TODAY’S DEVOTION (WEDNESDAY 18TH FEBRUARY 2026)
“Then Abram ent up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.”
Genesis 13:1-2 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 49TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF STRATEGIC VICTORY
We bless His Holy Name for giving us 49 days OF THE YEAR already. Realistically, some of those we started the year with are no more. It is not because we are better than them (In fact, some of them are better than us). It is just because of God’s unsearchable will and mercies that we are still here.
Friend, it’s a privilege to serve the God who created Heaven and earth, and to hear Him call us His own. It’s a privilege to experience His Holy Spirit helping us to go out of sin, the satanic and the evil and corrupt systems of this world and be separated unto Him alone.
It is a privilege to have GOD do in us in the New Testament way, what He did in Abraham, in the Old Testament way, when he took him from his father’s house to a land He will show him.
Genuine salvation involves leaving darkness by the enabling grace of God and clinging unto Jesus Christ, the true light, forever. It makes us rich in spiritual and earthly Blessings, even as it enables us to follow the LORD and make His footsteps our pathways.
One major sign of salvation is becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, not some prophets out there or some movements. The Bible calls Christians “followers of Jesus Christ.” Followers of His will, His word, His Spirit, and His pathways. Yes, they are known as people who live daily, making Jesus’ footsteps their pathways.
THEY ARE NOT KNOWN IN HEAVEN AS FOLLOWERS OF SOME PROPHETS OR MOVEMENT. THEY ARE NOT!!!
People who follow religious people or movements usually miss their way in matters of salvation. It is those who follow the LORD, sometimes motivated by spiritual fathers who are following Him, that do not miss their ways. No one follows Jesus Christ, in spirit and in truth and miss anything good in His grace.
One of the many things the LORD will make sure they have is ability to take care of their economic needs and serve Him with their substance. That is what we call “the prosperity of the righteous.”
Child of God, Jesus wants us all to prosper or possess the ability to take care of our needs, serve Him with substance, and take care of others in need. He is our Heavenly Father, and Friend, and like every good father and friend would want, He desires that we prosper and be in good health as our soul prosper. The Bible says:
“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey;
a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper.”
Deuteronomy 8:7-9 NKJV
But sadly, some are yet to come into the beautiful vision of God for our economic lives captured in this scripture; the vision to live in an economic state where we lack nothing. They are not prospering, and partly so because they do not follow the LORD and allow Him to teach them out of lack and poverty.
While many know what adversity is, most do not know what prosperity all is about. If you know what adversity is and do not know what prosperity is, you will remain an economic slave. Some in economic slavery even believe that Prosperity is not for the righteous.
THEY BELIEVE THAT POVERTY AND ADVERSITY ARE MARKS OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP.
Well, if you have a wrong believe of anything in the kingdom of God, you will never have it manifesting in your life.
We must come into an accurate revelation of prosperity in the kingdom of God to live in prosperity as God’s kingdom citizens. Revelation remains Heaven’s clearance to the earth to come into things supernatural – especially things that will equip us financially to do God’s blessed will.
Jesus indeed said if we want to be His disciples we must carry our cross daily and follow Him. That cross is not perpetual poverty and adversity but the price of doing divine will. That price could be temporally adversity and scarcity, but it is not perpetual adversity and poverty.
Some hold another dangerous view; they believe Jesus was poor so they should also be poor. But Jesus was not poor. What the Bible described as “the poverty of Jesus” has nothing to do with the earthly. The Bible was teaching us the price Jesus paid to redeem us. He made Himself poor of the glory of heaven, to save us.
In other terms He stripped Himself off Heavenly glory to be able to die to save us from eternal damnation so that we may become rich in His grace, His mercies and His glory. The term has no connection with economic lack or scarcity.
You must understand that with so much to do in His kingdom and our lives, God cannot afford to keep you poor this end time. The heritage of Lazarus will not be needed this age because he was too poor to have any financial instrument to serve God with.
Yes, he made Heaven despite the challenges he faced, and we should emulate that part, but he did that with no soul to present to Jesus. God wants us to make Heaven but with the souls we spent our lives and monies to seek and to save from eternal damnation.
God wants us to have money to spend for His purposes so we will have as many crowns as possible in Heaven.
ON THE FINAL DAY WHEN WE WILL ALL APPEAR BEFORE GOD; LAZARUS WILL ONLY HAVE ONE OUT OF THE FIVE CROWNS KEPT FOR THE RIGHTEOUS AS REWARD.
Friend, God cannot afford to keep us poor this end time, like Lazarus was. We cannot be eating under the table of the rich and be able to preach on the media and do all the money things that need to be done to save souls today. So, Jesus was not poor in the sense that we know poverty to be.
In fact, if you look at Bible History, He was not even poor by earth’s definition of poverty. So why should we be? If He was poor, He would not have been able to do the many things He did.
The Bible made it clear that though He owned no Estates He had a house even before stepping into ministry. He was into what we will call real Estate today before abandoning all to serve full time, because carpentry was not just furniture making in His days.
Before stepping into full-time ministry, Jesus had enough to take care of His siblings and the source of his flesh, Mary. He inherited the trade of Joseph and built homes for clients and had a large cliental, which led to everyone knowing him as the son of a carpenter.
So, He was indeed rich, both in Spirit and in truth. Those who call Him poor are ignorant. Of course, if you call a man who could get money from the mouth of fishes “poor” it means you are ignorant! He was rich enough to pay all His bills when He was physically on earth!
Those who studied the details said, His garment was so expensive that people who killed Him had to cast lots to determine who will own it. If it was just some rags He wore, no one would have bothered. The Bible says it was a seamless garment knitted by one of the women.
IN HIS DAYS SEAMLESS GARMENTS WHERE THE MOST EXPENSIVE!
Also, He could hire ships and small boats to embark on His ministry trips without financial stress. Don’t forget boats and ships were the highest level of transportation in His days. That means if He were physically on earth today, He will not just be hiring the best cars for ministry trips but airplanes and private Jets.
He was so rich that He made a thief His treasurer. The man was stealing yet His money never ran dry. Steal from the poor and see what will happen to him or her. In fact, the poor has nothing for you to even steal.
Jesus was not poor, He lived His days in contentment, riding on the prosperity of the righteous, as King of kings and LORD of lords. He never had the prosperity of the wicked or that of a fool. And if we are to look unto Him as the author and finisher of our faith, we must also look unto Him in money matters.
He walked this earth in the prosperity of the righteous to show us how to walk the earth living in the prosperity of the righteous. So, if you are a follower of the ways, will, Spirit, and footsteps of this Jesus, you will not lack or live in poverty. He will break you free from it. He will deliver you from money and then place it in your pocket using the honest works of your hands.
But none of that will happen if you follow your ways, your will, your spirit and pathways. None will happen if you follow some prophets or movements. In fact, people who follow some so-called mighty prophets are the money-making machines of the prophets.
Some are so poor, and wretched yet seeing nothing wrong with it. Those who join them rich become spoor over time. They lose their riches to the prophets through divination and manipulation.
Friends, such prophets, who steal the LORD’s sheep and make them theirs, know how to use every magic they call miracles and every form of deception to keep the people following them. You cannot be part of such nonsense and see the prosperity of the righteous. At most you will see that of the wicked.
The messages today has been passed. The LORD wants us all to be His followers in spirit and in truth, so that we reap the blessing. We are in end times, the Bible says many prophets and miracle workers will rise to draw followers to themselves. Do not be part of those drawn.
Find a church where people are discipled to live as followers of Christ, and plant yourself there. Amen!!
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY
Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.
When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)
Acts 11:25-26 NLT
