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Spiritual Toolbox
Again, everyone is familiar with the old saying:
"Give a man fish and you'll feed him for a day. But teach him how to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime."
Inside
this saying, we witness the gift of charity versus the gift of
knowledge. And knowledge wins every time in every area, even
spiritually! I ask you, according to this scenario, do you think that
God is "giving us a fish," or attempting to "teach us how to fish?"
Allow me to answer that by quoting Genesis 1:26-31 and Psalms 82:6.
Even
before we were created, our God's intentions for us have been more than
what most of us have become. We have subjected ourselves to many things
that we're really above! The sad fact that we struggle as the original
rulers of the earth is more than just a shame. It's puts the "mental"
in detrimental!
Our perception may prevent us from seeing a
clearer picture of God working on our behalf. Because receiving charity
(fish) is great, but what if I told you it's possible to actually
receive and posses the "tools" to create these blessing? It really is!
These
"tools" are gifted to you by God. According to Ecclesiastics 2:26,
those who are good in God's sight are given three gifts. These gifts
are all camouflaged "tools" to employ and make dominion. Let's explore
them in detail.
The first gift is wisdom. If you allow the Bible
to be your dictionary to define wisdom, you'd be much more eager to
posses it. In the Bible (Proverbs 3:15) wisdom is depicted as a woman,
holding riches and honor in her left hand, and long life in her right.
Notice when Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge (II Chronicles
1:10). You can see our Lord gave him riches, honor and long life along
with it(everything in her hands.)(II Chronicles 1:11, 12.) Remember:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and, well, you know the rest.
So
how do we get this tool? We simply need to ask God in faith (James
1:5)(Proverbs 2:3-6) And when we completely posses this "tool," then
seeking financial or medical "fish," if you will, wouldn't be
necessary. We can create it through wisdom.
The
next gift is knowledge. In Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for a
lack of knowledge." Notice that the scripture says "my." It is
specifically, God's children, ourselves. So how do we completely
acquire this tool? We must first truly fear the Lord (Proverbs 1:7.)
You won't completely obey what you don't not fear. And disobedience is
what landed us in our present situations! Knowledge isn't only power.
It's also a protector (Ecclesiastics 7:12). Do you "know" what happens
to men who love pleasure (Proverbs 21:17), who ignore discipline
(Proverbs 13:18), men who posses waywardness and complacency? (Proverbs
1:32) Knowledge is the biggest shortcut you can ever employ in your
life. So get all you can (Proverbs 10:14.)
Finally, we've
received God's gift of joy. Many people use this term too loosely
nowadays. Real joy is a gift that can only be given from God. In
Proverbs 15:15: All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful
heart (or joy) is a continual feast. This would explain the reasons why
the righteous are under so much worldly surveillance. We are not of the
world, which causes us to be afflicted. But our happiness is never
dependent on our situations, and is ongoing. Accordingly, our joy is
forever the mystery, the envy, and eventually, the target of anyone
currently outside our religion (and/or knowledge.) All the mocking,
scoffing, competition strife, and plotting (Psalms 35:20-21) is merely
a result of an unattainable desire. Joy can't be bought or stolen.
If
you are experiencing a similar feeling that comes from the earth, don't
be decieved. That's not joy. That's called "satisfaction." And it
doesn't last. Experiences from drugs, riches, and all fleshly pleasures
expire. Many of them only last for seconds. But joy, just like love and
every other touch from God, lasts forever. Many know the childhood song
"Joy, joy, joy." It lyrics "down in my heart (your possession) to
"stay" (forever.) If you live your life without real joy from our God,
you'll never get past your spiritual craving for happiness. You'll live
your whole life only negotiating with your heart's hunger, and never
truly stopping it. Can you imagine immersing yourself with cologne or
perfume instead of taking a shower everyday? Well, that's how a lot of
us are living our lives without God and/or without His available tools!
(II Peter 2:9-10)
The Lord used the same tools to create the
world (Proverbs 3:19-20) Surely we can establish our path and lives, to
a certain extent! I believe that dominion is a human trait that many
overlook because of God's eternal mindfulness. But how can our "cup
runneth over," if we are drinking straight from the faucet? There's
nothing to control the flow of the water!
Employees work for
"financial dominion" (paycheck). I've never seen a person complete a
pay period to directly receive groceries from their employer! We want
to "enforce" our "dominion" And we should want the same conditions with
our Creator, when it's possible. So instead of waiting for a single
"fish," let us become fishers of dominion and eventually, fishers of
men (Matthew 4:19.) Thank you for hearing me and God bless each and
every one of you.
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