Why Work When God Is Your Source?

The Lord expects us to trust in Him and His Word, for His Word is our sustenance. Your salary, income or profit from your in business was never intended to sustain you; rather, it’s to provide you with seed for sowing. How do I know? Well, let see what the scripture has to say. In the book of Genesis we read that God created and placed Adam in a world where he lacked nothing. Then God gave Adam the responsibility to tend and keep the Garden (Gen 2.15) not so Adam would have a job as a means of livelihood, but to make him responsible. That is why, our jobs are not our source, it is an avenue for learning responsibility, discipline and contribution.

Besides giving our tithes and offering, we should consciously sow quality seeds from the money God blesses us with. This will move us into higher realms of financial freedom. The extent of your financial freedom or harvest will depend on the quality of seed sown. We must be like the farmer who keeps the best seeds for sowing.

Whenever, you receive money, always remember to put some aside as seed offering to the Lord. And then mix faith with your seed and sow it with great expectation. Then the Lord will cause all grace to abound towards you, so that you will always have everything you need and more so that there will be enough for your needs, and plenty left over to give joyfully to others. 2 Cor 9.8

Wait for the Lord

We are all familiar with the verses that exhort us to 'wait upon the Lord'. “Wait for the Lord: be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

Definition of wait: to defer action or departure for a specified time or until some expected event occurs; to be expectant or on the watch.

In this culture of our hurried and harried lifestyles, of deadlines, timelines and fierce competition, the Lord speaks into our lives and says, “Wait for me.”

We become angry with people who drive too slow and become impatient with little children who want us to take time to look at bugs and leaves. God tells us to be still and wait.

We have drive-throughs, instant meals, instant banking and wireless communication, and yet God keeps telling us to be patient and wait on Him and for Him.
His Commands:
- “Wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

- “Be still before Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7).

- “Maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always” (Hosea 12:6).
Benefits of Waiting for the Lord:
- “Blessed are all who wait for Him! He rises to show you compassion” (Isaiah 30:18).

- “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).

- “Surely, this is our God; we trust (waited) in him, and he saved us”(Isaiah 25:9).
Our Declaration to Him:
- “Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desires of our heart” (Isaiah 26:8).

- “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning” (Psalm 130:5-6).

Father God, the next time we find ourselves harried, impatient and worried, help us to take a moment to stop and mentally focus on You and Your sufficiency. You are waiting to show compassion on us. Holy Spirit, remind us to increasingly rest in Christ. You can do beyond everything we can ever dream of or imagine. Amen.

Be Adaptable: Be Relevant

Gospel spoken in the most simple and adaptable manner penetrates even the most hardened and worldly heart. Apostle Paul continuously adapted his gospel message presentation to suit the culture of his audience.

When Paul was first in Lystra, he started by saying, “I have come to tell you about the God who makes the rain fall and the grass to grow”. This manner of introducing the gospel was relevant here. Later when speaking to a Jewish congregation he said, “I have come to tell you about what the prophets in our history has told us, the coming of the Messiah”. The gospel explained in this context made sense to his listeners here. When later still he talked to Greeks he began by saying, “I have come to tell you about the unknown God that you have erected an altar to”.

Our gospel message needs to be presented in everyday language using familiar objects and symbols that our listeners can relate to.

Our motto should be:
One message: different presentation: relevant to the time and place.

I shall lack nothing (psalm 23 - day 2)

Jehovah-Jireh: the Lord my Provider
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The Lord is my Shepherd.

Jehovah-Rohi: God my Shepherd
Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd who knows my own sheep by name (John 10:11).” The Lord of the universe knows you personally! Thank Him for your relationship with Him.

Jesus is the great Shepherd of all His sheep. Pray for someone you know who is discouraged and thinks God has forgotten them. Pray for them to know God as their Shepherd.

Willing to Touch

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!” And immediately the man was healed from his disease.” Matthew 8:1-3

The incident quoted above happened when a leprous man approached Jesus for healing. If you read the above verse carefully, you will observe that it is not Jesus' touch that healed the man but his words. “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!’ And immediately the man was healed from his disease”.

Wonderwhy Jesus bothered to touch the man if it is His words that healed the man?

Leprosy renders the body a mass of ulcers and decay. Fingers would curl and gnarl. Blotches of skin would discolor and stink. It would numb nerve endings, leading to a loss of fingers, toes, even a whole foot or hand. Leprosy was death by inches. The social consequences were as severe as the physical one. A leper was an outcast in the Jewish society.

Jesus healed the disease with a word. However, he healed the man’s loneliness by his touch. Are we willing to touch the untouchables of the world like Jesus?

