I Am Afraid

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

  

Alot of times we are afraid of the unknown, we are afraid to step out, we are afraid to come out of hiding. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. So many times we hear and repeat this scripture but do we truly know what it means? Do we believe it when we have to come out of our comfort zone, when we have to speak in public, when we have to do something that seems like the impossible for us.

God has called us to do many things and I believe if He has called us, He has already equipped us. God has given us talents and He has chosen us because He saw the potential and He knows what we can do. If God believes in us, why then don't we believe in ourselves? Why then don't we believe in the ability that God has given? Why then don't we believe in our potential?

Now is the time to arise. It will take time to step out without fear but it is a process. It is a process of recognising that you can't do it on your own, you can only do it with God. We never get to the place where we don't need God to help us through that song or to help us through that speech. We will always need Him but we will always need to step out in faith.

Step out in faith today and do what God has called you to do. Now is the time to spread those wings and fly out of those comfort zones. 

This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writes gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

Out of Hiding

Come out of hiding, you're safe here with Me. There's no need to cover what I already see.

Come out of hiding. I'm here with you.

Come out of hiding. I go before you.

I created you for this time and this season.

I created you for a very good reason.

The talents, the gifts I placed within you

Is not for dormancy but for intimacy

I placed them within you, for you to give Me glory

I placed them within you, for you to give me praise.

No longer will you hide in the shadows of the night

No longer will you hide in the shadows of the curtains

It's ok to come forward, it's ok to step out

I was with Moses, I was with David

And I will be with you

I already see your potential, I already see your worth

Words may speak saying you are not worth it

You can't do this, you will make a fool of yourself

What will they say, what will they think

These words may herald for a time 

But My word remains forever

My word says that you are fearfully and wonderfully made

My word says that you are a chosen generation

My word says that you were created in My image

My word says that you are peculiar and unique

My words says I love you

I love you in spite of your insecurities

I love you even though you think you are not worth it

I love you to the extent of sending My Son to die for you

I love you even though you hide in the shadows

Come out of hiding. I'm here with you.

Come out of hiding. I go before you.

I created you for this time and this season.

I created you for this very reason.

Are My Prayers Really That Important?

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers. 1 Peter 3:12 (NKJV)

Are my prayers really that important? Yes they are. Our prayers are important to God and His ears are forever inclined unto us. We are called to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) but the truth is we are never really consistent with our prayer life. One week, we get up and pray every morning, the next week, we can't even get up.

But what is prayer? Sometimes we think the only time we can pray is if we have a set time and place. We can pray at any time and any where. A prayer is an expression of thanks towards God. It is a conversation that we have with Him. Hearing our prayers and hearing our voice is important to God (Song of Solomon 2:14). God wants to hear us!!

It is true that Jesus forever makes intercession for us and that the Holy Spirit makes groans that cannot be uttered but it is also true that God wants to partner with us. One of the ways that He does that is through prayer. We are heirs and joint heirs with Christ and we have been given the opportunity to make an impact in the earth. Whatever we loose on earth, will be loose in heaven and whatever we bind on earth, will be bound in heaven.

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV)

The enemy understands the power that we have when we pray. This is why he tries to stop us from praying and tries to put everything in our way to hinder us from spending time with God. We have to understand the power and the authority that God has given us. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Life and death is in the power of your tongue. We just have to speak a thing and see it come to pass.

⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come.Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)

Our prayers are important but how should we pray. In Matthew 6, Jesus gives the disciples a model of how to pray. He begins by acknowledging God, acknowledging who He is, acknowledging His sovereignty. In verse 11, He goes on to say 'give us our daily bread'. Give us understanding and wisdom as we would read Your word daily. Give us a spirit of revelation that we would understand what You are saying to us through Your word.

He then goes on to repent and to ask God for forgiveness. Lead us not into temptation. Keep us as we go along our day. Keep us, sustain us, strengthen us. At the end, He goes back to recognizing who it is all about. It is all about God. It is all about His kingdom, His power and His glory.

There's no one way to pray. Prayer is talking to God. It is telling God what is on your heart and it is agreeing with His heart concerning the things in the earth.
 

³ Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. Revelations 8:3-5 (NKJV)

When we pray, we must remember that our prayers have power. We have a role to play, we can impact what happens in our families, in our government and in our nation.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

The Colour Blue

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 (NKJV)

  

When I think of the colour blue, I think of peace. I think of serenity and of being calm. So many times we go through our day with burdens upon our shoulders. So many times we go through our day with a sense of anxiety and worry where we feel like we are in a rush and we have to get everything done by a particular time.

God has given us His peace. The peace that passes all understanding. We don't have to be anxious about what will happen next. We don't have to be anxious about the steps we should take. Why worry when we have a Father who sees the end from the beginning. Jesus has given us peace. He has given us the opportunity to live a life of peace, a life of being calm about the situation, a life more abundantly.

When you start to get anxious, when you start to worry, look up to the sky and see the colour blue and remember that Jesus has given you peace. Jesus is taking care of the situation. He has it all sorted out. 

This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

I Can't Live Without Water

Have you ever experienced your water going off for a few hours and you felt like it was the end of the world? You felt like something was missing, like something needed to be done to solve this crisis, to bring back world peace? Water is essential for living. Our bodies need water to survive and to be hydrated. Without it, we wouldn't last very long. 

⁹ Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” ¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? ¹² Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” ¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” ¹⁵ The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” John 4:9-15 (NKJV)

We can't live without water in the natural neither can we in the spiritual. In the passage above, Jesus asks a Samaritan woman to give Him water. He then tells her if she knew who she was talking to she would've asked for the living water. Jesus gives us living water that keeps us unto everlasting life. He gives us a water that never runs dry. We have a certainty that we will always have this water once we are always connected to the well.

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 (NKJV)

In the world, we search for things that will satisfy us. We search for a water source so that we would never thirst again.  We look to material things to satisfy us but they never do. These things only satisfy us for a short time but the living water satisfies us for eternity. Jesus has given a water source that satisfies our souls and that refreshes us. The human race is always looking for something new. It is always developing things to get better, to be innovative and to be successful. Why, because they always look for something to satisfy and they never do. It's only a temporary fix, it's only a temporary pleasure. We have a desire on the inside to be fulfilled and to be satisfied.

Mike Bickle, the director of the International House of Prayer says in his book The Seven Longings of the Human Heart, "We have cravings built into our spirit as an integral part of our divine design. These cravings reveal the genius of the Creator, who placed these longings in us to reflect His own personality and guide us to—and back to—Him. We are made in His image, and He intentionally planted longings deep within our hearts that only He can fill. He hard-wired us to need, to want, and to find our satisfaction in Him and Him alone."

We have an innate desire to be satisfied but we can only be satisfied with the living water ~ Tweet This. Verse 11 of Isaiah 58 says "The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

Drink from the fountain that never runs dry. Drink from the fountain where you can be satisfied.  

Drink up all you who are thirsty. Drink up for you will be satisfied.

Let's drink from the fountain of living water. My soul longs for You Lord in a dry and weary land. Be blessed by this song!

As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”  Psalm 87:7

Lord, I Need Your Help

I will lift up my eyes to the hills - From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV)

There are many times when we cry out and we ask God for help. There are many times when it seems like we can't go on, when life is getting too hard, when life throws us lemons. There are times when we are completely tired, tired of the mundane, tired of responsibilities, tired of life in general. In all these times when we cry out, God answers.

God is our help. He is our refuge in times of trouble and in times of joy. He is always there for us. His Son ever makes intercession for us. I lift my eyes to the hills from the valley and I see the One who is high and lifted up. I see the One who sits upon the circle of the earth. I see the One who is high above the heavens. I see the One who is my help. 

The One who made the heaven and the earth, He is our help. When we are down in the valley low and we seem so stuck that we stretch our hands out in desperation seeking help, seeking rescue, God stretches out His hand and takes us up. He takes up and covers us with His wings. He takes us up and holds us in His arms. With arms wide open, a heart exposed. A heart exposed with love for us. A love so strong that says, "I can't forsake them in the valley low, I must take them up" ~ Tweet This.

