Each church has its forte and for Mosaiek (Mosaic) theirs is definitely Easter and celebrating the crucifixion of our Lord in a real and meaningful way. The time of Lent is emphasized and Holy week is celebrated with many wonderful meetings and experiences throughout the week. The highlight for me though is always the Stations of the Cross art exhibition and I know I have mentioned that last year as well.
What makes it special though is that each year the display is done differently but with the same core elements so although you know what to expect, it is still fresh every time. The cross is always central to the exhibit and throughout your walk through the maze you can hear nails being hammered into the cross. It really hits you hard and the reality of Christs sacrifice is brought to life.
This year the tomb was open and as you walked inside the figure of our Lord laying there dead and lifeless was awe inspiring. As I left though I was missing one key element though and that was a depiction of our risen saviour.........
But then I realized that I am that image. Though in life I have my faults and frailties and at times some may wonder if Christ is in me, I know that God forgives my sin.......isn't that what HE died for anyway?
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
The year of the angry bee
Up until last year I could confidently boast that in 40 years I had only been stung by a bee once as a child. Luckily there were no side effects that time. Strangely though in the last four months I've been stung twice. The December sting left no immediate after affect but a week later my foot swelled up but it did heal. The next sting happened on Sunday and it is still a little red and swollen but I'm on antihistamine's and hoping all will be okay.
Why does this all bother me? Well because my dad was highly allergic and I remember seeing his whole face swell up in a deadly sting. I therefore know that at any time my current good fortune of being able to weather the stings okay could at any time change and become deadly as I've been told that bee sting immunity cannot be guaranteed for life. I know that danger can come from anywhere but knowing it could be a sting away is really scary.
None of Jesus disciples knew the path that lay ahead of them. For 11 our of 12 disciples, the thought that Judas would betray the Christ would never have crossed their minds. Peter never dreamed that the day would come when he would deny that he knew Jesus..... and none, I mean none, would have believed that their charismatic leader, Jesus the healer and miracle worker, would ever be captured, tried and crucified.
But all of the above did happen and Jesus did go to the cross! And thus Satan would have us believe that danger lurks everywhere and that he, Satan is all powerful.....
We know different!
Why does this all bother me? Well because my dad was highly allergic and I remember seeing his whole face swell up in a deadly sting. I therefore know that at any time my current good fortune of being able to weather the stings okay could at any time change and become deadly as I've been told that bee sting immunity cannot be guaranteed for life. I know that danger can come from anywhere but knowing it could be a sting away is really scary.
None of Jesus disciples knew the path that lay ahead of them. For 11 our of 12 disciples, the thought that Judas would betray the Christ would never have crossed their minds. Peter never dreamed that the day would come when he would deny that he knew Jesus..... and none, I mean none, would have believed that their charismatic leader, Jesus the healer and miracle worker, would ever be captured, tried and crucified.
But all of the above did happen and Jesus did go to the cross! And thus Satan would have us believe that danger lurks everywhere and that he, Satan is all powerful.....
We know different!
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Earth hour 2015
Taking time out this past Saturday to celebrate Earth hour at home was a quiet affair. Just me, my fire and the bugs, the kitties weren't too interested in this one. I sat there enjoying the glow of the fire light thinking about what this meant to me. In one moment when I needed to go inside the thought crossed my mind, how nice it was to have power (electricity) but to choose not to use it.
That hit home really deeply. In my own personal life I know that I have had many struggles about my fears and need for control and thinking that I need to give this up can be really scary. But Jesus faced the same issue and showed us exactly how to deal with it.
As Jesus sat outside Jerusalem and wept for this Holy city, contemplating the path He must now take, I know that He would have had similar thoughts. You see Jesus was born of the line of David and was an heir to the throne of Israel through both Joseph and Mary's blood line. He could have chosen at that moment to ride into Jerusalem and declare His Kingship and legally taken His place as the King of Israel.
What Jesus chose to do however was the complete opposite. He did not ride into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday on horse and chariot but on a lowly donkey. He surrendered His claim to the throne of Israel so that He could earn a much greater title, King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all the earth.....but more importantly, King of our hearts and lives!
Will you let Jesus be King in your heart today?
That hit home really deeply. In my own personal life I know that I have had many struggles about my fears and need for control and thinking that I need to give this up can be really scary. But Jesus faced the same issue and showed us exactly how to deal with it.
