Do you see this conflict play out?
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10 NKJV
Jesus declares he’s come that we may have life and life more abundantly. He also warns us that the thief has come to steal, kill and destroy. There is a battle! Jesus is giving you life, and the thief is stealing, killing and destroying. Do you see this conflict play out?
To "kill" means to cause a death of, put an end to or cause the failure or defeat of something.
Have you ever invested time, money, energy, heart and life into something that has suddenly come to an end, failed or been taken away? It was important and of value to you. It could be a person, relationship, career/ job, business, church, a physical or mental ability, home, car, dream or goal.
Do you see this conflict play out?
To "steal" means to take without permission.
For example confidence, self image self worth.
The discourager: You finally get the courage to write a song. You are happy with it and someone comes along, reads it without permission and gives an uninvited opinion: "maybe you should try something else because writing doesn't seem like your calling." End result: You screw it up, throw it in the bin and say to yourself, "I guess I'm not called to write music like Pastor prayed last week."
Do you see this conflict play out?
To "Destroy" means the end of existence of something by damaging or attacking it.
How many friends or family members have you had that you were once inseparable from, but now you’re lucky if you speak to them once a year? Yes; you have your reasons and justifications, but upon reflection you realise that they’re futile. How is everyone affected?
Do you see this conflict play out?
Lately, I’ve personally experienced several conflicts. It started with my health; causing me to no longer function as I used to. As a consequence I can no longer drive, my career is in question and my finances have taken a drastic plummet. So with the increase of these conflicts; plus the usual relational and emotional conflicts, I personally felt overwhelmed.
We are warned of these conflicts in John 10:10, but when you’re experiencing them head on, it can cause internal chaos. Do you ever feel like you are constantly opposed, and regardless of what you do you don't seem to get a break? This is where I’ve found myself over the last year.
Through a personal study of John 10:10 I discovered:
Life is defined as the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity and continual change preceding death.
Abundance is great quantity.
These definitions caused me to question God: "Where is this development, progress, and continual change?" "Why am I not actively functioning?" "Why do I only see conflict, conflict, conflict; when you promised large quantities of life?"
Over the past year God has walked me through a process where He has answered my questions. I want to share His answers with you.
We are making choices to change every day, whether we are going in a positive or negative direction depends upon what decisions we make. The choices we make are demonstrated in our responses. Our responses are a reproduction of what we think.
Proverbs 23:7a (NASB) “For as he thinks within himself, so he is."
It starts with what we think, and then we do it. Our thought patterns are the motherboard to our actions. We produce what we think. Our motherboards need to be addressed.
Let’s break this down using the example of the discourager. You make the decision that the song you wrote is good and you’re confident it’s a good first piece. Then someone; without permission, proposes a different thought. Why allow their opinion to steal your confidence and choose to turn from something you have been told God wants you to do?
In 2Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul teaches us to challenge and throw away arguments. Please don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting we don’t listen to constructive feedback but what I’m suggesting is that we wake up by acknowledging what we are thinking. Stop, reflect and question what we are thinking before we respond with an action.
Rather than agreeing with the negative opinion, stop and question the suggestion. Ask yourself do I agree? Then make a decision to reject or agree. If you disagree, declare what you originally decided. It may be difficult at first but if you stand firm in your decision and agreeing with it, I guarantee you whilst it may not be your best song, it will encourage you to keep writing and produce songs like God has said.
This point highlights the second lesson I’ve learnt - the power of agreement. We have been given the choice to choose what we agree with. Therefore, use it wisely because unless you renounce what you agree with, you have given permission for that thought to rule and dominate your life.
The third lesson: in order to be an overcomer of daily conflict we must choose to mature. We cannot respond to conflicts like immature children and expect to overcome. We must address our attitude, perspective, behaviour and character. The days of whining are over. It's time to stand, think, be honest with ourselves and respond in the way Christ teaches us. We must walk in partnership with Christ. It'sonly by doing things Christ’s way will we ever truly be victorious.
Jesus has come to give us LIFE but it does not work like a magic wand. Jesus does not declare abracadabra. Jesus didn’t say we are in a fairy tale and life will be easy. Jesus highlights we are in a battle. The Life Jesus has given us does not make the conflicts disappear. The Life Jesus is giving us is provision in the midst of the conflict. The life Jesus is giving is the wisdom of how to respond. The life Jesus is giving us is the strength to endure. The life Jesus is giving us is healing beyond the negative health report. The life Jesus is giving is peace so we can see things from a different perspective. Jesus declares that we may have life in abundance, so it’s not promised that we will have a little victory, peace, joy, or a bit of relief. No, He declares that we have it in abundance.
We must: rise, grow up, challenge, think, and allow the power of Christ to dictate our responses to the conflicts to our daily lives. Life is ours; believe it, receive and accept it!
