Encounter The King…

Leave a comment

E N C O U N T E R

We’ll get straight into this word by reading a few passages from the bible…

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought,
“If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”
(Mark 5: 25-29)

An Encounter with the King who Heals.

 

“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.””
(Acts 9:3-6)

…For three days, Saul was blind and did not eat or drink anything, I encourage you to read the verses in between, but now we jump to verse 17 which continues;

“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”
(Acts 9:17-20)

An Encounter with the King who Redeems.

 

“Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
(Daniel 3:21-25)

An Encounter with the King who Saves and Delivers
from the hand of the adversary.

Now you may be expecting me to delve into the power of what God did in these three stories, but in fact I’ve simply put them here for you to get a taste of what is to come in  your own life when you Encounter God.
In fact, what God gave me, for you, when He gave me this word ‘E N C O U N T E R’, is a divine prayer, and here it is for you, open your heart and receive it…

May you always have an Encounter;
(a divine, life-changing experience of God’s glory and might)
when you walk into the presence of God.

I pray that every time you seek God,
You will surely meet with He, who is the Most High.

What do I mean by an Encounter?

I mean that you will feel Him so closely as though He were right there touching your shoulder.
I mean that you will hear Him so clearly as though He was speaking right into your ear.
I mean that you will experience His love so richly that your heart can only burst forth with love and joy to all those around you.

Whenever you step into the presence of God, that is whenever you step forth and approach His throne of Grace, be it in your home in private, or in a public place, I pray you will feel Him all over you so intensely and so strongly.

I pray that whenever you knock on the door to experience the King, you surely will Encounter Him in all His grace, glory and wonder.
I pray no Encounter shall ever be duplicated, but rather each time there shall be
New surprises
New blessings
New words and
New revelations, given onto you.

Each and every single time you press into God,
Each and every single time you seek the face of God, I pray that He will reveal Himself to you and allow you to feel Him so mightily.
May your life continuously be transformed for good, every time you call upon the name of Jesus, so that means a Daily Refreshing of your anointing!
in Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Dear friend, I pray, that you will Encounter the King, deeply.
in Jesus’ Precious Name.
Amen

Now just one important instruction to go alongside this message – God is asking us to ask Him to purify our hearts.
He wants to cleanse the place He will dwell, therefore He is calling us, to call on Him in order for Him to help transform, renew and Purify our hearts.
Hearts ready to Encounter Him.

Please get into a mood of worship after reading this, have a listen to these two songs:
Holy Spirit by Bri Babineaux
Settle Here by William Murphy.

Give the Lord your time and your whole attention, and let Him move in your life, and of course, enjoy the Powerful experience awaiting you.

#EncounterTheKing

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

#HisTruthWith Love

*Context/Further reading for this message:
Matthew 9:1-33, Mark 5:21-34, Acts 9:1-31, Daniel 3

 

 

The Morning…

2 Comments

“But I will sing of your strength,
    in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
    my refuge in times of trouble.

 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
    my God on whom I can rely.”
[Psalm 59:16-17]

 

The beautiful thing about the  M O R N I N G  is that it signifies a new beginning.
It symbolises another chance, and most importantly, it indicates victory.

That victory lies in the fact that yesterday’s struggles did not consume you.
You didn’t give up, you made it to a new day, and God, in His mercy, has kept you for a greater good to come.

Let’s pray with that this Wednesday morning…
Some of us have had a great week so far, and we’re so happy for the positives to continue.
Others may have had what we would deem as a terrible start to the week, and we can’t wait until it’s over.
But let’s remember that our making it to today, is by the grace of God and so we ought to express that gratitude, as well as ask Him to reveal His plan and purpose for this week, to us.

P R A Y E R:

Father,
We thank You for the grace You placed upon us to win yesterday’s battles, and triumph into today!
We ask that from today onwards, we will always realise and be grateful for the huge blessing that lies in seeing another morning.

You know what each of our weeks have looked like thus far, and we ask that You will allow Your perfect will to manifest in each of our lives in Jesus’ name.
We ask that You reveal Your purpose for this week to us. Show us how we can cause Your name to be glorified, and show us how we can walk in Your light and love, being a blessing and inspiration onto others.

For those of us who feel defeated by what Monday and Tuesday threw at us, give us peace and a strong assurance that greater is coming, and help us to be reminded that things always do work out well (Romans 8:28).

Once again we thank You for the privilege to see this new day, we thank You for always being a Reliable and Dependable God, and we ask that You will equip us to go forth and fulfil Your will in the rest of this week, month, year and beyond,
In Jesus’ Name.
A M E N.

 

Friend, take joy in the new hope that lies in every new morning, and be positive enough to mold your day into what you want it to be!

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

All-Round God…

Leave a comment

I have something short and sweet, but super important for you to feed on today!

Have a look at this lovely quote I extracted from the ‘Woman Thou Art Loosed’ study bible, by T. D. Jakes;

It says;

“Your Father is higher than the stars,

yet closer than your breath.”

This statement depicts so perfectly the Might yet Intimacy of God in our lives! And so I hope this post reminds us of the fact that God has many different amazing attributes, each applicable to the various experiences we encounter throughout life.

