It's personal

We understand faith up to a certain level, but last week God told me to have faith in my relationship with Him and it got me thinking. Ok, so not just faith in Him, but faith in our relationship, because it's personal. Think for a second what the difference is. When we meet God we start to build a relationship with Him, the same way that we would start any friendship.

At the beginning you are unsure of who this person really is, what he likes, how he reacts, how he loves, how he speaks etc. As the relationship develops you see His kindness, you experience His love and blessings and you learn about His character and personality. At some stage you reach a point where you can put faith in the relationship that has developed. You can rely on the relationship, because you know Him as a person. You know that the relationship can withstand ups, downs and misunderstandings and you come to know that He always has your back and loves you with an unconditional love.

It is during challenging or teaching times that we can put our faith in our relationship with Him. We can know that even though He seems silent, He will speak again. We know that even though we think we might have messed up, He will never turn His back on us. Even when the enemy or people around us try and convince us otherwise, we can know and stand sure that He will never leave us or forsake us and that He is a good God.

Just because the circumstances in our lives change, doesn't mean that God changes as well. He is always consistent and when times are tough, we need to exercise faith in our relationship with Him and hold on to what we know and not to what we feel.

Ensure today that you know God personally so that you can rely on your relationship with Him when times are challenging. He will never leave you or forsake you and He has a plan. Hold on tightly and find peace in the midst of the storm. He will quiet the wind and the waves and you will be able to see clearly what was going on all along.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

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The power of love

What do you think when I tell you: “God loves you”? Maybe you know His love well, maybe you don’t care or will just brush me off by saying: “whatever”. In some way the phrase “God loves you” has become such a cliché and so easily said and I wonder how many people truly know that God loves them incredibly much and experience His love? I was at a wedding this weekend and the person speaking mentioned that the wife is God’s vessel through which He can tangibly show her husband how much He loves him and vice versa. There is no other relationship where love can be demonstrated so intimately, in so many ways and on so many levels than in marriage. A wife lifts up her husband by loving him the way God loves him and the husband lifts up the wife by loving her the way God loves her.

No wonder Jesus calls the church His bride. His people are destined to live in an intimate relationship of love with Him. There is so incredibly much power in the love of God and nothing can stand against it. I love that the Bible says: “Perfect love casts out all fear.” and we have the perfect love inside of us. I wonder how our lives will look when we truly, truly grasp this wonderful truth. We cannot comprehend how much God loves us. It’s not just a little love, it’s a BIG love and everything He does demonstrates His love for you. You get to know Him by His love. It is who He is.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 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.” Eph 3:14-19

Paul says that we need to be “rooted and grounded in love” meaning rooted and grounded in God’s love. If we just begin to understand how much God loves us, we will bounce up and down every day with joy, our fears will be extinct and we will overflow with peace. Not to mention the confidence and power we will walk in. No feeling of guilt or condemnation will hold us down and no manipulating thoughts will distract us from Him. We will feel in love and light as a feather 24 hours a day and this IS possible.

As God is teaching me to walk in His love and Spirit, I feel everything around me changing. There are fewer things that try to get me down and their effects don’t last long. I feel more and more unstoppable every day, because He is in me and when He is for me, who can be against me?

We don’t live by what we feel, but by what we know and what you can ask for you can have if you believe. Everything starts with faith, because without faith we cannot please God. We need to believe He loves us whether we feel it or not. We need to believe He listens whether we feel it or not. We need to believe He speaks whether we hear Him or not and then we will start experiencing things. Then our eyes will open and we will see His love, feel His love and hear His voice.

The Bible says:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matt 7:7

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer 29:13

“Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Psalm 27:7-8

God does not disappoint. Seek and you will find. Seek His love and you will come to know it and it will blow your mind! As it says above “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge”, it is not something that we can understand with our minds. It is above our knowledge, it does not make sense, it is a crazy, I-did-not-do- anything- to deserve-this kind of love. It is unstoppable, unbreakable and 100% unconditional. There is nothing we can do to earn His love, all we can do is accept it and be thankful. It’s when we stop trying to earn it, when we realise that we have it all already.

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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!

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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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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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Access with confidence!

In the days before the death and resurrection of Jesus, no one could enter the most holy place in the temple. Only the high priest could go behind the veil into the presence of God. There were various rituals which the high priest needed to perform in order for him to be acceptable to God and to enable him to enter into the most holy place. 

On the day that Jesus died, the veil in the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two from the top to bottom. (Matt 27:51) This was no coincidence. The veil was an extremely long and wide curtain and made from very thick material. 

This is very significant for you and me, because the veil that has been separating the people from the presence of God has now been removed giving us access through Jesus into the most holy place of God's presence. Jesus came to die so that we can have a relationship with God, so that there is no separation anymore.

The veil signifies our sin and Jesus has endured death on a cross as punishment for our sin, he took our place and thereby removing the veil of sin forever. We do not need an invitation into God's presence, we did not earn it, but we received it as a free gift. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Do not let any lie keep you separated from the presence of God, Jesus has already paid the price, you now have access into the most holy place, with boldness and confidence, because you are a son and heir in His kingdom and have been set free by the blood of Jesus.

"This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realised in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory." Ephesians 3:11-13 

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh." Hebrews 10:19-20