He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. Psalm 121:3-6 (NKJV)

Our help protects us and shelters us from harm. It is He, the Great I Am who does not sleep nor slumber. It is He whose eyes are forever looking to and fro through the earth. God does not sleep. He hears our cries for help, He hears our groaning. He is not like those false gods who have ears and cannot hear. God keeps us during these situations. He keeps us and always brings us strength.

He knows the end from the beginning. He sees the present and most importantly He sees the future. He sees your current trial and He sees that from it, you will grow and be able to stand the tests that will come.  O how we yearn for the day when we don't have to cry for help anymore. This Christian life isn't easy but it's going to be worth it because in the end, He says 'blessed are those who endure, for they shall receive the crown of life' (James 1:12).

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8 (NKJV)

God will preserve us from all evil. He will preserve our soul. We have to be confident in the fact that God will keep us not only now but in the future. In the past, He kept us from harm, surely now and in the time to come, He also can. Our cry for help is not being unheard. Our cry is being heard by the One who forever makes intercession for us. Our help comes from the Lord. 

My help is from You. Don't have to see it to believe it. My help is from You. Don't have to see it, cause I know, cause I know, it's true. Be encouraged by this song, Shoulders by For King and Country.

Hide Me

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 17:8 (NKJV)

Hide me under the shadow of Your wings. Keep me from harm and from the hand of the enemy. 

God has us under the shadow of His wings. He is keeping us in our situations and in our trials. Many of us are going through trials and sometimes we ask ourselves, 'is God here with me?', why am I going through this?' God is always with us. We are the apple of His eye, we are His desire. We don't have to worry about how the situation would turn out or how we will survive because we have the God of the universe on our side. God is for us and if He is for us then who can be against us?

He is protecting us from harm. He goes before us and He makes every crooked path, straight and every rough path, smooth. God is with us as He was with the people of Israel. He is protecting us as a father protects his child. He is providing for us as a mother provides for her children ~ Tweet This.

Hide me now under your wings, cover me within your mighty hand. When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with you above the storm. Father You are King over the flood. I will be still and know You are God. - Hillsong United

This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

My Delight

For the past few days, I was reading the book of Matthew and I got to a verse that stood out to me. The verse said  "but he who does the will of My Father in heaven". Now what does all of that mean? What does this verse have to do with delight? 

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

My delight is finishing university. My delight is being satisfied. My delight is to live a successful life. These are some of the things that we find delight in but these are only temporary. These things only last for a moment, they only last for a season. Having a degree, having a career, having money is only temporal. A lot of times our hearts are in things that really do not satisfy. Our hearts are set on things that will not last. 

^"While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

We have to look at the things that are eternal and not temporal. We live for an eternal purpose not a temporal one. We live for a higher calling, we live for someone greater. There is a bigger picture and we are only seeing a piece of it ~ Tweet This. So many times we focus on the natural things like education, jobs and success. Nothing is wrong with these things but the question is, are they your delight?

As I was contemplating what I should do after I leave university, I began to think of the entire process of living. I thought about getting a job, going to work day after day to pay bills, getting old and then retiring. I thought to myself, 'there has to be something more to life than this'. There has to be something more to life than living the mundane everyday going to work, paying bills and there is something more. The something more is doing the will of the Father. The something more is living before His eyes and not the eyes of men.

I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:8 (NKJV)

When our delight is to do His will, life begins to look different. Life is then more than getting a promotion, life is then more than finding a spouse, life then has a greater meaning. When we live for His eyes, we see our lives no longer as our own but we see them as an opportunity for God to display His glory through us. There's a bigger picture and there's something greater to this life.

What is your delight today? Is your delight doing God's will? Is it living for His eyes? Let's look internally and ask ourselves these questions. God wants us to live a life of purpose, a life that brings Him glory and we can only do this, if we do it according to His will.

My delight is living in Your eyes. My delight is in the fear of the Lord.

Here's my life, I am Yours. Lord, Your eyes are all I'm living for. - Tim Reimherr

Reckless Abandonment

Recently I was reading a book called the Young Lady In Waiting and was reminded how important it is to abandon ourselves to Christ. We say that we are Christians but are we really abandoned to Christ? Do we fully give up everything to follow Christ? Do we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him?

