ENTERTAIN NO FEAR

The word of God describes Job, “…blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him.  Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.” (Job 1:1-3) Job had it all. Above all, he was indeed a man of God. He was straight with God but he was not sure of his children’s walk with God. As a result of him not being sure about his children’s walk with God, he would sanctify them and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all making a statement, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” (Job 1:4-5)

After Satan was allowed by God to attack Job, he lost his properties, he lost all his children and his health was attacked. By virtue of all his adversities, he deplored his birth by cursing the day of his birth. On top of it all, Job gave a testimony, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.” (Job 3:25-26) What could have been the fear of Job which eventually came upon him? Was it the fear of not having destruction of properties? Could it have been the fear of not having all his children die together? The bottom line of it is that Job was nursing fear and what he feared eventually found him.

Fear is not of God; fear is the initiation of Satan. Whenever fear rises in the life of man, faith will sink. Fear and faith does not complement each other. What could have happened to Job to be exercising great fear? Not knowing the extent of God’s protective covering over the affairs of our life or over the areas of our concern will possibly expose us to fear and not faith. Clearly God is not pleased without faith. Unfortunately Satan knew the extent of God’s covering over Job when he mentioned that God had made a hedge around him, around his household and around all that he has on every side. (Job 1:10) When God makes you to be impenetrable but you make yourself penetrable, Satan will have no choice but to attempt dressing you up. The Psalmist states, “A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.” (Psalm 49:20)  It is extremely important to know that God is mindful of us. He visits us and He crowns us with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4-5)

Know who you are and disallow compelling forces which cause great fear in man.
Whenever the compelling force in your life is positively in line with the word of God, the end result will be nothing but a positive and blessed result. However, when a compelling force in your life is negative and not in line with the word of God, you are set for a negative and complicating result. Constantly keep it mind that the most active and most frequent compelling forces that often complicates the life of man is that of fear. The story of King Saul depicts exactly what it is to allow a negative compelling force, such as fear, to have a place in our life. King Saul was the first king of the children of Israel. He was a king anointed by God for God’s people. He had God on his side along with Samuel in place for him as God’s mouthpiece. What else could a man need but to fully rest and trust on God? Despite King Saul’s position, he could not function effectively without fear.

At a time of war with the prominent enemy of the children of Israel, he allowed fear to take over as a compelling force that led him to his complicating decision. King Saul was commanded by Samuel to wait for seven days until Samuel arrived to offer the burnt offering before his battle with the Philistines. “Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.  So Saul said, ’Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.’ And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came…” (1 Samuel 13:8-10) Saul made the wrong move because he could not travail in waiting. Samuel came as promised the same day but not at Saul’s timing. When Samuel asked why King Saul took such a decision, Saul’s response was that, “…when I saw that the people were scattered from me…” (1 Samuel 13:11) Who are you looking up to? Do you look up to God or the people and situations around you? Saul went further in his testimony and stated, “…I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” Saul succumbed to fear when his people scattered and was compelled to make an unlawful sacrifice. Samuel made it clear that he violated God’s command. Violating God can lead to termination from God. Samuel made it known to Saul, “…the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever but now your kingdom shall not continue…” (1 Samuel 13:13-14) When fear compels, complication prevails. As the year goes on, keep focus on God and you shall not be in place for fear but faith.

FAITH CAPSULE
Fear and faith does not complement each other.

WHAT YOU SOW

In your new beginning allow the newness of God’s grace to reign in your life.
In the past year, whatever it is that does not represent God; that which does not glorify God, disallow it from having a place in your life as you engage the journey of a new beginning.
It is true that what a man sows he will surely reap. God is a perfect Manager and He perfects in managing each and every of His creation by virtue of allowing His creation to reap from what they sow. In life, it is impossible to sow the seed of deception and expect to reap the fruit of perfection. If what a man sow is good, man shall reap good. Just as God will not overlook rewarding good for good so He will not overlook reward bad for bad. He is a righteous judge and man should always expect to reap from what man sows.
Any man who sows the seed of lie will reap the fruit of being deceived. It is worthy to live life as one who knows Him and anything short of living life as one who knows Him is living life as a liar. It is written, “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”(1John2:4-6) How do you walk His walk?

It is important to understand that working the works of God is not same as walking as He walked.
To work the works of God is to believe in Jesus. (John 6:28-29) To walk is walk is to behave the word you believe. God invests so much in us while we extend so little to Him by the way we walk His walk. Working and not walking will not get us to where He wants for us to be.
Our walk is also our seed which we sow for God to reward us.

