Category: Walk of Faith

The Seven Churches of Asia Minor

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Hope, Walk of Faith
Map of the seven churches in the book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation chapter 2 marks the start of Christ’s messages to the seven churches as revealed to Apostle John while in the Island of Patmos. He had been exiled there by the Romans for teaching the gospel of Jesus.The Island today is situated in the Aegean sea and is part of Greece.

I would like you to journey with me as I study the book of revelation and share my learnings with you here.Today we shall be looking at the seven churches in Asia minor as described in  Revelation 2 and 3.In case you missed the introduction, check it out here The Second Coming Of Christ

Revelation Chapter 2

In this chapter the Lord is instructing John with very detailed messages to four of the seven churches, namely; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum and Thyatira. One of my key learnings  these past few weeks was finding a map of these very cities. I realise in my last post I had stated otherwise, hence correcting it here.

These were prominent cities in the province of Asia minor during the time of Apostle John, today their ruins are found in present day Turkey.These letters are pertinent to the church today as we still embody similar characteristics of these ancient churches.

Each of these messages follow a similar structure: 

  • The introduction that highlights a specific attribute of the Lord Jesus
  • A commendation of what each church is doing right
  • A warning about an area of weakness that they need to deal with
  • The reward the church stands to gain, if they heed the warning

Now that we have a clearer understanding of what to expect,let’s dive in!


To the angel of the church in Ephesus write;
“These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.” Rev 2:1

This introduction section describes the Lord Jesus when he appeared to John in Rev 1:12-16.John heard a voice behind him and when he turned around saw the Lord among the lampstands with the seven stars in hand.The seven stars  are the angels/messengers of the seven churches and the seven lampstands refer to the seven churches namely; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

Ephesus

This got me thinking, The Lord Jesus is always among the churches even today, observing,taking note of their activities and sending his messengers to them.He is always close to us even when we do not see him or hear him. We are never alone.

He says in his word “I will by no means leave you for forsake you” Hebrews 13:5
“The eyes of the  Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”  2 Chronicles 16:9

The seven stars in this hand are the angels/messengers of the church. I’m also reminded of the verse that says “…I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”Isaiah 41:1
I realise that for every church the Lord has assigned an angel, I reckon even  for every gathering of believers.Please note our priority should not be trying to initiate contact with the angels, rather to seek the Lord, and as we do this, he dispatches them to us with a response, according to his own sovereign will.

The Lord’s’ commendation follows in the passage below

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.”Rev 2:2-3

Jesus acknowledges their work and perseverance in enduring hardships in his name without growing weary.This indicates that all our works and sacrifices are seen by the Lord and that we shall in our lives surely  face hardships.

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Rev 2:4 -6

This is a call for repentance. We have  forsaken the Love  we had at first. The love for the Lord and the love for his word. Its a call to  do the things we did at first. Those activities we did that were driven by pure love.
If we fail to repent, Jesus would remove the lampstand – meaning the church would be taken away from its place.I realise that it is a serious offence in the eyes of the Lord  to turn our hearts away from him and failing to act in love, our love for him  grow cold.
Cursed is the one who trusts in a man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD” Jeremiah 17:5

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”Rev 2:7

The tree of life is the same tree in Genesis that was in the middle of the garden along with the tree of knowledge of good and evil Genesis 2:9 After the fall of man,God would not allow Adam and Eve back into the garden to access this tree and set a cherubim to guard the way to it.
The Lord Jesus now reveals to John that if the people repent and do the things they did at first and are victorious, they would be granted the right to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.This means  they get to go into the Father’s presence in heaven and second have access to this tree that had been barred from humanity since the fall of man.How cool is that!

Smyrna

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:“These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.”Rev 2:8

Jesus here reveals himself as the First and the Last, I interpret this as He is E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!

To top it all off he Literally died for our sins  and Came back to life!
Brother Paul felt the same way when he wrote
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross”
1 Colossians 15-120

“ I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” Revelations 2: 9-10

This shows Jesus fully understood their circumstances and encouraged them that they were actually rich.He was also aware of the existence of certain groups who identified themselves as Jews but were lying and in fact doing the works of Satan. The Lord also urges them to  remain faithful in the face of persecution even to the point of death!

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”  Rev 2:11

Those who held on to The Lord’s words and obeyed would receive  life as their victor’s crown and would never face hell but rather eternal  life in heaven.

