RIGHT LIVING
1. Living for God is actually living right.
2. It requires a mindset that is free from fear, ready to please God
3. A life of fellowship with God through His word daily
4. A heart that loves God and neighbours, a liberal and humble heart
4. A heart that loves God and neighbours, a liberal and humble heart
Introduction
The scriptures say that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is with the light, we have fellowship one with another.
Living for God daily is living in Light, living in honesty, faithfulness to God and man, obedient to God and every constituted authority. It is loving the Lord with all your heart and your neighbours as yourselves. God values love so much because with love, there will be a peaceful existence. With love in the heart, man will value the life of his fellow man and killing and other evil crimes will reduce.
When Jesus was asked about the most important commandment, he gave a simple answer, when He said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” Then he added, “The second is equally important: Love your neighbour as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). The absence of love could be hatred and all other evil works, which promotes the architect, the devil.
Love is the nature of God and one of the essentials qualities a believer must possess. These two simple commandments may look simple, but everyone knows how difficult it is to love your enemy and do good to people that attack and plan your destruction. But the moment you can pray a good prayer for your enemy, that resistance leaves you. One way to love difficult people, wicked and evil people who hate you is to decide in your heart that you will not hurt or harm any man.
Your hand will not be found in the death of anybody. That was what King David said and did, when King Saul was after his life, by all means. David decided that he will not lay his hands on God's anointed to kill him. God gave him the opportunity to kill Saul, but he refused to kill King Saul, who was pursuing him to kill him.
He did not see the killing of Saul, an opportunity to become the King of Israel, NO! He waited for God's appointed time for him to reign as King over Israel. A righteous man or woman is an instrument in the hands of God to do good.
When a man seeks to please God through obedience, such a person will experience the joy of the Lord on a continuous basis. The joy that money cannot buy is the joy of the Lord. It is felt by the person, regardless of the circumstances of the person. It is not the joy that comes with fat bank account or marrying a wealthy man, neither is it the joy that comes with a political appointment or even being elected a President.
If a man has joy because he got elected as a Governor or President, that kind of joy is temporal, it is for a short period of time and the joy will disappear. The joy of the Lord is the assurance we have in His word, His promises, which cannot fail. It is the joy of hearing His voice speaking to us daily and guiding our steps in this evil and adulterous generation. It is His love that is shared abroad in our hearts, His provisions we receive and enjoy every day, the assurance of His protection over our lives and that of our loved ones. It is His presence around us all the time, His angels that go with us each time and everywhere, it is the joy of knowing that we are never alone or abandoned...NEVER!
How to Love God with All Your Heart
Loving God with all your heart can be described as loving Him with passion and intensity. With all your soul meaning sincerely, most lovingly. 'And with all your strength' means with all our energy, with every faculty, with every possibility of our nature."
To love God with your heart means to devote yourself to pleasing the Lord in all your actions. It means to seek and serve Him diligently, praising Him daily and loving what the Lord loves. It means for your heart to be 'panting' for the Lord like the heart of King David.
We saw in the case of King David, a man that loved the Lord with all his heart, who obeys the commands of God without complaining. David would always seek the mind of God concerning almost everything, so he can be in God's will always. His love for God was tested and he came out clean. The Lord submitted the head of Saul to David to test his reverence for the things of God...thew Oil of God upon Saul and David spared the life of Saul because he was an anointed of the Lord and King over Israel.
No one that loves the Lord can afford to fail to execute God's command. Contrast that with King Saul, whom God told to utterly destroy the Amalekites for the evil they did to the Israelites when they left Egypt. Instead of obeying the Lord's command in full, Saul decided to share the King of the Amalekites and the fat cows etc, the error that made the Lord depart from him and his reign over Israel was aborted.
Loving God at all times is a day-to-day learning process. We learn more and more how to do it and keep on doing it and be established in righteousness. The secret of living happily in every situation is to stand on His word and promises. He said He will never forsake you, this you must believe and stand on, as an everlasting truth and declare victory in every bad situation in the name of the Lord.
To love the Lord with all your heart is to love Him in every situation you find yourself. When the going is smooth and rough. Loving Him with all your heart means all the time. It means to yield your will to the will of the Lord and serve His interest and divine agenda than that of yours. So, whether you receive answers to your prayers - His is still your Lord and Master. When He is silent, when God seems quiet when He says wait and finally, when He says no to your request. You will continue to love God even when bad things happen to you and there is confusion everywhere. You are able to see the hand of God in every circumstance you face in life and be assured He is working out something good for you.
