Today Reminder - 27 August 2012 (Build)

My prayer for you for today is that you will build each other up, in Jesus name.

Jude 1:20-21

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love.

Build - But you, dear friends, must build each other up. When you are down, you almost always seek the companionship of a close friend. Someone you can talk to and someone that will listen and understand what is happening in your life. This person will always try and cheer you up to lighten the weight of your problems. In our faith we will find times when we are down, when we are burdened and when our problems seem too much. These times are times in our journey when we need to be supported and listened to. These are the times when we need to build each other up. 

My dear friend, travelling through this world alone is a recipe for disaster. We must stand together in faith and in life, building each other up in prayer and in companionship. 

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. (Proverbs 27:9)

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 24 August 2012 (Well)

My prayer for you for today is that you will be well, in Jesus name.

3 John 1:2

Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.

Well - I hope all is well with you. How are you today dear friend, how was your week and what does your weekend plans look like? Where are you standing in faith? Are you facing difficulties and are struggling through waves of issues or are you in victory lane? 

I feel that the Holy Spirit is guiding me this morning to encourage you and tell you that you are not alone in your battles today. God does not leave us on our own when we are faced with sickness, nor does He abandon us when we are in a bad place. God is consistent! He never changes nor does He sleep, “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps” (Psalm 121). He is always, was always and will always be. Nothing we face is greater than Him and nothing can defeat His might. 

The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. (Psalm 121)

My dear friend, you are not alone, and no you don’t have to face your struggles alone. God is always with us. His plans are far beyond our sight and way over our heads. We must follow Him and trust Him, because this world is just temporary. 

Come with me today dear friend as we look to the mountains. I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40)

I pray that the Lord will free you from whatever it is that holds you back and that He will put your feet on solid ground as you renew your trust in Him. I pray that you will be victorious in your struggles and that nothing will bring you down. I pray that your burdens will pass and that you will be steadied by the Lord on your journey that lies ahead. I pray that your feet will turn to dancing as the Lord will give you a new song to sing. I pray that you will be well today.

Have an awesome new day, dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 23 Augustus 2012 (Grace)

My prayer for you for today is that you will live in grace, peace and mercy each day, in Jesus name.

2 John 1:3

Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.

Grace – Saved by grace. The Thesaurus explains grace as kindness, kindliness, decency, favour, mercy, mercifulness, charity, benevolence, clemency, leniency, and reprieve. To follow Jesus and fully trust Him will give you grace, mercy and peace each day as you journey through your current season in life. Grace ultimately comes from God, because His grace saved us from self-destruction.

Funny enough, mercy also means grace. Mercy is also compassion, pity, clemency, forgiveness, kindness, sympathy, humanity, understanding, generosity, leniency, benevolence, forbearance and grace.

Peace is also calm, quiet, stillness, tranquillity, silence, harmony and serenity.

Now let’s look at those three words again. (Grace) Kindness, kindliness, decency, favour, mercy, mercifulness, charity, benevolence, clemency, leniency, reprieve, (Mercy) compassion, pity, clemency, forgiveness, sympathy, humanity, understanding, generosity, forbearance, (Peace) calm, quiet, stillness, tranquillity, silence, harmony, serenity, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.

My dear friend, to have Jesus in your life is not just a three word lifestyle. No, it is much more than that. We are so quick to accept a moderate Jesus life, when living with Him in you is far greater than you can imagine.  You cannot put God in box, He created the universe to give us a glimpse of His immensity. We cannot even see the whole universe, let alone summarize God. 

It is so important to we bring our lives in line with His will and His word, because in God lies an unlimited wealth of grace, mercy, peace and strength. In Him alone will you fine true freedom.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 22 August 2012 (You alone)

My prayer for you for today is that you will worship God and God alone, in Jesus name.

1 John 5:21

Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.

