TODAY’S DEVOTION (TUESDAY 18TH OCTOBER 2022)
“On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.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.’
Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island.” Acts 27:19-26 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 291ST DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
Blessed be the name of the LORD for all His marvelous helps and gracious deeds towards us.
We slept and woke up because the LORD kept us. We are alive not because we do not have enemies that wants us dead, but because He is an enemy to our enemies and an adversary to our adversaries. He remains our ultimate security.
There is no security system or network that can be more superior than God’s capabilities to secure us. That is why even those who were too strong for us, have melted like wax before His fire.
The Bible says;
“Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Psalm 127:1 NKJV
If you are watched over by the monarch of the universe or governor among the nations, especially with His trillions of angels, you have nothing to fear. He understands the thoughts of men and can count them. He even knows thoughts that are yet to enter into the hearts of men.
He has watched over us, built our live with truth, and is still building them and showing us so much than we can ever ask or imagine. He has been our God and our all in all.
This morning we shall be continuing our discourse on the Holy Spirit.
Our God have been faithful in showing us things that we need to know about this third person of the trinity. His primary purpose in our lives remains to set them in order for all that GOD want to pour into us to be poured.
He is the one that keeps the Kingdom of God alive on earth. That’s why the Kingdom comes alive in you as soon as He come into you.
Child of God, take the Holy Spirit away from all you call God, and it will become as dead as the dead. Take His manifest presence away from your faith, you will come down dead in spirit.
He is the live wire of the faith of the righteous. The importance of that cannot be over emphasize because the Bible says;
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrew 11:6 NKJV
Lets talk about faith for a moment.
You see, no one can operate faith without the Holy Spirit. Faith comes by hearing and seeing from GOD, and only the Holy Spirit can make that happen. If He is not there, all you may have is trust not faith. He is the one who gets our hearts impregnated or kindled with the flames of faith.
THAT IS WHY THOSE WHO ARE INTIMATE WITH HIM OPERATE A LIVING FAITH THAT THE GATES OF HELL CANNOT PREVAIL AGAINST.
The operate two kinds of faith; the faith to receive and unleash the supernatural, and the faith to reject what is wrong and build Godly character.
In the school of discipleship, those are the two classes of the very faith that is of the Holy Spirit. When He gets our hearts kindled with its flames, we can begin to do the impossible because we see the invisible.
I want ti submit to you that it is very easy to recognized a heart that does not have the Holy Spirit in it, so long as faith is concern. The heart will be weak in the face of challenges, and not be able to do anything.
It will not have a faith that can rise in it to help deal with the challenges of life. It will throw the owner into a state of despair and frustration.
Our devotional text is about one of God’s choices servants on earth who almost lost his life in the high seas, if not for the Holy Spirit that was living in Him.
The text says;
“On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.
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.’
Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island.” Acts 27:19-26 NKJV
Now, we have used this scripture not once or twice on this platform because of the magnitude of truth that is buried in it.
IF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN ON THE HIGH SEAS, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MAN OF GOD REALLY WENT THROUGH.
You will understand that it is humanly impossible to find the faith to be on a fast, seeking help of the LORD, when you are on an ancient ship that is being ripped apart by waves, placing the lives of everyone on board into jeopardy.
If the Holy Spirit was not in the heart of Paul, he would not have been able to do what he did and connect the help he and others needed that day. The Holy Spirit used the Crisis moment he was in to spark the fire of faith in his heart, which in-turn drove him to seek the LORD and found Him.
You see, the crisis of life can become a fuel of faith for us if the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts. Instead of making us helpless and hopeless, our crisis moments can kindle the flames of faith within us if the Holy Spirit lives in us.
So, take the Holy Spirit from our faith, and the crisis of life will consume us in moments. Now, if you look at the marital aspect of our lives you will find the same principle in operation. Take Him away from your marriage, and you will realize you have no marriage at all.
All the bliss, peace, prosperity that you may be enjoying will just vanish away. That is why our marriages falls apart when we led marital lives that cannot inhabit Him.
The Bible says He can inhabit every detail of our marriage, so long as we allow Him to be in charge.
He is the One the Godhead designed to initiate proper marriages in our dispensation, and help them to run well. You can not have a proper marriage without a healthy relationship with Him. That is why people who ignore Him while making their marital plans are not doing themselves good.
For instance, you do not approach a woman for marriage if you have not approached Him for approval and permission. And as a lady, you do not accept a marriage proposal without seeking His permission and approval too.
That is the first step to take in making the LORD head over your marriage. The married, on the hand, cannot have Him inhabiting their marriages if they do not run it in God’s way and will.
FRIEND, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO EVERY DETAIL OF OUR LIVES SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED IN WHATEVER WE MAY BE DOING.
Take Him out of your finances, and you will watch financial hardship cloth your life like a garment.
The life and times of our fathers proved all that. Joseph was an economic wonder in Egypt because the Spirit of the God made it so. Daniel was a dissolver of doubts who also got amazing elevations in return because of the same reason. Jacob had the wealth of Laban transferred to him because the Holy Spirit showed Him a secret that made that happen.
Job revealed that the friendly counsel of the LORD in his life was responsible for his economic fatness. We will never see significant leaps in our financial lives if the Holy Spirit is not there. That is why the Bible says “quench not the Spirit.”
The word admonished us to Lead lives that will not quench Him because if He goes off, our lives will become filled with darkness and go off as well.
I believe enough for the day have been shared. Proper application of the few but weighty secrets shared will bring amazing turn around.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NKJV