Monthly Archives: June 2014

“Now faith is b…

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“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” Hebrew 11:1

When i left high school, home and headed for Kenya, I was scared, unsure of where i was heading. It was pretty exciting to leave home and define who I was, and at the same time, I wanted to stay back and fix some relationships that had just started blossoming. Like every young person, we fight with our parents, grandparents, siblings and guardians because we seem to know better than them. However, I wanted to make amends for the pain and hurt I had made my family go through, but had not time. 

The most comforting thing that pushed me ahead was the reassurance of God in his word that ‘I know the plans i have for you…plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future’ Jeremiah 29:11. Those simple words, allowed me to know that God saw the desire in my heart, and i knew then that i must have faith in him to make everything right. I had to believe him in even the most uncomprehending situations, that he had a better plan in mind for me.

Most often, when we walk through life with everything at our disposal, we praise ourselves. However, when trials come, we lose heart, because we were unprepared for the worst. I always think of faith as a mystery that needs to be investigated. The pieces don’t usually fit together in a puzzle, but you keep believing that they will come together somehow. A detective will follow all clues in an investigation, trusting that the clues lead to the big picture. I live my life, in expectant of the bigger picture although i do not see it yet. I believe God has called me for greater things than what i see today. The experiences i have gone through, the hardships and violations are all a part of a greater plan that i know God has for me. 

I would like to encourage anyone out there who is falling apart, believing that there is no hope. Do not look at what people have and think they have it all. Ask yourself this question ‘what if there is something out there bigger than what i see right now? What if there’s more to my life than the reality? What if i was meant for a greater purpose than this?’ Pick yourself right up and have faith in the impossible. We are reminded in Hebrews 11:2-38 of great men and women, who in faith, followed God’s voice and believed in the plans he had for them than the plans they had for their lives. Many like Moses ‘chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time’. Many of them followed in faith, but ‘none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

One last thing i would like to mention is a concern over policies around us. In cases that can be avoided to terminated as easily as they come, people try to problematized the issues, looking at them from different angles, critically analyzing them. It is all good and all the understand these issues. However, if half the time is spent debating over our different ideas, then the essence of the argument will be lost. Faith is looking at the long term consequences of our actions, but if every solution to our contemporary issues is doomed to fail because our leaders lack faith, then it shall fail. The effectiveness of a project will not be felt overnight, but with faith, continual fertilization, the impact will be felt in the long term. Faith is all about believing in what you do not see. Once we begin seeing things with our hearts rather than our eyes and mind, then we will begin to move forward.

The Blood of Jesus

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I am not sure how many times i have read the book of Hebrews. As i was reading chapter 9 this morning, this song kept going through my mind. Before i finished reading, i was already singing it. It is a very catchy song. However, that’s not the importance of the song. Take a good look at the lyrics.

“Nothing But The Blood”
Your blood speaks a better word

Than all the empty claims I’ve heard upon this earth

Speaks righteousness for me

And stands in my defense
Jesus it’s Your blood[Chorus]
What can wash away our sins?
What can make us whole again?
Nothing but the blood
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can wash us pure as snow?
Welcomed as the friends of God
Nothing but Your blood
Nothing but Your blood King JesusYour cross testifies in grace
Tells of the Father’s heart to make a way for us
Now boldly we approach
Not by earthly confidence
It’s only Your blood

The blood of Jesus, ‘speaks a better word than all the empty claims I’ve heard upon this earth‘. Empty claims to me, means promises that are never fulfilled, justice that’s never really defined, riches that ensnares you, someone that says ‘I love you’ and don’t mean it. ‘It speaks righteousness for me, not earthly confidence‘. In a court situation, we have witnesses that are there to either help you or through you in prison. They will manipulate their words to make the jury see things that way, and your life depends on what they say. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross gives me confidence, that whatever man has against me on earth, Jesus can testify to my actions when i stand before the father in heaven. He shall speak the truth on my behalf, and i am confident that he will not place my life in danger. He ‘stands at my defense’ with his blood. The law of Moses needed sacrifices over and over to protect these people. They had to carry out sacrifice one after the other, to have their sins forgiven. This blood shed by animals was not enough to cleanse them. But Jesus’ blood was poured out once, so that through him, we can approach the throne of grace in confidence that we have been set free and Jesus stands witness to us. “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy place once for all by his own blood having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12ff).
The second verse of that song states ‘Your cross testifies in grace, tells of the father’s heart to make a way for us.” We sinned and deserved death, but the cross that Jesus died on, showed us the meaning of grace. Grace is having something you do not deserve to have. Something you did not work for, yet obtained it because someone thought you should have it. That in the simplest form is grace. Jesus’ death on the cross was to take away our sins, which we have committed and deserve to be punished for it, but God in his grace sent Jesus to save us from that punishment. The wages of sin is death, as found in Rom 6:23, and we were meant to pay it. However, God’s heart could not take it because of his love for us, so he sent his only son to make a way for us. Hence the cross testifies to that love. Who in your life will die for you?
We relationships, we often say to each other or to our friends ‘I love him/her so much that i will die if they are not in my life’, and others say they value their lives too much. If worse comes to worse, the girl at gunpoint or the guy at gunpoint will leave you there. Unless a husband and wife might try to die for each other. Unless you possess a heart that purely loves unconditionally, whether in a relationship or not, don’t kid yourself. I bet you will leave a pile of dust behind you that will take hours to clear out.
The blood of Jesus ‘takes away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him’.
Be encouraged that there’s someone to take away your sins and has his arms wide open for you to come to him and confess. He will not hold them against you, but stands in your defense when you give up that life you have been living, to embrace his grace.

