THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL

By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson

And the lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.

Everyone wants to succeed in life, because humans naturally love success. The verse above is a promise from God to make us Successful but there is a condition, we must be obedient. We must obey all his commandments.

There are three major phrase s that stands out in this verse:

Make thee the head; and not the tail

Psalm23:16

Ephesians 3:20

Thou shalt be above only and thou shalt not be beneath

Psalm 75:6

Corinthians 2:14

If thou hearken unto the commandment of the Lord thy God

Joshua 1:18

John 15:7

Make thee the head; and not the tail

Psalm 23:6

Surely your goodness and love will follow me, all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

If God makes you the head; and not the tail, it means He will cause you to excel in all you do. You get better with each project or assignment you undertake because the Lord’s goodness and mercies towards you abounds. When you are going off-course or growing weary because of the challenges you face, God will renew your strength and direct you in such a way that you eventually excel. What you need to do to maintain His goodness and mercy on your life is to obey His commands in the Bible. Then you put your trust in God and expect Him to make you the head and not the tail.

Ephesians 3:20

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us

Sometimes your circumstances in life may be such that you cannot imagine how God can make you the head and not the tail. For instance, you have written a major examination three times already, and you have failed all three. How can God make you the head? Your inability to pass does not mean God has made you the tail. He may only be directing you to try something else. Do not give up. Find time to fast, pray and study the word. Ask God to direct you on what career to choose. Think over your options:

Do you take the examination one more time expecting God to help you pass? Or
Do you shift to another career and examination?

Determine which of the two options fills you with hope, expectation and peace of mind. Pursue that option believing God is more than able like the verse from Ephesians says. He will cause you to excel and make you the head

Thou shalt be above only; and not beneath

Psalm 75:6-7

No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. It is God who judges. He brings one down, he exalts another.

Other translations of the verse above says “promotion comes not from the east, nor the west _ _ _ _ _ it is only God who can promote or exalt without any evil strings attached” the usual condition require by God is obedience to His word, commands and instructions. Some of us think, the commands of the Lord are burdensome or difficult to obey. But in actual fact when you obey God commands you will have no problem with your neighbor or the laws of your land. You are free from accusations and convictions because even when you are falsely accused you will be delivered by God.

2 Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the savior of His knowledge by us in every place.

The phrase “will always cause us to triumph” meaning He will put us above only and not beneath. Even in situations when we seem to be beneath, He is actually preparing us for a greater victory and promotion.

If thou hearken unto the commandment of the Lord

Joshua 1:8

Keep this book of law always on your lips; meditate in it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

God appreciates and rewards obedience. When you go through the Bible the condition attached to many of His promises to us is obeying his commands.

Deuteronomy 28:13, Joshua 1:18. Another one can be found:

John 15:7

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you

Some translations say, if you abide in me and my words abide in you ___ _ _ _ _ _

Abiding or remaining in the word of God, simply means obeying the word of God

We have so much to gain by just obeying the commands of God. Let us find time to study the word of God thoroughly and obey all His commands. There is so much to gain by being obedient to God.

He will make you the head and not the tail. He will place you above only and not beneath.

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