How to Love God with All Your Mind
Now that you’re trusting in Him with your heart, you are not depending on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5. It is possible to know and believe in the truth of the Bible and yet still fall for many lies of the devil. You may even know that they are lies, but you still feel like they have a hold on you. Who am I to do this or that? I’m not good enough.
Many think of taking a short cut instead of waiting on the Lord for those important things they need the Lord to do for them. This person won’t listen to me. That other person doesn’t even care about me. No one will find out if I do this wrong thing. These are sundry manipulations of the devil. You should pray against lukewarmness, ask for boldness to stand on the truth you know.
When I depend on my own understanding, lies run rampant in my brain. Loving God with my mind means renewing my mind daily so that I think more of his thoughts instead of my own. I know his thoughts by reading the Bible. With study and meditation, His thoughts will begin to dominate my heart and actions. His thought dominating me means that the lies of the devil and its stronghold upon my heart are being destroyed.
Daily or regular study and meditating on the word will certainly see bring a transformation of behaviour as our eyes of understanding opens to see the lies of the devil and such lies are replaced with thoughts of God, those true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and virtuous thoughts. With a pure heart, your relationship with the Father blossoms and you can pray and receive answers. You ask anything in His name, it is answered, including for instance that the Lord should shield your heart and eyes from all evil. There is no better way to renew your mind than through the study and meditating on the word of God.
How to Love God with All Your Strength
Obedience is usually the watchword in our relationship with God. Many people study the bible regularly, but some find it difficult to obey the Words and instructions they see in the bible. If you will be happy to study the word, but unwilling to obey the instructions, what good is that to you.
For if I read God’s Word and don’t obey it, it does me no good. If I merely put the words into my brain without putting them into practice, it’s just an encyclopedia entry—only information, no transformation. Stepping out in faith and taking action enables me to live a life that is pleasing to God.
The scriptures say that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is with the light, we have fellowship one with another.
Living for God daily is living in Light, living in honesty, faithfulness to God and man, obedient to God and every constituted authority. It is loving the Lord with all your heart and your neighbours as yourselves. God values love so much because with love, there will be a peaceful existence. With love in the heart, man will value the life of his fellow man and killing and other evil crimes will reduce.
When Jesus was asked about the most important commandment, he gave a simple answer, when He said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” Then he added, “The second is equally important: Love your neighbour as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). The absence of love could be hatred and all other evil works, which promotes the architect, the devil.
Love is the nature of God and one of the essentials qualities a believer must possess. These two simple commandments may look simple, but everyone knows how difficult it is to love your enemy and do good to people that attack and plan your destruction. But the moment you can pray a good prayer for your enemy, that resistance leaves you. One way to love difficult people, wicked and evil people who hate you is to decide in your heart that you will not hurt or harm any man.
Your hand will not be found in the death of anybody. That was what King David said and did, when King Saul was after his life, by all means. David decided that he will not lay his hands on God's anointed to kill him. God gave him the opportunity to kill Saul, but he refused to kill King Saul, who was pursuing him to kill him.
He did not see the killing of Saul, an opportunity to become the King of Israel, NO! He waited for God's appointed time for him to reign as King over Israel. A righteous man or woman is an instrument in the hands of God to do good.
What did the bible say about Righteousness
Righteousness is a godly way of life. It is a life that practises goodness, an important attribute of God. Righteousness is practised, daily by those who understand what it means. It means to show people the love of God. When you see someone in need, help him. You see someone crying for help and you can assist him, do so willingly. As you celebrate with people who are free, visit people who are in bondage and those who are sick in different hospital and treatment centres. The bible says 1 John 2:29, that whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He (our God) is righteous. Also, everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him, for blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!
The righteous seek the things of God, His righteousness and organize their lives to please the Lord. The bible says such people shall be blessed. Those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, the Lord God will satisfy them.
To live and practice righteousness is to forsake evil and every dishonest behaviour. In Isaiah 33:15-17, the bible says that 'He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, he will dwell on the heights; his place of defence will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure. Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar.
There may be persecutions, trials and even hardship for the righteous, but there is also an assurance from the scriptures that if the righteous should suffer for righteousness' sake, in due time he will be blessed, so the righteous should entertain no fear, nor be troubled. In 1 Peter 5:10, the scriptures say, after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Life of Obedience
Believers are children before God, and as a child, your duty is to be obedient to the instruction of your parents and your life will be easy. As long as you are obeying your parents, they will be available for you and take good care of you. As it is with earthly parents and their children, so it is with our heavenly Father.
If we walk in His ways and do His will, we become His sons and daughters indeed and this is well-pleasing to Him. A life of sonship that will be pleasing to God will be a life lived in His presence with reverence, love and faith. If we live out His will, we become well-pleasing children and our earthly needs will be met.
