Don’t trip up

Sometimes I sit and think and sometimes I just sit and then sometimes when I sit I fall asleep.

But I have been thinking lately, about how much of an example, we, as confessing Christ followers, live out, before people.

Somebody ones remarked that “the life you live as a Christian, might be the only Gospel, someone else may ever see.”

Rom 14:8 For both if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore both if we live, and if we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For this Christ both died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or also why do you despise your brother? For all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." 12 So then each one of us will give account concerning himself to God. 13 Then let us not judge one another any more, but rather judge this, not to put a stumbling-block or an offense toward his brother.

The longer I walk this road of ministry, the more I become aware of how much our lives, as Christians are being monitored. The enemy out there, waits for the smallest `trip-up`, to blaze it out to all who would hear: “have you seen what happened to so-and-so? And they confess to be Christians!” or “Did you hear what he/she did? Surely Christians should not behave like that!”

Ø “Then let us not judge one another any more, but rather judge this, not to put a stumbling-block or an offense toward his brother.” I think the key being: “not to put a stumbling-block or an offense toward his brother”. We need to constantly be aware of our actions and our public display. Would we act the way we do, if Jesus Christ stood on the corner, watching us physically? If not, why do we do the stuff we sometimes do, thinking, “nobody will ever know?”

Ø Our lives should be such examples to others, that they would be drawn to Christ, not to us. I should be aware that my actions could be a stumbling block for a friend. How can I, invite a friend for dinner, well knowing that he might be struggling with alcohol addiction and then the rest of us enjoy a glass of wine at the dinner table, thinking it’s okay, but not once thinking about the inner struggle our friend might be battling at that moment. That is being a `stumbling-block`.

Ø What about the parent, smoking, whilst warning the children about the hazards of smoking. What or who should they believe? Should they believe your words or your actions? What about warning the teenager about the hazards of alcohol and driving under the influence? You issue the warning with a “scotch-on-the-rocks” in your hand.

“So then each one of us will give account concerning himself to God.”

Perhaps we need to focus so much more on our own actions, and pay a little less attention to the actions of others.

Luk 11:34 The light of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is sound, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is evil, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light in you is not darkness. 36 Therefore if your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the shining of a lamp enlightens you.

A Price was paid

1 Corinthians 6:20 For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God.

- God has paid a great price for each one of us.
- This should affect the way we live our lives.
- The way in which we live should bring glory to God.
- Let everything you do bring glory to God!

ROMANS 8:29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.

Helen Keller wrote, "If we trust, if we relinquish our will and yield to the Divine will, then we find that we are afloat on a buoyant sea of peace and under us are the everlasting arms."

Pro 29:25 The fear of man is a cause of danger: but whoever puts his faith in the Lord will have a safe place on high.

Mat 9:26 And this report went out into all that land. 27 And when Jesus passed on from there, two blind ones followed Him, crying and saying, Son of David, have mercy on us.28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, Yes, Lord. 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith let it be to you.

What are you believing God for? What is your need, your desire? What is it that you know, in your own strength, will never be accomplished?

The two blind men believed the reports that they have heard. Reports that Jesus went about, healing the sick, causing miracles in people’s lives and they believed that He could heal them.

But Jesus asked a very, very important question. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

Someone once said: “In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives a message of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage-so long are you young. When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snow of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and only then, are you grown old.”

Prov 23 : 7 ( a ) For as he thinks in his heart, so is he

Prov 12 : 25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,

Prov 14 : 30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Prov 17 : 22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

The happiest people on earth are not the ones without problems. The happiest people are the ones who learnt to appreciate the possibilities of growth that problems bring.

Psa 3:3 But you, GOD, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; 4 With all my might I shout up to GOD, His answers thunder from the holy mountain. 5 I stretch myself out. I sleep. Then I'm up again--rested, tall and steady,

Psa 119:76 Oh, love me--and right now!--hold me tight! just the way you promised. 77 Now comfort me so I can live, really live; your revelation is the tune I dance to.

Like the worship song says : “You are the lover of my soul”

Today and every other day, heartache and longing and a broken-ness might want to overtake us, but we have to know and we have to cling to the comfort of knowing, that there is One who loves us – loves us so much, he gave everything to rescue us.

Like Hosea, who paid money to buy back his own wife, who endured the ridicule of the people to retain his wife, so God will endure on our behalf.

We were bought with a price, we will not be discarded for nothing.

A Price was paid

1 Corinthians 6:20 For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God.

- God has paid a great price for each one of us.
- This should affect the way we live our lives.
- The way in which we live should bring glory to God.
- Let everything you do bring glory to God!

ROMANS 8:29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.

Helen Keller wrote, "If we trust, if we relinquish our will and yield to the Divine will, then we find that we are afloat on a buoyant sea of peace and under us are the everlasting arms."

Pro 29:25 The fear of man is a cause of danger: but whoever puts his faith in the Lord will have a safe place on high.

Mat 9:26 And this report went out into all that land. 27 And when Jesus passed on from there, two blind ones followed Him, crying and saying, Son of David, have mercy on us.28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, Yes, Lord. 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith let it be to you.

What are you believing God for? What is your need, your desire? What is it that you know, in your own strength, will never be accomplished?

The two blind men believed the reports that they have heard. Reports that Jesus went about, healing the sick, causing miracles in people’s lives and they believed that He could heal them.

But Jesus asked a very, very important question. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

Someone once said: “In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives a message of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage-so long are you young. When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snow of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and only then, are you grown old.”

Prov 23 : 7 ( a ) For as he thinks in his heart, so is he

Prov 12 : 25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,

Prov 14 : 30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Prov 17 : 22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

The happiest people on earth are not the ones without problems. The happiest people are the ones who learnt to appreciate the possibilities of growth that problems bring.

Psa 3:3 But you, GOD, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; 4 With all my might I shout up to GOD, His answers thunder from the holy mountain. 5 I stretch myself out. I sleep. Then I'm up again--rested, tall and steady,

Psa 119:76 Oh, love me--and right now!--hold me tight! just the way you promised. 77 Now comfort me so I can live, really live; your revelation is the tune I dance to.

Like the worship song says : “You are the lover of my soul”

Today and every other day, heartache and longing and a broken-ness might want to overtake us, but we have to know and we have to cling to the comfort of knowing, that there is One who loves us – loves us so much, he gave everything to rescue us.

Like Hosea, who paid money to buy back his own wife, who endured the ridicule of the people to retain his wife, so God will endure on our behalf.

We were bought with a price, we will not be discarded for nothing.

Make Good Choices

I once read “the quality of your decisions can be measured by the quality of life resulting from those decisions”.

Luk 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it; 29 lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him, 30 saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.

Some people make decisions based purely on the need for survival or for security. Others will take their emotions into account. How you feel about your decisions is extremely important, because ultimately you have to live with your choices. Feeling good about a decision or a choice is probably a good start, but there is a pitfall.

Pro 11:14 Where there is no wisdom, the people fall; but in the multitude of wise men there is safety.

Emotion-based intuitive decision-making can also be seriously defective if it’s based on inaccurate or irrelevant information.

Your intuition may tell you not to hire a person because of your prejudice against people of a different race or sex, even though they may be much better qualified for the job. Making a decision based on your intuition alone may also be a problem in a group situation where you have to consider other people’s opinions.

Trying to convince them to go along with your choice simply because of your intuition alone clearly would not sway them.

People’s gut feelings about what to do may sometimes emerge from integrated unconscious judgments about the actions or activities needed to accomplish the goal.

Making decisions are not always easy.

We are influenced by our environment and others’ opinions. Gather as much information as possible.

Ask the opinion of the other people involved. An educated intuitive decision is a lot better than making a decision purely because it ‘sounded’ or ‘felt’ right.

Once you know all the facts, take Dr Phil’s “litmus logic test”. Write all your thoughts and all the facts down on a piece of paper and ask yourself these questions:

1. Is this factual?
2. Is it in your best interest?
3. Does it protect and prolong your life?
4. Does it get you what you want?
If the answer is no to any of these questions, then you should consider an alternative.

Needs met

Phi 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Or "fulfill all your need": the Jews, when they would comfort any, under the loss of any worldly enjoyment, used to say, "God fulfill", or "will fulfill thy need"

What is your need today? What do you require, so that you may live life to its fullest degree today?

Moses, in a bit of a panic, asked God: Exo 3:13 Then Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, 'The God of your fathers sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What do I tell them?"

Moses needed reassurance that things would turn out OK, that the task at hand will be met and that people would believe him and in him and the message he brought.

God answered: Exo 3:14 God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, 'I-AM sent me to you.'"

Who do you need God to be in your life today?

Do you need a friend? Do you need a comforter? Do you need someone to protect you or guide you?

God says: “I am, whomever you need me to be for you, I am”

I am your friend. I am your comforter. I am your guide.

He will supply all our needs, according to His riches and Glory.

As D. L. Moody said, "Trust in yourself, and you are doomed to disappointment; trust in your friends, and they will die and leave you; trust in reputation, and some slanderous tongue may blast it; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity." Luther gave a similar testimony when he said, "I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."

Psa 138:2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth's sake; for You have magnified Your Word above all Your name.

What a powerful statement! God has magnified His Word above His name. We know how important God's name is to us: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13). It is through His name that we are saved: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and are safe" (Prov. 18:10).

First, He tells us that we can have confidence in our asking when we are asking according to His will. Why would this kind of asking give us confidence?

Because when we ask according to His will, He hears us; if He hears us, then we will receive what we asked for. So, what is the key to receiving? Getting God to hear us.
How do we get Him to hear us? Ask according to His will. What is His will? His Word! When we base our asking on what His Word says, then we will have what we are asking for because God is listening to us when we ask according to His will.

Based on these verses, we need to search the Scriptures and find verses that speak to the area for which we are going to ask before we ask. The more of God's Word we incorporate into our asking, the more we will receive.

That is His promise to us, and "God is not a man, that he should lie" (Num. 2 3:19).

Doubt and unbelief, will be eradicated from our lives, once we purposefully decide to follow the instruction of the Word.

This does not happen by itself, it is the result of a conscious decision.

Joh 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you. 8 In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be My disciples. 9 As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; continue in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Stick to It!

Persevere : The dictionary describes the verb as to: to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly. To persist in speech, interrogation, argument, etc.; insist.

Synonyms for this word could be: hang on, maintain, pursue, remain, continue, go on, carry on.

Deu 30:19 I call Heaven and earth to record today against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live, 20 so that you may love Jehovah your God, and that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in the land which Jehovah swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give it to them.

“Do as you wish and experience the result of that…” Anon

To stay with the problem, not to nurture it but to deal with it, is also my choice. Either I face it and work through it, or I run, just to face the same issue on another day. Experiencing the same emotions of fear, guilt, remorse and much more, all over again.

Heb 3:12 (msg) So watch your step, friends. Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. 13 For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes. 14 If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we're in this with Christ for the long haul.

Today. While it is still today! Not tomorrow or next week or later on. Today. Today I have to deal with the issue at hand. I have to forgive: today. I have to repent: today. Not at some later stage.

And if the issue seems unwilling to go away or be settled: stick to it. Persevere.

Jesus went all the way to the cross. He did not back out half way during the whipping. He did not try to escape while the nails were being driven through His flesh. He knew what prize lay ahead and He stuck it out.

Yes, but He was God, the Son of God. Yes, that is true, but He suffered as a mere man, a mortal, that could feel every whip-crack, that could feel every hammer-blow. Yet, He persevered.

He persevered so that you and I might be equipped, so that you and I may receive the courage and the anointing, to continue, to persevere, no matter what life dumps on us.

I can run, I can hide, I can postpone. But that will never help.

Phi 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. In everything and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Sin, will slow us down, will delay our `reflexes`. To hide and avoid dealing with issues, can become sin. It may become a stumbling block in my life. The sad thing with stumbling blocks are just that – they trip you up and when you fall, you have to get up, dust off, perhaps put a bandage on and all that slows you down.

Think about this. If I refused to be tripped up, If I persevered when I had to – how much further on in life, could I have been. What opportunities have we missed, because we refused to persevere?

Lets make the choice, while today is still today, to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly. Focused on the prize of hearing those words: “well done, you good and faithful servant”

Continue

It’s so easy to just sit back, let go, give up, stop the effort. It’s hard, it’s difficult, I can’t carry on!

Watch little kids. Give them something to do that is a little testing or worse, something they don’t actually want to do.

Very quickly those excuses come: “It’s hard to do”, “I can’t do this”

Sometimes we grown-ups sound way worse. “Lord don’t test me with this” “why do I have to struggle with this” Why am I the only one who must carry on”

Luk 3:12 And tax-collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? 13 And he said to them, Continue to do no more than that commanded to you.

We have all been given a specific task, a certain amount of responsibility, nothing more.

The `tax-collectors` had a desire to change and they asked Jesus what is expected of them now that they have been “saved”.

Nothing more than that which you can carry.

God will not expect more from any one of us, if we haven’t been equipped to complete the task.

Heb 12:1 Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be weary and faint in your minds.

let us lay aside every weight; or burden; every sin, which is a weight and burden to a sensible sinner, and is an hindrance in running the Christian race; not only indwelling sin, but every actual transgression, and therefore to be laid aside; as a burden, it should be laid on Christ; as a sin, it should be abstained from, and put off, with respect to the former conversation: also worldly cares, riches, and honors, when immoderately pursued, are a weight depressing the mind to the earth, and a great hindrance in the work and service of God, and therefore to be laid aside.

Act 27:23 For tonight an angel of God stood beside me, whose I am and whom I serve, 24 saying, Fear not, Paul! You must stand before Caesar. And behold! God has given you all those who sail with you. 25 Therefore, men, be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it will be so, according to the way it was told me.

Paul and his shipmates were caught in a terrible storm and was about to become shipwrecked. Yet Paul encouraged them.

How is that for being optimistic. The boat being pounded by the waves of a violent storm, things are about to go seriously wrong. Some of these men were convinced that they were about to die and here’s this little Hebrew man telling them: “be of good cheer”

Sometimes it is just so difficult, to remain optimistic, to keep the smile on your face, to “hope against all hope”, when all the signs point towards impending doom.

But Paul stood his ground, because he had a Word from God. He knew very well that, notwithstanding all the trials and tribulations, God still had a purpose for him. He still had a task to complete, and nothing would stop him.

When all seems to be breaking apart and when it seems that there is just no way out, we need to protect the Word that has been planted in our hearts. We need to cherish and hold on to the promise of God.

