Friday 24 December 2010

Pickin

Me dey hungry
Me dey skinny
Me look, me look, me look, me no find food chop

Me dey hungry
Me dey skinny
E b like say I dey die..

D wicked d fly master
Everytime e dey come to dey pollute d food
Me belle e dey pain me every time I eat am

I stop

Me take me d eye look up
Me say me Daddy I dey hungry o ..no let me die
He send me d manna
He send me d sparrow bring me d seed
He send me d good aunty and d good uncle
Dem help me plant d garden

Ah I don chop again
E be like say dem pour fresh water for me body
Me body dey cool eh like so
I no die again

D friend of me e come visit me
E tell me say I dey look rosy O
Me dey blush for inside me brown skin ae
Me dey smile say na me Daddy O
Me Daddy no leave me

Even E send me d sparrow and make d manna to fall
But E tell me say me must to water d seed wey d sparrow give me
Me must to no keep d manna make e stale
But me go wait Him give me d fresh manna every day
Me must to bring meself come d place wey Him go put d fresh manna every day

Me must to plant d garden & dress am
Me must to remove all dem weed dem even d one wey I like d colour
Some dem weed dem fine ae! Like flower decorate d garden
But Daddy say weed na weed
Daddy say add d fertilizer every day, gather d seed wey scatter for d road
And drive all d birds dem commot wey wan steal d seed

So d garden go grow, make e dey gimme plenty plenty d fruit
Dis wey me Daddy tell me

Even though me Daddy don go for d distant land....far far away
Me still dey hear Him voice

Him voice na like d cool evening breeze after d hot Saro sun don finish hammer me
Me Daddy - Him Spirit no leave me

Saturday 18 December 2010

Are you HUNGRY??

This is for the hungry, the poor & the sober. If you are full, rich & laughing, then it's really not for you. See Luke 6 vs 20-26

When I listened to Leonard Ravenhill like I was telling my friend Mo I wept...fell on my knees before the Lord and wept, I didn't go to bed till about 2.00 a.m. that morning. It is as simple as that: I wept. Want to know one of the things that leave me speechless? This is it ...when a man speaks and I hear the very heart of God. I also said to Mo: he is very extreme - he seems to hate TV & what nots. Mo remembered a pamphlet he had written which she had back in our school days (sometime in the 80s probably), it had a picture of a man with his feet on a couch watching TV and written across the pamphlet was the phrase we wrestle NOT! ...get it? It means we do nothing ..the giant sleeps ..coasting through and it is still happening today.

We have designed our own agendas and set our own priorities, who are we lifting up? Is it Jesus? Or is it the by products of serving Jesus? "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." John 6:26-27

Jesus said "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me" John 12:32

Leonard Ravenhill speaks truth ...what he is against: is us being distracted from Christ as our No. 1 priority, from spending time with God in the prayer closet knowing God and anything that will seperate us from the presence of God in-dwelling & moving within us. Jesus spoke a lot about priorities - see Luke 9 vs 57-62 and it's still the same Jesus, He has n't changed.

The Lord had asked us for one thing and one thing only on our prayer line, He had asked for our hearts and the same night He led me to the video below. Jesus is after your heart as well as mine. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength Mark 12:30

Leonard Ravenhill was a man who pointed us to Christ, to learn to pray and cultivate the presence of God so that our lifes can be changed. We can not change the world when HE hasn't changed us yet and we don't carry HIS presence. We can only change when we spend time before God like Moses. When Moses came out from being in the presence of God, the reflection of the Lord on him was so strong. Exodus 34:30 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.

I like something Mr Ravenhill said: that you can not explain God to people because people have to experience Him. The interview is almost 2hr long so it's not the microwave type thing, this is baking ...real cooking. You know the kind of teaching like when Paul preached so long that Eutychus fell asleep ..see Acts 20 vs 7-12

All quotes except the Bible passages below are Leonard RavenHill's and they are life changing.

