Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ.
Today let us discuss about sin and blessings hidden in vows;
Entering great tribulation
at a difficult time when we have nothing to offer as a sacrifice for our
prayers to be received and answered by God, we offer vow (Psalm 66:13-14). Vow
is a promise we make with God that whenever He answers our prayers we will
offer Him a sacrifice. At this time of praying we cannot offer such a sacrifice
because we have nothing to offer but yet we need God’s intervention into our
situations. Therefore, we ask God to intervene and promising to offer Him a
sacrifice. This offer can be anything that we think pleases God. It can be
monetary or material thing, which can be directly offered to God on alter or
indirectly offered to God by helping people in needs. Widows, orphans, patients
in hospitals and disabled people are the people in needs. However, Christians
supposed to give sacrifices to God whenever we gather together to worship.
Furthermore, we are supposed to help people in needs whenever we can, helping
others especially who are in needs such as widows, orphans, disabled and ill
people pleases God more than being a merely Christian (James 1:27).
Not every prayer needs
offerings. There are some prayers need offerings to receive answers
from God. Offering breaks whatever is holding answers from God. How can you
know that God is asking an offering? You can hear the whispering and calm voice
of God Himself, however God may talk to you through His servants; pastors and
preachers. But you need to be very careful, there are fake pastors claiming
themselves to be men of God but truly they are thieves. Also,
when the situation is difficult and God seems to be far away or you feel no connection
to God, it is when offerings work. God asked Ibrahim, our father of faith, to
offer a sacrifice before He (God) can make a covenant with him by blessing him
and making him a blessing to others and making him father of nations (Genesis
15:7-9). Once Ibrahim offered his sacrifices, God made a covenant with him that
day; blessed him and made him father of nations (Genesis 15:10-11, 17-21). In
circumstances when you have nothing to offer as a sacrifice, you make a promise
that you will offer your sacrifice in the coming days, months or years after
God has answered your prayers. This promise is what known as vow.
Unfortunately it is a
problem with most of believers, once we receive answers to our prayers we
forget to fulfill our vow. Take this example; once in a lifetime you might have
borrowed money from bank. No bank offers a second loan when the first loan is
not returned in full or at least by 50%. Unpaid loan makes a debtor ineligible
for another loan. This applies the same with vow; unpaid vow makes us
ineligible for God’s blessings in our lives. Sometimes things dont work on us
because we have unfulfilled vows. Henceforth the unfulfilled vow stands between
us and our blessings and block them from us.
Unfulfilled vow is a sin before
God. It is lying and we all know that lying is a sin before God, because He
hates lying lips (Proverbs 12:22, John 8:44). It is like you are trying to fool
God, remember nobody can fool God except we are fooling ourselves. Did you know
that, God doesn’t listen to sinners’ prayers? Read these Bible verses (John
9:31 and Isaiah 59:2). Therefore sinners’ prayers receive no
answers because they are never heard by God.
Remember, if you ever had
a vow, plan to fulfill it as early as possible. There was a man called Jonah, this
man was told by God to go to Nineveh to preach good news but he decided to go
to Tarshish. On his way to Tarshish, they drowned him because there was heavy
storm on sea. He was swallowed by fish. In
the fish’s belly, Jonah prayed to God so that he may be released from the
belly. He prayed his prayer, a long prayer, God was listening but He (God)
didn’t command the fish to vomit Jonah. Once Jonah mentioned he is going to
fulfill his vow, God commanded the fish that swallowed Jonah to vomit him
(Jonah 2:1, 9-10).
Therefore, if you
need God’s blessings in your life and you need God’s attentive hearing to your
prayers, you should fulfill your entire vows (Psalm 66:13-14, Psalm 116:14).
Never be forgetful about what you have promised God. If it is difficult for you
to remember your promises to God, buy a notebook, whenever you make a promise (vow)
to God, write it down in that notebook. Once you fulfill your vow, remember to
update information on your notebook as well.
May God help you in remembering
and fulfill all your vows in time. Amen.
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