OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE 2

21 THIS is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves!
22 WHEN I LED YOUR ANCESTORS OUT OF EGYPT, IT WAS NOT BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES I WANTED FROM THEM.
23 This is what I told them: ‘OBEY ME, AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD, AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE. DO EVERYTHING AS I SAY, AND ALL WILL BE WELL!’"
Jeremiah 7:21-23 (NLT)

"SO Samuel said: “HAS THE LORD AS GREAT DELIGHT IN BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES, AS IN OBEYING THE VOICE OF THE LORD? Behold, TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, And TO HEED THAN THE FAT OF RAMS."
1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV)

• A number of believers and preachers today are out condemning and criticizing the biblical principle of Giving. They would not want the issue of money to be mentioned or talked about in the church.

• Such a mindset or preaching or teaching is not consistent with the Bible. Someone who is stingy, who finds it difficult to honour God with what he or she has would want to look for a way of justifying their tightfistedness or meanspiritedness.
• God would not ask anything from anyone If the soul of the person is yet regenerated. In one of the texts of this teaching, Samuel told king Saul that his obedience is of paramount importance than whatever sacrifice he thought of offering to God.
• God would honour a sacrifice offered with an obedient heart. A sacrifice or gifted given by any rebellious heart or person would not be acceptable to God: "THE SACRIFICE OF THE WICKED IS AN ABOMINATION; HOW MUCH MORE WHEN HE BRINGS IT WITH WICKED INTENT [motives or intentions]!" (Proverbs 21:27 NKJV).
  READ: Proverbs 15:8; Jeremiah 6:19,20
• Thus, God's goal is not about whatever anyone brings or not, but how yielded or yieldable the person is; to His Word or Will—living in line with His principles that are found in the Bible (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).

• Whoever is saying or teaching that money should not be mentioned in the church, or the principle of Giving to God to provoke His release of blessings is wrong, should carefully study the Bible before he or she started criticizing what they do not know about or understand.
SUCH people or preachers call the principle, a transactional gospel.

• I want you to know that God is transactional in whatever He wanted to do. God would always ask for something precious to you, money or whatever (Genesis 22:1-3). It could even be your goals or aspirations or attainments that He would ask you to forgo or sacrifice before He could believe you are actually fully committed to Him (Genesis 22:12; Luke 9:23,24).
• Apart from the salvation of a man's soul, which was paid for by Christ Jesus, nothing is free in the Kingdom. Even the receiving of power, anointing, to do His work, you have to pay something. You fast, you pray, and be consistent in other spiritual principles before you can be anointed to do His work. Nothing goes for nothing in the Kingdom!
• When God Himself intended to bring the whole world back to Himself, He first of all gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as a seed and a sacrifice (John 3:16); before He could harvest the souls of the billions of people who are following Christ Jesus today:
  18 NOW ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD, WHO HAS RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH JESUS CHRIST . . . , 19 THAT IS, THAT GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES TO THEM . . . 21 FOR HE MADE HIM WHO KNEW NO SIN TO BE SIN FOR US, THAT WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM" (2 Corinthians 5:18,19,21 NKJV).
• If God did not give His Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice, He would not have harvested the souls of the believers in the world today. If God gave us, the whole mankind, Jesus Christ freely, Would He not give us other things:
  "SINCE HE [God] DID NOT SPARE EVEN HIS OWN SON [Jesus Christ] BUT GAVE HIM UP FOR US ALL, WON'T HE ALSO GIVE US EVERYTHING ELSE?" (Romans 8:32 NLT).
• Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils he got to Melchizedek when he was returning from the slaughtering of the kings who captured his nephew, Lot, and others (Genesis 14:17-20; Hebrews 7:1,2,4).

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

• Should there be any ailment in your body, such is cursed and uprooted totally in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
• Whatever is against your health and wellness is rebuked and put to an end in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
  Peace!
  TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!