Pro 4:20 My son, listen to my words; bow down your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to all his flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

When the storms of life rages against us, wanting us to end up shipwrecked, we need to keep our hearts focused on the Word. “Therefore, men, be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it will be so, according to the way it was told me.” Paul believed and so can we.

When everything seems to fall apart.

At some point, every human being goes through the season of failure, a time when it seems that everything you try, everything you do, seems to fall apart. No decision you may take, no venture you try, seems to be right. Everything you touch, turns to mud.

Sounds familiar?

Job 16:6 Though I speak, my pain is not held back, and though I forbear, in what way am I eased? 7 But now He has made me weary; You have made all my company desolate. 8 And You have plucked me, for it is a witness, and my failure rises up against me, and it answers to my face.

What to do, when life dishes out lemons? Someone once said: “when life hands you lemons – make lemonade”

Very easy to say when sitting on the sidelines. But, when you have gone through the school of ‘hard nocks’, perhaps easier to speak from experience.

David was such a man. He had so many promises, he was anointed to become king of Israel, yet he had to run for his life. The future king had to hide in caves, live off the land, fight for his life.

The man that could stand and face Goliath as a teenager, had to run as a young adult.

Did this stop him from his dream and his destiny?

Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Jehovah, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust. 3 Surely He will deliver you from the fowler's trap and from the destroying plague. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler. 5 You shall not fear the terror by night; nor because of the arrow that flies by day; 6 nor for the plague that walks in darkness, of the destruction laying waste at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes you shall look and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because You, O Jehovah, are My refuge; if You have made the Most High Your dwelling-place,

The question to ask, is not when or why or how? The question to ask is “where?”

Where is your hiding place? Where is your refuge? Where is your dwelling place?

Is it with the bank manager? The security company? The lottery? Or is it really and truly with the Most High?

Perhaps everything is falling apart, because our securities are in the wrong place. Perhaps our attention is focused in the wrong direction. Instead of focusing around we should focus upwards.

Psa 25:2 O my God, I trust in You; do not let me be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me. 3 Yea, let none who wait on You be ashamed; let them be ashamed who sin without cause.4 Make me know Your ways, O Jehovah; teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth, and teach me; for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day long. 6 Remember, O Jehovah, Your tender mercies and Your loving-kindnesses; for they are from eternity. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, or my rebellings; according to Your mercy remember me for Your goodness' sake, O Jehovah.

With redirected focus. A new look at and on life, through the eyes of the One who made it all, our worries and our concerns will disappear. Trouble will always follow us, difficulties will always challenge us. But surrender should never be part of our vocabulary or our thoughts.

For “if God is with us, who can be against us?”

The way out of the dry season starts with repentance. “Sorry Father, I have looked elsewhere for my salvation, when I knew, my eyes should have been on you”

Eight Steps To Attaining Your Goals

Hab 2:2 And Jehovah answered me and said, Write the vision, and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run. 3 For the vision is still for an appointed time, but it speaks to the end, and it does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it; because it will surely come. It will not tarry.

For any personal development plan to succeed, it is necessary that you incorporate the following eight steps to ensure the successful implementation of your goals.

1. Write your goal as a significant future event or behavior. Say exactly what it is that you will achieve. Define your goal and be very specific.

2. Write your goal in such a way that it can be measured. For instance, say when, or how much money, instead of “I want to earn more money”, say “I want to earn R20 000 per month.’ This way you can keep track of your progress much easier.

3. Set a deadline to achieve your goal. Once you have expressed exactly what you want, you need to commit to date. This way you act with more urgency.

4. Create goals, which you can control. You are in charge. Own it.

5. Always have an Action Plan. Without a recipe the cake will flop. Consider all the pitfalls and obstacles. Write them down as part of your Action Plan and decide, in writing, how you will eliminate them. Also consider available resources. Plot, plan, strategize.

6. Plan your goals – step by step. Your Action Plan should reflect a step-by-step strategy with how, when, where, with whom and why results.

7. Decide on consequences for not working on your Action Plan. Be accountable. Find yourself a coach to whom you can be accountable. Paying upfront for your sessions are one of the best ways of committing yourself to your goals. You are not very likely to pull out if the sessions are already paid for.

8. Reward yourself. Decide on rewards for every (written down) step you reach in your Action Plan. Write down the reward when you write your Action Plan. Make sure you have a reward for every step. You deserve it.

Pro 12:14 A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the reward of a man's hands shall be given to him.

Pro 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he who keeps the law, he is blessed.

Will My Prayers Ever Be Answered?

I believe in Holy Ghost timing. In God's own time, all our prayers will be answered-in one way or another.

The trouble is, we are afraid to submit our prayers to Holy Ghost scrutiny. Some of our prayers need to be purged. Some of our faith is being misspent on requests that are not mature.

We are so convinced that if our request is "in accordance to His will, we should get it." We simply do not know how to pray, "Thy will be done!" We don't want His will as much as those things permitted by His will.

The only test we require of our prayers is rather self-centered: "Can I find it in God's catalog of things permitted?" So we can search all through God's Word and cleverly lay out all the reasons why we should be granted certain blessings and answers.

We match the promises to tailor our specific requests. When we are convinced we have a good case and have garnered enough promises, we march boldly into the presence of God as if to say, "Lord, I've got an iron tight case-in no way can You turn me down. I've checked my faith. I've got Your Word on the matter. I've done everything according to plan. It's mine! I claim it! Right now!"

Is That All That Faith Is About?

Simply A Tool To Pry Out Of God Benefits Of Promises?

A challenge to His faithfulness? A test of His word? A key to unlock God's blessing room?

It seems to me we are marching into God's throne room with our faith banners waving, armed with an arsenal or promises, ready to violently claim all that is due us.

All the while, we picture our approving Father congratulating us on unraveling the mystery of faith and therefore entitling us to the bounties of heaven.
Until God restructures our desires and ambitions, we are going to keep on squandering our precious faith on things created, rather than the Creator.

How corrupt our faith becomes when it is used simply to acquire things. What a tragedy that we should boast that our faith produced for us a new car, an airplane, a financial bonanza, a new home, etc.

Faith is a form of thought-albeit positive, divine thought.

But Jesus warned us not to give one thought to material things. "Only Gentiles (heathen) seek these things." How very clear Jesus is on this matter, saying, "ThereforeTake no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Mathew 6:25, 32).

Even the wicked prosper at times-and it can't be said that faith produced it. God rains His love and blessings on the just as well as the unjust. Show me a prospering Christian, and I'll show you a reprobate prospering even more.

Doing it by showing it.

It is so easy, in this day and age to become distracted and for disillusionment to settle into and amongst the lives of Christians. So easily different ideas and personal issues draw us apart. Differences of opinion and interpretations regarding matters in and outside of the church.

Phi 2:1 If then there is any comfort in Christ, any help given by love, any uniting of hearts in the Spirit, any loving mercies and pity, 2 Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in harmony and of one mind; 3 Doing nothing through envy or through pride, but with low thoughts of self let everyone take others to be better than himself; 4 Not looking everyone to his private good, but keeping in mind the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus,

After some incidents at the young and small church at Phillipi, Paul wrote amongst others, the above quoted passage.

The same can be written to just about any congregation and church today.