As Jesus sat outside Jerusalem and wept for this Holy city, contemplating the path He must now take, I know that He would have had similar thoughts. You see Jesus was born of the line of David and was an heir to the throne of Israel through both Joseph and Mary's blood line. He could have chosen at that moment to ride into Jerusalem and declare His Kingship and legally taken His place as the King of Israel.
What Jesus chose to do however was the complete opposite. He did not ride into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday on horse and chariot but on a lowly donkey. He surrendered His claim to the throne of Israel so that He could earn a much greater title, King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all the earth.....but more importantly, King of our hearts and lives!
Will you let Jesus be King in your heart today?
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Just a perfect evening
This mornings rain and load shedding meant chaos on the roads and getting to work was a nightmare, leaving me stressed from the start of the day. The rest of the day was so so but then our office area got hit with load shedding at 3pm and our network was down and unlikely to get back up any time soon. When the boss said we could leave, I didn't need a second invitation. I guess I'll have to pay for my being late sins later, tee hee!
Getting home early though meant that I had enough time to get all the house work done before darting off to art group, which was then thoroughly enjoyed. Hopefully I'll get to bed early and will be able to get an early start to Friday.
I told our art group leader that this is heaven for the melancholy in me....structured art time! Lol! Being able to just be present in soul and spirit in something creative is just the best thing ever, it keeps me fully connected to what is happening right in front of me.
Have you found your thoughts wondering of in a hundred directions? Ask yourself, what is in my chore? Then make the time to do that. God will honour every endeavour you set out to do in order to be feel gratitude for the here and now.
Getting home early though meant that I had enough time to get all the house work done before darting off to art group, which was then thoroughly enjoyed. Hopefully I'll get to bed early and will be able to get an early start to Friday.
I told our art group leader that this is heaven for the melancholy in me....structured art time! Lol! Being able to just be present in soul and spirit in something creative is just the best thing ever, it keeps me fully connected to what is happening right in front of me.
Have you found your thoughts wondering of in a hundred directions? Ask yourself, what is in my chore? Then make the time to do that. God will honour every endeavour you set out to do in order to be feel gratitude for the here and now.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Subtle shades of paint
When I renovated my bedroom and bathroom I was determined to
get rid of the white walls and boy am I glad I did that. The toffee main
wall brings an awesome warmth into the room like. I seldom complain if I
have to light the candles at night now as the warm candle light against the
wall is incredible. The rest of the walls have been painted a light egg shell
white which relaxes the eye. Most importantly the ceiling is now clearly
separated and white, which is actually good and gives dimension to the
space.
I was in an office this evening after work that also made me ponder the colour of walls. It was a new block and they had used a pale grey. I've never liked grey but done like that looked real unique. You see its all about contrast and the balance that brings to a room.
In our relationships with others we will be attracted to individuals who bring some of the same but most likely a little different views of life to what we have, be that professional or romantic. These contrasts bring balance to the relationship and helps forge new ways of thinking.
God likes to do that. He likes to challenge the way we think and bring about paradigm shifts into our lives that become the catalysts of change. In my teenage years I remember many a youth camp that left me fascinated and pondering the our awesome God.
When last did you allow God to challenge your train of thought or the way you do things? Maybe it is time to let God set the chess board and let the games begin.
I was in an office this evening after work that also made me ponder the colour of walls. It was a new block and they had used a pale grey. I've never liked grey but done like that looked real unique. You see its all about contrast and the balance that brings to a room.
In our relationships with others we will be attracted to individuals who bring some of the same but most likely a little different views of life to what we have, be that professional or romantic. These contrasts bring balance to the relationship and helps forge new ways of thinking.
God likes to do that. He likes to challenge the way we think and bring about paradigm shifts into our lives that become the catalysts of change. In my teenage years I remember many a youth camp that left me fascinated and pondering the our awesome God.
When last did you allow God to challenge your train of thought or the way you do things? Maybe it is time to let God set the chess board and let the games begin.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Oooeeeee! So close!
Ooooohhh! It was so close but yet so far! 2 balls from SA remaining with 5 runs needed by New Zealand and they smacked it for a 6! Heart break for SA but joy for New Zealand in front of their home crowd.
