Fear vs Faith

FEAR

The feeling of fear can result in many different things. Fear can either make or break us. When people are afraid you can get a clear idea of what their true character is. Out of fear Simon Peter denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion. The fear factor can dominate most of our daily lives if we let it. In the face of trouble, the feeling of fear can be quickly dissolved if and when you put your trust in GOD. When you do this He puts His peace in our hearts. He gives us a relief which cannot be gained from any other source. Knowing that the Almighty GOD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, is on your side and fighting your battle for you. We are to have an unwavering faith in GOD. A faith that is rarely moved in the face of uncertain circumstances, financial trouble or whatever your giant may be.

Examples of people who exercised this kind of unwavering faith is David. In the face of trouble he knew that he was on the winning Side, because he knew the unfailing GOD in whom he had put his trust would rescue him from the hands of the "uncircumcised Philistine" Goliath(1 Samuel 17). The same way GOD had delivered him from the paw of the bear and that of the lion, He also delivered him from the hand of Goliath. See, in the face of trouble, David knew the GOD whom he served and was not intimidated by Goliath as the armies of Israel were. He remembered the LORD's faithfulness and power in his past experiences. GOD's love, care, protection and guidance surrounded David all the time. David, though he was just a youth knew for certain that Goliath would be defeated at his hand; not because he fought in his own strength but because he was not fighting on his own. The battle was "the LORD's" (vs 47). When the Philistine and the people looked at him, they saw just as youth, but GOD saw a king. That same David found favor in the eyes of GOD and later became king. When GOD's annointing is on somebody everybody knows it. Failure will scarcely take place in that person's life because their hope is in the Almighty GOD. 

Fear when not properly checked is a hindrance in every sense of the word. Fear can stop you from accomplishing your goals and can ensure that dreams never become a reality. It can be so immobilising that you just don't do anything for fear of what might happen if you try. Fear comes in many forms.

• fear of the unknown
• fear of people- being afraid of what people will think of you- Solution- remember that GOD loves you unconditionally and you are ultimately secure with Him and accepted by Him.
• fear of making mistakes -(stems from perfectionism)
• fear of death

But Jesus says that we are not to worry. (Matthew 6) Our lives are in His hands. Our times are in His hands. (Psalm 31:15) He assures us that before we were even born, before He formed us in the womb He knew us. (Jeremiah 1:5) He knows everything about us (Psalm 139:1-5) and He is the One who is ultimately in control of our circumstances. Countless times in the Bible GOD commands us not to be afraid because He is with us. (Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 6:25, Matthew 10:19. Be encouraged friend. GOD is with you.

FAITH
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11

Faith in Action

 ¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.
 ³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
 ⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
 ⁵ By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”^[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
 ⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
 ⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she^[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
 ¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
 ¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^{[c] 19} Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
 ²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
 ²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
 ²² By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
 ²³ By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
 ²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
 ²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
 ³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
 ³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^[d]
 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were put to death by stoning;^[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
 ³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Faith = a living unshakeable confidence
Faith is the unfaltering confidence in GOD. He is able to do all things. And nothing is impossible for Him to do. What He says, it will be done. He is not a man that He should lie. He knows this. It is just for us to know and believe. Often when we are tried and tested we forget all that GOD can do and has done for others in ages past. GOD is faithful.
We can be sure that GOD loves us because we have faith in Him and in His faithfulness and also in His unchanging character. The fact that GOD has said repeatedly that He loves us and delights in us (John 3:16, 1 John 3:1, Psalms 145:13-20)

Something for the kids

Alright kids! How are you today? Do you know that Jesus

loves you? Of course you do!

He loves you very much. In fact, GOD loved you and me so much that He sent Jesus Christ, His one and only Son to die for us. (John 3:16)

So that we could go to Heaven and live with Him when we die.

