Get There How You Can

Get There How You Can

I remember the day I surrendered my Life to Christ, It was not a pretty sight.  As an adult I was never a churchgoer, I wasn’t interested in what was being said there but on that day I was in church, I was sitting at the back of the church and the minister was preaching and God called me through her message.  He said to me “I am calling you, I want to heal you” and I knew that I had to stand up and go to Him.  When I stood up I was strong, my legs were firmly planted and I was a man but by the time I took the first step to the altar, I was a child.  I was weak, tears and sweat covered me.  I couldn’t walk strongly, I was not in control of my strength; I was weak but I knew that I had to get there.  The enemy didn’t want me to get there.  I was a man of pride; I had a reputation to uphold.  I didn’t want anyone seeing me in that state, vulnerable, broken, crying in public, shaking but God said come to me just as you are and I will renew you, I will strengthen you (Isaiah 1:18).  Trust Me and step out onto the water and you will be able to walk on the water (Matthew 14:29).  He said I will transform you and make you do things that will amaze people and they will know that it’s Me, they will see Me and My work in you and My name will be glorified, they will know that I am God (Exodus 29:46).  He saved me from this world and heaven rejoiced. 

God is calling you to him through His son Jesus by any means and He wants you to get to Him however you can.  He will bless and transform your life no matter how you come to Him (Mark 2:4) as long as you get there.  It’s not God’s desire for you to be broken, battered or suffering.  He is glorified when you are made whole.  He wants to prosper you and He can only do that when you come to Him.  Prosperity makes Him smile.

He wants us to come to Him however we can.  Some of us will have to get there with one leg missing and the other dragging; with a shrivelled hand (Luke 6:6); blind (Mark 8 22-25); with lifelong issues (Luke 8:43); dead (John 11:38-53); poor (1 Kings 17:7-24).  He wants to heal us of whatever is holding us back.  He will accept us in whatever state we arrive in; just get to Him.  Shout and beg if you have to (Mark 1:40-45); climb a tree (Luke 19:1-10).  Jesus himself had to get to the cross however He could.  He was whipped, stoned, ridiculed but He knew He had to get there.  He had to bear the burden on His journey but He knew He had to get there no matter what it took, no matter the embarrassment, the humiliation, the pain, the shame.  It was a long journey but He knew He had to make that journey because what was waiting for Him was far greater than anything He could suffer along the way.

We will have to go through some things, we will have to suffer and be shamed but it’s only a journey to what’s waiting for us.  Jesus could have easily decided that He didn’t want to carry the cross that He didn’t want to be embarrassed, humiliated, hurt or go all the way.  What if He’d let His pride dictate His journey?  Where would we be today?  That’s what we do.  We decide not to go on because we don’t want to be embarrassed, shamed, ridiculed or walk the distance and subsequently we divert our journey to our destiny.  Yes the pain sometimes may seem unbearable but God never gives us more than we can cope with. Our troubles are not new and exclusive to us (1 Corinthians 10:13) and when we are weak He will be strong for us (Isaiah 41:10)

The journey will be long, it will be hard but you will be filled with the strength and peace that only God through His son Jesus Christ can give to you.  Call on the Lord through your struggles, through your pain and He will answer you.  Even Jesus had to call out onto the Lord in His pain and submitted it to Him (Matthew 27:50).  On your journey you will suffer, you will hurt, you will be ridiculed but Jesus already conquered it all for you.  It’s already been dealt with – you’re on your way to ultimate Joy.

Take up your cross, suffer the shame, feel the pain, drag, crawl, run, climb but Get There How You Can...He is calling you, He is waiting. You just need to get there

Who You Rolling With Adam or Christ

Who You Rolling With Adam or Christ

Bad company corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33)

As a young Christian I remember in the early days some of my friends saying things like; It doesn't matter if you do certain things. God will understand. These things were always wrong and against Gods word. They would say it’s ok to have sex outside of marriage, it's ok to continue smoking or it's only swearing God won't kill you for it. They were right God may not strike you dead but he sees and knows all, He is omnipresent (Hebrews 4:13). One small act of disobedience is a sin no matter how small it may seem and it is still wrong (1 John 3:4). Any of those little things could have major lifelong consequences. God will not kill you for sinning but you will be killing yourself (James 1: 14-15). One wrong decision can lead to physical death, a prison sentence, an unwanted child, a lost career and wasted future. Adam disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit, it was one little thing but that little thing brought man into sin and condemned Adam to spiritual death and woman to lifelong birth pain (Genesis 3:16 & 17). Wow just for eating an apple!!

