Reflections of faith (Seek) – 3 January 2019

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Jesus said seek and you shall find. I think to an unbeliever this is a difficult thing, but to me, and I supposed all Christians, this is simple. You see I wake in the morning and my Lord is in me. He is in the air that I breathe. He is in the light that breaks the darkness with the morning sun. He is in the wind and in the air. He is in the birds and the trees. He is all around and in all that I see. He is the creator of heaven and earth and His signature is visible in everything. Mostly in us, because we are made in His image.

When God says here seek and you will find me, He adds that you must do so with all your heart. That is why so many unbelievers don’t see what we see, because they seek with no heart at all. When sin and the worldly nature takes priority in your life your heart is empty, and you cannot find God. but the moment you change that, and you seek with a true and open heart you will see.  

Even when Jesus was here many saw but many was so corrupted by self-love and selfish desires that they did not see. Arrogance is huge stumbling block in this world and the moment man puts God aside and himself first, he will surely not see. If you look at the world, we live in that is all you see. God is casually ignored, and man is placed in His place. When we switch on the TV, we see man’s arrogance and when we open a magazine, we see man’s arrogance. 

Everywhere around us the world will make sin look acceptable and it becomes the norm. To lie and steal and sleep around is ok versus it is a sin and you will end up in hell for it. The heroes on TV does it so why can’t we. This is the problem. People do not seek God anymore, they seek their own desires and needs, and they will find any reason to make it acceptable. People will rather take the easy way out than to continue on the narrow and difficult path. That is why there is so many divorces and so much crime in this world. Man does not fear God at all, in fact man does not believe in God.

Jesus said that we must go into this world and share the gospel with everyone. He said that He is sending us like sheep amongst wolves and that we must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Nineteenth-century pastor Charles Simeon provides a wonderful comment on the serpent and dove imagery: “Now the wisdom of the one and the harmlessness of the other are very desirable to be combined in the Christian character; because it is by such a union only that the Christian will be enabled to cope successfully with his more powerful enemies” 

When Jesus told the Twelve to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves, He laid down a general principle about the technique of kingdom work. As we take the gospel to a hostile world, we must be wise (avoiding the snares set for us), and we must be innocent (serving the Lord blamelessly). Jesus was not suggesting that we stoop to deception but that we should model some of the serpent’s famous shrewdness in a positive way. Wisdom does not equal dishonesty, and innocence does not equal gullibility.

In Matthew 10:16, Jesus taught us how to optimize our gospel-spreading opportunities. Successful Christian living requires that we strike the optimal balance between the dove and the serpent. We should strive to be gentle without being pushovers, and we must be sacrificial without being taken advantage of. We are aware of the unscrupulous tactics used by the enemy, but we take the high road. Peter admonishes us, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus. 

Cheers

Reflections of faith (A new you) – 3 January 2019

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I have been working from home the past few days and I must admit I am beginning to enjoy it.  I am much more relaxed, and I have a remarkable peace that is over me. My classes are in full motion and we will soon step into the competition arena as the year moves into February. I actually had time to watch a little TV and that was just great. I love to think that every year move into a new time of possibilities and opportunities. We can better ourselves and improve on the year behind us. We can try new things and we can explore more. Every year opens a window to be more and to be better. That is why so many people make resolutions for the year ahead. The problem is that those resolutions sometimes does not make February. 

So, when we accept Jesus as our saviour and Lord we change. The old us change into a new you and the old dies as new things start. Now just as we need to constantly work on those resolutions otherwise, they are just mere words and never change anything, we also need to work on our relationship with the Lord. 

I have said it before and I will say it again. It is not easy to be a Christian. It is not easy that we follow Jesus, because this world hated Him first and it will hate us equally. So, the ruler of this world will try anything to perish those who follow Jesus Christ. Therefore, every day is a battle field. Now, I said that we need to work on those resolutions otherwise they will get lost in the rush and chaos of this world. But to be a follower of Jesus is to be like a health fanatic. I will train every day and I will never miss my workouts. In the same way I pray every day and I never miss my prayer session with my Lord.

If I do not go on my knees and talk to my God, just as if I would miss a workout, I would be a mess. God pulls me together and renews me and He restores me, because when I pray, I hand Him all my challenges. Just as I will give everything in my workout to work out the frustrations this world brings so that I can feel better. The Lord fills me with His peace and His strength so that I can face the enemy and be prepared for his mischief.

So, to be that new you every day, you need to work at it every day in prayer in by reading God’s word. I find so much wisdom and strength in His word and I must admit, without God I am nothing.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus. 

Cheers

Reflections of faith (Small steps) – 2 January 2019

God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. (2 Samuel 22:33)

It is January 2019 and we are in the starting blocks of what is going to be an amazing year filled with grace and love. I like to say that we should take small steps at the start, but I think this year we should start with leaps. A lot of people will start this year with a whole bunch of new years resolutions and in most cases, it would be something like going to the gym, losing weight, get healthy or more success.

After 2018 I can do with a better year. I would love to have a year where everything just works out and all my dreams and plans fall into place, but I know that the enemy is not going to allow that, and he will try everything to break my pace and keep me from my victories. 

So, my word for 2019 is that God is my power and my strength, and He will make my way through this year perfect. He will guide my feet and show me the path. He will protect me from evil and He will deliver me from my enemies. He will lift me up when I am down, and He will reassure me when I am worried. He will fill me with strength when I am at my lowest and He will give me power when I am weak. 

He will be my fortress and my place of safety and He will be my shield against the arrows of the enemy. I will not fear nor, will I lose hope, because my God is with me and He will make my way perfect.

My resolution for this year is to spend more time with my God and take more time to read and study His word. I will take every moment that I am given with my kids and cherish it and live it to the fullest. I will fight the enemy with wisdom from the word of my God and I will be victorious in all my challenges. 

I look forward to this year, because this year will be a year filled with love, grace and blessings. I will build upon the foundation that the Lord showed in the end of 2018 and I will grow in my faith and in my love for my God. It is the year where you will see more miracles and more of God’s work. In 2018 I saw God do things in my life that was beyond my comprehension and I believe that He will show me greater things in the year to come. 

My life and my soul belong to God and I live for His glory. I know that He has great plans for us in this new year. Come with me as we journey into this year filled with excitement of what is to come, because with God all things are possible. So, let us stop living limited lives when we can live unlimited lives in Him. 

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus. 

Cheers