TODAY’S DEVOTION (FRIDAY 1ST DECEMBER 2023)
“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.
And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.
Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines.
God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites.
Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.” 2 Chronicles 26:3-8 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 335TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF SIGNS AND WONDERS.
This is the Day the LORD has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. It is the first day of the 12th month of the year. It’s been a great year from the first day we stepped into the year.
Day unto day we have been hearing God’s insightful speeches in our spirits through this platform, and night unto night they have been resounding in our hearts. Indeed, He has been faithful. The lines and revelations of the LORD’s faithfulness, fell unto us on pleasant places each day of this year. They are all over our lives.
His vision is to set in us a Tabernacle for Himself, the Sun of righteousness.
The fulfilment of the vision usually begins when we surrender our lives to Him, to be LORD and Saviour over them. Then continues through our decisions to live in His will, and walk in His ways as Temples for Him in the Spirit, until our days on earth are fulfilled.
Your desire as a Christian should be to actualize this vision of the LORD. But understand that, there will always be the need for a good apostolic church and leader, in our lives to help us actualize it.
If we do not have one, we will be living as dilapidated spiritual temples on earth, even as believers because believing is not enough, thereby becoming sinful in our ways, depraved in our morals, lacking the rest the LORD promised those who come to Him.
Thereby becoming users of oil, water, salt, and all kinds of things that charlatans sell to those who go to them for prayers.
If we keep living our lives as dilapidated spiritual temples, we will never be able to experience the LORD as our Rock in times of trouble. He will never be exalted in our lives when the need arises. He will not even avenge for us when we are unjustly treated the way He did for our fathers.
WE WILL NOT BE LIFTED ABOVE OUR ENEMIES. HENCE BECOMING A LAUGHING STOCK.
Now, talking about becoming a laughing stock, it is not always bad to be a laughing stock in a dark world.
Understand that, there are two seasons when people can be a laughing stock. The first is when they live as dilapidated spiritual temples on the face of the earth. The second is when they begin the journey to change that kind of spiritual life, and become well-constructed magnificent spiritual temples of Jesus Christ; the Sun of righteousness on earth.
The former is a consequence of not living as the LORD desires, the latter is a price we pay for living as the LORD desires. It is the latter that brings the blessing at the end, not the former.
Last month, we sensed the LORD wanted us to refresh our minds on matters of visionary living. We began a journey of faith with the Cry of the Spirit on the same. We decided to continue on the same flow as we step into the new month.
Like we stated in one of the days, God will not be talking to us about visionary living if there is nothing great coming. I believe the LORD has prepared something great and beautiful for us.
When God prepares something great or beautiful for you, and see that you will miss it if you keep walking on certain paths, He will bring word on visionary living to you, so that you can depart from those paths, and step into the paths that you need to walk in, in order to experience what He has prepared for you.
That is what He is accomplishing in our lives through the series.
Lately, especially since we started the final descend to the end of the journey, He has been helping us to understand the laws that govern visionary living. We have seen so many beautiful laws. The last was the the law of the sycamore Tree.
THIS LAW WAS USED BY ZACCHAEUS TO DEAL WITH THE SHORT STATURE PROBLEM HE HAD WHEN HE WANTED TO SEE JESUS.
We discovered that, in a bid to know the LORD or see into His plans and lead visionary lives, there is always a shortness in spiritual, mental and sometimes financial stature to deal with. God would have to bring us to men and women of greater stature and touch their hearts to let us ascend to their shoulders.
Until that happens, struggling in life may become our hallmark.
Without advocating that we trust in men, I have come to discover that, most people do not realize how much they need others in their lives, hence putting up terrible attitudes in life.
From our devotional text, a beautiful story about one of Israel’s youngest king, it’s clear that there are marvellous helps of God we will never see until we key into the law of the sycamore tree; until we find taller shoulders to climb on.
The life and times of Uzziah in the Bible, is one beautiful piece of human history that will speak to us today on this law. The full devotional text says;
“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.
