Tag Archives: Jesus

Faithfulness and Communication.

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In a previous piece, The Essence of Faithfulness, Ruth’s life taught us that we all receive a gift that we must work on faithfully and bear fruit to attain our calling and assignment on earth. Faithfulness is foundational because it attracts the resources needed for the assigned task, weaves in the connections needed to live and thrive, and provides stability to our walk. 

We are created for community life thus we thrive through faithfulness to the call and consistent communication. Communication is the impartation or exchange of information through a medium, which can be written, spoken, or in any other form. Effective communication is designed around the needs of the recipients and listeners so that they can truly connect to and interpret what the speaker is saying. 

For this conversation, we will explore three levels of essential communication.

God: I used to see God as the guy sitting up there waiting to hit me on the head for everything I did that he did not like. I have since learned that he isn’t like that at all. He is the creator of the universe, Father, and lover of all. He is our source, strong tower, shield, and defence. He loves us and is always speaking words of life to us with the hope that we will listen and then guide us. His words do not return to him void but accomplish all He determined they would (Isaiah 55:11).

He does not withhold from us but provides ways to connect to us. I searched high and low for the perfect way to connect with God. In the search, I found there are several ways to reach him. We connect to God through prayer, the Scripture, the spoken word from his servants, His promises (the ones He has given you as part of your journey), and His blueprint. When God gives us a word, he supports it with a plan and people to bring it to work, His Blueprint. Our conversations with God are a response to his love.

Self: We are all created in God’s image and likeness: his beloved. However, do we understand what that means? Do we see ourselves as worthy of his love and love ourselves fully? Do we accept ourselves as we are? How do we speak to ourselves? 

I am reminded of Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” This reality is foundational for every person on earth. We all speak to ourselves based on how we perceive ourselves. We respond to the image in the mirror based on our inner truth. However, is it aligned with whom God says we are and are becoming? 

If we are negative to ourselves, we will speak negatively and out of line for our calling. To be faithful to God’s call on our lives means we must be true to how we deal without ourselves. Be faithful to the word of God for who you are and speak to yourself in the right tone; full of love.

Others: Scripture tells us to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 12:31). This means that I cannot be faithful to a friendship with someone else if I am not faithful to my relationship with myself and God. My relationships will be unstable if we are not communicating well with others. How I engage with others is frequently premised on my personal self-awareness and self-confidence levels. 

Which of the three levels of communication do you find challenging? Are you in good stead in all of them or is there one that is a struggle? I have learned that I can only work on what I acknowledge. My previous poor self-communication had significantly affected how I spoke to myself and in turn, impacted how I expected people to deal with and treat me. I choose to work on communication in my journey to consistent faithfulness.

Shalom.

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There Is A Name

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There Is A Name Lyrics

Performed by- Byron Cage Written by- Kurt Carr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPrM-7kh_Tw

Jesus 3There is a Name
There is a name
There is a Name
There is a name
Precious Name
Bless that name
Oh Jesus there is a name
Oh Jesus there is a name

There’s healing in the name
healing in the name
healing in the name
healing in the name
Precious Name
Bless that name
Oh Jesus there is a name
Oh Jesus there is a name

Does anybody love the name
Does anybody love the name
Does anybody love the name
Does anybody love the name
Precious Name
Bless that name
Oh Jesus there is a name
Oh Jesus there is a name

Glory to that name
Glory to that name
Name
Bless that name
Oh Jesus there is a name
Oh Jesus there is a name

I’ll forever praise that name Jesus
Forever praise the name
Forever praise the name
Forever Praise the name
Precious Name
Bless that name
Oh Jesus there is a name
Oh Jesus there is a name
Oh Jesus there is a name

Jesus Jesus Jesus…(repeat)

There is a Name
There is a name
There is a Name
There is a name
Precious Name
Bless that name
Oh Jesus there is a name
Oh Jesus there is a name

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Do you know that name?

Remember Phil 2:10 “…at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” That is the name I am talking about. Come meet him. Connect with him. Accept him. Love him. Serve him. You will never forget it…never ever.