⁷ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11 (NKJV)

The word 'abandon' means to leave completely and finally, to forsake utterly, to desert and to yield oneself without restraint or moderation.  Abandonment is the surrendering of everything to gain the One thing, to gain Jesus. It is not about forsaking the world so that you could gain rewards, that is a part of it but abandonment is about fully pursuing Jesus. It is about having Jesus as our only priority and our only focus. 

Being fully abandoned to Christ means that we have a strong and a passionate desire for Him, that we have a desire to please Him and to do His will. Being fully abandoned means that we surrender everything to Him whether it is our dreams or our worries. When we are abandoned to Christ, we allow the Holy Spirit to have the preeminence in us. Our flesh no longer has dominion in us. 

Abandonment is saying yes to God. When we say yes to God, we don't consider what other people may think or say. We recklessly go after God. We recklessly say yes to His will and His promises. A lot of times, we over think before doing something. Usually when we do this, we don't really think that what God is saying is right or true. We try to analyze it and put it into our own human understanding but this can't work. There are many things that God will tell us to do that we don't understand or are not in our comfort zone but we have to trust God. We have to recklessly go after the things of God and forsake our own reasoning.

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26 (NKJV)

Denying ourselves calls for us to take up our cross, to crucify the flesh, to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we give our lives to Christ, we are telling Him to have complete control and to take over. We are saying 'I give myself away so You can use me'. Abandoning may not be easy but it is worth it. It's going to be worth it! When we lose our lives for Christ, we find it in Him because in Him is eternal life.

When we recklessly abandon the world and say yes to Christ, we are gaining more than we could ever imagine. We are gaining eternal life with our Bridegroom God. Let us seek to abandon everything so that we would gain Christ.

All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him in His presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.

