Category: Love

‘Look Out For Me…Please’

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The people around you, need you.
A tiny voice does cry out.
But if you don’t stop to ask them;
‘How are you?’,
And wait for the real answer to that question,
You will never actually know.

People can be so good at just pushing forward and getting on with life; upholding their responsibilities, maintaining their roles and most especially, smiling through it all despite the pain.
Don’t get me wrong, their strength to carry on is admirable, but sometimes, we really ought to make the extra effort to truly be the keeper of our brothers and sisters, and check on them to see how things are going.

Particularly those whom we haven’t heard from in a while, or those whom we know may have suffered a hardship, such as job loss, failure, broken relationship, or even loss of a loved one – we need to be there for them.
We need to be unselfish with our time and either pick up the phone, or even set up a physical date to have a good chit-chat with them, allowing them to release their well-kept and composed emotions!

The bible tells us in Romans 12:15 to rejoice when another rejoices, but also to weep when another weeps.
What we learn here is the ability to empathise with one another, but also, God is highlighting the importance of the fact that He doesn’t ever want anybody to deal with their problems or misfortune, or traumatic events alone.

He wants us right there by their side, using the Jesus in us to carry them through.
Of course God does His work from above too, but remember that we’re His hands and feet on earth? So it’s crucial that we make ourselves available for these people to physically feel Jesus through our care and looking out for them.

Don’t worry, sometimes you may not know what to say in response to what they share with you, and other times, a response may not even be required, but be confident in this; that the spirit of Jesus that lies within you, will be felt by them, and that is what matters most.
They need to be reminded of the love and strength that they can draw from Jesus, as often as possible. So don’t depend on what you can do as an individual, but rather trust that Jesus will do the work in them, to heal them bit by bit.

Ensure you pray before your conversation; that God will take over the entire encounter, and His Spirit of peace and love will fill the atmosphere between you and the brother/sister. Ask Him to direct your speech if any is required and ask that He will restore their faith in His word (if lost at all).

Also  pray for them after, and remember them consistently in prayer; that God will restore their joy, strength and hope, and that they will never feel alone.

Yes the talking is great for their healing process, as they are able to release more and more of that hurt, but our prayers; our intercession on their behalf will also reach the throne of mercy, because in being like Jesus, when our brothers and sisters are weak in their faith, we ought to be strong! Strong in the spirit, to pray for them and speak to God on their behalf to restore their hope, faith and trust in the Lord God Almighty.

I know sometimes we don’t want to approach people when we see them seeming ‘okay’, because we don’t want to take their smile away and remind them of the pain, but isn’t it better to make sure that their smile is really a smile, rather than a mask?

Our brothers and sisters will surely heal, because the stripes (wounds) of Jesus have that power! – (Isaiah 53:5) And the word of God also promises to heal broken hearts in Psalm 147:3.
But we have a part to play in it too; we must make sure that we encourage their hearts to be open to God; not resenting God, and truly receptive of God’s word that says;

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
[Jeremiah 29:11]

Let’s be our siblings’ keepers – they need us.

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

The Heart of Jesus

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Let’s read the scriptures:

“”For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” 
[Matthew 25:35-40]

Say this prayer with me;

‘Lord Jesus,
Enable me to truly Love like You, Help like You, Teach like You and Serve like You. 
Give me Your heart Lord Jesus; a heart for the people, a heart for my neighbours; for my brothers and sisters. 
Help me to show and feel a genuine and true love towards everyone I come across, and give me the courage to reach out, and spread Your love to those whom I don’t know personally. 
Help me Lord Jesus to see You in each individual, and show them mercy, kindness and warmth, at all times. 
In Your precious name I pray, 
Amen.’

Friends, we have a role.
We have an important part to play as the body of Christ on earth.
Not only do we have a duty to look after those nearest and dearest to us, but we must also reach out to those in our communities, in the world around us – near or far, and share a piece of Jesus with them.

It’s time for us to look for a way to make a difference in society, and let the world begin to experience the love of God through our selfless actions.
It isn’t for us to gloat or boast or be proud, but it is for us to truly make this world a better place, and do these things as though they were unto Jesus.

