TODAY’S DEVOTION (SATURDAY 4th NOVEMBER 2023)
“Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:5, 27-29 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 308TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS.
Glory be to God for waking us up, and leaving His breathe in our nostrils for 308 days of our lives, this year alone. Indeed, the Spirit of God has made us; and the breath of the Almighty gives us life. We are in the final days of this year, according to the Gregorian calendar.
We are on a renewed journey of faith on visionary living. Today is the 3rd day of the journey. Yesterday we saw a major law of visionary living called the law of visionary residency. Today we want to see another law of visionary living called “the law of visionary hearing.”
The Bible says “as a man thinketh in His heart so is he.” What you think in your heart is a function of what you tuned your ear to. Visionary hearing involves, not tuning your ears to things that lack eternal relevance, or the New Testament definition of prophetic accuracy.
Now, talking about prophetic accuracy, I want us to understand that prophetic accuracy these days (that is after the cross), is no longer measured by a word coming to pass, or a factual hidden thing exposed supernaturally. Before the cross that was its measurement, but now we are in a much higher different frequency, called the Testimony of Jesus Christ. The reason is because, the devil’s prophets are everywhere today masquerading as prophets of God, through on point visions and revelations and sound prophetic accuracy.
Before the cross that was the only way of knowing a word is actually from God; when it comes to pass. That was why the LORD before the Cross, spoke through Moses saying;
“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:20-22 KJV
THERE IS NO SPACE TO EXPLAIN THE DISPENSATIONAL TRUTHS IN THIS SCRIPTURE.
Sadly, dark prophets stand on this scripture today to convince people that they are of God, especially after delivering factual prophecies. So many people in church are not aware that things have changed in God’s way of relating with us. But we are in different dispensation, that law no longer applies.
If you look at this scripture, you will realize that a word coming to pass was the only way the people of old (people in the dispensation of law) could know if a word was from God, because the Holy Spirit was not yet given, that was the only sign. This measurement became obsolete over time because over the years, Satan raised men like Balaam, to be speaking words that came to pass.
It led to the deception of many and the worship of other gods, like Baal, Ashtoreth, Tamuz, and etc. as God, by the people of GOD. Sadly, the same thing is happening today. So many believers now follow dark prophetic mantles because of the come-to-pass prophecies they get from them, and on point revelation about their lives they receive.
It is truly difficult for a suffering person to ignore such prophets and prophetesses because of the liberty they receive from them.
That is why the part of Bible prophecy that says, “many will follow their destructive ways,” is being fulfilled in our age and time.
Child of God, when it comes to visionary hearing, we must understand these truths. We must understand that in the New Covenant, a word coming to pass does not make any a prophet or prophetess of God. It is the formation of Christ in people, through one’s prophetic ministry, that makes him or her a prophet or prophetess of God today. Though under the law, it was not so!
The Bible indeed said many false prophets will rise in our days to speak words that will come to pass to deceive, if possible, even the elects. Sadly, that means some believers will be deceived, but not the elects. Any believer or preacher who will be taking accuracy for authenticity, will be deceived; but the elect will not, because the elects will not treat accuracy as authenticity.
THE ELECTS WILL OPERATE IN PROGRESSIVE, AND NOT STAGNANT THEOLOGY.
Let me reiterate again, that as a New Testament believer, you must understand that, Prophetic accuracy these days (after the cross), is no longer measured by a word coming to pass, or factual things said about you. It is now measured by how much of Christ is formed in your character, and how much worship of “the One and only true God” is exhumed from you through the prophetic delivery of the person prophesying to you.
That brings us to the law of visionary hearing. The law of visionary hearing today states that, “do not give heed to false prophecies or heretic teachings. Give heed to accurate prophecies by the definition of the New Testament, and the doctrine of Christ alone.” It is all about choosing what you hear because of where you are going in Christ.
It covers all that has to do with choosing what you allow into your mind or heart, because of the paths the LORD has carved for you in life. For instance, in visionary hearing, you do not listen to good preaching; you listen to destiny preaching, because a preaching might be good, but if it is not feeding your prophetic baby, or strengthening you to grow in Christ and fulfill God’s assignment for you, it is not good for you.
Under visionary hearing, God’s vision for your life guides you on who to sit under or the prophetic anointing to submit to. It guides you on what to commit your heart and mind to. It guides you on what to think. The Bible says;
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 KJV
One of the major requirements of visionary hearing, is avoiding what I call “chewing gum prophecies”. Yes, it is important to note that visionary living will involve not following chewing gum prophecies, and there are so many of them in church and on social media today.
ONE MAY BE WONDERING, WHAT CHEWING GUM PROPHECIES ARE?
Well, chewing gum prophecies, are prophecies that gums you to a personality instead of the person of Christ and His word for your life in the Holy Scriptures. Among other things, it makes you value the word of a prophet more than the testimony of Jesus Christ in the Holy Bible.
It makes you a seeker of what prophets are saying instead of a student of the Bible. Chewing gum prophecies will keep you busy looking for prophecies from who you call your prophet, or those you consider as prophetic people, instead of sitting down with the LORD to search the scriptures, and find out pathways of your destiny.
Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39 NKJV) But you will not heed to His word. You will just be busy looking for who will search your life and tell you what may happen or what is happening.
The spiritual plague of chewing gum prophecies is what many in Church are struggling with today. Going about looking for who to prophesy to you, especially in the beginning of a year, instead of paying attention to the word of Christ in the Holy Scriptures, is not visionary living. It is a path to ruin.
Indeed, every year is Heavily pregnant, and you may be eager to know what it holds for you, but be careful of chewing gum prophecies. They are an enemy of visionary living. Talking about decoding what a year is pregnant with, I want to submit to us that we do not need a prophet to know that a year is usually pregnant, or to know what it is usually pregnant with. Once you understand Bible prophecy you will know all that.
That is why no one can tell us the accurate details of what a year is pregnant with except they are established in Bible prophecy. They will just be speaking of facts that every thoughtful person knows are bound to happen, but amplifying it to sound like prophecies in the ears of the ignorant.
I have come to discover that, believers who are established in Bible Prophecy, will be more ready for what a year might be pregnant with, then those who follow prophets about looking for a word of prophecy.
GOD WANTS US TO RESPECT THE LAW OF VISIONARY HEARING. IT WILL HELP US IN THE AREA OF VISIONARY LIVING.
Our devotional text says;
“Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:5, 27-29 NKJV
The law of visionary hearing forbids us following any other voice apart from the voice of the LORD. The law fosters familiarity with the voice of the LORD in the Holy scriptures. Once you become familiar with the voice of the LORD in the Holy Scriptures, you will no longer entertain the ministry of preachers who are strangers to the word of truth and righteousness. They will lose your followership and financial support. And they know that, hence warning their victims against ministries God has raised to mature them in the faith, and make them familiar with His voice of truth in the Holy Scriptures.
You can now understand why these preachers preach messages that keeps the Church in infantile state or say nothing about their anti-Christ practices. They prosper more and shine brighter when the Church remain an army of spiritual infants, who treat aged men and women in ministry as deities or bow to young preachers calling them papas and mamas, and cannot tell right from wrong.
I believe enough have been shared for the day. As we bring this to a close, understand that Visionary living is not running after seers or dream interpreters. It is not running after prophetic people. It is not following chewing gum prophecies.
Chewing gum prophecies will gum you to seers, dream interpreters and prophetic people, instead of the Holy Scriptures and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. Make visionary hearing part of your life for the rest of your life, and in less than three years, you will see how glorious your life will turn out.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:1-5 NKJV