TODAY’S DEVOTION FRIDAY 26TH DECEMBER 2025)
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 360TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY
From the eternal past, Heaven has been God’s Throne and the earth His footstool, that is why we are here today. If His footstool presence has not been on earth, the wicked one would have turned this earth into hades for all of us. But thank God for the restrictions that His footstool presence is imposing on his activities.
It enables us to be alive and serve Him. It helps sinners like us to return to Him and become ex-sinners. It helps practicing sinners to be convicted of their sins and return to Him. His footstool presence is what is keeping us. It has kept men of all generations, from harm, from destruction, from eternal separation from God, and from so much that are against man.
Finally, at the consummation of all things, it will take the accurse world away from the earth, and establish a new earth where righteousness dwells.
When we fulfill our days, it will help us to transit from this life to the next in the portals of His glory. It’s important that we be grateful to the LORD for Heaven been His Throne and the earth where He has given us to live, His footstool.
Yesterday, we marked the birth of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ with an amazing service where the LORD taught us about the Laws of Divine Protection. Some of the things we taught were what the LORD taught me when I was grieving over the death of one, I consider a future minister of the gospel (details withheld for reasons beyond control).
I felt sad knowing a few of the keys that govern divine protection only after the sad incident had happened. I knew those scriptures before, but they never sounded the way they did when I was grieving, asking a lot of why questions, and seeing myself as a failed shepherd that should just leave the field and return home (Nigeria).
THE SPIRIT OF GOD RESPONDED TO THE DARK MOMENT BY PIERCING MY HEART WITH THE VERSES. JESUS SAID HE WILL REMIND US OF ALL THINGS.
Indeed, there are things we can only learn in bad times. Such things you will never learn in good times. I don’t know if this amazing soul, who was loved by all, would have listened if I had known these things earlier and urged him to resign from his job.
I remember urging him over time to get married because of how dangerous his job was, but he just smiled beautifully and never did.
So, I do not know if he would have listened to the counsel of resigning if some of the things I shared yesterday were known earlier. Life is so fragile, it has no duplicate. These are the most difficult times to be a pastor. I was under an intense pressure when the news of his passing while on active duty came. It shut me down completely.
The sensitivity of the situation has prevented us from doing so much that we would have done as a church. We are just waiting for the family to guide us on what role we are to play. When the time comes, we will do what we are allowed to do.
One thing that comfort me is where he is now.
Indeed, what is life, in the light of eternity, it is a vapor that appears for a short period of time and then vanishes. Between the time it appears and when it will vanish, we are to secure our souls for eternal rest with Christ when it will disappear. That this amiable brother did.
More of this will be said at the right time!!
TODAY IS BOXING DAY, AS THEY CALL IT. FOR A LONG TIME, I DID NOT KNOW WHAT THIS MEANT.
In fact, as kids we thought it was a day of throwing punches. So, we will meet after Christmas and be attempting to do that. But years later I got to know what it really meant. It is a day of opening the boxes brought as Christmas presents. Under the concept of apostolicity, the right box to open is the box of the word of the LORD for our lives, and the lessons of life. That is what we have been opening since the start of this devotional.
In fact, it is a box to open every day of our lives until we are no more, because that is the box that gives us life, both spiritual and eternal.
We must not allow anything to stop us from doing so. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Father. The Bible says in good times and bad times, we should not forsake the word and the assembling of ourselves.
In our devotional word today, we will be looking at the seasons that make a man vulnerable to satanic assaults. It is part of what is found in the word box we have been opening since the start of this devotional. To start with, it is important to note that God never created us to be attacked successfully by the devil. Originally, He created man and hid him in the portal of His glory.
This was because Mankind was in His image, functioning in His likeness, hence entitled to the portal of glory.
In fact, when the devil entered the snake to come into the garden, he could not even speak to man. He spoke to the woman. That was how heavily protected man was. He spoke to the woman so that she could do something that will bring mankind within a realm where he could attack them successfully. Sadly, it happened and here we are today, looking at how not to be vulnerable to his incessant attacks.
We have just five days to stepping into the new year according to the Gregorian calendar. And since many follow that calendar, it’s important that we share a word that will be of help to all.
PROPHETICALLY, SOME OF US DO NOT FOLLOW THIS CALENDAR WHEN IT COMES TO SPIRITUAL TRANSITIONS, WE FOLLOW ANOTHER CALENDAR.
For us, we are already in the new year. We transited into it between September and October 2025. So, we may not need a traditional cross overnight in five-day time. We will have a prophetic Passover service to further establish what happened earlier in the year. Get ready!!!