Join me today in creating a Compassion Plan (CP); (your own personal way of extending a hand of love to those who are less fortunate).
Here are the steps:

  1. Seek out someone to help – it could be an individual, a group of people, or an organisation (choose whoever you want, but make sure it’s a worthy cause and that you are able to share the Love of God actively)
  2. Identify how you can help them in a meaningful way
  3. Pray for God to enable you and show you what to do
  4. Decide and set up a way that you will help
  5. Tell someone else, for accountability
  6. Do it and Commit to it! And encourage friends and family to join you (or even create their own CP).

Remember that we aren’t limited to giving just money, but also prayer, time, and many other good things too.
I pray that God will enable us all to take up the roles that He has created for us from the beginning of time, and that we will fill in the gaps that exist, with our acts of love and service.
Let’s be excited to care for the world around us.

On this earth, let us be the hands and feet of Jesus.
(Listen to the song Your Heart by Casey J)

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

No Chill When He Spills!

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May God have no chill when He blesses you!  (AMEN!)
Haha! What a prayer!!! 😂

[Very quick side note: for anyone who doesn’t quite understand what is meant by the term ‘no chill’, it simply refers to ‘not holding back’ – so in this context, it refers to God going all out and not holding back when He blesses you. (Yep, now you can say a heftier Amen!)]

Can you imagine this though?
This is basically what is spoken of in Psalm 23:5 – ‘My cup  O V E R F L O W S’… 

Simply filling the cup to the top isn’t enough for God, no way!
He looks at that cup as a limitation and says “No thank you cup, you can’t tell me how much I’m going to pour out onto my child, I’ll decide myself when it’s enough!” 

That my friend, is why your cup runs over.

And as if that isn’t already enough, the bible tells us that He places you in the midst of your enemies;

“You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies…”
[Psalm 23:5]

And chooses to anoint/bless/fill you up right there!

“…you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.”
[Psalm 23:5]

Now there are a few more things to look at in this verse, and we can definitely draw power, strength and confidence from them.

Firstly, why does God choose to prepare that table in the midst of our enemies?
I mean these are people who don’t like us, and most definitely don’t care to see us winning!
Well look at this, Almighty God uses this to display His Power and Authority.
In case these enemies/haters/oppressors get too big for their boots, God first shows them that though they may bark loudly, and appear ‘strong’, they are truly powerless over your life, your destiny and anything concerning you.
He alone has the final say over your life and so it doesn’t matter what or whom stands against you. (Have a look at Romans 8:31).

Now the anointing itself represents Blessing!
I’m sure that’s the main thing we gather from this verse, but actually here are some other things God is saying to us:

“I am protecting you”.
It doesn’t matter how many people may stand around, seeking to tear you down – the Lord God is covering you now and forevermore.
He is your strong tower (Proverbs 18:10), your fortress and your rock (Psalm 18:1-3)!

“I Love you”.
(What more is there to expand on this one? He adores you, that’s all).
John 3:16, Romans 5:8

“Focus on me”.
Many times we get consumed with so much negativity around us, that we allow fear to paralyse us to a point where we forget the power of God’s light in the midst of darkness.
Well God is a respecter of no man (Acts 10:34), so regardless of every wicked attempt to make you fail or fall – God still does what He has promised to do, and that is keep you (Psalm 121:7).

“You are mine”.
(Isaiah 43:1)
How precious is it to know that God claims us as His own, and puts His mark upon us?
God doesn’t only bless us with things we need on this earth, but it should warm our hearts that He shows His everlasting love for us and makes it known that we are special to Him. In this verse, God embraces us.

Now with all of this to take in, can we just stop to Praise God quickly…
He is so Good! So Kind! And so Faithful!

We serve a God who is bigger and greater and larger than life itself, therefore we must adopt His confidence, as we are made in His very image (Genesis 1:27), and we must not be scared, nor hindered by the presence of enemies! Not now, not ever.

Just let that cup flow friend, let it flow flow flow, and sometime soon, we’ll speak about what to do with the overflow…

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