F.I.N.E.

In the movie, "The Italian job", Stella is reminded of the meaning if the word "FINE". Freaked out, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional.

I get how that feels. Life can hit us with huge obstacles.

That is why the bible tells us that Hope is the anchor for the soul. When we keep our eyes on God, he will redeem our situation.

Keep your eyes on Jesus!

Joints and marrow

Something that becomes abundantly clear any time you deal with bereavement, is the separation of Spirit, Soul and body. That person you knew before just isn't there any more. It is effectively like looking at an empty house.

The bible speaks about this in Hebrews 4 v 12: “For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

When we die, our spirit and soul leave together and go to God. The hope we have as Christians is that the bible tells us that when Christ returns, that the dead in Christ shall rise. If he made us from dust once before, he can do it again!

When in doubt...... laugh!

Life is stressful! Any given day will have a number of challenges we need to tackle. Stress really can kill so we need to learn to lighten up.

Ecclesiastes 3v4 tells us that there is a time to weep and a time to laugh. Sometimes your emotions are so clouded that we don't know whether to laugh or cry. I say, when in doubt laugh.

Weeping and mourning will come in their own time. Don't force emotions. Allow your heart to feel all your emotions, the good the bad and the ugly. It's part of becoming more honest with God, not masking how you feel will set you free.

You can run but you can't hide

I've been struck by a thought recently...... Who wants to come to the end of their lives and have people say, “I'm glad that's over”. Certainly not me, I'd like at least someone to cry at my funeral.....

The thing is, how are we treating people and how do we treat God?

Jeremiah 23:24 says - Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?"; declares the LORD. ";Do not I fill heaven and earth?"; declares the LORD. In our relationship with God, he desires for us to open and honest with him and to bear all our thoughts before him. Some people think they can treat their family, friends and colleagues any way they want to and it doesn't matter, but God sees everything we do.

Let's try to remember to treat people with love, respect and kindness in this life, so that God will honour our lives in the life hereafter.

Legal eagle

In the 80's and 90's, television show's about lawers and law were extremely popular. Leading one to believe that access to the legal system was relatively easy. I learned through life experience that this is simply not the case. Highering a lawyer can be extremely expensive and it is only those with money that succeed in getting the assistance they need. Do you find yourself in that position?

I have good news for you. The bible says in John 14 v 16 [Amplified]: And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Councelor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Standby), that He will remain with you forever......Notice all the capitals, that's not a typing error, all of these words are used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit.

An advocate is one who pleads his clients case in a court of law. Guess what, if you are in a bind, you can pray to the Holy Spirit to give you the wisdom as to how to address a legal matter. This scripture does not only apply to Christ pleading our case before God for salvation. When you need Him, you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you and he will guide your words and actions.

Whatever situation you may be facing, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to interceed on your behalf to God for your situation and ask him to councel you in wisdom.

El Olam! Everlasting God

You're always there

You're always strong

You stand by me

When things go wrong

Your power and might

My strength by night

You face the fight

You're my delight

You never leave

To that I cleave

You know my need

Through you I'm freed

Oh Sovereign Lord!

I started writing this blog in November 2010 with the idea of sharing my personal walk with God and how I live out my relationship with him every day, with the hope that as I do so that others will be encouraged to walk a deeper, closer relationship with him. No time has been more so than the past week or so. I began the series on the names of God due to something I was going through when I started it. Each day as I have meditated on God's names he has tested, challenged and reaffirmed my understanding of his nature.

Today as I was meditating on El Elyon, the most high God, I have come face to face with his sovereignty. It is my personal belief that God in his wisdom has numbered the days of man and decides when we come to this earth and when it is our time to leave. I also believe that the method of our passing is insignificant and that he will not let us leave until we have fulfilled the purpose that he has sent us here for. Today I received news that my grandmother, Joyce Hughes had passed away in Margate.

I therefore dedicate today's blog to my grandmother to honour her life and that through her my father and then myself have been given the opportunity to spend our time on earth. I give honour to God that he has the supreme authority to give life and take it away.

This blog is dedicated in loving memory of Joyce Hughes who has passed away on 22 June 2011.

Old shut eye

A junior grade school teacher asked her young learners, “So what is God's name?” to which young Matthew replied, “That's easy miss, it's Old shut eye”. Curious about this new definition the teacher raised the matter with Matthew's mother at home time. “Oh”, she said, “young Matthew heard the preacher call God El Shaddai, a name he couldn't comprehend so Old shut eye it became”.

Well I could have been excused for thinking God was old shut eye today when bairly a week after an operation, my car clutch cable snapped on the way to work and had to go in for repairs. Then again we all KNOW where our attack comes from. El Shaddai means God almighty and stresses God's loving supply and comfort. Some refer to this as the feminine nature of God.