Talking about the seasons that make one vulnerable to satanic assaults, it is important that we begin with some things that makes us vulnerable.
There are so many things that make us vulnerable to the attacks of the evil one. From sin, iniquity and trespass to simple spiritual carelessness, lack of wisdom, simple foolish deeds, and immaturity. The list is endless. But all these things are just results of one major thing; and that thing is spiritual ignorance. In other words, not knowing!
That explains why Paul the apostle made “having the knowledge of God” his ultimate prayers for those the LORD committed into His hands. In simple terms, He made “knowing” his ultimate prayer for the flock of the LORD under his care. He said:
“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,”
Ephesians 1:15-19
If you look at this prayer closely, you will discover that everything centered around bringing them, not to great financial prosperity, or the amazing things we pursue to own as earth men, but making sure they possess the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the KNOWLEDGE of GOD!
THIS MAN OF GOD KNEW THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL ELIMINATE SPIRITUAL IGNORANCE FROM HIS FLOCK.
Sadly, in our age and time, not many people really know that our real problem is spiritual ignorance, that is why we do not go for its elimination. We pray, fast, and even fight to eliminate our enemies, but do not do the same to eliminate spiritual ignorance, and that is what is really handing us over to the enemy.
Now, let us look at seasons where we can be vulnerable to spiritual and sometimes physical attacks. The first season is the season of “pain,” and the next season is the season of “joy.” Now, you may be wondering if it is possible for someone to be vulnerable in a season of pain or joy. Yes, it is possible.
Many years ago, the LORD said to me, “be careful what you do when things are not okay with you.” It sets me thinking.
The LORD made me to understand that when things are not okay with me, I must be careful, and when they are okay with me, I must also be careful because both seasons can be very destructive. The reason for this is because, as humans, we are subject to managing both glorious and inglorious moments very badly sometimes.
For instance, the rich fool did not die when he was busy cultivating his farm to raise crops. It was when he reaped the greatest harvest of his life that he lost his life. You can lose your life when you are having the best financial moments of your life. Yes, many have died during the best moments of their financial lives.
For some, what was giving them the money was what killed them!! Indeed, one must be careful when things are okay with him or her.
The glorious moments of a life that is not anchored daily on divine direction, clear instructions of how to live each day, and a rich and sustaining word from God, can usher one into inglorious moments of pain, death or destruction.
Thoughts that exalted themselves against the knowledge of God, sprang up from the soul of the rich fool in his season of prosperity and got him killed. The same can happen to anyone.
LET NO ONE BE FOOLED. SATAN CAN MAKE USE OF OUR GLORIOUS MOMENTS TO DESTROY US!
He can also use our inglorious moments to destroy us. Concerning our LORD Jesus Christ, who was in the days of His flesh, the Bible tells us that it was after he had finished a 40 day fast and was hungry that the enemy came. He did not come against Him when He was fine. He came when He was not fine.
I believe the thoughts that made me feel like a failed shepherd after hearing about the death of our brother, was not from God. It was from the enemy. If I was not being helped by the LORD with a superior revelation, by this morning I would have started the process of leaving this mission field calling myself a failed Shepherd.
In fact, something more dramatic happened after the Christmas service yesterday.
I did not know how it happened, I was not in the mood to see anyone and was sending all who wanted to see me away. But this woman was brought to me in company of another. She came to inform me how she was saved from death, by cancer. She said she was healed of stage four cancer by the LORD using me, and shared other things that further contributed to the elimination of the “you-are-a-failed-shepherd” stream of thoughts.
What hit me most was what she said happened to her when she was in a coma for almost two years. That was before she joined our church. That the LORD brought me to her in a vision and asked her to come sit under us when she wakes up. I was shocked. She came, and today she is completely healed.
That precious lady did not know what she did to me with her tearful testimony yesterday. May the LORD bless her dearly.
You see, God sustain everything by the power of His word. If we will not lose out to the devil in an hour of attack, we must be on guard through any season of life, giving the word of the LORD its ideal place in our hearts. Even when we cannot, I believe with a knee that is always down in prayer, God will send help to us like He did to me.
The saints of Old sang to the LORD saying, “I need thee every hour.” Any hour that God’s sustaining word is not given its place in our heart, will create a deficit in our spiritual lives. Our devotional text said,
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad”
The key word there is to make it our aim, to be well pleasing to the LORD always. May the LORD use these words to minister to us. Amen!!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR US TODAY!
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:31-33 NKJV
