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)

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!

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK: Where Are You?

"Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9)

Everyday we are supposed to walk with the Lord, we are supposed to be in the presence of the Lord, we are supposed to rejoice in the Lord. We have the privilege of having direct access to the Lord. Although He is our Father in heaven, He is always near us. He has promised that He will never leave us. He is always taking care of us regardless of what is happening in our world. 

Because God loves us so much He doesn't want us to go astray. He delights in walking with us all the time. He is happy to see us trusting in Him. He derives pleasure in using us as instruments of His glory. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them," (Ephesians 2:10). 

God is concerned about our well being. God is concerned about our present and future. That is why he is concerned when we lose His way and go our own way. His way leads to life and if our way is not His way then it leads to death. It saddens the Lord to see us transgressing from His way.  

That is why He says, "...repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourself a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord God. "Therefore turn and live!" (Ezekiel 18:30-32)

Even when we have fallen, He doesn't give up on us. He wants to give us another chance. He wants us to return to Him so that He can restore us. When we hear His voice we should not try and hide from Him just like Adam and Eve did when they had fallen into sin. The Word of God tells us that when they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden, they hid from the presence of the Lord. "Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). 

My dear friend, when you are not with God where are you? When you are not walking in His love  where are you? When you are not walking in His light where are you? When you are not walking in His wisdom where are you? When you are lost where are you? When God is calling your name, where are you? 

Mind you, God knows everything and He knew where Adam and his wife were, but He asked him, "Where are you?" This was an opportunity for Adam to examine himself, consider his position, confess his transgression and repent. Today God is asking the same question to us, "Where are you?" 

In the Presence of the Lord

Nothing is greater than being in the presence of the Lord. I understand David when he says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). The presence of the Lord is an awesome experience.

God searches and knows you very well. He knows what you want to say before you say it. He knows your thoughts and he is with you everywhere you go.

The greatest wonder of being in the presence of the Lord is that we gain the confidence to face anything. In the previous post I mentioned that if we have faith in him he hears our prayers and provides whatever we need. The reason is simple, he knows what you need and all you have to do is to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” (Matthew 6:33).

When you are in the presence of the Lord there is no need to be worried and afraid. “You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” (Lamentations 3 :57).

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 your 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, what he has sent us to do without fear because he is always with us. Like the good shepherd he is always taking care of us and there is no need 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).

As Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him,” (John 14:23).

God loved us through Jesus Christ so that we shall have eternal life and nothing will separate us from this love. He will never leave us nor forsake us. What more can we ask for other than the presence of the Lord?

The Almighty says, “I the LORD search the heart 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.

Therefore my prayer just like David is, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting,” (Psalm 139:23-24).

“Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

There comes a time when you feel like you have had enough, when death becomes the best solution to your troubles. But it’s not over until God says so. You can pray that God takes your life away, unless he feels you have finished the task he has prepared for you on earth, he won’t take away your life. Instead he will show you how great HE is.

God knows the most important thing you need in order to continue with the journey. God is aware where you are coming from and he will prepare you to continue with the journey.

Elijah felt he had had enough and prayed for his death. God was aware that he had been on a day’s journey running away from Jezebel, and he was hungry and tired. He sent an angel to provide him with food. He went back to sleep.

“And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.” (I Kings 19: 7 -8, NKJV).

Even though Elijah was discouraged and had said “I have had enough” – God had much more in store for him. When you feel discouraged and want to give up, remember there is God who is above all situations. When you feel powerless, remember that God will give you strength.

When you are down, arise and do the will of God. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). God has a purpose for your life and therefore don’t give up before you accomplish what God has sent you to do. When you feel like giving up, remember these words - ’Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you!’ There are great things that God wants you to do.

The word of God will give you the strength to carry on with the journey, because he has sent you to do his will. Have faith in God and he will show you how great he is. All you need to do is to come closer to him and he will come closer to you.

The LORD said to Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” (1 Kings 19 : 11). He was about to show him how Great he is.

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” (1 Kings 19: 11 -13)

You see, sometimes God allows you to deal with challenges in life before he shows himself to you. This he does in order to show you that you are strong when you are with him. Because he was in the presence of the Lord, Elijah was not shaken by the powerful wind, earthquake and the fire. However, when he heard the GENTLE WHISPER, he covered his face because he was in the awe of God. His power is above everything!

There is nothing that will destroy you as long as you are in the presence of the Lord. Get back on your feet and continue running the good race. Elijah was lamenting that he had always been zealous for God but the Israelites rejected the covenant, broke the altars, killed the prophets and wanted to kill him also.

You may be blaming God that even though you have been faithful to him, you are having troubles that you cannot take anymore. Just know that God doesn’t want you to give up because of the trials and tribulations. He still wants you to persevere and finish the work he has sent you to do on earth.

In Galatians 5: 7 -8 Paul says; “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.”
It is not over until God says so… ’Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you!