SHIBBOLETH

WHO ARE YOU?

Gilead then cut Ephraim off from the fords of the Jordan, and whenever Ephraimite fugitives said, 'Let me cross,' the men of Gilead would ask, 'Are you an Ephraimite?' If he said, 'No,' they then said, 'Very well, say Shibboleth.' If anyone said, 'Sibboleth', because he could not pronounce it, then they would seize him and kill him by the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell on this occasion.Judges 12:5-6

According to Wikipedia,Shibboleth (pronounced /ˈʃɪbəlɛθ/[1] or /ˈʃɪbələθ/[2]) is any distinguishing practice which is indicative of one's social or regional origin.

As we read from the above scripture, the Ephraimites were unable to pronounce 'sh', they would rather pronounce it as 's'.This inability betrayed their origin, and even led to their death. The first time I read about this story, I laughed my head off, as it reminded me about a tribe in my country of origin whose members can rarely pronounce 'r'. They almost always pronounced it as 'l'. For instance, they would say 'blother' instead of 'brother.'

As Christians we are born of the Spirit and not of the flesh. Spirit born people are citizens of Heaven.As citizens of Heaven, certain types of conversation should not be heard amongst us. We must not be vulgar, envious, spiteful, malicious nor pessimistic. This is but a few of the attributes that are anti- heaven!

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.Colossians 4:6. Jesus warns us in Matthew 12:36 -But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

What comes out of our mouths depicts our religious origin - whether we belong to the Kingdom of darkness or that of light. Most often than not many people, Christians alike, are careless with their speech. They swear profanities, say things they do not mean , and talk negatively about situations though they expect the contrary to happen.

Words carry power, we can either call forth life or death with our words. No word spoken is void of creative power so be extremely careful of the words you speak, and let them tally with the Word and will of God. As a Christian, allow the seed of God in you - your spiritual genetic make up, to reflect in your speech just as shown in Judges 12 :5-6 about the Ephraimites . What is in you must reflect what comes out of you. And what comes out of you is a silent declaration of what is in you. James 3:11-12 clarifies this truth - Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Kindly pull off all disguises and pretenses in order to bear good fruits from the seed of God in you. Your words make a statement about your origin and inner content, so set a guard over your mouth. James admonished us in James 1:19 , permit me to reiterate his words: My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

BORN IN THE PURPLE

In an ideal world, people of royal blood are highly esteemed, adored and sometimes virtually worshipped. Many deem it an invaluable privilege to be royal.If horses were indeed wishes, many of Bourgeousie status as well as the Proletariat; the so called dregs of society or under privileged as well as the high class would have ridden on them to be born in the purple.

But thanks to the Sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. He of royal descent died in our stead so we could share in His inheritance. Now through Christ, we have become children of God JOHN 1:12 ; GALATIANS 4: 1-5, and co-heirs with Jesus GALATIANS 4: 6-7. We are royalty on earth 1PETER 2:9, and in Heaven, we reign together with Christ -EPHESIANS 2:4-6.

We who have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth are royalty. We have been born again, not of the flesh, but of the Spirit. In spite of our earthly lineage, no matter our colour, race or social standing, we have become children of the Almighty, co-heirs with the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are citizens of Heaven EPHESIANS 2:19, and thus enjoy such privileges that mere men would not stand a chance to taste. This is the reason why we are warned in PSALM 82:6-7 not to lower our standards and be limited to die like mere men. We are higher in status than the ordinary man. We stand as citizens of Heaven, the country of golden streets and mansions indescribable. What higher status could we ask for?

We should be strutting around, but we are well behaved, full of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,and temperance(GALATIANS 5:22-23).Against what we are made up of there is no law. This is not to say we are above the law, but we make the work of law enforcers redundant. Imagine if the entire world consisted of truthful and honest Christians exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. It would not then be surprising if prisons were emptied and eventually police stations closed and re constructed into churches, as there would no longer be the need for them - praise Jesus!

We are humble kings, we rule with caring hearts. We are prosperous but not arrogant. Powerful but not dictators.If you are a Christian, born of God's Holy Spirit, and washed in the Blood of the lamb, keep this picture of your royalty continually in mind. Royals are careful how they behave in public as they represent a country. We are ambassadors of Heaven ,and represent Heaven on earth. Each time someone sees us, he or she must see Heaven, which is God's Kingdom: righteousness,peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

This is the very reason why we must desist from adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, emulations, wrath,strife, heresies, envyings,murders,drunkenness,and revellings (GALATIANS 5:19-21). These things are beneath us and are demeaning to our heritage.

If you have a low self-esteem, slap your thoughts with your Heavenly royal entitlement and psych yourself up to duty, The whole world awaits your physical manifestation as a child of God (Romans 8:19).

HOLD ON!

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say,on the Lord. Psalm 27:14 

It is often said that Christians of this day do not like to hear teachings on righteousness, holiness, endurance, and on God's judgement.They are rather sentimental and get carried away with messages on God's promises and blessings; mainly with prosperity messages.However, many Christians even after hearing about God's good plans for their lives do not live through to its fulfilment in their lives. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness. 2Peter 3: 8-9a. 

When the Lord gives or reveals a picture of His great plan for our lives,we mostly receive it joyfully and our hearts are usually filled with great hope and expectation. I can imagine the joy in the hearts of the Israelites when they were told about the land God was going to give to them - a land flowing with milk and honey. Contrarily, I can as well see the dismay etched on their faces when they were told by ten of the spies sent by Moses to spy the promised land, that the land they had been promised had giant inhabitants that virtually dwarfed them. All hope, I assume, seemed lost at this stage, as they struggled to believe God's promise and report, against the physical report of the ten spies. In the long run, because majority of the Israelites, though initially filled with faith in God's promise, could not rise above the tide of challenges that came in their waiting period, they were unable to enter and possess God's promised land, except for Caleb and Joshua( the only spies who never wavered in faith). 

 Abraham saw God's promise to Him come to pass in his life, but not after, in my opinion, he had somewhat failed the test of waiting. Just like the Israelites who believed God's promise, he did same. But as time elapsed, and there was still no sign of God's promise being fulfilled, only the physical signs that opposed the reality of God's Words and defied its possibility, Abraham decided, his wife privy to it, to have a child with his wife's maidservant. God was merciful, and despite the flaw in Abraham's faith, brought to pass His exact promise in time - Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah without the aid of a third person. 

God's promises are real! However, God usually tells us the end products of His plans, sometimes leaving the gory details of what we must suffer to get to the blissful end. There may be a battle to fight to enter into the land flowing with milk and honey. Likewise like Abraham, there may be a period of dead silence to endure. There could be princes of Persia to confront through prayer before one can live the physical manifestation of God's promise.(Daniel 10:12-13) Hold on in patience and prayer , encouraging yourself in the Lord, as you await a living testimony of God's truthful promises.