James 1:4 ‘But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing’.
Waiting is one message a lot of Christians don’t like to hear. We
prefer a message of faith that says God’s gonna do it now. Truth is,
God’s not ‘gonna’ do it. He’s already done it. (2 Corinthians 1:20). But
there’s a place of waiting ON and IN God.
What kind of person do you become when ‘it’ doesn’t happen at the time you expect? What
are your reactions, contemplations and considerations when it looks
like God’s not coming through for you like you want Him to?
Patience is a virtue we need when we find ourselves waiting ‘endlessly’.
Patience is an ability. The ability to suppress restlessness when
confronted with delay. It’s from the Greek 'Hupomone' which is ‘the
characteristic of a person to remain unswerved from his/her loyalty to
faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.
Here’s
what you do next time you feel like giving in: Eyeball the devil and say
to him “Whatever you try it won’t work devil cos I don’t mind waiting”.
#JuanitaBynum
Here’s the trophy you emerge with after patience has carried out its
complete surgery on you. You will be mature and complete and you won’t
need anything (God’sWord Translation)
#SMF
Tuesday 23 June 2015
Monday 22 June 2015
On Pain: Counting Losses
2Chronicles 25:9
And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”
The verse is an excerpt from a bible story. Amaziah, king of Judah had paid 10,000 talents of silver to the king of Israel to lend him 100,000 soldiers so they can join him for war against his enemies. God then sends a prophet to tell him to send the soldiers he paid for away and not to depend on numbers but on Him. Amaziah agrees to do what God says but worries about what he had already 'put in' to get them.
The prophet's answer, 'God is able to give you much more' is what gets my attention today.
There are times when it's just time to count our losses and Move On. Face the painful realities, tell ourselves the hard truths, then Move On.
You have to tell yourself;
This relationship is not headed anywhere,
My family is not where I dreamed for them to be,
I may end up broke if I go on like this,
My marriage is headed for the rocks if I continue to ignore these things,
I'm not doing my best to make my dreams a reality...
Only when we do this, can we begin to make the right adjustments that take us to where we ought to be.
Amaziah must have looked stupid but he won the war eventually because he did as God said.
I find in my life's journey that sometimes, counting our losses might just be as important as counting our blessings.
#dealingwithharshrealities
#SMF
And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”
The verse is an excerpt from a bible story. Amaziah, king of Judah had paid 10,000 talents of silver to the king of Israel to lend him 100,000 soldiers so they can join him for war against his enemies. God then sends a prophet to tell him to send the soldiers he paid for away and not to depend on numbers but on Him. Amaziah agrees to do what God says but worries about what he had already 'put in' to get them.
The prophet's answer, 'God is able to give you much more' is what gets my attention today.
There are times when it's just time to count our losses and Move On. Face the painful realities, tell ourselves the hard truths, then Move On.
You have to tell yourself;
This relationship is not headed anywhere,
My family is not where I dreamed for them to be,
I may end up broke if I go on like this,
My marriage is headed for the rocks if I continue to ignore these things,
I'm not doing my best to make my dreams a reality...
Only when we do this, can we begin to make the right adjustments that take us to where we ought to be.
Amaziah must have looked stupid but he won the war eventually because he did as God said.
I find in my life's journey that sometimes, counting our losses might just be as important as counting our blessings.
#dealingwithharshrealities
#SMF
On Life: The Open Door
Sometimes, the 'Open Door' is the closed door: It teaches us how to deal with disappointments. #blessingindisguise
Other times,the 'Open Door' is the door that leads outside (not inside): it teaches us to deal with regrets #allthingsworktogether
Yet at other times, the 'Open Door' is just the most unlikely door: it teaches us to trust. #andobey
Whichever it is, may the Still Small Voice grant you peace.
#SMF
Other times,the 'Open Door' is the door that leads outside (not inside): it teaches us to deal with regrets #allthingsworktogether
Yet at other times, the 'Open Door' is just the most unlikely door: it teaches us to trust. #andobey
Whichever it is, may the Still Small Voice grant you peace.
#SMF
Monday 8 June 2015
On Love; Success in Marriage is Planned for
Success in life is not accidental. Neither is success in marriage; it is planned for.
