Today Reminder - 31 May 2012 (Awesome)

My prayer for you for today is that you will realise that our God is greater than what our worldly imaginations can ever imagine and that you will see His hand working in your life, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 12:19-21

For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God's command: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death." Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, "I am terrified and trembling."

Awesome - Moses himself was so frightened at the sight. This morning it is once again my privilege to remind you how great our God is. He is the maker of the universe, all creation came into being by the power of His word. How small are we compared to the creator and how small are we compared to His majesty. When God spoke to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, they begged Him to stop only at the fright of the sound of His voice. They did not even see Him yet, they only heard His voice and they were frightened and terrified. It is this amazing loving Father that seeks your time and your worship and He loves you unconditionally and believes in you with every step that you take. This awesome God who humbled Himself and became a man to rescue us from eternal death, He stands beside you waiting and listening and walking with you all the way. 

Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also." This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire (Verse 25 – 29).

When God speaks the earth shakes, when God moves in you the world will shake. My dear friend, our God is more than we can estimate, guess, dream, think, imagine or even calculate. He is, was and will always be. 

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.  Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known.  They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.  Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 119)

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 30 May 2012 (Conquer)

My prayer for you for today is that you will take a new grip on life and conquer the place you are in, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 12:12-13

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

Conquer - So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. There are those mornings when the alarm can go of for a hundred times, you just want to stay in bed. It would’ve been nice if you could just stay in bed and not get up, but that would be the easy way out. Here in South Africa we are in the midst of winter and getting up in the mornings can be quite a challenge. From a warm bed to the cold morning air, now that takes motivation. In our lives we find ourselves so many times in a place where we just don’t want to get up, we just want to give up and let it be. Have you ever had a feeling where you feel something is missing in your life? I believe it is in those periods in our lives when God is preparing us for a new season. It is more important in this time of our life that we take a new grip on things and strengthen our legs, because it might just be a rollercoaster ride.

My dear friend, it is when we stand up out of the darkness that our light will be so much brighter. It is in standing up and taking on the next challenge that those who are weak will be motivated to rise with us and go beyond borders. It is in our boldness that we will become a beacon of light – of motivation. It is you that will bring other closer to Jesus by the way you face each day. I pray that you will take an iron grip on life, that your weary legs and tired hands will be renewed with unlimited strength and that you will reap the rewards with an undying spirit.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 29 May 2012 (Endure)

My prayer for you for today is that you will keep your eyes on Jesus as you endure the race of life, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honour beside God's throne.

Endure - And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Every athlete trains with passion and motivation to become a champion in their events. Their bodies are conditioned and toned to deliver excellence and even their attire is streamlined to make them more agile with less and less resistance. When we run the race of life it is so important that we do the same as an athlete. We must train with passion and motivation in our spirits and read the word and spend time in prayer. We must make sure that we do not carry extra weight, especially sin that can so easily trip us. Every athlete has a role model, someone that they look up to and who inspires them. In our race we should keep our eyes on Jesus, our champion. He must be our focus point, our inspiration. He went through temptation, humiliation, pain and finally death to rise from it and defeat it for us, so that we can follow in His footsteps and finally be like Him, to be a champion like Jesus.

My dear friend lets warm up and put on our running shoes. Let’s look at our champion and follow His example and run with endurance. Don’t be discouraged if you do not succeed at first, but instead stand up again and try again. Just like Jesus carried His cross and when He fell, He stood up again, you should get up again when you fall or fail. Finally when He could no longer carry the cross alone, Simon helped Him. In the same way Jesus was helped, He stands beside you every step of the way ready to lift you up when you fall. Keep your eyes on Him and ask Him to help you. I pray that you will rise above all that holds you back so that you will become a champion of life, a hero to those you meet and to those that work with you, live with you and knows you.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 28 May 2012 (Mountains)

My prayer for you for today is that you will move mountains, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 11:33-34

By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.

Mountains - Their weakness was turned to strength.  Our theme in church this month is “Heroes” and listening to the life of David again yesterday was so awesome. It reminded me of the type of person God wants us to be. You see a whole army stood listening to Goliath mocking them and making fun of them and none of them wanted to face him. But here comes a boy and what he saw was completely different from what the whole Israelite army saw. He saw a man challenging God’s army, he saw a man but he knew how great his God is. He saw a problem and he knew God is greater than any problem. David stepped into the battle field against impossible odds in the eyes of man, but his trust and faith was in God. God defeated the great warrior Goliath through the hands of a boy. 

My dear friend God needs more heroes like David. Men and woman that does not look at the size of the problem, but instead they know how great God is and that He is greater than any problem we can ever face. God will take your weakness and turn it into strength, he will move your mountains and he will lift you out of your darkest place. Put your trust and all your problems in God’s hands and humbly trust Him with all your heart knowing that He is greater than anything this world can ever put in your way. You will shut the mouths of lions, you will quench the flames of a fire and you will be strong in battle putting the enemy to flight. The Sovereign LORD is my strength!  He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (Habakkuk 13:19)

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Our deepest fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
― Marianne Williamson, Return to Love

Today Reminder - 25 May 2012 (Confidence)

My prayer for you for today is that your faith will be renewed and that you will fear nothing, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

Confidence - Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. There was once a Carpenter who could build the most beautiful furniture. He travelled from town to town sharing His love with people until one day He was arrested for something He did not do. He was brutally punished and finally ordered to be executed by the authorities of that time. Yet three days later this Carpenter returned from the dead and appeared to His friends. He came back to show them His greatest work. You see today this Carpenter sits at the right hand of God as He continues to build the most beautiful furniture. You and I are the result of His great work and every day we are under constant construction becoming more and more like Him. You see we are not the final design, but rather a perfect design in the making. It is by faith that we continue each day to reach our goal, to reach our Carpenter.  It is in this faith that we believe the now is only temporary and that there awaits a greater future for us with Jesus. It is by this faith that we know everything we are and everything around us was designed and made by God. It is by this faith that we stand up each day and continue our struggles knowing it will all end soon. It is by this faith that we change and people around us change. It is by this faith that I write to you every day and it is by this faith that the world will change. 

