To overcome trials and challenges we need to stand strong, persevere and press on. The following excerpts are some biblical principles that we need to recognise as Christians. I picked these up from a variety of sermons that I have heard that blessed me immensely.
1) Most challenges, trials have their origin in the spirit realm: Job Chapter 1 v 1- The bible describes Job as the type of man that today’s world sees as prominent, self-made and adept in business.
He was a very careful man because the bible describes him as ‘blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil’ v 1 such that he would send to have his children purified and even get up early to make a sacrifice unto the Lord just in case they would have displeased the Lord v.4-6.
On the other hand you have satan who is going about his business v 7. Satan went to present himself before the Lord and God being proud of Job v 8 talks about him {Challenge: Do you live the kind of life that God can describe you as Job?}. Also the spiritual realm is much organised and satan has been described as ‘the accuser of brethren’ (revelation 12:10) and his name means accuser; he stands before God (Job Chapter 1 v 9 -11) to accuse us. Imagine! Job was carrying on with his life unaware of the conversations taking place in the spirit realm. God is proud of him. Is Job aware of the hedge around him? Other people may look at him and think he was a clever and self made man. For every Christian there is a hedge around us that the enemy cannot touch him.
Job Chapter 1 v.13 starts by saying ‘one day…’ - it did not happen immediately satan is not omnipotent – he has no constant presence like God. It takes him a while to gather his angels to attack (1 Peter 5:8).
Job Chapter 1 v 17 The Chaldeans - are the tools and the symptoms of the attack. They are not the real enemy therefore we need to get to the root, that is, in the spiritual realm to start to uproot. Intelligence for a Christian is understanding the spiritual realm. Eph6: never pray against your natural enemies. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and rulers of this dark world.
2) No trial, difficulty can come without divine permission: Satan is the accuser of brethren. If he has a case (i.e. was it something we did? If we profess to be Christians yet we go and sin against the Lord, Satan will go and stand before him and quote God’s law to Him, accusing us and requesting permission to attack us - heaven will agree for him to go ahead, the spiritual realm is organised and has laws and principles that are adhered to and God is a just God. Therefore our first question should be God why did you allow this- why did you grant divine permission? Not so that we charge God but so that we can close a gap in the hedge that we have created. If the Holy Sprit reveals that it is not us then God is preparing us for restoration like Job for in Job’s case he was blameless. When ask we need to believe that ‘My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.’ He will tell us what we need to know.
3) There is no challenge or trial that you are facing that is unique: 1Cor10:13 – ‘… such that is common to man’. This is why we should share testimony. You will find that the principles / situations are the same though the facts different. As humans we like to think that our problems are unique – nobody can understand or can know what we are going through {Challenge – is this really true?} Do not feel sorry for yourself because…
4) You can handle what you are in: God is not wicked. He knows that He has put enough grace in you to handle. 1Cor10:13 God is faithful. He knows the challenges are coming and there is the grace and capacity in you to overcome.
5) Do not fail the attitude test: The fact that you are in it, you can handle it, James1v5 says that if you lack wisdom go to God who gives generously to all without finding fault and when you ask, do not doubt {Challenge: ask for wisdom – do you realise that when you doubt you don’t even know when you have received it? Because you question if this is really what God is saying to you and confuse yourself}. He will direct you so do not fail the attitude test because He is probably sat there and writing in His diary ‘Day 1 this is what [your name] did and this is how he/she reacted to the situation’. {Challenge: Honestly, where is your first port of call? When you hear bad news or things go wrong? – do you try and solve it immediately or do you bless the name of the Lord first and ask His will on the matter?}. Job had 7 sons and 3 daughters dead, all his business collapsed- lost his friends and people started seeing him as bad omen. They would not mix with him for fear his luck might pass on. Some may have even said that he must have sinned to be going through what he was going through. Not a single soul around, including Job, understood what was taking place and what had taken place in the spiritual realm. In all this he did not charge God foolishly (chapter 1 v 22). Your attitude counts in heaven. Remember that this was what was being tested of Job anyway! James1v2 advises that we should ‘consider it pure joy’ therefore our prayers should be more like “God I trust you completely even though I am confused”. Job’s first reaction (Chapter 1 v 20) was ‘the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord’
6) Testing of your faith: These things take place so that our faith may be tested. When we profess something surely it must be tested. It is as the bible describes it as putting gold through fire (Zechariah 13:9). 1Peter 1:7 says ‘These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.’ {Challenge: Our faith manifests itself in the heart, in the spirit and in the lifestyle we choose to live – can you describe your faith and attach it to your current situation to say that you are truly living it out in the situation?}
