Practice what you preach

We need to start taking life to a new level. It is time for us to rise up and be on our front foot and not on the defense. It is so easy to read our Bibles and spend time with God, but then get swept away by the motions, thoughts and habits of daily life and people. What we read, is what we should speak and what we speak, is what we need to exercise daily. Our thoughts need to be in line with the thoughts of God. We have His Spirit, but our minds need to be renewed, so that we can live and think according to His Spirit and not according to this world.

For example, we can’t read the Bible and then say that we are ill. We cannot be ill, because we are new, reborn creations in Christ Jesus and He has died for every illness that we can ever have. So we can never be ill. We can feel the attack of an illness and then we have a choice, allow it or rebuke it. Sometimes it takes longer to rebuke than other times, but just because we are being attacked and we feel the physical symptoms, does not mean that God’s word is not true and that we are now ill. If you feel ill, then say that you are fighting an illness, but do not start believing that you are ill. At the end we receive what we believe. Our thoughts are in line with what we believe and we speak according to our thoughts and we receive the physical manifestation of our words. Therefore be careful of the words which you speak, they will build or break your future. Your words are seeds, sown into your future. Decide today what future you want to have and start sowing those words as seeds.

The message might sound very harsh, but it is actually just the glorious truth of how Jesus has died so that we can live in His peace, His shalom (nothing missing, nothing broken). He has given us so much and we need to take back what is legally ours. If you haven’t been believing, thinking or speaking in this way, then don’t feel condemned. His mercies never cease and they are new every morning. Every day you have a new slate and every day is a new opportunity to put your faith in action and expect the miraculous!

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:22-23

“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 

“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (healed in Greek meaning to cure, heal, to be made whole) - 2 Peter 2:24

And lift off!!

In my last blog I wrote about the worm and the cocoon phase, you might want to read that first for some context before continuing to read this post.

Your challenge, struggle or storm (aka metamorphosis ;) ) takes time, sometimes the whole cycle takes a day or a week, but sometimes it can take a few months or years, all depending on the size and depth of the revelation and change, but there is always a reward after every storm or struggle and therefore I think that the butterfly phase is awesome! You have learnt what you could, applied it as best you could, fought the good fight and now it's time to live and teach. I enjoy this phase as I love teaching and sharing. It's a time to give testimonies and encourage others.

I'm always excited about the butterfly phase, to me it's almost the reward at the end of the cycle of learning. You get perspective as you stick your head out of the cocoon, life makes sense again and as you spread your wings to fly for the first time with your new wisdom, joy is abundant. Your mind is clear and you are completely unstuck. (I always feel a bit stuck in the cocoon) :)
There is still a challenge though…

Did you know that a butterfly uses its wings to break out of the cocoon? It needs to do that in order for the wings to gain strength through the process and ultimately enabling it to fly. If you thus help a butterfly out of its cocoon, you would actually kill it, because it never developed its wings and thus won't be able to fly. I can't explain the entire process, as I'm not a biologist, but i think it's pretty awesome.

The challenge for us would then also be to break out of the cocoon and fly. It's not always easy, because the cocoon process was shaping and vulnerable and we need to gain some courage and boldness to push out of the cocoon. Also, people might not agree with our revelations, might resist our changes or persecute us for them and thus there is always a choice, remain in the cocoon or fly. Stay in the comfort zone or take a leap of faith. If we never leave the cocoon, we'll never experience the reward.

Life was made to share, whether it is a struggle or a victory and we shouldn't be afraid of sharing our struggles and victories, but rather embrace them so that others can be encouraged. Take a leap of faith today and share your testimony, you never know who you might inspire!

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Revelation 12:11 ESV

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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

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

Picture credit: Asksister

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)

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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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God said what?!

So one day you find yourself happily doing your thing and God speaks. You think: “did I just hear correctly? You want me to do what?! You are giving me what?! Did He just say that?! Uhm.. well.. I didn’t ask for this, but it’s quite exciting..”

Maybe you are in that situation where God has told you a secret about yourself or about your future. You were super excited to hear His voice and excited because of what He said. Then you start sharing it with people and they start looking at you funny and questioning whether God could really tell you such a thing. Suddenly doubt creeps in and you become discouraged. “Can this really be? Was this really God or was it my imagination?”

I have spoken to a few people lately who seem to be facing this issue. God is a speaking God and He loves telling us things about ourselves and the amazing plans which He has for us. But more often than not, He only gives you one piece of the entire puzzle and you wonder: “how on earth is this going to fit into my life or how will this work out?” Just because He spoke to you today, doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen tomorrow. I have heard things spoken to me by God 5 years ago which still has not happened, but I know it’s in my future and I don’t have to doubt them.