Does any of this sound familiar? Well I was often tempted to follow the pack who was some of my closest friends but even at that early stage of my walk just like a small child, I knew I would have been disobedient and rebellious because God had placed His Word in me, I was aware of what sin was. So the question is would God understand? The answer is yes. What would He understand? Just like with Adam he would understand that he had given me clear instructions to protect me but I chose to be disobedient. That He had given me salvation but I walked away from it. That I’d chosen to live in bondage rather than be free.

We all have friends and people that we hang around with. Sometimes we need to look at the implications of these relationships. What compromises do we make to maintain them? What small things do we do as a result of those friendships or associations that have big long term implications?

In the beginning God created man...the male and placed him in the Garden of Eden, where he would never experience lack and gave him dominion over the earth. All he had to do was obey one commandment; do not eat from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3:3).  Eating from that tree would be committing a sin and would lead to “death”.  Eve was not aware of the consequence of eating from the forbidden fruit and so gave into temptation.  Eve was taken out of Adam after he was given the word.  She was tempted and submitted to temptation because she did not know the Word of God. The word had not become real in the life of Eve.  Adam knew the Word but still gave access to sin which brought condemnation to the world. Men have sinned and paid the price for sin ever since. Have you heard the Word of God but still give in to temptation? Do you claim to know God but by your actions deny him (Titus 1:16) Maybe you have not heard the word or satan has hidden it from you.

Sin started with the devil’s temptation and was handed down to man through Adam.  Adam allowed the serpent (the devil) to tempt him through Eve.  Adam thought he could get away with a little sin but one little sin leads to another little sin and another one until your whole life becomes corrupted with sin.  We have all tried to get away with one little sin at some time or the other but ultimately we never do get away with it because we then have to sin a little again to cover up the original little sin.  Adam knew what he did was wrong but instead of owning it and seeking forgiveness, he blamed Eve.  One little act of disobedience leads to another.

Through Adam’s act of disobedience sin became part of mans DNA but just as Adam sinned and gave us an inherent sinful nature, Jesus remained sinless and died for our forgiveness and salvation (1 Peter 3:18-22).  We were given death through Adam but God gave us life through Christ (Romans 5:12-21). Adam transgressed and rebelled and thought that there would be no consequences. There is no sin too little for consequences but there is no sin too big that God cannot forgive.  God’s Grace is sufficient to deal with the depth of our sins (2 Corinthians 12:9). He can and will forgive all our sins (2 Corinthians 2:10). The mercy of Christ can wipe out the punishment we have to pay for our sins but we have to seek Him and submit onto His will. Adam sinned and gave us a spirit of disobedience but Christ died to free us from that spirit. Through Christ we can overcome the nature of sin.

When we know and follow Gods word we avoid these situations and the implications that follow. If we turn from our sinful ways God promises to forgive us but we may still have to face some natural consequences

So who you rolling with?

The Power Of Seduction

The Power Of Seduction

 I do what I don’t want to do even when I know what I should do (Romans 7:15-16)

How many times we know what we should do but the enemy keeps us tied to what we don’t want to do? The enemy (satan) knows our past and so he uses that to keep us captive there, to block us from our future. 

Do you look at your reflection in the mirror of your soul but make no changes despite not liking what you see?   We want something, we want to get somewhere, we want to be someone but we allow the enemy to rob us.  We dock our boats in the harbour when it should be out at sea.