The question isn't were you challenged. The question is were you changed?" Isaiah 29:13 "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men"

“My main ambition in life is to be on the devil’s most wanted list.” Acts 19:15 "And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

  •  Most Christians pray to be blest, few pray to be broken.
  • There is a cost in discipleship-- God has no basement-bargain blessings.
  • If Christ isn't worth everything you have, He isn't worth anything you have.
  • You can’t develop character by reading books. You develop it from conflict.
  • The law of spiritual progress goes like this: Process then crisis, followed by a process then crisis, ad infinitum.
  • The Christian has every right to tell God he wants to be a saint, but the Christian has no right to tell God how to make him one.
  • If a million people smiled on me while I knew God frowned on me, I would not be happy. But if God smiled on me while a million people frowned on me, I would not be unhappy.
  • No man ever did, or ever will do God a favor - God does all the favors.
  • God owed us nothing - He gave us everything pertaining to life and godliness in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"You see, today we try to organize. We try to get a bunch of people together. God never did that. God takes individual men. He takes Moses to the backside of the desert. John the Baptist was in the wilderness until the day of his showing forth. Jesus, the Son of God who had left the Glory, spent thirty years in training to minister! John Baptist thirty years in training. The apostle Paul at least thirty years. Moses at least forty years; and we want to go to Bible School six months and come out like a super prophet! It’s the time factor that kills most of us. Tell me how much time you spend alone with God and I will tell you how spiritual you are."

I urge you to read the sermon on the website:  http://www.ravenhill.org/weeping1.htm and listen to the interview below.

    

Many pastors criticize me for taking the Gospel so seriously. But do they really think that on Judgment Day, Christ will chastise me, saying, 'Leonard, you took Me too seriously'? Leonard Ravenhill 1907-1994

Tuesday 7 December 2010

The burden....

I noticed the president was bothered about something. You could see it written all over his face that he was weighing something in his mind, the outcome of which seemed to concern him terribly. Being a member of his staff and well, me just being me, I went up to him and asked what was on his mind that concerned him so. Somehow I found myself sitting on a chair across from him, he was also seated. He said he would have to demote some people and this obviously bothered him. I shrugged saying something along the lines of well, life happens to us all. I wasn't feeling particularly generous, I still hadn't forgotten the financial tsunami that was 2009 and a few other events here & there. I for one had taken more than my fair share for Team Lara, therefore couldn't get into the sympathy groove much, more so I didn't recall seeing a sympathy envoy at my side when I was going through! I was learning that life was tough, that you take the good & the bad with it!

Then Mr President proceeded to speak with me in the way that only one person could...he went along the lines of not so Lara, when a, b, c & d happened I had your back. He took me through a no of events, showing how I had been protected although others lost their positions. Nepotism I hear someone say? Perhaps or I was just a really good worker he didn't want to loose. I took my leave at the end of our little chat headed for bed but not till I did one last thing; because I knew I was leaving him there, mulling over his thoughts still, I turned around and said to him....you have to take the bad with the good, when bad things happen, just think about the good things, they make up for them. He looked up at me and smiled, the warmest, deepest & most sincere smile, there was so much love in that smile and you would have thought I had just said the most profound thing in the world and made his day. Odd, this relationship with my boss right? Well, he treats me just like his child, I guess it helps that I sleep in the same bedroom as his daughters. I got into bed, the girls were already asleep so I turned in for my beauty sleep.

I woke up ...from my dream and realised that it had been the Lord. There is only one person who looks at me like that, face full of love & compassion, strong but yet meek, no condemnation ...this wasn't the first time I had encountered Him. Yes, it was nepotism and I hadn't really said anything profound. He simply loves and delights in me because I am precious in His sight.

I got up out of  bed, went up to the living room and somehow managed to dose off again on the couch. Then I heard someone call my name. I was expecting a friend of mine to drop off her kids that morning so that she could go to an appointment, she couldn't really afford to be late and I was conscious of that fact. I thought she must be at the door calling but I just couldn't get out of sleep despite how hard I tried to rouse myself. When I saw that that wasn't working, I decided to call in the big guns, I said Holy Spirit help me wake up, I don't want my friend to be stuck outside with the kids. Immediately I woke up, I looked at the time, it said something like 3.58A.M, it wasn't my friend who had been calling me. Yet I knew that I had distinctively heard my name, I was a little concerned at this point I must confess. Reluctant to go downstairs, I started to pray and as I was praying it dawned on me that it was the Lord calling, so I decided to respond like Samuel ....Yes Lord, open my ears and my heart, speak to me, what would you like to say to me, what would you have me do...something along those lines.

