The Righteous Shall Grow and Flourish

‘The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing’ (Psalm 92:12-14). 

Righteousness is the key to the Christian’s dominion; it is the scepter or sword of state of God’s kingdom (Heb 1:8). Even though it is every Christian’s birth right to reign as a king in life, without righteousness no Christian can reign. Sin made man lose his dominion anyway. In psalm 92:12-14 the psalmist compares the life of the righteous to that of a palm tree and the cedar of Lebanon. "The palm grows slowly, but steadily, from century to century, uninfluenced by those alternations of the seasons which affect other trees’ (Barnes Notes on the Bible). Even in old age the palm tree bears fruit, so is the life of the righteous. 

The Palm tree provides a great part of the diet of the East. Its leaves are made into baskets. The palm tree produces juices, the threads of the leaves makes ropes and its wood is used as building materials and for fire wood. Indeed the palm tree Signifies consistency and multi dimensional fruitfulness, so has God made the righteous. God’s blessing upon Adam and Eve was the primary key to their dominion and fruitfulness (Gen 1:28). They lost the blessings after they sinned. Glory to God, the last thing Jesus did before He ascended was that He blessed the disciples (Luke 24:51). Hallelujah!!! The blessings of God on the righteous have been restored. As a Christian, you are blessed and ordained to prosper in all your endeavors. The psalmist says you are like a tree planted by the streams of waters and everything you do shall prosper (Psalm 1:3).

Secondly the Psalmist says that the righteous shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. It is said that the best, tallest, largest, and strongest cedars grow in Lebanon. Because of the blessings of the Lord on the righteous he will be the best, tallest, largest, and strongest among his peers. In Heb 1:9 it was said of Jesus that, ‘You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;   therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions, by anointing you with the oil of joy’.  The benefits of living a righteous life are enumerable. ‘The Cedar of Lebanon can live up to 1000 years, it can also grow to become 100 feet tall and 40 feet around the trunk, it signifies stability, longevity and honor or majesty (Finis Dake). God promises the righteous long life, prosperity with good health (3 John 1:2).

Christians are justified and made righteous at their Spiritual birth; the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer. As long as a Christian remains in Christ he is clothed with the righteousness of Christ and God sees him through the righteousness of Christ. However, as God works in us, we are supposed to work out that which the Holy Spirit is accomplishing in our inward parts, by making a conscious effort not to sin. ‘For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins’ (Heb 10:26). We are not saved by our righteousness but our righteous deeds become a result of our salvation. It becomes a fruit of the Holy Spirit in the Christian. 1 John 3:9 says ‘No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God’.  

Are you going through difficult times, regardless of the righteous life you are leading? Be assured that the troubles you are going through are only for a period. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers Him from them all. God will surely reward you for your faithfulness in this life and the life after. On the other hand if you are living in sin, this is the day of your deliverance, surrender your life to Christ by repenting of your sins and believing in Him.

Beneath the Armor

‘Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy’ (2 Kings 5:1).

Naaman, the commander in chief of the Syrian army had led his nation to many wars and delivered his people through glorious victories. He was regarded as a great and honorable man, but beneath his great armor was a great weakness. Naaman had leprosy, a sickness which was gradually eating up his skin, entire body and entire destiny. Naaman’s leprosy was a time bomb that was waiting to explode and wipe away his past achievements and present glories if not dealt with.

There are many lessons that can be taken from Naaman’s story. Many at times, God in His grace and through His Spirit convicts us of our weaknesses, but we sometimes hide behind our successes and do nothing about them. The truth is that, those weaknesses may destroy the labor of a lifetime if not dealt with in a timely manner. Our justification is an instant miracle but discipleship is a journey of a life time. Through our yielding to the Holy spirit, God through the washing of His word molds or changes our character to fit the image of Christ (Ephesians 5:26). Going on memories lane, there are countless numbers of great men that were destroyed by character flaws.  

Essential lessons from Naaman’s story regarding the steps to deliverance from personal weaknesses are:

·     Acknowledge your weakness; the way to get it right is to know that you are wrong (2 Kings 5:5).

·     Seek your deliverance diligently through prayer, anything God will do prayer can do.

·     Receive godly counsel no matter who God chooses to use to counsel you. ‘An erring believer is grateful to a friend for correcting him, not angry’ (Martin Luther). Remember, Moses hearken to a man after God talk to him face to face. (2 Kings 5:3-5, 13, Mat 5:5).

·     Obey divine guidance (2 Kings 5:14)

·     Have faith in God’s willingness and ability to deliver you through the power of His spirit.

