GODLY RELATIONSHIPS: RECOGNITION AND RESPECT.
Hey Guys!
Today’s post on Godly Relationships will delve
deeper into Ruth Chapter 2.
For the initial post on this topic-click here!
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Ruth 2:6-12 (NIV)
6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from
Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among
the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained
here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go
and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the
women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are
harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a
hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water
jars the men have filled.”
10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She
asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a
foreigner?”
11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been
told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of
your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to
live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay
you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of
Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
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1.
PRESENCE: Now the overseer here
replied to Boaz’s question about who Ruth belongs to –because Boaz had noticed her presence. When you
walk with God-He makes you stand out: let
your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory
to your Father in Heaven. (Matt. 5:16)
The overseer knew Ruth’s
history and explained it to Boaz; he also described Ruth’s request-this shows-you should not be afraid to ask: don’t block your blessings because of fear
of asking: ask and it shall be given unto you. (Matt. 7:7) And just because you’ve asked does not mean
the answer will come in a manner that you expect. Ruth was not aware of
Boaz’s query as to her status-she was as of yet unaware of him. Hence men and
women of God, keep doing your thing-allow God to present you to your destiny
helpers-allow Him introduce you. God
used the overseer to introduce Boaz to Ruth without
her knowledge! Isn’t that just beautiful? So go about your Father’s
business and let His presence speak for you.
2.
PERSISTENCE: Ruth was persistent-she
gleaned from morning till now and only
took a short rest. Are you still gleaning? In other words, are you still
going about the last instruction God gave you? Are you faithful where He has
placed you-He who is faithful with little
is faithful with more. (Luke 16:10).
Its interesting as well
that Ruth was there from morning and clearly it is no longer morning-as the
overseer said “till now”. God may have placed you in the same position for a
couple of seasons-and you think it is stagnancy but its not-Boaz met Ruth in
that field-God has placed you in a position where He has arranged for you to
meet certain people-don’t be impatient-it is true that hope differed makes the
heart sick (Prov. 13:12)-and some of you in tarrying have become sick with
expectation and exhaustion-but rely on the Spirit so you can run and not faint
(Isaiah 40:31)-keep about your Father’s business-you can take a short rest but don’t make it a permanent one. Ruth took
a short rest-that did not mean she was not persistent-so don’t be too hard on
yourself-you may be tired and need rest-but the operative word here is it
should be short. And since
she was faithful with little, she was
given more.
3.
INTRODUCTION: Boaz introduced himself
to Ruth. He introduced himself in connection with her actions. So what are your
actions saying about you? How you act is how people will react to you. Ruth was
a hard worker and Boaz addressed her with the respect and proper context
pertinent to her situation. So what does your situation say about you? Does it
describe you as a hard worker? Or as lazy? As troublesome? Or adept? It’s
really important because this is what introduces you and this affects how
people address you. Boaz addressed Ruth as a hard worker-he told her not to
glean-not to look-anywhere else but to stay where she was. Some of you are
worried about where your next rent/food/clothing/opportunity is going to come
from-but God sends you a Boaz Blessing at the right time! So keep being
faithful and He will meet all your needs. (Matt. 6:34)
4.
RECOGNITION: Ruth was recognized by
Boaz-he said he had told the men not to touch her-hence she was now recognized
in her position-she was given importance in the field. Keep about what God has
told you to do-recognition is God’s expression of His favor over you. Ruth
received recognition-she was favored. She was also given access. With recognition
comes access. Ruth was given access to water that was already filled. When
God’s favor is on you, abundance is the fruit. Ruth was working before but now
she has been given permission and recognition on the field and has been blessed
with access-when you go where the LORD
sends you-He gives you recognition and He blesses you with access because you
have been obedient. So follow His Spirit.
5.
RESPECT: Ruth was humble. A lot of people bungle the
blessings they have received with pride. Remember: those who praise themselves will be humbled. (Matt. 23:12.) She
recognized the favor-she bowed her face
to the ground-does your posture suggest respect or arrogance? As I said
before actions are important. She asked Boaz why she had received such
favor-hence she recognized that this was favor-and she also recognized she had
been set apart-because she was noticed although she was a foreigner. And Boaz
responded in accordance with her deeds-the Word says faith without deeds is
dead. When you act in line with faith-your deeds will speak for you. Ruth’s
deeds spoke for her-and paved the way for the respect she received from Boaz
that led to her recognition and favor.
What people fail to
realize is following God will cost you-whoever loses his life will gain it,
whoever gains his life will lose it-find bible verse-it requires commitment,
effort and consistency. And that is what Ruth did-she left everything and made
a covenant with Naomi-and she was recognized for it.
And to show the extent
of his respect for her Boaz prayed for her-this is important on so many levels
but I want to tackle it here in the context of relationships. This was a Godly
connection as I have been describing-when someone has been sent of God-you will
hear the language of His presence-in this instance-it was prayer. The fact that Boaz prayed for Ruth is confirmation that not
only was he a man of God but he was a man that recognized God’s presence-which
for singles is important as a man/woman of God should carry His fragrance. But
also, it shows his heart. Actions always show people’s hearts. So how do those
around you react to your good/bad news? Boaz reacted to Ruth’s past with a
prayer-some people respond in judgment. That
shows you how you are positioned from their perspective. Respect requires
mutual recognition. Ruth recognized Boaz’s kindness and Boaz recognized Ruth’s
sacrifice.
How are you recognized?
--
I hope you all enjoyed
this teaching!
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God Bless,
Tolu.
HOW TO DEAL WITH A BAD BREAK UP
Breakups
are hard and messy. There is no clean way to end a relationship. Relationships
are based on a foundation of trust and commitment-so how are you supposed to
break a connection built on your words, actions, memories, histories without
disrupting your union? It’s not possible. It’s important you understand
that-there is no right way to leave.
But
there are a couple of steps that could be taken to prevent the pain of moving
on from lingering.
First
off, you need to acknowledge your connection with that person. There’s no point
harbouring the hurt and pain behind a spew of venomous words aimed at showing
resentment or even revenge. In the end, you are left alone with your words and
their effects. So acknowledge-acknowledge the good times, acknowledge the bad,
acknowledge the memories, and acknowledge the lessons-acknowledge where you
went wrong and where they did too. This will enable you to release the pain.
Think
of bad breakups as a metaphor-your heart has been ruptured because trust has
been disrupted, commitment has been betrayed, words have been said and thoughts
have been left unprotected as they swim in desperation in a river of confusion
and chaos. That is what happens when you have a bad breakup. Now think of
acknowledgement as the sieve that eliminates each and every negative thought,
memory and words that are the refuse from the remains of your past
relationship.
Each
step you take in acknowledgment is similar to draining your thoughts from the
pollution of that experience.
Once
you have acknowledged the pain and the memories look at the purpose. What did
you learn from that relationship? What were your good points and your bad ones
and those of your ex partner? Meditate on these points as it will enable you to
move on from the heartache associated with the pain and it will focus your
thoughts not only on why the relationship did not work but why it would never
work.
This
is important to understand: if your personalities clashed, and the problem that
led to the breakup has been a recurring symptom in the mental constipation that
has become your past relationship, then you need to realize the remedy is to
move forward not look backward. The problem was a permanent one that cannot be
fixed temporarily-this is why it was recurring.
Hence
cutting all contacts is key. Cut everything off. No calls, texts, messages,
disconnect from their social media pages-because these avenues only feed
negativity and stagnate the path to your progress. You can’t move forward if
you can’t see ahead. So think of the constant messages back and forth with this
person, or the constant phone calls-as building up refuse dumps blocking the
path of your progress.
I
say this with confidence because bad breakups are usually a symptom of a
permanent character trait of both individuals that cannot be fixed while you
both remain in the same space-you need some time apart to at least re-evaluate
your options. And to do this, you need to be able to think logically-this
cannot happen if the source of the problem is still present in the equation.
