THE CRY OF THE SPIRIT DEVOTIONALS – BY RICHARD E. S. TAKIM

TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 2024)

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:31-36 NKJV

WELCOME TO THE 273RD DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.

This is the day our LORD God has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. His presence has been going before us and obviously, He has given us rest.

Today is the first day of the week, and as God will have it, the church of Jesus Christ will gather across the globe for corporate fellowship. Sadly, charlatans and heretics will also gather to further toughen the bonds of their captives. But their judgment is coming!

For those who are true and faithful in God’s sight, there is nothing like being in the presence of God for corporate fellowship.

There is no treasure on earth like His presence. It is a hidden treasure that many do not care about but that is the most essential of our lives.

People think money is the most essential thing in their lives, but they miss it. God’s presence is. Money will breed misery in your life if there is no presence of the LORD in your life.

But the presence of the LORD will never breed misery if there is no money in your pocket. It will breed comfort and even bring a turn around.

Whatever is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God and will breed destruction if there is no presence of GOD in your life.

The presence of God is what was designed to sustain all of His creation, that was why Lucifer lost His beauty when he was expelled from it.

He moved from being a beautiful angel to an ugly creature because he lost access to what made and kept him beautiful.

If you are cut off from the presence of GOD, either through spiritual recklessness or rebellion, you will not have any beauty in your life.

Things will just start dying, and for some, they will begin to run after false prophets and all that for help; raising altars, and doing all they are told to do.

We must understand that, the active presence of God, is what He established in time, to help us survive the rigors and troubles of living within time.

That is why you find people going through life perils and not coming out well, wherever the active presence of God is absent.

TIME WILL TROUBLE YOU IF YOUR LIFE LACKS THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD! LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU ABOUT THAT.

Talking about time, I want you to understand that, though God lives in Eternity, where there is no time, He created time for the purpose of the execution of His redemptive plans.

We need His presence to be administering His mercies into our lives every second, minute, hour, day, week, month or year to lead blessed lives over time.

It is His mercies that makes our walk and talk with Him special.

It is His mercies that we should trust to preserve us from the sword of our enemies, the anger and attacks of the aggrieved, the venom of the serpents, and the fires of the dragon.

Yes, it is God’s mercy that saves from the snares of the wicked, the pits that men did for others to fall in, and the terror that walks either by night or by day.

So, having His presence ministering his mercies in our lives is key to blissful living on earth.

The mercies that His presence administers will make sure that the expectation of the wicked concerning us are disappointed.

It will speak for us during an attack of the enemy, especially when we cannot speak for ourselves. It has a way of disappointing the craftiness of the wicked so that their hands do not perform their enterprise.

I don’t know what threat you are facing, but I know that if you carry the manifest presence of the LORD in your life, it will administer the mercies you need to come out well.

Do not forget, His eternal presence makes His mercies to flow from everlasting to everlasting.

If there is any sin in your life, just repent of it and let the fullness of God’s mercies manifest in your life.

The Bible says He commanded His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. If God will love us while we were yet sinners, how much more now that His blood has washed us from filths and sin and made us a righteous seed.

That is why our devotional text today is very significant. It was based on this revelation and divine conviction that Paul, a true apostle of grace, wrote to the church at Rome saying;

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NKJV

So long as we remain in paths designed by the Righteous One, nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God.

IT IS THAT LOVE THAT KEEPS US FROM EVIL, AND ALL THE ENEMY DO MUSTER AGAINST US.

The reason we need to keep living on paths design by our Righteous GOD, is because persistent sin and rebellion has a way of separating men from the love of God.

It separated Sodom and Gomorrah from His love, and many others even in the New Testament.

God sent warnings to them but they would not listen. I believe before Ananias and the wife died in the presence of the LORD, they had been warned of lying over and over by the Holy Spirit.

God is not hot tempered. The Bible says He is patient with us, not willing that any should perish. They day they died, they exhausted His patience. They separated themselves from His love!