“A LETTER TO THE MAN I LOVE”

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The following letter is from a dear sister of mine, who gave me the permission to share her thoughts about God and her relationship. Reading this letter filled me with encouragement as it reminded me of God’s love and Godly relationships. Sometimes we forget who the author of relationships is, and we think we can define what a relationship should look like. This woman reminded me that I cannot shape a man, and only God can shape that man. 

Dearest Mishael,

I really do appreciate the time you took to reflect on your actions. I praise God and thank him for the maturity, you are gaining. I really want to say congratulations. Those are the first steps in becoming God’s servant. You are getting the full meaning of what it means to serve him and adhere to all his ways.

I just want to let you know that I make friends easily, but I make them at a distance. I do appreciate people’s freedom and I don’t want to hold too tight to someone, especially if I know they have the opportunity to find other friends or have had friends before they met me. I don’t like making someone feel like a prisoner around me. When they have searched enough and are satisfied, I will let them know that my door is always open for them. I won’t hate them or push them away. I will remember them and keep them close to my heart. I am have learnt to forgive and reconcile with people, and I keep learning every day. That’s just how I am with friends. Don’t worry too much. I make friends very easily, but I just need to be very open and alert with the friends I have.

When we make decisions, we need to be open to other’s perspectives and not just our own. We need to allow room for other ideas to fit in, or be compatible with our decisions. Above all, we need to allow our hearts to be open to God’s calling. We might make a decision, we believe is the best decision, but do we often stop to ask God “Is this you want from me?” Is this what I should be doing? When I accepted to court you, I was taking responsibility into my own hands. I was at the same time letting God know that I was not ready, but that I would trust him to lead me and guide me. One thing I would not do in our courtship was to let myself get ahead of him. In as much as situations got thick and heavy, and I felt like I do not need this pain, I told him, “Thank you Lord for this chance for me to grow and exercise your love. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to know what true love is, so that I can be able to tell others that it’s not easy.” The only one who can break through a relationship is the author of relationships. There were times that Jesus said “father, take this cup from me.” Again, he would say “not my will be done, but yours alone”. This is the reason I was able to love you.

When I first saw you and said a simple prayer to God, he heard it and I was not going to disappoint him. That is why, I loved you through all the pain you put me through. I learnt how to forgive you and was given the strength to help you grow in your faith. The only way we are to survive as a couple and become a testimony to the world is for you to grow in your faith. Is for you to strengthen your relationship with God and know who he is.

When you are strong enough to take in others under your wing, to nurture them, you will fully understand your calling. You will understand that you do not live for yourself, nor for me, but for God alone. He is a jealous God and does not like when people come to him, when they have personal goals in mind. He wants us to serve him because he is our Lord and saviour. He wants us to give everything to him. He wants us to give up everything that we hold dear, and focus solely on building a firm relationship with him. That is the kind of God we serve. He is not selfish, for if he was, he would not have sent his one and only son to die for our sins.

God knows the plans he has for each and every individual, and he usually prefers us to search for those plans than to start making plans of our own. He would rather we ask him what he wants us to do than for us to be telling him what we want him to do for us. For example, this is what you said: because every day I pray to Him so that he may protect you and mold you to the woman I deserve to have in life, and promised myself to take in charge, protect you and to be there whenever you needed me.” You are telling God what he should do for you. You are not asking God the right questions. For you to grow with God, you will need to ask him what he wants from you. Seek his glory, not him to fix things up for you. Ask him how you can serve him, how you can be a voice for him. When those become your burdens, then you will find that your relationship with him will be stronger, as he begins to reveal himself to you. In return, he will show you how to love me and treat me. I can’t tell you how to treat me. You are not alone in this. He is here always ready for you. When you begin to spend more time with him, in prayer, in his word and meditation, you will fully understand his ways.