He did this so that He could make us clean again from a type of

dirt called “sin”. You and me can’t see it, because it infects the heart like a disease. When people do bad things, it is called sin. And this makes GOD very sad. GOD doesn’t like sin because He is good and there is no badness in Him. GOD can never be bad because He is holy. He is perfect. He makes no mistakes. He’s never wrong. He is always holy. GOD wants us to be close to Him. He wants to be our friend and He wants us to love Him, because He is our Father in Heaven and He loves us dearly. He is the only one who loves us unconditionally. Do you know what that means? He loves us so much that nothing in the whole wide world could separate us from that love. (Romans 8:35-39)

Nothing that we could ever do would ever stop Him from loving

us. He just loves us, just because. His love for us is great!

My King is a sovereign King

Jesus is King over all the earth. And since He is King, that

makes us princes and princesses. We belong to a great family-

 GOD’s family. Jesus Christ is the Son of GOD and He is GOD. He

 created the world. And then the King Himself came to the world

to save us. Isn’t that wonderful? That our King would lay down

His life for us- His people. He wants us to become like Him. Simply

put, doesn’t a child look like their parents? We all look a bit like

our mum and dad’s. So GOD wants us to look like Him and His

Son. He wants us to be like Him in the way we speak, the things

we do and the thoughts we think of. He wants us to be good and

well behaved. This would show the world a mirror of what GOD is

like, by us being an example. Nobody is perfect except GOD the

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus showed us how to live

perfectly. And told us that He would help to do the same. He said

that it proves we are children of His and our Father in Heaven.

When you are GOD's child (a child of Christ Jesus) you have nothing to fear. You never have to be afraid because GOD is with you and He loves you dearly.

If you are not a Christian yet then pray this prayer.

Prayer

Dear LORD Jesus,

I know that I am a sinner. I believe that You died for me and that

GOD raised You from the dead. I ask You now to come into my

heart and cleanse me from my sin. I love You.

Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer, then you are now a Christian.

GOD has heard your prayer. In fact, He always hears you. He is

 the only One who understands you completely, so go to Him with

all of your problems. No matter what it is, your worries are not

too hard for GOD to handle and your burdens are never too

heavy for GOD to handle. He will sort out all of your problems.

If you have prayed this prayer, Christ has now entered into your heart and will live with you forever and you will live with Him. He is the best BFF you will ever have, because He loves you and promises never to leave you nor forsake you. He will be your Friend to the end. And you have nothing to worry about as long as He is with you.

GOD’s Word

GOD talks to you through His Word, the Holy Bible. His Word

is powerful and is able to make you grow big and strong in your

heart, mind, soul and spirit. He loves you and wants you to be

happy. He wants you to become like Him and He will help you

with everything you need help with.

It give instructions on how to live a good life. He also speaks to

you through the Holy Spirit. When you become a child of GOD,

Jesus puts His own Spirit inside of you. This Spirit says that we are

children of GOD. He speaks to us about what is right and what is

wrong. He lives within us (in our hearts) and lets us know the

thoughts of GOD. He is perfect, because He is GOD. He works in

our hearts to make us like Him. Like surgery, He transforms us

from the inside.

Have you ever seen the movie Transformers? Transformer, robots in disguise. GOD transforms us to be like Him. Little bit by little bit and day by day we become more like Him. He performs surgery on our heart. Our hearts become more kind, more loving, more patient, more joyful, more peaceful. GOD produces fruit in our hearts, called the fruit of the Spirit. These are: -

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Ask GOD to produce these special Fruit in you.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL. Bye for now. xx

 

AND REMEMBER KIDS, PRAY ALL THE TIME AND READ YOUR BIBLES.

GOD LOVES YOU AND JESUS TOO.
HE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR YOU.

HERE'S A SONG YOU'LL LIKE. It's called "Jesus loves me".
Click on the link below to listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMCR4p5mSjQ

The Mirror of My Heart

The Bible/Scripture says in Proverbs 4:23 to "Guard your heart with all diligence for this is the issue of life".
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. NIV
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. NKJV

Be careful what goes into your thoughts and what occupies/makes up your thought pattern because it may begin to seep into your heart and take over/infect it.

Jesus very wisely sums it up in this way. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21. In these end times, our main focus should be GOD and His way. He knows what is best and will guide us with all diligence if we are willing to follow. Now my GOD is a Gentleman. He won't force you to follow His way: although it is always best. It is an issue of the heart. You must want to pursue Him. GOD has already spent thousands upon thousands of years pursuing man. The entire Bible speaks of it. Until He finally sent His beloved Son to die for sinful, unworthy, rebellious (back-sliden) Mankind.

