“These people draw to me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.” (Matt.15:8)< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Wicked is defined as evil by nature and in practice, highly offensive or obnoxious. Wickedness is an ungodly sin. It is what provoked the hand of God to destroy man from the face of earth during the time of Noah. Gen.6:5 ÒThen the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.Ó Just as it was then, so it is today. Today, wickedness knows no bounds. It reigns outside the church, and it reigns inside the church.  Within a group of believers, if there is a request for who should be considered as wicked, so many would refuse. As a self proclaimed Christian or born again believer, have you ever considered or seen yourself as one who dwells in wickedness? Let us see how Jeremiah pinpointed who and what qualifies one as wicked (especially within the church).  Jeremiah complained why the way of the wicked prospers. In Jer.12:2, ÒHe brought before God by saying to God, ÔYou have planted them, yes they have taken root; they grow, yes they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind.Ó In his question, there is a clear indication that the wicked are those that speak the word of God but do not carry it in their mind. They are mouthful of the word of God, but mindful of self. This is extensively deceiving because they grow and prosper, and nothing is written over their forehead that identifies them as wicked.  This makes it more deceiving among believers of today who are having misconceptions of what prosperity is. Clearly, the wicked are those that could be highly conversant in speaking the word of God while the word of God is absent or far from the mind.

~ Hypocrites ~

Jesus referred to them as hypocrites when he was debating the scribes and the Pharisees. Matt.15:7-9, ÒHypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ÔThese people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.Ó Do you consider yourself as a hypocrite? A hypocrite is a pretender. A hypocrite is one whose walk and talk do not match. A hypocrite is also a person that acts it but does not practice it. If what you possess is not what you profess, you have failed in doing what you say, and you are a son of the wicked; in vain you worship Him. There is a need to serve God in deed and in truth. You cannot serve in deed and in truth, and be living in wickedness. Do you sincerely desire to deny hypocrisy and wickedness in your life? Determination will fail because it is not by might or by power. By His grace, all you have to do is to observe the word of God.

 ~ Observe ~

Det.28:15, Ò But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God to observe carefully all of His commandment and His statutes which I commanded you today that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.ÓThe message is this: to be able to obey, observing the word of God day and night is a must. Moses advised Joshua to meditate in it day and night, that Joshua may observe to do according to all that is written in it (Josh.1:8). Meditate; observe; then you will obey. Joseph had the word of God in his mouth and his mind. He was able to operate the word. The wife of Potiphar approached him in an attempt to lie with him. He knew it was not an act of the word of God. Reminded, he declared in Gen.39:9, ÒÉ How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?Ó Now you know your stand in observing the word of God. Where do you go from here? Ezek.3:19, ÒYet if  you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. You have been warned! Your sin will find you out sooner or later.

It is impossible to be right with God and not be right with one another.  

 ÒI have found the book of law in the house of the Lord.Ó(2Kings22:8)  
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In the process of repairing the temple during the reign of King Josiah, Hilkiah the high priest founded the Book of Law in the house of the LORD. Having found the Book of the Law, he forwarded it to King Josiah. 2 kings < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>22:11 now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes

~ Word of God~

Evidently, the Book of the Law (the word of God) was never lost. The book has always been in the temple but the people of God have been lost from the book. Hilkiah the priest was the first to find the book because he was also lost from the book. In this case, the priest that should have been leading in propagating the book was lost from the book. The king was no where to be found where the book was located while the whole country could not recognize if the book actually existed. The priest, king and the whole country were lost from the book. The story is not different from the story today except that there is a slight difference from the situation of today. Today, so many know that the Book of Law is in the house of the LORD but they have chosen to ignore the Book of the Law of the LORD (Intentional grounding). It has been packed up and replaced by the book of the government or the book of self. The ones in position of the priest have subjected to the book of this world. Without any doubt, among the cause for this exchange of the Book of the Law with the book of the government, self and world is the absence of the FEAR of the LORD God almighty.

~Fear God~

Man no longer fears God with their heart but with the mouth. Church as the leading offender could only confess the fear of God with the mouth but not with the heart. The church could no longer be confirmed in what they confess. It is not possible to be fearful of God and be full of yourself. In the world today, man is full of himself and God is empty in self. Where the fear of God is missing, there is a misplacement of the Book of the Law of God. Every time there is a misplacement of the Book of the Law in life, there is an automatic replacement into the avenue of eternal damnation.

