TODAY’S DEVOTION (SATURDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2022)
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-11 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 267TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
We thank the LORD GOD of Heaven and earth for His marvelous deeds and lovingkindness. Who is like unto Him in power and majesty! From everlasting to everlasting, He is God.
The Heavens declare His glory and the earth His praise. With all of creation under His watch, He had not been too busy to answer us when we call, or take His eyes off His own. He has kept us alive and brought us again to another last day of a week. We remain grateful to Him.
As a watchman over the Cry of the Spirit ministries, God have been faithful to us watching over us all. I just shared yesterday how I escaped death myself in Abuja. And how the LORD, through my younger sister planned a medical doctor to be my driver. It was the same person GOD used to get me the medication that saved my life.
But there was another attack the LORD saved me from. That one was launched by four armed men who looked like a team of assassins in the heart of Abuja.
THEY TRAILED MY CAR BUT GOD SAVE ME.
So, when I see those under me not enjoying the interventions of GOD that am enjoying, I worry if they are really following me as I follow Christ. I wonder if they are keeping to the royal laws on health, interpersonal relationships, and etc. that I keep. I worry if they just lead careless lives that open them up to premature death.
Yesterday I shared on how we should not apply the supernatural on all health issues. I shared that we need to also apply GOD’s natural laws on health so that we will not die before our time. I have taught all that in church over and over. But some seems not to be learning.
I have said it over and over that if we all follow the LORD, and remain sensitive, we will all enjoy what He is helping someone of us l to enjoy.
I was in flight when I decided to check my phones before takeoff, and I saw a shocker from someone who seemed happy that a life has been lost. She carelessly announced the death of someone she was not even related to by blood, on social media; a person who was dear to us all, without even me the pastor knowing that he had died. I was heartbroken.
I have been in Church all my life and have seen witches and wizards in Church use the death of fellow Church members to make the Church look bad. She sounded like one of them. She had another accomplice who joined her in her wicked actions.
People dying is not new because we will all die, its just a matter of when. But when someone claim to be morning the death of someone and swiftly move to the social media, it shows something fishy. Because if you are really morning, your hands will be too weak to type a post on social media. I have seen people who are morning. I know how they are inconsolable.
STILL IN DISBELIEVE AS I WRITE THIS FROM OVER 40,000 MILES ABOVE SEA
Pastoral work is indeed the most difficult.
Let me speak like a man; it seems it is better to be a guest speaker than a resident pastor. Because as a guest speaker you preach and shine before all and then disappear with all the glories and money. With the people wanting you back and treating their pastors as nonsense.
But as a resident pastor, you stay with the people, cry with them, bury their dead, receive their birth, bear their pain, share in all kind of tears, and all that. You visit them in the hospital, they call you in odd hours, you visit them at home, you are just married to them.
And if you are the caring type like apostle Paul, you will carry them in your loins wherever you go and feel like dying when you hear any have passed.
These are the things that people who pass breaking news of what happen to Church members do not know. They do not know that you may collapse and die hearing such news. They do not know that if God is not with you, you could feel so frustrated that you want to quit ministry.
But we leave all that for the One who put us in ministry to think about. I am persuaded rewards will not be the same when we get to the other side of eternity.
But while we are here, we will keep doing our jobs. We will keep teaching the way, demonstrating the truth and urging all to live the life of Christ that we are called to live.
Yesterday in our devotional I shared what I went through while ministering to others in Abuja. I also shared why a believer should not think absolute fast is the ultimate weapon. There is also the place of natural wisdom.
Maybe our brother that passed did not apply natural wisdom concerning his health. Like I said, I do not know the details because am still not home yet.
The only way an earthly life can be healthy, sweet and blissful is to walk in the knowledge of the LORD, and also in the knowledge of the natural laws He has set in motion to preserve it on earth.
THERE ARE NATURAL LAWS GOD HAS SET IN MOTION TO PRESERVE LIFE ON EARTH.
There are also spiritual laws. Both must be put to work for us to lead healthy and blessed lives one earth. One preserves the spiritual part of us and the other preserves the natural part.
They are like the two wings of a bird that helps it to fly. One cannot serve it without the another.
In the same way, the two sets of laws cannot serve us independently. They must be put to work together. Their total enforcement on earth is what guarantee our lively hood in our quest to fulfill our days.
But before we go any further on this, I want to submit to those who may be discovering our devotionals today for the first time that we have been on a 30-day journey with the Cry of the Spirit on Biblical Fasting. It has been a fulfilling trip.