It is now time to choose His way. As a husband expects his wife to be faithful to him, the LORD wants our whole-hearted devotion. We must not act as prostitutes, trying to divide our love between mulitiple lovers/partners, because GOD has said "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (that includes idols of any kind which we set up in our heart- nothing and noone should be more important than GOD in our lives).
Christ is the Husband/Husbandman and we (the church) are His bride. So let's try to make ourselves beautiful for our Husband. Unspoiled by the world'd evil influence.

We must not put anything before GOD. Whether it be:-

 Love/relationships
- Nobody should take GOD's rightful place in your heart. Your life-partner should in fact be the one to bring you closer to GOD and not prevent you from growing with the LORD and reaching spiritual maturity.

Greed
- "Man shalt not live by bread alone, but by every Word which cometh from the mouth of GOD." (Matthew 4) We are to live by GOD's Word and not be carried away by the cares of this life, because GOD is our Provider and the One who looks after us. We need not be worried about tomorrow. (Matthew 6)
- For the love of money is the root of all evil. For money- the love of money and the need for materialistic gain, which in essence is covetousness- or rather to gain and keep money people will do anything.

Lust
-For as a man thinketh in his heart so he is
-For the world is passing away and the lust of it. When Jesus comes again to rule and reign with all righteousness only what is good will remain. All else- meaning wickedness and all kinds of evil- will be obliterated. Evil will be utterly destroyed. That is why we must be careful to live a good life and "make our election sure." We are to work out our "own salvation with fear and trembling" because it is a very serious issue. Our eternity is a very important matter. Always remember that "He who does the will of GOD abides forever."
-Matthew 5:28 says "That whoseoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath already commited adultery with her in his heart."

Don't give the devil a foothold. he is to be beneath your feet where he belongs. Don't let him play on your weaknesses. Instead take all of your weaknesses, temptations and short-comings to the Father and He will strengthen you and cause you to stand. Also, you need to be wearing the Full Armour of GOD. Ephesians 6:10-18. We stand victorious in CHRIST. Nothing is worth your salvation and your relationship with GOD.
We all need to make a decision. All or nothing. Will I serve GOD? (Micah 6:8)
Or will you choose fame, fortune, lust, greed and all the things which lasts only for a short time and leads ultimately to destruction and hell-fire?
Or will you surrender your life to Jesus?

Youth

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. - Psalm 119:9

This post is aimed at youth today. Often we get so caught up in living life, that we forget that we are accountable to GOD. And that every action will be brought into question on the Day of Judgement.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.


Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Don't worry about what anyone else is doing. Do what you know is right. Cling to GOD and His Word because that is the surest thing you will EVER come across in life. Your life is not your own, you were bought at a price.

Who am I?

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesian 2:10

If you have placed your faith in Christ Jesus, then you are a child of GOD. You have the divine privilege of communion with GOD. We have the divine right given to us by GOD to be called a child of GOD. We are heirs of GOD therefore joint-heirs with Christ Jesus. That makes Jesus Christ our brother. We have an inheritance in Heaven. When we become Christians (followers of Christ and children of GOD) then our citizenship is in Heaven. We can put our complete confidence in GOD. Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21, Joel 2:32, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Romans 10:9. For He has said  that all who call on His name will never be put to shame Romans 10:11. He has also said that He is faithful to complete the good which He began in you. Philippians 1:6

When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, you have a security which will never fail. GOD Himself holds your life in His hands and orders your steps. Psalm 37:23. Being a Christian is not always easy, but Jesus promises to guide you. He said that He will not leave you comfortless. So He sent the Comforter. The Holy Spirit living within you. He guides you and speaks to you. The still small voice within you which teaches you what is right and what is wrong, is GOD's own Spirit which He gave to us when we became children of GOD. He is the Spirit of adoption. GOD's seal of redemption on us. "Proof of purchase" if you like.  Ephesians 1:13-14. By the blood of Jesus shed for us on Calvary, our freedom was bought. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. And the Holy Spirit is our gurantee of our redemption, salvation. That when Jesus comes again we will be hidden in Him. We will be caught up with Him in the clouds and taken safely to Heaven with Him where we will dwell forever.  Here are some Scriptures to consider: -


