TODAY’S DEVOTION (THURSDAY 20TH FEBRUARY 2025)
“Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
“But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 51ST DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY
One way you know a man or woman in Church who is perishing is in how he or she handles the word of truth and righteousness.
If what the Bible says has been made clear by the Holy Ghost directly or indirectly to them, and they still cannot agree with truth, it’s a sign that the gospel has been veiled to them, and that if they die, they may not make heaven.
There are two kinds of gospel ministries today; we have those that are adding veils to the veils people already have in their minds primarily to scoop worship and wealth from them, and we have those that are removing veils from people so they can see things in scriptures as God intends and connect the glory of GOD for our age.
The ministries that are removing veils from hearts have renounced the hidden things of shame. In other words, they do not walk in craftiness calling it wisdom nor handle the word of God deceitfully. Their ministries are simply driven by a pure motive not by a money motive; hence the manifestation of the truth is what you see.
End time prophecies tell us there will be ministries that will specialize in putting veils of deception in people’s hearts. That is why we do not need a prophet to tell us about future events or any other if he is not established in Bible prophecy.
Sadly, the church today is full of believers who do not have a hint of what Bible prophecies are. For instance, very few can look at the President, Donald Trump, and accurately see prophecies. Many look and either see false prophecies or politics.
BIBLE PROPHECY IS A TREASURE THAT EVERY BELIEVER MUST HAVE AT HEART.
It is usually the catalyst of holiness, righteousness, revival, reformation, repentance and restoration.
With the kind of events happening now, if there is any time to investigate Bible Prophecy and be established in it, it is now. Apart from warning us of what is to come, it will reinforce our faith in Christ and help us purify ourselves for the age to come. The Bible says,
“Beloved, we are [even here and] now God’s children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes and is manifested, we shall [as God’s children] resemble and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He [really] is.
And everyone who has this hope [resting] on Him cleanses (purifies) himself just as He is pure (chaste, undefiled, guiltless).” 1 John 3:2-3 Amplified
This scripture is about the responsibility that every child of God must take over their salvation. The responsibility to live a life that is pure, holy, righteous and separated from the pollutions of this world.
Bible prophecy has functioned over the years as a catalyst of that.
Walking in the revelation of Bible Prophecy has a way of enhancing holiness, as we can see in this scripture. It says that everyone who have this hope in him, who knows what lies ahead, gets ready for it; they purify themselves just as Christ did to be like Him.
It’s a major prove that no one will live comfortably in sin if he or she have the details contain in bible prophecy. Church history tells us that the most solid Christians in the early church were those who were taught bible prophecy as soon as they gave their lives to Christ.
That alone is a lesson that if our faith is anchored on the revelation of the ages to come, we will remain solid in Christ and hell will never have us back; especially, in a season of the falling away like the one we find ourselves. So many today, are departing from the faith that was once delivered to the saints, and God wants it to stop.
THAT IS WHY HE HAS RAISED SOME OF US AND PUT US IN THE APOSTOLIC OFFICE TO FUNCTION LIKE PAUL DID.
He wants this population of hell, through hyper deception in Church to stop. Jesus indeed warned us that as we approach the end of times and days, there will be catastrophic events that will shake the human world. But these events will be preceded by hyper deception both in the Church world and the outside world.
To overcome “hyper deception,” we must cultivate “Clear and accurate Spiritual sensitivity” and “Deep Discernment” in the Spirit on a regular basis. If we do not do that, we will be victims of deception.
People have said unbelief is the reason many are on their way to hell. But unbelief is a child of deception. So, we will be accurate if we say deception is the reason people are on their way to hell.
For instance, some have been deceived on who Jesus really is. They see Him as him, a prophet and founder of the Christian religion. Hence lived lives that never believed in Him as God in the flesh, and their LORD and Savior. Today they are in hell fire.
Some others were deceived to believe that there is no hell and there is no heaven; but when they died the reality dawned on them. Today they are in hell!
While others who believed in His redemptive death, believes that He died for their sins, but they do not believe that they must accept that sacrifice for their sins, by renouncing the sinful life they live, and living His life on the face of the earth, a life of Holiness and righteousness.
They are deceived to believe in what will not result in salvation from eternal judgment.
SO, EVERYTHING IS TRACEABLE TO SOME FORM OF DECEPTION OR THE OTHER.
To some of these unfortunate ones, the grace of God was “a license for sin” instead of “a pardon from sin” and “an empowerment to go and sin no more.” They called Him, “LORD, LORD” but do not do what He says in His word.
That is why the Bible made it clear that except there is genuine repentance, none among us today will see His blessed face when we die if we are calling Him LORD, LORD, but not doing what He says in the Bible about Holiness, righteousness etc.