~Will of God~

Without any compromise, the will of God for man is to fear God. Clearly it is stated in both the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible for anyone that chooses to hear and learn to fear Him.Deut.31:12, 13 ÒGather the people together, men and women and little ones, and stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the LORD your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, Òand that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.Ó The same God yesterday, is the same God today and forever. He has not changed, and He will not change. The word of God remains forever the same. Also, what He has spoken to them He has also spoken to us. The will of God is for man to fear Him. They could not fear Him then and now because they have been lost from the Book of the Law that supposes to have been teaching them to learn to fear Him. Josh.24:14 ÒNow therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! When you fail to hear and learn, you cannot fear Him and you will miss Him in your service.

ÔSee,I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord sworeto your fathers-to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- to give to them and theirdescendants after them.Õ (Det.1:8).Ê

Whatever God promises is notquestion. He has done it. He is the beginning and the end. He alone sees theend in the beginning; the beginning in the end. In Gen.12:7, when Abraham wasin the land of Canaan, the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ÒTo yourdescendants I will give this land.Ó God meant what He promised. WhenGod gives His promise, the promise does not go away or disappear.Ê However, itis man that walks away from the promise of God. In every journey to the promiseland, there are giants that are meant to deny man from entering the promises ofGod. However, God has given all that it takes to take out the giants just likeHe did for King David.

~Promise Land~

Over fourhundred years of bondage was not enough to deny the children of Israel their journey to promise land. Thesame applies to you Nothing under the heaven can deny your promise land if youdo not deny yourself. When it was time for the children of Israel to resume their Journey to thepromise land, God did not let them go empty handed; but they left with favor ofGod. Ex.3:21 and I will give this people favor in the sight of theEgyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. Canyou get the fact that Where He has called you to go; there is a packaged goodto go with you?Ê If you are sure that God has called you to a land that flowswith milk and honey, it is time to put on hope and move forward. Every believerthat has accepted Christ has been called into a journey to a promise land. Youhave been called.ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ

~Journey~

ÊIn everyjourney to the promise land, there is favor from God to see you through. Thereare giants designed by the enemy to hinder and to deny. Also, in the journey;the route can be discouraging-because it is through the wilderness. The giantis in you and if you let him he will not let you. The name of the giant isComplaint. In the company of complaint is the spirit of discouragement. Det.1:27and you complained in your tents, and said, ÔBecause the LORD hates us,He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroyus. V.28 where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts,saying, the people are greater and taller than we; the cities are greater andfortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there. It is clear that when complainsets in you, discouragement will settle inside you. God has promised and He cannot fail.

As much asit is important to understand that there are giants on the way to Canaan, it is important to understandthat passing through the wilderness can not be avoided.Ê

~Wilderness~

Thepassage through the wilderness is a necessary experience.ÊÊ One does not haveto live there. For the children of Israel, an eleven day journey became a forty year agony. The wildernessbecame a habitation when it was only meant for a learning experience. Theexperience is to be added to you, and become your make up in living in thepromise land. The wilderness experiences are not to break you if you do notbreak yourself down and make the wilderness your land. God is a faithful God.He will go before you and He will fight for you just like He has done in thepast. God is up to something good in your life; you are down to nothing. Ariseand take on your journey to the promise land and He will carry you through.ÊÊ

Trust and obey; it is always easiersaid than done. For so many believers and non-believers, the word trust andobey is easier said than done. How can one that claims to trust in God belying, deceptive and manipulating in the name of God?

Withoutseeking to know who the LORD is and what He can do, it is impossible to trustin him. Also, without knowing to fear God, it is not possible to obey God. Obedienceis having its source in fearing God. It is how much you seek and fear Him thatwill determine your trust and obedience in God.Ê

Ê~MATTER~

No matterhow it matters to you, the conclusion of the whole matter is to fear God. Thenthe ability to obey Him in all that He requires from man will flow. It allstarts with seeking Him; trusting Him; then fearing Him.

~ABOUTFEAR~

Devotion: Fear of God is in devotion not anemotion. When you are devoted to fearing God, you are in a position to have theword of God established in your life.

Psalm119:38,Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You. What else would a believer desirein this world than to have the word established in his life?

Tohate: tofear God is to hate evil. How do you react to seeing or hearing evil deedsaround you? Are you comfortable or do you take it as a joke whenever you witnessevil activities around you?Prov.8:13, the fear of the LORD is to hateevil.

