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Tag: Trust in the Lord

To be a fool or not to be …

April Fools day is celebrated in most parts of the world on the 1st of April and during this day people play practical jokes and pranks on their family members and friends. On this April Fool’s day, what is it that we can learn from the Bible, which is not a practical prank or a joke, by any stretch of our imagination.

Proverbs 28:26 states that those who trust in their own insight (heart or themselves) are fools, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. In this verse are hidden a few treasures for us to uncover.

First, we ought not to trust in ourselves and/or our insight, but we ought to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding, lest we be deemed fools (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Second, we need to walk in wisdom and since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), we ought to walk in the fear of the Lord, keeping his commandments, for that is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13), lest we be deemed fools.
Third, if you notice carefully, the antonym for the word ‘fool’ according to this verse is not ‘wise’ but instead ‘safe’ is used as an opposite to being a fool. In other words, fools destroy themselves (Proverbs 1:32) and their companions (Proverbs 13:20), but those who walk in the fear of the Lord have nothing to fear at all, for they are safe – no harm shall befall them (Psalm 91:10).

Points to ponder:
Do you trust in yourself or do you trust in the Lord God? Are you a fool … to be a fool or not to be? … is the question.

Proverbs 28:26 (NLT)
26. Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.

To be patient is to be …

We often here that “Patience is a virtue.” but what is patience? How can one define patience? A friend of mine posted recently on her Facebook profile – “To be patient is to trust in God’s timing!” and I couldn’t agree with her more. This brings to question, the need to define “impatience” then – so, what is impatience?

The Bible informs us that God is patient towards us and is not slack in his promise to return, so that no one may perish but that all may be saved (2 Peter 3:9). In fact, the King James Version of the Bible renders the word “patience” as “longsuffering”. Come to think of it, longsuffering is a compound word made up of the words ‘long’ and the other ‘suffering’. The word ‘long’ is indicative of the element of TIME and the word ‘suffering’ is indicative of the element of TESTING. To be patient is to be tested over time. Abraham, the Father of Faith was tested over time and we know of two occasions specifically. One was to trust in God, for a year, regarding the promise of his own son but Abraham failed that test as he was impatient and not trusting in God’s timing and thus had Ishmael with his concubine, Hagar. On the second occasion, Abraham was tested for three days (for that was the length of the journey to the place of sacrifice) regarding the sacrifice of his only son and he passed this test by not holding back his beloved son from God, as he was patient in trusting that at the time that God had ordained, God will come through and provide the needed sacrifice that would be acceptable to God. As a father, I can only imagine how testing and how long those three days would have seemed, as Abraham trekked his way with Isaac, his son, to Moriah to sacrifice his own son in response to God’s command.

Points to ponder:
To be patient is to be tested over time and trust that at God’s ordained time, all things according to his word shall come to pass. If that wait seems long, don’t lose heart, but be patient, for though it may seem slow, steadily and surely the answer is coming (Habakkuk 2:3). If the wait seems hard and you are suffering, don’t lose heart, but be patient, for in the end suffering (persecution) produces perseverance that leads to perfection (James 1:2-4). To be patient is to trust in God’s timing but to be impatient is to not trust in God at all. I choose to be patient … What do you want to be – Patient or Impatient?

Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)
This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

James 1:2-4 (KJV)
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

2 Peter 3: 9 (KJV)
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Christian Acronym :: V.I.P

God: I want you to be a V.I.P.
Me: A Very Important Person?
God: (smiling) No, not a Very Important Person, but a V.I.P!
Me: I don’t understand!
God: Have you not read what I have told you through the Priests, the Kings and the Prophets?
Me: I am sorry Lord, I have not been too diligent in the study of your infallible Scripture, which gives us Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E)
God: Well, let me explain. I want you to be a Very Inclined Person (V.I.P)
Me: What does it mean to be a Very Inclined Person, Lord?
God: To incline is to bend as in the gesture of a bow or to lean! You must BOW to no other gods but to me for I am a jealous God. Incline your heart to me and me alone (Joshua 24:23): Incline to walk in all my ways and keep all my commandments (1 Kings 8:58); Incline not after your own evil ways, after the imaginations of your heart (Jeremiah 35:15; Jeremiah 11:8) and Trust only in me and LEAN not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) but incline your heart to my sayings and to wisdom and my understanding (Proverbs 2:2; Proverbs 4:20).
Me: Help me Lord, to be a V.I.P!

P.S: It is my brother, Ragland Remo Paul’s birthday today and as I wish him many more happy returns of this day, my prayer and wishes for him is that He is a V.I.P as God wants him to be as well.

Joshua 24:23 (KJV)
23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

1 Kings 8:58 (KJV)
58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

Jeremiah 35:15 (KJV)
15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

Provers 3:5 (KJV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean [INCLINE] not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Winning Wars :: Cry and Commit

The Bible in the first book of Chronicles records that the Israelites (sons of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh), went to war against the Hagarites and were successful in winning the war. These men were not only valiant but they were skillful in war (buckler, sword and bow) as well (1 Chronicles 5:19), but it was not their valiance or their skill that made them win the war. It was because the Lord intreated for the Israelites and fought their fight. But why did the Lord fight for the Israelites? The Lord fought for the Israelites, because they cried out to him and put their trust in Him (1 Chronicles 5:20). In other words, they cried to God for help and trusted that He will show up to fight for them. They committed their war cry to the Lord.

We are to do likewise as well, when it comes to fighting our Spiritual wars. Not only must we cry out to the Lord, but we must commit ourselves and our strategy, plans, ways, … to the Lord and trust in Him completely. This also affirms that our valiance and skill is not what is needed to win a war. When God fights our battles, one thing is certain, we will always win. Cry and commit to Him all things.

1 Chronicles 5:18-20 (KJV)
18
The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.
19
And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.
20
And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.

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