2 Chronicles 32:25 “But the sign, instead of making Hezekiah grateful, made him arrogant. This made God angry, and his anger spilled over on Judah and Jerusalem”

Expressing gratitude and showing appreciation is not something that you must find it difficult to do. Whether you like it or not, you will need someone to assist you to do something as you go about in life. Thus, being grateful must be your everyday life. Never wait for any special time or day, show it when its needed.

To be grateful simply means you show appreciation for something done for you or something you have received. In 2 Chronicles 32, the bible talks about how Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself and how God saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.

Nonetheless, this great act of mercy and love from the Lord to Hezekiah was taken lightly. The bible says “But the sign, instead of making Hezekiah grateful, made him arrogant. This made God angry, and his anger spilled over on Judah and Jerusalem”

Hezekiah was never grateful to the Lord for delivering him and guiding them on every side. This act of ingratitude or ungratefulness did not please the Lord. Hezekiah lost God’s favour in this matter.

This same truth happens in life. We have people today who don’t value the need to be grateful. In fact, they take God and people for granted. Their “world” is void of “thank you” or any meaningful appreciation. There are people who don’t see the need to thank God for his goodness and mercies towards them. There are people who don’t see the need to appreciate those that God used to make them better people in life today. Some wives today are ungrateful because they have forgotten that it took divine intervention for them to marry. Also, some pastors have forgotten that it took someone to launch them into the ministry, some children today have also forgotten about their parents who toiled night and day to raise them.

You see, no matter where you get to in life, don’t forget to be grateful. In fact, you can’t say thank you enough to God, and there are some people also in your life that you must forever be grateful to for their indelible impact on your life.

Remember! Don’t forget the awesome things done for you. Don’t toss nostalgic memorabilia. Keep the memories of things done for you. Keep the pictures! Keep the monuments! Keep the things that will make you always grateful.  

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”

Exodus 4:12 “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say”

Hear it again that how well you talk as a Christian will determine the battles you can win or lose. It will also determine whether you will be favoured by people or lose favour in the sight of people. You see, our opening text tells how God was so concerned about how Moses would talk to Pharaoh thus He promised to be with his (Moses’s) mouth”.

You see, in talking you must learn to choose your words carefully. Not only that, but it must also be associated with the right mannerism, gesture or body language. Also, the tone and the pace of letting out words from your mouth makes your talk good or bad.

In talking well, you must be able to know when it is appropriate to say something or keep it for a later date or day.

Proverbs 15:23 says “A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!”

Proverbs 15:1-2 says “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness”

You see, what you say or how you talk can let your light shine or put your light out. Many people have lost great privileges because of lack of “talking well”. Aside the spiritual implications that talking brings, in your social interactions with people, how you talk can be the game changer – by either sending you up or bringing you down.

How well do you talk to people? Are you careful with your choice of words? Do you add the appropriate courtesies in terms of manners when talking? Do you put your tone and pace of words when talking?

Don’t forget that, before people will even relate with you, your words or “talks” makes them know you. 

Never be carried away by anger, childishness and emotions to UTTER words anyhow. Know this, your words can go a long way to determine your eternal destination because by it you are either justified or condemned (Mathew 12:36).

Just as people plan before investing, examine before selecting and test before recommending, you must also learn to think and ponder on what to say before you talk

Read: Matthew 12:37 “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned”

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]”

Life can sometimes be full of cares and burdens. Also, we may also face difficulties, testing moments, persecution and sometimes suffering. All these cause stress. But God never intended for us to be perturbed in life. This is why the Bible admonishes us to cast our care unto the Lord. God wants you to cast your cares unto him and not to carry them. That is to say that your cares are not to be carried but casted.

Casting your cares means “to throw or roll upon your worries”. God wants you to roll your burdens upon Him. He wants us to carry anything that makes us anxious to Him.

Interestingly, many people today so often nurse their cares. They burden themselves with the load that the Lord wants to handle for them. For instance, some people carry the guilt of sin, fear, sense of unworthiness, etc. 

A story was told about a woman who was carrying a load on the head by a roadside. But after been picked up by a generous passerby, the woman kept her load on her head whiles sitting in the truck. This scene surprised the driver, who later told the woman that “there is space for you and your load” so drop the load and be at ease.

Today, we can say the same thing about some Christians. They carry the load that Christ has made provision for. Just like the song writer once wrote “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer!”