Zealous: Tireless diligence. Does thatrepresent how you fear God? Prov.23:17 Do not let your heart envysinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day. Beingzealous for the fear of the LORD all day is a possibility and that is why theword requires it.

Nowant: Godspoke in volumes and none of His word shall go forth without performing it. Itis written in Ps.34:9, Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is nowant to those who fear Him. It does not matter who or how many wantsare around you, as long as you live in the fear of the LORD.

Miracle: In the early church, because theywere obedient, they continued steadfastly in the apostlesÕ doctrine andfellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon everysoul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles (Acts: 2:42, 43). Fear came upon them and miracleswere delivered. Fear of God and what He can do will also generate miracles.

Revealsecret: Gen.18:17and the LORD said shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing. Abrahamfeared God. God could not hide anything from him. Ps. 25:14, The secretof the LORD is with those who fear Him. And He will show them His covenant. Whenyou begin to fear God, you become a dweller in His secret place.

Deliverance: Fear God and deliverance will bepackaged to you. 2King17:39, but the LORD your God you shall fear; and Hewill deliver you from the hand of all enemies. Any matter that hasrisen against you is an enemy in your life. Fear of God is your way ofdeliverance.

~THEEYE OF GOD~

Your fearof God will gain the attention of GodÕs eye. Ps.33:18, 19 say, behold theeye of the LORD is on those who fear Him. On those who hope in His mercy, todeliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Whenyou have the LORDÕs eye on you constantly, the hand of your enemy will have toround up God before it gets to you. To fear God is the only way.

In fearingGod, determination will fail; your strength will not prevail because bystrength can no man prevail. However, the grace of God will impact fear.ÊÊ

Do youactually desire to fear God in deed and in truth? Pray for it. Jer.32:40And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn awayfrom doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they willnot depart from me. Ask God to put His fear in your heart,

A very long time ago, in a regionwhere rain hardly falls in a year, Noah prepared for a flood. In hispreparation, he engaged in building an ark made out of gopher wood. It was not justan ark, it was a huge ark.

~Ark~

The lengthof the ark was three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits and its heightthirty cubits (Gen. 6:15). It was a huge ark to escape a flood in a regionwhere it hardly rains within a year. Who would have responded to this kind ofwarning? Would you have been able to respond to God just as Noah responded?None of his friends were mentioned as part of the escape team. Neither any ofNoahÕs neighbor nor business partners were mentioned in the escape team. Noahwas given a ticket of escape only to his family. Remember LotÕs escape? It was also only to his family. Now it isclear why Joshua said as for him, he and his house will serve the LORD (Joshua24:15).As the head of your house, what do you desire? It flows from the head to thetail. Are you working out a salvation plan that will cover for you and your householdor a salvation plan that will serve only breakfast, lunch, and dinner? If youdo not desire for your household to be saved when the Lord comes to judge theearth, it will not become a done deal. Noah and his family departed into theark of escape from a devastating flood; an unimaginable flood in anunimaginable area in time. He made it because he lived for God in the midst ofwicked generation and he was able to respond to GodÕs warning. Are you livingfor God? You cannot be successful if you claim to be living for God and notresponding to His warning signs. Neighbors, friends, business partners andcommunities were going by the dayÕs business (in their own term) enjoying life;minding their own business. It rained, it flooded and there was no way ofescape. They were all wiped off the face of earth. It sounded like sweetsaying; story telling isnÕt it?

~Real?~

InDecember 2004, a massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter magnitudescale created a TSUNAMI causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia,Thailand, Malaysia, The Maldives and many other areas around the rim of theIndian Ocean. The death toll is currently estimated at more than 300,000. Doesthat sound like tale telling? The fact is, the rain that flooded in the time ofNoah rained forty days and forty nights, but the TSUNAMI executed for perhaps acouple of minutes in duration. In that period of time it touched down in manyregions on the face of earth. What will an hour of consistent and continuousTSUNAMI bring to the whole world? Yet, many still take the word of God with considerableexcuses. Everything around us is pointing to the fact that the word of God iscoming to manifest itself all over the face of earth. He is coming back tojudge. Gen. 6:5, then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was greatin the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evilcontinually. He rained and flooded. Just as it was then, it is today.Evil and wickedness are reigning in all corners of the earth. God is a just andconsistent God. He would not be consistent if He did not do just like He did inthe time of Noah.

~Salvation~

God hasmade the provision for salvation through Jesus. And it is written in Jh.3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoeverbelieves in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Today isyour day of salvation, look up to Him and He will look out for you.