But He knows the way that I take [ He has concern for it, appreciates and pays attention to it ] When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold ( pure and luminous ) JOB 23 : 10 DEAR LORD .. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME ? .. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME ? .. WHAT IS GOING ON IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE I JUST DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT AT ALL ? .. Are these perhaps some of the questions you have found yourself asking God lately ? .. Relax and take a deep breath .. YOU ARE IN TRAINING !! Throughout your walk with God, you will be put through many, many situations that are going to test your faithfulness towards Him. One of the tests that you can expect to encounter along your journey with God is the " Trust Test " In the above Scripture, Job has some very wise words that you should make a point of taking to heart, holding onto and applying practically into your daily life .. Job was a man that experienced far more suffering than most of us would ever be able to handle, and yes he did have questions, and yes he did grumble from time to time because he did not always understand the situation that he was in .. BUT .. the one thing that Job was absolutely determined to do, was to always, always trust in God. This is what Job is telling us in the Scripture .. I do not understand why I am being put through the situations that I have to face and I sometimes feel as though I am walking this path alone because I cannot seem to find God in the midst of all my suffering .. BUT .. No matter what I may feel at this moment in time, the Truth remains .. God knows the journey that I am on and the struggles and worries I am going through .. God is testing my trust and faithfulness in Him and once I have been through my training and the test is completed, if my trust in God remains, He will allow me to come out of this situation stronger, more confident and more faithful than when my sufferings began. The lesson for you to learn from this is .. NO, you are not always going to understand what is going on in your life, but when you arrive in that place of confusion, you must make the decision to trust in God .. No Matter What !! Too many times when you experience hardships in your life, your reactions lead you into such a state of panic and worry that you just throw in the towel, you give up and you walk away .. You choose to turn away from God instead of running with open arms towards Him, and then you make the vital mistake of on your own, trying to find a quick-fix solution to your problems. It Is All Up To You .. If you find yourself in a place right now, where absolutely nothing in your life seems to make any sense to you, and everything around you appears to be falling apart .. Can You Put All Of Your Trust In God Anyway ? .. Realizing that this is perhaps the training He is providing so that you will be able to pass the " Trust Test " Remember that as you continue your journey with God, there is no such thing as being able to trust Him without having unanswered questions .. A lack of understanding and at times just not knowing, is simply part of the package !! The reason for this is, that if you had all the answers that you needed and if you knew everything that you needed to know .. you would have absolutely no reason to trust God at all. So, if you do commit yourself to trusting God, no matter how hopeless the situation appears, you also have to commit yourself to the fact that for as long as God is training you to trust Him, you will not understand many of the events that take place in your life. God HAS promised to never leave you and to never forsake you .. BUT .. Do you really believe Him ? Do you really trust Him enough to deliver you into tomorrow better than you walked out of today ? WHEN YOU ARE DOWN TO NOTHING .. GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING (1) .. The power of the LORD came over me. The LORD brought me out by His spirit and put me down in the middle of a valley. The valley was filled with bones.
(2) .. He led me all around them. I saw that there were many, many bones at the bottom of the valley, and they were all dry. (3) .. Then He asked me, " Son of man, can these bones live ? " I answered, " Only You know Almighty LORD " (4) .. Then He said to me, " Prophecy to these bones. Tell them, " Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD " EZEKIEL 37 1 : 4 LOOKING AT YOUR LIFE .. DO YOU FIND YOURSELF STARING AT A PILE OF DEAD, DRY BONES ? .. Your situations and your circumstances .. Everything appears to be a huge mess and you find yourself wondering if things are ever going to change .. " Can my dead, dry bones ever live ? " In the above Scripture, God shows Ezekiel a pile of dead, dry bones and God asks him .. " Can these bones live ? " In other words God was asking Ezekiel if he thought anything could be done to change the situation .. Could the mess of the dead, dry bones be cleaned up ? .. Ezekiel however could not answer the question. So naturally your Almighty Father stepped in and He told Ezekiel exactly what to do .. God told him, " Speak to the bones and tell them to hear the Word of God " .. SO HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO YOU ? Well, if you currently have a big mess in your life and you find yourself facing situations and circumstances that look absolutely impossible .. do NOT feel helpless, hopeless and on the edge of giving up .. instead you stand up and you face your problems head on and you begin to fight them with words .. You talk to your mountains and you tell them .. Listen, finances, hear the Word of God !! .. Listen, debt, hear the Word of God !! .. Listen, sickness, hear the Word of God !! .. Whatever your " dry bones " may be STOP talking about them and START seriously talking to them .. If you continue to read a little further into Ezekiel 37 .. You will see that Ezekiel