WALKING IN DIVINE HONOUR
Bishop David Ibeleme
There is a desperate cry for honourable people.
Honour is the ultimate goal of every worker – 2 Tim. 4:7.
The perception of it qualifies us to be hired, helps us to stay hired and guarantees us a good legacy.
Word study
Honour – dictionary “Great respect, high public regard for.
A source of or a feeling of pride / pleasure resulting from great respect / high regard being shown to one.
Good personal character, a strong sense of what is morally right.
A thing given as a mark of distinction or respect (awards = gifts – Prov. 3:9.)
To show great respect for - e.g. by your presence or attending a function.
Bound to do something – required to do something because of one’s sense of moral duty.
Greek – Timé (from which we get the word time).
A valuing/a price paid/To esteem something highly.
Doxa – glory.
Kalos – good/fair – Rom. 12:17.
Honourable people are willing to lay down their lives for what they believe – Movies – Airforce1 & Men of Honour.
Their loyalty, faithfulness is unquestionable you can count on them.
You can trust them: they are valuable.
To be honoured one must be honourable.
7 Qualities of Honourable People
1. Humble/Humility – Prov. 15:33, 1 Tim 6:3-4.
Humility can be summarized as following God’s institution
You can only be promoted by the person whose instruction you follow.
Great Miracles do not require great, but obeyed instructions.
2. Holy/Holiness – Godly character – 2 Cor. 7:1, Gal. 5:19ff.
Honour = good personal character, a strong sense of what is morally right.
It may be tough to live morally and tougher to stand up to immorality, but toughest of all is to live with the consequences of immorality.
Guilt is a paralyzing force.
The hardest person to forgive is not your enemy but yourself.
Sin is a reproach => shame => dishonour.
To go up one must give up – Matt. 16:24ff.
3. Honest/Honesty – Integrity – Ps. 25:21; 1 Kg. 9; Eph. 4:15.
Honour speaks of being bound to do something because of one’s sense of moral duty.
The willingness to lay down your life for what you believe.
Swearing to your own hurt.
Being true to yourself, God and folks around you.
Ability to speak the truth – Resumes.
4. Hospitality/Hospitable – Heb. 13.
Friendly, helpful, hearty, generous, entertaining.
Abraham – Gen. 18.
Honourable men are givers – 1 Pet. 3:9.
5. Holistic – Phil. 2; Eph. 4; Prov. 11:1; 20:23.
They see the big picture – though they are focused.
Hence they are balanced – Rom. 12:17 – No false balance.
Wisdom is their master key.
They know how to prioritize.
6. Humourous – Prov. 17:22.
Happy – Ps. 2:4.
Ability to keep somebody happy.
Ability to be amused.
Knowing how to encourage yourself and remain enthusiastic.
Helps you deflate tension and put things in perspective.
Harness the force of joy. No man can succeed without joy.
7. Hopeful – hungry – Matt. 5.
Sense of passion/obsession.
Honourable people cannot tolerate failure, they don’t know how to quit – Phil. 3.
To them the darker the night the brighter the light.
They don’t know how to stay down – I’ve got to get up because I’m a man of honour.
If it’s to be it’s up to me.
Copyright Ó 2004 Bishop David Ibeleme
Victorious Faith Ministries,
P.O. Box 4378, St. Ann’s, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
+1(868) 625-6863 / 623-1020
E-mail: vfmwo@hotmail.com
