Quick question:
What has God promised you? Do you know them? What has he revealed unto you, do you remember them?
Consider how hard it could be to express thanksgiving for nothing or randomly.
“I just want to thank you.” Even the person you are talking to would ask, for what?
Communication is an integral part of any relationship, and God is constantly talking to each and every one of us.
The things He says to you form the basis for your expectation and thanksgiving.
Do you take notes?
Show me a Christian without a journal, and I'll show you a Christian that finds it hard to thank God (for what is yet to do).
Habakkuk 2:2
“write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.”
God knows the importance of you remembering His promises which are in His words to you (Rhema & Logos), that's why He looked into new 'technology' to work it.
God Said
"…..I will take away a heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh…..” "….I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts….” (Ezekiel 36:26, Jeremiah 31:33)
If you don't know the story of Jehoshaphat, please read the account in 2 chronicles 20.
He was an example of someone that was well taught and who took notes...
When the kings came to attack Judah, Jehoshaphat went to God and explained what he knew about the situation ----- from his notes:
2 Chronicles 20: 5 -17
Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard and said:
"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.'
"But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.
God was moved at such an informed conversation and God answered
'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.
Jehoshaphat was confident enough to put singers as his lead army because he knew what God has said.
Henceforth, make an effort; start keeping a journal of God's promises for you. It will dramatically enhance your disposition towards thanking him.
If you have forgotten some of them, then pray to God again to reveal them to you afresh.
Remember:
"Show me a Christian without a journal, and I'll show you a Christian that finds it hard to thank God (for what is yet to do)."
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
HOTN - ORACLES
ORACLES
In talking about oracles, I am talking about the unchangeable Word of God.
The Psalmist said (Psalm 138:2) "For You have magnified Your word above all Your name." and Isaiah reiterated the efficacy of this word, saying (Isaiah 55:11) – “it will not return void, without fulfilling the purpose for which it was sent”.
Without messing about with your intellectual head, this simple fact of ‘accomplishment’ assured me that Jesus would not have squandered His mission on earth, because He is the Word of God – the same word that must not return without fulfilling its mission.
Now, trying to live a life of ‘Thanksgiving’ requires that you know what the unchangeable Word says about thanksgiving.
There are many references to ‘Thanksgiving’ in the bible and I would implore you to be aware and responsive to these anytime you are studying the word of God, because only a few can be mentioned here.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will expound these words in your heart and grant you the grace to embrace a life immersed in ‘Thanksgiving’.
Through the whole of the bible, God’s children are advised, admonished, enjoined, beseeched etc to know, follow and do the will of God.
Jesus said
“For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35)
However, the will of God varies from situation to situation, person to person, and in this age of the Holy Spirit, is very personal (but never contradictory to God’s Word).
God, through His word has revealed different parts of His will to us; nonetheless, we just tend to be ignorant of these.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”
Other similar ‘Will of God’ include – sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), doing good (1 Peter 2:15) etc.
The word of God (oracle) says, ‘give thanks’.
In obeying the word of God:
“…….You shall make your way prosperous and have good success” (Joshua 1:8)
That brings to mind one of the famous lines of Jesus “Father I thank you”.
John 15:7
“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” - So don’t be surprised when thanksgivers thank their way into their Heritage Of The Nations.
The last hint on this post is this – there is a time factor too…. How long do you want to be in your heritage for?
1 John 2:17 “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Follow the ORACLES
“Thanksgiving is an act of obedience.” – DO IT
In talking about oracles, I am talking about the unchangeable Word of God.
The Psalmist said (Psalm 138:2) "For You have magnified Your word above all Your name." and Isaiah reiterated the efficacy of this word, saying (Isaiah 55:11) – “it will not return void, without fulfilling the purpose for which it was sent”.
Without messing about with your intellectual head, this simple fact of ‘accomplishment’ assured me that Jesus would not have squandered His mission on earth, because He is the Word of God – the same word that must not return without fulfilling its mission.
Now, trying to live a life of ‘Thanksgiving’ requires that you know what the unchangeable Word says about thanksgiving.
There are many references to ‘Thanksgiving’ in the bible and I would implore you to be aware and responsive to these anytime you are studying the word of God, because only a few can be mentioned here.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will expound these words in your heart and grant you the grace to embrace a life immersed in ‘Thanksgiving’.
Through the whole of the bible, God’s children are advised, admonished, enjoined, beseeched etc to know, follow and do the will of God.
Jesus said
“For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35)
However, the will of God varies from situation to situation, person to person, and in this age of the Holy Spirit, is very personal (but never contradictory to God’s Word).
God, through His word has revealed different parts of His will to us; nonetheless, we just tend to be ignorant of these.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”
Other similar ‘Will of God’ include – sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3), doing good (1 Peter 2:15) etc.
The word of God (oracle) says, ‘give thanks’.
In obeying the word of God:
“…….You shall make your way prosperous and have good success” (Joshua 1:8)
That brings to mind one of the famous lines of Jesus “Father I thank you”.
John 15:7
“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” - So don’t be surprised when thanksgivers thank their way into their Heritage Of The Nations.
The last hint on this post is this – there is a time factor too…. How long do you want to be in your heritage for?
1 John 2:17 “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Follow the ORACLES
“Thanksgiving is an act of obedience.” – DO IT
Sunday, December 14, 2008
HOTN - HOSPITALITY
Thanking God for what He has done is an obligation (don’t you think?). If you do something for someone, courtesy demands that the person appreciates you. If they don’t, as humans, you know what you’ll be thinking - I will not do things for the person again. If we don’t thank God for what He has done for us, it is just sheer lack of cognisance and respect. Therefore in the whole of this series, ‘Thanksgiving’ is used regarding appreciating God for who He is and for the things he is yet to do for you, not for the things He has done.
HOSTPITALITY
While I am trying to keep this series short and concise, I want to take my time to explain why this is one of the foundations of Christian living.
What exactly is hospitality?
Simply defined, Hospitality is the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly and generous way.
In relation to thanksgiving, being hospitable is saying “God, this is what you have given me, I am expecting more, but in my expectation, I am sharing and giving what I have.
If you are thanking God for what He is yet to do, then there is no better way to express your lack of faith (unbelief) than when your expectation is not followed through by a lifestyle of hospitality.
You are simply saying:
“God I am thanking you because I know you will do it, but I can’t let go of some of what you have given me because ......., well, you may not do it.
Folks, “If thanksgiving is an act of faith, Hospitality is the works behind it.”
Hospitality has nothing to do with whether you are rich or poor. Some may argue that being rich makes it easier to be hospitable, but hospitality is a mindset that shines through every ounce of our lives, irrespective of whether we have or have not.
Jesus said Mathew 25 31:44
“......for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.......”
The bible never mentioned whether or not they had more than enough to give – think about it.
In fact, when the widow of zarephath told Elijah “This meal is for me and my son to eat and then die”, Elijah said (paraphrased) If you want more, then show hospitality out of the little/lack that you have, cook for me first.
The widow obeyed – showed hospitality in the midst of lack, and abundance was given unto her. (1 kings 17: 8 - 16)
Abraham was praying to God for a child. One day, angels in the form of men were passing by on a mission to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
I would like to think they were equipped with spiritual weapons of mass destruction.
Abraham showed hospitality to them, and the angels took time out from the message of death and destruction to pronounce a blessing of life and multiplication to Abraham.
You may ask; does this really work?
Just a few hours later, Abraham’s nephew Lot, replicated the act of hospitality, and the angels ensured He was safe before they destroyed the city. We were never told whether or not Lot was asking anything from God, but through Hospitality, He was able to survive the destruction that he never knew was imminent. (Genesis 18 & 19)
I could talk about, Melchizedek the King of Salem, Rahab the harlot and David the king, who all made Hospitality their lifestyles.
If you want to live a life of thanksgiving, start showing hospitality. Again always remember:
“If thanksgiving is an act of faith, Hospitality is the works behind it.”
HOSTPITALITY
While I am trying to keep this series short and concise, I want to take my time to explain why this is one of the foundations of Christian living.
What exactly is hospitality?
Simply defined, Hospitality is the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly and generous way.
In relation to thanksgiving, being hospitable is saying “God, this is what you have given me, I am expecting more, but in my expectation, I am sharing and giving what I have.
If you are thanking God for what He is yet to do, then there is no better way to express your lack of faith (unbelief) than when your expectation is not followed through by a lifestyle of hospitality.
You are simply saying:
“God I am thanking you because I know you will do it, but I can’t let go of some of what you have given me because ......., well, you may not do it.
Folks, “If thanksgiving is an act of faith, Hospitality is the works behind it.”
Hospitality has nothing to do with whether you are rich or poor. Some may argue that being rich makes it easier to be hospitable, but hospitality is a mindset that shines through every ounce of our lives, irrespective of whether we have or have not.
Jesus said Mathew 25 31:44
“......for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.......”
The bible never mentioned whether or not they had more than enough to give – think about it.
In fact, when the widow of zarephath told Elijah “This meal is for me and my son to eat and then die”, Elijah said (paraphrased) If you want more, then show hospitality out of the little/lack that you have, cook for me first.
The widow obeyed – showed hospitality in the midst of lack, and abundance was given unto her. (1 kings 17: 8 - 16)
Abraham was praying to God for a child. One day, angels in the form of men were passing by on a mission to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
I would like to think they were equipped with spiritual weapons of mass destruction.
Abraham showed hospitality to them, and the angels took time out from the message of death and destruction to pronounce a blessing of life and multiplication to Abraham.
You may ask; does this really work?
Just a few hours later, Abraham’s nephew Lot, replicated the act of hospitality, and the angels ensured He was safe before they destroyed the city. We were never told whether or not Lot was asking anything from God, but through Hospitality, He was able to survive the destruction that he never knew was imminent. (Genesis 18 & 19)
I could talk about, Melchizedek the King of Salem, Rahab the harlot and David the king, who all made Hospitality their lifestyles.
If you want to live a life of thanksgiving, start showing hospitality. Again always remember:
“If thanksgiving is an act of faith, Hospitality is the works behind it.”
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
HOTN - Heritage Of The Nations (1)
Hello to you all and welcome to this new series on Thanksgiving.. I pray that as you take this journey, God will gracefully endow you with a heart of gratitude.
Doing God's will is our ultimate aim on earth, and brethren, this is God's will - Thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5 vs. 18)
HOSPITALITY
Hospitality should not be a ‘last card’ option, but rather, should be a daily living practice. When hospitality becomes a lifestyle, it shows a heart that is constantly thanking God. When we are warm, caring, accommodating and engage in sharing, it means we are thanking God for the things He has given us in expectation that He will do more. Hospitality was a lifestyle to Abraham’s family, and when his nephew Lot showed hospitality to the angels, God gave him more to thank Him for – surviving the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18 & 19)
to be continued...... (on monday)
Doing God's will is our ultimate aim on earth, and brethren, this is God's will - Thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5 vs. 18)
HOSPITALITY
Hospitality should not be a ‘last card’ option, but rather, should be a daily living practice. When hospitality becomes a lifestyle, it shows a heart that is constantly thanking God. When we are warm, caring, accommodating and engage in sharing, it means we are thanking God for the things He has given us in expectation that He will do more. Hospitality was a lifestyle to Abraham’s family, and when his nephew Lot showed hospitality to the angels, God gave him more to thank Him for – surviving the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18 & 19)
to be continued...... (on monday)
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Divine Wisdom (Head Service - Partiality)
Head Service (Partiality)
Simply put 'Head Service 'is running the show carnally and can be defined as
“When the agenda of man becomes the benchmark for a Godly cause”
'Head Service' in biblical terms means partiality.
As Eye Service is eating away the goodies of being a Christian, Head Service is the catalyst that encourages this obnoxious act.
Wanting to give bribe is not enough, there must be someone on the other side who would gladly or is willing to accept.
In essence, they go together, hand in hand... Head Service and Eye Service.
If the journey down wisdom lane is to go by, this is a very important reason to stay in the place of prayer until Divine wisdom is given.
Hear what the prophet said about Jesus - Isaiah 11 vs. 3 - 5
Vs 3 - "He would not judge by Head Service (paraphrased)" because the fullness of the spirit was upon him (including the Spirit of Wisdom).
If Eye Service is prominent in peer to peer and follower to leader relationships, Head Service is seen in peer to peer and leader to follower relationships.
Jesus our great shepherd was careful and equipped with enough to strike out the use and attached problems of head service.
John 8 vs. 28 – 29
“…. I do nothing of myself….The father has not left me alone, for I always do those things that please him.”
God our creator is an impartial God (Romans 2:11) who is no respecter of anyone (Acts 10:34).
Our nature as humans play a prominent role in our willingness to participate in ‘Head Service’, hence unlike some other misdoings, this requires a sober approach.
First, the bible says the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
The bible also says to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6). And you would agree that to be carnal can be simply described as to be human…to be man…And there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is destruction.
Folks, this is the destination of head service.
Why do we engage in ‘Head Service’?
1.) There is pressure on spiritual leaders to make decisions i.e. deliver....NOW, and that simply means leaders tend to act before they could hear God – be it leading a group or leading your personal life.
2.) We live in the era of grace, so the consequences of disobedience are not swiftly experienced as they probably were in the past. This probably accounts for why we don't know who is following God or their ‘Head’. Take Uzzah (2 Samuel 6: 6-7) and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 4:32-5:10) as examples.
3.) People force the Spirit out. It is different to be under pressure not to hear God, but it is criminal when we consciously block out the Holy Spirit just so He does not convict us of the things we do.
4.) People not hearing right. Not every one is guilty of fraud, but many people are ignorant about the choices make.
5.) Lack of faith. Some people hear God, think it over, but probably because what God says does not make human sense, or seem hard to achieve, they choose the option that appeals to their nature.
As earlier mentioned, it takes a sober and conscious approach to side step the traps of head service. Yes, sometimes we may fall short, but God's grace is sufficient. Stay connected to the Holy Spirit and let Divine wisdom find expression in your life.
Divine wisdom is not partial and that is what we should strive to be - impartial in our involvements on earth.
Simply put 'Head Service 'is running the show carnally and can be defined as
“When the agenda of man becomes the benchmark for a Godly cause”
'Head Service' in biblical terms means partiality.
As Eye Service is eating away the goodies of being a Christian, Head Service is the catalyst that encourages this obnoxious act.
Wanting to give bribe is not enough, there must be someone on the other side who would gladly or is willing to accept.
In essence, they go together, hand in hand... Head Service and Eye Service.
If the journey down wisdom lane is to go by, this is a very important reason to stay in the place of prayer until Divine wisdom is given.
Hear what the prophet said about Jesus - Isaiah 11 vs. 3 - 5
Vs 3 - "He would not judge by Head Service (paraphrased)" because the fullness of the spirit was upon him (including the Spirit of Wisdom).
If Eye Service is prominent in peer to peer and follower to leader relationships, Head Service is seen in peer to peer and leader to follower relationships.
Jesus our great shepherd was careful and equipped with enough to strike out the use and attached problems of head service.
John 8 vs. 28 – 29
“…. I do nothing of myself….The father has not left me alone, for I always do those things that please him.”
God our creator is an impartial God (Romans 2:11) who is no respecter of anyone (Acts 10:34).
Our nature as humans play a prominent role in our willingness to participate in ‘Head Service’, hence unlike some other misdoings, this requires a sober approach.
First, the bible says the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
The bible also says to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6). And you would agree that to be carnal can be simply described as to be human…to be man…And there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is destruction.
Folks, this is the destination of head service.
Why do we engage in ‘Head Service’?
1.) There is pressure on spiritual leaders to make decisions i.e. deliver....NOW, and that simply means leaders tend to act before they could hear God – be it leading a group or leading your personal life.
2.) We live in the era of grace, so the consequences of disobedience are not swiftly experienced as they probably were in the past. This probably accounts for why we don't know who is following God or their ‘Head’. Take Uzzah (2 Samuel 6: 6-7) and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 4:32-5:10) as examples.
3.) People force the Spirit out. It is different to be under pressure not to hear God, but it is criminal when we consciously block out the Holy Spirit just so He does not convict us of the things we do.
4.) People not hearing right. Not every one is guilty of fraud, but many people are ignorant about the choices make.
5.) Lack of faith. Some people hear God, think it over, but probably because what God says does not make human sense, or seem hard to achieve, they choose the option that appeals to their nature.
As earlier mentioned, it takes a sober and conscious approach to side step the traps of head service. Yes, sometimes we may fall short, but God's grace is sufficient. Stay connected to the Holy Spirit and let Divine wisdom find expression in your life.
Divine wisdom is not partial and that is what we should strive to be - impartial in our involvements on earth.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Divine Wisdom (Hypocrisy)
James 3 vs. 17
The Wisdom from above is without partiality and hypocrisy.
The dangers of ‘head service’ and ‘eye service’
Don’t get lost yet, eye service, you probably have heard of but head service?…hmmm, probably not.
Eye service is in itself hypocrisy. Pretending to be what you are not, especially whilst performing a form of service. Be it at work, in church, at home etc.
This series has been about spirituality (i.e. Godly/Divine wisdom) and devoid of any particular reference to how we do church, but this time, we are going to pass by church.
Church has different meanings to different people (don’t be surprised). Some people say church is a place, and some people say church is the people. The truths is, both are correct, (and before you stone me), I mean, superficially – if I am speaking grammar, church becomes a building, if I am speaking kingdom, church is the people.
From the early days, hypocrisy had been a major problem for God’s people. At a point, God said through Prophet Isaiah “This people honour me with their mouth, but their heart is far from me”.
In Jesus’ days, the Pharisees were masters of ‘eye service’. Amongst many situations, this was seen when Jesus taught about fasting. Jesus said “When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites…”
At the start of the church movement after Jesus ascension, hypocrisy was still very much in existence. The bible tells the story of Ananias and Saphira, who sold their possessions for God, but took some back. The Holy Spirit made a swift and fatal appearance.
In our today world, ‘Service’ is being hailed as what gives competitive advantage and the church is not left out, more often than not, service in church has been a straight forward route for hypocrites to operate. Hypocrisy, though widely practised, has damaging repercussions – God knows those who are His.
If you are by chance or by choice a hypocrite, then you don’t have the wisdom of God in you – FACT. The wisdom from above is without hypocrisy. Let me bring this home, if you’ve decided to get involved just so you can show people that you can do it, there is no wisdom in that.
Before Jesus fed the 5000 men + women and children, He saw their hunger for God (wanting to know Him), and He was moved with compassion. After eating, these same people sought after Jesus early the next day, but their focus had changed. Jesus said, no, you are now looking for me because of the food I gave you. They were still searching, going to church, working in departments, preaching, singing, but Jesus saw beyond that, he saw their hearts which was far away from Him…… HYPOCRISY.
How about you?
Hypocrisy can creep into our lives when we don’t pay attention to our service to God. This post is not about condemning anyone, but that through this knowledge, we might ask God for wisdom. When you open the package of wisdom, folks, there is no hypocrisy in it… and that is exactly what we need.
Divine Wisdom
The Wisdom from above is without partiality and hypocrisy.
The dangers of ‘head service’ and ‘eye service’
Don’t get lost yet, eye service, you probably have heard of but head service?…hmmm, probably not.
Eye service is in itself hypocrisy. Pretending to be what you are not, especially whilst performing a form of service. Be it at work, in church, at home etc.
This series has been about spirituality (i.e. Godly/Divine wisdom) and devoid of any particular reference to how we do church, but this time, we are going to pass by church.
Church has different meanings to different people (don’t be surprised). Some people say church is a place, and some people say church is the people. The truths is, both are correct, (and before you stone me), I mean, superficially – if I am speaking grammar, church becomes a building, if I am speaking kingdom, church is the people.
From the early days, hypocrisy had been a major problem for God’s people. At a point, God said through Prophet Isaiah “This people honour me with their mouth, but their heart is far from me”.
In Jesus’ days, the Pharisees were masters of ‘eye service’. Amongst many situations, this was seen when Jesus taught about fasting. Jesus said “When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites…”
At the start of the church movement after Jesus ascension, hypocrisy was still very much in existence. The bible tells the story of Ananias and Saphira, who sold their possessions for God, but took some back. The Holy Spirit made a swift and fatal appearance.
In our today world, ‘Service’ is being hailed as what gives competitive advantage and the church is not left out, more often than not, service in church has been a straight forward route for hypocrites to operate. Hypocrisy, though widely practised, has damaging repercussions – God knows those who are His.
If you are by chance or by choice a hypocrite, then you don’t have the wisdom of God in you – FACT. The wisdom from above is without hypocrisy. Let me bring this home, if you’ve decided to get involved just so you can show people that you can do it, there is no wisdom in that.
Before Jesus fed the 5000 men + women and children, He saw their hunger for God (wanting to know Him), and He was moved with compassion. After eating, these same people sought after Jesus early the next day, but their focus had changed. Jesus said, no, you are now looking for me because of the food I gave you. They were still searching, going to church, working in departments, preaching, singing, but Jesus saw beyond that, he saw their hearts which was far away from Him…… HYPOCRISY.
How about you?
Hypocrisy can creep into our lives when we don’t pay attention to our service to God. This post is not about condemning anyone, but that through this knowledge, we might ask God for wisdom. When you open the package of wisdom, folks, there is no hypocrisy in it… and that is exactly what we need.
Divine Wisdom
Monday, October 20, 2008
Divine Wisdom (Full of Mercy)
James 3: 17
The wisdom from above is full of mercy/compassion.
How many times have we as christians shown resentment and vengeance?
But when you have the wisdom of God, you get with it an empowerment to show compassion.
Your supernatural ability to resolve issues (divine wisdom) brings with it the innate responsibility of being moved to action (compassion).
Jesus showed compassion all through his life on earth. From healing the sick, feeding the 5 thousand and ultimately dying for you and me, and in the process praying for his killers - "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." - (Luke 23 vs. 34)
Question is, which one came first, the compassion or the wisdom?
Was Jesus naturally merciful, then wisdom added later? Or vice versa i.e. did he have wisdom, then learnt/shown to be merciful?
In Isaiah 11 vs. 1-2, the bible tells us of the 7 Spirits of God that will rest on Jesus. Included in this list is the Spirit of Wisdom, but the fullness of the Holy Spirit came after he was water baptised, so before then, did he lack wisdom... And hence compassion?
The bible tells us in Luke that the child grew in strength and wisdom. Whaoooo!!!!!!!!! (Luke 2 vs. 52)
Jesus, from an early age received the wisdom from above (the same wisdom that is full of mercy.)
From that age, he grew up being merciful. That same wisdom is available to you. James 1 vs. 5 says if any lack wisdom, let him ask.
If you want to know how to be merciful, then this wisdom is what you need because it is full of mercy. With this wisdom, that one sheep becomes important, you see the Zacchaeus on the tree, and you get a revived compassion for the lost souls.
The wisdom from above is full of mercy/compassion.
How many times have we as christians shown resentment and vengeance?
But when you have the wisdom of God, you get with it an empowerment to show compassion.
Your supernatural ability to resolve issues (divine wisdom) brings with it the innate responsibility of being moved to action (compassion).
Jesus showed compassion all through his life on earth. From healing the sick, feeding the 5 thousand and ultimately dying for you and me, and in the process praying for his killers - "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." - (Luke 23 vs. 34)
Question is, which one came first, the compassion or the wisdom?
Was Jesus naturally merciful, then wisdom added later? Or vice versa i.e. did he have wisdom, then learnt/shown to be merciful?
In Isaiah 11 vs. 1-2, the bible tells us of the 7 Spirits of God that will rest on Jesus. Included in this list is the Spirit of Wisdom, but the fullness of the Holy Spirit came after he was water baptised, so before then, did he lack wisdom... And hence compassion?
The bible tells us in Luke that the child grew in strength and wisdom. Whaoooo!!!!!!!!! (Luke 2 vs. 52)
Jesus, from an early age received the wisdom from above (the same wisdom that is full of mercy.)
From that age, he grew up being merciful. That same wisdom is available to you. James 1 vs. 5 says if any lack wisdom, let him ask.
If you want to know how to be merciful, then this wisdom is what you need because it is full of mercy. With this wisdom, that one sheep becomes important, you see the Zacchaeus on the tree, and you get a revived compassion for the lost souls.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Divine Wisdom (Willing to Yield)
The wisdom from above is... “Willing to yield”. James 3 vs. 17
Some other translations use words like “reasonable”, easily entreated”, “submissive”, “and sensible”.
At first encounter, I was confused to learn about divine wisdom that is submissive.
How can the ultimate solution to any problem be submissive and submissive to what exactly?
It is not imaginable that the divine wisdom we crave has a characteristic of “willing to yield”.
Still mesmerized by this revelation, I paused to think, who could possibly make divine wisdom surrender?
I took a stern look at the life of Jesus, described as the “wisdom and power” of God and who is “from above”, to see if I can phantom what it means for wisdom to be ‘submissive’.
On quite a number of occasions, this wisdom (Jesus) epitomised what it means to be submissive. Paul described him in Philippians “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant”.
In Luke 23, Pilate asked him “are you the king of the Jews”, Jesus answered “It is as you say”.
I am sure, if I am the one, I would have given Pilate a piece of my mind.... exactly the reason why I need the Jesus kind of wisdom.
But I still think it goes against the norm if the solution that I know is effective has to “yield” to any other thing. Exactly how am I suppose to live with that?
This however is exactly what divine wisdom is about – yielding to God the giver.
Can you be patient enough not to spill the beans before God sanctions it? Can you trust God to be accurate concerning the execution of the idea He gave you?
The wisdom from above is divine, yet submissive, i.e. is constantly waiting for orders from God. Jesus confirmed, “I can only do the things I see my father do”.
Well, submissive wisdom exemplified. So should yours be.
Some other translations use words like “reasonable”, easily entreated”, “submissive”, “and sensible”.
At first encounter, I was confused to learn about divine wisdom that is submissive.
How can the ultimate solution to any problem be submissive and submissive to what exactly?
It is not imaginable that the divine wisdom we crave has a characteristic of “willing to yield”.
Still mesmerized by this revelation, I paused to think, who could possibly make divine wisdom surrender?
I took a stern look at the life of Jesus, described as the “wisdom and power” of God and who is “from above”, to see if I can phantom what it means for wisdom to be ‘submissive’.
On quite a number of occasions, this wisdom (Jesus) epitomised what it means to be submissive. Paul described him in Philippians “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant”.
In Luke 23, Pilate asked him “are you the king of the Jews”, Jesus answered “It is as you say”.
I am sure, if I am the one, I would have given Pilate a piece of my mind.... exactly the reason why I need the Jesus kind of wisdom.
But I still think it goes against the norm if the solution that I know is effective has to “yield” to any other thing. Exactly how am I suppose to live with that?
This however is exactly what divine wisdom is about – yielding to God the giver.
Can you be patient enough not to spill the beans before God sanctions it? Can you trust God to be accurate concerning the execution of the idea He gave you?
The wisdom from above is divine, yet submissive, i.e. is constantly waiting for orders from God. Jesus confirmed, “I can only do the things I see my father do”.
Well, submissive wisdom exemplified. So should yours be.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Divine Wisdom (Gentle)
Over the past few weeks, I have been posting about the attributes of divine wisdom as written in James 3 vs. 17.
“The wisdom from above is... gentle...”
Gentleness is not only packaged with wisdom, it is also a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5 vs. 22). This tells us that as Spirit filled Christians, we have to be gentle.
Being gentle should not be associated with being slow or sloppy. To be gentle is to be careful, show kindness and pay attention to detail.
Ladies have a way of coining that phrase “he’s so gentle”... but I will be surprised if they are referring to Jesus.
Jesus said about Himself “..... I am gentle and humble in heart....” (Matthew 11:29)
The bible bears witness to a wisdom filled Jesus express gentleness as never experienced before.
On the night of Jesus’ arrest, after he had been betrayed by one of his disciples, and another disciple tried defending Him by cutting off the High Priest’s servants ear.
In the midst of the chaos, Jesus said “...No more of this” and he touched the servants ear and healed him.
We also have been anointed of the Holy One, we have the Spirit of God on the inside, and therefore we are gentle.
It does not matter what people have said about your character, tell yourself that was in the past. If you are born again you have the Spirit of God on the inside.... that means you are gentle on the inside and it high time you start expressing that gentleness on the outside.
Remember Divine Wisdom is gentle, if you can’t find gentleness in that solution... Please have a good look again... it might not be Divine.
“...Wisdom puts light in the eyes, And gives gentleness to words and manners...”
(Ecclesiastes 8:1) (The Message)
“The wisdom from above is... gentle...”
Gentleness is not only packaged with wisdom, it is also a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5 vs. 22). This tells us that as Spirit filled Christians, we have to be gentle.
Being gentle should not be associated with being slow or sloppy. To be gentle is to be careful, show kindness and pay attention to detail.
Ladies have a way of coining that phrase “he’s so gentle”... but I will be surprised if they are referring to Jesus.
Jesus said about Himself “..... I am gentle and humble in heart....” (Matthew 11:29)
The bible bears witness to a wisdom filled Jesus express gentleness as never experienced before.
On the night of Jesus’ arrest, after he had been betrayed by one of his disciples, and another disciple tried defending Him by cutting off the High Priest’s servants ear.
In the midst of the chaos, Jesus said “...No more of this” and he touched the servants ear and healed him.
We also have been anointed of the Holy One, we have the Spirit of God on the inside, and therefore we are gentle.
It does not matter what people have said about your character, tell yourself that was in the past. If you are born again you have the Spirit of God on the inside.... that means you are gentle on the inside and it high time you start expressing that gentleness on the outside.
Remember Divine Wisdom is gentle, if you can’t find gentleness in that solution... Please have a good look again... it might not be Divine.
“...Wisdom puts light in the eyes, And gives gentleness to words and manners...”
(Ecclesiastes 8:1) (The Message)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
DIVINE WISDOM (PEACEABLE)
James 3 vs. 17
“The wisdom from above is ….. Peaceable….”… or peace loving….” ……or peaceful...”
Whenever we think about wisdom, one of the first things that come to mind is “resolution without conflict”, the ability to solve complex problems or make seemingly impossible decisions in a peaceful way.
Peace follows on the trail of wisdom and it is not surprising because the wisdom from above as in James 3 vs. 17 is peace loving. As mentioned in an earlier post (PURE), divine wisdom comes in the form of instructions or revelations from God concerning a matter. An evidence of hearing right is something termed the “Inner Peace”. There may be trouble around, or the situation may be chaotic, but Godly instructions (divine wisdom) releases peace into the heart.
In 2 chronicles 20, some nations colluded to fight against Judah. After the people sought the Lord, He responded:
2 chronicles 20 vs. 14 - 17
The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16Tomorrow go down to them. Behold, they will come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
King Jehoshaphat believed when God said “you will not need to fight in this battle”. An inner peace came into the heart of the people and this was evident when on the morning of the battle, they started singing praises unto God their deliverer.
Divine Wisdom does not just give peace on the inside. In the long term Divine wisdom also gives peace for all to see. Many a time, we wrongly assume that all God’s strategy will be in constant conflict with the physical world.
It is true that the bible says “God’s ways are different from our ways and His thought different from our thought”, but in the end, when we follow God’s leading, everything comes together in harmony. There will be an evidence of peaceful existence.
Wisdom says this about herself:
Proverbs 8 vs. 22 - 30
The Lord formed and brought me [Wisdom] forth at the beginning of His way, before His acts of old.
I [Wisdom] was inaugurated and ordained from everlasting, from the beginning, before ever the earth existed.
When there were no deeps, I was brought forth, when there were no fountains laden with water.
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth,
While as yet He had not made the land or the fields or the first of the dust of the earth.
When He prepared the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; when He drew a circle upon the face of the deep and stretched out the firmament over it,
When He made firm the skies above, when He established the fountains of the deep,
When He gave to the sea its limit and His decree that the waters should not transgress [across the boundaries set by] His command, when He appointed the foundations of the earth--
Then I [Wisdom] was beside Him as a master and director of the work; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always,
Wisdom testifies to the peacefulness that reigns alongside her. The cosmos refers to a universe that is a complete, harmonious, and orderly system. . The physical world responds to the peace that divine wisdom brings as seen in creation.
In proverbs 16 vs. 7 the bible says
When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
A man whose ways please the lord is a man who walks uprightly with God…. And
….. No good thing will He (God) withhold from those who walk uprightly…..(Psalm 84 vs. 11)
Hence, if your ways please the lord, He will reveal things to you and give you divine wisdom which ensures peaceful living even among your enemies.
In 1 kings 3, King Solomon asked for wisdom, knowledge and understanding at the start of his reign and God gave him a wise and understanding heart.
This is an account of Solomon’s reign as king of Israel
1 kings 4 vs. 24 - 25
For he had dominion over all the region west of the [Euphrates] River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River, and he had peace on all sides around him.
Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all of Solomon's days.
The wisdom from above has a peaceful attribute. It not only gives an inner peace that enables us to trust and obey God, it also ensures an outward peace that provides evidence of our relationship with God even “our enemies will end up shaking our hand”.
“The wisdom from above is ….. Peaceable….”… or peace loving….” ……or peaceful...”
Whenever we think about wisdom, one of the first things that come to mind is “resolution without conflict”, the ability to solve complex problems or make seemingly impossible decisions in a peaceful way.
Peace follows on the trail of wisdom and it is not surprising because the wisdom from above as in James 3 vs. 17 is peace loving. As mentioned in an earlier post (PURE), divine wisdom comes in the form of instructions or revelations from God concerning a matter. An evidence of hearing right is something termed the “Inner Peace”. There may be trouble around, or the situation may be chaotic, but Godly instructions (divine wisdom) releases peace into the heart.
In 2 chronicles 20, some nations colluded to fight against Judah. After the people sought the Lord, He responded:
2 chronicles 20 vs. 14 - 17
The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16Tomorrow go down to them. Behold, they will come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
King Jehoshaphat believed when God said “you will not need to fight in this battle”. An inner peace came into the heart of the people and this was evident when on the morning of the battle, they started singing praises unto God their deliverer.
Divine Wisdom does not just give peace on the inside. In the long term Divine wisdom also gives peace for all to see. Many a time, we wrongly assume that all God’s strategy will be in constant conflict with the physical world.
It is true that the bible says “God’s ways are different from our ways and His thought different from our thought”, but in the end, when we follow God’s leading, everything comes together in harmony. There will be an evidence of peaceful existence.
Wisdom says this about herself:
Proverbs 8 vs. 22 - 30
The Lord formed and brought me [Wisdom] forth at the beginning of His way, before His acts of old.
I [Wisdom] was inaugurated and ordained from everlasting, from the beginning, before ever the earth existed.
When there were no deeps, I was brought forth, when there were no fountains laden with water.
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth,
While as yet He had not made the land or the fields or the first of the dust of the earth.
When He prepared the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; when He drew a circle upon the face of the deep and stretched out the firmament over it,
When He made firm the skies above, when He established the fountains of the deep,
When He gave to the sea its limit and His decree that the waters should not transgress [across the boundaries set by] His command, when He appointed the foundations of the earth--
Then I [Wisdom] was beside Him as a master and director of the work; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always,
Wisdom testifies to the peacefulness that reigns alongside her. The cosmos refers to a universe that is a complete, harmonious, and orderly system. . The physical world responds to the peace that divine wisdom brings as seen in creation.
In proverbs 16 vs. 7 the bible says
When a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
A man whose ways please the lord is a man who walks uprightly with God…. And
….. No good thing will He (God) withhold from those who walk uprightly…..(Psalm 84 vs. 11)
Hence, if your ways please the lord, He will reveal things to you and give you divine wisdom which ensures peaceful living even among your enemies.
In 1 kings 3, King Solomon asked for wisdom, knowledge and understanding at the start of his reign and God gave him a wise and understanding heart.
This is an account of Solomon’s reign as king of Israel
1 kings 4 vs. 24 - 25
For he had dominion over all the region west of the [Euphrates] River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River, and he had peace on all sides around him.
Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all of Solomon's days.
The wisdom from above has a peaceful attribute. It not only gives an inner peace that enables us to trust and obey God, it also ensures an outward peace that provides evidence of our relationship with God even “our enemies will end up shaking our hand”.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
DIVINE WISDOM (PURE)
James 3 vs 17
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."
In the next few weeks, I will be blogging on divine wisdom. The core scriptural text is James 3 vs. 17.
It tells of the characteristics or attributes of divine wisdom and importantly how it differs from worldy wisdom.
Each of this attributes will be touched on, the need for us to use them as benchmarks for the wisdom we have conerning the obstacles we face and the things we need to do or not do for optimum results when implementint divine wisdom.
This post takes on the attribute of divine wisdom PURITY
PURE
The amplified bible says the wisdom from above is "undefiled".
On quite a number of grounds, we can confirm the truth in the purity of the wisdom from above. Because this wisdom is from above, it is from God, it is divine hence it is pure.
God will not give impure things. He is a Holy God.
"Be ye holy as I am holy” (1 Peter 1 vs. 16)
1John 3 vs. 1-3
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
God who is holy and pure is the source and giver of divine wisdom (James 1 vs. 5). Divine wisdom comes from receiving instructions from God concerning a matter. A major avenue for receiving divine instructions is through the word of God, both the rhema (spoken) word and the logos (written) word.
The whole world was formed by the spoken word and in Timothy the written word is described thus:
(2 Timothy 3 vs. 15b - 17)
“and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The psalmist tells us something about this word in Psalm 12 vs. 6
"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."
In the opening scripture in James 3 vs. 17, the writer James gave us the attributes of the wisdom that is from above. This attributes are there to guide us in examining the kind of wisdom that we profess to possess.
Is the wisdom you claim to have concerning that matter pure?
Have you decided to get things done by hook or crook and intend to normalize it with a testimony at the end?
Or have you diluted the divine wisdom that God has given you?
The wisdom from above is pure, but can the same be said of the wisdom we implement.
Maintaining the purity of God’s instructions/revelation (i.e. Wisdom) from reception (from the time God gave us the instructions or showed us the revelation) to implementation (when we act based on what God has shown us) is our duty.
There are examples of people in the bible who through their actions contaminated the wisdom that God gave them.
Moses is a great man of God who had the privilege of speaking with God directly. At a point in the journey from Egypt to the promise land, the children of Israel started murmuring about their lack of water. As a leader, Moses was in a difficult position, and he prayed to God for help. God, the source of divine wisdom told Moses what he needed to do.
Numbers 20 vs 8
“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”
As pure as this wisdom was at reception, things changed when it got to the implementation of the divine wisdom.
In verse 11
“Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.”
Moses contaminated the wisdom with his anger. Instead of speaking to the rock as instructed, he struck the rock twice. Water still came out and the people drank, and to the people, Moses would have looked like a superhero, but God was not impressed. In fact, that action cost him entry into the promise land.
Verse 12
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
How can we ensure the continued purity of God's wisdom?
Have a pure heart....
It will minimise our human tendencies to contaminate the pure wisdom from above.
Matthew 5 vs. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Pursue holiness….
Hebrew 12 vs. 14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Divine wisdom is only possible when we have access to God and holiness becomes a prerequisite.
Don't settle for rough signals....
You may have started small in the business of hearing from God or knowing the mind of God but don't stay small.... Improve your reception. There is a possibility for us to not get the full picture of what God is showing us or saying to us. In the book of Jeremiah, God asked the prophet to look and the prophet described what he saw.... And God responded "you have seen well".... Meaning there was a chance for the prophet to have seen wrongly.
Be willing to obey…
Samuel told Saul “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. Sacrifice most of the time is a reactive measure to purify something that has been contaminated. We should strive to get to the place where God’s wisdom is kept pure so we wouldn’t have to resolve to sacrifices.
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."
In the next few weeks, I will be blogging on divine wisdom. The core scriptural text is James 3 vs. 17.
It tells of the characteristics or attributes of divine wisdom and importantly how it differs from worldy wisdom.
Each of this attributes will be touched on, the need for us to use them as benchmarks for the wisdom we have conerning the obstacles we face and the things we need to do or not do for optimum results when implementint divine wisdom.
This post takes on the attribute of divine wisdom PURITY
PURE
The amplified bible says the wisdom from above is "undefiled".
On quite a number of grounds, we can confirm the truth in the purity of the wisdom from above. Because this wisdom is from above, it is from God, it is divine hence it is pure.
God will not give impure things. He is a Holy God.
"Be ye holy as I am holy” (1 Peter 1 vs. 16)
1John 3 vs. 1-3
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
God who is holy and pure is the source and giver of divine wisdom (James 1 vs. 5). Divine wisdom comes from receiving instructions from God concerning a matter. A major avenue for receiving divine instructions is through the word of God, both the rhema (spoken) word and the logos (written) word.
The whole world was formed by the spoken word and in Timothy the written word is described thus:
(2 Timothy 3 vs. 15b - 17)
“and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The psalmist tells us something about this word in Psalm 12 vs. 6
"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."
In the opening scripture in James 3 vs. 17, the writer James gave us the attributes of the wisdom that is from above. This attributes are there to guide us in examining the kind of wisdom that we profess to possess.
Is the wisdom you claim to have concerning that matter pure?
Have you decided to get things done by hook or crook and intend to normalize it with a testimony at the end?
Or have you diluted the divine wisdom that God has given you?
The wisdom from above is pure, but can the same be said of the wisdom we implement.
Maintaining the purity of God’s instructions/revelation (i.e. Wisdom) from reception (from the time God gave us the instructions or showed us the revelation) to implementation (when we act based on what God has shown us) is our duty.
There are examples of people in the bible who through their actions contaminated the wisdom that God gave them.
Moses is a great man of God who had the privilege of speaking with God directly. At a point in the journey from Egypt to the promise land, the children of Israel started murmuring about their lack of water. As a leader, Moses was in a difficult position, and he prayed to God for help. God, the source of divine wisdom told Moses what he needed to do.
Numbers 20 vs 8
“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”
As pure as this wisdom was at reception, things changed when it got to the implementation of the divine wisdom.
In verse 11
“Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.”
Moses contaminated the wisdom with his anger. Instead of speaking to the rock as instructed, he struck the rock twice. Water still came out and the people drank, and to the people, Moses would have looked like a superhero, but God was not impressed. In fact, that action cost him entry into the promise land.
Verse 12
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
How can we ensure the continued purity of God's wisdom?
Have a pure heart....
It will minimise our human tendencies to contaminate the pure wisdom from above.
Matthew 5 vs. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Pursue holiness….
Hebrew 12 vs. 14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Divine wisdom is only possible when we have access to God and holiness becomes a prerequisite.
Don't settle for rough signals....
You may have started small in the business of hearing from God or knowing the mind of God but don't stay small.... Improve your reception. There is a possibility for us to not get the full picture of what God is showing us or saying to us. In the book of Jeremiah, God asked the prophet to look and the prophet described what he saw.... And God responded "you have seen well".... Meaning there was a chance for the prophet to have seen wrongly.
Be willing to obey…
Samuel told Saul “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. Sacrifice most of the time is a reactive measure to purify something that has been contaminated. We should strive to get to the place where God’s wisdom is kept pure so we wouldn’t have to resolve to sacrifices.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
WAR 6 (Winning Mentality)
The fnal installment of this series touches on possessing the mindset of a winner. As we battle our way through each day, knowing, believing and doing all we can to win is necessary for survival.
While growing up, there are few things I hear older people talk about. Financial Issues, relationships, et cetera. While these discussions were hard to fully understand, one that really baffles me is when they advise us (the younger ones) and they talk about us having a winning mentality.
How do you get a winning mentality?... I really didn’t know but from what they say to us, I guess they couldn’t explain beyond words like, don’t give up or hang in there.
Sadly and blindly, I’ve always tried to do just that i.e. never giving up, giving it a go, hanging in there, trying not to be discouraged...... until an incident happened.
Some time ago, I was who I was (gentle, nice, never looking for trouble) and one day I got involved with one of the big guys in school.
He wanted to play football and asked me to look after his clothes for him. I kindly expressed my inability to do just that as I won’t be staying long enough.
I left the field shortly after and later in the day, the big guy came looking for me asking for his wrist watch. It isn’t with me I replied but he wasn’t going to have any of it, and neither was I. This is a battle I have to win because I told him I wasn’t gonna look after his stuff. After a few minutes of argument, I realised that winning this battle of words isn’t gonna be easy. Not long after, my bravery to stand up to him turned into fear, things are really heating up, and this guy will not hesitate to beat me black and blue if required, and surely I’m no match for him.
I was never going to win this...... I thought to myself
“I give you a week to produce my wrist-watch, if not, life will be tough for you in this school” so he said.
This is boarding school.... there’s nowhere to hide and truly if this guy says life will be hard, I knew he wasn’t lying.
Anyways, my winning mentality kind of failed me and really put me into trouble. A week later, I produced a wrist watch that my dad had to buy to stop the harassment or rather what some will call bullying.
Now that I’m older, I’ve realised that knowing when to fight, when not to fight, when to be silent, or when to speak, when to run or when to hide, when to be smart and when to be foolish all constitutes the makeup of a winning mentality.
In short, knowing what you need to do to win is testimony to your possession of the winning mentality.
Sometime ago, I was glued to my TV watching an episode of prison break. In the prison series, there’s a man who is constantly bullied and maltreated by the other inmates. Things got from bad to worse when he was challenged to fight one of the big guys.
The rule of engagement simply states
“Two people go into the ring, but only one person comes out alive”. Who that person will be was reasonably clear from the outset.
The fight started and not too long after, the bullied man prevailed. His winning move was a deadly upper court that knocked the big guy out.
All of a sudden, he’s become a hero, liberated himself from the hand of other bullies. He is now to be respected, left alone to leave a peaceful life. He can now walk through the prison yard with his head held high, his future as an inmate is starting to look bright.
But all the goodies of this hard fought victory never came to materialise simply because this man blew his chance of living a victorious life.
He won the battle by a piece of trickery. He had a piece of cloth that was soaked in a chemical that causes dizziness. So while he was fighting, the chance he was looking for was to get close to the big guy and stuff the cloth close to his nostrils, this will make him dizzy and then he can beat him. The plan worked, but once the fight was over, the man failed to protect the secret of his success.
He carelessly dropped the piece of cloth, another inmate found it and walked up to him letting him know that he knows the secrete of his success, and that if he didn’t answer to him henceforth, he’ll let everyone know how he won.
In other words, barely seconds after the victory, the bullied man was back to his original state. Fear crept back into his life and his hard earned victory was taken away from him.
It became very obvious that he lacked the winning mentality.
Winning mentality makes you grind results out, even when loosing. It makes you hold on to your victories and liberates you from the grips of failure.
Every sustained winner possesses a large portion of this winning mentality. However, like the older people that I’ve listened to, finding a definition for it is still a big task majorly because the things that spur us on differ from person to person.
Some people get the inspiration to win from other people, or from experience, or from a seemingly bad situation.
As Christians, God’s word says
“He that is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even or faith”
Note the word “overcomes”- talking about a position of continuous victory by our faith.
Remember:
Overcomers are God lovers, God lovers are faith users, Faith users must be God pleasers.
FINAL NOTE:
In this series, I've posted about Self Discipline, Purpose, Integrity, Sustenance, Know Yourself and Winning Mentality. These I believe are key ingredients amongst others that we need to live victorious lives daily.
While growing up, there are few things I hear older people talk about. Financial Issues, relationships, et cetera. While these discussions were hard to fully understand, one that really baffles me is when they advise us (the younger ones) and they talk about us having a winning mentality.
How do you get a winning mentality?... I really didn’t know but from what they say to us, I guess they couldn’t explain beyond words like, don’t give up or hang in there.
Sadly and blindly, I’ve always tried to do just that i.e. never giving up, giving it a go, hanging in there, trying not to be discouraged...... until an incident happened.
Some time ago, I was who I was (gentle, nice, never looking for trouble) and one day I got involved with one of the big guys in school.
He wanted to play football and asked me to look after his clothes for him. I kindly expressed my inability to do just that as I won’t be staying long enough.
I left the field shortly after and later in the day, the big guy came looking for me asking for his wrist watch. It isn’t with me I replied but he wasn’t going to have any of it, and neither was I. This is a battle I have to win because I told him I wasn’t gonna look after his stuff. After a few minutes of argument, I realised that winning this battle of words isn’t gonna be easy. Not long after, my bravery to stand up to him turned into fear, things are really heating up, and this guy will not hesitate to beat me black and blue if required, and surely I’m no match for him.
I was never going to win this...... I thought to myself
“I give you a week to produce my wrist-watch, if not, life will be tough for you in this school” so he said.
This is boarding school.... there’s nowhere to hide and truly if this guy says life will be hard, I knew he wasn’t lying.
Anyways, my winning mentality kind of failed me and really put me into trouble. A week later, I produced a wrist watch that my dad had to buy to stop the harassment or rather what some will call bullying.
Now that I’m older, I’ve realised that knowing when to fight, when not to fight, when to be silent, or when to speak, when to run or when to hide, when to be smart and when to be foolish all constitutes the makeup of a winning mentality.
In short, knowing what you need to do to win is testimony to your possession of the winning mentality.
Sometime ago, I was glued to my TV watching an episode of prison break. In the prison series, there’s a man who is constantly bullied and maltreated by the other inmates. Things got from bad to worse when he was challenged to fight one of the big guys.
The rule of engagement simply states
“Two people go into the ring, but only one person comes out alive”. Who that person will be was reasonably clear from the outset.
The fight started and not too long after, the bullied man prevailed. His winning move was a deadly upper court that knocked the big guy out.
All of a sudden, he’s become a hero, liberated himself from the hand of other bullies. He is now to be respected, left alone to leave a peaceful life. He can now walk through the prison yard with his head held high, his future as an inmate is starting to look bright.
But all the goodies of this hard fought victory never came to materialise simply because this man blew his chance of living a victorious life.
He won the battle by a piece of trickery. He had a piece of cloth that was soaked in a chemical that causes dizziness. So while he was fighting, the chance he was looking for was to get close to the big guy and stuff the cloth close to his nostrils, this will make him dizzy and then he can beat him. The plan worked, but once the fight was over, the man failed to protect the secret of his success.
He carelessly dropped the piece of cloth, another inmate found it and walked up to him letting him know that he knows the secrete of his success, and that if he didn’t answer to him henceforth, he’ll let everyone know how he won.
In other words, barely seconds after the victory, the bullied man was back to his original state. Fear crept back into his life and his hard earned victory was taken away from him.
It became very obvious that he lacked the winning mentality.
Winning mentality makes you grind results out, even when loosing. It makes you hold on to your victories and liberates you from the grips of failure.
Every sustained winner possesses a large portion of this winning mentality. However, like the older people that I’ve listened to, finding a definition for it is still a big task majorly because the things that spur us on differ from person to person.
Some people get the inspiration to win from other people, or from experience, or from a seemingly bad situation.
As Christians, God’s word says
“He that is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even or faith”
Note the word “overcomes”- talking about a position of continuous victory by our faith.
Remember:
Overcomers are God lovers, God lovers are faith users, Faith users must be God pleasers.
FINAL NOTE:
In this series, I've posted about Self Discipline, Purpose, Integrity, Sustenance, Know Yourself and Winning Mentality. These I believe are key ingredients amongst others that we need to live victorious lives daily.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
WAR 5 (Know Yourself)
The difference between defeat and victory sometimes lie in what we know about ourselves.
Not long ago, I was having a chat with a very respectable man. He shared a story about his starting days undertaking his PhD research work. His supervisor had requested he wrote an academic paper for presentation. He wasn’t prepared neither was he equipped to do that which was being asked of him, so he gave it his best shot and gave it to the supervisor.
The supervisor was very disappointed at the paper and made it clear that it was so bad that it would go into his file and would ultimately serve as a negative mark.
While recounting the story, the man told me he didn’t object to the supervisor’s comments because he was aware of his ability. He said “I couldn’t do much, at the stage where I was then, that was the best I could do”.
Rather than allow the situation to have a negative effect on him, he worked at improving who he was when it came to writing academic papers. About a few months later, the same opportunity presented itself and he went to the supervisor asking for permission to re-present the paper.
His second submission was outstanding that he flew outside of the country to present it in a conference.
In Genesis 22, Abraham found himself in a position that requires a huge amount of confidence in his belief in God. He had to know (i.e. remember) who he is in God.
God had given Abraham a near impossible task to sacrifice his only son (the same one he waited almost 100 years before having) to Him.
Abraham then obediently sets out on this very depressing journey….. only difference is, Abraham was not depressed at all.
In vs.7 Isaac questioned the absence of a ram for the sacrifice but Abraham’s reply showed us that he knows God is in control over his life.
Vs. 8 “And Abraham said, my son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering”
When you start showing signs of success, life, people and situations will start questioning who you are. No one questions the people on the loosing team (Apart from Sir Alan Sugar)….
In our quest for winning everyday battles, we need to devote time into knowing who we really are. Lack of personal knowledge undermines our ability to reap maximum benefit from fighting.
So at work, you struggle to get your voice heard, but after constant top of the range performance and impeccable hard work, you were given a platform to express yourself……..then …. You can’t define yourself… what a waste of effort that would have been.
If you call yourself a Christian (i.e. Christ follower) stammering when your identity is called into question places you on the platform of defeat... (Long before the battle commences).
Jesus during His time on earth was constantly questioned about who He was, what He knows and how He does the things He does.
Jesus was still reeling from a victorious ride into Jerusalem when His identity was called into question (Matthew 21). Firstly by a situation that can best be represented by a “state of being” and second by people.
First: (Matthew 21 vs. 18)
"Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered."
What a master we have in Jesus, He placed an embargo on the production capacity of the fig tree that failed to give him food.
To me, what Jesus said did not sound like prayer…. (Well not the kind I know anyway) but when His disciples marvelled, He told them
“if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Basically, when Jesus said “May you never bear fruit again”, He was praying and the result of the prayer was instant and He said we can do the same….. Oooops.... and whaoooo
I’ve heard people tell me whenever I speak to something not human that it couldn’t hear me… well, I know who I am and as long as I am in Christ, faith filled and prayer"FULL"…
I will speak a thing and it will be established.
So as believers we need to start speaking to those seemingly inanimate things…. Cos they really do hear…. That is who you are.
Second: (Matthew 21 vs 23)
"Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"
After the fig tree did its part, it was human’s turn to challenge Jesus. Jesus’ response was intriguing; He also asked them a question that got them confused:
Vs. 27
So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
In a chain of events after his victorious entry into Jerusalem, Jesus stamped his authority in sustaining His victory.
Not just has Jesus shown us who we are in him…..now we can go about speaking to those things and people that are challenging us or will challenge us.
Next time you are thrown in the spotlight, handle the microphone, need to give a talk, , or faced with a problem or difficulty, remember to let the light of who you are in God shine through.
With your fighting ability, success will come, but can you stand the questions of identity?
Errrm….errrrm….errrrm….errrrm….. is not good enough…. You can simply say…
I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5 vs. 21).
Many people might not understand that….. But you do….. And that’s what matters......
Not long ago, I was having a chat with a very respectable man. He shared a story about his starting days undertaking his PhD research work. His supervisor had requested he wrote an academic paper for presentation. He wasn’t prepared neither was he equipped to do that which was being asked of him, so he gave it his best shot and gave it to the supervisor.
The supervisor was very disappointed at the paper and made it clear that it was so bad that it would go into his file and would ultimately serve as a negative mark.
While recounting the story, the man told me he didn’t object to the supervisor’s comments because he was aware of his ability. He said “I couldn’t do much, at the stage where I was then, that was the best I could do”.
Rather than allow the situation to have a negative effect on him, he worked at improving who he was when it came to writing academic papers. About a few months later, the same opportunity presented itself and he went to the supervisor asking for permission to re-present the paper.
His second submission was outstanding that he flew outside of the country to present it in a conference.
In Genesis 22, Abraham found himself in a position that requires a huge amount of confidence in his belief in God. He had to know (i.e. remember) who he is in God.
God had given Abraham a near impossible task to sacrifice his only son (the same one he waited almost 100 years before having) to Him.
Abraham then obediently sets out on this very depressing journey….. only difference is, Abraham was not depressed at all.
In vs.7 Isaac questioned the absence of a ram for the sacrifice but Abraham’s reply showed us that he knows God is in control over his life.
Vs. 8 “And Abraham said, my son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering”
When you start showing signs of success, life, people and situations will start questioning who you are. No one questions the people on the loosing team (Apart from Sir Alan Sugar)….
In our quest for winning everyday battles, we need to devote time into knowing who we really are. Lack of personal knowledge undermines our ability to reap maximum benefit from fighting.
So at work, you struggle to get your voice heard, but after constant top of the range performance and impeccable hard work, you were given a platform to express yourself……..then …. You can’t define yourself… what a waste of effort that would have been.
If you call yourself a Christian (i.e. Christ follower) stammering when your identity is called into question places you on the platform of defeat... (Long before the battle commences).
Jesus during His time on earth was constantly questioned about who He was, what He knows and how He does the things He does.
Jesus was still reeling from a victorious ride into Jerusalem when His identity was called into question (Matthew 21). Firstly by a situation that can best be represented by a “state of being” and second by people.
First: (Matthew 21 vs. 18)
"Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered."
What a master we have in Jesus, He placed an embargo on the production capacity of the fig tree that failed to give him food.
To me, what Jesus said did not sound like prayer…. (Well not the kind I know anyway) but when His disciples marvelled, He told them
“if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Basically, when Jesus said “May you never bear fruit again”, He was praying and the result of the prayer was instant and He said we can do the same….. Oooops.... and whaoooo
I’ve heard people tell me whenever I speak to something not human that it couldn’t hear me… well, I know who I am and as long as I am in Christ, faith filled and prayer"FULL"…
I will speak a thing and it will be established.
So as believers we need to start speaking to those seemingly inanimate things…. Cos they really do hear…. That is who you are.
Second: (Matthew 21 vs 23)
"Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"
After the fig tree did its part, it was human’s turn to challenge Jesus. Jesus’ response was intriguing; He also asked them a question that got them confused:
Vs. 27
So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
In a chain of events after his victorious entry into Jerusalem, Jesus stamped his authority in sustaining His victory.
Not just has Jesus shown us who we are in him…..now we can go about speaking to those things and people that are challenging us or will challenge us.
Next time you are thrown in the spotlight, handle the microphone, need to give a talk, , or faced with a problem or difficulty, remember to let the light of who you are in God shine through.
With your fighting ability, success will come, but can you stand the questions of identity?
Errrm….errrrm….errrrm….errrrm….. is not good enough…. You can simply say…
I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5 vs. 21).
Many people might not understand that….. But you do….. And that’s what matters......
Thursday, April 17, 2008
WARFARE 4 (Sustenance)
The common saying goes thus "Getting to the top is hard, staying at the top is even harder"
Sustenance is a significant part of every warfare. At first sight, we may take this as provisions or edibles or materials that are needed to wage a good war, but rather I’m talking about maintaining or sustaining the gained victory.
In the last three post, I've talked about self-discipline, purpose and integrity as things we need to wage a good war and to come out victorious.
Using these three things, we can start fighting our way to victory, but also, we should not be involved with or do things that will bring defeat.
Fighting to win is as important as fighting not to loose.
Too many times, victors have slumped into defeat just moments after being victorious, and we should also note that the looser does not necessarily give up trying again. Staying on guard is definitely needed as the story might not be finished yet.
A common saying in my high school when you're trying to intimidate someone you want to fight is "I will so beat you, there will be no part 2"
We need to do that more in our daily life... i.e winning outrightly.
There are quite a number of things we can do to let victory slip away from us, but I'll discuss one which God opened my understanding to and I pray that by the end of this post you'll be more enlightened and equipped in holding on to your victories.
Exodus 20 vs. 15 “Thou shall not steal”
As isolated as that verse might look... its significance must not be overlooked... We only need to look at a few books in the bible to realise that “stealing” is one of the many ways we can revoke our victory.
The definition of stealing might be subjective... I’m sure taking something behind someone’s back is not too far from the real thing.
Stealing is one of the fastest ways to experience defeat... Comfortable victorious living can be brought to a premature end when caught out by stealing.
You may not have thought about it yet, but do you know that as much as we categorise it as disobedience.... what Eve did in the Garden of Eden was disobedience acted out through stealing?
She stole from God and Adam accepted that which was stolen too. So his excuse that it was the woman who caused him to sin was not valid enough to stop the punishment ... why? ....Because he knew too well that the apple was a stolen product.
Man fell because he stole.
Joshua 7 vs. 1-26 tells the story of how the children of Israel were defeated by the people of a small town called Ai. It is something that shouldn’t have happened but it did because Achan (of the children of Israel) stole from the previous battle.
The Israelites were coming off the back of a scintillating victory; they have just defeated the most fortified city of their time, namely Jericho. The Israelites were the toast of the region, their God is doing wonders and there army is formidable. In fact, they didn’t have to lift a finger against the wall before it came crashing down.
In Joshua 6 vs. 27 the bible says “So the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout all the country”
But then, when it came to fighting a town of much smaller proportion, they experienced defeat, because someone STOLE.
What are the consequences of stealing?
In vs. 11-12 we learn the following ... that
· Stealing contaminates us
· Stealing makes defeat a must.
· Stealing Forces God to withdraw His hands
· Stealing sets us up for destruction
Stealing in this age maybe regarded as common place, but every reasonable person knows that the consequences of being caught can be severe.
Punishments include being smacked (at home), expulsion (academia), getting the sack (corporate), or even being jailed (society)
As a believer, the devil turning you into a laughing stock and God being unable to help you out tops the list of consequences.
How then do we get back to winning ways?
· By confessing our sins
· Removing the accursed thing from our midst.
Joshua 8 finished the story with a “Back to Winning Ways” account...
Folks, we need to understand that winning is not the end.... we need to start staying as winners. DON'T STEAL
Eph 4 vs. 28 tells us what is required
"He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need."
... and in Titus 2:8, the bible explains “Sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say evil of you”
NEXT WEEK: "KNOW YOURSELF"
Sustenance is a significant part of every warfare. At first sight, we may take this as provisions or edibles or materials that are needed to wage a good war, but rather I’m talking about maintaining or sustaining the gained victory.
In the last three post, I've talked about self-discipline, purpose and integrity as things we need to wage a good war and to come out victorious.
Using these three things, we can start fighting our way to victory, but also, we should not be involved with or do things that will bring defeat.
Fighting to win is as important as fighting not to loose.
Too many times, victors have slumped into defeat just moments after being victorious, and we should also note that the looser does not necessarily give up trying again. Staying on guard is definitely needed as the story might not be finished yet.
A common saying in my high school when you're trying to intimidate someone you want to fight is "I will so beat you, there will be no part 2"
We need to do that more in our daily life... i.e winning outrightly.
There are quite a number of things we can do to let victory slip away from us, but I'll discuss one which God opened my understanding to and I pray that by the end of this post you'll be more enlightened and equipped in holding on to your victories.
Exodus 20 vs. 15 “Thou shall not steal”
As isolated as that verse might look... its significance must not be overlooked... We only need to look at a few books in the bible to realise that “stealing” is one of the many ways we can revoke our victory.
The definition of stealing might be subjective... I’m sure taking something behind someone’s back is not too far from the real thing.
Stealing is one of the fastest ways to experience defeat... Comfortable victorious living can be brought to a premature end when caught out by stealing.
You may not have thought about it yet, but do you know that as much as we categorise it as disobedience.... what Eve did in the Garden of Eden was disobedience acted out through stealing?
She stole from God and Adam accepted that which was stolen too. So his excuse that it was the woman who caused him to sin was not valid enough to stop the punishment ... why? ....Because he knew too well that the apple was a stolen product.
Man fell because he stole.
Joshua 7 vs. 1-26 tells the story of how the children of Israel were defeated by the people of a small town called Ai. It is something that shouldn’t have happened but it did because Achan (of the children of Israel) stole from the previous battle.
The Israelites were coming off the back of a scintillating victory; they have just defeated the most fortified city of their time, namely Jericho. The Israelites were the toast of the region, their God is doing wonders and there army is formidable. In fact, they didn’t have to lift a finger against the wall before it came crashing down.
In Joshua 6 vs. 27 the bible says “So the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout all the country”
But then, when it came to fighting a town of much smaller proportion, they experienced defeat, because someone STOLE.
What are the consequences of stealing?
In vs. 11-12 we learn the following ... that
· Stealing contaminates us
· Stealing makes defeat a must.
· Stealing Forces God to withdraw His hands
· Stealing sets us up for destruction
Stealing in this age maybe regarded as common place, but every reasonable person knows that the consequences of being caught can be severe.
Punishments include being smacked (at home), expulsion (academia), getting the sack (corporate), or even being jailed (society)
As a believer, the devil turning you into a laughing stock and God being unable to help you out tops the list of consequences.
How then do we get back to winning ways?
· By confessing our sins
· Removing the accursed thing from our midst.
Joshua 8 finished the story with a “Back to Winning Ways” account...
Folks, we need to understand that winning is not the end.... we need to start staying as winners. DON'T STEAL
Eph 4 vs. 28 tells us what is required
"He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need."
... and in Titus 2:8, the bible explains “Sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say evil of you”
NEXT WEEK: "KNOW YOURSELF"
Thursday, April 10, 2008
WARFARE 3 (INTEGRITY)
Proverbs 11 vs. 3 – “The integrity of the upright will guide them...”
In this series, we are concerned with everyday living difficulties. The battles we have to fight on a daily basis, bringing up our kids in a godly way, the issues of being good employees and employers, ultimately the difficulties we have to endure in living every part of our lives for God.
The enemy is happy to watch you loose control of your kids as a parent, mismanage your finances, become unproductive at work, or live a shameful life.
The usefulness of integrity in winning these battles is the focus of this article.
The word integrity simply means to Integrate i.e. to male whole. It requires being consistent in your values, thoughts, and actions. – Bob Gass
Integrity requires the whole of you to pull it off. All your senses, organs and thinking, behaviour and character must be in sync to be able to achieve integrity. If any part of your body or yourself decides to go on its own, your integrity will be lost.
“Impressions are like shadows, they disappear when a strong enough light shines on them but integrity is different, the more light you shine on it, more of its details you can see. – Bob Gass
If you proclaim yourself as a good Samaritan, and you see someone lying down on the street asking for help which you can render. If your legs decide not to take you there, then your integrity is flawed. Integrity requires your mind body and soul to be one.
In Genesis 17, God made a covenant with Abraham and it detailed what God would do and what Abraham will do. Abraham responded immediately by doing what is required of him
Vs. 23 “.... and Abraham circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day”
On the same day he carried out the painful exercise of cutting the foreskins of both kids and adults. He did no let procrastination tarnish his integrity.
Integrity brings constancy to your life which allows people to form better relationships with you.
Gen 18 vs. 17 – God asked himself “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? And in verse 19 God explained why Abraham has now become his friend... because of INTEGRITY.
Vs. 19 – “ Yes, I've settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe God's way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that God can complete in Abraham what he promised him” (The Message)
Abrahams Integrity also spun him into action once he knew the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleaded with God to save the city; some people will say it is because his nephew lives there, but certainly his nephew is not 10 righteous people.
Integrity has a mutating gene that makes it spread. Lot had lived with Abraham for most of his life, and surely the life of integrity that Abraham lived had rubbed off on him. It’s not surprising that he did almost as exactly as his uncle in showing hospitality to strangers. ------ Integrity. Little did I wonder that God called Abraham His FRIEND.
Matthew 21 vs. 12 gave an account of Jesus cleansing the temple of the people that have turned it into what it is not. In the face of public humiliation and revolt, Jesus’ integrity stood out.
I would have loved to end this writing with the following:
“Let what you think be what you feel, let what you feel be what you say, let what you say be what you do.”
But, I would be making an unimaginable claim that what you are thinking is very much seated on the moral part of doing good.
The bible says “the heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17 vs. 9)
The Hebrew word for heart used in this passage is “Leb” and it is widely used for the feelings, the will and even the intellect.
So, among all things, our intellect and feelings are not the best to go by when talking of integrity.
Pick a depressed person walking on the street, he/she is thinking about committing suicide, and the person’s feeling it... as in talking it... and then doing it... I’m sure the last thing we want to hear about such is that he/she is a person of “Integrity”
Rather than “Let what you think be what you feel, let what you feel be what you say, let what you say be what you do.”.... Take the following as your meaning of integrity
“True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with Me (God) in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. (Malachi 2 vs. 6)...
Notice, he didn’t just stop himself from iniquity, he also helped others from doing the wrong things.
If that is you, then you are a person of INTEGRITY.... so says God.
INDICATORS OF INTEGRITY:
· The golden rule: “Do unto others as you would like them to do to you” (Luke 6 vs. 31). Integrity requires you to understand the need for consistency in warfare (daily living). As written by an author, knowledge and imagination are required to work this rule. Firstly, you must know the effects of your actions, and secondly you must be able to put yourself in the position of the recipient and ask yourself “can I take what I have just given”
· Size does not matter: Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. (Luke 16 vs. 10). Are your actions in small matters, or small environments the same as those in bigger ones?. When you are alone and no one is watching do you still do the things you proclaim as good? or you are like a chameleon that changes to the colour of the environment.
· YES = YES: Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5 vs. 37). A confused soldier is on his/her way to defeat. Likewise, if you as a soldier is giving false information or confusing the people around you, then you are just whiskers away from defeat because very soon no one will believe whatever you have to say.
Living a life of integrity is a must for us believers, albeit it may be hard, but the battle is always on and more importantly, God’s grace is sufficient.
Jesus said in Matthew 5 vs:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.
He said it because He knows it can be done... another translation presents it thus:
“In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." (The Message)
NEXT WEEK: SUSTENANCE
In this series, we are concerned with everyday living difficulties. The battles we have to fight on a daily basis, bringing up our kids in a godly way, the issues of being good employees and employers, ultimately the difficulties we have to endure in living every part of our lives for God.
The enemy is happy to watch you loose control of your kids as a parent, mismanage your finances, become unproductive at work, or live a shameful life.
The usefulness of integrity in winning these battles is the focus of this article.
The word integrity simply means to Integrate i.e. to male whole. It requires being consistent in your values, thoughts, and actions. – Bob Gass
Integrity requires the whole of you to pull it off. All your senses, organs and thinking, behaviour and character must be in sync to be able to achieve integrity. If any part of your body or yourself decides to go on its own, your integrity will be lost.
“Impressions are like shadows, they disappear when a strong enough light shines on them but integrity is different, the more light you shine on it, more of its details you can see. – Bob Gass
If you proclaim yourself as a good Samaritan, and you see someone lying down on the street asking for help which you can render. If your legs decide not to take you there, then your integrity is flawed. Integrity requires your mind body and soul to be one.
In Genesis 17, God made a covenant with Abraham and it detailed what God would do and what Abraham will do. Abraham responded immediately by doing what is required of him
Vs. 23 “.... and Abraham circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day”
On the same day he carried out the painful exercise of cutting the foreskins of both kids and adults. He did no let procrastination tarnish his integrity.
Integrity brings constancy to your life which allows people to form better relationships with you.
Gen 18 vs. 17 – God asked himself “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? And in verse 19 God explained why Abraham has now become his friend... because of INTEGRITY.
Vs. 19 – “ Yes, I've settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe God's way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that God can complete in Abraham what he promised him” (The Message)
Abrahams Integrity also spun him into action once he knew the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleaded with God to save the city; some people will say it is because his nephew lives there, but certainly his nephew is not 10 righteous people.
Integrity has a mutating gene that makes it spread. Lot had lived with Abraham for most of his life, and surely the life of integrity that Abraham lived had rubbed off on him. It’s not surprising that he did almost as exactly as his uncle in showing hospitality to strangers. ------ Integrity. Little did I wonder that God called Abraham His FRIEND.
Matthew 21 vs. 12 gave an account of Jesus cleansing the temple of the people that have turned it into what it is not. In the face of public humiliation and revolt, Jesus’ integrity stood out.
I would have loved to end this writing with the following:
“Let what you think be what you feel, let what you feel be what you say, let what you say be what you do.”
But, I would be making an unimaginable claim that what you are thinking is very much seated on the moral part of doing good.
The bible says “the heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17 vs. 9)
The Hebrew word for heart used in this passage is “Leb” and it is widely used for the feelings, the will and even the intellect.
So, among all things, our intellect and feelings are not the best to go by when talking of integrity.
Pick a depressed person walking on the street, he/she is thinking about committing suicide, and the person’s feeling it... as in talking it... and then doing it... I’m sure the last thing we want to hear about such is that he/she is a person of “Integrity”
Rather than “Let what you think be what you feel, let what you feel be what you say, let what you say be what you do.”.... Take the following as your meaning of integrity
“True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with Me (God) in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. (Malachi 2 vs. 6)...
Notice, he didn’t just stop himself from iniquity, he also helped others from doing the wrong things.
If that is you, then you are a person of INTEGRITY.... so says God.
INDICATORS OF INTEGRITY:
· The golden rule: “Do unto others as you would like them to do to you” (Luke 6 vs. 31). Integrity requires you to understand the need for consistency in warfare (daily living). As written by an author, knowledge and imagination are required to work this rule. Firstly, you must know the effects of your actions, and secondly you must be able to put yourself in the position of the recipient and ask yourself “can I take what I have just given”
· Size does not matter: Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. (Luke 16 vs. 10). Are your actions in small matters, or small environments the same as those in bigger ones?. When you are alone and no one is watching do you still do the things you proclaim as good? or you are like a chameleon that changes to the colour of the environment.
· YES = YES: Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5 vs. 37). A confused soldier is on his/her way to defeat. Likewise, if you as a soldier is giving false information or confusing the people around you, then you are just whiskers away from defeat because very soon no one will believe whatever you have to say.
Living a life of integrity is a must for us believers, albeit it may be hard, but the battle is always on and more importantly, God’s grace is sufficient.
Jesus said in Matthew 5 vs:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.
He said it because He knows it can be done... another translation presents it thus:
“In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." (The Message)
NEXT WEEK: SUSTENANCE
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
WAR 2 (PURPOSE)
Engaging in battles, winning battles and persevering in the face of oppositions requires the fighters to have a strong sense of purpose.
Purpose as highlighted by Pastor Eddie is needed to ignite your passion. And when you’re passionate about something, you tend to channel important resources towards its direction.
Rather than randomly fine tune our purpose by speculation, Bob Gass explains that the best way to get ahead in life is to return to our owner’s manual explaining why we are alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future.... i.e. Get a purpose by REVELATION.
“Every open door is not necessarily your door”. We as Christians get carried away that we see all opportunities as ours to take forgetting that the devil can provide opportunities too that makes us miss the God given one.
The devil Provided Jesus with alternatives when he tempted Him in the wilderness, but Jesus stood His ground ensuring His purpose stays intact. The bible explains the power of purpose in Hebrews 12 vs. 2
“.... Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
Jesus was able to endure the cross because of the joy of getting you and I saved.
If we take a quick look at ourselves and the people around us, we’ll realise that consciously or unconsciously we operate with this principle:
“We give up when the cost of achieving our purpose is greater than the benefit”
For everything you do, if the above is true, then permit me to say...."stop".... “think twice”... is it worth pursuing?
But as long as the purpose is more significant, folks, keep pushing on.
The problem however is how do we measure cost against benefit?
By good planning: Jesus said "if a man wants to build a house does he not first count the cost?" Good planning gives you a rough idea of what will be required. Luke 14 vs. 28
Make it Plain: clearity of purpose can be the difference between failure and success. If your purpose is clear, help from others can be easily rendered.
Check your resources: Good knowledge of what you have gives you a factual assessment of where you stand in relation to your purpose. This coupled with the cost will enable you to either stop or know the additional resuorces required to fulfil your purpose.
However, there are other reasons why we don’t chase or why we give up on our dreams, aspirations and purpose.
Because we don’t have any: Surprisingly, vast majority of people don’t know what they want or what they’ll like to achieve be it in the short term (such as today) or long term (say 10 years).
Obstacles to be faced: Obstacles are part of everyday life. In fact the wind would have had an easy journey if you were not standing in its way. Likewise, there is really no straight road in life, be it the M25 or the M6 and no automation can take a car through the Spaghetti junction, the red lights, observe other cars and drive at the required speed limits and look out for pedestrians. Driving skills are required.
"Obstacles help identify purpose owners because it requires some form of mastery or expertise"
Benefits of having purpose
Criticism: Fighting against negative criticism is a battle that can be won with a strong sense of purpose.
Purpose takes you beyond opposition: Mark 2 vs. 1-4 talks about the friends that opened a hole in the roof to let their paralysed friend get an encounter with Jesus.
Purpose takes care of distractions and increases our commitment.
Ultimately, why you are fighting must be known, less you risk loosing the battle or giving up prematurely.
Finally, God's purpose for our lives even takes a different turn
God’s purpose is always bigger than us and we can't phantom what effects it will have on generations to come. Hence, a cost-benefit analysis is not possible......
but knows this "If it is God's, then it is worth fighting for.
If it is God's purpose, expect a big battle.... If it is God's purpose... Victory is yours to take.
Purpose as highlighted by Pastor Eddie is needed to ignite your passion. And when you’re passionate about something, you tend to channel important resources towards its direction.
Rather than randomly fine tune our purpose by speculation, Bob Gass explains that the best way to get ahead in life is to return to our owner’s manual explaining why we are alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future.... i.e. Get a purpose by REVELATION.
“Every open door is not necessarily your door”. We as Christians get carried away that we see all opportunities as ours to take forgetting that the devil can provide opportunities too that makes us miss the God given one.
The devil Provided Jesus with alternatives when he tempted Him in the wilderness, but Jesus stood His ground ensuring His purpose stays intact. The bible explains the power of purpose in Hebrews 12 vs. 2
“.... Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
Jesus was able to endure the cross because of the joy of getting you and I saved.
If we take a quick look at ourselves and the people around us, we’ll realise that consciously or unconsciously we operate with this principle:
“We give up when the cost of achieving our purpose is greater than the benefit”
For everything you do, if the above is true, then permit me to say...."stop".... “think twice”... is it worth pursuing?
But as long as the purpose is more significant, folks, keep pushing on.
The problem however is how do we measure cost against benefit?
By good planning: Jesus said "if a man wants to build a house does he not first count the cost?" Good planning gives you a rough idea of what will be required. Luke 14 vs. 28
Make it Plain: clearity of purpose can be the difference between failure and success. If your purpose is clear, help from others can be easily rendered.
Check your resources: Good knowledge of what you have gives you a factual assessment of where you stand in relation to your purpose. This coupled with the cost will enable you to either stop or know the additional resuorces required to fulfil your purpose.
However, there are other reasons why we don’t chase or why we give up on our dreams, aspirations and purpose.
Because we don’t have any: Surprisingly, vast majority of people don’t know what they want or what they’ll like to achieve be it in the short term (such as today) or long term (say 10 years).
Obstacles to be faced: Obstacles are part of everyday life. In fact the wind would have had an easy journey if you were not standing in its way. Likewise, there is really no straight road in life, be it the M25 or the M6 and no automation can take a car through the Spaghetti junction, the red lights, observe other cars and drive at the required speed limits and look out for pedestrians. Driving skills are required.
"Obstacles help identify purpose owners because it requires some form of mastery or expertise"
Benefits of having purpose
Criticism: Fighting against negative criticism is a battle that can be won with a strong sense of purpose.
Purpose takes you beyond opposition: Mark 2 vs. 1-4 talks about the friends that opened a hole in the roof to let their paralysed friend get an encounter with Jesus.
Purpose takes care of distractions and increases our commitment.
Ultimately, why you are fighting must be known, less you risk loosing the battle or giving up prematurely.
Finally, God's purpose for our lives even takes a different turn
God’s purpose is always bigger than us and we can't phantom what effects it will have on generations to come. Hence, a cost-benefit analysis is not possible......
but knows this "If it is God's, then it is worth fighting for.
If it is God's purpose, expect a big battle.... If it is God's purpose... Victory is yours to take.
NEXT WEEK: INTEGRITY
Thursday, March 20, 2008
WAR 1 (Self Discipline)
HAPPY EASTER
Its a great priviledge to be part of the people that are alive to celebrate... but much more is the priviledge to understand that If not because He died and rose, our existence would have been unpalatable. Thank God for His love for us.
In the next few weeks, I'll be blogging about warfare. This is not so much of the heavyweight battles, this is about everyday living. Conquering the enemy on a daily basis.
SELF DISCIPLINE
“The first and best victory is to conquer self” - Plato
Everyday we are at war. As Christians we are fighting a lot of battles. While non-Christians might not be concerned about the conflict between flesh and spirit, we are. The fact that you are a Christian also makes you a prime target for the devil.
His attacks might come in different forms and as the bible puts it the thief comes to “steal, kill and destroy”. We need to live ready.
“What we do on some great occasions will probably depend on what we already are and what we are will be the result of previous years of self discipline” (Henry Parry Liddon)
Being disciplined is a requirement for any soldier. In fact, the training that soldiers go through has a substantial amount of soul, mind and body discipline. As Christians, the addition to that is spiritual discipline.
Lack of concentration on a battle field can easily result in death, and lack of obedience likewise has grave consequences.
Some levels of victory are delivered into your hands by just being disciplined.
In Genesis 11 vs. 6, God said this about some people
“Indeed the people are one, and they all have one language and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them”
Their intentions were not the cleanest, so God had to stop them by confusing their language. In essence, being disciplined enough to work in a team and press towards a common goal can be unstoppable.
Obedience to God is our navigation during warfare. The children of Israel did as they are told, and the walls of Jericho came down flat. (Joshua 6 )
Jehoshaphat in obedience secured victory by singing praises to God (1 chronicles 20)
God’s instructions for us are not the most physically and intellectually pleasing instructions we’ll ever receive, hence it take a lot of discipline to obey.
In Genesis 12 vs. 1-4, God told Abraham to leave where he was and everything he is familiar with, that He (God) is taking him to a place He’ll show him. Without complain in vs. 4 “Abraham departed as the Lord has spoken to him”....
Now, that is DISCIPLINE.
An excerpt from “word for today” reads:
The Bible says, 'Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God...realise that...whatever you choose to obey...[becomes your master]' (Romans 6:12-16 NLT). If you let it, your body will lead you off course. It isn't that your body is evil; it's just that it possesses a number of appetites that are always ready to respond to the surrounding stimuli, all of which are terribly appealing and temporarily satisfying.
Each day look for an opportunity to say 'no' to yourself in some small area. Try it; you'll be surprised how hard it is. But the payoff will come when you need to say no to yourself in some big area of life.
NEXT WEEK: "PURPOSE"
Its a great priviledge to be part of the people that are alive to celebrate... but much more is the priviledge to understand that If not because He died and rose, our existence would have been unpalatable. Thank God for His love for us.
In the next few weeks, I'll be blogging about warfare. This is not so much of the heavyweight battles, this is about everyday living. Conquering the enemy on a daily basis.
SELF DISCIPLINE
“The first and best victory is to conquer self” - Plato
Everyday we are at war. As Christians we are fighting a lot of battles. While non-Christians might not be concerned about the conflict between flesh and spirit, we are. The fact that you are a Christian also makes you a prime target for the devil.
His attacks might come in different forms and as the bible puts it the thief comes to “steal, kill and destroy”. We need to live ready.
“What we do on some great occasions will probably depend on what we already are and what we are will be the result of previous years of self discipline” (Henry Parry Liddon)
Being disciplined is a requirement for any soldier. In fact, the training that soldiers go through has a substantial amount of soul, mind and body discipline. As Christians, the addition to that is spiritual discipline.
Lack of concentration on a battle field can easily result in death, and lack of obedience likewise has grave consequences.
Some levels of victory are delivered into your hands by just being disciplined.
In Genesis 11 vs. 6, God said this about some people
“Indeed the people are one, and they all have one language and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them”
Their intentions were not the cleanest, so God had to stop them by confusing their language. In essence, being disciplined enough to work in a team and press towards a common goal can be unstoppable.
Obedience to God is our navigation during warfare. The children of Israel did as they are told, and the walls of Jericho came down flat. (Joshua 6 )
Jehoshaphat in obedience secured victory by singing praises to God (1 chronicles 20)
God’s instructions for us are not the most physically and intellectually pleasing instructions we’ll ever receive, hence it take a lot of discipline to obey.
In Genesis 12 vs. 1-4, God told Abraham to leave where he was and everything he is familiar with, that He (God) is taking him to a place He’ll show him. Without complain in vs. 4 “Abraham departed as the Lord has spoken to him”....
Now, that is DISCIPLINE.
An excerpt from “word for today” reads:
The Bible says, 'Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God...realise that...whatever you choose to obey...[becomes your master]' (Romans 6:12-16 NLT). If you let it, your body will lead you off course. It isn't that your body is evil; it's just that it possesses a number of appetites that are always ready to respond to the surrounding stimuli, all of which are terribly appealing and temporarily satisfying.
Each day look for an opportunity to say 'no' to yourself in some small area. Try it; you'll be surprised how hard it is. But the payoff will come when you need to say no to yourself in some big area of life.
NEXT WEEK: "PURPOSE"
Thursday, January 17, 2008
PEEP
Happy Birthday to me.... Happy Birthday to me.... Happy birthday to me blogger.... Happy birthday to meeeeeee……. (DRUM ROLL)
Yes... that's right. It was my birthday a few days ago, on Sunday to be precise. Such a lovely day that was.
I’m very happy to be a year older (giving thanks to God for His faithfulness).
How did I celebrate it?
Well, I did a 140 mile trip to be with my family and it was well worth it… because… I came back with some chocolate cake… loving treat from friends, a wonderful experience with well wishers…. AND an iphone…
So over the past few days, it’s been me and my iphone (lol)
Plans for the year?
As many will say, living life to the fullest is their main priority…. I couldn’t agree more… My main aim is to live my life to the fullest, which is by maximizing every potential within me.
Being the best I can ever be only comes by letting God reveal the reason for my existing. So as I journey through another year, my eyes are gonna be fixed on Him for those exclusive revelations/instructions.
Any Secret?
Hmmnnn…. That required some thought…. I guess there are secrets…. As usual, things I’m doing that are known to me or only a few other people.
I guess with time, everyone will know… so patience is required.
Struggles?
I won’t say struggles but some seemingly unfavorable circumstances have been popping up, but greater is He that is in me that He that is in the world.
Highs?
There were numerous highs in 2007, and 2008 has already started with a bang… my iphone is one of them….
I haven’t worn a wristwatch in a while, (not because I don’t have), but some very good friends decided to decorate my wrist with one… I’m loving it.
Lows?
Fell ill over Christmas for a few hours (lol)….
What next?
Concentrate on the final laps of a 3yr program… Improve in different areas of my life... and rock my way through the year (where’s my guitar)
Closing words:
“Comprehensively contemplating what to do with your time is reminiscent of a couch potato…. Consciously allocating your resources for optimum output is indicative of a goal getter”….
Who are you?
Yes... that's right. It was my birthday a few days ago, on Sunday to be precise. Such a lovely day that was.
I’m very happy to be a year older (giving thanks to God for His faithfulness).
How did I celebrate it?
Well, I did a 140 mile trip to be with my family and it was well worth it… because… I came back with some chocolate cake… loving treat from friends, a wonderful experience with well wishers…. AND an iphone…
So over the past few days, it’s been me and my iphone (lol)
Plans for the year?
As many will say, living life to the fullest is their main priority…. I couldn’t agree more… My main aim is to live my life to the fullest, which is by maximizing every potential within me.
Being the best I can ever be only comes by letting God reveal the reason for my existing. So as I journey through another year, my eyes are gonna be fixed on Him for those exclusive revelations/instructions.
Any Secret?
Hmmnnn…. That required some thought…. I guess there are secrets…. As usual, things I’m doing that are known to me or only a few other people.
I guess with time, everyone will know… so patience is required.
Struggles?
I won’t say struggles but some seemingly unfavorable circumstances have been popping up, but greater is He that is in me that He that is in the world.
Highs?
There were numerous highs in 2007, and 2008 has already started with a bang… my iphone is one of them….
I haven’t worn a wristwatch in a while, (not because I don’t have), but some very good friends decided to decorate my wrist with one… I’m loving it.
Lows?
Fell ill over Christmas for a few hours (lol)….
What next?
Concentrate on the final laps of a 3yr program… Improve in different areas of my life... and rock my way through the year (where’s my guitar)
Closing words:
“Comprehensively contemplating what to do with your time is reminiscent of a couch potato…. Consciously allocating your resources for optimum output is indicative of a goal getter”….
Who are you?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
WHILE YOU WAIT
“….Now it came to pass in the process of time…” This is a phrase that is scattered around biblical texts, in different places for different purposes and under different circumstances.
All around us believers are constantly being reminded of the awesomeness of their God with praise worthy glorifications such as “God is never late”… “God is not limited by time”… “God made time but He exists outside of time”… et cetera.
While these are true, the question is "how are we suppose to define time?" and whose time should we follow?
For example, when we say God is never late, how long are you prepared to wait? Before you think…God is now running late.
When you finish work? Before you get married? When you reach a certain age? Or even when you die?
Do we sincerely believe that God is never late and that anytime He shows up is the right time? And more importantly, are we ready to wait?
“Are you ready to wait” is not a question I’m expecting you to answer. As a believer, waiting on God is not an option, unless you’ve decided that you know better than Him, which calls into question the morale of your belief in the first place.
Waiting becomes part of our experience as believers because going by the biblical revelation of God’s view of time (…With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 2 peter 3 vs. 8) it may be quite long.
How about these for facts:
Abraham waited for 25 years from when he received the promise to having Isaac.
Noah waited for 120 years from when he was told to build an ark to the time of the flood.
Children of Israel journeyed 40 years to get to Canaan.
Prophets in the bible prophesied and waited and died before Jesus came.
Now that waiting seems to be everything but child’s play, the focus of this article is
“what do we do while we wait?”
A story in the Old Testament brings this to surface. In exodus, the bible tells of how Moses an Israelite that was raised by the Egyptian king (Pharaoh) killed another Egyptian and Pharaoh the king sought to kill him (Moses) too.
Exodus 2 vs. 15: When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian... "
Later on in verse 23 of the same chapter, we were told that
“Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died”.
By this time Moses had been married and even had a child. He was 40yrs old when He left Egypt, by the time God called him to go back to Egypt, another 40yrs has passed…
Similar stories are represented in the bible where a vision is given but a process of time has to be endured before the vision is accomplished. Interestingly, in some cases, what to do in this process of time remains a mystery.
In Matthew, when Herod sought to kill baby Jesus, the angel directed Joseph and Mary to Egypt to stay there till the people who sought to kill Jesus are dead. We were not told what they’ll do in Egypt and the bible did not record that they were told what they’ll be doing in Egypt either.
How then do we spend the time we have between a revelation or vision or prophecy and its fulfillment?
Also bear in mind that what you do with that time can adversely affect the given vision. Some of the children of Israel forfeited getting into the promise land by their wayward behaviour in the wilderness.
Jesus told a story of conception and birth in Mathew 13 vs. 24-30. A farmer planted his seed, and in the process of time, while waiting for the seed to grow, he (the farmer) slept off and the enemy came to plant weed among the seeds. As Jesus pointed out, getting rid of the weed was not practical again until harvest time, hence the famer had to look after both the seed and the weed, water them, fertilize and nourish them until harvest time. One thing is certain, harvest will come, the vision will be fulfilled, but the yield would have been adversely affected.
How best can we spend our waiting times in the fulfillment of certain visions/promises?
When God says you’ll get a job, is it right for you to just apply for jobs and then eat, sleep, wake up and eat and sleep again?... or while applying for jobs you can improve on different skills that will put you in good working conditions.
I will not be able to directly tell you what you should be doing in every waiting situation but below are things you can keep yourself busy with while you wait for that BIG promise to be fulfilled.
Why not ask God for the things he’ll like you to do while waiting. As earlier said, doing the wrong things while you wait can adversely affect the ultimate promise
(1 peter 4 vs. 2: As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. )
Make yourself available for God to use:
(Ephesians 5 vs. 15 – 16) Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil
Create an atmosphere for growth: A new promise/vision from God is always bigger and better than where you are at the moment. It is expedient that while you wait, you invest into yourself by growing in as many areas of your life as possible.
Have a time of rest: God is interested in how well we look after ourselves. Careless living can limit your productivity.
(Mark 6 vs. 30-32) The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
I am in “a process of time” right now in my life, most of us are. My promise is big… very big and because of that, in the past I sometimes just wanted to sit on my backside and wait for it. It’s not because I’m lazy, but because the enemy was trying to make me believe that I can’t progress until I receive it. Lack of progress and the continued waiting led to frustration. BUT
God came to my rescue and He gave me a word concerning my “process of time”.
In Jeremiah 29, God promised the Israelites that were in exile that He’ll come and rescue them after a period 70 years. In the mean time He says
(Jeremiah 29 vs. 4-7) This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
So even in my waiting period, there is a plan for my life… like… getting a wife!!!!!
ALL OF US
We are all waiting for a VERY BIG PROMISE, the 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Folks, our pilgrimage on earth are the waiting periods that we have. How are you spending this “process of time” that might last for as long as you live? Do you know what God will have you do while you wait?
Remember, what you do in this waiting period can adversely affect the VERY BIG PROMISE…
Are you daily living your life as the bride that the bible says we are, waiting for the king of glory?
The advise for all of us today is….. Live with the end in view…. It helps
HAPPY NEW YEAR
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