I stared into my cupboard wondering what to wear to work.I felt frustrated and thought the devil was playing some gimmicks with my joyful morning.You can imagine jumping out of bed and singing to the LORD only to realize there is just no matching shirt or pants to fit...And i sang a comforting song;
"Count it all joy even when it seems so hard to,know he'll never give you more than you can handle"
You may say,all this for work clothes?I say YES!God is equally concerned about my spiritual growth as well as my physical well-being.He will be grieved if I revealed the "seductive" parts and I am sure people will frown at that as well.He will not be glad to see me in rags or some faded clothes because He is aware I interface with Customers everyday and I was not employed to look scruffy but give my company a good image.You know most Nigerians believe in the slogan; "DRESS TO BE ADDRESSED".
So God is more detailed than my earthly father.My sleeping and rising are connected to His will;my walking,talking and carrying out daily tasks are in line with His purpose so which one do we leave out?Job said in His speech; "SO He will do for me all HE HAS PLANNED,He CONTROLS MY DESTINY"- Awesome God.
I actually settled with God today that if He said he will lead me and guide me in the best pathway for my life, then he should supply adequate number of clothes and also define my fashion style.I could actually become a fashion stylist for people and refuse to wear some Western labels(there is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with people who use Western labels). I really do not want to live another man's life or try to tailor my looks to people's.It wont be the ENO people have always known and I will be slipping into Saul's body armor(remember David felt uncomfortable in them). I love to look good and confident to God's glory.
And that takes me to something i have found interesting...wearing another man's identity .i.e doing things the way another man wants us to...APPROVAL-addiction.Do you know second hand clothes feel and look good when we can not afford brand new ones? People celebrate Tokunbo cars, equipment, gadgets, etc because they are affordable and i notice we settle for the second best most times.I used to wear second hand clothes and those are clothes worn by another lady.We celebrated and felt so good in them.I have even heard a friend say that its better to drive a second hand car,saying it trains one to handle a brand new car.Hmm,i hate to hear such a misconstrued belief system borne out of years of lack.POVERTY i call it!
So it is when we depend on second hand information instead of being an eye witness or being an accurate "first source of information."A news reporter is privy to first hand info which he could decide to twist to suite his listeners. Look at CNN International Correspondents in war-thorn countries, they see and disseminate,they are involved and risks their lives to get first hand testimony for their listeners.How are we sure some visuals are not made up?Yes,we can not all be reporters but in some cases,i prefer to see and hear for myself.
Let's take a look at the Bible,Moses encountered God face to face. He would go into the mountains and God would give him commands,laws,etc for the Israelites and he would come as a news reporter.Sadly, the children of Israel would never go into the mountains,they feared to see God/his glory.The quivered and shook when God came to them and ran away.God gave Moses all the pattern and specification for the temple, the priestly duties and their garbs(garments).They never heard God face to face ,they relied on Moses,ONLY Joshua dared to go close-remember he was Moses' assistant.
Thank God Jesus rolled away the stone...at his death, the curtains of the temple were torn completely so we CAN ALL APPROACH HIS THRONE AND OBTAIN MERCY,even FAVOR(Hebrew 4 vs 16).In case we believe God called only Moses as a judge and law giver,you maybe right but that applies to the old order.Today, we are called and chosen for the harvest and we all are kings and priests.
I brought up this topic because I feel humans in general love human applause, endorsement and approval.We still want to return to the days of Moses,where a Pastor,Church Leader approaches God for us.There was a time the High Priest went into the inner courts while the great crowd stood outside waiting...See Luke 1:8-10But now, we approach God face to face. When we wait for men to seek and see God for us,we will run with their impression and that could affect everything we do.Some perfect examples could be getting a job or finding a life partner.An elderly sister and friend told me weeks ago that I should not wait for anyone to "hear" God for me on the marriage matter and I strongly agree. Should we despise counsel?No!.Should we operate as loners?No.There is a place for wise counsel but do not be too lazy to wait on GOD to know his mind.
"THAT IS WHY WE HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST WHO HAS GONE TO HEAVEN,JESUS THE SON OF GOD. LET US CLING TO HIM AND NEVER STOP TRUSTING HIM.
THIS HIGH PRIEST OF OURS UNDERSTANDS OUR WEAKNESSES, FOR HE FACED ALL OF THE SAME TEMPTATIONS WE DO, YET DID NOT SIN.
SO LET US COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF OUR GRACIOUS GOD. THERE WE WILL RECEIVE HIS MERCY, AND WE WILL FIND GRACE TO HELP US WHEN WE NEED IT."
God is a father, and he has no favorites.In my little experience,it grieves him when we ALWAYS run to men.He loves to hear us,he loves to see us trust him with our information, our weaknesses and fears.He wants to see us face to face as we ask even the most stupid questions. Man may advise as it pleases him,he'll use personal experience, head knowledge and manipulate the situation to suite his judgment.Ask that man if he really sought God keenly for you?And feel some do not have time.
Let us refrain from running with Saul's armor, let us remain who we are in Christ,and give God the opportunity to dress us in our own unique garments. We identify with David's story because the Lord used the foolish things of this world(stones and a sling) to confound the wise.Let us not wear another man's identity or conviction.Dress to fit YOU!
Sorry people,seems i talk a lot these days,let me not bore you with vain repetition and sign off here.Take a bite of this rich sandwich and see you soon with more news. Cheerio!
