“Hear this, you priests. Pay attention, you leaders of Israel.

Listen, you members of the royal family.

Judgment has been handed down against you.

For you have led the people into a snare by worshiping the idols at Mizpah and Tabor. You have dug a deep pit to trap them at Acacia Grove. But I will settle with you for what you have done.

I know what you are like, O Ephraim. You cannot hide yourself from me, O Israel. You have left me as a prostitute leaves her husband; you are utterly defiled. Your deeds won’t let you return to your God. You are a prostitute through and through, and you do not know the Lord .

The arrogance of Israel testifies against her; Israel and Ephraim will stumble under their load of guilt. Judah, too, will fall with them. When they come with their flocks and herds to offer sacrifices to the Lord, they will not find him, because he has withdrawn from them.

They have betrayed the honor of the Lord , bearing children that are not his. Now their false religion will devour them along with their wealth.

Sound the alarm in Gibeah! Blow the trumpet in Ramah! Raise the battle cry in Beth-aven ! Lead on into battle, O warriors of Benjamin!

One thing is certain, Israel : On your day of punishment, you will become a heap of rubble. “The leaders of Judah have become like thieves. So I will pour my anger on them like a waterfall. The people of Israel will be crushed and broken by my judgment because they are determined to worship idols. I will destroy Israel as a moth consumes wool. I will make Judah as weak as rotten wood.

When Israel and Judah saw how sick they were, Israel turned to Assyria— to the great king there— but he could neither help nor cure them.

I will be like a lion to Israel, like a strong young lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces! I will carry them off, and no one will be left to rescue them.

Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and turn to me. For as soon as trouble comes, they will earnestly search for me.”

Hosea 5:1‭-‬15 NLT

………….

He who has ears let him hear.

It’s easy to have wisdom interwoven with understanding and assumed to mean same thing. But do they really mean the same?

“And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
Isaiah 11:2 NLT

While Isaiah 11:2 might look like 3 bundles/pairs of the functionality of the Spirit of the Lord, however, one thing is clear, and that is the fine delineation between the Spirit of wisdom, understanding and knowledge.

Has God ever asked you to undertake a project, start a business or ministry, embark on a journey? Now, can you remember Him providing you with clear details of every stage of that endeavor from the onset?

Do you sometimes feel like you don’t know what to do? Take a look at Proverbs 24:3-4, I love this portion of scripture…

“Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.“
Proverbs 24:3‭-‬4 NKJV

Defining Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding

There are different definitions of wisdom; the right application of knowledge, knowing what is right or true, sensible thinking, etc.

The Bible provides somewhat different definition of wisdom…

“And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.”
Job 28:28 NLT

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10 NKJV

Wisdom is to fear the Lord.

To fear the Lord is to reverence the Lord, to trust fully in the Lord, to hearken to the Lord.

Understanding is often explained as comprehension, insights, good judgement, awareness, discernment, etc.

From the Bible, we learn that understanding means to clearly delineate evil from good and to choose to embrace good. Understanding means discernment, clarity, gainful reflections.

Knowledge is acquired fact or information.

So, with knowledge, we gather information/facts, understanding helps us make sense of knowledge while wisdom helps us arrive at the right decision/action.

Usefulness of Wisdom and Understanding

“Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.“
Proverbs 24:3‭-‬4 NKJV

We create things through wisdom and establish them through understanding.

God created all the beauties of earth and heaven through wisdom. Through understanding, He founded and established all His creations.

“By wisdom the Lord founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens.“
Proverbs 3:19 NLT

“But the Lord made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens.
Jeremiah 10:12 NLT

Solomon amassed the most recorded wealth in the scriptures by operating in wisdom and understanding.

“God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore.“
1 Kings 4:29 NLT

“With your wisdom and understanding you have amassed great wealth— gold and silver for your treasuries.“
Ezekiel 28:4 NLT

A prosperous farmer is one that has understood the times and seasons and through wisdom takes the right actions.

“The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.”
Isaiah 28:26 NLT

“Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:17 AMPC

Therefore while we can create things through the wisdom of God, understanding is what helps us bring them to tangibility.

We need knowledge, wisdom and understanding to create and amass wealth.

To be successful in life, knowledge, wisdom and understanding must work together.

Where to find Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding

“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding“
Proverbs 2:6 NKJV

“But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.“
Job 12:13 NLT

“Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.“
Psalms 119:104 NLT

How to Get Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding

1. Understanding comes to us as insights when we listen and are perceptive.

Understanding comes from listening, by being perceptive, through reflective thinking, through discernment.

“To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.
Matthew 13:12 NLT

“Perceptive words spread knowledge; fools are hollow—there’s nothing to them.”
Proverbs 15:7 MSG

“Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out.”
Proverbs 20:5 NLT

“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.”
Proverbs 18:2 NLT

“A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.”
Proverbs 17:27 NLT

2. Knowledge is in The Word of God.

“And here’s why: God gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.”
Proverbs 2:6‭-‬8 MSG

3. Wisdom begins where the fear of the Lord rules however wisdom becomes fully expressed when we go back to God for understanding and knowledge.

Making Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding work for you.

If you ever feel like you do not know what next to do in what God has asked you to do, you need wisdom….. indeed, you’ll need more than wisdom to be successful.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.“
Proverbs 4:7 KJV

Without understanding, wisdom is fruitless.

“Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.”
Proverbs 24:3‭-‬4 NKJV

We need understanding to gain knowledge, and we have to apply knowledge gained in order to act wisely.

Here is what I see in all of this; Listen to the Word of the Lord and draw understanding, then you will build knowledge (become knowledgeable) and when you apply gained knowledge, then you are operating in wisdom. That’s how to know what to do at every time ‘t’.

“A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it, but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.”
Proverbs 14:6 NLT

Listen. Understand. Know. Act.

This is the expected pathway to acting in wisdom. However, many times, this is not the common pathway God walks us through.

Now, back to that God-inspired project you embarked on….did God walk you through; listen to my word, gain understanding, know what I want you to do, then do it? …

Commonly, we find ourselves starting from Acting on a Godly counsel (instruction or directive), we hear God say ‘start this’ or ‘do that’ and we generally obey and follow.

We follow because we trust and reverence God. By doing so, we actually begin the walk towards wisdom…. the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom….

But then, in the middle of it all, we may seem lost unless we go back to; Listen, Understand, Know. I believe that it is when we go through this process that we are able to establish and bring to tangibility the things God spoke to our hearts.

“Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.“
Proverbs 24:3‭-‬4 NKJV

Whatever point you are at in that Godly mission, here’s a prayer to pray….

I thank You Father because I have wisdom, understanding and knowledge. I listen and draw from understanding and knowledge from You (Your Word and Spirit), so I say that I know what to do (in line with your plan and purpose). Success is inevitable and success will be my experience in Jesus Christ name. Amen!

Everything God asks us to do will 1. work for the furtherance of the gospel; improve people’s knowledge of God, 2. Be of benefit to other people.

We must understand how the world we live in works, we must find out how our Godly mission fits into the larger whole, and we must identify areas of impact God would have us make.

Wisdom to create. Understanding to found and establish. Knowledge to make it functional and fit for purpose.

Thank You Father ❤

The 2 drivers for expressing humility in our relationships; the fear of the Lord (relating to God) and walking in agape (relating with others).

Hello everyone

I trust that you are all doing well and kept safe in Christ.

This is to inform you that I’ll be taking a one-week break from the blog starting Monday 13th to Sunday 19th July 2020. Meaning that there will be no publications on the blog this week.

However, there will be no break in the Friday Bible Study series that is currently ongoing “Bible Perspectives on Humility“.

So see you all again on Friday 17th July and then on Monday 20th July.

Remember you can still reach us via the contact page on the Homepage menu.