Pergamum


“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” Rev 2:12

This describes Jesus as the one who wields the double edged sword,this sword is the word of God.
Paul writes in Hebrews “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:1

This means his words literally judge thoughts and attitudes of the heart and can penetrate into the core of our being.His words can touch even the hardest hearts of man and pull down it’s  thick walls and transform one from the inside -like he did with Saul former persecutor of Christians and converted  him to Paul, an Apostle of Christ. He still has the power to do this even today.
Jesus is also referred to as the word in John’s gospel
“In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God.” John 1:1

The Prophet Jeremiah also confirms the same “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17: 10

“ I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Rev 2:13
It seems the devil was worshiped by many in this city, through pagan worship, yet despite this, the people remained faithful and did not renounce Christ even when other believers were put to death. Jesus commended them for their perseverance.

“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Rev 2:14-16

Balaam was a diviner  from Pethor who was  once summed by Balak, King of Moab to put a curse on the people. If this doesn’t ring any bell, he is the guy who had a talking donkey. According to this passage,he influenced the King of Moab to have the women of his land entice Israel to sin by inviting them to eat food sacrificed to their gods and commit immorality.The Lord condemns this as it is  a form of divination and witchcraft,given that the Nicolaitans are mentioned here as well a, it may be they were involved in the practice of divination.The Lord urges them to repent else he would fight them with his word, meaning he would judge them.

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” Rev 2:17

The Manna was what the Lord fed the Israelites during the exodus journey from Egypt to Land of Canaan for 40 years. It fell on the ground every morning like dew, once they had settled it stopped. The Psalmist refers this to angelic food.
“Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;he rained down manna for the people to eat,he gave them the grain of heaven.Human beings ate the bread of angels;” Psalm 78:23-25
It’s amazing the the Lord now will reward the people with this hidden manna for being victorious and following his will, along with a white stone with a new nameThe white stone with a new name written on it is pretty significant. The name must be engraved on the stone, the only other time the Lord engraved something on stone was the tablets of the commandments given to Moses for the people.The white stone itself signifies acquittal from any charges and the new name on it signifies a new identity and role. 

Thyatira


“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” Rev 2:18

Our Lord Jesus’  eyes described here reveal  his holiness, purity and power. He sees all and knows all and we are to live holy lives in reverence to him and the burnished bronze look of his feet depicts gleaming perfection in all his ways.

“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.”  Rev 2:19

The Lord commends them for their diligent service

“Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”Rev 2:20 -23

The Lord is rebuking the people for putting up with the witchcraft and occultic behaviour of those false prophets. Teachings that mislead servants of the Lord into sexual immorality and eating foods sacrificed to idols
“… but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.” 1Cor 10:20 -21

“Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ Rev 2:24

The Lord urges them to continue on in faith by holding to what they have until his return.

“To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give that one the morning star.  Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”Rev 2:26-29

The reward for doing the Lord’s will , the people would be given authority over nations and rule with Power from the Lord. They would be given the morning star – glory and brilliance.

REVELATION CHAPTER 3

Sardis


“To the angel  of the church in Sardis write:These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” Rev 3:1

Jesus holds the  seven spirits of God.There is a prophecy about Christ in Isaiah 11:2-3
“The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,the Spirit of counsel and of might,the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
The seven stars in Jesus’ hand are the angels/messengers to the seven churches.Indeed the LORD Jesus upholds these messengers with his righteous right hand.

 “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.Rev 3:1b-3

Here the Lord is warning believers against being  spiritually dead yet outwardly  doing many religious works in a mechanical manner.Whatever we do we are to do it as unto the Lord and not unto man, this may be the reason why their deeds seem unfinished in his sight.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance”Colossians 3:23-24

Further more all our works should glorify the Lord and should be done with the strength that the Lord himself provides.May the lord help us to awake from this slumber.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1Peter :10:11

“Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”Rev 3:4-6

There is a group who have not soiled their clothes  are still pure in the Lord’s sight, they rely  on the Lord for his righteousness and are not seeking one of their own.The reward for them is that they will be clothed in white in heaven and will be acknowledged before God and his angels.

Philadelphia


“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. Rev 3:7

This represents the Lord’s divine sovereign authority, his plans simply cannot be thwarted. When  he speaks and takes action it can never be nullified nor reversed
“Yes and from ancient of days I am he.No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act who can reverse it? “ Isaiah 43:13
Even Job testified of this when he said “I know that you can do all things;no purpose of yours can be thwarted”  Job 42:2  With this understanding, I’m certain that you will never forget when Jesus opens a door, no one, no body and no thing can shut it!

