TODAY’S DEVOTION (Thursday 5th June 2025)
“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ Acts 26:12-18 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 156th DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY
An encounter with Christ was what got Saul saved and subsequent encounters made him a person we know today as the great apostle Paul. Encounters with Christ remains the only way to move from who we are to who God pre planned us to be.
It is the only way to be genuinely saved from sin, Satan and the evil and corrupt system of this world. It is the only way we can break from sinful habits, satanic influences and become new men and women in Christ Jesus. It is one of the major products of God’s mercy.
Whenever God show mercy to people, He rains divine encounters upon them. Mercy is a major delivery van of life-changing encounters with the LORD. Most of the people who found God’s mercy in Bible days ended up having divine encounters. They ended up with life-changing encounters with the LORD.
Sadly, the world is systematically programed to give men encounters with what does not really profit the human soul. The electronic and social Medias are filled with information; sound and sights that transmit encounters with hell, making the souls of men eternally damned.
The impartation of portions of the spirit of hell into the hearts of men is one major thing that takes place through the social media etc.
One of the most disappointing things I have seen in my life as a Christian is seeing people who are at the verge of losing it in life not even thinking about GOD: the only guaranteed solution to all problems. That is how the spirit or impartations of hell makes people behave.
Yes, I have seen people who were at the verge of death not accepting God’s mercy. They just died and slipped unnecessarily into hell fire. They stepped into a real life-after-death they thought never existed. Heaven must be filled with God’s eternal tears; the tears He sheds over the souls of men who died and slipped into hell without responding to His mercy.
It is one thing for mercy to be absent and another for it to be present with no one to receive it. If mercy is present and no one is receiving it, there is a problem.
THAT PROBLEM IS CALLED SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS, BECAUSE YOU CANNOT RECEIVE WHAT YOU DO NOT SEE.
This terrible blindness towards God’s mercy has severe eternal consequences. Our focus this morning will be on spiritual blindness, the worst form of blindness that came upon people when Adam fell. I hope we are ready!!
It is the very reason why the Pharisees and Sadducees united just for one moment to crucify Jesus, the one they all read and studied about for many years in their theological schools. Religion blindfolded them and they could not see or recognize Him when He finally came.
Spiritual blindness can prevent a dedicated person from seeing the most important things of the kingdom God send his way. It can prevent a man from recognizing his day of divine visitation and what God sent to execute it. The Bible made it clear that spiritual blindness is over everyone with no personal relationship with Christ – be it a Muslim, Hindu, Judaist, or Christian.
Now don’t be surprised because I included Christians in that sentence.
Many Christians (even members of the clergy) are blind in the spirit. They are blind to the things of God. That is why they talk about the things of men, the world and Satan when they preach. I have shared that before!
You can hardly hear the things of God taught in many church Circles today. They talk the things of men, the things of this world, and the things that Satan does spicing their messages with scriptural quotations and leaving the people empty of GOD. That is why everyone planted in such assemblies are basically spiritual vacuums waiting to be filled by the next demon from hell.
But I have come to realize that one may be blind to anything in GOD but one thing he cannot afford to be blind to, is the MERCIES OF GOD. Friend, it is too costly to be blind to divine mercy, and sometimes the cost is eternally unredeemable.
BLINDNESS TO DIVINE MERCY IS SIMPLY “NOT RECOGNIZING THE MERCY OF GOD WHEN IT SHOWS UP.”
Sometimes, it shows up in a person God send to you, and the reason many do not recognize them is that this kind of people usually come in packages we do not like. Other times God sends His mercy to us in form of acts of kindness, spouses we are married to, ministers of the gospel we need or even a word; it could be a word of rebuke or even judgment. That is an aspect of God’s mercy that our generation do not understand.
It is an act of mercy for God to raise a man or woman who will be revealing God’s severity to you, or calling you names, to provoke you to holiness and make it uncomfortable for you to live in sin. It’s an act of mercy for GOD to allow unpleasant things to flow into our lives so we can sit up straight in our walk and talk with Him. But Like I said, our generation hates that.
We reject the mercy of God especially when it comes in form of people Heaven sent to us, by branding them with all kinds of unprintable names and weakening them; consequently, preventing them from doing their job. Israel saw this dimension of divine mercy in their days and resisted it to their detriment the way we are doing today. The Bible says,
“And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.
But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.” 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 NKJV
IT’S MY PRAYER THAT THIS JUDGMENT WILL NOT BE SAID OF US ON THE FINAL DAY IN JESUS PRECIOUS NAME. AMEN!!
Friend, Satan can let you see anything in the spirit realm but will never let you recognize God’s mercy when it shows up in your life.
That is why the true gospel of the KINGDOM is an eye-opening gospel. If anything that we call gospel, is not opening the eyes of the Church or the world to accurately see God’s Mercy, judgments, and will, that thing is not the gospel but a death pill from hell.
Satan’s specialty is to blindfold people; GOD’s specialty is to open the eyes of people. Our devotional text today tells us of the encounter Paul had on his way to Damascus that also became the release of God’s mantle upon his life.
He was spiritually blind before he had that encounter but woke up seeing spiritually and blind physically. God had to send one of His Sons to open his natural eyes having opened the spiritual eyes. The encounter Paul had with Christ as Saul, shows us that true encounter with the Light of God, Jesus Christ Himself, is the only way to cure spiritual blindness.
A major highlight of the text reads,
“And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’”
There are other things we can glean from the words in this highlight. If you look at it carefully, you will realize that until the eyes of sinners are opened through an accurate presentation of the true gospel (not the enemy, depths of Satan and money-spinning gospel on many mouths today), they cannot be certified saved by God.
Yes, the Church could certify them saved and make them Church members and even appoint them into different positions, but God will not.
In God’s eyes, genuine encounter with the word will open the spiritual eyes of people, resulting in them turning from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to GOD. That is the core of every apostolic mandate.
WHEN THEY TURN, FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND INHERITANCE AMONG THEM THAT ARE SANCTIFIED WILL BE RELEASED TO THEM.
Meaning, there can be no spiritual blessings without us turning from sin and the power of Satan. And we cannot turn until our spiritual eyes are opened through the message of the cross – the gospel. The opening of spiritual eyes remains key to accessing all things in Christ!
We began this devotional by showing us that spiritual blindness is the greatest blindness on earth.
It is the reason many have not genuinely repented and turned to the LORD. It’s the reason many profess salvation with their mouth but deny it with their acts. They receive Jesus with their lips but not with their hearts. It is the reason for lack of repentance!
From our devotional text it’s clear that many have not repented because they have not heard the true gospel. The Bible made it clear that if the true gospel is preached hearts will be prinked to turn to the LORD.
Sadly, the gospel that is being preached today only prick people’s hearts to give and give and give money to their prophets and prophetess, and fight and fight all kinds of enemies. It does not unveil Christ to them or make Him the center of their lives. They just used Him as a means to an end and nothing else.
It is really a terrible gospel! It sounds so monetary and carnal in the mouth of preachers and most times demonic and produce very sad ends in the lives of their listeners. It plagues them with spiritual blindness and prevents them from recognizing the true things of God.
There is a gospel with capacity to spread spiritual blindness. It makes the spiritual blind more blind and vulnerable to eternal condemnation.
We can go on and on but like I have always shared, this is a devotional not a book. The message of today has been passed. Do not be spiritually blind. You may be spiritually blind to anything but don’t be blind to God’s mercy when it shows up. May God keep you sensitive in the Spirit to GOD’s mercy whenever it shows up! AMEN!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:18-32 NKJV