7) God uses it to develop character: James1:2-4 the testing of your faith develops perseverance that must finish his work so that you may be mature and complete - ‘not lacking anything’ – God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives (Romans 8:28-39) and does not want us to stay where we are but to continuously grow until we are mature and complete, not lacking in anything {Challenge: What is stagnating your growth? – is it you?} When these challenges come and we overcome and we think we want to rest a bit – more comes our way – do we complain to God for a break, to remain where we are? – He has a level of maturity He wants to get you to. Are you going to allow Him to get you there and at His own time or are you going to remain a spiritual baby drinking milk forever rather than maturing to solid food? You have to be promoted to maturity each time. Do not try to use the world's solution to solve your problems instead, start with God.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for everything that you have brought my way for I know that my steps have been ordered by you. Lord I ask for wisdom to be able to understand your will for my life. I also ask for forgiveness for times that I have resisted you and resisted the challenges that you have placed before me. I give my all to you Father and ask that you start your work in me and manifest the plans and purposes that you have set out for me.
I praise you Lord Jesus Christ for what you are about to do and are doing in my life. Teach me more about you and your ways oh Lord such that I may become mature and complete and not lacking in anything as declared by your word.
Be careful! Do not pray this prayer unless you mean it! This prayer means that you ill become surrounded by challenges! My Prayer for you is that in the midst of the challenges you remember your prayer and press on until you come out of the refiners fire proven as genuine articles of Christ Jesus. God bless you all. Amen.
With Love...
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
A Den of Thieves?
It's strange that I am getting more and more uncomfortable with my church lately. Whenever I get such a feeling I examine myself first. I try to explore what is really going on in my heart and be honest with myself about what and why is it that I feel the way that I feel. In this instance I found that it was to do with money.
Money also plays an emotional role in all of us. We need it but it has the tendency to take precedence in our lives and even in ways we do not realise too. Take for example working on Sunday - why do you do it? Even if you are salaried or hourly paid or a business owner it's because whatever it is you are working on during your supposed rest hours has a money trail behind it even when that money is not going directly to your pocket. Now here is how it all started. I believed in supporting my church such was my loyalty that I would rather buy books from its bookshop than anywhere else. One particular Sunday I needed to pick up a book for my mum that I had pre-ordered weeks before (oh and by the way I had moved out of town and was so committed to my church that I would drive an hour each way for Sunday morning service). I had seen the same book online and cheaper but decided to support my church. After service I rushed to be the first at the queue to pick up my book so that I could get away but although I was first in line I was kept waiting in favour of others that had products in hand as mine required staff going to the back to check. Despite ringing them earlier in the week to say that I lived out of town and to keep the book for me they said they did not hold it and that I could order it again and it would take another three weeks. Needless to say I was disappointed on several grounds - firstly they had made no effort, secondly the long wait, thirdly it was at the most expensive price and fourthly the customer service was so shabby and unapologetic. A friend that stood with said "oh well you can't get upset. It's church and these guys are volunteers..." but that was exactly my point. I was questioning why I did what I did and the way I did it and despite providing custom to a store they would treat me that way. Why did I insist on buying it through the church anyway?
Challenge: Is it OK to buy and sell in the house of the Lord?
Some of the things we do today are the result of a series of small changes that have been introduced as harmless innovations that have ultimately led to the way modern day churches are set up. If we run through this carefully, say for example you were setting up a church today what would you include in your plans: a bookshop, a cafe, a creche, a school,... etc The list grows when you look about you these days. Of these things how many of them are chargeable, donation based or simply free? I know what you are thinking of course we need to charge for these things they do not pay for themselves. However that is not the challenge when we take a look at Matthew 21:12-13
"12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[a] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[b]”
We can see Jesus was at the temples courts - not in the sanctuary - and take a look at the types of people he was driving out. Both buyers and sellers that include money changers and dove merchants. In the gospel of Mark it adds in v16 that ... "and [He] would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts"
Jesus was not against buying and selling rather He was against doing so at the Temple because it took emphasis away from worship towards material things. We need to remember that God looks at the heart (1Samuel 16:7) and as much as we think that doing some of these thing are pure Proverbs 16:2 reminds us that the Lord weighs all motives.
