Thank You Lord For Your Mercy – My Personal Story

The prophecy pronounced

The Macmillan Dictionary defines mercy as the act of forgiving someone or not treating them severely, especially someone who you have the authority to punish. I like this definition because it clearly explains what God has done for me over the years.

As I was looking back in my life, I have realized that God has shown his mercy to me in a number of occasions. The sad part is that I disobeyed his voice and warnings. Although he had the authority to punish me, he saved me instead.

The story dates back to 2002 when my father passed away. He died on a weekend and his funeral was held on the following weekend. During the week preceding the funeral, a lot of people came to mourn and for prayers. This particular night, I knew there were people who had come for prayer. I was sleeping in my room and did not bother being part of the service (probably I needed some time alone to deal with the loss).

However, somebody came to fetch me from my room instructed by one of the brethrens who had received a prophetic message about me. Apparently this man saw a vision of me arguing with two young men over a petty issue and they eventually stabbed me with a knife. Other people in the room also concurred with this and one of them even said I will follow my father soon. The message was clear, I should pray for God’s protection and they prayed for me.

Days passed by, I was stressed and living in fear. I knew God was beckoning at me during that period but I turned a deaf ear to his voice. The same prophecy was related to me on two separate occasions in church by different people but still I could not recognize God’s voice nor take heed to the warning. I was against His instruction, “Do not despise prophecies,” (1 Thessalonians 5:20 NKJV)

For a while it died down and I was living my life as usual. Although I knew that God was the source of my strength, I never gave my life to him. Like a typical young man I experimented a lot of things with my life, thank God I was brought up with Christian values and I had sober morals, so I did not engage in some of the destructive activities.

Attacks confirming the prophecy

I thought the prophecy was gone and I was enjoying my life until I was harshly reminded on the 31st December 2007. It was around 7pm, a bit darker and I was with a cousin walking towards my cousin’s home in Manzini. Two guys approached us and they pretended to be starting a conversation with us. Before we knew it they pulled out knives.

My cousin managed to escape and suddenly I was surrounded by more than five guys. I looked around and all I could see were shiny objects in the air, some sharpened on both edges. I knew I was in trouble. One of them tried to stab me but the knife missed my shoulder by inches, it was like somebody pushed the knife away (I guess that was the hand of God!).

I didn’t fight back, they took away my belongings including about E600 cash, cell phone and a number of cards. I came out unscathed. Later on we proceeded with our plans to cross over to the New Year at Café Mogambo (an entertainment spot that has gained popularity for hosting massive end of year parties).

The prophecy was renewed. Somehow I knew I needed to give my life to God but I simply swept that away from my mind. It was a traumatic experience and I thanked God for the protection. But still I hardened my heart.

A similar occurrence happened again. On the 6th December 2008, at about 4am I was from clubbing and a friend dropped me at the gate at my cousin’s home. I walked past the main house to the one we use with my cousin. Somehow I went to the back of the house and when I came back towards the door, there were two men wielding their knives. I tried running away and raised alarm but that was a bit late. They got hold of me and calmly warned me against fighting back or I would be dead meat!

Again, they went away with some cash and cell phone. God was good to me because I was not harmed. But still I did not give my life to him!

It was a harsh reminder once again but God still showed his mercy. Since that incident, God was speaking to me strongly but still I continued to resist his call. In April last year something tragic happened. My mother was attacked by two thugs who stabbed her several times on the head and chest at a bus stop.

For some time I felt guilty that I was somehow responsible for this incident with my disobedience. It was like the people close to me are now suffering and that was much painful. Still God was talking. During a family evening prayer a prophetic word was pronounced to me. This time the message was straightforward, “Surrender your life wholeheartedly to the Lord.”

Hunger and thirst for God

By this time my ignorance had turned into greater hunger and thirst for the Lord. I had the longing for the word of God. Sadly, some forces were pulling me away from Jesus. I went to church but came back with emptiness in my heart. I would read the bible, I even downloaded some bible reading plans from the internet but still I could not understand what I was reading. I tried praying but I could not find the words. It was a heart-piercing experience.

I believe the Spirit of the Lord was already doing its work now. I felt a strong conviction to talk to someone and that person came into mind in a flash. I don’t think I had actually met this person at the time but we were good friends on Facebook.

I sent her a message on Facebook detailing my feelings. I think it was around May last year. She sent a short reply saying she will pray and return with a Word from God in three days time. I waited patiently and indeed after three days she came back with a response.

When you are hungry for God you wish to hear what God is saying to you. The response was,

“God says you need to separate yourself and reconnect with Him. You’re too busy at the moment. Make a conscious effort to spend quality time with Him. He loves and misses you too. I’ll be praying with you. Separate yourself.”