In His presence is the fullness of joy, and in His right hand, there are pleasures forever (Psalm 16:11). By loving him with our heart, your heart is preoccupied with heavenly thoughts, thoughts of good and not evil, thoughts of how to please Him and not please yourself. When you love the Lord with all your strength, soul and ability, you will discover you are 'sold-out' for Christ, to do the will of God and fulfil your purpose on earth.
The joy of the LordIn His presence is the fullness of joy, and in His right hand, there are pleasures forever (Psalm 16:11). By loving him with our heart, your heart is preoccupied with heavenly thoughts, thoughts of good and not evil, thoughts of how to please Him and not please yourself. When you love the Lord with all your strength, soul and ability, you will discover you are 'sold-out' for Christ, to do the will of God and fulfil your purpose on earth.
When a man seeks to please God through obedience, such a person will experience the joy of the Lord on a continuous basis. The joy that money cannot buy is the joy of the Lord. It is felt by the person, regardless of the circumstances of the person. It is not the joy that comes with fat bank account or marrying a wealthy man, neither is it the joy that comes with a political appointment or even being elected a President.
If a man has joy because he got elected as a Governor or President, that kind of joy is temporal, it is for a short period of time and the joy will disappear. The joy of the Lord is the assurance we have in His word, His promises, which cannot fail. It is the joy of hearing His voice speaking to us daily and guiding our steps in this evil and adulterous generation. It is His love that is shared abroad in our hearts, His provisions we receive and enjoy every day, the assurance of His protection over our lives and that of our loved ones. It is His presence around us all the time, His angels that go with us each time and everywhere, it is the joy of knowing that we are never alone or abandoned...NEVER!
How to Love God with All Your Heart
Loving God with all your heart can be described as loving Him with passion and intensity. With all your soul meaning sincerely, most lovingly. 'And with all your strength' means with all our energy, with every faculty, with every possibility of our nature."
We saw in the case of King David, a man that loved the Lord with all his heart, who obeys the commands of God without complaining. David would always seek the mind of God concerning almost everything, so he can be in God's will always. His love for God was tested and he came out clean. The Lord submitted the head of Saul to David to test his reverence for the things of God...thew Oil of God upon Saul and David spared the life of Saul because he was an anointed of the Lord and King over Israel.
No one that loves the Lord can afford to fail to execute God's command. Contrast that with King Saul, whom God told to utterly destroy the Amalekites for the evil they did to the Israelites when they left Egypt. Instead of obeying the Lord's command in full, Saul decided to share the King of the Amalekites and the fat cows etc, the error that made the Lord depart from him and his reign over Israel was aborted.
Loving God at all times is a day-to-day learning process. We learn more and more how to do it and keep on doing it and be established in righteousness. The secret of living happily in every situation is to stand on His word and promises. He said He will never forsake you, this you must believe and stand on, as an everlasting truth and declare victory in every bad situation in the name of the Lord.
To love the Lord with all your heart is to love Him in every situation you find yourself. When the going is smooth and rough. Loving Him with all your heart means all the time. It means to yield your will to the will of the Lord and serve His interest and divine agenda than that of yours. So, whether you receive answers to your prayers - His is still your Lord and Master. When He is silent, when God seems quiet when He says wait and finally, when He says no to your request. You will continue to love God even when bad things happen to you and there is confusion everywhere. You are able to see the hand of God in every circumstance you face in life and be assured He is working out something good for you.
Now that you’re trusting in Him with your heart, you are not depending on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5. It is possible to know and believe in the truth of the Bible and yet still fall for many lies of the devil. You may even know that they are lies, but you still feel like they have a hold on you. Who am I to do this or that? I’m not good enough.
Many think of taking a short cut instead of waiting on the Lord for those important things they need the Lord to do for them. This person won’t listen to me. That other person doesn’t even care about me. No one will find out if I do this wrong thing. These are sundry manipulations of the devil. You should pray against lukewarmness, ask for boldness to stand on the truth you know.
When I depend on my own understanding, lies run rampant in my brain. Loving God with my mind means renewing my mind daily so that I think more of his thoughts instead of my own. I know his thoughts by reading the Bible. With study and meditation, His thoughts will begin to dominate my heart and actions. His thought dominating me means that the lies of the devil and its stronghold upon my heart are being destroyed.
Daily or regular study and meditating on the word will certainly see bring a transformation of behaviour as our eyes of understanding opens to see the lies of the devil and such lies are replaced with thoughts of God, those true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and virtuous thoughts. With a pure heart, your relationship with the Father blossoms and you can pray and receive answers. You ask anything in His name, it is answered, including for instance that the Lord should shield your heart and eyes from all evil. There is no better way to renew your mind than through the study and meditating on the word of God.
