Generosity changes the heart

There are not many things as powerful as generosity. It doesn't just bless the person receiving, but it also changes the heart of the giver. It is not a surprise that Jesus says it is better to give than to receive!

Being able to give your time or money is a privilege. An act of selfless kindness changes our hearts and our capacity to love and be loved. We were not created to function alone, but to find joy in community and helping each other. It gives us an opportunity to escape from the world of me me me and see the world from someone else's perspective. It forces us to leave our stress and worries at the door and focus our attention on the needs of someone else.

Then why is it so hard for us? Maybe it's due to our overcrowded schedules? Thinking we can do more and fit more in. When will we stop and think about quality of life and not quantity?

Maybe we think that giving will drain us or if we start giving our time that people will take advantage of us?

Maybe we should make more time to find a need of someone close to us and help? Maybe make a commitment or a random act of kindness? But I am convinced that somewhere in our week we can find a need and fill it. Listening to a friend for 30min, babysitting or making a meal for a stressed friend or even volunteering an hour a week somewhere.

Generosity is not charity, it's seeing the need when no one else does.

I recently read an article about being happy and living longer and this is what it says about giving:

"One of the most counterintuitive pieces of advice I found is that to make yourself feel happier, you should help others. In fact, 100 hours per year (or two hours per week) is the optimal time we should dedicate to helping others in order to enrich our lives.

If we go back to Shawn Achor’s book again, he says this about helping others:

…when researchers interviewed more than 150 people about their recent purchases, they found that money spent on activities – such as concerts and group dinners out – brought far more pleasure than material purchases like shoes, televisions, or expensive watches. Spending money on other people, called “prosocial spending,” also boosts happiness.

The Journal of Happiness Studies published a study that explored this very topic:

Participants recalled a previous purchase made for either themselves or someone else and then reported their happiness. Afterward, participants chose whether to spend a monetary windfall on themselves or someone else. Participants assigned to recall a purchase made for someone else reported feeling significantly happier immediately after this recollection; most importantly, the happier participants felt, the more likely they were to choose to spend a windfall on someone else in the near future.

So spending money on other people makes us happier than buying stuff for ourselves. What about spending our time on other people?
In his book Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being, University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman explains that helping others can improve our own lives:

…we scientists have found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested."

Also the following was very exciting for me to read:

"The Terman study, which is covered in The Longevity Project, found that relationships and how we help others were important factors in living long, happy lives:

We figured that if a Terman participant sincerely felt that he or she had friends and relatives to count on when having a hard time then that person would be healthier. Those who felt very loved and cared for, we predicted, would live the longest. Surprise: our prediction was wrong… Beyond social network size, the clearest benefit of social relationships came from helping others. Those who helped their friends and neighbours, advising and caring for others, tended to live to old age."

So it is scientifically proven that being generous and helping others will make us happier and live longer. Maybe it's time to put our fears aside, jump into action and discover the joys of giving!

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give - Sir Winston Churchill

Picture credits: misadventuresblog and stewardship
Article credit: thespiritscience

It's a RELATIONSHIP!!!

Every relationship is different. Personalities and preferences differ from person to person and thus no relationship will be 100% the same. We then can also not expect that our relationship with God will look the same as someone else's. God speaks to us all in different ways and the important thing is not HOW He speaks, but that you HEAR Him. A relationship needs communication and God is no different.

All healthy relationships also have some kind of agreement of what is acceptable and what's not. For example, some men might not want their wives to work late hours at work and prefer a wife that is home in the evenings. Other men might have no problem with their wives working long hours. Others might prefer a spouse who drinks no alcohol during the week, where another doesn't mind. This can be applicable to anything from playing video games to socialising. Different relationships, different 'rules'. At the end you choose which relationship you want and what your preferences are according to the life that you want to live and what's important to you.

