TODAY’S DEVOTION (Saturday 8TH January 2022)
“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:3-4 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 8TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE
This is the day the LORD has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. We give Him thanks for giving us 8 days already; we have seen His goodness, mercies and miracles for 8 days this year. Many more days to go. I believe many more of His goodness is on the way.
Our devotionals yesterday urged us to build our lives around the presence of GOD. That is a major call to make friend with the Holy Spirit; The governor of God’s presence in our dispensation. It is a call to stay in the Hands of the Holy Spirit.
But we cannot stay in His hands if we grieve and wound Him. That is why one of the important things to do is to maintain a healthy friendship with the Holy Spirit at all cost. We must understand that His hands formed us in our mother’s womb, only His hands can keep us in a trouble world.
It may interest you to know that He also scheduled our days long before our great grandparents thought of getting together to conceive whoever became our maternal and paternal roots.
FOR INSTANCE, 2022 WAS SCHEDULED LONG BEFORE THEN. THE DAYS OF EACH YEAR IS SCHEDULED BEFORE THE YEAR COMES.
Our births may not be among the things that were scheduled before we were born, but our days are scheduled by GOD. His plans and programs for every human that will be born on earth is scheduled. As humans, we are expected to spend our days as scheduled.
Life will be full of trouble if we spend our days outside the schedule of God for them. That was what our Bible fathers knew. That was why they limited themselves to God’s schedule for their lives.
Abraham for instance, never built cities like Nimrod and the rest, despite his riches. He just dwelled in tents because the schedule of his days allows only for the building of tents. That was why He was, and still a blessing to every generation.
If you want to spend your days according God’s schedule for them you must live your life around the presence of God. And to build your life around the presence, and fulfill your days as schedule by GOD, you will need to place your life in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
One of the things that the leaders of the early church tried doing in their days was to spend their days by placing their lives in the hands of the Holy Spirit. The never allowed anything to creep into their faith and destroy their relationship with the Blessed Spirit of God.
One of the things they did to place their lives and remain in His hands was to go deep in their walk and talk with God!
There is need to go deep in our relationship with God. To go deep we must recognize the danger of carnality. Carnality is not a blessing but a curse. The Bible says to be carnally mined is dead, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
CARNAL MINDEDNESS IS SENSE AND REASON WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT.
It is the breeding ground of all sins, iniquities or trespass. That is why when we are carnally minded, but being what we call spiritual, we are not deep we are dead. Once you become carnally minded, a life of sin is inevitable.
That is why carnality should not be one of our traits this year. It puts our faith in jeopardy!
For instance, many Christians who died and were labeled “gone to be with the LORD” are not with Him at all. They died in carnality without intimacy with Jesus Christ, hence entering the next life separated from God in this life.
Like I said the other day, if you leave this world separated from God Heaven will not be your home.
Become part of the remnant that’s have seen things in the Spirit and are adjusting their lives; getting closer and closer to God every day and living a healthy spiritual life through deep friendship with the blessed Holy Spirit. That will take care any carnal nature in us because intimacy with God is what eliminates carnality.
It is important to note that the greatest guarantee for making Heaven is daily Intimacy with God. It is daily intimacy that will guarantee our salvation this end time, especially now that iniquity is increasing and the love of many is growing cold. If you cannot see the reason to go deep in God this end time, then you are blind.
Going deep in God ism leaving your Christian life in the Spirit; walking in the Spirit. Being in shallow places is walking in the flesh.
The Bible says;
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1 NKJV
Where you walk will determine how this year will turn out for you.
Not necessarily where you worship. That is why where you worship must Help you walk in the Spirit daily, not in the flesh. Your pastor must become one who trouble you each time you step into the flesh; if you do not have such a spiritual leader then reconsider your membership in that church.
I have said this repeatedly; when I look at the book of Genesis Chapter 1 and 2 and see how mankind ought to be and compare it with how we have all become now, I cannot but feel so sorry for myself and the entire human race.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS SIN BROUGHT UPON US AND THE ENTIRE CREATION THAT ONLY THE CONSUMMATION OF ALL THINGS WILL CURE.
The limitations and impact the fall created in us is yet to be understood by many of us. For instance, Like I have always taught, mankind was created to live forever; spirit soul and body. But when man fell, only our spirits and souls remained immortal. The body became mortal. It became possible to be sick, poor, or grow old.
Before now, it was impossible for any of these or death to befall man.
He lived in the glory and since there is no time in the glory, there was no death. In other words, it was impossible for life to come to an end because nothing comes to an end under the glory.
The glory is the fullness of God on display, and since God cannot die or come to an end, everything under the glory cannot die or come to an end. Jesus came to die, and poured His Holy Spirit upon us so that we can live lives that are products of a walk in the Spirit and get back to the glory.
Walking in the flesh keeps us away from the glory. Walking in the Spirit takes us right into the glory. People who walk in the flesh may experience the anointing, because the flesh stinks and God anointed us to stop the stench form getting to His nostrils. So, people walking in the flesh may walk in the anointing, but will never see the glory.
Our devotional text today was a spiritual decision the leaders of the early Church took not to slip back into the flesh. When growth came and things that where great but not multiplying their chances of walking in the Spirit erupted, they reacted against them and applied divine wisdom.
They knew giving themselves entirely to prayer and to the ministry of the word was the key to stemming the tide.
There is a lesson here; you see, when our prayer life starts bearing fruits, there are chances that we get up for your knees, and slip back into a life of carnality. But these fathers of faith are teaching us how to handle such moments; we are to give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
SLIPPING INTO A LIFE OF CARNALITY WHEN THINGS ARE BEGINNING TO BE OKAY WITH YOU IS AS EASY AS TAKING A CUP OF TEA!
A major highlight in the devotional text said, “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
This scripture is about cultivating a consistent prayer life. Those who know will tell you that if you cultivate a consistent prayer life and are continuously fed the word, you will find yourself walking away from the flesh into a life in the Spirit.
When you get to the deep, a life in the Spirit; you will begin to touch the glory. When you begin to touch the glory, your ideal self will begin to come out. That is when a life of sin will begin to give way to a life of righteousness, and you will even begin to look younger than your peers.
You will find yourself operating in the supernatural and seeing Heavenly things take place in your life in quick succession.
Giving yourself to prayer and to the ministry of the word is as important as taking in fresh air and breathing out unwanted air.
We draw our being form God by giving ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. If you are not giving yourself to prayer and to ministry of the word, you are not living, you are actually dying.
Life is lived in the Spirit not in the flesh. Whatever we do ion the flesh is death because it will produce decay. So, as you embrace this great day, take time to meditate on this devotional again and again, asking the LORD to speak to your Heart.
And let me make this clear to us; I don’t know what you may be going through, or what you may be battling with just decide not to walk in the flesh again; decide to walk in the Spirit.
Do not forget, if intimacy with God is the missing key in your life, no other key will bail you out of problems. If a life in the flesh is the reason for all your problems, you will never get anything solve by any other way other than walking in the Spirit.
Many times, we replace the key of intimacy with God with running after people. We do not know that we will never disengage form a life in the flesh running after people. Except If the people are helping us to run after God, we will only disengage from a life of the flesh when we run after God.
Today is the eight day of the year. Eight is the number of New beginning. You can begin a fresh walk with the LORD today; a walk in the Spirit that will continue till you fulfill your days on earth.
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together,”
“Where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, to the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord”
“For thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.” Psalms 122:1-5 NKJV