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Tag: Full Armor of God

Thanksgiving Series: God, the Giant Slayer

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On January 8, 2016

In Christian, Christmas, Perspectives, Thanksgiving

Psalm 136 can be touted as the “The Psalm of Thanks” or the “Thanksgiving Psalm.” It is a Psalm that is rich in content, apropos the character of God and since each verse in the Psalm is suffixed with “For his mercy endures forever”, it is a Psalm that is easy to read and memorize as well.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, giving thanks for the ultimate reason of sending us his only begotten Son, we will be looking at each verse in Psalm 136 and glean out the character of God from these verses, which would be reason enough to be grateful and give thanks to our LORD God.

Today we look at Verses 17 to 20.
To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever: And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

We have already seen that God is the smiter of oppressors and rescuer of slaver (verses 10 and 11), the overthrower of rulers and kings (verse 15). In these verses, we also learn that God smote and slew, not just ordinary kings, but great and famous kings, namely two kings – Sihon and Og. Sihon was a famous Amorite king, who had gone after the Moabites and conquered their lands (Numbers 21:26-29), in whom, was no fear of God, for when the people of God, sought to pass through his land, he refused (Numbers 21:21-23). They even built a city named after him (Numbers 21:26). Og was the last of the Rephaites – a giant whose bed is described as being 13 feet long and 6 feet wide (Deuteronomy 3:11).

Points to ponder:
God is more powerful than famous and gigantic kings and he can smite and slay anyone or any issue, despite its colossal nature, if we trust and believe in him. What is the roadblock that is keeping you from reaching the promised land? Who or what is the giant that is standing in your way, coming up against you. Trust in the LORD God, who promised to never leave you nor forsake you, and engage in (spiritual) battle, donning on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), and see to it yourself – that God who is true to his word and unchanging – is indeed your giant slayer. When Jesus came into the world, he smote the prince of the power of the air (the devil) (Ephesians 2:2) and slew the slayer – death itself (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Let Jesus be your giant slayer.

Psalm 136:17-20 (KJV)
17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:
20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

Making God sad and to suffer and be sorry

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On December 3, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

The King James Version of Genesis 6:5-6 reads “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” The New Living Translation explicitly render these verse as God observed and saw the extent of human wickedness, which was consistently and totally evil and so the Lord was sorry to he had made man and his heart was broken.”

The Merriam-Webster’s dictionary gives the two meanings of the word “grieve” . One is to cause someone to be unhappy or sad, and the other is to cause someone to suffer. Sin entered into this world with the disobedience of one man, Adam (Romans 5:12), and like a gangrene infected the whole human race with immense wickedness – so much so, that it caused the Lord to be sad (in his heart), and to suffer and making him sorry that he had even made man.

It is important to note that God ‘saw‘ the rampant wickedness on the earth. He saw not just the actions of man, but their very thoughts; and every imagination of the thoughts of the heart of man was continually evil. The Bible counsels us to guard our hearts for out of the heart comes the springs (the issues) of life (Proverbs 4:23). The Bible also counsels us that out of the heart comes the evil things which defile a man. These include evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness (Mark 7:20-23). The willful disobedience of man which defiles man makes God grieve – so much so that God is sorry for having made man.

Points to ponder:
Jesus said that “As in the days of Noah (Noe) so shall the days before his coming be.” (Matthew 24:37). While this statement of Jesus indicates the suddenness of his coming, it also is reflective of the sinful and sad state that the world will be in before his coming. Unfortunately, it does not take much to look around and see that the world is rife with wickedness and evil; filled with evil thoughts, adulteries (sexual immorality and idolatory), murders (anger), thefts (withholding of tithes, time and talent), covetousness (greed), deceit, lustful desires (such as pornography, sodomy (homosexuality)), envy (jealousy), slander (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God by rejecting the Lordship of God’s only son, Jesus), pride (trying to be like gods), and foolishness (denying the existence of God). One or more of these sins may be the poison that defiles our own life. Let each of us, take stock to determine, what’s your poison?  If we don’t guard our hearts with the breastplate of righteousness (found in Jesus Christ alone), and if we don’t put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), we can be beguiled and ensnared by the wiles of the devil, and sin against God. Our sinfulness and wickedness makes God, not just sad, but also causes him to suffer and be sorry for having knit us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). Let us love God with all our heart, so that we don’t grieve the Lord; i.e.,  we don’t make God sad, to suffer or be sorry!

Genesis 6:5-6 (KJV)
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Matthew 24:37-39 (KJV)
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

7 Steps in Christian Life :: Step 5 – Act

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On December 7, 2012

In 7 Step Program, Christian

Christian life begins with Christ and continues with Christ, but as we live for Christ, what are some of the steps one has to take.

To abide in Christ and to be aligned with his will, falls short in the Christian life, when one does not act. God is very explicit about this as one of his disciples, James makes it clear that “Faith without action is dead.” (James 1:17; James 2:26) The founder of Jeet Kune Do, Lee Jun-fan (known to many as Bruce Lee) is attributed to have quoted “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.” To will to do God’s will without doing is not enough. Jesus was not only known for the things he preached but also for the mighty acts he did (Luke 24:19). We must be ACTive for Jesus Christ.

Step 4 in Christian life is to Act – act in accordance to his will, in service to him. What kind of service are Christians called to? We are called to serve one another, but not merely as servants, but soldiers as well.

To be a servant of Christ Jesus does not necessarily mean, being a slave to him (although being called a bondservant (slave) of Christ would indeed be one of the highest accolades, active Christians can be honored with). It is not a sign of weakness but a sign of meekness and power, because as a servant of Christ, Christians are not called to be a doormat to be trampled upon, but they are called to bear the mighty weapons of God as soldiers for Christ. We are enlisted in God’s army and we serve behind enemy lines, fighting not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces, because the god of this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of many. The spirit of the antichrist is already in the world denying the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in flesh (1 John 4:3) and so when Christian act in service to Jesus Christ, claiming his birth, death and resurrection, it is diametrically contrary to what the devil uses his servants to proselytize, and only logical for the battle to get into full swing. As Christians, we need to be put on the full armor of God, so that we may be able to withstand and stand. We must fight without fighting against flesh (people), and fight without ceasing against spiritual forces, so that the casualties of warfare are not those who are under the bondage of the adversary (the devil), who used to have the power of death, but is now a lame duck (Hebrews 2:14). We must fight hate with love. We must fight by obeying and submitting to God for the battle and victory belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47; Proverbs 21:31) and our God shall fight for us (Nehemiah 4:20).

Points to ponder:
On one hand, as servants of Jesus, we need to do his work (serving him) and on the other hand, as soldiers of Jesus, we need to carry the mighty weapons of God to tear down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Nehemiah 4:17). We must Act to be in ACTive duty for the Lord so that when we face him face-to-face, he who sought to find faith in this world, would find our faith alive and not dead. Stand up for Christ Jesus and act by serving him as servant and soldier.

The first book after the gospels in the New Testament is appropriately named ‘Acts’ (of the followers of Jesus Christ). If one was to write your acts (not just your words/messages/preaching) for the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, what would they write? There is a time for everything and we were made for such a time as this … this is the time to act!

Nehemiah 4:14-20 (KJV)
14 And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.
15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.

James 1:17 (KJV)
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

1 John 4:3 (KJV)
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

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