TODAY’S DEVOTION (Sunday 23RD January 2022)
Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. Psalms 46:8-9 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 23RD DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE
Glory be to the LORD God, creator of the Heavens and earth for giving us another day. He has kept us for 23 days now; to him belong all the glory.
Today, as we all prepare for corporate worship here in Africa and every other place where Sunday worship is allowed, God has a word for us.
When our LORD and savior Jesus Christ walked physically on this earth over 2000 years ago, He did so many things and said so many things that were not even written in scriptures. Though none was magical, esoteric or demonic. Non was anti or extra scriptural.
Yes, He healed sicknesses and diseases that were not recorded. He did domestic miracles in the house of the source of His flesh that were not recorded. He did so many supernatural things that John would later write to say if all were recorded; there would have been no space to keep the books.
I believe that was then; because with technology advance today everything would have entered a flash drive. Time was too small then and technology unavailable to capture those great moments.
Yes, God wanted everything said, done and seen and recorded that was why He performed those miracles. But as it has always been; the frailty and inadequacy of humanity could not capture all that the divinity wanted to be captured and preserved for subsequent generations.
Frequently, we have found ourselves in the midst of strong prophetic presence of God, receiving messages and deep truths from the Spirit of the LORD, that our hands were too weak and slow to write down. Things were coming in the speed of light and understood in similar frequency, but our hands could not state all of them down.
During some of those moments I will cry unto God and say “Please LORD slow down” and my spirit will be disconnected immediately because, except He speak by the hands of an angel, God cannot slow down when His Holy Spirit is speaking to you directly. You have to step up in faith to catch up with Him.
MOST TIMES, WHEN GOD SPEAKS FROM ETERNITY, TIME CANNOT HANDLE THE SPEED AT WHICH HIS WORDS ARE COMING.
If He was not using our inner voices or thoughts to speak to us, the entire planet would have melted under the power of His voice.
Since the days of man in the Garden of Eden, there had been no moments where God spoke in the fullness of His power and glory. He spoke once literally to the nation of Israel, but not in the fullness of His glory, on mount Sinai and the people could not stand it. The Bible says;
“And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.” Exodus 19:18-20 KJV
Even this day, it was not the fullness of God that came down, but a step-down version. God use fire as an instrument that day. Yes, the sight and sounds were so strong that mortal men said, “No, this is to much.” Humanity could not withstand divinity.
It is the same reason people are usually slain in the Spirit. There are dimensions of divine presence that our human frame sometimes cannot stand. There are frequencies that His voice comes that our hands cannot match the speed in writing. But in the beginning, it was not so.
Adam could keep pace with God during Spirit to spirit communication; no matter the level or speed. The reason is, His realm and God’s realm was originally merged together in one. He knew no other realm like us today. All He knew, touched and walked in was the realm of the tangible glory of God.
But the fall changed everything; it reduced our ability to keep pace with the God who inhabits eternity while speaking to us in time. It took us from an environment where we never needed to write anything down because everything was written in the spirit of man.
THE ENVIRONMENT MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING TO BE CAPTURED WITHOUT NEEDED A PEN OR SCROLL
It is like this; our kids do not need to be writing what you say to them down in your day to day communication with them. If our kids were to write all we say to them before they get things done, then there will be a problem. The realm we and they live do not require that they write what we say. It just gets written in their spirits.
The fall indeed took so much from man that will take eternity to restore back. That is why we all should look forward to the new Heaven and the New Earth where these things will be fully restored!
As earlier stated, humanity most times, is too weak and frail to handle dimensions of God’s presence. In corporate fellowships where the KABOD of God is usually thick and heavy, His presence will come down so heavily that our flesh will be too weak to stand. That is when some fall to the ground.
Personally, I have fallen to the floor on few occasions while preaching or praying privately. His glory came down and I could no longer stand. Indeed, Jesus did and said so many things when He was physically on earth that the frailty of humanity could not capture and store up for subsequent generations except for what we find in the Holy Scriptures.
One of the things Jesus said that was captured and written down in the Bible for us is what we call the “signs of the end” and what He called “the beginning of sorrows.”
He said nations will rise against nations, there will be bitter betrayal even among blood relatives, and there will be earthquakes, wars and rumors of war among other things.
