PSALM 96 O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
8 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
What is Sharing: Have a portion of (something) with another or others or use, occupy, or enjoy (something) jointly with another or others. (via google definitions)
To sum up sharing in my personal view, is to give and take as needed and to do it selflessly. If we take unnecessarily or give unwillingly then we have missed the mark and it won’t be counted towards us as good deeds. Being forced to do well or taking anything without a cause demonstrates to others that we have no morals or values. We are supposed to teach and treat others how we want to be taught and treated. In my opinion it doesn’t make sense to take thing we don’t need or to give to someone what you still want for yourself. There are many Biblical stories (example: the married couple Ananias and Sapphira) that prove not so good outcomes when our hearts are not in the right place. Frankly we don’t even need religion or other motivations in order to feel good or make others happy because it will just feel like the correct things to do.
Although some of these are taught at very young ages, not everyone has adapted and this will be visible through greed and selfishness which are some narcissistic qualities. For more Biblical examples please read my book “Narcissists in the Bible” on Amazon Kindle. This particular post was motivated by me watching a YouTube video and also witnessing countless actions/activities between my 9 year old and my 5 year old second cousin. I call it the “me, me, me/I, I, I syndrome” it’s very entertaining to say the least. In conclusion, when you give and take please allow your heart to lead because what gave won’t give you pleasure and what you took won’t benefit you. Remember you’re being watched…literally!
Many of us believe that grace over-rules law but that is an incorrect belief system which is usually taught in Christianity. Although Paul made the statement about being under grace (Romans 6:15), please understand that he was assuming that the law was already being kept/followed! No law = No grace and it’s that simple…The Most High is not the Author of confusion and His burden is light. We are to keep His commandments and in doing so, grace and mercy will be given to you. At the end of the day let us all humble ourselves to remember that man does not override our Father in Heaven regardless of their status (God gives and He takes away). Pay attention to who is teaching you because lawless people are dangerous people.
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*Revelations 22:14 (KJV) Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city.*
Grace: that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech, good will, loving-kindness, favourof the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.
Mercy:kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help themof men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one’s self mercifulof God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christthe mercy of Christ, whereby at his return to judgment he will bless true Christians with eternal life.
Psalm 23 (KJV)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me
beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Matthew 9:13 (KJV)
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy,
and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance.
2 Chronicles 30:9 (KJV)
9 For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and
your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that
they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is
gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return
unto him.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (KJV)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith
he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Isaiah 30:18 (KJV)
18 And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be
gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy
upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they
that wait for him.
Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Psalm 51 (KJV)
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from
my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever
before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil
in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear
when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother
conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the
hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou
hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine
iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right
spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy
spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me
with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall
be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my
salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth
thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it:
thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the
walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of
righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they
offer bullocks upon thine altar.
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Prayer and fasting is defined as voluntarily going without food in order to focus on prayer and fellowship with God. Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand, but this is not always the case. You can pray without fasting, and fast without prayer. It is when these two activities are combined and dedicated to God’s glory that they reach their full effectiveness. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what you desire. Rather, it is simply forcing yourself to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, and wisdom you need.
Prayer and Fasting – What the Bible Says: The Old Testament law specifically required prayer and fasting for only one occasion, which was the Day of Atonement. This custom became known as “the day of fasting” (Jeremiah 36:6) or “the Fast” (Acts 27:9). Moses fasted during the 40 days and 40 nights he was on Mount Sinai receiving the law from God (Exodus 34:28). King Jehoshaphat called for a fast in all Israel when they were about to be attacked by the Moabites and Ammonites (2 Chronicles 20:3). In response to Jonah’s preaching, the men of Nineveh fasted and put on sackcloth (Jonah 3:5). Prayer and fasting was often done in times of distress or trouble. David fasted when he learned that Saul and Jonathan had been killed (2 Samuel 1:12). Nehemiah had a time of prayer and fasting upon learning that Jerusalem was still in ruins (Nehemiah 1:4). Darius, the king of Persia, fasted all night after he was forced to put Daniel in the den of lions (Daniel 6:18).
Prayer and Fasting – What Does it Accomplish?: Spending time in prayer and fasting is not automatically effective in accomplishing the desires of those who fast. Fasting or no fasting, God only promises to answer our prayers when we ask according to His will. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.” In the prophet Isaiah’s time, the people grumbled that they had fasted, yet God did not answer in the way they wanted (Isaiah 58:3-4). Isaiah responded by proclaiming that the external show of fasting and prayer, without the proper heart attitude, was futile (Isaiah 58:5-9).
How can you know if you are praying and fasting according to God’s
will? Are you praying and fasting for things that honor and glorify God? Does
the Bible clearly reveal that it is God’s will for you? If we are asking for
something that is not honoring to God or not God’s will for our lives, God will
not give what we ask for, whether we fast or not. How can we know God’s
will? God promises to give us wisdom when we ask. James 1:5 tells us,
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to
all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Israelite Gifts 