Three days earlier I had decided to wait on the Lord in prayer and fasting to seek His face, and now I had found it. The thing was though where I had my attention focused was not what the Lord had come to talk to me about, he did address directly some things that had been on my mind which I had acted out in the dream but He had come to share His heart with me....His agenda.

Over the months the Lord started to open my eyes to a number of things, through wonderful people He had placed in my life and through His word; I understood that I had to re-align some of my focus and the reason I am sharing this, is to urge you to do the same.

I learnt something from a precious man of God when he shared with us a revelation about the Shunamite woman and urged us to follow after her example. Here was a woman whose husband was advanced in age and they did not have a child, when Elisha passed by, she made a decision to make his journeys more comfortable and when she was asked what he could do for her, she didn't think to ask for anything, she didn't even think to ask for a child. Some might say, she didn't believe it was possible any longer...perhaps. But it is quite clear though that it was not the foremost thing on her mind, it wasn't her focus, rather she honoured God by honouring Elisha ...one would call that busy with the Lord's business. She was not consumed with or dominated by the need in her life (2 Kings 4).

The Lord once said to the Pharisees (Matthew 23) that they had neglected the weightier matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness and had gotten carried away with self indulgence, straining out a gnat (fly) - they had swallowed a camel ..rather counterproductive, don't you think? I mean look at the sheer disparity in size. He admonished them to clean the cup from the inside and not just the outside - which was where they had their focus.

When the Lord came, the rest of Israel could not recognise Him because they looked for an earthly liberation from Rome rather than eternal life & deliverance from sin, they chose to stay in darkness because the life of compromise was easier and their eyes were focused only on an earthly agenda. They could not understand a crucified Christ. That is why the gospel is said to be as foolishness to those who are perishing because you can not attain it by earthly wisdom, the cross comes hand in glove with the glory. "but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" I Corinthians 1:23

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Two things.... Paul was pointing to in Philippians 3:10....the power of his resurrection which is the glory and the participation of his sufferings which is the cross. Which is why Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matthew 16 vs 24)

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me Philippians 3:11. He poured out his life because Christ meant more to him than his own life or agenda. His life was a love song to the Lord, this was demonstrated by how he lived and what his priorities were. This was a man who died to self, he said I die daily..daily! (I Corinthians 15:31) Everyday he places Paul on the altar before God and rises up in Christ. That is the cross and the resurrection: he dies to live, he dies to the flesh so that he can rise to life in the Spirit. Lord help me to die daily!

Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. Philippians 3:17-19

I've had to take a long look at my priorities, I urge you to do the same. Are you stumbling at the cross? That part of your faith which requires you to crucify your own agenda? Is this an offence to you? Or do you rather ignore it completely, telling yourself that it's all about the glory and seek the glory only?

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 4:17). What does the kingdom of God mean to us? Is the agenda of our life driven by the Holy Spirit or fueled solely by our flesh?

The burden I saw on the Lord's heart was people ...souls within the Church languishing due to misplaced priorities and ultimately souls unsaved outside of the Church. "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 1 Peter 4:18

Revelations 1 to 3 - I urge you to read it, we as a Church need to see where we hold parrallels with the 7 churches of the revelation and address the issues identified there.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Thankfulness

Recently it struck me how God must feel when I am not appreciative.

I had been mulling over an instance, feeling a little unappreciated for something I had put a lot of effort in to...for the curious amongst my friends wondering what it was? Actually, I can't remember which one of u had fallen short of my good graces at that particular point ;) ...love keeps no record of wrong. One can sometimes experience ingratitude when the recipients are clueless about the amount of  your heart & effort that has gone into into what they have received, am sure all or most of us - self included have been guilty of same. Never the less I was probably half way through my thoughts ... how I was not going to over-invest myself next time et al when I had an epiphany and I heard the thought 'if you feel like this, how then must the Lord feel?' How many of His benefits are we benefactors of but yet fail to appreciate, sometimes we don't even notice all the little things He does, let alone acknowledge; needless to say my case seemed rather trivial afterwards.

