Stay in the House of Bread!

/0 Comments/in /by

Ruth chapter 1:1-62013 iphone pictutes 192

Famine was in Bethlehem possibly as a result of breaking God’s covenant, Deuteronomy 28:38-45,47.  Bethlehem means “the House of Bread”. So Naomi left the House of Bread because there was no bread in the House of Bread. When there is no bread in the ‘House of Bread’ do not leave to look for Bread elsewhere. Deal with the issue that is causing lack of bread in the house.  What is it that is creating lack in your life? Naomi and her husband looked at Moab for salvation but only met with disaster.  But the Lord visited His people and once again there was bread in Bethlehem, and Nomi returned home to the House of Bread! Thank God she did return.  For in her return she came with Ruth. Through Ruth God blessed Israel with Jesse.

Sometimes you may feel that leaving the Church, job, business, or fellowship group is the solution to your problems.  But often the solution is never in leaving, but in seeking the Lord who alone provides bread.  If there is dryness in your spiritual life do not move from congregation to congregation, seeking warmth.  Seek the Lord.  Stay on your knees and pour out your heart to God until the bread is restored.  If you take time to seek God He will transform your situation and open new doors of spiritual, and even material blessings that you had never imagine.  Your blessing is not in escaping to Moab, but in seeking the Lord to visit His people.   Is there famine in your life today?  Do not leave the church to seek blessings outside where there is no lasting bread.

Our Father, may I not wander away from the house of bread today. I pray that I may not walk in disobedience. Let me serve you with joy and gladness of heart in all that you have assigned me today.  You who visited Bethlehem with bread, and caused Naomi to return, visit us with favour and give us bread again. Cause us your people to return to you and serve you with joy and gladness of heart!  I beseech you, O Lord for fresh anointing by your sweet Holy Spirit upon Your people.  Deliver us from manifestations that are not of Thee!  Grant us grace in utterance and abundance of bread, the word of life.  I petition you in the glorious name of Christ our Lord and Saviour! Amen.

Cropped Lighthouse

Your Breakthrough Today

/0 Comments/in /by

Your enemy, the devil, comes to deceive you to trust in your ability, wisdom, power, wealth, health, education, social networks, and relationships.  But these wonderful things were never meant to give you love, joy, peace and security.  If you focus on them they can bind you and limit your from reaching its highest potential.  God wants to give you a real breakthrough to a higher life of trust and total dependence on Christ alone as your portion in life.  When Christ is your portion, He becomes your wisdom, wealth, and health.  The song writer says, take the world but give me Jesus! Another one says Jesus is all the world to me!

If you believe that Christ is your portion then say it. Tell someone today.  Share Him.  Tell your friends about Him.  They may think your funny,or crazy, but tell them anyway.  It is what you believe and speak that will lead you on your greatest breakthrough in life.  For me the greatest breakthrough I need is to repent and turn away from a life of self-dependence to a life of total God-dependence.  The greatest breakthrough for peace and rest is to come to the realization that apart from Him you can do nothing. For when you come to that realization then you are ready to receive all that He is, and you will have all that He has. The result is a life of trust, rest, peace, and contentment.

The greatest breakthrough for wealth, health and joy of living today is to receive the revelation that you are the Royal temple, and your heart is the Royal throne, where the Holy Spirit dwells as the Royal resident. This is the breakthrough that leads to humble submission to Christ as Lord of all that you are, and gives Him access to all that you are. He must have access to your physical, emotional, relational, intellectual, financial, social, cultural and spiritual life.  And the spiritual life must permeate every other aspect of your life! The Royal resident must have access and control of the entire palace! The Royal temple! And that temple you are. When that happens the Royal wealth starts to manifest in your life.  Experience it today.

Ref: Romans 10:10, John 5:30, John 15:5, 1Corinthians 3:16.

Language

What Language do you Speak?

/0 Comments/in /by

It is time to learn to speak Kingdom language: Psalms 33:6,9.

During colonial times many countries in Africa, including my own country Kenya learned to speak the Queens language. English!
Those who learned it best became very proud!
They were even thought of us intelligent!

The flag was British!
They spoke about England and London!
They ate with a knife and a fork.  And dressed in a coat and a tie!
The British influence will remain in my country for a long time.
And we drank tea and coffee! We still do.

Among the Yorubah of Nigeria they have a law that the Chief of Ife, while sitting on the throne cannot speak any other language but Yoruba.  So when we visited him with the GC President we had to use an interpreter! This man studied in England and is an intellectual. His English is as perfect as it can be!
But on that throne he speaks Yoruba only.
The king is the protector of the Yoruba way of life, and he cannot surrender that to another culture.  The discussion that could have taken 15 minutes took more than 30 minutes because of the translation.  That’s how much the Yorubah people value they language.

