LIVING IN HIS PRESENCE: Avoid Vanities



Anchor Scripture: Psalms 24:3  
"Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?"

Focus Scripture: "My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly." - Psalms 119:167

Admonition 
Man is a tripartite being; the body, the spirit and the soul. Both the spirit and the soul are under the influence of the soul. That is, the soul controls both the body and the spirit. That is why when there is a change in man's state, it is the soul that is involved, not the body nor the spirit. So, wherever the soul is yielded, there the body and the spirit goes. For example, as children of God, we are to win souls, not the body or the spirit. That means that when we preach to a person, we are appealing to the unseen soul to yield itself unto God. 

The above is the reason that God says that if we must live in His Presence, we must not yield (lift) our souls unto vanity. That is because by yielding ourselves unto vanities, our spirits which communicates with the Spirit of God will not be able to. Afterall, Jesus Christ has forewarned that we can't serve two masters (6: 24). And that is why the Bible says in Romans 6: 16 that  "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey . . . ." 

Now, talking about vanities, what really are vanities? A vanity is something that appears to be, but is not really existing because it is bound to vanish like vapour hereafter. Such things lack substances and are definitely not to be relied upon. So, as far as God is concerned, according to the Bible, two vanities exist to which men do yield themselves. These two are, man and idols. 

As for man, Psalms 90:5-6 describes us thus:  " . . . they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth." Isn't that vanity,  brethren? And Psalms 39:6 says, "Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: . . . ." As for idols, the book of Isaiah 46: 6 - 7 presents their pathetic case like this: "They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship. They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble." When you talk to something which could not reply back, isn't that vanity? 

God admonished us not to lift our control units, the soul, unto these vanities. What does it mean to lift up our souls unto? It simply means to look unto them for help. And help in this instance refers to salvation. 

The psalmist says that man's help is vain (Psalm 60: 11, 108: 12). And as for that of idols, as we read from above in Isaiah 46: 6, they can't save man out of his troubles. That is why the Psalmist told us where he would rather seek his own help in Psalm 121: 2. I pray that God will help us all in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. 

As we close this morning, the book of Jeremiah 17: 5 says "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." If our aim is to FINISH STRONG in God, we MUST make living in His Presence a priority and that will only be possible when we lift our souls unto Him and Him alone! 

Till we meet tomorrow again on this beautiful journey of FINISHING STRONG together, please, keep keeping on in Him! 

N. B. Please, pray that your heart be stayed only on God that you may continually live in His Presence. 

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