As you grow in your relationship with God, you will see what the 'rules' in your relationship are. God might ask me not to drink alcohol for example, because I don't know when to stop and it hurts our relationship, because I feel ashamed the next day. He might never speak to you about alcohol, because He doesn't mind that you have a few drinks and it doesn't hurt your relationship. Whatever He asks you to do, you can know for sure that it is the best for your relationship and that it will always benefit and protect you.

The most important thing is that we know that it is personal. It is my relationship and your relationship. I can't tell people not to drink alcohol, because God asked ME not to do it. They should do what God tells THEM to do. If I force people to do what God has told me to do, then I just burden people with a bunch of rules and they will end up feeling condemned. Too many people follow other people's 'rules' for their relationship with God and end up feeling unhappy and burdened. They have no grace to live according to those 'rules' and they thus bring no life to them. Your relationship with God will bring life and joy to you and you need to grow in that relationship on your own. It's between you and Him and it's special and wonderful. Don't let other people tell you what your relationship with God should be like, only that a relationship with God will always include a foundation of love, peace and joy. Spend time with Him, grow with Him, enjoy His freedom and discover the greatest friend you'll ever know.

Photo credit: stockarch

Fear be gone!

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." I have written about this verse before and quite frankly, I hope that I still write about it many more times. The impact of this verse on our daily lives is just phenomenal!

I want to start by elaborating on fear. We don't just fear. We fear something, a situation, a person or maybe a future possible event. Fear always has a root that stems from something and that something is almost always a lie. Satan is the great liar, the father of all lies. He plants these lies in our minds (thoughts) and when we dwell on these thoughts, they create emotions and then ultimately we start acting and responding out of fear. (actions) The sequence is always the same thought, emotion and action.

He plants these lies to sow doubt and to break down our faith. Fear thus takes root and all kinds of emotion ensue for eg. anxiety, worry, stress, nervousness and the list goes on. So you might be wondering how all this links back to "perfect love casts out fear"?

Well the Bible says that God is love, He is perfect love and when we keep our eyes focused on His love, we will not fear, because the greatness of His love for us is far bigger than any fear. So if you feel anxious, worried or stressed and fear has gotten the better of you, take some time out and identify the lie, because when we worry, we have started believing somewhere deep down that God isn't all that He says He is.

For example if you worry because you don't know how you will pay your bills then the lie might be "why would your God provide for you, how sure are you that He will come through for you?" If we fall for the lie, then we start believing that God is not the great provider that the Bible proclaims Him to be and fear creeps in. So in our minds we think that God is our provider, but in our hearts we worry that He won’t provide. We need to take the lie captive and submit it to the Word so that our mind and heart can be in agreement. The truth is that nothing can separate us from the love of God and the more we believe it, the more we will know His love and the fear will be cast out.

Obtain a greater revelation of His love! Sit in His presence, read the Word, write down verses, look back at testimonies in your life, do whatever you can to try and comprehend even slightly the amount of love that He has for you. If we can just grasp the tip-of-the-iceberg of His love for us, then we will never fear again and no worry or anxiousness will ever hold us back from living life to the fullest! Let love grow and watch fear disappear!

Picture credit: lthomason

Wait a minute...

Three weeks ago I thought: "I have a certain amount of things to do and at the end on November I'll be done and then it's time to relax." My appointments were booked, my move was planned, my visa prepped and all I needed to do was pitch up. Or so I thought... It turned out that every task that I needed to do grew about 3 extra tentacles and it was out of control.

Some things I had to do 3 times, I got dropped by people at the last minute and my most important appointment got postponed twice without me having any say in the matter. Needless to say, I got discouraged. Why was everything taking so unusually long and just when I think that I have one thing covered, it pops its head out again?

Suddenly I thought: "wait a minute... Who do I believe is in control here?" the correct answer would be God, but if I really believed that, would I be getting frustrated right now? No, I guess I won't, because even if it is out of my control, it will never be out of His hand. Amazing what a little change in perspective can do! I was so caught up in getting things done, that when things didn't go my way, I got frustrated instead of holding my circumstances lightly and allowing God to plan the timing.