You alone – Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God
 and serve only Him.' (Luke 4)

Today the Holy Spirit reminded me of something so important and something that we can easily get wrong. When you heart belongs to God, nothing should take that place – ever. And thinking of all the temptations that this world can lay at your feet, the Spirit guided me in bringing some old reminders back from scripture:

"You must serve only the LORD your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness.” (Exodus 23)

"You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. (Exodus 20)

Jesus replied, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." (Matthew 22)

My dear friend, idolatry will destroy us. Do not let the things of this world take the place of God in your life.  God is very clear on this point throughout the Bible and in any event where His people replaced Him with another god, they struggled through hardships and problems. But everyone that loved God and God alone, saw great success in their lives as they follow Him. David destroyed Goliath, Gideon defeated an army larger than his own without even going to battle, Elijah challenged the prophets of baal and destroyed them, Moses walked through the red sea on dry land, and so it goes on and on of people putting God first and overcoming many challenges. Where is God in your life today? 

Come with me today as we place God first in our lives and love Him with all our hearts, all your souls, and all your minds.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 21 August 2012 (Ask)

My prayer for you for today is that you will know God hears everything you ask, and that you will ask only that which pleases Him, in Jesus name.

1 John 5:13-15

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for.

Ask - And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.

 I have always thought that talking to God is almost like making a telephone call. In the old days you had to find a phone booth and few coins gave you a few minutes. When you are a young Christian, I think you think that talking to God can only happen in special places and you have to give something. Talking to God in a special or specific place is great, but today telephones have changed dramatically. Cell phones revolutionized the telephone industry and one can make a call almost anywhere. Jesus came and revolutionized talking to God, when He defeated death on the cross. You can talk to God anywhere and anytime, and the scary part is… He listens all the time. 

John, who was a disciple of Jesus, writes here in John 5 that he is confident God hears us and he will give us what we ask for. I believe that this comes from his personal experience with Jesus when He was with them. John writes from that context knowing that Jesus gave whenever people asked something from Him. John then adds to the sentence that we must ask what pleases God and I believe that this is the important part in the sentence. God will give us everything we ask as long as we ask what pleases Him, as long as He will be glorified in the process, as long as it is God’s will. We are quick to ask, but when we receive we have forgotten who we asked. Don’t you expect a thank you when giving something to someone else and don’t you say thank you when given something. In the same way we must be thankful towards God for giving when we ask. 

My dear friend, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7)

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 20 August 2012 (Have)

My prayer for you for today is that you will follow Jesus passionately and through Him find eternity, in Jesus name.

1 John 5:11-12

And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have life.

Have - He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. This scripture made me think of one that is always in my mind: Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!" (John 14)

There are so many roads in this world and each one leads to a destination. Each one of us travels on a road almost daily, whether it is by our own car or by bus or even by aeroplane. Each of these vessels takes us on our journey to our destination. Some roads have toll gates and other have pot holes, some have lines and other don’t, some are dirt roads and for some you can only travel by foot. Yet each road has a specific purpose, and a specific destination. Some roads lead into other roads and some roads don’t some roads you wish to travel alone and some you don’t want to be alone on. Sometimes you are in a hurry and sometimes you are relaxed.

In life we travel on roads. Each phase of our lives holds a new road and each road a new destination. Each destination indirectly brings us close to our final destination. On our way we chose our companions, we make friends, we get married and we have kids. Each of our companions has an effect on our destinations in each phase of our lives. We are either influenced by them in our choice of destinations or we chose a specific destination to be closer to them. 

Whatever road you find yourself on, the only companion that will take you to eternity is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the only companion that has sacrificed Himself so that you can travel on your road to eternity without anything to hold you back. He is the light on this journey and He is the key to the doors you will find. He is the way, the truth and the life.

My dear friend, no matter where you find yourself on your journey, Jesus is waiting for you. He is life and life as we will never know it here on earth. Seek Him as your travelling companion and trust His guidance throughout your life travels. He is the key to your success and the one friend you do not want to be without. 

Come and travel with me today as we journey with Jesus. Enjoy the ride as we pass all the destinations of our life to reach our last destination, to be with Him in eternity.

Have an awesome journey today, dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 17 August 2012 (Victory)

My prayer for you for today is that you will be victorious in your battles, in Jesus name.

1 John 5:5

And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Victory - “If you think you can win, you can. Faith is necessary to victory.” - William Hazlitt 

Victory is such an important step towards freedom in Jesus. We live our lives struggling through each day as we are constantly fighting the waves of this world that lashes into our existence. Winners are not necessary always the best athlete, they are the athlete with the most endurance and mental focus. Mind over matter they say. In our fight against the troubles of this world, our victory lies in our faith. It is in Jesus that we find peace and stability topped with strength and durability. Our victory will not be complete now, but our victory will be complete when Jesus returns. Our struggles continue but our battle has already been won. 

My dear friend, each moment of each day we are challenged by many difficult obstacles or problems. Each one of them can be easily overcome and defeated when your trust is in Jesus and you humbly and obediently acknowledge your dependence on Him. It is in this trust that you will find unlimited strength and absolute freedom.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 16 August 2012 (A love story)

My prayer for you for today is that you will fully experience God’s love in your life, in Jesus name.

1 John 4:19

We love each other because He loved us first.

A love story

Once upon a time many years ago in a land far, far away lived a beautiful young girl. One morning as she was fetching water from the nearby stream, a group of riders came by. It was the prince and his guards on their way home from battle. They stopped for water and the prince helped the young girl carry her buckets home. This was the start of a wonderful friendship. From here on the prince visited often and their relationship grew stronger as did their love. The prince wanted to marry the young girl, but in his kingdom princes marry princesses, so their love was forbidden by the king. The young prince knew that he would die if this love was taken from him so he and the young girl ran away. Their journey took them through wild and tough lands as they continued to get away as far as possible. They gave up all for love, to be free to love and live free in love. They found a beautiful place close to a stream well hidden where they build a house.

The king searched the land for his son and only heir to his throne, but nobody knew where he was and nobody could find them. The old king did not stop searching, because in his heart there was a sudden emptiness. His love for his son was strong and he now realised that he was blinded by tradition and allowed people to mislead him. He never stopped his search and continued to look for his son and the young girl.

My dear friend, love has become a word that we misuse. To truly love is to be willing to give up anything for this love. God loved us first and His love is so great that He was willing to sacrifice His son to save us and to open our eyes to the magnitude of true love. John writes in verse 9 and 10: “God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” This is how we should measure love and in the same way love each other. Love should not have boundaries but instead love should overcome all. “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.” (verse 18)

Have an awesome day filled with love, dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 15 Augustus 2012 (Greater)

My prayer for you for today is that you will not be misled by people but that you will listen to the Spirit in you, in Jesus name.

1 John 4:4

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

Greater - the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. This is just one of those awesome verses in the Bible that leaves you in awe for a moment. John writes here in chapter four about false prophets and mentions that they already existed even in his time. I think over the years the enemy brings people into our lives to mislead us and confuse us. You see one of the enemy’s best attacks is to bring distance between you and the will of God, to bring separation between you and the foundation that is Jesus Christ. There are so many that will come under the Christian cloak to deceive us in changing our belief. In the end the Bible must remain your fall back and all should be tested against this guideline. But what truly moved me is this quick comparison John makes in saying that the Spirit that lives in you is greater than the spirit that lives in the world. I think this is one of the most important things that we keep on forgetting. Nothing in this world is greater than God and nothing in this world can be compared to Him. 

My dear friend, in you dwells a powerful God. If you can grasp this concept and make it your own, nothing will be able to move you. You will be a rock that God can use as a foundation to build people up for His kingdom. Knowing and understanding the gift of the Holy Spirit is fundamental in achieving freedom from your worldly self. My dear friend, how I pray that you will come to understand the power that lies within you, a boundless and endless pool of strength and courage. I pray that it will make you bold and brave so that nothing will bring you down.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers