Recently, my younger daughter was hungry. The mum had told her to be patient as food was almost ready. Somehow, her sister got to tease her. Her response took me on a short Bible exposition with her. She said; “You better leave me alone. Don’t you know that a hungry man is an angry man?” I had to ask her where she got that idea from.
Friend, where do you get that idea from (Genesis 3:11)? The truth is, there are many ideologies that Christians live by that are not scriptural. Listen, a Christian is not just someone who has confessed Christ as his Lord and Saviour. He is someone who lives his life according to the dictates of the Bible (John 8:31-32).
Let the word of God rule your life (Colossians 3:16). Until God’s word shapes your thinking and ideologies, as well as guide your actions, you are not living the Christian life. This is why you need to be committed to studying and doing the word of God if your life would align with the will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
The Bible was not given us to preach. It was given us to live by (Luke 4:4, Acts 1:1). Living by the word of God is the highest level of Christianity anyone can practise. There are many gifted and anointed people whose lives are a poor reflection of the word and will of God. Christians are known by their fruits, not their gifts (Matthew 7:20).
Sadly, there are many statements that we make that are not in the Bible (Isaiah 8:20). Some shallow Christians would even go ahead to refer to them as quotes from the Bible. When someone says that heaven helps those who help themselves, you know he’s reading another Bible from hell (Jeremiah 17:5-9). Check what you live by.
On the flip side, a hungry man is not an angry man (Proverbs 16:32, 25:28). When people make such statements, they are trying to use their circumstances as an excuse for their wrong behaviour. You did not steal because you’re hungry. You stole because you lacked character. There are many hungry people out there who did not resort to stealing or emotional outbursts (Ephesians 4:28). We need to take responsibility for our actions. God will help us.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria