A life learnt from David in Psalms 27

 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

David is sure of whom the lord is, he said the Lord is my light and my salvation. How did he became so sure about how God would defend him and how God would grant him victory. Notice David is not praying for protection nor is he seeking wisdom and knowledge from the Lord of what will become.

He is so certain that all things in his life was ordered and he seems to understand why he is going to be a winner man in all these things. This is what David reveals to us as he pens this beautiful Psalm. One thing I have desired, he desired only the Lord. This is so profound, David in his life only lived to fulfil one thing ; that is  to be with the Lord and beholding His Glory.


This was the source of his understanding and wisdom. This is why David was so confident in the face of trouble. All he sees was the beauty of the lord and God's love for him. His eyes were fixed on the one thing he desires so much even in the times of trouble.

He understood that  if he focuses on God the attention of God would melt mountains and levels all the unequal ground. Above all else he understood that God would fight for him because He was a friend and a companion of God and God enjoyed his worship and fellowship.

Our challenge in the 21st century is that we seek what God can do in our lives and yet neglect Him as our Father. We forsake that beautiful relationship of beholding His glory and of staying in His presence. This is what separates  us from David. We are always fearful and when we are in trouble we see defeat and often times we give up and fall by the side.

David shows us three important things which he sums up as the one thing he desires that can help us to live the life of victory in Christ and be able also to empower us to manifest the Glory and grace of God on earth.

1. Dwell in the house of the lord : the word dwell means to stay, to remain and to abide. David demonstrated what Christ would instruct us in the book of John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Dwelling in the house or rather in the Lord is to remain in  Christ, allowing the nature of Christ to operate in your life through faith. Just like Paul who says "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

  Dwelling also implies  to be rooted in Christ, planted in His nature and becoming one with Him. Thus to help us dwell in the lord we must appreciate our divine position in Christ which was evoked by His resurrection to glory.


Remaining in Christ as  alluded by John entails that we need to allow the word to be one with us. Dwelling in Christ is dwelling in His word, staying and planted in the word with practice correspondence of the word. Being one with the word .


Above all else to dwell in Christ is to remain in His love, God is love, the nature of God's being is love so by dwelling in Him we are dwelling in love.  Let the love of God which we are surrounded by be a reflection of your being.

Yes David desired to dwell, to remain and to abide in the house of the lord where he participated in adoration and fellowship. In His presence there is nothing more that seeing His Glorious presence and brilliance light of life.

Notice in this place David  is not seeking after God no he is already with the lord and seeks to spend time with the Lord. This is the type of people God is seeking after, Do you see that when your heart is right you do not seek after the lord, He seeks after you.
John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him

2. Behold the beauty of God. This is powerful when you take time to just behold the beauty of God. This was the key for his transformation and greatness, as you behold His glory you surely transform to the form of that Glory. We eventual becomes that which we worship, the art of worship is that one of beholding, admiring and cherishing.

3. To inquire in his temple , take time to converse with the lord, let your worries be known to him. Allow the Spirit of the Lord to share the Father's instructions and guidance.

Genesis 25:22
And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb,
And two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowels;
and the one people shall be stronger
than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Our challenge still in our Morden church comes in one form, we fail to progress with the revelation of the scripture, the first we hear about enquirer is between a person and God, and in the times of the prophets we now see people going to enquirer from the prophet to hear from God on their behalf.

It's a tragedy to still live in this old way, where people only believes that one person is used of God to hear and to speak with God. David intended to dwell in the house and enquire of the lord in the temple all the days of his life.

Hebrews tells us  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,

This is what David saw before the coming of our lord Jesus. When we take time to talk with God we position ourselves for a revelation, understand and wisdom in the area we discuss with the lord. David longed to fellowship with the lord, he understood what Paul the Apostle would write in relation to fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

   "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." The communion, fellowship and partnership with the Holy Spirit be with you all.

The secrets of divine life can be seen in the life of David as he teaches us through practice living in the presence of God in the book of Psalms. Desire The lord above everything else, that desire and love for the lord will lead you to dwell in the temple.

As you dwell in His presence you begin to beholding the lovely beauty of the Lord. Admiring the lord's Glory will eventually lead you to start speaking and companioning with Him as you enquire from the Lord.

                

                                                                  Tonderai Goncalo | The Wordnocrate 2020 

It is easy to accept Human effort at the expense of Divine Grace, I have noticed that Humanity is easy to accept half truth and utterly ignore the whole truth that is in-front of it. In Christianity tendency of legalism can easily be seen in most church in various forms.

Legalism and reactions against it are a constant part of religious life. It lies at the center of disputes over the changes Pope Francis is attempting to bring to the Roman Catholic Church. It divides progressive from conservative Protestants, Indeed, it defines the conflict between liberal and conservative forms of many religions.

Legalism can be defined as strict adherence to the letter of the law. Use of the term today normally has a pejorative connotation. A legalists is fixated on law, seems to miss the principle behind the law, or tightens legal obligation beyond what is right, reasonable, or good for people. I would want to further its meaning to the adherence of church traditions, doctrines and Ministries Philosophy in this paper. 

Legalism is a perennial tendency in religion, at least in the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But so is a reactive anti-legalism.

Speaking of the Christian tradition which I know best, I think it is fair to see a kind of legalism and anti-legalism spiral.

The legalism Coiled  In Religion Eroding Grace

 Luke  Chapter 6 Jesus tangles with the scribes and Pharisees over the proper practice of Sabbath observance. In one incident Jesus gets in trouble for allowing his disciples to glean some grain on the Sabbath. In the second he heals a man in a synagogue on the Sabbath, also evoking resistance.

The command to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy is crucial in Judaism. One aspect of honoring Sabbath is to refrain from any kind of work. The question in these texts is whether Jesus and his disciples were violating Sabbath by “working” in these two ways. Jesus appeals to precedent, to human well-being, and to his own lordship over the Sabbath to defend his actions. His adversaries are not convinced.

Jesus in coming to the earth He came with Grace and Truth, here we encounter the battle between Grace and the Law. In Christ mind the love and goodness of God was above the legal system that governs it. By adhering and becoming legalistic in nature the church, ministry or religion erodes the Gospel of Grace and entangle Humanity back to self effort.

 It is amazing to note that most of the churches that are being planted being Pentecostal or Traditional are bring man back to the Law either by adherence to the Torah or by creating their own Rules embedded in the believers faith policy as ministerial Philosophy.

It is perhaps not coincidental that this kind of prudish legalism has produced a systemically anti-legalistic response among many millions of Christians who were raised in it. I think this explains a lot of the spirit of ex-Southern Baptist and ex-evangelical/fundamentalist Christianity. Where legalism dominated, many, many, Christians want a religion of grace, mercy, and freedom.

On the other side some scholars would want to argue that sometimes demands and boundaries are needed. Given human nature, sometimes we need someone to tell us where the limits are, and what we are not allowed to do, not just where the freedom is and how forgiving God is.

It is imperative to know that Legalism kills by squeezing the life out of us. But a reactive anti-legalism can kill by not keeping us away from actions that can ruin our lives – and that of others another source  which is closely related to the traditional church.

It is true that Legalism is natural and humanistic easy to adjust and adopt. Carnal and both oppressive moreover rendering powerless the work that Jesus did on the cross by forcing on human efforts and human rules to bring righteous living.

Online Source.

One of the worst sins anyone can ever perpetuate against themselves is to believe the lies that they tell themselves. It’s normal that in a bid to be strong or appear brave and in control, we often tell ourselves statements that are meant to embolden and strengthen us.

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
Proverbs 28 vs 13

In these statements its common cause that we will tell ourselves the things we want to hear, the things we think of ourselves, the fleeting dreams that we fantasise about and that we hope will be the reality of our life.

It’s so easy to turn a blind eye to the reality of our situation, therefore we end up lying to ourselves. We become so distanced from reality that we begin to believe everything we say to ourselves. The reality is that the truth we perceive about who and what we are is not often the reality or truth that others see of us.

Having the Right Spirit After Criticism

To accept criticism or to be told things that are negative is a difficult pill to swallow. We prefer things that are sugar coated, things that are palatable and easy to consume. 

The minute something becomes coarse and goes against the grain, we find it difficult to digest and fathom. Criticism and correction in any sphere is difficult to accept.

One of the tenants of love is to speak freely with the intention of improving; the church, in the New Testament, is encouraged to correct brothers and sisters who may have strayed. 

The correction is to be done within the realm of love, with a desire to improve the condition of one rather than to pulverise them to a point where they lose their dignity or self worth.

 Cultural situations differ and in some instances it is easier to turn a blind eye than to correct and straighten. However, it is the duty of every Christian to be their brother’s keeper.

Do you desire to be a better person? Begin to look at life through the lenses of those that see you, do not accept to be downtrodden and stripped of dignity, but rather accept the facts about you that need correction and improvement.

Take the time to pray for the grace required for you to accept the things about yourself that you deny but you know need to be sorted out.


Online Source

Three Kinds of Believer

There are three words, pregnant with precious and important meaning, commonly used by the apostles in their salutations and benedictions, GRACE, MERCY, and PEACE. These words include everything which man needs or can desire.

Peace is the legacy which Christ gave to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." And after his resurrection, the first time he met with his disciples when assembled together, he said, "Peace be unto you." He gives peace not as the world gives. He is the PRINCE OF PEACE, and his gospel is the "gospel of peace

His Peace Is Precious

The Importance of Justification by Faith

Participation in the blessings of the union with Christ comes when the faithful have all the things needed to live well and blessedly to God. Eph. 1:3, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing; Rom. 8:32, He who spared not his own son . . . how shall he not freely with him give us all things also?

 This participation therefore brings a change and alteration in the condition of believers from the state of sin and death to the state of righteousness and eternal life. 1 John 3:14, We know that we are translated from death to life.

 This change of state is twofold, relative and absolute (or real).