You see, we often forget the many qualities of God, particularly the ones that are similar to those found in a mere human, because we’ve become so accustomed to making God out as BIG and Mighty, but the truth is the bible tells us that it is we who were created in His image (Genesis 1:27). What this means therefore is that there is no characteristic found in man, that didn’t come from God first! So I’m talking about the ‘littler’ things like being a good listener, being trustworthy enough to tell your secrets, being reliable and dependable to chat with at anytime. Often these are things that we would have seen in the people we call our friends, however can I remind you that God is all this and more…
So why not tap into the original source? (I’m not saying ditch your friends by the way, but I’m just saying remember to seek God first for these things).

Presentation1

One of the reasons why the statement quoted above stuck out to me so much, is because it nicely puts two key aspects of God in one sentence. It describes the God that we popularly know as a Huge guy, up in the Heavens, who has dominion and authority over EVERYTHING, but it also portrays another key fact about Him, which is that He is not far away…
It’s a statement of reassurance that God is both; more than Capable, Powerful and Supreme to take absolute control of every situation in your life, but at the same time He is Attentive, acknowledges every fine detail concerning you, and is extremely near that you can feel Him closely.

This statement reaffirms to us that God’s magnitude of Greatness does not for one second reduce His availability to us. He doesn’t have to compromise one quality for another.
HE IS all things at once, Perfectly.
Therefore, friend, I want you to be confident in the fact that God can be your Strong Tower (Proverbs 18:10) as well as your Best Friend! (John 15:15)
He can be your place of safety as well as your confidant.
Simply put, He is, and always will be All-Sufficient for you, you just need to open up and allow Him to be that God in your life!

#PressIn

Have a great week and enjoy every great grace that comes with having a God who is Enormous, as well as a perfectly Reliable Friend who sticks closely.

Check out the many names and traits of God in a site linked here, use a few different ones this week to stir up a new worship to your King!

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

New Habits!

3 Comments

So on Wednesday it was nice to release it all and be honest with you.
And immediately I got responses from people who have been experiencing the same thing (see image below).

UW Journey back comment

Of course all Glory to God for being so perfect and for always knowing exactly what His kids need, at the right time.

But here we are with the issues on the table, now it’s time to ACT, in order to turn those flaws around.
If we acknowledge them alone and just keep on in our own ways, we’ll be failing even more. Instead we have a responsibility to ‘live a new life’ (Romans 6:1-4), and thus be practical and intentional about pressing in with the King.

We’ve discussed it here before about Scheduling God in, and being intentional about allocating adequate time to fellowship with Him. Have a read of that post (linked above) again to refresh your memory of the tips shared.

Here are more suggestions for us to choose from, in order to become even more intentional about growing our relationship with God:

1. Create a Daily Log

The purpose of this is to see the stats of your engagement on a daily basis. It seems quite a technical and formal approach, but I believe it will permit a clear visualisation of how much time we’re spending in prayer/reading scripture/worship/conversation or just anything kingdom-related.
Whether you want it in a physical diary, or just in the notes on your phone, all you have to do is make a note of every time you intentionally spend time doing ‘God-stuff’.
Go the extra mile: by logging the duration too.

2. Get accountable

The purpose of accountability is to encourage us to truly to stick to what we say we’re going to do!
You can easily use your log with this suggestion too, as you can show your partner/group the stats. Aside from that, with an accountability partner/group, you can set goals amongst one another to do certain things within a day/week/month, and of course feedback to one another how that’s all gone by the deadline.

3. Join a Fellowship/Bible Study Group

Personal interpretation is a very important aspect of learning the word of God, however also gaining numerous perspectives of the same word, can further deepen your understanding of just one scripture! Fellowship groups or bible study groups are a good way to do this, and often there’s a leader who is well-versed in the word of God, who can be of great help if anything ever becomes unclear/up for healthy dispute.

4. Make it Fun

Games and competitions always add that extra element of fun AND drive to any activity, so how about creating a few challenges for a group of friends in order to motivate you even further.
Ideas for this could be:

  • Memorising and Reciting scriptures
  • Creating a bible quiz
  • Spelling tests (some of those names in the bible have such peculiar spellings!)
  • Plus many others…  (haha, tell me your ideas too)

5. Netflix and Chill

Haha! Shocking that this is here, but if you have a Netflix account, swap your comedy or drama or thriller, for the word that gives Life! Check out The Bible Series on Netflix, it’s a visual depiction of the word of God, and it’s really interesting to see the word acted out. It covers many of the major stories of the bible.
Word of advice: Read the story for yourself before watching, as some details may be missed out some times.

6. Create a Gospel/Christian Music Playlist

Worship can happen anywhere, at any time! Having and listening to a playlist of Christian music should help you to worship God (with song) more times in the day. This genre of music also has a good rep for giving hope, and uplifting spirits, so definitely a good place to start if you’re ever feeling a bit stuck with prayer or overwhelmed with concerns.
If you don’t know where to start, here are some artists’ names to search for:

  • Tasha Cobbs Leonard
  • Travis Greene
  • Nathaniel Bassey
  • Hillsong Worship

These are just suggestions of course, and I hope at least one or two will be helpful. I pray that God will also minister great ideas to you of how to get closer to Him and enjoy His presence daily.