If you are still not sold on this idea then let me challenge you further. Take a look at the sellers. What were they selling and why were they selling them at the Temple courts? Why did the buyers buy at the Temple courts? To put these in context we need to put ourselves in their shoes and visualise what it must have been like to be a Jew living in those times. There was only one place of worship and it was this Temple in Jerusalem. The bible tells us that God's people came from all the lands to worship at the Temple. As part of worship people gave money in offerings but coming from different lands meant some would need to change their money to local currency before they could give it in worship. In addition where a person could not afford a lamb they could bring two doves instead as a penalty for their sin (Leviticus 5:7). The fact is that the items being sold in the Temple were relevant for worship and selling them in the Temple was ideal! The marketing four Ps theory of product, price, place and promotion could not have been better exemplified than in this context. The sellers had the products the people needed and in the most convenient place. In the modern day church it appears that the order of service has become: opening prayer, worship songs, announcements that involves materials people ought to buy from the church shop 'spiritual growth', more songs, collection, preaching (usually left till the end and in some cases rushed or unfinished as time runs out) then quick prayer & exit. At exit people rush to get the tapes or materials and also queue to buy snacks from cafeteria etc. Does any of this sound familiar? Let me tell you that Jesus was making a point about the fact that the people's hearts were well away from worship and distracted by trade. The one time in the week that you have the opportunity to gather as His body to pray over things we have the power to change is being distracted by the social aspect of it? 2Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land". Further in Matthew 6:24 He reminded us that “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money".
Now have you ever thought to yourself of all the distracting sins such as (sexual immorality, murder etc) He could have mentioned it was money that was the key opposing factor to serving God? 1Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs".
We need to watch our doctrines and be careful what we preach in our churches by our actions. As such I believe that it does not matter if you are buying a t-shirt that says 'I LOVE JESUS' or a really good christian book - do it at the right place and at the right time otherwise you are no different from a Sunday trader. God calls us to obedience. It was not easy but I eventually left that church (and you should never leave unless asked by the Lord to do so for who knows He may be looking to you to point out the faults that He has shown you?). Things got as far as paying for tickets for gatherings, paying for counselling, even selling Passion for Christ (the movie merchandise that was a package of 1 bible plus cross and a band) via ushers in the sanctuary! In the modern day church I am sure it is laughable that I find this appalling but let me tell you what was really driving me and it is the fact that when Jesus sent out His disciples in Matthew 10:8 He instructed them to "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give".
Not saying that all this is as easy as it sounds to accomplish but by grace and with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). For e.g. I would like to think that if I were to publish a Christian book I would make it freely available and allow people to make free copies because it is about the message and breaking the yoke that binds us? Do you agree or disagree? Further rather than churches having a bookshop why not have a library? I am happy to donate Christian books I have read to bless others as well as borrow. I envision the kind of church that anybody that is curious about the Lord can walk in with ample access to resources that would help them grow to know Him and submit to Him be that by free food, free materials etc... that is what would make a difference in the world we live today. That is what will make a church stand out from other religions and charitable institutions about. I believe God wants a church (a body) that is distinct from the world - yes it is not easy but He pulls a miracle when we have done our bits such that we never lack as we give room for Him to make His home with us.
So if you are someone that trades or buys in church please be advised DON'T BE A MONEY CHANGER AND DON'T LET MONEY CHANGE YA!
Prayer
Dear Father,
Thank you for your generosity in giving us so many gifts and freely! Help us Lord to be able to work together as a church to care for our communities by being fervent in our togetherness in prayers and to give freely of the knowledge, power and resources that we are able to gather for the advancement of your kingdom. Forgive us Lord where we have fallen short of this and direct us onto the right paths. To you be all the glory, honour and praise. In the name of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
With love...
