19/07/2025
THE CRY OF THE SPIRIT DEVOTIONALS – BY RICHARD E. S. TAKIM
TODAY’S DEVOTION (Saturday 19th July 2025)
“So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts.
'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'" Zechariah 4:6-7 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 200th DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY!
Jesus, the one through whom all things were made, has given us another day to spend wisely. It is another end of week in our year of victory. What a generous God we serve.
Days are precious gifts from the LORD. Let us be grateful!! Our devotional yesterday was a call from the Most High God to us, urging us to grow up spiritually! I do not know how many of us saw it that way. It was an uncommon devotion that was sent to stir us towards spiritual age.
The LORD made us to understand that we will not be able to fulfill our destiny if we are immature spiritually. If any of us will ever become all that God has created us to be, we must grow up spiritually. Today we want to look at the next thing we need to fulfill our destiny, and that thing is sound doctrine. Yes, sound doctrine.
Sound doctrine is not just an instrument for the release of destiny, but a catalyst of spiritual growth as well. A destiny man or woman who bath in the river of sound doctrine as often as possible, will release their destiny in God’s design. But those who ignore it, will fulfill the very destiny Satan preplanned for them to fulfill.
“Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
People who are intimate with sound doctrine, can attest to the fact that sound doctrine might be hurting but holds the efficacy of what proceeds from the mouth of God.
As the doctrine of Christ, sound doctrines carry everything we need to be all that God created us to be. Yes, everything we need from God to live and thrive on the face of the earth is in the doctrine of Christ, also called the Testimony of Jesus Christ.
THAT IS WHY YOU MUST PRIORITIZE SOUND DOCTRINE WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT TO ALLOW INTO YOUR HEART.
The Spirit of God made it clear to us in that beautiful word from the LORD yesterday, that if we come into Son ship in Christ Jesus, things will become different in our lives. Today God is showing us that the sonship level of maturity is not possible without one prioritizing sound doctrine; that is a part of intimacy with God.
Most of what we seek GOD to do or accomplish in our lives, can only be done or accomplished when we grow up. But we can never grow up without feeding our hearts with sound doctrine and applying it to our daily lives. The Bible says, “the heir so long as he is a child is not different from a slave though he is master of all.”
If you look at the Church today, you will realize that many heirs of salvation are not different from slaves because they are not mature in the things of God, and they are not mature because there is no assimilation of sound doctrine into the hearts. Thereby standing the risk of losing their salvation.
So many of us are slaves to sin. We live a life of habitual sins calling ourselves saved and spirit filled. But our hearts lack the assimilation of the kind of doctrine that will keep us from such filthy living.
For instance, many are involved in all forms of infidelity, others live a life of deception like the devil, and many others find themselves overcome by the carnal desire to do the unthinkable. The womb of the many so called, ‘born again women’ still functions as an ex*****on ground for unborn babies even after salvation.
The mouth of the many so-called born-again men and women is still a gate of hell despite ‘giving their lives to Christ.’ This is because we have not received strength from sound doctrine to live clean lives yet.
SOME OF US HEAR, BUT WE DO NOT ASSIMILATE. IT IS WHAT WE ASSIMILATE THAT BRINGS A CHANGE NOT JUST WHAT WE HEAR.
God does not want this to continue because you will never go to heaven if you die a slave to sin. Few know that Jesus came to set us free from serving sin, and to make us Heaven bound by turning us into slaves of righteousness.
Born again ought to be a child of our decision to accept His sacrificial death as a sacrifice for our sins, demonstrating it in a resolve not to serve sin again, but to become slaves of righteousness. What do you mean by that? You may ask.
Well, on the cross, Jesus terminated our slavery to sin by His death and instituted a new kind of slavery – slavery to righteousness – by the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. It is that outpouring that makes us sons and helps us to live a life of freedom from slavery of sin, Satan, and the evil systems of this world.
The Bible teaches that everyone who has been freed from the slavery of sin is a son. That sons do not serve sin, sons serve righteousness. In other words, their glory is in their slavery to righteousness. Apostle Paul wrote saying,
“And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness…..For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” Romans 6:18-19 NKJV
The phrase ‘your members’ in this scripture refer to “our body parts and faculties.” Slavery of sin involves the use of our body parts and faculties to serve sin leading to a sinful life. But slavery of righteousness involves the use of our body parts and faculties to serve righteousness leading to a life of Holiness.
It is a heart that assimilates sound doctrine that gives strength to any life to become a slave of righteousness, not even a mouth that preaches it. We can preach holiness and live sinful lives; yes, we can teach sound doctrine and still live filthy lives, because it is not what we preach or teach that saves and sanctifies us but what we assimilate in our hearts.
THE CONTEMPLATION REMAINS; WITHOUT SOUND DOCTRINE WE CANNOT UNLEASH OUR DESTINY.
The sound doctrine we assimilate into our hearts will not just sanctify us but will equip us for the release of destiny. It will set us apart from defilement like God is set apart. Only the set apart fulfill their destiny. In other words, it will make us holy like God is.
God says in His word, “be you Holy for I am Holy.” Holiness is the distinguished character of Sons.
It becomes our Character when we assimilate sound doctrine enough to become slaves of righteousness the way we assimilated corruption, ungodly things, unclean and sinful things to become slaves of sin before accepting Christ. Our devotional text this morning has a major highlight that says,
.'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"
Releasing our destiny remains not by might or by power, but by the things we have been sharing so far, the things the Holy Spirit have been showing us. That is why it is by His Spirit. If we attempt to make our body parts and faculties instruments of righteousness, without the Holy Spirit enabling us through the assimilation of sound doctrine, we will fail.
The message today is simple, those who have no access to sound doctrine will never fulfill their destinies in God’s design.
They might do some things that will make them rich or etc. but will never be able to fulfill their destiny in Christ. If you have no access to sound doctrine, ask the LORD to guide you to it, if you have access, please do not just hear, preach or teach it. Take time out to assimilate it into your heart, and all will be well.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY.
“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes.” Psalm 119:9-12 NKJV