 

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

#WorkingOnIt
#NewHabits

The Journey Back

1 Comment

I don’t know about you, but if you’ve ever gone through a time when you felt distant from God, or that your spiritual life just simply wasn’t where you knew it could be/ought to be, then you’ll understand that it’s not really a nice feeling/season to experience.

Today I pray that the honesty in this post will inspire you to no longer be content with wandering away from God, and instead pick up your bible again, and have a spiritually nourishing meal with the King!

It’s been a weird few months in terms of spirituality for me, and for the longest time, I told myself I didn’t know why. I walked around content with not knowing why things felt different, and I embraced a false perception that grace would bring me back on track.
Don’t get me wrong, grace has the power to do so many things, but in this case, God showed me that intentionality (coupled with the grace to realise it) was what I needed.

I’ll walk you through what happened today…

I was adamant that I would post today. I was adamant that I would get back on track with the work of God – this work of God, this ministry, my baby that He gave me… Therefore I typed and started this post in a few different ways, but I still kept feeling the same block that had stopped me from posting in so long.
I’d pause a moment, then start typing again. I wasn’t entirely sure of the topic, but I knew it would be natural to discuss the season that I’m just coming out of.
However, it still wasn’t flowing right.
So stop. And start again.

Prior to today, I had attempted to post about three times before, on random days, but the flow just wasn’t there, because something just wasn’t right.
The difference today however, was that I wasn’t taking no for an answer.
This time, I was serious, and I believe God saw that, felt that, and thus released His voice onto me.

What I intended to do with this post, was to not seem as irresponsible with my spiritual life, as I personally feel I have been in the past few months.
So I wanted to let you know that, yes, I’ve experienced a weird block/silence/poor connection with God, but I wanted to make it seem like it was God-ordained… But that would have been a lie.
Like I said, I restarted this post a few times, and in the takes that didn’t make it, what I tried to do was scheme, and think of ways to make this whole quiet season sound as artistic as possible, as scripturally-inclined as possible, and basically pull the wool over your eyes so you didn’t know the raw simple truth about it…

Which is this:
In the past few months, I haven’t prayed enough/properly (according to what I believe God deserves from me).
I haven’t spent enough time just sitting and chatting with God.
I’ve been too lazy to dedicate quality time to learn more about God’s word, through reading my bible or listening to sermons.

Instead, I’ve spent most of the hours of my day on social media, or better still, playing this one particular game on my phone (that even my family have noticed is becoming ridiculous)!
I’ve allowed myself to become less bothered about truly wanting to desire God more, and have become content in believing the lie that ‘it’ll come back when the time is right’.

So simply put, I wanted to dress up the words in this post in a way that wouldn’t blatantly call my own self out as the one to blame for how my walk with God has been these past few months…

Thus, I still tried to write the cover-up, but of course, I still had a block.

But then I cried…

Because it really hurt to not be able to easily do what I enjoyed so much.
Yes, literally, cried out to God like a baby, tears ‘n’ all, and told Him that I refuse to have this ‘block’.
Told Him that I refuse to ever be lost for words when it comes to sharing His word.
Told Him that I refuse to ever see the day when the gift of writing and the flow of His speech to me whilst writing, ceases.

And in my cry I heard Him say
“Be real”.

He reminded me that the name of this ministry is and remains ‘Untainted Word’, and so even if the word is difficult to swallow (for readers), or difficult to write (for myself and future writers on the team), it must still always be His pure word, as He inspires it.
A poetic lie would have only kept me hostage in the same block that for so long I had tried to make ‘part of God’s plan’, when really it was as a result of my own actions and decisions.

God made me realise that a lack of transparency in this word would fail to serve the purpose that He intended for today’s post.
In me trying to protect a ‘perfect’ image of what a ministry leader/worship leader’s relationship with God should be like, I would have deprived many of you, as well as myself, of the opportunity to learn that our strive for perfection and excellence with God, does not need to be perfect!

Today God required me to call myself out on my mistakes (as you see above) and be frank with myself.
And if you’re reading this feeling like you’ve been experiencing an oddness in your spiritual life, then God is asking you to do the same too!
Search yourself…
Please note, He’s not asking you to beat yourself up, or fill yourself with guilt, but all He requires is that you search yourself, and be real enough to identify that thing/those things that you have (knowingly/unknowingly) used to block Him out.

Once we’ve found the things that steal away our attention away from the cross, then we can begin to put them before God and ask Him to enable us to no longer make these things idols in our lives.
Once identified, we can ask God for the will and desire to proactively choose Him, over these things, every time that choice needs to be made.
Once we can be real enough to own up that it’s actually some of the things or people we have come to love most, that are distracting us from pressing in deeper with God, then we’ll be able to ask Him to remove them, and replace them with the right desire to honour, serve, and please Him wholeheartedly.

The bottom line is, we need to stop and search for the issue from within. 
The longer we walk around thinking that a time like this ‘is meant to be’, or ‘sent from God’, then the more open we leave ourselves to gradually be more and more consumed with the things of the world, rather than pursuing the things of God’s heart!

I know it seems harsh to point at ourselves and say ‘You’re the problem!’
But we’ve got to remember that we serve a flawless God, therefore when we find ourselves so deep in the wilderness, and so far in a season of silence, we must be courageous to be intentional about finding our way back to Him.
God would never opt to have time away from us, therefore it is our responsibility to search out the ways in which we have pushed ourselves away from Him.

