Prodigal Living, Self-Indulgence and Self-Gratification

This verse broke my heart when I read it this morning:  James 5:5

"Here on earth you have abandoned yourselves to soft (prodigal) living and to the pleasures of self-indulgence and self-gratification.  You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter"

You may not be drinking, smoking, prostituting or doing any of those things that we as Christians consider "carnal" but there are other things we do.  As Christians, we are to be ever conscious of the God we serve.  To be wholly submitted to him and to walk only in his ways for us.  How many times has God told you to do a certain thing, but instead you chose to take a different route.  In your mind you are not sinning.  You are just making the decision that YOU think is best, but if it is not God's decision for you it is sin.

He says that we have taken the way of self-indulgence and self-gratification.  It is what I want.  What feels good to me.  We forget that God has our lives all mapped out according Psalm 139.  The days of our lives were planned out by him before any one of them ever came to be.  We have been sent here on earth with a mission to accomplish, but we have turned away from that mission and purpose and have created missions and purposes for ourselves outside of God's will.  Sadly, we still profess to know him and to walk in his ways.  We have deceived ourselves!!

One thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after, that I may know Him as I am known by Him.  That I may find out and do the works which God predestined or planned beforehand for me to do.  Taking paths which He prepared ahead of time that I should walk in them (Eph 2:10).

Pass on a Godly Heritage!!

Have you ever thought of the legacy you will leave the generations behind you?  What inheritance will you pass on to your kids?  I have always thought about this in regards to wealth but now I am seeing a spiritual inheritance as well.  Children look at you to see how you are carrying yourself and then go ahead and inherit various things by absorption.  Genetics is also something you can pass on including issues like depression, anxiety and more.  But is this the legacy you want to leave your progeny?  Whatever you do not overcome in your lifetime will be passed on to the generations behind you and they will have to fight it and overcome it if it is to be stopped.

Knowing that encourages me to change and become a better person if only for the sake of the next generation.  I must come up higher, make better choices, flee temptation and cling to God. Decide to set a new standard for your progeny because every right choice you make will overturn a wrong pattern in your family tree and will ensure that your family lineage is better off.  

Look at your family bloodline and identify some negative traits or trends that you would like to stop.  For my family its alcoholism and in some instances hedonism.  Its promiscuity which makes children out of wedlock common within the family.  In some instances its hot tempers and language that can be abusive.  Gossip can also be a challenge.  So what do I have to do? I am determined that as far as my progeny is concerned I will overcome those things and when I pass on the baton it will contain sexual purity, slowness to anger, filled with the Holy Ghost vs drunk on alcohol, words and language that builds up and encourages, not language that tears down.  

It is a spiritual battle, but God tells me how to overcome in Ephesians 6:10-18 and I know that once we are set free, we shall be free indeed.  So think about the heritage you want to leave behind.  Think about that thing that you struggle with and determine to overcome so that your generations will not have to struggle with it as well.  Even if you are not married or have no children of your own, think about the many children who observe you all around.  Determine to set an example for them and to pass on a godly heritage.  You are blessed!!

Your Worth is Far Above Rubies!

I have been learning some wonderful things on how to find the value in yourself.  If you are like me, you have one area of your life that makes you feel lower than dirt.  It could be that you don't have as much money as you would like, your past could be a bit dodgy, your skin color may be darker than you would like, or you may be heavier than most people consider appropriate.  All these things can make you feel less valuable than you really are.  So what is the true measure of your value as a person?

According to the devotional I read through today with Joel Osteen, the true measure of my value can be found in God.  God found me so valuable that he sent his only begotten son to come and die so that he could have me. Hence Paul says "You were bought with a High Price" and that price is the blood and death of God's son Jesus.  That said, my value is defined by that act of self sacrifice and not by how much money I have, how beautiful I am, how brilliant and all the other things by which we define our worth.

I don't have to struggle to be accepted and found worthy by God.  I am already accepted in the beloved.  I am so valuable that before God ever said that first "Let there be" he had thought of me, planned my existence, how I would live my life, what I would look like, how much I would weigh etc... and he chose me!  Can you imagine that? (Ephesians 1:4, Psalm 139:16) Every single aspect of you was carefully thought out by God.  Why then do people feel the need to point out things about you and say "This is not good?"  I dare say that it is all good.  All of it.  Even your weaknesses and your mistakes may have been meant by the enemy for evil but God means them for good.  How comforting!!!

