting busy with His word, will shape your life because it will help you understand God’s decisions and methods. His decisions concerning the different issues of life, and His method of handling them. When you understand God’s decisions and methods, you live a better life.
It helps you to handle your life in a better way.
Now, let’s go back to the subject of schooling in the things of God, because that is one way to get busy with God.
Schooling in the things of God, or getting busy with his word, is not possible without a spiritual mindset. That is why the Holy Spirit must be in your life first, because the schooling can be effective. You will never be able to access the depth of the riches, of both God’s wisdom and knowledge, buried in the scriptures without the Holy Spirit helping you.
Without the Holy Spirit, you will just have a natural mind that do not have the capacity to comprehend the things of God; the reason is because the things of God are spiritually discerned, and the carnal mind is in constant opposition or enmity against GOD. The Bible says,
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:6-8 KJV
The phrase “carnally minded,” describes sense and reason without the Holy Spirit. You will never come into the life and peace in the word, reading it with a carnal mind.
Yes, you will never come into the revelation of God’s decision or methods for your life, reading the Bible with a sense and reason that is not influenced by the Holy Spirit. That is why having a degree in English language does not qualify any to understand the Bible. The LORD made this clear through Isaiah when He said;
“And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:” Isaiah 29:11 KJV
The word of the LORD was sealed by the spirit of the LORD, using those who penned it down for us.
UNTIL THOSE SEALS ARE LOOSED, YOU WILL JUST BE GETTING BIBLE STORIES WHEN READING IT.
It is when they are loosed that you swim in revelation knowledge of the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! It is when the seals of God are removed that you can come into the revelation of His inscrutable and unsearchable decisions! That is when the understanding of His mysterious undiscoverable methods and paths for your life, or for a given situation confronting you, will come.
Most of the things we have been sharing in our meetings and in some of these devotionals, are not things you understand except you have the heart for them; except you are graced with a spiritual mind. God said in His word, to be carnally minded is death. If you are carnally minded, you cannot be admitted into the SCHOOL OF UNSEARCHABLE DECISIONS AND METHODS OF GOD, or comprehend anything from it. The Bible says,
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural mind in this scripture is the carnal mind. It cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (the unsearchable decisions of God and methods that are past finding) for they are foolishness to it. Neither can it know them when they are taught because they are spiritually discerned.
No one can be taught things that are past finding with a sense and reason without the Holy Spirit. It is sense and reason with the Holy Spirit that makes you spiritually minded. It makes you spiritual. A major highlight of our devotional text says;
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NKJV
WHEN YOU HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST, IT WILL SHOW IN TWO WAYS!
The first way is, you will be spiritual, judging all things; and the second is, you will be rightly judged by no one.
Now, what do all this mean? It means you will have the Spiritual capacity and grace to examine, investigate, inquire into, question, and discern all things before accepting or rejecting them. You will be able to read the spiritual meaning of everything with precision and accuracy, but no one will be able to properly discern, appraise or get an insight into you – that includes sorcerers, mediums, diviners, and all false prophets and prophetic witches and wizards. Hallelujah!
That is how the Christian life was originally designed to be lived – a life a sorcerer can know nothing about! But sadly speaking, the reverse is the case today. Our local assemblies are full of carnal people who are trying to be spiritual. You see them engaging in what they call “SPIRITUAL WARFARE” fighting and fighting, but if you look deep into whatever they are doing it is simply “SOULISH WARFARE!”
Friend, it is dangerous for carnal people to fight evil powers! They will come under the counter attacks that the Sons of Sceva came into in their days! That is why you see the lives of those engage in such warfare scattered. You see them living very miserable and oppressive lives.
What is the word of the LORD today?
God wants us to get busy with His word, not His work. But we will need the mind of Christ to be able to do that. We will need it to be able to understand and gain access into the things of God while busy with the word. We no longer need one more moment with a carnal mind. That is the word of the LORD.
Sadly, what have been ruining the lives of over 95 percent of Pentecostal Christians today, is our attempts to relate with GOD (who is Spirit) with a carnal mind. For instance, it will be spiritually unproductive, to be praying, giving, fasting, and exercising spiritual authority with a carnal mind.
In fact, it is very dangerous. The Bible says it is death.
How is the mind of Christ imparted? It begins with a salvation encounter, and continuous with a constant entrance of God’s word and Spirit into our souls. In simple terms, it comes through divine encounters with God in His word and His Spirit, from the day of salvation to the day of sanctification.
God does not want you to spend one more moment living a carnal life. It will keep ruining you. Ask Him for the mind of Christ and He will not deny you.
MAY THE STORY OF THE SONS OF SCEVA REMAIN A LESSON TO THE PRESENT CHURCH GENERATION! AMEN!
Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.” Acts 19:14-18 NKJV