WHAT YOU SOW YOU WILL REAP
Esau, the first son of Isaac, knew well enough not to marry outside of his father’s prescribed area but nevertheless, he still went and married without Isaac’s blessing. It is written, “When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.”(Genesis 26:34-35) Esau could not walk before his father Isaac; he disobeyed his father and also violated God’s command which states, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12).
Esau’s act of disobedience activated a grief of mind to his parents which can be likened to heartache, stress, disruption, anger and maybe sleepless nights.  At a very old age when it was time for Isaac to bless his children, Esau was in line to take the best part of the blessings.
Regardless of Esau’s act of disobedience his father still considered him to be the one receiving the best of the blessings. Isaac called on Esau and spoke to him, “Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”(Genesis 27:3-4)

There is no procedure neither is there any mishap that can obliterate or erase for one not to reap from what was sown and this was also the case for Esau.
Esau could not reap right where he sow wrongly when his mother re-assigned His chance to reap the blessing from his father to Jacob his brother. Jacob took the position of Esau’s blessing. There was no documentation of a conscious and purposeful act by Rebekah to punish Esau for his disobedience act.
The point here is that nothing passes outside of God’s seeing…man shall reap from whatever man sows.
Esau sowed the seed of grief to his parents and there was no way out for him but to reap the fruit of grief.
As the year progresses, watch the kind of seeds you sow because when reaping time starts, prayer will not help to deny you from the pain of what you sow.

FAITH CAPSULE:
It is true that what a man sows he will surely reap.
Your work without walking in Him is not enough.

JESUS: THE GIFT OF GOD

It is written, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17) Giving is love; love is giving. Gods giving is an expression of God’s love for all of His children. God gave a very expensive gift. The gift of God is a sacrificial gift that is meant to redeem man from every form of condemnation. The gift of God is a precious gift and is meant for everyone to preciously accept it. As precious as it is, He does not force it on anyone to receive it. Jesus becomes the gift of God to us.
Word gift is described as: something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone. Looking at some synonyms of the word gift can also punch enough understanding of what the gift of God is to man: donation, contribution, offering. It should be concluded that with love, God donated to us a life saver; He contributed what it takes to be safe; He offered us life jacket.
The gift of God is available for all who desire it and accept it. God in His infinite (immeasurable, inestimable) mercy gave a gift which there is no excusable condition not to accept His gift. Jesus, the love of God, came unconditionally and makes Himself available without any condition. His statement in John 10:10 buttress the testimony of God, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” God gave His love and His love declared Himself. Have you received and believed the Love of God; the gift to have life abundantly? For anyone who receives and believes the Love of God is granted access to living life abundantly. God does not lie and His Word does not return back to Him without fulfilling its purpose. Romans 10:9 identifies what it takes to have the Word of God manifest in the life of an acclaimed receiver of the love of God, “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It is not possible for a true acclaimed believer to confess with their mouth and believe in the heart and not be one that conducts themselves according to the Word. However, not behaving what is confessed with the mouth and believed in the heart is the evidence of not being a believer. One cannot mix the Word of God with the world and have the Word respond with power. Imagine mixing a cup of Coca-Cola with four cups of water. Indeed the color might not fully disappear but it will never taste or serve the same way as the undiluted cup of Coca-Cola.

Truly, believing (behaving) the Word of God is having the fear of God in one’s life. With the fear of God, one takes a place under a banner that is impenetrable to the wicked. The Bible testifies the banner of God, “You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth.” (Psalm 60:4) Are you one who fears God in your walks of life?
Ones who receive and believe in the living Word of God have allowed Jesus to take a stand as a banner over every affair of their life. Isaiah 11:10 testifies about Jesus, the root of Jesse stating, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.” The banner set by God is to protect, heal and deliver us from all of our afflictions.
Are you one who is denying Him from being a covering upon your life? God does not waste words. He means what He says He will do if you will live life as one who has received and believed with the heart and not just with the word of the mouth. Allow His banner to be your covering and His signs over your life shall be evidence and the adversary shall be denied.

God gave His only begotten son because He loves us. In this season of celebration, consider giving back to God your love. To love God is to fear God. To fear God is to obey God and live by the word of His command. Give back to God just as He has given unto you.

SACRIFICE OF THANKS GIVING

Thanking and praising God is not a thinking engagement but a giving engagement. You do not think thanks; you give thanks. Also, thanks should be an every moment engagement. Giving thanks and praising God cannot be separated because both go together. Psalm 92:1 confirms, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High”. When understanding backs up conviction, it delivers an undeniable miracle. When thanking and praising Him is backed without understanding, it becomes empty emotion. Thanking and praising God should not be rooted in emotion that is not backed with understanding because the Bible declares in Psalm 47:7, “For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.” Whenever giving thanks and praise is not rooted in understanding, it becomes an entertainment. Thanking and praising God is an act of declaring His goodness at all times. The Psalmist buttress, “To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night.” (Psalm 92:2) How to thank and praise Him is not relegated to a particular guideline. However, Psalm 92:3 does mention: “On an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.” The Psalmist went further by declaring why we should thank and praise Him stating, “For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.”(Psalm 92:4-5) God is worthy of thanksgiving and praise worship by declaring His work as the Psalmist did. Evidently, volumes and pages of book will never be enough to identify what thanking and praising God has done or could bring forth. Thanking and praising God gets Heaven’s attention because God inhabits the praises of His people. We do not only give thanks for what God has done or what He is doing but we also give thanks for what He can do or what we expect Him to do. Are you expecting God to move concerning your confronting situation? Regardless of the magnitude of your situation, believe and give thanks to God before manifestation of your expectation. Jesus believed that God was going to bring Lazarus back to life and as a result, Jesus did not wait for Lazarus to rise before He thanked God for Lazarus’ rising from dead. It is written, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’” (John 11:41) If you will begin to thank Him prior to the manifestation of your expectation, the Lazarus in your life will rise in Jesus name.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” The Word of God goes further concerning the issue of thanksgiving when it states in Ephesians 5:20-21, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Clearly and evidently, these two Scriptural verses point to the truth that those who give thanks for all things will have all things work together for good on their behalf. As difficult or as challenging situations can be, there is never a reason not to give thanks for all things and in all things.
God, who is a jealous God, desires and deserves our attention and will always expect thanksgiving and praise worship from us. This is evident in the documentation of Jesus and the ten lepers who were healed. When ten lepers were healed, “…one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God.” (Luke 17:15) One leper’s return to give thanks with a loud voice prompted Jesus’ response, “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:18-19) Only God knows how long the returned leper had been trusting God for his healing before Jesus spoke healing into his life. The important point here is that he was able to go back and offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Also, he was not just thinking thanksgiving in his heart but rather gave thanks with a loud voice. Jesus’ response testifies to the fact that He was waiting for the lepers to return for thanksgiving. Just as He waited for the leper to return for thanks giving, so He is waiting for us to return and give thanks. Return and do not wait until the year is out. Give thanks for all year long prayer requests manifestation. Have you been trusting God for any miracle that is not yet in your hand? Provoke the hand of God by thanking Him expressively for the prayers that are not yet manifested. God performs in prayer and perfects in thanksgiving. One leper went back for thanksgiving and Jesus added perfection to his healing deliverance. Consider this month your month of thanksgiving and your coming month will become your month of manifestation. Thanking God before prayer manifestation is exercising faith to provoke God’s hand to move on your behalf.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of giving a reasonable sacrifice of thanksgiving.

DO NOT DESPISE GOD’S WORD

Despising the word of God is to dishonor God’s command. It is disobedience to despise God’s word. Proverbs 13:13 cautions, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” Despising the word of God is also a demonstration of lack of fear for His commands. Obeying God is obtaining the blessing of obedience from God while disobeying God is engaging the curses of disobedience. The word clearly warns, “He who despises the word will be destroyed…” God is forever consistent and will never lower the standard of His word to violate His word that does not return to Him void. All that God says He will do is a done deal.

King Saul despised the word of God by his act of disobedience and the consequence of his disobedience was fully manifested in his life. When the Philistines gathered to fight against Israel, Saul could not wait for Samuel’s instruction to wait seven days for Samuel to carry out the burnt offering. Saul went ahead to carry out the burnt offerings which was a violation of God’s command.  As a king, he was not in the place to offer burnt offering which was a priest’s assignment as commanded by God. As simple as Saul’s violation appeared to be, Samuel responded to Saul’s disobedience. “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14) Saul despised God’s command and his lineage was forever terminated from becoming king. Before God, a sin is a sin and there is no minor sin or major sin. Plan to live life abundantly by abstaining from despising God’s command and you shall not be destroyed.
To disregard the works of God is another way of dishonoring God. Dishonoring God is despising His word. Are you one who is disregarding God consciously or unconsciously? It is a sin to disregard God; before God there is no excuse for sin but only repentance. Ignorance is not an excuse before God; it only makes destitution of a believer.

One of King David’s psalms testifies, “Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them and not build them up.” (Psalm 28:5) Are you one who consciously or unconsciously despises the works of the Lord or the operation of His hand? The works of God are created by His word and that makes His work to be qualified as His word. Also, the operations of His hand are encased in His word. Disregarding the works of a jealous God is evidence of not paying attention to God. Attention is the antidote of jealousy. When one gives God attention, it shall provoke God to attend to whoever gives Him attention. What is it that is denying you from regarding the works of His hand so that He may give regard to you in all your ways?
The operation of His hands deserves to be regarded as much as the works of His hand. How God operates is beyond any human comprehension and that is why He deserves all regards. In all our conduct and communication, we owe regards only to the Lord. Boasting is an act of disregarding God. Often times, man boasts unconsciously and/or consciously by words and actions.  James 4:13-16 documents what it means to boast: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’  But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” Pay all attention to God and give Him all the regards. Lean not on your own understanding in action or by the word of your mouth. God will not fail to regard those who give Him all regards by not despising His words of command and the operation of His hands.