Wednesday, December 7, 2011

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: Let Us Lift Our Hearts And Hands

"Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven."
- Lamentations 3:41

We have heard it so many times that when one door closes, another door opens. What if one door closes and the next door does not open? When you lose your job you often have the hope that another door will soon open and soon seems to be eternity. When you lose that business opportunity you always hope that another one will come and it seems like you will wait forever. When you are heartbroken because of a failed relationship it seems like all the good people are taken and you will not have another chance to love again.

What do you do when you find yourself stuck between a door that was closed behind you and the one that is locked before you? That place is usually dark and your days are dark as well. You know what they say, "when days are dark friends are few!' That place, that moment, is usually lonely. What do you do?

I have learnt through my few experiences and I have believed in the words of the psalmist, "It is good for me to draw near to God" (Psalm 73:28). When you are alone in that lonely and dark place of your life, God is there with you. The things that continue to distract you, and keep you from seeing His face are gone. It is you and God. The people who will want to spend time with you and keep you occupied are no where in sight. It is you and God. The people or things you normally turn to when you are in need are out of reach. It is you and God. The voices that continually disturb you from hearing God's voice are dead. It is you and God.

This is the perfect time for you to sit back and examine your position with God. This is the perfect time to do what some like to call soul searching. This is the time when you allow God to take over your life and mould you to be what He wants you to be. This is the time for purification. This is the time for clarity. This is the time to turn your eyes to Jesus. This is the time to lift up your heart and and hands to our Father in heaven.

I have come to realize that sometimes the hard knocks in life are a way God draws us closer to Him. I have learnt that through the moments when I lost what I thought were the most important things in life, God revealed Himself as the most important being in my life. His grace is sufficient for me. I have learnt that God used the low moments in my life to reveal His greatness in my life.

When I was caught between closed doors, I was in the right position to listen to God as He redirected my life. It was during this moment that God reminded me what He has assigned me to do before I depart from this planet. It was during this moment that I was endowed with the ability to hear His voice with so much clarity that I had to obey to His calling. Amazingly, when I said yes, things are starting to fall into place again.

This was the time when I began to look into my life with  a refreshing perspective. I did not ask myself "Where did I go wrong?" but I began to ask God, "What is it that the Lord is teaching me now?" I began to ask myself about God to reveal His plan. I began to cherish the moments I spent with Him. I began to enjoy to be in His presence. I began to pour my heart out to Him. Suddenly, I realized that I was not alone but He was there with me. I realized that losing the valuable things in life was preparing my heart to trust Him in everything.

My dear friend, when you find yourself in that place where it feels like a wilderness, you cannot tell where to go from here, just call upon the Lord. Jeremiah wrote, "I called on Your name, O LORD, from the lowest pit. You have heard my voice; "Do not hide Your ear from my sighing, from my cry of help." You drew near on the day I called on You and said, "Do not fear!" (Lamentations 3:55-57).

This is the opportune time to lift your heart to God. Lifting your heart simply means desiring or longing for God. It means exalting the Almighty God in your heart. It means preparing your heart to seek God. It means allowing the Spirit of the Lord to move your heart to give worship to the loving God. When the glory of the Lord fills your heart, it is manifested in the lifting of hands which symbolizes worshipping the God who sits upon His throne in heaven.

My dear friend, whilst we are waiting for God to open the next door, let us lift our hearts and and hand to God in heaven. Believe me, joy will fill your heart and you will be transformed from glory to glory!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: Just testify for the Lord!


“But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness at Rome,” – Acts 23:11

This was a painful and frustrating time for Paul. He was under arrest and uncertain of his fate. The bottom line is that the Jews wanted him dead – only that they did not have anything warranting a death sentence. Here he was in prison for professing the truth. On his own he was probably in despair and actually afraid because of the situation he found himself in. 

No man could rescue him here. No man could comfort him under these circumstances. But the Lord Jesus himself showed himself to Paul. Him alone could give Paul the courage he needed. He knows what we are going through. He knows our thoughts and He knows the intents of our hearts. He is the one to give us the rightful words of encouragement at any given time.

