l Living in the Fear of the Lord learning to revere his name i Omega Ministries
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iscover how to please the Lord and walk in His ways by understanding true wisdom as taught by Jesus and the apostles.
said it through the Apostles. He said ‘DO NOT FEAR!’ Why would God make such an effort to tell you to ‘Fear Not’? As fallen human beings we have all been conditioned to “The fear of the Lord (Adonai) is the beginning be worried, anxious and fearful, we try of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is to hide from God just like Adam and Eve understanding” (Prov 9:10). did, taking on the nature of fear, Satan. Our weak human flesh crumbles in the face of the spiritual reality of Yahweh’s Whom Should I Fear? awesome presence. However,Yahweh your “But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, heavenly Father wants you to know the Mary, you have found favour with God.” amazing truth that you, as a believer in (Luke 1:30). His Son, ‘have found favour’ with him, and Many times in the Bible we read the words that favour is His grace expressed in Christ “Do not fear” or “Do not be afraid”. God said (Messiah), and by grace you were saved it through the angels, He said it through through faith (Eph 2:8). So, as His child the Prophets, He said it through Jesus, He
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he does not want you to be afraid of Him, he wants you to draw near without fear of death, because you have found favour with Him there is no need to fear His love, God is with you, you are safe in Him. Don’t let your past experience (of your natural father) stop you approaching Him. “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Col 3:3) The angel of the Lord came to Mary and said “Do not be afraid, you have found favour with God”. If you have received Jesus into your heart by faith in His death, burial and resurrection, you have also found favour with God, (just as Mary received Jesus spirit into her womb) you have received Christ into your heart by the Holy Spirit (a greater work!) and this has pleased the Father and filled him with great joy! (Luke 15:7) and the angels rejoice! This is no small thing, it is the mystery of the ages and more precious than gold!
The Wrong Kind of Fear
Fear can take many forms, for example; the fear of death, the fear of the dark or the fear of spiders (arachnaphobia). In fact it is possible to be fearful of almost anything! Someone may have the fear of confined spaces (claustrophobic) whereas someone else may have fear of open spaces (agoraphobic). Fear is therefore not object oriented, i.e. things in themselves are not the fear, but it is an attitude in mind inspired by a demon spirit creating a state of mind towards an external object, person or imagination. These kinds of fears, called ‘phobias’, take away your freedom and liberty which have been paid for by Christ’s shed blood, they create bondage and unhappiness in the mind and soul. These fears are not from God, but they are the characteristics of Satan, they are the fruit of his evil spirit. “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him,“Where art thou?” And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, The Power Of Evil and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Gen 3:9-10) The Bible tells us that ‘earthly’ fear is an evil force (an evil spirit) that seeks to “Even though I walk through the valley of the hinder you and stop you from receiving shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you from God as Father. This negative fear are with me; your rod and your staff, they could have hindered Mary when she saw comfort me”. (Psa 23:4). the glory of the angel, that’s why the angel The Greek root word used for these said “Do not be afraid”. The things of God wrong fears is ‘PHOBOS’ which literally are not to be feared – they are good news means ‘to be terrified’. It’s no surprise as and to be received with open hearts and Satan himself is a fearful spirit being, a thanksgiving. terrified fallen angel and he is absolutely Mary chose wisely not giving way to fear, terrified of what God will do to him when but instead believing the message of the the last judgement arrives at the end. angel from God’s throne in heaven. Any He has no way of escaping the eternal carnal fear may well have stopped God’s punishment God has ordained for him and will from being achieved in Mary’s life. It’s his evil cohorts, the fallen angels and the the same for your life too. demons (Rev 20:10). He does all he can to slow this final day from coming and he puts his fear in man to stop faith rising up.
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His destiny is the lake of burning sulphur a place of everlasting torment. If you draw near to Satan you begin to experience the same fear that he has - fear of death. Phobias originate with Satan and his demons and are sent to trouble your soul, giving you a morbid sense of impending punishment (from God) and creating insecurity. This sense of impending punishment is the root of all fear, they are propagated by demon spirits active upon those whom he has managed to infiltrate or influence from inside or out. If you accept these fears as part of your renewed self you will be ruled by them. Satan can only rule by fear, domination and control. God does not want His special people trapped or influenced by these fears, He came to release the captives, so that they can receive blessing from Him. These fears surround the unbeliever because they are the children of Satan and his kingdom which relies on the power of fear to control, but God wants his children free of ALL fears because His Kingdom runs by love and not fear; “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7) “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears (phobias).” (Psa 34:4). “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Rom 8:15). David the King was delivered from fear many times, he was famously ‘fearless’ in the face of the enemies of Israel. He knew that God was with him and was fighting for him.You too need to be delivered
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from phobias which you may have retained from when you were in the kingdom of darkness, you don’t need to keep them. Jesus is the deliverer and it is the power of His love that delivers us from these fears. He really does care about you! All fear is defined as ‘an expectation of punishment’. Faith, however, is ‘an expectation of good’ shown to us by love, by Jesus the creator. Perfect love drives out fear just as Jesus drives out Satan. So often when something bad happens in life Satan tells us that God was to blame and that it proves he doesn’t love us – a lie from the pit of hell! Satan is the destroyer not God. The last thing Satan wants is for you to cast off his fear and sickness! Love brings you security, the knowledge of acceptance, confidence, encouragement and ability. This is how God wants you to be in this life right NOW! God is love and is seeking to perfect you in love. God is love and knowledge of him is the key of life. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him.There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18; see also Heb 10:26). Clearly God wants you ‘phobia free’ hallelujah! He wants you to be fearless in the face of trouble or danger, knowing He is there to protect you and see you through. He has made it possible for you to be completely free of ALL fears by his love. When you have a deep revelation of His love you will never have to put up with fear again! The apostle Paul prayed continually for believers who needed this
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revelation of God’s powerful love; “I pray that out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this knowledge of love - that you may be filled to the measure of the fulness of God.” (Eph 3:16-19). Notice here that Paul is not praying that you receive his love, but to ‘grasp it’, to ‘know it’, because as a believer you have already received the love of God – His Holy Spirit in you.You just need to perceive it! “..God HAS poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he HAS GIVEN us.” (Rom 5:5). If you are born again by the Spirit you can begin to thank God right now for the love He has poured into your heart and this will ‘drive out’ all evil phobias. Confess whatever fear you have in your mind to God, renounce it (that spirit belongs to Satan not you) then repent and do not allow it to come back, tell it to go. The power of God’s love WILL set you free. “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7).
Him who, after the body is killed, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:4-7). In this passage Jesus deals with the subject of ‘whom to fear’ and ‘why’. When Jesus spoke this parable many thousands of people were trying to see Him. Jesus had spoken separately to His twelve disciples warning them about hypocrisy (yeast of the Pharisees), expressed in the outwardly religious lifestyle of saying one thing but doing another. The scripture reveals that the head Pharisees were fearful of the power of the Romans, thinking that they would be punished and loose out because of what Jesus was doing and saying. Jesus recognised that they had the ‘fear of men’ and this always results in a lifestyle of hypocrisy and compromise. The Pharisees were afraid and not prepared to stand with Christ, but preferred to support the Roman authority for their own gain. Jesus turns to those listening and warns them that this attitude is selfish and short term only. He says that the Romans can only kill the body. If they are going to be terrified, Jesus says, they should rather consider God’s eternal power, the power that will eventually cast the unbelieving sinners and fearful hypocrites to hell (along with Fearing God? Satan the ruler of such fears) because you go where the spirits in you take you! So then, you may be asking, what does (Matt 15:14). The Pharisee’s hypocrisy was the Bible mean when it says in many preventing them from seeing God’s Word places to ‘fear the Lord’? Surely this is who was standing in front of them! a contradiction! Jesus and the prophets reveal the answer to us. Conversely Jesus gave the disciples the “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those words of security and love they needed to who kill the body and after that can do no more. overcome any fear of men, and unbelief, But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear “Don’t be afraid, you are worth more
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than many sparrows”. Don’t be terrified, Jesus said, as if to say ‘God doesn’t want to kill you or judge you as an unbeliever, he sent me to save you!’ What was it that made Jesus apparently change his mind half way through his sentence? How can He say one minute “be fearful”, and the next “do not fear”? The answer is of course is ‘sparrows’!
The Sparrow Sacrifice The sparrows mentioned by Jesus were those bought by poor repentant sinners, instead of doves, to offer in the temple as a sacrifice to cover their sins and give thanks to God. In the same way as God registered the offering of those sparrows to heaven, Jesus reassures the disciples that God sees their sacrifice in following Him. He will not forget it because Jesus would be like those sparrows - the sacrifice or sin! As a believer you should not be afraid of hell because we are not forgotten, in fact the opposite is the case.You are known in such intimate detail, that even the hairs of your head are numbered. Even with this knowledge of you and your faults God still accepts you because of Christ, if you will continue in him and boldly reject the fear of men. “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.” v8. Praise the Lord! He wants you to be reassured of His love towards you a believer, even the hairs of your head are numbered! This is good news! God is looking to save and not to condemn and judge you. (see Dan 3:27).
The Beginning of Wisdom “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
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understanding” (Prov 9:10). The Hebrew translated here as ‘fear’, , is the word ‘YIRAH’ which can also be translated as ‘reverence’ or ‘reverent fear’ a form of high RESPECT towards one greater and superior, not like ‘terrify’ as in the Greek ‘Phobos’. So we discover that the writer (probably Solomon) is exhorting us to ‘highly respect’ God or to ‘revere Him’, or to ‘prefer Him’. Learning to revere God (put Him first), says the writer, is just the beginning of wisdom. If you seek to be wise then you urgently need to respect God for who He is, in order to understand Him more deeply. To do this you need to have a personal knowledge of the Holy One, you need to know God and his Ways.You cannot respect someone you don’t know or have only heard about! “Teach me your way O Lord and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may revere (YIRAH) your name.” (Psa 86:11).
Whole Heartedness It’s impossible to revere God if you have a divided heart regarding the truth of the Word of God revealed in the Bible scriptures. This was pointed out to us by Jesus and later by the apostle James. “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.You cannot serve both God and Mammon. (money)” (Luke 16:13). “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he
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asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” (James 1:5-8). Revering God means that you put him first in your ‘heart’ and ‘mind’, and that you expect him to do you good and not evil. God is out to bless you and make you free, not to put you in chains! He is FULLY committed in love towards you and has done all He can to enable you to receive His blessing in this life and the next. His sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate proof of this love. We all do what is in our heart to do, what we are doing today is what we believe in the most. Ask yourself honestly, is meditating on the Word and prayer the most time consuming activity in my day? Do I love God with ALL my heart, soul and strength! This is the first commandment and one which Jesus highlights as part of the Royal Law. (Matt 22:36-40).
Don’t Bury Your Talent In the parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14) Jesus told how the servant who had been given only one talent, buried his treasure in fear (phobos) of the master. This servant displayed the wrong attitude towards his master, expecting to be ill treated. The others however sought to multiply what they had been given knowing their master would be pleased, and as it turned out generous also. In Hebrews we read;
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“without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Heb 11:6). So you are not to be afraid of God, but expect his rewards when you show him reverence and faith, God IS love. “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him” (Psa 33:8).
The Benefits Of Faith Before we review what it means in the practical sense to ‘revere’ the Lord, here are some of the real benefits of fearing the Lord: “The fear of the Lord leads to life:Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” (Prov 19:23). “Who, then, is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity and his descendants will inherit the land.The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” (Psa 25:12-14). Do you want God to confide in you? Do you want peace and prosperity? If the answer is yes, then you need to understand how to live in reverent fear to the Lord.
