BRIBERY- A Pervasive sin

                                           

BRIBERY - A Pervasive Sin. - A Pervasive Sin. Sin.

 Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving or soliciting  of any item of value to influence the actions and decisions of the recipient in order to favour the giver and do what he or she wants and there by making the recipient act contrary to the known rules of honesty, integrity and  justice. Bribery causes the receiver to pervert justice or even prevent judgement. It is a complete negation of what God stands for - Justice. Psalm 89:14 says “righteousness and justice are the foundation of  your throne”.  Bribery is a specific and direct transaction between at least two parties.

Bribe can be packaged and given in form  of money, valuables, presents,  employment,  promotion, contract, political appointment or favour.

But it is clearly stated in the scriptures right from the time of Moses that bribery is a sin, it is evil, an abomination and it is prohibited. God’s  law ,given to Moses for the people of Israel forbade the taking of a bribe. Moses in Deu16:18-20  admonished the judges and officers to judge  the people with just judgement. Not to pervert the course of justice in any form and for any person; that officials must not be partial, irrespective of family status, relationship, social standing or wealth and they should not take bribe. Whatever was applicable then is still applicable till date since the word of GOD stands for ever. Actually, Moses encouraged them to  follow suit by applying God’s decrees and instructions.That you should neither give a bribe nor  receive it.

Let us consider some verses in the Bible as related to bribery.

Exo :23:8 - “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.”

Deut:10:17-“For the LORD your God is God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.”

Deut:27:25- “Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe  to kill an innocent person.”

2Chron:19:7-“Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

Job:36:18-“Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.”

Prov:17:23-“A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret  to pervert the course of justice.”

Prov:29:4-“By justice a king  gives a country  stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

Ecc:7:7-“Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.”

The above applies not only to judges but to all in any endeavor, in any profession and in any sphere of life. Give no bribe, accept no bribe and refusing a bribe is always right.

Not only did the scriptures warn against giving and receiving of a bribe,  repercussions are clearly written as well.

Job:15:34-“For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.”

Isa:5:23-“Woe to those who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny Justice to the innocent.”

Brethren, I am sure no one will want his or her tent to be consumed by fire and no one will want to incur the wrath of God and be cursed but the remedy is to completely avoid  giving or receiving a bribe. Never be a party or an aid to it. And it is written, cursed is the person who takes a bribe for whatever reason. 

Brethren, do you know that whoever does not accept a bribe against the innocent will never be shaken.Ps:15:5b. Such will be able to dwell in God’s sacred tent. In other words if you don’t accept a bribe, you will never be shaken and you will stand. 

The Bible repeatedly commands God’s people to not accept bribe and it repeatedly condemns people who do. 

But why do people receive a bribe?

The reasons may be due to,

Love of money.

Greed.

Lack of contentment.

Living beyond one’s means.

Unnecessary comparison with others especially those you consider being better off or wealthier.

Lack of knowledge and understanding of the scriptures.

Or disobedience to God’s law.

There is need to also consider why people give a bribe.

People do -

To influence the one in position of authority to pervert justice.

To achieve an evil plan or agenda.

To gain illicit advantage.

To curry unmerited, or undeserved favour.

To evade punishment, chastisement, shame, disgrace and judgement.

To overcome a dangerous situation or impending doom.

Admonition. 

Brethren, you are admonished to be content with your wages and don’t live beyond your means. The Bible says: “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5.

Do not collect more than you are required to in your business or in any business transaction.

Do not allow anyone or anybody in position of authority to entice or lure or intimidate you to sin.

Study the word of God with understanding and be knowledgeable in the word.

Ask for divine wisdom and pray always not to fall into temptation.

Love of money is evil, be self disciplined and control your appetite.

Be discerning and avoid taking “Greek”gift.

Ask for the grace of God to shun evil because receiving or giving  a bribe is evil, it is a sin and an abomination.

Brethren, 

Do you know that those who take bribe are regarded as wicked. Pro17: 23.

That bribe corrupts the heart.Ecc7:2.

That their hands are corrupted and dirty.Ps26:10.

That God’s wrath is on them. Isa.1:24.

And that those who give a bribe sees it as a charm that success will come at every turn.Pro.17:8. Unfortunately some Christians think that without offering or receiving a bribe no success or justice can be obtained with the result that bribery has become so pervasive and rife in our society. That viewpoint negates what the  Bible says that they shall have good success by meditating and observing what is written in the book of the law. Jos 1:8.

Prayer. 

Father in the name of Jesus, since giving or receiving a bribe is a sin and an abomination, help me to overcome any temptation that will make me engage in such a practice. Father, help me to live a life of 

contentment and a life of obedience so that I will not be a victim of bribery.

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UPROOTING THE “WEEDS” IN OUR SPIRITUAL GARDEN.

“Uprooting”means removing, pulling up, wiping out completely, eradicating or exterminating.

“Weeds” are unwanted plants in the garden as in  agriculture. They are not useful and they compete with wanted, needed and useful plants, they crowd the cultivated plants and prevent them from being fruitful maximally. But in this context the weeds in our garden are those things that replace,prevent and choke the word of God from being fruitful in our spiritual  garden that is our heart.