1. “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in harmony and of one mind” People jockey for position, some want recognition for their efforts, some have their own agendas and some believe that they know exactly what will work and what not. How much more, will the church be able to accomplish, if we could all “be in harmony and of one mind?” So many people suffer, because of the discord amongst the Christians.

2. “Doing nothing through envy or through pride, but with low thoughts of self let everyone take others to be better than himself”. How often have I heard people boasting about “my church” or “our church is the best”. Is it not the Church of Christ? How can I believe that `my` church is better than the church down the road. No church can and should be considered better than the other. We are different members of the same body. The focus is the Gospel and not the building and it’s programs.

3. “Not looking everyone to his private good, but keeping in mind the things of others” If we focus on the needs of the community and the needs of the people, we will have no time for petty arguments.

4. “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus,” We sing the most amazing songs in church: “teach me to love like You have loved” and “break my heart for what breaks Yours”. But we soon forget the requests we made in our songs. Soon the refrain changes to “break their hearts for what breaks mine” and “show them to love me, like I love myself”.

Let us lay down, those things that would interfere with the love of Christ being shown to a lost and dying world. Let us forget who we are and let us remember “whose we are”.

1Jo 4:11 My loved ones, if God had such love for us, it is right for us to have love for one another. 12 No man has ever seen God: if we have love for one another, God is in us and his love is made complete in us: 13 And his Spirit which he has given us is the witness that we are in him and he is in us. 14 And we have seen and give witness that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Everyone who says openly that Jesus is the Son of God, has God in him and is in God. 16 And we have seen and had faith in the love which God has for us. God is love, and everyone who has love is in God, and God is in him.

Always Hope

How often do we want to give up on someone or something?

Here’s another excellent story I read about a young man whom everybody thought would turn out a complete failure:

At 14 years of age, the "bad boy" of a little Massachusetts town, was so powerful in his influence for evil that no one was found able to teach the district school which he attended; it seemed "pretty poor soil." Everyone said the student in question was "bad clear through," "hopeless," and "bound to go to ruin."

One day a new teacher came who said he was not afraid to try. The school friends were quick to tell him all the stories of "the Marcy boy." All advised that he be forbidden to enter the school. However, he was allowed to enter. The teacher analyzed the "hopeless soil," and began at once to enrich it with kindness, justice, goodwill and confidence, and at the right time, dropped in seeds of ambition, hope and self-respect. The seed took root, developed, grew and began to bear fruit.

The promising young student dropped his bad habits, studied day and night, went to college, and graduated with honors. He studied law, answered the call for men in 1812, became associate justice of the Supreme Court, United States senator, governor of New York, and finally Secretary of State. His name was William L. Marcy. He served faithfully in every situation. All of this happened because a good teacher saw in a child the image of God!

How many of us have struggled and still struggle with low self esteem, a bad self image, just because someone gave up on us. The teacher that called you “stupid’, the parent that told you that you will never amount to anything. And because of those labels that stuck, we started to believe it, convinced we are dumb and good for nothing.

I sometimes sit in amazement, as I listen to life stories like this. Young people who turned to drugs and alcohol, because of this. I have such empathy for these people. I know because I used to be one.

Until one day, someone got hold of me, a teacher by the name of Mr Tommy Marais. In my last school year he started to take an interest and he began to instill different values in my life.

I am so thankful that God brought him across my path. He saw something nobody else did. He saw what Jesus saw:

Jer 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found by you, says Jehovah; and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says Jehovah. And I will bring you again into the place from where I caused you to be exiled.

If there is someone out there today, who feels worthless and without hope, please know this: God has a plan and a purpose for your life.

Yes we make mistakes and yes we do the wrong thing and yes the situation may seem hopeless, but my friend, today I want to tell you, all is not lost.

There is a Jesus Christ who stands waiting with open arms saying “come, I will take care, I will comfort and give you rest”

Turn to God and not away from God.

I often would say “Jesus is the answer, what’s your question?”

Plant Your Emptiness In the Field of His Fullness

From : The God Chasers

When you collect emptiness or create emptiness by sowing what you have into the promises of God, you are living between "the already promised" and the "not yet delivered." You are "banking" on the faithfulness and compassion of God, who always responds to human emptiness with divine fullness. Collected hunger cries out for His filling, and our collective collected hunger will basically determine how much of Him we will receive (The God Catchers, p. 104).

Most people who live in agricultural areas or have some history rooted in the ancient occupation of farming understand the term, "seed corn." They know that survival demands that a farmer set aside a portion of his best corn as a "deposit" on next years crop (especially in Third World nations where it may be impossible to purchase seed from a store or agricultural supply store). I put it this way in The God Catchers:

There is another way to "collect human emptiness" so you can receive divine fullness. It is rooted in God's law of seedtime and harvest. When a farmer prepares to plant seed in the ground, he must take seed corn off the storage shelf to invest it in the field of faith. In other words, he creates emptiness on his shelf to create fullness in the field for harvest. For a while, it looks like there is only emptiness in both places . The temporary emptiness created when you sow "what you have in your house" by faith produces an incredible filling. It is the law of the harvest, of sowing and reaping, in open display (p. 103).

What emptiness do you have in your house that you can sow in the field of faith? Is there an emptiness in your neighbor's house or life that you can sow as seed corn on his or her behalf? Gather all of the lack you can to sow into His abundance and remember that the volume of your harvest depends on the volume or your collective collected emptiness and lack!

I'm convinced that an unprecedented harvest is coming to the kingdom of God, a harvest so prolific that the harvesters will even overtake the sowers!6 However, the church in its present condition is too small in its thinking and too rigid in its ways and expectations to contain or properly care for such rapid growth. The church must change to provide biblical training and nurture for so many new Christians.

God wants to break outside of our centuries-old religious box. That means our hunger has to get bigger than the box. We literally must have an uncontainable hunger for Him if we ever hope to accommodate and entertain His presence.

Have you felt "stretched" and challenged by the Holy Spirit to change since you began chasing God's presence? Has it birthed a new excitement for the harvest in your heart? Are you willing to pay the personal price for such radical change?


What Do You Think?

People who aren't really hungry, especially those who enter His presence fresh from the bless-me church smorgasbord, tend to sample a little here and snack a little there with extended pinkies in mock discernment. They appear to be looking for "just the right feeling" or "just the right song" to get in the mood for communion with God. God is looking for really hungry people. He hopes to find them in the Church, but if necessary He will bypass an entire temple filled with dainty casual nibblers just to find a few really hungry people on the street, in a bar, or on the wrong side of town

Courage

Jos 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage. For you shall divide for an inheritance to this people, the land which I swore to their fathers, to give it to them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous so that you may be careful to do according to all the Law which My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may act wisely wherever you go. 8 This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely.

“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” Sven Goran Eriksson “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it.”
Jesse Jackson

Ø When the great Polish pianist, Ignace Paderewski, first chose to study the piano, his music teacher told him his hands were much too small to master the keyboard.

Ø When the great Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso, first applied for instruction, the teacher told him his voice sounded like the wind whistling through the window.

Ø When the great statesman of Victorian England, Benjamin Disraeli, attempted to speak in Parliament for the first time, members hissed him into silence and laughed when he said, "Though I sit down now, the time will come when you will hear of me."

Ø Henry Ford forgot to put a reverse gear in his first car.