Sometimes we go through situations and we wish to have a certain answer. Sometimes we wish we could be delivered from the situation. Sometimes we wish we could be taken out, removed from the situation. We feel like we are better off without undergoing that situation. We worry about our own wellbeing. We worry about our own safety. We put our own interests ahead of anyone else.

There is something we can learn from Paul, a man who fought the good fight of faith in Jesus Christ. This is a man who devoted his life for the gospel since meeting Christ. This is “a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the Gospel of God.” He faced so many trials and tribulations but he was not interested to save his life in the midst of every tough encounter with opposition.

When Paul was in need of comfort the Lord was there to say, “Be of good cheer, Paul.” Regardless of the chains the Lord was there to say “Be of good cheer, Paul.” When there was no visible sign of relief the Lord was there to cheer him up.

Perhaps Paul could have wished for a miracle that will shake off the chains, open the doors for him and lead him out of the prison. But no; the Lord had a different game plan. In as much as the Lord was cheering him up, He was practically telling Him that he will stay in chains much longer.

The fascinating thing about this encouragement is that the Lord is revealing an assignment He has for Paul. Most importantly is that Paul proved his worthiness to carry out this assignment to testify for Jesus in Rome. He had a good track record for testifying for Jesus in Jerusalem. So Jesus encouraged him by saying that what brought Paul to jail is what he will have to continue doing even in Rome. Could it get tougher than that?

Paul was dedicated to ensure that whatever happens his conduct is worthy of the gospel of Christ. He bore witness of Jesus in Jerusalem and he was arrested, falsely accused of causing a rebellion amongst the Jews. It does not matter what life situations you are going through, you have to give testimony about the Lord Jesus. The Lord has pulled you through other tough situations and you trusted in Him. You will have to trust Him again.

You may be going through different stages in life, where life seems to be tough but you have to know that the Lord is with you and watching over you. He is keeping track of the way you conduct yourself. Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Just testify of the horn of our salvation.


Saturday, November 19, 2011

Lord Do Not Pass Me By

“My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant ” – Genesis 18:3


“Pass me not , O gentle Savior,

Hear my humble cry,

While on others Thou art calling

Do not pass me by.”

My Lord, do not pass me by” is a cry for help. A cry when you are in need, to the sense of desperation. A cry with the burning desire to get hold of that source of hope, a source of strength and source of life. A cry that is founded on the knowledge that there is no one to help you but your Saviour.


We have a Saviour and His name is Jesus Christ. There is no other name that can save us but the name Jesus Christ. When you are plunged in that miry clay, Him alone can lift you up. When you are drowning in the sea of sorrows or troubles, Him alone can rescue you. You need to call on Him, cry out loud, “Lord Save Me.”



The two blind men who were sitting by the road, heard that Jesus was passing by and cried out saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” They had that wonderful opportunity to receive the mercy of the only Saviour. It was so important for them not to let the Lord pass them by without blessing them. It was worth everything they were. The multitude tried to silence them but they had one thing on their mind, “Lord, do not pass me by!” They were blind, but they had a voice that was able to call upon Jesus as He passed by.



When Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, could not let this opportunity pass him by. Fully aware of his short stature, he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him because He was going to pass that way. He was short but he had legs to carry him up the tree. In his heart I believe he was saying, “Lord, do not pass me by!” and indeed he caught the Master’s attention.



When Jesus passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee, He entered a village where He met ten lepers. They changed their song and lifted their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Regardless of their illness, which barred them from being in contact with other people, they could not allow the Savior to pass them by.



Our Lord hears that humble cry. He is abundant in mercy, full of grace. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16).



There is one thing that was so crucial in the wonderful testimonies highlighted above. The awareness of who was passing by. The two blind men were aware that Jesus was passing by and turned a deaf ear to the crowd. Zacchaeus was a sinner, and he knew it, but he could not allow Jesus to pass him by. The ten lepers were outcast in society but could not allow the opportunity to receive merciful blessings from Jesus to pass them by.



