Failed me again

My human machine known as my body failed me once again. For the first time in a long time I had a migraine and this one was bad. The effects have lingered on even today.

I suppose that is when I can join the apostle Paul and the chorus of creation in repeating his words in Romans 8:22-23, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labours in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

I know in eternity my body will be fully made whole and function as it should. Praise God for the eternal hope that we can have in Him!

A town called Wallace

If I mentioned a little town called Wallace, Idaho, it probably would not ring any bells. However if you are a natural disaster movie fan like I am, you might know that this little town was the location chosen for the filming of the movie Dante's Peak.

More interestingly if you look at the history of this little town you will learn that it suffered a great fire in 1910 which destroyed one third of the town. Was this an ere prophecy of the things to come as the movie brought to life the amazing phenomenon we call Volcano's?

In scripture we see many such ere events and these are called types and shadow's. The events of the old testament declaring the prophecy of the messiah to come. Make no mistake, every moment in the past, present and future are planned by God and He knows the exact moment these events need to take place.

Take hope and courage in this that there is nothing God doesn't know.

Storms wake

The heavy rains, winds and storms we had over the last few days of last week almost completely trashed my herb garden.  The tomatoes which had already been overgrown became too heavy and collapsed with the rain.

While I was cutting them back off the fence so that I could dig them out, I noticed that a lot of the stems had died already and many were thin and lanky and had no strength but they all contributed to the overall weight off the pack.

Had I thinned them out during the growing process there might have been enough strength in the good plants for them to withstand the storm.  Storms provide us with a really unique opportunity.  That is the opportunity during the clean up to review the past and analyse the mistakes we have made.

If you have been through or are going through a storm right now, ask God to give you the strength to see what you can glean and learn through this painfull experience.

Slow progress

Well I finally got my phone back and oh the frustration of having to reload all my applications! It does seem to be working fine though so I suppose I should rejoice in the progress. My bedrooms spring cleaning is finally done, so tomorrow night I get to move back in.

Most times making progress through difficult times is very slow which can lead us feeling frustrated and sometimes even lost. This however is just not justified. We must learn that life has a pace and we can't rush things. Working through each of these processes is vital.

Know too that God is not hindered or limited by the speed of our progress. He can and will at any stage, blast us ahead and all of a sudden, it's all done! Believe that God is interested in every detail of your life and that He is a God of order. When we trust in Him, we will not fail!

Back to back

It seems like an eternity ago, but it really isn't. I had been retrenched from my job and although the news was initially a shock to deal with, I found faith and believed God could do a miracle. I decided to take a weeks leave first though and attend a church conference and spending a week under the word of God day and night, builds something amazing in you, faith.

I had faith that after the conference God would provide another job for me and He did, within 3 days. It was a great job and I had a lot of fun with it and learned a lot. However one afternoon my manager called me into his office with another staff member and the tension in the room could be cut with a knife....it was happening again. Another retrenchment, back to back off the last one and only a few months apart.

Once again, working through the hurt and not understanding how this could have happened twice in one year, this time I was nervous. I don't remember the details as they have become foggy, but I do remember one thing and that was that God came through for me again!

I know I'm not the only one who would have had a similar experience and maybe you are facing something similar right now. God knows how much you are hurting and He longs to hold you in His arms. Today He says to you, “Have faith, I will provide.”

When rains do fall

As the air dries and the rain falls become less, have you noticed that when it does rain in autumn the rains are longer and softer and deeper than earlier in the season? I believe it is natures way of preparing the earth for the long drought of winter.

Joel 2:23 speaks about this. “Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring.”

You see Joel tells us that these rains confirm God's faithfulness towards us. He will always provide ample rain in each season. Maybe you are entering into a time where you fear there may be drought lying ahead for you. Be encouraged and know today that God knows exactly what your needs are and He will provide exactly what you need.

N1 car park

Leaving work today at around 16:45 I wasn't anticipating any problems. I normally keep an ear open for traffic reports and often I've managed to duck onto Witkoppen Road if there are reports of problems on the highway. Problem is that it's a narrow window of opportunity. 1 hour later, I finally reached the highway, but there was no way to turn back. Later reports came through that there were 2 accidents on the road.

Another 45 minutes later I reached the first off ramp at William Nicole and as that looked fairly clear, I decided to duck off the highway and work my way back to Witkoppen. When I reached the Witkoppen off ramp, alas, ques again. Now 2 hours later I decided to double back and take a break at the nearest garage and stretch my legs. After a short stop I was back on the road and 3 hours later arrived at home.

Sadly in life other peoples accidents, mistakes and errors will affect us in many spheres of life. It seems so unfair as we did not create the problem. Unfortunately we have to learn to grit our teeth through the situation, ask God for strength and patience and then hang in there until we eventually get through it.

We need to remember that in all likelihood we will make mistakes in life that affect others too and we need others to show us grace and patience through these times. If you are stuck in the aftermath of other people's bad choices, take heart you are not alone. I pray God's strength through these times.

Moved downstairs

On Saturday I decided I'd sleep in as I didn't have any major plans for the day. After having breakfast, I went back to bed and expected to sleep till about 11 am. To my surprise I woke up at 14:30. Deciding my body obviously needed rest, I stayed in bed for the rest of the day with my laptop.

While in bed taking it easy, I decided that I would spend Sunday spring cleaning my bedroom, knowing that winter is approaching and my hours in my bedroom would become more as the cold sets in. Knowing it would take a bit more than just one day to complete, I moved my bedding downstairs to the sleeper couch and got to work. I got most of it done, just repacking wardrobes and washing curtains left to do.

In life and in faith we often need to do a bit of deep cleaning in order to prepare our hearts for the season that lies ahead. As these new seasons come they require of us a fresh perspective and to achieve this we need to get rid of the dust and grime that has built up over months or even years.

Maybe you are facing changes now and you are not too sure as to how to proceed. Start by doing a little soul searching and dump whatever baggage you have holding you back and clean our your spirit room and make place for God to bring wonderful blessings your way.

Aaaaargh!

Aaaaaaaaaarg! It's that time of year again and it is pressure pressure pressure!  And I wish I could say that audit was the only pressure that I was facing this time of year!

Pressure is not new to the human experience. The disciples felt pressure after Jesus died. What were they going to do? Jesus had supplied their needs and now they had no source of income.

So what did they do? They went back to their former career..... Fishing. Guess what, they fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus arrived at their shore the next morning, but they did not recognize Him.

He asked them to cast their nets on the other side and when they did, they caught so much fish their nets started breaking.

When we let Jesus direct us in our pressure times we can expect to see blessings overflowing.

Not for patience only

How many times have your read this passage?

James 1:2-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

I used to believe that this meant that trials were sent our way to develop character within us and that this process would develop the fruit of patience in our lives. While I still hold that to be true, I think I'm seeing another side to this scripture.

Isn't it true that it is only in the difficult and testing times that relationships are tested and developed? Be they career, friendship or even in marriage. Isn't it possible then that God uses trials to not only strengthen our character but also to develop the strength of our relationship with Him?

I believe God wants us to be fully convinced of His commitment to us and He sends trials our way to show us that He will always provide for us in whatever way we need Him too. If you are going through difficulties and trials right now, know that God is with you, He will see you through this situation and He will provide all that you need.

Letters

I often wonder about the Apostle Paul’s letters and how much more he would have written about if he had been able to write in more favourable circumstances.  Writing from a Roman prison was anything but ideal, but it did force Paul to stay on point. 

How are we communicating the gospel to others?  Are we staying on point or do we get the message blurred?  Then again are we communicating the message at all?  When life is so rushed, we often forget that there are hurting broken people out there who really need our help.

Often words can fail us when it comes to sharing the gospel but that is when our actions need to communicate the message for us.  Be yourself and be real, at the end of the day that’s all people really want is someone open that they can communicate with.

Repairs needed

For only the second time in sixteen years of using cell phones, I have had to take my phone into a repair center for checking and if necessary repair.  In the competitive world we live in today, that doesn't say much for the manufacturer and has made me regret my choice of phone.  That being said, it makes me wonder about our own 'brand' and how people perceive Christians today.  Sadly I fear that those who pay only lip service to our faith may be doing the greater cause some damage. 

We should not have to wear badges on our foreheads for people to know that we are Christians, it should come from natural observation, that's what being a true witness is all about.  If you are thinking to yourself that maybe this sounds a bit harsh or that a nerve has been pinched, don't feel guilty, not only have we all been there at one point or another but scripture tells us how to handle this.  Romans 8:1-2 reads, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.   For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Therefore we do not have to become legalistic about living out our faith but rather allow the word of God to work through us and change us through the grace of God.  Works will never change how people perceive us, only the grace and love of God can do that.  Will you allow the word to work in you and free you to live life a better witness for Christ?

Where shadows fall

I often watch the shadows as they move across my garden as this helps me to try and decide where best to plant certain sun sensitive plants. The beautiful thing is that as you watch the shadows move it is a silent reminder that our planet is constantly moving and in flux. We may not be able to see our part of the planet moving, but it is always in motion.

So too our spiritual walk with God. We have spiritual seasons, light and dark moments and even times of giving and receiving that mimic the ocean tides. Our relationship with God is constantly changing and hopefully if we have a heart after God, growing as well.

Even as the cells in our bodies are being constantly renewed, so too our relationship with God changes, grows and matures. So if today you find yourself in a slightly different place in your relationship with God to what it was yesterday or a year ago, take heart and know this is normal and it will always be part your our life, as we are....

Growing in God!

Marigold update – Look at my giants

Well some time back I wrote about my Marigolds and about tipping the odds in our favour to attain spiritual growth by increasing our efforts in reading God’s word.  Well it is time for an update on my planting efforts.  To bridge the story though I have to mention that at some stage I’d accidentally spilled heaps of cut worm bait/poison in the tyre stack where I’d planted my Raspberry plant. 

To my surprise areas in the garden where I thought I would see great growth of the Marigolds, turned up nothing but a few feathered leaves.  What was even more surprising was that the Marigold seeds that I sewed in the Raspberry patch have yielded giant Marigold plants.  Seriously, I mean they are like double or more the size of normal Marigolds.  So much so, that I decided to cut a few and pop them in a vase for an unusual bouquet. 

I think that what I’ve learned from this is that our spiritual growth won’t always come in the ways we expect it.  There are areas of our lives we may think are fruitful, when they really are not.  It is usually in the places of great poison or pain that we will see the most powerful growth.

So don’t despise those poisoned areas of your life.  God will turn them in to giant glorious testimonies of His love and grace.

Are you still standing?

It may have taken a while to get here, but our latest game show offering “Who's still standing” is quite fun. Outlasting one opponent in a quiz environment is challenging enough, but to have to drop 10 to get the big money is quite a big challenge. Not surprisingly most contestants opt out once they are given the opportunity to do so. What is strange though is to see some contestants drop out when they still have a free pass in their pocket.

We are trained to take the safe option. Failures in relationships, business and many other sources train us not to stick our neck out too far. While these life lessons usually hold great lessons for us to learn, they can make us dull to the voice of the Holy Spirit. There are certain times in life, when you know that you have heard from God and despite the current circumstances you know that you have to step out in faith and take the biggest risk you've ever taken.

The key to success here is to know that God truly has spoken to you. When you know His voice well it will be unmistakeable. Where possible, get confirmation. Someone you know will be able to witness to the fact that what you feel God is telling you, resonates in their spirit as well. Once you have that, weigh up the risks and if you feel that you are certain, make the jump.

I feel this message is for one or more people specifically. If that is you and you'd like me to pray for you, please email me at: GWG.Ronwyn@gmail.com

Not again!

I'm at it again! Fighting bugs that is. Just when you think you're rid of them you find another batch and you have to start the cleaning all over again; and more thoroughly each time; until eventually they are all gone.

The sin nature is like that. Although we are born again and our sins are covered, they creep back in over and over and we have to keep working at those issues constantly until we get it right. Well actually just until they are less prevalent as perfection will only come in heaven.

I saw it in another way today. I hadn't had a bad day but was feeling really frustrated over a particular aspect of my work. Of course I had to find a colleague to bleet too. It didn't make me feel any better, but I had vented.

On the drive home, I felt really guilty, not for the venting, but for moaning about something so trivial. After all, my woes didn't have me sweating drops of blood the way our saviour did before His crucifixion.

I think its time to suck it up and just deal with my petty issues, shjoe!

Dare to believe

I don't know if I can quite imagine the emotions of joy that must have come across the disciples when Jesus first reappeared to them. Those that could bear the glaring eyes of onlookers had watched His crucifixion.

Now He was standing before their eyes again and disbelief must have been rife. Jesus knew they would struggle to believe so He left them something tangible to behold. Although the rest of His body was fully healed He made a point of leaving the wounds on His hands, His feet and His side.

Not much is said in scripture about the days after His resurrection until His ascension but we know that Jesus appeared to many people after His resurrection. There was one message carried throughout this time.....

Believe and act on what you believe!