: Beware Of Seduction
[11/18, 7:37 AM] faithemm2015: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18TH 2023
TOPIC: BY THEIR FRUITS
MEMORISE:
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” – (Matthew 7:16)
READ: MATTHEW 7:16-23 (KJV)
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
MESSAGE:
Yesterday, we discussed the fact that when you are pure in heart, it will show on the outside. The state of your heart - whether pure or otherwise, will always show on the outside. For example, when people see you dressed like a harlot or hooligan, they would know what is inside. Many people parade themselves as children of God but dress and talk like people of the world (1 John 2:15). When you call yourself light but are looking, sounding and moving like darkness, we know that you are not who or what you claim to be (2 Corinthians 6:14).
(2 Corinthians 5:17) says:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Right from the inside to the outside, all things become new when a person receives Christ - not all things apart from the fashion sense or speech; "all things" means all things. When you change from the inside, it will show in every aspect of your life because the change is from the core of your being. When you see a Chinese man and a Yoruba man, you can clearly differentiate them by how they look, their language and the food they eat. You don't need to be told; you just know based on the fruits you see. When people see you, can they recognize the DNA of Christ in you? If they have to ask whether you are a child of God or not, then check well to see if you are a true Christian.
Some Pastors think that to convert youths to Christ, they must dress and behave like them; not at all. The youths want someone disciplined enough to challenge them. They want to show youthful exuberance, with the expectation that their pastor would caution them. Unfortunately, the people they are looking up to for that discipline are the same ones coming down to their level. Check the way the seemingly unruly youths treat the disciplined ones: that will tell you that they value discipline. Why should you now want to be like the unruly ones? That must change.
KEY POINT:
Let others see Jesus in you.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ACTS 16-17
HYMNAL: 30 - WHEN WE WALK WITH THE LORD
1. When we walk with the Lord,
In the light of His word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
REFRAIN:
Trust and obey!
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2. But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favour He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
3. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we'll walk by His side in the way,
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.
[11/18, 7:37 AM] faithemm2015: SEEDS OF DESTINY DAILY DEVOTIONAL BY DR PASTOR PAUL ENENCHE
SATURDAY 18 NOVEMBER, 2023
TOPIC: BEWARE OF SEDUCTION
SCRIPTURE: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.(She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) PROVERBS 7:10-12.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You cannot be a true child of God and the sound of your life is seduction.
Previously, we saw that the sound or voice of your life determines your welfare both in time and in eternity.
When the sound of holiness, purity, dignity and decency is heard from your life, you would fare well in life. But if the sound of iniquity, filthiness, unrighteousness and seduction is heard from your life, your welfare in this life and the life to come will be jeopardized.
It is sad to note that we live in a generation where there is so much seduction. Today, people dress seductively to everywhere, even to the house of God as if they are going to a disco party or a night club.
Sometime ago, I was going to church and I saw a lady seductively dressed, walking on the road. I didn’t know that she was going to church as well. I thought she was just passing by, but then, she went through the gate of the church, right into the church.
Now, the question is: what did that kind of person want unbelievers to say about the house of God? People watched her on the road as she entered the House of God. Don’t you think it would make people mock the Christian faith?
You say that unbelievers don’t know God but some of them dress more decently than the average Christian lady.
If you appeared indecently for an interview, what do you think the interviewers would perceive about you? Seduction!
Some years ago, before my wife and I got married, she boarded a vehicle from Jos going to Zaria and she was decently dressed. One man saw her and asked her, “Are you married?” and she said, “No.”
Then the man asked again, “Who are you? You see, by the way she appeared decently dressed, the man might have thought, “This is a wife-able material.”
Unfortunately today, there are even married women who dress more seductively than single ladies. You ask yourself, “This one is already married; what is she looking for? What is she dressing indecently for?”
Beloved, you need to understand that indecent dressing is abhorrent to God. You cannot be a true child of God and the sound of your life is seduction.
Remember this: You cannot be a true child of God and the sound of your life is seduction.
ASSIGNMENT:
1. Refuse to make your body a tool of seduction.
2. Let your outward appearance tell people about the God of decency and decorum.
PRAYER: Lord, I ask that you help me not to be a tool of seduction. I receive the grace to always appear in decency and decorum, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: What Sound Are You Producing?
QUOTE: Today, many members of the Body of Christ are competing with the world in seductive dressing, wrongly appropriating office funds and foul languages. Now people cannot tell who is who. Culled from the book, “Who Are You?” by Dr Paul Enenche.
DAILY READING: Romans 12-14.
AMAZING FACT: The elephant has a pulse rate of 27 and they are known to live up to 70 years.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: Grace to represent God and His Kingdom appropriately in all things, including dressing, be released for you in Jesus’ Name.
