TODAY’S DEVOTION (SATURDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER 2022)
“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners; and purify your hearts you double minded.
Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:4-10 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 253RD DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
We give God the glory for another day and are grateful that He kept us alive. We know He will carry us through and bring us peacefully to the end. It is the LORD’s doing and it is marvelous to our sight.
Day unto day we have seen His mercies. We have seen what His love can do. We have seen why He wants us to maintain friendship with His Holy Spirit, the present manifestation of God on earth.
People who cultivate and maintain friendship with the Holy Spirit enjoy the best of God on the face of the earth since He is the current executive officer of Heavenly things on earth.
Our devotional text speak of being a friend of God. One thing a man should not attempt to be is an enemy of GOD.
There is so much you will miss on this side of eternity if you are, and eventually if you are able to fulfill your days that way, and step to the other side without repentance, you will spend your entire eternal life in the lake of fire.
Understand that the life after this life is eternal and it was not designed to be spent in the lake of fire but in the New Heaven and the New Earth where righteousness dwells; in simple terms, in Heaven.
It is important to always remember that the life after this life is not in days, months, or years. It is not in the quality of time but in the quality of eternity. Eternity means timeless. That life is timeless! When something is timeless it can’t come to an end.
JESUS SPENT MOST OF HIS TEACHINGS WARNING US NOT TO LEAD LIVES THAT WILL TAKE US TO THE LAKE OF FIRE IN THE NEXT LIFE.
He said;
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ Mark 9:43-48 NKJV
This scripture speaks of taking care of three areas of our lives captured as our hand, foot, and eye. One of the problems we have today, is not reading scriptures like this because of the false assurance of salvation being given to many by most preachers.
We find Christ teaching us very serious things here; showing us how not to lead lives that will end us to hell. He did not say making Harry is by the recitation of a sinner’s prayer. He said it is by overcoming a life of sin.
In overcoming a life of sin, He made it clear that we must identify those things that cause us to sin and cut them off from our lives. It is better to Him than to that preacher of yours who preaches differently.
It is better to listen to the voice of the one who we will all appear before in the next life, than the voice of a preacher who is giving us an assurance of salvation because of our recitation of the sinner’s prayer.
Jesus never placed our salvation on the recitation of sinner’s prayer but in us overcoming a life of sin. He made it clear that if we do not overcome a life of sin, hell will be our home after death.
Sadly, many do not know this that is why even preachers live in terrible sins calling it their weakness. We are calling something that Jesus says will throw you into hell a weakness? That is ignorance on display!
Overcoming a life of sin is the condition for making Heaven.
If we do not cut off the hands (the relationships) that causes us to sin, the foot (movements, trips, journeys, visits, etc) that causes us to sin, or pluck off the eyes (the things we watch and allow to flow into our souls through our eyes) that causes us to sin, and take away from our lives all other things that causes us to live lives of sin, we will all perish despite the Bibles in our hands. That is what Jesus says, and that is the gospel.
DO NOT ALLOW ANY PREACHER TO CONFUSE YOU ABOUT THAT.
The classic edition of the amplified version puts the same scripture in these contemporary words;
“And if your hand puts a stumbling block before you and causes you to sin, cut it off! It is more profitable and wholesome for you to go into life [that is really worthwhile] maimed than with two hands to go to hell (Gehenna), into the fire that cannot be put out.
And if your foot is a cause of stumbling and sin to you, cut it off! It is more profitable and wholesome for you to enter into life [that is really worthwhile] crippled than, having two feet, to be cast into hell (Gehenna).
And if your eye causes you to stumble and sin, pluck it out! It is more profitable and wholesome for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell (Gehenna),
Where their worm [which preys on the inhabitants and is a symbol of the wounds inflicted on the man himself by his sins] does not die, and the fire is not put out.” Mark 9:43-48 AMPC
This is serious. Jesus made it clear here that when we sin, we inflict eternal wounds on our souls. If we die that way and get the hell, the worms there will be feeding in those wounds inflicted on our souls by sin while we were alive. Is someone seeing something here?
That is why we must pay every price to overcome a life if sin.
Being a Church member may not cost us anything, but escaping hell and making Heaven will cost us everything. It will cost us cutting off all things that will be a stumbling block before us; all things that causes us to sin.
Stumbling blocks within context are things that will not let us enter Heaven when we get to the next life. Things that have become a barrier in our lives when it comes to living a holy, righteous and a pure life before God. It could even be a job, a marriage, a money-making venture, a place we live and all that. Things that inflict our sins with wounds by making us to sin.
People have left marriages that were designed to take them to hell and saved their souls. Some call them names but God justified them.
God did not designed marriage to take any to hell. If you are in a marriage that will take you to hell, it is not a marriage but a stumbling block. You are to either submit yourself and your spouse to Christ to make the union a Heaven bond marriage, or you cut that hand off and enter Heaven maim instead, if need be. That is how serious these things are.
TAKING AWAY STUMBLING BLOCKS TO OUR SALVATION IS THE ESSENCE OF THAT PORTION OF THE SCRIPTURE.
Overcoming a life of sin is one of the reasons the LORD gave us that teaching that has remained eternal till date.
Believers today are been taught how to overcome Satan, demons, curses, diseases, insecurity, financial hardship, marital challenges and all that. That is the gospel you find on the lips of virtually all the preachers on earth.
People are not being taught how to overcome a life of sin. That is why we live in terrible sins and call them our weaknesses.