I have found so much in this name:Jesus 1

  • Peace
  • Grace
  • Forgiveness
  • Healing
  • Deliverance
  • Joy
  • Love

And so much more than I can ever express

Step Out & Do Something

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I grew up with no TV during the week like many of my peers but in this day and age it is different. The thing is about balance and how long not none at all. The last couple of weeks have been a lot of fun with time to connect with my lil man. We have been watching movies together every evening and it has been amazing. I think I need to do this for a while to come. Lol…we watch reruns a lot because we are done with the collection but there is something new in each episode. The best part at times is when one of us (more often him) talks along with the script. When you can do that know that you have spent a lot of time watching that particular movie.

The other day we are watching Happy Feet. Happy Feet is the story of young Emperor Penguin who is absolutely different from all the other penguins of his

Emperor penguins

Emperor penguins

kind. He was dropped by his father before he was born. He came out of the shell feet first. He danced instead of sung. He left home and joined a posse of Isabeline Penguins because no one else accepts him as he is. In the movie this one penguin misfit goes on and saves the day for the whole population from starvation. However, there is also the deeper reality that there is a big fight between the old way of doing things and the new way Mumble presents. The elders have a certain view of life and the way they have lived it and so they want the community to hold onto these ways as they are benchmark of their long existence. Then enter the young Mumble

Isabeline penguins

Isabeline penguins

who is totally different and is only trying to be himself and find out what is causing all their problems. Mumble sees things differently because the reality of his life and the challenges he has faced since he was born have changed his perspective. It has caused him to ask questions and not just accept things as this is the way we do it.

Mumble comes back home to win Gloria’s heart with the help of his posse of Isabeline penguins. These little guys are hilarious and seemingly mad but they accept Mumble as he is and do everything in their power to help each other. However, Mumble is not successful and is thrown out of home for encouraging other to challenge the status quo and try nothing new i.e. dancing. His pursuit for the truth leads him to go to see Lovelace for answers. Lovelace is an Isabeline penguin with a special lace around his neck bestowed on him by the ‘gods’ in truth it is an engine gasket. Lovelace leads them to the place he got this lace and they find that it is the place where man has left a lot of waste from expeditions into the Antarctica and this waste is polluting the environment. They encounter a lot of danger the greatest being a large fishing trawler. Now Mumble sees what is taking their food and decides to do all he can to stop the ‘aliens’ aka man from killing them. He asks the posse to take care of Gloria and he dives off a very tall ice cliff to follow the trawler and try to talk to the ‘aliens’ (aka humans) to leave their food supply alone.

The movie goes on beyond here but this part struck me and struck me hard. It is interesting when I look critically at Mumble. There are things I see that stand out and take my breath away. You see, he:

  • Thought little of his personal needs and was driven by the need to solve the big problem of food for his kind

    Mumble in Happy Feet

    Mumble in Happy Feet

  • Figured that no price was too high for him to pay for a lasting solution
  • Took the risk to jump off the top of a mighty iceberg into the water below to follow a trawler to places unknown
  • Swam for all he was worth and ended up stranded on a beach tired and almost dead
  • Never lost hope even when he was in captivity
  • Came back to save his kind

Slowly I begun to think about my life and the way it was rolling out. Questions run through my mind demanding to be answered.

  • Have I found my true purpose i.e. the reason I was created and placed on this earth?
  • Do I live my life with complete dedication to the solution I was put here to provide?
  • Have I got discouraged by the challenges of life and so I have given up my hopes and dreams?
  • Do I have a posse who keep me going when things are bad, who laugh with me, cry with me, walk with me, believe in and with me?
  • Will I one day reach the goal that was set out for me?
  • Do I even desire to reach the dream that God has for me?

    Mumble

    Mumble

The easy thing to do is to say yes to all the questions above but is that yes really true? Indeed there have been days when I have wanted to throw in the towel because life hasn’t panned out as I had planned and I am tired of toiling? Yet it is in those moments when I need to dig deep and find the connection with God and remember that HE is indeed on my side and is interested in me and the things I am going through. I must remember that the road I walk is as much for me as it is for others I need to touch so that I can help them grow. The good times and the hard times are to be celebrated and shared so that everyone can understand that there are lessons in everything.