The Word speaks to us but the enemy steals the seed of hope.  He sells us a lie. How many times have we bought that lie?  Our future is where God is, He is calling us but we are locked in our past by the enemy through our family, friends, high schools, colleges, universities or even our jobs. We are being held captive but Jesus came to set the captive free (Luke 4:18), He came for the lost and broken hearted.  His Word nourishes, fulfils, replenishes and rebuilds us (Nehemiah 4:6-15).  Jesus said He will rebuild His Kingdom in three days; He was referring to His death and resurrection.  All that’s been stolen will be replenished (Joel 2:25).  In order to step into the future God has for us we have to die to our past, to ourselves, to the way of this world (Luke 9:23-24) and be transformed to the way of His Word by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).  Step out of your past and step into your future.

So you’ve got a cocaine habit; a pornography habit; a criminal mind an unforgiving nature but just as the enemy knows that and wants to keep you there in your worldly habit so does God know of your habits but He wants to free you of them and release you.  He wants to flourish you with the peace that surpasses all understanding.  He wants you to free your mind and the rest of you will follow. 

The enemy uses your weakness to keep you week, to tempt you but God uses your weaknesses to strengthen you (2 Corinthians 12:9).  The enemy relies on the frailties of your flesh but God sees past that and speaks to your Spirit.  He speaks to you urging you to come to Him through prayers, telling you to be anxious about nothing (Philippians 4:6).  Jesus Himself requested prayers to strengthen Him against the wills of the flesh (Luke 22:39-46) because the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.  The enemy relies on the weakness of your flesh to seduce you back into a particular pattern.  The Word uses the power of your past to seduce you out of your past into your future; a future free from captivity, free from the darkness of your past habits. 

Seduction is the key; there’s nothing wrong with seduction if it’s used in the sanctity provided through the Word of God.  The enemy uses things outside of that sanctity for destruction.  Sampson was seduced by Delilah outside of that sanctity (Judges 16:1-31) and he lost all his strength, he was held captive by his weakness but God used his situation and gave him another chance to fulfill his purpose.  God  strengthened him to bring him out of darkness back into His light. God will do it for you too.

What are your weaknesses?  What is your seductress? 

CONTRACT or COVENANT

CONTRACT or COVENANT

In the world we live in today we enter into all types of contracts, from mobile phones to contracts of employment to marriage contracts.  In business we enter into agreement with our clients in order to provide goods and services for a specific period of time with a pre-determined financial reward.  It is materialistic based.  It is based on potential provision of financial gain.  It is there because men are habitual in going back on their word and end up in court battles. It is therefore there to protect either party against the default of each other, it carries financial penalties. (e.g.: current news headline: G4S many failures in meeting contractual obligations). What is the penalty for breaking a promise to God? As Christians we serve a God that cannot lie or go back on his Word and change his mind(Numbers 23:19). His Word will never fail us or return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).   A contract is a short term means to a potentially long term financial gain.  Once it is broken or reaches its stated duration both parties are free to go off into different directions in search of another fixed term contract.

The word “contract” is not used in scripture, however there is an equivalent Hebrew word “Berith” which, in English translation means “Covenant”.  God works by Covenant not by contract.

Gods Covenant is His grace in our lives.  His Covenant is deeper than a contract; it’s more binding than an oath and stronger than a promise. His Covenant does not protect His position against you, it brings you into line with Him and into agreements as allies. His Covenant is unbreakable and limitless (Numbers 23:19).  It’s not based on your financial performance, circumstances, position nor is it conditional.  Whether you mess up or not, whether you fall short of meeting the agreement, His Covenant remains, it is everlasting (Genesis 17:7).  It’s His blueprint which strengthens you in your weakness.  It is the gracious agreement between the offended God and the offending sinner in which God promises salvation through faith in Christ. (Galatians 2:16; Romans 5:1 & 11:6)  All that is required of you is to by faith and obedience accept his Covenant (promise) and He will provide for all your needs. He will bless you through His Covenant.  (Genesis 17: 1-61 Abraham was blessed through God’s Covenant with Isaac).

A Covenant is a sovereign pronouncement establishing relationships of responsibilities.  A marriage is a Covenant between man and woman to come into line and agreement where two becomes one (Malachi 2:14-16) in order to protect and strengthen each other.  It’s a sacred promise and an oath, not a contract to determine who retains the most at the end of the term.

Are you in a contract or a Covenant?  What are your relationships based on?  Is it contractual or Covenantal?