Suddenly peace came and I knew that everything will get done in its time and that God's timing is perfect in every situation. It's so easy to forget that God is in control when we get so wrapped up in our own situation and then instead of peace, we experience frustration, irritation and maybe even anger. It has been 3 weeks now and some tasks are still not done, but peace reigns in my heart, because I know that there is a reason for everything and that God can do in a day what we can't imagine in a lifetime!

I can step back and relax, do my part when the time is right and just marvel at how He will make the story unfold. After all, He is the good shepherd and He knows how to look after His sheep.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 ESV)

Photo credit: vi.sualize.us

When God speaks

When God speaks, He speaks life! It's not about conventional or rational, it's about Him, His plan and His purpose for your life. We don't need to breathe life into the visions that He has for our lives or the future that He reveals to us. By speaking, He breathes life over our situations and He will lead us through faithfully. All we can do from our side is to seek first the Kingdom and He will add the rest. We can build our relationship with Him and serve in the areas where He is using us. We don't need to carve out the plans or the road for ourselves.

Actually as soon as we start carving out the road, we start stressing and losing our focus because we start taking control of something which isn't supposed to be in our hands. How are we supposed to lead the way when we only know part of the journey? We cannot, it’s impossible and that’s why we need to keep our ears tuned to God’s voice and react to His promptings.

When God reveals something to you, wait for His instruction and follow the road which He lays out before you. Running ahead will highly likely create doubt and stress in your life. It is in situations like these where we learn to walk closely with the Holy Spirit. We learn to hear His direction and trust that He knows what’s best for us. Be encouraged as you are growing in faith. Remember that “faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the conviction of the things not seen”.  Rom 11:1

May you have wonderful adventures with the Holy Spirit as He pours His love into your hearts and leads you from glory to glory!

Picture credit: marielliott.deviantart.com

You are not alone

When you have God in your life, you will never be alone again. He is with you, watching over you, holding you, carrying you and planning your every step. He catches you when you fall and helps you back up in His love. He knows your fears and failures and He loves you still. He is not intimidated by your past or your current situation. He is not there to scold you, but to walk alongside you. He knows your motives and He sees your heart. He knows what He can expect from you and you can never disappoint Him. He knew what you were going to do with everything that He gave you and He still gave it nonetheless.

He loves you, accepts you, cares for you and is proud of you. He has an unlimited storeroom, His heart is to bless you and He cannot wait to spoil you. He waits for you to ask Him and He delights in answering your questions. He provides for you, protects you and dreams of a bright future for you. 

He is everything you want and everything you need. He is unable to lie, unable to disappoint and He will never be able to stop pursuing you, because His love for you is more than you can ever dream of.

A Tetris moment

So this week I had a Tetris moment. "So what is a Tetris moment?" you might ask and I'll explain it as follows. In a game of Tetris you have blocks of various shapes falling at a certain speed and you have to align all the blocks to fit perfectly. This becomes difficult as you do not know which block will fall next thus making it difficult to plan ahead. Also if you place blocks in awkward positions then you start running out of space until eventually you lose control, your screen overflows with blocks and it is game over.

So I had a Tetris moment in my mind, all these thoughts and ideas started falling at different speeds and I wondered how on earth I'm going to fit them all in in the most effective manner. I felt a bit claustrophobic as the thoughts crept in on me and I realised, I need a time out!

Sometimes we just need a time out to say: "hold on a moment, these thoughts shouldn't control me, I should control them" and then take some time to sit, identify the different thoughts and piece them together. We can so easily get overwhelmed by our multitude of thoughts and emotions just because we do not take a moment to sit and just organise them. It is so worthwhile to take some time out, sit with God and decide how these things all work together. Otherwise the confusion will always lead to anxiety.

Even when you are in a situation where you cannot merely draw up a plan of action, because the variables are unknown, you can still take time out and rest in the truth that God knows which block will be falling next and that He knows how to place them all perfectly and efficiently. He is the ultimate Tetris player, He never makes mistakes and can save any seemly lost game.
 
