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JOSHUA

  MEANING :  Jehovah is salvation or God's Help. ALTERNATIVES : Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Jeshua, Jesus SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES: Joshua was a 1. slave - Joshua 24:15; 2. soldier - Joshua 5:13-15; 3. servant - Numbers  11:28; Josh. 1:1; 4. spy - Numbers 13:1-16; 5. saviour; 6.  stateman, and 7. Saint for the following reasons: He was filled with the Spirit of God (Deut. 34:9). He enjoyed the presence of God (Josh. 1:5; 6:27). He was indwelt by the word of God (Josh. 1:8). He was ever obedient to the will of God (Num. 32:12; Josh. 5:14). STORY IN BRIEF: His first name was "OSHEA" or "HOSHEA" meaning " HELP" . Joshua was the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. Born during the weary years of bondage his nation suffered in Egypt under Pharaoh, Joshua knew something of the lash of the whip, the almost impossible task in the brick-fields, and the deep sigh of liberty. Joshua had also witnessed the moral and social degradation of his countrymen brought about by the ter...

RIZPAR

Rizpar was one of Saul's concubines. She stood and witnessed the gruesome murder of her two sons -  Armoni and Mephibosheth.  More disdainful to her is the fact that the two were not burried; they were left to rot contrary to the prevalent tradition of burrying the dead within the next 24hours.  With sorrow, Rizpar spent days and nights with the corpses ensuring that they were neither swamped nor dragged away by any animals. Soon enough, King David noticed her discomfort, and was moved by her attitude; David ordered for the burrying of Rizpar's sons, the remains of their father, Saul and that of Jonathan. BACKGROUND:  Joshua promised that Israel would be at peace with the Gibeonites. But Saul broke that oath, killing as many Gibeonites as he could in his time. In retallating, the Gibeonites asked David for seven of Saul's son whom they murdered in the presence of Rizpar. LESSONS:   1. Customes can be broken; protocols are skipable. If only we consistently...

QUEEN JEZEBEL

HER NAME : Where is the Prince ( Baal)? JOY :  Jezebel realised her evil ambitions by killing Elijah's Prophets and initiated her subjects into idolatory. SORROW : Her arrogance and twisted heart brought her disgrace. STORY IN SHORT: Jezebel was a daughter of Ethbaal, the King of Sidon and the priest of the god, baal. She was also the wife of King Ahab. Jezebel reigned as Queen over part of Israel, 100years after David's death but 60years after the death of Solomon. Like her father, Jezebel would force all, including the Israelites into idol worship for she believed baal was the one causing the rains to pour. She did not only initiate her subjects into idolatry and witchcraft - spirits that dominated the princess herself, but also killed all of God's Prophets except Elijah. One day, Elijah summoned Jezebel's 850 false Prophets for a match to find out if baal had the supremacy over God. But Elijah won as he successfully called down fire from God to consume the sacrificia...

UNDERSTANDING THE WILL OF GOD !

" Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's WILL is." Ephesians 5:17. The WILL of God is basically WHAT God wants us to do or say at a point in time. It is also HOW He likes us to do or say WHAT He wants us to do or say. The WHAT refers to the OPTION He wants us to pick out of the lot; the HOW stands for the WAY or METHOD by which we carry out His recommended OPTION. The Lord Jesus, God's Living WILL , did not say He is The WAY and The TRUTH only. He actually said,  " I am the WAY, and the TRUTH, and THE LIFE..." John 14:6. So you see, God's WILL is beyond WHAT and HOW. It includes THE LIFE as well. God's WILL also shows us the lifestyle He wants us to live. And that, definitely must be His Life as lived by The Lord, Jesus , during His earthly Ministry ! Immediately following are explanations on the two classifications of God's WILL - His GENERAL WILL and SPECIFIC WILL: God's GENERAL WILL is God's plan or purpose recorde...

SOWING THE RIGHT WAY !


" For there is a right time and procedure to every purpose..." Ecclesiastes 8:6

A seed is a  gift offered to God or to a man in demonstration of LOVE or HATRED. It takes the forms of money, property, crops, physical food, words of the tongue and attitude. 

Seeds - good or bad, reproduce their kind. This, we must understand in our walk with God and in our relationship with man. The one who desires to reap good fruits must sow good seeds !

Unfortunately, much may not be harvested from our seeds when we sow disregarding the WILL of God. It is, therefore, imperative to observe God's " HOWs " and " WHENs " concerning sowing, as disclosed below.


1. LOVE: 

" If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3.

  When LOVE guides the giver, the best is offered out. Such gifts are so significant that they create vacuums with the giver, while touching the heart of the receiver. It is the reason Abel's offering was accepted but Cain's, rejected ! For a seed to yield much, it must emanate from a heart of LOVE ( PASSION ) but not one from a FORCED ( PRESSURED ) heart.


2. UNDERSTANDING.

" And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and UNDERSTANDS and grasps it; he indeed bears fruit and yields, some a hundred times [as much as was sown], some sixty [times as much], and some thirty.”

Matthew 13:23 AMP

Understanding furnishes us with reasons for words spoken, acts, and events. A forced seed is fruitless. So we must gain UNDERSTANDING to replace the sense of COMPULSION with LOVE or PASSION so our givings can yield fruits. God neither cheats nor owes; whatever a person sows, that also will he or she reap. But our UNDERSTANDING of HOW, WHEN and WHY we sow seeds maximises the harvest.


3. THE HEART

 In the parable of the sower ( Luke 8:15 ),  the soil is likened to the heart. Yes, the human heart ! A stony, and a weedy heart cannot keep the seed of God's Word. God's Word in our hearts would only yield fruits in our lives when the heart is first prepared, voided of grudges, hatred and doubt. God does not waste His seeds. So also are His Prophets; before we sow our Words into every other persons lives, let us first prepare their hearts for reproduction. For " the preparation of the heart belongs to man.." Proverbs 16:1.


4. The Grace of Giving.

"... see that you also excel in this grace of giving." 2 Corinthians 8:7

 This Grace of giving divinely enables us to give in such a manner that pleases God. By it, we passionately and joyously sow our seeds without feeling any stress. And there is always a timely harvest for the giver to keep sowing. Added to this Grace is also that special insight on WHAT, WHEN , HOW and TO WHOM a seed must be sown at a time ! Now, it is my prayer that everyone of us reading this article excels in this Grace as we resolve to do His WILL regarding sowing, in Jesus' name !

Beloved, every blessing from God is a gift of trust. He expects us to preserve and conserve them through the sowing of seeds. But while we do, let us constantly observe the revelations above. 

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