When you are aware that Jesus is passing by, you forget about what people think of you. You forget your shortcomings. Your forget your position in society. You forget your usual way of doing things and you lay hold of Him. Deep inside you know that no one else can save you but Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.



The important thing is to discern who has come to your shores. Abraham was sitting in the tent door in a very hot day. He discerned that the Lord had paid him a visit. “So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.” (Genesis 18:2-3).

It is amazing that when Abraham looked up he saw three men standing, but when he went to meet them he said, “My Lord…” His physical, natural eyes were seeing three men standing but his spiritual eyes were seeing the Lord. He discerned in his spirit that the Lord was standing before Him. He was aware that this was a special visitation.



I do not know who were these three men. Most likely they were angels. But according to Abraham, it was the Lord Himself. I want to believe these three men symbolized the triune of God, that’s why Abraham addressed them as “My Lord” and he addressed himself as His ‘servant’. Whatever the case is, Abraham was conscious of the presence of the Lord.



Abraham was not only aware of the presence of the Lord, he went out to meet Him. As the custom in those days dictated, a visitor would stand and wait for an invite to the house (or tent). Likewise, the Lord is in your presence but He is waiting for your invitation. He is waiting for your humble cry. He is standing before you, fully aware of your situation. Are you going to stand there and watch Him pass by or you will run to meet Him just like Abraham?



Coming to the gentle Saviour requires one to believe in Him. Paul says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:10). Abraham was cognizant of this truth. He knew that the Lord whom he served is full of grace. That is why he asked, “…if I have found favor in Your sight…” Grace is defined as the divine favor towards man. This is the kind of favor that Abraham was asking from God.



What was the favor? “…do not pass on by Your servant.” Referring himself to a servant only reveals the humble heart of this man. Abraham was a man of God, who served God no matter what. A true servant of the Lord. He was making a humble request to his Master, the Almighty God.



Interestingly, God had purposed to come to Him. The Lord had no intention of passing him by. But He respects a person’s choice and decision. He is waiting for you to make a decision. Do you invite Him to save you? Do you allow Him to pass you by? My friend, I know that God has an answer to your troubles but He is waiting for your call. He is waiting for your invite.



When Abraham invited the Lord to his tent, He was actually inviting good news. God was there to confirm that indeed Sarah, despite her age, was going to conceive. “Is there anything too hard for the LORD?...” (Genesis 18:14).



My dear friend, the Savior is waiting for your humble cry. Call upon Him and say, “Lord, do not pass me by!”

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: The Greatest Desire

"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple."  (Psalms 27:4)

Testimonials are great. When someone gives a testimonial about something it means that particular person was impressed by whatever he is giving testimony to. It means that person believes in that product, service or person. That person is actually recommending what he has experienced. That means you, listening to that testimony, have to pay special attention to that which is given a good word.

David is a man who received a great testimony from the God Almighty himself. Here is a man whom God was proud of and testified of him, "I have found a man after my own heart!" How great it is to receive a testimony from God! What testimony does God have of your own life towards Him?"

The man who is said to be after God's heart had one great desire. He said, "THAT I will seek after..." He was making that commitment to seek after his desire. He knew in his heart that God will grant him the desires of his heart. He knew that God will not withhold anything good from him. But he commited himself to seek after this one particular desire.

His desire was to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of His life. In simple terms, David desired to be in the presence of the LORD all the time. He commited to seek after God's presence everyday. He desired to behold the beauty of the LORD.

In David's era God chose to dwell in the temple. It was in the temple where David could encounter and experience the glory of the LORD (the beauty of His holiness). David had a deep longing to behold this beauty. He desired to worship the LORD in the beauty of His holiness. Oh what a wonderful experience! This is the same man who reckoned that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy.

This is where he delighted himself in the LORD and the Almighty found pleasure in granting David the desires of his heart. Why? David's heart was in the right place. His heart was after God's heart. He desired to 'enquire in His temple.' To enquire is to seek to know the truth by asking questions. David knew that he could only find the truth from God who was dwelling in the temple.

