Purposeful-Living
I am a Son, and so, an heir to God’s promises. Therefore, I claim all God’s promises to me in Jesus mighty God. Galatians 4:7
That the will of God be done and His purpose for my life manifest so I can fulfill my reason for existence.
Amen!
The life of man on earth 24.0 (the ultimate answer)
Finally, God answered Job, and Job realized that God has an answer to every question.
It is difficult to comprehend the mind of God and what He thinks.
I believe the solution is to rely on Him and trust His judgment. He cannot make mistakes even when we are genuinely confused.
Patience is also essential. Job waited on God.
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
Psalms 37:7 NLT
God has a good plan. He always does!
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
God made it clear to Job that he is not as strong as he thinks. This is true. God’s ability is greater than all of the humans’ capabilities.
“Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right? Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his?
Job 40:8-9 NLT
Think about this for a second. Even those who do not trust God for anything have no final say. God does!
And since no one dares to disturb it, who can stand up to me? Who has given me anything that I need to pay back? Everything under heaven is mine.
Job 41:10-11 NLT
God knows the end from the beginning. Again, I know this is tough and difficult in today’s world.
I’ll stand firm and trust His promises even when it makes no sense.
If He knows all things, then He knows the future. He can, and He will do it right!
This is the life of man on earth.
The life of man on earth 23.0 (the answer)
Sometimes, we receive answers to our questions, and other times, no answers.
Silence is a form of an answer to a question. So, when you receive no response, the answer is silence!
Those who do not believe in the sovereignty of God have issues to contend with in their hands.
“If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant. But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding. The godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help.
Job 36:11-13 NLT
It’s not going to be easy for the doubters.
There are lots of evil people in this world. It’s futile trying to be like one of them.
And richness doesn’t bring inner peace.
But watch out because riches are seductive. Deliberately reject every attempt to fall into sin. Could all your wealth or all your mighty efforts keep you from distress?
Job 36:18-19 NLT
Listen, God is greater than we can comprehend. Job 36:26. Also, it is a good answer to your troubled mind.
Only a fool says there’s no God!
I don’t know much, but I rely on Him who knows everything.
Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?
Job 38:33 NLT
Seeking answers at different places often leads to falling into a dip pit of deceit and lies.
Watch! Gullibility becomes easy and embracing lies emboldened.
Its young gulp down blood. Where there’s a carcass, there you’ll find it.”
Job 39:30 NLT
“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
Matthew 24:23-24, 28 NLT
The ultimate answer, in my opinion, is to seek God who is the sovereign being of all that ever exists.
Happy new year, 2023!
Deliverance
Even when it seems like my problems linger on, prove yourself strong Lord, and show that you’re greater than all my troubles.
And victory shall be ours according to God-given power that is working in us, Amen.
The life of man on earth 22.0 (many words; confused feelings
Too many words lead to confusion.
An unrest mind is evidence of a confused mind.
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19 NLT
It is difficult but let’s give it a try.
Speak less and listen more.
A wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.
Proverbs 17:27 NLT
Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
Proverbs 10:19 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.10.19.NLT
Alright, less typing; more doing.
Actions speak better!
The life of man on earth 21.0 (the past, the present, and the future)
For Job, he encountered crises.
He could not control the events. The past we cannot control.
How we respond to the past determines the future.
Our attitude to life demonstrates our current actions.
Job believed he didn’t do anything to warrant his current condition, but he never cursed God. He trusted God.
When bad things happen to good people, it is part of the cruelty of life.
Joh 16:33 NET I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world, you have trouble and suffering, but take courage – I have conquered the world.”
The life of man on earth 20.0 (the mystery of wisdom, the unknown)
There is much more unknown than there is.
Those who claim knowledge of everything do not have enough to solve every problem.
We all know that air exists, but no one has seen air before. You cannot hold it.
There is more mystery than revelation.
Those who claim to know God know only a tiny of Him. It is like comparing a drop of water to a mighty ocean.
Job 38:4-6 NET 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding! 5 Who set its measurements – if you know – or who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its bases set, or who laid its cornerstone –
God gives sufficient knowledge for man to rule the world.