BY CHARLENE KERR-SPENCER
References
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/killhttps://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/destroy
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/stealhttp://www.dictionary.com/browse/abundant
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/life
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/growth
https://pixabay.com/en/insecurity-fear-isolated-worried-440229/https://pixabay.com/en/outlook-contemplate-think-discover-2208932/
https://pixabay.com/en/person-mountain-top-achieve-1245959/
The Silent Conversation
For one of my assignments I started writing a short story titled, The Silent Conversation. A story about a family sitting around a dinner table, eating dinner. As the meal progresses, the family enter into a stream of arguments and heated disagreements at the dinner table about the problems they have with each other, and things that have taken place: poor behaviour and mannerisms. At the end of the story the family are sitting in silence, eating and smiling with each other. The arguing that the reader read in the story, and thought was going on, was actually only happening in the minds of each family member.
The point of my story was to reflect the internal speech of misplaced external behaviour. The concept of doing one thing, but REALLY saying something else in your heart and mind. Another example of the silent conversation is in the romance text- referencing the film in this specific example, P.S I Love You. Gerry and his wife Holly are having an argument.
Gerry: Do you want to have a baby?
Holly: Do you?
Gerry: Yes, I do.
Holly: See?
Gerry: See what?
Holly: I know what you're really saying even when you don't say it.
Gerry: You mean the two conversations thing. The one we're having and the one you think we're having.
Source: http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/a1/ps-i-love-you-script.html
In just one line, Gerry conveyed complete understanding of the silent conversation. His words; I quote, are, “The one we’re having and the one you think we’re having.” This is exactly what I mean by the silent conversation.
Why is this important? What exactly am I referring to here? Why am I touching upon the silent conversation? This is simply because we are in a season where God is going to deal with OUR silent conversations. The conversation- speech and physical actions (including verbal), we are expressing externally, versus the conversation- speech and mental actions, we are having internally in our hearts and minds. Saying one thing, but meaning, thinking or believing another. The things we are saying underneath the surface. The hidden things that can't be seen or heard by anyone other than ourselves and God.
In order for us to be completely naked and unashamed, completely intimate with God, and move to the next level, He has to deal with the silent conversations in our hearts and minds. He's going to deal with what we think and say about ourselves, about others, about praise and worship, about prayer, about the Word, about what He has said to us, about our families and friends, about our jobs, our communities, even His church- His house, etc. The list is extensive.
He is going to challenge, align and/ or realign, shape, and mould and/ or re-mould EVERY area of our hearts and minds. Every area of our human reasoning or argument(s) that stop us moving forward and forming Christ on the inside of us. He is going to deal with our silent conversations because they are dangerous. Whilst we think our silent conversations are silent because they are internal or, “God knows” thoughts, and think they won't harm us, the manifestation of their thoughts and heart in seed form will become external. Their nature will deteriorate our character, short circuiting our assignment; our destiny.
In the film, Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ultron says,
“I'm going to tear you apart... from the inside!”
This is exactly what un-checked thoughts and heart motives do to us… tear us apart from the inside. Mark 7:15 “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them" (New International Version).
The seeds in our minds and hearts that are not aligned accurately; our silent conversations, will ultimately tear us apart from the inside if not dealt with. It is from within, not from without.
I remember most recently a Word I received from the Lord, “BEWARE OF THE FOXES.” Soon after, the scripture Hebrews 12:1 came to me.
“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” (New Living Translation).
God was warning me that I need to be aware of the things that are catching me out: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually- my silent conversations. It will be these things that derail me. The deep things growing on the inside of me that are self-destructive. As Pastor Michael has spoken about in the NNDC church series, ‘Rediscovering Discipleship,’ the flesh (the things in us that go against God and His plans for us) is self-destructive. There is an urgency for our flesh to die.
In the latter part of the last NNDC blog post, Go Low, it touched upon the heart. The condition of the heart, the condition of our hearts. Following on from this, we need to look at what our hearts are really saying. What our thoughts are really living. What we are speaking that cannot be heard, but undergird our truths: deceptions, visions, beliefs and values, lifestyles, etc. What is it that our silent conversations are really saying to us? What are we saying externally that does not match up internally? We are in a season where we need to start filtering the mouths of our minds and hearts.
God’s mercies and grace are with us. We have the Holy Spirit, and each other. Use this season as a time to start addressing your silent conversations. We have a responsibility and accountability for our lives, our hearts and our minds. For those and things in our world that our silent conversations may affect. What we do, say and think. Not only do they affect us personally, but also corporately. The consequences of not dealing with our silent conversations can be very costly.
What is the cost of God dealing with your silent conversations? Count the cost of letting God deal with your silent conversations. Even pay it. Just like the family in my story, their minds were saying what they really thought, but their actions were expressing an illusion; a deception. They chose not to deal with their personal silent conversations, and continued internally dying with an external illusion of living. Don't catch yourself in the position of the family in my story. Let God deal with your silent conversations in this season.
