have you ever noticed that people can gather in a crowd but still have different agendas in a room full of people you'll find people with different issues different motives and intentions one of the weaknesses that a lot of people have is an inability to be silent when it comes to certain things this inability of not knowing what to reveal and whom to reveal it to often leads to a lot of pain and heartache the Bible teaches a lot about silence explicitly and implicitly when Jesus was being questioned by the chief priest and the whole Sanhedrin
the Bible says in Mark 14:61 but Jesus remained silent and gave no answer again the high priest asked him are you the Messiah the Son of the blessed one would silence have benefited Joseph when it came to his brothers here's some of the things that we should never reveal firstly when it comes to your plans goals and Ambitions not everyone in the church should be your Confidant not every Christian should be told your intimate plans because at the end of the day we're all humans we are all people even in the church you have to
Choose Wisely when it comes to who your Confidant is prayerfully consider who should be a trusted Mentor a close friend or an advisor in your life when you talk too much about your business plans or goals even in the church the devil may try and send the wrong person into your life an opportunist a person with questionable Integrity so they can disturb discourage and disappoint you and after this happens people have a tendency to say all Christians are liars or thieves when in fact they revealed far too much to a Christian who's still lacking in
character and integrity a story is told of a man who confided in someone he thought could be trusted a fellow believer in Christ so he confided in him concerning a business idea that he felt God had put on his heart he told him the idea and all about how he was prayerfully planning the launch of this business the friend listened he even offered encouragement and a few months later this man finds out that his friend the one he confided in launched the exact same business around the same time he launched his and he positioned himself
as a rival this broke the man's heart he felt betrayed and bitterness grew within his heart he was a young Christian and the man he confided in was in the faith longer than he had been and so he could not get over the fact that a fellow believer could be so deceitful unfortunately the bitterness grew because it wasn't just a case of betrayal it was then a real business rival the scenario led to the man leaving the church and in his words if Christians can act like this and preach about love then I don't want
to be a part of it now keep in mind that this was a relatively new believer but the point of the story is this be careful who you open up to because people are people people Christians may hurt you intentionally or unintentionally and remember the Bible calls us to forgive but the devil will always try to use that hurt to inflict more damage and so Discord so before you open up to anyone stop take time to prayerfully consider and analyze the person you should confide in and most importantly ask God for wisdom secondly you should
never reveal your intimate spiritual encounters with God this can be dreams and even visions that God gives you unless you're prompted by the Holy Spirit to share a testimony to encourage others many profound moments with him are meant just for you don't quickly turn sacred spiritual events into casual conversation pieces Mary's visitation announcing her Immaculate pregnancy was a secret only revealed later when Angelic timing permitted John was instructed not to write the Thunders he heard in Revelation 10 Paul heard inexpressible things in 2 Corinthians 12 that he admitted no one is permitted to tell some
things that God reveals to us are like babies still developing in the womb if they are birthed prematurely they go to the wrong atmosphere and they won't survive they won't survive the words of discouragement from others and the spirit of doubt that comes from unbelievers the third point that you should be mindful of revealing is all to do with your family matters we all face marital disputes health concerns Financial pressures relational conflicts with children and other sensitive issues however we should never carelessly expose what goes on in the home The Book of Proverbs tells us
the wise woman builds her house but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down in the book of Ephesians were told husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her both the man and woman in the home have a role to play and that is to be United it's God's design for the husband to be a covering in the home and to be selflessly loving and God's word calls for the wise woman to build her home and not tear it down all of this can be partly achieved
by keeping Family Matters private not everything that happens between you and your spouse should be public even though you have disagreements it's always better to deal with it within your home first you shouldn't become a public spectacle to others I encourage you to find Godly trustworthy counselors a few people who have integrity who can prayerfully help you and encourage you do not make your family vulnerable by airing their imperfections before a fault-finding audience as a priest over your home handle issues privately and protect your inner circle from unnecessary scrutiny Family Matters require wisdom and privacy
do not swallow the enemy's bait toward resentment or bitterness against loved ones avoid slander that poisons how others perceive your family any dysfunction is an opportunity to extend more grace and forgiveness God desires to heal and restore relationships but in a context of love and secrecy not by exposing drama learn restraint rather than hurling Stones through impulsive oversharing that can never be fully retracted furthermore you should never be quick to reveal what's to do with your early victories and breakthroughs unless the Holy Spirit prompts you to speak and testify be very careful who you tell
about your early breakthroughs when God first grants you favor in a certain field in your business or your career don't run to announce it when God promotes you when he increases your territory or when he elevates you do not in this age of social media run to announce it Psalm 23:5 tells us you prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup runs over the Bible never tells you to announce the blessings that God has given you no it's God who prepares a table for you
in the presence of your enemies when King Saul was anointed the prophet Samuel told him in 1st Samuel 10 once these signs are fulfilled do whatever your hand finds to do for God is with you he didn't encourage him to broadcast anything publicly it was a sacred secret so if you should experience a sudden shift a sudden move from God that elevates you don't be the one to boast and reveal it all unnecessarily the devil plants people in your life who will be there only to plot your downfall so be careful about what you reveal
and to whom you reveal finally what God has revealed to you or placed in your heart for example this may be a desire for you to go on a missionary trip and You Begin to make plans or maybe you dream of being the first person in your family to open and run a business for themselves learn this lesson be very very careful when revealing your future plans and dreams the devil uses people the devil uses demons not only should you be careful but also be prayerful when it comes to who you confide in don't give
the wrong person ammunition to sabotage you Proverbs 29:11 says says a fool vents all his feelings but a wise man holds them back we ought to take heed of the wisdom in this proverb yes you may be happy and excited concerning what God's placed on your heart but remember the warning we've been given a fool vents all his feelings but a wise man holds them back the plans you have and the dreams you have are like babies needing protection and nurturing during the early and fragile stages premature oversharing can open you up to misunderstanding skepticism
and attacks at the wrong time rather than seeking vain public validation quietly commit yourself to prayer and to seeking God's counsel God may have you share pieces with a few trusted confidants who will stand in prayer with you learn to Steward Revelation with wisdom there is a certain level of safety and silence the Bible makes plenty of references about the types of people you should not be around and before I go any further take a moment to answer the question would God approve of everyone that's in my circle of influence Psalm 1 ver1 paints a
clear picture when speaking of the kinds of people who should be in our lives because the Bible says blessed is the man who walks not in the counsil of the ungodly nor stands in the path of Sinners nor sits in the seat of the the scornful there's so much wisdom and guidance in this single verse when you really examine it a person is blessed when they are diligent about who they walk with which path they stand on and which seat they sit on so ask yourself the following questions about those around you who am I
walking with which path am I standing on and where am I sitting now who are the ungodly people you need to be watching ful of those who are morally wrong those who are actively bad those who are wicked or unjust your faith your salvation is a precious thing that you have to guard and nurture for you to walk under the counsel of the ungodly you are putting your faith in Salvation at risk now this teaching is not to say you cannot or should not interact with unbelievers no on the contrary we should minister to them
and show them the love of God however the Bible makes it clear that it is not advisable to walk under their counsel which means their advice or guidance that's the key part to understand it's not advisable to do so and we are told many times 1 Corinthians 15:33 sayso not be deceived evil company corrupts good habits proverbs 13:20 says He Who Walks With wise men will be wise but the companion of fools will be destroyed everyone you come across has a certain character some have a bad character and exhibit toxic traits While others are the
complete opposite and have a sound Godly character these are the people who will exhibit the fruit of the spirit they will encourage you pray with you show you a Godly love and they will have a sweet Spirit at the end of the day we need to be people who are prayerful and Discerning because we have to guard ourselves you cannot just allow anyone to walk into your life look at their character study their character because in one way or another they will have an impact on you people can have an impact on you some people
are honest While others are deceitful some are trustworthy While others are liars some have a great work eth It While others are Slackers your character will influence those around you for good or for evil and likewise the character of those closest to you will influence you for good or for evil so here's the thing whoever you decide to walk with to form a friend friendship with refuse to be led astray refuse to be influenced refuse to be led away from the truth and into error and sin it's a one-way Street when we associate with evil
people and that one-way Street takes you from Purity to defilement that one-way Street will take you from Holiness to Sin from Darkness to light from worth and value to corruption and Decay when it comes to who we should and shouldn't associate with the Bible is clear we are told not to be yoked with unbelievers what Fellowship does righteousness and wickedness have or what Fellowship can light and darkness have what Harmony is there between Christ and the devil saints of God we are to come out from among them and be separate Judas was a disciple of
Jesus he saw most of the major Miracles you see in the Bible he was there when Jesus raised Lazarus to life when Jesus gave sight to the Blind and when Jesus multiplied bread and fish he also broke bread with Jesus he sat down with Jesus around numerous campfires and tables to eat together Judas laughed cried and was full of joy with Jesus he was so much a part of Jesus's Inner Circle that he was given the money bag that would be like you or me giving someone our bank account number we trust them not to
