"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." Genesis 15.1
The question that immediately comes to mind is: Was God only a shield and reward to Abraham?
Or does He continue being a shield and reward to all of his descendants, who follow his example and obey His Word?
"And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts." Malachi 3.12
It is unacceptable and impossible that those who serve the Lord of hosts have a poor quality of life or an equal quality of life as those who do not serve Him.
That just doesn't make sense!
Therefore, I propose that the women of faith join together to do a fast during 6 hours in preparation for this Sunday - Sunday of the Difference.
"A son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? - says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ Malachi 1.6
This verse leaves it clear that the Creator answers the creation's righteous demand because of their honor and respect to Him.
The Lord will never ask us for something that we are unable to give Him.
When He asks for honor and respect, He wants to be the priority in our lives. This is why our tithes must be our firstfruits, the first 10% of everything that comes to our hands.
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." Proverbs 8.13
God is the Fountain of Justice. He hates sin because it is a transgression of the Law, Order, Justice and Discipline.
The devil is the fountain of injustice, this is why he loves sin and everything else that is evil.
Therefore, those who love the LORD hate sin and run from it. They are disciplined.
"Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." Psalm 34.11
Those who thirst listen to the Word of God.
And through His Word, those who are born again will understand it and practice it with fear of the Lord.
"Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him." Malachi 3.18
Did you see the difference between Noah and his generation?
Between Abraham and his family?
Between Isaac and Ishmael?
Between Jacob and Esau?
Between Joseph and his brothers?
Between Moses and the rebellious children of Israel?
Between Joshua/Caleb and the other cowardly spies?
Between Rahab, the prostitute, and the people of Jericho?
Between Gideon and the other children of Israel?
Between David and Saul?
If you haven't been able to see the difference yet, read the books of the prophets and Acts of the Apostles. Certainly you will understand the true difference between those who serve the Living God and those who do not serve Him.
"What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?" Psalm 116.12
I love You, I praise You, I thank You, hallelujahs and songs filled with emotions are good. In fact, they do more for the person who is worshiping then for God, Himself.
What God really wants is for His children to HONOR Him and for His servants to RESPECT Him.
I think that He must be tired of listening to so many empty words spoken by people in churches.
Obedience and the practice of His Word are worth more than a million words of praise. It shows FEAR OF THE LORD.
That is what we must give Him in gratitude.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." John 12.24
Each one of us is like a grain of wheat and the ground is the Kingdom of God.
If we do not completely surrender our will of living for the kingdom of this world, we will end up alone and eternally lost.
Just like Jesus died, resurrected and multiplied, the same will happen with each one of His followers.
"But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 11.26
Forgiveness is the beginning of Christian faith. Although it may be difficult or painful to forgive, it is essential for the person forgiving and for the person being forgiven.
In order to be forgiven, you must also forgive.
Those who do not forgive will not be forgiven.
"The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness." Luke 11.34
The eyes are always judging, whether something is good or bad. When they are able to find the good in someone else, their body is filled with light - they are considered to have a good heart. However, the body will be full of darkness if they look to other people's flaws. In this case, this person is considered to have a bad heart.
How have your eyes judged others?
"...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7.14
God's blessings come with one condition: conversion. Mankind must leave behind his evil ways. In other words, those who steal, no longer steal; those who are promiscuous, will no longer do so; those who lie, no longer lie; etc. You must immediately abandon sin.
To sum it all up, those who want the attention of the Spirit of God must obey His word.
"A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished." Proverbs 28.20
Those who prioritize their loyalty to God will abound with blessings in due time.
But those who are in a hurry to become rich are foolishly chasing the wind. Sooner or later, they will be punished by their own greed.
"Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine." Proverbs 3.9-10
What calls the attention of the Creator is the obedience of His children. The firsfruits of all your increases are the firstfruits of your harvest.
The firstfruits are no different than the last.
But, for the Lord God they are. They are more import than all the rest of the harvest.
The firstfruits represent faithfulness, consideration, respect, priority and, above all, faith.
"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake." Matthew 5.11
Indeed, the Kingdom of God is not for the timid or cowardly.
Knowing that man is sensitive to the devil's taunts, he instigates his children to persecute the children of God through slander, defamation, unreasonable accusations and lies, with the clear objective of making them become discouraged in the faith.
Knowing that we would endure all this, the Lord Jesus guaranteed that this would be a reason for rejoicing and joy.
He says that we are blessed.
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory..." 2 Corinthians 4.17
Paul knew the meaning of affliction very well.