obeyed God and he spoke to the bones and a miraculous thing happened .. the bones came together and they were covered with ligaments, muscles and skin. However the bones still did not have any life in them .. So once again God told Ezekiel to speak to them, commanding them to be filled with breath .. and once again Ezekiel obeyed God and he spoke to the bones .. and once again a miracle took place .. the bones received the breath of life and the Spirit of God. A pile of useless, dead, dry bones SUDDENLY received life .. All because of one man who obeyed God and prophesied the Word of God over an impossible situation that desperately needed to change. Be honest with yourself for a moment .. What are you saying to the dead, dry bone situations that you are facing ? .. Are you talking to them anointing them with God's divine influence ? .. OR .. Are you perhaps constantly talking about them, allowing them to remain huge mountains that are slowly destroying you ? " Nothing in my life is ever going to change " .. " I am never going to get out of debt " .. " I am never going to get that promotion at work " .. I am never going to find a better job " .. " I am never going to overcome this addiction " .. " I am never going to beat this illness " .. If this is the way you are thinking and if these are the things that you are confessing, then in reality all you are doing is opening the door for more negativity and more troubles to walk right into your life. Thinking, feeling and speaking negatively only allows satan's hold on you to get stronger, and sadly it is you that is giving him the right to use his power in and over your life. Do you know that you are God's child and He loves you so very, very much .. STOP allowing satan to keep you in fear and misery .. START speaking God's Word and begin to live in the Victory of the Lord .. Amen !! God HAS made you many great promises, start talking to your dead, dry bones, start filling your problems with the influence of God's Word and watch as the power of your miracle working God begins to make some incredible changes in both you and in your life. WHEREVER THE SOLDIER GOES .. THERE TOO GOES THE WORD OF GOD Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
JEREMIAH 29 : 13 DO NOT ALLOW LIFE TO STEAL GOD’S TIME !! Make An Appointment With God .. And Then .. Keep It !! The one thing that this world most certainly does not lack, is the ability to provide you with a series of distractions that are deviously designed to drive as big a wedge as possible between you and God. The spirit of passivity is one of these distractions .. A spirit that rest upon you in an attempt to keep you from growing in the priceless knowledge of God. Passivity is like a poison within your relationship with God .. and .. You would be wise to deal very sternly with your flesh to resist the spirit of passivity .. Because !! You Making A Commitment To Spend Time With God Is As Serious A Commitment As Any You Will Ever Make !! Say for example that you suffered with a kidney disease .. Due to your illness you are required to undergo dialysis, and this in turn requires you to be at the hospital twice a week at 9:00 to receive your treatment. Now, would it be realistic to assume that you would accept an invitation to do anything else during your treatment times ? No !! .. You Would Not !! .. No matter how tempting .. No matter how appealing it may be .. No matter how much you want to accept the invitation .. You Would Not Do It .. Because .. You would know that your very life depends on you keeping your dialysis appointment. This Is Precisely How Serious YOU Should Be About Your Time With God !! Do Not Compromise !! The simple truth is that the very quality of your life is greatly impacted and affected by the time you spend with God !! .. Therefore .. That time should hold a place of high priority in your daily schedule !! God Is Available !! .. While this is an undeniably precious blessing .. If you allow the spirit of passivity to enter into your life, you may actually find yourself unintentionally taking advantage of this truth. Because you know that God is always available .. Because you know that God will always be there for you .. You may become a little sluggish in keeping your appointment with God. At times you reschedule God’s time, at other times you may even skip your appointment with God entirely, in order to attend to something that seems more urgent at the time. Here Is A Little Something To Ponder Over .. Is It Possible Perhaps, That If You Dedicated More “Priority Time” With God, That You May Not Be Bombarded With An Endless Amount Of “Urgent Issues” That Tend To Rob You Of Your Time !! Make An Appointment With God .. And More Importantly .. Keep It !! It is vitally important for you to understand that when you commit to spending time with God .. Even if you are unable to feel His presence .. Or .. You feel as though you are not learning anything .. The reality is that what you are doing is sowing good seeds into your life, seeds that will produce a Godly harvest in your life !! With your dedication and your constant persistence .. You will enter into a place where you understand more of God .. Where you enjoy intimate fellowship with Him .. Where you engage in deep conversation with Him .. And .. Where you hear His still, small voice. If You Search For God .. You Will Find Him !! However .. Nobody can do the searching on your behalf !! .. The responsibility lies in your hands !! So .. You stand faith-filled .. You be bold .. You resist the spirit of passivity in your life and do not allow anyone or anything to keep you from spending quality, priority time with God !! Keep Your Appointment !! !! GOD DOES NOT DEAL WITH THE FRUITS .. HE DEALS WITH THE ROOTS WHEN GOD GETS TO THE ROOT OF YOUR PROBLEM .. HE CAN MAKE YOU PRODUCE Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. HEBREWS 4 : 16