A Change Of Lifestyle David the King of Israel discovered how to revere God because he had a complete heart commitment towards God. In his Psalms he reveals a great deal about revering God, having a relationship and a friendship with God that few attain to. David shares with us in Psalm 34 How to revere the Lord, his words of wisdom speak directly to us; “Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no o
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good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psa 34:9-14). David reveals that there are three areas of lifestyle change that God is calling you to do in order to revere him in spirit and truth: 1. Keep your tongue and lips from speaking lies (v13) 2. Turn from evil and do good (v14) 3. Seek peace and pursue it. (v14) Remember that in each of these three areas (for the revering God), the Lord is looking to bless you and not to curse you, this is true wisdom! Without Christ’s humility by His indwelling presence these three areas are impossible to observe. Only by co-operating with the Holy Spirit within can we mirror David’s devotion. As David said, the fear of the Lord is just the beginning of wisdom, we can only go deeper in our friendship with God as we grasp these fundamental truths of God’s Word. So let’s analyse these three areas to grasp how we can co-operate with his Spirit and give true ‘reverence’ to God our loving Father. With the grace of the Holy Spirit in you helping you, this is not beyond reach. Also all these qualities need to be seen in us simultaneously three in one!
always creating for good or for evil. If you are to revere God you must gain control of your unruly tongue because it is a spiritual law that ‘what you say is what you get’.You ‘reap what you sow’. Only the Holy Spirit in you can help you to do the impossible to control and train your tongue. So begin to cry out daily for his help! “The Lord detests lying lips but he delights in men who are truthful.” (Prov 12:22). But what is it to lie? Fundamentally you are lying when you disagree with God’s Word in what you say, in any form, you are not revering God and you are hindering yourself from receiving good things because you quench the Holy Spirit with lies! Lying is evidence of unbelief in what God has said. Satan is the father of lies! Liars who don’t repent do not inherit the kingdom - very serious (Rev 21:8). Lying is not just about blatant ‘deceptive lies’ that lead people astray, or even ‘white lies’, more than these it includes saying things about yourself (as a child of God) that are not true in God’s sight! e.g. you cannot say, ‘God doesn’t love me’, the Bible makes it plain that he does! By confessing this you are effectively agreeing with Satan and lying to yourself. Is there any hope for us? As Isaiah cried out to the Lord: “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (I saiah 6:5). 1. Control Your Tongue It’s God’s desire that you be like him, full The tongue is described by James the apostle as the most uncontrollable part of of truth and speaking the truth.You have your body (Jam 3:1-6). Crucially, however, power in your tongue to affect your life it is also the most important part like the and the life of others for good or bad. It rudder on a ship, the guide, the thermostat is a spiritual principle which God put into the universe, because that is how God of your whole life! It’s always guiding,
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operates, he speaks His Word and we are made in His image. “But 1 tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt 12:3637). You had better believe this! This is the first step of wisdom - realising the power of the WORD. That’s why this is the beginning of wisdom - understanding the power of words in your mouth. Being wise means you become more aware of what you are saying, your tongue needs to be trained to fear God, to submit to His will and not Satan’s. It will take time to do it, training takes time, but it needs to happen at all costs because your tongue is guiding you every day. It is the key to a successful or shipwrecked life. Cry out to Him for your tongue to change, to speak only His words. Repent of careless words as soon as you realise what’s happened. Jesus is our perfect model on how to speak effectively when he said; “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it”. (John 12:49). The Father wants to teach you how to speak not only what not to speak because He has said; “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” (Prov 13:3). The Father does not want you to come to ruin, but to have life in abundance and His words are Spirit and life (John 6:63).
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The Heart Of The Problem Is The Problem Of The Heart How on earth do you work with the Spirit to control your tongue? Glad you asked as Jesus has the answer: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45; see also Prov 4:23). If there is any ruin in your life, it was probably something you said! Your tongue reflects what is really in your heart of hearts. Whatever your heart is full of will spill out into the words you speak and these will set the direction of your life. In order to change your tongue you need go to the source of the words and actively store up good things in your heart (these good things are God’s Words). If you seriously want to fear the Lord and follow Him You must store up good things in your heart. God’s Word is the nourishing food for your heart, your spiritual heart or inner man.You need to give yourself a balanced diet of all the Words of God in the Bible especially the Messiahs truth. That’s why saints of the past died to ensure that the scriptures and writings of the apostles were preserved, it is real food, the true manna from heaven. “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deut 8:3) If the Word is not in you, how can it come out! It’s a change process that takes time, the sooner you start the sooner you will grow stronger as you continue o
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to give yourself to the Word of God and stop feeding on the negative words of the Newspapers or TV or even religious books (you need less TV and more KJV!). The more concentrated time you spend in the Word of God the faster it will begin to come out your mouth, only then will it benefit you like a sword in the hand of a skilled warrior. When it comes from the redeemed heart, God’s Word in your mouth will be as powerful as God’s Word in His! Only those who live this way achieve the first step of fearing the Lord, control of the tongue.(see also Rev 1:16).
