TODAY’S DEVOTION (MONDAY 12TH AUGUST 2024)
“I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches.
Nevertheless, leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth.
Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him.
‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’ Daniel 4:13-17 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 225TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
Glory be to the LORD GOD almighty, creator of Heaven and earth who has kept us for all these days of impact.
The impact of who He is on us cannot be denied. We have seen progress, peace, victory, and received divine direction, provisions, protection, preservation, and attention from Him all through the year. It’s been a year of the impact of His mercies, goodness, grace, word, will, corrections, rebukes, and instructions.
We have found divine destiny in His rebukes, corrections, forgiveness, instructions in righteousness, and all He has been sending our way through this platform. For most of us, darkness is no longer a threading path. The LORD has indeed enlightened our darkness and turned everything into light.
Our lives are a testimony that the only solution to any darkness problem is light, not just prayer, fasting, or giving.
We have come to know that any prayer, fasting, or giving that is not done in light is called the sacrifice of fools. The divine solution to darkness problems has been light not even going to church. That is why just going to Church has not helped anyone. It is going to a Church that God is using to give light to men that has helped people.
Talking about light, (the LIGHT of God), it is sad that so much that is being done in the name of the LORD is without God’s scriptural light. Religion has fast become a curse to the human race today because most of it is without the light of God. Most of it has become man’s way of pleasing God providing no solution to the darkness problems in the lives of men.
When we say darkness, we are referring to moral darkness and all works of sin, Satan and the evil and corrupt system of this world. Whatever is from the kingdom of darkness or the kingdom of Satan, whatever is of sin, iniquity, and trespass is darkness.
WHATEVER STEAMS FROM A DENIAL OF GOD, HIS WILL AND HIS WAYS, IS A WORK OF DARKNESS.
Yes, when people say marriage is now between a man and a man, that is a work of darkness because it is a denial of God’s way. When people say they do not need to abstain from sex before marriage, or they do not need to seek the will of God before joining themselves in marriage, that is a work of darkness.
When people say they do not need to pay the dowry of the women they call wives, it is a work of darkness. It is ignorance of God’s ways. Ignorance of God’s will and ways is a work of darkness. It is the reason most lives are shattered.
Man’s problems have been darkness induced. If you want to be free from any work of the devil, especially through your prayers, do not go for deliverance as they call it, go for light; go for the light of GOD. Do not forget, God is light, in Him is no darkness at all.
If there is any deliverance people need, it is deliverance from darkness. Deliverance from darkness is always by light. And the only way God delivers men and women from darkness is by manifesting Himself, in and through them, as the light of the world. And that begins from the place of hearing the authentic word of the LORD.
The Bible says;
“Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Psalm 107:17-20 NKJV
If you look at this scripture, you will see the sent word of the LORD, or rhema word which most times comes in form of life-giving teachings, as the solution to the darkness problem of those who are afflicted.
THE BIBLE SAYS THEY ARE AFFLICTED BECAUSE THEY WERE STUPID OR FOOLISH.
In other words, they are afflicted because of lack of Heavenly light and divine wisdom. So, God helped them by sending His word to them that gave them light and Heavenly wisdom. That scripture tells us that all darkness problems are solved by light from Heaven, conveyed to us by a word from God, who is light.
When the scripture says a word from God, it is not limited to one word but a set of teachings that brings light and understanding. So, the problem of men has been a darkness problem and God’s solution has always been light coming to us by His sent word.
Paul described the sent word as sound doctrine and vehemently spoke against false doctrines and errors in the church. He called those who peddle errors in Church, the enemies of the cross. Why will he give them such description? The reason is because they prevent people from experiencing the power of the Cross.
He wrote to the Church at Philippi saying;
“Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. Philippians 3:17-19 NKJV
Why was Paul weeping about the activities of the breed of preachers and Church members called enemies of the Cross? You see, the miracles that comes from the cross of Jesus Christ are free.
They are not paid for by men because they have been paid for. So, you do not need to sow a seed or give anything to have them.
Yes, you do not even need to fast the way the deliverance gurus tell you to, using twisted scriptures. All miracles we need from the LORD come when we sit under sound doctrine. Paul knew men and women will never experience such miracles siting under enemies of the cross.