Money also plays an emotional role in all of us. We need it but it has the tendency to take precedence in our lives and even in ways we do not realise too. Take for example working on Sunday - why do you do it? Even if you are salaried or hourly paid or a business owner it's because whatever it is you are working on during your supposed rest hours has a money trail behind it even when that money is not going directly to your pocket. Now here is how it all started. I believed in supporting my church such was my loyalty that I would rather buy books from its bookshop than anywhere else. One particular Sunday I needed to pick up a book for my mum that I had pre-ordered weeks before (oh and by the way I had moved out of town and was so committed to my church that I would drive an hour each way for Sunday morning service). I had seen the same book online and cheaper but decided to support my church. After service I rushed to be the first at the queue to pick up my book so that I could get away but although I was first in line I was kept waiting in favour of others that had products in hand as mine required staff going to the back to check. Despite ringing them earlier in the week to say that I lived out of town and to keep the book for me they said they did not hold it and that I could order it again and it would take another three weeks. Needless to say I was disappointed on several grounds - firstly they had made no effort, secondly the long wait, thirdly it was at the most expensive price and fourthly the customer service was so shabby and unapologetic. A friend that stood with said "oh well you can't get upset. It's church and these guys are volunteers..." but that was exactly my point. I was questioning why I did what I did and the way I did it and despite providing custom to a store they would treat me that way. Why did I insist on buying it through the church anyway?
Challenge: Is it OK to buy and sell in the house of the Lord?
Some of the things we do today are the result of a series of small changes that have been introduced as harmless innovations that have ultimately led to the way modern day churches are set up. If we run through this carefully, say for example you were setting up a church today what would you include in your plans: a bookshop, a cafe, a creche, a school,... etc The list grows when you look about you these days. Of these things how many of them are chargeable, donation based or simply free? I know what you are thinking of course we need to charge for these things they do not pay for themselves. However that is not the challenge when we take a look at Matthew 21:12-13
"12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[a] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[b]”
We can see Jesus was at the temples courts - not in the sanctuary - and take a look at the types of people he was driving out. Both buyers and sellers that include money changers and dove merchants. In the gospel of Mark it adds in v16 that ... "and [He] would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts"
Jesus was not against buying and selling rather He was against doing so at the Temple because it took emphasis away from worship towards material things. We need to remember that God looks at the heart (1Samuel 16:7) and as much as we think that doing some of these thing are pure Proverbs 16:2 reminds us that the Lord weighs all motives.
If you are still not sold on this idea then let me challenge you further. Take a look at the sellers. What were they selling and why were they selling them at the Temple courts? Why did the buyers buy at the Temple courts? To put these in context we need to put ourselves in their shoes and visualise what it must have been like to be a Jew living in those times. There was only one place of worship and it was this Temple in Jerusalem. The bible tells us that God's people came from all the lands to worship at the Temple. As part of worship people gave money in offerings but coming from different lands meant some would need to change their money to local currency before they could give it in worship. In addition where a person could not afford a lamb they could bring two doves instead as a penalty for their sin (Leviticus 5:7). The fact is that the items being sold in the Temple were relevant for worship and selling them in the Temple was ideal! The marketing four Ps theory of product, price, place and promotion could not have been better exemplified than in this context. The sellers had the products the people needed and in the most convenient place. In the modern day church it appears that the order of service has become: opening prayer, worship songs, announcements that involves materials people ought to buy from the church shop 'spiritual growth', more songs, collection, preaching (usually left till the end and in some cases rushed or unfinished as time runs out) then quick prayer & exit. At exit people rush to get the tapes or materials and also queue to buy snacks from cafeteria etc. Does any of this sound familiar? Let me tell you that Jesus was making a point about the fact that the people's hearts were well away from worship and distracted by trade. The one time in the week that you have the opportunity to gather as His body to pray over things we have the power to change is being distracted by the social aspect of it? 2Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land". Further in Matthew 6:24 He reminded us that “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money".
Now have you ever thought to yourself of all the distracting sins such as (sexual immorality, murder etc) He could have mentioned it was money that was the key opposing factor to serving God? 1Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs".
Challenge: whatever happened to freely?