On the team sports field there is always one looser and one winner. In the spiritual realm that's no different. Satan looses, God wins, it has been scripted from the dawn of time. That is why we can boldly proclaim, "Christ in me, the hope of Glory!" We know the end and in the end, we win!
But take that down to a very personal level into our everyday lives. The devil will do anything, I mean anything, to break our spirit and destroy our morale. That's when you need to look yourself in the mirror and boldly proclaim:
On the team sports field there is always one looser and one winner. In the spiritual realm that's no different. Satan looses, God wins, it has been scripted from the dawn of time. That is why we can boldly proclaim, "Christ in me, the hope of Glory!" We know the end and in the end, we win!
But take that down to a very personal level into our everyday lives. The devil will do anything, I mean anything, to break our spirit and destroy our morale. That's when you need to look yourself in the mirror and boldly proclaim:
- Devil, you're a liar, I am already victorious in Christ!
- I am capable of achieving anything I set my heart to!
- I am God's unique creation, beautiful in every way!
Monday, March 23, 2015
No words
Over the last four or so years that I have
been writing I have become so accustomed to writing through life's
joys and life's pains. Sometimes though it is just inappropriate to
do so and that has left me with a loss for words over the last few
days. I had taken some time to attend to some personal issues but
even though I had the time to write, the words just wouldn't come.
Tonight is no different really but I
know I made a commitment to make this blog a part of my life and thus
I have to honour that decision. So are there times in our spiritual
lives when we need to keep things hidden or secret? Most definitely.
In Matthew 6 Jesus addresses the issues
of charitable deeds, giving and prayer and says that all of these
should be done in secret or without boasting as when we display these
openly we receive our reward from man, but we will miss the rewards
of God's approval and blessing. Therefore we should check our hearts
and our attitudes when give and when we spend time with God in prayer
and keep these things hidden in our secret place.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
What thunder?
During tonight's lovely thunder storm one loud clap had me peering over to my kitty's to check if they were okay. Why? Because at the beginning of the spring rainy season, after months of winter drought and silence, my kitties get a real nasty fright at the thunder storms and it usually sends them into hiding. Well this time however, they were completely relaxed.
I talked last night about fear and how that holds us back, but the amazing thing is that if we face our fears and deal with things head on, we usually get to a point of complete peace faced with a similar situation later on.
So how do we minimize our fears? One good acronym I've seen for fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. That is what the devil does, he makes us afraid and blows things totally out of proportion. The next is to focus on what God's word tells us and to listen to God's voice when He says:
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
When we turn our eyes and our hearts towards God and trust in His will for our lives, we can have complete confidence that God will fulfill His word.
I talked last night about fear and how that holds us back, but the amazing thing is that if we face our fears and deal with things head on, we usually get to a point of complete peace faced with a similar situation later on.
So how do we minimize our fears? One good acronym I've seen for fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. That is what the devil does, he makes us afraid and blows things totally out of proportion. The next is to focus on what God's word tells us and to listen to God's voice when He says:
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
When we turn our eyes and our hearts towards God and trust in His will for our lives, we can have complete confidence that God will fulfill His word.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Back to the muppets: Moving right along
This subject has popped up twice tonight in different conversations so I guess it bares attention. That subject being why we don't let go and move forward with life in a positive direction. Again I was reminded of one of my favourite Muppet songs, "Moving right along."
Moving right along, duppy dum, foot loose and fancy free.......... If only!
So why do we hang on so tight, be it to a relationship, a financial disaster a death in the family or any other catastrophe? Well primarily it is because we haven't dealt with all the seven stages of grief, and grief is not only limited to death. One very key factor I believe we get stuck is because of fear.
The fear of letting go is primarily because we believe there is nothing better out there than what we have already experienced. We don't feel good enough to have another relationship; we don't feel that we are good enough to find another job; we don't feel we are wise enough to make better choices with our money....ring true? Certainly does for me and if we are honest we have all been there.
So what do we do? I could say it like it was a cliche, "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me", but look at that sentence closely: I can [I believe I can], do all things [that really does mean anything I need to do], through Christ [for He is the only one that is able to truly be my source] who strengthens [He gives me all His power and might] me [yes ME].
Once again I have to go back to the basis of our faith and that is that it is real and that Christ really can do anything we ask Him to do in our lives and in that we can and must have confidence.