BY STACEY SPENCER
Image sources
Youtube (P.S. I Love You video clip)
Wendy Corniquet (WenPhotos from Pixabay.com)
Go Low
I hear the words “Go low.”
In all humility go low.
In reverence go low.
In service go low.
The offended stand tall but lovers go low.
The servant is not greater than his master. You do well to follow His example.
For He counted the cost, not regarding His reputation.
He counted the cost, death on the cross.
He counted the cost, separation from His father.
He paid the price for Our redemption.
He paid the price for Our reconciliation.
As He is, so are we.
As He is, so am I.
SO…
Go low in all humility.
Go low in reverence.
Go low in service
The offended stand tall but lovers go low.
My understanding of the ‘Go Low’ I heard was in relation to the posture of my heart, my pride and selfishness. If we desire to be like Him, the state of our heart must be addressed. Jesus said a people draw near to me with their mouth but their heart is far from me. In His mercy He reveals to us what is in our heart, giving us sight to see our true condition outside of Him. Never leaving us there. He gives grace to the humble and shows us His way. He calls out: come follow me, learn of me for as I am so are you in this world.
We must see Him to become like Him. Jesus, our picture of true love who endured all things for our sakes. Who had the right to be offended, put down His cross and could have called 12 legions of angels but chose to go low, so many could enter in.
A note from Andrew Murray:
Jesus humility is our salvation, His salvation is our humility.
Our one need is to study and know and trust the life that has been revealed in Christ as the life that is now ours. It waits for our consent to gain possession and mastery of our entire beings.
We must seek a humility that rests in nothing less than the end and death of self: that gives up all honour of men as Jesus did, to seek the honour that comes from God alone; that absolutely makes and considers itself nothing so that God maybe all, so that the Lord alone maybe exalted.
Humility, Andrew Murray 1993 edition Whitaker House.
BY LARISSA MATTHEWS
Image ownership: Peter Brutsch
Also appears on https://householdfaith.wordpress.com/tag/worship/
Let’s Grow…
Hey guys… I’m back!! Hope you are all well…
So, our church has been catapulted into a season where we are being forced to change; DON’T PANIC!!! This is a good thing, I promise… God is dealing with us in a very special way that will cause us to face truths about ourselves, truths we don’t necessarily want to accept.
Our fantastic leadership have been speaking to us a lot about cultivation. Every time I hear this word I picture a farmer on his land, tending to his crops or feeding his flock. Then I heard God say, “We must become a church that administrates spiritual agriculture…” WOW!! What does this even mean?
OK, well let’s look into it… If you know me, I love facts and how the world works. Let’s take a look at the wonderful world of farming and agriculture!! (Yippee!!). A day in the life of a farmer requires them to be an early riser, with a full day planned ahead of jobs to do and tasks to complete.
In order for the animals to grow healthily they must be fed. For the crops and plants to grow they must be watered, nurtured and exposed to the correct environmental conditions. To sell crops and livestock they must all meet the given standards in order to be made available for retail. Hold up, Stephen, where are you going with all of this? Don’t worry, I’ll tell you.
What if I told you that we need to orchestrate our lives in the same way? I’m not saying you need to get up early each day (although it wouldn’t hurt to change ones lifestyle), but we DO need to have an attitude where our focus is cultivating our own lives.
Cultivation by definition is first to prepare and use, and second, to grow and maintain. Abel did a great job of cultivating his flock when he offered it to God. The New International Version (NIV) says he gave FAT portions from the firstborn of the cattle, and God was pleased (Genesis 4:4). So how do WE apply this to ourselves?
We MUST pray daily; yes, I know this is hard sometimes but we have to do it. Can you imagine one day the farmer who usually gets up at 4am each day decided to get up at 6.30am instead? You may be thinking, surely he could get away with it for one day, but do you realise how much havoc it could create? How behind would the farmer be with his workload? The whole process would be out of sync and he would be playing catch up for the whole day… THIS IS EXACTLY like us!!! When we don’t pray, our lives are open to havoc and disorder.
We MUST read His Word. Let’s imagine everything is going well on the farm. It’s feeding time and the farmer feeds all the animals but he forgets to feed the cows and sheep!! Their growth and development suffers an imbalance, which in turn messes with the potential income the farmer could receive from his cattle. The same goes for us when we don’t read His word. Can you imagine the imbalance and malnutrition we suffer daily for not feeding ourselves with His Holy nourishment?
Joseph gives an interpretation to Pharaoh about the years of plenty and famine. He warns that we must harvest what we have in order to prepare ourselves for hardship. We must do the same; we must feed ourselves and maintain our growth for when we face adversity and trials.
We MUST be in His house. Everyday the farmer takes the correct measures to ensure his crops and plants grow to their full potential. If this process is interrupted, the growth will be stunted and the produce will not be at its best. Hebrews 10:25 teaches us not to forsake the assembling of the saints (gathering together for church in our case), but to meet and encourage each other in God’s house. This is the perfect environment for spiritual growth and somewhere we can get guidance from our leaders when we find it difficult to bloom.