“Garden” is a plot of ground where plants are cultivated but in this context it is our heart. Our heart is 

 our spiritual garden where the word of God is planted.

Uprooting the weeds in our spiritual garden is exterminating those things that will occupy our heart,  compete with the word of God in our heart and  render us fruitfulness  and prevent spiritual growth .

Weeds spread rapidly and they have great influence, take over our heart and corrupt it. They Prevent spiritual growth and lead to fruitlessness..

 What are these weeds?

In this context, they are unwanted  things that creep into our lives, and prevent us from being fruitful, and they rob our lives of its potentials. Our lives get run over because they are,subtle, sneaky, prolific and intentionally root out good things in our lives.

Some of such weeds creep in to our heart in form of addiction to social media, adultery, fornication, covetousness, evil and negative thoughts, cares and worries of this world, distractions, fear, fornication, laziness, lies, love of money, glutton, greed, envy, lack of prayer, worry ,what you listen to, the kind of books you read and kind of company you keep. All that the Bible describes as the works of the flesh in Gal5: 19-21. All these will prevent one from manifesting the fruit of the spirit .

As long as all or some of these occupy one’s heart, such heart cannot be fruitful. Therefore all efforts should be made to uproot them.

Let us consider three of what represent weeds in our heart.

Adultery.- 2Sam11:1-27. It is extramarital sex that willfully and maliciously interferes with marriage relations. Usually committed by a married man with another married woman who is not his wife.

I want to believe that nobody commits adultery by mistake. It is usually being thought about and the idea is planned, planted, nurtured in the heart, and actualised.  For example when David committed adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah ‘s wife, it was well planned and after the act, he organized that her husband be put in the war front so that he might be killed ,and he was. And David took over Bathsheba as wife. I am sure if David has been busy praying for Joab along with all Israel he sent to war against the children of Ammon he would not have seen the woman, not to talk of sending for her and committing adultery with her. If he had been on prayer walk while moving around the roof top in his palace, the story would have been different.The weed of adultery spread so quickly that he had to inquire about the woman. He sent for her and slept with her. All that was in his heart was to cover the sin and he went further to arrange  that Uriah be put in the war front so that he could be killed. Instead of interceding for those he sent to the war front, and thanking GOD he allowed  his heart to be filled up with the desire to have intimacy with someone else’s wife and eventually it led him to commit murder through Joab.

Brethren, when evil thoughts come into your mind  sprouting and brewing, instead of allowing them to fester, get involved in spiritual activities,like praising the LORD, worshiping ,thanking GOD  and  reading the word . Pray for such desires to die and ask for God’s grace to help you overcome.

Fornication:- 2Sam 13:1-21.

Is sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other.

We would consider the case of Amnon and Tamar  who happened to be David’s children. Evil weed of fornication grew in Tamar’s heart and he feigned sickness and pretended to be sick. His friend Jonadab advised, supported him and even encouraged him to go  lie in bed and even taught him what to tell David . Amnon cunningly told  his father to allow Tamar his half sister to come prepare food for him . David  their father allowed Tamar to go prepare food for him  with the hope that he would get well after eating. Tamar prepared food and Amnon insisted she should send every body around away and then bring the food inside the room. As Tamar brought in the food to him he grabbed and raped her.

Brethren, it would appear obvious that the act was carefully thought out and planned and effected. Amnon feigned sickness as he laid in bed, and lied to his father that he was sick, insisted on eating from Tamar’s hand, asked her to send people around away after preparing the food, grabbed her and raped her despite Tamar ‘s plea. Ponder on how the weed of fornication grew rapidly and occupied Amnon’s heart. I am sure this must have taken days. Imagine if Amnon had been feeding on God’s word, singing and praising God, the weed of fornication would not have grown, spread and consumed him. Though Tamar was consoled by her brother Absalom from same mother  not to take it to heart,  the act led to Amnon untimely death for Absalom revenged on behalf of her sister and killed Amnon.

Brethren, nature abhors a vacuum, so the heart can not be empty,it must must be filled with something. If you don’t fill your heart with the word of GOD, if you don’t spend quality time with GOD and engage in spiritual activities , and move away from bad associate like Jonadab, the thought of fornication, adultery and the likes will fill them up ,and spread rapidly like weeds and consume one. If such thoughts crop up, never give room for them to spring up, pray for such desire to die in you and ask for God’s grace to overcome such thoughts. 

Covertousness.-1 Kings 21:1-25.

Is envious eagerness to possess something. It could be extreme greed for material wealth. Or insatiable desire for wealth. 

Let us consider King Ahab as a case study who allowed the weed of covetousness to spread widely and his wife Jezebel acted as fertilizer to nourish it .He could not think of any other thing but to have Naboth’s vineyard at all costs and since it takes two to tango, he did not reject his wife suggestion that she would get the land for him at all costs.

King Ahab got so much interested in Naboth’s vineyard that was close to his palace .He coveted the land and was so desperate to have it at all costs either in exchange for another vineyard  or to pay for it. 

