Brave

I was introduced to some software that's very aptly named, Brave. It's an amazing browser that blocks unnecessary adverts from whatever you are reading or watching.  What a joy!! Being able to listen to music or videos without the annoying cut aways, is really awesome! 

I'm amazed that the developers of this product have had the courage to fight popular culture and end this abusive practice. Having adverts thrust on you is just not pleasant. 

In life and especially our faith we have to learn to be Brave!  We have to stand strong against worldly influences and resist following norms that are simply not Godly. Society will tell us what to think, what to eat, what to wear and what we should or should not do.  

Being brave and saying No will honour God and bring glory to Him when the results we achieve are greater than we could have had if we had chickened out and given in to the pressure that society places on us. 

Are you willing to be brave and stand strong in the Lord? 

Star gazer

One of my favourite things to do on warm summer nights is to spend some time outside just gazing at the stars.  If this is something you love doing too, I'd encourage you to download an app like Stellarium.  It gives you great, accurate sky mapping so you can find all the constellations.  I can't wait to try it out some time in an area with less city lights.  My never ending curiosity leads me to fantasize about what other planets in other solar systems or galaxies, may be like. 

I am truly such a star loving fan that I am a total Sci-Fi nut!  Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate.....I love them all!  Totally my idea of relaxation.  Truth be told though, if warp speed travel was truly possible, I'd be right out there between the stars right now!

But what is it precisely about star gazing that really makes me love it?  It is trying to comprehend, just how big our galaxy really is.  When life is a bit overwhelming, or frustrating and things feel like they are spinning out of control, star gazing reminds me just how small our planet really is, and just how small my life is in the grand scheme of things.  AND that the same God, who holds all the stars in their place by means we cannot even fathom, and who can birth new stars and new planets every day, and who could have created more galaxies than we will ever know....if He can do all that and keep them under control, then certainly my problems are not that big, and our mighty God is able to restore order in the most difficult of circumstances. 

What is our faith really, if we cannot believe that the greatest creator cannot create a means for us to have peace and fulfullment in our lives.  He loves us more than we could ever know and His greatest desire is for us to trust Him, rest in Him and allow Him, to orchestrate our lives as only He can know best.  "To let go and let God" means to know that we are not trusting some magician to wave a magic wand and make things right, but to allow God to be God and take control.  

Now, to infinity and beyond!

Little cat of horrors 2.0

After my first kitty Honey passed away, I was keen not to get another kitty.  Ginger, his brother, however soon let me know that the house was too quiet and that he was lonely.  It was against my better judgement that I relented and went to a shelter to look for a little friend for him. My theory was that a young girl kitty would be less intimidating for him than another male cat. I laid eyes on Topaz and loved her instantly. 

Well Topaz had no intention whatsoever of ever being 'less intimidating' to Ginger. She saw a great big play mate and just wanted to attack and pounce at every opportunity. It was her night time antics though that earned her the nickname, "Little cat of horrors" and even had her own theme song to the rocky horror picture show tune. The poor little thing would run around the room and bash into a wall when she was tired, but over excited. She has never outgrown the nickname but the behavior has matured to biting and mauling me when I try to give her medicine.

That has me wondering, how often as Christians we run around bashing our heads into spiritual walls, all because we burn ourselves out, or we kick and scream to God when he brings changes in our lives that are for our good, but we just don't recognize it.  

Part of spiritual growth is learning to, 'be still and know that He is God!'. When chaos reigns and we find it hard to see through the smog of life, learning to look to the light of God in difficult times, will bring us closer to His presence, His Glory, His guidance and His Grace. 

So don't be a little cat of horrors, give God time and space to work in your life for your good and His Glory! 

The greatest asset purchase ever!

I love accounting!  I'm truly passionate about it.  I live, eat, sleep, breath accounting reconciliations!  I just love seeing numbers reconciled!  Yes, yes, I know I'm giving away that I'm an accounting nerd!  

But God is the greatest accountant and master business man of all time!  In the world's most costly asset purchase, He gave us His only begotten Son (Equity Investment), and took on ALL our sins (Liabilities), so that we could become His greatest and most expensive Asset, His redeemed!  Wow! Imagine that!

John 3:16-17

[16]For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

[17]For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

No man will ever be able to count the sins of every human being, from Adam, till now and equate a cost to that, yet Christ humbled Himself unto death on the cross so that we could be reconciled to God!  No sin was too great, no vile act too disgusting, that Jesus said, sorry Father I cannot do this! 

What incredible strength, what incredible might, what overwhelming LOVE can do that!  Therefore, how can we as mere mortals, refuse to forgive, or refuse the power of the Holy Spirit to work within us.  If we say, "I'll never forgive that!" Or "I'll never be able to overcome," we nullify the power and majesty of our Almighty God!  Surely we have no real option but to surrender and truly GIVE Him our hearts, and allow Him to work within us! 

Whatever you are struggling with today, you are a mere act surrender away from a powerful breakthrough!  Why not let the Holy Spirit do His work and touch your soul today! 

Image of forgiveness

I have a friend who has been on quite a journey. For many years she has struggled with coming to terms with the abuse she suffered at her father's hands as a teenager. Over the years she has gone through many seasons of trying to come to terms with how to let it go.

You may be thinking that she has been harboring unforgiveness in her spirit and that's why she couldn't let go, but that's not the case. She has truly forgiven her father and loves him dearly.  What she was struggling with was the images that keep coming up in her mind when she thinks about him, and those images made it hard to forget. 

One day in prayer, she asked the Lord, "Father, help me to forget," for your word says that you remember not our sins and you have caste them as far as the east is from the west. On that day she looked at her father (his memory) and all she could see was the risen Christ standing before him with arms outstretched, saying, "don't look at him, look at me and what I did for him at the cross."

In that moment, a new peace came and she was able to forgive and forget!  What seemed so hard for so long, was now an easy peace.  You see, all she needed to do was to change the focus of the image to an image of forgiveness. 

I would encourage you today, if you too have been struggling to forgive and forget, to ask the Lord to show Himself to you in in a way that will be meaningful to you, and allow His Holy Spirit to show you  which image of Himself you need to see in order to forget. 

God is faithful and will answer your prayers. 

The calling

Over the past few months I have been contemplating my love for writing. This journey started from a letter written to a friend.  The person enjoyed my story telling style and I began to think about how I could use that to communicate my love for God. I thought about how people struggle to see God as real in our very depraved society, so my call was to write about my everyday life and how I saw God in action through everyday events.

I was drawn to begin my blogging journey and started writing in November of 2010.  Over the next 7 years I wrote prolifically and also published my book during that time (A season of much rain). My book named: Growing with God by Ronwyn - Everyday God, is available in various formats on Amazon.

And as things happened a change in jobs and lifestyle made writing time more difficult and over the 7 years that followed, writing became more sparse. (7 years of drought). 

But once again, I am feeling the calling to begin writing again and I know it will take great discipline. This time I am older, hopefully a bit wiser and feel it's time to write about the deeper things of God. About how we need to follow God's word by "working out our own salvation.". This season will be: Growing with God by Ronwyn - Living God! 

I hope you will join me on this journey one again.  In the past I have communicated the Blog through Facebook and email. Emails have become a spam concern so I have switched to sending out the blog my Facebook and WhatsApp. Feel free to reach out and join the group. 

Starting tomorrow let the journey begin! 

Identi-Fluff

This morning, while I was getting ready for work, my newest baby fluff cat, Midnight, rubbed up against my leg for attention.  I picked him up for a cuddle and I sometimes like to look at us in the mirror because then I can see both our faces enjoying the affection.  Midnight however decided he didn't like this one bit and proceeded to squirm to escape.  This promted the question: Little fluff how do you know what you look like, if you never look in the mirror? 

This reminded me of James chapter 1:23-25. 

23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

I ask you therefore, how often do you look at yourself in the mirror and see what measure of manor of person you are? It is only when we gaze into the 'eyes of Jesus' through looking at the word of God that we truly figure out who we really are. For no one has ever loved us like Christ did, for He gave His life to be the sacrifice for us so that we could live free. 

The Oaks Know

Growing up in mostly hot South African climates, winter was never a big deal.  The landscape hardly changed much and what we thought was cold was well, a wee bit of a chill.  From the time I first moved to Johannesburg, the one thing I truly fell in love with, was watching the Oak trees and seeing how magnificently their leaves displayed the seasons.  The most spectacular of which, being autumn (fall).  

It always amazes me therefore that we barely notice any change in the air temperature, and all of a sudden, the leaves start to turn golden brown.  As seen in the photo attached, autumn has begun.  The term/name for the season "fall" to me is so much more descriptive than autumn, because you can really picture it all happening.  By the end of this season, the magestic trees will lie bare for all to see throughout the cold winter months and then just as suddenly as fall began, spring too will announce itself with the cheary, bright lime green spring leaves.  Well, summer is summer and the dark green will prevail until the spectacle begins all over again with fall. 

As the trees automatically know the seasons, we too as Christians need to learn the seasons of our lives.  Some seasons are for change and new things, some are for growth and establishment, others for a harvest of great rewards and then too there are very real seasons of grief and pain. 

We need to be like the Oak trees, we need to have deep roots, grounded and stayed in God's love that no matter what, we can withstand the changes that the seasons of life bring our way.  God's word needs to be our anchor and strength and hold us when the winds of life blow.  

I want to encourage you today to set your mind on the things of God and learn and know what season you are in.  God in his majestic power will allow the seasons of life to shape you and you can wither and die, or you can anchor your roots and grow tall and strong and become a beautiful Oak Tree for God. 

Throne or mantle piece?

I ponder a lot!  A....LOT!  And recently I found myself asking the question... Do I really love God?  Is HE truly the Lord and King of my heart and does He sit in the throne, or have I put him neatly on the mantle piece, only to be taken down when I need Him? 

For those who really know me you'll know how absurd that question is. 

My thoughts centred around some bad habits that had crept in during that C..V..D thing we don't like to talk about anymore.  The practice of my faith looked very different before that all happened. 

In case you were wondering about the outcome of the question, I climbed into my car and went to a mid-week church meeting. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Obeying God's call to gather together, even when I don't feel like it, is more important than anything else. Life can only come into true perspective when we allow ourselves to be washed by the word on a regular basis. 

Whatever your choice is that you are just struggling to get dealt with, ask yourself what you would do if God was physically sitting in front of you on a throne.