TODAY’S DEVOTION (Wednesday 9th April 2025)
God was pleased with what they were doing and put his stamp of approval on it — quite a number of the Greeks believed and turned to the Master. Acts 11:21 THE MESSAGE
WELCOME TO THE 99TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY
May the counsel of the LORD for our lives stand. May the spiritual darkness that is covering the earth meet with the glory of the LORD that is rising upon us. May our enemies not rejoice over us, in Jesus precious name. Amen!!
One of the major things that the presence of the LORD does for us is security from our enemies. The earth was under the invasion of darkness long before mankind was created. So, God had a plan in place for dealing with the enemy long before we existed. It was an eternal plan.
From what the Bible teaches, the release of His Spirit has always been the plan. You find that from the first three verses of the Bible to the last.
The Bible says when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift a standard against him. It says, so shall the name of the LORD be feared. Meaning, the fear of the LORD has a way of spreading whenever our enemies are defeated for us by the LORD.
May you see the defeat of the enemy wherever you turn in Jesus precious name.
Our devotional today has to do with something critical to our walk and talk with God as the redeemed of the LORD. The Bible presents it as GOD’s stamp of divine approval. I am yet to see the devil hinder for too long or defeat something that has God’s approval in it.
I am yet to see a vision, career, marriage, ministry, church, or any human pursuit with God’s stamp of approval defeated by the devil or his evil men and women. I am yet to see a life lived within things God approves going through a successful demonic attack.
Yes, the devil may attack it, but God’s grace will always be sufficient. Paul was one of such people who did not spend a second on things that lack God’s seal of approval.
HE SUFFERED MORE THAN ALL OTHER APOSTLES BUT CAME OUT STRONG IN ALL HIS TRIALS AND TROUBLES.
At one time he fought with the beats of Ephesus. Not small demons but beast in the spirit realm; and not one of his hairs was lost in the fight. One day the pressure of hell became so much on him, and he sought God to take some away but here was the divine response:
…”My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”… 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV
Sufficient grace is only available where God’s stamp of approval is present. If you are in a marriage that lacks God’s stamp of approval, a job, a Church, a business, a trip, a career or etc. you will be sorry that you are even alive. God’s sufficient grace will be missing. And if God’s sufficient grace is missing in a thing, Satan’s sufficient trouble will be present in it.
You will fight battles that God will not show up to help you out. You will contact disease that God may never heal and come into troubles that your prayer will never quench.
You will just have a fore taste of hell on earth. You will just lack supernatural interventions of God and Significant moves of His Spirit. In simple terms, your life will be like an accursed life on earth. God’s stamp of approval is a major catalyst of supernatural blessing.
If the things you pursue in life lack God’s stamp of divine approval, you will struggle through life no matter how hard you pray, fast, give, attend Church, or serve men of God.
The first-time man walked out of this realm; the realm of life within God’s stamp of approval, was in Genesis Chapter 3 when the serpent introduced the New Age doctrine to mankind. The devil literally asked mankind through the woman, to declare independence from God and start doing things with no approval from God; and that was it. The first thing they did was eat the fruit of sound Judgment.
They did it without approval from the LORD, and the result is what we have today; death, destruction, disease, woes, wars, poverty, hardship, sorrow, demons on rampage, eternal condemnation, failed relationships, curses, sin, iniquity, broken homes, lives beaten down by Satan, etc.
WHENEVER A THING IN YOUR LIFE LACKS DIVINE APPROVAL, IT WILL NEVER LACK SUCCESSFUL DEMONIC ATTACKS.
Be it a marriage, a business, a ministry, a Church, a decision, a career, or whatever concerns you. Doing things that lack divine approval is one major reason for the earthly woes of mankind. It is the root cause of all spiritual problems in the lives of Christians.
No matter how powerful we are in the Holy Ghost, if we step into anything that lacks God’s stamp of approval we will become as weak as a newborn baby. Our enemies will begin to have us for dinner. The story of Samson comes to mind at this point.
He was powerful in the Holy Ghost until he stepped into the life of a woman God never approved for his life. His life just turned right side down and wrong side up after a short time of knowing her and spending time in her house! The Bible says:
“Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.” Judges 16:21 NKJV
Sadly, this is the description of the lives of many men and women in the Church today. I am yet to see a powerful child of God who remained powerful after stepping into things that lack God’s stamp of approval. I am yet to see a rising Child of God who did not lose God’s favor upon his life after stepping into things that lack God’s stamp of approval.
It is impossible for your life to remain the same after stepping into things that lack God’s stamp of approval. Our devotional text said, “God put a stamp of divine approval” on what the early disciples did in Antioch and there was an uncommon breakthrough.
God will always release uncommon breakthrough into anything that has His stamp of approval; be it a marriage, a business, a ministry, a career, a family, a spiritual life etc. It may not come immediately but will come after a short while of going through His approval rating.
IF YOU ARE THEREFORE, HAVING SWEAT-LESS RIGHTEOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THAT ALONE IS A SIGN THAT GOD IS WITH YOU.
Whatever you may be doing has His stamp of approval. But if you are continuously toiling and struggling, it’s a sign that He is not with you. You need to adjust and come out of any self-led life you are living and embrace the God-led life we were originally designed to live as human beings.
You need to check if the things you are doing with your life has God’s stamp of approval. You need to take time to check that out and withdraw from whatever you may be doing that lack God’s stamp of approval. It might be painful and difficult, but surgery they say is better than tragedy.
As we bring this to a close, it is important to be reminded that Jesus as man never lived a second of His earthly life inside any decision, system, religion, a daily routine, a prayer for the sick, or anything that lack God’s stamp of approval. The Bible says He came to show us the way.
His life taught us that there are religions, prayers and even fellowship meetings that lack God’s stamp of approval, and that we must be far away from them. The 12 apostles and the early church followed suit in that kind of life; the life of living your days within things that has God’s stamp of approval.
It yielded so many spiritual dividends in their lives and in the Kingdom of God. They had so much grace upon them that the shadow of Peter was healing the sick. The grace was so strong that even a lying couple could not survive. They were judged instantly for lying in church. The Bible says they died at intervals and great fear for God fell on the harvest field, leading to more salvation.
God wants us to live our days under the fulness of His grace. But it is not by might not by power, but by living our days within decisions, careers and any other things that has been proven to have God’s stamp of approval. Amen!!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!!
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3 NKJV