TODAY’S DEVOTION (Monday 3RD February 2025)
“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.”
“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.”
“Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.” 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 34TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY!!
This is the day the LORD has made; we shall rejoice and be glad in it. We bless the GOD of Heaven and Earth for yet another set of weekdays. It is the 3rd day of the second month of our year of victory; God is faithful.
It’s been our season of renewal and some sad developments. But like I said, God will not call it our year of victory if there will be no battles to fight. I get reports of bad things happening everywhere from far and wide. Those who follow the cross overnight tell me its fulfillment of what the LORD said to us that night.
I remember urging all of us to walk closely with the LORD because of the things I saw coming in the year and to be circumspect in everything we do. One little act of foolishness or carelessness is all the enemy needs to take a soul out of this world. Sometimes, the act will not be a sin.
Sin does not open us to the devil all the time if we can bow the knee and repent. It is some little acts of foolishness or carelessness that are not sinful or ungodly in nature, that he uses to hit us hard.
Yes, it might not be sinful or ungodly, but if it is born out of foolishness or carelessness, it can be taken advantage of by Satan.
So, we must be cautious about how we live this year. The Bible says wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of our times and the strength of our salvation. Before we blame witches for something, we should check if we were part of the witchcraft because of our foolishness or carelessness.
Someone might say, it is the witches that make us careless or foolish. But the Bible teaches that a witch cannot make a child of God careless or foolish. We are beyond their reach. Except you are unsaved pretending to be saved, no witch can interfere with your life.
WE MUST ALL WALK IN THE LIGHT OF WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS AND NEVER ALLOW FOOLISH OR CARELESS ACTS TO HAND US OVER TO THE EVIL ONE.
Whatever is preached in Church, or this platform is a life saver. Only those who know will appreciate that. You don’t sit and hear and not do. If you live that way the things God sent His word to save you from will catch up with you. Never treat a word you hear from the LORD through some of us lightly.
Use the common sense the LORD has given us and live your days happily in this word.
When tragic things happen, we are to learn our lessons from them, grief over them, and then move on after a while. That is life. It is a life that God never created. But one day, we will all return to that perfect life God created. That is the blessed hope, the hope of the righteous.
Today we will be looking at one of the noble decisions to make, in order to allow GOD, make our lives better this year. That decision is the decision for hard work. I hope we are ready.
To start with, our destinies will be fulfilled through hard work, not laziness.
The financial promises God may have made to us will be fulfilled when we work hard not when we lazy about. All who walked with the LORD worked hard. If you are walking with the LORD, just know that you will need hard work to unleash your potential and come into the manifestation of His blessings for your life.
There is no one in Bible history that God used to do marvelous things on the face of the earth that did not work hard along with God to get those things done. You will not be an exception. Jesus said, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17 KJV).
Note what Our LORD and savior Jesus Christ did not say. Sometimes the revelation is not in what He says, but what He did not say. The LORD did not say, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I sleep.”
HE SAID, MY FATHER WORKETH HITHERTO AND I WORK.
Those who lazy about on their beds and sleep, quoting the scripture that says God gives his beloved sleep, should know that sleep is for those who have worked hard, not for lazy people. Sleep will become harmful to you if you are not one who works hard. The Bible says.
How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep— So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. Proverbs 6:9-11 NKJV
If your desire is to fulfill your divine destiny and see all of what the LORD promised you come to pass, especially around finances, you must work as God works. You must work hard and work smart. That is the rule.
Hard work or diligence should not be an option for you this year, but a necessity! God cannot be working, and we are sleeping. No! We are to work along with Him to see His promises fulfilled in our lives.
Child of God, make up your mind not to eat what you did not work for, that is one noble way to live. If you decide not to eat what you did not work for, God will feed you by Himself. He will give you things you will not need to work for. That is another rule.
You will live a life of favor because of your noble behavior.
Many of us love praying, which is very good. But if we do not add hard work to our prayer lives, we will defeat all the answers that would have come. I have come to discover that the only substitute for hard work is a hard life. If we do not embrace the principle of hard work, we will suffer the perils of a hard life.
MANY ARE SUFFERING TODAY BECAUSE THEY ARE IDLE AND OTHERS LAZY.
They do not know how to labor with their hands. You cannot be waiting for God to move in idleness. Waiting upon the LORD does not denote sitting down in idleness. It is doing something in expectancy.
In other words, it is working hard towards the manifestation of what God may have promised you or revealed to your senses.
If you think waiting upon the LORD is being idle and hoping things change in the direction of what God may have promised, you need to do a rethink this morning. Everyone who ever waited upon the LORD worked very hard; none was lazy or idle.
It was through hard work that our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob waited upon the LORD and actualized their greatness.
A major highlight in our devotional text says “
..If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.”
Sadly, some of the people who are not willing to work are the greatest eaters among us. They trouble us to give them this and that. God cannot bless any people who are lazy. The release of destiny requires a lot of hard work. We see that in the verses that preceded the one highlighted above.
Paul wrote to the Church at Thessalonica saying;
“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.”
You will not be able to release your destiny if you are not willing to work with labor and toil night and day like Paul did. You will not be able to release your destiny if you do not add hard work to your Christian life.
Like earlier stated, everyone who ever walked with God was a warrior not some lazy pigs. Abraham was a warrior, Jacob was a warrior, and Isaac was a hard-working farmer who could re-dig wells that his father dug in time past.
If the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the same God you serve, then you must walk the same paths to be blessed by Him. That is the message!! May this week be one of the best weeks of your life. Amen!!
MAKE THESE SCRIPTURES AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY;
“He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” Proverbs 10:4-5 NKJV
“The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied.” Proverbs 13:4 AMP
“The thoughts of the [steadily] diligent tend only to plenteousness, but everyone who is impatient and hasty hastens only to want.”
“Securing treasures by a lying tongue is a vapor driven to and fro; those who seek them seek death.” Proverbs 21:5-6 AMP
“Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” Proverbs 22:29 AMP