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THE GREATEST WEAPON ( Part 2))

And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 KJV . Our preliminary article has established that of all the weapons, including prayer, praise/worship, knowledge and faith, obedience is the greatest. Faith is proved by obedience. As the popular adage is, ” practice makes perfect.”, so knowledge itself is also not complete without obedience. Prayer, praise and worship are all forms of sacrifices, yet God says obedience is better than them all. Today’s piece reveals why Obedience is God’s number one ! As quiet as obedience is, it remains the loudest tone of faith amongst prayer, praise and worship. The three Hebrew boys had not even the slightest hint of deliverance from God if they disobeyed the king’s orders.But their faith-oriented obedience was voiceferous in the ears of God ! How about Daniel, Job and Joseph? They equa...

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 ...

LISTEN CAREFULLY !

    " Be careful therefore how you listen..."  Luke 8:18. Words do not only have the efficacy to colour our thoughts; with their forceful potency, they simulate and propel our Spirits into a certain direction. Whereas some words deepen our fears, others expand our faith depending on their source. God-originated Words do not only invigorate us with His POWER; they also never disappoint when we live them out. So we are charged from our opening verse to listen to God alone. And when we do, we must also understand Him so we can aptly effect His Words. Here's the reason for the failure of some prophecies -  The Prophet of God might be mistaking another voice for God's voice or he misinterpretes what he actually heard God say leading to an erroneous application. It's the reason why James says, " be quick to listen but slow to speak". James 1:19. Ezekiel, the Prophet of God, full of this wisdom, would never prophesy until God first commanded him. And when he di...

THE SINFUL WOMAN

  HER CHARACTER: She was a notorious sinner, possibly a prostitute or adulteress. Rather than trying to defend what was indefensible in her life, she admitted her sin and made a spectacle of herself in a passionate display of love and gratitude. STORY IN BRIEF: She was a notorious prostitute or adulterous woman that followed Jesus to Simon's house. There, she kissed The Lord's feet, mobbed it with her tears, wipped wit her hair and finally perfumed it. Simon, surprised at Jesus' silence, loudly thought, " would the son of our holy Father just watch on without repelling this sinful woman? " Jesus quickly narrated to Simon - a creditor cancelled his debtors debt( one 50 denarri, the other 500 denarri). Then, He asked Simon which of the two debtors he thought would be most appreciative. When Simon judged right, saying it would be the debtor with much debt, Jesus explained that it was the reason the woman did as much; she perceived that her much sins would be forgiven...

SALVATION !

SALVATION simply means” Rescue or Deliverance “. In the Old Testament ( OT), it is represented by the Hebrew word, ” ישועה ” , which means ” to rescue or deliver from a real, physical danger or trouble. But the Greek Word that stands for it in the New Testament (NT), “sotiria”, means ” to deliver from sin and it’s consequences” A consummate definition would, therefore, be ” deliverance from sin, and other life-time troubles ” –

1 thessalonians 1:10, Psalms 54:1 & 2 Kings 19:19.

The preceding introductory paragraph simply unclothes what we are saved from; to put things into broader perspective, it is worth noting that, as referenced from Psalms 20, God alone is the source of salvation in the OT. Paul would, however, refer the people to Jesus when he was asked what they would do to be saved in the NT. ( Acts 16:30-31). And we are saved to be reconciled with God.

Salvation is triune – Past, Present and Future. The first but elementary level is a one-time experience that simply ushers us into God, reconciling us unto Him for we are now justified. It is what Paul refers to when He says, “He has saved us.” 2Timothy 1:9. This is termed, ” PAST SALVATION.”

That is not all there is with Salvation ! We must now be sanctified on daily basis in order to be saved from daily troubles and to remain set apart with God. Again, this is what the Apostle talks of in 1 Corinthians 1:18, saying there are those who are being saved. Because of it’s present continuous nature, we term it, ” PRESENT SALVATION.”

Finally, Romans 5:9 says, ” we shall be saved.” So this level is termed as, “FUTURE SALVATION.” Obviously, this tense of salvation would not be a reality to us unless we first excel with the foregoing two. This FUTURE SALVATION comes with the glorification revealed in 1 Corinthians 15:52.

Beloved, if you are not yet born again, I urge that you believe in the death and resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ. Confess also His Lordship over your life to receive a re-birth ! But for us who are already reconciled unto The Lord, may we steadfastly remain sanctified in our Present Salvation, while we look forward to our Future Salvation. God richly bless you ! ( Romans 10:9,10).

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