Warning lights

Often, too often, we allow emotions to cripple us. Emotions should warn us, but not control us. Too often our emotions become the problem because we don't ask the correct questions: "where does the emotion come from? Or why do I feel this way?"

I have heard the expression many times that an emotion is like a warning light on the dashboard of your car. It goes on when something internal is wrong. In that moment we have two choices, break the light and ignore the problem or investigate the problem. The thing is, that sometimes the little light is scary, especially if we don't know where the problem lies, how deep it is, how long it is going to take to sort out or how much it will cost you.

Let's say that your "dashboard" shows a light of irritation, you may stop to think and realise that you are just hungry and it's pretty easy to solve or you might realise that it's something about someone else that irritates you and you might need to dig a bit deeper to find out where the irritation is coming from and why it is affecting you so much. Or you might notice your irritation, but have absolutely no idea what the underlying problem is. Don't worry! If God has revealed an emotion to you, then you are totally capable of dealing with it. Take some time out, even if it is just 10 minutes and just sit with Him and ask Him where the emotion is coming from. Sometimes something as simple as irritation can be underlying fear or sadness which can easily turn into frustration or anger if not acknowledged and dealt with.

Emotion should not scare us, it should rather guide us to become more self aware so that we can manage ourselves better and always be filled with joy. Be bold today and don't be scared to look at what is lying under the emotion. Sit with God and ask Him to reveal what you are ready to deal with and allow Him to help you through it. Nothing is impossible for Him!

Picture credit: Hdwallpapersin

No condemnation

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

Even though the Bible clearly says that there are now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, we still so often feel condemned or guilty. Maybe you do something that goes against what you learnt as a child or maybe it's judgemental words from a friend or family member? The point is that the devil will use any opportunity to make us feel guilty, because guilt makes us feel unloved and unworthy and ultimately makes us feel like God cannot use us or doesn't approve of us. These are all complete lies!

Jesus has already died for everything which we can ever possibly do wrong and not accepting His sacrifice and feeling guilty about it is a slap in the face. Facing the cross was not easy for Jesus, it was a massive sacrifice on His part and it was all for us, to allow us to walk in freedom and relationship with God. We should never let our communication or relationship with God be broken or become 'disconnected', because we feel guilty or condemned. God does not condemn. If you have strayed off track or if you are busy hurting yourself He will tell you and the Spirit will convict you. You will immediately know and He will at the same time give you the grace to deal with it. He always wants us to run into His arms and not away from Him. When we do something wrong we should run to Jesus, not hide from Him. There is nothing that we need to be ashamed about, He knows it all and He loves us despite our shortcomings and sins. His mercy is great and His grace knows no bounds.

The point of guilt and condemnation is to push us away from God and make us feel disconnected from Him. This is definitely not from God and red flags should pop up in your heart when you have these feelings. God knows that we are not perfect, but He loves us regardless and when He looks at us, He sees us through Jesus and that makes us look perfect. He is far more interested in what He can do in you, so that He can work through you, but the devil tries to convince us that God continually looks at our sins and tries to make us feel useless and worthless.

Do not fall into the devil's trap, but run in the freedom which we have in Christ. His love for you is unimaginable and He desires so much to spend time with you. He is the good Father and we are always welcome in His arms.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17

"For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:10 - 11

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Pack the problems!

Recently I was having coffee with a friend and we started talking about problems. We all have 'problems' and they are all different. I don't like to call them problems, but rather challenges. It might be issues relating to the past, challenges relating to current circumstances or a fear about the future, but the one thing that challenges do have in common is that they can cause anxiousness, fear or stress. Often we cannot do anything about the challenges we face. We cannot force a family member to forgive us, we cannot mend a broken friendship from one side or change the mood of a depressed friend or maybe you are trusting for finances, a new job or a new home. Often we find ourselves at the place where our hands are tied, we have done all we could do and there are no more options left.

While I was chatting to my friend I received this awesome picture in my mind. There is a shelf called God and we can pack all our challenges on it, like a row of encyclopaedia from A to Z. I imagined those old heavy books. Then the devil comes and he makes us worry about an issue which is out of our control or he makes us feel guilty about something that we cannot change. "Why aren't you thinking about that? Don't you care about your future? Who will do it if you don't carry the load? How is God going to do His part if you do not put in your time and thoughts? Should you not be pulling your weight? You deserve to get justice, why don't you approach that person?" There are millions of questions that he can throw at us to make us feel guilty and to convince us that we have to carry the books ourselves. We then remove the books from the shelf, tie them around our waist and drag them around wherever we go. We complain to people about them, we dwell on them and we reread the pages of each book over and over in our minds until we are so drained that we don't have energy left for anything else and that is exactly where the devil wants you, tired, discouraged, fearful and drained. The devil knows that when we are in that space, we are of no threat to him, because we have no energy left and our focus is on the problems and not on God.