Your marriage will not be a success simply because you exchanged vows before the Lord, as important as that is. It's very akin to salvation. After you received Christ by confessing His Lordship over your life, He went ahead to tell you certain things you must do to work out your salvation. In the same way, you must be intentional about doing the things that will strengthen your marriage, else it will fail in just a matter of time.
Fight to stay intentional rather than get casual about your marriage.
Intentionally pay compliments, give, spend time together. Get intentional about giving and receiving love, about submission. Intentionally stay in shape (especially if your spouse minds) and dress well. Get intentional about being tender, understanding and caring. Get intentional about praying and carrying out spiritual exercises together.
This is the reason many start out well but have a hard time keeping the spark in their marriage.
True we don't have high divorce rates in Africa but many a couple have become flat mates because they weren't intentional about keeping the romance in their relationship. These things don't just happen.
Start by keeping an open-mouthed relationship. Talk about the things your spouse is doing that you want them to stop, the things you want them to start and even those you want them to continue.
That's how lasting friendships are built.
If you've not been intentional about some of these things, you can begin from now on. It's part of working out your marriage with godly reverence while you put the devil where he belongs, under your feet.
#bringbackthespark
#SMF
Your marriage will not be a success simply because you exchanged vows before the Lord, as important as that is. It's very akin to salvation. After you received Christ by confessing His Lordship over your life, He went ahead to tell you certain things you must do to work out your salvation. In the same way, you must be intentional about doing the things that will strengthen your marriage, else it will fail in just a matter of time.
Fight to stay intentional rather than get casual about your marriage.
Intentionally pay compliments, give, spend time together. Get intentional about giving and receiving love, about submission. Intentionally stay in shape (especially if your spouse minds) and dress well. Get intentional about being tender, understanding and caring. Get intentional about praying and carrying out spiritual exercises together.
This is the reason many start out well but have a hard time keeping the spark in their marriage.
True we don't have high divorce rates in Africa but many a couple have become flat mates because they weren't intentional about keeping the romance in their relationship. These things don't just happen.
Start by keeping an open-mouthed relationship. Talk about the things your spouse is doing that you want them to stop, the things you want them to start and even those you want them to continue.
That's how lasting friendships are built.
If you've not been intentional about some of these things, you can begin from now on. It's part of working out your marriage with godly reverence while you put the devil where he belongs, under your feet.
#bringbackthespark
#SMF
Saturday 6 June 2015
ON LIFE. From selfishness to self-love and now, God-love!
The flip side to
selfishness is tagged in a more politically correct term, self-love. So
they say, selfishness is a vice but self-love is a virtue. Self-love
should make you do things for yourself, protect yourself, love yourself
and when you have to make a choice ensure it's informed by self-love.
Someone said God's not against self-love but selfishness and I agreed,
until recently.
Let's look at a few examples from the scriptures
Abraham was asked to leave his family (Genesis 12:1)
Isaac was asked to stay in the land of famine (Genesis 26:2)
Ruth was inspired to stay with Naomi (Ruth 1:16)
Esther dared to go before the king at the risk of death (Esther 4:16)
Job was asked to curse God (Job 2:9)
Peter, James, John and the other disciples had to abandon their careers (Mark 1:18)
Jesus our Lord, was given no other option besides a criminal's crucifixion. (Hebrews 5:8)
These all acted in defiance to the principles of self-love that is preached everywhere today.
Self-love is the foundation of these last-days misnomer of homosexuality and same-sex marriage that we see in our world.
It has made humans embark on transgender surgeries
It makes people cheat on their spouses without restraint, and has destroyed countless marriages and even great relationships
It's the basis for the most destructive addictions people suffer from today.
Self-love is not of God, how could it be, when we were not made for ourselves?
If God made us, then it must be that He made us to Know Him, Love Him and Serve Him (Matthew 22:37-38)
That self-love is destructive and of the devil becomes easy to understand when we look into how Satan emerged. His self-love corrupted him into wanting to become like the Most High.
If you knew the millions of lives connected to you, you would know that to make decisions on the grounds of self-love is sheer mediocrity.
When next you catch yourself wanting to do things inspired by self-love, ask instead, what is the light of God's word concerning this matter?