Don't you know that you are the temple of the living God? His glory is shining in our hearts through the Spirit of the living God. We worship Him without fear, in righteousness and holiness all the days of our lives. His glory is manifested in our lives just like the cloud that led the children of Israel through the wilderness.

We all have our desires and God desires to give us the desires of our hearts. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us the principle: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things shall be added to you. In other words, desire and seek after the presence of the LORD - His righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

When you desire to dwell in His presence, your desires change. You begin to desire what the Holy Spirit (God) desires. He transforms you, from glory to glory. You find delight in His presence and He delights to grant you your desires because they are according to His will.

May the LORD grant you all your heart desires and fulfill all your needs. May He answer all prayers and grant you more exceedingly than you asked for. He is faithful to do it according to His great mercy and amazing grace.

"SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS..." (Matthew 6:33)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

"You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you,”
 -2 Chronicles 20:17

Our God is a faithful God. Our God is a loving God. Our God is a caring God. He knows His people and He always takes good care of them. He never disappoints. He is an awesome God.

So many times we try to fight battles that aren't ours. We try to use our own limited strength to fight a battle that is too big for us. We depend on our own limited understanding and methods. When we fail we get hard on ourselves. We shift blame to others. We even shift the blame to God.

When you walk with God you learn to recognize and listen to His voice. He is the one to tell you when to attack. He is the one to tell you to keep on fighting. He is the one to tell you to stop and watch. He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (John 10:27). He is the Commander in our lives. We have to do whatever He commands us to do.

As I am writing this I hear the song by Jimmy Swaggart stirring in my heart 

"His voice makes the difference,  
when He speaks He relieves my troubled mind, 
it’s the only voice I hear that makes the difference, 
and I’ll follow one day at a time."

There is no way you are going to listen and follow His commands if you do not trust in Him. You have to believe that He is the good Shepherd and He will lead you to greener pastures. Along the way you will walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It won't be easy and they will be many voices that will try to deceive you but do not be afraid, just listen to His voice.

We are always in a battle. Trials and tribulations are always looking to pull us down. Sometimes we even ask why bad things happen to good people. My dear friend, remember that there is the Word dwelling in you and it is because of that Word that tribulations or persecution will arise. We need the Lord to tell us how to approach the battle. 

I once said victory has been declared to our favour but we still have to go on and fight the good fight of faith. There are times when we don't have to fight at all but be still and watch God do His work. When the people of Moab, Ammon and others planned to attack Judah, Jehoshaphat, who was the king was afraid and set himself to seek the Lord. The people of Judah gathered together to seek the Lord's help.

God responded through Jahaziel. The Lord said, "You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you,” (2 Chronicles 20:17).

Jehoshaphat encouraged the people of Judah to believe in God. He appointed people to walk before the army and sing praises to the Lord. Amazingly the enemies fought and killed each other. Jehoshaphat and his people did not have to fight but believed in voice of the Lord.

My dear friend, you may be facing a huge battle ahead of you, just position yourself, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God is with you. In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy. God is in the generation (company) of the righteous.

Not very long ago I was facing a huge battle and I cried to the Lord. My heart was troubled and I was confused. As I was spending time with my loving Father, reading His word and praying, His Spirit comforted me and led me to Jesus words, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:20)

Things got tougher but those words kept ringing in my mind - "Have faith in God". The enemy was saying "it's not going to happen" but I believed in God. I chose to listen to the promises of God and ignored the lies of the devil. I came to a point that I will not even bother focusing on the spiritual warfare but instead position myself, be still and see the salvation of the Lord. In the process God changed my prayer focus. He revealed to me Paul's words, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving" (Colossians 4:2).

At the end of the day God saved me from the evil plans of the enemy. I shall fear no evil!. The enemy did not give up the fight until the end but the Lord was victorious. At some point I was not in control and God was amazing as always. I sang a song of victory (my wedding went ahead as planned - in case you are wondering what am on about!).

My dear friend, whatever you are facing, know that you may not need to fight in this battle. Throw everything to God and position yourself, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord! 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: "...Do you love Me?"

