TEMPERANCE–self control 2

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”
― Lao Tzu

 

 

The greatest enemy to us is not the devil but self,the greatest battle we need to fight is not that against the devil because he is already a defeated foe but it’s the battle against self,for if you can defeat yourself and put yourself under control every other thing about your life would be settled.

 

THE PRODUCT OF A SELF CONTROLLED LIFE AND A LIFE OF LACK OF SELF CONTROL.

• Moses was a man who was called by God to lead the children out of egypt,but he allowed the lack of control of anger to make him miss out from entering the promise land – God asked Moses to speak to the rock but the children of Israel vexed Moses and because he couldn’t control himself at that time,he struck the rock,and brought the anger of God on himself. Numbers 20:1-13.

Moses didn’t enter the promise land because he lost his temper and disobeyed God in the wilderness of Zin.

If we loose control we can loose something we may never get back during our life time.

Anger in itself is not sin,but when in our anger we loose control we can do things that we will regret and sin against God.Moses' lack of control kept him from the promise land.The bible says “be angry and sin not,do not let the sun go down on your wrath” Ephesians 4:26.

The bible uses two words in Ephesians 4:26 "be angry and sin not,don't let the sun go down on your wrath”.

Anger is a strong feeling of displeasure and the word translated anger here is “orgizo” meaning to provoke to anger,to arouse to anger,to bring a feeling of displeasure,that alone is not sin,but wrath on the other hand means vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger,so wrath goes a step further to take actions on your anger that’s when it becomes sin,the word translated wrath here is “parorgismos” meaning indignation,exasperation,when anger grows to wrath its sin.

Proverbs 16:32 declares “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty;and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” this tells you that self control is much better than been a warrior,a warrior that cannot control himself is certainly going to fall,samson is a clear example of a warrior who could not control his lust and he lost his glory.

• David a king that could not control his lust for sex – 2Samuel 11-12.

This is a very profound story,when kings were supposed to go to war King David stayed back and sent his men to go for battle,David was at the wrong place at the wrong time,he was supposed to be at the battle field and not at home,we must understand timing,we should be at the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

This was a sign of laxity,woe unto him that is at ease in zion,the bible teaches us to be sober and watchful,be at alert for our adversary the Devil moves around like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour,the period of laxity is the period of vulnerabilty,and now satan knew when to strike,David was alone and just woke up from sleep in the cool of the evening,the time,the place and the settings.

The common english bible said “David woke up from sleep on his couch,and he was pacing back and forth on the roof of the palace,from the roof he saw a woman bathing and she was beautiful and good to look upon” David was pacing back and forth,the king was alone and bored,also very vulnerable and he lost control the minute he saw the woman bathing from the roof of the palace.

This tells you that then,their bathrooms had no roof,for david to have seen her that much and of course the kings palace was huge,he sent for her and he had sex with her.The king lost control of himself and also used the control as king to get her to sleep with him,even when he knew she was married,who is she to say no to the king?

David had committed sin against God and against Urial the husband of the woman David slept with Bathsheba.David in his bid to cover the sin from the man Urial asked Joab to put Urial in the hottest part of the battle,where Urial was killed,this was a king out of control,one sin leading to another sin,now God who sees everything was angry,David thought his sin was covered,yes from man but not from God,how sometimes we commit a sin and try to cover it from man,but we cannot cover it from God,he will expose it in time.

Because of lack of self control David incurred the wrath of God.But was forgiven after he cried in repentance for mercy,but the son that was born from the Adultery was killed by God and also Rebellion was birth as a result of the sin,God had to judge the sin,there was no record of David indulging in that sin again.

• Joseph a man called the dreamer,who was hated by his brothers because of the dreams that God gave him,he was sold and traded to a rich man in egypt called portiphar,pharoahs chief officer and a commander of the royal guard,a man of influence in egypt,we will see how Potiphar's wife had eyes on Joseph and asked Joseph to have sex with her – Genesis 39.

Joseph had grown to become a successful man,even in egypt as a slave to Portiphar and knowing that God was with Joseph,he made him, head over his household,Joseph was his direct personal assistant,and God blessed portiphar because of Joseph.The bible records that Joseph was well built a very handsome man and good to look upon also.

Potiphar's wife had taken notice of Joseph and got attracted to him,she wanted him to have sex with her, “sleep with me Joseph,she said” but Joseph been a man who feared God and had respect for his master refused,to sleep with her,saying “how can I commit this great sin before God” it would have been a good opportunity for Joseph to have fun,at least there was no record of him having sex before now.

She continually stressed Joseph with the request to sleep with her and am sure she made him promises,but Joseph continually refused,then she nursed a plan against him,on a particular day,she sent all the other servants away,such that Joseph was left alone in the house with her,she tried to force herself on Joseph but Joseph struggled his way out of her hold,but she had his garment with her,he ran off almost naked.

On the return of portiphar,she accused Joseph of trying to rape her,this was what led to Joseph been imprisoned,imagine if Joseph had slept with Potiphar's wife,he probably would have missed out of Gods purpose for his life.He put himself under control and he kept his eyes on where he was going,I wonder what you would do,if you were in Josephs shoes?

• Achans lust for material things cost him the wiping out of his lineage – Joshua 7:1-12,19-26

Achan took what belongs to God for himself,what was reserved for God,out of his lust for material things,this brought the anger of God on the children of Israel,that they were defeated in their battles.Joshua inquired of God why and God told him there was sin in the camp,Achan was searched out and discovered that he took a sacred thing,what belong to God,though he asked for mercy but the sin had to be dealt with and the camp cleansed.

How sometimes we toil with sacred things,that belongs to God,we attract Gods judgement on ourselves,because Achan could not control his lust, he and all that he had and all that was with him was stoned to death as judgement for his sin.God will always Judge the sin,the fact that you are forgiven does not mean that the sin will not be judged.

• Even Jesus was tempted by the devil,Jesus just ended his fast and the bible says he was hungry,satan showed up and tempted him but Jesus defeated the devil with the word of God still,though he was hungry,he didn’t allow his hunger to make him fall for the devil,he stood his ground,he had control over his stomach “Man shall not live by bread alone but by the words from the mouth of God” Matthew 4:1-11.

To be successful in our walk with God we must like Paul put ourselves under,discipline ourselves constantly,so that we will not be a cast away,after we have preached the word to others we miss the prize,God forbid.Self control is important for success in life and in our walk with God.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified 1Corinthians 9:24-27.

TEMPERANCE–self control 1

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”
― Lao Tzu



The greatest enemy to us is not the devil but self,the greatest battle we need to fight is not that against the devil because he is already a defeated foe but it’s the battle against self,for if you can defeat yourself and put yourself under control every other thing about your life would be settled.

WHAT IS TEMPERANCE
Temperance according to the Webster's dictionary means self restraint in conduct,expression,indulgence of the appetites,moderation;In other words temperance simply means self control.
According to our text in 2Peter 1:6 “Add to knowledge temperance” the word temperance is translated from the greek word egkrateia meaning self control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions,especially his sensual appetites).
The word of God is complete and gives us a guide on the christian life,we are talking about how you can be fruitful in your faith walk,that we need to add certain other virtue to our faith to bring about a victorious and fruitful christian life.
We talked about virtue – which is the resolve to stand for what is right; we also talked about knowledge – which is knowing all about your christian faith,how can you defend properly what you don’t understand,now we will discuss briefly temperance which is also self control.
Temperance is last in the list of the fruit of the spirit not because its least in importance but because it binds all the rest together.Temperance is a word which covers the whole field of emotions and passions,control of spirit,body and mind.It has to do with enemies within the lust and passions which war against the soul.A whole army storming on the outside,is less than a single enemy within the walls which gives over the key to attacking forces.
Temperance is vital for success in life,whether in the faith walk,in business,in marriage,in career,without temperance or self control we will certainly not be able to achieve our goals,because we constantly have to fight with self in our journey of life and the faith.
Man has learned to control nature around it,now we can even put the weather under control,we can make rain fall,we can now tame animals such that even dangerous animals like lions and tigers and bears are under the control of man,we can now control the spread of fire,we have fire fighters but man has not been able to control himself.
A fire out of control destroys everything in its path,but a person out of control is even more worse – our world is destroyed,relationships are destroyed,everything noble right and true is destroyed.We must master the art of self control,bringing ourselves under.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT A MAN WITHOUT SELF CONTROL

1. A man without self control is like a city broken into and is without walls – this simply means that a man without self control is without defense,without a covering.If he is broken into and without walls it means he is open to attacks and is exposed to the enemy.Proverbs 25:28.The king James uses the word rule,control,restraint over himself.
2. The man that exercises self control is the man that will certainly win the prize – Know that the christian walk is a race for an eternal prize and anyone that will excel must have self control,without it success is not guaranteed.To be a success in the race just like the athlete you must apply self control in all things,you must apply restraint.1Corinthians 9:24-27.
3. Self control is vital for achieving your goals in life – Athletes exercises self control in all things,to be great at the race or any other sport you must bring your body under subjection.You must give yourself to consistent practice,you must have eating some meals,you must avoid some persons and so on,all this is part of putting your body under control,if you must succeed.A man with self control has goals and does everything to run towards those goals and disciplines his body so as to achieve them.
4. Self control is a product of grace – The grace of God that has appeared bringing salvation to all people,training us to live self controlled lives.The christian life is not that of struggle,living a life of self control becomes easy when we walk in the grace that we have received through Christ Jesus,the day we became born again.The grace of God makes it easy for us to live a life of restraint. Titus 2:11-14.
5. The Spirit that we have received from God is the spirit of power,love and self control – 2Timothy 1:7. We have the ability to live a life of restraint and have a successful christian life.

FAITH + VIRTUE + KNOWLEDGE

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
― Stephen Hawking



We taught that faith is acting on what you believe and virtue to mean standing for what you believe,especially for what is right and just.
But the Bible also says “add to virtue knowledge”; lets just rest and define knowledge according to 2Peter 1:5.

WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE
Firstly lets define knowledge according to Dictionary.com “Knowledge is acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition”
Simply put knowledge is the acquisition of facts,the gathering of information,and knowledge in us is power in its potent form.
A person full of knowledge is potentially a powerful individual,and can be distinguished from his peers,sometimes the difference between two people is in what they know.
Knowledge must be acquired first before its put to use,if you don’t have knowledge how can you apply it? so its important that we acquire knowledge and it can be acquired through study and research.
In the processing of data,the first step is to gather information,then the information gathered is processed to data,then its useful.But first, information must be gathered.
The word knowledge in 2Peter 1:5 is the greek gnosis meaning general intelligence,understanding,knowledge of the christian religion,deep and perfect knowledge of this religion.It is gotten from the root word ginosko meaning to learn to know,come to know,perceive,feel,to have knowledge of.
I have met christians who claim to be christians without the basic knowledge of salvation.Knowledge is vital for success in the christian work and here I am talking about general knowledge about the christian faith,not revelation knowledge.When you become saved at first,you need the knowledge about your faith,to be able to stay in the faith.
In the book of Hebrews paul in his writing shows us some very basic foundational information that every child of God should have in their walk with God.The very elementary principles of the christian faith,things every new christian should know,I would state them below as paul listed them,Hebrews 6:1-2;

1. Foundation of repentance from dead works
2. Faith towards God
3. Doctrine of baptism
4. Doctrine of laying on of hands
5. Resurrection of the dead
6. Eternal Judgment