 “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Rev 3:8-10

Here the Lord acknowledges their efforts and commends them for keeping his word and not denying his name. He will cause their enemies to fall down at their feet and acknowledge that the Lord has loved them. He will also keep them from the trials and tribulations that would come on the earth.

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Rev 3:9 -13

The Lord encourages the church to know that he is coming soon and to hold on to what they have – their faith in the Lord Jesus so that no one would take their crown. The word says that is it impossible to please the Lord without faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God “ Hebrews 11:6

Laodecia

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. Rev 3:14

All Promises of God are yes and Amen in Christ “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Cor 20
Jesus is also referred to as Faithful and True “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True” Rev 19:11

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”Rev 3:15-18

The Lord is rebuking the church for being complacent and having a smug attitude. We need to repent of this attitude and decide not to revert to lukewarmness. The church needs to  repent and seek the Lord to clothe us with white, adorn us with his gold and put  salve for our eyes that we may see clearly and have discernment

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Rev 3:19-20

The Lord encourages the church that he disciplines out of love, we should therefore be earnest and repent.The Lord is knocking at the door of our hearts , the eating together with the Lord refers to close fellowship.
DOes it refer to teh Lord’s banquet in heaven

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Rev 3:21-22

The victorious will sits with the Lord on his throne, a place of honour and victory authority.

Application


You may think that we are light years away from these seven churches. It’s been a sobering realisation that the very issues that plagued the church then are still with us today, now amplified by technology and camouflaged within our diverse cultures.
Now more than ever we need to be grounded in the word of the Lord, walk in step with the Holy Spirit and bear fruit of the Spirit to hear what he says and discern the actions to take in accordance to his will.
We need to prayerfully review these messages to the seven churches and examine our hearts, our families and communities, heed the warning given, repent whole heartedly and await eager expectation for the return of Christ and for his reward.

“Behold , I am coming soon! My reward is with me” Revelation 22:12

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.

Forgiveness and Healing

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Freedom, Walk of Faith

It really never occurred to me how intricately intertwined these two aspects are until today. Forgiveness & Healing.

Just came across a story that I have heard of and seen so many times before but today it really hit home.

The story is found in Luke 5:17-26 .Where Jesus was teaching and healing many at a certain house where the Pharisees and teachers of the law happened to present too.

There was a huge crowd as well as certain men tried to bring in a paralyzed man  to Jesus but were unable to reach him and found an ingenious way to get to him – Through the roof! They lowered him in the middle of the crowd right in front of Jesus!

Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralyzed man “Friend, your sins are forgiven”

This caused quite a stir among the Pharisees who wondered who could forgive sins but God alone? Jesus however knowing their thoughts and hearts said to them “….I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

Let’s back up a little bit, to where Jesus said “Your sins are forgiven.”

This is the first instance in the gospel of Luke that Jesus says this when his intention is to heal the individual.  The earlier chapters   he healed through rebuking the illness, laying hands on the sick and declaring “Be clean”

Then it hit me, could it be that there are some illnesses or conditions that are as a result of something one did that required forgiving in order for healing to occur?

Well I figured one may do things either intentionally or unintentionally and end up defiling themselves. God does not want us defiled in any way. Furthermore one may at times forget what they did, especially if it was unintentional.
One thing that Jesus was intentional about was letting the people know that;
1) He had (and still has!) authority on earth to forgive sins and
2) His forgiveness leads to healing

I would urge you to review this scripture one more time Luke 5:17-26 and If you desire healing say this prayer.

Prayer

Father, thank you for your word and thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die for me on the cross. Thank you Father for showing me that your forgiveness of my sins brings healing .Father Please forgive me for my sins, those I did knowingly and unknowingly that have defiled me. Forgive me Lord and heal me .In Jesus name I pray ,amen.

Like the paralyzed man who was healed “he took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.” Luke 5:25

Unplugged

Featured by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Inspiration, Walk of Faith

Last week I had a weird accident, perhaps this has ever happened to you or someone close to you. If  this is true in your case  and you got out of that safe and sound say “Thank you Jesus!”

So back to the strange mishap, I was cleaning my ears with a cotton bud as I often do and felt  a strange sound, like something got sucked into my ear! Sure enough the tip somehow got stuck inside my ear and couldn’t get it out with my fingers, let alone feel it. After several attempts by my well-meaning family who tried ingenious ways to unplug my ear all ended in futility. Considering that it wasn’t life threatening, I had to endure discomfort the entire night before I could make it to hospital the following morning.

Sunrise!!