"He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?..."(John 21:17)

If there is one disciple who acknowledged the love of Jesus is John. In at least five instances he referred to himself as the 'disciple whom Jesus loved'. It is not because he was Jesus' favourite disciple but because he realized how much Jesus loved Him. Jesus loves us the same way and to demonstrate His love He died for us all. He loved us whilst we were still His enemies. 

We just need to realize the width, length, depth and height of the love of Christ. The Apostle Paul says, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39).

It is because of this everlasting love that we love our Lord Jesus, the King of kings, the Lord of righteousness! We serve Him because of His great love. When someone loves you dearly and sincerely you can't help it but return the love. 

Jesus is our King. We submit to His authority. He said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." This is so amazing because He wants us to obey His commandments out of love. He is not forcing us to obey just because 'the Kings has spoken!' He wants us to feel free and happy to heed to His commandments. 

Do you love Jesus? "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him,” (John 14:21).

Oh what a wonderful promise! The only thing that Jesus requires from us is love. When you love Him He says He will love you and manifest Himself to you! What a privilege and honour to be loved by the King of Kings. He has promised that if we love Him He will reveal himself to us. Yes, He continually reveals Himself to me and that's why I love Him more and more. There is a song that goes, "Everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before!"

Even though He is the King, he does not regard us as subjects if we keep His commands. He says, "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you," (John 15:17). A friend is someone you can confide to, someone you can trust, someone you can count on take care of your best interests. This is what Jesus is to us and this is what He expects us to be to Him. We only have to do whatever He commands us to do and most importantly do it out of love.

Love is the royal command. "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you," (John 15:12). My dear friends, we have to show love to one another. We have to take care of one another. There is no other way to declare our love to Jesus than to love the people around us. 

God wants to use you for His purpose, but there is one thing He requires from you... LOVE. He is not demanding it but He is giving you the chance to make a decision and to be convinced in your heart that you truly love Him. He knows everything but He wants you to think carefully if you indeed love Him.

Peter knows this better than anyone else; "He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me? And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep," (John 21:17).


Jesus is asking you today, "Do you love Me?" 

Thursday, June 2, 2011

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: "...cling to Me"

"For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the LORD, ‘that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’ (Jeremiah 13:11).

I can't help but feel God's disappointment with His own people whenever I read the book of Jeremiah. The people that God chose as His own special treasure had decided to drift away from Him. They had decided not to obey His commands. They had decided to deny Him as their God, who has on many occasions helped them through difficult times. They had made a choice to deviate from the divine plan that God had for them. The disobeyed His call for repentance as proclaimed by the prophets.

My dear friend, we are the spiritual Israel. We are God's chosen generation and we are so special to Him. Let us not disappoint Him. He has chosen us for a specific reason. Through us His name should be known everywhere we go (renown). Through us God must be praised. Through us God must be glorified. We are His people and He is our God. 

The people of Israel did not listen to God's voice. God wanted them to cling to Him but they would not hear. They were caught up in their worldly desires. Even though we are the chosen ones today, we should not forget that we are still living in the world. If we fail to cling to God we are making ourselves susceptible to worldly forces that will drive us farther away from our dear God. 

Before Joshua died, He warned the people of Israel to cling to God and not associate themselves with the lifestyles of the nations they found in the Promised Land because "...they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you," (Joshua 23:13). 

Let us not lose what we have by failing to cling to God. The word cling is defined as to hold fast to something; to adhere as if glued firmly; to hold on tightly or tenaciously. That is what God is expecting from us. God made Jeremiah to wear the linen sash around his waist before telling him go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole in the rock. Later he told Him to go and fetch the sash. Jeremiah says, "Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the sash from the place where I had hidden it; and there was the sash, ruined. It was profitable for nothing," (Jeremiah 13:7).

God wants you to be profitable for His kingdom. You are an ambassador for Christ. You are an ambassador for the kingdom of God. Therefore God wants to profit from you. He wants to be known through you. He wants to be praised because of the way you conduct yourself. You are the light of the world and God's glory must shine through you. 

All you have to do is to cling to Him like the linen sash on a man's waist. Biblically, linen is a symbol of righteousness and purity. Even though we are in this crooked world, we have to exhibit the righteousness and holiness of God and He shall be glorified. If we cling to God, He will make sure that He takes care of us because whatever happens to us, His name is on the line, and He shall not allow his name to be ridiculed. 

My dear friend, God wants you to stay with Him and He will stay with you. He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Let us rejoice "For God is with the generation of the righteous," (Psalm 14:5). 

Whatever happens, God is saying, "Cling to me!"


Monday, April 18, 2011

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: Lay aside every weight

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us..." (Hebrews 12:1)

Dear Friend,

I don't know what you have been going through lately. I don't know what has been troubling your mind. I don't know how big is your problem. I don't know what is holding you back, stopping you from achieving your goals. I don't know who is standing on your way, trying to pull you down, making your life miserable. All I know is that God loves you, He cares for you and He is a faithful God.

My friend, I think now is the time you need to take a moment and fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. In the midst of your stressful issues just remember that Jesus is waiting for you to turn your eyes to Him. He has heard your cries. He has heard your prayers. He knows what you need right now and He shall supply for all your needs. He will take you out of your misery. But He needs you to turn your eyes to Him. David understood this very well when He said, "My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net," (Psalm 25:15).

God is pleased when we keep our eyes on Him and we cannot please God without faith. The writer of the book of Hebrews illustrated how several men of God - the cloud of witnesses - pleased God with their faith. The key to this is to know that God exists and He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

There it is my friend; in the midst of your distress, just seek the Lord diligently. It's time to lay aside every weight that you are carrying and lay aside the sin that easily ensnares us - that is the sin of unbelief or lack of faith. If you know that God has heard your prayers, believe that He will respond in due time and lay aside all your worries.

The Macmillan dictionary defines lay aside as not to let yourself think or be influenced by something so that you can achieve an aim. Our aim is to run with endurance the race that is set before us. My friend, do you remember the Apostle Paul telling his spiritual son Timothy that he had fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith? That is exactly what God expects from you. He is the one to fulfill His purpose for you, all you have to do is to lay aside every weight and focus on Him.

It does not matter what tomorrow brings, but all you have to do is to lay aside every weight you are carrying. Actually just throw it to God and and do what He wants you to do. Stop worrying about it. Listen to Paul when he was talking to the Ephesian elders;

"And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God," (Acts 20:22-23).

My dear friend, I write this letter because I love you. This comes from the depths of my heart. I have been there myself but God has taught me to lay aside every weight and do what He wants me to do. "Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you," (1 Peter 5:7 NLT). The more I focus on doing His work, the more He is sorting out my problems. 

It's time you lay aside every weight and fix your eyes on Him!

With love from above,

Stanley

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Lord Has Chosen You To Be His Special Treasure

(Originally published in the Swazi Gospel Sun)

As long as we are still in this world we will face adversities. As long as we are here on earth we will encounter challenges that will try to shake us. Being a child of God does not give you an exemption from hardship. I have heard it, read it and experienced it – it seems like the more you grow in the grace of the Lord the more challenges come your way.

There are cases when hardship will be a result of your disobedience to God’s commands. But I do not believe that is always the case. The fact that you are special to God, the enemy will always fight tooth and nail to see you suffer. It is because you are special to the Almighty God.

Sometimes you do not have to do anything but you will be hated for being special. The people around you may not be pleased that you are getting preferential treatment and they will make life difficult for you. No matter how innocent, sincere and kind you are to them, you will be loathed for being a special person.

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him,” (Genesis 37:3-4).

Joseph had done nothing to his brothers, but they hated him because he was special to his father. They hated him even more when he told them his prophetic dreams. We read that they mulled over killing him but eventually sold him as a slave. He had done nothing wrong that warranted such a reaction from his brothers, he as only a special child to his father.

My dear friend, you are special to God. However that does not mean you will not face challenges. Again, facing challenges does not necessarily mean there is sin in your life. It is because you are a child of God and you are special to your father. The enemy is not pleased with that fact. He will try by all means to destroy the relationship you have with your father.

It does not matter what and how many challenges you are facing, God will always love you in a special way. When the Israelites were in the wilderness they faced many challenges and the Lord delivered them. God spoke to Moses in Mount Sinai and gave him a message to proclaim to the people of Israel. The Lord said, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all earth is Mine,” (Exodus 19:5).

The very same God, who never changes, regards you as His special treasure. Our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people (Titus 2:14).

We tend to forget or not realize that we are special in the eyes of the Lord. He chose us. What a privilege to be amongst the chosen few! Jesus said many are called but few are chosen. God chose us for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Jesus Christ said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you,” (John 15:16)

In our last article we discussed that challenges, like pruning to a tree, enables us to bear quality fruits. The purpose God chose us is that we may be fruitful in doing his work. Remember that by grace he saved us to do the works that He prepared for us before hand. God knows that we are capable of being fruitful in the varying works he assigned each one of us, whatever the circumstances. That is why in our previous discussion we said ‘The Lord has chosen you, be strong and do it!’

Sometimes you only discover how special you are when you go through difficult times. God tests (NOT tempts) us through trials and tribulations and that is when we should apply longsuffering and hold strong to our belief in truth. He may allow us to be tempted but He always provides a way to get out of that temptation. We just need to trust in Him at all times.

Recently I read a story by one pastor who has had many spinal surgeries after he was assaulted as a teenager in high school and the pain never went away. He says, “… [I] have learned to embrace my pain as being a part of God’s plan for my life. It keeps me humble. It keeps me reliant on Him. It has caused me to have a real heart for hurting, broken people. As a person prone to being a lone ranger, my pain forces me to call on and rely on others. Most of all, because I am in pain daily – hourly even, I am aware of His grace in ways that I can imagine a much healthier version of me would have ignored.”

This may sound like someone resigned from life but his point is that he has learned to see it as a blessing that was meant to be a curse. He has realized how special he is in God’s eyes and he is unwavering, immovable and abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that he is not doing it in vain. He has chosen not to be hindered by circumstances from doing what God has called him to do.

My dear friend, know that God knows what you are going through. Know that God cares for you. Know that he wants you to bear fruits. David says many are the afflictions of the righteous but God delivers them from all. The Lord says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me,” (Psalm 50:15).

When we ask for God to come to our rescue we should not lose sight of his main purpose – that His name is glorified. We should not expect Him to deliver us from troubles for our own selfish gains, but for His glorification. The Lord is not willing to share his glory with anyone else. That is why He has chosen us in the furnace of affliction - that He is glorified.

“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it. For how should my name be polluted? And I will not give my glory unto another,” (Isaiah 48:10-11 KJV).

Just because you find yourself in the furnace of suffering it does not mean you are no longer special to Him. God has chosen you in whilst you are going through that hardship. And he has chosen you to bear the fruits of the Spirit (which patience is one of them).

Our Savior Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, was chosen in the furnace of affliction and therefore He knows how to rescue us. That is why the Apostle Peter writes, “Come to  Him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious,” (1 Peter 2:4 RSV).

My dear friend, God has chosen you because He has a plan for you. His plan is not to harm you but to give you a future and hope. He has promised that when we call Him He will listen and we will always find Him when we seek Him with a true heart. The Lord loves us so much that he laid down His life for us. He cares for us that He sympathizes with us in our weaknesses. He remains faithful to us even when we are faithless.
“Seeing that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:14-16). 

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

In The Midst of Our Disgrace God Reveals His Amazing Grace

(Originally published in the Swazi Gospel Sun)

Sometimes you spend time and money planning to achieve a goal you set for yourself. You go out of your way to make sure that it happens. You sacrifice a lot to ensure that what you are planning turns out to be a success. You pray for God’s guidance and provision and you see things coming together.

You even celebrate, “All things work together for good to those who love God!”  Just a couple of days before you realize what you have been striving to achieve something happens that disrupts all the plans and you lose all everything and everything comes to nothing. Well, that is the experience I am recovering from.

It is amazing that before all this happened God had put in my heart the urge to pursue His knowledge. I even wrote on this subject in my previous article. The day before discovering the trouble I got myself into, the Holy Spirit led me to put together this piece with words from the Scripture.

