TODAY’S DEVOTION (Friday 29th October 2021)
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 302nd DAY OF OUR YEAR OF HIGHER HEIGHTS.
Glory to God almighty for giving us another day from the womb of His mercies! What a day to be alive on earth and in Christ Jesus.
Let me begin today’s devotional with a question; does Heaven celebrate the birthday of the righteous? I think the answer is yes, because the birthday of Jesus Christ was celebrated. God sent angels to dance and rejoice in the sky the day He was born. The Bible says;
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:10-14 NKJV
I believe what makes Heaven celebrate the birthday of the righteous is their missions on earth. What the LORD shoot them into time to accomplish is what stirs joy in Heaven the day they are born. The Heavenly host celebrated the Birthday of Christ because of what it meant to the redemption of the human race.
When you celebrate your birthday as a child of God, use the moments to reflect on your prophetic purpose on earth and examine yourself properly if you are fulfilling it, because that is what matters to Heaven, not the cake.
Now, it is not just our birthdays that are celebrated, our death days are also celebrated by Heaven too. The Bible says
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15 NKJV).
God celebrates both our birthdays and death days; mostly our death days if His mission for our lives was accomplished in our life time.
On the death day of Stephen, as young as he was, Jesus stood up from His throne, to receive Him.
I guess He was smiling and clapping His hands as the spirit of Stephen’s departed from his body at the instance of his stoning. That is what I look forward to. I look forward to Christ welcoming me home with a smile.
PERSONALLY, I DO NOT CARE HOW LONG I WILL LIVE, OR HOW I WILL DIE.
I only care about how well I live and what spiritual state I will die, because that is what matters. The Bible encourages us to spend our days caring about these things because they are what really matters.
Our devotional WORD today has to do with something very critical to our walk and talk with God, as the redeemed of the LORD. We want to look at matters of GOD’s stamp of approval.
You see, our death days will be celebrated in Heaven if we spend our appointed days doing only the things or living only the life that God approves. That is what will determine our eternal destinies.
The things and life God approves, are documented in the Bible. But Sound teachers of the word like Paul are needed to make them known to this generation that is ignorant of them.
Yes, our generation is ignorant of the things God approves that is why we find ourselves doing what He does not approve and saying they do not matter.
For instance, God does not approve being gay, or lesbianism. But we have gay and lesbian Bishops and Church leaders. God does not approve us getting involved in sexual sins of any kind, but that is what we love doing, siting David and Solomon; I mean from the pulpit to the pew. The Bible says;
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 NKJV
It seems we preachers have become more sexually perverse these days than our church members, that’s is why when you teach and command that sexual purity be enthroned among the clergy, or when you rebuke sexual sins, preachers are the first to call you all kinds of names.
The next thing is, you will find their captives joining in smashing you.
Indeed, we live in a generation that is ignorant or nonchalant of what God approves and disapproves. Calling someone judgmental because he or she teaches sexual purity and shoots down sexual immorality is absurd.
THERE IS SO MUCH WE DO TODAY AS CHRISTIANS THAT GOD DOES NOT APPROVE.
From our life styles to what we teach, to what we believe. The list is endless. God does not approve a life of deceit, and lawlessness. But that is what many of us are involved in. God does not approve any money making doctrines like altars, redemption of first born, use of all kinds of prayer gadgets and etc. for the new testament Church, but that is what we teach and practice.
So many destinies are being ruined eternally for leading lives that are full of things God does not approve; things that are clearly stated in the Holy Scriptures if well read.
This is a generation that is interested in hearing every other kind of message but the things God approves and disapproves. Very few are interested in living lives that God approves. Many other wants to carve their own lives then ask God to approve them with a blessing. It does not walk that way.
I am yet to see the devil hold something that has God’s approval in it for too long. I am yet to see a purpose or an idea that God approves defeated. I am yet to see a life full of things God approves going through a successful demonic attack. Yes, the devil may attack it but God’s grace will always be sufficient.
The life Paul was one of lives in scriptures that was full of things that did not lack God’s seal of approval. Yes, he suffered more than all other apostles because of that but came out strong in all his trials and troubles.
At one time he fought with the beast of Ephesus. Not small demons but beast in the spirit realm, but not one of his hairs was lost in the fight. There were many times the pressure of hell was high on him.
There was this one time that he sought God to take one away. The divine response was beautiful. It said,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”(2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)
Here is one of the many lessons to draw from this statement; sufficient grace is only available where God’s stamp of approval is present. Meaning, if you are in things that lack God’s approval, there will be no grace form the LORD to function in them, especially when messengers of Satan are sent to you.
That goes to say, 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 when messengers of Satan will be sent to you, because you will lack grace from God to conquer them.
DO NOT STAY IN THINGS THAT LACK GOD’S STAMP OF APPROVAL
You may end up destroyed because God’s sufficient grace will be missing in them. And if God’s sufficient grace is missing in a thing, Satan’s sufficient trouble will be present in it. Yes, you will be fighting battles here and there, and God will not be showing up to help you out. If He ever shows up, it will be to take you out!
In simple terms, your life will be like an accursed life on earth. You will just be having a fore taste of hell until the LORD brings you out of it.
God’s stamp of approval is a major catalyst of supernatural blessing. If the things you are pursuing lacks it, you will just be struggling through no matter how hard you try and no matter the right things you do.
It is important to note that whenever a thing in your life lack 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.
I have come to realize that 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 new born babies. 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 women God never approved for his life. I wonder why his head on Delilah’s lap became an inspiration for some Bishops here in East Africa. They forgot how his life turned out for doing something God did not approve of him to do. 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 for having their lives filled with things god did not approve for them.
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 and etc. It may not come at the immediate but will definitely come after a while.
The Bible calls the while “the process of time.”
Yes, there is a process of time for anything God approves to begin to succeed. You must first go through a season of testing and trails; a season of sowing in tears. This is not just about giving money but sowing your life into that venture until it breaks forth into great success. Jesus says;
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” John 12:24 NKJV
What is the message this morning?
God wants you to lead a successful life on earth, by His definition. He wants your life filled with fruits not toiling and un-fruitfulness. But you have a job to do. You must begin to lead your life within things that has His stamp of approval.
When you find them, give your entire being to them. Spend every single day of your life dying for them to succeed, do not be focused on living from them.
Consider yourself as God’s seed of corn and never stay in what He did not approve. Never fall down and die for what He did not approve. Fall down only on what He approves dying the require death for its success. If you do, your life will come out so well to the amazement of many.
LET THIS DAY BE A DAY OF DIVINE ADJUSTMENTS! BEGIN BY PRAYING THIS DAVIDIC PRAYER;
“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