I started thinking about all the things He does just for our benefit, how He holds it all together...the rain, the sun, morning dew, trees, flowers, birds chirping..the beauty of it all. Whao! He puts all that together. How I love Saturday mornings and in particular those ones where I get a chance to get up early and head to a park or am out in the quiet streets before most people are up and out..because then I can hear nature and the beauty of it all hits me; and I am not particularly outdoorsy (well, except on saturday mornings within the city or on holiday in the country :) but even I stop and notice how beautiful nature is.

I have a CD titled Songs of Angels I by Freddy Hayler (luv it, luv it & luv it), where he sings and describes a vision he had where he beheld the throne of God and he shares about how multiple commands go out from the LORD's mouth, how He speaks in multiple voices and the angels move responding to each simultaneous command...and you can just guess who the recipients of those commands are..you and I, Rev 1:15b "and His voice as the sound of many waters"

Look around the earth...it takes love to "sit down", orchestrate, design, create & order the beauty around us that we see, creating something just for the comfort & pleasure of another...think about it..it takes heart...those times that you have gone out of your way for someone else, what motivates you wouldn't it be love..some form of care or goodwill? Everyday we see the Lord's goodwill around us, everyday.

Everyday something new that is good happens on the earth because God has put His love into it happening and ordered it; the day He folds this earth it will also be because His love has gone into something more beautiful for you if you will receive it.

There is so much we often take for granted that didn't just happen, Somebody with a heart of kindness and love put their love into giving you water, food, rain, sun...the heart behind it is LOVE and even if that was not enough He became a man so that mercy will triumph over judgement concerning you.

Genesis 1 vs 26 -30 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Acts 14 vs 7: Yet He has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

 
Matthew 5 vs 45b: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust

2 Corinthians 9 vs 12: This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God

Luke 17 vs 17-18: Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”

How can we show our thanks - by giving Him praise, saying thank you Lord..ref text above, being appreciative from our hearts..if you notice the text above only the foreigner came back to say thanks, where were the children - the Israelite lepers that also received healing? Should we as children then take the grace of our Father for granted?

We can also show our gratitude by being a blessing to others like the Corinthian Church in chapter 9 vs 12...you can read the entire chapter and 8...they were meeting the needs of the Church in Jerusalem ..they performed a service of giving out of their substance to bless the Church in Jerusalem and that act of service & gift was regarded as a form thanks to the Lord.

Abel in Genesis 4 brought the fattest portion of his substance as an offering to God and that is something I really want to attain to...give God my best. The best of me O Lord, help me to give You the very best of me.

David said he would not give God something which cost Him nothing. 1 Samuel 24 vs 24: But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

Father I offer my thanks to you...imperfect I am but I am loved perfectly...amazing love, how can this be?

Monday 1 November 2010

Money, money, money.....

Greed is defined as excessive or rapacious desire especially for wealth and possessions. Christ warned us to watch out for it. In Luke 12 vs 15 the Lord says “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

The Lord said to watch out because He knew that greed was something that could easily creep in, He said to watch out because He knew the fear of being poor could be so real to us...the worry about what we will eat, what we will wear, how we would plan for our future...that it could turn into an excessive desire for wealth and possessions, even a form of pride and a measure by which we validate & applaud ourselves.

Instead He taught us to be rich rather towards God warning that one who accumulates wealth and possessions without being rich towards God is not being wise but acting foolishly. Luke 12 vs 20-21

These are the things that God taught me about wealth and possessions in relation to my faith:
  • Christianity is not a means to financial gain and that anyone preaching gain as godliness I am to withdraw myself from such. (I Timothy 6: 5 NIV) "and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain." (I Timothy 6 vs 5 KJV) "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw yourself" 
  • That money is a tool, it can not be my heart beat, and that it is quite liberating when I come into this understanding. The contentment that follows my knowing this is pleasant & satisfying to my soul. 
  • That peace is one of the most precious gifts He has given me and I can enjoy that no matter how much or how little money I have in the bank, this is not a myth, it is real and attainable.
  • That the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and if I were to persist in the love of money it will lead me to all kinds of damage & destruction.
 1 Timothy 6 vs 6-10 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" 

Luke 12 Pls make sure you read the entire chapter, so that the message is fully meaningful to you