go off and run with the money despite all of this Judas would go on to betray Jesus his evil intentions were hiding just below the surface now it's clear that none of us are Jesus that's not the comparison I'm trying to make but we will undoubtedly encounter a type of Judas in our life there will be people in our life who we trust we may even trust them to the point that they are in our wedding or we welcome them into our homes for a game night we may even call them family they are in
our Inner Circle just as Judas was in the Inner Circle of Jesus and just like Judas they will turn their back on us without a moment's notice they will betray us of course not to the extent of Jesus their betrayal may come in the form of gossip and slander it may come by Thievery or it may come by sabotage however it comes and it will come with the intent of causing damage to your faith or to wound you and leave you bitter and resentful now that we know that the Judas is coming we must learn
how to respond we can look to Jesus for an answer we don't see an interaction between Jesus and Judas after the Betrayal because Judas killed himself shortly after Jesus was arrested however we do see how Jesus responds to others who have hurt him Jesus was hurt by the very people he created the Pharisees and Sadducees persecuted him many in his own family disowned him Roman guards beat him to the point he was unrecognizable his very own disciples abandoned him he was left out to dry by everybody he loved and cared about yet when he was
on the cross he said this in Luke 23:34 father forgive them for they know not what they do Jesus said this at the very moment his clothes were being gambled for he was moved by compassion and love not anger and hatred we see that Jesus wants us to forgive those who betray us Jesus says this in Matthew 5: 38-42 you have heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but I say to you do not resist the one who is evil but if anyone slaps you on the
right cheek turn to him the other also and if anyone would sue you and take your tunic let him have your cloak as well and if anyone forces you to go one mile go with him two miles give to the one who begs from you and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you in the moments when someone betrays us we can so easily be drawn into a Revenge Mission but the Bible is telling us that we should not have the mentality of getting back at the person and trying to hurt them we
are to try to find a way to love and serve them it may be hard but we must pray for the grace to forgive and move on praying for discernment and wisdom when it comes to the people we choose to have relationships with is equally as important as giving grace even though God calls us to give Grace it does not mean we need to stay in a relationship with that person the devil can use people to attempt to discourage derail or even destroy you if you are not guarded as we saw with Judas this can
lead to your destruction prayer and discernment is essential as you forgive your Judas it is not a matter of if but when there will be a type of Judas in your life when the Judas comes we must be ready to respond Jesus has given us all the tools we need to overcome when we run into our Judas however it is up to us to stay prepared and ready for that moment we must be quick to forget forgive quick to move on and quick to love what does the Christian of today look like and what should
the Christian of today look like these are two very different questions which can have two very different answers depending on who you ask now the Bible says in 1 Peter 2:21 to this you were called because Christ suffered for you leaving you in ex example that you should follow in his steps listen to this closely because Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps I believe that this is true Christianity following the example of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ left heaven for Earth to die for our sins he put
the church before himself he obeyed God's will he lived a life of purpose a purpose that can be summed up with his words in Luke 22:42 which says father if you are willing take this cup from me yet not my will but yours be done when we get to such a place this is what I believe to be true Christianity now I would like to encourage you to take the following step so that you can make sure you are Marching forward and living a life that pleases the Lord to begin with we all need to
live lives where God is first you and I need to live a life that places God above everything Place God before everything the Amplified translation for Luke 9:23 says and he was saying to them all if anyone wishes to follow me as my my disciple he must deny himself set aside selfish interests and take up his cross daily expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come and follow me believing in me conforming to my example in living and if need be suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in me this reminds me of the song
that says Jesus in the morning Jesus in the noon time Jesus when the Sun goes down and to me this means living a life where you are completely consumed by the Lord's Presence by his word by the Holy Spirit and no it doesn't mean you neglect your day-to-day responsibilities because you're praying 24/7 no it simply means that your mind is constantly fixed on Jesus Christ you're either quietly meditating on a verse as you were making breakfast or you're worshiping and praising as you are driving whatever it is have the presence of mind to ask yourself
am I connected to the Lord am I glorifying the Lord now the phrase put God first has become very popular in this day and age but in Practical terms what does it mean well when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he answered in Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and great commandment this says to me that your love for Jesus Christ supersedes everything it's a love that prioritizes the Lord God