We need to watch our doctrines and be careful what we preach in our churches by our actions. As such I believe that it does not matter if you are buying a t-shirt that says 'I LOVE JESUS' or a really good christian book - do it at the right place and at the right time otherwise you are no different from a Sunday trader. God calls us to obedience. It was not easy but I eventually left that church (and you should never leave unless asked by the Lord to do so for who knows He may be looking to you to point out the faults that He has shown you?). Things got as far as paying for tickets for gatherings, paying for counselling, even selling Passion for Christ (the movie merchandise that was a package of 1 bible plus cross and a band) via ushers in the sanctuary! In the modern day church I am sure it is laughable that I find this appalling but let me tell you what was really driving me and it is the fact that when Jesus sent out His disciples in Matthew 10:8 He instructed them to "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give".
Not saying that all this is as easy as it sounds to accomplish but by grace and with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). For e.g. I would like to think that if I were to publish a Christian book I would make it freely available and allow people to make free copies because it is about the message and breaking the yoke that binds us? Do you agree or disagree? Further rather than churches having a bookshop why not have a library? I am happy to donate Christian books I have read to bless others as well as borrow. I envision the kind of church that anybody that is curious about the Lord can walk in with ample access to resources that would help them grow to know Him and submit to Him be that by free food, free materials etc... that is what would make a difference in the world we live today. That is what will make a church stand out from other religions and charitable institutions about. I believe God wants a church (a body) that is distinct from the world - yes it is not easy but He pulls a miracle when we have done our bits such that we never lack as we give room for Him to make His home with us.
So if you are someone that trades or buys in church please be advised DON'T BE A MONEY CHANGER AND DON'T LET MONEY CHANGE YA!
Prayer
Dear Father,
Thank you for your generosity in giving us so many gifts and freely! Help us Lord to be able to work together as a church to care for our communities by being fervent in our togetherness in prayers and to give freely of the knowledge, power and resources that we are able to gather for the advancement of your kingdom. Forgive us Lord where we have fallen short of this and direct us onto the right paths. To you be all the glory, honour and praise. In the name of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
With love...
A question of mortality
This may seem like a morbid topic but isn't this what life is all about? I have been diagnosed with an ailment. Should I feel sorry for myself? Should I be asking why me? Should I be saying 'what have I done to deserve this?' I have wished it to go away, I have lived in a state of denial and further I have prayed and pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me and even been prayed for but it has not gone (as at the time of writing this). Does this mean there is no God? Does this mean that I have sinned or does it mean that I lack faith? Am I not a proper Christian because I have not been healed? Or is God simply ignoring me and does not care? Has He forgotten me?
There are many questions, however, or I would also like to know 'why not me?'. What makes me so special that I should be above all this? The Psalmist (Psalm 8:4) said '...what is man that you are mindful of him?, the son of man that you care for him?' Surely I am nothing. Rather than look at my problem perhaps I should look at the size of my God. why should I run from prayer to prayer? Why should I have to go from one healing service to another? I have already had multiple consultations. It all came to a head as members of my family have asked me to travel so that I can attend a prayer session before coming back to have an operation that I am due to have.
Do you really want to know what I think?
I think 'NO'! and indeed I can be quite stubborn but here is my real reason why I cannot submit myself to that or such a lifestlye.
I remember years back when I was so hungry for God that I would go anywhere to seek Him. I remember attending a conference for a week and noticing a man there who seemed as hungry as me for the Word. Everyday that week he would bring an older lady in a wheelchair with him in hope that she would be healed. It seemed that everyone else was getting healed and despite everyone being hyped up in faith and gathering around her in prayer...I cannot forget the look on the man's face on the last night of the gathering.
{Challenge: Does God heal?}
Yes of course He does. Jesus performed many miracles and healed people everywhere He went.
'fear not it seems that we fear illness because primarily it affects the quality of our life. It can inconvenience us and our loved ones. It can fill us with worry and moreover it reminds us how fragile human life is and our mortality.
What does it mean to be healed?
King Hezekiah when tol
{Challenge: As christians should we fear death?} Paul said that to live
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Truth hurts...
Glad to be online and writing my first blog ever! Why do I feel the need to do this? Well the world is in a constant state of flux and this means that we are frequently challenged to revise our perceptions and our moral stance that forms part of our character. So what does this mean for Christians and non-Christians? Are you ready to face the truth?
I am looking forward to learning from various perspectives that will be offered by the readers and also hope that in the same way the readers will also learn so that we can grow together without compromising Christ.
With love...
I am looking forward to learning from various perspectives that will be offered by the readers and also hope that in the same way the readers will also learn so that we can grow together without compromising Christ.
With love...
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