Devotion 2

Living Seed Media brings to you God's Word, which is his comprehensive equipment for changing lives. May the Lord impact your heart as you encounter his Word. For further enquiry or counsel, contact Peace House, PO Box 971, Boko, Benue State, Nigeria.

Telephone numbers 0703 03636 59, 0703 76811 98. Email address lsmedia at livingseed.org or visit our website at www.livingseed.org. Let us sit back and listen as the servant of God brings forth the Word of Life. Good morning.

We praise God for today that God has carried us up to this level. He has been with us, feeding us with manna from above. We will spend a little time looking at the Word and praying, and we will again wait on God to continue to feed us as he has started.

Greetings in the name of Jesus. We will turn on the book of Psalms 144, verse 11 and 12. Today, as we seek the Word of God, Psalms 144, verse 11 and verse 12.

It reads as follows. Read me and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is the right hand of falsehood, that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth, that our daughters may be as cornerstones polished after the similitude of pallets, that our garners may be full, according to all manner of store, that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousand in our streets. I would like us to end there, but we will also read Psalms 24 from verse 3 to verse 10, as it has been read severally to us.

I'd like us today to consider a few of what God has said. He has already said that he is ready for the gates. The gates are ready for us.

And God has given his only begotten son as a sacrifice for us to be able to qualify in order to enter into those gates. And even when Jesus Christ was on earth, as it was said, he said, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So all the preparations seemingly have been done in heaven.

And God has made us ready, has made himself ready. And the lamb was slaughtered in order for us to be able to qualify. But I'm asking myself one thing today.

What could be the hindrance that we are not able to possess the gates? But I've heard yesterday that it is only the seed that will conquer the gates. It is the seed that will be multiplied. And what hinders the seed from entering the gate? It is the body that we carry.

And it has not yet been able to be prepared. You remember when Jesus Christ was coming on earth? I think it's Hebrews chapter 10 verse 5. He said, you have not desired sacrifice, but you've prepared a body. So I look at my life and I said, unless I've been prepared properly, I will not be able to carry that seed to the gates so that that seed can multiply at the gate and conquer them.

But if we look at Psalms 144, there is a strong word that God is saying. He says, read me of strange children who are full of vanity and whose mouth is speaking falsehood. This to me has been a bother for some time as we've been praying for this.

That as much as God is ready to possess the gates, at the moment, the gates are possessed by strangers. The other verse talks about strangers. The other verse talks about cruel enemies.

And those cruel enemies, God wants to get rid of and open a door for the seed of God to occupy those gates. And we can never carry that seed to those gates except we who are carriers of that seed have been prepared. And we ourselves, we are not strangers to God.

And when I look at the word strangers, I look at the people who are not familiar with the ways of God. People who are not familiar with how God operates. People who are not familiar with the norms and the culture of heaven in their own lives.

People who are worldly in nature and people who have nothing that resembles God. If God has to conquer those gates, the first thing that he must get rid of, it is our strangers, the strange behaviors that are making him unable to empower us with the seed at the gates. So as we pray today, I wish we could look at ourselves.

How familiar are we with the ways of God? What is the relationship as young people have we crafted between ourselves and God? I'm looking at the discipleship that God has brought in our midst. It has only been there in order to bring the bride and the groom closer together. To bring us to be familiar with how God works and how God operates.

So that God can use us in order to enter those gates. So it is very, very important that right within ourselves, we rid ourselves of things that makes God not be able to use us to enter into those gates. We've been told yesterday that God is ready, the gates are waiting.

But it is us that are delaying the process, the plan of God in order to enter those gates. If, for instance, God finds in us anything that is strange, anything that has nothing to do with him, then he cannot use us to enter those gates. The seed that must be multiplied will always be hindered by our flesh, by our sinfulness.

The Bible further says, it says whose mouth is full of vanity. And when I'm looking at the word vanity, I'm looking at temporal things. Things that have no future with God.

The Bible says the world and its last shall pass away. But only those who cling unto the word of God shall live forever. The world is ready to give us vanity so that we can cling on things that do not have eternal value.

And many of us young people today, we are clinging on that. We are clinging on what the world has given us. As a result, we are not able to conquer.

We are not able to take on the world and bring it to the knees of Jesus. We are not able to carry the seed to that gate because the world has embellished us with things that are not of eternal value. So as God is moving us, he says, read me of this kind of young people.

Today we are sitting in the world where the world system is making young people to be people of temporal pleasures. Unlike Moses, who said, I cannot enjoy the pleasures of Pharaoh for a while. The many of our young people, we are held up on those temporal things.

The world system is happy to make us to be entertaining ourselves with things that will never take the seed to the gates. The things that will hinder the seed in order for the seed to conquer. The things that cannot multiply the seed so that the seed can be able to germinate and to grow.

The Bible says our daughters will be shaped according to similitude of the pillars. And I'm looking at first Timothy, I think it's verse three, where it says the house of God is the foundation and the pillar of truth. And I'm looking at the discipleship, at the shaping of life, that all as we are being shaped, we are shaped to be those pillars.

So that when God has decided that he needs to take us to those gates, we will be pillars of truth. We will be grounded on truth. We will be bringing the truth.

And the truth is Jesus Christ, because he says, I am the truth. I am the way. I am the life.

If we are not grounded on him, if we are not grounded on the seed, we cannot be pillars. If we are not shaped by means of discipleship, if we are not being shaped by the word of God, we can never be those pillars. Today, God, he seems to be saying to each and every one, there is something that you must get rid of.

There is something that must part with your life. There is something that can hinder me from taking you to the gates. There is something that would hinder me from multiplying your life.

If you get rid of that, then you will be a plant that is planted there. I will be able to plant you there because you will be carrying the truth. You will be carrying the word.

You will be carrying the seed. The Bible says, unless we received the seed, we would perish. So it is very important that Christ must not compete with anything.

The Holy Spirit must not compete with the flesh. The seed of God that must conquer the gates must dwell richly in our hearts. It must dwell richly in our lives.

As God is pushing us, it is very important today that God will give us young people who are focused. Young people who have got rid of all vanity. Young people who do not entertain themselves with sin.

Young people who got rid of things that do not have eternal value. Young people who are like Daniel, who will say, I will not waste my time with the deities of the king, but I will focus on what God has set for my life. As we start this day, as God is prepared for us to equip us further, it is very important that as young people everywhere, we must know what we have got rid of.

The flesh life that God has taught yesterday, the flesh life that God has said several times, that it must be crucified with Christ and be done away with. It is a major hindrance. In Genesis chapter 6 verse 3, God says, my spirit shall not strive with man any longer because man is flesh.

In verse 11 and 12, the Bible says, the flesh is corrupted its way on earth. You will always be corrupted and wherever you are deployed by God, the flesh will corrupt whatever that God wants you to conquer and your way to conquering will be hindered by that life. So get rid of anything that is strange in heaven.

Get rid of whatever that does not please the kingdom of God. Get rid of whatever makes you not to be able to carry the seed of God to the gates. This morning, may God help us.

Because in Romans chapter 12, God says, present your body as a living sacrifice. In other words, it is not up to us to conquer the gates. It is up to us to render our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and blameless.

The Bible says this body is not for fornication, but it is for the Lord. The body is not for sin. It is for the Lord.

Every young person who is prepared to take Christ to the gates so that the gates can be lifted, so that the king of kings can come in, that young person will have prepared himself. He would have presented his body. He would have got rid of whatever would hinder Christ in himself.

He would be presenting himself as a living sacrifice, holy and blameless. The Bible says this is a reasonable service that we may gather. I am gathering that as God is ready, as gates are waiting, what is necessary today is a body to carry the seed.

It is a body that has been prepared. It is a body that has been emptied of sin and sinfulness. It is a body that has been emptied of the world's system.

It is a body that is able to serve Christ, to carry Christ to the gates. As God receives that body, God is able to open every gate, is able to conquer the seed, that the incorruptible seed may be able to prosper because the body has no corruption of the flesh, life. That seed is able to multiply because the corruption, what corrupts the world's system has been removed.

Remember we read Genesis, I mean, we quoted Genesis 6, verse 11 and 12. Maybe we can go back to it. But what it says there, it says the flesh has corrupted its way throughout the world.

So the corruptor we must get rid of. The corruptor we must get rid of. Once this body is what is without the corruptor of the world, the incorruptible seed will prosper.

Jesus will prosper because there will be no hindrance. There will be nothing that hinders him as long as the corruptor is operational. In our lives, we are not ready.

The gates are waiting. And it is very true, the gates are waiting. Everybody is waiting for the revelations of the sons of God.

But the sons of God cannot be revealed if they are covered in sin and sinfulness. The sons of God cannot emerge except what covers them. The veil that keeps them in darkness has been torn apart.

God has given us his son. And when he was in the cross, he said it is finished. The veil that covers us from the presence of God, who is the eternal light, was torn.

But that veil must be torn in our lives as well. We must be able to present our bodies holy and blameless. We must be able to focus on what God is interested in.

So that ultimately we may be able to present the incorruptible seed to every gate that God is taking us to. I'm looking at a man like Paul in Philippians chapter 1 verse 21. When he said, for me to live it is Christ and to die is gain.

In Colossians chapter 4 verse 3, chapter 3 verse 4. Paul says, yeah, let's go there. Colossians chapter 3 verse 4. He says, Christ who is our life. Christ is our life.

Son appear. Finished. I say, what else am I living for? Christ is my life.

To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If every young person that God has called him can be able to stand up and say, I am living for Jesus. I am carrying the incorruptible seed to whatever gates so that it can prosper.

So that it can take over. I believe that the Lord as God has said yesterday, he is ready. And as God has said yesterday, it is the life of Christ that will conquer.

It is not our own. It is not our own. It is when we carry him to the gates.

It is when we are empty and we are full of him. It is when we are saved to be the pillars of the palace. When we have God rid of all vanity, that God will conquer.

Today as God is taking us and as God is progressing with us, may we as young people know that as God is going to the gates in Romans 5, verse 17, it says we because now Christ the one has died for us. We shall reign with him. We shall reign with him.