Guest Post : Fulfilling the Call of A Youth Leader

Being a youth leader is an experience that some of us may have in the future and an experience that some of us are currently in. My close friend, Darlene Gardner gives some encouragement to current youth leaders and aspiring ones. I hope that you will be encouraged to step out into that place of leadership.

~~~~~~

Let the words of my mouth, and the mediation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, my strength, and, my redeemer. (Psalms 19:14). To begin, I want to express how grateful and honoured I am to share from a maturing leader’s point of view and to lead God’s chosen people into the promise land. Now, in Moses’ day, the task or the call rather of leading the Israelites was not easy and even with great courage, I say, leading youths in particular, of this generation into the promised land is a great mandate and one that demands you as a leader to live in deep intimacy with God by constantly pursuing Him. This chapter of my life will be long remembered and I know that my life is changing, for my best days are here and even though the process is hot like fire, I continue to be pressed, shaken and beaten but remain resilient for that is when the gold is most refined.

  (http://leaderhelps.com/leadership/)

At the tender age of 15, I felt like I wanted to know about this Jesus that everyone in my church was talking about so I went to convert’s classes and then publicly declared that I want to serve God by being baptized. Then, at age 18 going on 19, right on my bed, I felt a bearing down or this constant bubbling deep down on the inside of my stomach, it felt like something great was being birthed on the inside (spiritual birth) and I was beginning to understand more what it means to be saved, freed and redeemed from my sins. I began to develop a genuine first love for God, a Love that convicts me when I am wrong, a Love that says, “you’re beautiful even when you can’t see it and a Love that cries out every day, “I need you Darlene Gardner, I need you to fulfil My purpose here on earth.” That awakening and that truth that draws you to love God and desire a change on the inside only come from the Holy Spirit and I thank God for Holy Spirit. 

Moreover, the experience of me being spiritually pregnant with a word from God (Jeremiah 1:1-17) was one that was very painful but as I began to release that word and to speak, the pain reduced a little bit and the atmosphere changed and I felt as though I’ve accomplished something great, it’s like giving natural birth to a baby, even though I never did, and during the intensifying pains of labour, all the mother wants to do is just release and when that baby finally comes forth, the atmosphere in the room changes and everyone is astonished by such beautiful creation. I say all of this because this was just one of many experiences that God gave me in 2011 during my college years. This was a prime time of my life and I was almost snatched by the enemy and could have been drawn off- course but God, but God, but God kept me and used this time of my life to allow me to make a covenant with Him that I have kept until this day, not to say that I haven’t made any wrong choices but God convicted me and I was opened to hear from Him and received His ongoing corrections, strength and wisdom each day. 

After this shocking yet beautiful experience, God said to my youth leader then, to allow me at age 19 and just starting undergraduate studies, to lead our youth ministry for only 8-9 months. Now, this didn’t make much sense at all because normally you have to lead for an entire year or more and I was getting ready to leave the country to pursue my studies in lovely Barbados. However, I was obedient to the call and I led for 8-9 months exactly and God did some awesome wonders all for His glory. All I can say and will continue to say is that God is real since I have encountered Him for myself, no one has to drill that in me because His love became real to me, Darlene Maria Gardner. 

In August of 2012, a transition took place and I went to study in Barbados for 2 years. I was like, “God is this the right turn?” God may not have answered right away but every day while I was living in Barbados for 2 years, God proved to me that being there was very much so the right turn at the right time. Yes, in just one second, one minute, one day, 8-9 months, 2 years, God has done some supernatural things in my life but I had to have had faith in Him. I say to people ever so often that my experiences in Barbados (BIM BIM) went far beyond obtaining a degree. I have gained a love and devotion for my God and there is no experience in this universe that can be compared to that. During those 2 years, God continued to mould me for the serious call of a youth leader. One that should never be taken for granted. God used various avenues such as, immediate family support, great friendships, the family of God - the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF), church family and even some random person walking on the street that I did not know but God would have sent my way. From 2012-2014, I will summarize those 2 years by using just one word, unforgettable. I thank God for keeping me through this season of my life because I could not have done it on my own. 

I have shared my own, real experiences with you first because that is what we overcome by, the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. Now, the words that I’m about to share with you are some of the words that were imparted to me at a Youth Leader’s retreat and I deem them very fitting to this article. 

According to Knight Denise, a Youth Leader must possess five key characteristics; the first being, he or she must be a Christian that is; one who loves God and lives in daily connection with Him. The second characteristic being; he or she should have a servant heart, one that constantly strives to help others and remain humble. Remember, Christ did not come to be served but He came to serve, even giving the ultimate sacrifice, His life (Mark 10:45). Thirdly, a youth leader should have the capability to lead. When God calls you into Youth ministry, He will equip you before and during the process. Fourthly, you must be responsible as a leader and work constantly to keep your youths incline to the word of God. Lastly, a youth leader should be a positive person, one who can find the good out of every situation. 

(http://www.prescottarealeadership.org/)

Knight continued by saying, a Youth leader should practice these 5 R’s to be effective in ministry. These are as follows:

1. Recharging everyday to the number one (1) source who is God.

2. Reading the word of God and other Christian materials that would increase your knowledge about ministry on a whole.

3. Relating to your youths by spending quality time with them so you can build trust. Get to know them not just on the surface but from deep within.

