This week, I want to point your attention to a trend that is fast choking out the expression of God’s glory in many. It is a subtle way the Devil uses to make unsuspecting believers lose what is due them. This action just raises a boundary around such persons to accessing the fullness of God. Yes! It is possible to be in the house of bread and still seek for bread. Gehazi lived in this and ended up with leprosy as against the double fold anointing of Elisha. Let me show you this as you go on into the week.
I was under a ministration in course of the last week and the minister of God highlighted three major things that may not make a man finish well from the book of Psalms and one caught my attention which is what I want to share with you.
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” Psalm 1:1
There are three things above that automatically make blessing a default operation in a man’s life: not walking in the counsel of the ungodly, not standing in the way of sinners and not sitting in the seat of the scornful. I am taking the third one today and would write on the other two next week.
To scorn is to despise, mock or deride. So, the scornful are those who are found in the act of despising or mocking that which is of God. This comes in two ways; the first is to be found sitting with people who have taken the duty of speaking ill of the body of Christ. It has become almost very normal today to see believers speak about a fellow believer or a father in the faith in a manner of scorn.
David was always on the run as Saul sought to take his life. Even though the anointing of kingship had moved to David, he still honoured Saul as the man chosen by God to lead his people. On several occasions, Saul tried taking the life of David, but the Lord delivered him always. For years, David could not have a life of rest and at some instances, David had the opportunity to take the life of Saul, however he never did.
David was still on the run when suddenly a man brought the News of the death of this arch enemy of David. The man was an Amalekite who killed Saul and gladly brought the crown to David. Ordinarily, any rightful thinking man would say this should excite David as the enemy of his soul was down. He never rose to rejoice at the fall of God’s appointed even though it was obvious God had departed from Saul. In fact David’s men who at a time had counseled him on killing Saul had come to that place of knowing honour for God’s chosen that they all became sad on hearing the News. David immediately ordered that the man who brought the news of having killed Saul be killed for he had killed God’s appointed king. (2 Sam1)
You may not be like this man, bringing out your sword to physically slaughter God’s appointed; your words, association and actions can be doing so. When you become very energetic when it comes to speaking ill of God’s appointed whether confirmed fallen, about to fall or still standing, you have taken a seat with the scornful. Interestingly, all those who have come to give their life to Jesus are now God’s chosen, so it is not just about those in the five-fold ministry.(1Pet2:9).
People who sit with the scornful don’t go far. Saul was already rejected by God way long, and despite that, David still accords him that honour of being the appointed one of God. This may look so simple in today’s digital world. Even though God had replaced Saul with David, He never made David a judge of the life of Saul and David understood this well. He could go far.
The second way you can take a seat with the scornful is how you handle it when you are the subject of the scorn. Jesus was scorned at the cross “you said you could build the temple in three days, why not save yourself then”… these are the kind of words that sends people into self-pity. Anytime you meditate on such words, you are beginning to take a seat with the scornful. There is a likelihood you withdraw from pressing in more into God when scorners brings such words but Jesus knew the glory set before him, He had no point to prove to the scorners.
He never meditated on their scorn. When you begin to take meditation of the scorns of the scorners, you are already sitting with them. So, someone say to you all that you know is going to church and still you are not rich, don’t have a child, still jobless or sick? Don’t take a seat with the scorner; it’s a plot to take you far from the blessing.
When you meditate on the words of the scornful, you will take a seat, and those who take such seat never amount to anything!
I hope you get this!
Have a Blessed Week.
Be Innovated
Olufemi Ibitoye
Great message for a new morning and week. Permit me to share this piece with my workers at a meeting on Sunday. God bless you. Stay innovated
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