  • That I am to seek God first and whilst seeking His kingdom (His dominion in my life and that His glory fills the whole earth, that His gospel is preached) and His righteousness (His character is moulded in me), as a by-result of this He will prosper me but it was never for one day meant to be my focus or ambition because it can be a distraction & detractor (a detractor subtracts from you).
  •  That I need to be rich towards God, that that is the true measure of the balance sheet in heaven not the amount of riches I accumulate on earth.
  • That God is mindful of me, my needs and all of my life, nothing escapes His attention. No matter what is happening around me and to me, He is fully aware and cares. He tells me that I am WORTH MORE than two sparrows, that the tiny grains of my hair are all numbered (so if one of the million strands of my hair falls, heaven records it and says Lara lost strand no. 900017 today). If I loose my house heaven records it, if I loose my life heaven records it, when I lost my Dad heaven recorded it) God takes notice of everything that happens to me, therefore fear has lost it's validity. I am not random and He can never forget me, He has not forgotten the sparrows so then how can he forget me who is worth more to Him. God is so attentive to detail, that plant life receives His attention, the lilies of the field are so beautiful because God designed their beauty and clothed them with it. The same God of detail is my Father, my Papa, my Daddy who knows about my situation and is mindful of my life no matter how it looks or what I face. Jesus went further to say "Do not be afraid little flock..." Why did He use that term, a term of endearment, one that describes that He understands my human frailty...my sheep, my children, my babies...don't be afraid, I know you are babies and there is a tendency to be fearful with you, to worry, but He says, cheer up, don't be afraid little one, I know you worry about how you will pay your bills, don't worry I know your needs, I will meet them, you are in my hands, I will come through over and over again, no matter how dire the situation seems, I am working out something in the big picture and it will all come together when the time is right. Regarding death - it is only your body, there is a greater death than that. Paul knew this & He was ready to be poured out, because of Paul & others, Rome is now a place where people go on a christian pilgrimage, the same Rome where Nero terrorised and persecuted Christians. In the times of great trial, I have seen another dimension of God. I have seen His manifold wisdom and I have known His great faithfulness, one new thing He has been teaching me is experiencing His great peace through tough times, sometimes I feel like jumping up and down with joy because of this discovery.
  • That God has a soft spot which I have come to discover: when you seek the right things, He likes to overcompensate; See 1 Kings 3 vs 10- 13 "The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.  Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings."
  • That I should be generous to the poor Luke 11 vs 40 & Luke 12 vs 32
  • That I need to be prepared & ready for service and must keep my lamp burning because my master can come back at any time. Luke 12 vs 35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning." I must have extra oil in my lamp like the 5 wise virgins, I don't want to be found wanting because I only decided to go and buy oil just about when the bridegroom was on His way & it turned out to be too late. I remember when the word Maranatha was common amongst christians, where has that word gone now? Have we gotten carried away with the here and now? Have we started to act like the servant who because his master is delayed in coming starts to misbehave? See Luke 12 vs 45 Is there a marked difference in the things that we run after and the things that the world runs after, is it obvious that our goal is beyond the here and now and that we seek a country that is not of this world?  Hebrews 11 vs 13b-16 "...admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Thursday 21 October 2010

The Acts of the Apostles et al...how did they do it?

I have been going through the book of Acts lately and wanted to share some of the things I came across.

I just finished reading chapter 20 and something struck me about Paul's journey....how Paul perserved....he went through so many cities and in almost all he faced opposition. By chapter 20, he was on his way to Jerusalem despite so many prophecies that great hardship awaited him there. I couldn't help getting teary eyed when he told the Ephesian elders that he wouldn't see their faces again. I couldn't help feeling exhausted when in Acts 19 vs 29 Paul's travelling companions were seized and sad when Paul was stoned, dragged and left for dead (Acts 14 vs 19).

However as I went through his journey I saw a man relentless...pushing...perserving against all odds even death...(Acts 19 vs 21) he was in so much of a hurry to go to Jerusalem and then Rome (where he is believed to have died) that he didn't stop at Ephesus again but rather asked the elders to meet him at Miletus where he was sailing past (Acts 20 vs 16), that urgent was his walk even to death. For Paul, it was this: I must finish the race, I will complete my assignment, Christ has sent me into the world as herald to carry His gospel, to win souls - souls - souls...that was Paul's burden, that was his goal. To the Ephesians he said "Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." Acts 20 vs 26 -27..a statement from a man confident that he had fulfilled his assignment to the Ephesians.