So how do you deal with this word that you received from God? Maybe you are not even sure if it was God? My best advice would be to not share it with many people. Mention it to your closest friends and guard it in your heart. If God spoke this word then He will make it come to pass and He will walk this journey with you and lead you all the way. Ask Him to give you scripture to accompany His word.

“so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

God will always finish everything which He starts. You do not need to act on this word, unless He tells you to. Just relax and wait for His guidance. It might be months before He mentions anything again relating to the word. Put your focus on Jesus and follow Him. Don’t let the word distract you from what He has put in your hands at this moment. He will tell you the next step when the time is right.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:11-12

Now you see only a part of the journey, but in the future you will see it fully. The worst thing that we can do is try to make something happen in our own strength before the time is right. This will only discourage us and be a struggle. Breaking the door down or slamming against it with your fists will not make the journey easier, rather wait until God opens the door for you and tells you to walk through it.

The journey that we are on is such an incredibly exciting one and Jesus is taking us from glory to glory in Him. Be ready to learn everything which He wants to teach you in the meantime to prepare you for the calling that He has for you. Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb 11:1). He is putting you in this situation to teach you, therefore open your heart and trust Him completely. He is the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2) 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 one can walk this road for you, it's between you and God. He is for us and not against us. He delights in us and His plans are marvellous!

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matt 6:33

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Take heart!

When I was asking God what to write about today, He gave me a picture of someone walking up a mountain who is reaching a point of discouragement because of the difficulty of the journey. I felt Him say (paraphrasing): “Look back at how far you have come and how faithful I’ve been. Do not look at what you don’t know (the rest of the journey and the fear of the unknown), but look back at what you do know and what I have already shown you. That is what you are putting your faith in.”

We are always on the journey of life and maybe today you are in the middle of a steep slope where the road ahead is uncertain and this has made you discouraged and fearful. Do not think of all the experience which you lack and all the elements that you are uncertain about, but look back in time, because if God is moving you forward, then He has given you examples in your life to encourage you to continue walking. Maybe it’s a family member who has radically changed since meeting God and who inspires you? Maybe it’s a friend’s support or maybe God gave you a dream, vision or prophetic word for your future? If you cannot see these examples, ask Him to open your eyes to see His footprints in your journey and you will be amazed at how He has brought you to the point at which you are now.

Think of the moment that David stood in front of Goliath. That was a steep slope that no man in Israel wanted to climb, but David, still a youth and inexperienced in battle was willing to take on the giant. Why? Because he looked back and he remembered what God can do and who God is and that this steep slope was no match for him, because God was with him.

“And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” 1 Samuel 17:32-37

So let your hearts not fail because of this steep slope, but look back, remember, take courage and walk with endurance the path set before you. The victory is already won in Jesus. Believe it and receive it. This slope is no match for you and Jesus.

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Awesome song: Mighty fortress

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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 

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.

Photo credit: vi.sualize.us

 

Live with vision not discouragment

I am so excited to write this blog today as I feel that the Holy Spirit has really opened my eyes to this truth again this week and I’m so excited to share it with you.

“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint (or the people are discouraged), but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18

Imagine the following: You are traveling through a land and you have special eyes with which you can see far ahead. You can see through mountains and identify where the danger lies and where the fruitful plantations grow. This special vision that you have makes your journey easier as you can see which routes to avoid (desert and danger) and you can see which blessings are on your path (streams and fruitfulness). Even if you choose to climb a mountain, no matter how hard it is, you can see that there are beautiful streams and fruitfulness on the other side.

The Holy Spirit gives us this vision in our daily lives. He enables us to see past the difficult situations (rocky paths and mountains) and reveals the blessings, fruitfulness and gifts which are in store for us. When we keep seeing His vision, we remain in a place of faith, peace, joy and encouragement instead of a space of discouragement.

So often in life worries, fears, lies and anxieties wrap themselves around our heads blurring our vision and we become short-sighted. We lose the bigger picture. We stare into the rocky ground, the mountains and deserts and we become discouraged as we focus on the problems. We become tired of our challenges, anxious, lost, lonely and fearful.

Do not lose your vision as you will become discouraged. You might ask: ”how do I then remove the cloud around my head and regain my vision?”. The verse above says: “blessed is he who keeps the law”. We don’t follow the law of the Old Testament anymore, but the law that is written on our hearts of which loving God and loving our neighbour are the most important elements. When we follow these, we will be blessed.

