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Practising Peace

   “ Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. ” John 20 : 19 - 21 KJV The major significance of John 20 is its focus on the restoration of peace to the troubled and scattered disciples of Jesus CHRIST. The unexpected end of the earthly ministry of their Lord had brought them into hiding, fear, and intimidation by the authority of the religious and Jewish practice system. Therefore, the resurrected Jesus came repeating “ Peace be unto you” , not just for mere greetings; the disciples needed a reassurance of the practice of peace to withstand the intimidation of the Jewish system. And when...
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Spirit Strength

  “ And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. ” 1 Samuel 30 : 6 , 8 KJV Without the benefit of the spirit strength, everyone can relate to the complete emotional collapse of strategies based on sight strength. Prior to the discovery of the defeat and destruction at Ziklag, David had been disappointed by the failed trust by the armies of the Philistines. One of the resources of sight strength in life is the building of alliances, relationships, and social diplomacy; and a crack in this sight strength in the assessment of David must be a serious concern to his continuous dependence on the alliance with Achish. Therefore, it...
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Guiltless Guts

  “ And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless? David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish .” 1 Samuel 26 : 9 - 10 KJV Lack of guts in life often makes many people appear to be pious and principled. Whereas, the true character of people is usually exposed when opportunities and privileges present themselves. But a man whose heart is graciously saved and sanctified for a glorious service of the Lord has got guiltless guts. For example, even the testimony that David is a man after the heart of God was scrutinized again with an express opportunity to kill king Saul, but he chose the guiltless part. Apparently, God sedated Saul and his guards to present David with the test pad for his guts; and he passed the test. Unfortunately today, believers do readily spurn several opportunities and privileges that ...
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Healthy Heart

   “ And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD .” 1 Samuel 24 : 5 - 6 KJV The action of David confirms the basis of the Lord’s choice as his possession of a heart after God’s heart. It implies that a healthy heart will always keep God’s holy heart, irrespective of the provocation by its surroundings and the oppression from evil hearts. Like it is effort in futility for anyone to try to control the avalanche of oppressive tendencies and pressure-triggered psychosis in his homes, workplaces, and societies; everyone can focus on his daily aerobic exercises and discipline with good diets to control the tendency of his slipping into the regime of high-blood pressure. Here, David got smitten in his heart to prevent manipulation by Saul’s...
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Cult Cut

  “ Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” John 18 : 10 - 11 KJV By “ the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? ”, Jesus teaches Simon Peter and all His disciples to be careful of the tendencies to cut divinely assigned cups for the fulfillment of purpose in life. Calvary or crucifixion is the cup ordained as the plan of redemption,  and it wasn’t up for cut in Christ’s consideration and submission to the will of the Father. And like the prayerless Simon Peter was unprepared spiritually for the moment, Christians are readily manipulated by their emotions in their moments of social, physical, and financial vulnerability to cut the cup, instead of cutting the cult of confederacies against the counsels of God. For example, the war of words o...
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Mercy March

  “ O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, When thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: Even Sinai itself was moved At the presence of God, the God of Israel. ” Psalm 68 : 7 - 8   The reason why we often consider wilderness experience as a mess march is that we are fixated on our plights and the challenges of dryness. Whereas,  “ O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, When thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah “ teaches the awakening of the soul to the manifestation of God in the wilderness of life. For example, the over 11 years wilderness experience of David, while awaiting the physical  manifestation of his anointing as the king of Israel, produces the development of skills, the revelation of divine strength for war intelligence, human capacity and empowerment strategies, etc..all in a show of God’s mercy march. And when the psalmist says “ The earth shook, the h...
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Preserving Peace

  “ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16 : 33 KJV Just as the quality of preservatives is known in the coven of corrosion and corruption, the gift of peace is appreciated in moments of trials and tribulations. The evidence of God’s abiding presence is believers’ calmness and comportment in the midst of chaos and controversies. Unlike the propensity of prosperity, power, and position with agitation and anxiety at every outburst of emergencies, peace removes fear from the affairs of the righteous and places it at the doorsteps of the wicked. For example, even when David was surrounded by the envious king Saul and his enchanting servants, who were constantly plotting for the destruction of the anointed of the Lord, the preserving peace on David brought him wise comportment in all his engagements. The secret of every believer’s preservatives is found in “ ...
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