Decision Making for Couples

God's principles for making decisions require input from both spouses, regardless of their level of expertise. Many have learned this lesson the hard way after making many independent decisions outside the counsel of their spouse. Husbands bring a totally different angle that may give an alternative side to a situation ... Your wife may not know all the details, nor have the expertise, but......... read more

In The Waiting Room

Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them. Finally, after two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go to Judea again."
John 11:5-7 NLT

Just like Mary and Martha struggled we too get frustrated when the Lord delays in coming to us and answering our prayers. The waiting can seem like an eternity to us. But in the midst of the "delay," God is not inactive. He is teaching us patience, perseverance, and faith and is planning to glorify himself in our circumstances. While we are waiting, he wants to cleanse our hearts and refocus us on Jesus. The Spirit always knows what will glorify God, and we can trust him when we're in the waiting room.

God often delays His response out of love, as He works all things together for good.

Chrsitian Maturity

Hebrew 5.12-13 AMP For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God's Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food.

13For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]!

Gal 4.1 NLT - Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.

Eph 4.14 NLT - Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

There is an important characteristic of the babe in Christ: he is ‘unskillful’ in the doctrine of righteousness. That means he does not understand righteousness – the nature of God that has been imparted into him – which separates him from sin, evil guilt, condemnation, fear, sickness and poverty.

Without an understanding of righteousness, we can’t live victoriously. So we need to grow in Christ. How? By learning and putting God’s word to work in your life. Thus you will grow spiritually mature. Then you will walk in the consciousness of your righteousness in Christ and you will no longer be helpless infants.

Grieve Not

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh 8:10). We are commanded not to grieve like people who have no hope, for the Lord assures us the joy of the LORD will become unto us, our strength. If we place our complete trust in Him, and allow Him to quieten our troubled spirit, we will gather strength.

The Lord is thinking about you constantly (Psalm 139:17). God loves you so much that He is thinking about you all the time! He loves you more than you love your daughter, spouse, or granddaughter. Can anything be more wonderful than having the King of Kings love you that much? So, rejoice in the Lord and He will fullfil all your desires.

Wait for the Cloud

What areas are laying parched in your life, right now? Is your marriage in trouble? Are you sick in the body? Are you struggling financially? Are your children in trouble? No matter how dry and hopeless your situation is, don’t give up. Our God specializes in restoration and abundance. He will turn around your marriage and to read more

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Reincarnation

Reincarnation can be defined as the belief that the spirit of a creature or human can enter into a different creature or human after death. Many New Age groups, Eastern Mystics and occultists believe in reincarnation.

Many in Christendom too adhere to this wrong belief system. They say that John the Baptist claimed to be Elijah reincarnated, and that being ‘born again’ refers to reincarnation.

Luke 1.17 says that the Baptist came ‘in the spirit and power of Elijah’. In the Bible the word spirit has a variety of meanings. It does not always refer to the soul of a human or a demon spirit. In this context the word spirit signifies character. So we can understand Luke 1.17 to mean that John the Baptist came in a character or a personality that was similar to Elijah. In John 1.21, the Baptist himself categorically denied being Elijah.

The born-again experience has nothing to do with reincarnation. Jesus flatly denied that people can be born a second time in a womb (Jn 3. 3-8). The born-again experience is a spiritual regeneration not a physical experience.

The Bible teaches resurrection, not reincarnation. Death is real and we die physically once. After death we are judged and sentenced to either heaven or hell for all eternity. (Heb 9.27; Jn 5.28-29; 1 Cor 15.20-26, Rev 20:4-6, 11-15)

Reincarnation is incompatible with Christianity. Reincarnation knows nothing of divine forgiveness because it presupposes the law of karma. Karma means getting what we deserve. According to karma, a murderer, even if he repents, will have to suffer being murdered in his next life. If one follows this logic, why should anyone help a drowning child or a blind beggar? Aren’t they suffering for their misdeeds in their previous life? If we help them, are we not interfering with their karma?

Instead of alleviating the problem of sin, reincarnation perpetuates it. There is no final forgiveness or final judgment, only endless recycling of karma.

Ungodly Belief Systems

Our mind work in 3 levels - Conscious level, Subconscious Level, and Unconscious level .

Our mind is a thought factory working 24/7 producing thought patterns or ideas. These lead to the building of our - belief systems and value systems.

Both our belief systems and value systems determines our World view. Our world view determines the manner in which we value others and God’s entire creation.

Our belief systems affect our entire life. Pro 23.7 - as a man thinks so is he…
Our belief systems can be compared to the software of a computer. Our body is the hardware and our belief system is the software fed into it. For eg. A poor boy grows up, receives good education. The young man decides to no longer honor his poor and illiterate parents. This change in him is due to his wrong belief systems.

