Author: ComeFullCircleblog

HONOR THE LORD

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Uncategorized

Honour is defined as having great respect or high regard for someone. To treat with great courtesy and esteem. It’s far much simpler to honor someone that you see with your own eyes, as you can immediately read their reaction through body language even before you get a verbal response.

Imagine how much more intriguing it is to honor one who is not visible to the naked eye, yet sees you and knows you inside out! You can’t get away with faking anything in such a case!

 How To Honor The LORD

The Lord our Father is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. Hence when it comes to honoring him, I believe it’s not only in word and deed but also in thought.

Jesus said in Matthew 22 regarding the greatest commandment “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” The mind is the realm that harbors thoughts which are intricately connected to your will and emotions.

To honour the Lord, there needs to be alignment of heart, soul and mind which as a result cause you to take actions that are congruent with the word of God. Any attempts to honour God out of this alignment will be deemed unacceptable and a dishonor to the Most High.

This is the reason why the Lord criticized the people of Jerusalem for they behaved in a pious manner and perhaps even prayed the right words, but only to be seen and heard by men – in the Lord’s eyes it was nothing more than lip service.

“These people come near to me with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught” Isaiah 29:13
 
It is crystal clear that this journey of honour starts from the heart. Your heart needs to be changed, from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. One that will yield to the Holy Spirit of God and desires to honour the Lord and follow through in word and deed.

In word – by praising the Lord and exalting his name.

In deed –by what you do for God, others and to yourself.

Honor the Lord with your substance – tithes and offerings. Practice hospitality and generosity especially to those who have no means to repay you, and lastly avoid sexual immorality and learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable that pleases the Lord.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God to receive glory, honor and power for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelations 4:11

“Honor the Lord with your wealth; with the first fruits of all your crops; your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9 -10

“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” Proverbs 14:31

“Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” 1Corinthians 6:19-20

Honor Your Parents

God places special emphasis on how to treat parents and even gives promises that can be claimed. Honoring parents also encompasses conduct toward them and offerings/gifts given to them.

“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” Exodus 20:12

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” Ephesians 6:1

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and teachers of the law for breaking the Lords commands on honoring parents for the sake of their own traditions.
“For God said, “Honor your father and mother”…But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father and mother is ‘devoted to God’ they are not to honor their father and mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your traditions.” Matthew 15:4

Honoring Others

Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is like the first. “To Love your neighbor as yourself.” I’m yet to find a person who loves his right arm and despises the left one, or loves his left ear and despises the other on the right. You are to love yourself and then with that same love apply it to others. This is not to be confused with self-absorbed ‘me, myself and I’ kind of love, but rather a healthy appreciation of who you are in  Christ.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil and cling to good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the LORD. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:9-13

Who Receives  Honor?

The word shows how one can receive honor from fellow man; by being humble and kind hearted.

“A kindhearted woman gains honor but ruthless men gain only wealth.” Proverbs 11:16

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, Humility comes before honor” Proverbs 15:33

“Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, whoever heeds correction is honored” Proverbs 13:18

“The wise inherit honor but fools get only shame” Proverbs 3:35

God Honors His Servants

Scripture tells us that the Lord is wonderfully faithful and also shows honor to his fellow servants.

When King David was settled in his palace he desired to build a  house for the Lord, but the All compassionate Father had other plans. In his infinite wisdom and grace, he  sent word to David  through Prophet Nathan that David’s  son would have this noble task done and that the Lord would never take his love away from him as he did his predecessor (Saul).
As a reward, the Lord declared that he would establish the kingdom within David’s family lineage and it would remain forever. This prophecy came to pass through his son King Solomon and later through Jesus Christ who is King of Kings and his throne reigns to eternity!

In response to this David went in to the tent and sat before the Lord and said:

“Who am I,LORD God and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, LORD God have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men. What more can David say to you for honoring your servant?” 1 Chronicles 17:16-18

Kind David is one of those who honored The Lord faithfully and the Lord in turn also honored him.

The Lord is Holy and Merciful worthy for all honor, he is also righteous and just and gives honour to his servants who are faithful to his word and honor the Lord.

COMPASSION

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Love and Compassion
Cultivate Compassion

The world today seems to be losing compassion; people have become cold and heartless. Hence the increase in violence, wars and atrocities against humanity resulting in human suffering, despair and even death.

It seems as though the more time progresses, the more people loose compassion. The cause of this being exposure to toxic environments, traumas, despair and the inability to heal from such. This really got me thinking.  If compassion can be lost, then the converse is true.

