AN ORDINARY STONE OR A SMOOTH STONE?

Wanna share something very important that I saw today:

Yeah, God looks at the heart but the surface really matters too. For humans, 'don't judge the book by the cover' does not apply. When David chose the stones to kill Goliath, he didn't just choose any stones, he chose smooth stones, why? Just as it is preferred to grind with a smooth stone than with a rough one, so also it is much preferred to use a vessel that is alright inside-out than just on the inside.

The devil has been using that part of the Bible to deceive many people... 'it doesn't matter, God is not looking at the outside, it's the heart'. But seriously, would you permit an ill-dressed person to anchor an event for you?, definitely not. As much as God looks at the inward man, the outside is also very important. A lot of people would get really disappointed if they see a Pastor's wife wearing mini-skirt. To them, it is wrong for the Pastor's wife but not for them. This Christian race is for everybody and not just preachers, every man to himself.

As a Christian, your life should not be a controversial one. Of course, it's not in the Bible that 'thou shalt not wear mini-skirts' or 'thou shalt not smoke' or 'thou shalt not drink alcohol', but I do not see why a person would claim to be a Christian and there would be no clear difference between him/her and an unbeliever apart from church-going. Packaging is key with God too. The early disciples were first called Christians in Antioch because they acted and behaved like Christ, nowadays, 'I'm a Christian' is more or less a slang, it doesn't go deep down to the heart anymore. God forbid that at the end of this race, all 'efforts' would be rendered null and void.

Let people see you and see Christ, let your whole being glorify God. This is why when God sees a willing 'vessel' to use but first takes 'it' through 'fire' for purification and sanctification before use. What God uses you to do on the earth and how much you fulfill your destiny is dependent on your stand with God, God's view point of you. Since the way you dress is the way you are addressed, Christians should depict Christ in all they do. As you are working on your inside by the help of The Holy Spirit, you should let it correspond with your outside too - the way you dress, speak, act, etc. It doesn't all happen in one day but as you yield yourself totally to Jesus and the workings of His Holy Spirit, you'd see things falling into place.

Happy Weekend...

THE 'IF'S OF BIBLE PROMISES

Wow.., going through the Bible, there're just so many promises for the 'children' of God and yeah, we do claim a lot of them. But have you noticed?, most of them have conditions tied to them, meaning for these ones, there's not just saying Amen, you have to fulfill the required conditions. I'm not trying to scare anyone here, I just want you to see the reality of things so that you don't go about thinking God does not answer all your prayers and so that you would have better access to the blessings available in Christ Jesus.

Condition number 1 and the one common to most is that you must be a child of God, not just a church-goer but a Born-again Christian, are you? Second condition I've noticed is obedience to God's instructions. For example, many claim the blessings of Deut 28 but most people overlook its condition in verse 2. Another condition is right-living (righteousness) and holiness e.g. Ps 92:12, Ps 34:9, Ps 112. Trusting the Lord is also one of them like in Is 52:13b. Giving is also very key to wealth Lk 6:38, Prov 11:24. Hardwork is also part of it Prov 22:29. Tithing is indeed advisable Prov 13:9-10. Humility, very important James 4:6, James 4:10, Is 57:15, Ps 12:3.

These above are just the most common few that I have mentioned. Once again, by the Spirit of the Lord, this is made very easy, for it is not by power, nor by might, but by His Spirit Zech 4:6. Follow Jesus wholeheartedly today.

God Bless you richly in Jesus' Name... Amen. Shalom

                               

'THE FEAR OF THE LORD'

Sorry I have not posted in a long while, but I'm sure you've been having a splendid time with God...

       

It is a popular quote from the Bible that 'The Fear of The Lord' is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10). We all pray to God for wisdom, but how many of us actually 'fear' The Lord? Now I'm not talking about 'Fear' in the way the world describes fear.

Actually, what does it mean to fear God? Using the story of Job (Job 1:1), I'd say to fear God means to live a life towards Holiness, to avoid evil and to live a life focused on pleasing God because of your love for Him. Expanding, I'd say it is simply putting God first in everything you do. It is also making your thought pattern like 'if God were here, would I do this, would I be here'? of which God is actually everywhere but we always seem to notice Him only when we want to, like in church services, on Sundays and when we want Him to do something for us. And that's why you'd hear people say things like 'I don't drink on Sundays', 'it's Sunday, don't sing circular songs', 'you just came back from church and you are lying'. At least, thank God there's some level of discipline, but we should always realize and accept the fact that God is everywhere all the time and that's why He is called Omnipresent.

Apart from having an awesome relationship with God, there are other benefits of walking in the Fear of The Lord - 

First we only say quote that the Fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but one of my spiritual fathers (Pastor Victor Oluwadamilare) says it is also the continuity of wisdom. I believe it is because of you begin with The Fear of The Lord and then you stop, you would come into an era of 'divine foolishness'. It is this indepth because you who was once seen to be wise would now be seen to be more foolish than the 'foolish' of this world.

Also, Prov 1:7 says that it is the beginning of knowledge because with God you don't learn secrets, they are shown to you - Bishop Abioye. Therefore, it grants you access to the secrets and treasures of heaven, I find that really cool. An example is the story of Jacob when in a year, all the wealth of Laban was transferred to him simply because God showed Him how to (Gen 30) and also that of Daniel, Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego in which they were found to be ten times better than their mates and equals (actually in that period, the king's meat would have first been sacrificed to idols, which was an abomination for them) (Dan 1). The Fear of The Lord also grants you favor with God and Man because God would not mind to 'move heaven and earth' because for you (Dan 1:9).

In addition, from the story of Job in Chapter 1 vs 1 - 3, you'd see that because he feared God, God so blessed Him. Also Joseph, because He feared God, God brought him to his destiny, making him a Prime Minister in a foreign nation overnight. The Fear of the Lord places you above your bosses, just like in the case of Joseph.

Let me leave you with this, The Spirit of God is The Spirit of The Fear of The Lord (Is 11:2), therefore keep your communion with the Holy Spirit daily and you would see yourself yearning to please God and actually pleasing Him more easily. Also, when God has seen the intent of your heart He would also make provision for you just like He did for Daniel so many times. Peace