A real man declaration

A real man declaration

I am humbled by your grace, Lord, as I stand broken and ashamed in front of you. I have lost the fight so many times and I know I cannot win nor can I survive without you. My heart cries out to You Lord, I need you. I need forgiveness… I need to be free from this grip that holds me down, I need to be a real man, a man close to your heart, a warrior for you and for those that I love.

I invite you into my life and I surrender all that is holding me back from becoming a real man for You Lord. I will forgive those that wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged. I will learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to you Lord.

I will seek to honour You Father God, be faithful to your church, obey your word and do your will. I give you my heart Lord and ask you to help me take responsibility for myself and all my relationships. 

Help me to be courageous and strong so that I can stand my ground and be a Real Man in Christ, that never gives up, never quits the fight and that rises up to be an example of stability, to be honourable and faithful and to be humble.

In the name of Jesus.

Today Reminder - 29 February 2012 (Chosen ones)

My prayer for you for today is that you will know that you are loved more than you can imagine, in Jesus Name.

Ephesians 1:4

Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.

Chosen ones.  The whole creation and every one of us were planned by God long before God made it all. You have been loved by God long before you were even born. God made you to be perfect and holy. He carefully placed each part of you together making you who you are and who you are yet to be. We can only achieve this goal by being in and with Jesus, living a life based on Him. Jesus is the model to whom you must mimic your life. He is the most perfect example of who God intended you to be. You are a perfect person in the making. 

But, do you see it like that? Do you see yourself like God sees you? I guess this is one thing each one of us is really good at and that is to break and destroy our own self. I see it in my own life, I have this way of being disappointed in myself when I make a mistake or when I don’t understand something. I can easily break myself down to place where I feel tired and worthless. Then comes the blame and shame and feel sorry for yourself, and then comes the devil who constantly whispers in your ear that you are worthless and this pulls you even further down into misery. Finally God has to pull you out of this massive hole that you dug back into the light, to once again build you up and strengthen you. But we don’t always do it to ourselves we allow others to hurt us by what they say and do, and we can be so sensitive to what people think. 

My dear friend, it is not what people think about you that matters, it is what God thinks about you. He made you with purpose, He made you to be more than what you are now, He made you to be a winner, a fighter and someone that will listen to Him and not allow this world to influence you. He made you out of love. Let us not take this world seriously, but let’s take God serious. Don’t let the misguided anger, mistakes and pain of other bring you down, but stand and listen to God, hear His voice and follow His guidance. Place Him first in everything that you do and the rest will fall in place.

Take this day moment by moment and give it to God. 

My prayers are with you in all that you are going through right now, I pray that God will intervene and break the chains and set you free from this burden so that you will praise Him even more.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 28 February 2012 (Incorruptible)

My prayer for you for today is that you will be objective to the interests of this world and that you will place them on the cross of Jesus so that may stand incorruptible in faithful , in Jesus Name.

Galatians 6:14

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.

Incorruptible

Oh Lord, I am lost without You

This world has fooled me so many times in believing I can stand without You

How I long for freedom from temptation and freedom in You

I seek desperately for guidance from You

How weak I have become influenced in believing those without You

How many more mistakes must I make that hurts You

Break the walls that surround me so that I can see You

Destroy the evil that has a hold on me pulling me away from You

Open my heart and clear my thoughts so that I can focus on You

Fade out the noise of the world and fill it with your love and grace so that I can see only You

Make me stronger to stand and do the will of You

I am humbled once again by your cross and the love I have in You

Open the eyes of my heart so there will be less of me and more of You

Make me steadfast in my faith in You

Break the chains so I can be free for You

Teach me to listen like you, to love like You, to feel like You, to walk like You, to touch like You, to live like You, to understand like You and to be like You

I am you are…

My dear friend, because God said “I am” you are more than meets the eye. You are strong, powerful, unbeatable and incorruptible. You are a child of God with an all-powerful Spirit that lives in you, so don’t fear this world but stand your ground and live free.

Have an awesome day

Cheers

POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

Personality:
1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don't overdo; keep your limits
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake  
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:
15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others
17. Forgive everyone for everything
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day
20. What other people think of you is none of your business
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything
24. Do the right things
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
27. The best is yet to come
28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy. 

By DR RANDY PAUSCH

Today Remimder - 27 February 2012 (Doing good stuff)

My prayer for you for today is that you will have patience and compassion for those you meet and those you see every day and that the Lord will give you wisdom so that you can love without boundaries, in Jesus Name.

Galatians 6:10

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?" The man answered, "'You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 

"Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!"
The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied with a story: "A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

"By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant  walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
 "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.'

"Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy. “ Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same." (Luke 10:25-37)

Doing good stuff. When I read this verse in Galatians this morning I could not help but think of the Good Samaritan. Paul says that whenever we get the opportunity to do good, we should. My question is this: Are you a Good Samaritan, a good friend, a good neighbour, a good colleague or even a good employee? Where do we draw the line between neighbour and well not really a neighbour. Jesus made it quite clear that anyone is my neighbour and this means that I must do good to anyone. There are no maybe’s in this statement, Jesus made it very clear who I must care for. But if you think about it, Jesus did exactly that, He came to this world in human form and gave love wherever He went until His final great act of love – giving His life. Would you go that far to give your life to someone else, or even give your life to God. My dear friend, this life is so short and we have so little time. Loving other and doing the right thing is not a once off feel better thing, it is an everyday thing, it is something that we must do in each moment. This will not only reveal God’s love but it will reveal God.  Don’t miss out on that, it will change your life and the life’s of those you meet.

Have an awesome day “Good Samaritan”.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 24 February 2012 (Losing focus)

My prayer for you for today is that you will not quit nor give up, but instead you will be refreshed with a wave of power from God, in Jesus Name.

Galatians 6:7-9

Don't be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

Losing focus. Have you ever being side-tracked while busy with something and when you finally get back to it, your whole thought process is disrupted. It happens to me from time to time when I am busy with a piece of work and suddenly I have to help with something else, then I will have to sit down a rethink my process so that I can return to where I was. Sometimes we lose that process and we have to start over and in most cases we end up following a completely different way. It can be quite annoying at times. 

One of the most cleverly devised methods of the enemy is to get us side-tracked during the day. We start our days well focussed on the Lord and trying our best to stay in that mind set, but then the enemy will find a way to side-track you with other issues and eventually you have lost focus. The negative side to this is that the more times you have to start over with something the less you are inclined see it through. 

You see we do our best to try and do good, but we fail allot and this failure will be used by the enemy to constantly throw this question at you: “Why? Why am I still even trying?”

Don’t be misled, don’t give up and don’t mock the justice of God. Be a farmer, don’t be foolish to think your harvest will be poor. The rain will come and the seed will grow and the harvest will be amazing. What seems impossible to us is possible for God, He has no boundaries and no limitations and He will not let your good seed go to waste, because each one we win is a triumph for God.

My dear friend, don’t quit and don’t give up. Don’t lose heart but stay the course. This ride is about to get allot bumpier, because God is not a mediocre God and He does not do “boring”. He likes to leave us in stunned silence and amazement so that we can know He is God as we are blown away by the power of His work. So DON’T GIVE UP, you are making Him proud.

Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 23 February 2012 (Work, work, work)

My prayer for you for today is that the Lord will be with at work and that He will give you strength when you are tired, wisdom when faced with a difficult situation, patience with your fellow colleagues, clarity in decisions, motivation when the work is tough and knowledge to uplift you. In Jesus Name.

Galatians 6:4-5

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Work, work, work. When I was a manager I always thought that the best employee is the one that never argues, is always on time and never complains when they have work no matter where or when.  Standing on the other side it is clear that my expectations were good for a robot. There are so many things that could happen in a day which influences your mood and your productivity. You can be upset about personal stuff, you could be tired, you might have had a terrible traffic experience, you could have gone through a number of challenges and you might not enjoy what you are doing at this stage. It could be your boss or your colleagues or your job could be very stressful. There are so many things that impact your image as an employee. 

Paul writes that we must pay attention to our work and that we are each responsible for our own conduct. In my personal experience I find it hard to leave my personal worries outside the office, when something bothers you it remains in your thoughts and influences your mood. When the work is tedious and boring and you are doing the same thing for the hundredth time, it is a motivation killer. We have gone through a number of challenges the last couple of weeks and looking back it is so clear how God was involved in the outcome of each one. You see God places us in situations and jobs for a reason and the negative thoughts we get combined with complaining and moaning blocks our eyes so that we can’t see what God planned and we won’t hear His voice. The devil will use your sinful nature to highlight all the negative stuff, so that it consumes your mind and fades out God’s plan. This is one the enemies most successful tools yet, and it is to blind us for God’s plan by making us unhappy about the situation. 

I am trying to hear God’s voice first in every situation and placing my trust in Him that He has a plan or a reason for it. It is not an easy mind shift, because we are so easily set in our ways of complaining first. I believe that we should be grateful that we have a job, that we should give our best at all times and that we should try our best to live peacefully with other. Your job is a gift from God and part of His strategic plan, don’t let the enemy steal this blessing from you.

My prayers are with you dear friend. Remember that you are a valuable asset in God’s business.

Have a nice day dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Psalm 146 - Awesome

Psalm 146

Praise the LORD!
Let all that I am praise the LORD.
I will praise the LORD as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

Don't put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.

He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.

The LORD frees the prisoners.
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.
The LORD loves the godly.
The LORD protects the foreigners among us.

He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

The LORD will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.

Praise the LORD!

Today Reminder - 22 February 2012 (The Guardian)

My prayer for you for today is that we will share in each other’s burdens and that we will not let a fellow believer be overcome by sin, but that we will help them and pray for them, in Jesus Name.

Galatians 6:1-3

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

The Guardian. I loved the movie “The Guardian” with Kevin Costner as this Coast Guard rescue swimmer. What really stood out is that no matter how severe the storm at sea is, the rescue swimmer will jump in this almost impossible situation to rescue people. Their commitment and passion for what they do is almost unbelievable and above that the burden of those they were not able to rescue lies deep within the hearts of these men of steel. Would you jump into a storm to rescue someone you do not know? 

In life many of our fellow believers will be attacked by the enemy and overcome by sin. The devil will bring storms into their lives to throw them overboard into an ocean of sin. What will happen to them, and who will rescue them? God has a team of rescue swimmers readily available and you are one of them. You will have to jump into that ocean with them and pull them out, but be careful that their frantic need for help will not pull you under with them. We should share in each other’s burdens. I believe as I said before, the enemy wants you to try and stand alone, because then you are vulnerable. If we stand together we will be stronger, if we pray for each other we will not slip into temptation so easily, if we combine our efforts to defeat satan we will be more successful.

Don’t miss the opportunity to help someone today, and don’t be foolish in not accepting help from someone. We are all facing different storms at different times in our lives: “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”

My prayers are with you all dear friends of Jesus. I pray that God will intervene in whatever struggles you are facing at the moment and that you will be rescued from this storm, pulled out of the ocean into a place of safety.

Have a great day, God’s rescue swimmer. You are a Christian of steel, you are a “Guardian”!

Cheers

Today Reminder - 21 February (Two forces)

My prayer for you for today is that the voice of the Holy Spirit will be much clearer in your life than your sinful nature, in Jesus Name.

Galatians 5:16-18

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

Two forces. “How can this be?” he said as he felt blood dripping from his chin. “How can he beat me when I am the chosen one?” he struggled to his feet, tired and weary from the battle. Fear started to rise up inside of him as he stared into the eyes of Lee Chun, the dragon. The fight felt like it had been going on for hours yet it has been only a few minutes. How am I going to defeat him, help me master Yun, I have no more strength left in me. Suddenly he could hear master Yun’s voice again, shouting: “Let your inner Spirit strengthen you, feel the Spirit’s guidance, flow with His thoughts…” the only way to do this was to quiet down his mind and let the Spirit take over. Suddenly he felt strength flowing back into his legs and he remembered Chun’s weakness. Chun attacked with a roar in his voice. He stood his ground and moved swiftly just as Chun’s famous dragon blow headed for his heart, stepping to the side and with lightning speed he struck Chun in the ribs, forcing the air out of his lungs leaving him gasping as he struck him again, knocking him out…

This is one of the most powerful mind blowing verses in the bible. Paul writes about a constant fight between our sinful nature and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Every day we are caught up in a fight between good and evil, almost like the battle in my story. The enemy will find all kinds of things to throw at you during your day to weaken your defences so that he can force your sinful nature to take over. “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Paul makes it clear once more that you must let the Holy Spirit guide you, then you will not be defeated by evil but you will overcome the toughest of challenges. 

Galatians 5: 19-21 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Paul’s list is so important because we forget about the smaller ones such as: Hostility, jealousy, anger, envy and division. And then most important: “…anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

My dear friend, my prayers are with you today. Nail the passions and desires of your sinful nature to the cross, because Jesus came to free us from this battle, He already defeated the enemy and placed victory in our hands. Give old “Sinful nature” the final blow in the ribs leaving him gasping for air.

Have a great day, friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 20 February 2012 (The spider and the fly)

My prayer for you for today is that you will stand firm in your faith and that you will not be fooled by the enemy posing as a friend, to slip and fall, in Jesus Name.

Galatians 5:7-10

You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for He is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.

