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A Brief Introduction to the Man of War

In this post, I would like to introduce you to a rarely used yet Biblical way to see God. It is a view often not taken yet genuine, nevertheless. If we are to expect God to accept us as the way we are, then we ought to take a closer look at who God truly is! So, I urge you to continue reading and to witness the true God of the Bible, the renowned Man of War!

A Hero to the Defenseless

God is a man of war. That may be hard for many of you to take in, but, it is true. The Bible associates God with war. And many people seem unable to reconcile that view of God with His love.

However, I urge you to not take my word for it, take the Bible’s word, which is in the below scripture.

Exodus 15:3 King James Version (KJV)
3 The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.

Now, the way in which I reconcile this side of God as a warrior with the sweet, precious Lord Jesus Christ, is through understanding that whatever He does, He does for a reason.

God doesn’t get violent unless it’s for a cause. But, if God sees something which is evil and someone in a vulnerable position, you better know that God will lift His sleeves up and do what’s necessary. God will fight for those whom He loves and for those who trust Him.

Proverbs 31:8-9 World English Bible (WEB)
8 Open your mouth for the mute,
    in the cause of all who are left desolate.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
    and serve justice to the poor and needy.”

God is the defender of the helpless. When God was given the title as a man of war, He was defending a helpless people. He was defending Israel as they tried to leave slavery in Egypt.

The Pharaoh (leader of ancient Egypt) wanted to annihilate the people of Israel before they even had the chance to leave.

Exodus 15:2-5 King James Version (KJV)
2 The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.

An Example from History

Yet, the Pharoah did not understand the God of Israel. He did not understand that the God of Israel is real and alive. The Pharoah did not accept the ten warnings that God gave to Pharoah to leave Israel alone.

Instead, Pharaoh in his pride, ignorance, and wickedness mocked God by asking Moses one question.

Exodus 5:2 King James Version (KJV)
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

The Pharaoh of Egypt wanted to kill the children, women, men, and everyone else as they attempted to waddle to safety. Israel was harmless at that time and this man out of his stubbornness dared to destroy this people.

God could not and would not let such an injustice occur on a people He promised to keep safe. So, God stopped Pharaoh along with all his army with pillar of fire, and He split the sea wide open so that His people may pass through safely!

Then, when Pharaoh attempted to chase the people of Israel to their ruin, God let the sea wash over Pharaoh and his army. At that point, I bet you, Pharaoh realized who is the true Lord. God answered the man’s question right then and there.

Exodus 15:3 King James Version (KJV)
3 The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.

Now, what does this all mean for you? This means that in whatever the situation you’re in, God is the Man of War. If you put your trust in Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him as your Lord and Saviour, He will save you.

Acts 2:21 King James Version (KJV)
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The Man of War

God came down to Earth as a human being as Jesus Christ and He died on the cross for you and for me. We don’t have to face hell any longer because He faced hell for us. The jealous religious leaders pressured the Roman Empire of that time to scourge, beat, and crucify Lord Jesus Christ. I talk more about it in this post.

1 Corinthians 2:2 King James Version (KJV)
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Nevertheless, God could have stopped His own suffering at any time, but, He chose to go through with it because it was the only way to save us. He could have called legions of angels to terminate any trace of human existence, but, He chose to save us.

Matthew 26:53-54 World English Bible (WEB)
53 Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?”

His love is the main factor in all His decisions. And when you trust in His love, you will understand that despite the challenges of life, His love will save you from them all!

Many of you out there have your own story, your own struggles, and your own challenges, but, there is one God who is your Heavenly Father. Your Heavenly Father loves you. He knows you more intimately than anyone else could.

So, God will deliver you out of your financial struggles, your illnesses, and all the things that worry you. Just entrust all your cares to Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one solution.

1 Peter 5:7 King James Version (KJV)
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

He knows you from your first heartbeat until your last heartbeat. He is the God who cares for you, defends you, and trains you. But remember that your enemies are not physical human beings.

The angry person in front of you is not your enemy, rather, it is the devil and his demonic spirits which influence people to do evil. So, pray for the person, but understand at the same time, that God will keep you safe, just trust Him.

Matthew 5:44 World English Bible (WEB)
44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

Ephesians 6:12 King James Version (KJV)
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

In conclusion, let God deliver you out of all your pressures and challenges. Be faithful to Him and let the love of God lead you.

1 John 4:8 World English Bible (WEB)
8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.

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Loving The Invincible and Invisible King of Heaven

Harvest Time

Loving God should be simple, right? He’s wise beyond words, He’s all powerful, He’s infinitely good, He’s the founder/upholder of justice, and more… But, things aren’t so simple. Many of us cannot reconcile the God of the Bible with morality. Many, in fact, see the King of Heaven as wicked, resulting in many who view God as a tyrant. Then, there are those who are indifferent. They either consider themselves as non-religious or as people who have nothing to do with God. And finally, there are those of you who believe in the God of the Bible. However, you might’ve grown up in Church with no actual love for God or you just believe the Bible, but, you can’t feel any type of affection for an invisible God.

To Those Who Hate The King of Heaven

Let’s start with those of you who absolutely hate God or at least the God of the Bible. First of all, why? If there’s anything specific, please let me know in the comments, maybe I can address that. Otherwise, let me give the best which God can give in a subsection of 300 or less words.

From my experience, those who abhor God usually are misinformed about certain situations in the Bible. They accuse God of things like… “God orchestrates evil in this world,” or something along the lines of “God sends people to hell.” These strange ideas about the God of the Bible originate from misunderstandings, bad experiences, and false doctrines.

Now, with the first claim that God orchestrates evil and suffering to happen in this world, it’s a matter of misunderstanding or bad experience. God did not cause sickness, death, natural disasters, or any other conduit to tragedy. He makes that very clear in the following passage.

John 10:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

The sad things we witness today come from the devil or “thief” as Jesus said in the above scripture. The devil is the one who brought all evil into the world when Adam and Eve ignored God’s warning so that they may eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I talk more about this in another post.

The Judge Who Paid The Bail

To deal with the second claim that God sends people to hell, let us delve further into what He says about the topic. He says in the following scripture that hell was not made for humans.

Matthew 25:41 World English Bible (WEB)
41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;

But, when people reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, they reject their spiritual parachute. All people sin no matter how great the sin, whether it’s lie or rob. So, God who is all-just is obliged to judge people. Just think about it; you’re standing in the divine courtroom and you’ve lied probably a thousand times, you’ve been jealous here and there, and you haven’t acted like a saint at all. What’s God going to do about it! Someone has to be punished because He’s perfect and by nature, He must punish you for all your sins.

But, what did God do? He took the punishment on the cross… on your behalf. So, when you accept the bail which God paid for, you can be saved from hell. But, if you reject Jesus Christ, then what can God do?

He’s done all He could, He suffered the crucifixion, rose again, made sure all of it was written in the Bible which you have in your hands, He’s made available blogs such as this blog to explain Him to you, and more. It is now up to you to accept His salvation.

For Those Who Are Indifferent

Next off, I’m going to talk to those of you who are indifferent. Indifferent means to not be concerned at all. So, you might be saying “God has nothing to do with me.” If that’s you, hear me out.

You may feel like God has nothing to do with you, but, that cannot be so, because God cares about you very much. You may give very little thought to God, but God thinks the world of you, quite literally.

Psalm 139:17-18 World English Bible (WEB)
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is their sum!
18 If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand.
    When I wake up, I am still with you.

God’s thoughts of you are more than there are grains of sand in the world. You try thinking as many different things about somebody, you’d never get close to God’s number even if your thoughts were negative. God thinks good of you and He thinks of the good to bless you with.

He loves you a lot, and I believe it’s only a matter of time before you fall in love with Him. The truth is that God should matter to you, He’s the one who made you, He designed you so that you would feel emotions like love, compassion, kindness, and more. If He designed you to be a personal being, then, He must also be a personal being. And He makes it very clear in the Bible that He wants you to know Him and to be in a relationship with Him.

Ephesians 3:19 King James Version (KJV)
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

God seriously loves you. The Bible says that His love even transcends conventional wisdom which is why we sometimes cannot fathom how much He loves us. That is why He died on the cross to receive your punishment for all the mistakes you’ve made in life.

