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The Golden Text: Philippians 4: 13

Philippians 4:13 has become such a popular verse that it seems to roll off our tongues the minute we want to encourage someone. You don’t think you will pass this exam? You’re too busy to complete everything on your to-do list? You don’t think that you can sing or speak or dance or play in front of the large crowd?  Don’t worry; you can do all things through Christ….

It is a great thing that we can readily use this verse for encouragement because there is so much truth to it. However, it seems that sometimes we forget that this verse is a powerful declaration over our lives and the lives of others.

Think about when was the last time that you said, “I can’t.” If you’re anything like me then you probably say these words more often than you realize. We’ve become so comfortable with the words “I can’t” that it is often a trending hashtag and slips out at the drop of a hat. Have we forgotten that our words have power? When did it become so easy to proclaim inability over our lives?

In Psalms 141: 3, David says to the Lord, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” David asked this of the Lord because he understood how important is it for us to keep a tight rein on our tongues (James 1:26) and be mindful of what we say.

David understood, and we need to understand, that “Life and death are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat of its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Therefore, while the world may teach us that it is okay to indulge in idle chatter and proclaim this spirit of inability over our lives, the Bible tells us that what we say is important and it is not okay to say “I can’t.” Why?

  1. Because what we say reflects what is in our hearts (Luke 6:45). Do we truly believe that we CAN do all things? Then we need to declare it and speak the truth that is in our hearts! We need to aim for speech like Job who said, “My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know.” (Job 33:3)
  2.  Because the Lord detests false witness (Jeremiah 23:31). So let us ensure that what we say comes from the Lord and not flesh because we are His mouthpiece.
  3.  Because one day the Lord will judge us for the thoughtless words that we declared in our lives and the lives of others (Matthew 12:36). What will you say to the Lord when He asks why you said you couldn’t when He gave you the power?
  4.  Because as Christians we are supposed to be speaking His Word and spreading the Good News. Unfortunately, we become very unreliable when out of the same mouth that we proclaim His truth, we also belittle or ignore the promise that He has made to us.

What is this promise?

“I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].” AMP

Or, as the more popular versions say, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

We say “I can’t” because we’re lazy, scared or disobedient, not because we truly do not have the ability. Philippians 4:13 says that God has empowered us to do ALL things and we need to be ready for anything because it is only then that He will be able to work wonders and perform miracles through us. Our Heavenly Father has equipped us to handle any situation in life so speak life into your situations! Make the powerful declaration today and everyday over your life and the lives of others that YOU CAN.

 

Isaiah 54:17 KJV

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

The Golden Text: John 3:16

John 3:16 KJV

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

It’s so easy to glance over this verse and not pay attention to its meaning especially because this verse is so well known. Most persons believe that if one knows any verse in the Bible, this should be it because, on its own, it shows just how GREAT God’s love is for us. As John 15:13 says, the greatest love is that a man would give up his life for his friend, and that’s exactly what Jesus did. Even more importantly in this verse is that God allowed His Son to die for us. Now why would He do that? Many of us look at this verse and think: “Would you give up your own life for mankind?” or “Would you offer your son….only son as a sacrifice for these humans?” However that’s not the perspective we’ll be breaking things down from. Today we’re going to be thinking about…

“The world” could not possibly mean this world!

Obviously God could not have loved this world. Sure He’s the one who created it, but we as man hate our creations all the time when they don’t function the way they were created to or after it has been weathered and worn. So there could be no way that God loves this world! But that is one major mistake we make often – we compare His actions to ours as if to justify what He does or try to understand His actions. We forget that God is faithful! (2 Timothy 2:13) The world has been corrupted by evil acts and thoughts and cultures and instead of giving up on us, God decided that He had to win back His love, His creation through the sacrifice of His Son.

The Lord is crying out desperately for us to notice Him. He has to love us because we were made in His image (Gen 1:27) and even when He regrets how His creations have turned out (Gen 6:6) He gives us another chance and allows the earth to be replenished, holding unto the hope of a better future. Therefore, even though the world will hate us when we draw closer to God (John 15:19), we will not react in the same way towards them. God is love (1 John 4:8) and through the love we have (love that comes from God), we can project truth; and if we believe, we will not perish, but have everlasting life.

I Believe. I Will Have Life

Many people think that ‘Believing’ is being able to logically understand at least most of the decisions God makes. People end up personalizing situations like “If I were God” and “I could never love this evil world”. However, we are not called to put ourselves in His shoes because this life we live is not about our choices, it’s about Him. It’s not for us to wonder what earth would be like if we were the ones in His position. The fact is, we are sinners and we were born in that state, while He is perfect. We should focus on the things He is able to do, which is everything. He is the author of time, He writes your days as you are conceived (Psalm 139) and He holds in his nature all power to control the world.

Therefore, believe because He gives you a choice, even though He didn’t have to. Imagine, God who knows all things and creates all good things waits on us, who have no power in ourselves to accept Him. We believe because we want to become like Him and so we can live with Him one day. So make the choice to believe, not understand God, but believe in Him and the promise He gives of a hopeful future where we will spend every day with Him forevermore!

The Golden Texts

There are quite a few verses in the bible that almost everyone we come in contact with can recite to us. It might not necessarily mean that they are “serious” Christians or know their Scriptures well. It could just mean that at some point in their life they learnt these scriptures whether from sunday school, church, home, school, family or community. Those common verses are what we here at the Nobility call Golden Texts.

Golden texts are those common or popular verses that seem very cliche, but hold a lot of truth. For example, if you were to try to fill in the blanks for these verses/phrases there would be no struggle:

  • For God so loved the _____ that He gave His only ______ Son… Jn 3:16
  • For the _____ of sin is ______ but the gift of God is _____… Romans 6:23
  • Let the words of my mouth and the ______ of my heart be ______ O Lord Ps 19:14
  • ______ is the man who walketh not in the ______ of the _______ Psa 1:1

There are only a few of the examples of Golden Texts, but the question arises: Why are we focusing of Golden Texts…?

We aim to dissect these scriptures until each time you say them you can’t help but to get excited about what they really mean. It’s about time we understand the significance of what we were saying. It’s not only important because it is inspired by God (2 Tim 3: 16) but because each verse is applicable to our every day lives. We don’t usually stop to consider the depth of the commoners but now, after all that you’ve been through –  whether Christian or not, we’re about to find out. Every verse matters.

Feel free to contribute by sending us golden texts you’d like us to analyse or even if you have an analysis you’d like us to share. Send everything to wethenobility@gmail.com or leave a comment to this post.

Get ready for the shredding of the Golden Texts.