What are the keys to riches, honor and life?

The Lord says these words: "For many of you, the devil has been trying to make you feel helpless and hopeless! The devil has been trying to make you feel like out of control in your life! Take authority over the devil and put all these to a stop!"

People of God, ya, put all these nonsense of the devil to a stop! Take authority in Jesus' name, and declare: "Even though many things in this world seem to be out of control, but God, You are a God who is still in control of my life!"

There's a renewed hope and refreshed hope being released to you right now! Don't let the devil talk you out of it! But instead, receive by faith a renewed hope and a refreshed hope from the Lord, no matter what challenges you've gone through recently! 

In fact, this is your time to declare the Lord has paved the way for a greater future for you! Amen!

The Lord says further: "Commit everything you do to Me! Roll all your cares and concerns to Me! And I will show you the way to lasting riches, honor and life!"

Psalm 37:5 (NKJV) says, 'Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass'. 

The word 'commit' here is 'galal' in Hebrew, and it means 'to roll it all'. 

As you 'roll all your ways' - your life, your career, your business, your relationships, your health, your problems, your fears, and even your frustrations onto the Lord, He will know how to take over from there. 

It also means to believe that He is trustworthy, and to acknowledge that by yourself, you are insufficient to cope with the pressures, complexities and challenges in life. Now, this requires humility on your part. Because not everyone on earth will admit this. But blessed are you if you do.

Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life'. See, these are two keys to lasting riches, honor and life. First, humility. And second, the fear of the Lord!

Let's talk about 'humility' first.

In Matthew 5:5 (NKJV), Jesus says, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth'. In cross-reference, Psalm 37:11 (NKJV) says, 'But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace'.

You may be asking: "What does it mean by 'inherit the earth' here?" 

To 'inherit the earth' simply means whatever the Lord wants to give to you on earth, no one can take it away! Indeed, He has given you an inheritance, and it's yours! The Bible says you are an heir of God! (Romans 8:17) But there is a way to receive it, as written in Matthew 5:5 and Psalm 37:11!

Interestingly, the word 'humility' in Proverbs 22:4 is 'anavah' in Hebrew, and the word 'meek' in Psalm 37:11 is 'anav' in Hebrew. So, these two words - 'humility' and 'meek' share the same root word 'anav'! To 'anav' literally means 'to be lowly, meek, humble (before the Lord)'!

How about 'the fear of the Lord'? 

To fear the Lord is to have a deep reverence and respect before the Lord, and being found obedient to whatever He has spoken. It is to acknowledge that He knows better and He sees further. And He knows what's best for us. Amen.

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What does it mean by being blessed of the Lord?

Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper'.

The word 'blessed' here in Hebrew is 'esher', literally meaning 'happiness'. It comes from the word 'ashar', and in the context of the Scripture here, it can mean 'to be happy, to be right, to go forward, to be guided (by the Lord), to be led (by the Lord)'. That is to say 'Happy, right, going forward, guided by the Lord, led by the Lord' is the man who chooses not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, but rather, his delight is in the Word of God!

Notice the words 'walks', 'stands', and 'sits' in Psalm 1:1? These are verbs, i.e. 'words used to describe an action'. You see? The above verbs speak of the choices you need to make, for example, to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, or not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly.

People of God, choose not the way of the ungodly, but choose to delight in the Word of God instead! And that's how you shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither, and whatever you do shall prosper!

The Lord spoke these words recently:
"Do not look at the 'parched and dry lands', but look to Me and trust in Me, for I am the Source of the rivers of water in your lives."

What does 'parched and dry lands' mean here? The Scripture says in 2 Peter 3:6-7 (New Life Version), 'Long ago the earth was covered with water and it was destroyed. But the heaven we see now and the earth we live on now have been kept by His word. They will be kept until they are to be destroyed by fire. They will be kept until the day men stand before God and sinners will be destroyed'. Going by the verses here, the world we live in isn't going to get any better, and we all know it. But in spite of this, there is hope, and this hope only comes when we look to God and trust in God!

Indeed, this is an even more crucial time to keep looking to the Lord and keep trusting in His Word, no matter what happens to this earth, and no matter how 'parched and dry' this world has become, both spiritually and physically. Those who keep looking to Him and keep trusting in His Word are blessed ('esher') people!

There is another Hebrew word for 'blessed', and this word is 'barak'. You can find this word in Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV) that says, 'Blessed ('barak') is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious (worried) in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit'.

