20th December 2020
SWEARING BY HEAVEN
David Abankwah
READ: James 5:12
But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
-Matthew 5:34 | NKJV
When I was growing up, I used to see many of my peers who used to swear by God to prove that what they were saying was the truth. Seeing them doing so, at times I was tempted to do same. Swearing by the things of heaven is a serious offence. If we used to swear by God or things in heaven and we didn’t know it was sin, Jesus Christ who is God, has told us in Matthew 5:34 that it is sin. He forbade us not to swear at all. Any small matter some people will swear as if what they are saying is the truth but it not so or as if they will do what they have sworn, but they will do them. They even go to the extreme of backing what they are saying by the things of heaven, God’s throne or God Himself.
Before Presidents and other Authorities can begin their various work, they have something they call Inauguration where they are sworn into office. They make promises concerning what they will do and they will invoke God into the matter. But many Presidents and other Authorities will bear with us that, they do not honour such promises. God does not want us to involve Him in our oaths in the first place but if we do, He expects us to do our part of the oath and He will also do His part. There is a permissive will and the perfect will of God. The perfect will is the original will of God for our lives. The perfect will of God for our lives is that, we should not swear at all even by the things in heaven.
But the permissive will is the will of man that God permits, even if it is not His original plan. It is permissive will for God to step into the oaths of men even if it is not original plan. It is like someone who has been possessed by the Holy Spirit and because of continuous living in sin, the Holy Spirit has left. When the Holy Spirit leaves, He will not take His gift(s) from you. You can mention the name of Jesus and miracles will happen because the Holy Spirit who left will come to perform what you said He should do but He will not live in you as He used to do some time ago. Don’t be deceived that God is with you when you honour the oaths you take invoking His presence.
One thing we have to realise is that, it is not God alone who lives in heaven. We have the four living creatures, the twenty-four elders, and angels. Below the heaven where God lives, we have fallen angels also there. If God does not even step into the oaths you take, the fallen angels will. Many take oaths, fail to honour it, and they face the adverse consequences even when they are dead and gone, their descendants who knew nothing about, also suffers. If you have any chance to swear, don’t do it at all. It is better to say I will do this or that if Jesus Christ strengthens me and be free than to swear by God and fail. God is able to punish the body and also punish the soul in the lake of fire.
•| Prayer Diary |•
Lift up prayers for the grace to tame the tongue from swearing by God or things that concern Him in the name of Jesus Christ.
Quote
It is a sin to swear by God or things that concern Him
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© 2020 David Abankwah
David Abankwah 