I therefore choose to be energised to realise that there are things that await my touch so that God can resolve them. There are lives I am sent here to touch and be touched by. I find that I owe it to God to get up off of my back side and stop complaining about what I don’t have and instead focus on what HE has given me to give to others then all other things will begin to fall into place. I must live my life for more than just the money I can make tthe needs I can provide for my family. I must live for bigger better and greater things and these smaller ones will indeed be covered. I must share about my good and hard days because someone somewhere will be encouraged. I also realise that I am the sum total of everywhere I have been and every challenge and victory I have faced and my life is a book that someone else needs to read to provide the roadmap for them.

I choose this day to pursue the invisible, seemingly impossible great things that God has laid in my heart to do for HIM and I believe that as I do them HE will come through and sort out the little things that HE has promised for my life.

I stretch out my hand to you, take it and let us walk together into the things God has laid out for us to for His honour ad His Glory. Amen

father10

#Renewed by Nature

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I am continually struck by the beauty of creation and the glory of the fullness of God. As I sit at my desk and I need inspiration, I find myself looking at beautiful pictures, lively colours, simple things and quotes. I have begun to find deep peace and inspiration in the simple things that God created and the lovely people that He has given us to live with. I am astounded every day at how small things can inspire. There are scriptures that inspire me too and below is one of the greatest ones.

Picture courtesy of Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

Picture courtesy of Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

Psalm 24 (KJV)

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, theLord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.

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I walk more these days and the experience of the outdoors has opened up doors and ideas of things that I may never have found. In the outdoors I have experienced greater peace and calmness yet at the same time, the serenity has opened my heart and mind to face some deeply hidden parts of me. The parts and levels that I may never have reached because of the pressures of my life. In this place I came to realise that there is order and sense we need to make about this life that cannot be done if we are not truthful to ourselves and find places of stillness and peace.

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.” V1

Picture courtesy of Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

Picture courtesy of Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

This resonates with me because I realise that I am here on a very set and established timeline and for a set and established purpose. The purpose question stayed with me a lot. I realised that I could be looking for my purpose in big things and deep connections yet it was in small and seemingly insignificant things. Simple things came to me in different and amazing places. I realised that walking along the roadside and driving along in a car provides very different perspectives. Travelling in a public transport vehicle and riding on the back of a public service motorbike also gives astoundingly different perspectives.

The bigger question is how these perspectives affect how I live out my God given purpose.

I decided to let go of my previous perceptions and learn to seek new explanations and opportunities where I am. That is when I realised that I have met amazing people as I have walked some really long distances. The biting cold wind on the back of a motorbike gave me incredibly fresh thoughts (no pun intended). I discovered many things about me as I was sitting in the traffic listening to a radio station I naturally wouldn’t pick just because I was in a public vehicle. I have had personal and social conversations with travellers are we drove together in personal vehicles from A to B. I have walked along newly paved and lit roads at night that in the past were no go zones. The variety of these experiences has inspired me and created valuable and life changing experiences. I discovered things I didn’t know about myself that I now love.

Recently I took a motor bike to get to a meeting and I found myself leaning into the direction of the turn as the driver took corners and sitting upright behind the driver to avoid excess wind. I was suddenly aware that I had become comfortable with bikes (as long as they aren’t being driven at high speeds). My heart was no longer in my throat as we drove along. A few weeks before the motor bike experience, I was walking from one side of a suburb to another and the pace I was keeping caught the attention of a fellow walker. He was an older gentleman and we walked together for a long distance. He shared lots of insights and laughs that made the distance much shorter than it would have been if I was alone. I learnt so much from him and my spirits lifted. As we parted, a friend I needed to speak with called me and he was across the road from where I was and was headed in the direction I was heading. You can imagine my excitement when the day ended and I sat to think it through.

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness there of… This fullness means that my life has meaning and purpose and every day has a purpose that must be fulfilled. I must therefore live in an ever present state of awareness that there are things to do, words to say, prayers to make and places to visit that will help me fulfil my purpose as well as help others fulfil theirs. In the book, Divine Inspiration; the key to extraordinary living; Dr. Albert Odulele says something I find totally profound…he says:

“There is ‘substantial creativity’ in you and many await it for the alleviation of their sufferings. When the things locked in you are

Picture courtesy of Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

Picture courtesy of Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

unveiled, joy, peace and an improved quality of life will be the direct by-product for all those who benefit from it.”