In Luke 12 Jesus says: "do not be anxious about your life" and "which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" Let's put our trust in God's hands and know by faith that He is looking out for us and that all things will work together for our good. He is in control and always looks out for His children. He has a plan for our lives and even though we don't know what the future holds, He knows and our future is secure in Him.

"And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you." Luke 12:22-31

Listen to this awesome song! - Hillsong United - Oceans


Photo credit: Loyal K.N.G

Perfect love

It always amazes me how many times I can read the same scripture and then, after I don't know how many times, get something completely different or new from it. Or I just completely forgot about the scripture and then when I read it again it is so refreshing to me. It really is amazing how God put so many layers in the Bible for us to discover!

I recently read the following scripture "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." 1 John 4:18

This scripture really is amazing! When we have a revelation of how much God loves us, we cannot fear Him. With the word 'fear' I'm referring to 'being afraid of'. Have you ever thought of why you would be afraid of someone? You might be afraid of someone because they can hurt you physically or emotionally or punish you. But God has no intention of hurting us or punishing us. Jesus has already died for every sin that we have ever committed and will ever commit and He has taken the entire punishment upon Himself. There is no more punishment left for us.

Thus if we receive the revelation of God's love for us, we will fear no more and we will be free to walk without feelings of fear, guilt or condemnation as His love casts out all fear and keeps us in relationship with Him. If our revelation of His love is too small, then we are not yet perfected in love and fear might overtake us from time to time and make us feel condemned.

When God looks at us He sees us clothed in righteousness and in right standing with God, because of what Jesus has done. There is no disappointment in His eyes, only love for us. It is His love that sets us free, it fills us with peace and joy and gives us a foundation of security, knowing that we are always in the palm of His hand, that His favour is on us and that He is always in control.

Do not be afraid and do not be ashamed, but run into the arms of God. Ask Him today to give you a greater revelation of His love for you, so that you can be perfected in love. There you will find acceptance, love, rest and a peace that transcends all understanding.

“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

Photo credit: favim

God knows

I think the subtitle to this post should be "Keep calm, God knows".

He knows. He knows. He knows. I just want to keep on writing that for an entire page. He knows the desires of your heart, He knows what you need and He knows the plans which He has for you. He is a good God, a loving father and a best friend. He knitted you together in your mother's womb. His heart is for you, His love is over you and His favour is upon you.

He sees your every need and hears your every heart cry and He is not panicking, He has a plan. He has plans for good and not for evil, plans to prosper you, for a future and a hope. He knows every desire that you haven't even discovered yet, He knows what you are going to ask before you even ask it and He plans how to meet it. He knows what will fulfil you and what you enjoy doing the most and He works everything together for your good. Sometimes we might not understand things or the reasons for things changing, but He knows. He's protecting you, shaping you and changing you or moving you into the person or situation which He knows you will find most fulfilling. He is a good God and that is something we should never forget. He is in all the details and He planned it all in advance.

His ways are perfect and often unconventional, but beauty will always be evident, His grace will abound and His love will overflow. He looks at the heart, not the face and He listens to the story, not judge the consequences. His mercy is great and His arms are wide open. He is a comfort to all who seek Him, He rebuilds whatever is broken and restores all that was stolen. He is the epitome of kindness and the lover of our souls.

Come today and bring it all to Him. There is no prerequisite, no perfect way, just come and bring it all. He sees you, the hurt part of you, the broken you, the misunderstood you, the beautiful you, He knows you and He still loves you.

“He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:19

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isaiah 55:1

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

Photo credit: favim

Feed on His faithfulness

I’m not the type of person to look back, I like keeping my gaze ahead as opposed to dwelling on the past. What’s done is done and there’s no point getting hung up on it, but I do believe that sometimes looking back to the good parts is important. God is 100% in control of our lives and He weaves our lives together beautifully. We need to look back to see His golden thread running through our days, months and years. He knows the plans that He has for us and when we come to Him with a willing heart, He makes them happen and makes our paths straight.

