He Knows My Name
Hey guys, it’s Stephen… Yeah I know, it’s been a while!! I hope you’ve all been well.
Here at New Nation Destiny Centre church, we have some great revelatory truths and some equally challenging ones; but truths all the same. One Sunday, our Pastor, Apostle Michael DaCosta, spoke to us about the woman with the alabaster box (Luke 7:36-50), and although I’ve heard this story taught and preached hundreds of times, it was the way that our pastor pointed out something I hadn’t considered.
It wasn’t the obvious details that everyone knows about the story; you know, the example Jesus gave to Simon (the Pharisee), the anointing of Jesus’ feet, the woman being forgiven. No, it was the fact that what Simon was THINKING about that was wrong with this whole situation; verse 39 (KJV) says, “he spake within himself”, meaning he didn’t verbally say anything audible for anyone to hear. And yet, here comes Jesus and ANSWERS Simon’s thoughts! Wow!!
Put yourself in Simon’s shoes for a minute… What on Earth did he think Jesus wanted to say to him? Certainly not the very thing he was thinking about the woman who was a sinner!! But Jesus heard exactly what he was thinking and it needed to be addressed. This brings me to the title of this blog, “He Knows My Name”.
Now, I think I remember saying in a previous blog that God is omniscient, the all-knowing God! So, He doesn’t just know my name, He knows EVERYTHING about me, you and everyone else! So even when we choose not to talk to God, please know that He already knows all that we go through. I know… I hear you asking, “Stephen, if He already knows everything I’m going to say then why do I need to communicate with God?” That’s easy; God wants a relationship with us. He gave us free-will to do as we desire within the remit of His ultimate will for us. But He wants us to open up to Him willingly, to talk to Him like we would our friends and family. Not for His benefit, but ours! God is GOD!! There is nothing that we could ever give Him that He; in His infinite wisdom, power and authority, could gain from.
Hearing this word made me very uneasy at first, but I soon realised how important it is for me to keep a clear channel of communication with the Father. Having to hear, “Stephen, I have something to say to you…” has its pros and cons. It means that God is still speaking to me regardless but it also means that my thoughts can be heard as loud as thunder in a church hall. My thoughts have to be of a nature that is Christ-like, and not carnal. My thoughts; if misdirected, can turn into negative actions and manifest into undesirable behaviours. It’s only by His grace that we keep grounded but we cannot continue to operate from grace. Grace is the fail-safe, the “press button in case of emergency”, the back up plan, if you will. And with God, His grace is always there by the truckload. But in order to be who He called us to be, we have to walk in the same power and authority that Christ exuded every day.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying this isn’t a hard lifestyle to keep up. Trust me, let me be the first to say I struggle a lot with speaking to God and having positive thoughts. With all of the curveballs that life throws at me, I often drop the bat, run and hide in the bleachers. But sometimes, not swinging is not the same as giving up; for some of us, it might mean that we need to take a time out to re-strategise, change the size of the bat or choose a more comfortable stance. And in our Christian walk, we need to do just that; change things up a bit: adjust our prayer life, tweak how we study God’s word or spend more time with our brothers and sisters in the faith. The more open we can be about our current state, the easier it is to begin the transformation process. And guess what? The best part is that God never changes; He will still be the God who knows your name, knows your past, present and future, knows when you cry, and knows when you need Him the most.
Truth be told, we won’t always get it right. But we should endeavour to try. That’s all the Father would have us do. And I hope that with the sincerity of our hearts, we give Him all we have. Peace be upon us all and the love of Christ to all who read this.
BY STEPHEN MCCORMACK
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)