John 1:12 "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— "

1 John 3:1  "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

1 John 3:10 "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister."

All of these speak of the incomprehendable, indescribable and endless unconditional love of the Father. He loves us with an undying love That He would send His one and only Son to die in our place, to reconcile us to GOD. You might ask how this came to be. Well in the beginning when GOD created the world, He created man. (Adam and Eve) And they dwelt in perfect harmony with GOD, until the evil one, (the devil or the serpent) deceived Eve (the woman) and she ate of the fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil- which GOD had commanded them not to eat.  She gave it to her husband (Adam) and he ate also. This is the Fall of Man. Read in more detail. Genesis 2-3.  

I know that whatever happens in life, GOD is able to keep me. Who the Son sets free is free indeed. John 8:36. The moment you accept Jesus into your life, you enter into an everlasting friendship with Allmighty GOD. The best and most important decision you can ever make in life is to follow Jesus. A man does nt consist of just body and mind. He has a soul as well and after the body has died the soul lives forever. Once you accept Christ into your life, you have the guarantee of spending your eternity with Him. If you are not a Christian yet, search your heart and look at the beauty and complexity of nature, which reveals the heart of our omipotent and loving Creator, Heavenly Father and LORD. Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10. Choose to follow Him now and your life will never be the same.

Spring Cleaning Part 2: Confession and forgiveness

Back to the topic of soul spring cleaning. A more appropriate term would be the spring cleaning of your life. Sometimes like our house or even desks, dirt and clutter can accumulate. When problems or bad habits and attitudes go unresolved it can produce all kinds of clutter and cluster which can make us ineffective and unproductive in our Christian lives. It might even stop the flow of GOD's blessings which He desires to freely bestow upon us, but we won't let Him. Disobedience drives a wedge between us and GOD. GOD desires to bless us but He just can't get through. Isaiah 59:2 We won't let Him in.

When instead of dealing appropriately with certain sins, we shrug them off and make excuses for them. The way to deal with sin is not to justify it, but to confess it. Confess your sins to the only One who justifies us, by His grace. Psalm 32:5, 1 John 1:9.

A few pointers to consider:-

Sometimes like our homes or desks, dirt and clutter can accumulate in our lives. Whether it be issues such as temptation, habitual and repetitious sin, unforgiveness, undealt with issues such as anger/rage and even passiveness can lead to an unhealthy, clustered and generally weighed down, overburdened and scarred soul. But Jesus can solve all of these problems, if only we will take them to Him in prayer and confession. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7  "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Also see
Psalm 55:22 and Psalm 68:19,

• unforgiveness can lead to cluster
• unspoken burdens -to the LORD (the Comforter of all or rather the GOD of all comfort) let GOD comfort and support and uplift you
• clutter of the mind- negative or ungodly thoughts go unchecked and fester into something much worse (feeding sin) "and sin when it is full-grown gives birth to death
• clutter of the heart
• clutter of the soul
• unconfessed sins
• unforgiveness leads to depression and drives a wedge between you and GOD. For it is written in Matthew 6:14-15. "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." 
   

GOD is not going to finance our sin. Sometimes when we are unhappy for no good reason it is because we are not in the will of GOD for our lives. We cannot exclude GOD from our lives. When we ask for something we must first make consult GOD and make sure that it is His will for us. Often we fail at so many things in life because we don't ask GOD. Sometimes GOD will just give us what we want and then we will find out by experience that it wasn't what was best for us. Often what we want is not what is best for us and GOD says that we must not be coveteous. Take King David for example. He saw the wife of Urriah (Bathesheba) bathing on the roof of her house and he lusted after her. His ungodly desire for what was not his to take led him to commit murder and adultery, thus sinning against GOD Himself who was a witness of all this before the first desire was conceived in his heart. BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU WANT TO HAVE. It may not be in GOD's plan for your life. And all too often we frustrate the plans of GOD for our life. This reminds me of a sermon I heard in church one Sunday (on father's day). While GOD was planning to make Aaron a high priest, he was down the mountain building a golden calf for the rebellious people/nation of Israel. Any parent who may be reading this can sympathise with GOD.  These words come to mind when such things happen. "Why did you have to go and mess up your life? You had so much potential. I had such great plans for you and you go and do this."

Make sure you walk in the will of GOD for your life. The people of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness, when it should have been less than a 2 day journey to the land promised to them. All because they were disobedient and did not trust GOD. They didn't believe the promise. Strangely enough they didn't believe that the same GOD who parted the Red Sea for them would stand by His Word.

Whatever it is you are waiting for GOD to do in your life, simply believe and it will come to pass. Start living in your blessing as if it had already come. ;Thank you and GOD Bless. I pray that GOD will have His way in you and will bless you in abundance. May you follow Him unswervingly and with an unwavering child-like faith. May the GOD of love, peace, joy and comfort guard your hearts in Christ Jesus.

Jesus the Brave

He gave it all up for us. His life, He left His throne to come to the earth and save a people who rejected Him. His own did not recognise Him. The Creator did not receive the praise due to His holy name. The Creator, for our salvation was treated like a common criminal. For our sakes He bled and died on the cross. He felt all the agony and the pain. He felt every lash of the whip, every punch and slap, He took for us. They nailed His hands and feet to the cross. The Son of GOD came to die for you and for me to earn (buy) our salvation. He bought our freedom. He rescued us from the power of sin and death. For us He became sin. He was without sin. Perfect in every way. He lived at peace with all around Him. He never spoke an unkind word. He did everything perfectly in the eyes of GOD. Everything He did, every word He spoke, His every thought was out of love. Before He came down to earth, He knew what He was to do. Even before the creation of the world, He knew what He had to do to buy our salvation. The Son of GOD, one with the Father, surrounded by the adoration and praise of angels, left His throne, left Heavenly bliss and perfection to come to this sin-scarred fallen world to rescue us. People I think we have a lot to be thankful for. It is unfathomable the pain and heartache He felt as He died that agonizing death on the cross. He felt all the pain of a human being. He was fully GOD and fully man. He possessed all the power of GOD Himself, yet He humbled Himself and faced death on the cross, knowing that He could have come down from the cross at any time. But His love for us is what He thought of. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve. It should have been each one of us on that cross of calvary.

Even in the midst of all His immense pain and suffering, with great mercy, love and compassion in His heart He spoke these words "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." It was for our sins that He died. Even as they cruelly drove nails into His hands and feet and mistreated the Saviour He was still thinking thoughts of mercy and pleading their (our) case before GOD. He is a good GOD. Meer words are not enough to express gratitude to Him for what He has done. 

Have you taken time to kneel and pray to the One who died for you and for me? Have given Him thanks for all that He has done for you? Have you expressed your genuine appreciation for who He is?
I challenge you to do so now. GOD Bless. x

Spring Cleaning: Inner cleansing

Spring cleaning is usually something people do when they've have noticed that their home is becoming a bit clustered or is no longer a vision of homeliness. When you're house stops being inviting, then there's some work to do! It can be a bit like that in our walk of faith. Most of us need to do some spiritual spring cleaning. But just like cleaning a house, it may take a lot of time and effort. Sometimes you have to give things a good clear out before you can find what you’re looking for. Sometime just like tidying up,

the deeper you dig the more you find. The more you look is the more dirt and dust is uncovered. The same can be applied to the human soul. The more you try to become a better person is the more faults you will find. (More things you need to improve.)

Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing. It means that you're actually making progress. When you are trying your best to get your life lined up in accordance with GOD's Word, alot of things will be uncovered; or rather revealed.GOD's Sword pierces deep. He seeks to purify the soul and refine you as silver. Once He is finished with you, you will shine like the Sun. You will be as silver refined in the fire. (the Fire of GOD's Word; It purges deep) My GOD is in the transformation business, the reformation business, the transfiguration business,  the healing business and the restoration business. If you feel like GOD is doing the same in your life; if you know in your heart that He has revealed something to you, then trust in Him. You're in for some deep cleansing.