The Spirit of the LORD have been opening our eyes to Bible truths on result oriented fasting and prayer.
We started this journey by acknowledging that we are in the month of Heavenly portals, and in the month of portals believers should take faith positions that will make the month a blessing in their lives.
One of the faith positions to take is the position of seeking the LORD in prayer through Biblical fasting. That set the tone for all we have discovered this month. Today we want to look at how Biblical fasting function as a problem-solving tool for the child of God.
To start with, there are two kinds or natures of problems that we face as humans (either small or great, rich or poor, leaders or followers and etc.). We must understand the mystery in other to be able to solve our problems. If we do not understand it we would not be able to come out well when we are face to face with adversity.
The Bible made it clear that if we faint or fail in the day of adversity, it is because our survival strength is small. We can also say it is because our strategy is wrong.
SOMETIMES IT IS THE STRENGTH OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SITUATION THAT IS SMALL OR THE STRATEGY WE ENGAGE IN THE WAR THAT IS VERY POOR.
For instance, if I was tempted not to take the medication that was bought for me while I was struck with a terrible breathing problem. If I had done that, it would have been a bad strategy and it would have cost me my life.
I think it was only one person among the seal team one that travelled with me knew I was really down and needed help. But my understanding of the situation helped me. I quickly knew this was not a demonic attack. This was a health attack and I needed to apply natural laws to deal with the situation not spiritual laws.
There are two kinds, classes or nature of problems we face. We have spiritual problems and natural problems. My health issue was not a spiritual problem but a natural one. There are health issues that are spiritual problems, mine was not. So it needed a natural approach which I got.
That also tells us that there are two realms that human problems come from; the natural realm and the spiritual realm. The realm a problem came from is what determines the kind of problem it is and the law or tool to apply in solving it.
Our devotional text says;
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-11 NKJV
Because of the two realms that our problems come from, it is important to note that God also has established sets of laws that we can put to work to solve problems, depending on which realm they are coming from. The Bible calls them “the laws of the LORD.”
IT SAYS BY KEEPING THEM THERE IS A GREAT REWARD. MEANING IN BREAKING THEM THERE IS A GREAT RUIN.
When problems proceed from the natural realm, for instance, we are to apply the natural laws of the LORD.
Like in matters of health, God created some herbs in the beginning of creation and put in the Garden, and then commanded Adam to feed on them. That was His natural way of keeping man healthy. It was a law of the LORD.
The supernatural way was also there; it was the Tree of life. Both took care of the two realms that influences the health of a man – one took care of the spirit realm and the other the natural realm.
So, if a natural realm is responsible for a health problem, we are to get the best medical care available, because the wrong one could kill us even if we are anointed to the teeth. We will be breaking the natural law of the LORD on health if we depend on the anointing in such moments and eventually loose our lives.
It is therefore, very important that we carry out a study on the natural and spiritual laws that God has created in time to help us lead healthy and prosperous lives on earth and obey them strictly.
An absolute fast in scriptural design, for example, is a spiritual law that takes cares of spiritual problems only. You do not apply it if you are face to face with natural problems. That is why fasting does not solve all problems. Even when fasting for help from God, you must be listening to His Spirit for revelation of any natural law you may need to apply in other to get the help you may need in your situation.
Now, lets look at one more truth before we bring this to a close.
Problems that are spiritual in nature comes from the spirit realm of either darkness or light. It’s important to be able to spot the difference.
For instance problems that advances the cause of the devil comes from the activities of evil or fallen spirits. The one that advances the will of God come from the LORD Himself.
Yes, God sometimes do create spiritual problems to stop evil people from prospering, neutralize an evil agenda, or advance His course on earth.
There are so many people in scripture who came under spiritual problems caused by the LORD. For example, Nebuchadnezzar who become an animal and the Egyptians and the Philistines who were plagued with diseases by the LORD at different times.
The problems that are caused by the devil come from the realm of darkness, and are usually satanic or demonic by source and nature.
They happen sometimes when we sin against God like the one that was sick for 38 years at the pool of Bethsaida. They can also happen when we become spiritually careless or embrace indiscipline.
When problems come from the devil God will need our faith maybe released through an absolute fast, or a plea for mercy predicated on repentance, or an application of a spiritual law to deal with them.
I believe enough for the day have been shared. It is my prayer that we will not just be hearers of the word but doers as well.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR US TODAY!
“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.
The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”
Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” John 5:6-14 NKJV