It takes the burden from us and puts it on God.  So I don't have to make all A's in school to be worth something.  I don't have to look like a model to be acceptable and lovable.  I don't have to have a certain net worth to actually have value.  I just have to be me.  The person God created me to be.  The person I naturally gravitate to when I am in the Lord.  That's all there is to it. 

Just as salvation is not by works, our acceptance in the beloved is also not by works.  We receive it in faith.  Our value is not by works.  It is received by faith.  I am valuable.  My worth is far above rubies not because of what I look like or what I can do, but because God says so!  He thought so highly of me that he sent his son Jesus to be nailed on the cross so that I can be his.  And if God could literally die to have me, then if man cannot see my worth I think its his loss!  

Don't let anyone or anything else define your worth.  Only your creator, who knows what he has put in you, can do that.  He says you are beautiful, talented, creative, to die for, your worth is far above rubies, you are too valuable!!  Priceless!!   You are a gem!!

Look and See!

This verse jumped out at me today and made sense. Isn't it interesting how God will allow you to sit somewhere looking on something happening without really seeing it for what it is. Then one day, in the fullness of time, the scales fall from your eyes and you see things for what they really are. Exodus 2:11 says

"One day, after Moses was grown, it happened that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of [Moses'] brethren".

Moses was 40 years old at this time. I don't believe that this was the first time he saw the oppression of the Hebrews, but that day when he went out to his brethren he did not just look at them generally, he looked at their burdens. He looked at the yoke that was laid on them and for the very first time in 40 years he saw!

I believe that God kept his understanding clouded on the issue because there were things he needed to learn while there and also because the fullness of time was not yet. When the time came for God to draw him near to himself he called him away by causing the incidents that followed after he finally understood just how oppressed his people were.

I am going through such a time as well where God has opened my eyes to see somethings I had never seen before. But I also believe that all this has happened to provoke movement and change of direction in my life to the glory of his name. May I only walk towards his will for me to the fulfillment of my destiny and never away. We serve a good God oh!!!

Honor

Honor. This is a word that honestly has been lost to our society. However, it is a very common word in the Bible. What is honor? According to Websters dictionary: Honor is excellence of character, high moral worth, integrity, uprightness, trustworthiness. It also includes purity and chastity. A person of honor knows what is right, just and true and does it. He or she is aware of all duties imposed by his conscience, position and privilege and acts on these duties. How would you know what is honorable? Honorable things attract esteem, respect and consideration.

In this light, the story of Jabez is given a whole new light. The Bible says he was honorable meaning that he was of high moral worth, of excellent character, integrous, upright and worthy of trust. 1 Chron 4:9-10

⁹Jabez was honorable above his brothers; but his mother named him Jabez [sorrow maker], saying, Because I bore him in pain.

¹⁰Jabez cried to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request.

This story says that your honor has clout with God. If you are honorable and upright and ask God to bless you and enlarge your border, God can trust you with more and bless you indeed. But if you are without honor, how can God give you more than just sustenance?

So who is the man that God is pleased to Honor?

Over and over in the Bible God says that it is the man that honors him that he will in turn honor. With this he also directly links honor with humility. But what is humility? It is defined as freedom from pride and arrogance. A humbleness of mind, a modest estimation of your own worth, a sense of your own unworthiness in the sight of God, penitence for sin and even submission to divine will. The expression of humility is difficult for most people, myself included because we expect it to be an outward action.

In my own view, humility is knowing that without God I am nothing and can do nothing. Led by that knowledge, I accept him as my savior and Lord of my life. That done, I hand over my will to him and ask him to lead my every move. It means that I seek him often because I know that if he does not guide my steps I will make a false move. It is refusing to despise people in my heart but loving them with the love of God at all times. Humility is a condition of the heart and we all know that the heart, according to Jeremiah is deceptive and wicked above all things. It is therefore quite possible to think you are a humble person but you are not.

I am not sure if it was a book I was reading or a movie I was watching but this guy was brought to his knees by his oppressors. While on his knees before them, while they were shouting in triumph and looking down their noses at him on his knees, he made a very profound statement. He said "I may be on my knees, but on the inside I am standing up!" That was a tear jerking moment! But the opposite should be true for us believers. As God elevates us and promotes us to positions of honor we may be standing up on the outside, but on the inside we are on our knees in humility before God!