Ø Albert Einstein failed his university entrance exams at his first attempt.

Ø Thomas Edison spent $2,000,000 on an invention which proved to be of little value.


Very little comes out right the first time. Failures, repeated failures, are fingerprints on the road to achievement.

Abraham Lincoln's life could demonstrate that the only time you do not fail is the last time you try something and it works.

We can "fail forward" toward success.

“This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely.”

I believe that we lose hope and we become discouraged and sidetracked by our failures, for one reason and one reason only: We have taken our eyes, our hearts and our minds off the Word.

We become engrossed in the situation, the moment and the loss. If our focus remains on the instruction and the hope and the encouragement of the Word, we will walk away from every situation as the victor and not the victim. Booker T. Washington said,

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."

God has something to say

1Co 2:7 The wisdom I proclaim is God's secret wisdom, which is hidden from human beings, but which he had already chosen for our Glory even before the world was made.8 None of the rulers of this world knew this wisdom. If they had known it, they would not have Crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as the scripture says, "What no one ever saw or heard, what no one ever thought could happen, is the very thing God prepared for those who love him." 10 But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God's purposes. 11 It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same, only God's Spirit knows all about God. 12 We have not received this world's spirit; instead, we have received the Spirit sent by
God, so that we may know all that God has given us.

Joh 10:3 The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

God means business with us - He speaks to us - He guides us - but we need to listen and get to a place where we will know His voice and act
on His voice.

Why do we sometimes then tend to think that he speaks more to some than to others - sometimes we even wonder if people are crazy if they go round making statements like : God told me or God said to me.. Or God showed me....

Some mistakes we make:

Afraid of making a mistake................................
Lack of trust.........................
Too busy or in a hurry............impatient
Too much clutter in our lives or our quiet time.....................

Some things to understand:
Start small .................... He`ll begin to speak to you about the little things................. Then move into the meatier stuff.
Don`t think it`s insignificant - God makes it His business to be part of every detail of our lives.
Be expectant................. Have a desire and an expectation to hear from Him.
Be aware....... It`s not always in the Spirit ........... Sometimes it is in what we read or listen to..............
Be submitted.............. We live our lives submitted to Him.

If you trust Him, He will bring you along one step at a time in a way that will help you, not hurt you.

God will never speak to you in contradiction to His Word. He never brings condemnation, He will convict and guide only.

God wants two things from us : Faith and Obedience. Amen

Big `n small

The great soul prays, "Lord, make me as big as my problem." The little soul prays, "Lord, let me off easy." The giant soul asks, "Lord, give me strength sufficient for a hard day," while the small soul begs, "Lord, let me have a lighter load." The busy soul prays, "Lord, stand with me until I finish my task," while the weak soul says, "I got tired and quit." ( author unknown ) Psa 18:25 On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright; 26 He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge. 27 For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low. 28 You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me. 29 By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall. 30 As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him. A Short fable I read: “Two goats met one another upon a narrow plank set up across a river, so that they could not pass by without one thrusting the other off. If they were human beings they would argue who had the right to survive. But the goats figured it all out, how one could help the other and, at the same time, help itself. One lay down, and let the other leap over it.” How often do we consider ourselves, way to important to concede or admit? Admit our shortcomings and our ability to fail. Pride will so often come and stand in the way of even our victories. Some situations that we faced could have turned out so differently, if we just could put our pride out of the way. In the fable of the two goats, both came out of the situation victorious. The one that lay down, did not admit defeat, no, he contributed to the victory. To `bend down` in order to help someone up, is perhaps the best thing we can do for ourselves. A missionary in Jamaica was once questioning some little boys on the meaning of Mat_5:5 and asked, "Who are the meek?" A boy answered, "Those who give soft answers to rough questions." We shall do well to remember this child's definition. The one who has wisdom in his head and heart does not need to shout at others. Wisdom speaks softly and persuasively, instead of impelling and forcing. Through the use of our tongues people will know whether we are wise or not. As that great theologian, Charles Hodge, said, "The doctrines of grace humble a man without degrading him and exalt him without inflating him."

Christ: who do you perceive Him to be

Napoleon's Perception of Christ: It was Napoleon who said, "Everything in Christ astonishes me. His spirit overawes me, and His will confounds me. His ideas and His sentiments, the truth which He announces, His manner of convincing are not explained either by human observation or the nature of things. His birth and the history of His life; the profundity of His doctrine, which grapples the mightiest difficulties, and which is of those difficulties the most admirable solution; His Gospel; His apparition; His empire; His march across the ages and the realms-everything is for me a prodigy, a mystery insoluble, which plunges me into a reverie from which I cannot escape-a mystery which is there before my eyes, a mystery which I can neither deny nor explain. Here I see nothing human. The nearer I approach, the more carefully I examine. Everything is above me. Everything remains grand-of a grandeur which overpowers. His religion is a revelation from an Intelligence which certainly is not that of man."

Mat 16:13 And coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say Me to be, the Son of Man? 14 And they said, Some say, John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15 He said to them, But who do you say I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 Jesus answered and said to him, You are blessed, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven.

Who is He in your life?

To many, Jesus Christ is only a grand subject for a painting, a heroic theme for a pen, a beautiful form for a statue, and a thought for a song; but to those who have heard His voice, who have felt His pardon, who have received His benediction, He is music, warmth, light, joy, hope and salvation,

a Friend who never forsakes, who lifts us when others try to push us down. We cannot wear Him out; we pile on Him all our griefs and troubles.

He is always ready to lift us; He addresses us with the same love; He beams upon us with the same smile; He pities us with the same compassion.

There is no name like His. It is more inspiring than Caesar's, more musical than Beethoven's, more patient than any man's. The name of Jesus throbs with all life, weeps with all pathos, groans with all pains, stoops with all love. Its breath is laden with perfume.

Who like Jesus can pity a homeless orphan? Who like Jesus can welcome a prodigal back home? Who like Jesus can make a drunkard sober? Who like Jesus can illuminate a cemetery plowed with graves? Who like Jesus can make a queen unto God out of a lost woman of the street? Who like Jesus can catch the tears of human sorrow in His bowl?
There is no metaphor with which to truly express Jesus. He is not like the bursting forth of an orchestra; that is too loud and it may be out of tune. He is not like the sea when lashed into a rage by a storm; that is too boisterous. He is not like a mountain wreathed in lightning, canopied with snow; that is too solitary and remote.

He is the Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, a gale of spices from heaven.

He desires to be all of this to you. Please let Him be that.

15 Minutes

Why settle for fifteen minutes of favour when you can have it forever?
Man-pleasing is a Anatural@ trait for fallen, sinful human beings. We all want to be liked. While obtaining the favour of men may bring immediate gratification, those rewards are short-lived and temporary. Jesus warned us about getting caught up in seeking the praise and favour of men while neglecting God. He said if your motive was to impress man, then their praise would be the only reward you would receive.

God's favour is much more importantCand much more lasting. Jesus said, AW hen you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly .@ Of course, it is impossible to earn God's favour. He gives it as an act of grace. Our approach to good works reveals the condition of our heart. As long as we seek to please men we can never please God. Once we set our heart on pleasing God, however, pleasing men becomes unimportant.

