TODAY’S DEVOTION (Monday 13th July 2020)
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 193rd DAY OF OUR YEAR OF REJOICING
One of the curses of life is when one is not growing spiritually. This is a curse that not many take as a curse. But it is the mother of all curses, because you will never come into any significant blessing in GOD’s kingdom and stay there for long except you are mature spiritually. That is where the number 13 comes to mind.
Today is the 13th day of the month and I want to stand on the number to pass a truth to our hearts.
The number 13 could mean something different to you, but In Israel, once a male child is 13, according to Jewish law, he becomes accountable for his actions. In other words, he becomes “A BAR MITZVAH.” A girl becomes “A BAT MITZVAH” at the age of 12 according to Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and at the age of 13 according to Reform Jews. These things hold a strong message on maturity for us.
You see, some of the things that Israel did were symbolic, and holds a great deal of truths. In my opinion, they got the oracles from GOD for the planet while we, the gentiles, demystify what they got by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The 13-year maturity age for male children and 12 or 13 for female in this ancient nation, reminds us of God’s clarion call to become mature spiritually. That tells me that God expects us to come into Son ship after a while. But that is not so in the lives of many in the faith today. That is why a lot of things are delayed in their lives.
Sadly, I have never heard a preacher blame delay in life to spiritual immaturity, but the Bible did. They have always blamed it on demons or dealings of GOD in a man’s life and all that. But the Bible make it clear that if you refuse to grow up, you will delay so much from happening in your life.
SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY IS A SILENT CURSE THAT NOT MANY KNOW ABOUT!
A prophetic gaze into the spiritual lives of many in Church today reveals that so many, from the clergy to the laity, are still babies in the LORD despite how long they have been in the church system.
Most of us have grown in Church and become mature in religious practices and the things of men but are still Babies in the things of the Spirit. We do not know that there is age in the spirit. Age in the spirit is different from age in the flesh or in the Church. That is why we can say “David was Older than Saul.”
It takes people who are Older to confront giants.
When the Philistine appeared, all the spiritual babies then in Israel, including the king, went into hiding. It took one Old man called David (Old in friendship with God) to deal with the giant.
Your true spiritual age will be revealed in the day of war! Yes, how old you are in Christ will be revealed in your day of adversity – any day the giants comes calling.
If you run into hiding or start going about looking for who will help you deal with them, irrespective of how old you may be in Church or natural age, it is a sign that you are not yet mature in the things of God.
Our age in the Kingdom is determined by how long we have lived in God’s active presence. How many years we have spent our Christian lives in deep intimacy with God. Those who have spent more years in deep intimacy with God, the realm called the courts of our God’ by David, are Older than those who have not.
David was one of such men, that was why He was Older than Saul who knew nothing about being intimate with God. That was why he could understand that the Philistine was not defying any man but the armies of the LORD – the invisible army. And because he defied God’s invisible army, his days on earth were over.
It was David’s spiritual age acquired through countless hours of being with God that made him to know that battles with people who have defied the armies of the LORD are not fought with swords, spears and Javelins. They are fought with the name of the LORD. That was why he picked five stones, representing the five letters in the name “Jesus.”
HE ALSO PICKED 5 STONES BECAUSE GOLIATH WAS ONE OF THE LAST FIVE GIANTS ON EARTH. THE OTHER FOUR WERE HIS BROTHERS.
It is so sad that we have so many Church leaders and lay believes in the class of Saul and the soldiers of Israel today, we have people who cannot stand against the giants of moral corruption. They rather compromise and receive economic fatness from Babylon in return than stand to win by righteousness.
We have people whose immaturity has robbed of great victories over sin, the evil and corrupt system of this world, the flesh and devils parading the lives of men.
We have people who have been in their Churches for many years and have grown through the ranks to become pastors or other officers of their denominations, but have not spent even a day in the active presence of God – I am not referring to a Church service – I mean the active presence of God – the very realm David spent his days in, that made him older than Saul.
Most of what we look for in the Christian faith is buried in what we call “spiritual maturity.” In other words, most blessings that we need, miracles or deliverance that we seek are only answerable to spiritual maturity. As we grow up, we come into them.
The Bible makes it clear that if we are not mature in the faith or the things of the Spirit there are spiritual inheritances we cannot come into. That is why, in helping the Church understand the dichotomy between the law and the grace of God in the Book of Galatians, Paul the apostle revealed the role of spiritual maturity in a man’s walk with God.
He made it clear that it is the only way we can come into greater things in God. It is the only way we can be free from the status of a slave in the spirit realm and becomes sons that qualify for significant things in the kingdom of GOD.
HE WROTE TO THE CHURCH AT GALATIA SAYING,
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.” Galatians 4:1-2 NKJV
You will never come into things you are master over until you grow up in the things of God. Things like sicknesses, diseases, demons, the satanic world, sin, suffering, poverty, witches etc. People who do not spend quality time with God like David will never acquire the age in the spirit to exercise mastery over the works of darkness.
Our devotional text this morning is full of prophetic and apostolic truths. But a devotional is too small to unpack it.
It spoke about child being born and a Son being given. That was a messianic prophecy fulfilled in the day Jesus was born. It was a word God sent to that generation to reveal the identity of the messiah long before he was born. A major highlight in the text says,
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.”
Hidden in this statement is the apostolic function of the true Church (I mean the Church global). The Bible says the government of Jesus will be on us because we are His shoulders. Do not forget, He is the head of the body. The Bible also says He is the governor among the nations. So, as our Head (and we, His shoulders), we are called to carry out His governmental functions on the face of the earth.
The functions are in two folds or phases.
The first is the demolition phase, which involves rooting out what He has not planted in the hearts of men in the nations, pulling down what He has not built in their minds, with the aim of destroying every evil works and throwing down anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of the LORD our GOD.
The second is the reconstruction phase, which is to build lives and get His redemptive will planted or established on earth as written in Heaven. However, just as immaturity prevented Saul and the rest of the soldiers of Israel from carrying out God’s governmental function then against the giant, so is it preventing so many of us in Church today from doing the same.
What is the Rhema Word from the LORD to us this morning? The word is remarkably simple. “GROW UP!” That is the word.
Child of God, as a follower of Christ – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, you are also a lion to be feared in hell and respected in Heaven by destiny. But spiritual Immaturity can turn you into a goat to be slaughtered by the devil – the enemy who goes about like a roaring lion. You are God’s weapon of war, destined to be used in defeating hell and promoting Heaven on earth. But lack of spiritual age acquired through countless hours in God’s presence can turn you into a man or woman to be pitied.
Many in need of deliverance today are warriors of righteousness by destiny, but lack of spiritual age has kept them in spiritual prisons and satanic dungeons.
TIME HAS COME TO GROW UP!
Time has come to be fed the word of God into stature in the spirit. Time has come to look for man and woman God can use to help you grow up in the things of God so you can begin to unleash your destiny.
If you make “GROWING UP” through proper spiritual feeding by the hands of God’s apostles and prophets and countless hours with God your passion, you will gain stature rapidly in the spirit and begin to manifest as a Son of God on the face of the earth.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY;
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.”
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Romans 8:18-22 NKJV