We remove the cloud by fixing our gaze on God, His love and who He is, instead of the situations we face and where we find ourselves on the road. We focus on the promise and not on the problem and this will enable us to see into the future and give us hope. When we know who He is, the mountain becomes a heap of stones and the journey becomes a joy, because nothing is impossible for God. We were made to be a people with great wisdom, vision and perspective in order to also encourage and lead others to a place of vision and freedom.

So today, stop starring at your feet, leave the pity party, be encouraged and lift your gaze to heaven. Find yourself in His unending love and faithfulness. Get His vision and perspective, see the future and start walking towards it.  

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A desperate place

At times you can reach a desperate place, a place in your life where everything is overwhelming and you have no energy left. The problem is not the amount that needs to be done, but rather the lack of enthusiasm to do it with. You are busy, but bored, around people, but lonely and you are weighed down by cloak of sadness. You ask advice from almost anyone and even scarier, you consider or actually follow advice from people that you normally never would have. My point being, you are desperate.

You might believe in God, you might not, but my advice still remains the same… relax. Just take a moment, just calm down. There are a million voices in your head, opinions, thoughts and fears, just put them aside and just relax for a moment. Currently anxieties, fears, emotions, opinions etc. are forming a cloud around your head making you unable to see ahead or even feel a way out, you have reached your end.

When God looks at you He sees potential, He sees future plans and a destiny. He sees wholeness, not brokenness, peace instead of turmoil and joy instead of sadness. Why, you might ask? Because although the world has told you that you are broken, desperate, sad, alone and a failure, He still believes in you and He sees a prince(ss), He sees a success and child to love. Your challenges are no match for Him as nothing is impossible with God.

Can I challenge you? Humble yourself before God. Go on your knees in whatever desperate place you are in today and bring your troubles to God. Stop listening to the lies, opinions, self-help books and mantras, but bring your heart, in whatever state it is in, to Jesus. Put it in His hands, His love and His peace. I challenge you to ask Him to allow His love into your heart and to allow His love to change you and encourage you. If you do not know Him, ask Him to help you to put your trust in Him and in His love and to show you the way. Ask Him to wipe away your fears and tears, to pick you up from the mud and to put your feet on a solid foundation.

It is Love that brings the change, it brings the joy, peace and the enthusiasm for life. Hold on to the Love that you know and it will help you to cast out all fear and doubt. The Bible says: “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.” 1 John 4:18 You cannot be afraid of punishment if you know God’s perfect love, we need not fear punishment, because there is no punishment in God’s love.

Let go into His love, it is safe, secure, not judgemental, kind, peaceful, generous and mostly everlasting. Allow yourself to experience this today, to bring calmness to the storms in your mind and the fears in your heart.

“Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.” Matt 8:26

Jesus doesn’t need you to have a lot of faith, all you need to do is come to Him and ask Him to save you from the storm.

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” Rom 10:13

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in Him.”

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.“ Lamentations 3:22-26

Photo credit: the rainbow maiden

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! :)

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

Free from the law

Photo credit: Trini Schultz

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith - just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” Gal 3:1-9

Abraham walked with God even before the Law of Moses existed. He believed in God and it was counted to him as righteousness as he walked by faith in a relationship with God. Only thereafter the Law of Moses was set in place for the Jewish people and in order to attain righteousness they needed to uphold the law and priests had to make sacrifices in order to atone for the sins of the people.

God’s intention was not just to save the Jewish people, but also the rest of the world (the gentiles). This could only be made possible by sending Jesus who would die for the sins of the entire world and be the perfect sacrifice. The world now does not have to attain righteousness by living according to the law, but can simply receive righteousness by putting their faith in Jesus and what He has done at the cross.

Even when the law existed God did not judge people by the law per se, but by their hearts. Take David for example, he committed murder and adultery which were both punishable by death according to the law, but the Bible describes him as a man after God’s own heart, because he loved God dearly.

In the scripture above, Paul writes to the Galatians reminding them that their walk with Jesus started by faith, when they believed in Him and not by works of the law. They started drifting and thought that they needed to uphold part of the law and traditions to please God. The Bible says: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Heb 11:6

Let us today not forget that God and God alone is the author and perfecter of our faith and that we do not need to uphold any law to perfect our faith, because we have been made perfect in Jesus. We do not have to work for our salvation (or righteousness) anymore, it is a free gift for all who believe in the name of Jesus. It is only through Him that we can get to the Father. So let’s not allow old traditions or cultures to taint our relationship with Jesus and put us in religious bondage. Let us rather walk in faith, tuning our ears to His voice.

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:10-14

Brandon Heath - Give me your eyes