Reflections of faith (Fervent) – 28 March 2019

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

Prayer is a very powerful tool and something I think we often do not utilize completely. My problem is patience. I will pray but I would want the results today and that Is not how God’s works. So, many of us will get tired of asking and we start to lose faith. Sometimes we are right in the middle of God’s plan and the result of our prayer is much faster. But in my case, this is very rare although God has healed me in many instances much faster than I expected. What I want to pause on is the effectual fervent (eager) prayer of a righteous (good/blameless) man. Why, because it availeth much. Now avail in this sense is to profit one's self or to turn to advantage (Latin valeo, to be strong or able, to profit, to be of force or authority; Eng. well. The primary sense is, to stretch or extend, whence strength, value). So, in essence the effective and eager prayer of a good man will accomplish much. Now it also means that the effective determined prayer of a good man will be heard, and God will answer. The important part is the answer, because God hears your prayer, but it will be according to His will and His time. Sometimes, God’s plan is different to what we want, so it is important to ask for His guidance and then allow Him to confirm His will. The vital part is when we pray according to His will, we need to remain diligent and we need to trust God’s timing and His plan. In the end you will enjoy the results of God’s plan that is far greater and much more effective than what we could ever imagine. God made it clear that His ways are higher than our ways. We must remain faithful in prayer and make sure we are aligned with His path. 

Have an awesome day. 

I love you, my friend in Jesus.

Cheers

Reflections of faith (Overcome) – 27 March 2019

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)

He that overcome shall inherit all things. Life as we know is filled with challenges and we face those on a daily basis. We fall and we rise, and we fall, and we rise, and we try again. Jesus was clear on that when He said we will see tribulation and we will have a tough time, because we follow Him. This promise here in Revelations is almost like the prize Paul writes about when he spoke about the race. Life is a race if you think about today and how we rush from one day to the next. It is as if time is moving faster and our days are shorter. What is important here is simply summed up in determination and courage. God has planned your life ahead and we follow this plan but sometimes we deviate from it and God needs to realign us. Now there are two critical aspects of this verse that I wish to highlight. One, if you overcome this world and all the challenges that the enemy throws at you, you will inherit all things and you will be a son of God. Two, and this one I will quote verse 8: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. The outcome of the end is simply a decision. Do you choose to stand up and keep fighting and never give up, or will you fall and turn away from God? I have been through pain and hurt and I have been broken like never before, but I stand, and I will rise above it. I will not let the enemy break my faith with his lies and I will not give up. It may seem difficult, but I choose to change my perspective and let God be my guide. I choose to hold on to Him and trust Him so that in the end I will stand with Him as a son of God.  

Have an awesome day. 

I love you, my friend in Jesus.

Cheers

Reflections of faith (Lose) – 26 March 2019

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 10:39)

The one thing most of us struggle with is letting go and handing over. I know that the Lord will take care of me and my kids and that I should just trust His way and most important His time. Jesus said that whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. In today’s corrupted and materialistic world, we are in conflict with this. The world wants us to want more and desire only the best. We lust and desire and listen to the worst voices. The whole media is flooded with the wrong ideas and all the marketing is focussed on stuff we do not need but should have. When Jesus says you must lose your life to find it, it does not indicate a small change. With Jesus change is most of time a hundred and eighty degree in the opposite direction. Change is not what we need but what God needs. I am often in conflict with that because I would rather follow my idea and try and fix things my way. God does not want that because in the end the miracle will glorify Him and touch the lives of those it was intended to do. So, something bad might come over your path but God’s plan is to take that bad and use it to change hearts that needs to change, and you are the vessel that will initiate that change, because the miracle will affect you. Time is our problem, because time needs patience and most if us are quick fix type of people. God is teaching me patience and believe me I am struggling with it, but I am getting better. He is also teaching me how to trust Him completely and I might add I have already seen the value of that. Submit to God and allow Him to be your guide and steer you, but most importantly listen to His voice and His voice only.

Have an awesome day. 

I love you, my friend in Jesus.

Cheers