TODAY’S DEVOTION (THURSDAY 8TH DECEMBER 2022)
“Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.
For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.” Galatians 6:7-9 AMPC
WELCOME TO THE 341ST DAY OF OUR YEAR OF AMAZING GRACE!
Permit me to resound the salutation of yesterday.
This is the day the LORD has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it. What else can we say, we are the evidence of His love, mercies, patience, tolerance, faithfulness and all you can think of.
It has been a 31-day journey of faith with the Cry of the Spirit on the Presence of GOD. Today is the 8th day of this journey. For the past few days we have been looking at the flesh and its role in handing us over to the enemy for assaults and hindering us from accessing the presence of the LORD.
When we say the presence of the LORD, there are three categories of God’s presence with each having its own dimensions and density. I think we should refresh our memories on that.
The first is the omni presence of God, which is responsible for all the natural things we see. It does not heal the sick, do any wonder or prevent evil from happening. It only maintain the beauty of creation and takes record of man’s action.
It was this category of the presence that David wrote about when He said;
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:7-10 NKJV
This category of God’s presence should be feared because it is the aspect that is responsible for the account we will give to GOD on the day of Judgment. It follows us wherever we go so that it can take into account our actions, motives and all that we do, say, or mean, pending the Judgment of the Great Day.
It is there in our secrecies. That is why it knows the kind of sins we commit in secret and the things we do and say in secret. This is the aspect or category of God’s presence that makes sure God knows all we do even when men know nothing about them.
IT SEES US WHEN NO ONE IS THERE AND REPORTS ALL SECRETS TO THE THRONE ROOM.
The Bible says;
“For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law … in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Romans 2:12& 16 NKJV
How will God judge the secrets of men? He will judge us by what His omni presence recorded while we were alive. This is the part of God’s presence that makes those who know God’s Judgment fear Him and not engage in ungodly practices.
It sees the unseen and knows the unknown. It sees out thoughts afar off and knows our actions before we carry them out, but does nothing. It just takes record.
Sometimes when it sees the sin we are about committing, the next category of GOD’s presence will be ushered in to warn us so that we will not commit the sin. That was what happened to Cain.
The Bible says;
So, the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?
And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7 NKJV
God’s mercy will always come ahead of any act of sin we want to commit, especially grievous ones, to frustrate us from committing them.
His Omni presence will see it and take record and the next category of His presence will come to warn us. Then the third category will come in to enable us overcome instead of commit the sin, if we submit.
That is how the three categories of GOD’s presence network to help us live holy lives. But there are other things that the Omni Presence of God does in our lives. It sees the prayers we pray in secret and takes record for onward delivery of the results.
THAT IS WHY WE SHOULD NOT FLAUNT OUR SPIRITUALITY AND BEGIN TO PRAY THE PRAYER OF THE HEATHEN OR THE HYPOCRITE.
The Bible says;
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:5-6 NKJV
This scripture is clear on how the Omni presence of the LORD takes record of our prayers so that the next category will act on them and bring us open rewards or answers. Believers must understand that prayers prayed, or tears shed in secret are recorded by this aspect of GOD’s presences and taken to the courts of the next category of GOD’s presence for subsequent action.
Now, it is not just our prayers the Omni presence of GOD acts on but our fasting and giving to God and to our fellow men also.
Everything we do is taken into account by it for delivery on the day of rewards or reckoning. That is why a portion of our devotional text says;
“Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.” Galatians 6:7 AMPC
Yes, God will not allow Himself to be sneered at, scorned, disdained or mocked by mere pretensions, hence pouring His Omni presence everywhere to take records of happenings.
That is why the scripture says whoever attempts to delude or deceive God is only deluding and deceiving himself. The omni Presence of God sees the innermost part of our hearts.
While men look at the outward appearance it looks at the heart. That is why it is able to tell us how wicked a man’s heart is and then carry the prayer of that heart, if it is asking God for change, to the courts of the second category of God’s presence for a move of God to break out and transform the person.
THE SECOND CATEGORY OF GOD’S PRESENCE IS THE MANIFEST PRESENCE.
This is the presence of God that announces itself. It was this category that parted the red sea and made the life unbearable for Pharaoh. It killed the first born of the Egyptians and did all the terrible things that broke the backbone of the gods of Egypt.
The Bible says;
“When Israel went out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion. The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back?
O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.” Psalm 114:1-8 NKJV
This scripture contains what happens under the active presence of GOD. It made it clear that nothing will remain the same when this category of God’s presence descends upon a place, a people, a project, or a purpose. It can even make mountains to skip like rams; referring to how mount Sinai’s skipped when this aspect of the presence descended on it.
This is the category that takes care of hazards of our external environments, spiritually or physically. It is the aspect that God wants you and I to live in so that there will be no hurt in our lives. That was what covered Israel when they came out of Egypt and kept them all through their 40 years journey in the wilderness.
You will never be ushered into this category of God’s presence until the flesh is crucified.
It has been established that the flesh is the chief enemy to deal with if we want to live in this category of God’s presence.
That is the category that is responsible for the execution of judgment, the release of blessings, the healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the opening of blind eyes, the cleansing of the lepers, the raising of the poor out of poverty, the rescue of the oppressed, and deliverance from any bondage (of sin, Satan and etc.)
THIS PART IS NOT FOUND IN THE OIL THEY GIVE YOU, THE WATER YOU ARE GIVEN AND ALL THE DELIVERANCE INVENTIONS.
It is found in the Holy Ghost. It is called the power of God. That is what makes a difference in our lives. It is what gives us the ability to trade upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.
It makes us sons of God indeed, creating kingdom impact wherever we go. It cast out demons and fix broken lives by our hands. Whenever we call upon God this is the category of God’s presence that brings the answers. It collects from the Omni presence the record of what we prayed and brings into our lives. That is why we must fight the flesh to a stand still to live in it.
One way we do that is by sowing to please the Spirit on daily basis.
The rest of our devotional text says;
“For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.” Galatians 6:8-9 AMPC
If we want to put the flesh under subjection, we should not sow to please it. We should not do its will. We should starve it of whatever it desires. The Bible says if we do not, we will reap ruin, decay and destruction. In other words, we will have our lives established outside the active presence of GOD, making ruin, decay, and destruction possible.
I believe the message of today have been passed, may the LORD perfect His plans for our lives. Amen
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY
“But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.” Galatians 5:16-17 AMPC