 The relative change occurs in God’s reckoning. Rom. 4:5, And to him who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the un­godly, his faith is imputed as righteousness. 2 Cor. 5:19, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their offenses.

 The change, of course, has no degrees and is completed at one moment and in only one act. Yet in manifestation, consciousness, and effects, it has many degrees; therein lie justification and adoption.


Justification is the gracious judgment of God by which he ab­solves the believer from sin and death, and reckons him righteous and worthy of life for the sake of Christ apprehended in faith. Rom. 3:22, 24, The righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ in all and upon all that believe. . . . they are freely justified by his grace . . . through the redemption made by Jesus Christ.

It is the pronouncing of a sentence, as the word is used, which does not denote in the Holy Scriptures a physical or a real change. There is rather a judicial or moral change which takes shape in the pronouncing of the sentence and in the reckoning. Prov. 17:15, He that justifies the wicked; Rom. 8:33, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Therefore, Thomas and his followers are completely mistaken for they would make justification a kind of physical motion from the state of unrighteousness to that of righteousness in a real transmutation. They consider that it begins with sin, ends in inherent righteousness, with remission of sin and infusion of righteousness the motion be­tween.

By claiming that there that there is a genuine reason for transformation means that there is a mishap in our today society and culture. The church is shaped by every other spiritual aspect to make it a spiritual entity. However, spiritual as  it may be the church remains at the same time a place and community that is existing within a set cultural society. 

Thus by nature the  church can not be church at least it fits in the setting of the modern or relative culture of the community where it is existing, to impart and to educate the community in the way they understand. There is a danger however, of becoming like the people that you think needs help. In actual sense is the church offering help or it is the one that is looking for help from the world?

In thinking of a church fitting in a culture and society we limit not only the power of the church but the very being of the church. Church is not shaped by culture nor is it formed by a group of doctrine that shows man a good way of becoming religious. 

It is a mockery to advocate for the unity of the church with the culture of the day and to make the culture the source of its existence. Jesus Christ is the head of the church, thus there is no church without the headship of Jesus. 

By stating that Jesus is the head of the church it implies that the vision of the church must not be coming from a source that is different from Christ. His Vision is the vision for the church, his passion is the passion for the church.  

It is amazing and sarcastic to note that in the modern age of the church the headship of the church is now being particularized to an individual, a Prophet, Apostle or a Pastor who is projected by the church to be so divine and well endowed  with grace and divine ability. He or she is viewed as a demi god.

 We honor indeed the servants of God but we believe in Jesus, the cause to be followed must be intertwined with the course of Jesus.

Jesus when He calls a woman or man to work for His it is clear that He empowers them to do the work and the will of His Father. In the natural sense it is very difficult to be employed by someone and yet start to doing that which you like. 

Truly you will be fired! Real transformation comes when we start to implement the vision of Jesus and not our own visions that has nothing but selfish ambitions. As long as the vision, passion and  ideology is self centered it will not bring transformation.

Jesus as the head indicates that the thought life or philosophy of ministry must be Jesus centered. We have encountered ministries philosophy that are human, legalistic in nature, yet the head of the church is Christ who is the wisdom of God and who has become our wisdom. The church must by nature be able to demonstrate wisdom because wisdom is the minds of the church. 

On the contrary we observe that in the church there is a high level of ignorance and the hub of stupidity. Imagine congregants can be seen eating snakes claiming that the way one should be blessed, whats there to bless in eating a snake. Man of God abusing members as a result of this ignorance, man has been raped, rob of their hard earned cash and property. 

The church must function not to exploit members but must be a movement that liberates and empowers believer to be self reliant in the faith in Christ Jesus. Most preacher love power and authority to the extent that they remove the place of Jesus in the Church as the wisdom of the church and become the prince of wisdom and a demi god of divine miracles. This is not right such man and woman are robbing believers of their rights of believers which came as a result of Jesus' death and resurrection.

If and only if the church especially the so called Man of God are inline with the wisdom of God and allow the same wisdom to be applied to the heart and in their day to day of life. There we will start to see signs of change in the lives of many. Wisdom is meant to better someone's life and to propel one to the next stage of life

Finally to envision Jesus as the head of the Church entails that the church speaks what Jesus is speaking. The language of the church must be the language of Jesus, who is acclaimed to be the word that became flesh. In John 1:1 the bible says that In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

 Speaking the language of Jesus would mean speaking the word of God. Some church are experiencing a drought of the word of God, in the services and purposed sermons there is no Jesus talk. No wonder why people have lost faith and God is so far fetched.

 As the church we should speak nothing but the word of God, our language should be the word. we fail because we are speaking the wrong language, we have taken the enemy's language to be our own and we have identified with the enemy

Real transformation have delayed not because God has no power to change people or nations. By no means, it has delayed because the mobile for transformation has being detached from the machinery of transformation. The church has lived as an organism which is headless, though propelling humanistic philosophy, pursuing personal and selfish  vision and ambition all in the name of the church and not speaking the language of Jesus.