OUR FATHER WHOSE LIGHT SHINES ON THE RIGHTEOUS

Psalm 97 verse 11 says this;

Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.

The book of Mathew chapter 5 verse 6 says this;

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

This beatitude, spoken by the Lord Jesus as part of the sermon  on the mount, speaks of sinners who even in their state, yearn desperately to be righteous and this principle declared by the Lord assures those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that they are not doing so in vain but rather that they will be filled with righteousness.

Psalm 97 then reveals what happens to those who are filled with this righteousness that they have yearned for;

The light and joy of the Lord shines on them.

Amen.

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 OUR FATHER BLESSES THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

Psalm 1 verse 1 says this;

Blessed is the one  who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinnersà take or sit in the company of mockers,

Those who reverence the Lord and stay away from those who mock Him and those who avoid  associating with the wicked or defend the actions of those who do wrong.will be blessed.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO IS SPIRIT

The book of Ezekiel chapter 11 verse 5 says this;

Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind. 

This verse records the words from the Lord that the prophet Ezekiel was given by the Holy Spirit to the leaders of Israel.

The personhood of the Holy Spirit is clearly delineated in this old testament verse where He descends on Ezekiel and instructs him to say some specific words. By this, the Spirit of God is characterized as a person.

Further to that, the Spirit of God refers to Himself as Lord when He tells Ezekiel to say; "This is what the Lord says".

The Lord is telling the leaders of Israel that even though they are saying certain things, nevertheless the Lord knows what is going through their minds.

This ability to know the veiled thoughts in the minds of men is a definitive marker of God.

This verse makes clear that the Holy Spirit is a person and that His identity is that of the Lord and that He has the capability of knowing the minds of men which is only in  the purview of God.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SENT A REDEEMER FOR THOSE WHO CONFESS THEIR SINS BEFORE HIM 

The book of Isaiah chapter 59 verse 13 says this;

rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.

In this verse, we see the people of God acknowledging tbeir sins before the Lord. 

They  confess their rebellion and treachery against God in which they turned their backs against their own God and then encouraged others to join in the revolt against Him using deceptive narratives that they had made up against the Lord.

This confession  of their sins secures the promise of God that the Redeemer would come to Zion as it says in Isaiah chapter 59 verses 20 - 21;

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO CHARGES US TO KEEP WATCH AND PRAY

The book of Isaiah chapter 56 verse 10 says this;

Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs,  they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep.

This verse describes those who are charged to be watchmen over Zion.

Instead of keeping vigilant guard over the people of God, they are do not scan the borders, they do not strategize and use knowledge to help their positions. They are silent when they should be giving warning to others of impending attacks.

Instead, they lounge around,  sleeping and dreaming.

To be good watchmen, while on our shifts;

We must always be tuned into the spirit and staying awake in order to keep ahead of what is happening in that realm.

We must not be distracted by things of the flesh and its appetites or drift off to sleep. 

We must not divert our attention towards the pursuit of our own gain.

We must not get caught up in social diversions because we believe that because things were uneventful yesterday,  things will be uneventful today.

We must remain alert and nimble in prayer.

Amen.

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