·    Don’t give up until you see your deliverance, every giant was once a baby (Mat 5:6).

·     After you are delivered give glory to God and lift up others in a similar situation (Luke 22:31-34). 

God is concerned about our comfort but the truth is He is much more concerned about our character. God’s desire for you is that you will not be the best among your peers, but maximize your potential and be your best. Remember the words of Apostle Paul, ^‘brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press….’ (Philippians 3:13-14)

Expressing Faith in Love

‘But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love’ (Gal 5:5-6)

Faith works through love; it is made fruitful through love for God, and benevolence to our fellow men. ‘It is not a mere intellectual belief, but it is that which reaches the heart, and controls the affections. It is not a dead faith, but it is that which is operative, and which is seen in Christian kindness and affection’ (Barnes New Testament Notes). Love is the medium through which faith can be fully expressed and made fruitful. The world that we see was birthed out of God’s love and it is also sustained by God’s love. It was by faith that the seen world was birthed out of the unseen (Heb 11:3). However, love was the driving force behind that medium of faith.

Paul the Apostle teaches in 1 Cor 13:2 that, if one has faith that can move mountains…but has no love he is only making useless noise. Without love all that a man does is done out of self-centeredness. A man who lives a life of self-centeredness cannot maximize his potential. In order to serve God you must focus on God and others, rather than yourself alone. ‘Much of what we do is self-serving. We serve to be admired, or to achieve our own goals. Some of what we do is more manipulation than ministry. We’re really thinking about ourselves and how noble and wonderful we are. We even use serving as a bargaining tool: “God, I’ll do this for you if you’ll do that for me.” No, true servants don’t use God for their purposes; they let God use them for His’ (Bob Gass).

Peter the Apostle talks about ‘the additions to faith’ in 2 Pet 1:5-8. He says that love enables us to share in God’s divine nature and it helps us escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. He then admonishes us that, for that reason, we should make every effort to add to our faith numerous virtues and ultimately love. Below is a discussion of Peter’s message.

         Add to our faith, goodness or moral excellence: This means being continuously good to others.

         Add to our goodness, knowledge: This refers to knowing God more, and it comes by yearning and learning to know Him more. It also includes growing in wide-ranging knowledge apart from the knowledge of God’s word.

         To knowledge, add self control: The lesson here is that when dealing with the less knowledgeable, come to their level by being gentle with them. This may sometimes call for putting aside one’s knowledge, desires and preferences.

         To self-control add perseverance: The lesson here is that patiently endure even as you try to help others.

         To perseverance add godliness: As you patiently endure suffering for the sake of the gospel, you grow into maturity and the nature of God in you is revealed.

         To godliness add brotherly kindness: This means enjoy other people and like them. You can't be closer to God than you are to the people you love least.

         To brotherly kindness add love: Love is truly the greatest commandment and greatest virtue every Christian should desire for.

Finally, Peter adds that, the more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, may your faith be expressed through your love for God and your fellow men.

The Battle is the Lord’s

“Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s (2 Chron 20:15).

The earth is a spiritual war zone, and the wars being fought spiritually have their physical manifestations in our lives in diverse ways. Rev 12:7 clearly reveals this truth, it says that there was war in heaven and the devil and his angels prevailed not. The twelfth verse says ‘… Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time’. Paul the Apostle confirms this truth in Eph 6:12 that, ‘we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers….’ The truth is, regardless of your race, gender, age or vocation, you are at war with the devil and his kingdom, and his motive is to steal, kill and finally destroy you. Thank God the Bible says, ‘whatever is born of God overcomes the world…’ you are already a winner (1 John 5:4).

It is important to note that, our earthly warfare is a life long one. In every war there are different battles. The Second World War for instance, was made up of different battles. So the fact that one particular battle in your life has ended does not mean that the war is over, another battle will surely come, but the Bible says the weapons of our warfare are not canal but mighty pulling down strongholds (2 Cor 10:4). 

2 Chronicles 20 gives an account of Judah being ambushed by several nations from various directions. Sometimes, the troubles of life and our enemies come in multitudes and from various directions. King Jehoshaphat got news that, "a vast army is coming against you from Edom’.  Judah’s enemies were the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites. Interestingly, these enemies were distant relatives of Israel. Edom is another name for Esau, Jacob (Israel’s) twin brother. Moabites and Ammonites descended from Lot, who was Abraham’s nephew or Israel’s cousin (Genesis 19:36-38). Sometimes, the people closest to us are the people the devil uses against us. The good news is that, finally Jehoshaphat led Judah to defeat these enemies.