Compassion can be cultivated

If compassion can be lost, then the converse is true.

The most logical place to start is finding compassion. A Deep source of compassion that is true, unending, infinite, and eternal. This cannot be a human, man-made or artificial as human nature in itself is finite.

Our Creator is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in love. His inherent nature is love and holiness. His judgments are just and righteous and He is merciful. His word tells us that He has loved us with an everlasting love. A love that is so deep it is unending, unchanging. That even when we die believing in Him, he provides a way that we may be united with Him in heaven and will dwell in His presence for eternity!

He not only has compassion but He is Love can teach us how to be more compassionate.
How you may ask?
Through the study of his word and meditation of the Holy Scriptures.

 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” and “Because of the LORD’s great love we aren’t consumed, for his compassions never fail they are new every morning.” Psalms 103:4 and Lamentations 3:22-23

The LORD appeared to us in the past saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord is so compassionate that he also heals our wounds – all types of wounds; physical, psychological, spiritual.
Whatever wound you have, bring to the Lord for healing.

“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 30:17

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.” Psalms 103:2-4

Meditate on Compassion

The essence of studying scripture is to discover who God is, his character and attributes. To learn his ways, so that we can relate to our Lord better. To remember all that you have read, you would need to ponder on and meditate on His word for it is truth, and this truth sanctifies us.

The scriptures are awash with stories depicting the LORD’s compassion. Think of these as Compassion in action stories. The most well-known are drawn from the lives of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus Christ. They not only share history, but they show the LORD’s compassion in dealing with mankind.

Noah

During the time of Noah the world was full of violence and the Lord decided to put an end to it all. He saved Noah by instructing him to build a wooden ark to protect his family along with all land creatures and birds.

The Lord gave Noah the exact dimensions of what he was to build; this was the first of its kind. Out of his compassion he saved a remnant and one pair of each species of animals. The clean animals however had seven pairs each.

The Lord’s compassion is evident as he sustains them in the ark all during the entire period of the flood (one year).In no instance did we ever hear that the lions and bears decided to gobble up Noah or his family for lunch.
 “The Lord is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all that he has made” Psalms 145:8-9

He brought them out of the ark only when the earth had dried and new vegetation had sprung up. The Lord made a covenant with Noah and all life on earth, that He would never again destroy the earth and all living creatures with water again. He gave his bow in the clouds as a sign of this eternal agreement. The Rainbow.

Abraham

The Lord blessed Abraham and said that he would bless all the peoples of the earth through him and even grant him an heir. At this point, he was aged 75 and was childless. The Lord made a covenant with him and changed his name from Abram, to Abraham meaning the Father of Nations. Twenty five years later, is when Isaac was born.

During Isaac’s childhood the Lord asked him to offer him as a sacrifice in order to test him. Abraham did not hesitate and obeyed. He took Isaac to Mt.Moriah as directed by the Lord, his son pointed out that the wood and fire were present and inquired about the sacrificial lamb, to which Abraham responded   “The Lord will provide.”

He prepared the altar and placed his only son ready to sacrifice him when the Lord stopped him. Abraham had passed the test of obedience, the Lord provided a ram. The Lord showed Abraham compassion by blessing him to become the Father of Nations even before he had a single child. The Lord made sure that this prophecy came to pass according to his word. Today, many nations cane still trace their ancestry to him.


Moses

Abrahams’ descendants were later enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. The Lord called Moses to go deliver his people by confronting the Pharaoh.

The LORD showed his people compassion by fulfilling the rest of the promise he had made with Abraham, even though they were not in their best behavior. He  lead them out of Egypt in power ,parted the sea for them, fed them for 40 years in the wilderness, went before them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, defeated their enemies before them and got them to the promised land in Canaan.
“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness” Nehemiah 9:19

 “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.” Isaiah 54:7

Jesus

Jesus came on earth to reveal more to us about the Father and to reconcile us back to the Father by his sacrificial death on the cross. The law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus performed miracles and healed the sick and delivered those under demonic oppression. The gospel of Luke tells one of the many miracles he performed. Jesus was teaching and crowds came to him bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and he healed them all.
He then called his disciples and said, “I have compassion for these people, they have already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry or they will collapse on the way.” Luke 15:32

They only had seven loaves with them and a few small fish. Jesus told the crowd to sit down, he gave thanks for the food, broke them and gave them to his disciples. They all ate and were satisfied, a total four thousand men besides women and children. They even had left overs! Seven basketfuls of broken pieces.

