What are you standing on? Are your Christian values easily compromised? Are you prone to sin easily and without much temptation? Are the people around you showing Godliness or are you just trying to fit in? Take a listen and be careful of the quicksand!
Enjoy the video!
Sermon Notes: https://www.heartofgraceministries.com/blog/after-the-fact/watch-quicksand/#.VfoZbtJVhHw
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
What are you standing on?
Quicksand (Sand easily moved or readily yielding to pressure)
69 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.
The Rock (as support and defense of his people)
2 There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
32 For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?
2 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
25 As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Deuteronomy 33:24-29
[24] And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
[25] Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
[26] There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
[27] The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
[28] Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
[29] Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
The Children of Israel through the leadership of God and obedience of Moses were delivered by blood through the Passover and were led safely through the Red Sea. Now we find the last words of Moses to his people, giving Asher assurance for all of his days.
God knows all of our days. We will have difficult days ahead with toils, trials, temptations and tears. God knows the future from the foundation of the world. God knows the limits of our strength, for God must know this so we can be equipped each day. God knows our breaking point. He knows the day s when we feel at the end of ourselves. Best of all, God cares!
You see, God compensates for our weakness with His strength. He shall strengthen our hearts and renew our strength. His strength (grace) will be sufficient for all of the things we face.
Joshua 3:9-17
[9] And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
[10] And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
[11] Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.
[12] Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
[13] And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
[14] And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
[15] And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
[16] That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
[17] And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
They crossed the Jordan River and were reminded of the Red Sea. This was a confirmation moment for Joshua to realize his authority in God and the favor he was given to lead the children of Israel.
Joshua 6:1-2
[1] Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
[2] And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
It was humanly clear: scale the walls, beat down the gates, and tunnel in at night. At least for our human perspective the only way to take things are by our own devised cunning strategy and force of will.
Joshua 5:13-15
[13] And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
[14] And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
[15] And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
Encounters with God empower faith.
Joshua 6:3-14
[3] And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
[4] And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
[5] And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
[6] And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.
[7] And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
[8] And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
[9] And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
[10] And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.
[11] So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
[12] And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
[13] And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
[14] And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
All of God’s blessings come by faith.
Faith requires our obedience.
Faith without the works of obedience is dead.
We will reach our blessings by abiding in faith!
Just think of how foolish that it must have appeared to look to those that were residing in Jericho. God’s plan takes that appearance to the world, but if we will abide in His will and plan we will overcome!
Acts 9:1-9
[1] And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
[2] And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
[3] And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
[4] And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
[5] And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
[6] And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
[7] And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
[8] And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
[9] And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
We open up with the last moments that we know of as Saul of Tarsus. Saul was a Pharisee that intensely pursued the destruction of the church. In his last moments we find him in business as usual on his way with letters of arrest for people that were followers of Jesus Christ, also known that time as “the way”.
We can definitely conclude that God loves all mankind, even those that were bad. God finally saw the moment to give Saul the chance of a lifetime. His life was finally ready to be converted. There is a difference between having a religious change of mind and having a real conversion. Just because you have a praying mother does not mean that you have been converted. And just because you have come to an altar before and had a preacher lead you in prayer does not necessarily mean you have been converted. For when you are converted you accept by faith Christ is Lord in your heart and then it becomes a personal experience and relationship for yourself! You begin to follow Gods will and not your own.
Paul’s opening words from his encounter with Jesus was a question that will be your evidence of the transformation that took place: Jesus, what will thou have me to do? Or more plainspoken: God, what can I do for you? And if God would have left Paul there, it would have been justified to sit in the state of blindness. However, God’s love was proven as He spoke to Ananias and led him to lay hands upon Paul to receive healing and the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9:10-19
[10] And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
[11] And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
[12] And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
[13] Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
[14] And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
[15] But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
[16] For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
[17] And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
[18] And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
[19] And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
Here we find that the annihilation of his prior sins would then receive God’s love through the Holy Ghost and his eyes (as well as the unseen purpose of his life) are then opened. The letters he once walked with to destroy the church are now converted to living by the letter of love and life everlasting. They were the pages of the lamb’s book of life. Now we find that the word starts to go forth unto the Gentiles.
Acts 9:20-23
[20] And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
[21] But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?
[22] But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
[23] And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:
And as he takes his first newborn steps we find where we are today. Empowered, yet with enemies in pursuit to continue the vengeful actions that were was left behind by Saul.
Mark 8:22-26
[22] And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
[23] And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
[24] And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
[25] After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
[26] And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
Sometimes we have to be led out of what is hurting us before our vision can be healed by Jesus. He touched him once and he could see a little, but after the second time he caused him to look up. By this point it was fully restored and made whole!
If you ever know or learn anything for the rest of your life then you need to know when you have that conversion with Jesus! If you have not yet, there is hope for you to step out and receive the greatest thing that will ever happen to you!
II Corinthians 10:1-6
[1] Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:
[2] But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
[3] For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
[4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
[5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
[6] And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
How do we revenge our disobedience? Being willing to face the conflict! When you have a stronghold in your life only you can deal with it. People that intercede can take you so far but you must decide to fight the good fight too much. You cannot conquer what you will not confront. God has a weapon for every stronghold on your life. You must begin to see these strongholds as something that you must confront.
The work of the ministry is a spiritual warfare, with spiritual enemies and for spiritual purposes. Deliverance begins when we understand what it is that is holding us. People that will not begin to acknowledge that they have strongholds, done things wrong, or any form of bondage are limiting how far that we will go, limiting prophetic encouragement and our spiritual potential.
Acts 19:11-19
[11] And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
[12] So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
[13] Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
[14] And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
[15] And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
[16] And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
[17] And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
[18] And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
[19] Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
If you are ever going to confront and overcome with success you must learn not to try to conquer things on your own. We must learn that we cannot do this on our own!
Judges 16:16-21
[16] And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
[17] That he told her all his heart, and said unto her. There hath not come a rasor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
[18] And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
[19] And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
[20] And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
[21] But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
Just admitting our weaknesses only makes us more prone to fall short. We must not give into weakness and still think we can overcome. We must learn to face the weakness by the spirit so that we go from being a people that cannot do it to people that know that they can win. It is very easy to fall into traps by giving into the enemies’ temptations. We must rebuke!
1 Peter 1:3-7
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
[4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
[5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
[6] Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
[7] That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
We are kept by the power of God through faith and not just to faith alone. It needs nurtured and stirred!
1 Corinthians 2:2-5
[2] For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
[3] And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
[4] And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
[5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
You can be wise in this world and lose your power in God! Be careful to abide in the true strength of God’s spirit!
Genesis 37:5-11
[5] And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
[6] And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
[7] For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
[8] And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
[9] And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
[10] And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
[11] And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
Sometimes we often want to go straight from God’s love and favor to being in riches and reward…and at times in your obedience there will be direct and indirect types of persecution from those that would be envious or jealous of the anointing in your life! Be careful and be aware of the first steps that must be taken for the blessing.
Genesis 39:1-4
[1] And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
[2] And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
[3] And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
[4] And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
Even after being sold into slavery Joseph still had favor. He still had some proving and testing to do by enduring suffering and resisting the temptations of the enemy.
Genesis 39:19-23
[19] And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
[20] And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
[21] But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
[22] And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
[23] The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.
Joseph had no family for any comfort. Potiphar chose Joseph’s prison to be the best of the worst…the prison of the king. However this was just another step in the process.
Always remember: a person living for God will live for God no matter where they are in life, and will be blessed in bondage and banishment. Let us never forget that through Joseph to see Jesus, who suffered being tempted, yet without sin; who was slandered, and persecuted and imprisoned, but without cause. Who by the cross ascended to the throne! Let us be able to follow the path of suffering to glory!
So here we are at the conclusion of this series with part three. First off, I will open up with the word here:
Proverbs 16:1-7
[1] The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
[2] All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
[3] Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
[4] The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
[5] Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
[6] By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
[7] When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
When it comes to addressing honor a big question to ask ourselves is what can we commit to God to produce it? As we would make a formal choice for purchasing items or to have a relationship with someone, it is clearly easy to see that every individual will commit to something they find of value, right? When we begin to realize the worth of the power that God we will not only want it but to commit to it!
In reading the above scriptures, I must first come to the long version of the final conclusion: yielding yourself completely to God will produce love, which in turn brings a desire to WANT to honor God by changing your life to do His will. Honoring God by devotion and obedience causes you to not only be aware of the will of God which in turn will come to the main points of honor: praise, selfless acts, and charity.
In closing, I give you the short and sweet version. If you love God, you will honor people which in turn honors God.
Take the time for those around you and honor them while you are still able and capable of doing it. Do it in great big things and in the small things no one will be able to give you credit for. Honor people just because, and most of all honor God! Doing it will not only bring glory to the kingdom but will promote the highest standard of God-like characteristics that you can have here on earth!
There is a specific phase of life that we all go through at some point; for this specific case I will call it the “no one listens to me” phase. I have been in this place before and have some thoughts I would like to share in relevance to this topic.
You may be one out there that cannot get anyone to hear you out when you are attempting to actively convey your feelings. Not only do you feel like your words fall on deaf ears but what was heard is heard is often misunderstood. Others out there may be looking for someone to volunteer to listen (like a friend or family member) but they are too busy or are never available for devoting attention. In this type of behavior people without being aware will begin to prolong their troubles, having no place to deal with the issues, resulting in an attempt to bottle everything up inside. This is not only a cut off an outlet for expression but oftentimes leads to a decline in joy, peace and rest.
There have been other moments in life where people would talk to me about getting upset that no one else asks about their well-being (especially in hard times) and how it would cause them to value their friendship/kinship to them. I have asked back before, “well, have you tried asking first” but am often cut off with “they should ask me first!” Needless to say its amazing at the type of behavior that can not only produce a lack of care but a receive-only attitude.
It would be impossible for me to list every scenario, but what is important is that in some way we all arrive to a feeling or notion that we are alone and not heard. I write this to you today for you to be made aware of one of the most vulnerable and used moments that the enemy takes advantage of you to draw you from God.
So the question is, What to do when everyone stops listening? Pray of course!
I am confident in these words: God hears you when you pray! By Christ’s sacrifice for our sins we can and do have access for asking on behalf of our troubles! What a wonderful pleasure that is found when you talk to God! Surrender your heart to the Lord and begin to communicate in prayer and this will be the beginning of change through faith and obedience. Trust me, when you feel the power of the comfort of God you will begin to understand that you do not need anyone to understand other than God. This will not only comfort you but will allow you to be the leader to someone else to help them deal with their cares of life.
I also want to add this: Being social is not the same as being concerned. Being social will not involve additional effort other than that which promotes the popularity of an individual. Being concerned does not care about social status or popularity and allows a venue to demonstrate the love of God towards another person.
In the first part of “The Honor Code” we discussed the definition of honor and how that is represented in everyday life and to God. I know that in deep evaluations of where honor is shown in my life helped me to conclude that there is far more work to do! The second part of this that I want us to consider is the actual actions and after-effects that genuine honor brings to any situation. As an example, let us say that I tell a colleague that works in the same field at my employer that they do great work and are very talented at what they do. When I make this statement it first does something to me: it acknowledges that there are other people around me who are capable of doing great things. This in principle is a very humbling thing to do as this takes away from a persons agenda at being the best or ‘above’ others. One of the worst attitudes that a person can attempt to live in is a perspective that “I can do everything just fine on my own”. This is an honor-less attitude. The sad fact is that we often dwell in this attitude without being completely aware of it showing up on us.
Here is a nugget that speaks of in part to brotherly love: you will want to prefer someone over yourself and will not have to give yourself credit to find favor or honor.
Trust me, if you do a honoring thing in obedience to loving your neighbor, God will not fail in giving you all the credit you deserve by the blessings you receive.
Let us consider one more example in Gods word: Jacob and Laban. In the first agreement that Jacob and Laban had there was a person Jacob wanted to be with: Seven years for Leah and seven for Rachel. Jacob was with Laban twenty years in all. Can you begin to imagine working fourteen years for something and not receiving all of what should be honored to you? This sounds absurd before the end of the story, but the part that speaks to me is the honor that was shown by staying there and continuing to work for what he was aiming for. For the last six years Jacob was with Laban his request was for the speckled and spotted among the goats and all the black sheep as his own. He did so, and his own flocks grew very large. In Laban’s honor-less attitude he began to move the spotted and speckled to their own area so the flocks would not continue to grow. In hearing this I am glad to know that even when the enemy begins to work against you that God begins to continue your love by giving favor in situations with impossible odds! You see it did not matter what Laban attempted to do to hinder the prosperity of Jacob because God had come on the scene.
I encourage you to receive with gladness is: when living a life of honor you are strengthened by God’s love and are prospered by God’s favor that exceeds all laws and physics of man.