perhaps you need to re-examine your life in Christ? Jesus wants you to be eager to do good, even as he exampled. Love must not be seen as separate from practical action and it’s more than just giving money, it’s about laying down your life for others. Paul encourages us to spur one another on to do good deeds (righteousness), for this is why God redeemed us. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present evil age, while we wait for the blessed 2. Turn From Evil & Do Good hope-the glorious appearing of our great God David’s second requirement for revering and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself the Lord is to do with having a servant for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to heart. What does he mean when saying purify for himself a people that are his very ‘turn from evil’. It may seem obvious, but own, eager to do what is good.” (Titus what does it really mean. 2:11-14). All sin and iniquity is based in pride. Jesus saved us to do something positive A person of pride is unable to lower and good for others, true righteousness. themselves to serve others in a way that God wants us as his people to be eager really costs them on a personal level. A to do good as witnesses in a selfish and man or woman of pride feels that people spoilt world. He has a ministry for each should serve them and holds on to their member of the body of Christ to do.You own life tightly. The pride of life also need to find out what that calling is and justifies sinful behaviour because ‘everyone be dedicated to it! Only then will you be does it’ and ‘we are only human’ and other fulfilled in your service for the Lord and common excuses. An unredeemed heart His people (Eph 2:10 & 2 Tim 3:16-17). is conscious of doing evil but ignores Even more than this, we are to continually the inner conscience convicting them encourage one another to help those in that their actions are wrong. These are need as we are able; pleasure orientated souls who give in to “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer temptations and worldliness. Hypocrites to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that are those who live like this but claim to be confess his name. And do not forget to do religious and go to church or other faiths. good and to share with others, for with This should cause you to ask the question; such sacrifices God is pleased.” “Who do I care about the most?, who do I (Heb 13:15,16). spend my time and money on and why?” We can easily forget to do good for others, If the answer is mainly ‘Myself’ then especially in a society which is very self
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centred and individualistic. “What good is it, my brothers, if man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him,“Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,“but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17). “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbour,“Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow-when you now have it with you.”” (Prov 3:27-28. see also Matt 5:3848 Eph 6:7-8; 1 Pet 2:15; Titus 3:8 3). To truly fear the Lord we must turn away from serving ourselves and lay down our lives for others. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:25-28) So you must be honest with yourself and ask, “am I right now, today, doing anything to help someone else improve their relationship with God or to help lift them out of a human difficulty?”
3. Seek Peace And Pursue It The third essential understanding of the fear of the Lord holds everything together. The Hebrew word used by David for PEACE in Psalm 34 is the well known Hebrew word “SHALOM”,
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but this word actually means more than just ‘peace’. A better word would be ‘wholeness’ or ‘wellbeing’. It incorporates health, abundance and true prosperity, all the things the Bible associates with an abundant life. Remember Jesus said; “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) (Shalom). The Apostle John reveals that God’s people are to be well in every good sense; “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 2). “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honour and life.” (Prov 22:4). David is encouraging you to not only seek peace but pursue it, what does this mean? It reveals that peace is continually on the move. Like Jesus who didn’t stay long in one place and the people had to seek him out. When they found him they pursued him, because they didn’t want to miss any of the action. This is still true for us today. Jesus is the prince of peace and he is always encouraging us to actively seek him to know His peace. His will for you will become clearer when you pursue him daily in your own life, then you will experience his peace which passes all understanding. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7). Peace is vital for guarding your heart, the very thing that Solomon told us we should do back in Proverbs when he said: “Above o