Later a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, during that time the punishment was death by stoning. But Jesus in his merciful compassion did not condemn her. “He told go and sin no more”

He also told parables to teach the people. That parable of the prodigal son depicts the Love and Compassion of God.

He is watching and waiting for us to go back to him, he is ready to received us with open arms and restore us to our rightful place as his children.

The death of Jesus on the cross was the ultimate display of love and compassion. He knew it was the only way for his blood to be shed for the forgiveness of sins and gain access to eternal life.
He did not resist but agreed to be the sacrificial Lamb of God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son to condemn the world but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16-17

Become more compassionate

Now that you have the perfect example of what compassion looks like you can easily emulate that and apply it in your life. You can only give what you have; you can only give what you have experienced. Experiencing the love and compassion of the LORD and receiving it in your heart will enable you to have compassion for others and for yourself.

Jesus taught “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is just like it Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

All this does not come naturally to humans. We need the perfect help. The Holy Spirit of God was sent to us to help and strengthen us.

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control.” Galatians 5:22

Compassion can therefore be cultivated. In summary, in order to become more compassionate;

  • Learn Compassion from God’s example
  • Meditate on Compassion from the Holy Bible
  • Become more compassionate by accepting God’s love and loving God with your all
  •  Love your neighbor as you love yourself
  • The Holy Spirit of God enables you to bear fruit and have compassion

What Does It Mean to Test The LORD

Featured by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith
Testing the LORD – When to do it and when not to

“Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the Test?” Moses posed this question to a people who had just been dramatically rescued from their oppressors. What was the quarrel about you may ask?
They were thirsty and were asking for water like so … “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

I guess by now you may be wondering how that amounts to testing the Lord. What does putting the Lord to the test mean in the first place? Could there be times when it is acceptable to test the LORD? To answer these questions read on…

DO NOT PUT THE LORD TO THE TEST

Let me take you back to where these people are coming from.

The people of Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, until the LORD sent Moses to face Pharaoh and demand for the release of his people. Their release did not come easy; but after 10 deadly plagues and the miraculous power of God in parting the sea to make a way for his people (approximately 2.5 Million) to cross the Red Sea, the entire army of Pharaoh in hot pursuit on their chariots all drowned in the Sea.

The LORD led these people with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They saw the miraculous power of God yet doubted his ability to sustain them in the desert. I may sound critical toward the people of Israel, but don’t we often behave in the same way. I know I do.

They quarreled Moses, not knowing that in doing so it was the LORD they quarreled, doubted and tested. That place was named Massah and Meribah by Moses because they quarreled and tested the LORD by asking themselves “Is the LORD among us or not?”  Exodus 17:7.

They were murmuring and complaining amongst themselves, quarrelling Moses and The LORD heard them.

The Psalmist says of them in Psalms 95: 8-9 “Today if you only would hear his voice. Do not  harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me, they tried me, though  they had seen what I did.”

The Israelites also rebelled once again when they had reports about the Canaan the Promised Land. Moses had earlier sent over twelve spies who went ahead to explore Canaan for a total of forty days. They came back after that period bearing some of the fruit of the land and a detailed report of what they saw. Ten of the spies had a discouraging report saying the people were much stronger and that it would be impossible to attack and overcome them. They even described their defeated mindset   “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13:33

Only two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua showed bravery and trust in the LORD .They encouraged the people by saying “We should go and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Numbers 13: 30

With the promise land in the horizon, you would think that the people would be elated. Far from it. That very night they raised their voices and wept aloud grumbled yet again against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt or in this wilderness!”
They blamed God for bringing them out of Egypt only for them to die by the sword. They were terrified of the giants that inhabited the land of Canaan and would have preferred to return to Egypt!

As they were talking about getting rid of Moses, the LORD showed up! His glory appeared at the tent of meeting. He had wanted to execute judgment on all the people, but Moses intervened and pleaded for their lives .The Lord relented and forgave them. There was however major consequences of the careless words they spoke. The Lord said that he will do the very thing he heard them say, they would fall in the desert. All those aged 20 and above who had seen the Lord’s signs He had performed and yet still disobeyed and tested God would never see the promise land, none of them who grumbled would enter Canaan except for Joshua and Caleb.