So the questions I ask myself every night…

  • Am I living the life I was sent here to live?
  • Am I having the impact that was designed for me?
  • Am I concerned about the insignificant or significant?
  • Has my day lived up to its full potential and impact?

Wow…let’s keep walking this faith walk

 

 

Amazing ways

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When was the last time you really thought through the circumstances in your life? Have you been in places that seem impossible and then out of the blue everything works out? When did it last happen to you that something you had been working on seemingly resolved itself in minutes?

This week has been one of those for me. We are in the middle of a project and for a while things have not been working. Well, at least in the physical it was not working. So here we were wondering and making streaks in the carpet pacing and worrying and still nothing seemed to be working out. So after a few hours of quiet contemplation it dawned on me that the success lies not in the hands of a man but in the hands of God. There is a place for work and it is mandatory for us to put in elbow grease in everything we do. However, there is also a big place for Papa to check in and make things work in the way that he so desires.

So sitting at my desk we begun to get resolution and commitment after commitment came through. So my colleague and I wondered what had triggered the sudden influx and we were reminded… ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6

So what is it that has been said that must happen? Where do you need to go but see nothing but darkness? Where is the opposition? Where is the challenge? Who is standing in the way? What is holding you back? Remember you are more than just a statistic. There is a purpose and plan for each of our lives and when we check into it great things happen. It is not about who you know or can be connected to. It is more about your destiny and God’s divine plan for your life. Some of us will be kings, others priests, others business leaders and still others care givers. The reality is that we need to connect to our divine destiny and flow in it.

Take time to sit at the feet of God today and find out the road you need to travel. Take that road even when it seems lonely and farfetched. Make time to follow your dreams. Follow the call in your heart. Be the difference you desire in your community.

Remember, it is not about your personal possessions rather it is about your personal legacy. Leave a good one.

 

Faith

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SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by MARSHA BURNS:

Refuse to allow discouragement to kill your faith.  Stay strong, and bolster your faith through reading, hearing, understanding and agreeing with My Word, says the Lord.  Keep close tabs on your thoughts and make adjustments where necessary to maintain a strong and undeniable faith.  Faith is your greatest asset, and must be protected at all cost.

Hebrews 11:6 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.
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This says it all for me…even when life seems to be overwhelming, I have must believe that it will be well and it is all in the hands of God. I believe…I believe…I believe.

Reflect and Arise

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SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by MARSHA BURNS: 6/4/12

Take time to evaluate where you’ve been and to remember the things that you learned through your experiences.  Do not give in to the temptations that come for you to be a victim of the difficulties you have endured, but rather use those lessons as a platform and a launching pad into greater wisdom and spiritual effectiveness. Those things have made you stronger and have the potential to increase your faith if you maintain a proper perspective, says the Lord.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

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This morning I was thinking about where I was exactly one year ago and I realised that there is a lot to be grateful for. I have made friends and lost friends, made contact and lost touch, loved and lost, smiled and cried. I have stretched and grown and I have become stronger than I ever thought I could be. The greatest of all is that my faith has grown.

Yet in the same breath, I must admit that several times I have sat on the floor of my life and had a big old pity party because I felt alone and depressed. There were days I felt so alone I could barely get out of bed and go on with the day. Then I would simply decide to pull myself up by my boot straps and regardless of how I feel, get out there and do something productive with my life. Clearly this is a part of the process of growth and development.

So I must choose every day to remember where I have come from not to pity myself or to make a fuss about it but rather to remind myself of all the great things God has done in my life and enabled me to do. I also realise that there is still so much more He has to change. I am in a continual change process and I must remember that the day I become perfect I will be in heaven.

Where are you today? Do you realise that no matter where you are God is there with you and He will guide and encourage you if you let Him? Walk with me as we discover God in a deeper and richer way this year.

Who am I?

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Over the last few months I have been seeking answers for things in my life and every time they came I was astounded. For so long I have wanted to know why some things in my life are the way they are then I get the answer and I am amazed. Papa is never slow to answer He allows us to see things at a pace that we can understand and digest and not a step faster.