GOD’S THOUGHTS AND WAYS

God’s thoughts are HIGHER than ours
His thoughts are VERY DEEP
His understanding is UNSEARCHABLE
His understanding is INFINITE

His ways are EVERLASTING
His ways are JUST
His ways are JUST and TRUE
His paths are MERCY and TRUTH
His way is PERFECT

WHATEVER THE LORD PLEASES HE DOES
He teaches and guides the HUMBLE
He teaches those who FEAR Him

SHOW ME YOUR WAYS, O LORD;
TEACH ME YOUR PATHS

TEACH ME YOUR WAY, O LORD I WILL WALK IN YOUR TRUTH;
UNITE MY HEART TO FEAR YOUR NAME

As I reflected on all the events that took place I realized that in spite of my loss and shameful situation God love was all over me. I got to understand what James really meant when he wrote “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing,” (James 1:2-4).

Dealing with the loss of something that you are emotionally attached to is very hard. It is even worse when you realize that you could have done a lot of things to avoid the disgraceful situation from happening. Guilt takes over and you start beating yourself over it. That is the point where we lose it and we start doing things we are not supposed to be doing.

However, through it all I have learnt how much God loves us. I have realized that God allows us to go through tough and disgraceful conditions to reveal His amazing grace. Our Lord Jesus Christ went through disgraceful circumstances for God’s grace to be revealed. That is how God demonstrates His great love for us. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

I have heard so many times people asking why bad things happen to good people. My answer is simple; God is demonstrating His great love. My dear friend, in my young life I have learned that we cannot understand God’s thoughts and ways and it is not our duty to try to figure it out. God cannot be scientifically proven. All we have to do is to be obedient to His instructions and let Him do His work. All we have to do is to glorify Him because His plan is to make us complete, not to harm us.

In whatever challenges we are facing in life we have to know that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. This is what separates us as children of God and those of the world. When the world questions, “Where is God?” we are rejoicing because we know that we have faith in the God who is love, the God who redeemed us with the blood of His only begotten Son whose death demonstrated the love of our Father. “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, SO THAT YOUR FAITH AND HOPE ARE IN GOD,” (1 Peter 1:20 -21).

That makes us know that God is with us all the time, we are in His presence. The greatest wonder of being in the presence of the Lord is that we gain the confidence to face anything. If we have faith in Him He hears our prayers and provides whatever we need. When you are in the presence of the Lord there is no need to be worried and afraid. Jeremiah says, “You came near when I called you, and you said “Do not fear,” (Lamentations 3:57).

If we pursue the knowledge of this God we believe in, we will not be afraid because this is the God who said to Moses, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest,” (Exodus 33:14).

This is the God who assured Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go,” (Joshua 1:9).

This is the God who declared to Jeremiah, “I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” (Jeremiah 15:20).

This is the God who encouraged Paul in Corinth, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city,” (Acts 18:9-10).

This is the God who said to Daniel, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them,” (Daniel 10:12).

God wants us to go on and do His work without fear because He is always with us. Like the true, good Shepherd, He is always taking care of us and there is no reason to be worried. Like Daniel we need to set our minds towards gaining understanding and humble ourselves before God. “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way,” (Psalm 25:9).

God loved us through Jesus Christ so that we shall have eternal life and nothing shall separate us from His love. He will never leave or forsake us. What more can we ask for other than the presence of the Lord?

The Almighty says, “I the Lord search and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve,” (Jeremiah 17:10). We need to keep our hearts pure all the time to better position ourselves for the blessings from the Lord. We need to keep our minds clear so that we are able to focus on what God wants us to do.

My dear friend, today you may be going through an embarrassing situation, the people you trust may be judgmental to your faults, you may be finding it hard to forgive yourself for a mistake that cost you a lot, you may be discouraged to even continue praying, you may find it a draining task to read your Bible – just know one thing, God is with you. Today He is saying to you, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me,” (Psalm 50:15).

I have said it before; God loves us, God cares for us, God is faithful!