“..not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times – not one of them will ever see the land I promised…no one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it” Numbers 14:22 -23
The ten spies whose bad report caused the people to grumble, were struck by the LORD with a plague and died. This made me realize just how critical leadership is in the eyes of the LORD. He held the ten spies responsible for the bad report they gave to the people and they perished for it. On the other hand Moses interceded for the people and the LORD was able to forgive them.

As for the rest of the people, they were all to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years before he would allow them to reach Canaan. One year for each of the forty days they explored Canaan. This just goes to show how the LORD views complaining and grumbling.  Is your grumbling hindering you from getting to your promise land? What have you been complaining about to yourself when you think no one is hearing you?

The very next day, some of the people decided out of remorse that they were now ready to go to the Promised Land. They set out by themselves, Moses tried to stop them saying that they would not succeed as the Lord was not with them; they were disobeying Him yet again and would be defeated by their enemies. Nevertheless in their presumption, they still went ahead with their own plan. Needless to say, Moses’s words did swiftly come to pass.

The New Testament also records the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-10. They sold their property and decided to give part of the proceeds for themselves and brought the rest to the apostles. Peter however rebuked Ananias for having lied to the Holy Spirit. The man fell and died on the spot. His wife, Sapphira came a little later and after being questioned about the price they got for the land also laid. Peter said to her “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord?” She too fell and died at his feet.

These things put the LORD to the test and anger Him

  • Quarrelling, Complaining  out loud, to others, to yourself ,or  even behind closed doors
  • Rebelling against God and disobeying him, Hardening of the heart
  • Doubting God  In thought and action, privately and publicly
  • Treating God in contempt –disbelief in His power
  • Lying or trying to trick the LORD
  • Tasted and Seen God’s power and still remaining in doubt of his power to save

Negative Outcomes of Putting the LORD to the Test (Numbers 14)

  • Serious failure
  • Wondering  in extended  wilderness seasons
  • Death


WHEN IT IS ACCECTABLE TO TEST THE LORD

The scriptures show us that there are some instances where the LORD allows us to test Him. They may not be listed in the commandments but are as equally profound if applied in the daily life of every believer.

The first pertains to tithing. Malachi states that the people rob God by refusing to pay tithes and offerings.

“How are we robbing you?” “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse your whole nation because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be enough room to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe”, says the LORD Almighty.” Malachi 3:8 -11.

The second acceptable way to test God’s will is to offer your body as a living sacrifice.

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the LORD- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12: 1-2

The acceptable conditions of when to test the LORD

  • In tithing;- Offer your tithe as worship and test the LORD and see him bless you
  • In knowing God’s will; – Offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God and be transformed by the renewing of mind and test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Positive outcomes of testing the Lord (Malachi 3 and Romans 12)

  • Abundant &  overflowing blessings upon more blessings not only for you, but also for  your family, and nation
  •  Transformation by the renewing of your mind
  • Learn God’s good pleasing perfect will  in your life in all situations and pertaining all spheres  of your influence

The Lord desires that we offer Him not only our substance but our whole selves .This is the only instance when He permits us to test Him. Oh taste and see that the LORD is good!

FORGIVENESS – Why It Matters & What Hinders It

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Forgiveness

Even writing this very word “forgiveness” causes me to shudder.

This is one topic that deep down I find difficult to write about. You see I’m not writing from a place of perfection, I cannot lie that I have perfected this whole thing about forgiveness. I’m doing this out of obedience and in the long run become beneficial to others and myself as well.

The funny thing is the only way to know is to do it till the very end.

WHY FORGIVE?

I have caught myself muttering “Why should I forgive them anyway? Wasn’t I the wronged party here?”

Forgiveness is easier said than done.

Wouldn’t it be easier if there was a forgiveness pill?
Just pop it in and let it work on the inside and out. It would sell like crazy… for eternity and across all galaxies in the universe!!…..Let me not get too loud lest Elon gets any crazy ideas.

In reality, the only way to deal with forgiveness is to go through it, no matter how painful.

So why forgive in the first place?

Christ loved us first and forgave us, even when we did not deserve it.

Jesus Christ taught on forgiveness and even lived it. He said that if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins your Father will not forgive your sins.

He also taught through parables, the best example on forgiveness can be drawn from parable of the unmerciful servant. (Matthew 18:21-35). If you are not familiar with that story it goes something like this. See, the servant owed a certain king 10,000 bags  of gold and was unable to repay him. The verdict was that the servant’s wife and children would be sold to clear his debt. He fell on his knees and begged the king for patience.  The King took pity on him, cancelled the entire debt and let him go.

