TODAY’S DEVOTION (SUNDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2022)
“Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.
You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.” Hebrews 12:3-4 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 337TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
Indeed, God’s amazing grace has been the fuel of our lives for the 337 days of this year that we have seen.
Doubtless, our lives are testimonials that the most amazing thing on the face of the earth, especially for those who know, is God’s amazing grace.
For instance, there is nothing as amazing as God pardoning a terrible sinner of all his crimes and wickedness at the instance of the person’s plea for mercy, and then pouring His power into the life of the person to go and sin no more.
It is just amazing!
The woman that was caught in adultery must have felt that way when his proximity with death by stoning was overturned by God’s amazing grace.
Her experience teaches us that God’s amazing grace is usually full of truth, because grace said to her “neither do I condemn you” then truth took over from there and said “go and sin no more.” Those are the two hallmarks of genuine grace from God – forgiving us of our sins, and giving us the power to sin no more.
That is why we must not seek forgiveness of sins alone. We must also seek the power to go and sin no more. If we seek forgiveness of sins alone, we will never have the power to sin no more.
In the Kingdom of God, it is what you seek that you find. If we keep seeking forgiveness of sins only, we may keep finding forgiveness of sins but repeating our sins. Consequently, becoming hardened in the process, and making the grace of God an incentive for a life of sin.
THE BEAUTY OF FORGIVENESS REMAINS THE POWER TO SIN NO MORE.
Child of God, if you think you will make Heaven by living a life that continuously seek forgiveness of sins without the power to sin no more, you are deluded. The Bible says;
“Our God is the God of salvation; and to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.
But God will wound the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.” Psalm 68:20-21 NKJV
As we can see in this scripture, God is the God of salvation and to Him belongs escape from all forms of death, including eternal death. But those who still go on in their sins, despite His forgiveness and mercies, will face His wrath. He will wound their hairy scalp.
Many do not understand that we make mockery of God’s mercies when we keep doing what we asked him in prayer to forgive us for doing. And if we make mockery of His forgiveness and mercies, the first thing that will happen to us will be an expulsion from His active presence.
We will still be in His presence but will never be in His active presence.
For two days now we have been looking at matters of the presence of the LORD. Do not forget, we are on a 31-day journey of faith with the Cry of the Spirit on “The Presence of GOD.”
As we have seen, the presence of God was originally man’s habitat. How we lost the habit remains a lesson.
But Jesus has restored us back through His atoning death, resulting in the remission and forgiveness of sins. That is why we must handle God’s forgiveness for our sins very well.
The truth remains, how a man handles God’s mercy and forgiveness for his sins is what determines his restoration to, or the planting of his life within God’s active presence.
David knew that very well hence handling God’s forgiveness properly, and at the same time praying to the LORD not to cast him away from His presence because of his wrong doing.
He knew that handling God’s forgiveness by not making use of His grace to discontinue in sin and wickedness over time, will one day cast one away from His active presence.
All that goes to tell us that a people who want to remain in God’s active presence must learn how to make use of God’s forgiveness for their sins. The Bible says;
“[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].” 1 John 3:8 AMPC
THIS SCRIPTURE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT A LIFE OF SIN IS NOT FROM GOD.
And that the devil made us practitioners of sin. Jesus was made visible to undo that. It also states that sinful living is a character from the devil (or the evil one).
Now, we cannot be displaying a character we took from the evil one as Children of God, and expect to retain a place in His active presence, especially after we have obtained forgiveness over and over again.
I have come to realize that if you cherish the presence of the LORD, you will spend your Christian life engaging yourself in a constant fight against sin.
But if you do not, you will be walking in the flesh and never bother about the battle against sin. God’s forgiveness will never be used by you as a platform to stand and request for the power to sin no more.
Simply put, you will never be struggling and agonizing against sin to prevent yourself from loosing your place in God’s active presence.
Our devotional text says;
“Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.
You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.” Hebrews 12:3-4 AMPC
People who cherish the active presence of God will rather endure grievous opposition and bitter hostility from sinners, rather than become one of them and loose that sweet presence of God that the LORD has given them.
They will be struggling with the flesh and fighting it to a standstill to make sure it does not make them do things that will cast them away from God’s active presence, or loose the sweet communion of His Holy Spirit.
And if they sin against God, they will make use of the forgiveness they receive, at the instance of their plea for mercy to seek Him for the power to sin no more.
Today’s word is about cherishing God’s presence enough to the point of sinning no more. Now, let us bring you to another truth on the subject.
If you read through the Bible, you will realize that one of the major hallmarks of the saints of old was their value for the active presence of the LORD.
LET US LOOK AT JOSHUA FOR EXAMPLE.
The Bible says he took few thousand Soldiers to go fight against a small enemy, the nation of Ai. But surprisingly, the army of Israel that had conquered stronger and larger armies almost a hundred times their size, could not stand the little nation of Ai.
To make matters worse, they lost 31 solders.
It was a huge blow to Joshua’s faith. Obviously, the defeat was a sign that God was no longer with them. The prophecy of Joshua 1:5 that said “no man will be able to stand before him all the days of his life” seemed to have failed here. The GOD who can not lie seemed to have lied here.
Then the man of God became too weak at the turn of events and decided to fell on his face before God, fasting, weeping, and calling on the name of the LORD. Then the LORD spoke to him, saying,
“….Get up! Why do you lie thus upon your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant, which I commanded them.
They have taken some of the things devoted [for destruction]; they have stolen, and lied, and put them among their own baggage.
That is why the Israelites could not stand before their enemies but fled before them; they are accursed and have become devoted [for destruction]. I will cease to be with you unless you destroy the accursed [devoted] things among you” Joshua 7:10-11 AMPC
The first thing we can glean from this scripture is this; if the presence of God is not with a people of God, they will not be able to stand before their enemies. That was one of the major reasons our Bible fathers valued God’s active presence more than anything and did all they could to make sure they did not lose it.
What Israel to lose the active presence of God that day was a trespass and sin that was committed in the camp, and an instruction that was broken. The Bible described the trespass and sin that was committed as stealing, lying, and touching things dedicated to the LORD.
HOW MANY TODAY, KNOW THAT THESE THINGS CAN STILL TAKE AWAY GOD’S ACTIVE PRESENCE FROM OUR LIVES?
The irony was, the trespass and sin were committed by one person but the consequence came on an entire nation. The presence of GOD left them and they became exposed.
That brings us to a beautiful aspect of this journey that we are starting today – blessings of living in the active presence of God. The First is the divine covering we enjoy.
We will always lose the covering shelter of God’s presence if we begin to do things that sends His active presence away from our lives.
Sadly, there are people who prefer the covering of men of God than the covering of God. I am here to submit to you that if the active presence of God is not your covering, any covering from a so-called man of God is fake.
Understand that the man of God himself need to be covered also, stop being fooled, and start living a life that will make God’s active presence a covering from your enemies for you.
Permit me to admonish us to Start looking at our lives and removing habits and desires that will not let us live in GOD’s active presence, or enjoy the covering we need from the storms of life.
Let us do what Joshua did.
The Bible says he got up, after the LORD was through with him, to remove from the camp of Israel the very person who did what removed the LORD from the camp.
He was drastic. That was what was required then. It is a lesson to us today.
When dealing with what may be threatening our stay in GOD’s active presence, we should not be sentimental but intentional. Our value for the active presence of GOD should be greater than the value we have on any fellow around us.
The Bible says,
“And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them to the Valley of Achor.
And Joshua said, Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned him and those with him with stones, and afterward burned their bodies with fire.
And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger.
Therefore, the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor or Troubling to this day.” Joshua 7:24-26 AMPC
This scriptural passage has spoken to us by itself. It has instructed us on how to deal with any threat in our lives that may be hindering us from living in God’s active presence. We are to take it our of our lives place the stone of Calvary on it. We are to crucify the crave, the desire or the habit.
If it is an individual, we are to peacefully separate from him or her.
Achan was stoned because of the dispensation they found themselves. Today we do not kill the people. We just separate from them, or kill any tie or connection we may have with them.
Finally, permit me to say this! Having the presence of the LORD should be cherished more than having the presence of anyone in our lives. If that is not the case with you, then you have a lot to wake up to as a Child of God.
MAKE THE SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY!
“The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouse and in all that you undertake. And He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” Deuteronomy 28:7-8 AMPC