We ALL need to grow. Our Father needs us to grow and be spiritually mature. If we continue to cultivate every aspect of our being, God can use us in ways we can’t begin to imagine. Essentially, cultivation is practice; repetition with excellence and improvement. Let’s keep growing in Him and with Him.
BY: STEPHEN MCCORMACK
Why I Need The Word
“There are no problems, only challenges for us to overcome” – Pastor Kwame Mensa
These words have been haunting me since they were released. Reoccurring every time I want to make a valid complaint or tell myself something is too difficult. That’s the thing about truth, it’s not afraid to get in your face and confront you.
However hard they may be I believe that challenges are tools that God uses to provoke us into action. To form our character and reveal the treasure He has placed within us.
I wonder if Samson would have known his strength without encountering the lion? (Judges 14). Would David have been so bold and expectant that the Lord would deliver Goliath into his hand without facing the lion and bear? Would Hannah have given Samuel to the Lord had she not been barren and earnestly praying for a child?
The father is faithful to prepare us for what is to come and for what we must conquer, but we must do our part. Smith Wigglesworth said, “You must consume the word until it consumes you”. Jesus says to us in reference to his body; take eat, take drink. To the Old Testament prophets eat the scrolls. He gives us a picture that the Word must be inside of you to transform you. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).
The Word gives us a blueprint, a framework for us to grow within. It builds, strengthens, feeds, directs and enlightens, to sum it up it is LIFE to our spirit, soul and flesh. When faced with a challenge one of our greatest weapons is the Word of God. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). It is critical to our success and advancement of the kingdom. It is also essential in building our relationship with God. Jesus said behold I come in the volume of the book…search the scriptures do they not speak of me? The Word reveals His nature, His heart, His person.
The Lord said to Joshua mediate on the law day and night, why? So it would fortify Him to face what he would encounter on his journey. The Bible records Mary as pondering her prophetic word in her heart. They are both examples of believing, mediating and rehearsing the Word until it became part of their identity. Jesus said, “Blessed are those that hear the Word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
God showed me a practical example of this with my cousins a few years back. It was raining and the sound of the rain on the conservatory roof made a loud and unusual noise. My 3 or 4-year-old cousin looked at his mom and said, “What’s that noise?” She replied, “It’s your face.” He touched his face, shocked but completely convinced. Then another little cousin copied his question and said, “What’s that noise?” This time he responded full of conviction and certainty and said, “It’s my face”.
I love this because its childlike faith in the word of whom you trust most. In his eyes his mother represents authority, love, trust, support, and guidance. So when she spoke there was no need to question or doubt that her words were false (even though in this case they were). So how much more us? Who is the person you trust most? I hope you answered the Father. The one who cannot lie, who has no shadow of turning and who honours His Word above His name, even when it costs him dearly (oh my Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not my will but yours be done).
In Rick Joyner’s book ‘The Final Quest,’ he records an encounter in which Jesus says, “My word is the power that upholds all things. To the degree you believe that my word is true, you can do all things. It is my nature to be true, and the creation trusts my words because I am faithful to it”.
To the degree you believe. Sometimes it is hard hearing that the balls in our court, that we prolonged our breakthrough through unbelief. I mean poor Joshua and Caleb who had to tarry another 40 years in the wilderness waiting for another generation to rise who would believe the promise.
When we cultivate the Word in our lives it positions us to move forward. We can now play offensive instead of defensive. We learn to wield the sword, to prophesy, decree and declare (Ephesians 6:17). No longer just trying to maintain our ground, we pioneer into new territories and systems. We develop a mind-set of kingdom dominion.
I was moved by the following scripture when I read it: The lord swore by himself (for there is no one greater to swear by) that Abrahams seed shall possess the gate of his enemies (Genesis 22:16-18). To me this means not merely defending his own gate but taking back ownership of what the enemy has acquired. We stand confident in knowing what words have gone before us, believing that all the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.
I’ll leave you with this little gem also from ‘The Final Quest’:
“In all your endeavours, remember that the importance of a single word from God to man is of more value than all of the treasures on earth. You must understand and teach my brethren to respect the value of my word. As one who is called to carry my words, you must also respect the value of your own words. Those who will carry the truth must be true.”
BY: LARISSA MATTHEWS
Image Sources
Instagram: @lisabevere
Facebook: Krisvallotton
Book: The Final Quest by Rick Joyner
To Pray or To Not Pray, It Should Not Be A Question!
During the month of March our church focus has been, "How to cultivate a lifestyle of prayer."
If I'm being honest, inwardly I was not looking forward to this month. Not because I do not like to pray, but because developing a lifestyle of prayer is just something I have never been able to establish. Some days it's great and other days I don't know where to start or what to say. Basically my prayer life is up and down like a roller coaster of which I did not want to face.