Remember that there is space for you and every issue you have when you come to Jesus. Learn to cast all your cares unto the Lord. Refuse to pamper and nurse your worries. Let go the guilt of sin; Let go your worries; Let go your fears; Let go your sense of unworthiness, because God cares for you. God is in charge, there is no cause for alarm. Hallelujah!

Read: Psalm 8:4 “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

Jeremiah 7:28 “But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth”.

Your ability and willingness to submit to correction will determine how far you will go in life. People who can be corrected make themselves candidates for elevation in life. Anyone who lives above correction will fade out sooner or later.

Correction is an important remedy if you want to make things right after missing it. Without correction it is likely that you may be driving on the wrong route with no restraint. You see, many folks have missed it when it comes to correction. Some don’t even know how to relate with it, others misinterpret it, whiles others never submit or allow correction to perfect them.

The Bible said in the opening scripture that some people did not receive correction even though it was needed. Not receiving correction will keep you in a protracted error or mistake that will render you irrelevant in the world and in your walk with God. Correction is not a demonstration of wickedness and hatred. It’s rather a sign of love. God finds delight in those he corrects. Proverbs 3:12, “For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” .

As a Christian, despising correction can even take away the covering of God over your life, and make you vulnerable. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:10 that, “the one who hates correction will die”. You see, it is very important to train your heart to receive correction. It will save you and make you fulfill destiny by that.

Never stay away from places that you can receive correction. Don’t run away from God’s word, don’t run away from your pastor, don’t run away from Church, and don’t run away from home. These are places that you can receive correction to make your life better.

Hear it again that, submit to correction willingly if you want to go far. It will save you from an inexperience lifestyle which may cost you your life.

Remain there! When was the last time you got corrected and what was your reaction?

Read: Proverbs 13:18, “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.”

Proverbs 6:2 “That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge”

Don’t just talk. Don’t say things anyhow. Before you talk, do more reasoning. No wonder the bible admonishes that let your words be few. Talk is not cheap as some think. Talking demands great thinking and analyses. As Christians we have more to do in this mandate. The bible says we should be an example in our speech (1 Timothy 4:12)

Your success in life to a great extent depends on your confession. The words you consistently and constantly release creates a world for you. Hence you can’t keep saying the wrong things and have the best in life. Since what you say is what you will ultimately get.

Jesus said, “you shall have what you say“. See Mark 11:23 “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith“.

Another important truth revealed in the Bible about words is that, they determine whether you will be condemned or justified. See Matthew 12:37 “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned”. In other words, the words you release out of your mouth can bring you “freedom” or hold you “captive”. Meaning, you can bless or curse yourself.

Many people carelessly use wrong words and claim they are joking. But the truth is “words” are too serious and powerful to be toyed with. You don’t joke with things that have serious repercussions, do you? Do you pull a trigger of a gun filled with bullets and claim you are joking?

The power of words therefore calls for great wisdom when talking. In fact, as a Christian you must be very much disciplined in the use of words. Don’t just say things. Always go with the rule of “mean what you say”, “say what you mean” and “say the truth”.

Your words can bring you up or send you down. Don’t just talk.

 Read: Proverbs 6:2, “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.”

1 Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain“.

Godliness with contentment is great gain. Hear it again that, there is gain in godliness. Hear it again that, there is gain in contentment. So, the two produces great gain. The bible didn’t say having money is great gain. I am not downplaying on money. Money is good, but money without godliness is vanity. It is like a cloud without rains in that, it won’t get you to your final destination as a Christian.

Apostle Paul in his days admonished his son Timothy to stay away from all those who held self-gain in high esteem at the expense of godliness (1 Timothy 6:5).

Inasmuch as there is nothing wrong with having money or being wealthy, putting a premium over it against godliness will be injurious to your faith. In other words, if you make riches and wealth get you into ungodliness then all is not well. 

It is an undeniable fact in this day and age that many people in the pursuit of financial prosperity have thrown away every virtue that God’s word prescribes. This is nothing more than going into extremities with the “want of money”. Indeed laying aside godly values and virtues in the pursuit of “cash” is not profitable.

1 Timothy 6:10 says “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”. You see, many people have erred from the faith because they placed a lot of premium on self-gratification or material things. Unnecessary pursuit of material gain at the expense of your Christian values will get you into becoming worldly.

You don’t have to prioritize your personal gains at the expense of godliness. The bible in Matthew 6:33 says that “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. 