The keys that led to Israel’s victory and will lead to yours are;

1.    Listen to the word or guidance of God, every battle is different and should be approached as such (2 Chron 20:15, Prov 3:5).

2.    Realize that, the battle is the Lord’s and hand it over to Him, don’t rely on your own strength (2 Chron 20:15, Heb 2 :16).

3.    Do not be afraid nor discouraged by the fierceness of your battle, you have won it in advance (2 Chron 20:15, 17, Isaiah 41:10).

4.    The winning principle is the triumph of faith not the principle of the survival of the fittest (1 John 5:4, D. Oyedepo).

5.    Take a step of faith, go out to face the enemies, and the LORD will be with you (2 Chron 20:17).

6.    Stand firm (persevere) and see the deliverance the LORD will give you (2 Chron 20:17).

7.    Celebrate your victory and give glory to God after the battle is won (2 Chron 20:17-22).

8.    Finally, remember that strength is born out of struggle, through the battles we fight in different aspects of our lives, our spiritual strength and character is built up (James 1:2-4).

The Vital Role of Fathering

‘And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people’ (Gen 49:33)

As a father, you don’t have a right to die or leave the shores of this earth and go on to rest until you have finished instructing your children. ‘And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people’ (Gen 49:33). Gordon Dalbey tells a story about a Catholic nun who worked in a men’s prison. One day, she said, a prisoner asked her to buy him a Mother’s Day card for his mother. She did, and the word got out to other prisoners, and pretty soon this nun was deluged with requests, so she put in a call to Hallmark Cards, who donated to the prison several large boxes of Mother’s Day cards. The warden arranged for each inmate to draw a number, and they lined up through the cellblocks to get their cards.

Weeks later, the nun was looking ahead on her calendar, and decided to call Hallmark again and ask for Father’s Day cards, in order to avoid another rush. As Father’s Day approached, the warden announced free cards were again available at the chapel. To the nun’s surprise, not a single prisoner ever asked her for a Father’s Day card. It is said that Mother’s Day is the biggest calling day of the year for the phone company. However, in terms of call volume, Father’s Day is like any other day of the week. Before his passing, Irving Kristol quoted the startling fact that "almost two-thirds of rapists, three-fourths of adolescent murderers, and three-fourths of long-term prison inmates were abandoned by their fathers. Another study revealed that 92% of prison inmates hated their fathers. There is definitely a fatherhood crisis in our time.

The Greek word for father is Pater. "Pater" is the root meaning "father" as in "paternity" and "patriarchy." Fatherhood does not end at giving birth to a child. A father’s role is to:

(1) PROTECT – Guard his children

Another word for a parent is a guardian, keeper, custodian or steward. A father is supposed to guard his family through prayer and wise counsel. Mat 12:29 teaches that an enemy cannot enter into a home until he binds the strong man. God blessed Ishmael based on Abraham’s Prayer (Gen 17:20). A father is supposed to Pray with his family but not only for his family. The family that prays together stays together. Another way to protect your children is to discipline them. Proverbs teaches that discipline does not kill children (Prov 23:13).

(2) GUIDE – Prune His children.

In 1 Sam 4 Eli the priest and both of his sons, Hophni and Phinehas died and the ark of covenant was also captured, all because Eli failed to guide his children and prevent them from partaking in the offering meant for the Lord (1 Sam 2:11-19). God’s word to him was "Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourself on the choice part of every offering made by my people Israel" (1 Sam 2:29). Also it is a father’s responsibility to discover his children’s uniqueness and guide them into the fulfillment of their destinies. Jesse as a father to David did not even have an idea of David’s uniqueness and potential. There is a tendency today to speak of ‘carers’ rather than mothers or fathers. Many fathers and mothers have left their responsibilities in the hands of ‘carers’ so they don’t know their children themselves (Psalm 127:3,4).

(3) PROVIDE – Give good things.

‘Today, most families rely upon the incomes of both mothers and fathers. However, fathers still provide the lion's share of income. Fathers are either the sole earners or the main earners in two-thirds of two-parent households’ (Burghes, L., Clarke, L. & Cronin, N). In Mat 7:11 Jesus confirms the responsibility of fathers to provide, when He says ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him’. A good man lives an inheritance for his children’s children (Prov 13: 22).

Imparting Truth in Love

‘Teach me your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. For great is your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol’ (Psalm 86:11, 13).

