Never give up

It is just amazing how God will find a way to remind you of His great love. As I started this day, I felt near to the end of my strength. Looking at the work that lied ahead and the worries I face I stood for a moment at the end of a cliff and felt alone. Then a friend emailed me this, and again I was in awe of a great and awesome God, I am sure you will enjoy it too. 

We worship a BIG God!

One day I decided to quit....
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. ..
I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

'God', I asked, 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit?'
His answer surprised me...
'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the fern and the bamboo?'
'Yes', I replied.
'When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds,
I took very good care of them.
I gave them light.
I gave them water.
The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.
But I did not quit on the bamboo', He said.

'In year three, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit.

In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.
I would not quit.' He said.

'Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. ..

But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots.
Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
'I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.'

He asked me.
'Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots'.

'I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you.'
'Don't compare yourself to others.'

He said.
'The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful.'
'Your time will come',

God said to me.
'You will rise high'
'How high should I rise?'  I asked.
'How high will the bamboo rise?' He asked in return.
'As high as it can?' I questioned.
'Yes.'
He said,
'Give me glory by rising as high as you can.'

I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.

Never, Never, Never Give up.

For Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,
tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Heavens door opened this morning,
God asked me...
My CHILD... what can I do for you?'
and I said
'Protect and bless the one reading this message.
God smiled and answered ...
'REQUEST GRANTED'

Today Reminder - 11 January 2012

My prayer for you for today is that you will be filled with joy and peace as you trust in the Lord and to be an acceptable offering to God made holy by the Holy Spirit. In Jesus Name.

Romans 15:13 and 16

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 16:19-20

But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

You are holy because I am holy. I am looking after our baby boy as I write to you today and I am just amazed how the smallest of smile or even just a little chat from my side brings complete joy to that little face as it lights up with these beautiful little smiles followed by baby talk. Looking at him lying here next to me I am again fascinated by the wonderful peace that you see in his little face and I can feel the Holy Spirit just bursting inside me telling me that this is the kind of peace God has in mind for us. It is that complete and trusting faith this little baby has in us that I know we must have in God. He can’t feed himself and he can’t walk from one place to the next, he is fully dependent on us as his parents for this. We are God’s messengers in this world and we must have complete faith in God and trust Him in each circumstance. We are holy, because Jesus is holy and inside us is the Holy Spirit. Let’s remain obedient to the Lord as we stay the course and bring the good news to those around us. God will soon crush Satan under your feet as we follow Him faithfully every day. I pray that you will overflow with confident hope as the Holy Spirit fills you with His power so that you can face this day knowing a wonderful God is with you and you have nothing to fear. In Him we find our peace and joy.

God is the God of wonders. Today will be a wonderful day.

Have a great day friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Spirit Wind (Winds of change)

Sprit wind by Casting Crowns

Ezekiel stared down into the valley
Filled with dry bones baking in the sun
Remains that used to be a mighty army
To him, it looked like their fighting days were done

But driven by a calling on his life
He spoke God’s words, the bones began to shake
He stared wide-eyed as the flesh began to form
And as he prophesied to the wind
The soldiers began to wake

And the Lord sent His wind into the valley
And breathed the breath of life into their souls
And raised them again a mighty army
For soon these arisen warriors will battle again
For they have been filled with the Spirit Wind
Woah...

A pastor stands before his congregation
Once a mighty army for the Lord
But now he stares into the lifeless eyes
Believers leading carnal lives
He wonders what they’re fighting for
But driven by a calling on his life
He spoke God’s word like he’d done a hundred times before
But this time he comes broken and weeping
With tears of a broken heart
And he cries out to the Lord

Oh Lord, send Your wind into this valley
And breathe the breath of life into their souls
And raise them again a mighty army
For soon these arisen warriors will battle again
For they have been filled with the Spirit Wind
Woah...

Holy Spirit, breathe on me
Breathe Your life in me

Oh Lord, send Your wind into this valley
And breathe the breath of life into our souls
And raise us again a mighty army
For soon these arisen warriors will battle again
For we have been filled with the Spirit Wind
Woah...

Oh Lord, we need You now
Breathe Your life into us
Lord, we need You now
Our churches and our families
Oh Lord, we need You now
Breathe life into this dry and weary land
Raise us up again

Today Reminder - 10 January 2012

My prayer for you for today is that we will live in complete harmony with each other for glory of God. In Jesus Name.

Romans 15:5-7

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

Unity is strength. Acceptance can be a hard part of our lives. I think it is boils down to where and with whom we seek acceptance. When it comes to accept or being accepted, it seems as if society made up a list of requirements for people to fit into certain groups. If you look funny, talk funny, dress funny or smell funny you are not in my group. If you are Christian that’s cool, but if you are a radical Christian then you are not cool, in fact you are weird. Why is there even a difference between a Christian and a radical Christian? The funniest thing is, we read the same Bible but we interpret it differently. There are those that only read what they want to hear and completely blocks out the Holy Spirit. I believe if we ignore the Holy Spirit it is a sin. To accept somebody as Christ accepted us, is to accept them regardless of who they are, what they are, where they are from, what they look like and even what they smell like. Jesus took us in just the way we are, so let’s accept others just the way they are. Let God give us peace and encouragement to live together in harmony so that we will rise as one voice giving praise to God. Accept and be accepted. My prayers are with you friend of Jesus so that you will know Jesus accepted you no matter who you are or what you did.

I woke up listening to the wind rushing by our little house, and in me the Holy Spirit just confirms that there will be winds of change as God will be glorified in all the earth. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Lord.

Today is going to be a beautiful day again!

Have an awesome day!

Cheers.

Today Reminder - 09 January 2012

My prayer for you for today is that you will live a life of goodness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus.

Romans 13:14

Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Romans 14:17-19

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

Clothes do not make the man. It is funny how a small change in our clothes can have a huge effect on our self-confidence. If there is a tiny spot of dirt on your pants or shirt, it seems to highlight itself in every situation you find yourself in and you continuously wonder what people will think. Or maybe your socks does not match or your pants are too tight, whatever the problem it can change your day. When you clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord and you ask the Holy Spirit to dwell in you, you are different, and yes you are going to wonder what people think. When we clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord it resembles the closeness of your relationship with Him. I think it is how we stand in that relationship, how we see Jesus in our lives. He must be so close to you as your clothing is, and a small change in that should affect you completely. The closer we will get to the Lord the more comfortable we will become with ourselves and the less we will worry about what others think. You see it is not what we do or what we did, but it is what God does through us. In the end I do not want people to see me for what I did, but I want them to say that God is awesome when they see me. God must be my clothing, my whole self must reflect Him to the world. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in this process of being clothed by the Lord and let us try and live a life of goodness and joy, so that we can live in harmony with each other and build each other up. My prayers are with you friend of Jesus, may you find that Jesus is closer to you with every moment. 

God blessed us with rain during the night, I always seem to sleep so much better with the soft sound of rain on the roof. It is going to be a beautiful day.

Have a great day!

Cheers.

Today Reminder - 06 January 2012

My prayer for you for today is that you will put on the shining armour of right living as we move closer to our salvation. In the Name of Jesus.

Romans 13:11-12

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armour of right living.

Time is of the essence. I love NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigation Services), it is always a rush to find the killer and to save the innocent. In each episode they are always fighting against time as the team rushes to investigate people, looking for clues and interrogating people until it all eventually fits together like puzzle. My favourite character is Special Agent Gibbs that leads the NCIS team in their investigations. I think it is his qualities as a character that amazes me most, he cannot be corrupted, and he is steady as a rock and always focussed on the job no matter what happens or happened in his personal life. He made mistakes in his past that brings a more human side out to an almost super hero and the best part obviously is, he always gets his guy. Waking up this morning listening to the thunder outside and waiting for the rain to start, I can’t help to think that the puzzles are falling into place as we are watching a dying world. Are you ready for the end? Time is running out slowly but surely, and we don’t have much left. If you knew tomorrow is the end of time, the end of the world and the coming of the king, would you leave your loved ones to continue living a life without God, would you stand around and keep quiet? Why do we do it then, when we know it is all coming to an end?

Life is but a mere moment. All the evidence is on the table and it all points to the return of the Lord. If there is anything that holds you back from your past, shed it now and remove this from your life. Put on the armour of right living and live today as if there is no tomorrow. Honour God for each moment and thank Him for another chance to share His gift with those around us. Do not wait and do not be scared for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13). Let’s continue to be the difference makers and city changers as we fight to save God’s people. My prayers are with you friend of Jesus.

Today is going to be a beautiful day.

Have a great day!

Cheers

Today Reminder - 05 January 2012

My prayer for you for today is that you will love with an open heart seeking to do no wrong to other. In Jesus Name.

Romans 13:8-10

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law. For the commandments say, "You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet." These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God's law.

