Many of us come to Jesus with a childlike attitude. We live a life of
humility at the initial stages of salvation but as we grow in grace
many begin to divert.
Many begin to see salvation as trivial.
They worship themselves. They will
rather preach about their
achievements in life than the cross of Christ.
Some will rather mount pulpits and build churches for fame rather than
glorifying Jesus through their
lifestyle.
Ministry cannot substitute fellowship.
Wealth cannot substitute fellowship.
1Samuel 15:17
So Samuel said " When you were little
in your own eyes, were you not head
of the tribes of Israel? And did not The
LORD annoint you king over Israel?
Have you changed your spiritual
lense? Are you now magnifying your
achievements over the saving grace
of Jesus? Are you now magnifying
ministry over His saving grace? Are
you least bothered about pleasing
Him but rather pleasing people?
Many of us are building the tower of
Babel. All we do is to build our own
empires. We want our achievements
to be seen but God is not in our daily
activities. We love fame rather than
bringing Him glory.
We love mantles rather than
sackcloth. Many of God's people are
building the tower of Babel out of
pride and selfish ambitions.
The Lord is saying pause for a
moment. Do you remember where
you were and how far He has brought
you.
Its not about building big churches.
Its not about driving the latest cars in
town. Neither is it about getting a job
with a fat salary. Have you changed
your spiritual lense? Has the kingdom
of God become trivial to you.
Pause for a moment.
Glory To Jesus
Monday, 29 July 2013
OUR MIRRORS
Isaiah 53:10a Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him.
Jesus was flogged,mocked,bruised and He bore our sins in His body. Before His death He said He was going to pull down the temple which was His body and build it up in 3 days. Isaiah said it pleased The Father to bruise Him. Why will The Father delight in such an act? At the point of crucifixion He became an offering for sin. He bore our sins in His body. So in essence His body had taken a corrupted form.
For the glory of Christ to be seen He had to be bruised with this body of sin which He carried on our behalf.
On the 3rd day the glory of the new temple was seen which was His glorified body after He had put the body of sin to death.
Now we are the temple that He dwells in and He is changing us more into His image. The Father has to take us through the work of crucifixion daily so we can rise together and become the glorified temple. He will continuosly bruise our flesh so that it will be put to death. He will bruise our pride by allowing difficult circumstances to teach us humility. He will bruise our impatience by allowing us to work with people who are extremely impatient.
Jacob had lived his early life as a supplanter. He had rid Esau of his birth rite and denied him of his father's blessings. All along Jacob thought he was the smartest guy but what became of him later in his adulthood?
God sent him to the house of Laban to break him and train him anew. Laban was a mirror to Jacob and he cast a magnified images of Jacob.
Jacob was a cheat but he met a stiffer opposition. His own son also slept with his concubine. The man whom he caused much sorrow became a terror to him. He had to send men ahead of him to pacify Esau.
In Jacob's old age Joseph the son after his heart was sold into slavery. God sent Joseph to Egypt to prepare a resting place for him after Jacob had been bruised enough. Now Jacob had taken a new dimension in life. He had learnt honesty. He had learnt patience. God gave him rest in Egypt after taking him through hard training at Canaan.
Many of us are being shown the mirrors in our lives one way or the other. The Lord is showing us our ugly nature through the people around us. Everyone thinks that boss is dumb. Everyone thinks that colleague is rude. Everyone thinks that husband is unfaithful. God is presenting our mirrors before us daily and many are cursing their ugly images instead of humbling themselves and repenting to dress up that ugly image.
Often God will raise up people of our kind and even worst so that we will be broken for Him to remold us. Why are many not seeing the ugliness of their heart through the offenses of others? Why are many blaming others but not recognising the evil traits they have in common. Human beings naturally like to find fault and push blame on others.
Few months back I had a friend getting so much on my nerves because he was always saying unpleasant words about me always criticizing at the slightest mistake. I will get upset with him and I will come home complaining about his character. Then one day as I was complaining about him The Lord revealed the condition of my heart to me in just a split second. I came to the understanding that he was a mirror and he was reflecting my ugly heart. I had to repent before The Lord.
Our mirrors will come in different forms. Some will reveal magnified images of our life. Our ugly side will constantly be bruised. As our flesh is crashed daily it will die and we will become that glorious temple.
Now we are His temple and He is building us daily. He is pulling down the merchandise tables. He is releasing the turtle doves in His temple. He is pulling down what does not belong there so that He can present a glorious temple on the third day which signifies readiness for His coming. He is adorning His temple for His coming. There will be tougher battles to fight. Our faith and obedience will be tested.
Not all will resurrect at His coming because they are so much alive to self and can't receive His life at the trumpet call. We must die more to ourselves then we will have His life fully when He comes. How can we say we are dead and our lives are hidden in Him when we can't even forgive offenses? How can we say our lives are hidden in Him when we lack the obedience to tithe faithfully? Are we dead to greed and the love for money? How can we say we are dead when we flirt with the world on His day? Many are quick to shout they are dead but how can you say your life is in Him when you pray occasionally? Is not about reciting. Its about understanding, believing and walking in it. Our faith must be alive through obedience and fruit bearing. When He appears He will come for those who allowed their flesh to be put to death.
April 8,2013
Glory To Jesus
Jesus was flogged,mocked,bruised and He bore our sins in His body. Before His death He said He was going to pull down the temple which was His body and build it up in 3 days. Isaiah said it pleased The Father to bruise Him. Why will The Father delight in such an act? At the point of crucifixion He became an offering for sin. He bore our sins in His body. So in essence His body had taken a corrupted form.
For the glory of Christ to be seen He had to be bruised with this body of sin which He carried on our behalf.
On the 3rd day the glory of the new temple was seen which was His glorified body after He had put the body of sin to death.
Now we are the temple that He dwells in and He is changing us more into His image. The Father has to take us through the work of crucifixion daily so we can rise together and become the glorified temple. He will continuosly bruise our flesh so that it will be put to death. He will bruise our pride by allowing difficult circumstances to teach us humility. He will bruise our impatience by allowing us to work with people who are extremely impatient.
Jacob had lived his early life as a supplanter. He had rid Esau of his birth rite and denied him of his father's blessings. All along Jacob thought he was the smartest guy but what became of him later in his adulthood?
God sent him to the house of Laban to break him and train him anew. Laban was a mirror to Jacob and he cast a magnified images of Jacob.
Jacob was a cheat but he met a stiffer opposition. His own son also slept with his concubine. The man whom he caused much sorrow became a terror to him. He had to send men ahead of him to pacify Esau.
In Jacob's old age Joseph the son after his heart was sold into slavery. God sent Joseph to Egypt to prepare a resting place for him after Jacob had been bruised enough. Now Jacob had taken a new dimension in life. He had learnt honesty. He had learnt patience. God gave him rest in Egypt after taking him through hard training at Canaan.
Many of us are being shown the mirrors in our lives one way or the other. The Lord is showing us our ugly nature through the people around us. Everyone thinks that boss is dumb. Everyone thinks that colleague is rude. Everyone thinks that husband is unfaithful. God is presenting our mirrors before us daily and many are cursing their ugly images instead of humbling themselves and repenting to dress up that ugly image.
Often God will raise up people of our kind and even worst so that we will be broken for Him to remold us. Why are many not seeing the ugliness of their heart through the offenses of others? Why are many blaming others but not recognising the evil traits they have in common. Human beings naturally like to find fault and push blame on others.
Few months back I had a friend getting so much on my nerves because he was always saying unpleasant words about me always criticizing at the slightest mistake. I will get upset with him and I will come home complaining about his character. Then one day as I was complaining about him The Lord revealed the condition of my heart to me in just a split second. I came to the understanding that he was a mirror and he was reflecting my ugly heart. I had to repent before The Lord.
Our mirrors will come in different forms. Some will reveal magnified images of our life. Our ugly side will constantly be bruised. As our flesh is crashed daily it will die and we will become that glorious temple.
Now we are His temple and He is building us daily. He is pulling down the merchandise tables. He is releasing the turtle doves in His temple. He is pulling down what does not belong there so that He can present a glorious temple on the third day which signifies readiness for His coming. He is adorning His temple for His coming. There will be tougher battles to fight. Our faith and obedience will be tested.
Not all will resurrect at His coming because they are so much alive to self and can't receive His life at the trumpet call. We must die more to ourselves then we will have His life fully when He comes. How can we say we are dead and our lives are hidden in Him when we can't even forgive offenses? How can we say our lives are hidden in Him when we lack the obedience to tithe faithfully? Are we dead to greed and the love for money? How can we say we are dead when we flirt with the world on His day? Many are quick to shout they are dead but how can you say your life is in Him when you pray occasionally? Is not about reciting. Its about understanding, believing and walking in it. Our faith must be alive through obedience and fruit bearing. When He appears He will come for those who allowed their flesh to be put to death.
April 8,2013
Glory To Jesus
LIVING TESTIMONIES
1 John 1:1-3
1 [We are writing] about the Word of Life [[a]in] Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our [own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have touched with our [own] hands.
2 And the Life [[b]an aspect of His being] was revealed (made manifest, demonstrated), and we saw [as eyewitnesses] and are testifying to and declare to you the Life, the eternal Life [[c]in Him] Who already existed with the Father and Who [actually] was made visible (was revealed) to us [His followers].
3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may [d]realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a [e]distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
As we grow in our faith we should be able to testify of what we believe. I am not talking about what Jesus did for your neighbor. Neither am I talking about reciting Genesis to Revelation to show that we have arrived. If we testify of our faith it should be evidenced with fruit bearing and the power of God working in our lives not an "I used to be testimony".
If we are preaching behind the pulpits it shouldn't just be uttering words out of intellectualism like Paul said "not with enticing words". Paul was a learned man so he had mastery over the Torah. He knew the law as a Pharisee but he lacked revelational knowledge of it before his conversion. It is quiet easy for newly born again believers to maintain a positive confession because there is that initial fire but how many keep that zeal.
It is not about saying I am the righteousness of God in Christ. Do we really understand what we profess? In this scripture John was testifying about what he had learnt from Jesus when He was in the flesh as well as revelational knowledge of Him.
The more we grow in Him we will be tested but will we still maintain that confession or we will live by other people's testimony. The bible says we live by faith and not by sight. In other words faith transcends beyond the material. It has a substance spiritually that is why it comes into being.
As we grow in The Lord we should step out of fanaticism and rather become living testimonies. This is what we have been called to do. We have been called to testify of Him as He testified of The Father when He walked the earth. Jesus knew who The Father was but how many of us know Him? I am not talking about Jesus is "My Savior". Ask any scholar and he will testify that a man called Jesus once walked the earth and was crucified.
The question is do we testify of what we have really experienced or we are just punching above our weight living other people's testimonies. It is not about Pastor A- Z can pray for 1000 cripples to walk. Why are we so enthused about that but never hungry for the manifestation of His power in our lives. Many of us are genuinely saved but we have never experienced Him for ourselves. Many of us profess Jesus but we do not know His heart. This comes through intimacy with Him.
Few years ago during my rebellious days I was so intrigued about the manifestation of God's power in the life of many pastors but I never bothered to inquire further. Occasionally I will try to talk or preach like one of them but hey that was not God's purpose for me. It took intimacy in the closet before The Lord unlocked certain things that He had vested in me right from childhood. I have not arrived but there is this burden in my heart that spurs me on not to settle for spiritual mediocrity or live in the shadows of others.
We have been called to testify of The One who has saved us and our testimony must spread like fire. People should see His power working in us as the early church experienced. Its not about saying I am a Jesus freak. It is about living our lives as a living testimony. Last night The Holy Spirit told me something in my sleep. He said He wants to teach us about how He wants us to live by living through us.
Our lives must manifest His glory. Aren't you tired of living people's testimony. Last night my son in The Lord shared a wonderful testimony with me.
He told The Lord not to grant him a job until He gets to know Him in an intimate way. The Father answered his prayer. He is going for an interview today. My point is we should crave to know Him in an intimate way so that we can testify of Him as He wants and demonstrate His power to the world.
Glory To Jesus
1 [We are writing] about the Word of Life [[a]in] Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our [own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have touched with our [own] hands.
2 And the Life [[b]an aspect of His being] was revealed (made manifest, demonstrated), and we saw [as eyewitnesses] and are testifying to and declare to you the Life, the eternal Life [[c]in Him] Who already existed with the Father and Who [actually] was made visible (was revealed) to us [His followers].
3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may [d]realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a [e]distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
As we grow in our faith we should be able to testify of what we believe. I am not talking about what Jesus did for your neighbor. Neither am I talking about reciting Genesis to Revelation to show that we have arrived. If we testify of our faith it should be evidenced with fruit bearing and the power of God working in our lives not an "I used to be testimony".
If we are preaching behind the pulpits it shouldn't just be uttering words out of intellectualism like Paul said "not with enticing words". Paul was a learned man so he had mastery over the Torah. He knew the law as a Pharisee but he lacked revelational knowledge of it before his conversion. It is quiet easy for newly born again believers to maintain a positive confession because there is that initial fire but how many keep that zeal.
It is not about saying I am the righteousness of God in Christ. Do we really understand what we profess? In this scripture John was testifying about what he had learnt from Jesus when He was in the flesh as well as revelational knowledge of Him.
The more we grow in Him we will be tested but will we still maintain that confession or we will live by other people's testimony. The bible says we live by faith and not by sight. In other words faith transcends beyond the material. It has a substance spiritually that is why it comes into being.
As we grow in The Lord we should step out of fanaticism and rather become living testimonies. This is what we have been called to do. We have been called to testify of Him as He testified of The Father when He walked the earth. Jesus knew who The Father was but how many of us know Him? I am not talking about Jesus is "My Savior". Ask any scholar and he will testify that a man called Jesus once walked the earth and was crucified.
The question is do we testify of what we have really experienced or we are just punching above our weight living other people's testimonies. It is not about Pastor A- Z can pray for 1000 cripples to walk. Why are we so enthused about that but never hungry for the manifestation of His power in our lives. Many of us are genuinely saved but we have never experienced Him for ourselves. Many of us profess Jesus but we do not know His heart. This comes through intimacy with Him.
Few years ago during my rebellious days I was so intrigued about the manifestation of God's power in the life of many pastors but I never bothered to inquire further. Occasionally I will try to talk or preach like one of them but hey that was not God's purpose for me. It took intimacy in the closet before The Lord unlocked certain things that He had vested in me right from childhood. I have not arrived but there is this burden in my heart that spurs me on not to settle for spiritual mediocrity or live in the shadows of others.
We have been called to testify of The One who has saved us and our testimony must spread like fire. People should see His power working in us as the early church experienced. Its not about saying I am a Jesus freak. It is about living our lives as a living testimony. Last night The Holy Spirit told me something in my sleep. He said He wants to teach us about how He wants us to live by living through us.
Our lives must manifest His glory. Aren't you tired of living people's testimony. Last night my son in The Lord shared a wonderful testimony with me.
He told The Lord not to grant him a job until He gets to know Him in an intimate way. The Father answered his prayer. He is going for an interview today. My point is we should crave to know Him in an intimate way so that we can testify of Him as He wants and demonstrate His power to the world.
Glory To Jesus
A GOD GIVEN WIFE
Genesis 2:21-23(Nkjv)
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.
Genesis 2:18 (Kjv)
And the LORD God said, it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him an help meet for him.
Many of us are familiar with the story of creation. We know how God formed Eve out of Adam. As I was meditating on this scripture Daddy gave me an insight of what the whole set up was about. Certain things took place before Eve was created.
If you read the preceding verse, God gave Adam the mandate to give names to all the animals He had created. This was a form of assignment given to Adam. After the assignment the bible says God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam. The deep sleep represents spiritual rest.
Hebrews 4:10
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
This scripture can be viewed in two folds. I will only discuss what is relevant to this sermon. God knew it was not good for Adam to stay alone. The bible didnt mention how Adam felt but I assume also felt lonely. There was a missing link.After Adam had performed his first assignment, he entered into God's rest. It was the turn of God to work .Adam surrendered all to Daddy.He trusted Daddy subconsciously to give him his heart desire. Adam may not have expressly described what he wanted but He trusted God for the best.
As Adam was resting, Daddy formed Eve. Immediately he woke up from his sleep he knew by intuition that Eve came from him.
Further, he said "this is the bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." This statement by Adam signifies specifications. Eve was exactly what he expected though he had not expressed it or better put the bible did not state it. Adam entered God's rest. He lay down his own ambitions and trusted Daddy. Then came Eve. He trusted in God's timing as well.God gave him a help meet as it was stated earlier in Genesis 2:18. Now the game was on.
Adam and Eve had two divine mandates.
The first was to worship God through fellowshiping with Him and making a commitment to obey so they were forbidden to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The second duty was the dominion mandate. The mandate of stewardship.
We can relate this to our lives in so many ways as Christians. It is in Daddy's books to give us the right spouse but it is up to us to be patient and trust in Him fully.
The man has his own responsibilities before marriage likewise the woman.The man has to take his rest in Daddy. The woman has to wait for Daddy to wake up her sleeping Adam. After we have done what Daddy wants us to do, He will wake our Adams from sleep and bring our Eves right before our eyes.
The world has set its own standards for marriage. Many ladies fret when they are not married at a particular age. For others they want people who are already living in affluence. Our society teaches us to experiment our bodies before marriage.
God's word is still true today. If we take our rest in Daddy through obedience and purity, He will grant us the desired spouse. I believe Christian marriages should be the best but it is not so in our generation. The people in the world even have better marriages. Why should it be so?
Often many people rush into marriage without Daddy's consent. Daddy desires to train us to be the desired spouse He desires. Marriage is not only about sex and children. Daddy unites the man and woman so that they will fulfill their divine calling together. At the end of the day Daddy desires the couple get a picture of how He wants to relate to us throughout eternity.
We will be married to Daddy eventually. Marriage is a preparatory ground for what awaits us in Heaven.
Let us take our rest in Daddy. His timing is the best. Age is just a number.
Proverbs 18:22
Whoever finds a wife finds what is good, and receives favor from the LORD.
Glory To Jesus
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.
Genesis 2:18 (Kjv)
And the LORD God said, it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him an help meet for him.
Many of us are familiar with the story of creation. We know how God formed Eve out of Adam. As I was meditating on this scripture Daddy gave me an insight of what the whole set up was about. Certain things took place before Eve was created.
If you read the preceding verse, God gave Adam the mandate to give names to all the animals He had created. This was a form of assignment given to Adam. After the assignment the bible says God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam. The deep sleep represents spiritual rest.
Hebrews 4:10
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
This scripture can be viewed in two folds. I will only discuss what is relevant to this sermon. God knew it was not good for Adam to stay alone. The bible didnt mention how Adam felt but I assume also felt lonely. There was a missing link.After Adam had performed his first assignment, he entered into God's rest. It was the turn of God to work .Adam surrendered all to Daddy.He trusted Daddy subconsciously to give him his heart desire. Adam may not have expressly described what he wanted but He trusted God for the best.
As Adam was resting, Daddy formed Eve. Immediately he woke up from his sleep he knew by intuition that Eve came from him.
Further, he said "this is the bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." This statement by Adam signifies specifications. Eve was exactly what he expected though he had not expressed it or better put the bible did not state it. Adam entered God's rest. He lay down his own ambitions and trusted Daddy. Then came Eve. He trusted in God's timing as well.God gave him a help meet as it was stated earlier in Genesis 2:18. Now the game was on.
Adam and Eve had two divine mandates.
The first was to worship God through fellowshiping with Him and making a commitment to obey so they were forbidden to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The second duty was the dominion mandate. The mandate of stewardship.
We can relate this to our lives in so many ways as Christians. It is in Daddy's books to give us the right spouse but it is up to us to be patient and trust in Him fully.
The man has his own responsibilities before marriage likewise the woman.The man has to take his rest in Daddy. The woman has to wait for Daddy to wake up her sleeping Adam. After we have done what Daddy wants us to do, He will wake our Adams from sleep and bring our Eves right before our eyes.
The world has set its own standards for marriage. Many ladies fret when they are not married at a particular age. For others they want people who are already living in affluence. Our society teaches us to experiment our bodies before marriage.
God's word is still true today. If we take our rest in Daddy through obedience and purity, He will grant us the desired spouse. I believe Christian marriages should be the best but it is not so in our generation. The people in the world even have better marriages. Why should it be so?
Often many people rush into marriage without Daddy's consent. Daddy desires to train us to be the desired spouse He desires. Marriage is not only about sex and children. Daddy unites the man and woman so that they will fulfill their divine calling together. At the end of the day Daddy desires the couple get a picture of how He wants to relate to us throughout eternity.
We will be married to Daddy eventually. Marriage is a preparatory ground for what awaits us in Heaven.
Let us take our rest in Daddy. His timing is the best. Age is just a number.
Proverbs 18:22
Whoever finds a wife finds what is good, and receives favor from the LORD.
Glory To Jesus
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
THE CONTRITE APPROACH
2011 has been a
year in which The Lord has taught me what true repentance is. Yesterday
when I was communing with The Lord, He told me repentance must start
from the heart and it must be backed by action. What was so unique about
King David? The Lord referred to him as a man after His own heart.
David loved The Lord with all his heart. David knew contrition which
made him different from those around him. David had deep regret anytime
he transgressed. He knew the consequence of sins in his walk with God.
He had to adopt the contrite approach to keep him walking with The Lord.
2 Samuel 12:7-13(AMP)
7Then Nathan said to David, You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king of Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.
8And I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added that much again.
9Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, doing evil in His sight? You have slain Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife. You have murdered him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because [you have not only despised My command, but] you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
11Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your a own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
12For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.
13And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba The Lord sent Nathan to convict him of his sin. When David fell under the conviction of The Lord he got broken. Psalm 51 shows the heart of David. He knew what true repentance meant. What does The Lord require from us when we sin?
Psalm 51: 17.
My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.
He requires we bring sacrifices of brokenness of heart and a spirit of contrition. Often we become so infatuated with a particular sin which makes us insensitive to His conviction. As we continue to ignore Him our hearts become numb.
Isaiah 66: 2
For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.
The Lord is looking for people who have contrite spirit. A person with a contrite spirit is quick to repent when he sins. He knows the effects of sins in his walk with The Lord.
Let us look at the city of Nineveh. The Lord had planned to destroy the city because of their sins. When Jonah went to preach to them, their hearts were cut. They had great remorse over their sins. They demonstrated their remorse through fasting, wailing and the wearing of sackcloth.
Jonah 3: 5- 10.
5So the people of Nineveh believed in God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth [in penitent mourning], from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6For word came to the king of Nineveh [of all that had happened to Jonah, and his terrifying message from God], and he arose from his throne and he laid his robe aside, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed nor drink water.
8But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
9Who can tell, God may turn and revoke His sentence against us [when we have met His terms], and turn away from His fierce anger so that we perish not.
10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God revoked His [sentence of] evil that He had said that He would do to them and He did not do it [for He was comforted and eased concerning them].
Anytime The Lord sent Israel into captivity for their disobedience, He was patiently waiting for them to admit their sins and turn back to Him. When they realized their transgression The Lord heard them and brought them out of their bondage.
What does The Lord require from this generation? The Lord has been teaching me a lot on repentance and confession of sins. Often we rush when confessing our sins. We should be specific in our confession. If you told a lie and you are confessing your sins don't generalize . Tell The Lord the lie you told. If genuine confession is not made, how can The Lord deal with us? Daddy is merciful to forgive but He is also interested in dealing with our sins.
2 Corinthians 7: 10.
For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death].
Today call out to Daddy to pour out a spirit of repentance upon your life. Call upon Daddy to break you so He can fix you. Call upon Daddy to pour out meekness upon you. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He will chastise you to make you better. He loves us so much and He desires we become more like Him. When Daddy uses His rod to discipline us we should thank Him. He says He will look at the man who has a contrite spirit.
Glory To Daddy King Jesus
2 Samuel 12:7-13(AMP)
7Then Nathan said to David, You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king of Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.
8And I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added that much again.
9Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, doing evil in His sight? You have slain Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife. You have murdered him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because [you have not only despised My command, but] you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
11Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your a own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
12For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.
13And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba The Lord sent Nathan to convict him of his sin. When David fell under the conviction of The Lord he got broken. Psalm 51 shows the heart of David. He knew what true repentance meant. What does The Lord require from us when we sin?
Psalm 51: 17.
My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.
He requires we bring sacrifices of brokenness of heart and a spirit of contrition. Often we become so infatuated with a particular sin which makes us insensitive to His conviction. As we continue to ignore Him our hearts become numb.
Isaiah 66: 2
For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.
The Lord is looking for people who have contrite spirit. A person with a contrite spirit is quick to repent when he sins. He knows the effects of sins in his walk with The Lord.
Let us look at the city of Nineveh. The Lord had planned to destroy the city because of their sins. When Jonah went to preach to them, their hearts were cut. They had great remorse over their sins. They demonstrated their remorse through fasting, wailing and the wearing of sackcloth.
Jonah 3: 5- 10.
5So the people of Nineveh believed in God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth [in penitent mourning], from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6For word came to the king of Nineveh [of all that had happened to Jonah, and his terrifying message from God], and he arose from his throne and he laid his robe aside, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed nor drink water.
8But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
9Who can tell, God may turn and revoke His sentence against us [when we have met His terms], and turn away from His fierce anger so that we perish not.
10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God revoked His [sentence of] evil that He had said that He would do to them and He did not do it [for He was comforted and eased concerning them].
Anytime The Lord sent Israel into captivity for their disobedience, He was patiently waiting for them to admit their sins and turn back to Him. When they realized their transgression The Lord heard them and brought them out of their bondage.
What does The Lord require from this generation? The Lord has been teaching me a lot on repentance and confession of sins. Often we rush when confessing our sins. We should be specific in our confession. If you told a lie and you are confessing your sins don't generalize . Tell The Lord the lie you told. If genuine confession is not made, how can The Lord deal with us? Daddy is merciful to forgive but He is also interested in dealing with our sins.
2 Corinthians 7: 10.
For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death].
Today call out to Daddy to pour out a spirit of repentance upon your life. Call upon Daddy to break you so He can fix you. Call upon Daddy to pour out meekness upon you. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He will chastise you to make you better. He loves us so much and He desires we become more like Him. When Daddy uses His rod to discipline us we should thank Him. He says He will look at the man who has a contrite spirit.
Glory To Daddy King Jesus
WHEN GOD USES THE UNFANCIED TO SET US FREE
2Kings 5:. 1- 14.(AMP)
1NAAMAN, COMMANDER of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, accepted [and acceptable], because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
2The Syrians had gone out in bands and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3She said to her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.
4[Naaman] went in and told his king, Thus and thus said the maid from Israel.
5And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, 6,000 shekels of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel. It said, When this letter comes to you, I will with it have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of leprosy.
7When the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? Just consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.
8When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, asking, Why have you rent your clothes? Let Naaman come now to me and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at Elisha's door.
10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.
11But Naaman was angry and went away and said, Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal the leper.
12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13And his servants came near and said to him, My father, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather, then, when he says to you, Wash and be clean?
14Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, as the man of God had said, and his flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was clean.
Often, we get so familiar with a condition or a lifestyle which causes us not to discern the direction The Lord is leading us. From the scripture above, it can be seen that Naaman the commander of the Syrian army was so used to the rivers Abanah and Pharpar that he despised the idea of washing himself in the river Jordan when the man of God instructed him to. Again it can be seen that the genesis of Naaman's deliverance came from an unlikely source i.e the Hebrew slave girl. There are moments in life that God requires us to stoop low before He brings deliverance in our lives. God's ways are higher than our ways. So are His thoughts. The way God sees situations is different from the way we do.
Naaman was a prominent member of the Syrian army. He was a man of integrity but he had to live with a shameful disease. In our walk as believers, there are moments in our lives in which we face unfriendly circumstances. There are moments in which we fight battles which seems unending. These circumstances sometimes dents our image and causes us to recoil in our shells. The Lord requires us to see things just as He does. We may be used to (Abanah and Pharpar) the luxurious lifestyle. We may be used to a particular prayer topic but God requires us to turn to the direction which He is leading us. He may lead us to(Jordan) the unattractive places but we must learn to trust in His leading. The Lord does not follow logic. He requires us to let go of our pride, humble ourselves and follow the direction He desires us to go.
There will be instances where He will lead us to the unlikeliest of counsel like the Hebrew slave girl to bring deliverance. All He requires from us is our humility. The Lord is not so much concerned about the comfort you have in (Abanah and Pharpar). Abanah and Pharpar can be things in our lives that hinders us from seeing the fullness of His power. It is prudent we humble ourselves and follow where He wants to lead us. God is not a mechanical God. The way He works today is different from how He will work tomorrow. He requires us to humble ourselves and trust Him. The path He leads us may not be what we want, we should learn to follow the Lord closely and humble ourselves. He is able to use what we disregard to our advantage. Let us always ask for His will for our lives. Let us always ask Him the direction He wants us to go. Let us let go of pride and humble ourselves before the King. The Lord always gives His grace to the humble. He is able to manifest His power mightily in us if we let go off pride and allow meekness to rule our hearts. May The Lord grant us the grace to walk in the humility which He requires of us. Until we realise this truth, we will always be in bondage.
Glory to Daddy King Jesus
1NAAMAN, COMMANDER of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, accepted [and acceptable], because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
2The Syrians had gone out in bands and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3She said to her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.
4[Naaman] went in and told his king, Thus and thus said the maid from Israel.
5And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, 6,000 shekels of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel. It said, When this letter comes to you, I will with it have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of leprosy.
7When the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? Just consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.
8When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, asking, Why have you rent your clothes? Let Naaman come now to me and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at Elisha's door.
10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.
11But Naaman was angry and went away and said, Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal the leper.
12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13And his servants came near and said to him, My father, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather, then, when he says to you, Wash and be clean?
14Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, as the man of God had said, and his flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was clean.
Often, we get so familiar with a condition or a lifestyle which causes us not to discern the direction The Lord is leading us. From the scripture above, it can be seen that Naaman the commander of the Syrian army was so used to the rivers Abanah and Pharpar that he despised the idea of washing himself in the river Jordan when the man of God instructed him to. Again it can be seen that the genesis of Naaman's deliverance came from an unlikely source i.e the Hebrew slave girl. There are moments in life that God requires us to stoop low before He brings deliverance in our lives. God's ways are higher than our ways. So are His thoughts. The way God sees situations is different from the way we do.
Naaman was a prominent member of the Syrian army. He was a man of integrity but he had to live with a shameful disease. In our walk as believers, there are moments in our lives in which we face unfriendly circumstances. There are moments in which we fight battles which seems unending. These circumstances sometimes dents our image and causes us to recoil in our shells. The Lord requires us to see things just as He does. We may be used to (Abanah and Pharpar) the luxurious lifestyle. We may be used to a particular prayer topic but God requires us to turn to the direction which He is leading us. He may lead us to(Jordan) the unattractive places but we must learn to trust in His leading. The Lord does not follow logic. He requires us to let go of our pride, humble ourselves and follow the direction He desires us to go.
There will be instances where He will lead us to the unlikeliest of counsel like the Hebrew slave girl to bring deliverance. All He requires from us is our humility. The Lord is not so much concerned about the comfort you have in (Abanah and Pharpar). Abanah and Pharpar can be things in our lives that hinders us from seeing the fullness of His power. It is prudent we humble ourselves and follow where He wants to lead us. God is not a mechanical God. The way He works today is different from how He will work tomorrow. He requires us to humble ourselves and trust Him. The path He leads us may not be what we want, we should learn to follow the Lord closely and humble ourselves. He is able to use what we disregard to our advantage. Let us always ask for His will for our lives. Let us always ask Him the direction He wants us to go. Let us let go of pride and humble ourselves before the King. The Lord always gives His grace to the humble. He is able to manifest His power mightily in us if we let go off pride and allow meekness to rule our hearts. May The Lord grant us the grace to walk in the humility which He requires of us. Until we realise this truth, we will always be in bondage.
Glory to Daddy King Jesus
I HAVE BEEN JEALOUS FOR THE LORD GOD
The life of Elijah
was one of zeal and demonstration of God's power. He was living in an
era where the people of God( Israel) had forsaken His ways. He was
living among people who had stopped following the Lord and had turned to
Baal. Although God had chosen Israel as His own special people, yet
they rebelled against Him and followed Baal. During Ahab's reign He did
what was evil in the Lord's sight. He followed his wife Jezebel to serve
Baal. Elijah aroused with jealousy for the Lord chose to contend with
Ahab and the worshipers of Baal.
In 1kings 18: 20-40 Elijah executed 400 prophets of Baal. He could not stand the people's harlotry. He demonstrated God's power by commanding fire from heaven. He had to wipe evil among God's people. After executing the prophets of Baal, Jezebel sought to kill him. He had to run for his life.
1 Kings 19: 1- 3.
1AHAB TOLD Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword.
2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.
3Then he was afraid and arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba of Judah [over eighty miles, and out of Jezebel's realm] and left his servant there.
He looked weary and depressed. The Lord appeared to Him in the cave to strengthen Him. He pleaded His case before The Lord. He was the only one who stood tall in fighting against Baal. Elijah had been driven by passion.
1 Kings 19: 10- 14.
10He replied, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
12And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice.
13When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?
14He said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, because the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and slain Your prophets with the sword. And I, I only, am left, and they seek my life, to destroy it.
How can we relate this to our generation? We are also God's chosen people by reason of the fact that we have believed in Christ.
1 Peter 2: 9- 10,
9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own [a]purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
10Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God's people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied and have received mercy.
We have been called to lift high the banner of Christ. Today many of God's people still follow Baal. Baal in our age is not a physical idol erected which people bow to. Baal in our dispensation is anything worldly. Remember Baal was the god of the gentiles. In our era we are spiritual jews and the gentiles are those who belong to the world. Baal in our age could be anything of the world that the children of God crave for. It could be fashion,entertainment,,music. Many of God's people still have Baal in their closets. They have held unto to it and are not ready to release it.
The worship of Baal has also been introduced in our churches. Many churches have introduced practices which belong to the world. The power of the cross is not preached in many of our churches. Many preachers have resorted to sermons of convenience. They preach sermons that will entice people to their auditoriums. Many churches have lost their true identity. The Lord's glory has left many churches. His power is not fully manifesting because His people are harboring Baal. His people are entertaining world in their midst.
Numbers 25 : 1- 12
1ISRAEL SETTLED down and remained in Shittim, and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab,
2Who invited the [Israelites] to the sacrifices of their gods, and [they] ate and bowed down to Moab's gods.
3So Israel joined himself to [the god] Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
4And the Lord said to Moses, Take all the leaders or chiefs of the people, and hang them before the Lord in the sun [after killing them], that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.
5And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each one of you slay his men who joined themselves to Baal of Peor.
6And behold, one of the Israelites came and brought to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and of all the congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting [over the divine judgment and the punishment].
7And when Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand
8And went after the man of Israel into the inner room and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her body. Then the [smiting] plague was stayed from the Israelites.
9Nevertheless those who died in the [smiting] plague were 24,000.
10And the Lord said to Moses,
11Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the Israelites, in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My jealousy.
12Therefore say, Behold, I give to Phinehas the priest My covenant of peace.
When the people of God were in the wilderness, they provoked the Lord to jealousy by going after Baal. The Lord told Moses to hang those who transgressed against Him. Even in the event of the death sentence some didn't not repent. Zimri chose to sin against The Lord by fornicating in the presence of Moses and the congregation. Phinehas who was aroused with zeal thrust Zimri with a javelin. Phinehas' act pleased The Lord. It also caused The Lord to relent the punishment on His people. We are living under grace now and as a matter of fact The Lord will not permit instant justice as in the case of Phinehas. But the question is does grace give us the license to rebel against Him? Does grace permit us to follow the world? Who will stand up and preach uncompromised truth? Who will be moved by zeal to pull down the altars of Baal among His people? Who is willing to stand in the gap and pray against the spirit of Baal among His people? Are His people willing to expose the prophets of Baal in their midst? The Lord is looking for people who will stand up and deliver His oppressed children from the grip of Baal. He is looking for people who have kept themselves pure like the remnant church in Sardis.
Revelations 3: 4.
4Yet you still have a few [persons'] names in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes, and they shall walk with Me in white, because they are worthy and deserving.
Until we stand up and pull down Baal in our midst we cannot see the fullness of His power. It is sad to see unbelievers attributing His power to the devil's works. Why? Because His people still play with Baal. So when a miracle is performed even His own people doubt it. Why are we stealing His glory. Children of God arise, be quickened by The Lord to go on rampage. May you be filled with His zeal to pull down Baal.
Glory To Jesus
In 1kings 18: 20-40 Elijah executed 400 prophets of Baal. He could not stand the people's harlotry. He demonstrated God's power by commanding fire from heaven. He had to wipe evil among God's people. After executing the prophets of Baal, Jezebel sought to kill him. He had to run for his life.
1 Kings 19: 1- 3.
1AHAB TOLD Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword.
2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.
3Then he was afraid and arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba of Judah [over eighty miles, and out of Jezebel's realm] and left his servant there.
He looked weary and depressed. The Lord appeared to Him in the cave to strengthen Him. He pleaded His case before The Lord. He was the only one who stood tall in fighting against Baal. Elijah had been driven by passion.
1 Kings 19: 10- 14.
10He replied, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
12And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice.
13When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?
14He said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, because the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and slain Your prophets with the sword. And I, I only, am left, and they seek my life, to destroy it.
How can we relate this to our generation? We are also God's chosen people by reason of the fact that we have believed in Christ.
1 Peter 2: 9- 10,
9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own [a]purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
10Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God's people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied and have received mercy.
We have been called to lift high the banner of Christ. Today many of God's people still follow Baal. Baal in our age is not a physical idol erected which people bow to. Baal in our dispensation is anything worldly. Remember Baal was the god of the gentiles. In our era we are spiritual jews and the gentiles are those who belong to the world. Baal in our age could be anything of the world that the children of God crave for. It could be fashion,entertainment,,music. Many of God's people still have Baal in their closets. They have held unto to it and are not ready to release it.
The worship of Baal has also been introduced in our churches. Many churches have introduced practices which belong to the world. The power of the cross is not preached in many of our churches. Many preachers have resorted to sermons of convenience. They preach sermons that will entice people to their auditoriums. Many churches have lost their true identity. The Lord's glory has left many churches. His power is not fully manifesting because His people are harboring Baal. His people are entertaining world in their midst.
Numbers 25 : 1- 12
1ISRAEL SETTLED down and remained in Shittim, and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab,
2Who invited the [Israelites] to the sacrifices of their gods, and [they] ate and bowed down to Moab's gods.
3So Israel joined himself to [the god] Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
4And the Lord said to Moses, Take all the leaders or chiefs of the people, and hang them before the Lord in the sun [after killing them], that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.
5And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each one of you slay his men who joined themselves to Baal of Peor.
6And behold, one of the Israelites came and brought to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and of all the congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting [over the divine judgment and the punishment].
7And when Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand
8And went after the man of Israel into the inner room and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her body. Then the [smiting] plague was stayed from the Israelites.
9Nevertheless those who died in the [smiting] plague were 24,000.
10And the Lord said to Moses,
11Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the Israelites, in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My jealousy.
12Therefore say, Behold, I give to Phinehas the priest My covenant of peace.
When the people of God were in the wilderness, they provoked the Lord to jealousy by going after Baal. The Lord told Moses to hang those who transgressed against Him. Even in the event of the death sentence some didn't not repent. Zimri chose to sin against The Lord by fornicating in the presence of Moses and the congregation. Phinehas who was aroused with zeal thrust Zimri with a javelin. Phinehas' act pleased The Lord. It also caused The Lord to relent the punishment on His people. We are living under grace now and as a matter of fact The Lord will not permit instant justice as in the case of Phinehas. But the question is does grace give us the license to rebel against Him? Does grace permit us to follow the world? Who will stand up and preach uncompromised truth? Who will be moved by zeal to pull down the altars of Baal among His people? Who is willing to stand in the gap and pray against the spirit of Baal among His people? Are His people willing to expose the prophets of Baal in their midst? The Lord is looking for people who will stand up and deliver His oppressed children from the grip of Baal. He is looking for people who have kept themselves pure like the remnant church in Sardis.
Revelations 3: 4.
4Yet you still have a few [persons'] names in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes, and they shall walk with Me in white, because they are worthy and deserving.
Until we stand up and pull down Baal in our midst we cannot see the fullness of His power. It is sad to see unbelievers attributing His power to the devil's works. Why? Because His people still play with Baal. So when a miracle is performed even His own people doubt it. Why are we stealing His glory. Children of God arise, be quickened by The Lord to go on rampage. May you be filled with His zeal to pull down Baal.
Glory To Jesus
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