Peter, James, Stephen...we see in the earlier chapters of Acts being persecuted, James & Stephen killed. They kept going against opposition and the word that was opposed kept flourishing, God confirming with signs & miracles. How did they keep going....how?

That my friend is the question.....

  • The Holy Spirit was with them (Acts 1:8, Acts 2:4 & John 14:17)
  • When harassed, they gathered together & prayed earnestly to God (Acts 12)
  • When in chains, they prayed & sang hymns to God (Acts 16:25)
  • They worshipped & fasted, spending time in fellowship with God (Acts 13:2)
  • They prayed & fasted, committing their ways to God (Acts 13:3, Acts 14:23)
  • They received visions, directions & encouragement from the Lord (Acts 18:9, Acts 16:9, Acts 16:7)
These may all seem like basic things, which we know but sometimes we do need to be reminded of them and in some cases, maybe we don't know...how to get through obstacles, harassment, develop a close relationship with the Lord, cultivate the atmosphere that allows Him to speak to us, how to not give up...my goal is that now we do....atleast we have a starting point.

The Holy Spirit is the legal helper (advocate) and friend who walks alongside us to further our best interests. Parakletos is the Greek word used to describe the Holy Spirit, I searched to find which best translates what Parakletos means, it is translated as a friend who is called to walk along side you to act as an advocate for you to further your best interest. For me a light bulb came on, so..the issue that I have been banging my head about not knowing what to do with it, I actually have the most powerful live in lawyer who can help me pray the best way forward, who with the same power that raised Christ from the dead can help me see to it that the best solution is realised and it doesnt actually end up in a mess or failure.

Our best interests include that Christ is formed in us, that we can go out in power and tell somebody else about Jesus, that our lives tell somebody about Jesus, that we can discern truth & hear what the Lord is saying to us, that we can enjoy fellowship with God.

John 16 vs 12-13 "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

Acts 1 vs 8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

John 4 vs 23-24 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

The Holy Spirit is Christ living inside you, He is the best friend you can ever have. Let's welcome the Holy Spirit of God into our lives. Pls click on the link below to listen to a song I'd like to share with you, invite Him with all your heart to walk with you, to rain down on you, to help you to discern and fulfill God's purpose for your life. You are not just some random person but fearfully and wonderfully made, with a purpose in mind by your Father in heaven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-SI_HRWooA

Friday 1 October 2010

How do you listen....

Luke 8 vs 18 "Therefore consider carefully how you listen......

There are four ways one can listen:

1.
Hearing the word but having it stolen from our hearts. When we hear but the devil comes in and steals what we have heard. He steals by telling us that God's word is a lie, tells us that it's not applicable to reality..to our life, that it won't make a difference, they are just words - they don't matter - so much so that we don't believe the word we heard anymore, sometimes we can't even remember what it is that we heard.

2.
Hearing the word with gladness because it looks like it's all "gonna be hunky dorey" from here on. A seamless transaction....until the seams start to show and things aren't going quite well. The season changes and it looks like we are all out of season, the relationship takes the form of a seasonal one...seasonal faith. We bail out of those trials that are meant to prove us...certify us, build us up & cause us to bear fruit.

3.
We hear the word but fail to weed out thorns in our lifes, the thorns grow along side the word so much so that they literally choke the word out of our lives. We fail to set the right priorities so the word fails to reach maturity in our lives...we fail to mature. Yes, we fail to mature when we are consumed by anxieties, riches & gratifications of the course of this life.  The literal English translation from the Greek  is "ones-hearing and under anxieties and riches and gratifications of the livelihood going are being together choked and not are finish carrying'. Notice the word under, in this situation the cares of this life sit on the top of the word that we hear and notice not are finish carrying - do not finish.

4.
Then comes the best way to hear which consists of hearing the word, retaining the word,  persevering with a noble and good heart till we bear fruit. The Greek literally translates to 'heart ideal and good'.

 Luke 8 vs 11-15
"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

I urge you to read all of verses 4 to 19.

