The World Wide
Web
THE
WEB
The first
thing that comes to mind whenever we are talking of a web is the spider web.
Its physical appearance is almost invisible. In fact, if the web were
visible it would be avoided. The spider-web is always built in a targeted
thoroughfare of insect, where the spider does not envisage that a man or a
large animal can destroy the web, usually in the unused portion of the
basements of houses or in the farmland. The outlook of spider-web is
spectacular. It can be considered a masterpiece of artwork in the structures
and the meticulous way the spider weaves its thread-like secretion round
each of the structures. The structures hold the spider-web in place and are
a powerful means of communication. The center of the web is the control
point. At this point, the spider can monitor and interpret any movement on
the structure or any part of the web.
Every living
thing that God created has its own means of sustenance. Spider, a
carnivorous arachnid, lives on other insects it can prey on. No insect would
like to stand still to become breakfast for a spider. For this reason, a
spider devised a trap, that is, the spider-web, to catch its prey.
After the
spider has completed its web, it waits patiently in the center or at any
convenient position along the structure of the web waiting for an intruder.
When an insect unwittingly walks or flies into the web it will be caught in
it. In an effort for the insect to free itself, it struggles with the net
and this creates vibration in the web. The forcefulness of the vibration
will determine how big the catch is and will also alert the spider that
there is an intruder in the web. The spider will dash in to see what is
happening. It has two options at this point. It can either stand still until
the capture becomes weak or it can dash in immediately to wind more wax
round its prey until is dead.
Spiders-web or
any type of web performs one unique function: it is an instrument of
entanglement. World wide web, the super highway technology of our time, has
cast a web over our ideas, ideology and reasoning. The whole world is
entangled in the web. Sophistication of corporate businesses today, among
other things, is being determined by its connection and access to the web.
There is no doubt that many of us have laudable purposes to go on the
Internet. Today, you do not need to have cash in your hand to do a business
transaction. You can buy a home on the Internet. You can pay all your bills
via an online banking system. You can be sailing in the sea or be somewhere
in the remotest part of the world and go on the internet via a wireless
device to purchase whatever Amazon.com or Priceline.com can offer and have
it sent to your home. You can even stay in your cozy bed in this winter and
order pepperoni pizza and have it delivered to you at home via Internet.
What a beauty of technology.
Like the
spider at the center of its web, there are people at the core of world wide
web working behind the curtain, daily improving the internet languages such
as html and java, and monitoring the networking system. They are
controlling, directing and managing data and other information for useful
purposes, to their own advantage and the advantages of others.
Apart from the
known devil in the computer world, the hackers, there are other forces
unknown. Any time an insect is caught in the web, it is on its own. Anytime
you are operating in the modern day technology, you are on your own. Out
there, the information the enemy could not pass on to members of your family
on the television can be done easily through World Wide Web. The
pornographic business is thriving negatively on the web. An adulterous man
can customize a woman according to her statistical beauty through the web
before he has her sent to his apartment. The music that cannot be played in
your home can be listened to in the public library or in the school computer
room via the web. Information for making deadly bomb is available on the
Internet. The sources of purchasing guns and knives are available on the
net.
There are
other world wide webs that are wider and deadlier than the electronic webs
of the Internet. This is the web of invisibility. The Book of Ephesians 6:12
put it this way:
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places." This can be further analyzed as
spiritual forces waging war against humanity. In the arsenal of these wicked
spirits are the web of temptation, the web of sin, the web of oppression,
the web of possession, the web of disease, the web of poverty, web of
failure and evil association of evil spirits that are working against
goodness of humanity. These evil forces organized themselves in a
strategically positions in the high places, at the center of the web,
controlling, monitoring and terrorizing men and women, young and old that
are caught in any part of the webs of their wickedness.
Do you know
that you can still be on this World Wide Web and yet not entangled in it.