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all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring infant go from feed to feed in order to of life”. (Prov 4:23). grow strong. Spend time with God as you would your best friend, not 5 minutes but Living In The Fear Of The Lord hours even days!? Take days off work just to be with Him and study his truth! A Practical Daily Lifestyle Make the decision that no matter what So where do you go from here? happens that the Word of God is the final Here are some recommendations: authority in your life, and seek to obey Firstly humbly confess all known sins in it as the Holy Spirit reveals it to you on a your life, especially anything you have said daily basis. If you don’t eat every day you which was injurious to others or yourself. will die spiritually! As Jesus pointed out to Then confess words spoken in the past the church of Laodicea: which you have forgotten about, but which “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: were evil ‘seeds’ that you are now reaping! These are the words of the Amen, the faithful Ask Jesus in his mercy to cleanse it all away from your life by His blood sacrifice. and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I Let the Holy Spirit cleanse your heart and know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor mind without restraint, throw yourself on hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, Him. Realise your true condition before a because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Holy God! Keep this spirit of repentance You say,‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and daily before him to be fully sanctified do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise (made holy).You will make mistakes but that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, He will refine you like silver seven times over. When the dross comes to the surface blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become and you see your true state repent and rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover receive the cleansing from heaven and your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on be free from deception! His grace was your eyes, so you can see.” (Rev 3:14-18) given for this because you are willing to Thirdly Don’t be afraid of God or think change. Read the Word out loud as much he is against you and is trying to punish as possible. you with trouble. This is not true! God is Secondly diligently seek him with all your heart, consider spending days fasting for you and wants you to mature and be whole, you need to co-operate with him each week to show God that you are seriously turning away from the desires of more to realise the blessings promised to God’s people. The Lord disciplines those the world. Put away (repent) the things he loves – He just really loves you! You are that stop you getting into the Word and to overcome life’s trouble and Satan’s lies prayer each day, things like junk TV, computer games, Apps, religious activities, with him. Remember you are in a WAR hobbies and going out socialising etc. and and the devil is out to destroy you so you begin to feed your heart the food it needs need Jesus to save you everyday! Satan has to develop - His Words. You need a new not overcome you yet, but he will never lifestyle in Christ based around periods give up trying. He is like a terminator seeking whom to destroy. So take your of reading the Bible. Like a new born spiritual life seriously and put it above
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everything else or you may die in your sins! Remember only the pure in heart will see God - it’s not negotiable on the day he comes back or you die. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. NO-ONE serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.” (2 Tim 2:3-5).
What are these “civilian affairs” that Paul is speaking of? Surely it’s the interests and pleasures of the flesh that the whole world lives for. The Lord will show you personally what things are hindering you, it is up to you to ...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil 2:12). This is it, this is where the rubber really hits the road, this is the WAY of Christ so let’s walk in it!
Further Reading This short encouragement is brought to you completely free of charge, because it was received by grace. if it has blessed you, helped you and inspired you please pass it on to a brother, sister or friend. On the website you will find other free material to build you up in the powerful faith of Jesus Christ. www.omega-ministries.org. We pray that these teachings will inspire you to know Jesus personally through prayer and ever increasing meditation on his Word revealed in scripture and the prophetic writings of the apostles. We also recommend other writers in our links section who have inspired and encouraged us in being obedient to wisdom and to the ways of the Lord, some of these may not be free.
Free Publications List* Who I Am - in Christ Jesus The Sabbath Rest - in Christ Jesus The Inheritance - in Christ Jesus Overcoming - by Christ Jesus The Fear of the Lord - by Christ Jesus More Than Conquerors - in Christ Jesus The Commands - of Christ Jesus Overcome Deception - by Christ Jesus The Day of the Lord - through Christ Jesus
Unlocking your true Identity Living in the Presence of God Unleash your true potential Overcome the schemes of Satan Living in the Fear of the Lord Imitating the Apostolic Obeying the Master Discerning spiritual blindness How the end comes
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Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ISAIAH 40:28-31
Omega Ministries The publications and website provide free access to the knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven. They are designed to encourage and empower you to fulfil your destiny in Christ Jesus. All materials are provided free of charge if downloaded in digital format. Feel free to print out send to friends, duplicate, but please no reselling or relabelling. Please donate. All donations go to special causes to feed the hungry, homeless and others in need. If we have blessed you please bless them! Give online. www.omega-ministries.org email: info@omega-ministries.org Based in Eastbourne UK. Š2014 All rights reserved
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