He wants you to accept His gift of salvation and to live a life of fulfillment. But that road to fulfillment starts with Jesus Christ.

For Those Who Believe The King of Heaven

Finally, to those of you who believe in Jesus as the King of Heaven, it is clearly evident throughout scripture that there’s an expectation to love God.

Matthew 22:37 World English Bible (WEB)
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.’Deuteronomy 6:5

To love God, first know that God sees you as loving Him when you listen to Him. As soon as you listened to His Word to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, God started seeing you as a person who loves Him. By the way, when Jesus says “man,” He is talking about women, too, it’s similar to how the word, “mankind” refers to all of humanity.

John 14:23 World English Bible (WEB)
23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.

So, in the spirit, you already love Jesus. It is just that maybe you have not yet had the opportunity to manifest or express that love to Him.

Communion With The King of Heaven

Anchored in Christ

In that case, you should do what David did and what Jesus advises. You should seek God’s heart. David sought God’s heart through writing psalms (songs to sing to God) and prayer.

Acts 13:22 World English Bible (WEB)
22 When he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also testified, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’

Jesus said that when you seek the Kingdom of God, He will add everything to you. So, just spend some time to read His Word and find out what God has in store in His Kingdom.

Matthew 6:33 World English Bible (WEB)
33 But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

When you spend time with God in His Word in light of His grace and pray to commune with Him, God will lead your heart to manifest the love which you have for Him. Therefore, spend time with the King of Heaven in the way you best can and let Him to do the rest. After all, it’s His love for us which is what brought us to Him in the first place.

1 John 4:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The King of Heaven

By Andre Wijesekera

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The Mystery Behind Loving Others As Yourself

loving others as yourself

The truth is that not many of us find it easy to love others, including myself. It is an almost impossible task to love others in a non-selfish manner. Whether you’re in a romantic relationship, friendship, or any other type of relationship, it is vital to love the other person in order to maintain the relationship. And Jesus raised the bar by saying that we should love others as ourselves! So, I’ll be going over what God says about loving others, how to do it, and why it’s so important.

The Imperative Importance of Loving Others

The Bible makes is vividly clear that loving others is of the utmost importance. God wants people to love others, period. There is no way around it and no substitute. I mean, if you were to deny love, you’d have to deny the prevailing nature of God.

1 John 4:8 World English Bible (WEB)
8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.

If we expect God to love us since we belong to Him, we should know God loves other people, too. He wants there to be a uniting love among His children. And if God is love, then the heart of God must yearn to see His people acting in love! Is there a better way to demonstrate that we belong to God than loving others?

Even Jesus declared that we must love people, we are supposed to love others as we love ourselves. And that was one of the greatest commandments of Jesus because He said that when we do that, we will automatically do good things which please Him. We wouldn’t be robbing, murdering, lying, or participating in any of that nonsense if we truly loved others.

Matthew 22:39 World English Bible (WEB)
39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’Leviticus 19:18

Therefore, the Bible clearly emphasizes how there is so much importance in loving others as yourself.

Loving Others As Yourself? How?

But, this begs the question of how to do it? How do you love people if they’re annoying, irritating, or just plain old boring?

There are many, many, many reasons to not like people. They’re hard to understand, and it seems almost impossible to genuinely love people at times.

However, all the reasons why other people are so unlovable and tick you off, fundamentally results from an imperfection which resides within your own heart. Read the previous sentence slowly to really understand what I’m saying here.

The reason why you cannot love others because of their irritating imperfections, is because you are loving others with the subtle intent or self-centered expectation of benefit from that relationship. You don’t need to take my word for it, take God’s Word as Paul writes in the following scripture.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 World English Bible (WEB)
4 Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 

If marriages were not based on self-seeking love, divorce rates would be drastically reduced. I mean, I adore how the Bible is so simple yet so profound. Jesus is the only one who is perfect and He knows every single imperfection which we hold and yet He still loves us!

Moreover, He went through hell for us, for all of us even though He knows all our quirks and imperfections.

Romans 5:7-8 World English Bible (WEB)
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a good person someone would even dare to die. 8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The Mystery Behind It All!

Therefore, if you want to love others, you’ve first got to understand the mystery behind it all. The reason why there is so much importance in loving others as yourself is because Jesus loves them. Whether the person’s your marriage partner, your friend, your co-worker, a family member or anyone else, God loves them.

And when you know that God loves them, you should love them just as Jesus loves you. In fact Jesus said it Himself, we can love others when we know that He loves us. If you genuinely know that God loves you, and you ask Him for the grace, you will love others as yourself.

John 13:34-35 World English Bible (WEB)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If you looked for an imperfection, you’d find a thousand in any individual, and God knows that, but those imperfections should not prevent you from loving others. Otherwise, that’d be a self-seeking love and as you’ve seen earlier, the Bible says that love is not self-seeking, by definition.

If God’s love was self-seeking, we’d all be doomed to hell, just think about that! When Jesus loved us, it did not benefit Him, He was nailed to a tree because of His unconditional love for us.

Furthermore, if you want to experience God’s unconditional love and have not yet accepted Him, I urge you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. He, being God in the flesh died on the cross so that you would not be punished for your mistakes and He rose again after three days to justify your salvation. So, before loving others, you must first learn His love for you and then realize how to love yourself which I also wrote about in another post.

Spend Time With God and He’ll Do the Rest

So, in conclusion, recognize how much God really loves you, look at that person you find hard to love and just think to yourself… “Wow, God loves them so much that He died for them, they have so much value.” Ask God for the grace to love others and He will grow you in this understanding; you will be able to love others as yourself.

Finally, just seek God, get to know Him and you will love others so spend time with Him in prayer (communion with Holy Spirit), read His love letter (the Bible), and learn about Him though others who’ve walked with Jesus.

1 John 4:7-9 World English Bible (WEB)
7 Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. 8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. 9 By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

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The Weary’s Strength Amidst Adversity

There’re always times when life seems overwhelming. You might be sedulously climbing the corporate ladder in your workplace or someone who’s just become a parent, which are all good things, but, these things can be tiring or exhaustive, nonetheless. However, I hold good news for you, Jesus is the weary’s strength amidst adversity. If you can’t help but feel overwhelmed from life’s challenges, just let this post minister life-giving truth unto you.

Strength Amidst Success

As I briefly mentioned earlier, it is possible to feel stressed from the things which success brings. It is also plausible to be stressed out because of things like studying or working.

Galatians 6:9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.

These tasks and acts of discipline may requires a ton of effort, but, God encourages you through His Word to keep on going. Paul writes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to not get tired of doing what is good because good things are headed your way if you continue on this path.

This scripture can also be applied in the sense of worshiping God, reading the Bible, or praying as they are all advantageous to your relationship with Holy Spirit, but very hard to follow through with consistency. Consistency is vital to all forms of discipline. If you cannot be consistent, it is very hard to reap benefits.

And if you’ve repeatedly failed while in pursuit of achieving a goal or sticking to a routine, I beseech you to ask God for the grace to do it.

Isaiah 40:29 World English Bible (WEB)
29 He gives power to the weak.
    He increases the strength of him who has no might.

He promises that He is the God who strengthen you. If you see your goal to be impossible, let God handle it; you just need to cast your cares upon the Lord.

Strength Amidst Calamity

As I mentioned earlier, adversity can come even when you’re enjoying the promised land. But, it can be all the more real when you’re in tough situations. An example of such a situation could be the challenge of paying your bills or dealing with health issues.

Adversity does not always come from God. Sickness, poverty, death, and whatever other thing which Jesus paid a price to destroy does not enter your life because God willed it, but, because this world is a fallen world.

However, there is a solution to the tough situations which adversity brings as God has prepared one solution for every mess.

Proverbs 25:25 World English Bible (WEB)
25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
    so is good news from a far country.

The above proverb is so powerful. But, let’s take a step back to truly imagine what the Holy Spirit wants us to see.

What does water do to someone who is literally dying of thirst? Well, one thing is that it satisfies them and quenches their thirst. Another thing it does is that it saves them from dying.

In the same way, if you are dying inside from all the bad news that has entered your ears, good news is here to revive you. Furthermore, the word, “gospel,” means good news. Since Jesus is good news and His redemption work is the gospel, you just need to believe His good news for Him to empower you.

Romans 1:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

When you believe the gospel of Christ, which is Jesus’ atonement work for you, there is no crisis that can stand in the way of God’s furious love. If you’re struggling with health issues, Jesus is your healing. If you’re struggling with paying the bills on time, Jesus is your prosperity.

You must believe through faith in what Jesus did for you on the cross. And if you’re too tired to stand upon the promises of God, let God strengthen you by just receiving His lovely grace.

He’s The Weary’s Strength Amidst Adversity

Isaiah 40:30-31 World English Bible (WEB)
30 Even the youths faint and get weary,
    and the young men utterly fall;
31     but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength.
    They will mount up with wings like eagles.
    They will run, and not be weary.
    They will walk, and not faint.

The bottom line of what I’m saying in this post is that Jesus is the weary’s strength amidst adversity. If you feel that you are weary, thank Jesus for renewing your strength. Just say it aloud if you have to get that principle into your head. Believe what God says.

When you follow this divine precept, you will start noticing God’s undying strength empowering you to live in victory. As I have said earlier, even when you’re tired of holding onto the promises of God through faith, you must lean upon His strength.

Therefore, if you have not yet accepted Christ into you heart, confess and believe that Jesus Christ is your Redeemer, your Savior, your Lord and your God. He will give you strength to do things beyond your wildest imagination for His glory. Finally, I leave you with these wonderful words from the mouth of Jesus.

Matthew 11:28-30 World English Bible (WEB)
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

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The Purpose of Christmas

Luke 2:8-10 World English Bible (WEB)
8 There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 9 Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.

The Appearance of Angels

This post will examine the birth of Jesus Christ which is why we celebrate Christmas. Now, the first people outside the family of Mary to hear about the birth of Jesus, were some shepherds. These shepherds were taking care of their sheep during the night, and the Bible says an angel appeared to them.

The Bible does not say that an angel flew to them or anything like that. It says, the angel stood in front of them. This means that even though you may not see it, there are angels around you.

In your life, there are angels who act as God’s bodyguards for you; however, you cannot see them at the moment. Nevertheless, the angel appeared to them and the shepherd boys became terrified. This may be why God does not show everything that happens behind the scenes, otherwise, we’d be scared like anything!

Now when the angel appeared to them, the Word of God says that he told them to fear not. God is always concerned about you. He does not want you to be scared of anything at all! In fact, I wrote an entire post where God’s heart is not for you to be anxious about anything.

Furthermore, as the angel began telling them of Jesus’ birth, he introduced Jesus as good news of great joy to all people.

Good News For Everyone

Did you know that Jesus is nothing but good news? And it is this very good news which is the purpose of Christmas! But God is so good that He includes a few extra words which are key to this passage. He says this good news is of great joy to all the people.

He is good news not only to Christians or Jews but to all people where Jesus can bless anyone with His saving power. If you believe in any other religion. Just ask God to save you from the situation or challenge you are facing and Jesus will show you His saving grace. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life; when you give your life to Jesus, He will give you eternal life

Whether you are sick, or depressed, or in any sort of state which is bad, call upon the name of Jesus and He will answer you. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, your life will be transformed by His goodness, you will have the peace which surpasses all understanding.

Psalm 34:8 King James Version (KJV)
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Saviour of the World

When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate how our Saviour was born. The angel introduced Jesus as the saviour of the world.

Luke 2:11 World English Bible (WEB)
11 For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Remember that Christ means “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” Moreover, when you look at the entirety of these wonderful words spoken by the angel, the Bible declares Jesus as the Lord who is anointed to save.

If you need saving in any sort of way, there is a saviour who loves you and is deeply concerned of your well-being. His name is Jesus and He is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Ask Him, and you will definitely hear a response from Jesus, the God who took all your troubles on Himself when He was crucified, and then after three days, arose from the dead so that He is alive forevermore.