True humility is the road to honor and glory in God. The book of Esther talks about her uncle Mordecai who would not kneel before Haman. To all around him it looked like the height of pride and arrogance. However, all Mordecai was doing was honoring God above man. So Haman plans his demise and that of all his Jewish people. In Chapter 6 God decides to show Mordecai honor because he honored him and decides to use the King to do this. The King is in a dilemma about what to do and by God's genius Haman had just walked in. The King asks a question that blesses me. He says "What shall be done for the man the King wishes to Honor?" What shall be done for the man that King Jesus wishes to Honor? What shall be done for the man Jehovah wishes to honor? What shall be done?

Ours is not to know what shall be done, ours is to become the man that God would be pleased to honor. Are you that person? Can God sit in heaven and ask, "what shall be done for my daughter Cynthia whom I am pleased to honor?" Would God be pleased to Honor you?

HE WILL NEVER FORSAKE ME

The other day I sinned in such a way as to shock myself. I have read in books by Mahesh Chavda that fasting is like skimming milk. It causes that which is hidden within you to rise so God can skim it off you. Boy! Did it ever! I could not believe myself. Anyway, in the midst of all my guilt and shame God took that opportunity to teach me about his unmerited favor and what it means when he says I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Flash back to Calvary. Jesus is hanging on that cross for you and me and a great divine exchange is taking place. All our sins are being placed on him so that he is black with it. God the Father, who cannot stand sin backs away from Jesus turning his face away from him. Up till now Jesus has had the awesome presence of the Almighty giving him strength. He feels the Father withdraw from him and cries “Eloi, Eloi, lama Sabachthani?” which means “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” He is totally alone in the world. Utterly naked and abandoned because of the sin that now covers him. But guess what? He went through that so that you and I will never be forsaken even when we fall. What a divine exchange!

If you have accepted the covering of the cross of Jesus which is salvation, when God looks at you he sees you through the lens of what happened on Calvary. This means that when you sin, like I did, God looks at you, sees the blood of Calvary and stays by your side. He never, ever forsakes you because he already forsook Christ at Calvary. When you repent he is quick to forgive you and wash away that guilty stain.

Usually when I sin in a big way (in my human mind there are dimensions of sin) even though I repent I am racked with guilt. Then I go around worrying that God will leave me because of what I did and that he won’t help me anymore or show me the favor I have been enjoying in him up until the “great” sin. This time he told me that no matter what I do, he will not leave me nor forsake me. I must repent and turn away from the sin but his commitment to me, as long as I am in Christ is that he will always be by my side and with that, he will always give me his unmerited favor which is my help.

Christians tend to think that if we are spotless then God will favor us. In truth, there is nothing we can do to merit or deserve God’s favor. That is why it is unmerited favor. You can’t earn it. He just gives it to you. Got it!! The notion that when you sin God backs away from you, which is how many of us were taught about what happened at Calvary, is a half truth. When God sees me, he sees his son on Calvary, remembers that my sins past, present and future are already paid for and stays right by my side. What an awesome revelation! Therefore I can still approach the throne of God with boldness to repent of my sin and ask for the blood of Calvary to wash away that guilty stain so that I will still be presented on that day without spot or wrinkle.

Beautiful In Its Time

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face enjoying the fact that the early morning sun was pouring into my apartment. I love sunny mornings! Shortly though, I got in a very strange mood where I began to feel disappointed and discouraged at God. I felt that he was moving too slowly and was not listening to me. Now that I think about it, I must be doing some serious damage to the devils camp for him to give me such an attack. Something must be happening in the heavenlies if that attack is anything to go by. There was a darkness and a heaviness in my heart that I was not understanding. I just kept praying over and over again for God to deliver me and I was really rebuking the devil. Then it hit me that I needed to tell God what I was feeling and so I began to pour out my heart to him. In the middle of all that I said "Now is my time!" and I put in some really crazy demands. You know, when you are busy ranting and raving the Lord just lets you finish then later it dawns on you how ridiculous you sounded!

When I was done the Lord said "Anything I do for you is only beautiful in its time." That hit me hard. It means that if it comes before or after its God ordained time it will cause havoc and not be a blessing. God being the awesome daddy that he is knows this and will not respond to my demands for "Now!" if that is not the right time. So once again I found myself at his feet. Begging forgiveness and laying down my demands, dreams, hopes and desires. All I can say is "let it be unto me according to your word and in your time." I pray for peace and victory in the waiting. I need that more than anything else at this time!!

It's a Heart Issue

Money is a heart issue. The question with God is, where is your heart? For where your treasure is, there your heart is also. The question then becomes what is your treasure. Is it God or is it money? God's school of prosperity is based on teaching you about true treasure while entrusting you with money to advance God's agenda on the earth. It is not an easy school to be enrolled in, but the lessons are priceless.

I have been in a test since October. The Lord spoke to me very clearly in October 2009 and commanded me to give Ksh.100,000 ($ 1,350)every month, for three months. That was a good chunk out of my monthly income. I had just moved into my own place and needed furniture for my house among other things. I was really in a bind. I couldn't understand why God would put money into my hand and then ask me to give so much of it away. What about me?

Well, I gave in October and then went into total rebellion in November. This is not our way of thinking. This was not wisdom to me it was foolishness. I kept thinking to myself, "I should be saving not giving it all away." I kept wondering what people would think and what my family would say if they knew I was busy giving away money. Good thing I was not living with my folks!!

Then God started speaking to my heart about what I had done in November. The good thing with the School of prosperity is that it's a school. When you fail a test you can go over the mistakes you made and retake the test for an opportunity to pass. I was comforted by Peter who failed the test by outrightly denying Jesus. But when he repented Jesus re-instated him and commanded him to lead the Church. He didn't punish him for failing. He didn't say "I had thought of putting you in charge but since you failed this test you just need to stay at the back of the class." That is not our God. Take heart if you have failed any God tests. Repent, learn from your mistakes and keep walking.

That is exactly what I did when I came to my senses. I repented and gave the Ksh. 100,000 in Dec and I am looking forward to my January giving. And guess what God has done for me? He brought a great lady to be my administrator at the writing business and that is taking off quite nicely. When it is all said and done, I will have more money than before.

So what did I learn in all this? Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. I learnt that if I put God's agenda first in my life then all my personal needs will be met. My heart is finally in the right place. Fear is a killer. The fear of man is a snare. I was so afraid of what people would say if they learnt about my giving that I fell right into the devil's trap. But not anymore!

As I continue giving and learning, I am sure that this year will be absolutely fabulous for me where my finances are concerned. Enroll in God's school of prosperity and see him do you good. You are blessed!!!

Your Current Assignment

I don't believe in fate. I think that God is too much of a thinker to let things fall where they may. Although the universe and our lives in general tend towards entropy when left on their own, I think God, being a master planner, had planned our lives from the start. If we tap into his thoughts by prayer, reading the word and meditating on it, we will surely find the path ordained for us from the beginning of days.

My friend Rose is a homemaker and a mother of 5. She loves being a homemaker and homeschooling her kids. She made a comment today that got me thinking about our lot in life. She said I sounded so accomplished and professional that she was almost afraid of me. I couldn't help thinking how accomplished she is, raising her kids in the ways of the Lord and running her farm in Indiana.

We all have our lot in life. But the most important thing to remember is that they are assignments. We are all working on the same thing: Building God's Kingdom. Whether that means raising a godly offspring or working in the marketplace. I consider my job and business my current assignment. That means that the assignment could change and within a few years I could be the homeschooling stay-at-home mom. Whether I am in the market place or at home I am building the Kingdom and that is the most important thing.

Here is a quick challenge for you. How are you building the Kingdom in your current assignment?

Grieving Michael Jackson

The radio is on and there are all these Michael Jackson songs playing and Maina Kageni keeps saying "Michael is not supposed to die! He cannot die!" shortly I hear people calling in to request their favorite MJ songs and then Maina Kageni refers to him as the 'late' King of Pop. Shock on me, Michael Jackson is dead!!!

I felt very sad and found that I was literally mourning his passing. It is strange, because he was never really one of my favorite artists, and you couldn't catch me dead trying to moon walk. But I just really felt sad about it. So of course a conversation ensues between the Lord and I. I am trying to figure out why I am grieving for him so much and the Lord says, 'You are feeling what I am feeling.' Now that was something. The question came into my mind 'Did he accept Christ at any point in his life?' if not, then he was on his way to hell and there was nothing anyone, even God, could do about it now.



It made me want to tell everyone about Jesus. The word says in Ps 116:15 "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" it is precious to him because he takes them to heaven to live with him. However, his heart grieves for every soul that goes to eternal damnation. He made them all and loves each one. He mourns those who do not get into heaven. Pray for those who do not know Christ that they may come to the knowledge of his saving grace.

Reading the Bible through in a year

I have purposed to read the Bible through this year and I can't tell you how proud I am when I cancel out another completed book in the table of contents. However, my heart has been crying out to God about that. I don't just want to read the Bible through by December only to find that it was an excercise in futility because my life did not change. So as I read I keep praying for revelation and for the transformation of my mind. He who started this good work in me will be faithful to complete it. I know this and keep reading, in faith believing, that my life will change for the better.

Don't know how to love?

My sister accused me of not knowing how to love. That was a very hurtful accusation that got me thinking about my personality. After taking one personality test after another, it turns out that I am a very feeling introverted person. I am choleric-phlegmatic. I may feel something intensely but not be able to come out and express it. The other thing that stood out was that I am a thinker. I make decisions logically and not based on feelings. She on the other hand, is greatly moved by emotions. When I fail to react as she would have me to, her conclusion becomes that I am emotionless or unable to love. False, false accusation.

Unfortunately, when people are going through difficult times, I tend to focus more on the solution to the problem. I do not come across as sympathetic even though I may think about how difficult the situation must be for that person. I skip the whole, 'how sad' phase and move right into 'so what do we do now?' She says that the reason I am not married, or seeing anyone is because I haven't a clue how to love. I wonder if she is right. I know sometimes I seem distant, in fact I have been told severally that I tend to come across as unapproachable, but how do I fix it? I can't just walk around like a grinning idiot in a bid to be more approachable. I just think men should stop being cowardly and step up to me, if they are so inclined.

I know I need to work on showing more emotion, being more sympathetic, judging less harshly and many other faults that I am learning are personality weaknesses. But I would appreciate some slack. You know what I'm saying?

Wheat or Tares?

Sometimes I wonder if God will let me into heaven or if I will get to the pearly gates only to be shown the road to the lake of burning sulfur. I fall short constantly and some times when I fall short I slide all the way down to the bottom. Like a bad game of snakes and ladders.

I need to learn how to be humble. I am just praying that God would help me because I struggle with pride. Especially when I think I have achieved much. Pray for me. Sometimes I am not sure if I am the wheat or the tares.

Sibling Rivalry

Many times parents fuel sibling rivalry without intending to. They may have a specially gifted child and compare the other children to this particular one. They may have one that is way more responsible and organized than the others, and once again fuel sibling rivalry. This is to be avoided at all costs. The family unit must be a team.

My dad will be coming back tonight from the US where he has been undergoing treatment for diabetes, kidney failure and cancer. It was a very tough time for us when he was here, and in the 4 years that he has been abroad it has still not been easy. We are now bracing ourselves financially and psychologically for dialysis payments, pharmaceutical bills, hospital visits etc... but we are so glad he is coming home!

I have talked to my siblings about the financial implications involved severally, and I am sad to say that none of them has made any plans on helping out with the costs. I am not worried about that though. I know that God will come through for us. I will do all I can to make sure he has what he needs, although it will be a strain.

What I am afraid of, is the comments he will make. He will probably start comparing them to me and I know the results of that. I will be targeted for snide remarks and resentment - classic sibling rivalry!

The Story of Joseph is a classic in this. Jacob loved him because he had been born to him in his old age and made him a heavily ornamented robe or a robe of many colors (Gen 37:4) The other children noticed this and resented Joseph.

Gen 37:3-4

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him".

This matter has been weighing very heavily on me. I want peace and harmony. I asked God what to do and he gave me the following passage.

Matthew 6:1-4
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you".

I must keep my contributions quiet. I'm not sure how I will get dad to do this, but on my part I will ask him not to talk about it. Then I will pray for peace.

LOL! Doing good is not necessarily easy. But we must do good at all times and conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. Hallelujah!

One thing I do know, that whatever happens it will all play into God's hands. Joseph was sold into slavery and God elevated him. It all worked out for good. This will too. The devil meant it for harm, but God meant it for good. My hope is in God.

Leadership in Marriage

God is still working in me in preparation for my marriage. I have learnt so much and have seen so much of how I have been brainwashed in the past by the thoughts of the world. I want to do it all God's way.

One of the things I have found is that I am a total control freak. I don't worry about the other part of things but the finances really bother me. I want to control those. I want to balance the cheque book, budget and even be in charge of the investments we make. With his input of course, but only as suggestions. How many know that's a recipe for disaster?

God has really been speaking about it. If I trust my husband and I know that he hears God, then I should be able to trust that he will make good financial decisions and invest wisely for the future. We will be the kind of parents who leave an inheritance for our children's children because listening to God, he will make wise decisions all the way.

I need to trust in my husbands leadership ability. What I need to pray is that he will walk after the Spirit of God. Worry and fear accomplish nothing.

Lord Jesus, I surrender control of my marriage and every aspect of leadership in the marriage. I acknowledge that the husband you give me is the head and the leader in our home. I pray Lord that you will give him a hearing ear and an obedient heart. I pray that he will listen for your voice and walk after the Spirit in every single thing that he does, and in every decision that he makes from this day forward. I pray that your will be done in our lives and marriage. That it be done in our marriage as you have ordained it in heaven. He is the leader, I am the helper and I am grateful for the blessing of my God given role in marriage. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen!

BOLDNESS

Sometimes I find myself dreading to make a call and solicit a client. If I send out an email or a letter, I find that I am afraid to follow up, and sometimes I give up on it. How many clients have I lost this way? Today the Lord revealed to me that I am a coward and really the motivator behind these actions is fear. Fear is not of God! It is specially designed in hell to paralyze us so that we are unable to take dominion. The following verses in Joshua 1 blessed my heart and caused me to vow with the help of the Holy Spirit to become bolder. To pursue hard after my clients and to take possession of the Land!

Joshua 1:3-9

"I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses...No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous... Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

So boldness is a function of knowing that God is with you wherever you go, whatever you do. Now that I think about it who wouldn't be with the Almighty God backing them up. Boldness is not a suggestion, it is a COMMAND! Not being bold and courageous is really holding God in contempt. You are really saying "Lord, I don't know if you can handle this one". I repent Lord.

The Bible says in Proverbs 28:1 that "...the righteous are bold as a lion." and you are the righteousness of God in Christ, the word says that he gave him who had no sin, that we may become the righteousness of God. Be Bold!

I pray that this blog gives you the boldness to do whatever God has called you to do. He is backing you up. Be bold as a lion!

Treating God With Contempt

The definition for the word contempt is as follows:

a) The feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn.
b) The state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace.
c) Open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority of a court of law or legislative body.

When God showed the promised land to Israel in Numbers 13-14 and they considered their obstacles too great to overcome, God said that they had treated him with contempt.

Numbers 14:11 "The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt?..."

When you choose to believe in the ability of your circumstances to eat you up and swallow you whole, you are holding God in Contempt. You are regarding him as inferior in that circumstance and counting him worthless.

Lately God has been leading me into a business venture that I have not been too keen on because I have seen people get swallowed up in doing it. I have been battling this since last week and he just keeps showing me through his word that I can make it if I will only trust in him. I think he finally had it with me this morning and chose to let me know through these two chapters that I will be holding him in contempt by refusing to follow his leading because I am afraid.

Ps 53:5a describes me perfectly "There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread..." with God on my side there is nothing to dread. Even with the sons of the Nephilim in the house, huge giants who live in fortified cities. There are spiritual ways to bring them down. Spiritual ways to overcome them. The battle is the Lords!!

Ps 55:3-4 "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?"

When I come across a great wall, I march around it and shout (Joshua 6) When I come against the Nephilim, I grab my slingshot, go against him in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel (1 Samuel 17)

God will make a way. I choose not to hold him in contempt. He will fight my battles as I follow after him. The best way to mitigate risk in business is to listen carefully to the voice of the Lord and to be obedient to that voice.