So it is following Christ to the gates. It is carrying him to the gates. It is to allow him to reign and rule in our own lives first.

And then we take him to the gates. If Christ has not conquered your lives, if Christ has not conquered where you are, you cannot take him anywhere. It is so sad because I believe that as a young person, if you cannot conquer at the youth, it is unlikely that you will conquer in your life of adulthood.

And if Christ cannot reign in your personal life, Christ cannot reign with you in any gates. It is your own personal life that Christ must reign and rule. And it is that life that is reigned and ruled by Christ that must take Christ to the gates.

So I feel that if I say for me to live, it is Christ, and to die is gain. If I say Christ is my own life, therefore this life which carries Christ is the one that will conquer. It is the one that will be able to multiply.

And as it multiplies, that incorruptible seed will conquer everything that is against the kingdom of God. So as we are going to pray, I would like us as young people to look at our lives. What could be the hindrance? What could make Christ not to be your life? What could make Christ that seed, that incorruptible seed that we have been given not to multiply in your environment? What hinders you not to be planted? What hinders you not to be a pillar of truth wherever you are? It is at this moment that we must know that it is very, very important that we must get rid.

That is a strange character. That is a strange behavior. That is what God says, get rid of.

Get rid of that. God does not deal with strangers. He deals with the sons and daughters.

He said you will be my sons and daughters if you yourself, you get rid of this. You don't touch anything that is unclean, then I will accept you and you will be my sons and daughters. It is those sons and daughters who have got rid of the wealth system, who have got rid of the sinful lives, who have got rid of the vanities of this life, whom God will march to conquer every gate.

He will march and conquer everything. The Bible says in Psalms 24, who can ascend, I think it's in verse 3, who can ascend to the gates of the Lord? Only those with clean hands. So the gates are people who do their heart into deceit.

He wear clean hands and pure heart. We as young people who do not swear unto vanity, as young people, may God help us before he can take us to the gates, he must take us to his bosom. He must take us to his character.

He must take us to his conduct, his ways of life. He must transform us so that as he takes us to the gates, we'll be transformed individuals, who are ready to transform to the wealth system, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. And now Job in 17 verse 9, he says, the righteous shall hold on on his ways.

What are those ways? Those are ways of righteousness. The guidance in discipleship, the guidance of the word of God is to keep us on the ways of God, on the ways of righteousness. And the Bible says, he that has clean hands, and he will be stronger and stronger.

So as you grow, you are growing with strength. The Bible says, those who know their God shall be strong, shall commit exploit, they shall be strong. God is yet to be your strength.

The Bible says the joy of the Lord is my strength. Jesus Christ came in order to be the strength of God. He came in order for us to march into the gates and carry him there.

So that as the heads of the gates are lifting up, we as the children of God are taking the king of glory in. Whatever profession, whatever you are, wherever you are, take him there. And you cannot take him there if the Bible says in the book of Amos, can two go together except they are agreed.

So it is very important that our agreement becomes primary. It becomes the precondition for God to take us to every gate. So this morning, as God is ready to pour on us, I was looking also at the life of Jesus.

And I was looking at the life of Samuel. You know, the Bible says, and the child grew, and he gained favor with man, and he gained favor with God. When I look at that scripture, when it comes to Jesus, it is in Luke 2, verse 52.

But when it comes to Samuel, it is on 1 Samuel 2, verse 26. And I'm looking at similarities. And when I'm looking at the similarities, I say, Lord, if you look at how Samuel grew, and when he was old, and he was ready now to anoint a king in Israelite, he was expressing integrity.

He says, who amongst you have I stolen anything? Who amongst you have I this? This did not start in adulthood. That integrity, it started as he was growing. He was growing in the similitude of Christ.

He was growing in the same manner and the character of our Lord. May every young person, as you grow, to be planted wherever God wants to plant you. As you grow, to be a strong pillar of truth, may God give you favor.

May God give me favor with him and with man, so that ultimately I can be a strong pillar. I can be a plant that of righteousness wherever I go. So may God help us.

May God be with us in all that we are doing. Because he has proposed that we will be with him. We are now going to close.

We will, we will pray and close. But as we close, the Bible says, who can ascend to the mount of the Lord? He who have a pure heart and clean hand. I'd like us as young people to look at your heart.

Do you have a clean heart? Have you not submitted your life into vanity? Is there anything that needs to get rid of this morning? Is it a life of wealthiness? Life of fornication? In our country, fornication is in many ways. When young people, they want to fornicate, they will say we are in courtship. And they are bastardizing courtship in order for them.

And you find that this courtship has no end. And you will find them together, they know we are in courtship. You need to get rid of whatever is against the plan of God.

Get rid of anything that is strange in heaven. So that God can plant you as he is opening these gates. So that you can grow in righteousness.

So that God can make you a pillar of truth wherever he has shaped your life. Can we pray? Father, in the name of Jesus, we are very grateful for your word. Heavenly Father, we are indebted to you.

Even at this moment, as we close this session, we submit to you. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Amen.