TODAY’S DEVOTION (TUESDAY 14TH MAY 2024)
“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” Psalm 27:4 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 135TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
We give God the glory for giving us another day to be alive and well. It is out of His mercies that we are not consumed because His compassion fails not.
This morning we will be continuing with the flow of yesterday, on the need of power in our lives. The word of the LORD made it clear to us that deep intimacy with the LORD is the pathway to power with the LORD.
To this end, we will be trusting the LORD to use His word on this platform to speak to us on matters of deep intimacy; not just today.
Matters of deep intimacy with the LORD are not considered by many. Apart from the curse of powerlessness that is the result of this, it has also led to the rise of an unprecedented number of carnal Christians. This has become worrisome.
The Bible says to be carnally minded is death. This is first spiritual death, then natural death, and then eternal death. Spiritual death results in moral decay. The rate of moral decay among us believers today is saddening. The Bible says if we die in moral decay, we will not make Heaven.
There are fruits of moral decay everywhere today. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are some of them.
The fruits of moral decay also include saying we are Christians or born again, yet we defraud people, even in church; we lie, we commit sexual sins, we are impure, immoral, cheats, adulterers or adulteresses, homosexuals, greedy graspers, drunkards, foulmouthed, revilers, slanderers, extortioners, robbers, and totally unrighteous in our deeds, even as preachers.
We are all that, yet believing that we will make Heaven. The word of the LORD says;
“But [instead it is you] yourselves who wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren [by so treating them]!
Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality,
Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:8-10 AMPC
DO NOT BE DECEIVED (OR MISLED):
Yes, the word says we should not be deceived or misled. What a warning. The first spiritual deception device that usually deceive most of us is our hearts. Then the preachers of error.
Some have deceived us into believing that once saved, we are forever saved.
Others have said, when we slip back into a life of sin after salvation, we are still saved. That it is our bodies that are sinning, our spirits are saved. These are dangerous carnal conclusions about the grace of God because the scriptures say otherwise.
Do not be deceived or misled into believing them.
Yes, we should not be misled into believing that we will make Heaven as drunkards, cheats, impure Christians, immoral preachers, adulterers and adulteresses, greedy graspers, foulmouthed, revilers, slanders, extortioners, robbers, wrong doers, and etc.
We should not be misled that we will make Heaven in moral decay.
The growing number of carnal Christians is responsible for the growing number of morally decayed Christians who are dying and going to hell, instead of Heaven.
You cannot claim to be born again living a life of sin and moral decay. Your deeds must be righteous if you are truly saved or born again. That is what the Bible says.
Read this:
“No one who abides in Him [who lives and remains in communion with and in obedience to Him—deliberately, knowingly, and [habitually] commits (practices) sin.
No one who [habitually] sins has either seen or known Him [recognized, perceived, or understood Him, or has had an experiential acquaintance with Him].
Boys (lads), let no one deceive and lead you astray. He who practices righteousness [who is upright, conforming to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action, living a consistently conscientious life] is righteous, even as He is righteous.
[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning.
The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].
No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.
By this it is made clear who take their nature from God and are His children and who take their nature from the devil and are his children: no one who does not practice righteousness [who does not conform to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow believer in Christ). 1 John 3:6-10 AMPC
HOW CAN WE HAVE THIS SCRIPTURE IN THE BIBLE AND BE FOLLOWING CARNAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT OUR FAITH?
How can we have this scripture in the Bible and be following what preachers who have become financial power houses because of their erroneous ministries say? Is it because they have fame and fortune?
When did fame and fortune becomes signs that one is walking in truth? That is delusional.
The scripture says,
“no one who does not practice righteousness, who does not conform to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother or his fellow believer in Christ.”
How can we say we are of God if we are morally bankrupt, impure, immoral, hateful, ungodly, wrongdoers, and etc.? How can we say we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, if we are unrighteous in our deeds?
RIGHT LIVING OR RIGHTEOUS DEEDS REMAINS THE FRUIT OF AUTHENTIC SALVATION, NOT LOUD CONFESSIONS.
The reason for accepting the opposite is because of the carnality in Church today. We have become so carnally minded that we no longer accept truth as the way. We now call truth lies and call lies truth.
So many in the clergy and the laity, now speak lies with such an audacity that you are left wondering what is happening. But thanks be to God who has shown us the way out in His word, and that is what we will be looking at as we bring this to a conclusion.
The part of the scripture that says, “The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]” shows us the way out.
It tells us what needs to happen for us to be free from moral decay, sinful habits, or a heart sold out to sin, iniquity, or trespasses. It tells us that the manifestation of the Son of God must take place in us for us to be free.
Yes, it says, when the Son of God is made manifest in us, He will destroy, loosen, or dissolve any works of the devil, especially the works of living a life of sin after salvation; the works of carnality and moral decay. That bring us back to the subject of deep intimacy.
One way to have the Son of God manifest in us, is to become intimate with the Holy Spirit; not just intimate, but deeply intimate.
Our devotional text today says,
“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”
The Bible says when we enter into that place of desiring more of God, the place of deep intimacy with the Holy Spirit, we are to dwell there, looking at the word of the LORD (reading, studying, meditating, and putting the word in our hearts) until the day dawns and Christ rises or manifest in us.
When we build our spiritual lives around that culture, the culture of entering the PLACE of deep intimacy from time to time, we will not live canal or morally decayed lives, because Christ will be manifesting or coming into being in us. That is the word of the LORD!!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY;
“For when He was invested with honor and glory from God the Father and a voice was borne to Him by the [splendid] Majestic Glory [in the bright cloud that overshadowed Him, saying], This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased and delight,
We [actually] heard this voice borne out of heaven, for we were together with Him on the holy mountain.And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises (comes into being) in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:17-19 AMPC