Dan 12:4 NET “But you, Daniel, close up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will dash about, and knowledge will increase.”
Job 38:36-37 NET 36 Who has put wisdom in the heart, or has imparted understanding to the mind? 37 Who by wisdom can count the clouds, and who can tip over the water jars of heaven,
Those who do not believe in God acknowledge He exists or that there is a Supreme being, but they do not believe in Him.
No one knows it all, and no one can fix this world.
I believe God knows it all and can fix what He created.
Jer 18:6 NET “I, the LORD, say: ‘O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay? In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in this potter’s hand.’
Rom 9:20-21 NET 20 But who indeed are you – a mere human being – to talk back to God? Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?
Believe in God even when it makes no sense!
Under the Oppressor — risk and reward
The enemy intends to make you suffer.
Every action comes with bad motives. If the devil gives you a gift, it is for a bad purpose, and if he does not give any gift, he is making one of his bad moves on you.
Either way, the enemy is out to get you!
If you are successful, the enemy is not happy about it. He is sad seeing that you are doing fine.
Exo 1:12 NET But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread. As a result, the Egyptians loathed the Israelites,
We must take every step that counters the enemies’ onslaught. The reward of doing this far outweighs the risk.
Psa 118:6 NET The LORD is on my side, I am not afraid! What can people do to me?
The Bible also says Mat 10:28 NET Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Faith in God (to take a worthy risk), under the Oppressor, is the killer of fear.
God will reward you for the good you do.
Exo 1:17-21 NET 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women – for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!” 20 So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he made households for them.
The three Hebrew children refused to bow to a god.
They risk their lives, but God rewarded them with His glorious presence.
Daniel chose to pray to the sovereign God. They threw Daniel into a lion’s den. The lions could not touch him because God shut their mouth.
Job said, Job 13:15 NET Even if he slays me, I will hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face!
And Paul said, 2Ti 1:12 NET Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom my faith is set and I am convinced that he is able to protect what has been entrusted to me until that day.
We know that faithful is He who had promised, who also will do it.
Amen!
The life of man on earth 19.0 (tested and tried)
Everyone goes through a test.
A test is a trying period in any man’s life.
Also, a test is an examination of your stance.
You don’t need to be a believer or an unbeliever to determine whether you will be tested or not tested.
Job is an example of what I am discussing.
I am talking about what it is like living in this world.
Although I believe Jesus is Omniscience, He had a life experience too. So, He knows.
Heb 4:15-16 NET 15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.
So, when you go through a challenging time, be strong!
Respond positively, and in the end, you will win.
One great lesson I learned from Job is that he prayed during challenging moments.
Abraham prayed when he faced a dilemma.
David cried out to God even after committing a sin.
Jesus prayed during the most challenging situation of His ministry.
So, I would pray even when I think I am unworthy, or I am a sinner, or when I feel that God may not hear me. Then, I will pray again.
Remember, “Tough times never last; tough people do!”
Under the Oppressor — back to vomit
The Oppressor does not give up on its victims. Its satisfaction is in the suffering of its victims. Does it care? No!
Slave masters do not like to lose their slaves.
History told us that after the Emancipation Act, some slave masters still kept their act of slavery and did not let go of the slaves. The devil does the same thing.
After your deliverance, the devil keeps trying day and night to get you compromised and lose hope so that you go back to your vomit.
The Bible refers to those who give up and return to the old lifestyle as fools.
Pro 26:11 NET Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
Don’t be a fool!
Jesus gave a perfect illustration of this. The evil one does not easily give up on its prey.
Luk 11:24-27 NET 24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but not finding any. Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ 25 When it returns, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first.” 27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd spoke out to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed!”
You must rescue yourself like a gazelle.
Pro 6:5 NET Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a snare, and like a bird from the trap of the fowler.
Fight hard to rescue your “gates” from the clutches of darkness. The devil wants to get in but do not give him the opportunity.
1Jn 2:15-16 NET 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, 16 because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Pray for us, oh Lord Jesus!
Note: the use of certain words reflects the potency of the meaning.