That takes us to the next triple "WWW". This triple "www" was in effect from
the time immemorial before the planet Earth attained its existence. We have
heard about them before individually. We know and recognize each of these
wwws separately and their functions. However, we have not considered the
union of these triple www. Does "Word," "Will" and "Way" mean anything to
you? that is the word of God, the will of God and the ways of God." The
thought of God manifested in His
will, and His will manifested in His Word. We all behold the
beauty of the thoughtfulness of the ways of God in the work of
creation, in His faithfulness and in the excellence of His judgment. If you
are dwelling in the word of God, operating according to His will
and daily following His ways, you will never be entangled in the web
of wickedness of this world.
WHY
WE MUST DWELL IN THE WORD
There are two
important perspectives we can consider about the word of God in this study.
We can look at the word as spoken statements of God. We can as well consider
the word as a Living Being "the Second Person in Trinity" that is,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Whichever way we consider the word, we have a good
reason why we must dwell in the word.
The Bible
established that the whole universe was spoken into existence. This is a
remarkable importance of the word. If anything is wrong with our lives, it
is the word of God that can bring about a lasting solution. Another thing
that we must pay attention to is that, among all the living things that God
created, only man has the ability to speak like his Creator. In effect, God
has His own word and man has his own word. There are some whose words have a
powerful effect on the life of others on earth. These are the people
operating in the corridor of power of this world. Nevertheless, no matter
how powerful their words may be, it cannot be compared with the word of God
that shaped the universe into existence. At the cross road of our lives, the
word of God will surely make a difference.
The word is a
divine language of God that we must learn how to speak When Jesus Christ,
the begotten Son of God, was tempted in the wilderness, Jesus Christ, the
Word of God, did not think that since he is the son of God he should speak
his own word against Satan. He showed a great example by pointing us to the
devastating effect of the word of God when He said, "It is written . . ."
quoting the word of God from the Scripture. It is not learning how to speak
the word that matters alone. We must be in the right spiritual frame of
mind, and in the righteousness of God, for the word to have the desired
impact.
We must also obtain divine authority, that is, spiritual adoption through
grace, before the word can be profitable towards the intended purposes it is
sent. Have we ever wondered why God told Joshua, the successor of Moses,
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shall
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to
all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then that shall have good success." (Joshua 1:8) The word of
God is the truth that teaches us how to live each day of our lives.
The Psalmist says, "The word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light
unto my path." (Psalm 119:105) One of the secrets behind the success of
the famous king David that earned him the title "A man after God's heart"
was that he operated in the light of the word of God. Before he went to war,
he would command that the ephod should be brought to him by the priest in
order to seek for the wisdom of God concerning a decision he was about
taking. (I Samuel 23:9-12; I Samuel 30:7-8) Paul's encouragement to Timothy
and also his encouragement to us is, "Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth." (II Timothy 3:15)
The word of
God is spirit and it is life. The life-giving force of the word of God is
capable of shaping, molding and completely transforming us according to the
will of God. Prophet Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, in his vision of dry bones
and in obedience to the word of God spoke life to the dry bones in the
Valley of Dry bones. The dry bones came together, were covered with sinew,
became filled with the breath of life and they stood on their feet as an
exceedingly great army. (Ezekiel 37:1-10) Our Lord Jesus Christ says, "It
is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I
speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." (John 6:63) The word
of Jesus Christ cast out demon and set the oppressed free. He rebuked the
wind and said unto the raging storm, "Peace be still!" The wind
ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39) The book of Hebrew described
the word of God: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart." (Hebrew 4:12)
In the book of
John Chapter One, the Bible tell us that:
1."In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . .
. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that
was made. 14. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. . . . And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Abide in
me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine; no more can ye, except you abide in me. I am the vine, ye are
the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth
much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)
If we look at
the Word as Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, and the Creator of the
whole universe, we are on the right track. Jesus Christ is the word of God
revealed in prophecies in the Old Testament and He is also the word of God
manifested in person in the New Testament. He is the rod out of the stem of
Jesse. He is the divine sign in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ is
the person Isaiah was speaking of in his prophesy when he said: 'For unto
us a child born unto us, unto us a son given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the
mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
He left His glory in Heaven to dwell among us on Earth in order to restore
all the glory and fellowship of God that we lost in Eden. He came to reveal
the mind of God toward mankind (John 3:16) and to teach us the divine will
of God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the
Father but by Him. He is the ultimate sacrifice of our sins that gives us a
right to the covenant of Abraham. Having these facts in mind, you will now
understand when you compare the two passages above. You will understand why
we should abide with him because He is the Vine and we are the branches, and
without Him we cannot bear fruit.
The word of
God is not only a life-giving force, it is not only the power of God unto
salvation, but also a sword of the spirit, (Romans 1:16) a defensive and
offence weapon.(Ephesians 6:17) The word is a devouring flame (Jeremiah
5:14) and a crushing hammer.(Jeremiah 23:29) Whichever way we look at the
word, if we abide by the word and live each day in it like Joshua, we shall
not be entangled in the web of sin of this wicked world and we will also
profit from the word.
WHY
WE MUST DO THE WILL OF GOD
Before we go
on in this study, we must bear something important in mind. Despite the fact
that God is our Creator, He never imposes His will over us. Yet constantly,
He admonishes us to do His will, because the direction of our will is the
direction of our lives. If our will is in line with the will of God, it
means that our lives is within the plan of Almighty God. There is a powerful
revelation in the ways of Heaven that we, as a whole, must know. The will of
God is the secret of peace and orderliness in Heaven. That is why Jesus
Christ taught the disciples in prayer that "Thy will be done on Earth as it
is in Heaven." Have you ever wondered that if the whole world is dwelling in
the will of God, there would not be the chaotic situations that we are
facing today. Whenever man follows his own will that is against the will of
God, he always runs into problems.
The will of
God is the will of Jesus Christ His Son. The will of God brought Jesus
Christ to our planet. The mission of Jesus Christ centered on the will of
God. ?For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will
of Him that sent me. And this is the Father?s will which hath sent me, that
of all which he hath given me I should raise it up again at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him
up at the last day. (John 6:38-40) The prophets of God in the Old
Testament lay down their own will and followed the lead of God in their
prophetic assignments. They spoke as the Lord quickened their spirits and
they acted as the Lord bade.
Jesus Christ
preached about the will of God. He emphasized the need to do God's will. The
yielding spirit to do the will of God is an evidence of our relationship
with God. Jesus Christ said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) "For whosoever shall do the
will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister, and
mother." (Matthew 12:50) Please note something important. Jesus Christ
is not requesting that we should do His own will here. You can see the way
He was pointing us to His Father in the two passages above. When our will
differs from the will of God, it means that we do not have any part to play
in the inheritance with Jesus Christ. However, when our will is lost in His,
we become one of the families of God on earth.
King David
earned the divine title: "The man after God's own heart," because of the way
he placed the will of God in the top-most position of his heart. In Psalm
40:8 the king said, "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is
within my heart." True to this statement, the king walked in the fear of
God and in uprightness of mind according to the will of God in leading and
ruling Israelites. At every crossroad in the kingdom of David, he would
command the high priest that the ephod should be brought to him to seek the
will of God concerning the situation at hand. An ephod is a priestly
garment. Among other things, the ephod has a breast piece that contains two
stones or plates called the Urim and Thummim. (These names mean 'curses' and
'perfections' respectively, and refer to the nature of God whose will they
revealed. They were kept in a pouch and taken out to get either a 'yes' or
'no' decision.)
The ultimate
practicality of the perfect will of God was established by Jesus Christ on
the Cross. It is the will of God that a sinner may come to repentance. It is
also His will that a sinner may be restored spiritually as if he had never
sinned. Nevertheless, there is one major constrain. Without the sprinkling
of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. The Israelites made an atonement
of their sins by killing lamb without blemish for trespass offering.
