You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Exodus 20:7 The Amplified Bible
God is serious about His Name... It would behoove us to be serious about His Name, too. I cringe every time I hear someone take the Lord's Name in vain - every time someone uses "OMG!" as a frivolous response to someone else's drama of the moment/hour, every time I hear "OH MY GAWD!" in the same vein as "Are you kidding me?!?" or "Are you serious?!?"
God IS serious about His Name... actually, He's serious about all of them. They represent the very nature and character of who He is. They are designed to be called upon and they correspond to our needs and dependence on Him.
Elohim - Strength, power, greatness, and glory
Yahweh (or Jehovah) - I AM
El Shaddai - God Almighty
Adonai - Master, Lord
Jehovah-Jireh - God will provide
Jehovah-M'Kaddesh - God who sanctifies
Jehovah-Shalom - God is peace
Jehovah-Nissi - God our banner
Jehovah-Raphah (sometimes spelled 'Rophe') - God our Healer
Jehovah-Tsidkenu - God our righteousness
The proper use is in acknowledgement and affirmation of who He is. Calling His Name in faith, confirming who He is and who we BELIEVE He is, not in unbelief at someone's trivial pursuit. Selah
Prayer:
Father,
We pray as Ezra prayed, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has mounted to the heavens. Open our hearts to receive Your Truths, open our eyes to see and our ears to hear. Forgive us, O God, we pray. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
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