What a powerful message! Believe me; it did not make sense to me. I did not have the energy to go back and ask her to talk in simple language. The last two words stood out though, “Separate yourself.”

It took about seven months after this to finally surrender myself to the Lord Jesus Christ, allowing him to be my Saviour. The fight inside had intensified and I was helpless. Knowing what is the right thing to do but without power to get rid of the forces holding you back is such a strenuous battle. It is even worse when that dark cloud is still haunting. December last year my girlfriend was also robbed in a similar fashion – by two men carrying knives. It was so devastating that it was not only me suffering but the people close to my heart.

Jesus rescues me

I was in church at Madlangampisi on Sunday, 10 January 2010 when the defining moment came. The Reverend announced that the Word of God will be shared by a young man whom I believe is a testimony to God’s grace. He preached about the battle with sin.

Armed with my Contemporary English Version (CEV) bible, these are the words that touched my heart and I immediately opened the doors for Jesus to come in and dwell in my heart.

“But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? Thank God! Jesus will rescue me,” (Romans 7:23-25 CEV)

What a timely Word! The procedure in my church is that after the Word has been dished anyone is free to stand up share. I am not sure if anyone understood what was happening or what I meant because when I stood up and read this scripture again. I remember saying “Jesus has rescued me!”

(I think one old man discerned this because after the service he came to me, put his hand around my shoulder and said, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”)

I was a new creation. The following day I had a four-hour long conversation with my younger brother who has devoted his life in preaching the Word of God. I did not tell him what happened in my life the previous day and we had a candid and deep discussion about Christianity and I asked all the questions I always had (and there were so many!). That is one of the discussions I value in my life.

Discovering my purpose

That marked the beginning of a new journey. I began spending quality time with my Jesus and marveled at how wonderful it is. I separated myself (yes, it made perfect sense now!) Each time I would pray and when I opened my bible the Holy Spirit would lead me to a scripture that answered my prayer. It was so encouraging. This one particular night I was crying out to the Lord to make me understand why he called me. The moment I finished praying, I opened the bible and my eyes were fixed on this scripture;

“If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me. If you utter worthy, not worthless words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them,” (Jeremiah 15:19 NIV).

I knew in my spirit that was my purpose. I believed that was the reason God was patient with me. He wanted to use me as his spokesman. A small voice kept on asking “are you sure?” I have come to realize that God has a way of confirming what he has said (in case you have some doubts). He confirmed this to me in a dream. In the dream I was invited to talk to young people. When I came in, the auditorium was filled to capacity with young people and when I opened the bible, you guessed right – Jeremiah 15:19 was on my face!

I have had an interesting spiritual journey thus far. It came to my spirit that I should share this testimony. Why? “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV)

God is a merciful God. I was disobedient and ignored his voice. He could have removed his protection and I would be history. Instead, he faithfully renewed his mercies every morning. However, not everyone can receive such mercy. “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy (Rom 9: 15-16 NIV).”

When you hear the voice of the Lord, you better obey my friend. God wants to use you for a specific purpose and if you trust Him with all your heart He will prosper you. He will fulfill his purpose for you. He cares for you hence he is protecting you. He is a patient God and does not want anyone to perish but everyone should come to repentance.

When you come to Him, He will renew you. He says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and you will keep My judgements and do them," (Ezekiel 36: 26-27 NKJV).

When we have come to repentance, let us remain faithful to him. “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily while it is called “Today” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,” (Hebrews 3 : 12 -13 NKJV).

Thank you Lord for your amazing Mercy!

God Has Chosen You, Be Strong and Do It!

So many times when we are faced with challenges we wish we should not be the ones given that responsibility. It is not because we are running away from the responsibilities but it is a natural feeling that you get when you cannot figure out whether whatever you are doing is worth your time, energy and effort. You look at the returns and you think you are wasting your time. This is more noticeable when you are dealing with people who seem not to appreciate all that you are doing for them.

I have always held that each one of us is called for a specific purpose as a child of God and whatever we do it should be for edification of the next person. The most important thing is to find and know your purpose, what God has called you to do.

No matter how small or big the task may be, you have to do it with excellence because that is what God wants you to do. There was a time when Jeremiah felt his efforts were fruitless and questioned God why he had to let him suffer. God simply said, "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me."

For as long as God is keeping us breathing, we have to serve Him, following what He has called us to do. David wanted to build a house for God but the Almighty stopped him because that was not his responsibility. Instead, he chose his son to do that. We have to be careful not to deviate from our divine calling and do other good things for the Lord. We should always look up to Him for direction.