Moving right along, duppy dum, foot loose and fancy free.......... If only!
So why do we hang on so tight, be it to a relationship, a financial disaster a death in the family or any other catastrophe? Well primarily it is because we haven't dealt with all the seven stages of grief, and grief is not only limited to death. One very key factor I believe we get stuck is because of fear.
The fear of letting go is primarily because we believe there is nothing better out there than what we have already experienced. We don't feel good enough to have another relationship; we don't feel that we are good enough to find another job; we don't feel we are wise enough to make better choices with our money....ring true? Certainly does for me and if we are honest we have all been there.
So what do we do? I could say it like it was a cliche, "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me", but look at that sentence closely: I can [I believe I can], do all things [that really does mean anything I need to do], through Christ [for He is the only one that is able to truly be my source] who strengthens [He gives me all His power and might] me [yes ME].
Once again I have to go back to the basis of our faith and that is that it is real and that Christ really can do anything we ask Him to do in our lives and in that we can and must have confidence.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Kapoof! It's gone!
Well now here is an interesting twist to the story about the rubble and seems God wasn't done teaching me through the mess. One of the rubble by products was the old shower door that was removed. I had tried to give it away to charity or whomever may need it, but it just wouldn't budge. Then an idea occurred to me, why not use the door panels to make shelving to put pot plants on.
So good now I had a plan. Trouble was, no sooner had the plan hatched when the gardeners accidentally shattered the one panel with a stone while mowing. Well no harm no foul really, so I wasn't upset, but I had to dismantle it (which was fun by the way) and remove the remaining two panels. During the process the shattered glass fell everywhere.
I vacuumed up what I could but there were just some pieces left behind, so I dropped the garden service a note just to ask for their assistance in removing the remaining glass pieces. Well they not only did that, but politely removed the remaining rubble eliminating my problem completely. Say cheeeeeese! :-)
What I gained from this is that once God is satisfied that we have learned what we need to from a problem, He is content for us to move forward and He will eliminate the left overs. Next, God most certainly hears our plight and He will step in to assist when He feels the time is right.
So again, do you have a pile of rubble you've been dealing with? If so, keep working at it one small bit at a time and trust that when God sees fit he will remove the obstacles and restore you to a place of peace and harmony.
So good now I had a plan. Trouble was, no sooner had the plan hatched when the gardeners accidentally shattered the one panel with a stone while mowing. Well no harm no foul really, so I wasn't upset, but I had to dismantle it (which was fun by the way) and remove the remaining two panels. During the process the shattered glass fell everywhere.
I vacuumed up what I could but there were just some pieces left behind, so I dropped the garden service a note just to ask for their assistance in removing the remaining glass pieces. Well they not only did that, but politely removed the remaining rubble eliminating my problem completely. Say cheeeeeese! :-)
What I gained from this is that once God is satisfied that we have learned what we need to from a problem, He is content for us to move forward and He will eliminate the left overs. Next, God most certainly hears our plight and He will step in to assist when He feels the time is right.
So again, do you have a pile of rubble you've been dealing with? If so, keep working at it one small bit at a time and trust that when God sees fit he will remove the obstacles and restore you to a place of peace and harmony.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Pile of rubble
After my renovations last year, I was left with a side effect I hadn't counted on and one which contractors failed to bring to my attention and that was the amount of rubble that the renovation would cause that needed to be cleared away afterwards. I hadn't budgeted for it so it kind of hung around. I've been removing it bit by bit but it has been frustrating.
I have been beating myself up about the slow progress on this but today that pile of rubble taught me something. Firstly that the rubble was a result of an accident. It wasn't something I did wrong but something that happened too me that I had to deal with. How often in life does that not happen? Things happen too us: rape, abuse, neglect, hatred, death, financial loss and in the end we are left with a mess to clean up.
Secondly, no matter what the origin, 'stuff' takes time to deal with and sometimes you just cannot rush the process. You have to remove the rubble, i.e. mess of the heartache and pain, one bit at a time. Ultimately though it will be dealt with.
Whatever your pile of rubble is, bring it to God. Ask Him for wisdom and strength and ask Him to give you the guidance you need to be able to deal with the 'mess' in your heart and soul. His desire is for us to live a life of purpose, so allow Him to be your mentor in every way.