How to Love God with All Your Strength
Obedience is usually the watchword in our relationship with God. Many people study the bible regularly, but some find it difficult to obey the Words and instructions they see in the bible. If you will be happy to study the word, but unwilling to obey the instructions, what good is that to you.
For if I read God’s Word and don’t obey it, it does me no good. If I merely put the words into my brain without putting them into practice, it’s just an encyclopedia entry—only information, no transformation. Stepping out in faith and taking action enables me to live a life that is pleasing to God.
Here are simple ways to keep us focused on Christ.
Belief: - You must believe the gospel and the Word of God at all times and situations. You were created by the Word and the word in your heart and mouth is power in your hand. So you must study the word daily, obey it and walk in the light you receive from the Word ( 1 John 1:7 ) – the scripture says that if we walk in the light of the word of God, as \he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin.
Faithfulness – a believer must be faithful to every word and commitment you make to anyone, whether you brethren or others. Know that we are the light of the world, we are covenant children of God who must live above board. Unfaithfulness in your relationship with a fellow man will sell you off for the devil to afflict you.
Covenant: - Remember and pay attention to covenants and never enter into covenants you do not understand. In the house of your God, you are a covenant child of God who will bound to live by the covenants that God has ordained between Him and His children and in your relationship with brethren and other people, let not your word fall to the ground, think before you speak and be committed to what you agree with people, otherwise, you may never be different from the people of the world.
Be a man of integrity who keeps his word and mean what he says. There is the reality of life and we should walk in that reality blameless. Speak the truth always and every time and remain on the side of truth as a child of God and the light of the world – these are some of the realities of a life that pleases God.
Be a man of integrity who keeps his word and mean what he says. There is the reality of life and we should walk in that reality blameless. Speak the truth always and every time and remain on the side of truth as a child of God and the light of the world – these are some of the realities of a life that pleases God.
Walk by Faith in Newness of life and not by sight. Faith is believing and seeing what you have believed. Faith is speaking what does not exist as though it is existing and seeing it being established by the Almighty God. It is faith that established your dominion on earth and the only ingredient that pleases God. This so because God Himself is God of faith who created heaven and earth by faith. He spoke the Word of faith and the things were established, so without faith, you cannot please Him and your dominion will be far.
When you live by faith, your feeling and what is happening in the present will not matter much, rather you are saying what you want to see and not what you are seeing. You cannot be moved by the mischief of Satan and his agents because you know that things will surely happen for you. You will be celebrating even when the things you are suffering, but you know more than they do know that your God can never put you to shame and so, you are not moved by their antics. But the absence of faith means fear, anxiety and struggle, fight and all manner of self-defence etc.
Do everything within your power to have faith in God and His powerful works, believe in His Word and promises and apply the word in your daily living.
Study the Bible and pray daily – I cannot overemphasize the studying of the Word daily and meditating on it to receive instructions from God. When you are studying the word, you are studying God Himself and He will take care of you. He will transform your life, desire and taste etc from worldly to heavenly. You must know that once your desires change to heavenly, you will become a stranger to your friends and relatives and if care is not taken, persecution may start from the very house of your birth.
You may not know, some of them may be in darkness and your being in the light and walking in that light is contrary to them and the dictates of their master - the devil. Be ready and well prepared for righteousness persecution which will surely happen if and when you rise up to be identified with Jesus Christ. You cannot escape it or avoid if you really want to live holy, in light and please God.
1 Keep your mind stayed on God – Isaiah 26:3 and grow in grace and all godly virtues of grace and God. 1 Peter 2:4-10. You have the power to stop the devil from attacking you or your family Luke 10:19 – Behold I give unto you power. You can stop the devil from tormenting you or afflicting your body or even afflicting you with poverty. You must grow in the spirit and exercise the power of God in you. With your mind stayed in God, you have power and you are empowered to rule in their midst - Psalm 106.
Recognize your weaknesses and pray to God to help you – for He is all-powerful and the only helper of mankind. Work on those weaknesses to change them to strength, remember that God has given the power of choice and that we control our body, appetite and taste and not that those things control us.
Confess the Lord Jesus Christ daily as your Lord and personal saviour. Enthrone Him in your life and make Him all and all in your life.
Remember to confess your errors and sin, when you fall into sin and cry to God for forgiveness and restoration. This means that you must be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy on you to reveal some wrongdoings or errors you might have committed unknowingly. Remember to repent of your sins daily and always, confess every error and wrongdoing to God, your heavenly Father daily as they occur and be determined to sin no more.
FIRE...
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