At the height of apartheid in South Africa, the Afrikaans tried to enforce their language on the people, and the children refused. They rejected total domination.  The result was the 1976 massacre of the school children who demonstrated against the government.

Point:   The language you speak shapes your thinking! And your thinking shapes your words. Your words shape your actions. Your actions when repeated leads to your habits. Your habits put together define your behaviour. And your behavior shapes your character. And your character determines your destiny!  If you learn to speak the Word of God, the language of heaven, that word will transform you thinking and your life.  Try it.
So never under rate the power of words! You are your words.
Words have power!  That is how God made the universe. “He spoke and it was done.”

Kingdom words are the King’s words
The kingdom of God is power, God’s word is powerful, Hebrews 4:12, 1Cor 4:20

In God’s Kingdom we learn to speak God’s language using God’s words.
God speaks things that are not as though they were! If there is anything that God cares about, it is the integrity of His word.  God has exalted His word above all His name! Psalms 138:2

Paul the apostle says we believe therefore we speak.
If you believe you speak! God is inviting you to speak.
When you are living kingdom life you learn to speak, and whatever you speak comes to pass because God has already declared it.
We speak the Kings language; the Kings words
It is the language of love, the language of faith, the language of peace; the language of possibilities.  Nothing shall be impossible to those who believe in Him.  With god all things are possible.  In Christ all the promises of God are yes.  We speak yes and do the impossible.

When you speak the Kings word you do not have to panic as to whether what you say shall come to pass!
Because the King says:
I am watching over my word to perform it! Jeremiah 1:12.
You are just a steward of the word of life! God Himself takes the responsibility over His word!  Your role is to speak it.

When you speak God’s word faithfully, God’s power is activated! Jeremiah 23:28-29
He says, the word shall not return empty! It shall perform that which He pleases! Isaiah 55:10-11

Listen.  God has a word for every situation.  When afraid He says fear not, for I am with you.  When anxious He says be anxious for nothing but in everything give thanks.  When feeling weak He says “My grace is sufficient for you.”  When needing money He says “Silver and gold is mine.”  So ask and you shall receive.  Ask in faith. Do not doubt.  Doubt hurts Him so badly because He is not a man that he should lie! Numbers 23:19.  Please stop hurting God!  Do not doubt His word.  Do not add to His word.  It is perfect already! (Proverbs 30:5-6).  That is, it has been tested and proven to be perfect and true.  Take it and act on it and watch the results!

So go ahead today and put a smile on God’s face:  Remember He loves you and is just waiting to be gracious to you!  (Isaiah 30:18).  Go ahead and ask for something so big that only God can give.  Ask in faith.  Ask for His glory.  Expect to receive.  Ask with thanks giving in your heart.  Keep on asking.  And tell me about it when it happens. Where do you start? Start here:  “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3.  Now that is a practical verse and need no interpretation. Where are you?  What is happening in your life?  Call to Him!  Do it now.

Reflect: What have you been speaking of late?

Meditate and Pray: “Let the sayings of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, Be for a pleasing thing before Thee, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer! Psalms 19:14
– Youngs Literal Bible

Won’t you speak His words today?

 

shutterstock_153536585

Kingdom healing and forgiveness: (Isaiah 53:4-5,10)

/1 Comment/in /by

How do I heal and forgive completely without fear of being hurt again?

It is easy to talk forgiveness but very hard to give it, particularly when you are deeply hurting.  I have learnt that even when we say we have forgiven our actions still betray us.  Your ability to forgive is one of those things that measure your level of Christian maturity, or Christlikeness in character.  Character transformation is the evidence of Christian growth.  Christian growth is growth in grace.  Grace is God’s undeserved favour.  As you grow in grace you constantly realize how underserving you are.  Grace empties you of self-righteousness and fear of being hurt again.  For there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear.  1John 4:18.

A pastor friend recently asked me why people cling so hard to legalism instead of appreciating the good news of the grace of God.  I thought about the question and it dawned on me that legalism exalts self and makes it feel important.  Legalism thrives on self-ability; what you can do by yourself or by the help of God.  Ultimately in legalism or self-righteousness, you share the glory with God. God receives the glory, but you also receive the glory because you worked so hard to realize the purposes of God.  Self will go to great lengths to receive just a little glory.  How we love those who feed our ego!

Legalism is nothing but self-pride.

The danger of such legalistic (read self-centred) approach to Christian living is that it does not exalt Christ alone, but Christ and self.  It makes you feel that you are deserving, and so people, and even God, owes you recognition, respect and happiness.  Consequently, such a person does not know how to relate to those who do not seem to be succeeding in their walk with God.  The result is that one becomes judgmental and hypocritical.

