God will often allow us to see what happens to people who do wrong to others. Most times we become frustrated, when it seems like people continually thrive from doing wrong and taking people for granted. There are numerous examples of millionaires who pay their employees meagre wages while they take home large salaries. What is the punishment for people who continually treat people unfairly?

David has many comforting words for us about the wicked. “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” (Psalm 37:1-2) It was David who also said, that it almost caused him to stumble when he saw the prosperity of the wicked. He was envious of the wicked and considered that they had no trouble while they were alive. David dedicated an entire chapter to this. I like the end of the chapter when David went into the house of the Lord to gain further understanding. (Psalm 73:1-17)

God revealed to David how he dealt with the wicked. “Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.”(Psalm 73:18) David admitted that he was ignorant before God and confessed his bitterness. David ended with worship and adoration to God and acknowledged the goodness of God. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” (Psalm 73:25)

The truth is that we are human and like David, we can harbour bitterness towards people who are wicked and seem to prosper. We can feel anger and resentment towards people who have mistreated us and appear to continue to prosper without any consequence. David’s prayers and revelations show that no sin goes unpunished. When we trust in God and surrender our hurt and worries to him, he will avenge and there is a reward for every wrongdoing.

“When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.” (Proverbs 11:10)

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Paul reminded the Christians in the Hebrew church about the importance of marriage. He warned against adultery and sexual immorality, as this would attract the judgement of God. I am generally surprised when someone tries to justify pursuing a relationship with a married person. The justification is often that, ‘maybe they married the wrong person.’ Why would anyone want to be the person to put another person’s marriage to the test? God is serious about his judgement against those who fail to respect other people’s marriages.

God created a system of marriage for men and women to help each other grow and develop. I believe in a marriage, our assignment is to help make each other better. God wants us to have companionship and created the marriage union as a means to bring order to society. “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him”” (Genesis 2:18).

Ever wondered why children whose parents get divorced sometimes end up with emotional difficulties? God hates divorce and Jesus said in Matthew, “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6). I appreciate that there are instances when a marriage is no longer healthy due to abuse and persistent infidelity. It is never wise to advise a person to stay in a marriage where there is abuse. Infidelity is one of the occasions when God says that he permits couples to get a divorce. Some couples are able to work through challenges including infidelity with the help of a counsellor.

Either way, even healthy marriages experience seasons of challenges. God expects married people to put each other first above all else. This also includes parents and extended family. The survival of godly marriages, will depend on couples having the ability, to set and maintains healthy boundaries to protect the sanctity of their union.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).

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Yesterday we started to discuss how God views false prophets who use his name to prophesy falsely. We see other accounts of false prophets in the Old Testament and one story of significance relates to a young prophet and an old prophet.

There was a King at that time in Israel who built golden calves for the people to worship and an altar for the people to sacrifice. A young prophet came out of Judah and prophesied against the altar. The King stretched out his hand to give the commandment for his men to seize the prophet. The King’s hand dried and the altar was torn down just as the man of God foretold (1 King 13:1-5).

The King begged the prophet to pray for his hand to be restored and he did and his hand was healed. The King was so grateful that he begged the prophet to return to his house for a meal and to be refreshed. The prophet declined and explained to the King that God had warned him not to eat or drink with anyone, but to return to his own home.

An old prophet was told the story about the young prophet. He went on his way to meet him, convinced him that he was also a prophet who had heard from God. He told him that God said it was ok for him to eat. The young prophet agreed and while he was eating in the old prophet’s home, God spoke to the old prophet. The revelation was that the young prophet would die on his way home because of his disobedience (1 King 13: 6-22)

As it turns out, the young prophet was killed on the way home by a lion. The story reinforces the point that we need to hear from God for ourselves. Did the old prophet lie or was he testing the young prophet to see whether he would obey God or listen to man? The reality is that the scripture does say that the word of the Lord came to the old prophet concerning the young prophet’s disobedience. Either way, he had clear instructions from God concerning what he needed to do and he caused an old prophet to tempt him into disobedience.

Forget about people’s titles because none of that impresses God. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8).

Jeremiah wrote letters to the children of Israel who were in exile in Babylon. His guidance for them was to build houses, marry and have children and to pray for the welfare of the city where they were living. Jeremiah went further to warn them not to listen to the false prophets and diviner’s who were among them who prophesied lies.

God offered comfort to his people that he had a good plan for them. His plan was to restore them to their place of promise. God spoke concerning the false prophets, who were prophesying lies to the people in his name. “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes”(Jeremiah 29:21).

Jeremiah spoke regarding God’s anger towards other prophets in the land who prophesied falsely. “therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord’”(Jeremiah 29:32).

God may not exact such vengeance against false prophets in this time, because we are living under the dispensation of grace. We however, have to be circumspect enough, to not believe every prophecy that we hear. God warns us to be discerning and to test the spirits to see whether they are of God (1 John 4:1). We also have to measure every prophecy against the knowledge of God’s word.

Furthermore, you will seldom receive a prophecy about your life, that does not relate to something that you already know, a desire that you have, a prayer or a private request to God. Even true prophets can miss God or misinterpret revelation, because everyone is human. It is important not to put anyone on a pedestal. Instead make the time to cultivate your own relationship with God, so that you are able to hear from him for yourself. More so pray for God to increase your discernment so that you can test what is good or evil.

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We need faith and confidence in God to consistently maintain an eternal perspective. One where we maintain our focus on God’s goodness and not on our challenges. Disappointments and set backs are a part of our journey and like David we can stumble when we consider the prosperity of the wicked. David said he envied the arrogant (Psalm 73:2-3).

Since the word of God stands true, we have an assurance that the righteous will never be forsaken, nor shall his seed be in want of bread (Psalm 37:25). Sometimes we worry when it seems like people who do wrong, go unpunished and we doubt God’s ability to avenge. God’s word does not lie and he declares that whatever a man sows that he will reap. It is true that God will exalt the humble and bring down the proud who exalts himself.

We have to remember the power and dominion that we have as saints of God and the fact that our victory is guaranteed. Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14). There is strength in God and he longs to show himself strong through us. We are his work displayed and God will use us to demonstrate his power to the world.

We need to take our positions, stand in the word of faith and be ready to be used by God. God has given us authority and once we understand who we are in Christ and what he calls us to do, then our lives will never be the same. Be encouraged because God will strengthen us to pass the test and to be victorious.

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Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and the scripture says that the people were surprised by his teaching. Their surprise related to his use of authority which was different from the scribes. I had to look up the role of the scribes to see what was so distinctly different, in the way that they taught. They are referred to as knowledgeable about the law and could draft legal documents. It was interesting to read that although the scribes were knowledgable about the law and scriptures, that the people viewed Jesus as demonstrating an authority which was different to theirs.

Later on in the story, there was a man with an unclean spirit who recognised Jesus and said, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are— the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). Jesus rebuked the spirit, commanded him to be silent and to come out of the man. The unclean spirit came out of the man at Jesus’s command. “And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him”” (Mark 1:27).

Jesus first demonstrated authority through his understanding of the word and he taught the people with boldness. He commanded a knowledge and interpretation of the scriptures, which was different than even the scribes who understood and practiced the law. Jesus then demonstrated authority over unclean spirits and used this authority to command them to leave the man alone.

We have the same authority which Jesus demonstrated and his promise is that we have the ability to do even greater works (John 14:12). The same power that lived in Jesus Christ and raised him from the dead lives in us. We have this power over every evil that lives in the world. We have the authority to command sick bodies to be healed and for people to be delivered and set free. “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭19‬).

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God created us to dominate over the other species and elements on this planet. We are the salt of the earth; the light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:13-14). Salt helps to preserve food and we act in this manner to preserve the earth. Light draws attention and separates the darkness. There are people who are desperate to see our light in a dark world. So we shine our light through our example of love and showing the world who God is.

As children of God, we are described by God as head and not tail, above and not beneath, when we keep the commandments of God. (Deuteronomy 28:13). We are the righteous of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 2:21).

