Having and using personal names is a vital part of human friendships. Should it be different when it comes to our friendship with God? What difference will it make in our personal walk with Him? The first thing to remember is that God has commanded us to honour His name. Ex.20:7 simply states: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. Our behaviour reflects upon Him. Gods name is like a fort that provides protection for the believer. As we grow to understand the very nature and character of God we will find ourselves running to Him to find safety and strength. His name is like a strong tower! When we speak His name there arises before our mind a vision which gathers in itself all that we know about God; all our thoughts of him, our impressions of him, our experiences of His goodness, His mercy, His help. When we mention the name of Jesus Christ, the whole story of His life is suggested to us, His beautiful character, His gentleness, His works of power, His death, resurrection and ascension. Thus the name of God stands for God himself, all that God is. In Ex.3:13-15 we read that Moses stood before the burning bush and asked God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you; this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” His complete name is the basis of our confidence in His ongoing faithfulness. God is who He is and nobody’s opinion of Him makes any difference. Therefore, our calling as His children is to strive to know Him for who He is, not for who we would like Him to be. We must conform to God, not God to us. Now I would like to say something and you might not agree with me but this is solely my opinion and you can either reject it or give it some thought. Did it ever cross your mind when people say things like “I am good for nothing” or “I am afraid” or “I am sick” that it could be taking the Lord’s name in vain? By speaking and thinking the word “I am” we attach ourselves to the world, to beliefs both helpful and harmful, and also to divine ideas like love and life. Think of yourself standing on the midpoint of a bridge. On one side are limitless possibilities and a continuous awareness of God. On the other side are earthly things, some good and some bad. Every time you see yourself standing on the bridge, remember that through the words “I am” you are able to identify with whatever you choose; limitlessness or weaknesses. Let this be a challenging concept for you; whenever you think of the word “I am” substitute the phrase God IN me IS. For instance “I am caring” becomes God IN me IS caring. Consider the inappropriateness of saying: “I am sick” which becomes God IN me IS sick. This CANNOT be for then we are taking the Lord’s name in vain, whenever we connect the “I am” to anything but God. “I AM” is the very Presence of God in you. The Holy Spirit lives in us, works through us and walks with us. Every time you say, “I am one with God,” you are improving your life. Every time you refuse to be bullied by fear, every time you put your trust in God, you are lengthening your life, improving your health, and making it more difficult for disease to attack you. But the minute you say, “I am lonely” how can this be because you are never ever alone! God is omnipresent in your life and by saying you are lonely is to say that God is lonely and He never is! God says: “I will be anything you need. If you are thirsty, I am the living water. If you are starving, I am your provider. If you are all alone, I am your friend. If you are an orphan, I am your father. If you are weak, I am your strength. No matter what you need, I am all things for you. I am with you, in you and for you. Perhaps we cannot change circumstances but we can change our attitude! It is our responsibility to consider and change the things we say. We must learn to remove the wrong sayings from our vocabulary and change our mindset. If we do this, the Holy Spirit will step in and help us grow from strength to strength. If we accept our responsibility to change the wrongdoings in our life, we will overcome it because through our discipline we prove that we are the family of God and His favour is given to the obedient, to the disciplined whose vision is focused by the Word of God on a daily basis. Prov.8:32-35 “Now therefore listen to me my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise and to not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.”
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 08:39:56 +0000
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