His Christian life was marked by tribulations. And yet, he considered them light and but for a moment.
Because he was spiritual, he knew that even though afflictions may be very difficult, they are nothing compared to what God has in store for His faithful servants.
It is worth bearing all the bumps in the road of life and maintaining the faith.
"...having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck." 1 Timothy 1.19
Sin brings on a bad conscience. A bad conscience brings on doubt. Doubt neutralizes faith, which brings on death.
Many have had their faith suffer shipwrecks because they rejected a good conscience.
Those who prize their salvation maintain their faith and a good conscience.
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3.20-21
The power of the Lord Jesus exceeds everyone's understanding. It is impossible to imagine it. Therefore, it is essential to trust in His promises and not complain, whine or grumble about the time we think they are taking to happen in our lives.
The complaints made in the dessert caused the old Israel to loose 40 years and not see the Promised Land.
I think the secret to being a winner is to have faith in His promises and know how to wait.
"Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you." Psalm 128.1-2
Fear and obedience of His Word are the secret to happiness.
Fear of God is respect, consideration, zeal, reverence and devotion to the Almighty, Eternal and Sovereign Lord God.
This behavior, summed to the practice of His Word, inevitably equals His consideration towards the faithful.
"Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised."
Songs 8.7
Even if a man gave all of his wealth in exchange for love, it would not be enough. There is nothing in this world that can be exchanged for true love...
Only the Holy Spirit can guide us in the direction of pure and sincere love because He is love.
Therefore, those who want to love and be loved must first seek and receive the Spirit of love.
"O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You, incline Your ear to my cry." Psalm 88.1-2
The deeper the well, the closer you will be to God.
Not that He lives there...
but when someone finds themselves in this situation, there is no one they can really count on. Despair brings humbleness, sincerity, surrender and, above all, complete dependence on Him. That is how it was in that past and that is how it is nowadays.
"Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord." Proverbs 19.14
In other words, parents may even give their children the riches of this world. However, a wife that is wise, prudent and a suitable helper is only possible when there is an interference from the Lord.
The wise man will seek a soul mate that is from the Lord.
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3.12
Because of His righteous nature, God hates unrighteousness. He abominates everything that is evil or sinful.
However, suffering is not His form of punishment. Instead, sinners reap the fruits of their sins. And He does not interfere with this.
But, for those who are righteous, His eyes are on them and His ears are open to their prayers.
"So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off, and remain in the wilderness." Psalm 55.6-7
Although his heart was after God's own heart and he was a great war hero, David had his moments of weakness and despair.
If you are in a similar situation, know that the same God that lifted up David in the past, will also lift you up today.
This is a special message from the Holy Spirit to you.
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6.14
The union of a person that is born of the Spirit with a person that is not born of the Spirit has led to many disillusions in the faith.
Only a very few people that are faithful avoid having relationships with unbelievers.
They are under the impression that this person will eventually convert to God, but this goes completely against the Word of God and brings curses upon them.
It's like putting good fruit with rotten fruit in the same basket. The good fruit doesn't cure the rotten fruit, but the rotten fruit will destroy the good fruit.
"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." Proverbs 14.1
The power of a wise woman goes far beyond what you can imagine. Her husband and children admire her because she makes a difference in their family.
The devil knows her potential and tries to make her act foolishly, like he did with Eve, Jezebel and many others.
"Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses." Joshua 1.3
Nothing is impossible for God.
Nor for those who persevere in their walk with Him.
However, every promise requires an action.
This is why, every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.
That is, every step you take forward is a new battle with a guaranteed victory.
When you stop, you stop conquering.
"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." Proverbs 14.1
Wisdom is what makes women irreplaceable in building up their family.
On the other hand, when their is a lack of wisdom, she is an instrument of hell used for destruction.
During Solomon's reign, he found one man as he expected among thousands, but from among so many women, he could not find one.
Who says that we are the weaker sex?
"But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house." Genesis 24.40
Isaac's future depended on his wife's principles of faith.
This was Abraham's faith. She could not be pagan.
Because he walked in the presence of God, he believed that God would guide his servant through this journey.
This is always what happens: When we walk in God's presence, we have no fears, doubts or anxieties.
Instead, there is complete assurance that He is guiding us.
"Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things." Genesis 24.1
Science teaches us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Abraham applied this law to God.
He always obeyed.
Result: the Lord blessed Abraham in all things.
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Mark 8.36
What good is it to have faith to gain the whole world and not have faith to save your own soul?
Or what good is it to conquer a whole nation and end up being overcome by sin?
