The value of our church in the month of November is the manifestation of God’s Kingdom, the strength and power of God.
Through the Bible we can see that our God is the jealous God.
“For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, Whose name is Jealous, is the jealous God” (Exodus 34:14).
The Kingdom of God and His power always have to be our expectancy and hope. God is always jealous when a man relies on something instead of God. It means when we start trusting a man or something else, God starts being jealous and resent so different troubles will appear in our life. For this reason Jesus said that our dearest and nearest are often our enemies because we tend to do them our expectation, we more love them than God. It is too difficult for us to renounce ourselves. But all that our support except God will be embossed from us. God is Jealous and He wants to be our main priority.
King David said in his psalm:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm27:1).
We may use the words from this psalm to test and check yourself, where do we take our strength, who or what is our support. If we ask such questions and study yourself and our answers, we will find out the truth about yourself. For somebody his stronghold and expectance is his family, for somebody is his children, his husband or his wife, for others are their job and so on. That is in fact without which we would say that everything was lost, without which a disaster comes for us. Such inspection should be carried out by us regularly that afterwards we would not accidently found out that we did not have trust in God but put trust in somebody or something. If God is our real fortress and support, we will not find yourself in “all lost” situation. If that situation had happened, we relied on something but not God.
There are some questions for us:
- What is our security?
- What is our peace?
- What is our fortress?
- What is our joy?
David said in his psalm that Lord ought to be our hope and our strength. He is the One who ought to be our rock and fortress from all sides. In fact, He is our the Only reliable support.
People express that is their core, their foundation – or it is God or it is something else. When the Lord is really our strength and hope then we are not afraid of anything. Then we can easily show Him Himself, His strength and power. In the first verse of Psalm 27 we can see that if we are properly put ourselves in respect of God then the anxiety is really disappeared. With our hope to God we win any fear.
There is a question to you today: do you have any fear? If we do, there is a proof that with our hope we have not choosen God. If we truly and completely believe in God, only then we can lead our life quietly and confidently. Only in that case we are not afraid anything. You can leave and you can refuse from everything, and nothing can scare us, when God is our strength, hope and foundation.
David explains us why he is not afraid of anything: his secret is his hope in God.
Everybody has to stop and see into yourself:
- What is the fortress of my life?
- What is my life rely on?
- What is my hope?
When we put our life on the right foundation, have hope in God, make Him our fortress, only then we will have incredible faith! Our faith becomes active and we will believe easily. Whatever happened we would rely on God and know that He has a control in our life.
When we have a true relationship with God, His place in our life and we depend on Him in everything, then He becomes a priority number one for us and we easily give Him our preference. In this case, first of all, we will seek His Kingdom and lead our life how is written in Mattew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:2-3)
What a stunning peace, what an incredible hope, what a tremendous foundation when we trust God. Even if everything is collapsing around us, we are in peace when our fortress is God! In such situations we do not focus what happen around us, we put our focus on what happen inside us. We more concentrate on God’s reaction than what happen around us. We do not allow our life to hesitate about what is happening outside because our life put on a strong God’s foundation.
When we really show to God that He is our hope and refuge, there will be test for us but not only when everything is great. When test comes then we will know exactly who we are and who is our hope. If we can say like David during our experience and different troubles only then we can say that we are real believers.
It is not allowed to trust a believer who has never been tested.
“Who has never been tested is less reliable than who has commited a sin once. And a person who was wrong a lot and often but has never made the same mistake twice is more reliable than who has never made a mistake.” – Nassim Taleb
Just due to test we can discover who we are, what are the qualities of our inner core and our faith. If our faith has not tested yet, it is not faith, it is only a fairy tale. Only after you will go through difficult experience, you can say about yourself that:” I am a believer, I trust God”.
“When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell” (Psalm 27:2)
God stands up for us when we have learned to trust Him completely. Not on our strength, opportunity, wisdom, relations only on God! When we trust Him completely, He does up for our protection, He does before us. Dear brothers and sisters, let us learn how to trust Him properly and let Him protect us!
“I will lift my eyes to the hills from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber or sleep” (Psalm 121:1-4)
When our faith becomes real then we know exactly that the Lord is in control and watch us. Then from the words of this psalm we can say that the Lord protects me and He does not sleep. There will be attacks and testing but, yet you can be in God peace and know that He is in control. “Though an army may encamp against me my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm27:3). It is just incredible! Though an army may encamp against me, in this I will be confident! When we put God before you when we trust in Him, it is the same that all the God’s army are in front of you and you just hide behind Him. In this case, you are afraid of nothing! “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm27:4). The temple of God is symbolized here our communication with God, His presence. At that time the Holy Spirit did not live inside a man because there was the ark of the covenant, and the Spirit of God remained only on chosen people (priests, judges, prophets and so on). Nowadays the Holy Spirit is with us, God dwells in us. Personal relationship with God, our desire to approach to Him, has to be above all. “For in the time of trouble he shall He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me upon a rock” (Psalm27:5).
When we really do God our priority when He the first for us and above us, then He takes the whole responsibility and protect us. When we seek His Kingdom and His truth, He answers us and gives us everything we need. We take care about His business and He takes about ours.
“And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing yes, I will sing praises to the Lord” (Psalm27:6). When God is our hope we do not need worry who is against us. The main thing that God with us. When we live in a harmony with God then we have life in God’s peace.
I pray that everybody will renew his relationship with God and resume his hope in Him this month. Then we will seek His Kingdom and live for Him easily and He will take all responsibility for us.
God bless you!
With love and honor,
Senior Pastor of “Embassy of God” church
Sunday Adeladja
Recommended books to read:
- “Carriers of God’s presence” (Sunday Adeladja)
- “Understanding of God” (Sunday Adeladja)
- “Open a source of hidden energy inside yourself” (University of Life)
