Faith,  Lifestyle

Sunday Flashback: I Called a Little Boy, Ananias

It was closing time and I’m almost at the door of the church when I notice this little boy of about ten standing there, smirking at me.

He had taken permission earlier to use the toilet or something and never returned until that moment I was seeing him.

Known to be most stubborn and troublesome amongst his mates, he was not ashamed about the obvious lie he’d told me.

Instead, he had his shoulders raised high as if to say, “Yes, I outsmarted you. You’re dumb and I’m not. What you gonna do about it?”

I was so vexed in my spirit as I stare at him. On a norm, I’m not a smiley person when I’m in the teenage section of the church cause there’s usually nothing much to be happy about. When you look at the next generation that should be God’s own behaving in a certain way, you kind of lose hope for the future.

I’m vexed and feel this rebuke right on the tip of my tongue but I hold it back and stare daggers at him instead, shifting through all the suggestions in my head to find a better reaction.

Suddenly, I remember that it’s not a sin to rebuke wrongdoing so I face him, point my finger at him and say in a most menacing voice I never knew I had;

“How DARE you LIE to GOD? Ananias and Sapphira tried the same thing in the Bible and they fell down DEAD immediately. You think you lied to me? You’re right in the house of God and you’re not afraid? Fear God o. Fear God!”

I felt the fear of God descend on him right then as his eyes widened in horror. I walked out on him like that cause my parents were calling but I was pretty sure he’d gotten the drift.

………………

Remembering my actions that day, I remain unapologetic for what I said. Until the fear of God returns to the church, how will men hate evil?

I’ve heard some Christians say that loving God is all there is to our Christian faith which is not true. You can love something without respecting, or valuing it.

I could love Icey, my family’s puppy with all my heart but not reverence her, worship or place her opinion over mine.

Of course, we don’t use God’s word to threaten others or instil fear but Truth remains truth and that little boy received a dose of truth that day.

It is always important to differentiate between the fear of God and fear that comes from Hell whenever this topic comes up. What you need to know is the first one comes with the empowerment to say no; make the right decisions while the second stop you from making them, leaving you stagnant.

So if you’re having a hard time obeying God’s instructions, what you lack is the knowledge that comes with intimacy with God.

And only one way to rectify that- spending time sincerely (keyword being “sincerely”) studying God’s word and learning about him. The more you do, the more it deposits “something” in your heart that restrains you. That something is the fear of God.

You can start from the book of Proverbs. There’s a lot of wisdom in that one book.

Shalom! And a sunny Sunday to you.

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Hi, I'm Chioma Jeremiah. I'm passionate about helping my community see the beautiful light that each day brings. My goal is to inspire you with everything that will make each read the best for you.

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