These are the elementary knowledge every believer should know,they are basic and it’s the foundational knowledge of every child of God.Some of us have been saved for many years without any solid foundational information on all that is stated in Hebrews 6:1-2.
The understanding of repentance from dead works,understanding our faith and some of the doctrinal issues that is the dividing issue between different denomination today.No information is useless,you cannot be a mature christian without the knowledge of the issues above,issues about the rapture and the ressurection of the dead,and eternal judgement.
The reason is that so that we can grow unto maturity and no longer be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine,by the trickery of men,in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,this is why we have the five fold to teach us,so that we will become solid in our knowledge of God.Ephesins 4:14.
There are all kinds of doctrines out there that teaches us something entirely different from the truth,if we lack knowledge how can we speak the truth in boldness.Ephesians 4:15
In the last days many will be deceived from the truth,even the elect the bible says will be deceived from the truth.The bible speaks of false teachers who will show up in the last days teaching deceptions and drawing many away from the truth,we see that even in our days many are deceived and drawn away from the faith.
The knowledge of the faith is very vital if you will stay and stand strong,the greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge;assuming you know when in reality you don’t know.There are so much knowledge I grew to accept without checking it for example we are taught in school that there were three wise men that visited christ but in actual fact the bible never mentioned three wise men but the bible said “wise men from the east” Matthew 2:1.
So many issues that are controversial today even about the rapture and the judgement,and so on.Its important we study to show ourselves approved of God,everyday we meet people who lack the knowledge if we take time to study and gain knowledge we will be able to help those who are actually ignorant.
So add to virtue knowledge,develop an inquisitive mindset,learn to ask questions ,the more you study the more you know.
Assumed knowledge of a thing leads to foolishness and there is no excuse for that,grab every opportunity to learn and better your knowledge of God.
Many false teachers are out there but the greatest tool you have as a defense is your personal knowledge of God,that you have checked and discovered.
Faith needs knowledge so we don’t work in foolishness.

ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE
Paul spoke to the Roman church that they had Zeal without knowledge,Romans 10:1-3; and proverbs 19:2 says “its not good to have zeal without knowledge,nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Zeal is good but should be according to knowledge,so many people have taken certain steps and made terrible mistakes because of lack of knowledge.

Knowledge is very important in the walk of faith,don’t be hasty and miss the way,we make decisions based on zeal without knowledge,add knowledge,stop assuming you know when you don’t,give time to study and research,find out all you need to know about God and the faith.You are Gods workman but you must show yourself approved of God,to remove shame.
If we must experience the very full blessing of Faith we must add knowledge to our faith work,study and study and study.

VIRTUOUS FAITH

“Add to your faith virtue” 2Peter 1:5



The Christian walk is a walk of faith,when you receive Jesus as your personal saviour you receive the measure of faith according to Romans 12:3.We all receive the same measure of faith at salvation,that’s why the bible didn’t say a measure of faith but the measure of faith apportioned to us by christ himself.
But that measure of faith is just a potential and God expects us to grow in faith,from glory to glory,your growth is important.
The bible shows us what we need to do to grow,in 1Peter 2:2 says “as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word so that you may grow thereby” and in Romans 10:17,the bible further says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” so for us to grow our faith we must give ourselves to hearing of the word.
You cannot grow spiritually except you eat spiritual food,so if you must grow in faith walk with God you give yourself to the hearing of the word.note the bible didn’t say reading,it says hearing.Hearing by the word is what brings about your growth in faith.That's why we need to position ourselves in a church were the word is taught for real,cause this is the only way we can actually grow in God.
So when you become saved you should desire the milk,(milk is for newborn babes in christ),the sincere milk of the word,and this desire will pull you to be a part of a christian gathering.I remenber years ago when I and my brother got saved we went from place to place looking for a church since were we where the word wasn’t taught,we kept looking till we found one and that desire made out growth faster.
But just getting faith is not enough God intend that we actually leave successful lives and for that to happen there are some other important character that we must add to our faith to make it more productive.
1Peter 1:3-4 – tells us that God has given us all we need for life and Godliness and he has bestowe on us his precious promises,but for us to actually walk in those promises and see the effect in our lives we need to walk in and by faith,but having the faith isnt enough we need to add to our faith virtue,so lets find out what virtue is.