In preparation for this blog, the spirit of the Lord laid this statement on my heart, "To pray or to not pray, it should not be a question." Instantly I felt convicted and responded how I normally respond to conviction, "hide," to avoid thinking about the statement.
I am a woman who takes great pride in who I am. My beliefs, my strengths, my abilities, my achievements, and my goals. However, recently I have experienced health issues that regardless of what I do, I cannot rectify. I find this time breaking. It breaks everything about me. So the week of the 21st I hit my ultimate breaking point. As I lay in bed not wanting to move the Lord posed the statement to me again.
My response at the time was, "Lord I know I am failing right now, you don't need to remind me." The next day I felt the Lord impress on my heart that I was misinterpreting what he was trying to reveal, so I looked at the statement again.
"To pray or to not pray, it should not be a question."
By taking key words from the statement I sought understanding by seeking out definitions.
Pray - Timothy Keller defines prayer as "conversation and encounter with God.”
Question - “A proposal to be debated or voted on” (Dictionary.com).
Using these definitions I came to understand the statement as "to converse and have an encounter with God or to not converse and have an encounter with God SHOULD NOT be debated."
Debate - "A discussion involving opposing viewpoints" (Dictionary.com).
I believe God wants us to consider the opposing views we entertain regarding our personal prayer life.
I have come to learn that these opposing views are internal. The greatest debates we experience regarding prayer are within us. The mental discussion we allow by entertaining questions. The emotional debate whether we feel like praying or not. The excuses we permit and the lies we agree with.
During my circumstances if I challenged my responses and the internal debates I was experiencing, I would have learned that God wanted to talk about it and help me through it.
I do not believe the Lord is speaking to you regarding these internal debates to tell us off, but I believe he is trying to expose the lies of the enemy. The restrictions, the limitations, the choices, the excuses, the internal debates, and internal discussions we allow that hinder our daily conversation and encounter with him.
In order for us to move past these limitations we must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit into the unknown.
Throughout the month Pastor Michael has reminded the church that,
"God is our source and our supply. Not just going to him for things but going to him because of who he is."
"Our ability to pray and receive answers is not based upon anything we have done but on the finished work of Jesus Christ."
The month of March turned out to be a beautiful month for me because it was the month the Lord broke my limitations in prayer. Due to these teachings I am now learning to focus on the finished work of Christ instead of entertaining internal debates. I approach prayer differently, by starting my day with worship. Allowing my focus to be on God and then being led into prayer by the Holy Spirit.
I encourage you all in order to develop a lifestyle of prayer, to challenge the internal debates you are entertaining and shut them down because to pray or not pray SHOULD not be a question!
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
BY CHARLENE KERR-SPENCER
Images courtesy of Pixabay
Image 1:
https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2015/10/20/18/29/urban-998216_640.jpg?attachment (User: Wokandapix)
Image 2:
https://pixabay.com/static/uploads/photo/2016/03/11/21/54/gratitude-1251137_640.png?attachment (User: Johnhain)
Definitions
Prayer: Experiencing awe and intimacy with God (2014) by Timothy Keller.
Definition of "question" - Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/question?s=t
Definition of "debate" - Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/debate?s=t
What Do You See?
In order for us to have hope in something, we must first believe in something.
If you know me then you will know that I love TV and films. God really speaks His principles and parables through these mediums. Writing about faith brought me to the television series Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA.
Ramsay saves struggling restaurants by helping owners and re-building businesses. I was captivated by series 4, episode 5. In 2011, Ramsay was called in to help salvage Italian restaurant Davide, in Boston, Massachusetts USA.
The highly successful restaurant first opened in 1982, brought by brothers Frank and Anthony in 1997. Frank found out Anthony was embezzling money due to his drug problem over the first few years of the business. Anthony went to prison, leaving Frank with the responsibility of the brother owned dream, until his brother returned.
As the years went by and the unresolved issues mounted, Frank sank. This is where faith comes into the story.
“When Anthony left, Frank gave up.”
Franks wife
Frank’s hope was the dream of owning and running a business with his brother. When Anthony’s life changed, so did Frank’s.
“Tonight I saw something quite frightening. It wasn’t about the food. It wasn’t the complaints, and it certainly wasn’t the service. It was Frank. And here’s why, he is so burnt out that he has given up.”
Gordon Ramsay
No matter what Ramsay or the family did, Frank had to be the person who took steps to rebuild his OWN hope. Pastor Michael’s teachings on Cultivating a Spirit of Expectation is exactly what Frank had to do.
To cultivate something is to raise up, improve, develop, evolve, prepare or work on something. You have to actively do something in order to cultivate something; its's an action.
Frank lost his passion for both the business and cooking because of what he saw. He wouldn't even wear his chef's jacket! He literally gave up.
If you are to cultivate a spirit of expectation you must re-evaluate your belief system. You must question what you see because from it is determined what you believe, and therefore hope for.
You have to cultivate an inner strength and core belief on the inside.
