Prophetic Focus for August

This scripture was one of the very early scriptures that made a very significant impact on my life very early in my walk with the LORD, and till date, the deep revelations embedded in those spirit-breathed words are still very much alive in me. I am particularly blown away by the New International Version’s rendering of that scripture. It says, “ What you decide on will be done…” That is truly huge. For the first time, I realized after reading that scripture, that God doesn’t reckon with the opinions or decisions of our adversaries. Every time, God is waiting to know what we think and what we have decided concerning any particular matter.

Shortly, after catching this revelation, I had to put it to test. I had heard that a particular sister was very ill and so I visited. She was in so much pain that she did not notice when I came into the room. She had been in that pain for days. When I finally got her attention and she told me what the matter was, I immediately said to her that she was sick and in that pain because she wanted to. Believe me, that didn’t in any way look like a good thing to say to someone in so much pain. Just before she got me wrong, I quickly opened the Bible to Job 22:28 and showed her, how that God was waiting for her to take a decision as to whether she wanted to get well or not. She explained that the doctor had told her that she would have to be in that pain for a long while as the recovery process would be very gradual. I explained to her that what she had just reported was the doctor’s opinion and asked what her decision was going to be. She said she was deciding to get well. I held her hands and asked her to communicate her decision (not just her desire) to the LORD. She did and I prayed with her a very short prayer reminding God what my sister had decided concerning her own life and health. Then I left. It was in the days of no mobile phones, so I had no means of hearing from her until I visited her three days later.

Again, when I entered the house, she could not notice, but this time around, not because she was in pain but because she was running around everywhere and screaming down the house together with her friends who had come visiting. She was perfectly alright. In fact the mum had to draw her attention to let her know that I was around. When finally she calmed down, I said, “you look perfectly okay now”, and she answered, “yes”!Then I went ahead to ask, what happened? I will never forget the two word answer that she gave me; she simply said, “I decided.” She further explained that shortly after I left, she became very resolute that she was going to use her decision to overturn the doctors opinion. That’s right! That was it and it worked.

The very significant import of that scripture is that God has not left the matters of our lives and destinies in the hands of third parties. Men can have opinions but the decision as to what become of us will always be ours. It is like God saying to me, “Jerry, this is what they are saying about your case, but I will not reckon with theirs until I know what you say.” Men are allowed to take counsel together, form opinions or even decide anything, but God says, none of those counts until you say something. Ungodly counsels take root only because we are silent or passive in the matters of our lives. When we fail to decide, the forces that be would usually decide on our behalf. When there is no voice to object or counter, the lonely voice in the courtroom carries the day, but when we counter, God upholds our views. It is not what they decide that God works with, but what we decide. Silence in this instance is such a bad thing and it takes only the aggressive or violent in the spirit to take the kingdom by force (Matthew 11:12)

I have engaged this scripture (Job 22:28) in virtually every area of life including official matters. I have used it to overturn unfavorable verdicts and opinions. It is one scripture that turns the tide speedily in our favour once engaged with understanding and faith. What we decide and subsequently declare to the hearing of God matters in defining our path in life. We are not at the mercy of anyone or power. We are beyond decisions taken in witch covens or covert meetings of the occult world. We are not terrified by the outcome of any such gathering. We simply stand our ground, take a firm decision and communicate our counter position to God. Once we decide, not just when we desire, things quickly change in our favour. Unfortunately, there are too many believers who only desire but never truly decide. A desire is a wish that is at the mercy of a benefactor somewhere, but a decision is an unwavering position backed up by a strong degree of resoluteness and power of accomplishment.

We read in the scriptures, “…As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: (Numbers 14:28). God isn’t going to deal with us according to what He heard others say about us. He is going to deal with us according to what He hears us say. This is a very profound scripture, the relevance of which is often downplayed by believers. Never are we encouraged in scriptures to play a passive role in life. We must be very engaging in matters of our destinies and very actively so. Those who manipulate lives can only manipulate spiritually docile lives. This is an established spiritual law known also to the occult. It takes your spirit agreeing with your adversary for you to be overpowered. So, one major strategy of the devil is never to force us against our will, but to put us in such a situation where we gradually bent our will to reflect his will. No devil takes charge until we submit our will, and no counsel against us stands until we agree. How the enemy finally makes some believers to agree to their own destruction is as varied as the situations can be.

To be able to decide correctly and not be deceived by the devil, we must be loaded with the word of God and have His truth treasured in our hearts. The quality of decisions we take will always reflect the quality of information available to us. The more knowledgeable we are in the things of God, the more we are able to resist the devil. Satan’s most potent tool remains to twist the word of God so he can lay ambush for our souls, but true wisdom, not that which is earthly is profitable to direct (Ecclesiastes 10:10). Once the devil succeeds in casting a shadow of doubt on our minds in relation to any one of our redemptive rights in Christ, we are already on our way to giving him the upper hand. The experience of Eve should teach us that engaging the devil in conversation is a very dangerous exercise (Genesis 3:1-7). Jesus knew this and would hardly give the devil any time to speak. We are to treasure the word of the LORD in our hearts (Psalm 119:11) and guard those words jealously (Proverbs 4:23).

God has called us to a life of authority and that entails that we boldly challenge such things as we are not comfortable with (2 Timothy 1:7). Christ did not only give us power for, he also gave us power against; power to say “no” and power to resist (Luke 9:1). This is very important because we are the number one gatekeepers to our destinies. And as Jesus puts it, whatever we allow or permit, God allows or permits (Mathew 18:18). This is no doubt putting at the disposal of the child of God, tremendous power, but much more than power, this is a huge responsibility. To a very high degree, God holds us accountable for whatever we allow in our lives and within the space He has given us authority over. God’s commandments to man in relation to the garden He had put him was not just to tend or dress it; it was also to watch over it (Genesis 2:15, NLT) Nothing was to be taken for granted. And keeping our garden would of course require vigilance. We are reminded to be sober, to be vigilant; because our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: and to resist him stedfast in the faith… (1 Peter 5:8-9). Being vigilant would require knowing when wolves appear in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15), when Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light to deceive (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) or when the beautiful serpent becomes a willing tool in the hands of Satan (Genesis 3:1-5). It was vigilance that made Jesus see the devil speak through his chosen apostle, Peter (Matthew 16:23).

God has in a sense put us in charge of our destinies and has given us authority to issue decrees that are legally binding in our lives and within whatever jurisdiction He has placed us. We are gatekeepers, and as watchers (Daniel 4:17) can issue decrees that Heaven will honour.