Jesus is mine

1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! 
 O what a foretaste of glory divine! 
 Heir of salvation, purchase of God, 
 born of his Spirit, washed in his blood. 
Refrain:
 This is my story, this is my song, 
 praising my Savior all the day long; 
 this is my story, this is my song, 
 praising my Savior all the day long. 

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight, 
 visions of rapture now burst on my sight; 
 angels descending bring from above 
 echoes of mercy, whispers of love. 
 (Refrain) 

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest; 
 I in my Savior am happy and blest, 
 watching and waiting, looking above, 
 filled with his goodness, lost in his love. 
 (Refrain) 

I love this hymn. It tells of the wonderful peace and everlasting joy that you experience once you've trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. This kind of joy can never be taken away from you. It lasts forever. Jesus Christ is your joy. He brings a kind of peace to the soul, the heart and the mind which cannot be gained from any other source but Him. Every other joy or happiness you can encounter in life is fleeting and superficial.


Every human being on this earth has a longing for GOD. A GOD-shaped void in their heart which can only be filled by GOD Himself our Creator. Whether we want to admit it or not we share a bond with GOD, too deep and divine for anyone to truly comprehend or explain. GOD satisfies our thirst for longing, our need for love (to be loved), our inner yearning to belong, to be a part of something. GOD is the Creator and because He created us (and not we ourselves) we cannot have a life without Him. He is the Life-Giver. All of creation looks to Him and relys on Him for food, protection, love.. FOR EVERYTHING REALLY. He is the One who sustains us, the One who feeds us, nurtures us, provides for us. The One who protects us. And He does all of this and many don't even know it. Many people in the world have not experience the privilage of having a personal relationship with GOD our Father, our Saviour and our Friend. He saw us take our first step BEFORE the world was even made. Before He spoke the entire universe into existence He had great plans for you and me. Through thick and thin GOD is always there. He cries when you cry, laughs when you laugh, rejoices at your every success and comforts you through your every failure. Cling onto GOD. Stay close to Him. When GOD is all you have, HE is all you need. Trust Him and have faith.


If you have looked at how complex and vast this universe is then surely you must question what a mighty Mind, what a powerful Hand, what a divine Being, what a good Designer could have made all this. If you have ever questioned your existence then look to the cross. Think of the cross of Jesus. He died on the cross to give us life; eternal life.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Sent from GOD the Father, He came to redeem sinful man from the power of sin and death and gave unto us eternal life. To all those who have trusted in His name He gave the right to be called children of GOD.

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-"John 1:12

Romans 10:9-13 ⁹ That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ¹¹ As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Make the best choice you could ever make. Life is short..VERY SHORT. And in this life of uncertainty, we need Someone reliable. Jesus is the surest thing you will EVER get in this life. The firmest Rock you can ever lean on, the strongest Shoulder you can ever cry on. He invites you to cast ALL of your burdens onto Him so that He may sustain you, because He cares for you. He is the most rock-solid foundation there is. My Jesus is great! He is never tired and He never grows weary. He is always strong and never weak. So many people today carry burdens and problems to heavy for them to bear, forgetting or completely oblivious to the fact that we have a GOD who is greater than all. My GOD is bigger than you and I. Bigger than your biggest problem, tougher than your toughest bully, braver than a knight, more loving than a mother. He shines brighter than the Sun and this means that He can light your darkest night. WOW. What a mighty GOD we serve. If you are feeling weary, if life has taken it's toll on you and you feel you can't stand anymore then lay your burdens down at the Feet of the almighty GOD. He will dry your tears, strengthen you, cause you to stand, lift you up so that you ride on the wings of the wind; so that you soar like an eagle.

Isaiah 40:31. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Whoever you are I invite you to put your trust in Jesus. You don't have to go it alone anymore. You have a Friend in Heaven who cares about you. Yes! He loves you very much. Lay your burdens down. This brings to mind my favourite hymn:-

1. What a friend we have in Jesus, 
 all our sins and griefs to bear! 
 What a privilege to carry 
 everything to God in prayer! 
 O what peace we often forfeit,
 O what needless pain we bear, 
 all because we do not carry 
 everything to God in prayer. 

2. Have we trials and temptations? 
 Is there trouble anywhere? 
 We should never be discouraged; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 
 Can we find a friend so faithful 
 who will all our sorrows share? 
 Jesus knows our every weakness; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 

3. Are we weak and heavy laden, 
 cumbered with a load of care? 
 Precious Savior, still our refuge; 
 take it to the Lord in prayer. 
 Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? 
 Take it to the Lord in prayer! 
 In his arms he'll take and shield thee; 
 thou wilt find a solace there.

GOD is King

GOD is King. He reigns supreme over all the earth. Over the entire universe in fact. His reign is not something which is dictated by popular demand. His Lordship is not a matter of what we think or decide. We do not vote for Him to be King. He is King whether we like it or not. And our King is a sovereign King, a just King. He says that His "yoke is easy and" His "burden is light". Matthew 11:30. He provides "rest for" our "souls". The LORD was there from before the world was made. It was formed at His hand. In actual fact, it was formed at His voice, since He spoke the world into existence. (Genesis 1).

 His authority knows no bounds. His power is unparalled. His reign is unpresidented. His wisdom is infinite. His love, everlasting and His mercy never ceases. Great is His faithfulness! He is not a liar, neither can He sin. There is no unrighteousness in Him. You will never find a Friend like Him. He has no equal. How many people do you know that can speak things into existence, calm the storms (Mark 4:35-40) and rebuke the waves, part the seas, make a donkey speak, listen to the prayers and innermost thoughts and desires of the nations, and yet look after the flowers and feed the birds. OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD! Have you ever considered the fact that Jesus is listening to our prayers and we have His full attention. Yet still  He is fully present with GOD the Father. And  He is present with billions upon trillions of other people all around the world, all at the same time! That is mind-blowing don't you think. Our GOD is great! He is awesome. He is allpowerful. He is omnipotent. (all powerful). He is omniscient. (He sees everything. Nothing gets past Him. He sees all and knows all). He is omnipresent. (He is present everywhere, all the time.) He is an awesome GOD. The only GOD.

 In 1 Kings 18:16-46 When Elijah was about to prove to the prophets of Baal that the LORD GOD is the only GOD and the One worthy of our praise, adoration and worship, he commanded that two bulls be presented. One for the prophets of Baal and the other for Elijah. (the prophet of the LORD, the only GOD). He said "Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Obviously the prophets of Baal received no answer from their false god. But the LORD responded to His servant Elijah by sending fire from Heaven.
Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—he is God!” 1 Kings 18:38-39.

GOD is braver than all

GOD is not weak. Never is He weak. Even when He was led to the cross and allowed cruel men to do wicked things to Him, HE was the One ultimately in control. As spoken by Jesus Himself in John 10:17-18

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

This means that even before He created the world He knew the hard thing He had to do in order to buy our freedom. He knew that He had to be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Luke 24:7. He loved us that much, that although He knew how much suffering He would endure for our sakes He still went to the cross anyway, with our redemption in mind. I believe that He had each one of us in mind, you and me, as He died on the cross. The Bible says in Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." It also says in Isaiah 49:1 "..Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. In Psalm 139:15-16  the Psalmist writes: - My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,  your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me  were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Before we were even one day old, Christ knew us. He knew that He would call us to be partakers of His grace, of His holiness. He ordained us to be great successes, part of the family of GOD, citizens of Heaven. We have a home in Heaven.
Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

GOD loves you

How many of us know that GOD loves us? You may say "GOD loves everybody". Yes that's true, GOD loves everyone. But do you know that GOD loves you personally? He loves you the way a parent loves each of their children equally. GOD loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ to die in your place. Jesus Christ the Son of GOD died on the cross for our sins and to reconcile us to Himself. (John 3:16)

If you are not a Christian I would like to invite you to make the decision right now to open your heart to Jesus. Invite Jesus to come into your heart today. Pray this prayer with me: -

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I confess that I am a sinner and I believe that You went to the cross for my sins. I believe that GOD the Father raised You from the dead. And I ask You now to cleanse me from my sins and to forgive me. I ask that You will come into my heart today and help me to live life anew with You. Thank You Lord Jesus.
Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer, then Jesus has just come into your heart and will live with you forever. Your life will never be the same again. You can now experience joy to the fullest with the Saviour. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He has given you His Holy Spirit to live in your heart forever. Nothing can ever separare you from His love. You will never be alone. GOD Himself will guide you into a new way of life by His Word and by the empowerment of His Holy Spirit living within your heart. He will be your guide and will lead you to (make you to lie down in) green pastures (Psalm 23:2). You will have His constant provision and everlasting love. You will never find a Friend like Him.