When God gives you an assignment, it is not always an easy road, but we have to be strong. Glory to Him because He always prepare us for the journey. When the time came for David to tell his son about the assignment God gave him, the instructions were very clear and I believe each one of us should adhere to them.

"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it” (1 Chronicles 28:9-10).

My dear friend, whatever responsibility God has given you, do not give up when things seem to be falling apart. God has chosen you for that particular responsibility so be strong and just do it. He will be with you all the way if you serve him with a loyal heart and a willing mind. God bless you!

The Faith and Assurance I Have in God

We were saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ and this grace was a gift from God. This has made us a new creation (workmanship), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (see Ephesians 2: 8-10).

The Word of God instructs us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is a clear indication that being saved is not enough, but we have to grow in the knowledge of our Lord. God rewards a man according to his conduct and to the fruits of his doings. Therefore our knowledge of Christ should be effective and bear fruits.

God prepared our good works beforehand and the onus is on us to grasp them and walk in them. We can only grasp that when we are spiritually mature enough and with spiritual immaturity we have no access to what God has prepared for us. In Galatians 4:1-2 Paul wrote, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.”

What this means is that when you become a child of God you have the good works that God prepared for you but until you grow to the rightful stage where you become a son of God (mature), you can’t have access to them.

Paul also illustrated this point by saying, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal,” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).

The book of Hebrews explains that everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

In other words, those who are mature are wise enough to discern both good and evil and they are led by the Spirit of God that knows even the depths of God. The Spirit reveals the hidden things of God. Therefore, maturity means being led by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit and living in the Spirit.

God speaks to us (his children) in a way that we are able to comprehend, hence the illustration of milk and solid food. That is why people of this world count God’s wisdom as foolishness because they cannot understand the language he speaks and they have no relationship with him. Sometimes someone may say something led by the Spirit and you fail to understand because you are still a child. I recall someone telling me that God said I should ‘separate myself’ and at that point I could not understand what the statement meant. However, as I grew in his knowledge I began to understand that message and I obey.

God speaks wisdom to those who are able to discern his wisdom. “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,” (1 Corinthians 3:6-8).

This is the wisdom that we should yearn for. God established our purpose here on earth before time began. We need to listen to him in order to grow, meditate in his word day and night. He instructed Joshua to ensure that the Book of the Law shall not depart from his mouth, but he shall meditate in it day and night, that h may observe to do according to all that is written in it. “For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Holy Spirit teaches us all things and guides us as we read the Word of God. This is where we draw our strength. This is where gain knowledge and wisdom to understand what God says. I have been keeping notes of the time I spend reading the Word of God it is amazing to track how I have grown from strength to strength.

There have been times when I have been challenged and my faith called into question but through the knowledge and wisdom from God I emerged a conqueror. This is confirmed by the scripture, “A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength,” (Proverbs 24:5).

The Word of God is pure and never changes, and he always fulfills his promises. Faith is not just believing God can; but it is believing that God WILL. That is why we always rejoice in his name. Listen to him when he says be thankful in ALL circumstances, he means just that. It all makes sense when you have the knowledge and wisdom to understand why you should be grateful when you are going through a painful experience.

God rewards those who earnestly seek him. I pray that we grow and eagerly wait for his wisdom and knowledge all the time. It is not a once off experience, it is a continuous journey that goes through high mountains and dark forests but we never give up because we know God will lead us through- He is our hope. This is what he says:

“My son, eat honey because it is good and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul. If you have found it, there is a prospect and your hope will not be cut off,” (Proverbs 24:13-14).

The Lord Will Fulfill His Purpose for Me (Psalm 138: 8)

“His Divine Power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness,” (2 Peter 1:3).

What the Lord has commissioned has to be accomplished. Each one of us has a purpose to serve the Lord. God has a purpose for each one of us. He says he knows the good plans he has for us, plans to prosper us. Because he is the faithful God, what he has purposed shall be accomplished.

In Isaiah 55:11 he says, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Once God has spoken, it shall be so. I know God has a purpose for me. He has empowered me to serve that purpose. He has armed me to fight a good fight and serve him as my Lord and Saviour, the only true God.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life. There is nothing that can withstand his divine power. Through his power we have all the resources we need to serve God’s purpose. There is nothing that we cannot do because we have everything we need. As long as we are willing to allow God to fulfill his purpose we shall conquer.

How do we get hold of the resources that we need? It is though the knowledge of Jesus Christ and as Paul stated, there is nothing that surpass the greatness of knowing Jesus Christ. You cannot taste the greatness of knowing Christ if your knowledge is ineffective and unproductive. You cannot accomplish God’s purpose if your knowledge does not bear fruits.