TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 21ST AUGUST 2022)
“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” John 4:35-38 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 233RD DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
Let me begin today’s devotional by saying unto GOD, “Faithful GOD, faithful GOD! You have done marvelous things. You have done glorious things. You have done gracious things! Faithful GOD!”
In the world of positive thinking, people are told to stay positive no matter what. But that has not helped most people, because staying positive cannot change the reality of things. We are spirit beings living in earthen vessels. There are problems of life that do not answer to staying positive.
Staying in GOD is what changes things for us humans. You see that all through human History and the Holy Scriptures.
For instance, when Paul was on the ship that had a fatal accident on the Mediterranean Sea, over two thousand years ago, no amount of positive thinking would have helped him. He had to stay in God to be properly helped.
How did he stay in GOD? The Bible says;
“Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.
But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.
And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Acts 27:20-24 NKJV
As you can see in this scripture, there was no amount of positive thinking that would have saved Paul. He had to switch off from the situation he found himself and connect to GOD through prayer and fasting, and on the 14th day of his fast, the LORD showed up by sending angelic intervention.
OUR WORLD GETS HOTTER DAILY BECAUSE OF THE HORRORS OF THE LAST DAYS THAT IS UPON THE HUMAN RACE.
Season like what happened to Paul in the scriptural verses we just read are repeating themselves daily. That is why the New Age doctrine seems to be taking root in certain cultures and traditions. And in the Church desperate people are pressing towards doctrines of devils and all kinds of deliverance inventions.
But when life becomes dark; when you are in situations where you can not see the sun of life or the star of direction, that is when to switch of from what may be happening and connect to God and God alone, like Paul did. That is when to stay in God until He sends help.
Many have not broken the follow ground of their faith for the unusual by believing GOD and demonstrating it like Paul did until help comes. God allows changes to come for this purpose.
Now, there are certain faith positions that we cannot take in life until we watch those who are taking them. Personally, I was helped greatly in that area by simple Watching and listening to men and woman who have gone before us, especially my spiritual father who had great encounters with my Heavenly Father.
Yesterday we shared a deep truth on how God created a spiritual father to be the future of sons and daughters. We saw how Elijah was the destiny future of Elisha and all that. That in my opinion is one of the most powerful devotionals we have had on this journey.
One of the major destiny ingredients we get from a spiritual fathering built around the Tree of life, is in how to handle the challenges of life. Because your father is a piece of your future, there is nothing you may be going through at a present time that he may not have gone through in the past.
There could be things you may be going through that he may not have gone through some, but you will always find superior wisdom to help from the wealth of his life experiences when going through them. That is why you do not call novices fathers.
THIS IS THE PART OF FATHERING THAT HELPS YOU POSITION YOUR LIFE THE WAY THE HEAVENLY FATHER WANTS YOU TO BE POSITIONED IN LIFE.
I believe strongly that a spiritual father is just a vessel used by the Heavenly Father to shape our lives according to divine pattern. They do this by instructing, guiding, directing, correcting, rebuking, educating, chastising, or passing a heritage.
The aspect of passing a heritage is the most powerful. Any fathering that did not end in a heritage being passed did not fulfill its purpose. The heritage comes from the LORD through a fathering system built around the tree of life.
I think at this point, it is important to share some truths on spiritual heritage.
Our devotional text today happens to be the meditation text of yesterday. Meaning GOD still wants us to camp on it.
The text says;
“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” John 4:35-38 NKJV
The punchline here for us, so long as today’s devotional is concern, is in the words;
“I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Fathers who evolves their lives and ministries around the Tree of life will labor around it and received some spiritual heritage from the LORD for onward delivery to a younger generation.
A DESTINY WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL HERITAGE IS NOT YET FULLY EQUIPPED TO BE RELEASED!
That is why if we do not have fathers whose lives and ministries are evolving around the Tree of life, a younger generation will lack the ideal heritage to stand on to release its destiny.
The purpose of an ideal spiritual heritage is for the younger generation to have a proper platform upon which to stand to declare the works of the LORD to their generation, and grow to be fathers who will pass same heritage to the next generation, so that the will of the LORD might be made known from generation to generation.
The Bible says;
“Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:2-4 NKJV
It will be impossible for one generation to praise the works of the LORD (declare His works or name) to the next generation, if there is no spiritual heritage from the LORD. There must be a spiritual heritage, passed to Fathers who have labored around the Tree and life, by the LORD, to sons who have committed, for the works of the LORD to be declared from one generation to another.
Your will never make any significant impact in the lives of men if you do not have a heritage to stand on to do the work the LORD has called you to do. The heritage is released to sons through the labor of fathers who evolved their lives and ministries around the Tree of life.
Now, when it comes to passing the heritage understand that the LORD is the one who supervises everything and does everything, not the spiritual father.
That was what Elijah made Elisha to understand when he said to him;
“You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” (2 Kings 2:10 NKJV).
What Elijah said here made it clear that no spiritual father has the power to pass a heritage to a son or daughter. The passing of spiritual heritage from an older generation to a younger one, is not under the control of delegated authority. It is under the control of GOD’s sovereign authority.
NOW, SOMEONE COULD SAY THAT ISAAC PASSED IT TO ESAU AND JACOB.
But if you read that scripture carefully you will realize that they both got the blessing not a spiritual heritage. The Spiritual Heritage came upon Jacob through the vision of the ladder in Genesis 28. It came upon him sovereignly.
Your father prepares you for the heritage through your commitment to the LORD (the way Elisha was committed), then the LORD submits it to you at the appointed time; he submits it to you in His sovereignty. So, sons must commit, for the LORD to submit.
They must commit to the four stage preparatory for kingdom sons, when it comes to receiving the heritage.
I believe enough has been shared for the day.
As we bring this to a close, you must understand that a spiritual heritage cannot be passed to the next generation through delegated authority. It can only be passed through GOD’s sovereign authority.
Though Elijah received it from the LORD through his labor, he had no delegated authority to pass it to Elijah. The LORD alone controls that part and He alone did it.
Sadly speaking, if you are in a system not built around the Tree of life, you will also get a heritage, but it will be an evil heritage. That is why you find so many youths struggling with things that will not let them go because of the evil heritage they have received from their so-called spiritual fathers; most of them ignorantly.
Sadly, they are committing themselves doggedly to the fathers, and the spirit behind is submitting to them the evil heritage they struggle with.
There is a father out there laboring around the Tree of life that GOD need to connect you to, so that you receive a spiritual heritage for the release of your destiny. But you must find the person and commit yourself to him and to GOD’s will under His stewardship.
Elisha committed that way for 20 years.
He summarized his commitment in following Elijah from Gilgal to Jordan even when Elijah asked him, not to since he was departing. A spiritual heritage from the LORD will change your life forever. But you must be committed to the righteous course of the LORD under the stewardship of a spiritual fathering (built around the Tree of life) to receive it.
May your heart be turned to the person, in Jesus precious name. Amen!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”
Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”
Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.
He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 2 Kings 2:8-14 NKJV