The Bible says: "Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus says, come, bring your books to me, put them on my shelf, I know you cannot carry them. Take instead my yoke which is light and filled with peace, love, joy and freedom and let me carry your burdens.

Each book on the shelf has a time to be opened and a time to be read. God will show you when it is time to read each book and when you have the strength to do so. He will address the issue and instruct you to take the book and act at the right time. Until then, leave your challenges on His shelf and continue living in joy without dragging every burden behind you. Jesus came to remove our problems so that we can have the abundant life.

It does not mean that we don't take responsibility, it does not mean that we won't face challenging times, it only means that there is a time for everything and that when something is not in our control, it needs to be put in God's hands and not dragged behind us. In this way God can help us deal with each challenge at its time and we can be victorious in everything we do. Pack your problems on God’s shelf today and live free from anxiety and fear.

“The thief (devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

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Love or fear?

I was busy reading a book yesterday and the author commented that “all our actions come from one of two basic emotions – fear or love.” Wow, I couldn't agree more and I haven't thought about it in this way before. I started thinking of the motive behind why I do the things I do. Out of love or fear?

I started thinking about the kind of life that I want to live with God, at the office, at home and in relationships. A life of love or fear? Why do I stay at my current job? Because I am passionate or because I fear that I won't have enough money if I  do something which I am passionate about? Why do I spend time with certain people? Because I love them, care for them or because I'm too scared to be alone?

We can all recognise love and passion in our lives and it brings joy, freedom and life. God is the ultimate example of love. He is love and love is everywhere where His Spirit and presence are on earth. We can all also recognise fear in our lives and it breeds anxiety, stress, shame, doubt and limits us. Lies breed fear. When we are close to breakthrough or a new adventure in our lives, fear can step in and limit us. Breaking limits and overcoming fear takes courage and if we want a life that goes beyond the normal, fear will always try and takes us down first. We have a choice, life is a choice, God created choice not robots.

Fear does not help anyone, fear does not set us free, but it keeps us in bondage. How do we overcome fear? If God is asking you to take a new step, then you need to learn to trust Him, to have faith. God will give you everything you need to overcome your fear, but it starts with you and it starts with faith. The Bible says that even when we are faithless, God is faithful. When you are faithless, take your faithlessness to Him. Ask Him for the faith you need. The Bible says that He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He starts and perfects our faith. The Bible says that faith comes from hearing the Word. Read your Bible and find out what it says about you and about God and about who you are, because you have put your faith in Jesus. It empowers you, it makes your courage grow and it catapults you to new heights.

Lay your fears down at His feet. Let Him carry your burdens, you are not alone. Tell Him that you are putting your faith in Him today and read the word of God so that you can know Who you now are in Jesus. Start reading 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 and start to see that you are a new creation. Read Romans 8 and learn about life in the Spirit, that you are heirs with Christ and God’s everlasting love for you. God is for you, not against you. He loves you and He’s calling you to greater things. Do not let fear of the unknown hold you back. What kind of life do you want to live? Cling to the things of love, cut loose the bonds of fear and start living the life you always dreamed of.

“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

“if we are faithless, He remains faithful— for He cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13

Song: Jesus Culture – Holy Spirit(AMAZING!!) 

Picture credit: Julia Stotlar 

Have you been bullied?

Bullying has become an increasing problem in schools today and is becoming more of a topic as awareness is being raised. It is shocking to look at the teen suicide rate and school shootings often related to bullying. Unfortunately this does not always end on the school ground, but can continue at universities, offices, friendship circles or even at home with parents. Sometimes we don't even need a second person in the equation, we just bully ourselves with our harsh thoughts or critical attitudes. 

Bullying takes on many forms and you might have been a victim without even realising it. The effects of bullying can break down your character, confidence, steal your joy and often be long-lasting. It is not something to be taken lightly. As adults we can look back and identify how these incidents changed the way that we perceive ourselves. Built-in lies from our childhood play over and over in our heads. Often we are so used to it that we don't even realise that the thought patterns are there.