The word 'blessed' (or 'barak' in Hebrew) here can mean 'benefit, abundance, honor'. The word 'honor' here is very interesting, and you can say that 'to be blessed is to see God honoring you and God honoring whatever you put your hands to do'! So, not only do you have the 'benefits' and 'abundance' of every good thing that He wants to give you, the Lord also knows how to honor you, and that is, when you put your trust and hope in Him!

The expression 'will not fear when heat comes' (or 'will not see when heat comes' in KJV) means you who put your trust and hope in the Lord will not be affected by the heat ('parched and dry times' on earth), and you will still be yielding fruit (and your leaf will still be green), no matter what happens around you. That, my friend, is the state of being blessed of the Lord!

I end this article with Psalm 34:8-10 (NKJV) that says, 'Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want (lack) to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing'.

Entering a season of honor

The Lord spoke these words recently:
"For many of My people who have gone through a time of dishonor and shame, I am bringing them into a season of honor. But before honor is humility."

The Lord spoke further:
"This is a key time to choose to humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Pride is very subtle, and sometimes we don't even know there is an element of pride in our lives. Furthermore, most people would never admit there is pride in their lives. But nothing takes away the fact that pride destroys, and pride is the major reason why God's people cannot see their destinies fulfilled.

Today, we can learn much from the life of Jacob in the Bible. There's no doubting that the Lord had great plans and a great destiny for him. But before he could see all these come to pass in his life, the Lord had to work in him and humble him first!

Speaking of sibling rivalry, Jacob had competed with his older twin brother Esau since they were in their mother's womb. He wanted his brother's birthright (Genesis 25:29-34), and later on, his brother's blessing (Genesis 27:1-29). When Esau found out that Jacob had taken away his blessing, he became very bitter against Jacob, and he said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" (Genesis 27:36)

So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father Isaac blessed him. At that time, Isaac was already old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. Esau then said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are very near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." (Genesis 27:41) Jacob had no choice but to flee from Esau.

Let's pause for a moment at this juncture of Jacob's life. Have you noticed that in all of Jacob's 'tricky-ness' till that point of time, it actually got him nowhere? Not only did he not receive any tangible inheritance, he even had to run for his life empty-handed! In fact, his next twenty years would be spent as a 'servant' to his uncle Laban! Fast forward, and after a time of humbling under his uncle Laban, Jacob said, "Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times."  (Genesis 31:41)

Interestingly, it was only in these humbling years under his uncle Laban that the Lord actually began to bless Jacob in real ways, giving him both a family and great possession! As Jacob moved on, and went on his way to the land God had promised him, he also had to humble before his brother Esau. Having heard that his brother Esau was coming to meet him together with four hundred men, Jacob was greatly distressed, fearing that Esau would attack him and his family. Jacob then said, "I will appease him (Esau) with the present (gift) that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me." (Genesis 32:20).

The night before the meeting with Esau, something remarkable happened. Jacob was alone by himself when a Man (or the Angel of the Lord) appeared to him, and Jacob wrestled with Him until the breaking of day. When the Man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched the socket of his hip, and it became out of joint. And the Man said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." (Genesis 32:24-26)

But Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." So the Man said to him, "What is your name?", and he said, "Jacob". The Man then said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel..." (Genesis 32:26-28)

Do you notice that Jacob was so strong in himself (or rather, so full of himself in getting what he wanted) that even the Man could not prevail against him? So much so the Man had to touch the socket of his hip, putting it out of joint, making him helpless! Limping from then on, Jacob couldn't wrestle further, and it was then that Jacob began clinging to Him, and pleaded for blessing!

Now, what does 'limping' means here? It means 'the end of his own strength, confidence, or pride', and 'an acknowledgement that he cannot progress further unless he clings to (and depends on) the Lord'! Do you see something here? Jacob discovered that pride (i.e. relying on self, instead of the Lord) would lead him nowhere! And not until he learned to cling to the Man that he was blessed!

By the way, the name 'Israel' means 'he will rule with God; he will have power (as a prince) with God'. What a change from the name 'Jacob', which literally means 'heel-catcher, supplanter, deceiver'! A name change is a result of a change in character, and Jacob had certainly come a long way!

Through all the circumstances that he had gone through, and by the work of the Lord in his life, he was finally a changed man, and he knew that he needed to cling to the Lord for blessing! He had finally learned to humble himself! And with it, came honor! Not only did he have a new name, he also saw his older brother Esau accepting and receiving him again! (Genesis 33:3-4) Indeed, humility before the Lord brought him into a new season in his life - a season of honor! And the rest is history.

'Humility' and 'the fear of the Lord' go hand in hand

Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV): By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.

The word 'humility' here is 'anavah' in Hebrew, literally meaning 'taking the lowly place'; and in this context, 'taking the lowly place before the Lord'. It speaks of submission to the One who knows better, and who holds our lives in His hand. It speaks of the willingness to lay down our pride, and let Him have the full (and final) say in our lives. Jesus Himself taught us that 'whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted' (Luke 14:11).

How about 'the fear of the Lord'? This expression speaks of 'a deep reverence (or a deep respect) for the Lord'. As you can see in Proverbs 22:4, 'humility' and 'the fear of the Lord' go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. Why? Because true humility before the Lord is when you 'fear the Lord more than you fear man'!

Humility and the fear of the Lord! The Bible says these are the two keys to riches (including the riches of His wisdom), honor (i.e. He honors you, and raises up many who honor you), and life (i.e. whatever you do, there will be life)!

Some people see 'humility' as 'whatever people tells you to do, or whatever people invite you, you have to oblige', even if the Lord says no, or even if you have no 'peace' inside you to do it. That's not true humility. That's fear of man. As a matter of fact, deep inside every human is a yearning for approval. But it is better to seek approval from the Lord than approval from man. Proverbs 29:25 says, 'The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe'.

The paradox here is sometimes you may seem to be humble before man, but you are actually being proud before the Lord, and sometimes you may seem to be proud before man, but you are actually being humble before the Lord! What matters most is what the Lord says, not what man says! And whatever He says, you do! When the Lord says so, you say so. And when the Lord says no, you say no. Because the Lord sees further (and farther) than man, and is infinitely wiser than man (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Psalm 75:6-7 says, 'For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is judge: He puts down one, and exalts another'. The word 'exaltation' here is 'ruwm' in Hebrew, which can also be translated as 'promotion, elevation, or a raise'. 

In Psalm 75:6, this word 'ruwm' is written in the context of 'a person's desire for self-advancement'. However, Psalm 75:7 implies that this 'advancement' cannot be gained merely through any outward plan of man, but rather upon humility and the fear of the Lord. Because it is He who puts down one, and it is He who exalts another. 

Zechariah 4:6 says, 'Not by might, nor by power (of man), but by the Spirit of the Lord', and 1 Peter 5:6 says, 'Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time'. Indeed, the Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. The Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of grace, and it is by His ability and His supply of wisdom that we can be who He has destined for us to be. Amen.

With pride comes downfall, but with humility comes honor

Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV): Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride is a killer. It destroys. It brings about a downfall. Indeed, it is so important for us to guard our souls against pride. The Bible also says, 'When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom' (Proverbs 11:2). The root word for this word 'pride' in Hebrew is 'zuwd', which carries the meaning 'to be presumptuous'. In other words, 'seeing oneself greater than who he/she really is'.

In Ezekiel 28:11-15, the Bible says, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God... You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God... You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you."'

Who is the Lord referring to here? None other than Lucifer (who would later be called satan). You see, he was the seal of perfection, filled with wisdom, perfect in beauty, anointed, and established by the Lord. He was a 'cherub', an angel who directly attended to God, a 'picture' of beauty and innocence, and was placed in the garden of God in order to protect it.

Now, what could go wrong, looking at all the good the Lord had endowed him? The Bible says all these came to a halt, at the point of 'till iniquity was found in you'.

What then, was this 'iniquity'? In Ezekiel 28:17-18, the Lord gave the answer, "Your heart was lifted up (became proud), because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground... You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities... Therefore I brought fire... It devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you."

As you can see here, Lucifer's iniquities began when his heart became proud. He became so impressed with his own beauty, intelligence, power, and position that he began to desire the glory (and honor) that belonged to the Lord alone. As a matter of fact, the sin that corrupted Lucifer was self-generated pride. This actually represents the beginning of sin in the whole universe! Instead of protecting the garden of God, he defiled it; and instead of leading others to worship the Lord, he wanted to be worshiped! (see Isaiah 14:12-15)

As for Lucifer, because of his pride, he was eternally condemned. But thank God you and I are the children of God, and not mere servants (like Lucifer). We have redemption. We have hope. Because we have our Lord Jesus Christ who died for all our sins.

This topic of 'pride' is definitely not the most popular topic to write. But I am writing here because the Lord is about to bring many of His people into a new season - 'a season of honor'.

The Lord spoke these words recently:
"For many of My people who have gone through a time of dishonor and shame, I am bringing them into a season of honor. But before honor is humility."

People of God, this is a very important time to let the Lord teach us and work in us, especially in the area of humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Let us not follow after Lucifer, but instead give the Lord full right and full say in our lives. For the Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5).