No one models this more to me than my loving mother, who has supported me through thick and thin and never waivered in her love and support, no matter what the cost. God will always supply a solution and yes, he has already paid the maximum price for us to know that he loves us and he will always comfort us through every trial we face.

Bling bling

Without gold diamonds just wouldn't be a girls best friend, except of course if you're a platinum fan. The process of extracting gold from the ore is a fairly simple one. The ore is melted in furnaces until it becomes liquid. Then the rock and other unwanted metals are skimmed off the top leaving the pure gold.

Simply speaking it's a process of seperation. Well that's what God does with us when he sanctifies us and becomes Yahweh Maccaddeshcem (The Lord my sanctifier) in our lives. He sets us apart as special for his unique purpose.

Many struggle with finding God's plan for their lives. If you are searching for purpose ask God to reveal to you what he has sanctified you for. I have confidence that as you open your heart the Holy Spirit will reveal more of his purpose to you!

Reverse justice

Innocent until proven guilty. That's the assumption our justice system is predicated on. God's justice system is way different. Jesus came along and pronounced us guilty.

That ain't fair you say! You are right, but did Jesus HAVE to die for us? What did Jesus know that we didn't? He knew that there was nothing we could do to earn our salvation so he took our sin upon himself and in place of our mess, he gave us his righteousness. He became Yahweh Tsidkenu (The Lord my Righteousness).

Guess what else he did? He gave us his righteousness as a breastplate to guard our hearts from external attack, giving us a protected space to deal with all our sin and "work out our salvation", i.e. Learn how to walk in righteousness.

You can feel safe asking God to help you heal your spiritual wounds while he covers your heart. Allow your heart to trust in him.

Ahoy there!

In a world filled with war, I wonder sometimes if we have completely lost the ability to know God's peace in the true essence of the word.  Peace.....it should be worth more than gold yet we have forgotten how to prize peace or how to arrive at a peaceful state.

Many confuse peace with the calm that comes from meditation.  This is not peace but simply quietness.  True peace is something that can be found in the middle of the most tumultuous storm. Do you remember where the disciples found Jesus when they were in the storm?  Fast asleep downstairs.  Jesus must have been a real heavy sleeper :-)

How is it that Jesus managed to sleep through all the commotion? He knew where he was heading and that God would get them there.  He knew Yahweh Shalom and he knew that he had nothing to fear.

Can Jesus sleep in your boat? 

I neeeeeeeed it!

Most of us have spent time with a demanding 4 or 5 year old. My favourite kid quote, "I neeeeeeeeed it!" Said for almost everything.

That's often how we approach Yahweh Jireh, The Lord my provider. We come with our shopping list focused on our physical needs.

We get so focused on the wrong things that we miss seeing the hand of God in everyday occurrences. The loving heart of a mother, the support of a brother or the hug of a friend.

God provides us with love and support in so many ways. Open your heart and allow God to reveal more of himself to you.

Surgery not optional

So this week I had to go to for a small opperation and understanding the problem I wasn't about to argue with the surgeon. The question arises, where was Yahweh Rapha (The Lord who heals) in the middle of that situation?

Well I believe he was right next to the surgeon guiding his hand right through surgery. It did get me thinking though. Why? Because the surgery was to open my gums to remove some infection.

See any parrallels? I did. How often don't we need the Holy Spirit to come and do emotional surgery to remove bitterness from deep within us? Yahweh Rapha is not on there to heal us physically but emotionally too.

Coffee date

One of my favourite things to do in life is meeting friends for coffee at one of my favourite coffee shops. The excitement is not only in the knowledge that I'll be able to enjoy a good cup of coffee but rather who I will be meeting and spending time with as it is always with someone I consider a close friend and someone who's company stimulates me in one way or another.

It's a moment of being able to look forward to something in the future because that person will be there. Yahweh Shammah means the Lord is there and portrays the Lord's personal presence in the millennial kingdom. Simply this means that we can look forward to our time in heaven because God will be there.

On a more complex note though, some future events can be scary and we may be afraid of a particular circumstance that we are dealing with. Yahweh Shammah means that we can rest in the knowledge that when we get to that event, God will be there to meet us and walk with us through that situation.

If you are fearing something in the future, declare God's presence to that place!

Horses and chariots

Picture horses and chariots of the most powerful army on earth and your mind may no doubt remember scenes from movies like Troy. Every nation or tribe in the known earth had a tribe flag (a bit like survivor) which represented the nation and under which they fought. This flag gave them identity and declared who they were to their enemy.

