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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'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.

Keys to making the right decisions in life

In every season of our lives, we need to make decisions. Big decisions. Small decisions. And some decisions are so crucial these would either lead us to greater things, or cause us to stagnate in life! Even right now, some of you may be asking, "Am I going to turn to the left, to the right, go straight, or stay put?"

The Lord spoke these words to me recently:
"Many of My people are entering a season of key decision-making time. Many are in such junctures and crossroads. But I will teach My people to make key decisions based on My revelation! Not of men, but of Me! Just as Paul received a vision in the night at Troas, and he proceeded to go over to Macedonia."

At Troas - the crossroads
In Acts 16:6-10, the Scripture says, 'Now when they (Paul and his team) had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them'.
At that juncture of Paul's second missionary journey, not once, but twice did the Holy Spirit not permit Paul and his team when they tried to go to certain places (or direction). While wondering what to do next, the Lord gave Paul a vision in the night. Heeding this vision, they then proceeded to go to Macedonia. It turned out to be a good decision, and many more people heard and received the gospel of Jesus Christ during that journey! Put it simply, right decisions always lead you to greater things!

At Corinth - the mission field
In Acts 18:9-11, the Scripture says, 'Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city." And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them'.
As Paul continued his second missionary journey and was in the city of Corinth, the Lord spoke to him in a vision once again. This time, the Lord encouraged him to keep speaking and teaching the word of God, and not be afraid even in the face of resistance and opposition. The Lord also assured him that He is with him, and He is raising up many people in the city to receive his words. Heeding these words from the Lord, he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them!

Paul made decisions based on revelations and instructions of the Lord
From the two examples above, you can see Paul was a man who had learned to make decisions based on revelations and instructions of the Lord, and not of man. In 2 Corinthians 12:1, he wrote, 'It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord'. Paul went on to complete all that the Lord had called him to do while on earth, and in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, he wrote, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day...' The Lord had indeed honored him for his humility and obedience; and as evident as it gets, not only did the Lord lead him through all his missionary journeys successfully, the Lord also used him to write half of the entire New Testament!

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, 'Where there is no vision, the people perish...' The word 'vision' here is 'chazown' (pronounced 'khaw-zone') in Hebrew, which means 'a prophetic dream, vision, oracle, or revelation from the Lord'. This 'chazown' is a form of supernatural manifestation at certain 'junctures' or 'crossroads' in one's life (just as happened to Paul).

What was it in Paul that we can learn from?
Everybody wants to make right decisions in life. Even those in the world! But what was it in Paul that we can learn from? There are keys, i.e. the underlying principles, of course. To want to make right decisions often, but not having these underlying principles in life is like 'wanting to make pasta, but you have no wheat', or 'wanting to make pastries, but you have no flour'!

The answer can be found in Proverbs 22:4 that says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life'. That is to say, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord, you will make decisions that will lead you to riches, honor and life'! Yes, humility and the fear of the Lord! These are keys! When you have these two underlying 'ingredients' in your life, you know the Lord will surely honor you and help you in your decision-making! And I believe that was the secret of Paul!

What does 'By humility and the fear of the Lord' mean?
To humble before Him is to submit and yield to Him (His words or His instructions) in total surrender, instead of being a 'smart aleck', thinking we know better.
To fear Him is to have deep reverence and respect toward Him and what He says.

Proverbs 3:5-7 says, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil'.

Proverbs 9:10-11 says, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you'.

How do you correlate 'wisdom', 'knowledge', and 'understanding'?
To begin with, let's look at each of these words first.
'Wisdom' is 'knowing what to do and how to go about in life, even in making the right decisions'. 'Knowledge' is 'having intimate and personal knowledge of God, instead of mere intellectual and head knowledge'.
'Understanding' is 'the ability to discern, separate and distinguish what is of God and what is not of God'.

The expression 'the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding' can be read as 'the knowledge of the Holy One leads you to understanding'. It means the more you know God intimately, the more you will know and understand yourself, or God's will (and plans) for your life!

In other words, having knowledge of God causes you to have understanding 'what is of God and what is not of God', and that's when you'll have the wisdom to make the right decisions that eventually lead you to greater things in life!

People of God, as you look to Him afresh and anew this year, and as you let go of the past (even past mistakes or regrets), allow the Lord to teach you and lead you from here. And I declare your best is sure to come! In Jesus' name. Amen!

Humility leads to God's kingdom come

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

The word 'humility' here in Hebrew is 'anavah', from the word 'anav', meaning 'lowly, meek, a mindset of needing (Him)'. The word 'fear' here in Hebrew is 'yirah', which means 'reverence, deep respect'. Interestingly, the word 'honor' in this verse is translated 'kabowd' in Hebrew, which means 'glory, weight, splendor'. In other words, 'humility and the fear of the Lord leads to God's glory manifesting in your life'!

How about the word 'life' in this verse? In Hebrew, it is pronounced 'khah-ee' and has a very wide span of meaning. It can mean 'fresh, strong, lively, up and running, merry, restore, revive, be made whole, or recover'.

To humble before God is to surrender to Him. How do you surrender to Him? You surrender to Him in worship. To worship Him is to surrender (your spirit, soul, and body, i.e. your whole self) to Him and to His will. The Bible says, 'His kingdom come, His will be done' (Matthew 6:9-10).

Note: Know also that His will for your life is always the best. Proverbs 13:22 says, 'a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children'. Just as a loving, responsible dad would get his lawyer to help him write a will for his children, making sure that they'll have what they should have after he leaves this earth, your Father in Heaven also wants His will be done in your life! Matthew 6:9-10 can therefore be translated this way: 'His kingdom come, His inheritance be done'. Amen! What are some of His 'inheritance' for you? These include divine health, wisdom, revelation, love, joy, peace, blessings, prosperity, and every other good thing on earth! In fact, God also wants Heaven to be your inheritance as well! Such is His immeasurable 'wealth' for you. Praise God! He is altogether good!

So, you want 'His kingdom come, His inheritance be done'? Humble under His mighty hand! John (the Baptist)'s humility those days opened the way for the King to come (see John 1:23-27). Humility also leads to more good things coming your way, and in greater ways. Proverbs 11:2 says, 'When pride comes, then comes shame. But with the humble is wisdom'. Jesus Himself chose to humble (at the cross), and that's how He was also exalted high above all names (Philippians 2:5-11).

What does it mean to be humble before God? To say that you are humble before God is to say that you need Him and depend on Him more than ever before. God indeed 'gives grace to the humble and resists the proud' (1 Peter 5:5-7). Notice Peter didn't stop there in this sentence, but he continued by saying, 'casting all your care to Him, because He cares for you'. To take things into your own hands (instead of casting all your care to Him) is like saying, "I can, and I can do it better than God!", instead of saying, "Lord, I need you and depend on you to lead me on from here."

Finally, give yourself all over to Him again (Romans 12:1-2). Choose to re-align to His will and His way today. He sees farther than anyone can ever see (& knows better than anyone can ever know) on this earth. By humility and the fear of the Lord are His kingdom come and His glory being manifested in (and through) your life. There's no other way around it. Just look at John the Baptist, Peter, and even Jesus Himself! And instead of being conformed with the ways (and values) of this world, allow yourself right now to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may walk in all that is good, acceptable, and perfect will of God (for your life). Amen!