TODAY’S DEVOTION (Thursday 16th July 2020)
“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:12-15 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 196th DAY OF OUR YEAR OF REJOICING
Each time I read this scripture ““If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe; how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” I just begin to wonder how much we are yet to know in Christ. You mean all that Jesus was demonstrating and teaching were in the realm of earthly things, so long as God’s storehouse of revelation was concern?
May God help us to get into the realm of Heavenly things in our quest to know more of Him and less of us!
I believe it is God’s will for us to know more of Him and less of us. And do not forget, irrespective of how difficult, impossible or costly what you know to be God’s will is, that is the safest thing to do in every season of Life. Let us limit ourselves to the pursuit of the knowledge of God, and His peace will not cease pursuing us.
Doing the will of God, could be the most difficult thing to do, but it is the safest thing to do on earth. It has a way if shutting out the enemy of our souls from a man’s life in time and eternity. Jesus so limited Himself to doing God’s will that the Devil could not find a place in His life to sabotage.
Even when the devil thought he had eliminated Him, when he took Him to the cross and got him buried, he and his host of demons were shocked when they saw that the same man they instigated men to kill and bury three days ago has resurrected.
The Bible made it clear that if Satan had known what the death of Jesus will do to him, he would have become Jesus greatest bodyguard on the face of the earth.
PAUL, IN HIS FIRST LETTER TO THE CHURCH AT CORINTH, PUT IT THIS WAY,
“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 NKJV
In our devotional yesterday the LORD spoke to us about His apostolic Power and to need to be in constant touch with it. Apostolic power is today a product of doing God’s will, walking in His ways, and being intimate with Him. If you do that your life will be exciting.
You see, a lot of things that makes like sweet and excited are powered by God’s apostolic power. Hardship and all manner of evil works in the life of a Christian are always because of supernatural power failure. In other word, if there is not apostolic power in the life of a Christian, everything about him or her will go dark – marriage, finance, faith, etc.
When apostolic power is restored in the life of a Christian, everything dead will come alive, starting from his or her spiritual life. When you see your spiritual life being restored after coming under God’s apostolic power, it is a sign that the restoration of other aspects of your life is on the way.
There are seven aspects of life. The spiritual aspect of life is the foundation of all other aspects. It is the death of a man’s spiritual life that usually results in problems in other aspects of his life. So, to fix a man’s life, God will begin to restore him from the spiritual aspect of his life.
I have never seen people in problems who met God for solution getting a permanent help until they become interested in submitting to Him to work on their spiritual lives. Those who know how to take their eyes off whatever they may be going through, and fix on the cross, especially for the purpose of strengthening their relationship with God and becoming strong in faith, will wake up one morning looking for their problems and not finding them.
Jesus said,
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 NKJV
The Kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of Heaven. The kingdom of God is a method, but the kingdom of Heaven is a place. The kingdom of God is an extension of, or the manifestation of the kingdom of Heaven on the face of the earth.
It is the governing influence of God over a territory (especially a man’s heart), affecting it with His will, purposes, visions, plans, and intentions.
The purpose of Church ministry is to turn men into God’s kingdom Citizens not just some Church members. Seeking first the kingdom is seeking first the governing influence of God over your life.
THAT GOVERNING INFLUENCE IS THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD HIMSELF.
In other words, whatever we may be going through, God wants us to first submit our hearts to be influenced by the revelation of His will, ways, plans, visions, purposes, by His Holy Spirit. When that happens, we will begin to lead a life called “righteousness” and all other things shall be added to us! That was the principle He taught the Church in the wilderness (the nation of Israel).
The Bible says they disobeyed God at one time and serpents came in to bite them. In other word, their disobedience caused the protective edge of God’s glory to be lifted from the camp letting in the serpents. People began to cry unto Moses and die. But in His mercy God responded with a principle of “divine rescue.” He said to Moses;
..”Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” Numbers 21:8 NKJV
The fiery or brazen serpent Moses made represents the cross of Jesus and the power thereof – God’s defeat of Satan, His judgment on sin, and forgiveness for sins. The serpents that bit them represent sin, Satan, and the evil systems of this world.
God was simply saying that whatever sin, Satan, or the evil systems of this world has brought upon us, we can only be saved or permanently delivered from them when we take our eyes off the troubles and fix them on the cross. In other words, when we seek first the kingdom and His righteousness as explained the holiness, deliverance, and divine rescue we need will be added to us. That is the gospel.
Therefore, no matter what you are going through, the only way to permanently come out of it is to take your eyes of it and fix on the kingdom of God. In other words, seek the establishment of governing influence of God over your life and allow Heaven to impact you with the revelation of God’s will, way, vision, plans, purposes, intents ad etc.
JESUS WOULD LATER REITERATE THIS PRINCIPLE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WITH THESE WORDS FROM OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT FOR THE DAY,
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
What is the message of our devotional this morning? The message is simple; learn to do God’s will in every situation you find yourself. Stop putting “you” first in your quest for divine help in any area of life. Put God first!
How do you put God first? Pursue His governing Influence over your life and submit to His Spirit to impact your hearts with the revelation of His will, ways, plans, visions, purposes, and intentions. If you do, your visitation could come slow, but it will be big.
May your heart be firmly established on the word of the LORD to us this morning, in Jesus precious name! AMEN!!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY;
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls — Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
“The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV