Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
What will cause someone to talk like this? Why would Job make this statement? Of what condition is his relationship with God to cause him to talk like this?
If we want to have a right relationship with God, then the first thing we must learn is that our wills must be broken to His will.
Brokenness is the beginning of Revival in us. It is painful and humiliating but is the only way.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
“C” is a bent “I”
The Lord Jesus cannot live in us fully and reveal Himself through us until the proud self within us is broken.
Every form of me, myself and I must give way for His will.
The hard unyielding self, which justifies itself, wants its own way, stands up for its rights, and seeks its own glory at last must bow its head to God’s will. It must admit it is wrong and give up its own way to the way of the Master Jesus Christ.
It must surrender its rights and discard its own glory, that the Lord Jesus might have all and be all.
This implies dying to self ant its attitudes. It is self which tries to live the Christian life ( the fact that you use the word try means that is self)
It is self too who is often doing the Christian work.
It is self which is irritable, envious, resentful, critical and worried.
Self is shy, it is self conscious and reserved. No wonder we need a breaking. So long as self is in control, God can do little with us.
We need to crucify self and resurrect with Christ.
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Our Lord Jesus was willing to be broken for us and this the more compelling reason for us to be broken. Why do we call ourselves Christians and yet are not willing to be broken.
Philippians 2:6-7 Who, being in the form of God,, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
He who was in the form of God, counting not equality with God a prize to be grasped and hang on to, but letting it go for us and taking upon Himself the form of a servant-God’s servant, and man’s servant.
Jesus was willing to have no rights of His own, no home of His own, men reviled Him and He did not retaliate or defend Himself.
Prayer: Lord bend this stiff necked I, help me bow to the will of Christ. Help me die to self and let Christ rule and have dominion over my life.
Dying to self is not a one day thing but it is continual. We constantly die to self.
2 Corinthians 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
It means every day, we are confronted with choices in a thousand ways, we need to die to self and let Christ do the choosing.
It means constant yielding to the will of Christ.
No longer my will but the will of Christ. As we are confronted with challenges that tempt the self in us, that is God’s way of breaking us so that we will be deeply rooted in Christ.
Every form of self centredness must die because it is the exact opposite of wht the will of God is.
We must be prepared for God to break this self-centrednes so that His will will grow in us.
We must cooperate with God to achieve this.
It is in the process of brokenness that we find strength;
It is in the process of brokenness that we find victory;
It is in the process of brokenness that we find the faithfulness of God;
Goodness and mercy follows us as we go through brokenness;
Unstoppable favour becomes our portion as we go through brokenness.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
DEALING WITH THE AFRICAN MENTALITY
For us to do this, there is the need for a change in our mindset. Our mindset about our situations and circumstances must change. You are where you are because of the choices you made yesterday. Your future is dependent on the choices you make today.
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”
Common perceptions of Africans
Permanently portraying themselves as victims? (More than 50 yrs of independence, we have to stop blaming the white man).
They work hard, but not enough to live beyond their means. (Laborers work the hardest but are paid the least)
Our attitude towards work has always been wrong. We are apathetic, lackadaisical, unmotivated and cannot work without supervision. We think bribery is the order of the day and cannot earn an honest day’s wage. Prov. 6:6-9
We don’t show initiative and when someone does that and is successful, everybody wants to copy.
We are not competitive enough in the market place. We think we can produce any shoddy goods and still make money from it. We accept mediocrity, we don’t strive for perfection. Anyone who pushes for perfection is called too known.
We have entitlement mentality. We think everything must be done for us. We can build an 8 bedroom house and think that the government must provide public toilets for us. Every development we do must be funded by the white man.
THE TURN AROUND
Despite our weak position, God takes the weak things to confound the mighty. 1Cor. 1:27-29.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
God expects us to just take little steps out of the situation we find ourselves. Those are the steps He will use to confound the mighty. Just like the 4 lepers as they took steps to come out of the situation they found themselves in. God magnified their steps that the mighty Syrian army was scared and ran away.
David fought Goliath not because he was strong but because he partnered with God. That the same God who helped him overcome the lion and the bear will help him overcome Goliath. All he took was five little stones and God used only one to confound Goliath.
Like the Israelites when they were asked to spy on the land of Canaan in Numbers 13.
In Numbers13:27-33; 14:6-9. The twelve brought their reports. 10 brought an evil report. In fact they spoke about the facts on the ground. But Joshua and Caleb had the truth. The fact on the ground may be that your financial situation is horrible, but the truth is God can use that weak situation to confound the mighty.
The fact on the ground is doctors can tell you, you have a short time to live. The truth is God can heal you of that disease.
The fact on the ground is we Africans have a weak position economically. The truth is God can use this to show how mighty He is. In our weakness is He made strong. If we learn to partner God in such times as this and take steps as He directs us. He will surely take us to the top of the mountain. He will make a way where there is no way. All we need is to have the right attitude. We need to take little steps which God in turn will magnify it.
PROGRESS COMES WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
Steps like learning the values of self-reliance, self improvement and risk-taking. Steps like having the values of drive, discipline, temperance and hard work. The values of self responsibility.
These values are rooted in a basic optimism about life and faith in free will—confidence in the fact that through hard work, sweat and tears, each of us can rise above circumstances of our birth. You may have been born in poverty but you do not need to remain in poverty. You may be born in a difficult situation but you do not have to remain there.
Steps like having a single mind focused on good work ethics, using technology and education as a right.
Steps like learning how to create wealth.
The West is not rich due to plunder or slavery -wealth is created through the development of saleable products which get sold to, and stimulate, external markets; consumers globally realise the value of items which enrich their lives, and change their behaviour to afford these.
Steps like having a can do attitude towards any work that confronts us and saying together with Obama that yes we can.
A never say die attitude. A readiness to what is humanly possible and let God do what is humanly impossible.
When we partner with God and take such little steps, we will be surprised what God will do with that. Just as He magnified the steps of the four lepers to confound the mighty Syrian army, He will do the same for your efforts. As you confront your Goliath in your life, God will use the little stones that you will pick to overcome your Giant. God will make you mighty. He will make you an achiever. He will make you more than a conqueror.
Never give up. Never accept the status quo. Never say never. God bless you.
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”
Common perceptions of Africans
Permanently portraying themselves as victims? (More than 50 yrs of independence, we have to stop blaming the white man).
They work hard, but not enough to live beyond their means. (Laborers work the hardest but are paid the least)
Our attitude towards work has always been wrong. We are apathetic, lackadaisical, unmotivated and cannot work without supervision. We think bribery is the order of the day and cannot earn an honest day’s wage. Prov. 6:6-9
We don’t show initiative and when someone does that and is successful, everybody wants to copy.
We are not competitive enough in the market place. We think we can produce any shoddy goods and still make money from it. We accept mediocrity, we don’t strive for perfection. Anyone who pushes for perfection is called too known.
We have entitlement mentality. We think everything must be done for us. We can build an 8 bedroom house and think that the government must provide public toilets for us. Every development we do must be funded by the white man.
THE TURN AROUND
Despite our weak position, God takes the weak things to confound the mighty. 1Cor. 1:27-29.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
God expects us to just take little steps out of the situation we find ourselves. Those are the steps He will use to confound the mighty. Just like the 4 lepers as they took steps to come out of the situation they found themselves in. God magnified their steps that the mighty Syrian army was scared and ran away.
David fought Goliath not because he was strong but because he partnered with God. That the same God who helped him overcome the lion and the bear will help him overcome Goliath. All he took was five little stones and God used only one to confound Goliath.
Like the Israelites when they were asked to spy on the land of Canaan in Numbers 13.
In Numbers13:27-33; 14:6-9. The twelve brought their reports. 10 brought an evil report. In fact they spoke about the facts on the ground. But Joshua and Caleb had the truth. The fact on the ground may be that your financial situation is horrible, but the truth is God can use that weak situation to confound the mighty.
The fact on the ground is doctors can tell you, you have a short time to live. The truth is God can heal you of that disease.
The fact on the ground is we Africans have a weak position economically. The truth is God can use this to show how mighty He is. In our weakness is He made strong. If we learn to partner God in such times as this and take steps as He directs us. He will surely take us to the top of the mountain. He will make a way where there is no way. All we need is to have the right attitude. We need to take little steps which God in turn will magnify it.
PROGRESS COMES WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
Steps like learning the values of self-reliance, self improvement and risk-taking. Steps like having the values of drive, discipline, temperance and hard work. The values of self responsibility.
These values are rooted in a basic optimism about life and faith in free will—confidence in the fact that through hard work, sweat and tears, each of us can rise above circumstances of our birth. You may have been born in poverty but you do not need to remain in poverty. You may be born in a difficult situation but you do not have to remain there.
Steps like having a single mind focused on good work ethics, using technology and education as a right.
Steps like learning how to create wealth.
The West is not rich due to plunder or slavery -wealth is created through the development of saleable products which get sold to, and stimulate, external markets; consumers globally realise the value of items which enrich their lives, and change their behaviour to afford these.
Steps like having a can do attitude towards any work that confronts us and saying together with Obama that yes we can.
A never say die attitude. A readiness to what is humanly possible and let God do what is humanly impossible.
When we partner with God and take such little steps, we will be surprised what God will do with that. Just as He magnified the steps of the four lepers to confound the mighty Syrian army, He will do the same for your efforts. As you confront your Goliath in your life, God will use the little stones that you will pick to overcome your Giant. God will make you mighty. He will make you an achiever. He will make you more than a conqueror.
Never give up. Never accept the status quo. Never say never. God bless you.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Purpose
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
God has a plan for you. When God called us from among the crowd and said come out from among them and be ye separate; He had a purpose for calling us.
There is no one on earth here who is here as a decoration. There is a reason why God calls you. He never intended for you to be a pew warmer. His intention was for you to fulfill your purpose. Rom.8:28 tells us that everyone is called according to God’s purpose.
A Call: A calling is your office. What God has called you to do.
Purpose is the reason why you are here on earth. Purpose gives reason and a sense of direction to your call. Look at the following examples:
Jeremiah’s purpose;
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
His calling was a prophet but his purpose was unto the nations, to root out, to pull down and to destroy the works of the enemy and to build and plant all that exalts God. He lived to fulfill his purpose.
Samuel was a prophet to the Kingdom of Israel.
1 Samuel 3:19-20 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.
Paul’s purpose;
His call was to preach the gospel i.e. 1 Corinthians 9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
However his purpose was Acts 9:15; “for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:” Paul fulfilled his purpose.
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Paul would preach the gospel at every opportunity.
Noah’s purpose was to save as many people of his generation as possible into the ark and he fulfilled it. Gen.6:8. The fact that there is sin all around you is not an excuse for you to sin. The fact that there is sin all around you does not mean you cannot fulfill purpose.
God requires us to fulfill our purpose before we leave earth. Many Christians are looking out for success. In fact many Pastors are saying you must be successful. But the God whom we serve is looking out for faithfulness in fulfilling purpose.
God rewards faithfulness
Faithfulness is a prerequisite for fulfilling purpose. It is when we are faithful that we can find success. Many Christians have found success without faithfulness and God does not reward just success.
Many of us are doing what we think God wants us to do without coming to his presence to ask him. If we learn to come to his presence to seek him, he will show us what our purpose is. We have a form of godliness but we deny His leadership and direction. You just have to obey him. You may not necessarily be successful but you would be found faithful. If you read Mt.7:21-23 all the works listed there were the works of God, but the people had not identified their purpose.
Mt25:14-30 i.e. the parable of the talents.
Note that in verse 15 He gave everyone’s purpose according to your ability so you have no excuse not fulfilling it.
Matthew 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
God rewarded the man for his faithfulness and not necessarily for his success. They entered heaven because they had been faithful with their purpose.
Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Many people in the house of God will go to hell because they were not faithful with their talents. They were unprofitable servants of the Lord. They did not fulfill their purpose.
What is your talent and if God comes today will he find you faithful?
There are three kinds of people:
Those who do nothing,
Those who watch things happen in excitement and shout ooh, Aah and
Those who make things happen.
May you cause things to happen in your life. May you identify your call and fulfil your purpose.
God has a plan for you. When God called us from among the crowd and said come out from among them and be ye separate; He had a purpose for calling us.
There is no one on earth here who is here as a decoration. There is a reason why God calls you. He never intended for you to be a pew warmer. His intention was for you to fulfill your purpose. Rom.8:28 tells us that everyone is called according to God’s purpose.
A Call: A calling is your office. What God has called you to do.
Purpose is the reason why you are here on earth. Purpose gives reason and a sense of direction to your call. Look at the following examples:
Jeremiah’s purpose;
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
His calling was a prophet but his purpose was unto the nations, to root out, to pull down and to destroy the works of the enemy and to build and plant all that exalts God. He lived to fulfill his purpose.
Samuel was a prophet to the Kingdom of Israel.
1 Samuel 3:19-20 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.
Paul’s purpose;
His call was to preach the gospel i.e. 1 Corinthians 9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
However his purpose was Acts 9:15; “for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:” Paul fulfilled his purpose.
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Paul would preach the gospel at every opportunity.
Noah’s purpose was to save as many people of his generation as possible into the ark and he fulfilled it. Gen.6:8. The fact that there is sin all around you is not an excuse for you to sin. The fact that there is sin all around you does not mean you cannot fulfill purpose.
God requires us to fulfill our purpose before we leave earth. Many Christians are looking out for success. In fact many Pastors are saying you must be successful. But the God whom we serve is looking out for faithfulness in fulfilling purpose.
God rewards faithfulness
Faithfulness is a prerequisite for fulfilling purpose. It is when we are faithful that we can find success. Many Christians have found success without faithfulness and God does not reward just success.
Many of us are doing what we think God wants us to do without coming to his presence to ask him. If we learn to come to his presence to seek him, he will show us what our purpose is. We have a form of godliness but we deny His leadership and direction. You just have to obey him. You may not necessarily be successful but you would be found faithful. If you read Mt.7:21-23 all the works listed there were the works of God, but the people had not identified their purpose.
Mt25:14-30 i.e. the parable of the talents.
Note that in verse 15 He gave everyone’s purpose according to your ability so you have no excuse not fulfilling it.
Matthew 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
God rewarded the man for his faithfulness and not necessarily for his success. They entered heaven because they had been faithful with their purpose.
Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Many people in the house of God will go to hell because they were not faithful with their talents. They were unprofitable servants of the Lord. They did not fulfill their purpose.
What is your talent and if God comes today will he find you faithful?
There are three kinds of people:
Those who do nothing,
Those who watch things happen in excitement and shout ooh, Aah and
Those who make things happen.
May you cause things to happen in your life. May you identify your call and fulfil your purpose.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Honour the Lord
1 Samuel 2:30 “Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith,, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”.
God in this scripture was telling Eli the High Priest that though He had promised Eli’s house, be it far from Him. That promise will not be fulfilled because Eli’s sons have not honoured the Lord in their life. They were the next in line to be High Priests but because they dishonoured God, the promise concerning their lives will not be fulfilled.
God says that “for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”.
The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were sinning against God at the door of the Temple. They had no regard for the law of God neither did they honour God in their lives so this law had to come in operation for them to be punished. God therefore sends Samuel to announce the consequences to Eli. The sons of Eli die in a war with the Philistines, there is a great slaughter and Israel flees from its enemies, the Ark of the Lord is captured and Eli falls backward and breaks his neck thereby he also dies. The consequences of dishonouring God are very grave.
However for those who honour God, He in turn honours them. Samuel decided to honour God all his life and was lifted up as the High Priest and prophet of Israel. He who was not in the lineage of Eli, he was not the next in line to be the High Priest, he merely ministered before the Lord but God had to change the order so that he would become the next High Priest. Joseph refused to sin against God by refusing to sleep with Potiphar’s wife. He refused to fall for the woman’s advances. This was something that many would think will cause the woman to speak to her husband on Joseph’s behalf. But Joseph refused to sin against God so God rewarded him by lifting him up to become the prime minister of Egypt. From slavery to prison to Prime minister.
God always honours those who honour him. Daniel refused to eat food offered unto idols and was rewarded to serve as governor under about four kings. Daniel again refused to obey the commandment not to pray to God. He honoured God in this action and yet when he was placed in the lion’s den, the angel of the Lord shut the mouths of the lions such that they could not eat him up and he was released the following day. Even the King of the day fasted for him. May you stand for God no matter how difficult the situation is. No situation should cause you not to honour God. No circumstance that you find yourself in should stop you from glorifying God. When we learn to honour Him, he will also honour us. Despite all the faults of David, God called him his friend because he knew how to honour God. God even overlooked his faults. May God honour you. May he call you his friend.
God will honour you if you learn to honour Him. If you learn to honour Him in your marriage by honouring your husband as unto the Lord, then God in turn will touch his heart and before you know it, your husband becomes a new person. If you honour the Lord by loving your wife even as Christ loved the church, then very soon God will also honour you and the marriage that was heading towards divorce will turn over a new leaf.
If you learn to honour God in your business by respecting your customers, by being honest and treating them right, then God in turn will honour you by giving you more customers than you can imagine. This will lead to an increase in your income. If you honour God in your work place by doing what you are paid for and not forcing people to pay you bribes but rather earn an honest day’s wage, then God will also honour you and grant you promotion. If you honour God in everything that you do, then God in turn will honour you. May you honour God all the days of your life. May God come through for you and honour you so that it will be known that the Lord that you serve has honoured you.
There are certain specific ways that we can honour God.
1. We honour God by honouring His commands. Keith Miller said “We Christians have developed a kind of selective vision which allows us to be deeply and sincerely involved in worship and church activities and yet almost totally pagan in the day in, day out guts of our business lives…..and never realize it”. This sums up the depravity and shallowness of Christianity today. We go to church and pretend to be holier than thou but our lights do not shine when we are in our homes or when we go to our secret places and in the communities. We mistake being busy and active participation in religious activities to mean holiness. We are dishonest in our businesses, we do not have integrity in our circle of influence, we fuel the perception that Christianity is a religion of mere words and no action. Unbelievers make mockery of our God because of our level of hypocrisy and depravity of our conscience. We mistake religious conformity to mean honouring God. We have to honour God by honouring His words.
2. Honour the Lord with all your heart, soul and spirit.
Isaiah 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men”.
Do not relate to God in a superficial way or in pretence because He can see right through you. The genuineness of your relationship with God will be revealed when your faith is tested. That is when you will know what you are truly made off. Many people who call themselves Christians have allowed the gospel of convenience to override what God tells them in scripture so much that they do not even realise when they start to drift. A lot of Christians today accept relative truth instead of the absolute truth in the Bible. Relative truth is when you only see something to be true in relation to some other circumstances. When the circumstance changes, then that same thing may not necessarily be truth. Many find themselves in the category of people who worship God with their lips but their hearts are far away from him.
3. We honour God by honouring our parents and people in authority.
Ephesians 6:2-3 “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;). That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth”.
God has placed them over us and we need to offer that honour unto them. We honour them not because of what they do for us but because God requires us to do so. Some parents and people in authority may have treated us unfairly or may have not performed their duty as they should but we do not have the authority to judge them. All we can do is to obey the word of God and treat them with respect and honour. When we do this, we are honouring God.
It is in our own interest to honour the people in authority. It is when we honour and pray for them that we will be able to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
4. We honour the Lord by coming to His house. Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”.
It is the plan of the devil for you never to go to church. Please honor God tomorrow and come to church. You have stayed home for too long a time, start coming to the house of God to fellowship with people of like faith. God is calling you to honour Him and come to His house to have fellowship with Him.
God in this scripture was telling Eli the High Priest that though He had promised Eli’s house, be it far from Him. That promise will not be fulfilled because Eli’s sons have not honoured the Lord in their life. They were the next in line to be High Priests but because they dishonoured God, the promise concerning their lives will not be fulfilled.
God says that “for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”.
The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were sinning against God at the door of the Temple. They had no regard for the law of God neither did they honour God in their lives so this law had to come in operation for them to be punished. God therefore sends Samuel to announce the consequences to Eli. The sons of Eli die in a war with the Philistines, there is a great slaughter and Israel flees from its enemies, the Ark of the Lord is captured and Eli falls backward and breaks his neck thereby he also dies. The consequences of dishonouring God are very grave.
However for those who honour God, He in turn honours them. Samuel decided to honour God all his life and was lifted up as the High Priest and prophet of Israel. He who was not in the lineage of Eli, he was not the next in line to be the High Priest, he merely ministered before the Lord but God had to change the order so that he would become the next High Priest. Joseph refused to sin against God by refusing to sleep with Potiphar’s wife. He refused to fall for the woman’s advances. This was something that many would think will cause the woman to speak to her husband on Joseph’s behalf. But Joseph refused to sin against God so God rewarded him by lifting him up to become the prime minister of Egypt. From slavery to prison to Prime minister.
God always honours those who honour him. Daniel refused to eat food offered unto idols and was rewarded to serve as governor under about four kings. Daniel again refused to obey the commandment not to pray to God. He honoured God in this action and yet when he was placed in the lion’s den, the angel of the Lord shut the mouths of the lions such that they could not eat him up and he was released the following day. Even the King of the day fasted for him. May you stand for God no matter how difficult the situation is. No situation should cause you not to honour God. No circumstance that you find yourself in should stop you from glorifying God. When we learn to honour Him, he will also honour us. Despite all the faults of David, God called him his friend because he knew how to honour God. God even overlooked his faults. May God honour you. May he call you his friend.
God will honour you if you learn to honour Him. If you learn to honour Him in your marriage by honouring your husband as unto the Lord, then God in turn will touch his heart and before you know it, your husband becomes a new person. If you honour the Lord by loving your wife even as Christ loved the church, then very soon God will also honour you and the marriage that was heading towards divorce will turn over a new leaf.
If you learn to honour God in your business by respecting your customers, by being honest and treating them right, then God in turn will honour you by giving you more customers than you can imagine. This will lead to an increase in your income. If you honour God in your work place by doing what you are paid for and not forcing people to pay you bribes but rather earn an honest day’s wage, then God will also honour you and grant you promotion. If you honour God in everything that you do, then God in turn will honour you. May you honour God all the days of your life. May God come through for you and honour you so that it will be known that the Lord that you serve has honoured you.
There are certain specific ways that we can honour God.
1. We honour God by honouring His commands. Keith Miller said “We Christians have developed a kind of selective vision which allows us to be deeply and sincerely involved in worship and church activities and yet almost totally pagan in the day in, day out guts of our business lives…..and never realize it”. This sums up the depravity and shallowness of Christianity today. We go to church and pretend to be holier than thou but our lights do not shine when we are in our homes or when we go to our secret places and in the communities. We mistake being busy and active participation in religious activities to mean holiness. We are dishonest in our businesses, we do not have integrity in our circle of influence, we fuel the perception that Christianity is a religion of mere words and no action. Unbelievers make mockery of our God because of our level of hypocrisy and depravity of our conscience. We mistake religious conformity to mean honouring God. We have to honour God by honouring His words.
2. Honour the Lord with all your heart, soul and spirit.
Isaiah 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men”.
Do not relate to God in a superficial way or in pretence because He can see right through you. The genuineness of your relationship with God will be revealed when your faith is tested. That is when you will know what you are truly made off. Many people who call themselves Christians have allowed the gospel of convenience to override what God tells them in scripture so much that they do not even realise when they start to drift. A lot of Christians today accept relative truth instead of the absolute truth in the Bible. Relative truth is when you only see something to be true in relation to some other circumstances. When the circumstance changes, then that same thing may not necessarily be truth. Many find themselves in the category of people who worship God with their lips but their hearts are far away from him.
3. We honour God by honouring our parents and people in authority.
Ephesians 6:2-3 “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;). That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth”.
God has placed them over us and we need to offer that honour unto them. We honour them not because of what they do for us but because God requires us to do so. Some parents and people in authority may have treated us unfairly or may have not performed their duty as they should but we do not have the authority to judge them. All we can do is to obey the word of God and treat them with respect and honour. When we do this, we are honouring God.
It is in our own interest to honour the people in authority. It is when we honour and pray for them that we will be able to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
4. We honour the Lord by coming to His house. Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”.
It is the plan of the devil for you never to go to church. Please honor God tomorrow and come to church. You have stayed home for too long a time, start coming to the house of God to fellowship with people of like faith. God is calling you to honour Him and come to His house to have fellowship with Him.
Message from Hell
Luke 16:19-31; FACTS:
1. This is a true story and not a parable (vs 19 There was. In no parable is someone named)
2. There is life after death. (vs 22 because this happened)
3. Heaven and hell are real (vs. 22-23)
4. Lazarus didn’t go to Heaven because he was poor. He went because his name was found in the book of life. He was in right standing with God. Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
5. The rich man didn’t go to hell because he was rich. He went because he was a sinner, his name was not in the book of life. Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
6. Lazarus was in a place of comfort, joy, and happiness. No sorrow, no regrets, no torment.
7. The rich man cried for mercy, he was in torment, he was in suffering, he regretted the life he had led, he was thirsty. (vs. 24)
8. When you die, your soul and spirit go to one place, either Heaven or hell. The soul is your mind/intellect, your emotions and your will.
9. There is a gulf between Heaven and Hell. (vs. 26)
( vs 23-31 main message)
You cannot repent after death. Now is your opportunity to repent.
There is a message from hell for you. Someone in hell wishes he had the opportunity that you have today so that he could have repented.
He wishes that he had listened when he heard the word of God. The Bible says now is the day of salvation 2Cor.6:2.
Someone in hell wishes he can change his position with you today because you are not doing God’s will. He wishes that you take advantage of all the opportunities you have today because tomorrow does not belong to you.
No one will come from the dead to testify to you. There are enough true preachers in the world today that you have to listen to. He is praying to God that you will listen to the men of God and be obedient.
Someone in hell is praying that you preach to his family members about Jesus. He is counting on your obedience.
Someone is praying that you will not keep your mouth shut until everyone you come into contact with is saved.
Someone is praying that anytime you meet his family member, you sit in the car with them, meet them at work place, that you will share the gospel with them.
Some of you say Oh we are sitting on the fence, There is a message from Hell for you, the fence belongs to the devil so you can’t sit on it. Awake from your sleep and slumber and seek after Jesus.
You say Oh I am standing in the middle of the road, we know what happens to people standing in the middle of the road, they get ran over by a car. God is calling you to come to His house.
Some of you have been wounded and even your faith has been killed by the Church. Christianity is the only army that kills it’s wounded soldiers. But god is saying that is not an excuse for you to go to hell. Rise up and still come to the mercy seat of God because you will find mercy there. Let nothing stop you from the love of God.
Romans 8:35-37 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
1. This is a true story and not a parable (vs 19 There was. In no parable is someone named)
2. There is life after death. (vs 22 because this happened)
3. Heaven and hell are real (vs. 22-23)
4. Lazarus didn’t go to Heaven because he was poor. He went because his name was found in the book of life. He was in right standing with God. Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
5. The rich man didn’t go to hell because he was rich. He went because he was a sinner, his name was not in the book of life. Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
6. Lazarus was in a place of comfort, joy, and happiness. No sorrow, no regrets, no torment.
7. The rich man cried for mercy, he was in torment, he was in suffering, he regretted the life he had led, he was thirsty. (vs. 24)
8. When you die, your soul and spirit go to one place, either Heaven or hell. The soul is your mind/intellect, your emotions and your will.
9. There is a gulf between Heaven and Hell. (vs. 26)
( vs 23-31 main message)
You cannot repent after death. Now is your opportunity to repent.
There is a message from hell for you. Someone in hell wishes he had the opportunity that you have today so that he could have repented.
He wishes that he had listened when he heard the word of God. The Bible says now is the day of salvation 2Cor.6:2.
Someone in hell wishes he can change his position with you today because you are not doing God’s will. He wishes that you take advantage of all the opportunities you have today because tomorrow does not belong to you.
No one will come from the dead to testify to you. There are enough true preachers in the world today that you have to listen to. He is praying to God that you will listen to the men of God and be obedient.
Someone in hell is praying that you preach to his family members about Jesus. He is counting on your obedience.
Someone is praying that you will not keep your mouth shut until everyone you come into contact with is saved.
Someone is praying that anytime you meet his family member, you sit in the car with them, meet them at work place, that you will share the gospel with them.
Some of you say Oh we are sitting on the fence, There is a message from Hell for you, the fence belongs to the devil so you can’t sit on it. Awake from your sleep and slumber and seek after Jesus.
You say Oh I am standing in the middle of the road, we know what happens to people standing in the middle of the road, they get ran over by a car. God is calling you to come to His house.
Some of you have been wounded and even your faith has been killed by the Church. Christianity is the only army that kills it’s wounded soldiers. But god is saying that is not an excuse for you to go to hell. Rise up and still come to the mercy seat of God because you will find mercy there. Let nothing stop you from the love of God.
Romans 8:35-37 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Sorry Folks
I had to go to Africa on a missionary trip and have since not been able to update this blog. I am really sorry for this long break. However I am still there but have found a means to access the internet now so can regularly put up new update. Stay tuned. God bless you all.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Ps. Cox speaks on "Jay z disses Jesus"
Where are all the Pastors with large congregations?
Watch the part two below.
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