Memorize: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
Devotional Reading: Acts 19:1-20
The story of Cornelius is one that is contradictory because even though he was a Gentile, the bible refers to him as devout, having the fear of God with his house, and as one who prayed always. The fear of God simply put can be defined as living under God consciousness in all we say and do, you consult God before you take any step; you live continuously under the consciousness that you want to please God in all you do. It is important to
note that Cornelius must have been a class act or an outlier because it was rather unusual to find a Gentile that was also God fearing, seeing that it has become few and far between to find Christians that are genuinely God fearing in the times we are living today.
The average Christian today believes they can do whatever they want, even if it has some elements of sin in it, and ask for forgiveness afterwards thereby abusing the grace of God. This takes us to the question, “Do we truly understand what it means to be a Christian?”
It has become quite onerous to tell the difference between the average Christian, the church and the world. If we for one moment consider ourselves and conduct an honest and sincere check, we would be found wanting. Many acclaimed Christians live a life of double-standards; a private life and a public life.
The private life of such Christians represents their real life with many secret sins they don’t want people to know about while their public life
is our make-believe life, which they present to those around them.
Some of us have lived this lie for so long that it has become a part of us to the point that we can no longer see the wrong in having secret
sins because our conscience has been so seared and we are no longer sensitive or hearing from God.
There are some men of God who we look up to in public as role models but who beat their wives in private. There are people who publicly judge sexual immorality but live riotous lives in private. There are people
who serve God publicly but at night consult satanic altars in search of powers to perform miracles.
When will we stop deceiving ourselves and abusing the grace of God?The Bible states We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing” Ezra 10:2 Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”We can’t continue to hide under the grace of God as an excuse to sin and think we will make heaven. As a church and body of Christ, we are suppose to shape the society, but rather we have become the reflection of the world characterized by unforgiveness, hate, wickedness, immorality and competition amongst church leaders. At this point, we need to repent and retrace our steps back to God, asking HIM for the grace to consistently live in the fear of God. By doing so we will take
back our positions as the light of the world in Jesus name.
I pray for someone that from now you will no longer live a life of double standards, rather, you will live in fear of God in Jesus name
Prayer point : O LORD, plant your fear in my heart in Jesus name.
Key Dose: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
Pastor James Ademuyiwa
Senior Pastor (IHPCT)
