Saturday March 19, 2022

Let us not be corrupted !

1 Samuel 21:2 – David answered Ahimelech the priest : “The king commanded me, and said to me : Let no one know of the matter for which I sent you and the command that I gave you. given. I've made a date with my people."

Despite what we said yesterday about David, this passage is a very dark story. David flees King Saul who wants to kill him. David lies to the priest for food and he gives him showbread. As Jesus will say, only the priests could eat these showbread, in a holy place, when they were removed and replaced by others on the Sabbath day (Matthew 12.3 and 4 – Leviticus 24.5 to 9).

Until recently, since Jesus "justified" this gesture, I thought it was a good thing, but in view of the consequences (85 men wearing the ephod murdered and the city of Nob put to the sword – 1 Samuel 22.16 to 19), I meditated on this passage and here is my reflection.

Ahimelech could not give these loaves to David even though he had affection for him. By doing so, he was transgressing the Law of God and if we read verse 1 of our chapter, we realize that he was afraid. Fear is always a very bad advisor. David deceived him and he allowed himself to be corrupted.

My beloved ones, never agree to bribe yourself for someone, even if he has the “royal anointing”. Do not be deceived by affection or fear. David suffered no consequences for his act even if he will take responsibility for it (1 Samuel 22.22). I know, it's hard to understand why, but that's the way it is.

Whatever his anointing, a man of God remains a man and he can “slip”. In his skid, he can lead many people who had blind faith in him. I'm not saying that you have to live in constant suspicion, but in "the day before" certainly yes. If you “exaggerate” a ministry, you endanger it and you endanger yourself, for the Lord will not give His glory to anyone (Isaiah 42:8).

In truth, the only one worthy of our absolute trust is the Lord Himself. We can be grateful for the men whom God raises up and benefit from what He has given them, but let us never forget who the Author of the source of blessings is and let ourselves be challenged by this small voice which says to us : "Be careful" !

My brothers and sisters in service, be careful not to be idolized ! Do not draw people to you but to the Lord. Step aside before His Majesty. Make John the Baptist's "prayer" your own : "He must increase, and I must decrease" (John 3:30).

Good reflection.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries) https://ez37m.com

Friday, March 18, 2022

A happy ending !

1 Chronicles 29:28 – He died in a happy old age, full of days, riches and honor. Then Solomon his son reigned in his place.

A servant of God said recently that what matters is to see the end of “things”. King David is an emblematic figure of the Old Testament : the man after the heart of God ! Immediately we think of his adulterous fall with Bathsheba, a fall complicated by a contracted murder, let us not be afraid of words. Was a man capable of these "infamies" able to have a future, especially a future in God ? Let us not forget that these acts were not done before his "conversion" but when he was fully in the call of God for his life !

When the Bible tells us that he was "the man after the heart of God", it means that he understood the heart of God ! The psalms he wrote show us all the knowledge he had of the character of God. If a man could "recover" from his mistakes, it was him because although he lived a thousand years before the era of grace, he had already understood all the meaning. David's strength was that he could present himself before God as he was, with all his human inadequacies, shortcomings and depraved human character. Even if he had to fear God's punishment, he preferred to "fall" into His hands because he knew, deep down inside, that his God is just and compassionate.

Despite the detractors of grace, David had a happy old age and his "end" was beautiful. Moreover, his "successor" to the throne was the second son who was born of his marriage to Beth Sheba, thus Solomon entering into the line of Jesus. Famous snub to all those who would have liked to see him pulverized, banished, rejected by God and potential candidate for hell !

We don't know where you are today. Perhaps you are living the experience of psalm 51 where you are confronted with your faults. If, like David, you allow your spirit to be contrite and rely on God's forgiveness, He will raise you up. Certainly you will have a happy future (Jeremiah 15.11) and your end will be to the glory of God. Far beyond what you can imagine, God will be able to use your own “mistakes” for his glory. Will you become a man, a woman, according to the heart of God ?

Good reflection !

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries) https://ez37m.com

Thursday March 17, 2022

The legalism !

Luke 18:11 – O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, who are robbers, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this publican.

It goes without saying that if we look carefully, all pardoned that we are, we are all inclined to indulge at one time or another in legalism. How many of us, if we're honest with ourselves, haven't said inwardly what that pharisee said in his prayer.

This pharisee also gave his tithe, he fasted, he must have been very invested in the community of the time. In fact, in the eyes of others and especially his own, he considered himself a good guy. Yet the Word tells us that the publican, standing at a distance, dared not even raise his eyes to heaven ; but he beat his chest, saying : "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner." He went down to his house justified, rather than the other.

We are convinced that if the pharisee had prayed with the tax collector and simply loved him, they both would have come down justified. Nevertheless, by having the attitude that he had, he made himself a judge, he lifted himself up and thus he sinned. It was his attitude of heart that caused grace to depart from him. You follow me ?