What is virtue? 1Peter 1:5;
Virtue is defined by the dictionary as “moral excellence and righteousness or an example or kind of moral excellence” the quality and practice of moral excellence is what we call virtue.
Also when translted from the text in the greek it also means moral excellence.
Morality is a character that is hard to find in our society today or the lives of individual. Morality is defined as  the quality of being in accord with the standards of right or good conduct.Morality speaks of how we live our lives according to the standards of good and bad,we know the difference of what is right and wrong.
Christianity is a way of life, a lifestyle,that’s why in Romans 1:17  the bible says “the just shall live by his faith”,so we live the christian life by faith.
The bible says further that without faith it is impossible to please God,so you can be all good and God will not be pleased with you because your morality is not based on the foundation of the God given faith,that we receive through Jesus Christ.
The word of God stands for what is good and right,and never what is bad.The bible in 1st John 1:5; teaches us that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
Morality teaches us to live the right life,you don’t have to be a chritian to live a life of morals,before I became a born again christian I was brought up in a home with the right sense of morals,and I was taught to tell the truth all the time,taught that stealing was wrong,and to always stand for the truth.
Though being morally alright does not guarantee you eternity and a right stand with God, but its essential for a successful life.The law is essential and it teaches us morality,in the old testament they had the ten commandment,that was a guide on how they lived their lives and all of the laws we have in this world today are built out of the ten commandments.
The God given faith empowers us to live the right life without struggle,that’s why we need the God kind of faith to be successful in our walk with God and in this life.
Add to your faith virtue,God wants us to live right at all times,he wants us to be an example to the world,such that when they look at us we are a clear description of what God desires.
We no longer walk by the law but by grace and grace is powered by love,where we are not forced to do anything but because of our love for God we do what is right toward God and toward man,to live a successful life we need to work at always doing what is right,no matter the circumstance.
Tell the truthg no matter the cost,stand for what is right at all times even when it doesn’t favor us,that’s what we are talking about.
Today the moral standards in the world has dropped,things that we did not allow are now accepted all in the name of civilization,any pattern of life that is against the purpose of Gods word is totally not accepted.You can not lower our standards because of civilisation.
Morality teaches us to stand for what is right at all times,so God says add to your faith virtue,stand for what is right,don’t compromise your moral standards all in the name of “God will understand”.
The bible says when you add virtue to your faith and all the others mentioned you will not be barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ.
How can we prove our calling when we lower on our standards,standards at work place,standards for writing examination,right now people cheat to pass exams,pay money to get lecturers to give us grades we don’t deserve,we can not overemphasize corruption in our various countries and the lowered standards in politics.
So many have sold their birthright for just a morsel of bread.The disciples were called christians first in antioch because they were christ like,they stood for christ and lived the life.
We need to raise the moral standards,those of us that are christians have been called to show the world how to live the right life and by how lifes others will conme to the knowlkedge of christ,we need to show the world the great gain in living the right life and standing for what is right.People do wrong because they believe that been good or standing for the right brings us under oppression and slow results,but the truth is when we don’t compromise we cause God to quickly come to our rescue.
The bible calls us the light of the world and the salt of the earth,without us how will the world know the right life,we are Gods representatives here on earth,his ambassadors.

Paul in philipians 4:8 tells us further that “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things”

If there be any virtue,if there be any praise,think on this things,so the question is our decision and actions should be based on the standards of virtue is there any virtue? if you read verse 9,it says and the God of peace will be with you,so the quickest way to get the God of peace to come to you is to stand for what ius right at all times.

THE POWER OF PERSISTENCE

“The most important factor is persistence – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come” James Whitcomb Riley







A group of frogs were travelling throughout the world and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop jumping out and consider themselves as dead. Finally one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as high as he could. Once again the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even higher and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs asked him, ‘didn’t you hear what we were telling you?’ He replied to them that he was deaf and could not hear them. They were all amazed and they continued with their journey.
There are many secretes to success in life but I believe that persistence is main,because no matter how much you know or have you will go through some tough time but not every one holds on to the end,from the story above one of the frogs gave up and died but the other kept deaf ears to the discouragements of others and he survived because he kept on going. In order to succeed we need to pay a deaf ear to the negative and discouraging statements from others and pursue after our dreams until we get  it.
Those who stay till the end will eat the fruit of the land,if you fall and give up you will certainly not eat the good of the land.Give the pursuit of your dreams all of your best,don’t give up before you try,keep trying till you hit at your target,don’t take no for an answer. Tough times don’t last but tough people do,people who give up easily will never fulfill their dreams.