In all things, remember that God is love, and even in the ‘block’ – His love and grace will still be active over you, as long as you can believe it and receive it.

Congrats on finding your way back, and cheers to sticking with Him from here on out.

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

 

 

 

Breathe… Pray… Act!

Leave a comment

How often do you feel so overwhelmed with all your tasks and responsibilities that it paralyses you?

Whilst I hope the answer is ‘not too often’, I know that when this feeling does come over us, it can be extremely demoralising and detrimental to our productivity.

Let’s get rid of that horrible feeling!

Step 1: Take a deep breath, and release the stress… 

Step 2: Join me in this prayer I have for you…

Father,
We thank You for a brand new day and the ability to love and breathe and do everything we are doing.
We thank You for all our roles of influence and all our positions of privilege that we could have only assumed by Your grace and love and mercy over us.
On this very day, we remember that every single thing You have done in our lives has been intentional, and therefore regarding the situation that we’re worried about at this present moment, we release it unto You in Jesus’ Mighty Name.

We no longer worry about it, because Your word tells us that our worrying does nothing! (Matthew 6:25-34)
Rather we give it unto You and thank You for the fact that You will equip us to master it in Jesus’ Mighty Name.
We take away every feeling of incompetence, being substandard, being unable, useless, unqualified, running out of time, panic, and anything else causing us to make our responsibilities into a mountain before us!
We lay all these negatives at the feet of Jesus and ask that You will remind us that Your grace is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) and that we are enabled to conquer and succeed through Jesus Christ.
Father now that we have empowered our minds, and are mentally back on track, we pray for the proactive attitude that will allow us to execute the success You have preordained for us!
Help us to get up from our beds/seats/places of warmth and comfort, where we’re lounging about, and let us get busy and put our hands to great work!
Help us to work efficiently and effectively in Jesus’ Mighty Name.
All in all God, we thank You for the privilege and power of prayer, which means we can come before You and seek peace and comfort in the midst of what was terrorising us a few moments ago.
We pray for a permanent peace of mind, which will enable us to think, work, and act with clarity, and we also ask for a permanent peace and level-headedness to always trust that someway, somehow, You’ve got it all in control, and so through You, we can and we will do it!
All this we pray,
in Jesus’ Mighty Name.
Amen!
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”
Step 3: Get Active and make necessary moves! 
You can Do It!
Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.

Striking a Balance…

Leave a comment

…To ensure Contentment, but not Complacency. 

During a group prayer this week, a prayer point was raised which said; “Father help us to be content with who we are and where we are, but not to be complacent. Enable us to still work hard to get to where we are meant get to”.

Instantly I knew this was the word for you guys this week.

How on earth do we get that balance right between being happy in our present state, but being driven enough to push to get to the next level?

The simplest answer is through the grace, direction and wisdom of God, but let’s get into it a bit more than that.

Let’s look at what the bible tells us about contentment…

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
[1 Timothy 6:6-10]

Now I understand that this passage may bother some of us.
Because we’ll look at it and think, ‘hold up – am I only meant to desire food and drink, and be happy with just getting by with the bear minimum in life’.
But allow me to explain that God is not telling us not to strive for greatness here.
He is not telling us that being hard working and ambitious is wrong. Neither is He telling us that we should not work towards goals and aims and achieve the best! (In fact His word says otherwise! – Proverbs 12:24, Proverbs 14:23)

The message of God through this passage is in fact that we must not become so consumed with amassing wealth, money, riches and all sorts of earthly pleasures, that we lose sight of where we are going for eternity.
What we read about here are the dangers that lie in the wrongful desire of getting more. And by wrong – I mean a desire for more that stems from selfishness, greed and even jealousy of what we’ve seen on others.
Verse 9 and 10 of this passage help to depict the fact that when we long for more, we expose ourselves to temptation which so easily can lead to a downward spiral of dabbling in sinful activities just to get what we want, by any means possible – thus, walking out of God’s will for us.

So question, by nature, and through Adam and Eve’s slip up, I guess we always seem to want more right? How can we protect ourselves from the negatives of this, and from the risk of being tempted?

This is where our chit chats (prayers) with God come in handy.
First pray for the fear of the Lord – Proverbs 19:23 – which will help commit our actions to Him, and enable us to do the right things.
Remember Proverbs 4:23 says to guard our hearts, because it determine our actions – this verse also crucial in this area of our lives.
In daily prayer, we ought to ask God to purify our hearts and keep it aligned with His will, as an upright heart will surely have an impact on the intention of our desires.

You see, a guarded heart will want more, not so they can show it all off and make a parade of how great they are, but so that they are enabled to do God’s work better, and are able to serve others better.
A guarded heart will pursue greatness not because of what the world will say, and how the world will speak of them but instead because of how the world will speak of the God who created them! They know that they are a representation of Christ on earth, therefore their spirit must be excellent and their presence must be one which inspires and encourages others to want to know Jesus. And causes others speak highly of the Jesus that lives within them.

So let’s get some things straight: 

Godly contentment is not equivalent to settling for less.

Godly contentment is not synonymous with poverty.

Godly contentment does not encourage laziness.

Rather;

Godly contentment is standing firmly in the Father, with your attitude towards His work and ministry being unchanged and unshaken regardless of whether you have only a penny in your pocket, or a million pounds in your bank account.