So, people go to hell because they are deceived. That is why Heaven considers ministries that are raised by God to expose deception and deal strongly with it as some of the greatest ministries born on the face of the earth.
The true gospel of Jesus Christ exposes deception. Don’t forget, He is the way the TRUTH and the life. Truth will indeed expose falsehood. If you want to serve God this end times, a season when most preachers can no longer be trusted, walk in truth.
If you want to serve Him this season and be saved from eternal damnation, walk in truth. To enable anyone who wills, understand that God has raised and planted ministries on earth today that we are to encounter to be free from deception. These ministries are very few because many of us preachers are not willing to say some things.
That is why you see God raising people in the marketplaces and on our streets to say what we are not willing to say. It is the people’s movement.
Personally, if I had not encountered one of the few ministries that expose deception in my days of being separated from the error in Church, I would not have taken my separation seriously.
WHAT GOD WAS TELLING ME THEN WOULD HAVE NOT MADE MEANING TO ME AS MUCH.
God had to bring me in contact with those great but unknown men and women to further reinforce what I already knew is not part of the gospel of our LORD and savior Jesus Christ as an upcoming Christian and preacher. Honestly, I had already been deceived to become part of the half-truth preachers in Nigeria when the LORD intervened.
I remember attending conferences in Nigeria that could turn any preacher into money spinning machine, or a diviner called prophet. We were told by those we considered fathers that any gospel we are preaching that is not bringing money and men to us should be thrown away.
It was all about money and crowds, not about getting Christ formed in people. Thank GOD I was delivered from the dark side. If I was not, I would have been doing ministry today believing that the anointing oil is the Holy Spirit, and leading people to pray with sand, salt, candles, mats, bottles of Water, etc.
Maybe I would have constructed a healing pool and be taking people to their villages for deliverance prayers. I would have been dishing our money scooping revelations and prophecies to the naïve and smiling to the bank saying, “the lord is good.”
I would have taken sorcery for prophecy and divination for prophetic ministry and yet not know that I have been deceived and that the enemy is now using me to deceive others. Ministry to me would have been all about how much money I have made, the nations I have travelled to, the crowd that is gathering at my conferences, etc.
I would have been part of the silent competition that is going on among preachers. Sleeping with the beautiful woman and young girls who come to me for pastoral oversight would have been the norm instead of the abominable. But God’s mercy said no!
HE MET ME QUITE EARLY AND SAVED ME FROM THE DISSIPATION AND CORRUPTION WE ARE SEEING IN CHURCH TODAY.
I can tell you, Child of God, that if you are not planted in a ministry that is raised by God to deal with hyper deception these end times, you will become a victim of the destruction, corruption, and eternal damnation that comes through deception. Sadly, every deceived person believes that he is the one walking in truth and that others are in error.
Just as a mad man sees sane people as mad, so do deceived people see those walking in discernment as mad. I have never seen a deceived person who does not treat those who know the truth of the gospel as mad.
When you are drunk with the proceeds and wine of deception, you will begin to act insane or very stupid. For instance, those who are sleeping with prophets and prophetesses for spiritual cleansing or deliverance, are drunk with the wine of deception. They don’t even see anything wrong with it.
Some who have been served the wine of deception by the fathers of their faith are doing what they call, healing of the land meetings, raising of altars, silencing of altars, breaking of altars etc. There are those who are doing what they call seed sowing, to get this miracle or the other miracle.
If you try to show some of these people what the Bible says about what they are doing, they will say you are judging or criticizing their man of God. Most have been so deceived or “zombified” that seeing the light of the truth has become very offensive to them.
A major highlight in our devotional text today says,
“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
In 1998, I got worried about how people in the Church system were complaining about the things I teach; they say they are too deep. Even some well-meaning pastors came up with rebukes and other forms of system of how I should be preaching. They advised that I water it down.
But I was shocked when I found out that young believers and those who are not even born again understood the things I teach perfectly. That was when I understood how powerful religious veils are.
It dawned on me that it was not that the pastors and church people did not understand me. The problem was the veil on their minds. It completely refused to accept what the LORD was saying. The Bible says this veil is a sign that one is perishing. That was when I began to pray for them.
As I prayed, the LORD began to grant me grace to deal with the veils.
As we bring this to a close, I want us to understand that the purpose of present day apostolic and prophetic ministries by content (not by Titles), among other intents, is to deal with the veils in the heart of believers. It is also to destroy the wine of deception that people are being served by influential spiritual leaders.
It is my prayer that we will not be caught in the web of hyper deception this end time, in Jesus precious name. Amen!!!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.”
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 NKJV