The parable is not simply a list of the 4 different reactions that an individual can have to the message of salvation. First, Jesus tells the parable to a large crowd of people; the interpretation of the parable however He gives to His disciples and leaves them with an admonishment - asking them to apply careful consideration to the way they receive the word; teaching us that we have control over how the word of God is received in our lives. By turning to His disciples with the interpretation and an admonishment, He confirms that the word is meant for believers and not just a list of four different reactions, rather an ongoing lesson of life applicable to every day living.

Regarding Method 1

When the devil comes to steal the word from us, we can resist his robbery. He goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom to devour, we must not be ignorant of his devices, being vigilant to resist doubting the strength and validity of the power of God's words to us, recognising that unbelief is a method of thievery employed by the devil. We can resist Him by subjecting ourselves to God's authority & His word....Lord I believe you, Lord I believe in Your process. James 4 vs 7 "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Obedience works hand in hand with faith. The literal translation from the Greek of James 4:7 is "Ye-may- be-being-under-set then to-the God with-stand-ye to the thru-caster (the adversary) and he-shall-be-fleeing from you" ...being under-set to God i.e. subject to God (obedient to God) withstand the adversary. Think about how make shift dams are created, you set up the sand bags & properly position them so that they can resist the floods; without that, there is no resistance from the flood....first thing is to position yourself under God's authority and remaining in that form, you can resist your enemy.

How do we address Method 2

In this world you will have trouble....John 16 vs 33

Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me....Luke 7 vs 23 (NIV)

And blessed (happy--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, apart from outward conditions--and to be envied) is he who takes no offense in Me and who is not hurt or resentful or annoyed or repelled or made to stumble [whatever may occur]....Luke 7 vs 23 (Amplified)

The translation in the amplified bible encaptulates the essence of how we should react to testing, trials and tribulations. Happy with life...relishing in the joy and satisfaction of knowing God and having a special place in His heart. There is a season of testing, there are times when things are not always easy, don't let anyone tell you any different, you will have to go out of this world to avoid difficulties. However one thing we are promised through these periods is peace (not as the world defines peace)....inner peace, more so we can take courage and comfort in the fact that our life is Christ, if we have Him and nothing else - it is enough.

Philippians 1 vs 20b-21 ".....so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain"  Note the word magnified.

Now Method 3

Life's worries....riches....pleasures....and by this we don't mature. When the quest for these become life, when our life's happiness consists in these things, maturity is still far away. When the Lord opened my eyes to the meaning of this verse, my eyes popped, I realised that when I define my life by these measures I will never reach maturity. When the worries and the race for these things fill our hearts they will literally choke the life of Christ out of us, that living water will be cut off, the seed in us will not be watered, we will stop growing and never yield fruit. The Lord counsels us (in Matthew 6 vs 25 -34) to be anxious for nothing, anxiety about zero. He made it clear that life is more than these things, to live is not what you will wear, where you will live, what career you will have or who you will marry, to live is one and only one thing Christ. He also comforted us further to say look I know you need these things, I know but seek first My kingdom and My righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. The literal translation to English from the Greek for the word translated first is before-most. On the fore front...before-most of your heart, your mind, your actions, let Christ be. Spiritual maturity is defined when your life consists of Christ, not when the goals of this life are at the top of your heart, heading your priority list and Christ is somewhere underneath. One day if you let them they will so blossom, explode and choke Christ out of you, and you will find that you have lost your way. So we have to prune our hearts, prune our lives and remove the thorns..any care that wants to over take your life - lay it aside, every anxiety that is consuming you weed it out, you already have life and that life is Christ...not this or that....not a land mark or status quo.....be careful how you listen.

Method 4 is beautiful, it defines the ideal heart that bears fruit & this is how we are to live

An ideal and good heart is one that mirrors Christ...He said learn from Me, learn My ways and these are My ways...I am meek, I am lowly in heart, I live life humble to the will of My Father, what He tells me to do I do, I do not expend My own will for the Son can do nothing of Himself except what He sees the Father doing, I don't have airs about Me, I know that of Me I can do nothing so I humble Myself accordingly, before God I am humble, before men I am humble...though I was rich yet I became poor.