A survey was done in the U.S. among youth who claimed to be Born again in Evangelical churches. They were asked if there is truth or an absolute moral standard by which they lead their lives. The question they were posed with was, ‘is the Bible the infallible word of God and true in every situation?’

In 1991 – 52 percent of those interviewed said there is no truth.

In 1994 - 62 percent of those interviewed said there is no truth.

In 1999 - 78 percent of those interviewed said there is no truth.

Now over 91 percent of them say there is no truth or absolute moral standard.

These amazing facts should cause every Christian to feel uneasy and wake up to these challenges of our time. In Josh McDowell’s book ‘The Last Christian generation’, he emphasizes the fact that if the church in U.S.A does not do something different, it may become the last Christian generation. If over 90 percent of born again youth in U.S. churches today, do not see the Bible as the absolute moral standard, by which they should lead their lives, then what is the future of the Church?

The question that arises is, how best can the Church pass on truth to the next generation? The Christian faith is based on truth. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of truth. In John 14:6 He clearly says ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’. In John 8:32 he also says, ‘And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’. In Psalm 86:11, David cried out unto God, ‘Teach me your way, O LORD; I will walk in your truth; Unite my heart to fear your name’. The next two verses explain why David was ready to walk in the truth and was so passionate about knowing the ways of God through His word. In verse thirteen he says, ‘For great is your mercy (Love) toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol’.

The lesson here is that, truth taught is best received when the student is assured of the love of the teacher. For Parents to be able to pass on Christ or truth to their children, they should have a healthy relationship with their kids. Their kids should be confident of the love of their parents. It is a generally accepted fact that the first 5 years of a child’s life are considered the most important for child development and the bonding with parents. This bond that parents create with their children should be maintained and developed through the other stages of their children’s growth through healthy relationships. Without this bond and a healthy relationship based on love and trust, children will always walk away from the truth that their parents attempt to teach them. The sad reality is that most parents today especially fathers, spend most of their time outside their homes so that healthy relationship and bond with their children is missing.

As a parent you are supposed to be your children’s primary mentor. Mentorship depends on love, respect, trust and admiration. The lives and future of your kids are being molded by your character. Their character will be formed more after your deeds than your words. As a man you are teaching your sons how to marry a wife by the way you treat your wife, as a woman you are also teaching your daughters how to marry a husband by the way you treat your husband. Paul the Apostle admonishes that we teach ‘the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children (Titus 2:2-4). (Quotes are made from ‘The vital role of Fathering’ - Josh McDowell)

Are you a Nicolaitan?

‘Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate’ (Rev 2:15).

The Nicolaitans are mentioned in connection with two of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. According to the NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible, ‘the Nicolaitans were a group of persons whose works both the church of Ephesus and our Lord hated (Rev 2:6) and whose doctrine was held by some in the Pergamum Church (Rev 2:15). Their Doctrine was similar to that of Balaam, through whose influence the Israelites ate things sacrificed to idols and committed fornication. God told the Pergamum Church, ‘Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality’(Rev 2:14). A sect of Nicolaitans existed among the Gnostics in the third century. The word Gnostics is sometimes used of false teaching within the period when the New Testament was written, it more accurately describes the systems of knowledge in opposition to the Orthodox Christianity in the second and third Centuries. It linked aspects of traditional Christianity with attractive ideas taken from Greek philosophy and Eastern religion, magic and astrology’.

The Church in every century has its own challenges but one of the challenges of the 21st Century Church is the temptation to be ‘politically correct’ - accepting the philosophies of our time that are not in line with the infallible Word of God. Today, Internationally respected leaders of the church are sometimes afraid to declare in public circles the message of the Gospel, that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one goes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Like the Pergamum Church there are people in our churches today who are holding unto and propagating the message of the Nicolaitans. I pray that the Church in the 21st century will be encouraged by the example of the first century Church, who defended the gospel at the expense of their lives. Peter and John were imprisoned for preaching and healing in the name of Jesus. After they were released they were forbidden to preach in the name of Jesus, but full of the Holy Spirit, ‘Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to Him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard’ (Acts 4:19-20).

Another group of Nicolaitans in the church today are those that teach false doctrines in the Church and do not uphold purity or righteous living, but hide behind the phrase ‘once saved forever saved’. The fact that an individual is personally struggling with his flesh does not give him the right to teach others that it is alright to live in sin. Jesus said ‘blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Mat 5:6). Paul the Apostle told the church in Corinth that, ‘do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God’ (1 Cor 6:9).

Can God say of you like He said of the church in Ephesus, ‘…you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate’?