THEIR TEACHINGS AND PRACTICES WILL CUT THEM OFF FROM THE POWER OF THE CROSS.
Maybe let me share this in another way. When you sit under erroneous teachings or false doctrines, you will never experience the miracles that comes by sitting under sound doctrines. The Bible teaches that the miracles that come via sitting under sound doctrines are the free-indeed-miracles of Christ.
Yes, there is freedom, and there is freedom indeed. Not all who are administered deliverance are usually free indeed. It all depends on the process they are passed through. Those who sit under sound doctrines will experience freedom indeed.
There are miracles that come by sound doctrines, and there are miracles that comes by false doctrines. Miracles by false or dark doctrines, might set you free, but not set you free indeed. They do not bring you to the place of intimate knowledge of God. But sound doctrines will bring you to the place of intimate knowledge of God, leading to free indeed miracles from God.
The Bible says, if the son therefore sets you free, you shall be free indeed. The son is Jesus Christ. He sets you free indeed when you have an intimate knowledge of Him. That is why even in life, there are things you may never be free from until you have an intimate knowledge of Him. That is what sound doctrines helps us to cultivate; it helps us to cultivate an intimate knowledge of him.
It does not ask you to raise an altar of sacrifice, silence an altar somewhere, sow this seed or that seed, or give you salt, water, oil, and so forth for deliverance. It gives you Christ in you, for deliverance. The Bible says;
For thus says the LORD: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, And you shall be redeemed without money.” Isaiah 52:3 NKJV
In these days of the lying wonders of Satan, you must be careful where you go to for miracles. If you want to be redeemed by the LORD, you must go for sound doctrine not just any preaching. If you do not want to touch miracles from the pit of hell that are in so many churches today, you must decide for sound doctrine not just messages that are sweet to your ears.
YOU MUST NOT HEAP TEACHERS ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN LUST.
The enemy knows if people hear what they think is the word of the LORD, the miracles that God brings by His sent word will be missing in their lives; leaving them with no option but to come to him for miracles. That is how people receive miracles from Baal and the demon of deliverance.
God wants us to get miracles from His throne, not from the throne of Satan. Our attention of late has been on miracles that come from the Throne Room of God. The throne room of God is the place of decrees and sentences. That is where the watchers take their decrees and sentences from.
Which brings us to our devotional text. It says,
“I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches.
Nevertheless, leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth.
Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him.
‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’ Daniel 4:13-17 NKJV
The kind of miracles that proceed from the Throne Room are miracles created by sentences from the Throne of God. They are created by the very words that proceed out of the Throne of God, as we can see in this scripture.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR WAS ONE PERSON WHOSE LIFE WAS PASSED THROUGH A SEASON OF CHASTENING CREATED BY THRONE ROOM DECREES.
The watchers made a decree, and the Spirit of the LORD created the words in His life. Sadly, it was not a pleasant experience, but it worked out the purpose of GOD for him. We are referring to words that create pleasant experiences for us, or bring one type of deliverance to us or the other, leading to the fulfilment of God’s purpose in our lives.
As we can see in our devotional text, the Bible says what came upon him was by the decree of the watchers and by the sentence of the Holy one.
Between the day the sentence came and the day it was executed, it took one year of God waiting for His repentance. But He failed to repent and God struck. The purpose was to let men known who is truly in charge.
The miracles that are created by the decrees of the LORD, or the sentences of His watchers, follow similar principle. God will sit on His Throne, make a decree, and then His Spirit will pick it, and create it in our lives like it happened during creation.
This happens when we sit under sound doctrines and get to the place of complete obedience.
The Bible teaches that when obedience is complete, God will begin to issue decrees on our behalf to punish every disobedience and bring about lasting freedom in our lives. It takes sitting under sound doctrines for our obedience to be complete, and bring about freedom indeed.
I believe the message of today has been passed.
God’s thoughts for us are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give us a future and a hope. But it all depends on where we sit; are we sitting under false and dark doctrines that sounds true and feel illuminating, or we are sitting under sound doctrines that helps us to live lives of complete obedience?
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV