The fear of the Lord

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverb 1:7"

One of the greatest challenges today is that people do not fear God. Because of this, they lack knowledge and so do not have the ability to live a fulfilled life.

What is this fear of the Lord? This is a general sense of respect, awe, reverence and submission to the Lord. This fears also makes us a friend of God and lover of the Lord that walks to reflect the nature of God.

People fear men, institutions, governments, their parents, even the things they can see but we do not fear God. We think that God is so far away that His control and words have no meaning. The word of God says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord gives us the ability to know and understand. This fear was very evident in the life of Christians in the days of old. Hence the reason why we have so many inventions made by Christians and Jews.

The fear of the Lord makes us have the hunger to serve him, in serving God He will do great and mighty things for us and in our life. The fear of the Lord makes us questions our moves and action. We begin to ask ourselves, 'will my actions please the Lord?'

David feared God but the day he sinned with Bathsheba trouble began in his life. The day we begin to not fear God and to disobey him, their is a change in our life and everything starts to go downhill.

Most of the sufferings in the life of man comes from a lack of the fear of God. We think we can do anything we like and get away with it. It seems we get away with sin and lack of fear because their is no swift retribution. But like God said to Abram in Genesis 15:16 "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."

The Lord is waiting and expecting us to have a fear of him and not of men and what this life on earth can offer us or take away from us. The love He has for us is making him hold back the hands of retribution. But we must realize that once our iniquity is full things we cannot explain begins to happen in our life. Let us prevent the peace of God from departing from our life by having a fear of God.

For our good and that of our generations to come we need to fear the Lord. If you are going to be a Christians, be a Christian. The fear of the Lord is not a place of hardship but the start of a wonderful relationship. It's a relationship with a loving father that makes knowing him and living after His likeness an easy one.

What foundation do you build on?

"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock." Mathew 7: 24-25

On what foundation have you built your life? Foundation is the principle, idea or the bedrock upon which one builds a thing. As believers, Christ Jesus in the principle and bedrock (foundation) upon which we build our faith and our lives.

Like buildings and homes, they type of foundation we have is dependent on the type of structure we want to build. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Psalm 11:3. The foundation for a bungalow would be different from that of a 4-floors building. This is the same with the life we live. What is the vision that we have for our life? Do we see Christ in it?

God has a great plan for us which is why he said in Jeremiah "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end". At the beginning of our life, God had built it on the most solid and perfect foundation but sin remade the foundation which made the building (our life) shaky. This is the reason that whatever we build on it cannot stand the test of times. Once trials and challenges rear up their ugly heads, we become tested and begin to shake.

However, we have a very good news today, a promise directly from God who gave us a better and perfect foundation. The joy that once we have Christ as our Saviour accept him as Lord, God reworks and gives us a new and better foundation and this is why Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new". So to all believers who love God and live to reflect His nature, we are given a new foundation, one that the trials of life cannot shake.

Ask yourself today, what is your foundation? Are you a believer and lover of Christ? Is your life shaky? Seek God today and ask him to visit the foundation of your life and make it new again through Christ Jesus.

The Power of God

 And he said unto him, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us?” Exodus 33:16

The presence of God in the life of man is power and the existence of God is His power. God’s power is evident all around us. In everything we see and touch, everything we can feel. It is by His power alone that we are alive and standing here.

It was this power that changed the live of a poor man in the land of Israel during the reign of King David. As the ark of God was been accompanied back to the temple it shook and Uzzah thought to help so the ark doesn’t fall. The presence of God in the ark which could not abide sin gave an instant punishment. However, that same presence and power worked differently in the life of Obed Edom. When the ark was taken into his home instead of death it brought grace. Obed Edom enjoyed the grace that spoke for him and brought him before the king.

God’s power is found in the word and promises he has given to us. When we talk about the power of God; we talk about His presence and his grace that changes lives. The power of God removes from our life shame and fear. Which is why Paul said "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." For the power of is evident in the gospel of Christ. 

How do we assess the power of God?

• By prayer and fasting Matt 9:29
• By exercising our faith (you can only work in faith when you walk in faith) 
• Studying and meditating upon his words Joshua 1:8
• By serving in obedience and without complain
• By been consistent in or walk with and work for God 

When we work for God, He will give the ability to access and reflect His power and the reward that comes with been used as a vessel of His power. It is the power of God that works in us through Christ that will transform us from the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

Let your life Preach Christ

"Let us make human beings in our image, make them

reflecting our nature

So they can be responsible" Genesis 1:26 MSG

As Christians we ought to pray, In fact we ought to not just pray but we need to have a prayer plan and list. We need a list so we can pray about everything that affects us and affects the life of the people that God has brought our way. As we pray we must also ensure that our person evangelizes and preach Christ daily. The things we wear, the things we say, how we relate with people and our every day way of life must preach Christ to people around us. 

A little act that we do will affect the life of the person we do it to. Find a way to help people so that your ways can preach the gospel of Christ. There is nobody that bends down to pick somebody up that does not rise up themselves. When you lift someone up, you are also lifted up.

Wisdom for Life - The Secret Things

"These proverbs can even add to the knowledge of the wise and give guidance to the educated, so that they can understand the hidden meanings of proverbs and the problems that the wise raise." Prov 1:5-6 GNB

The book of proverb was written by King Solomon, the son of King David who was the friend of God. While David was about to meet his maker he imparted unto his son wisdom he had acquired over the years. He said to his son, "There would be a day that God would visit you and ask you for something. Whatever God asks give it to him. When God asks you to pick a thing, ask for wisdom to fulfill his will and to lead his people."

The words of God are a light to the wise men. They help you to understand the secrets of God.

The book of Proverbs is a book that is filled with sayings of wisdom and they are necessary for daily living because it helps us to:

1. Know wisdom and instruction to perceive the words of understanding
2. Receive the instruction of wisdom justice and discipline 
3. Give understanding to the simple minded people 
4. Give wisdom to the wise to increase learning
5. Understand the the secret sayings of life 

The world is shrouded in secrets, hence the reason for so many secret associations, cults and places of meetings that seeks to impart the secrets of the world to their members. People seek out the secrets of the world and in their search for the secret things find themselves in places of darkness. 

But there is a secret thing that brings light to those that find it. This secret thing belongs to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belongs to us the children of God. The revelation of this secret thing is released to us when we become his children through acceptance of Christ as Saviour and Lord.  Which is why God said in Isaiah 45:3 "And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." 

However, God has kept the information that we seek in the secrecy of his words. God hides his things in secret for the following reasons.......

1. For the wise to search for it
2. So that there will be diligent seeking
3. So that we will first of all fear God before seeking it
4. So that we can appreciate the things we search for
5. So that we become a friend to God
6. Helps us to deepen our relationship with God (Psalm 42:7)
7. Because secrets of God are precious and anyone who seeks it must deserve to find it

Secret things belong to God; wealth is not cheap. Anyone who has prospered, someone has paid for it. Therefore as children we must pay the price of knowing the secrets of God's word. The greatest relationship to open the doors of secret things of God is to been a friend of God. 

Therefore as children of God it is left to us to search out those secret things. We must make it our sole responsibility to seek God's secret so that we may have that relationship that makes us a friend of God. 

The Power to do the Impossible!

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." ~Acts 1:8

Every single person or individual needs power. That ability and force to make things happen, to influence people through mutual acceptance and acceptability.
However, a lot of people find themselves in a position where they have become powerless (without power).
Mephiboseth, found himself in such a position of powerlessness. He was the grandson of a King (by birth in line for the throne) but because of circumstances he became powerless not of his own effort but that of others. Sometimes because of ignorance we hand over our power to our neighbour, to the enemy, and to those who can use the power that is ours against us. Esau was in such a situation, he handed over his power (birthright) to his younger brother because of hunger that is fleeting. He never realised the full meaning of the power behind a birthright. A lot of Christians have handed over their birthright through their actions and the choices that they have made. While some have had their power taken away from them forcefully or someone in authority over their life handed over power that should be theirs without their consent.

Why would you need power? When you have the power to do the impossible, your life will never be the same again. Your life and situation would experience a great and mighty change. You will have a peace that man cannot touch or shake. The power to do the impossible will put you before your maker.

1. We need power to get ourselves back on the track of life
2. With the power to the impossible you can turn impossible situations around
3. We can turn around our lives from the mistakes we made
4. We need power to do those things God command Gen 1:28
5. With power you can restore yourself to a position of riches and honour Deut 8:18
6. With power you can command the elements and do the seemingly impossible Ps 78: 26-27

Without power we loose our peace and enter into a state of fear and uncertainty. 

It is through power that man is able to prepare for his future. Power when you are young to prepare and store what is needed for your old days. 

How do we get this power?

1. Acts 1:8 Through the holy spirit coming upon you
2. Deuteronomy 8:18 When you remember the Lord thy God
3. Eccl 5:9 As a gift from God
4. John 1:12 Receiving and accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour
5. Prov. 3:27 By not withholding from whom it is due
6. Romans 1:16 Not been ashamed of the gospel of Christ

Giving - Built on a Foundation of Love

Giving is the foundation of love. Rom. 8:1

"Giving is freely and lovingly transferring of the possession of something of ours to our brethren and all those around us in need."

The foundation of giving is found in love because for us to really give selflessly we must first love and show love. This would make giving, to man and to God, an easy and simple way of life.

When we do not have love in our heart towards God and our fellow man we would find it difficult to give. When we talk about giving, we need to understand that giving comes from the foundation of love.

Mathew 22: 37-40 speaks of the greatest commandments of all. A command to love God and to love our neighbour. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 1 John 2:10 KJV

Giving built on a foundation of love brings us into the light and this light shows him the way that he does not stumble.

What do we have to give?

1. We have time to give
2. We have our money to give
3. We give possessions 
4. We give a listening hear
5. We give prayers
6. We give our service to God and man
7. We give our talents
8. We give our knowledge
9. We give our skills

Which ones of these and more do you give in love? Let us remember that God so loved the world that he gave. God gives because he loves us and if we are made in his likeness after his Image then we must also give because we love God and our fellow man. 

When we give, we give to the Lord. So when we give to our fellow man, we should do so without any expectations. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

The Power of His Resurrection

"For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness."  2 Samuel 22:29

It's Palm Sunday!! A day of great power-------- a day marked as that of triumph, triumphant entry into Jerusalem by Christ over 2,000 years ago in readiness for his resurrection that gives us power over sin and the works of sin.

The power of resurrection is the ability and energy we have through Christ to control situations; the energy to change the lives of the people around us and bring them to the love of God. It is the power to live as a reflection of God through Christ Jesus. It is the power to live in holiness and in truth; to do the right thing.

The power of living for Christ gives us the strength that the believer needs to be able to succeed in his Christian life.

A lot of us are afraid of so many things - the dark, financial handicap, poverty, greatness, been single, plagues and so many of those things that befalls man. It is fear and lack of power that makes man to give up hope and life. It i this lack of power that makes us to give up that most precious gift that God has given us - our life.

Having the power of His resurrection gives us victory over fear and instead of fear we have strength and hope to live and celebrate each day though the great Grace of God.

The power of resurrection gives the believer the power to grow our faith and hope in Christ Jesus. The power of resurrection gives us peace - a peace that no man or thing in this world can never give. This power gives us the strength to move.

3 things that power can do in your life-----------------

1. With power you can perform miracles and raise the dead Luke 5:17
2. With power you can help God to redeem people and set the captive free
3. Power can transform your life

The Praying Mother

Happy Mothers' Day!!!!

Today as we celebrate Mothers' Day in Trinity House we take a glimpse into the life of the praying mother. In proverbs 31 the praying mother is referred to as the virtuous woman.

The prayers of a mother is never done. From the start of the day to the end of the day the mother is praying for her child. From the first day of conception, to the time of birth, to the first word, first day in school, first day at the university, first sojourn out of the home the mother is praying.

A praying mother prays all the time; when she is seating, standing, making the meal in the kitchen, sending her children out for the first time, handing them over to their husbands, or checking out if the girl would take good care of her son a praying mother is always praying.

A praying mother will forgive an offence even before her child thinks of committing the offence. This is why a mother is refined from a finished product.

We celebrate our mothers as they pray for us every day that we have them with us!!

The celebration of a praying mother

The celebration of a praying mother

Our praying mothers

Celebrating a praying mother

A praying mother right before God because of her children

The Power of Prayer

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

Matthew 6: 6 KJV

For every child of God prayer is a way of life. It is as important to us as much as breathing is to life. However, our prayer must be with the simplicity of heart and mind.  Our Lord and best friend, Jesus Christ, enjoins us that when we pray we must do so in secret so that our Father who sees what is in secret may reward us openly. Praying in secret doesn't mean hiding somewhere that nobody sees you, going to the mountain top; praying in secret means having the right attitude to prayer. 

We are to pray with a concentration that connects us directly with God. Prayer is an action, something that needs to be done with ease and no pretense. 

Prayer is that way that man makes contact with God. It is expected that as children of God we make contact with God on a regular basis. Just like power flows through a lamp holder to bring the illumination that gives light through a bulb; the same way prayer is the sock through with our communication flows through to connect with God to result in miracles and breakthrough. 

1 Kings 18 tells us about the prophet Elijah and his prayer. He prayed that there be no rain and it was so, after 3 years he prayed that there be rain and the rain came. God gave us the power to rule, Jesus gave us authority over demons and said whatsoever we decree on earth shall be decreed in heaven. This power from God and authority from Jesus can only be manifest through prayer that brings a resultant effect. For to be successful in prayer we must pray using the word of God. When we pray, we must remind God of his word concerning us.

When we pray, we must pray with understanding; first standing on the word of God in faith believing that our prayer is answered. Prayer must come from a heart and soul that is humble and without guile. When we pray we must do so with authority not in fear or doubt begging and pleading but in faith with the belief that what we ask we shall receive.