Shortly after, this same servant found a fellow servant who owed him a mere 100 silver coins. Instead of showing him compassion, he grabbed him, choked his throat demanding his payment. The King Later heard about this and was livid. He had the unmerciful servant arrested and brought to him “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”  He asked. He had him imprisoned until he paid back all he owed.

The King in the story represents our Heavenly Father; he will treat us in the same manner if we fail to forgive others from the heart.

Even when Christ was looked down upon(by those close to him and far away), spat on, flogged and stripped,betrayed more than thrice by his buddies (all in the same night!!) ridiculed and brutally murdered, his dying words were”Father forgive them,for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
He went through so much pain and humiliation yet he chose not to retaliate but to pray for others.Most of us have not endured a fraction of what He did,yet we are unable to forgive.

Some scripture verses put it quite bluntly, hence the reason they are rarely quoted.
“Anyone who does not loves remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer”. 1 John 3:15

Jesus commands us to love one another. “A new command I give you, Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” John 13:34- 35

“This is how we know that love is: Jesus laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or a sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen”. 1 John 3:19

“This is love for God: to keep his commands”. 1 John 5:3

Other Benefits

Forgiveness also has been proven to produce health benefits – for one’s entire wellbeing and mental health, there are tons of medical studies that prove this fact.

From a scriptural perspective, this is also true. When God forgives, he also heals.

When Jesus healed the cripple in Luke He said “Friends your sins are forgiven” Luke5 17- 26 .To get more insights about this check out my previous post on Forgiveness and Healing

Forgiveness also leads to healing of land to mean the nations or the people

 2Chronicles 7:14 “I will forgive their sin and heal their land”

As believers, when we choose to forgive we are blessed by the Lord in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine. It all sounds pretty straight forward, but it’s difficult because there are many obstacles in the way that hinder us from practicing forgiveness.


HINDERANCES TO FORGIVENESS

Disobedience

Failing to forgive someone or to receive forgiveness is outright disobedience to God.
Now that’s difficult to swallow!! Take a deep breath and let’s try that again in tiny bits.

Christ summarized the 10 commandments into two; the first to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”
and the second to “love your neighbor as yourself”. Matthew 22: 37 -40

We are also not left guessing on what love really means. 1 Corinthians 13 describes the attributes of Love. It is patient, kind but also Love is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.
Guess what unforgiveness is? State of being easily angered and keeping long records of wrongs done.

The Lord’s Prayer also says “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” Matthew 6:12
We are to love one another, forgive and show mercy and when we fail to do so, we are disobeying God’s word.

Pride

A prideful person is unable to live in harmony with others. It’s quite unfortunate that in the world we live in today, pride is thought to be a form of confidence. Many have been misled to believe in the “Me, myself and I” mentality and that being humble is to be retrogressive and the way of life of the 1st century folks.

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge;I will repay. Says the Lord”. Romans 12:16- 20

Ungratefulness

Gratitude is one of the hallmarks of Christianity and other religions as well. Infact scripture tells us to enter into God’s gates presence with thanksgiving. Even as we make our prayers we should do so with thanksgiving.

“But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. “ Philippians 4:6

“Give thanks in all circumstances as this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess. 5:18. It  does say all circumstances not “some” or “certain”.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another,forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4: 31

God forgave your sins when Christ died on the cross on your behalf. The word says he took all our sins in his body so that we may die to sin and live for righteousness. So if forgiveness is given and one fails to extend the same to others is not only selfish but utterly ungrateful.

Unhealed wounds

It is important to acknowledge the hurt after you are offended. You hurt because you are wounded be it physically or emotionally or even both.

Wounds need to heal; they must heal if you are to carry on living. Get the right kind of assistance to help you first identify and help heal the wound. A trust worthy friend to talk to and seek professional help.
The wonderful thing about the God we serve is that he heals all kinds of wounds and with His help you can develop a forgiving heart.

Our God, praise his name is the one “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” Psalms 103:3

No matter who you are, what you have been through, you too can learn to forgive.

What does it mean to Fear the LORD?

Featured by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Walk of Faith

We are told that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of Wisdom. But what does it mean really?

Perhaps you have been misled to think that God is unapproachable, too detached or even too busy to think of you let alone give an ear. The phrase “fear the Lord” has also been misunderstood and makes one flee from the Lord rather than run to him for help.

The fear of the Lord can be defined as having a specific sense of respect, awe and submission to God. To submit to him, you also need to obey and believe in his word and in his power. It sounds pretty straight forward but thankfully the scripture reveals more on this.

How to practice the Fear of the LORD

As believers it is imperative to study scripture thoroughly  and find what the Lord requires of us. After all the Lord promised that his Holy Spirit will help us and even teach us all things!

 Sadly many have confused the fear of the Lord with outward behavior and rituals, forgetting that it is a matter of the heart. Whatever is in your  heart eventually springs forth and will be visible to all. Today, you will see that despite your past, you can really learn how to fear the Lord.

Let’s take a look at a couple of verses from scripture that speak about Fearing the Lord

  • Psalms 34:11-14

Come, my children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life
    and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

  • Job 1:8

“Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

  • James 3:9 -12

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

  • Matthew 15:17- 20

“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; 

Therefore we can deduce that Fearing The Lord is a matter of one’s Speech and Conduct.

  1. Speech

    a) Keep your tongue from Evil and Lips from telling lies
    Tame your tongue. The Lord despises a perverted mouth. I’m certain this goes for what we say about others as well as what we say and think about ourselves.
    The scriptures tell us that we should not use our mouths to both praise and curse. It seems that the curses spoken end up defiling the person, because out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. Jesus taught his disciples that the things that come out of a person’s mouth come out of the heart and these defile them.

    b) Praise God Alone
    The tongue and mouth should be an instrument with which we should praise God Alone and worship his Holy Name.
    If speaking evil defiles the heart then we can conclude that speaking  truth  sanctifies. Jesus prayed to God “Sanctify them by the  truth, your word is truth.” John 17: 17
    Hallelujah!! Let us use our lips and mouths to praise God and speak the truth.

    “Through  Jesus, therefore let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others for with such sacrifices God is pleased”  Hebrews 13:15-16
  2. Conduct

    a) Turn from evil
    Change your ways and shun evil. In the event that evil hurls itself to your face, do what Joseph of old did (Genesis 39:10 – 12). He avoided Potiphar’s wife and when she caught him, he fled! Don’t try to prove yourself as “strong”enough in such situations.
    b) Do good
    Avoiding evil alone isn’t enough, you need to do good. Do what is good in God’s eyes, not your eyes!

     If you follow the story of Joseph, (Genesis 39 – 43) he was wrongly imprisoned by Potiphar. While in the dungeon, he did not become bitter nor did he wallow in self- pity. Infact the prison warden put him in charge of other prisoners. Joseph cared for them and was concerned about their wellbeing. He even asked one of the new in mates  ”Why do you look so sad today”?  This question alone would go a long way in rekindling many broken family relationships that exist today!
    To cut the story short, it  led to a conversation about dreams that eventually caused Joseph to meet Pharaoh who promptly elevated him to Governor of Egypt!

    c) Seek Peace and pursue it
    Take the initiative to make peace, take the first step to apologize and  ask for forgiveness. Show grace to those who have wronged you, like Joseph. He made peace with his brothers and did not retaliate though he had the power to do so. He reassured them in his speech and his actions backed what he said.

    He  not only forgave them ,but went ahead to invite all his brothers their families and his father to come live with him in Egypt where they would escape the severe famine and death.70 Persons in all he welcomed who later grew into an entire nation, the nation of Israel!

    d) Avoid Pride and embrace humility
    The Lord hates pride and arrogance. Pride also always comes before a fall. In today’s world we so often mistake pride for confidence and humility for weakness.

Why Fear the LORD?

  • He reveals his ways to those who fear him.
    ”The Lord confides in those who fear him and makes his covenant known to them.” Psalms 25: 14
  • You will lack no good thing
    “Fear the LORD you his holy people for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry but those who fear the Lord lack no good thing” Psalms 34: 9
  • Pathway to wisdom
    “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of Wisdom” Psalms 111:10
  • You will be protected and blessed by God
    “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” Psalms 33:18
    “Praise the LORD .Blessed are those who fear the LORD who find great delight in his commands.” Psalms 112:1
  • The Lord loves those who fear him
    “As a Father has compassion on his children so does the Lord have compassion on those who fear him” Psalms 103:13
    “From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him” Psalms 103:17

I’m sure by now you are convinced that one can learn to fear the Lord, this is only the beginning of wisdom. You should be on track to enjoying a wonderful and intimate relationship with the LORD. God bless you.