TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL (Monday 12th April 2021)
“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:13-17 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 102ND DAY OF OUR YEAR OF HIGHER HEIGHTS!
A lot of things are happening, very bad things. People are just dying and leaving the earth in moments. You speak with someone today, tomorrow they are gone. We are not living in normal times, my friend. As a human, I am deeply troubled.
Another very bad news concerning a very dear one just came to me yesterday. I don’t have the strength to say anything about it now. Maybe when the doctors are through by weekend, in establishing what really happened, we will be saying something about it.
Honestly, this is s terminal generation. So many saints are being called home abruptly.
One common denomination I find is most of them had warfare in their private lives that they refused to disclosed; some out of ignorance, others out of faith that God has taken care of it only for the very thing to sniff life out of them. It is saddening what is happening on planet earth today and among us in particular (The Church).
Since I do not have the strength to pen a fresh devotional today, permit me to take you to an old one that was published five years ago. It’s my prayer that God will use it to give you a fresh word to run your day with, in Jesus precious name. Amen!
SPENDING OUR DAYS WITH THE SCRIPTURES.
Searching the scriptures was one of the distinguished characters of those who gave their lives to Christ from the seventies to late nineties.
It was so entrenched in the faith of the fresh believers of that era, especially in Nigeria, that the acronym SU (Scripture Union) was used to described every genuinely born again Child of God, then. If you look at them then and us now, you will see a great change.
These days we have so much separated from personal Bile study that we no longer accurately know what God is saying about marriage, money, sex, sin, family, education, health, eternal judgment and the ages to come.
We walk in the dark of what God has said in His written word about things that are so dear to us, and stumble into paths loaded with spiritual dynamites, leading to explosions that manifest as abominable things in our lives.
We have been so much disconnected from the scriptures that we now spend our days according to the scripts of our enemies. In my opinion, a Christianity that is disconnected from the scriptures is a false Christianity.
Not having the urge to spend quality time with the word as a believer, is a sign that either you have lost your salvation, or it is not genuine. Authentic salvation experience will drive you to ‘devour’ the scriptures. It will drive you to live a lifestyle of searching the scriptures to know God and be intimate with Him.
Jesus buttressed this when He said,
“You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me,” (John 5:39 CEV).
True salvation encounter will get Christ established in your heart through Faith. If Christ is really established in your heart, He will begin to drive you to the Holy Scriptures to search about him. That is what makes not having a personal thirst for the written word a sign of either a love that has grown cold or a false Christianity.
OUR DEVOTIONAL TEXT TODAY IS FULL OF TRUTHS WE CANNOT UNPACK IN A DEVOTIONAL.
Paul wrote to his son in the LORD, Timothy, first to warn him of impostors and second to show him the way to overcome them.
He showed him that continuing in the things he had learned from him; basically the apostolic doctrine, he will be able to overcome the deception of the ministry of the impostors of his day. He also highlighted that the salvation experience he had at Childhood that drove him to know the Holy Scriptures, is a force that will help him overcome the impostors as well.
From what he wrote, it is clear that Timothy’s salvation experience was very real. It drove him to spend time knowing the Holy Scriptures. Paul wrote that from Childhood he had known the Scripture which is able to make him wise unto salvation. I like that!
Then he concluded the chapter by exposing to him the power of the Holy Scriptures to save him from the impostors and to save those who hear him. All that this Apostolic Father wrote to his Apostolic Son is very relevant in our time and age.
The Church today is full of evil men and impostors who are growing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Many months back while speaking over the Radio, one of our listeners sent one of the most shocking News I have ever heard since I came to East Africa. A prophetess he went to for prayers took him to see a witch doctor’s instead by deceit, and after that lured him to have sex with her, and he did. She said it was for cleansing.
Indeed, evil men will indeed grow worse and worse.
From the things we are hearing, it seems “for every ten prophetesses in the land, nine are evil and wicked women, prophesying by Baal and causing GOD’s people to err.” What that young man sent to us as feedback was a confirmation of this!
We are living in a time and age where evil and wicked men and woman in God’s garment will grow worse and worse. A time when impostors will grow worse and worse; deceiving and being deceived. The only way to survive the season we find ourselves is to apply every word Paul wrote to Timothy captured in our devotional text today.
HE WROTE TO HIM SAYING,
“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The first thing we must do is to locate apostolic fathers with the word of truth and righteousness and learn from them. Timothy learned from Paul and the man of God wrote to urge him to continue in what he has learned. If you have no one superior to learn from these end times you will become a victim of this evil men and impostors.
I will like to announce to you that God still has men like Apostle Paul in our generation. He still has a remnant among the clergy that has not bowed down to Baal or departed from His ways. You must locate one of them and sit under His apostolic and prophetic teaching grace. Yes, you must search for one and attach yourself to his mantle.
The second thing you must do is to carry out a check on your salvation; did you really receive Christ into your heart when you believed? Was your salvation a psychological one or a spiritual one?
That young man who was taken captive by the prophetess and lured, first to a witch doctor, then to have sex with her, did not really met Jesus. If He had met him, the Spirit of Christ in him would not have allowed him to fall a victim of such wickedness. Friend, born again is not a religious title but the description of an encounter between a lost sinner and Jesus Christ, KING of kings and LORD of lords.
SO YOU MUST RE-ASSESS YOUR SALVATION AND GET TRULY SAVED IF YOU WERE NOT.
Because it is that initial encounter Timothy had with the LORD that Paul said should further reinforce his spiritual security or salvation from the evil men and impostors feasting on the souls of the men of his day. If you lack an original encounter with the LORD, you will never be saved from what is happening now in our age.
Lastly, you must feed on the scriptures daily.
The Bible says,
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
No one can fall victim of evil men and impostors if he has a healthy relationship with His Bible. Like I stated earlier, if you do not study the scriptures you will spend your days according to the scripts of your enemies. The Holy Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reprove, correction, instruction in righteousness that you may be complete (or mature), thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Finally, he safest thing to do these days is to separate yourself from men and women of God who demonstrate power and prophesies without unfolding the deep things of God in the Bible to you. Look for ministers of the gospel that God can use to help you run this race and finish your course. Stop running after prophets, resisting sound doctrine, or heaping teachers for yourself!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:3-8 NKJV