How does a belief system develop within us?
A number of factors contribute to developing our belief system

1. The womb ( the psyche of a baby begins developing in the womb)
2. Upbringing
   - Parents mixed belief systems influence the child
   - Siblings contribute their bit
   - Experts like teachers and other authority figures impart their belief systems
   - Friends
   - Our own experiences
   
   Our core foundational belief systems are imparted during the period between conception and first 7 yrs. This is why the bible says to train up the child in the ways it should go.
3. Generational belief systems
   - Beliefs handed down the families
   - Our religion
   - Our culture, all these leave their mark on a person’s belief system

2 cor 10.4-6 tells us that we have a divine power to demolish mental strongholds. Strongholds are built in our minds. Wrong belief systems become a stronghold within our mind. When we have strongholds in our minds, we allow demons to hide among them.

Wrong Belief Systems
a. About God and spiritual matters
b. About life
c. About ourselves

· Pantheistic God- God is everywhere and in everything both living and non-living.
They believe in an impersonal God, a super power, but,
John 17.3 reminds us that God desires to be known personally by you and me.

· God is nature itself: Another wrong view is ‘God is the nature itself’, or ‘I am God, you too are one’.

· Cruel God: Even some believers believe that their God is a cruel God. Bible tells us that God is a merciful God. Every time something bad happens people say God is punishing them, but it is not always so. We live in an imperfect world, so believers and non-believers alike, face trouble and pain.

· Loud prayers: People quote Jesus saying not to pray loudly in public squares in support this. Jesus was and still is against praying to impress others. When we pray we pray to God. With that in mind it matters not how loudly or softly we pray. In heaven the angles constantly worship God in a loud voice. Surely God is not deaf, it is the culture of Heaven, so if we are citizens from above we too may worship God likewise. Its good practice, for afterwards! And no, God will not be irritated; neither will he want us to give him some peace of mind. He has all the peace of mind he desires within Himself! It is his desire that we should always stay connected to him thru our prayers.

· God is so Holy, he cannot be directly approached: Jesus said I am the way. Why search for other ways? Go to God, draw near to God thru Jesus. We need no other mediator between God and us, except Jesus.

· No more healing miracles: Hebrew 13.8 says Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The same Jesus who healed all who came to him continues to heal today too.

· Soul of man wanders about for 40days after death: this belief may have resulted because Jesus was seen by his disciples 40 days after resurrection. Jesus had a purpose for doing that. Every soul departs to its eternal place (heaven or hell) the moment it separates from the physical body.

· Christian life is sorrow and pain: God desires that we enjoy our life in Christ. Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and abundant life, itself.”

· There is no actual heaven and hell: Heaven and hell are eternal realities but satan would have you think otherwise. Be not deceived. Jesus spoke of both as definite places.

· Horoscope, palm reading, numerology etc: your horoscope was written after you were born. Ps 139 says that all your days are already recorded in God’s book before you were even born. Place your trust in Him. Do not direct your life according to the lines on your hands.

· Zodiac signs: God created every thing. It is He who determines your life, not the movement of the planets he created.

· Black magic, witchcraft: Do not lead your life under the shadow of fear of black magic, and witchcraft someone may have done against you. No metal piece or cock’s head can control your life. Your life is in the hand of God. He is greater than all the magic in the world.

· Cannot conduct a business in a godly manner: most business people believe that one cannot do business in a godly manner. Bible tells us that we can be sincere and honest in our business dealings. It is possible to do so and yet a profit.

· Omens and signs: do not live life in the manner of the worldly; they see omens and signs hiding behind every bush. There is no omen in a black cat crossing a road. Cats were born to cross roads. What else can the poor thing do? Place your faith on God not on black cats, leaning ladders, or pails of water.

· Some youngsters think that everyone in the opposite gender are bad. God made man, male and female, there is nothing bad about it.

· Unlucky Tuesday and Friday: many believe that these days are not propitious and bad things happen if auspicious things like marriages are conducted on these days. God created everyday and everyday belongs to God. All things that God made are good and auspicious.

· Devil is all powerful: God is powerful than any demon and demonic power in this world or otherwise. There is no reason to fear the devil or overestimate him. There is nothing he can throw at us that we cannot defeat by the power of God within us.

· And many more ..

2 Cor 10. 3-5 speaks of spiritual weapons we have that we can use to fight every wrong thought patterns, strongholds, world views and be conformed to the image of God. The first step is to recognize the wrong ungodly beliefs systems within us and surrender them before God. Then replace such beliefs with right, godly belief systems. Read God’s word regularly, it has tremendous power to break off wrong beliefs and nurture the right ones.

Adapted from Ps Damien’s Sunday sermon

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