Godly contentment is obedience to God’s will, and refusing to go against your morals, good ways or Holy Spirit convictions in order to fulfil your own selfish ambitions.

Godly contentment is Hebrews 13:5-6 – knowing that God IS EVERYTHING to us, and for us – He is all we need, therefore we need not worry about trying to make a better tomorrow for ourselves (Matthew 6:25-34), as this is in His hands already!

So to the main question – how do we ensure our being content, does not easily slip into being complacent?

Well firstly what is complacency?

(Cambridge dictionary definition): feeling so satisfied with your own abilities or situation that you feel you do not need to try harder. 

(Oxford dictionary definition): Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.

The first important thing to understand about complacency, is that immediately, it exudes an inappropriate focus on self.
It contains an attitude of I, I, I, and as a child of God, this is flawed.
We are to acknowledge Him in all ours ways (Proverbs 3:6), therefore making us and God a team. At no point should we ever feel like anything we are doing is by our own knowledge, strength or power, because the bible makes it clear that we are enabled by the grace of God. (2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:13)

Whilst contentment displays an attitude that rests in God, complacency displays an attitude of detachment and independence from God.
The definitions above clearly show that complacency also encompasses an element of pride – the belief that we’re all that and more.
But look at this, the bible teaches us in Galatians 6:3, that if we think this way, we’re actually deceiving ourselves!
In context of our topic, an attitude of being self-sufficient and attributing everything to our own ability, and not thinking we need to get any better, actually presents us with the danger of falling; the bible teaches us that pride precedes a nasty fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

Therefore we must take care… Not only in our earthly goals and endeavours, but even more importantly in our walk with Christ.
Never should we feel like ‘We have arrived’, and have reached the pinnacle of our lives, instead we should embrace the fact that with God, there is always so much more potential and opportunity for elevation awaiting us, if only we will yield to His will and allow Him to take us higher.
Again we ought to use our daily conversations with God to ask for a heart that is humble, obedient and teachable – one that yes, is happy with whatever God presents us with, but is also willing to achieve more through and with the power God.

The last point I’ll touch on, is that complacency displays an inability to reflect and want to do better. The Oxford definition describes it as an uncritical state of mind. For some of us, whilst this may not necessarily come from a place of pride, it definitely comes from an place of laziness and nonchalance. This too is undesirable before God, as it displays a lack of forward thinking and drive!
We have all been gifted with talents that we ought to use to decorate this earth with. If we have the wrong attitude towards life – like the servant who buried his one talent rather than investing it, then God will take what He has given us, and give it to someone who will put it to greater use! (Matthew 25:14-30)
Thus, whilst contentment comes through reflection and appreciation of God’s hand in our lives, complacency comes from an inaccurate assessment of where we are, and underestimates where God can take us to.
Being happy with the present does not mean to not plan for a better future, and in fact the bible warns us against laziness and its fruits. (Proverbs 20:4, Proverbs 6:9-11)

Therefore, Today I pray with us, 
That we will be able to see the greater heights that we’re heading towards, but still be very present in the moment we are living in.
May we learn to embrace each season we are in, whilst also being attentive to God when He instructs us to take the next steps.
May we rid ourselves of all pride and pompousness that falsely believes we are more than we are, and rather appreciate that all things come from God, are for the glory of God, and thus we should always aim for more glory to come to His name.
May we learn to strike the perfect balance between between godly contentment and not being complacent, in order to progress, improve and grow in the many ways God desires for us to.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen

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

 

Beauty in your Simplicity…

4 Comments

Do you realise that sometimes your most simple and plain stateis more than enough? 

Now this is a weird one, because we see that actually sometimes in the bible the reference made to being simple/simple-minded is actually in a light which displays a lack of wisdom and an inability to push forward (Proverbs 1:22, Proverbs 14:15).

However at other times we see that simplicity in worship, and in serving Christ, is deemed ‘just right’. (2 Corinthians 11:3, 2 Corinthians 1:12)
And that’s where I’m going today.

Quick scenario to hopefully help paint the picture:
Have you ever dressed up in what you thought was the absolute best outfit ever, perfect make-up/shape up, gone out, and then not really gotten as many compliments/as much attention as you had anticipated (not necessarily because you desired it, but because you believed your appearance commanded it)?
But then on the most lowly and meek of days, when you didn’t try so hard, but still looked good, this very day was when everyone had something positive to say?!

I assure you that this does not happen just by chance.

God is such an intentional and amazing God, that He uses such scenarios to show us something deeper.
And with this example, God is showing us something in terms of our walk with Christ – that there is greater beauty when you strip all the layers away, and just come as you are, in your truest and purest form…
With a child-like innocence (Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 19:14), and a heart that just yearns for more of Jesus.

You see, many times we get so tied up in the puzzle that society has created Christianity to be.
We get lost in the complexity that man and woman have themselves constructed as the apparent ‘life of a believer’.
And we forget the beauty of the basics.
Unfortunately, once this is gone, we find ourselves losing out on the results of an authentic worship.
We find ourselves playing the role of someone who loves God, rather than truly living it.
Thus, we become less fulfilled and actually find that we’re struggling to truly Encounter God as we have before.