first really means God first now another point that I'd like to highlight about a real follower of Jesus Christ is that they fear the lord and to fear God isn't to say that you're terrified of him no to fear God is to realize who he is how big he is how Mighty and all powerful he is and this leads you to have a deep respect reverence and awe for God's power and authority Proverbs 1:7 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge fools despise wisdom and instruction the fear of God is what
motivates Godly Behavior the fear of God leads one to repent and pursue a holy life the fear of God keeps you on the straight and narrow when you fear God you do not take sin lightly because you know that God is Holy and pure and he does not tolerate unrighteousness and impurity further traits of a real follower of Jesus Christ are that they serve wholeheartedly all they do is to the glory of God 1 Corinthians 10:31 says so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God I encourage
you to do all that you can in God's kingdom but do it to bring glory to him and not for yourself serve for the glory of Jesus Christ serve so that unbelievers and those who are lost may see the goodness of God through you serve with pure intentions serve with Godly intentions a lot of us need to be obedient to Galatians 5:13 which says for you were called to Freedom Brothers only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but through love serve one another when you serve for the glory of God
this I believe is when when you are truly imitating Christ now my final point is closely linked to this matter of serving a true follower of Jesus Christ is humble and humility doesn't mean you allow yourself to be used and abused it simply means you don't think more highly of yourself than you ought to and you don't think any less of others than you ought to and to be honest this is a matter that's all to do with pride Pride says I can do this on my own Pride says I'm self-made I am successful and
I did it because I worked hard Pride says look at me look what I have done however humility says in my weakness God's strength is made perfect humility says God will give me strength God will renew my strength I believe believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me do you see the difference Pride says look at me but humility says look at Christ Pride says look at what I have done but humility says look at What the Lord Has Done James 4:6 but he gives more grace therefore it says God opposes the
proud but gives grace to the humble you find favor in being humble you find blessings in being humble so I encourage you to be someone who puts God first whether it's day or night Come Rain or Sunshine put God first be someone who lives with the fear of the Lord in their life rever and honor our Lord Jesus Christ always and finally be humble always be humble in everything you do seek to serve others all for the glory of God when You Face obstacles in life don't put your trust in people trust in God don't
rely on people or things trust in God Almighty because he is seeking for the eyes of the Lord move move to and fro throughout the Earth just looking for the person who is fully committed and confident in [Music] him Ephesians 6:13 says therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand I would like to take a moment to deconstruct this verse and what it means to us as children of God the Bible says therefore take up the whole armor of
God the first thing to notice is that this is an instruction we're told to take up the whole armor of God it's not a question of whether you can or cannot take this up no it's clear instruction this is something you need to do the second thing is you only need armor if you are in a war you only need armor in battle you only need armor when there is an opposing Force coming against you and when the Bible says the whole armor this says to me that there are multiple parts that need to be
taken up anything than the whole armor would leave you vulnerable so it's important we follow this instruction and not only take up parts of the armor but the whole armor of God now the second part of this verse says that you may be able to withstand in the evil day this statement has a level of certainty to it you need to take up the whole armor of God so that you can withstand in the evil day now in this part of the verse I get the impression that the Bible is warning us the Bible's warning
us that there will be an evil day a day when we'll have to fight the forces of evil and the forces of evil can attack in many forms however if we are wearing the whole armor of God then we will be able to withstand anything the devil AIMS in our Direction now that we have a better understanding of this verse I want to encourage you and rally you up yes you are in a war if you are a true disciple of Christ you will be at War you will be at war against the rulers against
the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly Realms now in these few moments I want to remind you that the word is Central to your defense stance as well as your offensive stance as a Christian so when you face the evil day remember 2 Thessalonians 3:3 but the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one when you face the evil day remember Deuteronomy 31:6 be strong and of good courage do not fear nor be afraid of them for the
Lord your God he is the one who goes with you he will not leave you nor forsake you when you face that evil Day psalm 46:1 says God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble so be encouraged child of God God do not fear when evil comes against you the Lord is with you and the promises of God should give you the confidence to be bold in the face of evil how do you focus on God instead of the obstacles of life it's a valid question right we all have obstacles in
this life we will all come face to face with things that will threaten our faith in the Lord we'll come up against opposition that may paraliz even the most courageous hearts with fear but you see over and over again in the Bible we're told not to worry we're told not to fear not to be dismayed not to be discouraged but instead to look to the the Lord as your deliverer look to the Lord as your rescuer look to the Lord as your help and source of strength [Music]
