SPIRITUAL SENSITIVITY BROTHER CHRIS
Grace and peace to you all in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ.
And let me begin by welcoming you to this New Year, 2024.
Thank You, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus, for the grace to enter a New Year -
indeed, for the grace to enter a new day, a new minute, a new second.
Because all is of grace.
And people of God, the best preparation for 2024
begins with the evaluation of each day, starting from today.
Because no matter the seriousness of our intentions or resolutions, know this -
your life will not change in 2024 unless you change something you do daily.
To remain steadfast throughout 2024, stay steady today.
To prepare for those things you cannot prepare for in 2024, care for today
because only today is yours.
Now today, I want to share with you a message that has really been growing in my heart
in the recent weeks and the subject of this message is ‘Spiritual Sensitivity’.
I repeat, spiritual sensitivity.
You see, the greatest danger posed by darkness lies in our failure to recognise it.
In other words, let me put it like this -
our inability to identify the real problem is really the problem.
That's a far greater problem than what many of us consider as problems in our lives today.
And take note of this, people of God -
the surest way to prolong and even intensify your problem is to misdiagnose it.
The way you face your problem is actually a bigger problem than the problem itself.
I hope you follow what I'm saying, people of God.
The problem we face today lies in the way we face our problems.
And know this - there are some tests, some situations in the journey of life
that only internal resources can sustain you through.
On this note, remember what I said about ‘spiritual sensitivity’.
I want to take you to a Scripture in Hebrews 3.
That's going to be the proof text for today's message - Hebrews 3:12-14.
Let's read, people of God.
“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart
of unbelief in departing from the living God;
but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’
lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
For we have become partakers of Christ
if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end...”
Now, the greatest enemy of spiritual progress is a hardened heart -
a heart that is lacking spiritual sensitivity,
a heart that is dulled, darkened, deceived by sin.
And the deeper the deception, the greater the darkness.
“If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness” -
the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:23.
Because if the devil can deceive you, then he can very easily mislead you.
Now, just take a look around you at what’s happening in the world.
It doesn't take long to recognise the effects of darkness -
the rebellion against God and His Word.
But don't just look around you. No!
I'm calling you today to look within you.
Because the heart of our rebellion is the rebellion in our hearts.
When fleshly desires meet wrong focus, sinful deeds are never far away.
But the mystery of God’s amazing grace
is that there is always room for repentance.
But take note, people of God -
the swiftness of our repentance reflects the degree of our spiritual sensitivity.
Resistance to repentance reflects the hardening of the heart.
It's not that we Christians don't make mistakes.
We do. We can make mistakes.
But when you are spiritually sensitive, you are quick to recognise,
quick to respond, quick to reconcile, quick to repent.
But resistance to repentance reflects the hardening of the heart.
This often manifests itself in the form of internally justifying sin.
And if the devil can succeed in hardening your heart,
private justification of sin will soon turn to public toleration of sin,
even public celebration of sin -
not only by what we do but by what we fail to do.
If you don't stand for something, then you will definitely fall for something.
I want you to reflect on this, people of God -
resistance to repentance reflects the hardening of the heart.
And if care is not taken, if conscience is not awakened,
we can shift from the recognition of wrong to the validation of wrong.
That's what the devil wants.
He wants us to shift ground to a domain outside of the light.
Because when we are in darkness, ‘truth’ can easily be twisted.
A blind man leading the blind...
This is why downplaying sin is very, very dangerous.
No move to minimise God's standards ever ends well.
I repeat it again, people of God.
No move to minimise, to reduce God's perfect standards ever ends well.
Now, I want to sound a note of warning at this point.
Beware of counterfeit conviction -
when your actions are motivated by a source outside of God's Word,
for a reason outside of God's glory. Beware!
The devil delights in dressing up self-righteousness, self-centeredness
in the garments of seeming good, seeming kindness, seeming compassion
that has the appearance of godliness but denies its power (2 Timothy 3:5).
Beware of counterfeit conviction.
The only source of genuine conviction is the Word and the Spirit.
It's God's Word, as revealed by the Holy Spirit, that exposes darkness.
So the more your heart is engaged in God's Word,
the more God's Word dominates your heart, the more spiritually sensitive you become.
It awakens, it amplifies the voice of conscience.
And you are what you are today because of listening to or ignoring your conscience.
You are what you are today
as a result of listening to or ignoring the voice of your conscience.
The more grounded we are in the Word of God, the more disciplined our hearts become.
Our hearts are awakened to the exceeding sinfulness of sin.
That's why we are quick to repent.
That’s why we are quick to recognise our wrong.
And this preserves, protects us against those dangerous entanglements
we meet down the road of deception.
People of God, what am I emphasising in this message today?
The antidote to a hardened heart
is to stay saturated in the Scriptures and soaked in prayer.
To remain spiritually sensitive, take care of your heart in the light of God's Word.
Prayer each day keeps deception at bay.
But dodging daily time with God is a recipe for disaster in your spiritual life.
So, I want to challenge you right now with this question.
What are you doing daily that is enriching you spiritually?
Because I have a word of advice to give you.
And look, people of God, this advice must not be taken through the lens of religion.
No. It must be received through the understanding of relationship with God.
Religion resorts to ritual because it lacks life,
but relationship encourages and fosters godly habits,
godly routine in the light of God's Word.
So, a word of advice to you:
In your home, I encourage you to set aside
a place for prayer, for reflection, for meditation.
I know many of us may say we don’t have space for an entire room.
If you have space, glory be to God.
But in your house, set aside an area - if you have not yet done so -
to consciously surround yourself with things that remind you of your relationship with God.
Why? Because we are all weak.
In a world filled with distraction, I encourage you today -
find something natural to remind you of something supernatural.
Create something you can see to prompt your heart towards things that are unseen.
Look, people of God, I tell you - your heart is the real prayer room.
I'm not trying to dispute that fact.
Our heart is the real prayer room.
But we must acknowledge that no one is above influence and environment plays a role.
Environment matters.
Sometimes you come home and your heart is troubled.
Maybe you've had a clash with a work colleague.
Maybe there's a disagreement with your spouse.
Maybe you've experienced pressure and tension in a certain area of your life
and your heart is troubled.
Have a place in your home where you can go and reconcile with God -
a place that reminds you of your relationship with God,
a place that redirects your focus to God,
a place where you can pray,
a place where you can lie down and reflect on God's goodness,
a place where you can listen to worship music and let your heart rise in praise.
Find something natural to remind you of something supernatural.
This is a word of advice for you
to help you remain spiritually sensitive throughout 2024 and beyond.
Right now, people of God, as you ponder on these words,
I want to take you to a moment of prayer.
A TIME OF PRAYER
Right now, people of God, let us pray.
Ask God right now to cleanse you with His precious Blood
and wash you whiter than snow!
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ!
What's is hardening your heart at this moment?
Be removed in the mighty name of Jesus Christ!
Be removed right now!
That strange spirit amplifying the voice of deception within - be silenced!
Be silenced right now!
That voice resisting repentance - be silenced!
In the name of Jesus Christ!
Ask God right now to increase your spiritual sensitivity to recognise His voice.
In the midst of the many contradicting and conflicting voices in this world -
let your spirit be sensitive to the Holy Spirit!
Let there be sensitivity!
Let there be revelation!
Let there be discretion lightened by the Word!
In Jesus’ mighty name.
Lord Jesus Christ, we don't know what to do but our eyes are on You (2 Chronicles 20:12).
Let your gaze be fixed on Christ alone.
Let your heart be set apart for Christ alone.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus, give us that grace to live an upright life that glorifies Your name -
in word, in thought and in deed -
throughout 2024 and beyond, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ!
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
Thank You, Jesus.
God bless you, people of God,
as you continue to seek His heart to see life clearly.