Below is a scripture that has been on my mind from yesterday; think on it…

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.“
1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬5 NLT

Stay safe in the Word and in the Covenant

Love Always❤

“For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
I Peter 2:25 NKJV

“Like a good shepherd, he takes care of his people. He gathers them like lambs in his arms. He holds them close, while their mothers walk beside him.“
Isaiah 40:11 ERV

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
John 10:11‭, ‬14 NKJV

“Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalms 121:4 NKJV

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.”
Psalms 23:1‭-‬3 ERV

“Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me.“
Psalms 23:4 ERV

“The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.”
Psalms 121:6 NKJV

“You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies. You welcomed me as an honored guest. My cup is full and spilling over.“
Psalms 23:5 ERV

“Your goodness and mercy will be with me all my life, and I will live in the Lord’s house a long, long time.“
Psalms 23:6 ERV

I have a Good Shepherd. He is the Shepherd and Overseer of my soul. He never sleeps nor slumbers. He ensures that I have everything that I need. I am kept safe in Him. I am protected from the scorching sun, the moon provides me light in darkness.

Thank You Lord.

Background

Humility is often misunderstood. If someone asked you a direct question; say, ‘Elyse, are you humble?‘ what would your response be? Yes/No/Not Sure/I think so/ etc…. 🙂 Now that is something to consider….

Early this year, I said to one of my ‘elders’ … ‘I admire your humility, that is something I’ll be learning from you this year‘.

Honestly, that sounded really good to me, but even as I said it, I wasn’t really sure what it meant. Truth? there were aspects of this person’s life that one may not really judge as ‘humble’.

So here I am, desiring to learn humility and yet not fully understanding what humility truly means…

Hey, it’s Friday!!!

Welcome to a brand new study series on my blog; Bible Perspectives on Humility. I trust God that this series will be refreshing, exciting, instructive, …and humbling.

Study Scope

In this study series, among other things we will look at;

Definitions of humility (dictionary and biblical), false humility, relationship between humility and obedience, who to be humble to, benefits of being humble, results of prideful living.

Introduction

Humility is a virtue every Christian should strive for. Three immediate benefits of combining humility with the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and a long life (Proverbs 2:24).

“True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.” Proverbs 22:4. NLT

In Mathew 11:29 Jesus admonishes us to be lowly in heart, just as He is. According to Jesus, this manner of living will helps keep our soul at rest (….I will think that is because you do not have anything to prove to anyone).

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 NKJV

A lowly person is someone who is humble in manner and spirit. This suggests that humility is more of the state of the mind more than an outward demeanor.

In Philippians 2:5, Paul, citing Jesus as an example shows that humility when done properly, does lead to elevation or exaltation.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11

So, humility is a noble trait, as having a lowly estimation of oneself leads to elevation, exaltation, riches, honor and long life.

I already love humility! But what exactly is it?

What Is Humility?

Dictionary Definition of humility

Humility is the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. It is meekness, lowliness and absence of self. Humble people appreciate little things, they respect others and are open to other viewpoints and ideas, they keep their success, accomplishments and achievements in perspective, they acknowledge their mistakes and limitations, they take responsibility for their actions, they listen more and talk less, they do not go around saying they are humble.

Some synonyms for humility are; modesty, meekness, lowliness, submissiveness, diffidence.

Some antonyms for humility include; pride, self-importance, arrogance, haughtiness, etc

So, what do you think? How do you score based on this dictionary definition of humility? Poor/Fair/Good/Excellent? 🙂

One important thing to clarify at this point is that having a low view of oneself should never be interpreted as being a pauper, a beggar, an unimportant or irrelevant person. To humble oneself does not mean to have low self esteem neither does it mean to suffer from rejection or insecurity. There is liberty/freedom where the Spirit of The Lord is.

Every child of God has been bought by the precious priceless blood of Jesus Christ, and as such is royalty, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own ‘peculiar people’. You are like a Lamp on a Lampstand.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”
I Peter 2:9 NKJV

Humility is a state of the mind, and not just an outward demeanor. Someone can be outwardly humble and yet arrogant and prideful in their thoughts and actions as shown by their decisions and choices.

It is also important to note that this dictionary definition of humility essentially focuses on a view of oneself relative to others. And depending on how you look at it, this definition may seem somewhat tilted more towards describing a group of persons with some form of real or perceived achievement, accomplishment, worth, value, etc, who inspite of that, are humble (…just an observation).

