HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS

DO ALL BLESSINGS COME FROM GOD?

Yesterday, I and a Pastor friend with his family went via a commercial transport to a church program and the transport man at the end was trying to extort money from us. When we made him realise he was trying to cheat us, the man replied us saying that was how God had decided (chose) to bless him. Then my friend told him never to lie in the name of God, paid him and allowed him to go. The transporter insisted that what he did was because God had brought that opportunity as a way of blessing him. He called cheating and extortion God’s blessing. It means that to him, all blessings, whether by hook or crook, are from God.

Just this morning, the Spirit ministered to me to write about this serious error of our generation; men HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF. May God dissolve every wrong concept of blessing and prosperity from our lives.

It is easy for men to teach about Judas Iscariot today, but many do not realise that they are not better than Judas. Judas was associated with Christ, but the Bible says, “This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein” (John 12:6). He was a thief. Who is a thief? Simple; ‘A person who takes something that belongs to somebody else.’ Then Judas “Purchased a field with the reward of iniquity” (Acts 1:18).

Today, many have built houses, bought cars, opened business, etc, with the reward of iniquity (their shares from criminal conspiracies, portions from bribery, policemen extorting money on the highways, politicians embezzling constituency funds, preachers consuming church funds, etc). Unfortunately, these people will say to themselves, “The Lord has blessed me.” They will be given the best seats in worship places and will have unrestricted access to the man of God, whereas the “poor” widow in church cannot even come near her Pastor for physical walls and barriers of protocols.

Is it not true that many of these wrong blessings receive prophetic back-ups?! A prophet can now easily look away from a man’s sinful ways of life and prophesy increased financial inflow to him. And the man who was not told about Heaven, Hell, Rapture, Holiness, will set out in the pursuit of more money whether by hook or crook. Then in the end, the man will come and testify about “God’s blessings” in confirmation of a prophetic utterance, after which he may drop a ‘prophet’s offering’ for the man of God. But when Heaven X-rays the so-called blessing, it is built on falsehood, corruption, compromise, etc. Many of the people the man cheated and extorted are in pains, but the man is organising thanksgiving service and celebrating a prophetic word. Error!!!

By God’s grace, I operate in the prophetic so I am not speaking against the office of the prophet. But I say this, prophets are first and above all God’s mouthpiece in causing men to seek Heaven first and above all, then other things follow. Today, we are helping iniquity to abide. It is written, “And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there” (Ecclesiastes 3:16). Iniquity/corruption has reached a boiling point that its steam has entered the hitherto holy places, and iniquity has reached the place where righteousness should dwell. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5).

There is a boutique close to where I once lived, and on the signpost of that boutique is the inscription: “REAL MEN LOVE JESUS”. This inscription would send a message across to a lay passer-by into thinking that the owner and chief executive of that boutique is a ardent lover and follower of Jesus. However, that may not the case (and that is not the case...I judge no man, but by their fruits they shall be known).

What does it mean to love Jesus? Jesus Himself gave the meaning in John 14:15; “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” So, our love for Jesus is demonstrated by keeping His commandments – living for Him in truth and holiness. Now, when we print on boards for everyone to see for example inscriptions like the one above (REAL MEN LOVE JESUS), but we live opposite to His commandment, the scripture completes who we are:

“For with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness” (Ezekiel 33:31)

“Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues” (Psalm 78:36)

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me” (Isaiah 29:13)

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:5)

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16)

We can go on!

To have a form of godliness and to deny the power thereof comes in many ways, some of which include:

-          To claim to be a Christian but not born again and living holy

-          To claim to belong to a Church or even a worker in the Church but see no wrong in keeping malice with another person within or outside the church

-          To talk about God with others only to leave there and go and drink alcohol or fornicate

-          To even take up on others when they talk against God but not to be born again

-          To believe that smoking/alcohol is a sin but not to see any wrong in falsifying figures so as to make money.

-          To be a trader, share tract to one customer, and then cheat another customer

-          To be a worker in church and still live in corruption in your place of secular work

-          To claim to be a Christian but to cheat others anyways

-          To come and share testimony in the church about God’s blessings, but knowing deep in you that the testimony came after you compromised

It is to be like Samson; he was a Nazarite (dedicated to God) and there were laws guiding them. Some of these laws include; not touching dead things and having no razor come on their heads. But Samson chose the ones he would obey. He kept his head intact from razor (initially), but he saw nothing wrong in eating honey from the carcass of a lion. He was so committed to preventing razor from coming on his head, but he saw nothing bad about touching a dead animal. It is like someone who preaches that it is a sin to do homosexuality, and even condemns those who do so, but this same man preaching sees nothing wrong in committing fornication and premarital sex. He will condemn smoking but at work he will forge figures. This is what the scripture calls, “Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof”.

There is a power that comes with godliness. Paul called it “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Roman 1:16). It is power that accompanies salvation and helps us to live holy, godly and soberly in the times we are. If this power is at work in you, it worketh onto holiness and truth. It destroys the stronghold of iniquity and the person just hates sin and love righteousness. “Thou hast loveth righteousness, and hateth iniquity” (Hebrews 1:9). Many of us had our days of struggling with some habits and sinful ways, but the power of God unto salvation destroyed the power of sin and death, and the dominion of sin was broken and the altar of righteousness became exalted. “The snare is broken, and we are escaped” (Psalm 124:7). Amen.

So, if you still think cheating people, stealing the money of the government and the people (the one people call “our” money), and forging figures to make wealth are the blessings of the Lord, then you are wrong. These blessings among other wrong ones will cause you eternal sorrows in hell at the end, whereas, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).

God will bless you, and this is pure prosperity, void of forgery, corruption, iniquity, compromise, and all evil manipulations. Any money/wealth you get on the altar of bribery, corruption, stealing, cheating, and the likes, such money/wealth IS NOT FROM GOD! STOP SAYING IT IS GOD WHO BLESSED YOU THAT WAY...THAT WILL BE LYING AGAINST GOD AND LYING IN HIS NAME.

This is the end of all such people who get wealth/money wrongly:

“As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool” (Jeremiah 17:11).

Finally, please know that NOT all money, open doors, opportunities, and blessings are from God. Only “good and perfect things are from God” (James 1:17).

If you have never given your life to Christ, it means you are not saved and hence not safe. Prosperity or celebrity status will never open the gates of Heaven, only holiness will. And the way to walk in this narrow way is to take the first step to accept Jesus into your life. If you want to accept Jesus as your personal saviour and Lord, here is an opportunity, please pray this prayer genuinely:

“Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, but I come to you today...I confess my sins and I am ready to forsake my sinful and odd way of life. I ask that you will forgive me my sins, cancel my name from the book of death, and write it in the book of life. I receive eternal life into my spirit. Give me abiding and sustaining grace over sin and help me live my rest for you until I see you face to face and inherit life eternal. Thank you for accepting me today...in Jesus’ name I pray.”

If you prayed the prayer, congratulations and welcome to God’s family. Join a Bible believing Church where the complete word of God is preached with emphasis on eternal truths and holiness. You can also contact us. God bless you.

NB: I have done some teachings in the past about this and related issues. You can visit my blog and search for these teachings: www.drwilliamsbukola.blogspot.com. Or send me an e-mail request for any of them via drwilliams4j@yahoo.com

1.  BREAKING NEWS: GOD WANTS YOU TO BE BLESSED PARTS 1 & 2

2. THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF GOD’S BLESSINGS

3. WHY GOD HAS DECIDED TO BLESS

4. NOT EVERY OPPORTUNITY IS OF GOD

5. WHEN FAITH ASSASSINATES FAITHFULNESS; ETERNITY DIES!

6. ACTIVATING THE DEFENCE PROFILE OF YOUR MONEY