I have been beating myself up about the slow progress on this but today that pile of rubble taught me something. Firstly that the rubble was a result of an accident. It wasn't something I did wrong but something that happened too me that I had to deal with. How often in life does that not happen? Things happen too us: rape, abuse, neglect, hatred, death, financial loss and in the end we are left with a mess to clean up.
Secondly, no matter what the origin, 'stuff' takes time to deal with and sometimes you just cannot rush the process. You have to remove the rubble, i.e. mess of the heartache and pain, one bit at a time. Ultimately though it will be dealt with.
Whatever your pile of rubble is, bring it to God. Ask Him for wisdom and strength and ask Him to give you the guidance you need to be able to deal with the 'mess' in your heart and soul. His desire is for us to live a life of purpose, so allow Him to be your mentor in every way.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Getting social
I decided it was time for me to get out of my comfort zone (also known as house) and get to doing something social, so I decided to have a look at joining and arts group. I was almost at the door but didn't see the step.....and down I went. Oh the joy's of having a hearing defect :-( Well one twisted ankle, a sore knee cap and a very bruised ego later I made it inside.
Needless to say I wasn't feeling very creative tonight so I just enjoyed the chats and hopefully next time will go better. Well in our quest to live by faith there will be times when we are almost at our goal and we get tripped up by life.
Know that whatever your goal is, going down with a fall will be part and parcel of a normal process. Don't get discouraged, get back up and continue to do what you planned to do. God will give you strength to get through a difficult situation.
Needless to say I wasn't feeling very creative tonight so I just enjoyed the chats and hopefully next time will go better. Well in our quest to live by faith there will be times when we are almost at our goal and we get tripped up by life.
Know that whatever your goal is, going down with a fall will be part and parcel of a normal process. Don't get discouraged, get back up and continue to do what you planned to do. God will give you strength to get through a difficult situation.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Feed the monkey!
When you go to the zoo or to the game reserves, what is the first thing they tell you? Please don't feed the monkey's. Why, because monkey's in particular can be a right royal pain once they've figured our you have food. They will follow you, hound you and down right attack you if they have too to get at the food. Much like fanning the flames of a runaway fire.
Well with our faith we must to the opposite.....FEED the monkey! Feed your faith with everything and anything that you can. The bible tells us how to develop and build our faith:
Well with our faith we must to the opposite.....FEED the monkey! Feed your faith with everything and anything that you can. The bible tells us how to develop and build our faith:
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
There are many, many ways to hear the word of God: Preaching and teaching; reading your bible; talking about scripture in a cell group or with friends; watching video's; listening to CD's and the list goes on.
The point is that we must use any and every available tool to us in order to develop our faith and encourage ourselves in our faith because I can tell you one thing for sure, once you start walking in faith the devil is going to attack you head on and if you aren't prepared or if you are not feeding your spirit the Word of God, you will fall. Now failure isn't fatal, but if you can avoid a set back at this point you should do so at all cost.
So how are you going to feed your monkey today?
Monday, March 9, 2015
For a reason
So what's up with all the 'faith talk' I hear you asking? Well right now I am believing that God will do something special in my life and with less than 10 months to go to the end of the year, it looks totally impossible! So right now, I need every reminder I can find that faith in God truly works and that God can and will bring His word to pass in my life. That's why I need to remind myself of the following:
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
When we start our faith walk the most vital ingredient to it is firstly to believe that God exists. Once we agree on His existence we must believe that He wants to reward our faith. When we have confidence in this fact, we can begin our efforts in diligently seeking His face and His will for our lives.
I get all that but why does God say that it is impossible to please Him without faith? Because we cannot see Him in the natural so our entire relationship with Him is built on faith.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
When we start our faith walk the most vital ingredient to it is firstly to believe that God exists. Once we agree on His existence we must believe that He wants to reward our faith. When we have confidence in this fact, we can begin our efforts in diligently seeking His face and His will for our lives.
I get all that but why does God say that it is impossible to please Him without faith? Because we cannot see Him in the natural so our entire relationship with Him is built on faith.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
CSI
I'm fascinated by forensics in all its forms, be it the study of financial crime or murder or any other crime investigation, they all have one thing in common: They study the evidence or after effects of the crime to determine what happened. Evidence is by its nature therefore past tense as you cannot have evidence of a crime that is not yet committed. So how on earth do we get "evidence of things not yet seen?"