(Leviticus 6:1-7) This effort was temporal because the same process has to
be repeated every year. We described the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross
as a perfect will of God because the will of humanity confronted and clashed
with the will of divinity. The human aspect of Jesus Christ did not want to
die a painful death. The only way Heaven can rescue humanity from perpetual
destruction of sin is for sinless Jesus Christ to go through a painful death
on the Cross for mankind. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus Christ was
confronted with a choice. A choice to live and the whole mankind died in
their sins or a choice of becoming the ultimate sacrifice of the sin of
mankind so that man may obtain salvation. He prayed: "O my Father, if it
be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as
thou wilt."
(Matthew 26:39) In the end Jesus Christ allowed the will of God to
prevail.
Joshua put
life and death before Israelites and said: "If it seem evil unto you to
serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the goods
which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15) The will of God in your life is
that His latter glory will be greater than the former in your life if you
can choose the will of God. (Haggai 2:9) It is His will that you may come to
repentance and establish a lasting relationship with Him. It is God's will
that after spiritual adoption takes place in your life, you may possess your
possession, so that the glory that man lost in Eden can be regained and
restored in Jesus Christ. It is His will that the eluding peace will be
yours and that joy unspeakable will not pass you by.
When our will
is lost in His, it is no longer us that willed again, He is the one ruling
in us. When we attain this spiritual level, the Bible tells us in (Psalm
1:3) that our life ?shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water
that bringeth for his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.?
WHY
WE MUST WALK IN THE WAY OF GOD
There are many
perspectives by which we can consider the definition of the word ?way? in
the light of the word of God. In this study, we are going to seek
understanding of the word in three perspectives.
The way of God
is an ultimate standard far above the way of mankind: "For my thought are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and
my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9) There is nothing
spiritually wrong if our ways are like the ways of our Father in Heaven. In
fact, this is His will: that we may be walking in His ways. By our
understanding of the word of God and comparing it to our lives, we can see
how far our ways are from that of God. While we see problems, God beholds a
solution. When we behold prosperity, God may be seeing danger. Yet we may
wonder why this is so. God is the only one that sees reality. Our focus is
tainted with selfishness and worldliness. I mean the selfishness and
worldliness that is borne out of the different forces that are operating
around us. These factors cloud the vision of man thereby rendering his
judgments and decisions concerning a situation inaccurate and wrong.
However, with God it is not so. He executes righteousness and judgment for
the oppressed. He is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and
plenteous in mercy. A good example of the disparity of the ways and thought
of God can be seen at the scenario of the Red Sea. The Israelites saw a dead
end in their lives and they cried out in anger unto Moses and said, "Were
there no grave in Egypt that you want us to die in the wilderness?" Moses
answered them, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the
Lord, which will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to
day, ye shall see them again no more. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye
shall hold your peace." (Exodus 14:13-14) Israelites saw defeat but
Moses saw victory even when victory is not foreseeable. You know the rest of
the event. It is amazing, isn't it? Psalm 103:7 says: "He (God)
made know his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel."
The prayer of king David was, "Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in
thy truth, unite my heart to fear thy name." Psalm 86:11; 27:11 This
should also be our prayer today.
"When a
man's way please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with
him." Proverbs 16:7 In looking at 'way' as a perspective of a life
style, we discover that our way of life is another way we can relate to our
God. From this bible passage, this way of life is not a direct attitude
towards God; it is our attitude towards other fellow human being. This
reminds us of a popular saying among children of God: "Christianity is not a
religion it is a way of life the believers chose to live." It is not an easy
thing to live a life of recompensing good for evil. You will undoubtedly
give glory to God when you can live a life of peaceful co-existence with all
people in a hostile environment because of the knowledge of the wisdom of
God in you. There must have been a reason behind the name "Christian" that
was given to the disciples in the city of Antioch; perhaps it was because
they dwelt together in one accord. On the other hand, perhaps they prayed
together in unity, they shared things according to their needs, and preached
the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Community. There is one thing spectacular
about their way of life that brought about a unique identity. It is the
positive uniqueness of our life-style that can touch our relationship with
God.