And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.
Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines.
God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites.
Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.” 2 Chronicles 26:3-8 NKJV
God applied the law of the sycamore Tree on Uzziah to take care of the shortness of his stature created by his age. There are others whose short stature is created by the circumstances of their births.
FOR UZZIAH, HIS WAS AGE, MAKING HIM TOO YOUNG TO LEAD. BUT HE HAD TO LEAD.
Your own may be lack of education, lack of proper upbringing, or the impact of your parents dying young, or you not having or knowing your biological father or mother. It might also have been created by you not having a sound Church to attend when you first gave your life to Christ, or other circumstances of life.
No matter what created your own type of short stature, you will need to have an attitude that will allow you climb one tall shoulder from the LORD, so that you can experience His marvellous helps; the helps you need from God, to become what He created you to be in life.
Uzziah had one tall tree in his life called “Zechariah.” The man had understanding in the visions of God for his age and times. That was the shoulder that Uzziah humbled himself to climb on to experience all the marvellous helps he got from the LORD. You are the next on God’s list.
The Bible says,
“He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.” 2 Chronicles 26:5 NKJV
Who helped him seek the LORD? The tree whose shoulder he climbed.
Had Uzziah developed attitudes like many youths do today, or said, “I do not Need anyone to succeed in life, I only need God,” like some misguided people talk, he would not have experienced the prosperity he experienced from the LORD.
He would have despised the tree the LORD brought his way to climb and be marvelously helped in life, the way many are doing today.
Friend, your success and progress in life is just a tree away! Once your stature problem is solved, your greatness will begin to emerge. Once you find your Zechariah or tree, God’s marvelous helps will begin to run after you.
If you can find a Zechariah like Uzziah found, and climb on his shoulder by cultivating the right attitudes of submission, loyalty, service, purity of heart and spirit, and great humility, you will be able to seek the LORD and begin to experience His marvellous help as never before.
You do not need everyone in life, you need just one person who can solve your stature problem. God will begin to make you prosper in life, if you can find that person.
I REITERATE AGAIN THAT YOUR SUCCESS IS JUST A TREE AWAY!
Such destiny trees come in different forms. They could come as resident pastors, apostles, business men and women, spiritual or political leaders, depending on your field of kingdom assignment, or towering visionary men like Zechariah.
Irrespective of how they come, you will not need to worship them to get access to their shoulders. That is what happens among corrupt destiny trees or leaders, and their protégés or spiritual sons.
You will only need to serve them in loyalty, faithfulness, honor, purity, worship of the one and only true God, sacrifice to what the LORD calls them to do, and etc. to find yourself on their shoulders.
If you ask me, I will say the only Tree you need to climb on is the Tree of Life Himself, Jesus Christ.
Then He will place you on the shoulders of men and women, who are His branches the way He placed Uzziah (people you will not need to scheme or offer some worship to in order to access their shoulders), to make you prosper. Such men will be like trees to you.
That means, to find the men, you must find the LORD first; you must find the Tree of life Himself, and take your place in Him.
You must find Him, and then find out what He wants to do with your life, and begin to die daily for it, and He will bring you to the men.
You will not have to look at some towering leader out there, and begin to court them to be your tree. No! The LORD will orchestrate everything the way He did for Elisha. You will only need to be sensitive enough to recognize the person when he comes your way.
They could come in through a book that blessed you, a video message or even a you tube channel that ministered to you, a church meeting or whatever. Irrespective of how they come, when the LORD makes them reach you, you must recognize them. Do not throw the opportunity away!
YOU MUST BE SENSITIVE.
Once you are sensitive and reach out to them, just cultivate and maintain the right attitude, and you will find yourself on their shoulder.
When the LORD place you on their shoulder, and you maintain the right attitudes towards them, you will begin to experience His marvellous helps. That is the bit we can share on the law of the sycamore tree.
LET THIS BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR US TODAY!
“Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains.
The total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.
Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones.
And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.” 2 Chronicles 26:11-15 NKJV