Question: Can a poor person be arrogant? Can an uneducated person be prideful? Can someone without any significant worth, talent or achievement (by the world’s standard and ranking) be arrogant?

I leave you with these thoughts. In the next part, we consider Bible meanings of humility.

‘I BELIEVE’ is All Jesus ever looked for in order to heal (John 9:35, Mark 11:24, James 2:19, John 11:26, etc).

“…every man heard them speak in his own language.” Acts 2: 6b

On the day of Pentecost, the Bible informs us that this momentous event was heard in all languages. No language was left out. The 21st Century is science and technology driven. Will it be right to ignore the language of science and technology when propagating the gospel?Before we answer the question, it is pertinent to look at the past.

The Bible was written in the agrarian age when society depended on agriculture as it primary means for support. The parable of the sower, The Parable of the Mustard seed, and the Parable of the Wicked Husbandman are just a few pointers to this. The imageries and language used were apt because they were concepts that people understood and identified with.

Biblical principles are timeless but it will be reasonable to say that if the Bible was penned in the 21st Century, a few technological parables may have been included. I believe that without using the language of science and technology, it will be difficult to connect to a certain population of people.

Many people believe that science and spirituality are polar opposite but from the Christian perspective they are not. From the biblical perspective, the spiritual realm is stable, predictable, certain, reliable. In Psalm 19:7 we are told that the law of the Lord is perfect. If the Biblical spiritual laws are not amorphous it therefore implies that it can be subjected to scientific scrutiny and expressed using the scientific language.

Science is like the Biblical doubting Thomas and does not believe anything without evidence. In other words, science does not have blind faith. Although Our Lord Jesus rebuked Thomas for his unbelief, nevertheless He spoke to him in a language that he understood.

In this era of wireless communication, I pray that the good Lord will give the church the boldness to speak with the new tongue of science which is part of the new tongues promised in Mark 16:17. A careful observer will not fail to recognize that communication with God is wireless!

Iniobong T. Ekpo is the author of the book “The Spirit Transplant – The Science of God Decoded“.

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Dear Iniobong (my brother and friend), thank you for your article. As always this is another ‘deep thinking stuff’. It is crisp, concise and deep.

I agree with you that for effectiveness in propagating the gospel and winning souls, it is to the Church’s advantage to speak in ‘the new age language’. As you cited in Acts 2, the observers that gathered on the Day of Pentecost marveled and were amazed on hearing their respective languages spoken by strangers.

“And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?”
Acts 2:6‭-‬8 NKJV

Science is by default evidence based and it is never totally satisfied. And as you rightly pointed out, the Word of God is timeless, powerful and forever settled. As Christians, I believe our quest for knowledge and evidence as regards our belief can be guided by Luke 11:29 and James 1:6-8. This would be helpful to quickly recognize and clip even the smallest iota of doubt which may be subtly presenting as a quest for evidence.

“And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.”
Luke 11:29 NKJV

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:6‭-‬8 NKJV

The Word of God is powerful in and of itself. Such is the power that brought on another round of amazement and bewilderment on another group of observers as Peter, an uneducated unscientific fellow preached….

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13 NKJV

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Friends, remember you can now publish on Grace Obomanu Blog (under the Christian Life Saving Skills Category). Simply email your articles to graceobomanu@gmail.com. Together we are making known the Beauty and Benefits of our Belief, thereby giving others the opportunity to believe too. That is what the Father’s Business is all about.

Love Always❤

Grace Obomanu

If 5 loaves of whole bread fed 5,000+ persons (with 12 baskets of fragments) and 7 loaves of whole bread fed 4,000 persons (with 7 baskets of fragments), how many persons will 1 loaf of whole bread feed?

A Vessel of Honor and Grace is a person embodying a particular quality, attribute, trait, gift or talent for the service of God and the benefit of mankind, who receives and communicates only the wisdom and counsel of God derived from the Word and the Spirit. Any disciple of Jesus Christ can become this vessel