Finally made it to hospital after sun up and following a  quick assessment by the doctor, he informed me of the procedures that he would perform to unplug my ear and why each step was important in the entire process.

Procedure  one; removal of foreign object with strange- looking but sterile forceps. I couldn’t help but hear every-little-thing!! The sound was amplified to like 1000%. I squirmed in my seat as the Doc fished out the piece of cotton that had blocked my ear.
Procedure two; syringing  that involves flushing warm water with a syringe into the ear . It felt and sounded like I was diving into a heated pool fully dressed while seated on a chair! I tilted my head and all manner of stuff were flushed out of my ear. I heard a “pop” sound and knew my ear had finally been unplugged and I could truly hear again!!
Lastly, I was given some medication to take orally and some to drop into the ears and was good as new.

It was truly liberating – it even  got me thinking about how all this was similar to  my own spiritual journey.

What are the seemingly harmless mundane and even religious activities that I do every other day that are negatively affecting my spiritual growth? Grieving the Holy Spirit and blocking my spiritual ears from hearing the word and the Holy Spirit?

Could it be the music or radio channel that I’m listening to? That new Netflix series that’s got me so hooked? That juicy blog and Instagram page that I follow ever so diligently? Or is it the company that I keep or the thoughts that I  harbour in my heart and mind? The negative attitudes and prejudices that I closely guard and claim to be part of  my culture and heritage?

I then realized that for any of these issues, it’s impossible to deal with them alone, or with those close to you, who mean well but may have no experience on how to effectively overcome and to get you “unplugged”.
 You’d need a professional. Counselors ,mentors, coaches could be of great help, but why not go further and reach out to the Master Physician, who created us all in the first  place? Our Father and Lord Jesus Christ .

It dawned on me, that in order  to stay the course  and remain yielded to the Holy Spirit I would need to surrender to Christ to unplug the obstacles hindering me from hearing him. He is constantly interceding for us before the Father, he is able to empathize with our weaknesses and deliver us from whatever situation.

Secondly , he washes  and purifies us with his blood. He cleanses us from all sin, all unrighteousness  and in exchange we get HIS righteousness! The term coined to refer to this process is  “imputed righteousness”.

Lastly, as an ongoing process, we need to constantly feed on the word of God, immerse ourselves in worship of the Almighty Lord, allow ourselves to be submerged in his love and let Him transform us from the inside.

How else would we know what the Lord requires of us unless we read his word ,the Holy Bible and remain yielded to His Holy Spirit?
This also should not be relegated to once a week when we listen to an online preacher or when we attend church on Sunday. It should be a daily thing. I’m sure you all  eat your meals every day, infact several times a day and probably you were warned  since childhood that if you didn’t eat well, you’d get sick and maybe even die!!
May I suggest to you that this also applies to spiritual food – the Word of God and being in His Presence.

Failure to maintain a healthy spiritual diet of studying and meditating upon the word, worship and praise, prayer and right fellowship could quickly lead to spiritual death.

So, do your ears need to be unplugged? Is there any obstacle that’s impaired your hearing and discerning of the Holy Spirit? Call upon the LORD, our Master Physician who will heal and restore you completely.

ASPECTS OF FAITH

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Walk of Faith

My most recent post was defining what exactly faith is and found just how prevalent it is globally. Figured to delve further to find out why that is so; why do humans tend to gravitate toward faith.
It seems it gave humans “something” an “intangible something”. Out of the myriad faiths out there they have some commonalities. These, we shall refer to as aspects of faith. They are not to be mistaken for the aspects of religion that define the organizational structure that is common in each religion.
The aspects of faith will focus  more on the spiritual, the unseen, the intangible .We often seek these aspects even without knowing it, yet they are all found in faith. I cannot speak for other faiths but will share with you what I have found and therefore now believe.

  • Truth and Holiness
  • Strength and Protection
  • Wisdom and Guidance
  • Grace and Mercy
  • Love and Peace
  • Hope and Joy
  • Forgiveness and Restoration
  • Deliverance and Redemption

Truth and Holiness

Humanity has always been in search of truth. We seek out the truth about our existence, the truth about the world, heavens, the entire universe, nature .We  also desire to also know the truth about our past, the present times and even the truth about our future.
In my quest for all this I can say I had my fair share of wondering about and came full circle when I finally realized all that I needed was right there in Christ.