Objects of His Mercy

It never ceases to amaze me, how I can take a perfectly good teaching and stumble all over it. I have been learning about prophetic acts and how God uses them to move in our lives. As such, I have learned to ask the question "What do I need to do to see the breakthrough I am looking for?" a perfectly good question to ask. This morning in my prayer time I was talking to God about clients and asking him what I needed to do to always be closing deals. As I was doing so, the Lord led me to Romans 9 and revealed the condition of my heart to me.

Apparently, whereas the prophetic acts are good and must be done, I had began to rely on them as the source of the answer. That because I have sown a seed, or prayer walked or made certain confessions it would happen. Like magic! And if it didn't work that way, that particular prophetic act did not work. This morning the Lord said "I am sovereign. I do my will". He said to me, "You do the prophetic acts because they change the spiritual atmosphere, but your trust remains in me." Everything is a result of the great mercies of God. He blesses you out of mercy. He favors you out of his great compassion over you. It is never because of what we have done. Salvation, from sin, death, sickness, poverty, debt, torment etc is by his mercy and grace. There is nothing you or I will ever do to deserve God's favor. Not a single thing.

So he says in vs 15
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

We would all be wiser to go before the throne of Grace and appeal at the mercy seat for his help that our lives may go forward and we may experience extraordinary success in every area of our lives.

Vs 16-17 say it best:

"It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

It is not about your keeping the law it is about his mercy being effective in your life. It is about God saying of you " I will display my power in you that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

So does that mean we should stop with the prophetic acts? Of course NOT! They have their place, and they are indeed for a purpose. Jesus did not come to abolish the law. We are to keep on tithing, keep on sowing, keep on doing good, keep on prayer walking, making confessions and the like. Why? The answer can be found in Acts 10:4 "...The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God." Your works and prophetic acts will come up as a memorial offering before God, and he will show you mercy.

vs 23 - 24 says that we are "the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— even us, whom he also called" We are objects of his mercy and this mercy is what causes him to show us favor, causes him to bless us, causes him to endow us with supernatural skill, ability and wisdom. Our posture should be that described in Ps 123 below:

1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you whose throne is in heaven.

2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.

3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured much contempt.

4 We have endured much ridicule from the proud,
much contempt from the arrogant.

and we know that he never runs out according to Lamentations 3:22-23

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning."

We are objects of his mercy and his mercy towards us is fresh every morning. God will move us forward. We are only but helped! If it was not for his mercy where would we be?

Except They Be Agreed

My best friend and I argued about an issue that we just can't see eye to eye on. I feel horrible about it because there is discord between us. It has been a very long time since we saw things differently on any issue. We finally agreed to disagree but I hate it. I want to agree darn it!!! And of course, I want her to agree with me. How messed up is that? Clearly I need Jesus.

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"
Amos 3:3

SPEAKING HARSHLY

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” Deut 6:4 He is our refuge and strength. It is in him we live, and move and have our being. He is our strong tower, we run to him and are saved. He is our hope; we trust in him and see the desires of our hearts accomplished. It hurts him when we speak harshly against him.

Malachi 3:13-15
“You have said harsh things against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, ‘what have we said against you?’ “You have said, ‘it is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?”

How many times have you said in your heart, I have done right in business and yet it is the wicked that seem to prosper? I have waited for a mate from the Lord and kept my purity, yet it is the promiscuous that are getting married? I have been faithful and yet the Lord has not given me children, and here is someone on her 3rd abortion? How many times have you spoken harshly against the Lord, regretting service to him and following his commands because you did not see the desires of your heart accomplished when you thought you would?

Is 49:14 –16a

“But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…”

I know what that’s like, to feel forgotten by God. To feel disappointed by God (Let’s be real here). You hope and you confess, and you do all things like you are supposed to. And every time you get a different instruction. You ask him what you should do and he says “fast and pray”… nothing. You go back to him and he says “sow a seed”… nothing. You go again and he says “only believe”… nothing. Finally you say to yourself, it is better not to hope at all for “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” But God does not want us to feel that way. Delay is not denial!!! You promise is coming and when it does you will know that “…those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” Is 49:23b

Malachi 3:16 & 18
“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name… And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

Keep fearing the Lord, keep speaking good things about him, a scroll of remembrance is being written in his presence. Soon we will see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked. You service and your obedience are not in vain!