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
That, I believe, depends on who's eyes have not yet seen the evidence........Lol! Brain twister for a Sunday night.
Let me back it up again. God says that our Faith is evidence of things not yet seen. In our hearts and minds we are still grappling with the overwhelming challenge of believing for things that we are not able to make happen in our own strength, but when we place our faith in God, He brings it to pass immediately. He just doesn't allow it to manifest in our lives immediately but waits until our faith is strong and completed in Him before the manifestation is made real here on earth in our time.
The moment we first place our faith in God, he manifests the object of our faith in heaven and that is why He is able to look back to us and say that our faith is evidence, because He sees it in front of Him! That is powerful! That means it is only a matter of time before it manifests before us, therefore we should have confidence the moment we place our faith in God that what we are believing for will come to pass!
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
That, I believe, depends on who's eyes have not yet seen the evidence........Lol! Brain twister for a Sunday night.
Let me back it up again. God says that our Faith is evidence of things not yet seen. In our hearts and minds we are still grappling with the overwhelming challenge of believing for things that we are not able to make happen in our own strength, but when we place our faith in God, He brings it to pass immediately. He just doesn't allow it to manifest in our lives immediately but waits until our faith is strong and completed in Him before the manifestation is made real here on earth in our time.
The moment we first place our faith in God, he manifests the object of our faith in heaven and that is why He is able to look back to us and say that our faith is evidence, because He sees it in front of Him! That is powerful! That means it is only a matter of time before it manifests before us, therefore we should have confidence the moment we place our faith in God that what we are believing for will come to pass!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Caste the grappling hook
I've never done mountain climbing, although I find it fascinating, but I've seen enough in movies to know that sometimes to get from one point to another, you need a little help. That is often when a rope tied to a grappling hook is used. The rope is swung rodeo style and then thrown to the next location and once you have a connection and the hook is stable, you can pull yourself from one point to another.
That's precisely the picture I want you to have in mind when you consider these next few words (marked in blue):
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hope and hoped are both important here. Hope being future tense, is the spiritual force that gives us the courage to push on for God. When we act positively in faith we caste our spiritual grappling hook from the place in life that we are now to where we want to be. Hoped in the past tense will apply to the evidence we will discuss next time.
Have you been standing in faith and believing God for something and wondering why it isn't coming to pass? Well maybe it is because you haven't caste the grappling hook of hope to the place where you want to be. To caste your grappling hook, you need to get a very clear picture in your mind of having what you are believing for in your life now. When the picture is strong enough, you can pull yourself forward.
That's precisely the picture I want you to have in mind when you consider these next few words (marked in blue):
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hope and hoped are both important here. Hope being future tense, is the spiritual force that gives us the courage to push on for God. When we act positively in faith we caste our spiritual grappling hook from the place in life that we are now to where we want to be. Hoped in the past tense will apply to the evidence we will discuss next time.
Have you been standing in faith and believing God for something and wondering why it isn't coming to pass? Well maybe it is because you haven't caste the grappling hook of hope to the place where you want to be. To caste your grappling hook, you need to get a very clear picture in your mind of having what you are believing for in your life now. When the picture is strong enough, you can pull yourself forward.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Back it up
We've now looked at what substance is, being the matter of or true essence of an object or thing we are believing for, but let's go back to the beginning of the sentence.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
There are many great definitions of faith but for today's exercise I'm going to define it as 'an active belief'. Both words, 'now' and 'is' are present tense words meaning that our faith is active right now. I'll be honest, at times it can feel like faith is hard work. When everything is going against you, all you want to do is give up and be depressed, but faith says that I have to believe right now that God is going to change things.
If we think about faith as 'work' most of us would just give up because it really can feel like to much effort for what we have strength for, that is why the words 'is the' are more powerful than we know. For this simply means that Faith.....just is! Now when we look at it that way, all we have to do is resign ourselves to the inevitable conclusion that faith will produce a result.
Not only this but the fact that after Jesus resurrection God gave Jesus all power on heaven and on earth, therefore HIS power and HIS might are working with our faith to produce our end result.
Shjoe! Ja you're probably going to have to read and re-read this message before the penny really drops.....so let me leave it there for today. [Don't worry, I get boggled just writing this down, so you're not alone.]
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
There are many great definitions of faith but for today's exercise I'm going to define it as 'an active belief'. Both words, 'now' and 'is' are present tense words meaning that our faith is active right now. I'll be honest, at times it can feel like faith is hard work. When everything is going against you, all you want to do is give up and be depressed, but faith says that I have to believe right now that God is going to change things.
If we think about faith as 'work' most of us would just give up because it really can feel like to much effort for what we have strength for, that is why the words 'is the' are more powerful than we know. For this simply means that Faith.....just is! Now when we look at it that way, all we have to do is resign ourselves to the inevitable conclusion that faith will produce a result.
Not only this but the fact that after Jesus resurrection God gave Jesus all power on heaven and on earth, therefore HIS power and HIS might are working with our faith to produce our end result.
Shjoe! Ja you're probably going to have to read and re-read this message before the penny really drops.....so let me leave it there for today. [Don't worry, I get boggled just writing this down, so you're not alone.]
Monday, March 2, 2015
Power loaded scripture
One of the most potent and power loaded versus in scripture reads as follows:
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
So let's take it slow and unpack this this verse step by step by first asking the question, what is substance?
One dictionary defines it as follows: the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence.
I have my own definition: The true essence of being, in its purest form.
In our world today we get anything and everything in concentrated form: Coffee; fruit juice; laundry detergents; medications; you name it and I'm sure you'll find a concentrate for it. A concentrate is the strongest form in which the substance can be produced that can later be converted into useable form by adding water. Let me repeat that, in the concentrate you get the strongest possible form for the substance.
Well isn't faith about just that? About us having pure and powerful faith to believe that God can do what he says he will do in our lives. Faith is all about the best that God has designed for us to have. In order for us to develop our faith we must understand what the substance of our faith is...i.e. what are you believing for?
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
So let's take it slow and unpack this this verse step by step by first asking the question, what is substance?
One dictionary defines it as follows: the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence.
I have my own definition: The true essence of being, in its purest form.
In our world today we get anything and everything in concentrated form: Coffee; fruit juice; laundry detergents; medications; you name it and I'm sure you'll find a concentrate for it. A concentrate is the strongest form in which the substance can be produced that can later be converted into useable form by adding water. Let me repeat that, in the concentrate you get the strongest possible form for the substance.
Well isn't faith about just that? About us having pure and powerful faith to believe that God can do what he says he will do in our lives. Faith is all about the best that God has designed for us to have. In order for us to develop our faith we must understand what the substance of our faith is...i.e. what are you believing for?
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Little by little
A while back I went through a phase where I just wasn't in the mood for gardening. I know, nothing like me right? Well it happened and at that stage the weeds took over and some plants just attracted all the bugs I didn't want and it really was a mess.
Well I eventually had enough and got stuck in, but there was going to be no quick solution to this problem, it was going to take slow and consistent work. Well little by little I've been getting there. The weeds are almost all under control, I got rid of the bad plants and then moved any herbs that I could from the back garden and planted them where the other bad plants were and now things are starting to get back to normal. It has taken a lot of work though but I'm proud of the current progress.
Our faith walk with God will be exactly the same, we will have to plug at it a little at a time to learn the principles of faith and how to apply them to our daily lives. It won't always be pretty, we will encounter problems and we will make mistakes but if we keep at it progressively we will eventually arrive at a beautiful garden of strength and tranquility that can only come from being grounded in Christ.
If your faith walk has been challenging and you feel as though the weeds of discouragement have won, start little by little to focus on God and His strength and wisdom will pull you through.
Well I eventually had enough and got stuck in, but there was going to be no quick solution to this problem, it was going to take slow and consistent work. Well little by little I've been getting there. The weeds are almost all under control, I got rid of the bad plants and then moved any herbs that I could from the back garden and planted them where the other bad plants were and now things are starting to get back to normal. It has taken a lot of work though but I'm proud of the current progress.
Our faith walk with God will be exactly the same, we will have to plug at it a little at a time to learn the principles of faith and how to apply them to our daily lives. It won't always be pretty, we will encounter problems and we will make mistakes but if we keep at it progressively we will eventually arrive at a beautiful garden of strength and tranquility that can only come from being grounded in Christ.
If your faith walk has been challenging and you feel as though the weeds of discouragement have won, start little by little to focus on God and His strength and wisdom will pull you through.
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