These lies limit us physically, emotionally and spiritually and instil fear and doubt. It robs us of our childlike courage and determination and it forces us to settle for less. There's nothing worse than settling for less, because you don't think that you are worth more.

But you are valuable! Jesus didn't die on a cross so that you can settle for less and live with a poverty mindset. We are the children of a King and we have a great inheritance. Even though we deserved nothing, He gave us everything by His grace and mercy. We were not created to live downcast lives as per other peoples' opinions. We were created to live life and life in abundance in all the plans that God has for us. Jesus didn't die so that we should be limited. He came to set us free! He came to make us whole. He came to heal our brokenness. He came to teach us who we are in Him and what we can become. We are all unique and beautiful, created, formed and designed for a purpose beyond our imagination. Jesus takes us places!

He doesn't care what your school bully or friends said. He doesn't care what your mother or father said. He cares about you and values what He thinks about you and knows about you. He needs no second opinion. He knows what He destined you for and no one can take that from you. No one can steal your identity from you if you are rooted in Jesus. He is everything we need to be everything we can be.

I know that those harsh words are painful. I know that they have caused deep wounds and thought patterns, but nothing is too deep for God. Bring these thoughts to Him, bring these hurts to Him. He heals the pain and restores beautifully. You don't need to be anybody else, just be the beautiful you that He created you to be. Don't live according to other peoples' opinions of yourself, get God's opinion and live limitless!

“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” Song of Solomon 4:7

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

PS. If you are a victim, please speak to someone, even though it is hard, please reach out to someone. You might think that no one cares, but believe me, God cares and if He cares then there’s someone else in this world that cares about you and will be willing to help you. He will not let you suffer alone. If you know of someone who is a victim, please reach out to them and support them. Make sure that you do not put yourself in harm’s way, but approach the situation with caution. You might be the only person who knows and cares. There are also help lines which you can phone, including suicide helplines. Please post a comment if you have tips or suggestions. Thank you all!

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Not condemnation, but freedom

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:16, 17 ESV)

John 3:16 must be the most well known scripture and before I met Jesus, was the only scripture that I could quote from the Bible. This scripture popped up as the "verse of the day" when I opened my eBible today. Although I know verse 16 very well, I haven't read verse 17 as much and when I read it today, I felt to share the following.

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn us, but in order that we might be saved through Him. He sent Jesus so that we might be free and so that we might have life. Jesus says "The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10 ESV)

Jesus doesn't want to condemn people. People often think of condemnation when they think of Jesus, instead of freedom. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden the world has been condemned, they chose themselves over God and selfishness led them to turn their backs on God and His ways. They wanted to be better and more intelligent and they fell for the lie of Satan as he said that they would be like God if they ate from the tree and they will know good and evil. Instead they separated themselves from God by allowing evil into their pure hearts and their immortal spirits died.

How often do we still fall like this? No wonder we call it the "oldest trick in the book". How often does Satan whisper to us a false idea? "If you do this and that, then you will gain this and that. It won't hurt anyone, they won't even know, just slander that person, tell this lie, just take the praise for that and give the blame there." It's in our blood and we cannot deny it. We want more wealth, power and success. We think we are all-knowing and no one can teach us anything. Greed, vanity, pride and lust, all of these have the root of selfishness. We condemn ourselves just by being ourselves and submitting to our selfish desires. Our own heart and conscience condemn us and tell us that what we are doing is wrong. We justify, we fight and we try to convince ourselves and others, but deep down, the truth is imminent.

What did Jesus come to set us free from? Why do we need saving you might ask? We need to be saved from ourselves, from the condemnation in our own hearts, from the lies of this world and the blindfold over our eyes. The blindfold makes us think we are superior, strong and intelligent, but compared to God, we are only fools. But the blindfold (lie) keeps us arrogant and proud, it convinces us that we don't need God. That is the sole purpose of Satan, to keep us away from the truth, away from Jesus and away from freedom. Satan tries to convince the world that they are free and that God equals rules and condemnation.

The Bible says: "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV)

When you are wearing a blindfold you cannot understand the words of God, they are foolishness to you and even if someone explains to you the truth it sounds foolish. Choose today to remove the blindfold from your eyes and live in true freedom. I cannot remove the blindfold, but God can, His love and truth expose the lie, the oldest trick in the book. Ask Him today to save you and to open your eyes to see and your ears to hear. Ask Him to forgive you for the way you talked about Him and the way you maybe mocked His people. His heart is for you and His desire is to reach each person.