But Naboth did not release the land because it was inheritance of his ancestors. Ahab went home sullen and angry  and laid in bed sulking and refused to eat. But his wife instead of quenching the spread of the thought and talked him out of it, she promised to get the vineyard  for him by all means and she did. She got the elders and the nobles on her side and organized two scoundrels to witness against Naboth that he cursed both God and the King and  Naboth was witnessed against and stoned to death. Jezebel rejoiced and Ahab was invited to take over the land. However GOD’s judgment came upon Ahab and Jezebel through Prophet Elijah and they died differently and shamefully.

Brethren, if Ahab was reading and studying the word of GOD, he would have remembered the tenth commandment that says” You shall not covet your neighbour’s  house, your neighbour’s  wife,  or his male or female servant,his ox or donkey , or anything that belongs to your neighbour.” Exo 20:17. His covetousness consumed him and took over his heart and even led him and his wife to murder Naboth.

Brethren, from the three examples illustrated above, we have learned, what can represent weeds in our heart that is our spiritual garden. We have to prevent them from taking over our hearts, prevent them from springing up and quench the thoughts so that  they won’t find a foothold in our hearts. Per adventure such weeds have taken over  your heart,, they just must be uprooted completely without delay.

How can we uproot them?

By studying the word of God on daily basis, fill our heart with it, and living by it.

By fellowshipping with other believers who are truly born again.

By praying and spending quality time with GOD.

Getting involved in spiritual exercises like praising and worshipping GOD.

By attending Bible believing church where the undiluted word of GOD is preached.

By not walking in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standing in the way of sinners, nor sitting in the seat of the scornful.

By focusing on Jesus and holding up to him.

By reminding self of GOD’s commandments .

The above will help exterminate the weeds in our heart. 

The  de- weeding  we are talking above in this context should be a continuous process throughout one’s life time.

Brethren, 

You are admonished to mind what you listen to, watch  and read because they are planted in our hearts. 

Run away from all appearances of evil and don’t be idle. And never allow any “weed” to thrive or survive in your spiritual garden/ heart. 

Prayer.

Heavenly Father,

All the works of the flesh choking and competing with your word in my heart, uproot them completely and fill me with your word so that I can manifest the Fruit of the spirit.

In Jesus’ name .

WILLFUL SINNING.

WILLFUL  SINNING

“Willful” means full of will, deliberate, intentional, intended, premeditated, purposeful, calculated, or voluntarily determined intention to do as one wants and it is designed to achieve a particular result. It is to do something with audacity or to be headstrong.

*Sinning” means breaking ,transgressing or violating the law of God. It can be doing or saying what is contrary to what God   or wants. It is going against God’s will or wish.

“Willful sinning” is breaking or violating the law of God deliberately or intentionally. Is  when a person expresses deliberate and sustained opposition to God and his law and defiantly refuses to repent.

Anything or whatever you do or say deliberately after you have known the truth of God’s law is willful sinning. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.”Heb10:26. 

Let us give some examples of willful sinning.

You have read in the Bible or  been preached to that Jesus said “l am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”Jn14:6.

 But you refused blatantly to believe that Jesus is the only route to the Father and you decided to go your own way. You are sinning willfully.

Some of the Ten Commandments state thou shall not kill,  thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour, thou shall not covet thy neighbour’s  wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.Exo20:3-17.

These laws are for individuals and they are well and clearly stated in the Bible. Disobedience to any is therefore willful sinning. Your obedience to God’s laws does depend very much on you with the Holy Spirit empowerment. Doing the contrary is therefore deliberate, intentional and perhaps with a purpose. And the Bible says the wages of sin is death .

But how can one overcome willful sinning and sinning generally?     

Give your life to Jesus, surrender to him totally and believe that he is the only way to the Father in heaven.John 14:4.

 Identify the sins and repent of them and don’t allow such to dominate you or reign over your mortal body.Romans 6:12.-13.

Humble yourself before God and draw near him. Romans 6:11

Resist the devil and it will flee from you.James4:7

Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome. Romans. 8:15

Run away from the things that tempt you to sin.Gen 39:15.

Immerse yourself in the truth of the gospel by digging deep into the word and living by it.Matt4:4.

 

Give your life to Jesus and accept him as your Lord and saviour.Romans10:9.

Refuse the temptations of the flesh and all works of the flesh warring against the spirit of  God.James4:7-8.

Abstain from the passion of the flesh which war against  the soul.1Peter 2:11.

Fix your heart on Christ and pray without ceasing .1Thessa 5:17.

Cry to Jesus to help and deliver you from sinning.Romans7:25.

Penalty for sinning .

Sinning brings God’s  judgement.

Threatens one’s salvation and the wages of sin is death.Romans6:23.

Results in eternal separation from God and the penalty of spiritual death.1John3:4.

Sin prevents one from fulfilling destiny and God will turn one over to a reprobate mind.Romans1:28.

Brethren, since sinning leads to spiritual  death, loss of eternity and separation from God, you are admonished to repent of all sins, ask God for forgiveness of all whether willful or not and stop sinning. And never go back to old life of sinning.

Prayer. 

LORD, God Almighty, I don’t want to be a slave to sin, give me the strength to forsake sin and dominion over sin and grace to sin no more whether willingly or unwillingly.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

A PURE HEART. “Pure” means clean, clear, fine, unadulterated, uncontaminated, unalloyed, unpolluted, and it could also mean undefiled or sinless in the context of this sermon. “Heart” is considered the seat of life or strength. It is the vital part of the body that pumps blood and oxygen through the body and without it life ceases. If functions 24/7 and it is the epicenter of our inner being , and the well spring of life. It is the part of one that connects with God and other people. Man is designed according to his heart and so man’s heart is important to God. It is part of man’s spiritual make up. It is where emotions and desires begin and it drives the will of man. Out of the abundance of the heart , the mouth speaks. A pure heart is the heart that is clean and sinless. It is a heart that is without malice, treachery and evil intent. It is a heart that is guileless, free of deceit, honest, sincere, righteous, godly and holy. It is a heart that is being cleansed and being filled with the word of God. It is a heart that is undivided and is for Christ and Christ alone. Is a humble heart that is surrendered to God and walks in godliness. Jesus said in Matt 5:8” Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”This verse shines most clearly in the sixth Beatitude in the sermon Jesus gave on the Mount. This also tells us there are likely to be people with impure heart and the implication is that such will not be able to see God when ever they transit. If having a pure heart will qualify one to see God, automatically it means one will inherit the kingdom of God whenever one is called home. Generally the heart is described as being stony, divided, large, fearful, tender, heart of gold, heart of .flesh, and pure heart. Each depicts or connotes the behavior or character of the person being referred to and it has a different meaning. Hence the heart is referred to as spiritual part of one, where emotions and desires begin. The seat of one’s life or strength. This sermon will concentrate on a pure heart. Brethren , having a pure heart can not be quantified. Therefore it is profitable to have it, retain it, till the end and if there is anything to desire most, it should be a pure heart. A pure heart allows one entrance into God’s presence and be able to stand in God’s holy place. It helps one to develop conscience, self - control and spurs one towards godliness and be free totally from sin. It helps to be zealous for good deed and be fully devoted to God. It is with the heart that one keeps God’s commands Deut 30:14. Benefits of having a pure heart. The pure in heart are blessed, they will see God in eternity, will have everlasting life and will inherit the kingdom of God which is the greatest benefit one can have. Matt 5:8. Will be honourable and special vessel God will want to use for his kingdom assignment on earth. And because Jesus is pure in heart he will walk with the pure in heart , and God will be good to them as well because he releases blessings and his goodness to them. Ps73:1b. The heart can be polluted and to avoid its being polluted, it is necessary to do the following to make sure it remains pure. As Cardiologists will advise that people should keep their hearts healthy by doing certain things, spiritually too, you are admonished to keep your heart pure. You can keep your heart pure by :- Repent of your sins and be totally free from them and turn to God. Matt4: 17. Studying the word of God, filling your heart with it and living by the word.John 15:3. Let your heart be fully committed to the Lord and live by his decrees.1 Kings 8:61. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith,love and peace. 2Tim 2:22. By living according to the word of God , seeking him with all your heart and not straying from his commands. The Psalmist actually asked thus: how can a young man stay on the path of purity, by living according to your word. Ps119:9. Avoid bad company because it corrupts the heart, and it can hinder purity of heart. Associate your self with people of faith and of good quality. It is better to be alone than to be in bad company. Amos 3:3. Ask God to search you, to know your heart, and to test you to know your anxious thoughts, and to see if there is any offensive way in you, and lead you in the way everlasting. Ps 139: 23. God says in Jer. 17:10 “ I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Brethren, since God will use how pure your heart is as a benchmark to judge and reward you, you are admonished to keep your heart pure and be confident of the eternal reward. May the Lord help you. Prayer. Heavenly Father, since only the pure in heart will see you , and I want to be among them, purify my heart and grant me the grace to retain the purity till the end. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Sent from my iPad HEART

A PURE HEART.

“Pure” means clean, clear, fine, unadulterated, uncontaminated, unalloyed, unpolluted, and it could also mean undefiled or sinless in the context of this sermon.

“Heart” is considered the seat of life or strength. It is the vital part of the body that pumps blood and oxygen through the body and without it life ceases. If functions 24/7 and it is the epicenter of our inner being , and the well spring of life. It is the part of one that connects with God and other people. Man is designed according to his heart and so man’s heart is important to God. It is part of man’s spiritual make up. It is where emotions and desires begin and it drives the will of man. Out of the abundance of the heart , the mouth speaks.

A pure heart is the heart that is clean and sinless. It is a heart that is without malice, treachery and evil intent. It is a heart that is guileless, free of deceit, honest, sincere, righteous, godly and holy. It is a heart that is being cleansed and being filled with the word of God. It is a heart that is undivided and is for Christ and Christ alone. Is a humble heart that is surrendered to God and walks in godliness. 

