19/09/09

Do not wear strange clothes

Zephaniah 1:7,8 - Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.


In the Bible we know how Joseph the son of Jacob was blessed. People could see that the Lord was with him and all things that he did prospered. But people do not see that before God could work wonders with Him God need to make some changes with him.

Joseph was the most loved son of Jacob and use to wear vivid colour cloths. Before God could bless him, and through him bless the whole of Israel; God needed to get rid of his vivid coloured clothes. For this Joseph went through great ordeal, he was thrown in a pit, made a slave, falsely accused, imprisoned etc...

In today's message also God is telling us not to wear strange clothes like Joseph unless you too want to go through the experiences of Joseph before you receive your blessings.

What has God to do with strange or vivid coloured clothes?

It is not the clothes which God is concern with but it is the understanding and traditions that we follow or hold in our lives. To receive God's blessings God needs to shake these off us, therefore He rattles our lives till these fall out.

If we do not want to go through a roller coater in our lives then voluntarily give up these strange clothes.

How do we know which is strange and which is not?

It is very simple what ever the Bible says is what we need to stick to, any thing else which is not in the Bible and we are following is strange.

People will quote to you saying there are many things which are not written in the Bible and may even quote you a scripture to support it. But when you read the scripture carefully the scripture itself is clear that whatever we need to know is already in the Bible. Therefore anything additional is against God's wish. The Bible also warns with dire consequences against removing or adding to the Bible.

A new field called Bible Numerics has proven that every word of the original text has the signature of God, therefore adding or removing even a single word can be caught. God took this trouble over 1500 years the Word was written by over 44 peoples, so that we get the unadulterated Word of God.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Father God, You gave us the Word to build us and prosper us. Lord, forgive us and have mercy on us for the strange understandings and traditions we have been following out of ignorance or the hardness of our hearts. By your Spirit enlighten us and give us the courage to stand by the truth so that we will be truly blessed...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Genesis 37:17-28
17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Genesis 50:6-9
6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
7 And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)