Ablaze 4 Christ

Obedience is better than sacrifice!!!

Daily Guide Review
Friday 04/10/24
*Hard Hearts*
Psalm 78:21-51. Q1,2

*What does the passage teach about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit?*

👉 Verse 21: *Then God heard all their complaining and was furious! His anger flared up against his people.* It is beautiful to note that God hears even our complaints. He is not happy about complaints. Sincerely speaking no leader enjoy complaints especially when you do well for the people. However the human nature we have is prone to complain. Human nature can complain over the slightest discomfort. This is not right.

👉 Verses 23-33: God can decide to grant an unpleasant request or desire from His people or His child. This is what we call permissive will. He watches the attitude of His child to see if there is any sense of remorse or repentance, but when there is none, God can choose to bring discipline or punishment. This is why I must be careful about the things I push in prayer. It is not just enough to pray but also to seek to know the mind of God over the matter I have brought before Him. Recall how Balaam pushed to go with Balak's messengers. God eventually allowed him but God almost killed him on the way. I must be careful about the matter of the idol in the heart. When an idol is not dealt with, someone can push for a selfish desire and cover it with religion or spiritual language but it will not come from the Spirit of Christ.

Imagine how they were eating and rejoicing and having pleasure then punishment came upon them.

*Yet in spite of all this, they kept right on sinning. Even when they saw God’s marvels, they refused to believe God could care for them.So God cut their lives short with sudden disaster, with nothing to show for their lives but fear and failure.* Some people are already being deceived that God cannot discipline or punish His children that are not living right, the people in this contest are covenant people of God but see what God did to them in verse 33 for not living right. Beloved may we not take the patience of God for granted.

👉 Verses 38-39: *But amazingly, God — so full of compassion — still forgave them. He covered over their sins with his love, refusing to destroy them all. Over and over he held back his anger, restraining wrath to show them mercy.He knew that they were made from mere dust — frail, fragile, and short-lived, here today and gone tomorrow* This is the true description of God. He is full of compassion, takes a lot into consideration, and understands our frailty. But I must not take God for granted. I should honour God, fear and love Him for who He is and all that He does for me.

👉Verses 40-50 narrates the extent that God can go to demonstrate His steadfast love for me. He dealt severely with the Egyptians for their cruel attitudes towards Israel. Everyone who seeks to hurt me or do wickedness to me will certainly have to face the Lord God Almighty.

*Is there any example for me to follow or not to follow?*

👉 Verses 22: *For they turned away from faith and walked away in fear; they failed to trust in His power to help them when He was near* This is an example not to follow. May God help me never to turn away from the faith in Jesus name Amen.

👉 Verse 32: *Yet in spite of all this, they kept right on sinning. Even when they saw God’s marvels, they refused to believe God could care for them.* The best way to appreciate the love of God is by living in obedience to His word. It is not right to be enjoying the blessings of God and be paying God back with sinful behaviours.

👉 Verses 34-35: *When He cared for them they ignored Him, but when He began to kill them, ending their lives in a moment, they came running back to God, pleading for mercy.They remembered that God, the Mighty One, was their strong protector, the Hero-God who would come to their rescue.* This is an example for me to follow. God is always ready to receive anyone who comes to Him for help. It is an act of foolishness to run away from God.

👉 Verses 40-41: *How many times they rebelled in their desert days! How they grieved Him with their grumblings.Again and again they limited God, preventing him from blessing them. Continually they turned back from him and provoked the Holy One of Israel!* This is not an example for me to follow. Turning away from the Lord and provoking the Almighty God is a bad lifestyle. It is better to approach God in a humble and submissive manner than to be grumbling against God.

Heavenly Father, please help me from day to day to follow your instructions, so as to enjoy your blessings in Jesus Christ name Amen.

Good Morning!
Maranatha!!!

Nevertheless, let your will be done oh Lord and not mine!!!

Daily Guide Review
Monday 30/09/2024
*We will have a king*
1 Samuel 10:17-27. Qs 1,2.

Yesterday, we saw that Samuel actually poured oil on the head of Saul establishing him as the first king of Israel.

But we noted that he would not be commissioned without preparation.

👆First step Verse 9 God changed his heart.
👆Second Step Verses 10-13 The Spirit of God came upon him and he prophesied.
👆Thirdly Verses 14-16 Saul was discreet and wise in his answer to his uncle.

Each of these were necessary requirements to certify him as the king over God's people.

Many dreams have failed to see the light of the day because we missed either of these equipping.

*What does the passage today teach about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit?*

👉 Verses 17-19: God does not keep grudges. When God is offended, He makes sure that you know that He is not happy with you. He will not force you to do what is right but you will know that you have offended God.

👉 Verses 20-23: Even though, Samuel has anointed Saul, but God would still have to perform the due selection process. By this each tribe of Israel was given an opportunity to produce the king. God also used this medium to exonerate Samuel from being blackmailed as one who is partial. It has to be clear that God is the one who has chosen Saul and not Samuel.

The wisdom to glean from here is that even when we are so show about God's choice, we need to still do the needful so that the hearts of men can be helped. We must avoid anything that will bring accusing fingers or queries on our selection or employment process.

*Is there any example for me to follow or not to follow?*

👉 Verse 19: *But you have this day rejected your God, Who Himself saves you from all your calamities and distresses; and you have said to Him, No! Set a king over us. So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.* No desire or ambition should push me to the point of becoming deaf to God's counsel. I must never get to the point of rejecting God for whatever reason. It is better to lose every other things of life and to gain God rather than to lose God and gain things. Whatsoever we gain outside God shall never advance or impact on our lives positively. I am still checking if the leadership of Saul had any positive and lasting mark on Israel?.

👉 Verses 25-26: *Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom [defining the position of the king in relation to God and to the people], and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of valiant men whose hearts God had touched.* This is an example to follow. Terms and conditions of service for leadership should be well spelt out and we should encourage those that the Lord has appointed as leaders over us.

Leaders should also pray that God will touch the hearts of the people. When God moves among the people, leadership becomes easy and less stressful. Results become great and visible.

👉 Verse 27: "But some worthless fellows said, How can this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no gift. *But he held his peace and was as if deaf.*"
This is always the case, no matter who is chosen as a leader, there will always be worthless fellows who will not accept leadership unless they are the ones. But because they are worthless fellows leadership will never be given to them.

The example for us to follow here is that Saul behaved maturely towards them. It is not important to be wasting time with people that will never see anything good in you.

Heavenly Father, please help me not to seek my own things and my own way but to always trust you for what is best for me, thank you Lord in Jesus Christ name Amen.

Good Morning!
Maranatha!!!