I love this verse Psalm 37:3: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” My Bible has a little note at the verse and an explanation at the bottom which I love the most. “Befriend faithfulness” can also be translated as “feed on His faithfulness”. When we look back, we see all the wonderful things which He has done and we see His golden thread weaving together all things for good. We see His faithfulness in our lives and we can remind ourselves of who He is and how He is in control. We can then feed on this faithfulness of His and feed our spirits and our faith. By reminding (feeding) ourselves of His faithfulness, we build ourselves up and increase our faith in the situations that we are currently facing.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

We tend to use this scripture as comfort when people are facing difficult situations, which is appropriate, but this scripture is not limited to difficult situations, it also includes favourable situations. It is not that He only works the difficult things together for our good, but ALL things. Thus in every part of our lives and in every season, He is weaving our lives together, all for our good (and growth) and for His glory. Ultimately we do not just want to live for ourselves, but also to serve His purpose for our lives and serve the people around us in the ways which He intended for us.

Take some time today to look back and spot the golden thread weaving through your past. He took His time and put you on a journey to bring you to this place and for a time such as this. Be encouraged, strengthened, thankful and secure, because He KNOWS the plans He has for you, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Photo credit: Blog 

Love, love, love!

Love, love, love, love, love, I cannot say it enough! It’s just so intensely on my heart today. To love is to live. I’m referring to all kinds of love, friendship, relationship, family and neighbourly love. To love people intensely is such an amazing experience. Yes, you can get hurt sometimes and sometimes you have to say goodbye, but you are still blessed to have loved. God has put something so amazing in each person on earth and if we can see each person through God’s eyes then we would only feel love for them.

The Bible says that God is love and therefore loving is probably the greatest thing you can do. It is not always easy and sometimes it doesn’t come naturally, but if we get God’s perspective on someone our love for them will grow in our hearts, because God looks down on us with love.

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:16-19

Sometimes I feel as if I want to explode with love and the more time I spend with God, the more I feel loved and the more I love. God increases our capacity to love. Loving people didn’t come naturally to me before I met Jesus. I loved my friends and family, but that’s about where it stopped. I even kept my friends at a certain distance, because I felt that I was a private person and I also saw emotions as a sort of weakness. Now I can confidently say that my strength lies in my ability to love. Not with my own love, because my own love expects a return and runs dry, but with God’s love, the love which loves unconditionally without expecting returns. There is a difference between the love of God and the love of this world. Our minds cannot understand the love of God, but our hearts cannot deny it. We are drawn like a moth to a flame. When you are consumed with God’s love there is no space for jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, envy and strife. God’s love knows no bounds, it never ends and as the Bible says: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”  1 Peter 4:8 Love covers everything, it wipes the slate clean, it builds up and encourage.

That is what Jesus did for us on the cross. He died for us, because He loved us. He covered us with His love and in that separated us from sin and death and gave us life. If we struggle with negative or destructive thoughts against other people, we should not ask God to remove the thoughts, but ask Him to increase our capacity to love. He is the only one who can fill you with pure love. If you have not yet felt His pure love running through your veins, I ask you to sit with Him and ask Him to fill you with his love. Ask Him for an experience of His love. Ask Him every day until you meet Him in that place of pure love and joy. God delights in us and His desire and love is for us. Don’t settle for anything less.

“and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-21

Amazing song: Be my love

Picture credit: favim

Having the upper hand!

We want to live every day knowing that we have the upper hand over our circumstances. We can always have the upper hand, because we have the Spirit of God living inside of us. As per the scripture below, David knew that God would rescue him, because God delights in David. David knew who he was and therefore he could claim the promises of God. He had the upper hand.

“He sent from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.” Psalm 18:16-19

The same can be said for us as we are children of God and He delights in us. I think we can often forget that He delights in us and we forget that He is always ready to support and guide us. We might not always know what He is doing, but He will “send from on high” and He will “bring me into a broad place” at the appointed time. David was confident, because he knew who God is and His character. He knew that God is the type of friend who always has your back in the battle.