FRIENDSHIP MAKES YOU BOLD !! Your life can be greatly enriched if you are engaged in a no-holds barred friendship. Having that special friend that seems to know you almost better than you know yourself. The friend that carries your most intimate secrets .. The friend that you can phone atmidnight just to chat .. The friend whose hug makes you feel safe .. The friend whose presence makes you smile .. The friend that you confidently know will always be there, for anything. As the kids today would say .. Your B.F.F .. Your Best Friend Forever ..The friend from whom you are inseparable. Amidst the constant chaos and confusion that you witness and experience all around you on a daily basis .. It is always a refreshing moment when you are able to just close the door, leave the world and its madness behind you, let your hair down, relax and spend some great, quality time with a great, quality friend. ARE YOU AWARE THAT JESUS IS YOUR FRIEND ? God Said .. I AM !! And He Is !! .. He Is The Creator of the universe .. He Is The Alpha and The Omega .. He Is The Beginning and The End .. He Is God .. He Is your Father .. And, Yes .. God is your friend !! GOD IS YOUR FRIEND !! If you are able to come to a place where you can understand your friendship with God .. and .. You can truly see yourself as His friend .. It will cause your prayer life to be rejuvenated and taken to a higher level. In knowing that God is your friend .. and .. You are His .. Your prayers will become more faith-filled, more spirit-filled, and they will be much bolder !! Luke 11 .. Immediately after teaching the disciples to pray according to what we know call “The Lord’s Prayer” .. Jesus told His disciples a story. Jesus shared this story to illustrate to His disciples His lesson on prayer. 5 .. And He said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and will say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves [of bread] 6 .. For a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come, and I have nothing to put before him; 7 .. And he from within will answer, Do not disturb me; the door is now closed, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and supply you [with anything] ? 8 .. I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is a friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs .. Luke 11 : 5 – 8 Notice in Verse 8, Jesus uses the words .. Shameless Persistence and Insistence. What Jesus is teaching, is that .. The man who needs bread gets it only because of his shameless persistence and insistence !! And that right there is the lesson you can apply into your own life .. Jesus’ words of wisdom that will lift your prayer life up to a higher level. Isn't it true that it is only within the boundaries of your deepest friendship, that you would even consider being shamelessly persistent and insistent .. Why ? .. Because the solid foundation of a true, quality friendship makes you bold !! JESUS IS YOUR FRIEND !! Allow yourself to begin walking in the knowledge that Jesus is your friend !! .. And .. Allow yourself to accept the truth that you are Jesus’ friend !! .. Allow yourself to be engulfed in the unbreakable bond of friendship with Jesus Christ !! As you begin to do this, you will soon start to experience a change within yourself .. As you advance forward and steadily grow in your friendship with God, you will feel your confidence increasing and you will be bolder as you approach Him !! If, at this very moment, you are the person who is in need of “bread” .. Jesus said .. You can fearlessly, confidently and boldly draw near to your friend .. God Himself !! .. And .. Pray with shameless persistence and insistence !! 10 .. For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and he who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door will shall be opened .. Luke 11 : 10 Pray To God With The Same Intimacy And Passion That You Reserve For Your Closest Friends !! FAITH MAKES THINGS POSSIBLE .. NOT EASY !! Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose.
I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations. JEREMIAH 1 : 5 YOU ARE A VERY PRECIOUS, VERY UNIQUE CREATION !! .. The MASTER'S Hand designed and formed you, and not just because He could .. OH NO .. You were sent into this world for a very specific reason .. YOU Are Here To Fulfill A Purpose That God Knew Only You Could Fulfill !! Long before the foundation of the world .. God Knew You .. He Formed You .. He Loved You .. and He Set You Aside For A Very Particular Service And Purpose That HE HAS Decided For You .. Your salvation and it's relationship to your future is the God-given power that you hold in your hands, to develop and grow into exactly who God declared you were long, long, long before you took your very first breath of life. GRACE !! Grace is God's divine gift to you .. A gift that makes it possible for you to accomplish your predestined purpose !! Life is not always an easy journey .. You will face many a difficult situation .. You will face many challenging circumstances .. You will have to travel over some very bumpy roads that will leave you weak and weary .. You will sometimes feel as though you are just fumbling around in the dark, with no clear answers as to how, when or where .. However God knows exactly what you are experiencing and what you are going through .. just as He knew what the Apostle Paul was facing when he prayed to God to remove the thorn from his flesh, that was causing him a great deal of distress and worry. Paul prayed and God answered .. " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is greatest when you are weak " .. 2 Corinthians 12 : 9 God's power was never intimidated by Paul's circumstances, and because we know that " Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever " .. Hebrews 13 : 8 .. then we can rest assured that God is also not intimidated by anything that you are facing because He knows that His grace is all you need. Do Not Keep Staring At Your Mountain Thinking .. THERE IS JUST NO WAY !! Through your human eyes it does look tough .. According to your human logic it can not be done .. BUT GOD .. GOD SAY'S YOU CAN .. MY GRACE IS ALL YOU NEED !! You are empowered by God to accomplish goals that go above and beyond our human logic and limitations. However, it is critically important that each and every one of us that God has called must realize and understand that we are able to achieve what others cannot purely because GOD GIVES US HIS GRACE TO DO SO !! TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY !! The excellence of your gifts and talents are all of God .. They have absolutely nothing to do with you .. In reality, because God is all powerful, He does not need nearly as much of your contributions as you think He does. So it is God and God alone, Who works out the internal futures and destinies for each and every one of us, according to His very specific will and purpose for our lives. And because You are God's exclusive design, He will give you all the power through His grace to become who He has decreed you to be .. Internally and Eternally !! GRACE IS NOT JUST A LITTLE PRAYER TO PRAY ... IT IS A WAY OF LIFE Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of things [we] hope for, being proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. HEBREWS 11 : 1
FAITH .. FAITH .. FAITH !! None of us are strangers to the word Faith.. and we can all agree that if we have heard one message about faith, we have surely heard a hundred .. and yet there are still so many of us that remain unclear and unsure about the very issue of faith and the role it plays in our lives. Sadly the world has successfully managed to deceive many of us .. placing us in a position where faith has become a real source of confusion and insecurity for us. There are statements being made and questions being asked .. Do I actually have faith ? .. How do I believe correctly ? .. Why do I have so little faith ? .. Why is my faith not working for me ? .. Oh, I wish I could have as much faith as my friend has !! Instead of Living Lives filled with a Godly faith .. we find ourselves merely Existing because our faith has become so twisted and watered down that we seem to have lost our confidence and our ability to really trust, believe and have faith in God. What is it about this world that captivates us so much ? .. What is it about this world that it has actually convinced us that having faith and putting your faith into all things earthly is normal and even acceptable ? .. What is it about this world that convinces us not to put our faith in God anymore ? .. .. WE HAVE TO TURN BACK TO GOD .. But I say to every one of you, through the grace given to me, not to have an over-high opinion of himself, but to have wise thoughts, as God has given to every one a measure of faith .. Romans 12 : 3 Faith was not designed, neither was it given to you by this world .. Faith is a precious, powerful gift given to you .. YES THAT MEANS YOU TOO.. by God your Father. God gave us faith .. and when He gave us His gift of faith, He had one and only one intention and that was for you to graciously accept and receive His gift, and that you use your faith exclusively to believe and put your trust in Jesus Christ !! So does Jesus hold the exclusive rights to your Faith ? Now before you are too quick to answer .. we have to realise that it is not possible for us to change things that we are not willing to acknowledge .. It is never, never, never, NEVER too late for us to turn back to God .. You have already given so much of yourself to this world .. and there is no better time for you to stop doing that, than right now .. but in order for you to make the necessary changes, it is going to require you to be honest .. Brutally Honest .. with yourself. You have to determine what you are putting your faith into .. and if you realise that your faith is in the things of this world and not in the things that God has said, then you must take every step required to reclaim and reinvest you faith into God, Who gave it to you. Can we take a little journey ? .. A slight eye opener perhaps .. THE DOCTOR’S VISIT : You haven’t been feeling quite like yourself for the past few months .. eventually you reach a point where you are just so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired that you make an appointment to see your doctor. In the consulting room, you sit with your doctor and discuss all the symptoms that you have been experiencing. After listening to you the doctor mentions that he is not very happy with what you have been explaining to him, and he says that he would like to run some tests. Wanting to know what is wrong with you, you nervously agree to have the tests done. So your blood is drawn, your scans are done and your x-rays are taken. Once all the tests have been completed, you once again sit with your doctor, who tells you to make a follow-up appointment with him in three days time in order for the two of you to discuss your test results. With slight anxiety you make your next appointment and you leave. Three days pass slowly by and eventually results morning arrives. A little apprehensively you enter the room and take your seat opposite your doctor. In front of him you see the file with your name on, you and your doctor glance at each other before he opens the file, pulls out the test results and says to you .. “I am afraid I have some bad news” You take the report and as you begin to read your results you feel your heart sinking in your chest, because there you see printed in black and white that you have been diagnosed with the illness or disease that you have dreaded .. Without a thought .. faith starts to rise up in you as you immediately trust and believe every word on that medical report .. “FAITH IN THE DOCTOR AND HIS MEDICAL REPORT” ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT GOD SAYS ? .. (Prayers offered in faith will save those who are sick, and the Lord will cure them.) If you have sinned, you will be forgiven.. James 5 : 15 Why won’t we believe Him ? .. Why won’t we put our faith in Him ? THE NEWSPAPER : On your way to the office you buy the newspaper. Knowing that you will be at work a little earlier than usual, it is the perfect time for you to lock yourself in your office with a hot cup of coffee and catch up on who and what has made it into the news. As you get comfortable behind your desk, you notice a headline that grabs your attention and you begin to read the article. Generally the newspapers are full of negative news, and the article you read is exactly that .. Bad, negative news. But word for word, detail for detail you take it all in. Now as you read you begin to feel all sorts of emotions about the article, it makes you angry, uneasy, uncomfortable. Without having a personal knowledge of all the facts, the more you read the more it makes you anxious and down right mad. Without a thought .. faith starts to rise up in you as you immediately trust and believe every word you read .. “FAITH IN THE NEWSPAPER AND IT’S ARTICLE” ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT GOD SAYS ? .. (6) .. Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. (7) .. Then God's peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus .. Philippians 4 : 6 - 7 Why won’t we believe Him ? .. Why won’t we put our faith in Him ? YOUR CAREER : Job hunting .. a very stressful, very emotional process .. days, weeks and even months of filling out applications and going for interviews .. a tiring process that many times leaves you feeling hopeless and despondent. But then it happens .. the day finally arrives when your determination pays off .. the day arrives when you get the call. There is a company that wants to offer you a position .. they phone you in order to set up an appointment for you to go in and discuss the final details of their offer, and to sign the necessary paperwork. Once all discussions have been completed .. all parties have agreed and all the paperwork has been signed .. you leave the companies premises a proud new employee in possession of the all important Letter of Employment. According to your Letter of Employment from the company, you begin working for them on the 1st day of the new month and you will receive your salary on the 25th day of every month. It seemed like a lifetime for you .. but eventually your first day at work arrives and excitedly you report for duty, ready to jump right in .. eager to give the company your very best in order to receive your hard earned salary. Do you realise that everyday you go into the office, you are essentially giving your expertise away in advance, for an entire month because you feel that you can trust your company enough to pay you at the end of the month. Without a thought .. faith starts to rise up in you as you immediately trust and believe every word you read on your Letter of Employment and your proposed salary agreement .. “FAITH IN THE COMPANY AND IT’S LETTER” ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT GOD SAYS ? .. Young lions go hungry and may starve, but those who seek the LORD'S help have all the good things they need .. Psalms 34 : 10 Why won’t we believe Him ? .. Why won’t we put our faith in Him ? YOUR FINANCES : After a long day at work, you eventually arrive home .. before going into your home you grab the mail from your mail box. These days the very sight of mail makes you nervous to the core .. accounts, accounts and more accounts. And sure enough as you go through the envelopes there it is .. the very account you were hoping would somehow just disappear. There it is in your hand .. so you tear open the envelop and in shear frustration your eyes fall on the amount owing .. R 3000.000 .. What are you going to do now ? Well already in a flat panic, you make your next move .. you go into your bank account to check your balance .. and naturally as you suspected, you have nowhere near enough money in your account to pay what you owe .. R 200.00 to pay a R 3000.00 account. Without a thought .. faith starts to rise up in you as you immediately trust and believe every word and every figure that you see before you .. “FAITH IN YOUR DEBT AND IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT” ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT GOD SAYS ? .. The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it .. Proverbs 10 : 22 Why won’t we believe Him ? .. Why won’t we put our faith in Him ? THE NEWS : After another long day at the office it is finally time to kick your feet and relax .. the homework is done, everyone is bathed, the dinner has been served, the kids are in bed .. and now it is your TV time. Innocently you turn to the news channel .. and this is where the mess begins .. stories about strike action across the country .. stories about violent crime .. stories about rising food and fuel prices .. stories about our failing economy .. stories about fraud and corruption .. and so it goes on and on and on. Before you realise it the news has done nothing but push your fear and anxiety up to a whole new level. Now instead of feeling relaxed you .. are feeling frightened, fearful, anxious and very insecure about everything. Without a thought .. faith starts to rise up in you as you immediately trust and believe every story that you hear .. “FAITH IN THE FEAR PROVOKING, NEGATIVE NEWS REPORTS” ARE YOU AWARE OF WHAT GOD SAYS ? .. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man .. Psalms 118 : 8 Why won’t we believe Him ? .. Why won’t we put our faith in Him ? .. BRUTAL HONESTY .. Honesty .. especially with yourself is the only way to get yourself off the winding road that leads to nowhere .. and get yourself back onto the path of walking where you belong .. HAND IN HAND WITH JESUS !! If any of the earlier examples sounded familiar to you .. if you could see yourself or relate even a little then you will understand just how easy it is to be deceived into investing your faith in all the wrong places. But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently and earnestly seek Him [out] .. Hebrews 11 : 6 God and God alone is the Author and the Finisher of your faith .. and unless you put your faith in God and exclusively trust and believe in Him .. you will never experience the magnitude of everything that God has for you. His love .. His Grace .. His mercy .. His compassion .. His favor .. His blessings .. His promises .. IT IS ALL YOURS.. but you have to have faith in God in order to receive His gifts. For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, "The person who is put right with God through faith shall live." .. Romans 1 : 17 Now it is very important to keep this message in context .. without trying to distract from or distort the Truth .. .. PUT YOUR FAITH IN THE TRUTH .. Love is made perfect in us in order that we may have courage on the Judgment Day; and we will have it because our life in this world is the same as Christ's .. 1 John 4 : 17 This is not a message to tell you that going to the doctor is the wrong thing to do .. it is a message that says .. if and when you are required to visit the doctor .. please, please, please do not put your faith in your doctor when true healing lies in Gods hands .. PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS .. Plead the blood of Jesus over your diagnosis .. Believe and Receive your healing in Jesus Name .. and thank Jesus for leading you to the very best doctor possible. This is not a message to tell you that reading the newspaper is the wrong thing to do .. it is a message that says .. if and when you read the newspaper .. please, please, please do not put your faith in the articles that cause negative emotions and fears to rise in your life when the only real Truth lies in Gods hands .. PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS .. Plead the blood of Jesus over you and your family .. Believe and Receive your peace, joy and security in Jesus Name .. and thank Jesus for being the only Lord and King over your life. This is not a message to tell you that going to work and being a hardworking employee is the wrong thing to do .. it is a message that says .. when you go to work .. please, please, please do not put your faith in your company or in your salary when all great provision is released out of Gods hands .. PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS .. Plead the blood of Jesus over your job and your company .. Believe and Receive God’s favor at your company .. and thank Jesus for opening the door that enabled you to get your position at the company. This is not a message to tell you that being aware of your budget is the wrong thing to do .. it is a message that says .. when you get your accounts and you see your bank balance .. please, please, please do not put your faith in your budget when once again all great provision is released out of God’s hands .. PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS .. Plead the blood of Jesus over your finances .. Believe and Receive the finances you require in Jesus Name .. and thank Jesus for being your personal Provider according to His promises. This is not a message to tell you that watching the news is the wrong thing to do .. it is a message that says .. if and when you do watch the news .. please, please, please do not put your faith into your fears and anxieties when absolute freedom and liberty lies in Gods hands .. PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS .. Plead the blood of Jesus over you and your family .. Believe and Receive your protection in Jesus Name .. and thank Jesus for being your only Rock, your Refuge and your Fortress. God has declared so many, many miracles and wonders into your life .. however in order for you to receive God’s blessings you are going to have to put ALL your faith .. ALL your belief .. and ALL your trust in Him and Him alone. The world will let you down and deceive you time and time again .. but if you commit to believing Jesus and you turn you’re faith in Him loose .. He will reveal Himself to you and His blessings will surely begin to follow you and even overtake you. DO NOT THINK LIKE THE WORLD THINKS .. IF YOU DO ..EVENTUALLY YOU WILL START ACTING LIKE THE WORLD ACTS. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. GALATIANS 5 : 1 JESUS SAID : "Neither do I condemn thee : go and sin no more .. John 8 : 11 JESUS CHRIST .. The King of king's and the Lord of lords .. He had a ministry that appealed to and attracted the hearts of many, many ordinary, common, humble people .. much to the dislike of the leaders that ruled at that time. In fact they disliked Jesus so much that when He was teaching in the temples, there were those who went out of their way to try and deliberately trap Jesus and catch Him out with His own words. The leaders did this because they thought that if they could force Jesus into saying some critical, condemning things, that people would no longer want to follow Him. But these fools obviously forgot Who they were dealing with .. JESUS CHRIST .. The Son of the Living God !! HAVE WE ALSO SOMEHOW FORGOTTEN ? Are we making the same mistake .. are we making choices that are causing us to forget Jesus ? Forgetting about Jesus by living our lives so tied down under the heavy weight of burdens, problems, worries, fear, anxiety, stress .. Forgetting Jesus by allowing negative attitudes, thoughts and emotions to take power over us and control us .. .. Here is something that you must always, always, always remember ..The Blood of Jesus is highly effective and very powerful The blessed blood of Jesus was powerful and effective enough, that it totally cleansed the woman that felt unclean .. John 8 : 1 - 11 The very same blessed blood of Jesus is so powerful that it is able to wash, cleans and make whole the lives of any man or woman who feels unclean, ruined and corrupted .. Isaiah 1 : 18SO WHO ARE WE TO REJECT AND TURN OUR BACKS ON WHAT JESUS HAS ALREADY CLEANSED AND MADE WHOLE ?Yes .. That Would Be Yourself .. Who do you think you are to reject and turn your back on yourself .. the one that Jesus chose to die for .. the one that Jesus shed His blood for .. who do you think you are to allow your life to be controlled and dominated by burdens, problems, worries, fear, anxiety and stress .. You are a precious child of God .. He hand picked you .. He loves you .. He cherishes you .. He adores you .. He washed you .. He has cleansed you .. So who are you to reject what Jesus Christ has cleansed and made whole ? .. Just as Jesus said to the woman then, so does He proclaim to you today .. "Neither do i condemn thee : go and sin no more" In reality .. in your day to day life .. you do have heavy trials and tribulations .. chains that weigh you down and tie you up .. sometimes the chains come into your life through events that you personally have no control over .. and sometimes the chains are in your life because you yourself have knowingly made decisions and choices that have lead you into bondage and pain .. It doesn't actually matter how the chains that weigh you down entered into your life .. what does matter is this .. Jesus Christ came to set you free .. Do You Get It .. JESUS CHRIST CAME TO SET YOU FREE !! Jesus came to let you loose and allow you to feel, experience and live in His freedom .. He has forgiven ALL of your sins and .. His forgiveness heals and restores .. BELIEVE IT AND RECEIVE IT !! Jesus does not want to be forgotten anymore .. stop allowing the world and your very own negativity to shut Him out of your life. Jesus has given you the wonderful opportunity to discover the true potential of your future .. if only you will allow His magnificent, amazing power and grace to operate in your life .. IF YOU WALK WITH GOD .. YOU WILL ALWAYS REACH YOUR DESTINATION In the same way, since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in them so that you can help the church grow
1 CORINTHIANS 14 : 12 DO YOU HAVE A FOCUSED GOAL FOR YOUR LIFE ? Ambitions .. Dreams .. Goals .. Each one of us should have at least one dream or one goal that stirs up deep passion and deep commitment in our lives .. Each One Of Us Should Have .. but sadly enough there are still too many of us that are walking around aimlessly .. without any real purpose or direction .. because we have not yet focused our hearts and minds on a specific goal. Without a focused goal in your life .. you will discover that you are capable of doing lots and lots of things .. however you do them randomly, unsystematically and inconsistently .. you do not put your very best efforts into the same old, same old everyday stuff. If only we would wake up and realize how forceful and powerful each one of us could be .. if only we would focus .. put in the time .. put in the effort .. and put in the commitment towards a specific goal. MASTERFUL = To be an expert .. To demonstrate exceptional skills and ability. MEDIOCRE = Adequate or Acceptable .. but not good enough. So what kind of person are you .. Mediocre or Masterful ? .. Do you know that the difference between being "masterful" and "mediocre" is very often just a focused effort. You must however look at the above very carefully because the interpretation and understanding of the words masterful and mediocre will be different for each one of us .. for example being mediocre is often seen as masterful to a person who has limited resources, abilities, gifts and talents .. Confusing .. yes it does all sound a little confusing .. but if you break it down, this is what the above statement is actually telling you .. True success is dependent on and connected to your personal abilities. What might seem to be an awesome, fabulous, miraculous event for one person .. could be of absolutely no value or importance to another person. So basically what you need to really, really learn and understand is this .. when you set yourself goals for your life .. you are always allowed to dream big .. but you must also remember that you should remain realistic, sensible, and true to yourself. So goals should be set according to your personal ability to develop and grow your talents .. as well as the speed and quickness with which you are confident that you can bring about the desired results. So are you totally satisfied that you have fully grown and developed your gifts and talents ? .. How many of us can stand proudly and with one-hundred percent confidence answer that question with a yes ? If we are totally open and honest .. each and everyone of us can afford to do a little bit extra to become a little bit better !! You need to get your fires of commitment burning again .. you have to get your passion back .. the passion to become all that God your Father intended and predestined you to be .. you need to make this commitment not only for God .. but also for your families .. as well as for yourself. IT IS HIGH TIME THAT WE ROLLED UP OUR SLEEVES AND GOT BACK TO WORK !! Keep this in mind .. Effort is the bridge between mediocrity and masterful accomplishments. God did not do half a job when it came to you .. so don't you ever settle for just giving Him a second rate effort in return. WHAT YOU ARE IS GOD'S GIFT TO YOU .. WHAT YOU BECOME IS YOUR GIFT TO GOD " YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT TILL IT'S GONE "
Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it. PROVERBS 4 : 23 ARE YOU DOING EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO REALLY, REALLY GUARD YOUR HEART ? . On which day does passion walk out of a relationship ? . On which day does a worker just suddenly lose interest in their job ? . At what point does a customer decide, " I am no longer going to commit myself to buying that product " ? Though provoking questions perhaps, however questions that you can never really accurately answer .. So is there some sort of explanation as to why these things happen ? " The thief comes only in order to steal and to kill and to destroy ... ... " .. John 10 : 10 The reality is that you must always, always be alert and aware. You have an enemy out there who is constantly trying to steal from you, and the things that he is trying to steal may not necessarily be things that you can see. Your enemy will sneak into your life and he will steal things that are not visible .. things like your passion .. your interests .. your commitment .. and the reason that the enemy is successful at stealing the invisible things in your life, is because if you can't see something and it disappears, you may not notice it's absence until it is too late. And it is for this reason that it has become critical for you to put in nothing less than one-hundred percent commitment into guarding your heart. Each and everyone of us has been blessed by incredible treasures in our lives .. No, it is not the beautiful house that you may be living in .. No, it is not the brand new car that you may be driving .. No, it is not the great amount of money that you may have sitting in your savings account .. The greatest treasure that you have is the passion that is locked up in the private chambers of your heart. There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that your heart definitely holds your greatest treasures, because our Scripture from Proverbs tells you that out of your heart flows the source of your life. Therefore you have to start paying a lot more attention to the issue of guarding your heart more than anything else you do. You need to develop an unshakable, clear-headed, calm but serious determination within yourself, and you must use this attitude to warm and protect your heart, just like a cozy blanket warms your body on those cold winter nights. At all times .. every minute of everyday .. you must ensure that you remain rooted in your clear-headed, calmness .. never allowing yourself to become overpowered and consumed with fear, unhappiness and insecurities .. All these are the things that provide cracks for the enemy to enter into your life and create chaos and confusion for you. Grab hold of your Godly attitude and begin to wrap it around your heart as tightly as you possibly can .. Right now is the time for you to put a guard on your heart .. It is a must because your heart is the foundation from which will come your continuous source of God's power .. the power that will strengthen you to keep on living and giving your very best life. GOD DOES NOT COMMAND THAT YOU DO GREAT THINGS .. ONLY LITTLE THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE The LORD says, " I will cure them of their unfaithfulness. I will love them freely. I will no longer be angry with them. HOSEA 14 : 4
DO YOU EVER WONDER HOW, OR EVEN WHY GOD WOULD POSSIBLY LOVE YOU ? If you are truly honest with yourself .. you have to admit that you can be very un-lovable at times .. Sadly, it is in your nature to do things, to say things, to think things and to feel things that bring your imperfections and occasionally even your unfaithfulness right out into the open. You know that your behavior is not always pleasing to God, so how could He possibly still have the grace, the mercy and the compassion to love you ? Well Miraculously .. God not only can, but in fact He chooses to love you .. WHY .. because it pleases Him to do so !! God loves you because love is His very nature .. " God Is Love " .. as you are told in 1 John 4 : 8 If God were any other way then He simply wouldn't be Who He is !! In the above Scripture of Hosea, you have the LORD Himself telling you that He will bless you by healing your unfaithfulness, He tells you that He will no longer hold any anger towards you and He says that He will love you freely .. You are told in Ephesians 1 : 5, that because of His love God has already decided to choose you as His own adopted child through Jesus Christ !! .. God Freely Decided To Do This !! GOD ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS LOVES YOU !! NO, He does not always like the things that you do .. however .. YES, He definitely does love you. God's blessed love is unconditional, no strings attached, and it is based entirely on Him and not on you, which is why, as undeserving as you may be, He gives you His love anyway. Through His unconditional love for you, your sin's are forgiven, your emotional wounds are healed and your broken heart is bandaged and mended. Understanding that God loves you, not because of who you are, or because of anything that you could possibly do, but simply because He chooses to, will give you the opportunity to stop trying to impress God by attempting to earn or even deserve His love. What God really, really wants is for you to receive Him .. Receive His love and joy in abundance .. He is not asking or requiring anything from you .. Unconditional - No Strings Attached !! Is This All Still Sounding A Little To Good To Be True ? .. Are you still struggling to accept that God has a genuine unconditional affection for you ? When you are blessed with those quiet, still moments in your day, make a confession to yourself, saying out loud .. " God Loves Me " .. Speak these words out loud as often as you need to until you become accustomed to hearing them and until you get comfortable with the very thought of it. Allow God's love to saturate your entire being .. your soul .. your body .. your mind. Could anything else be more precious .. " GOD LOVES ME FREELY " Once your spirit is filled with the unshakable knowledge that you are freely loved by the one and only Almighty God, then you will be able to whole-heatedly love Him in return and you this will then allow you to share with confidence, His awesome presence to everybody around you. GOD'S LOVE IS A FRUIT IN SEASON ALL THE TIME AND WITHIN REACH OF EVERY HAND |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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