Don’t succumb to evil schemes and methods of making money knowing that God does not approve of such. You see, the problem is not about the prosperity or the “cash” you want to get. The matter the Lord wants you to consider is the method or the approach you are using or want to use to get it.

Hear it again that your love for money will wane your faith, make you unrighteous and make the love you have for God wax cold. Many people have wandered away from God because of the love of and for money. Some do all kinds of evil just because they want more money. Think of many daughters of Zion, I mean Christian ladies who have traded their virginity for the love of money and the “supposed fine things that this world offers”. Think about the many brothers who are into fraud because of the love of money and “the love of these worlds goods”. Will you fall for the love of money, or you will stand? Think about this and make the decision to embrace godliness and never sacrifice your Christian values because of money, cash or material gains.

Read: 1 Timothy 6:6-11, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”

Proverbs 17:13
“Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house”

When people do you good don’t do them bad. Hear it again that, you must always return good for good and nothing more nothing less. Don’t benefit from people and later betray them. Don’t benefit from people today and later stab them in the back. This is what someone called reciprocity. Brother, sister, friend, reciprocate the good done to you when you have the opportunity. What did you enjoy from your mother, what benefit did you get from your father, what favour did you get from your wife or husband, what opportunities did your friend made available to you, and what impart did your pastor had on your life? When the tide falls on you, do good. When the tables turn, do good. Remember that as a Christian the best thing you can do to people is to do them good.

Reciprocate the good. Reciprocity involves making mutually beneficial exchanges with other people. In other words, you respond to a gesture or action that has benefited you by making a corresponding one.

Life sometimes moves in turns. It gives everyone different opportunities. At one point it will put you in a privileged position and at another point it will put you in a position to be blessed by those in the privileged position. Whichever side of life you appear on, God wants you to do good, but more is required of those to whom an act of kindness or goodness is shown.

Never forget to do good in return for the good others have done for and to you. Doing good in return for the good done for you is also one way to express your gratitude. Not only that, it also shows that you are thoughtful.

The good you have and must do to others who might have been a great blessing to your life may not necessarily be financial. It may be an act of good conduct and honor towards them. It also involves not doing things that will bring them any form of disadvantage.

You see, you must always have it at heart to relate well to the people that God has used and is still using to bless your life. People who have done you good must not be rewarded by evil from your hands. It would be wise to do nothing at all than to pay them back with evil.

It is not “love” to be wicked towards people who have once sacrificed their comfort for your achievements in life. Whatever the occasion may be, “render good” for the good you have once enjoyed.

It is strange that we have people who are wicked towards their parents. They now fight and pray against their parents who once helped them, fed them, schooled them and trained them. Others also fight and malign pastors that God used to get them saved.
Be guided by God’s word and do good to all men especially those who are of the household of faith and the ones that God used and is still using to bless you.

Read: Galatians 6:10, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Proverbs 1:5
“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels”.

Seek counsel. Hear it again! Seek counsel. Seek counsel before you go into ministry, seek counsel before you start that relationship, seek counsel before you marry, seek counsel before you embark on that journey, seek counsel before you start that business, seek counsel before you do what you think you want to do. Seek counsel!

Counsel is described as instruction, guidance and enlightenment. No one can attain significant heights in success without counsel. The Bible says “in the multitude of counselors there is safety or victory”. See Proverbs 15:22: “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established”.

Everyone in life needs counsel to make it. You need counsel to marry, you need counsel for ministry, you need career and education counselling, you need counsel to handle your finances, etc. In fact, plans and purposes are brought into fulfillment through counsel. Counsel gives you the platform to excel without some limitations. It puts you on the right path and helps you to avoid multiple mistakes.

Nonetheless, counsel just like any precious mineral must be sought. It won’t walk to your house and look for you. You must humbly and zealously seek it. Not only does it take great discipline and humility to seek counsel, it also takes wisdom to receive counsel. Proverbs 1:5 says “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels”.

Wisdom will teach you how to receive counsel. There are many people who follow their own “feelings” and never subscribe to any counsel. They follow what they feel is good till they are left in a bad situation without remedy. This tells that rejecting a “godly” or a “wise” counsel is nothing but a mere display of folly. Hear it again that if you reject godly counsel today; you will pay for it tomorrow. Hear it again. Many people today are paying dearly for godly counsels they rejected years back. Will you add to their number of you will be humble now to receive counsel?

Sometimes you must ask questions to receive a counsel or even interact with people who are endowed with the wisdom of God to receive counsel. Proverbs 20:5 says “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out”

Don’t despise counsel and don’t hesitate to seek counsel.

Read: Proverbs 1:1-5 “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”

Psalm 119:60 “I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy command”

Obeying God in your own time contrary to when you must do so is sin. Obeying the word of God later, when you must do it now can lead you into destruction. Obeying the instructions that your pastor gives from the word of God at your convenience, will land you in tragedy. Obedience becomes relevant when it is prompt. Obedience serves the interest it must serve, when it is done at the right time.

You must hear it again that no one can have a meaningful walk with the Lord without obedience. You must hear it again that obedience is submitting to the Lord’s biddings when He wants you to and not when you want. As Christians, the call is not only to obey but to obey promptly. Many Christians have suffered foolishly because they delayed in their act of obedience.

When it comes to obedience, your response must not lag, delay, hold back or defer it. It must be done without delay. Your walk with the Lord requires that you obey every instruction you receive from him in a swift manner. You must know that to respond to the Lord’s instruction later when you can do it in the “now” is nothing but disobedience. Doing something now and doing something later don’t have the same value, relevance, impact, and sometimes purpose.

That is why it is often said that delayed obedience is disobedience since divine timing may render your late response irrelevant. Any time you put to the future what God expects of you today or instructs you to do today, is an act of disobedience.

You can’t say you want to obey God in your own time and convenience for things to go well with your life. There are many people who have backlogs when it comes to obeying God. They have things that God has instructed them to do that are still hanging. The truth is that God, won’t wait anyway. He will leave you or allow you to learn the hard way.

God will sometimes instruct you through his word, or by the Holy Spirit or through your pastor. Whichever way you are instructed you must not slack in obeying the word that has come to you. God’s instructions towards us are not burdensome (Mathew 11:28-30). Yield your heart and delight in obeying the Lord.

Delays in obeying the Lord can cost you dearly. For instance, if the Lord instructed you through His word or through your pastor to live in a certain way or get something done last year and you have still not done anything about that, you don’t need anyone to tell you that you are setting yourself up for “hardships” in the future. Your act of delay will cause you to suffer undeservedly.

No matter what it will cost you, prompt or timely obedience will save you and help you greatly.

Read: Psalm 119:60, “Psalms 119:60  I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.”

Hebrews 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise”

In all you do, you can pursue your own will, the will of God, the will of men or even the will of the devil. But as a Christian it is expedient that you pursue the will of God.

The will of God is God’s ultimate desire and wish. It is what God expects and wants done. So as a Christian, your greatest call and duty is to do God’s will. This is what pleases him. You can’t please God when you live and do things your own way. Your life must be in total sync with the will of God.

As a Christian your blessing and success is living with Gods’ will. For instance, it is God’s will for us to be thankful in everything or to be grateful (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Therefore, you must know that thanksgiving is one thing God expects from us as believers. Upon healing the ten lepers at the gate of Samaria, Jesus asked of the nine that never returned to give thanks. “So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner” (Luke 17:17-18).

Another will of God that the bible teaches is the sanctification of the believer. It is God’s will that we as believers live a sanctified life and avoid the perverse and immoral standards of this world. (1Thessalonians 4:3). God does not expect you to conform to this world. He wants you to present yourself as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable in his sight. Meaning that as a Christian you have no business to meddle with anything that will corrupt your moral life. You must be selective in what you watch, you must be selective in the kind of music you listen to, you must not be carried into surfing pornographic sites, and engaging in profane talks. You living in holiness is God’s will so you must do it. You must believe and live with the holiness code of God. Although our world today is full of demonic wills and the will of perverted people, you must dare to be different. You must hear it again that you don’t have any business having sexual relations with someone you are not married to. You must hear it again that homosexuality, lesbianism, masturbation, lust or inordinate affection is not the will of God.

God does not want you to live with a dual standard or a worldly ambition as a Christian. He wants us to walk only in his perfect will.

Romans 12:2 says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will“. The truth is that God’s will is not burdensome. In fact, it is not difficult to pursue the Lord’s will. You just have to yield to the Lord and not to allow the flesh dominate you.

It is in doing God’s will that you will see his wondrous works. Nonetheless, when you do your “own thing” your life will end in suffering and it even causes you to miss Heaven.

Make the will of God your reason for living.

Read: Luke 12:47-48, “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”