It’s very important at this point to understand that the only person that can separate us from the love of God is us. That happens when we take sides with sin and the devil over time, and start doing his bidding.

Outside that, nothing can separate us from the love of God! That is why the Bible admonishes that we keep ourselves in the love of God.

You will carry the presence of God; I mean His manifest presence if you keep yourself in the love of God, and you keep yourself in the love of God by keeping His words or commandments.

If you become one who is sold out to keeping the word of the LORD, you will become a man or woman with an amazing presence of the LORD in your life. Jesus said,

….. “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14:23-24 NKJV

Take responsibility of your life! It is our job to keep ourselves in the love of God. It is not His job to keep us there. It is our job, and that we do by obeying His word!

SADLY, THE HERETIC PREACHERS AMONG US, WHO CALL THEMSELVES THE PREACHERS OF GRACE, DO NOT KNOW THAT.

They do not tell us that it is our responsibility to keep ourselves in the love of God, by making use of His saving grace in our lives, to obey God’s word and live right.

They do not tell us that if we do not keep ourselves in the love of God, His mercy will cease speaking and making way for us among the living.

Child of God it’s a new day! You need God’s mercy to navigate through the waters of hate, spiritual warfare, lack, and all evil works.

You need God’s mercy and love to overcome the attacks of those who want you dead this month or any other day. You need God’s mercy and Love to overcome the spiritual arrows that may be shot against you at any time.

So, keep yourself in the LOVE of God. That is the greatest covering in God’s kingdom. It is stronger than any prayer-cover from any preacher on the face of the earth.

Our devotional text today is full of truths that you can glean from and save yourself from the judgments and condemnation of carnal men and satanic people.

Sadly, so many in our Church generation, calls rebuke Judgment, and conviction condemnation. So, majority do not understand what the word judgment is.

But when I say judgment, I am referring to verdicts passed against you by evil powers, or by evil companions, misguided pastors, Church leadership, or prophets.

For instance, there are people who felt their time in certain Churches were over, and they needed to move on but are currently being trailed and attacked by their so-called pastors and prophets.

The question is why should shepherds turn themselves into attacking lions and wolves? Why should a man or woman of God who received your tithes and offerings when you were with Him, turn into an animal that wants you dead when you peaceful walked away?

THESE THINGS WILL NOT CEASE AMAZING ME.

Why should people not live our churches with peace if they feel they want to? In God’s kingdom, it is wrong to be targeted for leaving a Church, especially peacefully.

I feel strong in my prophetic spirit that, the days of victory of wolves in sheep clothing over some poor ignorant Church members, or innocent preachers, are over. God will begin to move to save His sheep and shepherds from their mouths.

When I speak to ministers of the gospel, I usually tell them to do ministry right, or they will lose their members. I also tell members to respect and honour good shepherd else they come into unredeemable curses.

The Spirit of the LORD spoke to me years back and has repeated it to me over and over that He will begin to deliver, and keep delivering His sheep from the hands of fallen and perverted shepherds, and that there is nothing we can do about it. We just have to sit up!

Even members who take delight in attacking God’s true shepherds must become careful. As God moves to save His sheep from the hands of dangerous shepherds, He will also move to save His shepherds from dangerous sheep.

Child of God, it’s a new day in the body of Christ!

Keep yourself in the love of God and see Him break out against His enemies that surround you. Some major highlights in our devotional text this morning says;

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

…Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

Believe this scripture and use it as your guiding light all through your walk and talk with God. It will keep your faith alive to put God on His feet for your good.

MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY:

“You whom I [the Lord] have taken from the ends of the earth and have called from the corners of it, and said to you, You are My servant — I have chosen you and not cast you off [even though you are exiled].”

“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.”

“Behold, all they who are enraged and inflamed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; they who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.”

“You shall seek those who contend with you but shall not find them; they who war against you shall be as nothing, as nothing at all.
“For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!”

“Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” .” Isaiah 41:9-14 AMPC