Jesus said in Matt 5:8” Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”This verse shines most clearly in the sixth Beatitude in the sermon Jesus gave on the Mount. This also tells us there are likely to be people with impure heart and the implication is that such will not be able to see God when ever they transit.

If having a pure heart will qualify one to see God, automatically it means one will inherit the kingdom of God whenever one is called home. 

Generally the heart is described as being stony, divided, large, fearful, tender, heart of gold, heart of .flesh, and pure heart. Each depicts or connotes the behavior or character of the person being referred to and it has a different meaning. Hence the heart is referred to as spiritual part of one, where emotions and desires begin. The seat of one’s life or strength. This sermon will concentrate on a pure heart.

Brethren , having a pure heart can not be quantified. Therefore it is profitable to have it, retain it, till the end and if there is anything to desire most, it should be a pure heart.

A pure heart allows one entrance into God’s presence and be able to stand in God’s holy place. It helps one to develop conscience, self - control and spurs one towards godliness and be free totally from sin. It helps to be zealous for good deed and be fully devoted to God.

It is with the heart that one keeps God’s commands Deut 30:14.

Benefits of having a pure heart.

The pure in heart are blessed, they will see God in eternity, will have everlasting life and will inherit the kingdom of God which is the greatest benefit one can have. Matt 5:8. Will be honourable and special vessel God will want to use for his kingdom assignment on earth. And because Jesus is pure in heart he will walk with the pure in heart , and God will be good to them as well because he releases blessings and his goodness to them. Ps73:1b.

The heart can be polluted and to avoid its being polluted, it is necessary to do the following to make sure it remains pure.

As Cardiologists will advise that people should keep their hearts healthy by doing certain things, spiritually too, you are admonished to keep your heart pure.

You can keep your heart pure by :-

Repent of your sins and be totally free from them and turn to God. Matt4: 17.

Studying the word of God, filling your heart with it and living by the word.John 15:3.

Let your heart be fully committed to the Lord and live by his decrees.1 Kings 8:61.

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith,love and peace. 2Tim 2:22.

By living according to the word of God , seeking him with all your heart and not straying from his commands. The Psalmist actually asked thus: how can a young man stay on the path of purity, by living according to your word. Ps119:9.

Avoid bad company because it corrupts the heart, and it can hinder purity of heart. Associate your self with people of faith and of good quality. It is better to be alone than to be in bad company. Amos 3:3.

Ask God to search you, to know your heart, and to test you to know your anxious thoughts, and to see if there is any offensive way in you, and lead you in the way everlasting. Ps 139: 23. God says in Jer. 17:10 “ I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

Brethren, since God will use how pure your heart is as a benchmark to judge and reward you, you are admonished to keep your heart pure and be confident of the eternal reward. May the Lord help you.

Prayer.

Heavenly Father, since only the pure in heart will see you , and I want to be among them, purify my heart and grant me the grace to retain the purity till the end. 

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Sent from my iPad

fine, unadulterated, uncontaminated, unalloyed, unpolluted, and it

A PURE HEART.

A PURE HEART

PROVOKING GOD’s REMEMBRANCE

Provoking “is to call forth emotions, feelings and responses. Is serving or u to provoke, excite or stimulate.

“GOD” is the all sufficient one, the one that is capable of doing all things. He is ever present, reliable, dependable and has listening ears to listen to us and act accordingly.

“Remembrance” is the act of remembering or state of being remembered.

Therefore , Provoking GOD’s remembrance is doing something(s) or some activities that will make GOD to attend to you or consider you for something .

There are many spiritual activities one may engage in but before such activities there are basic prerequisites.

For example, one has to accept Jesus as one ‘s Lord and saviour because  it is through him that you can access GOD, the Father.

Sin is a barrier and it separates man from GOD. One needs to confess all sins, repent of them and ask for forgiveness and believe you have been forgiven.

Then approach his throne of grace with confidence  so that you can receive  mercy  and find grace to help you in your time of need. Heb 4:16. You then enter his gates with thanksgiving in your heart and enter his courts with praise . Now be ready with your activities to provoke .

Let us consider some spiritual  activities one can engage in to provoke to remembrance after fulfilling the prerequisites above.

Prayer. -It is communication with GOD. It is a dialogue between GOD the higher authority and you. Praying violently, fervently and consistently with faith, will always provoke God’s attention to be turned to one’s direction. Hannah kept going to Shiloh yearly, praying with all her being  with faith and persistence. On one of such  occasions God remembered her and gave a prophetic proclamation through his priest Eli that before the next Shiloh program she will have a child and it happened. So you can provoke God to move on your behalf through fervent and consistent prayer for remembrance.1Sam1:19.

Praise. -

Is lifting up God.  It is the joyful recounting of what he has done for us.

God inhabits the praises of his people and when you magnify God, you invite him into your life. God dwells close to you as your praises invite his presence.

Praises can actually provoke remembrance. When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison,  about midnight  they were praying and singing hymns to God,  and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s  chains came loose. Acts 16 :25-26. 

God inhabits their praises and remembered them in the prison where they were chained and made earthquake to break open the prison doors, this made a way for them and it led to their freedom. The jailer could not believe that  Paul and Silas did not force or break the doors open .

