The Fear Of GOD

And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. 

Acts 5:11 KJV

It has been observed that in these days and age, a lot of people do not fear God. They rather fear man and those in authorities instead of the Almighty.

From the scripture, it was recorded that the apostles had a common purse, everyone came together and gave of what they had because they feared God. The Apostles and the early Christians knew what it meant to fear God. The fear of God doesn't mean we cower in a corner, hide the talent. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. Mathew 25: 24&25 KJV

The fear of God means to know who God is and what He is capable of. Knowing who God is will help us know who we are in God and in this knowledge we would have a reverence for him that leads us to an obedience that the enemy and life challenges cannot break. 

However for many of us, even "strong" Christians, we do not fear God that is why we behave in a way that is not in line with the teachings of Christ and the Apostles. Ananias and Saphira did not have this knowledge, therefore they could not understand that lying was a sin against God and not against man. What God had given them (in this case their wealth) was theirs to do with as they please, they could sell and give part or give whole. But they lied that they had given the whole. Which was a mockery of the other Christians who had given their all. 

To fear God we must be willing and ready to give our all, at all times not when it pleases us and not in parts. God gave us his all by giving us his son. He expects us to do the same.  It is only a person who do not fear God that would

• Cheat
• Fornicate
• Lie and all sorts, not knowing that each time we do all these things God judges us.

Benefits of Fearing God

1. Fearing God is the beginning of knowledge. As knowledge is very important because if anyone wants to survive in life, he must have knowledge. (Proverbs 1:7) ''The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge''.
2. The fear of the Lord prolong your days.
3. The fear of the Lord is for your own good.
4.  The fear of the Lord brings you to a good place, a place of prosperity.
5. It delivers you out of the hand of the enemy. 

Why should I fear God?

• I must fear God, because that is where my strength lies.
• God has a respect of them who fear him

Before you do anything look up, because God sees everything despite the fact that man can't see. God is seeking those who will fear (revere) him. 

While Parents Sleep........................ 2

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. Mathew 13: 24-25

As parents we are to be careful who they seek counsel from. They are to refrain from speaking to just anybody about their children or child's action. Not everybody has the right to speak into the life of your child or children.

What can we do as Parents?

1. Please get God involved in the life of your children quickly. 
2. the first priest, pastors and prophets in the life of the children and the parents
3. Parents are to speak into the life of their children everyday before they set out
4. create and sustain an altar in your home, ensure your children are active in keeping the fires of the altar burning 
5. Let your children be active in the church where you worship
6. Let the love of God be evident and flow in your family and in your relationship with your children
7. Do not present God as an option in their life; let your children be connected to God and his love
8. Parents are to be physically present, in the face of their children (listening to them, chatting with them, going to their school events)
9. Parents are to discuss life issues with their children and not shy away from it so they don't learn about it outside
10. Listen to your children objectively and carefully and tactfully respond. Do not listen to shut them down later
11. Allow your children to strive a bit
12. Teach your children how to be charitable; let them see life from all perspectives
13. Allow your children to make their own mistake, guide then through those mistakes
14. Fight for and with your children, because the future belongs to them and the future is now
15. Children are the future of our faith; if they are not properly trained, they will end up not honouring God
16. Not everyone that smiles at us is a friend, teach your children that they don't eat everywhere, not to listen to every music
17. teach our children love. Be a good example to them Titus 2:7 
18. Teach your children to be responsible at home, so that they don;t become a liability to their spouse Proverbs 22: 29
19. Plan your exit! When God says time is up; time is up. You will live this life, what plans do you have for your children and to secure their future?
20. Equip your children with the weapons of their warfare. Ephesians 6:17

When you do all this things and much more, it helps your children to understand you and where you are coming from. If you fail the test of parenting there is no reset in heaven. The success of your home is not how well you run it but how well you pass the baton to your children. 

While Parents Sleep...................

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. Mathew 13: 24-25

Parents are the ones planting the good seeds in the life of their children and the enemy sowing the tares is the devil. It is our role as parents to wake up to the role of watchfulness. It is our duty to know what our children are doing, when they are doing it and how they are doing it.

Most parents, especially christian parents, have slept or begun to sleep  in regards to our duty to our children. Why is this so?

• They don't know what their children are doing
• They are unconcerned about what their children are doing
• They do not care about their children
• They condone the evils that their children do
• They are more concerned about making money and meeting financial needs

Sleeping parents bring reproach to the name of the Lord. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Psalm 127: 3-5. Do we realise the gift our children are? As parents have we taught our children on how to make use of the weapons that God has given them? Do we even know how to utilize the gift of parenthood? Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion. Isaiah 8:18

Why do we say parents are sleeping?

1. The faith we profess is not seen in the life of our children. 
2. We have presented God to our children as an alternative and not the bedrock of their life
3. The family altar does not exist in a lot of homes, where they do exist the children is not an active part of it. 
4. Hence our children are not spiritually exposed to the things that concern life and and God's Kingdom
5. Parents live as co-tenants with their children; they don't know their children and can't live in harmony with their parents

In the end our children have become insensitive to the exception and obscene. It is not okay to sit on the fence. We have to be personally involved in the life of our children. We as parents are to be the first role model of our children. Very early in life our children have been involved in activities and crime that even parents do not know about. As parents we must be conscious of the seat of leadership that is the responsibility of the father. God has put the father as the head of the family and these days fathers have relegated this duty of leadership to the mothers. A father is to teach the children how to be who they are purposed to be. 

A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. Proverbs 10:1 KJV. The mother is the roof of the home and the family. They are the ones with the greatest influence over their children, especially their daughters. Mothers need to be mindful of their children. 

The perfection in 7!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth......................And the evening and the morning were the first day. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Genesis 2: 2-3

Psalms 6:9 (KJV)
The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

Romans 12:12 (KJV)
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Psalms 66:19 (KJV)
But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

Joshua 6:15 (KJV)
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

The word says that God blessed the 7th day. As we celebrate seven (7) years we ask that you join us on the seventh day of the seventh month in this 7th year of obedience to Christ's command to "spread the gospel" as we have 7 hours of prayer.

God is waiting for you. Be a part of God's rest by physically visiting church Zion Center Water Corporation Road Off Ligali Ayorinde Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria our or watch our live stream.

What Does the Lord Require of Thee?

And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Deut. 10: 12-13 KJV

Moses was speaking to the children of Israel, telling them that this life is very simple. If we can walk with God and be obedient to His word, we will find out that life is very simple. Moses had lied in Egypt for 40 years and led the children of Israel for another 40 years. In all of this journey. he found out that the life we should live must be simple. 

The simplicity of life is hinged on an overlying principle; which is the bedrock of Christianity. They that love God must imbibe this principle as seen in Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." The bible says the memory of the righteous is everlasting. We are to worship him, serve him regardless of the situation, with all our hearts, keeping his commandment in all situations. Obedience to God and his words is for our own good. If we refuse to serve God, it doesn't change who he is. It doesn't take away anything from him. We have to take time to know God, to worship him and to honour him. This is the way we can proper. We turn our own desire and our own control into our gods. We also seek out gods that would tolerate all manners of misbehavior and sin. We expect to serve God and expect to eat our cake and have it. 

When Moses went up into the mountain, the children of Israel sought to make a convenient god for themselves. They made a god out of that which they took out of Egypt and on completion proclaimed the image as the god that took them out of Egypt. God cannot be boxed into an image.

Man has over complicated life and living. We begin to seek things beyond and outside God. The things we do in our youth will be evident at the time of old age. God telling us to live right is not for himself but it is to preserve our lives when we have become old. In the bible, there are laws of diet and daily living that we should follow. If we follow them, we will not fall sick. 

When we begin to fear God, we begin to have knowledge and understanding. If we do not fear God sufficiently, we open ourselves to lack and not having enough and sometimes we may even be faced with sudden death. "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" Acts 5:3 KJV. We don't fear God today because of many things and we seem to get away with it but at the end we would face the consequences. 

 

We have to respect God because He can move at any time and act at any time. We do not need to wait for instances like that of Ananias and Sapphira before we fear God. 

Make up your mind that in your home, family, business and all, that you will fear God. Make up your mind that you will do your best to do things that please God. Make up your mind to fear God. Make up your mind "to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord". 

What does unity do?

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ......................As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. Psalm 133: 1-3 KJV

One of the things that makes people to have issues is dis-unity. As children of God we must be united, speak in one voice and move towards the same goal. The power that the other religions have over Christianity is their unity. They have a common agenda and goal and together they work to make it happen.

As Christians we must come together as one to have a common agenda. What stops all the churches from coming together to have a common worship? One that is non-denominational. As a united force, the Christian race would win over the world

What does Unity do?

1. Unity is beautiful to look at
2. Unity is a good thing
3. Unity is pleasant
4. It promotes brotherhood
5. It provides a dwelling place
6. It ensures togetherness and survival
7. It is a great assurance
8. God commands blessing in the place of unity
9. It removes failure Gen 5:6
10. Unity brings everlasting life Ps. 133: 3

Unity is needed to win and reach out to the world. As a united force the early Christians were able to reach out to the further lands and perform so much more miracles. This is what we need to fulfill the Christian mandate. 

Benefits of Fearing the Lord

His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Psalm 112: 2-5 KJV

If you want to reign and excel in life then we must fear the Lord. As a child of God who fear Him, we do things that shows that we fear the Lord. There would be no need for your spouse to check on you because he/she knows you fear God; this is because the fear of God builds trust. The fear of the Lord ensures that we are accountable in all we do. With this attribute in our life we would not entertain evil neither would we be open to anything that is not of God. Show love to those around you irrespective of who they are or where they are. Love is not racial and tribal; with fearing the Lord we show love that transcends colour, race, age, social status.

There are benefits to fearing God.

1. His seeds shall be mighty
2. His generations shall be blessed. The blessings of God in his life shall extend to generations to come
3. Wealth and riches shall be in his house. A man that fears God will have a house that is resident 
4. Lasting grace to live a righteous life. He will enjoy living a righteous life
5. The light of God shall be on him that fear; this light shall wipe out darkness
6. Fearing God makes you gracious
7. God will give you opportunity to have compassion on people; to help people

Comfort of the Holy Ghost comes upon him that fears of the Lord. This fear over a period of time brings a multiplication upon the life of man. It would enlarge us and take us to that place that we cannot even imagine.

 What are the signs that shows we fear of the Lord?

1. Reverence for God
2. Total departure from evil
3. Love and display the love in action
4. Do good to all and always; never pay back evil with evil
5. Been addicted to prayer (not praying is a sign of pride). Prayer is a sign that we reverence God
6. Praising God in all situation and at all time is a sign we fear God
7. Worshiping God is a sign that we love God
8. We are saved and have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour

What is the Christian’s weapon of Warfare?

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; . Acts of Apostle 2:41-44

Picture source https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ivFI1-Wqmvg/maxresdefault.jpg

The life we live is in the heat of battle, we as Christians are in warfare. We all wrestle and battle for success in all areas of our life. Jacob told the Angel of God he would not let go until the Angel blessed him. The road to success is paved with sweat and hard work of the successful man. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” 2 Corinthians 10:4. As Children of God we are to make sacrifices and ensure that our warfare is Christ-centered.

It is very important that we increase significantly our prayer life. Spending time with God daily does wonders for the life of the believer. God seeks that we spend time with him; it is through this that the Spirit of God in us is strengthened. We need more of the Holy Spirit in our lives and ministry to ensure that our life runs smoothly.

In battle, everyone matters and all lines of battle are run smoothly. We as believers should ensure that there is proper rule of law and each soldier irrespective of rank knew where they belonged. We must be willing to live in unity with one another. The example Christ gave us was that we focus at God as our common interest. We are Christians because we love God and was saved by Christ who died and rose and now sits on the right side of God the father.  “And all that believed were together, and had all things common.” Acts 2:44

Building a strong and stable home

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it..... And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him....... And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him” Genesis 2 :15, 18, 20 KJV

What is the foundation of a nation? The family is the foundation of a nation.  What is the foundation of the family? The foundation of the family is the man. Love, patience, cash, life (and any other are all aids that we need in the home and in the family

When building an institution, the first thing you build is the foundation. The foundation is that which would keep the building up and from crumbling. Therefore, as a family, a nation and individuals we have to build the right foundation, so we can have a strong and stable home.

What is the foundation of the earth? The earth was built on Vision. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" Genesis 1 :3 KJV. It is important that before we embark and build we must first have a vision. The man must have a strong and intimate relationship with God. A knowledge of God. He must be totally under the authority of God. Homes and families crumbles because we the knowledge of God is missing.

For a marriage to be stable and succeed; the man must be ready to work hard. A lot of challenges occur because man finds it hard to work. “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Genesis 2:15 KJV It is important for the man to work hard to provide for the home with the support from the wife.

Before you can make progress in life; marriages must be established for the right reasons. Why do we get married? Why did you get married? We marry for different reasons; but the bible says  "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" Gen. 2: 18 KJV. The right reason for marriage is as commanded by God.

Love is an aid and not a reason for marriage. You don’t marry someone because you love them; you love them because you have married them. Love is a decision and not an emotion. You decide to love them. A family must be united. “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. Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2: 23-24 KJV. We must stay united and be single in our decision making. "A family that prays together, stays together". The stability of the home needs unity, just like the bunch of broom which can't be broken if they remain in the bunch.

For a family to succeed there must be discipline in the home. Everyone must have respect for one another. "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered" 1 Pet. 3:7 KJV. The husband must have respect for himself, his wife and the children; the wife must have respect for herself, her husband and her children; and the children must respect for his parents, for himself, for his siblings and for everyone around him. It is imperative that we build a strong and stable home.

Appropriate Christian Behaviour

"But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him." 2 Kings 5:20 KJV

Coming before God, we must learn  appropriate behavior.  A lot of us see God as equal and don't behave with decorum when we come unto the presence. We fail to realize that as father and sovereign God, their is a level of appropriate behaviour expected of us as children of God. Just as we behave in he right way with our earthly fathers and mothers, we must do same with God.
Gehazi lost his place (himself and his generation) because he did not have appropriate christian behaviour and so be and his family became a family of lepers. "The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow." 2 Kings 5:27

As Christian children of the Most High God we can no longer behave as a normal person when we have given our life over to God as born again Christians. A lot of Christians don't have their mind renewed. The bible says "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". A renewed mind behaves in an appropriate way and these appropriate behaviour is evident in

• Our thinking
• Our words
• Our Actions
• Our giving
• Our good we do to others

In been appropriate we are to prove ourselves good, our life must be acceptable before God and we must live within the perfect will of God. If you are a true man of God everyone will respect you. As a Man-of-God, worker on his house or minister we must have appropriate man of God, you never lack.

As an appropriate behaviour you never appear before a Man-of-God empty handed. It is  appropriate behaviour not to accept  every gift, so a Man-of-God has to have the spirit of discernment. It is not appropriate to go against the will of the father. The spirit of God always goes with us therefore we must be appropriate in recognition of God's spirit with us. "And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?" 2 Kings 5:26

Everything we do, think or say, we must check with God to know if it is appropriate. As a man of God the appropriate behaviour is to remain humble and we must recognize that everyone is important. As children of God who are doing God's work we must exhibit the appropriate behaviour befitting working in God's vineyard.

Do not take God for granted. Gehazi took God for granted because of his inappropriate behaviour of greed. "But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him."  This behaviour of his affected not just him but also his family and generations to come.