Anchor your life on true foundation, by Pastor Daniel

[Mirror]

Pastor Samuel Daniel of Global Grace Church, Lagos, urges Christians to ensure their lives are anchored on sound foundation. Excerpts:

The fifth point to consider under this topic is Christian foundation. Within the context of the book of Ezekiel 36: 25-26, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh."

From this portion of the scripture, we can see that as a Christian, your foundation starts from your justification. If you have not justified, you are not a Christian. A Christian is the one that is justified by water, by baptism. This is what Ezekiel is saying there; remember his generation belongs to the Old Testament which is otherwise known as the shadow of the reality that is to come.

Isaiah 53:11 explains more about this and it says: "He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. This aspect is talking about Jesus who was yet to come, to a generation to whom what is to come was being revealed at the time of the prophets. This is precisely letting us know that we shall be justified by the knowledge of Jesus Christ, God's righteous servant who would bear the iniquity of the human race. As long as you have been baptised into Christ, your sin shall be remitted and you shall be justified and that is the foundation of every Christian. If you have not baptised into Him, you are not qualified to call upon the name of the Lord; because your sin is still very much with you.

The Bible speaking in Galatians 2: 16 further buttresses the point: "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. Have you sent it now? From this place you will know that you are justified by the faith on the word of God you are hearing; because faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God. When you anchor your faith in the word of God, and you are justified through baptism, then you are qualified to be a Christian and God will give you his spirit. That is what the Bible speaking in Ezekiel says: "I will put my spirit within you i.e. the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It is then your foundation as a Christian is well laid.

As a child of God, you need also to lay good business foundation. The book of Deuteronomy 26:12-14 says, "When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled; Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast Samuel commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them. I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord."

As a businessman or an income earner, you must be ready to pay your tithe. Your tithe is the percentage that is due for God. Since you cannot see God with your naked eyes, God commanded that you take the tithe to the house of God. The more you pay that 10 per cent of you income to God; God will continue to increase you. That is necessary business foundation for every Christian who wants to prosper in whatever he or she is doing. The book of Lamentation5: 7 records that the fathers have sinned and are no more but that the children would bear their iniquities; because of negative foundation which the fathers had laid. Such foundations subject the children to lots of suffering if care is taken to lay good foundation is put in place for children, the children will flourish.

That is why Jesus speaking in the book of Matthew 11:28 says: "Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest." A lot of people are standing upon faulty foundations. If you are one of such people, Jesus is saying come unto me and find rest for your souls, because the load that God will give to you is so light and incomparable with the devil's evil covenant.

National Mirror