Category: God’s Promises

Be An Example

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Let’s read;

“And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.”
[Titus 2:7-8]

‘Be an Example’…

That’s God’s simple message to us with this passage. (Also read all of Titus 2).
Every now and then, we can get caught up in our own desires and therefore find ourselves living for our own pleasure.
This can mean that certain actions and decisions we make, may fall out of God’s will.
Today God is reminding you to Be an Example.
Be someone who not just speaks the gospel, but exudes it.
Be someone who the word of God isn’t just words to, but the word of God is life, and it’s apparent in your life.
The bible teaches us to not just be hearers of the word, but also doers of the word of God (James 1:22).
Be someone who will read it, digest and make personal meaning of it, and then LIVE it.
God wants you to redirect your plans and thoughts towards Him, and return to living your life for Him, in order for you to live a wholesome life, but also for you to encourage and inspire those watching…
We must never forget that people are watching – whether it’s to criticise us, or actually to learn from, and emulate us, people are, and always be watching.
Therefore, do the body and name of Christ justice, by living out the word of God genuinely…
The verse says ‘Let everything reflect integrity and seriousness of your teaching’.
As disciples of Christ, one of our biggest roles is to spread the gospel and share the word.
But how many of us can truly say our actions match our words?
We all know that it’s one thing to say something, but it’s a whole new level to actually display it with what we do.
Therefore this verse is encouraging us to be real to the word of God and truly be convicted by it.
This means not just doing things for the sake of it, but actually appreciating and believing in what we read, and being transformed by it, to a point where it is evident in our behaviour and mannerisms.
I’ll end by saying this;
Don’t feel pressured or overwhelmed by the responsibility to be a Light to the world (Matthew 5:14), but just ask for His All-Sufficient Grace to enable you, and to keep your Light shining brightly all the days of your life.
Remember that our greatest commandments are to Love God and Love people (Matthew 22:36-40), therefore this means if we are led by Love in all we do, doing the right thing, and living the right way won’t be as difficult as we may anticpate.
Be an Example;
A Gorgeous, Fun, Unique One!
Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Beliveing,
God Bless you.

‘Do you know who my God is?!’

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Short and Sweet tonight;

We’re walking into a new week, one that we’ve never treaded before and for some of us, big things await us.
Some of us are looking forward to hearing good news or starting something new, whilst others may be dreading the fact that they’re stepping back into an environment, at work or school, that isn’t necessarily a happy place for them.

Some of us are walking into this week with our baggage from last week, even last month, and to be honest, we don’t really know how we are going to do it!

I want you you to do this;
Whatever the issue/situation/problem is – speak to it directly and tell it,
‘You won’t consume me!’

It’s so easy to forget who we are and more importantly, who our God is, when we’re faced with such challenging conflicts and dilemmas.

Today I want you remember the fact that you can, and you must, tell your problem, about your Father!

Yes! It’s a different dynamic this time.
Usually, we’re reporting every bother and every worry to our Father, but today I am telling you to stand up to whatever situation appears to be bullying your peace, bullying your joy, bullying any area of your life, and begin to tell it about how Big your God is.

The bible says that the mountains melt, and quake before Almighty God (Micah 1:4, Nahum 1:5), therefore, rather than give our mountains so much respect – by hiding, ducking, and swerving from them, we ought to stand boldly before them and begin to describe the type of God we serve;
Powerful, Almighty, Eternal, Immortal, Strong Tower – and let those mountains begin to shudder and fall before our eyes.

In that Nahum verse, it also says that the earth TREMBLES at the presence of God!
Our problems will also TREMBLE at the mere sound of us describing our God;
A God who parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14),
A God who is UNCREATED, and created the heavens and the earth, and all things in between, in only 6 days (Genesis 1:1, Genesis 2:1-2)!

Friend I need you to let these issues in your life know that they are absolutely NOTHING, and they are POWERLESS over your joy and your destiny, because you serve a Living God, whose Love and Glory overrides anything that the enemy wants to bring.

In the atmosphere of prayer, look at these problems face-to-face, and with the utterance from the Holy Spirit, intimidate and shut down each and every one of them!

Let us get into the habit of REFUSING for situations to have their way – tell them ‘No you won’t…!’, and let us maintain confidence in the protection that God assures us of, in Psalm 91 (please have a read).

My God is Strong and Mighty, Ever-Faithful, Never sleeps,
What can you say about yours?

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.

Cast your Cares…

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The bible says ‘Cast your cares…’

And there’s a good reason for it!

Because if we didn’t put those worries just somewhere else, onto someone else, they would literally drive us mad. 

The amount of things our minds need to think of, comprehend and process in one day is truly unthinkable.
Now then to add unfortunate circumstances, negative outcomes and bad news into this mix – it would physically and mentally be unbearable. 

So here is what the bible teaches us to do, when we are feeling overwhelmed with problems, consumed with grief, and it just feels like so many things are going wrong… 

“Casting all your cares
[all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all]
on Him, for He cares about you
[with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”
[1 Peter 5:7]

Cast your Cares. 

It says give your worries, your anxieties, your troubles, your concerns, all unto Jesus – Your Lord, who saves, who redeems, who looks after…

The bible assures us that He will carry our heavy load, and relieve us from the strain and the weight of ‘life’ that we’ve been carrying on our shoulders…

“Then Jesus said,
“Come to me,
all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.”
[Matthew 11:28]

The bible assures us that we will be made to stand firm, strong, tall, and steady, because God Himself will sustain us….

“Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.”
[Psalm 55:22]

He will not allow us to ‘slip and fall’….

Cast

Your

Cares.

You see there is a sense of peace, in running away from those problems for a second. And that’s what some of us do, when we turn to external, worldly things to relieve the pain, the hurt and the worry. We run away, but only for a time.

But let’s talk about true peace…

“And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
[Philippians 4:7]

When we run into Jesus, and hide in Him, what we are given is not temporary like that of the world’s.
No this peace is not a false feeling found in ‘quick-fixes’ from the world, but rather the true Peace of God provides us with a permanent escape, a permanent resting place.

When you Cast your Cares, you receive great Peace from entrusting all these issues into the hands of a Man who actually isn’t a mere man and is truly divine and conquered death and therefore through conquering death actually now sits at the right hand of God and has power above every single issue that confronts you.

When you Cast your Cares you allow yourself to Get Away.
Yes friend, Casting your Cares provides your mind with a holiday – it takes you away from the stress and the strife, but the better difference is that once you give it to Jesus, unlike a physical holiday, you don’t have the concept of returning home to ‘reality’.
With Jesus, your new found peace is maintained throughout your home (your heart). Peace becomes your reality…  

Peace becomes your insurance and security that with Jesus, Everything. Will be. Okay.

The only thing left to remind you of, is to continue doing your part.
What I’m saying here is, make sure you uphold and fulfil your physical role, when and where applicable, e.g. making the job application, studying for an exam, and so on.
Jesus does His part, and we must also maintain ours, through the strength and ability He has given us, because together, it makes the manifestation perfect! (Read James 2:14-26 which teaches us about the need of both faith and works to go hand-in-hand).

Let Jesus take those burdens COMPLETELY, and allow His peace and power to comfort you, and overcome every problem and every situation concerning you, today, and always. 

Cast your Cares, Maintain your Peace, Uphold your Role.

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God bless you. 

Saving Daily…

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Your worst day is your best day, really.

The bible tells me that all things work together for the good of you who loves the Lord God…

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

Let’s explore that today.

So sometimes we can have what we call ‘a really rubbish day‘…

We find ourselves experiencing multiple unfortunate circumstances and we wonder
‘What on earth is going on?!’

The kind of days I’m talking about are the ones where:
You missed your train/bus,
Your car broke down,
You waited longer for your lunch because they got the order wrong the first time,
You got to work/school/university late,
You found out you forgot something really important at home
And so on and so on….

On days like these, with so many things happening ‘not in our favour’, we really feel as though someone is out to get us.
We feel victimised and ask ‘Is it only me?’
Some of us even wonder where God is; questioning His presence in the midst of everything that happened…

The answer is, He was right there.
Yes friend, on that ‘terrible’ day, God was right there with you at each moment, proving Himself to be an Immortal God, and saving you from more things than you know.