When we hear the word, we retain it...RETAIN...keep it...hide it in our hearts... believe it...meditate on it... we obey it...we PERSEVERE - let us run with endurance the race that is set before us - we endure - it is by this perseverance that we can bear fruit, it means there is something to persevere against....whatever it takes Lord I am getting there - no matter what I face Lord, I still believe You - where next are we going, I am up for it Lord...we submit....we LIVE it - No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. When the world sees you, let them see Me...Me the light in you...my mother and brothers are those who hear My words and put them into practise..."it is not a personal thing"...so that those who come in can see the light.

Acts 4 vs 13 "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus"

Christ is to be lived in you not hidden...Christian - Christ in you...He lives in you...He works through you... He walks the streets through you - walks the earth through you.

"Hmm, she reminds me of someone...who??...you know that man....yes, the one from Galilee!"

How to listen is something the Lord has been teaching me about recently, I hope you find it equally enlightening, God Bless.


I have used www.scripture4all.org for the Greek - English Interlinear Bible Translations.

Tuesday 7 September 2010

Am I alone, I feel desolate...

Psalm 139 vs. 7-11 "Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you."

Have you ever been in a situation "a jam" where you have felt as if no one can hear you....a location of obscurity. Heard Satan or his friends say to you "He doesn't hear you, He can't hear you, no one hears you now, look around you, look at your situation?"

When I say surely the darkness will hide me
Surely God has forsaken me now, He can't be here with me or this would not be happening; All odds are against me, reports, facts, figures, statistics are up against me...I can't get up from under them, who can argue with these facts?

When even the light becomes night around me
Even little things that should not be an obstacle, I can't seem to get through them...the light has become darkness around me!

My Father's voice:
That darkness is not dark to Me, My eyes pierce through darkness as if it were as bright as the day. I will guide you still, My counsel will find you & My right hand will hold you tight! That obstacle you see is actually not an obstacle to Me. 
Vs. 12 'even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You....' Vs 10 'even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast'

Not only will He counsel me, guide me to teach me in the way that I must go, He holds me tightly. He remains with me through obscurity with His word and His presence...His guidance and His hand.

I really am not alone.

Friend: Do you want to know more about the father we keep talking about? Do you need a friend, have you been feeling all alone and really need someone you can rely on, someone in whom's embrace you can rest, someone super awesome and ultimately trustworthy? Embrace Jesus, He is the way, he is truth and he is life; By embracing Jesus Christ you embrace The Father for they are one and they will come and make their home with you so you never have to be alone again.

Friday 27 August 2010

Lord, teach me how to pray.

As I stood by my kitchen sink, I called out these words; almost immediately the Lord's prayer came to mind. Lets look at the principles the Lord Jesus taught within this simple prayer in context of our daily approach to prayer.

Matthew 6 vs. 5-14

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Prayer should always be sincere, let it come from the heart, involving you and God, not to validate your righteousness before men. Don't use meaningless words and repetitions, understand that you are speaking to a God who is attentive and understands your need. Stand in the confidence that He hears you always. John 11 vs 41/42 ".......Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me......." Don't allow yourself to be robbed of that confidence that God hears you as soon as you speak.

"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven,
You are our father, my dad, my daddy, my papa, I am your responsibility.

hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
I honour Your name, Your will is done in heaven let it be done on earth, in my life, concerning this matter that I bring before You, let Your govt come, rule in this matter O God.

Give us today our daily bread.
Give me all that I need today O Lord

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Father forgive all that is outstanding against me, where I have missed the mark and trespassed, as I have also released those that have trespassed against me. At this point we have to let go of every offence, we do not need to seek restitution. When you forgive a debtor, it means they no longer owe you, their account with you has been balanced:  there is nothing to pay

And lead us not into temptation,
Here we are praying into our future, we asking God to order our steps, to keep us from temptation.
We are admiting to God that we know we are susceptible to being tempted and ask for strength to stand without falling. In Luke 22 vs 31, the Lord exercised this principle by praying ahead for Peter that his faith should not fail him.

But deliver us from the evil one.
Deliver us God from the devil and his cohorts. We are praying against satan's work to subvert,  distract & devour us. We are enlisting God to strengthen and deliver us from all satan's plans against us..

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." The Lord teaches us further the principle of forgiveness, that to receive forgiveness, we have to forgive.

Cheers,
L