Favour comes in two flavours. First is the fleeting flavour of man's favour, which is sweet and delicious at first but goes bland very quickly. Then there is God's favour, which is sweeter still and never loses its flavour. In fact, the longer it goes the sweeter it grows. The choice, of course, is yours. Which will it be? Fifteen minutesCor forever?

As George Matheson said, "Christ has illuminated the world, not by what He did, but by what He was; His life is the Light of Men. We speak of a man's life-work; the work of Jesus was His life itself.... It is good to be told that the pure in heart shall see God, but the vision of heaven in a pure man's face outweighs it all. They tell us that the Easter morning has revealed His glory; rather would I say that His glory has revealed the Easter morning. It is not resurrection that has made Christ; it is Christ that has made resurrection. To those who have seen His beauty, even Olivet can add no certainty; the light of immortality is as bright on His Cross as on His Crown. 'I am the resurrection' are His own words about Himself-not 'I teach,' not 'I cause,' not 'I predict,' but 'I am.' "

There is no such thing as partial commitment. When the pilot of a giant airliner is speeding down the runway, there is a certain point where he cannot decide to remain on the ground. When he crosses that line, he is committed to the air, or the plane crashes disastrously. That pilot cannot change his mind when the plane is two-thirds of the way down the runway.

Unfortunately, our churches are filled with members who "have never left the ground." They have been sitting there for years and years gunning their engines.

We hear much about revival these days, but the heart of revival is the Lordship of Christ. A mere emotional upheaval, a spurt of religious excitement, is not revival. When Christians become convicted of rebellion against the rule of Christ in their lives, confess their sins, renounce self, take the cross and let Jesus have the first and last word in everything, that is revival, by whatever name you call it.

Faith comes

Rom 10:17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Without paying attention to the Word of God, putting it inside us, faith will not come.

Jos 24:17 For it is the Lord our God who has taken us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the prison-house, and who did all those great signs before our eyes, and kept us safe on all our journeys, and among all the peoples through whom we went: 18 And the Lord sent out from before us all the peoples, the Amorites living in the land: so we will be the servants of the Lord, for he is our God. 19 And Joshua said to the people, You are not able to be the servants of the Lord, for he is a holy God, a God who will not let his honour be given to another: he will have no mercy on your wrongdoing or your sins. 20 If you are turned away from the Lord and become the servants of strange gods, then turning against you he will do you evil, cutting you off, after he has done you good. 21 And the people said to Joshua, No! But we will be the servants of the Lord. 22 And Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have made the decision to be the servants of the Lord. And they said, We are witnesses. 23 Then, he said, put away the strange gods among you, turning your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel. 24 And the people said to Joshua, We will be the servants of the Lord our God, and we will give ear to his voice.

Ø “Then, he said, put away the strange gods among you, turning your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel. 24 And the people said to Joshua, We will be the servants of the Lord our God, and we will give ear to his voice.”

What do we still have in our lives, that would come between us and God, that wpuld prevent us from walking in the fullness of His blessing, His presence in our daily walk?

Is there something that we need to lay aside, something to put away and out of our lives, to experience His power? Unwillingness to giveness, pride, arrogance, the little `white lie`, the doubt. It is so easy to allow something, to creep in, to get a foothold, thereby preventing us to walk in His fullness.

1Ki 8:56 Praise be to the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, as he gave them his word to do; every word of all his oath, which he gave by the hand of Moses his servant, has come true. 57 Now may the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; let him never go away from us or give us up; 58 Turning our hearts to himself, guiding us to go in all his ways, to keep his orders and his laws and his decisions, which he gave to our fathers.

Doubt and unbelief, will be eradicated from our lives, once we purposefully decide to follow the instruction of the Word.

This does not happen by itself, it is the result of a conscious decision.

Joh 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you. 8 In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be My disciples. 9 As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; continue in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Dear Friend

Kaleo Ministries
Deonhall@kaleoministries.co.za
http://www.kaleoministries.co.za
072 487 0268
13 July 2010-07-13

Dear Friend


As you may very well know, I have been involved in the treatment and therapeutic care of many individuals, troubled with addictive behavior. More so those troubled with addiction to drugs and alcohol.

You may also know that I am involved as therapist and counselor, with a rehabilitation facility in Walkerville, Gauteng, where we provide in-patient treatment to recovering addicts. You may know the facility as ADDICTS AGAINST DRUGS: PRODIGAL MINISTRIES 036-365-NPO: WALKING WITH WINNERS LIFE RECOVERY CENTRE

What you may not know is the motto at this facility: “Nobody Gets Turned Away!”

It is reasonable to accept, that providing long term (3 months and more) care, for such individuals, can become a costly experience, and it is reasonable to accept that, at the facility, we charge a nominal fee of R4000 ZAR, per month per individual. This will cover all costs ranging from housing, ablutions, to medical and therapy costs.

However, because we adhere to our motto, we will not turn the individual away who cannot afford the fee. We have a policy to accept such an individual fully into the program and to provide all the care “free” or until reimbursement can be procured.

Well then, you may understand that this becomes a burden that is shared in the income generated by those individuals who can afford to pay and they understand the predicament.

Currently, we provide care to 11 individuals of whom only 6 contribute a portion of the fee levied.

Right now, we are experiencing some financial difficulty in continuation of the program, to it’s fullest capacity, due to a lack of funds.

Therefore my humble appeal to you.

We are in dire need of contributions: financially and materially (food-stuff, toiletries, and linen).

Attached to my letter of request, is a letter from the Facility Director, Pastor Dave Barber, which explains it all in detail, along with testimonies form current in-patient, individuals.

Should you feel inclined to become involved, you may contact me for further details (banking details etc) or you may contact Past Dave Barber directly. His details are available on the additional letter.

Mat 25:31 But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He shall sit on the throne of His glory. 32 And all nations shall be gathered before Him. And He shall separate them from one another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. 33 And indeed He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats off the left. 34 Then the King shall say to those on His right hand, Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; 36 I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. 37 Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You? 40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.

This is a registered NPO and certificates will be issued to companies or individuals, who contribute, for tax benefit purposes.

I hope I did not offend or embarrass you through this letter.

Regards and blessings

Your Friend

Deon Hall

Dealing With Fear

2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

The “neuro” term for emotions is described as “a pleasant or unpleasant mental state organized in the limbic system of the mammalian brain. Specifically, feelings of agreement, anger, certainty, control, disagreement, disgust, disliking, embarrassment, fear, happiness, hate, interest, liking, love, sadness, shame, surprise and uncertainty” – all expressed non-verbally.

Fear is described as a usually unpleasant, visceral feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or dread.

Fear is created by giving your power away through ideas and beliefs about: lack, judgment, punishment, loss, abandonment, loneliness, wrongness, badness, mistakes, death, sickness, suffering, struggle, helplessness, powerlessness, danger, authority, failure etc.

Phi 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The knowledge that we are all magnificent powerful beings is not easy to believe when you constantly feel like a victim. It is not easy to accept that what you believe in and focus on is what you draw to yourself – you create more of it. If you focus on success, you will most certainly become successful. If you focus on positive, uplifting experiences, it will all be yours. Be warned, if you focus on what you don’t want… it will also be yours. You will have to examine your own mind to uncover the limiting beliefs you have created, which triggers fear. Fear acts like a magnet. When we are in fear we concentrate on that - and draw more of the same to us.

Phi 4:8 Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things. 9 Do those things which you have also learned and received and heard and seen in me. And the God of peace shall be with you.