THE PERSISTENT FRIEND – LUKE 11:1-13 Jesus while teaching on prayer,in the book of Luke 11:1-13,he used the story of two friends to illustrate it.
“Suppose one of you has a friend and he goes to him at midnight and says ‘friend lend me three loaves of bread,because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me and I have nothing to set before him”
 Then the one  the inside answered “don’t bother me,the door is now already shut’ and my children are in bed with me,I cant get up and give you anything”
 I am sure,some of us will be angry that someone came to your house at that time to ask for anything,the guy wasn’t complaining that he doesn’t have bread but that the door was shut and they were sleeping,so he couldn’t open the door to attend to him.
But Jesus said “I tell you,though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend (take note of that), yet because of the mans persistence,he will get up and give him as much as he needs”
Persistence will get you the answers to your needs,someone once said, “life does not give us what we deserve but what we demand”.Some of the wealthiest people today are not necessarily the smartest but because they never gave up on their dreams,they are the success they are today.
He didn’t attend to the man because he is his friend,but the guy refused to stop knocking at the door,till he was attended to. Jesus in conclusion said in regards to prayer,”Ask and it will be given to you,seek and you will find,knock and the door will be opened to you,for everyone who asks receives,he who seeks finds and to he who knocks the door will be opened”
 sometimes we ask and we don’t receive not because God didnt hear us ,or he was sleeping but because we gave up too soon,other versions say keep asking,keep seeking,keep knocking,don’t stop,for anyone who keeps asking will receive and the one who keeps seeking will find and the one who keeps knocking the door will be opened unto him,so the bottom line is continue at what you are pursuing and you will certainly have it.

THE PERSISTENT WIDOW – LUKE 18:1-5 Another story showing how persistence produces result; A widow who needed justice over a case went before a judge who neither feared God or man,for sometime he refused to give the widow justice,but the bibble says she kept bothering him till she wore him out with her plea,that he gave her justice not because she was a lady that was helpless no,but because she bothered him continuously.Trouble is no respecter of sex.
Don’t allow your energy and strength to be dampened by the discouraging words from others,keep your eyes on the mark and press on till you get there.You can make it,you will survive,you have the energy on the inside of you,people will tell you give up,just like Jobs wife asked Job in his troubled times to cause God and die,but he refused and made up his made I will wait until my change comes,don’t give up now your change is coming,you have come too far to turn back,you are closer than you can ever imagine to the fulfillment of your dreams.
 In been persisten you have to stretch yourself beyond limits,practice more to be better,cut on the fatty foods to loose weight,keep doing it till you get your goal.Sometimes people will discourage you and tell you,that you can’t,that you are a failure,because of one mistake,they write you off totally,they tell you that you will never succeed,you will never be a good singer,you will never be good at anything,the minute you listen to those things you actually begin to fail,pay deaf ears to those words and keep saying to yourself yes I can make it,yes I can be the billionaire and be the best against all odds,yes you can



They told Bishop T.d. Jakes that he would never be a singer because of his cracked voice,that he could never be an author because his writeup sounded too poetice,but against all odds,he refused to accept their conclusion of him he instead believed Gods word of him and today he is a bestselling author and a musician,he became a success at all they said he wouldn’t do.
 Refuse to believe other peoples conclusion about you,you are who God says you are,change your perception about yourself,work hard at your dreams and you will get it. Its not over until you win,don’t give up,fight,fight,fight,fight,till you win.

THOUGHTFULNESS

"Remember there is no such thing as small act of kindness.Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." Scott Adams

Kind,caring and considerate behaviors stem from thoughtfulness.It grows out of a conscious awareness and compassion.

Having or showing heed for the well-being or happiness of others and propensity for anticipating their needs or wishes.
It doesn't mean twisting and bending out of alignment to meet the needs of others,but it flows from a heart of compassion.

Today,we leave in a world,where people have closed their bowels of mercy and are no more kind to others,lets look at a few reasons why people have become hard and thoughtless.

Fear is the main course for thoughtlessness and the reluctance we attach to helping others.What are thses fears;

• Fear of been taken advantage of by others 

This comes as a result of lack of trust for others,some people have had bad experiences from helping people in the past and because they were dealth with badly,they have closed their bowels of mercy and made up their mind not to show kindness but to be unconcerned.

• Fear of being hurt by others

We are so afraid that we might be hurt by others,most of our fears come from the results of the experiences we had or the experiences of others. 

• Fear of no reward

some of us expect our reward from people,especially when you help them,so people dont want to help you,if they know they will not be rewarded or paid back.
But there is enormous rewards for been thoughtful,lets see a few persons that showed thoughtfulness and how they were rewarded;

• THE SHUNAMMITES WOMAN (2Kings 4:8-17).

The shunammite woman was a rich and well respected woman in her society.

Elijah was a prophet of God who went to visit shunem .The woman was obviously a kind hearted woman,that she offered that the prophet comes to eat at her place,since he always came around.

She was not only kind but sensitive,to know that elijah was a Holy man of God(2kings 4:9)

She prepared a room just for him,so he could lay his head to rest whenever he came around.

Elijah never asked for help from her,but out of her thoughtfulness she did what she did to make the prophet comfortable.

She didnt help because she wanted something from the man of God,like most of us do;you give money to a man of god because you want prayers,not like its totally wrong if you are lead by Gods Spirit and you have understanding,even when the prophet asked what can i do for you?she told him she was comfortable,"I have a home amongst my people"v13.

This is a woman without child,i know how people run from one church to the other looking for a child,that some are led astray,but because of her thoughtfulness to the prophet of God,she evetually got a son of her own.

Imagine if she wasn,t thoughtful,the prophet may not have noticed her,and she may not have gotten the miracle.

Be kind at all times,let your kindness not be only when you are alright and happy,make it a habitual thing.

You will reap what you sow,when you are kind to people you commit them to be kind to you too.Dont allow bitterness and hurts to stop you from receiving your blessing.

• THE SHEEP'S AND THE GOAT'S (Matthew 25:31-46).

Sometimes in our faith walk,we focus on doing big things,but Jesus is even more concerned about the little things that we pay no attention to.

Matthew 7:22-23 "many will say on that day'lord,lord,did i not prophesy in your name,and in your name drive out demons,and perform many miracles? Then i will tell them plainly 'i never knew you,depart from me,you evil doers"

The miracles,the prophesies and the number of demons you cast out,certainly won't count,on that day of judgement,but the very little things,that we give cognition to,are what will count.

"For i was hungry and you gave me something to eat,i was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,i was a stranger and you invited me in,i needed clothes and you clothe me,i was sick and you looked after me,i was in prison and you came to visit me"Matthew 25:35-36

You would have thought like me,that the king would be more concerned about,"how much time you spent in church,or how many activities you particpated in."

These guys did not know when they did all this,they had a habit of thoughtfulness and they did all this to others not knowing it was the lord.

They asked him,"When?",because they don't remenber doing it to Jesus.

The king replied "When you did it for one of the least of these,brothers of mine,you did it for me."

There are people we see everyday,in our churches,where we live,less privilledge,we ignore and refuse to help them,we close our bowels of mercy.

Who would have thought,the king would look from that area,those things we think don't matter,really do matter the most.

Hebrews 13:2,furthers show us that sometimes when we are thoughtful to others,we sometimes helped angels."Some entertained angels without knowing"

• GET A WIFE FOR MY SON GENESIS 24:1-26)

We see a beautiful story here how, Rebekah's thoughtfulness earned her a husband.

Abraham was old and going to die,he made his servant vow to go to get a wife for his son Isaac from amongst his people.

When Abraham's servant finally got to the town of Nahor,knowing the seriousness of his mission,he prayed and ask God to lead him.

Seeing many beautiful damsels,he needed to be certain he had the right one,for Isaac.

He prayed "may it be that when i say to a girl,please let down your jar,that i may have a drink,and she says'Drink and i will water your carmels too'Let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac.By this i will know,that you have shown kindness to my master"

Just after he had finished praying,here comes sweet Rebekah;

She did exactly what the servant of Abraham had asked God in prayer.

