New Territory

It begins with a flurry of well wishes

It continues amidst the ups and downs 

For some it ends as soon as it starts

For others it never began

It did not begin for many reasons

Dreams lay as a heap in their tangled hearts, 

No, not another year to hope again

Nay, I'll rather it doesn't start at all. 

For some it begins with trepidation

As they take cautious steps forward 

They dare to peek through the windows of faith to what lies ahead 

Perhaps they reason,

This year will unfold with floods of yesterdays dreams 

Many venture into it with

Courage, to live on

confidence to attempt feats untried and untested

commitment to see it through

determined to conquer fear

 as they endeavour to venture into territory unknown

Begin 2015 with faith, hope and trust in God, forgetting what is past, look ahead and give wings to your ambitions. 

You made it through that's reason enough to go into the year with zeal and audacious faith. 


Happy New Year. 

He Came To Stay

Isaiah 9:6 6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Mathew 1:2  Isaiah 7:14: therefore the virgin will conceive and bear a son and he shall be called Immanuel "God with Us",

The phrase 'it came to Pass' is used 456 times in the King James Bible. What does it mean? To me it means an expectation of some sort, a desire which was anticipated which eventually became a reality and is now in the past, but also lives with us in the present.

This phrase reminds me of the Christmas story, Isaiah prophesied about the birth of our saviour, he did not just used nice words, but he declared what the Saviour will be and do. 

In Mathew the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her what would come to pass. That she will be the mother to the Saviour of the world.  The Angels words fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy,  indeed, came to pass when Jesus was born. 

During his time on earth as a man he indeed was a wonderful counsellor, he counsel the tax collector, a man who had been dishonest in his dealings with others. Jesus sat down with him and had a straight talk about his attitude. Jesus was a counsellor to his disciples, he brought peace and hope to Mary and Mattar, when Lazarus died. He restored peace on the high seas while in the boat and out of the boat. 

He also brought peace to many heart by his very presence and the healing he performed. 

Today Jesus is with us in our hearts. He promised not to leave us and we as Christians can tell of His presence in our lives. He's indeed God with us. 

God with us, guiding, directing and helping us here on earths journey till we meet him in heavens shores.

This Christmas we celebrate God with us, now and every day. 

With us, in us, by us his presence so great

His person so real, 

In love birthed 

My Saviour my God, 

No other can rival 

Merry Christmas 

The Work Of Our Hands

The work of our hands. Psalms 90:17, 112.

Most people do something for a living, some of us like what we do, others do not. In Deuteronomy 28:12, we are told told that the Lord will bless the work of our hands, we shall be lenders only and not borrowers. God is a giver and one of his many gift to us is his blessings on everything we do. he did not make man to be idle, but wants us to use the gifts and skills he had deposited inside of us to enrich our world and ourselves. 

I read the following some where, if you have food  in the refrigerator, clothes on your back a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy. 

To be able to have a job which affords all of the above, is the Lord's doing. 

There are instances where the work of our hands will not be blessed, when we forget the Lord, to appreciate him for the work of our hands, Isaiah 17:10-11 Because You have forgotten the God of your salvation, the harvest will be a heap of ruins. Here we see the danger of thinking we can do anything in our own strength. Apart from God, the work of our hands will be a pile of rubbish, we will labour for the wind and be in serious debt. Ecclesiastic 5:16.

Statistics shows that 1.96m of people are unemployed here in the UK, around the world the figure varies, the number runs into millions in 3rd world countries. 

We often take these for granted, but if we were to lose our jobs, the very thing we do with our hands, our intelligence, our minds, the story will be different, 

So do you have a job? Something you do daily which pays the bill, put food on the table, enables you to put a little away, every now and again, from which you give to the less well off, whether it's something you like or not, it is still a privilege.  Be thankful for it is the work of Gods hands. 

Dear Lord, thank you for the work of our hands.

You have freely given to us all we we have

We receive them with joy and grateful praise.

Thank you that we are able to enjoy the fruit of our labour

We are grateful for your favour in our lives, which causes others to show us favour 

You have given freely to us and we know that you intend for us to give 

Back to others

Thank you for our daily bread, 

For the clothes on our back, roof over our heads, 

And strength for each new day

At the end of each day when we are tired from the day's job remind us to whisper from a grateful heart.