We must understand that the presence of God never leaves us. 

Deuteronomy 31:6-8
Genesis 28:15
Exodus 13:21
Exodus 33:14

The word of God tells us that God Himself goes before us. (How amazing?!!)
Therefore when God sees things that could possibly harm us, He removes/blocks/diverts them; sometimes without us noticing anything at all, but other times by causing something to happen in our lives that will strike us as being unusual, or simply not part of our routine/schedule/plan for that day.

We must undertsand that the Blood of the Lamb – Jesus, covers us daily and therefore what we see as an annoying delay/setback/diversion, is actually the protection of our Saviour .

So would you believe me if I said there wasn’t a single thing that happened to you on that ‘horrible’ day, that God didn’t know about?
Could you possibly accept now that your lateness, your broken down car/missed train, the wrong lunch order and everything else that happened; God purposed it for your benefit?
God was saving you from something that you couldn’t see…

The point of this message isn’t for me to act as God and give you explanations of why He did certain things on different days of your life, but I just want us to be a bit more grateful…

Grateful for His Faithfulness, Grace, Mercy, Love, Kindness and Loyalty to His word.

I want this message to cause us to be mindful of the fact that these so-called ‘bad days’ are actually the ones we ought to give God extra thanks for.
Why?
Because despite the fact that we felt like we took many losses, the truth is God caused us to Win.
God gave us victory over multiple small arrows that were sent to destroy and harm us, and caused us to rise above them and overcome – because He loves us and knows that we love Him…

So friend, when we have these days filled with what we deem as negativitiy and misfortune, let’s flip it around and see the positive!
Let’s flip it around and see a God who is taking every opportunity to save, protect, guide, cover, nurture and ultimately  L O V E  us.

Let us never forget that we are covered;
By God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, every day of our lives, and they are paying close attention to us, every step of the way, making sure we’re okay (put very simply).

 

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.

Make Room…

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Let’s read,

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
[John 14:13-14]

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
[Matthew 21:22]

“And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
[Mark 11:22-24]

  1. Have faith in God
  2. Don’t doubt in your heart
  3. Believe that you have received it…

The bible doesn’t just say things for decoration.

I need you to look at this word and understand what it’s telling you.

Firstly we need to have faith that truly, God is an awesome God.
He’s a God who does great and mighty and glorious things, a God who works wonders (Psalm 77:14).

Now when we pray, the next thing is to have no doubt that God can and will do what we have asked for, (even better than what we ask for).
We ought to pray, and rest in the knowledge that our prayers are in the hands of a God whose word is ‘Yes and Amen’ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Finally, Jesus tells us to  B E L I E V E  that we have received what we asked for.

Now that’s why we’re here today…
I want to know how you believe.
I want to see how you believe.

Today, the focus on this verse isn’t the doubt, or the ‘have faith’.
Today God is saying, ‘Prepare for what you are praying for‘.

God is saying, ‘You’ve asked me, I’ve heard you, but there’s no space, no opening, no opportunity for Me to manifest this great big thing that I have for you, my love…’

So friend, it’s time to get up!

Once you’ve prayed, I need you to not sit on that prayer, but rather,  A C T  on it!

Some of us have asked for a new car and haven’t made enquiries about a) How to sell the old one, or b) Where to get the new one from.

We ask for a new job or a job promotion but we aren’t feeding ourselves with the knowledge and understanding that the role requires in order for us to fulfil it well.

‘Oh but I’m waiting till I get the answer to the prayer first then I’ll…’
No, no, no God doesn’t want you to wait until you get there, He wants you to prepare in advance!

I understand that it can be daunting to do this, because we don’t want to give ourselves a false hope and then be disappointed, however God is a faithful God and He won’t put your faith to shame.
Be confident to begin walking as someone who knows they already have what they ask for, and in doing so, understand that your preparation does some important things…

It creates space – the first verse we read says ‘Whatever you ask, I will do’, that means your prayer is already answered before you see it/know it.
But your preparation is what ushers it in; it creates the necessary space required for it to manifest in your life, and occupy its, let’s say, ‘plot of land’ in your life.