Paul writes a lot about love and that for a very good reason, love sums up all the commandments, does no wrong to others therefor fulfilling all God’s requirements. So today I want to leave you with this:

Love is…

Love is simple and easy

Love is powerful and strong

Love is kind and caring

Love is patient and quick

Love is quiet and loud

Love is pure and messy

Love is silent and outspoken

Love is always, now and forever

Love is free and captivating

Love is more or less

Love is given and received

Love is you and me

Love is God and God is love

Love more, live more and feel more. Give from your heart in such a way that it burns from the inside, then you will know it is real. Make every moment count and savour that moment, because it is in the little that we see a lot of God. 

My prayers are with you friend of Jesus. It is going to be a lovely day.

Have a nice day.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 04 January 2012

My prayer for you for today is that you will find peace in your anger and that no evil will conquer you, but that you will be victorious over all evil. In the Name of Jesus.

Romans 12:17-21

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
"I will take revenge;
  I will pay them back,"
  says the LORD.
Instead,
"If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
  If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
  burning coals of shame on their heads."

Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. I have always found that my judgement is very pour. I have been wrong about people so often, you see the outside can never reveal the inside of any person. Yet we judge by looking at the outside and that is merely only 10% of the real person. We get angry at people for things they do wrong, and we are quick to judge and even quicker to take revenge. I find myself this morning reflecting back over the previous year and I can’t help to get this overwhelming grateful feeling. God is so good to us in everything we do and He gives so much more than we deserve out of love. If we get so much who are we to keep anything from anyone. The devil are just waiting for you to lose your patience and get angry, because it is in anger that we are a much easier target. It is in anger that evil will conquer us. The challenge that lies in front of us is to conquer evil by doing good, and to live in peace with everyone. Let’s take this day and focus on overcoming evil, because if we can succeed in one day, we can succeed every day. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide today and let Him help you to be the master of your anger. My prayers are with you in everything that you may face in this day.

Another day given as a gift, let’s share the joy.

Have an awesome day, friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 03 january 2012

My prayer for you for today is that you will be steadfast in your faith and that you will keep on praying even in times of trouble. In Jesus Name.

Romans 12:12-16

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!

A shoulder to cry on. Sitting in a coffee shop and watching people go by can be fascinating at times. Watching them rushing by, consumed by their lives, and heading off to their various destinations. Some are in a hurry, some are more relaxed and some almost seem lost. Then there are all the different dresses and hairstyles and facial expressions, some are happy and some are angry, some are on the phone and some are still in the sixties. Each one of us is living a life that God already planned out for us. We travel through this life facing each day with all the joy and heartache that it brings but do we stop and just watch the other travellers. Do we help those in need, and are we hospitable. Do we get angry easy and do we weep with those that are sad. Do we live in harmony?

When you travel through this day try and invite people into your life, be hospitable, pray for other even the bad ones, weep with the sad ones and laugh with the happy ones. Be patient when things are not bright and be patient when it rains in your life. Don’t be too proud but be humble so that Jesus will be visible to even the least of all of God’s creation. 

Live one moment at a time and that moment for God.  Don't think of a holy life for that will drown you by its immensity, but remember that a holy life is a series of holy moments.

Another beautiful day added to our lives.

Have an awesome day, friend of Jesus. You remain in my prayers.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 02 January 2012

My prayer for you for today is that the Lord will help you to really love with genuine affection. In Jesus Name.

Romans 12:9-11

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Falling in love. I remember (vaguely – ha ha) when I was in school how it was when you were in love. The world seems to turn slower, the air was clearer, you had a permanent smile on your face and your heart leaped every time you saw the other person, and they could do nothing wrong, all was just perfect. You are almost floating as if you are in a cartoon. Love can be so powerful. Paul reminds us of what Jesus said the important commandments are, and that is to love each other, but I love how he repeats it in the next statement: “Really love them.” Paul comes back and doubles his love statement with really love each other. He wants us to get the concept that love overcomes all, love is the measurement we must use to measure others. Jesus said that you must love other as you love yourself. Love to me is the way I love my family, my wife and my two sons. When you really love someone you get a burning feeling every time you take a moment and just be with them. It is in watching them work or watching them play, seeing achievement and victory in their eyes or just watching them laugh. It is not just watching but really looking, seeing their inner beauty. It is true affection that makes your heart bounce. Then Paul repeats it again in: “ Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other.” he makes it clear how important this way of life is. Love can set you free, it can break the boundaries and overcome fear. Love can change any person and any circumstance, love can overcome the world. 

Jesus is the prime example, He died for all, even those on our bad list. Let’s try and serve God enthusiastically by beginning to love more. Hate what is wrong and hold tight to what is good. My prayers are with you.

Blue skies, and warm days in South Africa, it is going to be a beautiful day. All the best for 2012, my prayer is that we will grow in our relationship with God as we continue to serve Him.

Have a great day, friend of Jesus.

Cheers