TODAY’S DEVOTION (MONDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER 2024)
“Awake, awake! Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you.
Shake yourself from the dust, arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem; loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!” Isaiah 52:1-2 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 260TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
We are in very interesting times. Things are happening both in the spiritual and natural realms. However, whatever we see in the natural realm is a child of what is happening in the spirit realm.
The Bible says when the devil was casted down to the earth, one major thing he knew was, “his time was short.” In other words, he realized that he has stepped into a realm where things come to an end. Then he adjusted himself quickly to the realities of the new environment.
History is full of the proof of all that; how he has been going to and fro without taking any rest, in his vision to kill, to steal and to destroy. In this regard, the enemy is wiser than many of us. He does not waste precious time.
One major thing that many of us have not realized, is how to live or govern our lives in time. We lead or conduct our lives like we are living in eternity. Hence, wasting precious time that should have been invested into the very purpose that made God to bring us to the earth.
It is important for all of us to note that man was created to live for a divine purpose, if he is not doing that he will begin to live for his needs. God did not design man to lead his life according to his needs but according to God’s purpose for his life.
Sadly, for many, it is not so, hence replacing the peace of the LORD that should have existed at the center of their lives, with a constant worry over having earthly needs met. When this happens, a door to having a trouble soul will be opened, making one vulnerable.
There are no words to describe what the life of a Christian will become if he spends it worrying about his earthly needs. Ordinarily, every Child of God malfunctions whenever he or she begins to worry about earthly needs.
That was why our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ warned that we will add no value to our lives if we spend them worrying about anything. The book of Matthew puts it this way;
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body what you will put on. Is life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Matthew 6:25,27 NKJV
WORRYING DOES NOT ADD TO YOU IT DIMINISHES YOU.
Worrying is you sitting in the dark moments of your life developing negatives. Sometimes it is generated when we sit down to crack our heads over troubling things we cannot change.
We can also define worry as generating excruciating thoughts and feelings about painful things that are beyond us, and losing hope about life itself. It is trying to squeeze answers from question that lack human answers. Jesus said we should not do any of that because it will add nothing to us!
Worrying has never added to anyone on the face of the earth.
It has only functioned as the birthplace of high blood pressure and all kinds of diseases and evil expectations. It is the birthplace of sinful acts, bad decisions and dangerous turns in life. Any moment you sit down worrying, you are wasting away.
Yes, you are wasting your time, talent and treasure.
If you spend your days in worry, you do not need a devil to attack you, you have attacked yourself. Satan loves seeing us worrying because that is the time we make ourselves vulnerable to his deception and eventual baptism of foolishness.
Worrying is the wrong foundation to stand on to do anything meaningful or significant in life.
For instance, it is the wrong foundation to stand on and get married. You do not get married out of worry of dying single. You get married to fulfil divine agenda. Anything you do out of worry will give birth to a terrible Ishmael – a description of situations that will be against you, maybe all your life!
You don’t go looking for a job out of worry. You go looking for a Job to become responsible in the Kingdom of God and meet your financial obligations.
If money is placed on the hands of a heart that is full of worries, that money will never be spent meaningfully. Worrying will bring any life under the covering shelter of devils and make people vulnerable to all kinds of evil in both the natural and the spiritual realms.
MOST LIVES WERE BROUGHT UNDER INTENSE SATANIC ATTACKS THROUGH WORRY!
I have seen worry turn sane people into mentally deranged people. I have seen worry do things in the lives of people that even demons cannot do! Worry has handed over beautiful women to terrible men. It has handed over promising young men to terrible women.
Worrying can take a very destructive dimension. Especially, worrying about getting old and not being married as mentioned earlier. If you are a Christian plagued by this dimension of worry, you may wake up one morning to find yourself away from Christ.
You will hate Church and even a preacher you once respected because of failed expectations.
Worry has taken people from the narrow way that leads to life to the broad way that leads to death. It is the bedrock of compromise in the Church today and an evil portal opening tool.
Worry has opened the portals of grave over people and taken them to premature graves. It has placed people in dangerous panic modes. When you are placed on the panic mode of worry, the death of your peace will be a matter of time.
Worry has a way of killing anything that gives life to our mortal bodies. Yes, it has a way of blurring our life vision and putting veils on our minds. It has a way of killing or impregnating us with doubts about God and what He may have said to us. It can kill our faith or trust in God.
Friend, if we do not learn how to shake ourselves free from the dust of worry, the uncircumcised and unclean will keep finding a place to rest in our lives.
A major highlight in our devotional text says;
“For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you….shake yourself from the dust, arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem; loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!”
THE DUST OF WORRY HAS A WAY OF BRINGING US INTO CAPTIVITY.
It has a way of making our lives a highway for demonic traffic. In other words, when we worry, we are few inches away from captivity. We will begin to do and say things that will shut freedom away from us!
God sent this word to counsel you to stop worrying
You cannot go into a year worrying. It will shut you down completely. You cannot enter a year recalling painful memories of things you cannot change and developing excruciating feelings.
You will be chained to oppressing demons if you do. You must stop worrying! You must free your heart from worries so that it can bring forth life to you.
To stop worrying, you must learn what to do with things that make you worry. The Bible is clear on what to do with things that make us worry. It says we should cast them on Jesus for He cares for us. Hallelujah!
When things that put people in worry modes happen to us, we should learn to shake them off by spending quality time in prayers casting them to the LORD, seeking that His will concerning them should be done!
I believe God has spoken to someone this morning. It’s my prayers that you use these words, build yourself up in your most holy faith and receive an inheritance among they that are sanctified. Amen
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY.
“Rejoice in the LORD always. Again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The LORD is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.” Philippians 4:4-7 NKJV