The spider and the fly. There was once a little fly that lived so happily believing that he was a fly destined for great fly things. He would fly around from one place to another always singing and always smiling. He was such a happy little fly. One day as he flew past a flower he heard a little voice say “Hey, where are you going?” the little fly swooped around and flew back to the flower to find a little spider sitting on the very tip of the flower. “Hi” said the little fly “I am on my way home”. “Come” said the little spider “come play with me”. The little fly stayed and played with the little spider. This started to become a regular thing, the little fly would spend less and less time with his fly friends and more and more time with the little spider. He started to wonder if it really was so great to be a fly as he started to think more and more like a spider. He would argue with his fly friends about being a fly and he started to spend less and less time with them and more and more time with the little spider. 

One day as they were playing on the flowers, jumping from one flower to the next, the little fly was happy because he was not part of those flies anymore, he was now a spider. As they jumped from one flower to the next the little fly saw that it was getting darker and he wanted to go home. The little spider convinced him to stay longer telling him that this is much more fun. The little fly could not see so well in the dark but he followed the little spider trusting him, because he could see in the dark. As he jumped he suddenly got tangled in something and he could not get lose. “Help!” he shouted to the little spider. The little spider came back as the little fly was struggling to get free. “What is this?” he shouted, “It is my web” the little spider said. “You are caught in my web” the little spider explained in a different voice. “Help me to get free” the little fly shouted again as he realized he could not get lose. “No” the little spider said “you are exactly where I wanted you…”

In this world the enemy will always dress himself up as this great friend or wise leader with all these great things that is so much nicer than to follow God. He will deceive us in thinking that it is not cool to be part of the “Bible geeks” and he will make you believe that his way is actually the right way. We will be so fooled by believing that this is ok, that we will become more and more like these false fiends as we are fooled like so many before us. We will start to lose our identity in Christ as we break His great commandment to love one another, and before you know it you are caught up in their web of lies.

Don’t be fooled by the enemy that dresses himself up like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and your heart to know when you are lead into a trap. Trust God and ask Him to strengthen your faith so that you can withstand all the trials you may face today. In the end it is much cooler to be a Christian than to follow the enemy, because our inheritance is so much nicer than the pit of fire where satan and his followers are heading for.

You remain in my prayers dear friend of Jesus. 

Have an awesome day! It is great to be your friend.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 17 February 2012 (Journeys)

Journeys and destinations

“… but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b)

Most people from time to time find themselves travelling from one place to another. For many of us travelling by train is not a familiar experience. Yet many of those having had the opportunity to do so, will tell you that the journey itself could be very relaxing and satisfying while enjoying the scenery outside or simply spending some valuable time with family or friends. Others may tell you that a long train journey can become quite boring and tiring and that they would value much more those events waiting at the place of arrival, their destination.

A while ago a good friend told me of his first train trip as a student from Stellenbosch to Cape Town. He enthusiastically explained how he left the station with the full belief that he was on his way to Cape Town station. After all, he could see Table Mountain in a distance. Soon they arrived in Cape Town. However, going back that afternoon was a different story. Running around between twenty different platforms not knowing which train to take, an old man advised him to go back into the building and to consult the destination board. He did so, took the 16h30 train from platform 12 and left the station. But soon he started doubting whether he did in fact take the right train. All of a sudden he saw unfamiliar places outside that he could not remember noticing on his way into Cape Town. Later, very worried and troubled he asked the conductor in which direction the train was going. On the conductor’s question what the destination board in Cape Town indicated, my friend replied: “It said that the 16h30 train from platform 12 goes to Stellenbosch, sir”. The conductor concluded: “This train left from platform 12 at 16h30. Now relax and stop worrying”. Shortly after that they arrived at Stellenbosch station.

His simple little story made me think of the most important journey of all. A journey we find ourselves on right now - the journey of life. As with other journeys we all try to make the best of it, to enjoy life with everything it offers. But how often do we think of the destination? Where are we heading? Reality is that there are only two options: eternal life with Jesus Christ or eternal separation from Him in hell. Only when I was confronted 12 years ago with the most important question anyone can ever ask you I realised that the questions and uncertainties my friend experienced on his trip back to Stellenbosch were exactly the same ones that I struggled with on my journey through life. While having to answer the question whether I was 100% sure that I would go to heaven should I die today, I had to admit with a shock that I was hopelessly uncertain and that I was (like so many others) merely hoping for the best! But my friend had good news too, for me and for you.

Just like the clear confirmation and assurance given on the destination board in Cape Town, the Bible tells us what our destination is once we have chosen to accept God’s free gift of eternal life.  I have learnt that you can really be sure, as certainly as you are now reading this message.  “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life” (John 6:47). I have chosen, and since that day I am enjoying a journey of certainty, a life of victory over sin and guilt and a real relationship of trust in Him. To have this certainty outweighs any other feeling of peace and satisfaction. While my life is certainly not free of sin, I’ve also learnt that my choice had to be a radical one. The Bible states clearly that no one has eternal life just because he says that he has trusted Christ (James 2:14). God knows our hearts. He hates sin and is only interested in a real, genuine and committed choice.

May I ask you this questions too? Are you sure? Have you made the vital choice and committed your life to Jesus? If not, doesn’t it make sense to make sure of your eternal destination right now? Our Father is patiently waiting for you at this very moment – “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20).

Don’t postpone. You may not have another opportunity.

(By Ludi. Beukman)

Today Reminder - 16 February 2012 (Power struggle)

My prayer for you for today is that you will remember that Jesus lives in you and only He can save you, so place your trust anew in Jesus, in Jesus Name.

Galatians 2:19-21

For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

The power struggle. It is almost funny how we will always try and do things on our own. I’ve seen it so many times, I love to take charge and get things done and I love to do it on my own. I have always been someone who believed in “If you want it done, then do it yourself”. This is something I believe I was born into, my parents never waited for things to happen by themself, they almost always seized the moment and just did it. So obviously I have this born in and build in way to just go and do it and I always wanted to be able to do everything by myself. When it came to changing my life and getting it in the right direction, I was, like so many others, deceived by the enemy in believing I can get it done by me. What a joke! It took a while for the thought to settle and for me to see it for what it is: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

It is not something we can do, or something we can buy, or something we have to earn, it is freely given by grace. It is not forced on us, nor does it enslave us, no, it is a choice with such wonderful promises. A life lived free from the grip the enemy had on you. There are no favourites in God’s eyes and not one will have more love from God than the other, not one of us is more important than the other. We are equal in His great mercy, even though the paths He designed for us are different, He still loves each one of us equally. This is also a mind blowing thought and one so many struggle with, especially when the enemy tries to steal your freedom with lies and guilt. You cannot change history, but you can change your future. You cannot reach heaven on your own, you can only succeed with Jesus – He is the way, the truth and the life.

So live in this earthly body by trusting the Son of God, who loved you and gave His life for you. Stop trying to make it on your own, but place your trust in Him – Remember: “We live by faith and not by sight.” I can testify to this, the minute I took my daily struggles and placed them in the hands of God, everything seems to fall in place. I seem to do better at work, I am less frustrated and more focussed and I feel lighter, because this massive burden I carried is now safely in the hands of Jesus. Nothing I do and none that I am is because of me, it is all because of His great love and mercy. I am more when I am less, less of me and more of Him.

You remain in my prayers dear friend of Jesus.

Have a fabulous day!

Cheers

Today Reminder - 15 February 2012 (People pleaser)

My prayer for you for today is that you will strive to please God and not people, in Jesus Name.

Galatians 1:10

Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.

For da people. Oh boy, here we go. The person’s names and identities in this story are kept secret for their protection…

It was a normal day just like, well, the other day. James was invited for an evening with his friends. This was a monthly ritual when the buds go out for a drink. When he arrived, he was a little late so the party was well on its way. He had a drink and started having fun laughing and joking with his good old friends. All was fine except that these parties never stop. This particular evening the drinks were streaming in and peer pressure increased as with each drink they ordered there was some event that needed a toast, so it just got worse. Finally, and yes always one for the road, James left staggering to his car struggling to open it. He drove off nearly missing another car on his way out of the parking lot. James drove off quite late, but James never got home…

In the world of people pleasing and changing your personality to be accepted and to rise in a group, I have ample experience. The thing is not the mistakes you make, but how easily you slip deeper into a world where you lose your identity in Jesus. You place Him in the background, in fact you hide Him from those people so that the picture you reflect is one of evil. You become your own worst enemy and what is even worse is that you try and deceive God, by being one person at home and another when you are among “friends”. Jesus made it clear that He despises a mild Christian, you are either for Him or against Him, but never in-between. 

I sometimes wish that I can give you my eyes, so that you could see the world I saw. So that you can see the world I see today. There has been so many times where I wished I knew back then, what I know now. I am so grateful that God pulled me out of the mess I was in and into a new life with Him. Life is precious, but more precious is the decisions we make each moment, our thoughts, our words and our mistakes.

Don’t live to please this world, but live to please God. The prize you will receive is so much more than this world can ever promise or even produce. God is eagerly waiting to journey with you, He wants to be your best friend, the one you talk to when the walls want to crumble. Seek Him in every moment in every day.

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.

Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
Then I said, "Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart."

(Psalm 40:1-8)

Have a great day, friend of Jesus.

Cheers.