TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 30TH JUNE 2024)
“The field is the world, and the good seed means the children of the kingdom; the darnel is the children of the evil one,
And the enemy who sowed it is the devil. The harvest is the close and consummation of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the darnel (weeds resembling wheat) is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age.
The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense [persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin] and all who do iniquity and act wickedly,
And will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then will the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God) shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Let him who has ears [to hear] be listening, and let him consider and perceive and understand by hearing. Matthew 13: 38-43 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 181ST DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
This is the day the LORD has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. He has given us life and peace. He has fought our battles. He has defended us and caused the earth to open up to swallow the flood of the wicked.
Who is like unto our God! Day unto day He have been giving us wisdom.
A principle of His kingdom says, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by what proceeds from His mouth.” He has kept this principle by feeding us with some of the finest spiritual meals from His kitchen daily on this platform.
Yes, our God has been faithful to us! His faithfulness is responsible for our being alive.
There are no words and sometimes no sufficient language to use in capturing what His faithfulness has been doing in and through our lives. I do not think we can really know all of what God is doing in and for our lives until we step back to glory at the end of our days!
You see, there are things about this God that we will never know until we step into the other side to be with the LORD. I believe what He gave His Holy Spirit to reveal to us is sufficient for us for this life.
Whatever is not given is important but not needed. The Bible says;
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV
This scripture is loaded. Each time I look at it in study with total attention, something sparks in my spirit. It holds a fire that can stir one to seek the LORD for all the secrets that are in Heaven which are designed for us on this side of eternity.
IT TELLS US THAT THERE ARE SECRETS THAT BELONG TO US AND OUR CHILDREN, FURTHER ESTABLISHING THE NEED FOR FAMILY DEVOTIONS.
It is through family devotions that our children get to know those secrets; that is if we the parents know them. The absence of strong family devotions is the reason for all kinds of sexual vices in our families and by extension in the church. Strong family devotions will bring strong presence from GOD that can wad off temptations and give us the energy to keep our beds undefiled. The Bible says;
“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Hebrews 13:4 NKJV
This is one major scripture that many believers do not even know; especially the married. That is why the beds of many have been defiled (both the married and those who are single). We do not know that GOD will judge adulterers, adulteresses and fornicators, except there is repentance.
If you are married or single and you do not keep your bed undefiled, you bring demons to your bed. That is why there are cases of devils coming to molest people in dream; spirits that are erroneously called spirit husbands or wives.
Many of us married people (in the Church), have become adulterers and adulteresses because there are no strong family devotions. We are saved but we are not being saved, hence the sinful living. Consequently, we shall not be saved.
It is very troubling to discover that many of us in Christ who are singles have become fornicators because there are no strong personal devotions in our walk and talk with God. We do not have sufficient revelation that was designed for us in our spirits hence lacking the energy to say no to sexual sins. But we must understand that sexual purity will save us from so much in life.
Achieving it is through having a heart that fear God and a will that is strong enough to say no to sexual temptations. I have come to discover that you may have the fear of God in your heart, but if your will is not strong enough, it will be impossible for you to say no when the urge comes.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A CONSTANT BATTLE BETWEEN YOU, AND YOU.
The emotions, imaginations, and memory that has experienced sexual activities will always fight back when you want to flee from it.
It will take a sanctified and Holy Spirit enabled will-power to conquer. That is one of the reasons God kept some secret things in His storehouse of revelation to be posted to us on earth, so that we may get them absorbed into our spirits, and develop a will-power that is strong and righteous enough, to say no to sexual temptations and defend itself from sexual recklessness.
It is through personal devotions that we fortify our wills with the word of the LORD to say no to all sexual sins. It is through effective personal devotions (daily devotions) that we tap into the secret things that are for us and use them to build our human spirits to supply energy to our will in the days of temptation.
Do not forget, the day of temptation is the day of adversity.
There is need for inner strength to be able to come out victoriously when we are tempted. The Bible says, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” (Proverbs 24:10 AMPC). It is not because the temptation was overwhelming but because your strength was small.
It is small strength that make us fall into sin when we are tempted.
To be able to overcome all forms of temptations, therefore, we must focus on having enough strength in our human spirits. We must focus on building our inner man by going after the secret things that are for us, and if we are married, and for our Children.
Christianity is not for spiritually lazy people. If you are lazy spiritually, your life will be filled with weeds of sin, iniquity and trespass. You will be growing vile passions and seeking to satisfy them.
Yesterday, we shared something about the types of fear that are welcome in God’s kingdom, and we said the first is the fear of the LORD.
You will never boost your fear for God and make it productive if you are lazy spiritually, if you are not one of those who spend quality time with God’s word to discover and absorb the secret things that belong to us as His people.
THAT BEAUTIFUL SCRIPTURE AGAIN SAYS;
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV
From this scripture, the word revealed connotes progressive revelation or progressive theology. When progressive theology forms your revelation knowledge, you can recognize and neutralize the spirit of lawlessness.
From this scripture it is clear that the essence of revelation knowledge or progressive theology is for us to do all the words of the laws of God’s Kingdom. Doing all the words of the law implies living a life of total submission to God’s will and way; the only way to neutralize the spirit of lawlessness. Our devotional text today says;
“The field is the world, and the good seed means the children of the kingdom; the darnel is the children of the evil one,
And the enemy who sowed it is the devil. The harvest is the close and consummation of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the darnel (weeds resembling wheat) is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age.
The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense [persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin] and all who do iniquity and act wickedly,
And will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then will the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God) shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Let him who has ears [to hear] be listening, and let him consider and perceive and understand by hearing. Matthew 13: 38-43 AMPC.
This scripture made it clear that we are in a season of the end of the sin age.
We are right in the season for the setting aside of things that offends in God’s kingdom. We are in the season where God is exposing all persons, preachers and ministries by whom others are drawn into error or sin.
Yes, there are sinful preachers who draw others to sin and sinless preachers who draw others to error. This is the season for exposing all of them. The essence is to allow for the shine of the righteous or the emergence of the glorious Church.
IF YOU ARE PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST YOU WILL BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
I therefore admonish that you pursue the secret things that are for us and our children, and secure your spirit from being polluted by the spirit of lawlessness that is presently at work in different churches and places of darkness.
There is so much we can share but this is enough for a devotional.
Make the fear of God, and the pursuit of the secret things that are for us and our children your passion. If you do, you will shine in the Kingdom of God as prophesied by the LORD!
I believe you have found something treasurable this morning; something that you can pay every price to secure.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR US TODAY!
“The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.
Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls,
Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46 AMPC