It shows God you mean business and you’re ready when He is, to receive that which you have asked for.
It shows Him that you understand the difference between being granted something, and actually receiving it.
Him granting the request is good, because that means it’s yours, but only when you stretch out your hands to receive it (through your preparation), are you able to grab hold of it, use and implement it in your life.

It gets you ready… Properly.
In the midst of your preparation, God will teach you things, speak to you, and show you things that are important for you to know how best to maximise what He gives you.
Your preparation allows God to move you into the right head space; appropriate for that thing/those things.

Today,
I need you to Move. Be Active. Make Room; for the baby, the car, the university admission, the job, the house, the husband/wife, the ministry, the business, the this, the that and the other, because,
God has it ready for you, but He’s saying ‘Show me you’re ready to take it!‘

And remember, as you prepare in faith, that faith won’t be put to shame.

 

 

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.

 

A Prayer for Women

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International Women’s Day 2017…

Many women in the bible are true inspirations for how women of God ought to behave and walk with God.

The word of God in Proverbs 31:10-31 enlightens us on what it is to be a virtuous woman, and this is a fantastic guide to live by and pray with at any time.
If we read a few more stories across the bible, we’ll find that actually there are more messages we can get about many different women of Grace, Honour and Glory.
So let’s make a deal, I’ll summarise for now, but promise me that you’ll make the time to go back and read the stories to get the full picture.

Both Men and Women, please thank God for Women today (and always), and let us pray for them, using these stories…

 

Mary, Mother of Jesus

(Context of story found in Luke 1)

Mary was a lady of purity and uprightness, who was going to get married to a man named Joseph.
When it was time for Jesus the Messiah to come into the world, God decided to use Mary; a virgin; to bear and birth this Holy child.
Mary was obedient to God’s word, she trusted in God’s word, and surrendered herself to God’s work.

In all that you do, may God always be pleased with you.
May you be a woman of great value and worth, whom God honours and deems worthy to be entrusted with great responsibilities. (Luke 1:28-30)
May your heart be one of devout obedience and trust to the will of God, and may you never waver in your faith to serve and fulfil the will of God. (Luke 1:38)

 

Ruth

(Context of story found in The Book of Ruth, Chapters 1-4)

Ruth‘s husband died.
Not only did her husband die, but her husband’s brother and father died also, leaving her husband’s mother (Ruth’s mother-in-law) lonely; widowed and at a loss of both sons.
When Naomi (Ruth’s mother-in-law) urged her two daughters-in-law to return to their mothers’ homes, Orpah (who had been married to Naomi’s other son) kissed her mother-in-law, obeyed her instruction and left, but Ruth remained.
Naomi made this request for Ruth to leave her in her sorrow, bitterness, and loneliness more than once, but Ruth refused.
Ruth made it clear that she would stick with Naomi, come what may.
Eventually Ruth remarries and restores joy in Naomi’s life after she has her own son, whom Naomi embraces as her own family.

May you be a woman of loyalty and love, diligence and kindness. (Ruth 1:16-17)
May God give you the courage to stand with those who need you, regardless of what the custom or tradition may be!
May the Lord use you to bring joy and hope to those who feel helpless, and feel as though they have lost it all, and may you be a source of the restoration of all lost glory in their life. (Ruth 1:20 & 4:13-17)

 

Esther

(Context found in the Book of Esther, Chapters 1-10)

Esther was an orphan, but was well cared for by her uncle Mordecai.
She was seen and favoured by a King who took her as his wife and crowned her as Queen.
At a time, people of the same nationality as Esther were being oppressed and sought out for destruction and death.
Queen Esther did not forget her humble beginnings. She addressed her husband (the King) with wisdom, asked for mercy on her people, and this resulted in the deliverance of her people and even favour for her uncle along the way.