Head and not tail means that we are expected to stand out wherever we go, in order to advance the kingdom of God. Being the righteousness of God sets us in right standing with God, which frees us from a sin conscience. This sets us free from guilt and shame which brings about insecurities and a sense of inferiority. Living with this sense of dominance builds our confidence in knowing that the greater one in us, is greater than he who is in the world.

We don’t achieve dominance through our own strength, but by the spirit of the Lord that lives in us. We can be assured that we are strong in Jesus Christ. Mighty through God to pull down strongholds and powerful enough to destroy the powers of darkness. No weapon or scheme formed against us is allowed to prosper when we know exactly who we are, when we remain seated with Christ Jesus, far above principalities and powers. Your assignment is to dominate in the marketplace, in whatever field or sector that God has assigned you to as a kingdom ambassador.

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We have to guard our minds, against deception and seduction, by reinforcing our thoughts with the word of God. The battle against us begins in our minds and our thoughts determine our lives (Proverbs 23:7).

Not everything is as it seems, on the surface and we cannot take everyone or everything at face value. Yes, we need to be accepting, loving and forgiving, but the reality is that some people are masters of deception, manipulation and control. We need the ability to discern, in order to protect ourselves. ‘Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God’ (1 John 4:1).

Either we operate through the work of the Holy Spirit, or there is another spirit operating through us. It is having the spirit of discernment, that will help us to determine what spirit is operating through others.

We learn through scripture, that even the devil knows how to masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). This is how he managed to deceive Eve in the garden, with his tongue of deception, and Eve’s mistake was to stop and listen. What is certain is that there are some people who do not deserve our time and having conversations with them is unlikely to produce anything good.

It can be hard at times, when the person with the spirit of deception, is a Manager or someone with authority over us. Pray for the spirit of boldness, to address the spirit of deception. Ask God to dethrone persons in positions of power and authority, who use their positions to deceive and manipulate others. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).

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God will heal all who are broken in spirit and bring freedom to those in mental and emotional bondage. Early negative experiences can put chains on the mind and limit our thinking, to other people’s definitions of who they think we are. Negative parenting can create a very skewed reality of ourselves and create difficulties in the way that we relate to others.

When we come to Jesus he makes us brand new. The old self and image is done away with and he gives us a brand new identity (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our past does not have to define who we are and it does not determine where we are going.

Jesus came to show us the way to a brand new reality. “To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:2). With God we have divine favour and the Holy Spirit is our comfort and guide. God can replace the old negative experiences and challenges that we faced with good things and give us a new life.

Jesus came to grant to those who mourn in Zion; to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning; the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he maybe glorified (Isaiah 61:3).

Our lives are hid in Christ and in him we have a brand new identity. Give God your negative experiences and tell him about every place where it hurts. God will heal you if you surrender to him.

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After Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan river, Jericho was the first battle which they encountered. Jericho had huge walls surrounding the city and they made sure that no one went in or came out to keep out Israel. God’s strategy for Joshua was to march around the city once for six days with all the men of war. On the seventh day, they would march seven times and then the Priests would blow the trumpet.

“And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him” (Joshua 6:5). The people obeyed the instructions from Joshua and as they blew the trumpet and shouted, the walls fell flat. Israel was able to go in and take possession of the city as God had promised (Joshua 6: 13-25).

The strategy of marching around the walls worked for Israel because they listened and obeyed God. It may not have made a lot of sense to the natural mind, how marching around a city would gain victory. God honoured their obedience and it was not by their power or strength, but by the spirit of the Lord (Zechariah 4:6). Our battles belong to God and when we listen and obey his instructions, we are guaranteed victory.

There may not be physical walls standing in front of us, but some obstacles and challenges seem insurmountable. There is no barrier that is too hard for God to overcome. No problem too big for God to solve and every wall of segregation, separation, debt, illness is coming down in Jesus’ Name. We surrender this difficulty to God and we raise a shout of praise and glory to God because he has already promised us the victory.

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

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