"So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." (Matthew 18:14 ESV)

You have been forgiven before you even ask for forgiveness, Jesus paid it all for you and He just knocks at your door and asks you to let Him into your life. He brings no condemnation, but rather love and freedom. He's calling you back to life and into a relationship with Him. All you need to do is say yes.

"For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them." (Matthew 13:15 ESV)

Photo credit: weheartit

Are you believing the lies?

If there’s one thing that I really do not like, it’s a lie. The Bible says this of the devil: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

The devil has no power over us except when we give him power. When he lies and we believe him, we allow his words to influence our lives. I have noticed over the years how easy it is to fall for his lies. Some lies are recent and some lies date back many years and by believing them, we have carried them into our futures. These can be lies which people have told you or just lies which you started believing due to your experiences.

I wasn’t an extremely vibrant and talkative person before I met Jesus, but soon after meeting Him I started talking more and more, often very passionately as my encounter with God was so life changing. The devil started telling me that I talk too much and that people are thinking that I am a “know it all” and an irritation. For a girl who has never been the “centre of attention” type of person, this quickly made me withdraw. The more I spoke, the more I felt that I was being an irritation to people. But 6 months after meeting God, I told a friend that I think it’s so amazing that we all want to preach for Jesus and encourage people. She quickly commented that she doesn’t want to preach at all, but rather wants to work in orphanages in Africa. As I asked around I quickly realised that I’m the only one of my friends who wants to preach and I realised that God put this dream on my heart and it’s been on my heart ever since.

I realised that day that the lies that the devil brings are intended to keep us from reaching the destinies that God has for us and suddenly the voice telling me to keep quiet disappeared. As soon as a lie is exposed, it loses its power and Satan knew that by preaching the truth, I was exposing his lies. Since then I have identified many other lies in my life. Many years before I met God and some years after I used to think that I am a burden to people and this stopped me from meeting and encouraging new people and being involved. It seems so ridiculous when I look back at it now, but in those times the lie was very real to me and it stopped me from approaching the people God wanted me to help.

Lies are specifically aimed at distracting us from our destinies and Satan knows that when his lies are exposed, you will move forward with God in the plans which He has for you. For example, if he’s telling you that you are a lazy person, then you probably have an amazing ability to manage and organise. If he’s telling you that you have an inability to love, then you have an amazing undiscovered heart of compassion. If he’s telling you that you are not worthy, then you probably have an amazing gift of confidence to encourage others. If he’s telling you that you are broken, then you have an amazing capacity to love and give and so the list goes on.

Where in your life is Satan lying to you? Where is he keeping you from the plans that God has for you? The Bible says that as a man thinks, so he is. Try to identify the discouraging and fearful thoughts which you hear throughout a day and start fighting those thoughts with the truth. Maybe have a discussion with God or a friend that you trust and feel safe with and share your apparent flaws and fears with them. You might be surprised at how quickly they will tell you that what you believe about yourself is not true.

Begin to see yourself as God sees you and become free to be everything He has made you to be. Don't be blinded by the lies and don’t let anything or anyone’s opinion hold you back. Pick up the Bible, ask God and get a second opinion about yourself.  

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Cor 5:17

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil 1:6

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Rom 8:37

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Never be afraid to change

Photo credit: favim

Tonight I have a simple, but truthful message on my heart. “Never be afraid to change.” God never changes, He was, is and will always be the same, but we need to constantly renew our minds. Our greatest enemy is our minds. We think we know everything, we understand everything and can anticipate things. Logically this actually doesn’t make sense, because 100 years ago people also thought that they were intelligent and on the forefront of technology, but now we look back and everything seems to be so primitive back then.

It doesn’t take much to remember the transition from record player to video tape to CD to DVD, everything is getting smaller and faster and wireless and and and we still think we are so intelligent! But in 100 years people will probably look back and think we were pretty primitive. The same with the universe, the further we travel, the more we realise that we are smaller than we think and the universe is larger than we thought. Our galaxy is a galaxy in a galaxy, but is there an end to the universe? Is it round? Ha ha, some random thoughts that fill my (very not scientist) mind at this moment. I’m sure there are people working on these things. ;)

Why do we think that we are so intelligent and that we have all the answers? And when we have no answer, we make an answer to fit a theory, so we can say that we have some idea and therefore we are intelligent. But just to be proven wrong a few years or decades from now and then we call it a new scientific breakthrough. It’s funny how we just assume that we are right. I like science and I think scientific breakthroughs are amazing, but at some point we need to realise that every generation needed to change to adapt to the next generation. In the way they think, dress, communicate, travel, live life etc.