Talking about wars and rumors of war, our devotional text today said God
“…makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire”
If God makes wars to cease why then will He allow such things to happen on the face of the earth?
The answer is simply, His entire plan is to allow wickedness to destroy itself and bring the redeemed human race back to genesis chapter 1 and 2 where there was no evil. Yes, where the things we shared today will be fully restored.
PEOPLE MUST LEARN THAT GOD IS NOT TAKING US FORWARD. HE IS TAKING US BACKWARD!
That is why you find the last Chapters of the Bible similar to the first chapters. For the lost, the worst of world History is not behind us but ahead of us. But for the saved and sanctified, the best of world History is not behind us but ahead of us.
This is where giving your Life to Christ is very important; because if Jesus is not your LORD and savior and if you are not living His life on the face of the earth, you won’t be among the redeemed human race that will witness the best of world History. You will experience the worst of world History and be lost forever. Genuine Salvation is the greatest blessing of God for mankind!
Now, the Bible did not say God will take away the righteous from the earth immediately when these things begin to take place. He will do that close to the very end; we call that the rapture of the Church. But before then, we will be here.
It is therefore important that we know how to survive in the midst of these wars Jesus prophesied.
The LORD began to show me that no matter what may be happening in the world during those moments, He will make wars to cease around those His blood has washed and Spirit has filled. He is going to put a difference between the righteous and the wicked.
As the world become darker and darker, People will discern again the difference between those His blood has truly washed and His Spirit filled, and those His blood has not washed or His Spirit filled.
Mark the words, I did not say between those who go to Church and those who do not. I said between those His blood has washed and Spirit filled and those His blood has not washed and Spirit not filled, because a lot who go to Church are hypocrites. They blood has not washed them and His Spirit has not filled them. So, they will not experience this miracle of preservation from end time sorrows.
THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE ME URGE CHRISTIANS TO LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF OUR CALLING.
Righteousness will be our life insurance these end times not prayer, fasting, or sowing seeds. Anything that is not rooted in right standing with God will not save anyone these end time. These are not days of depending on people’s prayers and prophecies. These are days of cultivating a righteous life and worshiping in Churches where they help people do so.
Righteousness will be the greatest insurance of men these end times. Isaiah saw these days and prophesied saying;
“In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.
“Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.” Isaiah 54:14-17 NKJV
If you look at this scripture carefully, you will realize that it is when we are established in righteousness that people who assembly against us are made to perish, weapons formed against us made not to prosper, and tongues rising against us are condemned. It is not by prayer that the things happen but by living a life that is in right standing with the LORD!
The word concluded with the statement “this is the heritage of the servants of the LORD.” It is not the heritage of church goers but people who are serving the LORD in righteousness and purity of heart.
Not being established in righteousness is the greatest killer of the Church. We ask people to sow seeds, fast and pray, sacrifice towards our Church projects but we do not get them established in righteousness.
THAT IS WHY THERE ARE WARS AMONG US – SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL.
Isaiah did not say in sowing seeds you shall be established. People are being taught to trade with God in the name of giving. We give to advance the course of the King not to buy things from God.
Isaiah also did not say in “praying and fasting” (as important as they are) you shall be established. He said in righteousness we shall be established. We must understand again and again that what God has decreed to come to us by righteousness can never come to us by any other means.
If every act of sowing seeds, sacrificing towards God’s work, praying and fasting were acts of righteousness then even the devil’s Children are righteous. Because they also do that towards his will.
As I bring this to a close, I want you to understand that the greatest things that will ever happen to you as an end time Christian is living a life of righteousness. If we will add righteousness to our tithing, offerings, sacrifices, prayer, and fasting, we will be the most glorified people on the face of the earth.
We will move in waves of glory; war will cease in our lives and peace will become permanent.
I want to admonish you this day to wake up to righteousness. You are a Son and daughter of a great king not a great dog. You are a son and daughter of a great King not a great pig. Do not go back to your vomit (past life). Do not sit spiritually in filth like pigs do naturally.
Awake to righteousness and you will come into the inheritance of the righteous spoken of by Isaiah.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR US TODAY!
“Do not be deceived:” Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 NKJV
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Psalms 46:10-11 NKJV