The Bible says in Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

The best decision you can ever make in life is to follow Jesus. "Because your worst day with Jesus is better than your best day without Him." (Joyce Meyers) GOD loves you, never forget that.

It's time to get moving

We have a lot of work to do, but are we paying attention to that fact. GOD loves us.

What do I think of when I say the words "it time to get moving."

1. stop procrastinating
2. start your work
3. nobody else is going to do what is your job to do
4. wake up

Often when we think we don't know how to handle a situation or when we are afraid of what the outcome will be, we waste time. Often this results in three different reactions: -

inactivity:-  we do absolutely nothing and hope for the best. In our minds we think that we cannot overcome a problem so we try to ignore it and then it maginifies and it becomes bigger than it was at the start.
Thus our reaction is "I can't do this. It's bigger than me. Or it's too much for me to handle". Rather than an optimistic and faithful "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". 

procrastination:- we put things off, saying to ourselves "Oh I'll do that later, it's no rush" Then it never gets done.

Hoping that the answer will come to us.
dealing with the problem:-the best thing to do with any problem you have is to first bring it to GOD. The answer to the problem or the solution will come to you, by the power and the voice of the indwelling Holy Spirit. GOD's voice of comfort and ease will overshadow your doubts as well as your fear. And not only will GOD ease your troubled heart but He will also empower you to overcome your problem. To face your giants head on and not to run away from them.

 It's time to get moving people! So whatever it is that you might be putting off or are afraid to complete, just remember that you must take risks in order for progress to be made. Nobody steps outside the house and says "I don't want to step forward. I might fall. What if my legs don't work? That's it, I'm not going to go through with it." That person would never go anywhere in life, not even past there front door! That example may be a bit extreme, but that's how it can be in life when opportunities are handed to us by GOD. We question and question, and doubt and worry that it won't work out until we do nothing at all.
Don't waste chances, take the risk and trust in GOD to take you through it. You WILL succeed if you raise your expectations a bit. Have faith in GOD and you'll never be disappointed.

The Risen LORD

Christ has risen. He has risen indeed! Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is LORD. I will boldly proclaim that this is true. GOD sent His Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world. He came to die for our sins. From the beginning of time He knew that He had to do this. He knew that He (GOD Himself) would come down to earth- in the Person of Jesus Christ- and rescue His people from their sins. For centuries people have turned their back on GOD, while He remained steadfastly faithful to them. Never forsaking His covenant with them (His chosen people). (will you do the same?)
I believe that whilst Jesus was dying on the cross, He called out our names to the Father in prayer. He knew each and every one of us before we were even born. Before we took our first step, He was there, egging us on. Encouraging us, like a proud Father. Planning our future. But not all of us are following His plan. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and ask ourselves "Am I following the will of GOD in my life?" "Am I seeking His face, His kingdom, His righteousness above all else?" "Is life my first priority or is the Giver of life my first priority?" If you can answer these questions then you are on the first step to recovery or improvement. We hide from GOD. Many of us don't want to admit it, but alot of the time when GOD request our service our first reaction is that of a student at school avoiding the teacher's gaze as he or she asks for a volunteer to answer a question. "What, me Lord?" We bury our head in the sand until we think the coast is clear. Then we get a reality check, GOD has not forgotten what He has required of us. And He is not going to give anybody else  the task that we should be doing. We all have heard the call of GOD. Each call is different. Each purpose varies. But one thing that they do have in common is that they all required our full attention, our 100 percent committment, and our whole hearted service rendered to the Lord, who repays all our faithful service in due time.