My point is this: we cannot assume that we know everything about God. We cannot just read books with people’s opinions from years and years ago and take that information above the voice of God. Each one of us needs to have our own revelation of who God is and allow Him to teach us. What else is the point of having a God who speaks? It is too easy to just listen to a pastor or read a book. How do you know that they tell you the pure truth? What if they genuinely don’t know that they have a skewed or limited view of Jesus? How do you know that you are interpreting the Bible correctly?

I know that these are all scary questions and I don’t want you to panic, I’m not against church or books, but I do want you to think... Do I know what Jesus says on a topic or did I get it in a book or from a person? Is it your own revelation or second hand information? God loves to speak to His children and nothing is as precious as hearing His voice. Do not substitute His voice for anything. Do not be afraid to be led by His voice, even if it means that you have to change. God is a good God and He knows what is best for you. He will always lead you in peace. If you desire to know the truth on a certain topic, he will open your eyes, only be ready to believe, receive and follow Him.

This post is not about being right, it’s about knowing the truth. The bible says that the truth sets us free and when we live in the truth we will be able to show Jesus to people in a more real and accurate way. Religious thinking is acting on knowledge without having had a heart revelation and is a very dangerous thing as not all knowledge is correct and from God and not all knowledge will bring you revelation. This can lead you to wrongly make people feel condemned or judged. We should rather love all people in the seasons that they are in and walk patiently and graciously with one another in love, encouraging them to seek God’s wisdom and hear His voice. God is the one who brings change, we can only be willing.

“Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”” Matt 13:14

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” John 8:31-32

Thank you so much for reading my blog, it truly is a pleasure to write and a delight to read your comments. After chatting to the Holy Spirit last night, I feel that I should commit to writing around 2 posts per week instead of 5 and use the additional time to talk to God and to enjoy His presence. I trust that my posts will be more Spirit filled and encouraging as He takes me to new heights. Be incredibly blessed on your journey with God. He has great plans for you! :)

When the heart goes numb

Photo credit: vi.sualize.us

I feel today to speak to people who have been hurt. Hurt, shamed, abused or disappointed so much so that a part of your heart has gone numb and you just locked it away in a cold place somewhere where no one can hurt it or see the pain again.

A piece of our heart (an area in our lives) can so easily grow cold and hard. I've been speaking in previous posts about having a willing and open heart towards God, but it is possible to have your heart open to God is some areas, but not in others. It is also possible to have a willing heart towards God, but a cold heart towards certain people.

It might be that someone has hurt, offended or disappointed you and your heart has closed up towards that person or even a group of people. You might have forgiven and tried to forget, but consequently you were left with a piece of your heart numbed. A piece of your heart that got so hurt that you don't want to use it again, because you are not sure how much more you can handle.

You may be in a place where you have lost all hope in a situation and gave up trying. You have locked that area so far away, because you fear that you will feel the pain of disappointment or humiliation again. You fear having another failed or disappointing relationship, friendship, community, health, pregnancy, career, business etc. you fill in the blanks.

I want to tell you today that you are not alone. God knows what you are going through and He knows what you have locked up in your closet. Whatever it is, it is not something that God cannot deal with, it is not something that that He cannot restore completely. He can breathe life into any cold part of your heart and restore your faith, not just your faith in Him, but also your trust in people and in yourself.

You are not a failure, God does not create failures. Bring your broken pieces to Jesus today and He will restore your heart/situation with gentleness and kindness into something even more beautiful. Do not be afraid, you can put your trust in Him and He will never disappoint you. Allow Him to remove that coldness and hurt and bring you to a place of greater joy, freedom and confidence. When we try with Jesus, we can never fail, when we try with Him, we are more than conquerors.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Rom 8:37

“For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”” Rom 10:11

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Ps 147:3

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Tim 1:7

“Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.” Isaiah 49:23

It's all about the heart...

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I can’t emphasise enough how walking with God is all about the heart. This does not mean that we switch off our intellect, this merely means that we need to stop viewing God as a subject (knowledge) and more as a person (experience) through which we also acquire wisdom.