4. Reaching out constantly to your youths and letting them understand that God loves them and once they pursue Him, He will connect to them. A leader should seek to mould disciples who will go out and disciple others. (Matthew 28:18-20).

5. It is absolutely necessary for a youth leader to find time to just Relax. You have to balance and spend time with yourself and God or you will burn out. Allow God to pour into you so you can intern pour back into others lives. Don’t take on more than you manage and remember ministry starts at home so your family comes first and then ministry. 

In ending, I can definitely say that I bless God for all my previous experiences, however, there is nothing that can be compared to the present. I do hold fast to the belief that the choices you make today, starts affecting you even before tomorrow starts because you would have already made that choice so seek God before you do anything in life or even before you answer any call to ministry. Develop a strong prayer network of brothers and sisters in Christ who will help you to pray and call forth your destiny. I choose to stay humble and keep growing in Christ as I learn to walk each day and that is something that we as believers should all seek to do as well. 

As I reassume this call of Youth leadership in 2015, I just give over everything to God because if I try to lead in my own strength then I’ve failed to try in God’s strength and that’s when the journey becomes overbearing so I say to you, ask God for His strength, don’t be afraid of the call, don’t doubt because we are no longer slaves to fear but just answer the call and ask God for His help, that will cause you to fulfil that particular calling in your life purposefully. Just do it!! 

Just trust God without borders. I leave you with two of my favourite scriptures which imply that I should just do it, whatever it is according to God’s word, Just do it Darlene. The first scripture is Matthew 6:33(KJV) - But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. The second is Ecclesiastes 12:1(KJV) - Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Amen!

Thank you for reading. God bless you. 

I extend special Thank you and much love to Trisha Carter who had the confidence in me to write this article for her blog. God bless you Trisha my love.

His Name Is Jealous

The weekend of love all over the world has just passed. It was the time where most people thought of ways to love their significant others and people in their lives who are dear to them. It is the only time that love is really promoted and recognized all around the world. The good thing is that we don't have to wait for a day to come to recognize that God loves us. We are reminded continuously of His affection and His devotion towards us through His word and in our individual lives. God loves us and He want us for Himself.

Those who are in marriage, want their spouses for themselves. No one else can have them. They are theirs and they desire full attention in that relationship. God desires our full attention, He desires our faithfulness towards Him.

For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Exodus 34:14 (NKJV)

His name is Jealous. Jealousy demands faithfulness and exclusive worship. God desires for us to come to a place of loyalty, to a place of faithfulness where the focus of our lives is Him, where our minds are set on things above. God desires that we would see Him as the Only God and not give ourselves to another.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV)

God looks for hearts that are loyal to His own. He looks for a people who are faithful and true to Him, the Bridegroom God. He looks for those who are devoted. Are we devoted to God? Can we say that we have been faithful to God? Can we say that we look to no other for satisfaction? Only God can bring us true satisfaction. Only He can satisfy. No matter how many things we go to whether it is food,  a person, a career or money, it will never satisfy. Only the Jealous God can!

“Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; for she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts; ³ Lest I strip her naked and expose her, as in the day she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. ⁴ “I will not have mercy on her children, for they are the children of harlotry. ⁵ For their mother has played the harlot; she who conceived them has behaved shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink.’ Hosea 2:2-5 (NKJV)

The book of Hosea shows the unfaithfulness of the people of Israel to God. They looked for other lovers to satisfy their flesh and forgot about the God who brought them out from the Egypt. The people of Israel were not loyal, they were not true. They thought only of their own gratification and forgot the God of their fathers. They thought only of water and bread and forgot that God said that He would provide for them. We can't get to a stage where we no longer see God as the only One who can satisfy. We can't get to a stage where we seek other lovers and forget the lover of our souls.

“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; ²⁰ I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord. ²¹ “It shall come to pass in that day that I will answer,” says the Lord; “I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth. ²² The earth shall answer with grain, with new wine, and with oil; They shall answer Jezreel. ²³ Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ and they shall say, ‘You are my God!’” Hosea 2:19-23 (NKJV)

Even though Israel was unfaithful to God, God still loved them. He still chose them as His people and He still came after them. God had mercy on them and called them His own. God still loves us and He still wants us. Even though there may be times where we look to other things for satisfaction, God still draws us to Himself again and again. He continues to have mercy on us and always brings us back to the place where we realize that we are not our own but we are His.

His name is Jealous and He is jealous for us. He wants us to be that Bride clothed in white. He wants us to be His beloved. God is jealous for you.

I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me. Song of Solomon 7:10 (NKJV)

Greater Is Coming

Some of us are in a season of turmoil, some in a season of distress, some in an unknown season where everything seems to be going wrong. These seasons are not always bad but they prepare us for something bigger, for something greater. These seasons prepare us for what is ahead. Your greater is coming just wait and see!

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:12-14 (NKJV)