 

I have had time to mull over things and I still don’t have an answer. I have thought long and hard and I realise that it is just for the grace of God that I am where I am today. Who I am and will become is all a part of His plan but I am learning daily that my life is in His hands and I just one person and He loves me no matter what.

 

Walk daily in His love and care and you will discover daily that He is different. His ways are not ours and His thoughts too yet he reaches out to us every day and He will love us to the end. He doesn’t give up on us no matter what and he is the one person who will never leave us alone.

 

I am but one expression of Him and I pray that I will be the kind of expression that will bring Him glory.

Before Time

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Sometimes all you need is to know that someone wants to be around you and loves you. Sometimes God seems so far away that it never makes sense to feel his love. I want to feel his love as it is really there however there are days I wonder what I need to do to make my life better.

 

Recently I came face to face with a series of major challenges and I could not take another step forward. I was in the midst of work and the only way to go on was to connect with people I know have been planted in my life for my good. However, I wasn’t sure how to tell them what I was feeling and what I needed. Then in the middle of the hardest moment two of my friends called to say they had been thinking of me and felt the need to find out how things are. Wow…this was astounding because it was in minutes of telling Father that I could not do this anymore.

 

I am reminded of the scripture Isaiah 65:24 (NKJV) “ It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.” This became my reality. Even as I did different things and faced different pressures I had answers at the appointed time. Initially I did not really see where it was coming from but as the week progressed and the solutions came more often I realised with renewed understanding that it had less to do with me and more to do with Father.

 

Daily I desire to walk in this knowledge and confidence and I pray for help from Father to be consistent in my walk. Come walk with me as we discover daily, moment by moment how close and dear He is to us.

 

Trimmed to size

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That experience was utterly out of our league of expectation but then God was in control so what did we expect? It was a mind-blowing two weeks with work like I hadn’t seen in a while. We needed to do a lot of compilation and the people we had interviewed and earmarked for help has to cancel at the 11th hour.

I must admit that I was actually getting stressed about it but realized that stressing would not change the fact that work needed to be done all the same. So I sat back and asked God to take charge and remind me that He is the one in charge and it is His will that I was out to do and I had peace in a sec. There were still challenges but we had a great experience and a lot of learning.

My greatest lesson though was that I have to allow Him to select the team He wants me to work with because He is the one who begun my business anyway and if I try to change the game plan it will all blow up in my face.

There were times during the week where He reminded me that I was operating outside my area of blessing for the week and that I needed to step back and allow my team to be effective as He appointed for them to be. When I stepped back I would realize that at that particular moment I was the hindrance to the smooth operations and if I even went and sat in another room all would work better than if I was there micromanaging people. The inability to allow people to be independent had somehow crept back and I was goofing God’s plan.

Recently in a fellowship it all became clear…1 Cor 12 talks about us being one body in Christ and how we are many parts with different roles and each role is important where it is. Some parts are hidden from view because of modesty and others are exposed otherwise they cannot be fully functional. I realized that if I wanted to be in front and do everything I was trying to be all body parts yet my place is one of leadership and encouragement. How then can I be hand, brain, mouth, feet and eyes all in one? Utterly impossible!

Trying to be everything in that situation made me ineffective and affected the ability of my team to deliver a good product albeit for the few moments it was like that. So I got thinking, how often is it that I stand in the way of what God wants to do in and around me because of my perception of what I need to do and how I need to be perceived. Even as I stepped back and allowed my team to be all they could be my client did not forget my existence but realized that we are a true team and loved the experience even more.

I learnt two critical things here:

a. I must know my place in the heart of God and realize that he loves me no matter what then I will be free to be me and achieve even more than I ever anticipated.

b. I must know and accept my place in the body of Christ and at my place of work then I will be effective and attain the destiny that sent me here on earth.

I know there are others who have been or are where I was at and I know that there is still a lot to learn. The thing I carry with me at this point is that if I try to do things I am not meant to be doing they will back fire on me and cause problems for those around me. I must learn to be all I can be and attain the marks set out for me and the next level of growth and responsibility will come. Knowing Him more will bring me to the right view of life and position and increase my level of excellence in all I do.

Stay on task and on track and the rewards will be amazing.