The more we get to know God, the more confident we become and we build a foundation of trust on Him and His word. I think that we sometimes forget that the journey should be a joyous one, even though we walk through deep water sometimes, He will always carry us through. We do not have to doubt Him! The Bible says: “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

We are more than conquerors because of what Jesus has done, not because of what we are doing. The victory is ours before we even lift a finger. It is not what we are doing, but what Jesus has done and we have to live in the truth and the reality of who we are now. The only thing that we can do is be willing, humble and listen to God’s voice. He desires a relationship, He wants to spend time with you, have fun with you and laugh with you. Be sensitive to His whispers and give Him your undivided attention when you feel Him tugging at your heart. You are one word away from the solution to whatever you are facing at the moment. Do not miss out. He will give you the strength to face every day with peace, love and heaps of joy. You have the upper hand!

Photo credit: seasidesunsets

Letting go...

I like being in control. I’m a natural leader and I like managing situations. As a manger I manage people, clients and difficult situations every day and I often have to take control of situations to manage difficult problems. So managing and controlling became natural to me and I’m sure this spills over into my personal life. I always have to be aware of this and I can often put pressure on myself to manage all areas of my life perfectly.

God gives us tasks or puts us in situations beyond our control, because He knows that with Him we can do far more than on our own. God puts us in these situations because He knows that it is not humanly possible to cope on our own and that we have to hold on to Him. He does this so that at the end of the task or journey, when we obtain the victory, we can say “All the glory to God! There is no way that I could have done this on my own.” We say this not with false humility, but because we know how many times God had to carry us through. He is interested in His glory and making His name famous. He is God, is He not? And we have the privilege to be used in the process.

The problem comes in when He gives us a difficult situation or a large task and we start off trusting Him and it’s all going well and then one day we get busy, tired or stressed. We realise that we have lost some focus and even though the situation was perfectly fine in God’s hands, we start thinking that we have to DO something. Instead of receiving grace and leaving the task with God, we feel the need to jump in, manage and control, but it’s a lost case, because we can never cope with it all on our own. The task or situation wasn’t given to us to cope with on our own in the first place. It is a “you and God” team effort with God doing the directing and you following the lead. As soon as we take control we become overwhelmed and fear, doubt and anxiety takes over our lives. We start to feel inadequate, because the task is overwhelming and the lies start to tell us that we are unworthy, useless and failures.

Let’s look at the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. If you read the story you will realise that Jesus knew that Lazarus was ill and He chose to wait for Him to die, instead of going immediately to heal Him. After hearing of his death, Jesus returns to the tomb where Lazarus has been buried for 4 days and “Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that You always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent me.” When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”” John 11:40-44

Jesus waited for Lazarus to die and made the situation humanly impossible to save. It was hopeless as Lazarus has been dead for 4 days. He knew that God wanted to reveal His glory and He thus raised Lazarus from the dead revealing God's glory.

God is the only one who can raise impossible situations or tasks from the dead. He is the one that saves. “But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in (your) weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

God is committed to His plan, He will never ask us to do it alone and He always finishes that which He started. Let’s hand over our tasks, situations, fears and doubts to God today. He can do the impossible and give us the strength and courage to walk and finish the journey.

Song: Jesus Culture with Martin Smith - Show Me Your Glory / Majesty   (I love the words “Majesty, Your grace has found me just as I am, empty handed, but alive in your hands.”)

Photo credit: favim

God is patient

 

Today I was thinking about how patient God is with us and how impatient we can sometimes be towards Him. We know that God's timing is perfect, but we ask "when, when, when?" and we become impatient and discouraged so quickly.

If I think back over the years, I can just thank God for how patient He has been with me. All the times that I didn't love Him the way I should've, listened to what He said or did what He asked me to do. He didn't ask me "when, when, when?" but patiently walked with me on my journey until I understood what He was saying or saw what He was busy doing and left my selfishness behind and obeyed His voice. He has always approached me with kindness and patience.