I am so glad that you are taking this two weeks to talk to him. I am supporting you in prayer and continued faith, mind, strength and heart to his will. May he reveal to you, your mission. Once you have figured out what he wants from you, you will begin to see things in so many different ways and at different levels. Your focus will be widening his kingdom. I am praying and seeking for God’s favor in your life. That you two will become best of friends and that your joy will be complete in him, as you begin to uncover the mystery he has for you.

You are growing so much and all I can do is praise God every day and thank him. If you find yourself in a situation where the language is not of God, walk away and don’t feel like a coward. It is not the big things that count in following Christ. It is the small things. Make use of your Bible. It is the only defining authority. Go to your pastor and ask him questions. Go ask him to pray with you and pray for you. If you are ashamed of Christ, he will be ashamed of you too before his father. If you want to strengthen your relationship, find someone you can talk to.

I will leave you with these 11 things. If you want you can print them out and put them up on your wall in the house.

A SERVANT OF GOD MUST

  1. ENDURE HARDSHIPS
  2. NOT INVOLVE IN GOSSIP
  3. REMAIN FAITHFUL
  4. AVOID GODLESS CHATTER
  5. FLEE THE DSIRES OF YOUR YOUTH
  6. HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOLISH/STUPID ARGUMENTS
  7. NOT QUARREL
  8. BE KIND TO EVERYONE
  9. BE ABLE TO TEACH
  10. NOT BE RESENTFUL
  11. INSTRUCT WITH GENTLENESS

This is from 2 Timothy 2.

I do pray that you will take comfort in him and let him lead your every step to the place where he needs you to be. May your bond with him increase so much so that you won’t have space for yourself or me. It is called SACRIFICE. Sacrificing all your wants so that he can have his way in you. Be blessed and take comfort in him.

Love you always 

There people. You have it now. Let me know your thoughtsImage

“For if there h…

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“For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: The time is coming, declares the Lord, when i will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant i made with their forefathers when i took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and i turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant i will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘know the Lord’, because they will all know me, from the least of them tot eh greatest. For i will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:7-12

It is amazing at how many truths the Bible holds, and yet we often try to come up with answers to questions we are absolutely clueless of. How many times have you had the New Testament questioned? How many times have you met people refusing to go to church on Sunday because they said God rested on the Sabbath? How many times have you found people stock in the Old Testament declaring other Christians to be at fault, because they have ‘supposedly’ missed one of the laws? When we spend time reading God’s word, we find answers to questions we have been asking our elders, those who found faith before us. 

Just because they found faith before you does not mean they hold the answers to all your questions. It clearly states in Hebrews 8:7-8 ‘For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” God saw that the covenant written on tablets was easily abandoned and he knew he had to do something about it, if the people were suppose to walk in faith with him. If the law given to Moses in the Old Testament had no fault in it, God would not have had to make the New Testament. God saw that the law was powerless because it weakened by the flesh. The people did not remain faith to God and each of them turned to their own way. Hence he declared a new covenant.

Recently, I asked a man if he went to church, and he said “I used to, but stopped.” I asked him why and he said “The Christians have corrupted God’s law.” What do you mean? “I am a Roman Catholic and I have read the Bible and try to read it at least 2-3 times a week. When God gave the commandments, he said to respect the Sabbath, but Christians have declared Sunday to be the day of rest. Sunday is actually the first day of the week. The Sabbath is Sunday. God made the world and rested on the seventh day and declared it a Sabbath”. We talked some more, but the whole time I realized how little of God’s grace he knew and how little of the New Testament he knew. Not saying i had the answers to everything, but my heart cried out at the fact that he would deny fellowship with believers because one of the commandments according to him was not kept. 

Another thing that struck me was the fact that he was not able to accept grace. Why should God pay attention to people who crucified his son? He refused to have someone else take care of his sins and said he was responsible for the wrongs he has done. How could a man like that know so much about God and yet deny the hand that offers him freedom? 

The Old testament shouldn’t be disregarded, but it has been made obsolete, through the new covenant. “I will put my laws in tier minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their god, and they will be my people…For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” We are the ones who remember our sins and put ourselves in a prison. God offers much more than that. He offers you freedom through his son Jesus Christ. You don’t need to do good works, refurnish your life for him to accept you. He already accepted you when you recognized that you were a mess. You are the only one holding yourself back. Let go and take the hand extending to you.