For man was not made to pursue his happiness but to please the One who made him. That's where true and lasting happiness comes from.
#thelesserisincludedinthegreater
#SMF
Let's look at a few examples from the scriptures
Abraham was asked to leave his family (Genesis 12:1)
Isaac was asked to stay in the land of famine (Genesis 26:2)
Ruth was inspired to stay with Naomi (Ruth 1:16)
Esther dared to go before the king at the risk of death (Esther 4:16)
Job was asked to curse God (Job 2:9)
Peter, James, John and the other disciples had to abandon their careers (Mark 1:18)
Jesus our Lord, was given no other option besides a criminal's crucifixion. (Hebrews 5:8)
These all acted in defiance to the principles of self-love that is preached everywhere today.
Self-love is the foundation of these last-days misnomer of homosexuality and same-sex marriage that we see in our world.
It has made humans embark on transgender surgeries
It makes people cheat on their spouses without restraint, and has destroyed countless marriages and even great relationships
It's the basis for the most destructive addictions people suffer from today.
Self-love is not of God, how could it be, when we were not made for ourselves?
If God made us, then it must be that He made us to Know Him, Love Him and Serve Him (Matthew 22:37-38)
That self-love is destructive and of the devil becomes easy to understand when we look into how Satan emerged. His self-love corrupted him into wanting to become like the Most High.
If you knew the millions of lives connected to you, you would know that to make decisions on the grounds of self-love is sheer mediocrity.
When next you catch yourself wanting to do things inspired by self-love, ask instead, what is the light of God's word concerning this matter?
For man was not made to pursue his happiness but to please the One who made him. That's where true and lasting happiness comes from.
#thelesserisincludedinthegreater
#SMF
Tuesday 2 June 2015
ON LIFE: Refuse the devil's lies in your marriage
There's a line of thought that's putting many Christians in terrible bondage in their marriage and that's the discuss today.
Listening to God's voice in your choice of a marriage partner is no doubt of utmost importance but the point today is, that you're facing challenges in your marriage is no pointer to any 'fact' that you're married to the wrong person.
That you're having a tough time in your marriage does not mean you made a mistake in the first place, or walked outside God's perfect will for you.
As Christians, when we face challenges, our first response is usually to turn the light on ourselves, to search out what we did or where we went wrong. You need to know that there's a devil somewhere whose KRA is to give you a life of misery and that's who you must be on the offensive against. Not your spouse.
The bible shows us that we will face trials, not because we have done something wrong, but because there is an adversary who's bent on giving you a hard life. Think about it! Once you're married, you're married. Even if you have 'proof' that Mr/Mrs Right wasn't the 'perfect will' after all, you can trust God to make all things beautiful in spite of the challenges.
So in the midst of the trouble in your marriage, don't turn the light on yourself (I made a mistake) or on your spouse (he/she is the mistake). That's Satan's ploy to give you misery on a platter. Turn the light on the devil and put him where he belongs; under your feet, while you work out your marriage with godly reverence.
#thistoowillpass#SMF
https://www.facebook.com/groups/864103666993573/
Listening to God's voice in your choice of a marriage partner is no doubt of utmost importance but the point today is, that you're facing challenges in your marriage is no pointer to any 'fact' that you're married to the wrong person.
That you're having a tough time in your marriage does not mean you made a mistake in the first place, or walked outside God's perfect will for you.
As Christians, when we face challenges, our first response is usually to turn the light on ourselves, to search out what we did or where we went wrong. You need to know that there's a devil somewhere whose KRA is to give you a life of misery and that's who you must be on the offensive against. Not your spouse.
The bible shows us that we will face trials, not because we have done something wrong, but because there is an adversary who's bent on giving you a hard life. Think about it! Once you're married, you're married. Even if you have 'proof' that Mr/Mrs Right wasn't the 'perfect will' after all, you can trust God to make all things beautiful in spite of the challenges.
So in the midst of the trouble in your marriage, don't turn the light on yourself (I made a mistake) or on your spouse (he/she is the mistake). That's Satan's ploy to give you misery on a platter. Turn the light on the devil and put him where he belongs; under your feet, while you work out your marriage with godly reverence.
#thistoowillpass#SMF
https://www.facebook.com/groups/864103666993573/
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