When Jesus healed the blind man at Bethsaida, he asked him what he saw (Mark 8:22-26). His vision was blurred the first time; it wasn’t until the second time that he could see clearly. However, the man knew that Jesus would heal him. Just like the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48), she knew Jesus would heal her. Vision is key as it directs where you go.
Ezekiel spoke the word of the Lord over the dry bones; that they would live because God said so. He spoke the word more than once (Ezekiel 37).
Our hope must be built on WHO God is (Matthew 16:15). We must be confident in the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He WILL do and finish in us what He said He would (Philippians 1:6).
If your vision is dull, your heart grows dim and you won’t expect (look forward to, anticipate the birth of) something.
Sometimes we have to do what Professor X from X-Men: Days of Future Past did, we need to talk to ourselves. We have to re-address the things we believe (have confidence in the truth) because of what we currently see, as it can be influenced by our past and present; not our future.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 (NASB)
Sometimes we have to keep speaking to what we do not presently see. We have to speak and believe, INTERNALLY, what God has said. We must learn to restore and have hope beyond what we physically see and mentally think to be true. Even David had to encourage himself in the Lord (1Samuel 30:6).
We must also be assured that what we are building, we will also partake in. We must build in hope (1Corinthians 9:10).
If we follow the necessary processes with the Holy Spirit in cultivating a spirit of expectation, we will become persuaded as Paul was in Romans 8:38-39.
To go back to the series, Frank slowly re-built his hope by changing his heart and mind. He reassessed what he saw; therefore what he believed.
He changed his mind (Romans 12:2) and learned to hope again through faith that the dream he once believed WOULD happen. He had to keep thinking and believing this in his heart and mind.
We must also have this mindset and heart attitude.
“Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14 (Amplified)
BY STACEY SPENCER
Series clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbzJc8_eVEc and http://www.channel4.com/programmes/ramsays-kitchen-nightmares-usa
To Believe or not to Believe, That is the Question!
For those of you who know me, I have an interesting job. No, not my role as a Pastor; my calling I treasure. I mean my job, my 9-5; well 9 until whenever.
I work hosting and servicing some really interesting folks from various church backgrounds and denominations. All is very fascinating. A wonderful, colourful plethora of people who really love the Lord in their own way, style and ability.
Having worked with many of these groups for over eight years, there is something that I have noticed. Becoming friends with many across this vast sea of people, belief and faith are everyone’s struggles along this journey.
Belief and faith are everyone’s struggles along this journey.”
Thousands of people all worshiping Jesus. The desire to touch His heart and see Him afresh in their own way; expressing a hunger. Yet all, at times are faced with this simple question, “Do I believe?”
At times it can seem like we are supposed to live in this un-realistic bubble. A bubble where Jesus is running around us 24 hours a day, fighting away all these baddies and evil things. Then we walk in the middle, singing songs; dancing amongst the daisies. Well that kinda thing ain’t true!
Life will have unexpected things thrown at you, but it’s always how we position ourselves at the oncoming object that matters. Our belief in the Lord must be in check, if it is then we can give that curve ball a great big whack and send it into oblivion.
“My children love superheroes.”
I’ve often watched my children, who are all going through the phase of absolutely loving different superheroes. I’m sure they’ll say, “And you do too dad!”
One day I asked my children why they loved superheroes so much, especially my ten-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter. Both with highly excitable voices, one said; “Because nobody can beat them daddy,” and the other replied, “Because they can do anything, everything!”
I reflected on this as they watched Marvel’s Avengers, for possibly the tenth time! They were hooked on the fact that these guys simply believed. They believed that whatever the odds were against them, there was a way through. There was hope, they just believed.
“I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.”
Aunt May from Spider-Man 2
“True belief triggers action.”
Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone coming to God must believe that HE rewards them that diligently seeks Him.”
Often times as we grow as adults, we lose our ability to simply believe. This could be due to life’s hard knocks, soft knocks or any kind of knock. These knocks de-stabilise our confidence in whom we have become and what we are actually able to achieve.
The key here is to NOT see the moments as negative, yet turn and see them as tools to sharpen our belief. Tools that have come to sharpen our focus, deepen our trust, strengthen our courage and better our response to the knocks. Before we know it, we have believed and we become our own hero.
After Jesus’s resurrection he revealed Himself to His disciples. He turned to one of them and said: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen yet believed” (John 20:29).
Jesus placed a great emphasis here on our ability to believe in Him, even without having seen Him. Something innate in us can lay hold of it; belief. Belief can create an ‘unwavering conviction’ and thus ignite action. Jesus said “Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe.” According to Webster’s dictionary, the adjective ‘blessed’ means to “enjoy happiness.” This can signify that there are degrees or levels of happiness that we can attain when walking in belief.
My aim in all of these brief illustrations about belief is simply believe. As you do, there may be challenges but simply believe that God will come through for you. Simply believe that Jesus CAN! Jesus said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid, just believe and she will be well!” (Luke 8:50, Mark 5:36).
In all the thousands of Christians I have met over the years when referring back to my job, each one has been tested in their own way. They have come through having learned valuable and crucial new lessons on how we need to just Simply Believe!
“Belief and faith are everyone’s struggle along this journey, but simply believe!”
Thank you for reading this blog post.
Pastor Michael Da Costa
Being Useful In the Kingdom of God
It’s Sunday evening and I've made myself a cup of tea... It's been a long day and I love tea!!! I've just sat down to write to you guys, pondering what I want to speak about. Then, all of a sudden, THAT question pops into my head... It's a question we've all asked ourselves in our lifetime... "Why are we here? What is our purpose?"
Want the short version? In the "Christian" world, we are taught that we were created to worship God and to serve Him only. Whilst this is true, this is but a small portion of what we were designed for.
"Go on then...l hear you say. "Tell us why we're REALLY here!!" Well... I'll try.
Let's go back to basics... The human anatomy. We are made up of flesh, blood, bone and organs; designed intrinsically and specifically by God. Each body part has a role to play in our everyday lives; for example, our ears are not just for hearing and listening but to give us balance and help us to stand, walk and run (bet you didn't know that!!!)
So... What's your point, Stephen? What I'm trying to say is that we weren't put on this Earth to accomplish just ONE thing! My wife, Serena, is crazy about dance and the arts; this is her passion and she is very good at what she does. However, today was VERY different. For the first time ever, she preached an amazing word to our congregation; it was mind blowing to watch her do something she has never done before, as if she does it all the time. Now, please understand; this is something that was way out of her comfort zone, and yet, with the aide of the Holy Spirit she was able to convey a passionate and on-time message from God.
God will use us to do things to advance His Kingdom, whether we believe we can do it or not. This says a lot about us as human beings; we have a higher threshold than we think. It is up to us to make a decision and allow our capacities to be increased a hundred fold. Don’t get me wrong; it is HARD!! The hardest part is accepting that if we enlarge our tents, we cannot go back to our “normal” ways of living. Once we have been exposed to God’s glory and our excuses have been removed, then we must move forward and begin to move in His power.
Serena said something very key today; she said that we must begin to distribute what we have received. There’s no use in storing our capabilities in our homes, churches and close circles. Jesus ventured across all of Israel, just so that God may be glorified. He saw a need for a widespread movement of the Spirit and did whatever it took to ensure God’s glory was revealed at any given opportunity. What more could be possible if we as born again, Holy Ghost filled believers (much greater in number) came together on one accord with a common goal? In Matthew 5:13, Jesus describes us as the salt of the Earth. Again, salt isn’t just for flavour but for preservation, cleansing and purification. Let’s apply this to ourselves; Jesus is saying that we are here to flavour (influence) the people, to preserve the Church, cleanse (heal) the sick and afflicted, and to purify the hearts of the many. Wow! There is so much inside of us that we can do, none of which requires any special skill or talent but a willingness and a pure heart for God will suffice.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? So, what’s stopping us? That’s easy… US!!! We must begin to take responsibility for everything that happens in our lives. Yes, the enemy occasionally has some influence when things go wrong; but ultimately, Satan’s involvement is a reflection of our current state. Does that make us bad people? NO!! But if we do not want the enemy’s interference, then we must shut down the access gate. I love Ephesians 4:27 where it says “Neither give place to the devil”. It’s only recently that I understood what this scripture means… We blame the Devil for everything that goes wrong in our lives, whether it be sickness, finances, depression, etc. You name it, we blamed Satan! But the reality of it all is we have made bad choices that have led us to be in such lowly states, and the enemy says, “Hey, I had nothing to do with this one!! But by all means, I’ll accept!!” Thank You, God, for this safety net called Grace! Holy Spirit, we salute you!!
So, how do we become useful in the Kingdom of God? Well, first we must look at ourselves and ask “What do I have in me that is useful?” Once we have done that, we must honour God with that list and allow Him to guide us in line with His will. Trust me, His will is better than our own ideals and motives… My tea has gone cold and it’s time for bed! Until next time. God Bless.
Stephen McCormack (NNDC Blogger)
The Grace To Endure
Endurance is the ability or strength to continue or last. This strength enables you to hold out against or bear something with patience or without resistance. It is a muscle that we need to develop, not only as a physical discipline but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
We share DNA but we all have our own personal, custom-made stories. These stories have been written through pre-destined, unpredicted and personal choices. Situations and circumstances come to us, either making or breaking us dependent upon our response. Life has a way of teaching us about the power of endurance, known as the fruit of longsuffering (Galatians 5:22).
This muscle needs to be exercised daily. It does not develop over-night or grow through inconsistency but is nourished through training that must be maintained and allowed to be built within us and our lifestyles.
Endurance requires a dual walk. Firstly to deny and overcome ourselves and secondly to have a hope for the end.
A great visual of where the dual walk with endurance takes place is in the film ‘Run, Fatboy, Run’. A light-hearted comedy based on an out-of-shape man named Dennis (actor Simon Pegg) who decides to run a marathon to win back his son and ex-girl friend, of whom he jilted on their wedding day five years ago.
During the marathon Dennis meets physical opposition and injures his ankle. The hope of winning his family back allows him to endure through the injury. As he continues to run he becomes tired, not only physically but now mentally and emotionally. His friend notices and says “Oh no, he’s hit it”, before you know it we see a wall standing between Dennis and the finishing line.
Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) 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.
Life has its way of impacting a person. Agent David Rossi from the TV series ‘Criminal Minds’ once quoted in an episode “life is a hell of a thing to happen to a person”. Situations and circumstances come at us left, right and centre. We even get some curve balls along the way. Things can get the better of us but we are supposed to withstand (Ephesians 6:16), enduring to overcome them and not bow down to them. Not letting something or someone get the best of you is a process of denying yourself (Luke 9:23, 1 Corinthians 15:31).
People in sport do not only train physically but also mentally and emotionally. We are to do the same but also spiritually, to throw off anything that causes us to fall away or weighs us down. To keep these weights off us we must also see the finishing line, have a hope.
1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV) Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
We need the grace of God, His freely given unmerited favour and love, to achieve this. In order to deny ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually, as well as have a hope, we need a strength that is not our own. Endurance is strength to continue, the grace of God is the dependent source we need to endure this race of life with Him.
Going back to the film, within the space of seconds an individual brick is removed from the wall to reveal another visual of Dennis encouraging himself to continue the race. Choosing to deny himself and keep hold of his hope, he endures the race until the end.
The Holy Spirit is our helper (John 14:16, 26). He helps usher us into the presence of God as we come through the son, Jesus, and go straight to the father (Ephesians 2:18). He is our mental, spiritual, emotional and at times, physical trainer. He helps us access the power of endurance that not only externally transforms us but also internally cultivates within us. We partake in this fruit of longsuffering.
In order to endure we must rely upon the continual current of the grace of God and the Holy Spirit to cultivate the muscle of ‘endurance’ that we need to run our race. Not only run our race but also run it well and finish.
BY: STACEY SPENCER
Video source: Kyle P on https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCxTHR0yxE2YR8xz-e0NMPqg
Unveiling The Source of Your Joy
The sun beamed upon the crown of his head, lighting the shadows that lay beside him as he pondered the words of his mission. Besieged by the task at hand, he knew within himself that his part to play in the war had been turned up to a higher degree. He could no longer hide in the shadows of who he was as a demand had been placed upon him, he had been commissioned. As sweat from the rising sun beat down his face and his nerves began to tremor fear, something else rose on the inside. A small voice of hope in his head saying “we can do this.” He looked up to the skies and smiled; he knew the voice. Joy arose on the inside with a mighty strength from a fortified truth. He led the men to a mighty victory.
- Stacey Spencer
Joy is defined in the dictionary as ‘a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight within a thing or person greatly valued’. This everlasting fruit can often be the unease of humanity, as we can tend to not dare acquaint ourselves with it. We speak of a strong allegiance to happiness, conditioning our minds and hearts to its instabilities but never truly walk in pursuit of joy.
You may not be facing a physical war but we all face war. This could be emotionally, spiritually, socially, morally or even mentally. Life tests us through its situations and circumstances to reveal to us who we really are.
The soldier in the above story was faced with a decision. He had been called to come higher and lead the men into battle. He could of chose differently but instead he chose to listen to a voice of which he knew was not his own, a different source. From this source joy arose in the midst of the storm.
Happiness is an emotion, which like many others can be likened to a heart monitor. How we feel and our perspectives produce inconsistencies that peak either high or low dependent upon situations and circumstances presented to us. We cater to their unpredictability and the solidity we need is never truly accomplished.
Joy is much more than this. This is the component that caused the soldier to rise in the fullness of who he was. His mind and tampered thoughts told him that it was impossible; that there was no way of him accomplishing what had been asked of him. The emotion of any given situation will ware off but joy stays as it comes from truth based upon the source living inside of you.
In order to rise above an uneven playing field our joy must be a continuous flow from a source greater than the one whose vessel it flows within. It gives us an inner strength and hope to draw upon in order to face this little thing we call ‘life’.
Nehemiah 8:10 (New King James Version) Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Psalm 28:7 (New American Standard) The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.
When someone or something greatly valued to you is the cause of your pleasure or delight, you will find that you have a hope because you firmly placed your trust in that thing or person. A peace comes following your decision and you find the strength to conquer all battles in life.
WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR JOY? Is it man? Is it animal? Is it your job? Is it materialism? Is it even yourself? Imposters are always unveiled in the end because of truth finding its way to the foreground.
Let your true source of joy be revealed to you. When you find the answer and if it does not seem to be in its rightful place then I encourage you to place joy back in the true source it belongs… God.
BY: STACEY SPENCER (NNDC Blogger)