One of the areas of life where such hypocrisy manifests itself is in handling pain caused to you by others.  You may seem to be understanding and loving while going through hurts of life, but eventually when your pretense is exhausted everything comes out in the open.  Your attitude, speech, and actions will betray you big time.  Suddenly you realize that you have been bottling up things on the inside, and keeping a record of wrongs, while behaving like you were a saint, forgiving and forgetting.  Love, the basis of forgiveness, keeps no record of wrongs.

Pain and hurt tests your commitment.

Pain and hurt in a relationship are the litmus test of our commitment to God and to one another.  Every relationship experiences pain and hurt from time to time, some more than others.  But the solution is always in reexamining your standing in grace or in self-righteousness.  The one who stands in grace is always overwhelmed by the love of God and His favour.  How could God love me while I was yet ungodly, and a sinner?  How could Jesus give me His life when I hated Him?  How could He exalt me to reign with Him as king?  Why?  And the answer will always amaze me.  God delights in mercy! He takes great pleasure in showing kindness to undeserving people.  God is willing to suffer pain that I may experience pleasure and joy of forgiveness.  By His stripes we were healed.  Healing, my friend, is costly.  His stripes.  That is the price. He was wounded for our transgressions.  He was bruised for our iniquity.  He bore our pain and our sorrows.  He shed blood. Forgiveness is costly.  For without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.  You who forgive are the one to shed blood, and experience the pain, not the other way round.

Forgiveness precedes repentance.

Too many people expect the offender to bleed volumes before receiving forgiveness.  But, I hear you say, what about repentance?  Well, what about it?  Tell me.  What comes first in your system?  Forgiveness followed by repentance, or repentance followed by forgiveness?  Do we change our mind and receive forgiveness, or, do we receive forgiveness and change our mind?  It is the goodness of God expressed in His kindness at the cross that leads you and me to repentance.  It is when we experience His love and forgiveness that we repent, change our minds about Him, and enter into a relationship with Him of love and obedience.  The other way round is nothing but religion, not Christianity.  So do not forgive because they asked for it, but do it even if they do not ask for it.

Forgiveness springs from love!

Forgiveness is a demonstration of genuine love. We love Him because He first loved us.  We love Him by showing love to others whom we think do not deserve it.   In the same way we forgive because He first forgave us, and cleansed us from all our sins.  Forgiveness is opening yourself to God to be a channel through which His healing grace can flow and restore another who has fallen short of it.  Forgiveness shows that you are looking up to God to supply your own healing from the pain suffered.

Forgiveness is a choice, just as love is a choice.

You do not love because you feel like it.  I’m ashamed to hear how many Christians keep on saying that they do not feel any love for their spouses when tough times come.  If your relationship is based on feelings of love you are an accident waiting to happen.  Love is a choice you make, not a feeling you crave.  So is forgiveness.  It is a choice, not a feeling.

Unforgiveness is lack of appreciation of God’s grace. 

When we reject the same people we claim to have forgiven we demonstrate our lack of appreciation of God’s grace, and expose our hidden self-righteous attitudes. Ultimately, lack of total forgiveness is rejection of our own salvation:

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

Forgiveness is an expression of goodness.  If you are not good you cannot genuinely forgive. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.  Psalms 86:5

Forgiveness springs from a grateful heart!

We receive forgiveness and we give forgiveness. It was painful at the cross and it will be painful today because it involves death to self! “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”  – Matthew 18:35

Genuine forgiveness leads to restoration, transformation, and reformation in the life of the forgiven.  Christ’s forgiveness is the measure of our forgiveness.  Nothing less.

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32, also Colossians 3:13-15.  So if you want your hurt to heal, forgive and experience restoration in your relationship.  Kingdom life thrives on love and forgiveness. Let God heal you and give Him opportunity to heal someone who has hurt you by extending genuine forgiveness.

Our Father forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  Learn to forgive today.  Send a text message of love and forgiveness.  Or just dial the number and let grace flow in forgiveness from the bottom of your heart.

 

 

shutterstock_175451591

The Reality – Hope Gap!

/0 Comments/in /by

You are full of hope but you are conscious of the reality.  Your eyes are open to reality. Your faith is strong and fixed on your hope. But between your reality and hope there is a gap, a dreadful gap. A hollowness. A dryness within that tells you that your hope is unattainable. You are in pain because despair is knocking and anxiety kicks in.

These are the moments when Abraham pops up with a solution. Oh God why don’t you just let this Eliezar of Damascus be the one. What you promised is good. And I know you meant well. But the reality, God, is that I’m old, and Sarah too is advanced in years! So we can live with Eliezar of Damascus.  It is OK.  Let the Assyrian take the blessing.

