GOD REWARDS OR JUDGES THE MOTIVES 1
“DO NOT GO ON BOASTING SO VERY PROUDLY, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; FOR THE LORD IS A GOD OF KNOWLEDGE, AND BY HIM ACTIONS ARE WEIGHED (examined)."
1 Samuel 2:3 (Amps)
"I CAN TELL THOSE PROUD PEOPLE, “Stop your boasting! NOTHING IS HIDDEN FROM THE LORD, AND HE JUDGES WHAT WE DO.”
1 Samuel 2:3 (Contemporary English Version)
“STOP YOUR PROUD BOASTING!
Don’t let arrogance come from your mouth! FOR ADONAI IS A GOD OF KNOWLEDGE, AND HE APPRAISES ACTIONS."
1 Samuel 2:3 (Complete Jewish Bible)
• God will reward or judge the motive behind every action. Your act maybe right, but If your motives are wrong, God will not bless the act or deed.
- Whatever step you wanted to take, check in your heart the reason for it, why you wanted to do it—What are your motivations?
• Since God is interested in every department of a believer's life, He wanted to be involved in everything he or she does.
- He would want to be part of every relationship or friendship the believer cultivated.
- Since the motivation behind whatever you do is known to God, He would want you to bring Him in; in whatever association or connection you had with everyone.
- If God was not invited or involved in your affinity or linkup with someone, when you had an issue in such a relationship; He might not show up to help or assist.
- Though God might be interested to be involved, but, since you did not allow Him; He would be powerless to do anything on whatever transpires in the relationship or union.
• When you get God involved in your association or connection or relationship with other people, He would look beyond the physical or surface in your dealings with the person [or people], and the person with you.
- If the intents of your heart are wrong, and you claimed to belong to God, He would not support you in whatever wrong or evil you do to the person. And If the person is also deceptive, not straightforward with you, He would not bother to alert you because you also are not faithful and sincere in the relationship or friendship to begin with.
- A genuine believer who intends to walk with God sincerely and faithfully is not expected to be deceptive in his or her dealings with others. Whether the person or people you are dealing with are believers or not, God wants you to be a man or woman of integrity (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9).
- It is not about how the person or people treated you, but how you treated them and relate with them. If the person or people are being deceptive or not straightforward with you, and you are; you have given God a chance to defend or fight for you.
- However, If you who supposed to be a light (Matthew 5:14-16), a good representative of God, is deceiving others; How would He come to your aid when they wanted to outsmart you and shortchange your lot—when they wanted to deprive you of or give you less than something you are due?
- Thus If you are deceptive in your businesses or vocational works, or in your dealings with others, the blessings of God will not be on what you do.
• Cutting corners or being deceptive might work for the unbelievers, but for a believer, instead of it being a blessing, It rather becomes a curse—it boomerangs, has the reverse of the desired or expected effect.
- You might think the person or people you are dealing with are unbelievers, they are not truthful as well as you do. The truth is, God does not have any business with them, but you who are called by His name (2 Timothy 2:19).
- Your identity with God makes Him more interested in your affairs, and the devil does as well, because you are of God. The devil hates whatever or whoever is of God. Whoever is of God's interest, the devil hates such and would want to fight him or her (Revelation 12:17).
• If you are shady, untruthful, deceptive, or insincere in your dealings with other people, the devil would see it as an opportunity to intrude into your life and business or whatever you do for living.
- It is like you have given the devil a license or a go-ahead or an authority to come into your life and affairs and operate—If you are not straightforward.
And in a situation of such, If the devil comes in; God will not be able to defend you, because you have violated or done contrary to His principles. - When God in His Word instructed the believers not to lie or be deceptive, or commit any sin, It is for their good:
25 THEREFORE, PUTTING AWAY LYING, “LET EACH ONE OF YOU SPEAK TRUTH WITH HIS NEIGHBOUR,” FOR WE ARE MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER. 26 “BE ANGRY, AND DO NOT SIN”: DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR WRATH, 27 NOR GIVE PLACE [a foothold or an opportunity] TO THE DEVIL" (Ephesians 4:25-27 NKJV).
READ: Colossians 3:9 - When you lie or you are deceptive, you give a place or a foothold or an opportunity to the devil. Doing wrong, having a wrong heart, or living in sin, weaponizes the devil—he would adapt for use, as a weapon of war against you, the wrong or the things contrary to the principles of God which you are doing.
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
- If you are having any ailment in your body as you read this piece, I declare your healing and the affiction will never rise again in Jesus' mighty name.
- Whatever is not of God in your body or life is totally rooted out in Jesus' mighty name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED
STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).
- If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!