But remember, God just wants us to worship in spirit and in truth though… (John 4:24)

He didn’t ask for an extravaganza or a parade or all the dramatics that sometimes maybe look like they’re making something happen in the spiritual realm.

He just wants the real you.

He wants a worshipper, a child of His own, who will live for Him and serve Him, in spirit – not led by the flesh or things of this earth, and in truth – not a facade and not a show for others to see, but genuine, real, sincere worship.

You see what happens is, on the days when we don’t try so hard and don’t try to do too much, what people see is beyond the physical.
In fact God takes that simplicity and purity, and places His glory upon it, and makes it way bigger than we could ever comprehend.
What am I saying here?
I’m saying that when we do less, we give room and allow for the glory of God in us to shine through MORE – and you better believe this glory is incomparable to anything we think we could ever adorn ourselves with.

This applies not only to our walk with Christ, but with many other areas of our lives too – when we allow God to Shine through – the outcome is so much more glorious than what our mere mortal ability could have ever accomplished.

So with this, let’s pray…

Father Lord,
Let our lives always give You all the glory.
Help us to come back to the heart of worship, and bring ourselves to You in our realest, purest form.
Help us to strip away every addition we’ve put into our relationship with You, based on what humans have said it should be, and rather let us just come with a humble and pure heart, ready to receive every part of You.
Enable us to never lose sight of the cross and never get so caught up in what society says Christianity should look like, but rather empower us to have confidence in our simple, true and moving worship to You, with every single aspect of our lives.
In Jesus’ name. 
Amen 

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

A C H I E V E

Leave a comment

First things First!

CELEBRATIONSSS

The Blog turned One year young in the past week, and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported and read and shared and liked and commented and prayed and just done something, someway, somehow to encourage and build this ministry.
God bless you all from the bottom of my heart.

There definitely will be a post coming up to reflect on the past year, but in order to keep our F.C.A. series all together, I’ll delay this until after today’s post.

With the celebration of One Year online in the atmosphere, our word today to conclude the series is very apt…

Let’s look at the word A C H I E V E…

In 2018, you will not just labour for the sake of it, rather you will surely reap your harvest in due season; ripe produce, exactly as God has pre-ordained for it to be, and exactly how God has designed for it to be, in Jesus’ name.

When we look at the meaning of the word Achieve, according to the Oxford dictionary, it says it is to “successfully bring about or reach, a desired objective or result, by effort, skill or courage”.
The word Achieve is a verb, therefore it is an action word – a word that requires you to be Proactive and Do…
We’ll pray about all this at the end, but first, I want us to look at a man in the bible; Noah.

An inspirational character, who obeyed God’s word, and did exactly what we are doing this year – Noah Focused on what he had to do, Noah Led the process of reaching his goal, and Noah Achieved his desired outcome.

Let’s read,
And actually, I want you to click the link for Genesis 5:32 – 8:21, to read the story of Noah and the great flood, before heading back here for us to explore it…
(See you in a few mins).

…

Back?

Perfect!

So in this passage, the bible tells us that the men and women on earth at the time were just absolutely atrocious! Their behaviour and decisions were constantly displeasing to God, therefore He decided to wipe them out.
But Noah – the word of God tells us that he found grace before God, because he was perfect in his generations and he walked with God.
So amongst all of these innumerable humans on the earth at that time, Noah was the only one whom God could single out as pleasing in His sight.

Let’s pause here for a moment…

You see, one thing that is special within this context is that the bible tells us that Noah was a ‘just man’ (Genesis 6:9). And I look at that and I wonder what it means.
But what God uses this word to tell us is that He is pleased with us in our plain and simple state.
He didn’t choose Noah because he was a king, or a highly esteemed individual within the society, but rather because Noah did what was right in God’s eyes, and in his plainness, he knew, and had a relationship with God.
Reiterating what we’ve discussed in F O C U S, in order to Achieve this year, we must desire and pursue an upright, up-close and personal relationship with Almighty God.
Let God know you are that one that He can depend on, because He hears from you daily, you obey when He instructs, and you long after His heart.
         Father, like Noah, let us please You with our entire being. Enable us to walk closely with You, and grant us a heart of obedience, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Now let’s proceed.
We read that God gives Noah an instruction – ‘Make an ark’ – (Genesis 6:14).
In this year, in order to Achieve what God has truly designed to be ours, we must listen carefully to what He says, and not just run with what we have on our own agendas.
I’m not telling you not to have your own goals, but what I’m saying is that you should take them to God, and before you move – ask Him for the instructions of how to go about them, because look at what happens next with Noah and God…
When we read all of Genesis 6:13-21, we see that God gives Noah details!
God gives Him specifics, and God gives Him clarity! How good is it for us to be clear on what we’re doing?!
If only you can rest in God, and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), He will tell you exactly what you need to do to reach your goals this year.
And once we have those instructions, our Achievement this year will come through complete Obedience to God – the bible tells us in Genesis 6:22 that Noah DID, according to all God commanded Him. We too must DO, exactly as God commands us.

Now just as we linger here in this avenue about instructions, God wants me to tell you not to be afraid. And this is very very important…
He is saying, when you get the instructions from Him, do not be overwhelmed by the magnitude of work you have to do – You Can Do It – remember in L E A D we establshed that we are more than capable.

You see, Noah wasn’t scared of accomplishing what God told him to do.
And in 2018, I pray that all fear that has crippled your ability to Achieve in the past, be destroyed and removed from your life, from today onwards in Jesus’ name.

We must understand that God trusted Noah.
And just in the same way, God trusts you.
He has looked at your ability, your qualities and the gifts He has endowed you with and He KNOWS you can execute the plans He has for you, Excellently.
Therefore again I emphasise that when you hear the instructions from God about how to move and advance towards your glory this year – Do Not Fear that it is too big for you to do.
Rather, Trust in God’s trust in you, and like Noah, be Proactive and DO.

So the ark was built successfully, and it served its great purpose, in that it contained and covered Noah, his family and all the animals from the great flood that took over the earth. (Genesis 7:1)
And friends, even though we know that the ark was built by now, yes it means Noah Achieved his building goal, but we’re not quite done yet with this story.

The rain stopped (Genesis 8:2), but Noah and co. were still in the ark.
Why? Because God’s plan wasn’t quite done yet.

I want us to understand that our Achievements are bigger than just what we’re going to get out of them.
You see, from the beginning, we are made to understand that God desired to protect Noah from the flood.
So let’s apply simple logic; by nature, after it rains, though the showers may have ceased, the waters still remain on the land for a while don’t they?
Therefore in order for God’s word to be fulfilled and for this true protection from the destructive power of the flood to happen, it meant that Noah and his people were to remain in that ark until the land was dry and safe for them to tread on again.
What is God saying to us with this?
Friends, He’s telling us to allow our testimony to be full!
We will have many small victories towards our goals, but let us have patience to allow the whole glory to manifest in its entirety!
If we go to Genesis 8:3, this is the verse straight after we are told that the rain has stopped – but it doesn’t say ‘So Noah and family evacuated the ark immediately’. In fact none of the next few verses say such.
Noah was not in a rush for God’s plan of protection to be fulfilled, but rather he endured a waiting season in order for the perfection of God’s plan to manifest.
In Genesis 8:6-12, we see that Noah waits to ensure the waters have dried up completely. He sends a dove back and forth to determine the state of the earth and he doesn’t step out in haste without hearing from God. We must do the same.
Great Achievements are already our portion in 2018, however we ought be extra sensitive to God’s voice, and we mustn’t desire a premature fulfilment of God’s word, because trust me, anything that comes before its appointed time, is incomplete.
In 2018, allow the manifestation of the glory God has for you to come exactly when He has planned for it to come, and you will see that not only will your joy be full, but through the mercy of God, other people will be blessed, favoured and delivered because of your Achievement and Obedience to God. (Genesis 8:20-21).
Some of us in the past have reached a point in our goals which in our eyes seemed like the end result – but God has more for us!
In 2018, we will wait to receive the ‘more’, in Jesus name, and I pray in addition that all the past ‘mores’ that our impatience has caused us to miss out on, shall be restored onto us and given to us in fullness in Jesus’ Mighty Name.
Now finally, let’s pray with that loaded Oxford definition of Achieve,

In 2018, [EFFORT] I pray that you will rid yourself of all laziness and nonchalance, and you will apply yourself in the best way you possibly can!
[SKILL] I pray that you will discover every single gift that the Lord has given you, and you will put it to work with excellence and wisdom in order to produce great results.
[COURAGE] I pray that God will give you the heart of a Lion, to know that nothing is beyond your reach, and nothing is too hard for you to do, through His strength!

 

Friends I am so excited for us to go forth in this year and grab everything that God has purposed for us!

I pray that the words;

F O C U S      L E A D    A C H I E V E

will remain clear in our hearts and minds, and surely we will use them along with the grace and wisdom of God to optimise our entire existence in 2018!
Go Get It!
Keep the Faith, Don’t Stop Believing
God Bless you.
#FocusLeadAchieve
#FOCUS
#LEAD
#ACHIEVE

L E A D

3 Comments

You will  L E A D  your own (God-directed) way to your destiny this year.

Meaning, you aren’t going to get there by following.

In 2018, God is commanding you to step forth, step out and possess your possession (Deuteronomy 10:11).

He wants you to
Take charge.
Stand up.
and Be Bold.

When God gave me this word – L E A D – He was speaking to me about conviction.
As I engaged in a reflection of my actions and various decisions made in the past year, I remembered times when I had been swayed, or had ‘gone with a flow’, though it hadn’t  really been designed for me.  
Thus, God began to speak to me about sticking to my guns, sticking to my beliefs in the word of God, and sticking to what I know would make Jesus proud.
He also spoke to me about being forward, having self-belief, and fearlessly pursuing whatever I truly desire to do – regardless of if I have people’s approval/agreement or not.
Through this meditation with Him, He therefore made it clear that this year I would need to LEAD my way to where He has purposed for me – not piggy-back on other people’s journeys.
I would need to be bold in my convictions and not compromise; and shake off fear and self-doubt, and stop standing in the background.

So here we go friends, I’ve got to tell you;

The word ‘LEAD’ will push us out of our comfort zones this year.

It will set us apart from the crowd, and single us out from the midst of those doing what isn’t pleasing to God.
It will force us OUT from wherever/whomever we’ve been hiding behind all this time, and it will require us to finally start having some faith in what God has placed in us –  the He that is within us (1 John 4:4).

So Two Aspects to our Leadership this year;

1 – Leading our lives away from sin.

2 – Taking the Lead on the journey to our place of glory and purpose.

And here’s the scripture we are going to focus on;

““You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
[Matthew 5:13-16]

 

1 – Leading our lives away from sin…

You see, what the word of God tells us in the scripture above, is that we must not blend in any longer. (We’ve touched on this before, have a look at ‘Dare to be Different‘ to refresh your memory).
As the salt of the earth, we have an essential role to play in transforming the world. We are a key factor in the successful process of affecting change in our societies, and the way God has called us to do this is through the renewed minds and lives we have in Jesus Christ.
For this very reason, we must live boldly in our convictions in 2018, and remove ourselves from situations that will denounce Christ.

So errrm, be prepared to feel uncomfortable. Be prepared to stand alone sometimes. And be prepared to break some ungodly bonds (with things and people)…
Simply put, some of the Leading steps you will take, out of the crowd, out of the muck and out of the darkness, into the light, will not be easy.
Many times they won’t be the popular choice or decision that everyone else is going with, therefore you’ll often find yourself feeling lonely even though you are doing the right thing.

But it’s okay – because you are starting something here…
The stand you take as an Example and Ambassador of Christ, will speak to the lives of those around you and that’s what God wants from you this year and always.
He wants you to be unashamed of the gospel, and rather than be timid and silent about the things of God, He wants you to rise up to fulfil them, and not conform to the things of the flesh such as sexual immorality, lying, cheating and deceit.

The more you LEAD your life out of the pleasures of this world, and into the kingdom of God, you’ll notice a difference in the dynamic of your journey towards your goals, as you will hear and feel the directions of God much more distinctively.
A life more aligned with the kingdom, will allow you to be undistracted and unclouded, and will permit a clearer mind to operate with.

Let us remember that whilst our Leadership and Boldness to flee from sin this year will benefit our personal walk with Christ, actually, as little seeds are sown in the lives of others, we will also inspire a change within them too!

2 – Taking the Lead on the journey to our place of glory and purpose…

Now let’s address this shyness, or laid-back attitude, which has been keeping many of us in the back for all these years…
God Himself has called us OUT!

(1) Some of us are very polite; we like to step back and give others a chance, or we’re so sure of ourselves (in an accurately humble way) that we don’t we feel the need to battle with others to take up roles when it comes to certain tasks, jobs, or assignments.
(2) Some of us are gripped with fear however, and we are overtaken by worry, doubt, and anxiety, and a lack of self-belief. Even though we know we are good in our own right, we always believe someone else is better and therefore is more deserving of the opportunity/limelight than we are.
(3) Then there are those of us who are simply too lazy to care. We can’t be bothered to use too much of our energy, or apply too much effort to do things, therefore we just chill at the back and allow others to do the work.

Whichever category you fall into, and even if your description isn’t here – we all have to change this year.

You see, as much as our spiritual uprightness and cleanliness is important, so is our excellence on this earth!
Our reference scripture above says;
“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” 
This is God’s call for us to stop hiding, and instead, step out as the beacon of light that He has called us to be.
He hasn’t created us to be second best, or a follower of any man, rather we are meant to LEAD and take charge, in every area of our lives, so that this Light can shine, and people will acknowledge the goodness of God and give Him glory.

Now look, I’m not telling you to be arrogant and shove everyone else aside. I’m not telling you hog the spotlight and become self-obsessed, in fact in your Leadership, you must still carry others along, and serve others in many ways (Luke 22:24-27).
But what I am saying here, is that you must live as though you truly know and believe that you are a Chosen Generation. (1 Peter 2:9)
You must grab opportunities firmly (when God tells you to) when they are presented before you, and run with them and never look back.
You must strive to achieve excellence in all things concerning you, and never settle for anything less.

The bible tells us that Daniel was described as having an extraordinary spirit, (Daniel 6:3). Prior to this impressive description, he had displayed confidence by standing out for his God.
Daniel Led.
He Led by not conforming, and he also led by showing forth the gift of God within him, and in fact he turned the heart of an idol-worshipping king, to come to know our true God of heaven and earth. (For more insight, read Daniel chapters 1–4, and ‘Can They See You?‘).

Just like Daniel, Leading your way to your destiny this year will manifest through you being the ‘shot-caller’. (But notice the wisdom with which this was executed in his case).
You’ve done enough observation and listening over the years, and it’s now time for you to put the learnt theory into play and let some fruits begin to yield forth from it all.

I’ll leave you with this;
When God gave me this message, He wanted me to emphasise the fact that You are so Capable.
And friend, you must remind yourself of this fact every single day.
You are Capable, and endowed with so much greatness, therefore with your humility intact, this year is about you fully becoming YOU – Stepping into your full glory and manifesting forth the very gift, talent, skill-set, qualities and qualifications that God Himself has given you in order to prosper throughout this land.

That Bold, Fearless and Forthcoming spirit to LEAD, is what I prophesy that we each possess from today onwards, and with it, we will encounter every great thing designed for us in this year, and beyond, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Return in a few days for our third keyword for this year;
A C H I E V E.

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

 

#LEAD
#NewYear
#2018
#FocusLeadAchieve!