Jesus never taught any one most of the things preachers are teaching today. He never made them the subject of His ministry. He knew financial problems, marital challenges, problems with devils and all that, are caused by a life of sin.
All that mankind suffer are products of the sickness in our souls call sin. If that is healed there will be no other issue mankind will have.
For instance, if a righteous heart marries a righteous heart, and the keep the principles of righteousness in their marriage, there will be no crisis in that marriage. Now, I say a righteous heart not a religious heart. Most hearts are religious but not righteous.
Solving marital problems would never have been the subject of someone’s ministry if that was the case.
This can be applied to the challenges we face in other aspects of life. Overcoming a life of sin will change everything about a man. That was what the early church placed at the center of their Christianity.
The authentic gospel revolves around a man overcoming a life of sin and living a Christ centered life. For ten days today we have been sharing what the Spirit says in God’s word about Biblical fasting. One of the primary purposes of Biblical fasting is to overcome a life of sin and lead a Christ centered life.
Fasting to overcome a life of sin is a necessity for a believer. If you have a sinful habit that is killing you and you do not seek the LORD for help in prayer and fasting, you will keep living in it until you find yourself in the lake of fire one day.
Through Biblical fasting we receive help from God to lead holy, righteous and pure lives on the face of the earth. We defined Biblical fasting yesterday as abstaining from food and drink for a specific period of time for a spiritual purpose based on what the Bible teaches about it.
THAT PURPOSE CAN BE TO OVERCOME A LIFE OF SIN OR RETAIN VICTORY OVER SINFUL LIVING.
We also define it as a bodily reaction to the grievous state of our souls after being acted upon by the Spirit and Truth of GOD’s kingdom, resulting in abstinence from food and drink, or food alone, or abstinence from any pleasure to seek the LORD within a specific period of time.
When the Spirit of Truth act upon our souls and show us how sinful our lives are, we should not call it “the ministry of condemnation” like some preacher do. We should submit to Him and seek the LORD in fasting and prayer for purification, cleansing, and victory.
We should respond to the Spirit by declaring a fast, asking Him to take away what He must have revealed to us. We should not resist Him by calling it our weaknesses.
If it is your weakness, then submit to Him through fasting so that He can take away that eternally fatal weakness.
People who will not engage in Biblical fasting to receive help from God to overcome a life of sin, or engage in Biblical fasting from time to time to remain victorious over the practice of sin, will be fastened by the evil one to secret sins. He will put them in sin cells in the spirit realm, resulting in sinful habits in the natural realm, and telling them “all is fine” “God understands,” until they die and go to hell.
Sinful habits are the things we do to satisfy our carnal cravings. They are the things we get ourselves involved in that are detrimental to our eternal life. Some are very little and seems insignificant, others are huge and significant.
Things like sexual desires or activities, with people we are not married to, all forms of immorality, covetousness, lying, craftiness, hate, bitterness, unforgiveness, anger out of control, lustful conduct, evil speaking, embracing lawlessness, betrayal, resisting the Holy Spirit and His holy words and etc.
Things like bitter jealousies, walking in deception, planting seeds of discord, what the Bible calls an evil eye, and all that.
THERE ARE THOSE WHO KNOW HOW TO COOK LIES AND FABRICATE ALL MANNER OF THINGS TO RUIN OTHERS USING LITTLE FACTS ABOUT THEIR LIVES.
All these sinful and wicked deeds must be cut off from our lives else Heaven will not be our home, and Biblical fasting is there to help us.
Our fathers fasted to overcome a life of sin, and maintain victory over sinful living; they fasted to put their bodies under subjection so that after they had declared to everyone that they were saved, and after they had preached the gospel, they themselves will not be a cast away.
Today we fast for things but do not fast for the most important things; like overcoming sinful living.
You will never be a holy, righteous, and pure Christian if you do not seek the LORD through Biblical fasting to make you one. You will be maintaining friendship with the world and getting polluted without even realizing it.
It is through Biblical fasting that we tap more grace from God to lead the life He wants us to live as believers.
From personal experiences, I have realized that there is a measure of God’s grace that you will never see at work in your life, except you lead a life of regular Biblical fasting.
Grace is tapped into when we become humble. It is for the weak and humble. And Biblical Fasting is one force that brings us to the place of receiving measures of grace from God; especially the grace to lead righteous, holy and pure lives.
A major portion of our devotional text says;
But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners; and purify your hearts you double minded.
Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:6-10 NKJV
Yes, if we humble ourselves through fasting, God will exalt us. He will give us great grace resulting in amazing victories.
That’s is why, no matter how filthy, dirty, or unholy your Christian life is, if you will submit to God and draw near to Him, through Biblical fasting, He will cleanse your life and purify your heart.
He will lift you up from that hell bound filthy Christian living and place you on the pedestal of His righteous, holy, and pure ones on the face of the earth.
You will come to the place of secreting an Anointing (from The Throne of GOD) that will build a spiritual protection around your life, making it impossible for the evil one to touch you. You will not see curses, backwardness, or any attack of the enemy in your life again.
Success, progress and prosperity will become you portion.
The best of part is, you will become Heaven worthy and be ready to met your LORD whenever He comes for you.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR US TODAY!
“All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin which does not [involve] death [that may be repented of and forgiven].
We know [absolutely] that anyone born of God does not [deliberately and knowingly] practice committing sin, but the One Who was begotten of God carefully watches over and protects him [Christ’s divine presence within him preserves him against the evil], and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him or touch [him].” 1 John 5:17-18 AMPC