This event shows to us that Rebekah was always a kind woman,to feed the servant was one thing but to feed carmels was another thing.

She earned a husband when she wasn't looking for one.When you are thoughtful,prospective husbands will look for you and not you looking for them.

Men out there are not just looking for beautiful women,but kind hearted women to marry,are you one?

When you have an opportunity to show kindness,always grab it,because you don't know who you are been kind to,be thoughtful always.

We are not kind because we want a reward,but kind people always get good things and kindness in return in a double fold,you loose some contacts because of your attitude of thoughtlessness,don't allow your fears make you loose out on your blessing.

GO TO THE ANTS

"Go to the Ants you sluggard;consider its ways and be wise"

Proverbs 6:6

There is always something to learn from all of Gods creature.When you look around life,you will find something to learn.

The bible teaches to be wise as serpents,and harmless as doves.The wisdom of the serpent might be useful sometime in life and the harmlessness of the Dove.

To teach us the dangers of laziness,God asked us to go to the ants.He tells us to learn valuable lesson.I guess you are asking,what is it we can learn from the ants?

• ANTS TEACH US TO BE SELF MOTIVATED

"It has no commander,but it stores up provisions in summer,and gathers its food at harvest"Proverbs 6:7-8.

Self motivation is very important for success in life.If you will prosper at anything you start you must be self motivated,its a character that businesses look out for,from employees.

No one carries a whip after the ants to ensure they work,there are no time cards in the anthill.They have no captains,yet self motivated and ensure their work is done.

Life will not always be rosy,sometimes it will be frustrating,but if you are self motivated you will make it through.

You may not always have people to commend you and sing your praise,but you have to find a way to encourage yourself,when the ships are down,keep going when its even harder.

As matured folks,we no longer need someone to stand behind us to ensure that work is done.

When no one is watching,motivate yourself and get the job done,encourage yourself.

• ANTS TEACH US TO LOOK TO BE FUTURISTIC

"Stores its provisions in the summer and gathers its food at harvest."Proverbs 6:8.

In the summer and in the harvest,food is plentiful.Yet the ant refuses to take her ease,working harder,storing up against the coming scarcity.

Most of us are not futuristic with our lives,we are very careless how we handle matters.

We must understand that there are different times and seasons,we must know that when you have a season of plenty,you should expect that a season of drought will come,but a wise man is not affected by that season of drought,because during the season of plenty he saved for the drought season.

"The ants are a people not strong,yet they prepare their food in summer"Proverbs 30:25.

Our greatest failings is that we are very short sighted in our approach to life,we think of only today and we fail to plan and save for tomorrow.

Its Gods desire that we are well provided for,but you have a part to make this a reality,plan for the future,don't waste all your resources today,assuming that you will be okay tomorrow,like the prodigal son,who squandered all he had,most of us are like that in our attitude.

Some of us,sit down and do nothing,just assuming that it will be okay,we must prepare for the consequences of our action or inaction.

Poverty and scarcity is sure to hit the man,who fails to save and plan for the day of scarcity.

• ANTS TEACH US TO VALUE HARD WORK

Solomon shows us another man, "How long will you lie there,you sluggard?when will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep,a little folding of the arms to rest- And poverty will come on you like a bandit,and scarcity like an armed man."Proverbs 6:9-11

Laziness will certainly lead to poverty.There are no poor ants,because the ants work very hard.

Hard work is vital for success,working smart can't take the place of hard work,you must put all your energy to the execution of your goals to get results,as you work hard,you find ways to work smart,don't just sit down there and assume that its all going to be well.

Poverty is not Gods will for any man,but anyone who's is lazy will likely be poor,will likely lack.Proverbs 10:4.

We need to begin to see work as a blessing,because work gives us the opportunity to maximize our abilities and make wealth out of what God has put in us.Show me a talented man and i will show you a man who is hardworking.

Sleep is a gift from God,but there's time for everything,a time to work and a time to sleep.But a lazy man sleeps at the wrong time,we must be wise.

"A sluggard does not plow in season;so at harvest time he looks and finds nothing."Proverbs 20:4.