Before you can empower the reality that you are powerful and that you can create whatever you want, you have to stop empowering the belief that you can’t…

There are numerous things you can do to overcome the emotions that overpower you when you are in fear:

1. Breathe. Begin to breathe slowly and deeply. Close your eyes and go into a meditative state. (prayer is also meditation)
2. Imagine any emotional cords from other people, which are attached to you, as being released and see it floating away.
3. Relax your body. Take a hot bath with relaxing music and burn some perfumed candles.
4. Take back the power you have given to those fears and others by expecting the worst. Think of a single, positive sentence that would describe the opposite of your fear, for example: “I am calm and in control of the situation”. Feel the calmness and “experience” the control in your mind. Let go of the notion that you are not in control. You created the belief that you are not in control – change it with one single affirming sentence that you can repeat calmly and peacefully whilst breathing deeply and slowly with your eyes closed. Create a detailed fantasy of a positive outcome.
5. Let go of any particular solution you may have in mind, especially if it is a solution you don’t want. Don’t expect a solution straight away. Trust that the best thing will happen – it always does. Even when it seems as though the world is coming to an end.
6. Phone someone you trust and ask them to be with you or just speak on the phone. Talking about a situation always helps.
7. Give yourself a pleasurable experience. Have a massage or go for a brisk walk if you can.
8. Get into the present moment. Let go of the “if only…”; “what if…” or “I should have…” notions. Become aware of everything around you. The birds, the music, the traffic. Look at the colors of the flowers and the sky. Experience the now.
9. The other option you have is to allow yourself to feel the fear, without resistance. Let the feelings flow through you and don’t try to change them. A natural shift will occur when you allow the fear to be there.
You can let go of the fear and distorted perceptions and beliefs by writing positive affirmations, which will change your life forever. An affirmation cannot contain any negative words like “can’t, should not, don’t, won’t, stop” etc. It should be written in present terms as though what you want already exists. For example:

Ø I am in control of my life.
Ø I am emotionally strong and I make good choices.
Ø I have a strong, healthy body.
Ø I have good relationships with people.
Ø I am successful and powerful

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 By faith we understand that the ages were framed by a word of God, so that the things being seen not to have come into being out of the things that appear.

Remember, what you concentrate on is what you create. Write you affirmations by hand. Say your affirmations out loud, at least ten times per day. Concentrate on every word and listen to what you say. Smell your success. Be your success. Experience it through the art of visualization. Use as many of your senses as possible. Smell it, see it, taste it, feel it, hear it.

Pro 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he who keeps the law, he is blessed.

You don’t have to believe your affirmations when you start. I can assure you that within one or two weeks of saying your affirmations out loud, 10 times per day, using as many senses as possible at the same time, you will make it happen and the fear will go. It always does.
Create new experiences that you really want instead of living in fear of the ones you have now.

Remember that your outer world is a reflection of your inner world. Changing your inner world will change your outer world. In other words, changing your thoughts and beliefs will change your experiences.

Face It

1Sa 17:35 I'd go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I'd grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. 36 Lion or bear, it made no difference--I killed it. And I'll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. 37 GOD, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine." Saul said, "Go. And GOD help you!"

Facing the problem, is never easy, but it’s also, never impossible.

David, did not consider the size or the weapons of the enemy, all he knew was this; there’s a job to be done and someone needs to take care of it. If nobody else will do it, I will.

David also knew, whatever he had to face, he would never have to face it alone. He knew exactly where his help, his inner strength and his courage would come from. He knew that his hand, wielding the slingshot, would be guided. All he had to do was `face` the problem and let loose. God would take care of the rest.

We, as Christians should never be lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that, because we are Christians, we have `arrived`, in a trouble free world. On the contrary, Jesus actually warns us :

Joh 16:33 I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the
world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

We will have tribulation. The Greek word for this `tribulation` is : thlip'-sis and means : pressure (literally or figuratively): - afflicted, (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.

But, Jesus also encourages us to `be of good cheer`: thar-seh'-o ; to have courage: - be of good cheer (comfort).

With our faith and our trust in Him, we can survive. We do not have to overcome in our own strength. He has done it all. We walk not in our own victory, we boast in His victory.

Sometimes, the troubles we face as the result of our own actions, a stupid mistake or a wrong decision made at the time.

Yet again, God’s mercy endure forever. The Word tells me that where sin abounds, Grace abounds even more.

We do not face giants on our own, we do not face them in our own strength and power, we do not face them alone, we do not face them because we are so smart and strong, we face them because we have been made righteous through Him, our savior, he is after all, The great I AM

Let your light shine

An interesting little bit of info, I read about some time back: Benjamin Franklin wanted to interest the people in Philadelphia in street lighting. He did not call a town meeting nor try to persuade the people by talking about it. He acted upon what he considered a good idea. He hung a beautiful lantern on a long bracket in front of his house. He kept the glass polished and carefully trimmed and lit the wick every evening at the approach of dusk. The lamp helped the people see the pavement ahead; made them feel more secure at night. Others began placing lights in front of their houses. Soon Philadelphia recognized the need for street lights.

Mat 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. 17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill.

Jesus said that we are to be “the light of the world and that our `works` should glorify God”.

The idea made me think about the world of spies and secret agents.

Some of us think we are God’s little secret agents. Nobody knows that we are Christians. We hide our faith and beliefs, just in case we might offend someone or even embarrass ourselves, by openly living out and openly displaying what and whom we believe in.

We are more concerned about being politically correct than about doing as the Word says.

Mat 10:32 Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven.

Strong police and security forces do not protect society and communities. They are protected by strong values. Strong values and moral integrity displayed in our cities can face the constant threat of enemy attack.

Today, the protection afforded by strong values in our cities, has been destroyed by enemy attack. The complete breakdown and disintegration of values and moral integrity have left us open and bleeding. - And the enemy wants to proclaim victory.

It is time, right now, that the walls are rebuilt. As in the days of Nehemiah, God wants to resurrect and appoint and anoint those with strong values, established in His Word, who can and will rebuild the wall, and reclaim and restore the safety and security of our societies.
No longer can we afford to be secret agents. We need to openly stand up and raise the banner.

Be the one today to light up your neighborhood with the light of life. Let it shine. Let your light shine TODAY!

Curve Balls

Psa 86:2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You. 3 Be merciful to me, O Lord; for I cry to You daily. 4 Give joy to the soul of Your servant; for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 For You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and rich in mercy to all those who call on You. 6 Give ear, O Jehovah, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my prayers. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call on You; for You will answer me.

Mathew Henry`s commentary puts it as follows:

Our poverty and wretchedness, when felt, powerfully plead in our behalf at the throne of grace. The best self-preservation is to commit ourselves to God's keeping. “I am one whom thou favourest, hast set apart for thyself, and made partaker of sanctifying grace”. It is a great encouragement to prayer, to feel that we have received the converting grace of God, have learned to trust in him, and to be his servants. We may expect comfort from God, when we keep up our communion with God. God's goodness appears in two things, in giving and forgiving. Whatever others do, let us call upon God, and commit our case to him; we shall not seek in vain.