Giving - Is disposing of property or voluntary transfer without receiving value in return. Giving could be in form of cash, kind, material , food, clothing, and time.

Giving is encouraged in the scriptures.  Cornelius who was devout  and God - fearing with all his family, was in  the habit of giving generously 

to the poor and those in need and one day in a vision, an angel appeared to him and said “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God”.

The outstanding qualities of giving generously to the poor, praying to  God regularly came up to God as a memorial and for those acts, God remembered him. Acts 10:4.

Dorcas also known as Tabitha was doing good and helping the poor and clothing the widows by making dresses for them. When she died,  all the widows 

gathered crying and showed Peter all the robes and dresses she had made for them. God remembered her giving and helps and God so much arranged it that Peter was passing by then, he was sent for, and was  called to where Dorcas was laid, and God used Peter to bring her back to life. Acts9:39-42.

Actually Jesus said when you feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty to drink, invites the stranger in,  clothes the naked, look after the sick and visit those in prison, you are doing it for him. Matt25: 35-40. In other words there is no way God won’t remember you when you do all these because indirectly you are doing it for God himself. And that was the case of Dorcas. She was brought back to life to do more for the poor and the widows. 

Brethren ,  giving is a good way of provoking God’s remembrance. I admonish you to follow the good examples of Cornelius and Dorcas. Giving is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and we should desire and pray for it.

Asking- Is making a request or demanding for something from someone.

In this case it is requesting for something from God. The Bible gives us a leeway in Matt 7:7a&8a that when we ask it will be given to us, for everyone who asks receives. The remorseful and penitent robber who was crucified with Jesus said “Jesus,  remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  By asking, Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in  paradise. There were two robbers with him, one on the left and one on the right it is only the one that asked him to remember him that received salvation. The other one received not because he did not ask.

Pleading with God.- Is appealing or requesting earnestly. It is to appeal passionately to God. You can actually plead with God for remembrance for he has given us the grace to do so.  God says “Put me in remembrance; let us plead together; declare thou, that thou  mayest be justified.”

Brethren, there is a great opportunity for you to plead with God for remembrance.

In conclusion, you can provoke God for remembrance through prayer, praise, giving, asking and pleading.

Prayer.

My Lord and my God, as I provoke you to remembrance, graciously remember me for good and mercy.

In Jesus’ name. 

Amen.   

REMEMBER ME , O LORD.

REMEMBER ME , O LORD.

Text-Neh-5:19, 13: 14, 22, 31. Isa38:1-5.

The key words in this sentence are “Remember” and “LORD”.

“Remember “ Is to be able to bring back a piece of information into your mind or is to be able to keep a piece of information in your memory. Is to not forget. It is to do something required and it also connotes the reception of special attention.

“LORD” to define LORD is inexhaustible but in a nutshell, He can be defined as the creator of heaven and earth, the author and finisher of our faith, all knowing God, our rock, our refuge, our fortress, our shepherd, our King and redeemer. He is very caring, loving, kind, merciful, gracious, compassionate, forgiving, mighty, awesome and always ready to listen to our humble cry and act on it.

Remember me, O LORD, could be a plea from someone who is heavily laden, burdened with a load care, or one who feels neglected, abandoned, forsaken,

frustrated, or broken in spirit. And one who needs divine intervention.

It could be a prayer to God for special attention, for mercy, for God to do something urgently about the person’s situation or predicament. It could be a request made in an urgent and emotional manner.

When someone asks the LORD to remember him or her, the person is asking him to pay more attention to his or her situation or predicament, or to take away a reproach or to intervene in his or her case against any adversary. Or asking for mercy.

“Remember me, O LORD” occurs in the scriptures many times and people like  Nehemiah and  Hezekiah leveraged on it. But it is not even in the nature or character of God to forget his creation or anything pertaining to humans. We are reminded of how Zion lamented as follows: “ But Zion said, The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” The LORD answered, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”Isa 49:14-15. This is an assurance for us that our LORD can never forget us. What we are passing through, our state of mind and feelings may connote or suggest that God has forgotten us, when we feel depressed or going through difficult circumstances or overwhelmed, just remember the word of God “I WILL NOT FORGET YOU.” and believe it.

Let us consider some characters in the Bible who cried onto the LORD to remember them.

Hezekiah.

When Hezekiah became ill and was at a point of death, the LORD sent prophet Isaiah to him that he should put his house in order, that he was going to die because he would not recover from the sickness. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD. “ Remember, O LORD, how I have walked

before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes” Isa 38:4. And he wept bitterly. The LORD hearkened to his prayer and remembered him and spontaneously sent Isaiah back to him.” I have heard your prayers and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.” God did not only heal him, he elongated his life, promised him a peaceful reign in his domain as a king in Judah, defense and protection.

Brethren, the lesson from Hezekiah’s case, is that God remembers all that we do and as soon as Hezekiah reminded God, he remembered him and acted promptly. I pray we too would have good deeds to remind God to remember us for. And in actual fact, God wants us to put him in remembrance, by pleading our case so that we may be justified. Isa 43:26.

Nehemiah-

He was a Jew in exile, serving king Artaxerxes of Persia as a cupbearer. But when he had about the desolation of Jerusalem and the suffering of those who returned to Jerusalem from exile he was so touched and moved with compassion. He wept, mourned, fasted and prayed and sought the face of the LORD. The king noticed that he was troubled and he was eventually permitted to leave for Jerusalem. He made up his mind to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem with the support of some people, even though there was a great opposition, it was completed within fifty two days. He removed the heavy burden of tax placed upon the people. He helped the poor, fed many freely, corrected the ills in the society, ensured that the levites purify themselves and kept the sabbath day holy. He reverenced God and worked faithfully in the household of God. From a cupbearer in exile at Susa, God honoured him with kingship and he became the king of Judah. As a king he did not be-labour the citizens, and he made sure their seized lands were returned to them. Nehemiah leveraged on all he did

and reminded God that God should remember him. He said “Remember me with favour, O my God , for all I have done for these people.”Neh 5: 19. Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services. Neh 13:14. Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, O my God , and show mercy to me according to your great love. I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favour, O my God. Neh13:31.” Nehemiah had so many good deeds he wanted God to remember him for. He received God’s favour and blessing and God gave him a true and lasting reward.

Nehemiah was a man of prayer, relied on God for everything without wavering, he persevered and made his people to serve God and made them to keep the sabbath day holy.

Brethren, what good deeds will you want God to remember you for? The Bible says Jesus went about doing good. Let us follow our Lord’s examples so that we can have lots to remind God to remember us for.

When God remembers us, a lot of benefits accrue.

One will experience joy and reproach will be put away. For example when He remembered Hannah and Rachel he opened their wombs which were temporarily closed and blessed Hannah with Samuel, and Rachel with Joseph. Thereby barrenness turned to fruitfulness.1Sam 1:20, Gen 30:22.

Reward and honour can be bestowed on one as it happened to Mordecai when He made  king Xerxes to remember Mordecai’s good deed towards him.Esther 6:1-11.

He can avenge for one as he did for the Israelites against the Amalekites when he remembered their wicked acts.1Sam 15:1-3.

He will preserve one from destruction and from any form of disaster as he did for Noah and his family during the flood. Gen 8:15-18.

He can enlarge our coast and make us wax stronger  as he did for the Hebrew midwives who did not obey Pharaoh’s instructions but spared the male children born by the Hebrew women. Exo 1:20-21.

Brethren, I am sure we all wish the LORD to count our good works and reward us with His blessing and favours and goodness. Heb 6:10 says “For God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and you continue to help them.” Remember he can not forget anything about us. However, if there is any wicked acts in our lives, let us ask for mercy and forgiveness. May we all experience divine remembrance in Jesus name.

Prayer.

Gracious and merciful Father, put me in your remembrance and kindly remember me for favour, good, promotion, lifting, grace and mercy..

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF FASTING.

Purpose” is the aim of doing something. Is the reason for which something is being done and what is intended to achieve.

“Benefits” are advantages  or help that one gets from something.

“Fasting” is abstinence from food and drink for religious reasons, or for medical and health reasons. It is to voluntarily reduce or eliminate one’s intake of food and drink for a period  of time.

Purpose of fasting is a biblical way to truly humble oneself in the sight of God.

David said”I humbled my soul with fasting.” Ps35:13.  It is to draw near to God and discern the divine sovereign will, and to develop spiritual strength, guidance and knowledge.

It is appropriate to fast when faced with temptations, trials or potentially dangerous situations. To seek the face of the Lord  when preparing for a ministry, when major decisions need to be taken, like choice of career, choosing a life partner, embarking on projects, repenting of evil ways so as to avert God’s impending judgment, relocating or seeking healing and deliverance. In fact Jesus told his disciples that somethings can only be done by  prayer and fasting.Matt 17: 21.  God expects us to fast and that is why he talked about the kind of fasting he expects “The kind  of fasting I have chosen :to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke, to share your food with the hungry, to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked to clothe him and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.”Isa 58:6-7. The Lord also declares “ return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Joel2 :12. He expects us to be sober,  therefore you are admonished to approach God with humility and sincerity. Since it is a spiritual exercise, it should be made personal and people don’t have to know you are fasting.

And Jesus even told his disciples “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell

you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast,  put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting,  but to your father, who is unseen, and your father , who sees what is done in secret , will reward you.”Matt 6:16-18. What Jesus told his disciples then is applicable to us as well.

Brethren , fasting is for a purpose, it is a spiritual powerful exercise that also involves prayer combined with faith and focusing on God alone.

Let us consider few things the Bible says about fasting.

Ezra 8:21,23 “There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayers.”

Nehemiah 9:1” On the twenty fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered  together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads.”

Psalm 35:13a “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting.”

Daniel 9:3”So I returned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayers and petition, in fasting , and in sackcloth and ashes.”

Joel 2:12”Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all  your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Matt 17:21” Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Luke2:37” And then a widow until she was eighty- four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.”

The above are evidences that fasting is needed to be able to get certain things done. 

Let us also examine some characters who fasted in the Bible , why they did, and the outcome 

Daniel.- Daniel1: 12-20, 10:11-12.

Daniel  fasted for twenty - one days purposely to draw closer to God, to seek God  in prayer and to have a more personal relationship with Him. The Lord answered his prayer but when the prince of Persia delayed the granted request by God,angel Michael had to come fight the prince of Persia. Daniel’s fasting was followed by answered prayer and spiritual insight. He was said to gain knowledge, wisdom,  spiritual understanding, 

and favour. He even had better appearance after the fasting.

Brethren fasting attracts spiritual understanding and strengthening of relationships with God and walking closer with him.

Moses-Ex 34:27-35; Deut9: 9-25. 

Moses fasted severally as recorded in the Bible but notably are the two times of forty days and forty nights  when he went to meet the Lord at different times on Mount Sinai to receive the Tablets of the Covenant. He fasted for cleansing, spiritual interface , for closer relationship with God and for pleading with God to forgive the sins of the people he left with Aaron for worshipping the created golden calf created for them by Aaron before he returned from Mount Sinai.

It was after the first forty days and forty nights of fasting on the mountain that the Lord gave him the two  Stone tablets which contained the Ten Commandments. He came back to meet the people worshipping an idol and was very displeased and disappointed and had to break the stone tablets.He went back to meet the Lord on the mountain  again. He pleaded  with God for forgiveness of sins of the people and he went on another forty days and forty nights of fasting, and the merciful God listened to him and released to him the  two Stone Tablets of the Ten Commandments as he did in the first time. Deu10:10. It was recorded that when Moses came down from the mountain his face shone brightly because  he had been talking with God, that the people could not look at his face and were afraid to come near him.Ex34:30,35.

Brethren, from Moses’ example ,one can fast to be able to receive  from God, to intercede on behalf of someone or a group of people or even a whole nation, for spiritual interface and closer relationship with God.

Queen Esther.-Esther4:16-5:1-12, 7:1-10.

When the information of Haman’s  evil plan to annihilate all the Jews in the land of Susa got to the her, herself being a Jew, asked her maidens and the Jews in the land to fast with her for three days and night .She first decided to ask God who had greater power than the king for help and she  went on fasting so that she could receive favour from the King so as to table her case and also to prevent annihilation of her people. She needed to call on God for help because anybody the King did not call for, who appears before him will face death penalty. After the fasting, she went to meet the King, and the Lord enabled the King to grant her favour. The King granted her audience and her request was granted, the annihilation order was nullified and the Jews in the land of Susa were completely set free. Queen Esther with her people’s fasting was followed by favour, freedom from oppression, safety and victory. The evil planner Haman received condemnation and he eventually lost his life.

Jesus Christ.-Matt3:13, 4:1-11.

He started his forty days and forty nights fasting immediately after his baptism when the Holy Spirit led him to the wilderness. He was there so that he could be alone with his Heavenly Father to receive power and to prepare for his public ministry. During the time of fasting he was tempted repeatedly by the devil, but he endured the temptation and he used the word of God to defeat the devil.

Jesus answered,”It is written: ‘Man does  not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God .”Each temptation was conquered by the word of God and the devil left him, and the angels came and attended him.

Jesus left the wilderness victoriously after fasting and with more spiritual strength. From that time on he began to preach., chose his first disciples and started teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Brethren, the purpose of Jesus fasting was to be close to his Heavenly Father and to receive power for his earthly ministry. These he got even before he left the wilderness as you read above how he conquered the devil who came to tempt him. Beloved, you need fasting and prayers to be spiritually empowered and be successful in your ministry and in all areas of life.

Brethren,from the above we have learnt that nothing is too little  to fast for while seeking help from God and wanting intimacy with God. The purpose ranges

from requesting for journey mercies, safety and protection as Ezra did, wanting to receive from God and interceding for others as Moses did,  asking for wisdom as Daniel did, staying in the house of the Lord and awaiting the second coming of Jesus Christ as Anna did, praying for healing ,empowerment to be able to do exploits for God, as our Lord Jesus Christ did. We can add fasting to our prayers from time to time to seek the face of God for favours, breakthroughs , success in career, business, in ministry, healing , to overcome challenges and for grace to do well in life and grace to end well.  

Benefits of fasting

In addition to some of the benefits already mentioned above, fasting draws one  closer to God, humbles one before God and helps to appreciate that there is a higher and greater authority. It also breaks one from strongholds and frees one from its limitations. It strengthens one faith especially when one sees the outcome. It helps one to focus and also activates the spiritual gift of self control discipline. It helps to break every yoke of heavy burdens and empowers one to do exploits. It also aids the release of prophecy.Joel 2:12, 28. and it is a powerful weapon of warfare.

Brethren, have you been praying over a particular issue for a long time without result?  You are hereby admonished to add fasting to it and wait on the Lord for the manifestation.Matt17:21.

Prayer.

 Heavenly Father, 

Since fasting is a spiritual exercise that enables one to have a closer walk and relationship with you, grant me the grace and the wisdom to be doing so regularly.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.