The continuation of this text in verse 14 tells us : “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”. Perhaps we have distanced ourselves from certain people who are in our eyes sinners. Oh us ! We would never have done what they did. Perhaps we do a lot of things in our assembly, for the Lord, and that is good, but let's not forget that beyond all these good works, it is our attitude of heart that can distance us of the grace of our God.

Good reflection.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries) https://ez37m.com

Wednesday March 16, 2022

In the rat hole !

Genesis 40.14 and 15 (BFC) – Try not to forget me, when everything is going well for you ; be good enough to tell Pharaoh about me and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly brought from the land of the Hebrews, and here I have done nothing that deserves prison.

When we think of the story of Joseph, we all remember his glorious end as prime minister of Egypt, but we often forget the dark times he had to go through. In our verse, Joseph is in prison for a "crime" which he did not commit and even if he obtained, because the favor of God was on him, a privileged status in this prison, he does not nevertheless remains a slave in prison likely to spend the rest of his life there.

Things seem to finally come to a head when he receives the explanation of the dreams from two servants of Pharaoh's court. But despite his request, expressed in our verses for the day, nothing more will happen for two years. Can we imagine a little what went through Joseph's head ? Unjustly in prison, forgotten by the person to whom he had done good, a blocked and dark future, the memory of his own dream must have been far away ! He must have been dogged by discouragement and doubt, he was just a human being like you and me. He may have even succumbed to the temptation to resign himself by saying to himself : "This dream was not from God, I must have taken my desires for God's plan, I will end up in this rat hole".

Why two years, no one knows except God. But one thing is certain, and that is that in a single day, Joseph regained his dignity as a man and was placed at the highest possible rank in Egypt.

We don't know how long you've been in "jail". We do not know the "dream" that God has placed on your heart, we do not know if you still hope for it or if you have sunk into discouragement. But what we do know is that in God's time it will happen, no matter how thick the bars that hold you back.

May the Lord encourage you fully with these few words !

Good reflection.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries) https://ez37m.com

March 15 March 2022

Find great love !

Song of Songs 2.13 – Arise, my friend, my beautiful, and come !

Every human being was created by God to love and be loved and in that is God's perfect plan. Our need for love is therefore normal.

Today I will talk about women to women. Our sensitivity, our emotionality make us live and see love differently from men, God having created us that way. In feeling loved, the woman needs security, comfort, tenderness, to feel that we appreciate her for who she really is... Unfortunately, too often, by dint of looking for these things, we we move away from what God has for us.

How many women find their security in their job (I am somebody because I do...), for others, in our Christian circles, they will find their security in their ministry, it is also in this way that these women will have the feeling of being loved, appreciated, of existing. As for comfort, we can be tempted to find it in food, in buying new jewelry, clothes... this is how many women become bulimic and/or addicted to compulsive shopping. As for tenderness, the married woman should find it in the arms of her husband, but sometimes, this not being the case, she suffers and the enemy can thus infiltrate her life and put her at risk. Earth.

For single women, it's the same thing ! They are looking for a soul mate, the person who will finally be able to fill all the voids in their lives. Wanting to get married is legitimate, however, what is dangerous is wanting to fill the void of the heart. Many are those who have done or are paying the price and instead of finally feeling like a real woman, they feel dirty and the emptiness intensifies with gaping wounds.

Some recognize each other ?

What is the real solution then ? What our generation of women lacks is to respond to this call : “Get up, my friend, my beautiful, and come !". If we respond to this call, all of those areas of our lives that are empty and meaningless today will be completely filled by God.

The Lord invites us women to rise up, and not only in a physical way but also in a spiritual way, to rise up in our hearts for God and to consecrate ourselves again to Him ; to let Him be our husband. He chose you ! It's not nothing, the King of kings has chosen to choose you, yes you who reads me !

When you decide, despite your past mistakes and your pain, to consecrate your life to Him again ! When you decide to lay your failures, your sufferings, your non-forgiveness, your frustrations, your falls... at his feet, it is then that the Lord calls you my beautiful, his beloved. Your heart will begin to beat in tune with His and will ignite for Him, true Love.

Then the Lord invites you to come. Come every day into His presence, come and listen to Him speak to you, teach you through His Word and this is how every day you will get to know Him better. He also invites you to come and walk in his footsteps, in order to manifest around you all the love he has shown you.

Yes my sisters, everything we can seek is in our Lord and Savior, nowhere else, and even though we have an excellent husband, nothing, you hear me ? nothing will replace what He alone, our Lord, can and wants to give us.

So whether you are married or single, it is time for you to get up.

With all my love.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries) https://ez37m.com