I thank God that He didn't give up on me, turned His back on me or withheld promises from me just because I didn't do everything that He asked me to do. How often do we want to give up on God, turn our backs on Him or get angry with Him just because He is not doing what we think He should be doing right now? Then a few weeks into the struggle we realise why He held back or why He didn't jump when we wanted Him to jump and we end up feeling embarrassed because of our impatience.

God is love and "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV)

Look back at the times when He was there for you, where He showed you the way and led you through dark hours. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and He has shown us much patience, much more than we deserve. He patiently waited for you to follow and choose Him and He did not count your sin against you even if you have mocked or slandered His name. He has shown us unending mercy, kindness, grace and love.

Maybe today you feel as if you want to give up on God, that He is not coming through for you or that He is not being all that you believe He is. I want to encourage you that God IS love and He IS faithful and that He has never given up on you and He believes in you. Even if you don't see it yet or have been waiting for a long time, don't give up, He is for you and not against you. Find comfort in Him and know that He is your Father and that He has only the best in store for you. You can overcome any challenge with Him at your side and He will guide and comfort you through anything that life can throw your way.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare Him own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31, 32 ESV)

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Ask for a sign

The following four scriptures appear in the Bible:

Isaiah tells King Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” Isaiah 7:11

God says to Gideon: “And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” And Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favour in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And He said, “I will stay till you return.”” Judges 6:16-18

Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: “But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matt 12:39

“And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”” Luke 4:12

When you read these scriptures it might seem like the Bible contradicts itself. How can God tell King Ahaz to ask for a sign, but tell the scribes and Pharisees that an evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign? Also Jesus said that you shall not put god to the test. The way I understand it, is that it is all about the heart.

Gideon’s heart was right, he asked God for a sign saying that if God gives him the sign then he will do what God tells him to. Also see Judges 6:36-38. Gideon is willing to follow God and believe His word wholeheartedly, when God gives him the sign. God knows that Gideon is not testing Him. He knows that Gideon's motive is genuine and that whatever God proves through the sign, Gideon will do. If Gideon asks for a sign and God knows that even if He gives Gideon a sign, he still will not obey God, then Gideon is just mocking God and then God will probably give no sign as God will not be mocked and will not be tested.

The scribes and the Pharisees on the other hand were not looking for a sign to help them obey or follow God, they were looking for ways to test Jesus and to prove that He is not the Messiah. No amount of signs would have convinced them that the Son of God was standing in front of them, because their eyes were blind and their hearts were hard towards God. Asking for a sign was evil and adulterous as they were ready to test Jesus and to find something which to betray Him with. They call Him teacher, but they don’t believe that He is the Son of God and they seek any opportunity to find fault in Him. If you read the first part of chapter 12, you will find that Jesus just healed a man with a withered hand, a man who was demon possessed, blind and mute and everyone else who followed Him. All these miracles were done moments or hours before they asked Him for the sign and they still did not believe.

Jesus was also healing people on the Sabbath day, which was unlawful according to the Pharisees, as you were not allowed to work on the Sabbath. They might also have been asking for more signs in order to have more evidence to incriminate Him with. Point being, their motive and heart behind asking were evil and adulterous and Jesus knew that.

I have found that when I ask God for a sign I have to be serious about it or God will not respond. Let’s say that you want to ask God whether or not you should take a new job. If you tell Him that you will say “yes” if they phone on Monday and “no” if they phone on any other day of the week, then you have to be serious about it. If God knows that you will say “yes” no matter which day they phone, because in your heart you have already decided that you want the job, then He will most likely not give you the sign as He will not be mocked. You cannot ask God for a sign if you have already decided what you are going to do. It sounds silly, but God is not stupid and He can see your heart. If you are earnest, He will respond, but if He knows that you will not obey Him after He gives the sign, then He won’t give you a sign. He does not put Himself or you in that position. The problem is that we are sometimes too scared to ask for a sign, because we are scared of what the answer might be and we are scared that the answer will not be in line with what we want.