Our God alone possesses almighty power and infinite love. Christ is the way and the truth. And the believing soul will be more desirous to be taught the way and the truth of God, in order to walk therein, than to be delivered out of earthly distress. Those who set not the Lord before them, seek after believers' souls; but the compassion, mercy, and truth of God, will be their refuge and consolation. And those whose parents were the servants of the Lord, may urge this as a plea why he should hear and help them. In considering David's experience, and that of the believer, we must not lose sight of Him, who though he was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.

John Gill`s exposition makes this comment:

David had his troubles, both inward and outward, before and after he came to the throne, in private and public life; and every good man has his troubles; and there are some particular times or days of trouble; which trouble arises from different causes; sometimes from themselves, their corruptions, the weakness of their grace, and the poor performance of their duties; sometimes from others; from the persecutions of the men of the world; from the wicked lives of profane sinners, and especially professors of religion, and from the spread of false doctrine; sometimes from Satan and his temptations; and sometimes from the more immediate hand of God in afflictions, and from the hidings of his face: these troubles do not last always; they are but for a day, for a particular time; and such a season is a fit one for prayer, and the Lord invites and encourages his people to call upon him in prayer when this is the case, Psa_50:15. Christ had his times of trouble, in which he called upon his divine Father, Joh_11:33.

Bad things happen to good people, you plan your day, your week, and your year and then life happens. You get thrown the curve ball. The thing you least actually the thing you never expected to happen, happens. Whatever it may be.

It is exactly then, when life seems at it’s lowest, when it seems as if everything you touch, turns to mud, it is then when we are encouraged to run to God. To run to the safe place, where we will receive love, encouragement, and affirmation that everything will be okay. That the thing we are going through, the test and the trial will only last for a season and a time, but it will pass.

It is close to the Father that we realize, that we can make it, that we are not, never have been and never will have to face any trial on our own.

Psa 91:1 Happy is he whose resting-place is in the secret of the Lord, and under the shade of the wings of the Most High; 2 Who says of the Lord, He is my safe place and my tower of strength: he is my God, in whom is my hope. 3 He will take you out of the bird-net, and keep you safe from wasting disease. 4 You will be covered by his feathers; under his wings you will be safe: his good faith will be your salvation.

Communication – Listening.

Jam 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth with the Word of truth, for us to be a certain firstfruit of His creatures. 19 Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

Most people spend about 70% of their waking hours in some form of verbal communication. Yet, how many of us have ever had any formal training in the art of listening? Real listening is an active process that has three basic steps.

1. Hearing
Hearing just means listening enough to catch what the speaker is saying. For example, say you were listening to a report on fingerprints, and the speaker mentioned that no two people’s fingerprints are alike. If you can repeat the fact, then you have heard what has been said.

2. Understanding
The next part of listening happens when you understand what you have heard. Let's use the scenario of the fingerprints again. When you hear that no two people’s fingerprints are alike, think about what that might mean. You might think, "Maybe this means that the pattern of stripes is different on every person’s fingers."

3. Judging
After you are sure that you understand what the speaker has said, think about whether it makes sense. Do you believe what you have heard? You might think, "How could the patterns of stripes be different on every person’s fingers? But then again, every zebra’s stripes are different too. I think this seems believable.

"Psa 28:5 Because they do not pay attention to the works of Jehovah and to the work of His hands, He shall destroy them and never build them up.

Here are some tips on becoming a good listener:

1. Listen with unconditional acceptance. That means listening without an agenda or preconceived ideas about the outcome. It simply means that you suspend judgment. The state of unconditional acceptance frees your mind to really listen for other clues and for “in-between” messages.

2. Listening involves more than simply hearing the words, it also requires active involvement that includes understanding, acknowledging, and responding.

3. Don’t assume that the subject is boring or uninteresting before you’ve heard what the other person has to say.

4. Don’t get turned off when someone is nervous, stutters or has an irritating voice. The key to good listening is to listen to the message.

5. Tune out distractions and focus on the speaker and the message. Maintain eye contact with the speaker. Lean forward in your chair. Let the speaker’s words “sink in” by immediately trying to understand their point of view. If necessary, turn in your chair, to block out unwanted distractions.

6. Structured listening may “clutter” your mind. Asking your self questions like: “What is the speaker's main point? What is he really saying? Or trying to decide on the speaker’s purpose, evidence or intent, will result in mental argument and analysis, which will “clutter” your mind.

7. First listen and acknowledge what you hear - even if you don’t agree with it, before expressing your experience or point of view. Allow the speaker to finish what he wants to say.

8. Listen and give a brief restatement of what you have heard (especially feelings), before you express your own needs or position.

9. Acknowledging another person’s thoughts and feelings does not have to mean that you approve of or agree with that person’s actions or way of experiencing, or that you will do whatever someone asks.

10. Active listening means you are listening for content, meaning, and feelings. To make sure you understand what the person has said (especially when you think you disagree with the statement) paraphrase what you heard.

11. When we strongly disagree with something we hear, we begin to argue mentally and we come up with a rebuttal. That is because we resist new information that conflicts with what we believe. Resist the temptation to interrupt the speaker to rebut.

12. Don’t get sidetracked by taking too many notes. Use keywords to make important notes and fill in the missing words later.

Tit 3:9 But avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions, and strivings about the Law, for they are unprofitable and vain. 10 After the first and second warning, reject a man of heresy,


Listening Blocks

Kenneth Johnson said that one of the best ways to begin to improve your listening skills is to have a better understanding of some of the most common behaviors you and others demonstrate when not listening effectively. He said that the following listening blocks should not always be considered bad. In certain situations, they can be effective at helping an individual achieve a particular result. The key to its effectiveness is to be aware of when and why you are using them.

Heb 10:24 and let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.


1. Rehearsing
Your whole attention is on designing and preparing your next comment. You look interested, but your mind is going a mile a minute because you are thinking about what to say next. Some people rehearse whole chains of responses: I'll say then he'll say, and so on.

2. Judging
Negatively labeling people can be extremely limiting. If you prejudge somebody as incompetent or uninformed, you don't pay much attention to what that person says. A basic rule of listening is that judgments should only be made after you have heard and evaluated the content of the message.

3. Identifying
When using this block, you take everything people tell you and refer it back to your own experience. They want to tell you about a toothache, but that reminds you of your oral surgery for receding gums. You launch into your story before they can finish theirs.

4. Advising
You are the great problem solver. You don't have to hear more than a few sentences before you begin searching for the right advice. However, while you are coming up with suggestions and convincing someone to just try it you may miss what is most important.

5. Sparring
This block has you arguing and debating with people who never feel heard because you are so quick to disagree. In fact, your main focus is on finding things to disagree with.

6. Being Right
Being right means you will go to great lengths (twist the facts, start shouting, make excuses or accusations, call up past sins) to avoid being wrong. You can't listen to criticism, you can't be corrected, and you can't take suggestions to change.

7. Derailing
This listening block involves suddenly changing the subject. You derail the train of conversation when you get uncomfortable or bored with a topic. Another way of derailing is by joking.

8. Placating
Right . . . Absolutely . . . I know . . . Of course you are . . . Incredible . . . Really? You want to be nice, pleasant and supportive. You want people to like you. So you agree with everything. You may half-listen just enough to get the drift, but you are not really involved.

9. Dreaming
When we dream, we pretend to listen but really tune the other person out while we drift about in our inner fantasies. Instead of disciplining ourselves to truly concentrate on the input we turn the channel to a more entertaining subject.