Messages for February, 2016: Our month of Divine Lights – John 1:1-5, Isa.8:20
Theme Understanding the Power of Lights
Topic: understanding the light for our Protection from harm
Introduction: Last week, we began to look at our theme of understanding the power of lights. We established that the quality of life we live is determined by the quality of light available to us. for instance if your access to light is only by the five senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing; you will only gain access to 5% of light. If you access lights from other sources than God, your light would be great darkness. The only means of access to all the lights required to live in the fullness of God is by divine revelation given to us by the Holy Spirit. All that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you about how to live or walk in the ways of God will always be in agreement with the principles of the scriptures. Today, we shall see that the lights of God in His kingdom are given to us in form of keys to unlock the glory He has hidden for us in the kingdom [1Cor.2:7]. One of the arears we need these keys to unlock to us this year is divine protection because this year, God has determined to protect us from all evils.
Why protection? Since the fall of man from grace through Adam in the Garden of Eden, man had become very vulnerable to evil and its influences until the Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver us by His death on the Cross and resurrection from the dead [Gen.3:10 and Rm.6:23]. However, salvation is not automatic; it must be ratified by man when he takes the step of faith to receive Jesus Christ as His Saviour and Lord [Jn.1:12]. Unfortunately, many do not believe in this redemption message because of the blindness on their minds placed by the devil [2Cor.4:3-4 and Eph.2:2]. However, as many as receive the Lord, receive the power to become the children of God born of the Spirit of God [Jn.3:5-7]. We are therefore protected for the following reasons among others:
1. To be preserved in this world to which we do not belong pending the day of our glorious redemption. See Jn.17:14-16.
2. To be protected from the hatred of the world. Jn.17:14
3. To be distinguished as those who serve God from those who do not serve him. Malachi 3:16-18; Prov.11:8.
4. To show forth the praises of our God who is indeed a covenant keeping God. 1Pet.2:9; Deu.8:18. One of the ways we are protected is by being blessed financially and God does this to keep His Covenant because the bible says in Eccl.7:12 that money is a defence.
5. To effectively occupy until Jesus Christ returns for His Church.Luk.19:3 – when Jesus defeated Satan, he left us in charge of the earth to occupy the earth enforcing His word until He returns. For us to do this effectively, we must enjoy His protection against all the unseen forces of wickedness we are up against. See Luk.10:19 and 2Cor.10:3-6.
6. To show the reality of God to the world so as to attract more people into the faith. Isa.49:24-26 and Is.43:1-4.
7. To fulfill God’s promise of adding the things the world is dying to get to us as we seek Him and His righteousness first. Mat.6:33 and Ex.23:28.
Keys to divine protection: Keys are used to unlock doors to enable us gain access into our desired place. When Peter gave the correct answer to The Lord when he sought to hear from them what their perception of him was, Jesus promised to give him the keys of the Kingdom that would enable him to control things on earth with heaven’s involvement. I believe that the principle of “…what I say unto you I say to all…” [Mk.13:36]; applies here so that this revelation benefits not only Peter;but the entire Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That text in Matthew 16:15-19 reads:
“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
When we read on from here, we would observe that Jesus didn’t hand over a physical bunch of keys to Peter. What he did was to give him lights or insights on how to live victoriously in the kingdom of God. On one occasion, Peter asked him how often we should forgive those who offend us. Jesus told him seven times seventy times in a day. In other words, in God’s kingdom, there is zero tolerance for unforgiveness [Mt.18:21-22]. We can only exercise our right to bind and lose in this kingdom when we do so without any unforgiveness in our hearts. This is clearly walking in the ways of God. The world does not and will not live like this. On the other hand, we must live this way to get things done in God’s kingdom.
Key steps to take to enjoy divine protection: To enjoy divine protection therefore, there are steps we can take which would constitute keys to unlocking this grace to us and keeping us there. Let us look at the following steps among others:
1. The new birth: To enjoy the protection of the kingdom of Heaven, we must first belong. The means by which we belong to this glorious kingdom is by the new birth experience. No matter how much a part of a family a dog is for instance, the DNA of a man is not in it. Therefore, he cannot speak or really be human. In the same way, no matter how religious a person is or how much they attend Church or live with and be friends to God’s children, they cannot become children of God until they receive the free gift of salvation by faith and get born again. Until a person experiences the new birth, God’s DNA would not be in him and therefore, he cannot really lay claims to God’s covenant of protection. John 3:3-7; 1Pet.1:23; Rm.10:8-10 and.Mt.15:26 – This point was made in the drama that ensued between the Syrophonecian woman and the Lord when the Lord said it is not right to give the children’s bread to dogs. In other words, dogs here referring to those that are not in the kingdom of God do not have a legal right to benefits of the kingdom and one of these benefits; apart from healing, is divine protection. See Mrk.4:11 and Rev.22:15.
2. Infilling with the Holy Spirit: When we get born again, we receive the Holy Spirit as a seal of our redemption [Eph.1:12-14]. However, to effectively serve our purpose in the Kingdom, we must receive the power for service. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that we shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come on us and we shall be witnesses unto Him. One of the things we testify to is Divine protection by our lives and lifestyles. This is activated by our faithful service in God’s kingdom [Ps.105:12-15]. With the infilling of the Holy Spirit, we could gain access into spiritual gifts that put us ahead of our adversaries and keeps us safe in God. See Jn.16:13 and 1Cor.12:1-11. The Lord can also impart spiritual gifts to us with the intention that we should be established. One area where we become established is the area of divine protection. See Romans 1:11.
3. Walking in the ways of God: When we walk in the ways of God, our protection from evil is guaranteed. For example, there is a culture in the kingdom of how to talk. As long as we speak the way we are supposed to in the Kingdom, we are kept secure in God’s promise. For example, death and life are in the power of the tongue [Prov.18:20] and we shall have whatsoever we say [Mk.11:23]. If we speak death words, we would be denying ourselves the right to life because we are told in Deu.30:19 to choose life. We make a choice for life when we speak life words because Jesus says in Matthew 12:34-37 that we speak based on what we fill our hearts with and as we speak, we create what we say by our words and eventually, we are either justified or condemned based on our utterances. If we speak life words; [words that agree with what God says about us], we will eat the fruits of life [Prov.18:20]. Thus to enjoy divine protection, we have a part to play, we must speak God’s language of his protection over our lives. For instance in Ps.91:16, we are promised long life and the last time God made a pronouncement on life span in Gen.6:3, he pegged the life of a sinner at 120 years. The claim of 70 or 80 years is the lamentation of Moses over the children of Israel who were wasted in the wilderness for forty years for wrong speaking. See Num.14:28 and Ps.90:1-12. More can be said on this but this is meant to inspire us to search out more contents from God that guarantee our protection in this wicked world.
Meanwhile, like we have seen today, we must belong to the family of God as a first step in gaining access to the protection of God. If you have not yet made that decision, you can do so right away by saying the following prayer out loud in faith and you will be born again:
Heavenly Father,
Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name!
Amen.
Congratulations! For more information and resources that would help you grow in this new life, please visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and our blogs at www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com and follow us on twitter at alero_nanna and on face book on www.facebook.com/flourishinggirlwww.facebook.com/khmii2015; www.facebook.com/thewellbeingcenter. Or www.facebook.com/kingdomjointheirsfamily email: jointheirsfamily@gmail.com.
Remain on top of your challenges in Jesus’ name!
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