So if you want to ask God, be genuine, be honest with yourself and get your heart to a place where you know that whatever He asks you to do or whatever His answer is, you will follow and obey. When you get your heart to that point, then ask for a sign and I believe He will give it gladly. Do not be afraid to ask, even if His answer does not match your wants, rather know that He is good and He always has the best plans for His children.

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Do not give up!

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You are just at your end. You don’t know which way next. You hold on, but you struggle and it’s not that you don’t have faith, but you are just tired. You know the miracle is coming, but when? Why is it taking so long? You have no idea and there is nothing you can do about it. It’s not in your hands, it’s out of your control and you feel helpless and discouraged.

“But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” 1 Kings 19:4-8

Elijah was probably the greatest prophet who ever lived, but still he finds himself in the wilderness asking God to take his life. Ironically Elijah never died, but was taken up to heaven by God before Elisha’s eyes. But at this stage Elijah was at his end, Jezebel wanted to kill him and he fled into the wilderness. He obeyed God, slayed and defeated the priests of Baal and was now suffering persecution because of it. He had no reason to doubt the power of God, as he just saw the power of God in 1 Kings 18, but still he flees to the wilderness as he is the only prophet of God left in the entire Israel.

“There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And He said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””

Maybe today you are at your end. You don’t know how much longer you can hold on and you are just tired. Can I encourage you today? God is with you wherever life takes you and He will sustain you as He sustained Elijah with food and water. Not just food for your body, but food for your soul and Sprit through His word and His voice. Seek Him. He will give you the strength to go on fighting. He knows where you are at and what you are going through and He is not oblivious to it. His voice is in the whispers and He will lead you through. Even though you do not feel Him, He is definitely there carrying you. Don’t run away, but stay and fight, your victory is around the corner!

“But He answered, “It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone,
 but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matt 4:4

“ And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Gal 6:9

Claiming the promises

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God has equipped us in Jesus with everything that we need. I just want to have a greater revelation of this truth every day! We just need to realise daily that we have already received in Christ everything that we have asked for. The entire Bible is full of promises that God has made to us and any word that we believe, we can receive.

I always say that you can almost “sue” God. The Bible is a contract and if it is in His word, then you can claim it. The problem comes in when we don’t know what’s in the contract and then we have no foot to stand on in court. Satan comes as the accuser with his lies, doubts and fear and our only weapon as our defence is the Bible. When Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan, He exposed every one of Satan’s lies by quoting scripture.

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Eph 6:16

The Bible says “So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.” Rom 10:17 Thus the “shield of faith” is hearing the word of God and knowing how to defend yourself from the lies and schemes of Satan and even from the insecurities in your own mind.

If you are struggling with something, whatever issue it is, take the thought captive and submit it to the word of God. For example, if you are doubting whether you can hear God’s voice, read John 10:1-18 where it says that a sheep knows the voice of the shepherd and claim it for yourself. I normally say something like “God, Your word says that the sheep hears your voice and I am your sheep, so I expect you to speak to me and I believe that you want to.” Or if you wake up not feeling loved or full of joy, remind yourself that “you can do all things through Him that strengthens you” and that God loved you so much that He gave His only Son to die for you or read Song of Solomon and know that “you are beautiful my darling, there is no flaw in you”. God likes it when we take His word seriously and act boldly. He likes it when we exercise our faith and proclaim what we know is true.

I just have this picture now of two kids, you are the child of God and you are saying to the lie of Satan: “I don’t care how big your dad is, my Dad is bigger and He can beat up your dad, one shot!” Every dad is proud when his son believes in him. It is the same with God, He is so proud of us when we know who He is and what we have in Him and that every lie that the devil will ever tell has already been beaten.

You can find a verse for any issue that you have and speak it over your life. Be bold and courageous and break the lies that Satan ties your mind down with. It really is ALL in the mind. The Bible says “as a man thinks in his heart, so he is”. Change your way of thinking by learning what the Bible says about you and the power that you have in Jesus and start living life free from the limitations that Satan, other people or even you for that matter have put on yourself.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9