Hence you need to eliminate the source-le ex.
Once
you have taken these steps to recovery, you need to evaluate who you are. This
is important because bad experiences change our personalities. We are humans-we
are organic creatures-a product of our experiences. That breakup most likely
affected how you view people and even more importantly how you view yourself.
Don’t use it as a mirror to judge yourself and your standards-use it to
reflect. It serves as a reflection you can use to evaluate your flaws and your
features and to work on each accordingly.
Decide
what you want and more importantly what you need. You may want your ex back in
your life but do you really need their presence? Maturity is when you choose
what you need over what you want because needs reflect nourishment which is a
simile for growth. But wants; wants reflect temperament-a symptom of
transitions-hence you may want your past relationship now but you may not need
it.
This means, yes you may
miss that person now-but the more distance you put between yourself and your
past, the more you realize you do not need them in your future.
These
are steps to enable you to realise the power in your person. You are enough.
Don’t run back to the comfort of your pain; its in the past-move ahead to
future possibilities.
You
may have had a bad experience/breakup but at the same time, you do not have to
pay for that experience for the rest of your life-make the right choice and
move on applying the steps above. This will enable you to not only recover but
to become stronger emotionally, mentally, physically and psychologically.
I’m
interested in hearing what steps you have taken to deal with a bad breakup
and if it worked for you.
-
First published: Bella Naija
I
will be sharing exclusive content with those that subscribe to my e-mail list
on material concerning relationships, faith and destiny!
What
will it entail? Those on my subscription list gain access to tailored
information with interactive steps to improve your emotional, physical and
spiritual life!
There
will be more studies catered to suit your needs on this new and detailed
adventure and I'm excited to begin with you guys!
If
you will like to partake of this-Then subscribe by providing
your e-mail address under the link on the right or below!
Have a
lovely day!
God Bless,
Tolu.
SPIRITUALITY SERIES: SPIRITUALLY CHARGED
Happy
New Month and Happy Sunday guys! This month I am starting a Sunday Series on
Spirituality and we will be tackling different aspects of spirituality from the
Word.
This
Sunday, I decided to discuss the walls of Jericho.
Today’s teaching will be
based on two passages from the same Chapter of the Word: Joshua.
Joshua 6:1-7: (NIV)
6 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the
Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho
into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March
around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have
seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh
day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When
you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a
loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up,
everyone straight in.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them,
“Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry
trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance!
March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
And:
Joshua 6:12-16 (NIV):
12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up
the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven
trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the
trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark
of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second
day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this
for six days.
15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched
around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they
circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the
priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the
Lord has given you the city!
The
Word here is so powerful-the gates of
Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites-hence there was an
intentional blockage of advancement against the people of God. Now apply that
to your life-have you ever felt like as a child of God-you come against
particular opposition that is targeted solely at you because you are a child of God? For instance, academically you find
a course more challenging than your peers? Or you are having more difficulty securing
a job-that is because spiritually speaking there
is a secure bar against your identity as an Israelite-a child of God.
And
here there is a spiritual principle-because the bar is against your identity as
a child of God-you fight as a child of
God. This is what happens here-the ways of the world do not work for us as
children of God because we are not of the
world (John 17:16).
And
then the Word says no one went out and no
one came in. Hence the bar was secure both ways-there was no natural way around it.
Even here there lies a spiritual principle-where you are facing opposition
in the flesh-the solution is in His Spirit.
And
this is why the LORD spoke-what has the
LORD told you about that problem. Listen to His instruction-His ways are not our ways (Isaiah
55:8-9) what may seem trivial in the flesh is a spiritual breakthrough waiting
to be released-only you can open that key because your agreement is required to
unlock your destiny!
And
the LORD speaks according to the Spirit because He is Spirit-hence what happens
in the flesh has already taken place in the Spirit which is why He addressed
Joshua from a spiritual perspective-here Joshua was facing a barred city-there
you are facing challenges adjusting to your new
environment/relationships/location-and the LORD spoke that the city was
delivered into his hands-what has God placed in your hands? What talent has He
placed? What opportunity has He given you?