I watched the
show "Sliders" recently on the TV. A door with a swirling high electricity
current would appear from nowhere for a while. As long as this door remains,
many people could be transported to another world. In the book of John 14:6
Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the
Father but by me." In this passage, Jesus presented himself to us as the
only thoroughfare (door) that leads to the Father. Jesus Christ did not
dispute that there other doors exist, but he ascertained that He is the only
door that leads to the Father. He is the door of escape from the already
condemned world of sin unto unmerited salvation obtainable through grace.
This door will remain for a while for as many people as possible to come to
the father before the judgment of God will descend upon the earth.
Reflect on this:
For every
original, there is a counterfeit. Against the word of God there is an evil
word; against the will of God there is an evil will, and finally, against
the ways of God there is an evil way. The fact enumerated here does not in
anyway equate the power of evil with the power of God. The heart of man is
the battleground and this is the only basis of their equality because man is
the final arbiter. The word of man, his will and his way does not originate
from him. Man is unwittingly vulnerable to choose between the offers of the
prevailing forces mitigating in his heart. If God is sitting at the apex of
his heart, he chooses the offers of God but if Satan occupies that precious
seat, he will choose the offers of Satan. Ironically, when pride mingles
with sinfulness, a sinful man will take responsibility of his actions and he
will say, "This is my will and that is my way," having devoid of the
knowledge that he is struggling in the web of this world. But remember the
principle of wickedness of Satan, "the thief cometh not, but for to
steal, and to kill, and to destroy . . ." John 10:10 Evil words, evil
will and evil ways are the powerful instrument of entanglement in the web of
Satan. When the word
of God reveals His will and demonstrates His ways in your life,
I cannot see why the second part of John 10:10 that says, " am
(Jesus Christ) come that they might have life and that they might have it
more abundantly," will not manifest in your life. When God come to
deliver you through his word like a still, small voice emanating from your
heart revealing his will and showing you His way, will you not give Him a
chance? We pray that God may help you to choose the way of freedom from the
entanglement of the deadly web of this world.
PRAYER POINTS
The word of
God is a sword of the spirit, a defensive and offence weapon. (Ephesians
6:17) The word is a devouring flame (Jeremiah 5:14) and a crushing hammer.
(Jeremiah 23:29)
For I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. (Romans 1:16)
O Lord my
God and my Redeemer, let your word have an impact upon my life, let me
receive salvation through the knowledge of your word, let your word provide
a lasting solution to my problems, in Jesus name. Add your own related
prayers and pray.
"Is not my
word like as a fire," saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the
rock in pieces" (Jeremiah 23:29)
O Lord my
God, in the day of battle of my life, let your word be a wall of defense and
a sword of offense for me, let your word be like a fire in my mouth and like
a hammer so that my enemies will be broken and utterly consumed, in Jesus
name. Add your own related prayers and pray.
"Not every
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
O Lord,. I don?t want to be a spectator as regards doing your will,
be accepted in your presence at last, in Jesus name.
Add your own related prayers and pray.
"For
whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my
brother and sister, and mother." (Matthew 12:50)
O Lord,
"He
(God) made know his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of
Israel." (Psalm 103:7) The prayer of king David was, "Teach me
thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth, unite my heart to fear thy name."
(Psalm 86:11)
O Lord my
God, open the eyes of my understanding, teach me your ways Lord, let me be
able to know your ways and behold the beauty of your glory, in Jesus name.
Add your own related prayers and pray.
"When a
man's way please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with
him." Proverbs 16:7
O Lord,a covenant of peace with me, in Jesus name. Add your own related prayers and pray.