A lot of times we go through difficult situations and we often ask why. We think to ourselves 'why am I going through this?', 'why me?', "is there purpose in this?'. Many times we don't see the purpose in it, we only see the pain, we only see the betrayal, we only see the regret and this is understandable. Our frail minds really cannot understand how there can be a purpose in suffering, how there can be something working out for our good in the situation but when we remember that we have the mind of Christ, we don't see the situation from an earthly perspective but from a heavenly one.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)

Tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character and character produces hope. In these tribulations, we have to be determined to not give up because something greater is ahead. We can't give into the tribulation. Jesus didn't give into the temptations in the wilderness, He realized that there was something greater ahead, He realized that He had to press on and to fulfill the task at hand. Jesus saw the greater in us. He didn't see the sin but He saw salvation, He saw the Holy Spirit in us. Jesus saw the greater works that we would do. He saw the greater day that would come where the bride would make herself ready and the marriage of the Lamb would come.

When we persevere and we press on without giving up, we kill the flesh. Flesh tells us 'this is not worth it'. It tell us 'this makes no sense', 'why go through all this trouble?'. When we persevere despite the circumstances and we trust God and believe in His word, we feed our spirit and we become stronger. Our character becomes more like Christ because we begin to trust Him, we begin to live out His word. We begin to see the move of God in our lives.

When our character develops, it produces hope. It produces faith. We begin to have faith in God because He kept us through the situation, He gave us strength to press on and we overcame it. This faith helps us to overcome future obstacles because we see how God kept us in the past and we then believe that He can do it again.

Our greater is coming!! Our greater transformation is coming!! We will see the greater in our lives, we just have to press through, it's hard but it's going to be worth it!!

I feel a shaking in the Spirit, I feel a beating in the Spirit, I feel a pressing in the Spirit, preparing me for greater

He Will Keep You

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

God will keep you in perfect peace. He will keep you in those stormy situations and bring stillness and peace. He brings peace to those whose minds are stayed on Him. When we fix our eyes on God, every worry subsides. Everything that we thought was an issue or a problem becomes no more because we recognize that our Heavenly Father will take care of us. If He can feed the birds, surely He can feed us. 

When our minds are stayed on God, we trust Him. Our minds become anxious and begin to over think when we think that God really isn't doing the job. We begin to have unbelief and we begin to doubt. Trusting God is letting go of everything and casting your cares on Him. It is realizing that you really can't do anything about the situation and the only person who can is God. 

Trusting without borders is what we are called to do. We can't say that we fully trust if we worry and become anxious, in this we are actually trusting God with borders. We want to be able to trust God without any borders, without any hindrances, without any doubts. Our trust should span the length of the sea and beyond.

God will keep you in your situation. He kept me in mine and surely He will keep you also. Don't worry, don't get anxious, just trust God and trust that He has a plan for you that is for your good.  

This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

Instruments of Praise

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV)

Being an instrument of praise is one of the things that we are called to be on the earth. We are called to give God praise and to give Him glory, that is our ultimate purpose. Being an instrument of praise can be many things. The first thing that we think about when we talk about praise is singing, dancing and playing an instrument. These things are all good, they are all things that I admire and appreciate but these are not the only things that we can use to give God praise.

I have heard many people say that they don't have a purpose or they don't know what their calling is because they can't sing or can't dance.This is a sad statement which shows how much we have limited God as well as ourselves. Being an instrument of praise includes glorifying God in our school work, giving Him praise in our daily activities and it means using those gifts that He has given us.

Our lives are filled with so many different things that we do and we can give God praise through these. We can give Him praise through our businesses, through our creations and through our words. 

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Psalms 150 

Can we really say that we are instruments of praise? Do we really give praise? Praise is the expression of respect and gratitude. It is an act of worship. So many times we go about our day and even our lives without thanking God for the things that He has done for us. Let's commit to thanking God for the things that happen during our day whether it is getting to our destinations safely or bringing the bus on time or waking us up this morning.

Let's be instruments of praise! Let's be the tool that gives God glory and that gives Him praise!

You Will Not Be Put To Shame

Many of us have been waiting on the words of God to come to pass. We have been waiting to see those promises fulfilled. We have been waiting to see that breakthrough. We have been waiting not patiently but waiting.

Waiting teaches us to trust God and to trust His plan for our lives. In these times, we can't lose hope and we can't lose faith in who God is and what He has spoken over our lives. What God has spoken will not return unto Him void.

... for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me. Isaiah 49:23 (NKJV)

We will not be put to shame because we wait. We will not be embarrassed because we waited on God. Those who wait on Him are never put to shame because God is faithful to His word and He is faithful to the promises that He made concerning us. 

What we are waiting for, will come. We just have to tarry, we just have to wait. Waiting is not a promise of having it easy but it is a promise that when we wait, good things will happen. Waiting is a part of our internal transformation from glory to glory to the image of Christ.

We will not be put to shame. Don't lose hope, don't lose faith because the promise is coming!!

This post is a part of the Five Minute Friday community by Kate Motaung where brave writers gather together to write for five minutes on any word.

Guest Post : The Pursuit of Joy

Today's guest post is by a close friend of mine, Jacinth Browne. I pray that you will be encouraged to press through every trial and situation with the joy of the Lord.