God delivered Jericho in
the Spirit to Joshua but he had to take hold of it in the flesh. Have you taken hold of
your breakthrough in the flesh? How you may ask? By following the LORD’s
instruction-and He is always specific.
Here
He gave Joshua a particular set of instructions-to march around the city with
armed men-this is a spiritual battle-are
you armed and adorned with the tools to fight? (read Ephesians 6:12-18).
The
LORD instructed Joshua what to do each
step of the way. Have you taken a detour from His instruction? Did He tell
you to apply for a certain position? Or did He tell you to trust Him and be
still? What has He told you to do? Do it according to each step He has revealed
to you.
That
is what Joshua did. The LORD instructed Joshua to march round the city seven
times on the seventh day-there is order
where the LORD is-He will not lead you into confusion. So if you are
confused-it is not of God. (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Joshua
received an instruction in the Spirit and
carried it out in the flesh-He called the priests and said to them what the
LORD had instructed-have you called
those God has instructed you to call for your breakthrough? You do not call
simply by speaking-He may have instructed you to position yourself in a
particular location-that in itself is a call-it is spiritual agreement.
And
Joshua instructed the army accordingly as well.
Hence
there was order in his obedience-is there order in your obedience or discord?
Joshua
exercised discipline-he got up early the next morning-are you diligent in what
you have been entrusted while you wait for your breakthrough? Or are you
sloppy? Diligence births progress-Joshua woke up early and hence was able to
begin to carry out the process for his breakthrough sooner than if he had
waited. So are you waiting? As soon as Joshua got up-the priests took up the
ark-this is correlation. Once you rise to the task, there is a spiritual
resonance that will reflect your actions and breakthrough responds.
They
carried out their activities for 6 days-this is important. The LORD may have
given you an instruction today that requires diligence for 6 days/months/years-and
consistency has to be exercised. Do
not walk in doubt-walk in faith: Hebrews 10:38.
On
the seventh day, the day of breakthrough-your seventh day will come if you keep
exercising patience and diligence in the place of obedience-they carried out
their activities on this day in the same
manner-except that day they circled the city seven times. The Spirit of the
LORD leads His children and will prompt you to change your routine when it is
time-and they shouted in praise and anticipation and what happened?
Joshua 6:20-21 (NIV):
20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the
sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so
everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They
devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in
it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
Breakthrough!
There is power in praise-that is increased and charged through obedience! The
LORD did not give this instruction for any day but the 7th but
preparation was key to leading up to this powerful praise-when you exercise patience and diligence in
waiting on the LORD, you charge up your praise-your connection to your
breakthrough is increased because your connection to the LORD is thriving.
And
as the trumpets sounded, and the army shouted, the wall collapsed-the same way that delay will collapse, that
opportunity will suddenly present itself, that breakthrough will be delivered-this is a spiritual exercise not a physical
one. So are you blowing your spiritual trumpet?
When we follow the LORD, we move in accordance with His Spirit and are
not exhausted physically because we shall
run and not be weary, we shall walk and shall not faint (Isaiah 40:31).
And
it is this river of hope, birthed in the place of trusting the LORD through
obedience that led to the collapse of Jericho and will lead to the collapse of
your own Jericho-but then finally, it is important to dedicate and devote this success to the LORD and destroy everything
that is not of Him within that opportunity-hence we must maintain our
separation in the LORD-when He delivers to you that opportunity, that
blessing-devote it to God and this will enable you to destroy any contrary
force of evil within it ie pride, arrogance etc. This is why Joshua and the
people, devoted before they destroyed-because we need His strength in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
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What is
your Jericho? Have you listened to the LORD’s instructions? Only He can deliver
it into your hands! Use your spiritual trumpet!
The first step is to accept Him fully and completely into
your life!
God
Bless and Happy Sunday!
Tolu.