"Thank you Lord".

To Judge or not to judge?

We all judge

We judge a person on their appearance, their class or status in society, their nationally, the choices they make or the life they live behind close doors.

Judge not that you may not be judge seems to have a new meaning. We give reasons why judging others is justified. To help them, to make them see the errors of their ways. 

We even make judgement on people we know nothing about. Celebrities, public figures and random stranger.  

There are even TV shows set up to judge others, Britain's got talent, The X factor, Next top model, Strictly come dancing, to name a few. we sit in front of our screen watching people being judge by everyone.  Not just by a few judges. 

Why do we do it? Judge others? Simple, we cannot help ourselves, I think in judging others we think we are 'just', we are better or can do better if in the same shoes. Or we can help them do better. We make a judgement on people's reasoning behind any decisions and condemn them if it falls below our expectations.

Sometimes our criticisms of others may help them do better if we are bold enough to point out their flaws (like the TV shows) or our judgment may dent their confidence.

To judge or not to judge? 

We should just stick to the bible's way of doing things, Judge not that you might not be judged. 

Simply resist the urge to do it, see something wrong with someone you know? Tell them, in love. 

Those who brought the woman caught in adultery cast a judgement on her and thought JESUS would do the same. Hence their boldness in bringing her to him. 

His words? He who is without sin. 

So to qualify as a judge you must be without sin, be just, holy, clean and above reproach.

If you are not, then you don't qualify. 

Judge not, that ye might not be judge. 

Interview at ADIGW

Hello Everyone,

Since the book ‘Straight from the Heart’ came out about a month ago, there has been fantastic interest and feedback to which I can only be thankful for.  Thank you everyone!

…and the interest continues to grow. This week, I am being interviewed by a fellow blogger over at A Day In God’s will.  Www.adayingodswill.com! It’s a fantastic privilege!

Kindly walk your fingers over there to read you will be pleasantly surprised and blessed.

Win a signed copy of ‘Straight from the Heart’ 

See side bar for details.

There are two signed copies up for grabs!  The rules are as follows:

Be the first 2 people to

comment on my interview with A Day In God’s will on www.adayingodswill.com

and again comment on this blog post.

If you win, a free, author autographed copy will be yours

God bless

Broken Chains

A chains is designed to restrict movement, hence it is used on criminals. Imagine being in chains for the right reasons, unable to defend yourself and knowing that you may possibly be condemned to dead. 

This is what Paul and Silas faced while spreading the good news of the cross. Acts 16:16-40. They where put in chains and thrown in jail. 

 

Although we were not told, I imagined that they may have been frightened at some point during the night. It is a natural human response to be afraid when faced with the unknown. So it is safe to assumed Paul and Silas did feel fear.

 

However at some point during the night they began to sing, as they lifted their voice to God, their fear disappeared, they where liberated in their spirit and continued to praise God.

As they praised God, their chains where broken, they where free spiritually and physically. Wow!!! 

You too may be facing a jail like situation or be physically in jail, and feel fear because of the unknown. 

As you go about your daily business today, sing praises to God, in your heart and with your voice acknowledge him in the mist of your circumstances. 

God who inhabit the praises of his people, will come down and set you free from both physical and spiritual chains which has held you bound. 

He will set you free and cause all around you to know him because of your broken chains. 

Praise him in your spirit

Praise him with your voice

Praise with your instrument and all that's within you

Praise ye The Lord. 

Thankful Always

Does giving thanks come naturally to you? Or do you wait until something good happens in your life before thanking God. 

We are told to give thanks in everything, Really, everything? Yes everything. Not somethings, not only when things are going well, when you received a pay rise, or when we have a good summer, when you graduate, when you buy a new house, or when everything is going according to plan. No, but also 

When you do not feel like it, when you have tried and tried to get that promotion and are no closer to it. When your health fails, When the weather is dull, freezing and snowing

When friends leave and issues linger. 

Give thanks we are told, in everything and always too.

 

Why? Because giving thanks releases faith and gives hope,

It reassures us and infuses us with strength. Thanksgiving brings rest and enables us to accept his will for our lives which releases us to praise him. 

Get into the habit of saying thank you no matter what and really mean it. You may not feel like it but be honest with God and tell him I do not feel like it but thank you anyway. 

Thank you lord for all you have done

I am so blessed

My soul is at rest

O Lord, I give you thanks.

With a gladsome heart I will praise you Lord

You gave me victory over foe.

Accept my praise

This Holy day. 

No More Pain

...

Pain, these four letter word causes so much grieve daily. Pain, is an ever present partner in our lives. If not directly, indirectly.
Pain when will I be free of thee?
Thin hand, do tightly gripe
I feel your pinch deep in my bones like the piecing of a dagger
Your blades are sharper than a double edge sword
Your intensity is seen as you carry on
Pain, when will I be rid of thee, will you ever let go?

All over the world we hear or read of stories of injustices which causes emotional pain. While most of us suffer from one form of physical pain or another due to illness, or injuries, we also experience emotional pain as we either sympathise or empathise with issues which plaque our fellow human.

We share in the pain of the abduction of 280 school girls in Northern Nigeria
We also recently shared in the pain of the missing Malaysia airliner
We share in the pain of the mud slide victims in America
We empathise with the victims of the mining accident in Turkey
We as a nation shared in the pain the winter flood brought when lives and homes where destroyed.
We also shared in the pain of our fellow brothers and sisters in the passing of a loved one.
The list is endless. We are in constant pain.
O pain, we desire to be ride of thee.

Let your eyes and thought be cast, scarcely on pain, though it beseech thee and surrounds you, for We have a sure promise of an end, to live a life free from any type of pain.
There awaits the believer a promise written in blood, of a new dawn, when sorrow and pain will cease.
Are you currently experiencing pain? Personal pain, emotional pain Empathy pain, sympathy pain?
Think on this revelation 21, I am encouraged by the knowledge that our desire to be ride of pain will be realised one day. There shall be no more pain. No more pain? Where?
In this earth? No more pain, I want to leave in that world where the presence of pain is absence. O what joy.
The absence of pain means there will be no more sorrow, no more tears and no more sadness. whatever causes pain also brings sorrow, tears and sadness.
 I am expectant and encouraged by this knowledge

Some day, the master general and Lord of all the earth will take away all our pain again. He did once on the cross, but this time, he will do it finally because we will no longer be in this fallen earth as we know it.
Cheer up now. As you think on these.
No more pain. The thought of it feels me with joy..... And hope......

Dying to Live

I love Denzel Wastington in J Q, the movie. The story of a father whose son was diagnose of a terminal illness and whose life dependent on a donor being found.   When his insurance company refused to cover the cost of the operation, Denzel an everyday working father, turned a hostage taker. He held the hospital staffs to ransom and demanded the operation be carried out.  In order for the procedure to go ahead a match was needed and in the time they had no match had been found. This is the part I love, the father decided to be tested and volunteered for his liver to be removed and given to his son. He was a match and was in the process of undergoing the operation when a match was found. 

He was willing to lay down his life for his son, so that his son might have a chance at life. 

Over 2000 years ago, a father actually gave up His son so that humanity can be found. Unlike Denzel, this father gave up his son to die. 

He went through with it, there was no 11th hour rescue mission to stop His son from dying, because His Son had to die so that Humanity can be saved. 

Here's why he did it, simply to free us from the bondage of sin. 

imagine if he didn't go through with it, just imagine for a second. Where would we be? 

Lost, still paying the penalty for every single unkind word said, 

Every glance of wrath and disdain, met with instant punishment

Every unpleasant thought towards another dished out to us,

Every act of evil and wickedness met with instant judgement, 

Just imagine, will you still be standing? 

His death bought our pardon, gave us a right to stand faultless before His father clothed in grace. 

Here's a song I love

But for grace where would I be, 

Helpless and hopeless

Lost without his mercy

But for love, we'll be lost in misery, 

But for your grace O Lord. 

So in dying we lived, no longer yoked under a clock if salvary, Calvary was the passage through which grace traveled in human form to reach us. 

In Dying,  he saved me, took my place.

In living, He gave me life, unmerited but deserved because of His grace. 

Happy Easter.