 ~~~~~~

Have you ever watched or read The Hunger Games? Your name is randomly plucked from a collection of others and you’re suddenly in a situation where you must fight for your life. The Christian Life sometimes seems that way, a race, a daily battle against flesh and the kingdom of darkness instead (Ephesians 6:12). We all struggle daily with something and often life is an uphill climb. Depression sometimes affects us. Some more severely than others. It could be caused by financial frustrations, afflicted relationships with others (or lack thereof), loss of loved ones, dissatisfaction with accomplishments etc. Many of us then set off on a journey to find a large conclusive happiness that will solve all our problems. A panacea like that must be pretty rare and cost a whole lot. As a result, a lot of us hurl ourselves into activities which can actually hurt us in the long run or gratify us inconsistently.

I find it interesting that according to GotQuestionsMinistries ‘joy’ is mentioned more than 300 times in the Bible while ‘happiness’ occurs a mere 30. It is additionally striking that happiness is always caused by an influential circumstance. I can be happy to be employed but that happiness can fade when I lose my job or it gets difficult. Happiness is temporary. It can change like the direction of the wind, we will need more than that in relation to depression.

David says of God in Psalm 16:11 that “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” There is an eternal quality to joy that cannot be grasped in mere happiness and there is a fullness of it to be had. Bible characters were human like us. David experienced depression, he laments “why art thou cast down O my soul?” yet he advocates “HOPE thou in GOD for I shall yet PRAISE Him for the help of His countenance.” (Psalm 42:5 KJV Emphasis mine).

How does David reach this kind of conclusion? 

http://www.ewcsa.org/19-2/joy-of-the-lord/ 

Joy is God's quality, thus it cannot be found within any temporal thing. Galatians 5 stresses that it is among the Fruit of the Spirit we should bear throughout our lives. But fruit must be tended to, they must be cultivated. The scripture further beckons us to “live in the Spirit and also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 KJV). We must deliberately set out to be joyful, we must pray for it, find ourselves in God’s Word, His presence, live it out and encourage each other in it. Guaranteed, there is nowhere else to find it.

I know it isn’t a microwavable, 2 step solution we would all love to have but when we lay hold of it, we are assured that it is permanent. We may not always be happy, but there is a level of contentment that is in joy, that one speaker claims that it occurs because we are able to hope for something that has not yet come. Something that escapes all the vulnerable, perishable things of the Earth. A home with a perennial God. We may not be happy in trials but Romans 5:3-5 KJV indicates that we are able to “rejoice in our sufferings…” We must foremost place our expectation not in passing promises of man and earth but the eternal promises of God in His Word. We may not know when they are coming but we know that He cannot lie.

Jesus doesn’t deceive us into thinking that it will all be a walk in the park. He is straightforward and lets His disciples know, “in the world ye SHALL have tribulation” it cannot be eluded, yet we must “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 KJV). The hardest battle has already been won and so we are able to hold on until the end, with contentment. No matter how hard it is, it is possible. 

When I am overwhelmed, I retreat to the refuge which never fails. I may not always be happy during the process but He gives joy and with that peace, we must take hold of it and nurture it with His guidance. He never once fails.

I will not build my life upon the passing sands
Of how I feel inside from one moment to the next
But I will love you Lord, my Rock, my God, my Strength
A precious cornerstone that floods of death can never shake

-Laura Hackett Park

 

My name is Jacinth Browne. As a student of Literature, I am a strong believer that writing is one of the most effective tools for reaching our generation for Jesus today. I come from the land of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and I particularly look forward to the great things God will do in the islands as He works throughout the whole Earth.