Yahweh Nissi means the Lord my banner and stresses that God is our rallying point and our means of victory, the one who fights for his people. Not only does God ensure our victory in life but he also supplies the army to do so.

Along with this, God is our identity. His presence in our lives separates us from those who live without him. So many people struggle with issues surrounding their identity, but unless we fully recognize WHAT God has created us to be, we will never know WHO God has created us to be. If we deny WHAT we are, we deny the existence of God in our lives.

Have you truly found your identity in God? Do you have Faith in God to go before you and fight your battles?

Say Baaaah!

I was reminded today when dealing with an issue of the loving nurturing nature of God. God's names are a way that we can get to know God better. Yahweh Ro'i means “The Lord my Shepherd”. This portrays the Lord as the Shepherd who cares for his people. 

 

What is meant by this though. Well what does a shepherd do? He guides the sheep to pasture. He protects the flock from attack. He guides the sheep to safety. I'm pretty sure that after some time spent with the sheep he gets to know them and can tell them apart by their behaviour. 

 

Most importantly when a sheep gets into trouble and gets wounded, he carries the sheep back to the flock and carefully tends its wounds. God's love for us is so great that he will never leave us alone. God loves you and he will always take care of you. He has already paid the ultimate price for you. So rest in his love and nurturing care.

Under the Sun

There is no amount of good preaching that can take away the fact that sometimes life just sucks! Very often the cause of the sucky moment just won't go away without a fight. That's the time when we usually feel most alone.

Solomon said it well, "there is nothing new under the sun". By this he meant that there is nothing new to the human experience. So what do we need to do to get through these tough moments?

First, seek wise council. Joseph Prince reminded me of the 2nd item. Release the power in you by praying in the Holy Spirit. This releases the Holy Spirit to pray on our behalf to God. Then, ask God so send angels to minister to your situation.

Lastly, have faith in God. He knows what you are going through and what you need.

Burnt Veld

With all the joy that comes with seasons, the thing I hate most about winter is when they burn the grass and there's little pieces of black soot flying about and then there's the allergies, yug! It all just seems such a nuisance. But do you know what the benefits of burning all that grass are?

Well here's a short list: Prevents worse fire's; prepares the land for new growth; removes excess vegetation; helps plants germinate; thins overcrowded areas; thinned forests recover faster and are more resitant to insects and disease and creates diversity needed by wildlife.

Wow! Don't know about you but that speaks volumes to me about our spiritual and emotional journey's in life. So often we go through experiences which to use seem to be devastating fires at the time, yet little do we recognise the work that God is doing and the renewed life that will come out of that disaster. So if you've been through the fire, smile because what Satan meant to destroy you is becoming fertilizer for God's devine plan of restoration!

Springtime and rain

The one advantage of living in Johannesburg is that you really do get an opportunity to watch the seasons change. At the coast it's either hot or raining and winters are mild. Watching the leaves turn brown and then fall in autum is a warning that winter is on the way.

Then almost magically and before the rains even start, little green buds form and you know that spring is on the way.

In the same way that our earth has seasons, our spiritual lives go through seasons as well. How do we cope when things in life appear to not quite be going right?

This is the time to remember that in the same way the rains return in spring and feed the earth, so too our lives will get back to a place of fruitfullness and being renewed.

Only my mom could!

For most people 2 June 1953 will be remembered as the Queens coronation. It was on this day that a pretty 2 year old girl received a telegram saying, "The whole world is celebrating your birthday." This little girl was Madeleine June Smith, my mother.

Now only my mother on her 60th birthday would send cake to ME. What a surprise that was! No one know's how to spread a little cheer like she does.

Through her I've learned the secrets to true Godly compassion and caring for others. Her spirit of tenacity and courage in the face of trauma has inspired me to be strong!

Mom, you're the best! Happy 60th Birthday!

Guard your heart

Yesterday we looked at the armour of God. In Psalm 28:7 David writes, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped.” David says that God is not only his protector in battle but that God himself gave him the strength to carry our shield. There is more to this scripture than just physical protection.

David says “My heart trusted in him”. We need to use the shield of God to not only move forward and engage in spiritual battle, but we need to use the shield to guard our hearts in our relationships.

We need to use God's word as a shield to protect us as we engage in all our relationships, work, friends and romantic. When we guard our hearts and build strong boundaries, we can grow in trust with those around us and still protect our souls.

Strangely most of us struggle to “let our guard down” in relationships, not realizing that we should be doing is in fact keeping our guard up. That is until that person has earned our trust and shown themselves to be faithful to us. If your heart has been wounded to a dagger to the heart, ask God for healing and then ask him to help you keep that shield up until he let's you know that it is safe to go further.