The most intriguing aspect of the Christian faith is the Triune God;
     God (Yahweh/Jehovah is The Father),
     Jesus Christ (The Son) and
    The Holy Spirit,
    Three Persons in One.
There are various references in the bible that refer to this glorious harmony.
Jesus Christ declared “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me”. John 14:6
Soak that in and let in marinate in your spirit.
Holiness is yet another virtue that is admired by many and often sought after, but is unattainable simply because we are all imperfect. Be we can look to the perfect and holy one to help us in our weakness. God the Father said “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” Leviticus 19:2
Even his angels have been seen and heard proclaiming the same; “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3

Strength and Protection

No human being is all-powerful, neither can we be able to always protect our selves at all times. Much as me may try, we are limited. Our strength can only go so far before it quickly runs out. True, the medical experts advise us it to eat well, exercise  in order to build endurance and strength, this is great and it does have its benefits. But what I’m talking about goes beyond the physical, I’m talking  spiritual strength.

We need to realize that when our strength fails , we can rely on Him who gives us strength. Strength to work, strength to go through our struggles and suffering. When in danger one can try and hide ,but its better to hide in the one who is the strongest.
“I love you, Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
 Psalms 18:1 -2

Grace and Mercy

Most people believe in merit, this is not wrong at all. The problem is when we believe in it too much that we leave no room for grace. Several other religions encourage their members to uphold these virtues, in fact they are recognized as sign of maturity.

Grace is God’s undeserved, unmerited favour.
Grace is favour from to God that we don’t deserve and Mercy is when he withholds punishment that we do deserve.
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Titus  2:11- 13

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. “ Exodus 34:6

Love and Peace

The world seems to be running low on love .Instead of spreading love we spreading animosity as echoed in Black Eyed Peas Grammy award song Where is the love?. Truth is one can’t give what they don’t have. And if you don’t have it, you can’t buy it neither can you can’t fake it till you make it Love cannot be manufactured by humans, I t never has and never will. Despite the numerous songs and poems written about making love, its now only a cliché that has watered down the true essence of love.
True, pure love is from God and is personified in the person of Jesus Christ. By believing in him we rely on his love for us and draw love from Him to give to others. He is the source of love for he is Love.
The Bible says in 1 John 4 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  And reiterates again that “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

And how did He show his love to humanity, you may ask?

The same chapter goes on to expound ;“He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 

We too have a part to play ,we need to resolve in our hearts to love, and in the same way decide to remain in peace. Though no matter how hard we may try ,we cannot do it on our own we need to rely on God to love and to be at peace.
Christ is the Prince of peace. He brings peace within us, around us and among various peoples.

Hope and Joy

According to google , Hope is  an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation.”
Hope often goes hand in hand with faith. In Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrews he wrote “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”.
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalms 62:5

“Even the youth grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31
Joy is also from the Lord, there is fullness of joy in his presences and he also makes our joy complete.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
John 15:9
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalms 16:11
“Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.” 1 Chronicles 16:27

Wisdom and Guidance

The Holy Spirit of God imparts “gifts” to those who believe in Christ, two of those gifts are wisdom and knowledge.

“ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit” 1Corinthians 12:7-8
King Solomon who was once a King in Israel centuries ago actually requested God to give him the gift of wisdom to be able to rule  prudently, and indeed God gave him Wisdom along with wealth and prosperity.
“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” Psalms 25:9

Forgiveness and Restoration

In his compassion the LORD not only forgives but restores. Again we also have a part to play in this ,we need to seek him ,seek his forgiveness ,he never turns away a broken heart. He knows  our inner most thoughts and motives. So don’t even think about faking anything!
He is able to forgive our sins even as we forgive others of their offenses done to us. He goes a step further after forgiving us and even purifies us from all unrighteousness and sanctifies us with his word!

Some faiths believe that there is no forgiveness without shedding blood, and have to make provisions to make sacrifices every now and then. The sacrifice must be pure – without any blemish for the sacrifice to be 100% successful. The Son of God, Jesus Christ  willingly gave his life and was nailed to a cross ,shed his blood – his pure blood- for  he is without sin. The wrath of God was satisfied , no other sacrifice will ever be required .This is what the cross represents, total forgiveness, total redemption, total restoration back to God.
“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time  not to bear sin but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. Ephesians 1:7-8

The story of the prodigal son gives a wonderful illustration of forgiveness and restoration. I don’t mean the TV series where the “prodigal son” has to literally “work” for “NYPD”  to be granted absolution for his sins.
The biblical Prodigal son leaves home loaded with cash (inheritance from his Dad) goes to the city and blows it. He squandered his wealth with wild living, ends up working as a servant – feeding pigs and even fantasied about eating their food.

Long story short , he comes to his senses and decides to back home ,apologize and work as a servant in his Dad’s estate as he felt what many of us would in such a situation – unworthy, unwanted and unloved. Yet when his Dad saw him returning ,he felt compassion on him ran to him, embraced and kissed him. He then threw a party to welcome his lost son back home. Catch the true story in the gospel of Luke.

Deliverance and Redemption

We are all in need for deliverance, more than we’d like to admit. Holly wood has raked in billions from creating entertainment centered around this very subject. Super heroes who show up on earth- some arrive as babies in space crafts, others rich folks kids who  do their thing incognito -fight evil forces to save humanity from eternal damnation. Sounds familiar?

Jesus Christ left his Kingdom in heaven came down to earth, born of a virgin, grew up as anormal boy according to Jewish customs. All along he knew his mission, he came to save humanity and bring us back to His Father and in order to do that he had to die. He chose death, shed his precious blood for us. The only way they could get every ounce of his blood was through crucifixion, hence the cross was necessary, and he knew it. He did not escape his destiny but had to face it head on knowing this was the only way his mission could be accomplished.

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:13 -14
The digital age band were on point with their hit song Overcome –  You’re all I need, everything I could want is found in Your love.
Everything we need for this life and for eternity is in Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe me feel free to contact Him I’m certain He’d be thrilled to hear from you!!

Quit battling in the Flesh

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Social Issues, Walk of Faith

WarfareAre you fighting battles in the flesh? Are you trying to resolve stuff with in your own strength? Put on your armor and take it to the LORD in prayer. Worship him for who HE is and what HE has been doing for you Trust in HIM for the Victory!

There  are times that I have found myself  in tough situations that seemed to appear from nowhere – well not nowhere, I realized that the signs  were evident but ignored them as they seemed harmless to the point of  insignificance. When these ignored signs later caused full blown turmoil I was thrown in disarray. Feeling unprepared and disenfranchised I resulted to fighting in the flesh. This quickly led to frustration and it was only after I went down on my knees to seek the LORD when  I realized how wrong I was.

Red Flags / Signs

Before we get to the warfare  part ,let me point out the signs  the red flags to watch out for. These tend to creep in slowly  but surely and before you know it, you fall flat on your face!

1. Too busy to pray
Does the day find you awake or does the day wake you up? These covid times have been trying for all people ,all nations, and all colours regardless of one’s social status. It should however not be an excuse for one to fail to pray nor to I have found that best way to start one’s day is to start it with the LORD in prayer ,preferably before the day breaks.

2. Too busy to study the word
Individual bible study is crucial for the survival of any child of God who wants to spend eternity with the LORD. How can one be in a relationship if there is no communication? The Word of God is Alive and active! No other text in this universe is alive, or Sharper than any double-edged sword,able to penetrate even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; to judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

3. Too busy to worship
Worship is what we were created to do. If mankind does not worship God they tend to find something else to worship. This of course leads down the slippery slope of idolatry. We worship out of our delight in Him.
CS. Lewis a famous author and theologian noted in his book  Reflection on the Psalms that  praise not only expresses our enjoyment but also completes our enjoyment.

4. Too grumpy to be grateful
Have you ever felt that someone was literally stealing your joy? Going about minding your own business and being joyful then suddenly ,you get robbed. Robbed off your Joy! One may be overwhelmed by challenges of life that it seems there is nothing to be grateful for. This is a tactic of the enemy to get you too grumpy to be grateful. The enemy only comes to steal kill and destroy .That includes stealing your joy. We are urged to “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

5. Harboring sin instead of confessing it
This is the stealthiest of all. Un-confessed sin lies low in one’s heart  when one has past wounds that have never been cleansed and healed by the blood of Jesus. The sin is harbored as the “victim” feels that they were treated unjustly and thus have a right to complain and hold on to the pain.
In other cases the sin could also be a flaw in one’s character  – stuff you know you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing but keep on doing anyway coz  you think no one knows about it, or that you got a grip on it. Harboring these sins can make one wither while still abiding in the vine and wondering why no spiritual fruit is forthcoming.

6. Misinterpreted warning dream
I truly believe that the LORD does speak to us in dreams and visions. There has been evidence of this in the bible even for non- believers. Take Pharaoh in Joseph’s time. He had a warning dream that occurred thrice, the same message in different scenarios. The Lord  allowed Joseph to be in prison  so that he would be the one to interpret Pharaohs dream at the right time. This way the people of two nations were preserved.
God does still speak to us this way, but most often than not we are too busy to take note or quickly run to horoscopes, false teachings and other worldly ways to try and interpret dreams hence running into the issue of misinterpreting the dream altogether. A misdiagnosed condition would not get the right medical attention and  treatment it deserves.

Weapons of our warfare

This topic has been exhaustively covered by experts in the field, hence this is just a summary of my findings.The word also tells us that “though we live in the world ,we do not wage war as the world does.The weapons we fight with are not of this world.On the contrary,they have divine power to demolish strongholds.We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ Jesus.”2 Corinthians 10:3-5

  1. Prayer & The Armor of God
    As described in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6: 10- 18 .The children of God need to put on this armor, the Belt  of Truth ,Breastplate of righteousness ,Shoes of Peace, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation ,Sword of the Spirit and to Pray in the Spirit.
  2. The Blood of Jesus
    The bible tells us that We shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our Testimony .The Lamb here refers to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world, Jesus Christ .His precious blood paid the price for our ransom.
  3. The Name of Jesus
    Jesus before his crucifixion prayed for his disciples and all believers.” I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me” This name is Jesus Christ. John 17:11
  4. Worship and Praise
    Most may think that praise and worship is done only when everything is hunky-dory. On the contrary, when the going  gets rough get your praise on! Switch to a channel that’s got some serious praise going and  sing along ,or simply sing hymns that you sang as a child in school or those you heard old folk singing(yeah especially those that you didn’t fancy coz it was Old English).Bottom line is sing with your whole heart and dance.

    Psalms 8:2 “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast established strength, Because of Thane adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. (NAS)”

    Let me explain this further by quoting  a renowned Bible teacher ,Pastor and Author Derek Prince in his book Spiritual Warfare.
    “We see here that God has provided strength for His people against their enemies. Two words are used for the enemy. First, “adversaries,” in the plural. I believe this means Satan’s kingdom, in general. These are the principalities and powers, the rulers and authorities that are spoken of in Ephesians 6:12. The second word is “enemy,” in the singular. I believe that refers to Satan himself.”

  5. Weapon of Preaching
    I was astounded to discover this from Derek Prince’s book on Spiritual warfare as I had never heard anyone explain it like he did. He puts it this way ;
    “    It is solely and exclusively the preaching of God’s Word. It in no way applies to the preaching of other things, such as human philosophy, political ideologies, or even elaborate theology.”
    To  expound on this he highlighted various scriptures but that which stood out for me was Acts 19:8 -10
    “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (NIV)”

    He then described this kind of preaching from Paul as intense ,continuous and extensive and the end result  was that “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul” Acts 19:11

    6.Weapon of Testimony
    According to Google Testimony refers to a public recounting of a religious conversion or experience ,evidence or proof of something, a demonstration, a witness.
    By sharing our own personal testimonies of what the LORD has done for us is another way of triumphing over the enemy.
    Revelation 12:1 “They triumphed over him
    by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony;
    they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.”

    7.Fasting
    The very same verse above ,the second part  “they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”  This verse is often interpreted as fasting. A dying of self, crucifying one’s flesh, denying oneself in order to grow the spirit man and focus on prayer.Jesus also taught his disciples the same. They had been unable to drive out an impure spirit that had possessed a boy .Jesus told them – “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting” Mark:9:29

    It is my sincere hope that next time you are tempted to battle in the flesh, you will be wiser and apply what you have learnt here and all that the LORD reveals to you in His infinite wisdom.
    Shalom.

 

FREEDOM FROM FEAR

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Covid 19, Freedom, Inspiration, Mental Health, Walk of Faith

renderedIt’s high time I wrote about this subject. Now more than ever especially due to the current times we are living in,facing one of the worst pandemics ever in the 21st century.

The Covid 19 pandemic has wrecked havoc in the lives of many across the globe , not to mention the ripple effects it  has caused on all economies of the world, the markets, our communities and even families. There has been so much uncertainty, anxiety ,anger ,despair and fear gripping the hearts of all humanity.

Fear  according to google is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. I had always believed that fear is synonymous with anxiety until I came across these guys  who put it plainly that there is indeed a difference between the two.

“Fear relates to a known or understood threat, whereas anxiety follows from an unknown, expected or poorly defined threat.

“What about worry ?”You may ask –  This I found is to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.

Experts in psychology have given various antidotes or ways to overcome fear  and anxiety ranging from positive thinking ,making affirmations, forms of meditation and even humour.

What I cannot comprehend is how can a fearful mind create positive thoughts on its own? How can a sorrowful soul affirm itself and laugh off its sorrows let alone meditate on new thoughts that its unable to create.

I have found that these methods can only be successful if one roots himself/herself on something higher ,more powerful than our weak souls, on a supreme power that exists beyond time, that is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient all at the same time -the eternal love of Christ.

Fear is a very common emotion in us human beings, but it doesn’t mean that we should tolerate it in our lives. Neither should one accept it as the norm to the extent that  it is given a seat in your mind’s living room, propped up ok nice and cosy so that it doesn’t intrude in any other area of your life! Once it gets a foothold through your door it will invade the entire house!

Fear shouldn’t be ignored either, or simply wished away. It’s not just pure emotion but has an evil spirit that exploits the fear emotion. What we need to do is to identify it and deal with it head on!

The following passages gave me much insight-

“For GOD did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power ,of love and sound mind” 2Tim .1:7
A very self explanatory verse.

“So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” Galatians 4:7

Our old self was crucified with him so that the body that ruled by sin might be done away with ,that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who  has died has been set free from sin.

We also know that fear is sin in the eyes of the LORD, hence we should no longer be slaves to any form of sin ,that includes fear as well.

Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” John 8:34

For people are  slaves to whatever has mastered them “ 2Peter:2: 19

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves as  slaves to someone as obedient slaves,you are slaves of the one you obey-whether  you are slaves to sin,which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness.” Romans 6:16

“ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:17

The summary of all these verses is to look at what the scriptures says about fear, slaves, children and heirs.
Many often think that its pointless quoting several verses of scripture. Let me point it out to you that scripture is a compilation of various letters. To understand what your beloved is writing to you ,you need to read the entire letter! So here goes the summary;

  1. God did not not give us a spirit of fear
  2. God gave us a spirit of power, love and sound mind
  3. We are no longer slaves
  4. We are God’s children
  5. Since you are His children he has made you an heir
  6. You are heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ – means we share in his sufferings and in his glory
  7. Everyone who sins = slave to sin
  8. Fear is one of the many sins
  9. If one is fearful = one is a slave to sin
  10. Believe in Christ & surrender to him and you will no longer be a slave

More verses that talk about how to overcome fear

Psalm 34:4–5

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Psalm 23:4

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

1 John 4:18

‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…’

Hebrews 13:5-6
God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”[a]

6 So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”[b]

The Lord is in control of nature, If he could calm this storm ,what about the storms in your own life?

Jesus Calms the Storm Luke 8:22-25 New International Version (NIV)

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

The fact that Jesus asked them ,”where is your faith is very telling.I believed that he was showing them that with faith they too can face the storm and make it still

Psalm 46:1–3

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”

These scriptures are just the tip of the iceberg on how to deal with fear, I would encourage you  to read more of the bible and the LORD will give you more revelation and understanding. For starters you could chew on these.

The most important thing to remember is that we are to meditate on the scripture, what the word of the LORD says. No need to strike a pose while you meditate, you could do it when seated alone, while you are stretching, while standing in queue at the grocery shop or while waiting to get your covid test, as you take a walk or walking the dog, as you flip through the TV channels, as you work out, in a bus ,as you drive ,as you are doing the dishes, doing your house chores, as you are logging on to your virtual meeting, as you tuck the kids in at night and even as you lay on your bed. Meditate on the word, study it, ponder upon it ,let it sink in and marinate in your spirit and soul and the word will transform you into who you are meant to be and will sanctify you for his word is truth.

Last but not least, is worship. Worshiping God could be done in various forms song, dance, art, poems, spoken word .This beautiful song I rediscovered ,so simple many may over look it as an old boring hymn, but it is powerful. Worship is a weapon one could use when feeling overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. True worship goes up to the LORD as a sacrifice, surrendering your all to the LORD and praising him for his goodness and his power. I say true worship as there as some songs that are wrongly labeled as worship yet they are just feel good songs we sing and they do not glorify God in anyway. If anything they only temporarily lift the singers mood and as soon as you are done you come tumbling down.
Worship changes the spiritual atmosphere around you and the LORD will respond.

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Summary

  1. Only God can deliver us from all fear
  2. He is always with us, even when we do not see him or hear him
  3. He sees and knows what we are going through, he wants us to trust him always.
  4. He is our refuge and ever present help in time of need
  5. All nature is under his control
  6. Study and meditate on the word of God
  7. Worship – truly worship God