We can briefly compare the Christian life to driving a car. We receive a manual (Bible) which will tell us how to start the car, but after that the manual will make no sense if we do not get behind the wheel and learn how to drive. On our journey we will see lights flashing and hear sounds beeping and as we experience these things, the Bible will describe to us what we are going through and how to handle each situation. The best way to read the Bible is with the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we are likely to read too much or too little into verses and misunderstand some verses completely. Then we start to form our own ideas of what WE think is being said in the verses and then form opinions that are completely off track and grow religious mind-sets. We are foolish if we think that we can interpret the Bible without God’s help and insight.

Our minds are often our greatest enemy. Instead of using our hearts, our relationship with God, waiting on Him and listening to His voice, we think that we are so smart and we formulate our own opinions without even consulting God and often to even suit our own ways.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 55:8

When we come to Him it must be with open hearts and open minds, asking Him to teach us His ways. We cannot comprehend His ways, not in the slightest. He is the creator of our brains and we cannot imagine Him or understand Him fully, even if we tried.

““‘You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’” Matt 13:14-15

God is not mocked. He will not give you guidance or speak to you if He knows that you are not willing to listen and obey Him. He does not put Himself or you in that position. Rather bring your heart to a place where you can honestly say: “God, whatever You say I will do, whatever advice You give, I will follow” and then He will speak to you. Sometimes our hearts need to reach a desperate place, a place where we can cry: “God, I am willing to give it all to you, no matter what the answer is, please just tell me so I can receive it and be free.” And if you find that your heart is not willing, do not worry, ask God to help you make your heart willing and help you to understand.

I pray that God would help me to always keep my ears, eyes and heart open to Him, that I would not harden my heart towards Him in any area in my life. I pray that my eyes will always be open to see what He sees and that I would not turn a blind eye, because of selfishness or pride. That I will be willing to learn and to hear what He has to say and be willing to lay my own agenda, thoughts and opinions aside regardless of the consequences. I pray that I would live with His input daily and not let my actions become religious and self-motivated.

Receive beauty for ashes

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“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favour has come and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

festive praise instead of despair.

In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.” Isaiah 61:1-3

Isaiah is proclaiming of the One who is to come, Jesus, and that one day He will be all that the verses above announce Him to be. We see this prophesy fulfilled in Luke 4:18. Where Jesus reads the exact scripture from the scroll and says to the people: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”. It was customary for the Jews to read from the scrolls each Sabbath in the temple and the people would take turns in reading from the scrolls. They would continue reading in the scroll at the place where the last person ended. Luke tells the story of how it was Jesus’s turn to read from the scroll in the synagogue that day.

God’s timing was perfect as Jesus had no way of orchestrating the reading of scripture so that He would end up reading that specific scripture which would reveal to the people who He truly is. This was the first time in Jesus’s life where He proclaimed to the people that He is the Messiah and the people knew exactly what He meant as they have been waiting for the Messiah to come.  

As the Messiah, He has come to do the things listed in the verses above and more. He has come to take away the poverty, the broken hearts, captivity and mourning which you have received from this world. He has come to give beauty where there are ashes, joy where there is mourning and praise where there is despair. He has come to establish His people in righteousness like great oak trees, planted to proclaim His glory.

So I ask these questions today: Where in your life do you have ashes (burnt down hopes and dreams or mistakes you have made), mourning and despair? Where are you in need of freedom? Ask God today to give you hope in the places where you lost it all. Do not give up. Jesus has already made to you this promise that He will freely give to all who ask and receive. Do not hold on today to the ashes of the world, but give it to Jesus and receive beauty. Jesus has come to set the captives free.

Maybe you have lost a friend, parent or child? Maybe you have lost your job, health, honour or reputation?

“Instead of shame and dishonour, you will enjoy a double share of honour. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land and everlasting joy will be yours.” Isaiah 61:7

Do not let Satan convince you that all has been lost, stolen or beyond repair, God restores with a DOUBLE portion all that has been stolen from you and nothing is impossible for Him. Jesus says: “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24

Dance with me - Jesus Culture  

Be yourself!

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You are unique. God made you with all your personality traits and talents. When He made you, He considered everything about you and perfectly put you together for the plans that He has for you. So often we think that we need to be more intellectual, spiritual, theologically correct etc. before God will use us. WRONG!

Once again we are at the place where we think that it is something that WE do or a place that we reach that now qualifies us to be used by God and this kind of thinking is wrong. As I mentioned in my recent post, “God, what do you want me to do”, God is more interested in the heart than in anything else. God can do more with a person who has a willing heart than with a person who has had years of theological training. I hope we can just get this on a deeper and deeper level. It is so not about us and what we can do, but about what He can do through us. And the only way in which He can do something through us is when we realise that it is not our doing, but His and we allow Him to move.

I just have it on my heart to teach that we must just be free and secure to be ourselves and not strive to be like other people. God has put all the necessary things in you to enable you to reach, comfort and encourage the people He has placed in your life. If God can use a donkey to speak in Numbers 22:28 then He can use you and me in any space that we find ourselves in. You can meet God today and be used by God the same day. At every “stage” in our journey with Him, He has placed people in our lives that we can impact, support and encourage. We do not need to reach a certain level before we can be used by Him.

“Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”” Numbers 22:28

Do not stress about doing everything right, you are already right by just being who you are in Christ and being who He made you to be. Live with freedom and joy, love freely and engage with the people around you with confidence, knowing that God will use you just as you are. Your life is a window for other people to see Jesus through.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” Matt 5:14-15

An amazing friend of mine once had this conversation with God:

God:  “What does a light do?”

My friend:  “Nothing, it just sits there and shines.”

God:  “Exactly, then why are you hopping around flickering and screaming: “I’m a light, I’m a light”? A light just needs to BE and by being what it is, it lights the way for the rest to follow, but hopping, flickering and screaming are just distracting people off the road and drawing attention to itself.”

Absolutely WOW, need I say more? Find out what God has put in you and be who He has made you to be. That is the place where you will shine, experience the most joy and be the most effective for Him.   

And there was grace...

Sometimes it can feel as if life is hanging by a thread, a nervous moment of tension, so many things have been said and done and decisions have been made. Sometimes we just reach a point, a point of “What now God”? “Where to now?” A point where you have put it all in His hands and your stomach makes a nervous turn. That is where we meet faith, at the end of the line where nothing else can save you, when options are scarce and opinions plentiful. That is where we can say, not my will God, but your will God.

It does not matter how you got to this place or how many bad decisions you have made, God will meet you there. His love is big enough and His grace is abounding. There might still be natural consequences for your actions in this world, but God in His mercy and grace will pull you through it all. Nothing you have done can scare Him away, He is always ready, waiting for each son and daughter to return to Him so that He can restore to them all that this world has stolen.

Pour your heart out to Him, be honest, even blunt, He can handle it, trust me He has heard worse. He knows your most inner thoughts and hurts and He knows where you are coming from and how to deal with you. In Him you find all answers and all comfort, in Him there is no condemnation, but love and freedom.

At the end it’s you and Him and there is no stronger team. Wait on Him, trust in faith, listen to His voice and know that He will catch you, lift you up and restore you. You are not alone.

“Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:2-11

The most powerful thing to me about this scripture is that Jesus invited those without sin to cast the first stone and yet Jesus himself, who is completely without sin, did not cast a stone, but released the woman to be free. How good is God?!

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” 1 Peter 5:6

“God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant.” Romans 5:20

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And there was Love



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God has put a treasure of gifts and abilities in each one of us. Gifts and abilities which He wants to reveal, develop and bless other people with. Often we don’t even see what our own gifts and abilities are, because it’s to “close to us” so to speak or so deeply hidden that we don’t even know about it or sometimes we are so busy doing what we think we ought to do, that we don’t listen to our hearts and find our real passion.

Sometimes, actually often, God uses people and circumstances to reveal gifts and abilities in us that we never knew we had. I count it such a privilege when God shows me what He sees in somebody even if it is just for a second, to see another person through His eyes. He takes you beyond their physical appearance, beyond brokenness, walls of defences, pretence, the hurt which the world has placed on someone, their pain, their suffering and He shows you, “Look, see what a treasure I have hidden inside this person, see who I have made him to be.” And suddenly your heart floods with love for this person as you recognise with what beauty he/she has been made.

People walk around believing what the world has said about them, “You are so lazy, so stubborn, so broken, so weak, so undesirable, so ugly, such a failure" and the list goes on. It’s time that we get a second opinion, an opinion from the One whose opinion really matters. It is time we stop believing the lies and allow God to show us who we are and what He has put in us and in other people.

It is your responsibility to look at your spouse, family and friends and to encourage them into the person which God has made them to be. Our words can make or break a person. Get a download from heaven and speak love and life over the people in your life and over yourself. Allow God to set them free from the lies and bonds that this world has spoken over them by encouraging them and loving them for who they are, without reservation or prejudice.

Then take it a step further and look for the treasure in each person that you meet. Even if you cannot initially see it, look for it, it is there, God is a good God and He does not create failures. There is a treasure in each person and when we love them, we accept them and we free them to be who God intended them to be.

I do not love because I’m a good person and because I was just born this way, all happy and full of love. I love because I had an encounter with the One who is Love. I love because loving is the unstoppable effect of meeting with Jesus. I love because He has taken me from a dark, lost and selfish place and set my feet upon a rock. I love not because I am good, but because someone good is now in me. I do not have the capacity in me to extend love to every person, but He fills the gap between my possible and the impossible and I thank God that Love has found me.

“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” Songs 4:7

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Phil 1:3-11

When you listen to this song, don’t look at the pictures, but close your eyes and listen with your heart.

Lindsey Kane - Measure of Beauty

Warning signs...

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Have you ever wondered why you can be so impatient in a shop, queue, in traffic or just in general? Or why you so easily snap at nothing and for no apparent reason. Symptoms like these should not be ignored, it should waive a little red flag indicating that something, somewhere is bothering us.

Jesus is the perfect example of peace and patience, He still became angry at certain times, but his anger was always righteous and related to injustice for example in Matt 21:12-14 “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’” The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.”

Remember that in those days people would bring animals or doves to the temple as offerings to atone for their sins, but instead of serving the poor people coming to the temple with prayer and counselling, the priests or teachers were selling animals at inflated prices, making themselves rich and this angered Jesus as His people were being taken advantage of.

I know when something is bothering me or draining me and I know that if I don't deal with the issue with God then it would lead to all of the above. If I notice one of those symptoms pop out in my daily life, I take time out, sit with God and ask Him to reveal to me what is bothering me deep down. Sometimes the answer is quite obvious and relates to something that recently happened, but sometimes an issue can get so hidden that we are not even aware of it anymore, but the symptoms still remain.

Anger or frustration never inspire or positively motivate us, they always lead us to a feeling of shame, guilt or just sadness, emptiness or depression. Whatever you want to call it, the fact is that it drains us from our joy and peace.

This is not the way Jesus wants us to live. He has come to set us free forever and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Non-believers often don’t understand me when I say that I'm freer now than I've ever been. This is because they see God as a set of rules and not as a best friend and counsellor. I really can't blame them as there have been so many misrepresentations made about God, by churches, all over the world and people trying to control and manipulate for their own gain.

Nonetheless my point still stands. Jesus has set me free from the bondages that this world and life have placed on me. He has set me free from the anger, hurt, resentment, offence, condemnation and rejection in my own heart, which leaves me at a place where I am secure, free to forgive, free to live life and free to love freely like Him without wounds from the past or any conditions holding me back.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Cor 13:17

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Gal 5:1

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

I am unique

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I cannot stress enough how different each person is. We can all see it, different features, hair, eyes, bodies, personalities, strengths, weaknesses  and the list goes on, but for some reason we expect God to work the same way with all of us.

Don't misunderstand me, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and His principles and character will never change, but the manner in which He deals with each one of us is very different. It has to be, because we all have different personalities, backgrounds and biases. What works for me, won't necessarily work for you and no one knows that better than God. He knows exactly what makes you tick, how to wind you up and how to wind you down.

My point is this, walking with Jesus is a relationship, not a set of rules. You might have heard that phrase a hundred times, but why do we still compare, judge and beat ourselves up for not meeting standards that WE have set for ourselves?

Jesus has met every standard that we ever had to meet. In Him we are clothed with His righteousness and perfection, blameless before the throne of God. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 We are free to walk in relationship with the living God, to hear His voice and heartbeat without anything holding us back.

He has a unique road for each one of us to walk and on that road we will find everything we ever needed. Don't look left or right to someone else's road, don't compare or envy, just walk, walk in faith knowing that God is good and that He only gives good gifts to His children. (Matt 7:7-11) Do not be distracted or pressured by other people's successes or misfortunes and don't let people force their ideas of how you should walk on you, just focus on His direction and the road that He has shaped for you, it is tailored to your needs and filled with blessings, peace and joy.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes” Jeremiah 29:11-14

 “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:23-29