TODAY’S DEVOTION (SATURDAY 21ST DECEMBER 2024)
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:3-7 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 356TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
Glory be to God in the highest and peace to men of good will. It does not matter the side of life you woke up from this morning, let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Days are gifts from God that comes with what the Bible calls benefits. They are responsible for the healing hurting souls and bodies experiences over time. They are responsible for growth, development, establishment, or the results of constant actions taken over time.
One day can give you the results of what you have done consistently for a thousand days.
The very day that gave you the result is usually spectacular and people mark them in their calendars and use them in commemorating. But there would have been no spectacular day if there were no significant days that made the spectacular day happen.
The significant days are the days you used in taken the actions that led to the results the day that became spectacular gave you.
People who understand the power of days, make use of them wisely. For example, those in Christ do not use their days to sow to please the flesh because they know if the spend their days sowing to please the flesh, there will come a day that they will reap corruption as a result. and it will be ‘spectacular.’ The Bible says;
“Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.
For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8 AMPC
THIS SCRIPTURE MADE IT CLEAR THAT OUR DECISIONS CONTROL A LOT ABOUT OUR DESTINIES THAN OUR PRAYERS.
Sadly, we have thought otherwise. We have exalted the power of prayer above the power of a decision, hence praying so much and getting very little prosperity and progress in life.
We pray but sow to please our flesh, and end up reaping corruption despite our prayers. We pray but do what even most sinners will never do. We pray, yet scorn at God’s righteous demands by the way we live; pretending but professing God.
We pray but sow to our lower nature and sensuality, reaping ruin, decay and destruction in the process.
That is why when you see ruin and destruction anywhere, especially trailing a man from age to age, or trailing a family from generation to generation, it is not the product of an altar or a curse as they call it. It is a harvest of decision seeds sown towards their sensuality over time.
Often, people do not see the power of their decisions when face to face with unwanted circumstances that have transcend age and time, they only look at the spiritual and blame it for what their natural decisions have created. That is why prayer does not solve their problems.
Prayer does not solve problems created by natural decisions, except the prayer for wisdom to turn things around. Yes, there are spiritual forces that make life unbearable for mankind but we must not forget Galatians 6:7-8 in any bid to have a better life. It is what we sow that we reap.
Irrespective of the forces on ground, the real spiritual warfare is always around our minds because it is our minds that control our decisions, and our decisions control our destinies.
The Bible says;
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV
THE WORD STRONGHOLD DESCRIBE THOUGHT SYSTEMS FORMED OVER TIME WITHIN US. IT DESCRIBES THE REALM OF THE MIND.
Strongholds control our decisions. So, if our lives are not successful or progressive, there is a stronghold or thought system within us that is responsible. The thought system is responsible for the decisions and actions we have taken over time that has resulted in the state of life we find ourselves.
When we go to God for help, what He will do to change things is this; He will seek to pull down the strong hold that has been responsible for the decisions that may have kept our lives that way. As soon as the stronghold is pulled down, our decisions will change, bringing about a change of life.
Let me put this in another format: Our decisions are products of our imaginations or thoughts. Our thoughts are products of our knowledge.
The first thing God gives us when He want to deliver us from the satanic is revelation knowledge, because revelation knowledge will help us to bring our thoughts under the captivity of Christ, thereby becoming free from any spiritual bondage or captivity.
If you have been praying hard but making little or no progress, God is showing to you this morning that there is a stronghold or a thought system within you that need to be pulled down. What you need is the knowledge that will pull it down and give you wisdom for successful living.
Sometimes, you can only change your life circumstances by changing what you think! That is why under the atmosphere of righteous prayers for a better life, God’s presence comes upon us to change what we think. This is true of every circumstance of life.
THAT SHOULD TELL YOU WHY SATAN SPREAD LIES AND MISINFORMATION.
They form stronghold that shapes people’s decisions. That is why there is always misinformation and spread of propaganda by opposing forces in any contest. The idea is to form a stronghold in people, knowing well that people will take decisions in the direction of their strongholds or thought systems.
Friend, spiritual warfare centers around the minds of men. That is why divine help also centers around the minds of men.
There are a lot of people under what I call mind control in the name of fathering. Those they call fathers now control their minds to do things to the benefits of themselves and in some cases, their families.
If you are under the spell of mind control in the hand of one you call a spiritual father, you will never know until calamity break out. You will be blind to it, and find yourself doing his bidding to your detriment.
The same is applicable to the spiritual mother thing. I have found many who cannot even take a decision without the permission of their so-called fathers or mothers. You will be shocked to find out that there are people who cannot sleep with their wives or husbands until their spiritual fathers or mother approve.
So many who call themselves sons and daughters of some preachers are evidently under the spell of mind control. I had a telephone conversation with someone in the United States that made me hate the phrase “spiritual father.”
In fact, if it was not a divine system of kingdom advance, I would have denounced it as soon as I finished the conversation. What this woman and her husband suffered in the name of spiritual fathering will leave you in tears.
The so-called apostle in Nigeria whose spiritual son they were under has enthrone prophetic witchcraft over his church and it is evident. I asked this woman why they fell so cheaply into the hands of a much younger person in age, and why they did all the stupid things I cannot even state here.
She could not even answer me. It was all mind control.
These days preachers have become masters in controlling the minds of others. They call it spiritual fathering. But the true Christ and His Spirit do not control people’s minds.
MIND CONTROL IS AN ACT OF WITCHCRAFT, IT IS NOT OF CHRIST.
In churches where people’s minds are controlled to do the bidding of the preacher, you see black, charismatic and ecclesiastical witchcraft walking naked before the blind eyes of the people and you marvel. The enemy recruit people to do his will through mind control.
That is why you see those under mind control doing the bidding of the devil as he governs it through their papa, who is separated from God. I said separated from God, because a spiritual fathering system build around the Tree of life (Christ) will not control the mind of people.
It will not be control by selfish ambition or conceit. It will be guided by lowliness of mind, teaching us how to esteem others better than ourselves and how to look out for each other. It will bring into bear the humility of Christ. Our devotional text says;
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:3-7 NKJV
So, from this scripture it is clear that if we are involved in anything that has Christ in it, we will not find a selfish ambition or conceit.
There will be lowliness of mind not mind control. That is why GOD gets us to do His will not be compelling or controlling our mind. If that was the case there will be no soul in hell, because He is not willing that any should perish. He would have controlled the mind of all mankind to come to repentance.
So, there is no mind control in the true God.
If you are involved in anything that has mind control in it, that thing is ether human and carnal or satanic and demonic. God will not control your mind. He will pour His Holy Spirit upon you, give you revelation knowledge, and then allow you to walk with Him based on your decision to follow.
As we bring this to a close, I want you to understand that a spiritual fathering around the Tree of life, Christ Himself, will not control your mind. It will set your mind free to know GOD for yourself and follow the wisdom of the LORD, not as defined by the preacher but as defined by God in His word the Bible.
You must understand that the essence of spiritual fathering is not to manipulate people’s lives. It is not for a little boy to be called papa by an old woman in the name of being ahead spiritually. That is a step into witchcraft.
Friend, time has come to remove lawlessness from this kingdom advance system God established basically for the execution of the Great Commission without omission, and for His works to be praised to the next generation. Amen
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR TODAY!
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Philippians 2:12-16 NKJV