That’s how we are sometimes. We settle for less because of the reality of our situation. We try to condition God to operate within our limitations.  But God refuses to be limited. He is the Infinite God and the Almighty One. He asks, is anything too hard for the Lord?

So Abraham keeps quite, but Sarah picks up the discussion.  She too is hit with her own realities. She knows what God promised. She has lived in hope.  But the desert place has been long and dry.  And the heat is too much. The gap is now too big. She is 76. Too advanced in age. Her time is passed and she comes to terms with it. She settles for Haggar!

Some of us are not enjoying the blessing because we fear to come to terms with our realities.  Sarah came to terms with her reality.  And like Abraham she limited God to her reality. She found a solution. But unlike Abraham she did not test her solution on God.  She sold it to Abraham and they implemented it immediately.  Sometimes when you make a tough decision it is good to reflect on it before implementing it. Just to make sure that you are at peace with your choices.  Some decisions have long lasting implications and consequences. So there is no need to rush in implementing them.  Just because someone is shouting how much he or she loves you is no reason why you should implement it quickly by giving yourself.  Some things you give and you never can get them back when you change your mind. Just because the hurt is so deep and the pain is unbearable is not a reason good enough for divorce.  If you hold on things may change.  It did for Abraham and Sarah.

Abraham and Sarah were tired of waiting in the desert of God’s silence.

So they took the ready solution. But some solutions are really not solutions but problems.  Even bigger problems than the one you thought you were solving.

Sarah thought that her maid would remain her maid after sharing her husband.  Sarah, you are naïve! Wake up Sarah baby! The girl has been there. She is pregnant. And she is going to drive your old husband crazy. For your old and tired husband, Abraham, is her fresh sugar daddy.  Her babe! Or sugar grandpa! Her dreams are coming true. Haggar thanks her stars for she is married to the big man.  The rich man. So Sarah tries to control her and Haggar says back off! What do you know about having children?  Sarah is hurt. Very hurt. She can’t take it. She puts her foot down. But it is too late. Some solutions are problems. The child is born.  Ishmail is here.  Sarah is devastated.  Abraham is excited.

For Sarah desperation becomes a nightmare because Abraham loves the boy. His boy! The future is now bright for him. Not for Sarah. She no longer hopes.  The gap widens. The pain is too much to bear. The disappointment with the Haggar project is too great. She no longer prays.  The subject is closed.  She tries to find peace in cynicism.  God is silent.

How many of you are trying to cope with the silence of God? There are areas in your life that are shut up and you no longer want to entertain any conversation there. The very thought of it is painful.  You do not want anybody, not even God to go there! Anyone who brings a conversation about that aspect of your life immediately meets with your disapproval.  Don’t go there! And they get the message!

But God is not man. He is not controlled by our limitations. God comes through even when we try to lock Him out.  That is what grace is all about.  Somehow in moments of our quietness we still hear His voice, some times faintly but always clearly. Never vaguely.  He says, I want you to allow me to deal with your pain. I want to take it away.

Notice how He does it. He waits 14 years for Sarah to settle down and be still.  He waits for Abraham to rethink of His promises and purposes.  He waits for Abraham to reach a state where He can no longer save himself. He cannot by himself do that which God has promised. He is now 100 years old and, like Sarah, he knows he cannot have a child, not even with Haggar. Then God steps in. He comes in style to announce the good news.  Sarah will have a baby! The speech of grace in itself leads to laughter.

Sarah laughs.  Abraham laughs. But God is faithful and the child Laughter is born! For that is what Isaac means. Laughter!  God’s favour, grace, always brings laughter to the undeserving.

Maybe you thought you I’ll never laugh again.  Let me tell you. Get ready. For God is about to surprise you with joy unspeakable.

That which you thought would never happen is what God is about to do. For, is anything too hard for the Lord? God is about to break His silence. The prophet says our God shall come, shall come and not keep silence!

He said to Moses, I’ve heard the cry of my people. I have seen their trouble and I have come to deliver them! Moses thought it was over. God’s promises had failed. His word had failed. But God says it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one word of His to fail.

Naomi came home telling people, don’t even call me Naomi! Call me Marrah. For I’m bitter!  But it is not over until God says so.

Once there was silence in heaven too.  Because the Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, Emmanuel was hanging on the cross with the destiny of planet earth and of the universe on His mind. And God was silent! Darkness fell on Him! But faith sustained Him. He trusted Him and, like Abraham, hoped against hope. The evidence before Him was that He was rejected. The pain, the shame, the spit, the stripes, the mocking, and the darkness and the curse of the cross, all spoke rejection. But faith held on to the goodness of God! He did that just for you.  That you may laugh again and know that the everlasting arms are around you today. So get ready to laugh when god breaks the silence and closes the reality-hope gap.