May the Lord bring you to a place where you will be looked upon with great favour above all others. (Esther 2:17-18)
May the Lord enrich you with humility, and endow you with wisdom to deal with difficult situations in a way that will bring success and victory at the end. (Esther 5:7-8)
May the Lord use you to deliver many from oppression.
In whatever form the oppression may be, may the Lord make you a woman of strength, courage, and dedication, to bring an end to people’s suffering and pain. (Esther 7:3-4, Esther 8 [particularly 8:5-6, 8:7-12])

 

Elizabeth

(Context of story found in Luke 1, Matthew 3:13-17, Matthew 11:11)

Elizabeth was a righteous woman.
Despite her longing before God for a particular thing, and seeing no answer, she still served Him and worshipped Him and honoured Him without question.
When the Lord said it was time, He blessed Elizabeth’s womb, and though her and her husband were advanced in age, she bore a child.
God used Elizabeth to birth a great man, who would not only be a relative of Jesus the Saviour, but would also have the honour of baptising Him.

May you be a woman of righteousness. (Luke 1:6).
May you be able to endure the journey God has put you on, and wait patiently for Him to come through for you.
May you be able to trust in His timing, and in waiting on God, and trusting Him to give you His best, may you be surprised with unexpected, glorious blessings; blessings far greater than you could have ever imagined. (Luke 1:25).

 

To Women all over the world,
Happy International Women’s Day.

You are celebrated, and prayed for.
May God honour you all, lift you up, and use you for His glory,
All we have prayed, in Jesus’ name,
Amen!

 

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.

March, Be Good to Me…

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The 1st of March 2017.

Welcome to the third month of 2017 (ALREADY!!!).

Each time we reach a new month, we seem to look back at the distance we’ve travelled since the beginning of the year.

The first day of the month is always a good opportunity to stop, look back and evaluate what has happened in our lives, in the year so far.

Some of you may look back with joy and a sense of pride, because you’ve achieved both the expected and even unexpected.
Others may feel contrasting emotions; disappointment and hurt, because things haven’t gone according to how you would have liked.

To the people that fall into the latter category, can you guess what I’m going to say next?

Yep! I’m going to tell you,

It’s okay…

Now understand me, I don’t say this to make you falsely feel better about yourself, or feel like you can settle for less, or drop the standards you have created for yourself.
I don’t say this in order to validate any excuses you made in place of some of the achievements that you ought to have obtained, and neither do I say this to make you feel like it’s fine to not reach your goals and just drop them halfway, but I say this to remind you of the beautiful…

Grace and MERCY

…of the Most High God.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
[Hebrews 4:16]

I need you to remember this verse when the world tells you it’s too late or you’ve gone too far – remember that you can always still approach the throne, and remember that He who sits on that throne, is rich in mercy…

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
[Ephesians 2:4-5]

Now I know we all love Grace so much – the unmerited favour of the Most High God, but today I want us to explore MERCY a bit more – what is it and what does the bible say about it?

Mercy; (according to the Oxford dictionary)

  1. Compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm
  2. An event to be grateful for, because it prevents something unpleasant or provides relief from suffering.

 

Now the bible, having read the the two verses above, encourages us to approach God and ask for mercy (compassion or forgiveness) when we are in need, and it gives us the confidence to do this, because we’re told He is rich, overflowing, saturated in mercy.

The bible also tells us that;

“The Lord is merciful and loving,
    slow to become angry and full of constant love.“
[Psalm 103:8]

So what does this mean for us?

Well firstly it doesn’t mean that we should go around intentionally messing things up, or not trying our best, in the hope that God will have compassion on our careless behaviour, because though He is slow to anger, He also is not a fool (Galatians 6:7) and will not be mocked.

Thankfully, what it does mean, is that a God who is ‘constant in love‘, is telling you that He won’t withdraw His compassion from you just because you make a mistake/wrong decision.
This means therefore that we shouldn’t think it’s over just because it didn’t work the first time.
It means we shouldn’t write ourselves off and beat ourselves up about things we may have done wrong, or failed to do.

It means, yes, we got things wrong/made mistakes/misjudged situations, but there are steps we can take to ensure growth and improvement from the circumstance –
1) Being remorseful where appropriate,
2) Learning the lesson in that season,
3) Praying for the Spirit of God to completely overtake our fleshly desires which cause us to fall (Galatians 5:13-26).

The Mercy of God is here for each and everyone of us, giving us the ability to start afresh and get it right with the wisdom of God and be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).
The Mercy of God is what reduces what seems like a massive error to you, to absolutely nothing, because He trusts you to take this new chance, and do it with His will in mind, and therefore do it better.

 

I’m praying for a March of Mercy for us all…

Let us say these few lines of prayer together:

Wherever I have gone wrong, Father help me to put things right.

Whenever I have given up, Father help me to get back on track, and keep pushing.

Whatever good I have unknowingly let go of, Father allow me to meet with it again and grab hold of it and make proper use of it this time.

However I have fallen out of Your will, and/or done things that aren’t of Christ, Father empower me to get back up, put on Your armor and walk the walk I ought to walk with Christ Jesus.

March, be Good to me…
in Jesus’ Mighty Name,
Amen.

(Also have a read of Micah 7:18 and Psalm 51:1-2, and use them in a prayer for Mercy).

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.

 

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

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Let’s read:

“I praise you,
For I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” 
[Psalm 139:14]

Alright, three areas:

  1. Appreciating the Most High
  2. Understanding our Beauty and its extent
  3. Believing in God’s work.

Part 1: Appreciating the Most High

I love the fact that the first part of this verse says ‘I Praise You‘!
It urges us to exalt and thank God for creating us, and show our gratitude for His continued grace upon our lives.

Being the first part of this verse, this act of praise unto God serves as a template for how we ought to acknowledge His hand in our lives at all times.
When we embrace the goodness within us, and when others acknowledge it too, we ought to first say “I praise You Lord…”
In doing so, we are giving God the credit He deserves as our Maker; who formed us intricately in the womb and knit all things together in perfection (Psalm 139:13).
We are reminding ourselves each time of our source and our foundation, and also reminding others of this too, whilst hopefully encouraging them to either a) Start to do the same, or b) Desire to know this God you speak of.

We can use this concept of worshipping and honouring as a guide throughout everything in life, to remember that ‘Before me, it’s You (God), because You are Great and Worthy’.

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”
 [Revelation 4:11]

Part 2: Understanding our Beauty and its extent

Having an understanding of our Beauty involves us realising that we are, as the verse says, ‘Fearfully and Wonderfully made‘.
Which means, God designed our entire being with accuracy and precision and we ought to Love every single bit of us!
Every intricate detail about you was an intentional brush stroke made by God, therefore you should take pride in you and be confident in who you are.
Always wear the true you.

You must understand that your beauty extends far greater than what you can physically see when you look in the mirror.
Yes your exterior is beautiful,
But what lies within you is extremely imporant and in fact is amazing.

The word of God teaches this particular aspect of internal beauty in the context of wives winning the souls of their husbands for Christ in 1 Peter 3, but we can all (men and women) benefit from understanding the importance of a beautiful heart and spirit in the eyes of God;

“You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within,
the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”
[1 Peter 3:4]

Now let’s look at these words;
Fearfully made, says God took His time, paid close attention, and thoughtfully crafted us into unique individuals.

Wonderfully made, says God very smartly and wisely designed the complexity of our physical human bodies, our minds, and everything else about us, in a way that is unimaginably great.

He designed everything in a way that it all works together to allow us to be the best we can be in fulfilling our purpose!
So let this part of the verse be a reminder of the truth…
When people call us names, or try to belittle our ability, or make fun of what we own or have achieved, we can ignore and rise above their negativity because we know that we are a fearfully, thoughtfully, intricately, excellently and wonderfully crafted Masterpiece of the Almighty God.

Part 3: Believing in God’s work.

This area of the verse acknowledges the quality of God’s work.
Our souls should know and believe very well that the work of God is magnificent and perfect;

“The Rock, His work is perfect,
    for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
    just and upright is he.”
[Deuteronomy 32:4]

This word serves an assurance of the fact that as God’s creation, we weren’t just made by Him throwing random pieces together in a rush, neither were we formed from cheap materials.
The Lord God – the Perfect God, used the very best resources and skills to make us.

Now I know that some of us will struggle to believe all this, because you can’t see past the apparent flaws that you’ve critically highlighted from within yourself.
But friend, please be encouraged that we all are a work-in-progress, and though already wonderfully made, God is also continuously working on us each day, to make us even better than we were yesterday.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you,
will continue his work until it is finally finished
on the day when Christ Jesus returns”
[Philippians 1:6]

“For God is working in you,
giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
[Philippians 2:13]

Does this mean then that His work actually isn’t perfect, and He in fact didn’t plan as intricately as He could have, if He has to improve us so much?

Well, the answer is no.

The bible tells us that God has made everything, but for an appointed time, and as humans we do not necessarily know the timing.

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.
He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so,
people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” 
[Ecclesiastes 3:11]

What this means, is that God has already sown each seed into you, but it will bear its fruits at the appropriate time.
And why does He do this?
Because we are made for the pleasure and will of God (Revelation 4:11 again haha [the second half particularly]), and for the glory of His name (Isaiah 43:7).

Each of our stories have been written, and it includes our purpose, as well as how we evolve and improve throughout our lifetime on earth, therefore we should stop dwelling on these ‘flaws’ and simply trust in the perfect work of God, and focus on walking closely with He who will transform them into strengths.

Now just one question; I’ve told you you’re beautiful, I’ve explained that you’ve been fearfully and wonderfully made by God, but Do you believe me? 

Friend, I can tell you 1 million times that you are beautiful, and that you are a carefully crafted product of God’s perfect work – it means nothing if you do not believe it yourself.

I urge us all to always believe in our beauty, and believe we are truly special.
If we struggle with this, let us remember to 1) Read the proof (these bibles verses and others) over and over again, and 2) Ask God daily to help us to truly see and believe that we are beautiful, and help us to be confident in our beauty, both in, and out.

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.

Available God

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Let’s read:

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, ”
[Jeremiah 29:13-14]

I’m sure you can understand now why the title of this word is ‘Available God‘.

This word is so precious and should give us great comfort at all times, because the Lord Himself declares here (in other words) that;
‘I am always here’
‘I am dependable’
‘I am reliable’
‘I am not hiding’.

‘I am not hiding’…
He reassures us that despite the fact that His ways are not our ways, and we don’t always know what He’s thinking (Isaiah 55:8-9), He is forever an Accessible, Ever-Present, Attentive God! 

If we go back a little, and start reading from verse 12 in Jeremiah 29, the word of God also tells us that He will hear us when we call.

Now let’s get a bit of context here…
God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah in a letter he pens to people who were taken into exile (being kept away from their native land) from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Already we can imagine the heartache, and sour emotions of the inconvenience of being in a foreign land, but the purpose of this letter was to empower the heart of the people and encourage them, and instruct them on how to survive and continuing living, ultimately in a way that will lead to their triumph.

Who needs this word today?

I don’t know what you’re going through, I don’t know your hardship, but God says He knows your circumstance and will never stop being your God.
Despite how massive this earth is, He knows exactly where you are right now, and He is there with you.
Available God…

He says; ‘I will fulfil my promise to you’ – Jeremiah 29:10
He says; ‘I will never leave, nor forsake you’ – Deuteronomy 31:6
He says; ‘I will hear you when you call and pray’ – Jeremiah 29:12
He says; ‘I will be found by you’ – Jeremiah 29:14

God doesn’t deprive us of Himself.
The words we’ve read above, along with Psalm 34:15, give us confidence that God is always watching over us and listening out for us. Therefore when our hearts cry out and yearn for Him, we can trust that it won’t be an unending nor unanswered cry.
Rather, we can be assured that God will attend to our needs (Philippians 4:19), and fight on our behalf (Deuteronomy 3:22).

I think many times we wonder if we ever actually feel God for real, or ever hear Him speaking and feel Him moving for real, but I want to encourage you to never stop calling or looking for Him, because God is most definitely near to us (Acts 17:27). 

He is indeed an Available, Ever-Ready, Ever-Present God (Psalm 46:1), and I pray that we will never stop seeking Him, because I know for sure, that we will always find Him at the end of our search for Him (Matthew 7:7-8). 

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.

My Gift; My Service

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Let’s read:

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
[1 Peter 4:10-11] 

Okay, so let’s pick this apart a bit.
A few things stood out to me when reading this;
Gift
Service
God.

Gift

So a gift (according to the Oxford dictionary definition) is;

  1. a thing given willingly to someone without payment,
  2. a natural ability or talent.

God has willingly given each of us a gift (or even multiple gifts [plural]), without us paying a single penny for it, and He graciously and carefully designed these gifts when He was creating us, therefore we find that they are things we naturally flourish in and are talented in.

Now look at this, though many of us may have a gift that seems the same on the outside e.g. the ability to sing/dance/draw etc. – it is still a very different and unique gift that God gave to YOU for a reason!
So I guess that’s the first thing we should address – we should never see our gifts as something un-special, or common, or something that someone else can easily do!
We have to realise that in being fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), God has knitted us together purposefully, knowing exactly what qualities and abilities He has put in us that will complement our gift in order to make it Different and Great!
No one will ever use your gift like you can, and for that reason I need you to know and believe that it is Special, Unique, and most importantly NEEDED!

Service 

Your Gifts Birth your Service on this earth.
And as mentioned above, friend, the service that your gift brings, is Needed.

“…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
[Matthew 20:28]

One of Jesus’ names is ‘The Son Of Man’, it describes the fact that Jesus came to earth to serve, therefore in being like Christ, service to others is a major part of our lives!
It is therefore very important for us to truly tap into the talent that we have, no matter what it is.
The only way we can truly thrive on this earth, and be ‘in our element’, and fulfil the purpose of God for our lives, is by using our God-given gifts and using them well!
The bible tells us that we ought to be ‘stewards of God’s grace, in its various forms’ – so this says two things;
1 – That our service is important because we represent God in our communities and in whatever we are doing.
2 – That God’s grace can be displayed in ‘various forms’, therefore we must appreciate that we each have something different, and something authentic to offer with our gifts.

You see, many of us bury the talent or the skills we have because we feel like the field is already occupied or overpopulated!
But this is definitely the wrong idea, if we read Matthew 25:14-30, we see that the servant who buried his talent ended up losing it, because he displayed an irresponsible and ungrateful attitude!
None of us want to lose what God has given us.
So stop thinking about others, be thankful for the gift He has graced you with, and step forth with your gift and begin to serve with it.

If you sing, you better do re mi away.
If you’re a poet, please word play till kingdom come!
If you’re a make-up artist, friend you better decorate those faces like your life depends on it!

Pardon my dramatic sentences, but I just want us to appreciate how important it is for us to NOT be afraid, and NOT compare ourselves to others, and just go for it, because the world needs what we have inside of us.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” 
[Matthew 5:14-16]

God 

Let us thank Him everyday for our gift and ask Him to refresh and revive it and increase our anointing in Jesus’ name!

The verse we read at the beginning talks about ‘the strength God provides’ and this is one of the most important things to remember.
Our help and our strength comes from the Lord God Almighty – it is He who enables us to use our Gifts in the best way possible.
Therefore we shouldn’t ever try to do it all on our own, neither should we do it for personal praise or recognition.
The gift that we have is one that should be offered back to God, for Him to bless it, and direct us at all times to know exactly how we should put it to use, so that in all things His may be praised.

I pray that you will enjoy your gifts, and keep them alive by using them as much as you can to bless and impact others.
Friend, I encourage you to Love your gift; love the fact that God has given it to you, and love the fact that God has given you the opportunity to use it (that special thing), no matter how unorthodox, to Glorify His name, through Christ Jesus.

Please Please, don’t ever stop using your gift, God has given me this message for you, saying;
‘Do the best you can do with it, and watch how I myself will build and improve You.’

Remember, the Gift wasn’t given by mistake.

Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.