Accepting God’s Word without restraint

In the beginning paragraphs of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as told by Luke, the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the prophet, and to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Both of them received news of a conception that would take place outside the realms of biology: Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were both old, and Mary was a virgin as yet.

Zechariah doubts what the angel of the Lord tells him and because of this, he is struck mute until the time the prophesy comes true. Mary, on the other hand, asks how the prophesy will come to pass. Once the angel explains,  readily accepts the words of the angel and says “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be done to me according to your word”. Both the prophesies come true, but in the case of Zechariah, he remained mute until the circumcision of his foretold son.

The presence of the Lord is overwhelming, and troubling when unexpected. Zechariah had been praying for a child for a long time and the Lord showed up and answered him. Probably after waiting for a long time for an answer, Zechariah had given up hope and expectations, since the time line of his miracle had passed a long time ago. He probably had even stopped praying about it and accepted it as God’s will, as many are in the habit of doing. However, God shows up, and not subtly I might add. The angel tells Zecharia of his answered prayer, and the best he could come up with is “How can I be sure of this?…” An honest response for someone who has lost hope of the miracle. But this is not how we should receive God’s word…

Mary was dutifully minding her own business, planning for a wedding, when the angel of the Lord appears to her with startling splendour, addressing her with so much favour.  She was distressed. “What have I done to deserver this”, I presume could have been thought that crossed her mind. And how can I be pregnant since I have not been with any man is the question she asks the angel. Once the angel of the Lord explains how the Spirit of the Lord will come upon her, she instantly believes and accepts the will of the Lord, putting aside any fears and repercussions of the pregnancy on her wedding and social status.

Mary’s attitude is one that should be emulated. Accepting God’s word without a grain of salt. God’s word will never fail, and what he said he will do, he will do. The Bible is full of God’s promises and all we need to do is to read and accept the Word. We should not give up hope on what we have trusted in God and has not happened, neither should be put aside the word of the Lord for anything we think we should be doing or accomplishing. No. We should humbly accept God’s word, and let God have his way in our lives for therein lies the great reward.

Fight the good fight

A small church in the USA has declared that it will burn copies of the Koran on 9/11, the memorial day for the worst terrorist attacks against the US. This, the church claims, is a stand against terrorism and is fueled by the stance that Islam is of the devil. This action has the whole world enraged and there are fears that it may actually escalate terrorism and put the lives of peace soldiers at higher risk due to backlashes from the Muslim world

The action by this group is questionable. Whereas it is well within everyones rights to believe what they believe regarding any religion, I think there is a place for common courtesy, especially when lives are at stake. I also know that we are in a spiritual battle that can never be won carnally.

In Ephesians 6:12, Paul cautions that we are not in battle with flesh and blood, but against rulers of the dark world. It is spiritual warfare and we cannot overcome with tactics of the world. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Paul also reminds us that we do not wage war as the world does, but the weapons of our warfare are divine, demolishing strongholds and every thought that sets itself against the Knowledge of God.

As Christians, we should rely on God to be effective in spreading the message of love and redemption, the message of hope that stems from obedience to the Word of the Lord and submission His commands. I believe that it is not our effort that will bring hearts back to Christ, but it is the message of love and repentance that we preach; and faith. Faith that the word of God is not null and void, but will accomplish all that it is meant to accomplish; to open peoples hearts to the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is the power behind every message that is preached and it is the Spirit of God that enables the word of God to grow in peoples hearts.

Such radical actions are somewhat a testament that good old fashioned prayer and faith does not work. Yet this is what Christ called us to do to pray and spread the good news to the ends of the earth. Carnal means will win carnal battles, but can never be used to win Spiritual battles. Our enemy is deceptive, dragging the Christian into his territory of operation where the Christian is laid bare, not knowing where to go next. But we must be much more cunning and fight the good fight of faith, the fight of righteousness and truth.

God is mighty to save and in that we must believe.

Be humble, and fear the Lord

Today my daily verse widget gave me Proverbs 22:4 “ Humility and the fear of the LORD
bring wealth and honor and life”. This verse was especially uplifting for me because all weekend I have been grappling with thoughts of putting my employer in their place. The week that passed was full of drama and left me totally exhausted and full of rage. My mind spiraled in thoughts of vengeance and warfare so much that for a while I forgot the place of God in my life. My lesson for today has been to know that God is in control and that prosperity comes with acknowledging Him and the Lord of my life.

God has called us to Fear Him and to be humble. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. Wisdom entails taking two steps back and calming down. Wisdom entails seeking the Lord in prayer for answers on what needs to be done. Wisdom is ensuring that the Lord’s name is glorified in every circumstance.

The Laws of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple. The word of the Lord has uplifted my spirits, and has reminded me that our hope is in God. Everything else that were are chasing will follow us if we take time out from ourselves and acknowledge that prosperity and happiness comes only when we wear humility and the fear of The Lord.

The Spirit of the Lord is our compass as we wade through the complexities of life. Only with this Spirit can we truly learn to fear God and can we display humility. In our own strength it is oftentimes difficult to get off the high horse, especially when we think we are right. However, the Spirit of God enables us know that pride will only lead us to destruction.

So let go and let God be the Lord of your life. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, fear Him, and He will lift you up