My dear friend, we live by faith and not by sight. Our faith is in this amazing living God who send His only son, a star breather, to become a Carpenter and die our sin bearer, to show us His great love and to carry us through our struggles as free people so that we can enter His Kingdom and live eternity with Him. So do not lose faith but instead I pray that your faith will be stronger and that you will not be moved from it, but that you will firmly hold on to it and let it resound through your life. 

Have an awesome day dear friend of the Carpenter.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 24 May 2012 (Hold tightly)

My prayer for you for today is that you will be motivated and encouraged by the Lord so that you can continue and not give up, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 10:23-24

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.

Hold tightly - Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. It has become more important now than ever before that we stand together and motivate each other. You cannot win this battle on your own, you need motivation and courage and most of all you need people to encourage you. So let’s not miss the opportunity to motivate and encourage the people around us and let us show acts of love do good works.  You see it is when we feel alone that we sometimes withdraw from people and it is in our withdrawal that we become vulnerable. In our vulnerability we can easily fall and slip into darkness, but when we are rescued by people motivating us to carry on we will not fall but we will remain standing. 

My dear friend, Jesus came to this world and endured the worst kind of humiliation and suffering to free us from the grip of sin and set us on a course to redemption. We are free to enter into God’s presence and seek His guidance and wisdom. Let us take this gift and encourage other, motivating them to stay on course and to not give up. Let us seek with God’s guidance the fallen ones so that we can bring them back to salvation and recovery. But above all my dear friend, my prayers are with you today as I ask God to give you strength and wisdom and help you through the season in your life that lies ahead. 

Be encouraged and be strong for you are not alone.

Have an awesome day

Cheers

Today Reminder - 23 May 2012 (Hope)

My prayer for you for today is that you will know God’s promise brings hope and this hope is an anchor for your soul, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 6:18-20

So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Hope - Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. Every day of your life Jesus stands before the Father brining you before Him, and pleading your case. He is the hope that we need and the anchor that holds us. He leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary where we are free to talk to God and seek His presence in our lives. How amazing is this gift that we received that allows us to enter into God’s sanctuary and freely talk with Him. How fortunate are we to be able to bring all our problems and worries to Him and He will guide us and help us giving us hope in what lies ahead. 

This hope that God gives will give us more confidence in everything that we do, because we know God will always keep His promise. He will never let us stand alone and He will never ignore our cries. Therefore just like a ship’s anchor keeps it in place against the multitude of waves that crashes into it, we must hold on to the anchor that is Jesus as the waves of this life crashes into us. 

My dear friend, the hope that lies in Jesus is far greater than the hope that the world has to offer. In Jesus we will face many difficult and tough situations but we will never be alone nor will we be tempted above our abilities. Hold on to Him and do not give up and keep yourself firmly anchored on Him and I pray that His hope and strength will encourage you every minute of your life.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 22 May 2012 (Better things)

My prayer for you for today is that you will trust God and be patient, because He has better things planned for you, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 6:9-12

Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don't believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance.

Better things - We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. God will never forget you or leave you on your own. Every step we give He is with us no matter what we face. God has only good things planned for us and if today is getting you down and you feel the pressures of life pulling you further into the dark, He will set you free and He will pull you out of the dark and back into the light. God has only good things planned for you so do not let this world and all its pain influence you but instead stand strong and be bold. Love those around you as God loves you, and rise up above your problems to glorify God and show Him through your heart.

Stand firm on your faith and endure everything this world can throw at you, because in our faith and endurance lies our inheritance. So do not focus on the now, but keep your eyes on God and eternity with Him. Therefore we have no reason to fear nor do we need to be concerned with the plans of the enemy, because in our salvation lies an inheritance far greater than anything we can ever imagine. 

My dear friend, I pray that you will be patient as God brings into place all the good things He has planned for you and that you will grow in your faith and strength in God as each day unfolds and reveals God’s plan.

I can’t help but to think of this today:

The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to His name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23)

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 21 May 2012 (Exposed)

My prayer for you for today is that you will find strength and guidance in God’s word, in Jesus name.

Hebrews 4:12-13

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable.

Exposed - Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes. The word of God in this phrase I assume has created many speculations and we can continue to debate it between ourselves, but what the Holy Spirit places in my heart this morning is just this. The word of God is God exposing our innermost thoughts and desires, cutting between soul and spirit, setting us free from that which holds us back. Now what does your inner most thoughts and desires look like? Are you still influenced by this world and what other might think of you? Nothing in all creation is hidden from God, making it quite clear that God knows everything and whatever it is that you are ashamed of or that is keeping you from committing your life to Him, God already knows about it. They say that the truth will set you free. In this case you are already exposed and you are going to be accountable for the life you lived before the almighty God. To hear this might concern you and it might place fear in your heart and it can even make you want to give up, because of the life you live or lived, thinking there is no forgiveness for you. This is where the truth will set you free:

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. (John 1)

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

My dear friend, Jesus already defeated all your sins, all you need to do is to come to the throne of God and ask and you will be set free. Do not be ashamed anymore, but stand up and let the truth shine through your life.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers