Lamps filled with golden oil

Dear reader,

Today's Scripture: Matthew 25 (NKJV)

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.

 #ThinkingAbout #QuestionsoftheDay

Are you dependant on what your friends suggest as wisdom, what the world and media say you should live by or can you think and live independently?

Do you research a situation well and do you ever ask God and the Holy Spirit to advise and lead you? Do you value His opinion more than you do the opinion and examples of your friends, Social Media, the world at large? How much are you influenced by the people around you or on any Social Media platform or anywhere else for that matter, that you cannot think and do for yourself any longer?

If your friends chose a course of action that would ultimately lead to their own destruction down the road and you followed them down that same road (because you value their opinions more than God's) without knowing where that would lead, is that wise? Just because they testify that "experts" followed that road and they blindly followed in return, to satisfy instant needs perhaps, comply with some rule, or soothe their fears but never made sure it was actually the right course of action, do you think it will automatically be right for you? Watch and learn. Stand back and first see where that road leads that person before you jump in and follow along.

People can be so dependant on the opinions of others to the point of putting their very lives at risk, just to say "I've also ticked the box" and that little box you are ticking off may just be the box that kills you. I pray for open spiritual eyes. If we say and by we I mean those of us who call ourselves Christian believers, that we trust and obey the King of Kings then we cannot live like we need the approval of people, our peers, our family and friends and the world at large when making important life decisions. If God is truly your King, your Advisor, your Helper, your Healer, your Protector, how is it that you follow people and suggest that as a "wise" course of action? Are you truly that blind, dear Christian?

Jesus said that He didn't come to bring peace. In the end loving Him, following Him will ultimately be the cause for division among family members, friends and the church. Read your Bible today and see the Truth unfold.

What does love look like? Another big question for the day. Love is actions. Love is caring in real tangible ways. Love is contact. Love is regular check-ins. Love is sharing moments. Love is giving. Love is evolving others in your life and allowing them to be part of yours. True relationships are not built on Social Media. True relationships are between people who build intimacy by the show of their love on a daily basis. A call. A visit. Staying connected. Sharing what they have so someone else can survive. Offering a meal. Knowing a need and meeting it. Sacrifice, not judgement. Unconditional love doesn't hold judgement and opinions. Love is healthy boundaries. Love is talking to each other. Love is sharing the heart of Jesus with each other. But when Jesus becomes the reason we are standing apart, I'm good with that. I will rather stand with Christ than be accepted, loved, and approved of by people.

When stubborn, hard-hearted, ignorant, uncaring, unwise, rebellious and prideful people in their brokenness and pain, want to judge you for following Christ in everything, let them go. Forgive them. Work at it daily. Put them at the feet of Jesus and in your prayer circle and continue with the mission God has given you. Jesus will take care of them and He will take care of you. He came for the broken and the lost, but if my particular balm is not the one they need or want, then God will send another because His grace is a healing balm for me, but also for those who do not want to walk in unity with me...and I am also OK with that.

To have a spirit of discernment is what the world needs more than ever. If we need to decern between right and wrong, which road to take or not take, who is speaking the truth, God's truth and who isn't, we need the Holy Spirit, our Helper to do that.

This is what I stand for:

1. I follow the Lord Jesus Christ and live by His Holy Word. It is harder than ever to do so, but I will not give up.

2. If following Him means living disconnected from certain people, that is OK with me.

3. If honouring relationships with some people, means the only way you can live in peace with them (which is a Biblical command), is to not have any contact because it leads to emotional pain, discontent, judgement, strife, conflict, disagreements and more, then I choose the road to peace and peacefulness.

4. If putting healthy boundaries between me and others and keeping my eyes on Jesus for what He wants for my life, means they won't change into loving supportive friends or family, they won't love you back, they won't respect your life choices, they won't approve of you, they will discredit you or reject you, so be it.

5. If following God's leading in how I live my life causes strife with people, it probably means I am on the right track. If you have no push-back in your life, you probably are exactly where the enemy wants you to be, making no impact at all for the Kingdom of God. Being settled in God will probably mean that you will be unsettled in this world. Hey, I'm OK with that too because I know how the story ends and where I will be ending up. Thank you, Jesus! Streets of gold and mansions prepared and eternity with God comes to mind.

6. I know: God's love for me will never change, what Jesus did for me on the cross is an ever-fixed mark in time and space and is settled forever and eternity and my name is written in His book.

7. I also know this life is temporary, so hey, what is all the fear about? I also know God wants a full life for me...an abundant life. That can only be found in Him.

It cannot be found in people's good opinion of you, not in how much you earn or how successful you are on earth (um, you can't take anything with you), how many degrees you have, how many accolades you have earned, your status in society or among your many friends, how many followers you have. Also not in how many friends support you back, not in the kind of house you live in or car you drive or even where you live. If you are trying to look for abundant life on this list, you will be disappointed and living an empty sort of life. If your treasure is not in the person of Jesus alone, if you don't build on Him as your foundation, you are storing up things that will disappear in the end. What a waste of time and energy.

Instead, I suggest we stay in the Word, stay connected to Him daily. He is faithfully and will guide us in everything we are wondering about, want to know, need guidance in, are fearful or worried about. He says "Bring your cares and cast it on Me". Will you do that today?

In summation:

1. Follow God's lead in life even when it is hard or unpopular.

2. Don't ever apologise for following His direction in your life. Just be obedient to Him.

3. Accept that you may lose the good opinion of people and your status in life if you truly follow Christ. Learn to not be affected by it so much.

4. When you are making life-altering decisions, please please please do not just follow people blindly because they follow other people in return. Instead, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit closely. He is THE life-Saver...nothing else can ever save you.

I learned recently when I asked God about the oil in the lamps of the 5 wise maidens Matthew 25 talks about, that the oil is actually the Holy Spirit. Is your lamp filled with Him today? I think it is more important to ensure that our lamps are filled with Him than to make sure you tick that box the world is currently pushing on you. Don't you?

Like sunflowers are filled with light and energy from the sun by keeping their heads turned to wherever it turns, so should we keep our eyes on God so He can fill us with the golden oil of the Holy Spirit that is life-giving.

#Maranatha

Seasons

Dear believer,

Scriptures to read:
1 Corinthians 13
Jeremiah 29:11
Psalm 45

Devotional Encouragement:

Sometimes in our lives we go through stuff that is really really hard. We hit this hard rock place and we just don't seem to be able to get past it. Winter seasons can be tough, but then you get to that dry place that is worse than a winter season. Sometimes it feels like if we could just see beyond, we would be able to convince ourselves that we will make it. If you know the future and you know what lies beyond the hard place and you can see the blue sky again, a place of provision and peace and rest from the stress of life and this world, you will just barely be able to cope and keep going, right? What if there is no sign of it ending...this hard place...this dry season? We call it the 'doldrums'.

What are the doldrums?

The online dictionary says:

doldrums

ˈdɒldrəmz/

noun

1. 1.

   a state or period of stagnation or depression.

   
   
   

   "the mortgage market has been in the doldrums for three years"

   
   

   synonyms:

   depression, melancholy, gloom, gloominess, glumness, downheartedness, dejection, despondency, dispiritedness, heavy-heartedness, heartache, unhappiness, sadness, misery, woe, dismalness, despair, pessimism, hopelessness; More
2. 2.

   an equatorial region of the Atlantic Ocean with calms, sudden storms, and light unpredictable winds.

   
   
   

   "Hurricane Verity had been born in the doldrums"

The doldrums are what sailors have experienced for as long as they have sailed the oceans. It is that stretch of ocean that seem to never end. There is no wind to take you to land and there is no land in sight. You are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no indication when and how you will get out of it.

A while back I watched a movie about Moby Dick and some whale hunters. They got stuck in the doldrums and nearly all of them died. Most died because they gave up mentally. They were all exposed to the sun, lack of food and water and being stuck in a small space for a very long period of time. They were pushed beyond any human capacity. Those who stuck it out did so because they clung to hope that it would all come to an end and they would find land again. In the end it was about timing and there own endurance of the hard thing....waiting it out.

The doldrums they were stuck in reminded me of the seasons we go through where nothing seems to happen. You feel stuck, closed in and have no way of moving backwards or forwards at all. You remember better times, but there is no way to get back to it and you can't move forward any faster than time can. You have to work through it. You have to wait. You have to be where you are at that specific space in time. You have no control over how long you will be in that season. 

This one thing I know: the only Person that can really know why or for how long you are in the dry season, is God.

Only those who have gone through such a season, will understand what I am talking about. It is really the worst place to be stuck in. When you loose even the power to make choices or the choices that you do make, seem to take you nowhere, then you know you are in the doldrums.

If I have you feeling down and depressed, that is not the idea of this post. I have found that in a dry season God is asking for your attention more than ever. At first you will fight it. "More time in God's Word? But I am already reading my Bible and going to church and praying and doing stuff for God." Well, yes. You may be so busy with the things of God or the things you think you are doing for Him, but are you really connecting with the King?

The second reason you might be in this dry season is because He is preparing you for the next season or a promotion in His Kingdom and He cannot use you the way He wants to, if you are filled with the things of this world. He needs to show you that you can actually go without it all. He also wants to know if you had to make a choice, what would you choose? God or the comforts of your life?  It is actually not an easy choice for us humans to make. We live in a physical world surrounded by physical things and we have needs and wants that seem to never end. The only way for us to really surrender to God is to go through this "stripping of things"-period and realise what is actually important. God and not things. God and not our dreams or desires. God and not, yes not even the people we hold on to so tightly. God's will and not our own will. It is a power struggle between the two sides.

In the beginning it seems impossible. You feel like God is asking way too much of you. Then you go through a period of really rebelling and getting angry at Him for making you go through this. Isn't He suppose to bless His kids and take care of them in all things, you may ask yourself. Don't be fooled by circumstances. God is ever present. He is right there holding you up and making sure that you don't get destroyed. He will not let you fall. That is a promise from His Word and God is not a man that He should lie. He is faithful even when we are not. So you can rest easy and know that you know that He is your Hope.

The latest release from Hillsong is a song called "Seasons" and it is a perfect song for what I am trying to share with you today. Follow the link to read the lyrics and listen to this amaizing song. Click here. The song is written by Chris Davenport, Bejamin Hastings and Ben Tan. It talks about winter coming for us all and teaches us the nature of patience. So there are lessons to be learned from dry season times, from winter wastelands and from time spent in the doldrums.

My dad use to use the word doldrums way before I knew what it meant. He used it to state that he was feeling low or that some situation was causing him to feel stuck. I use to think that the word 'doldrums' just meant feeling blue or depressed, but now I see it in a very different light. I don't fear it any longer. I don't like it, don't get me wrong, but I don't fear it and I know as a child of God that there is always hope because of the greater plan God has in mind for my life and the lives of all His children. (Jeremiah 29:11)

The most amaizing part of the "Seasons"-song is the fact that in the first verse it talks about why we have to experience winter. Like seeds, we have to be buried so that we can grow. Seeds first need to die deep down in dark places and then after some time, from it bursts open new life. That is the real miracle: that from something that has died can come something beautiful. The song confirms God's promise to be loyal.  Sometimes when life hits you hard and you feel there is but a tiny little bit of you left...like a little seed and you dare offer it in surrender to God, He takes it and makes a tree grow from that little bit you offered. 

How would you feel if I said that you can know the future, right here and now? Yes you can. If you know God and how He works in people's lives, you can know that He will do what He says. So, when you read His Word, you 'know' what the future holds for those who love Him and for those who don't.

The other issue with being in the doldrums is the issue of time spent there. How long, Lord? How long still? You go through these phases where you think you have reached your limit. You cannot wait one more hour, minute or second. You feel like you have spent the whole of you life's energy just waiting for things to happen..and they never do. The chorus of the song encourages that even if the winter is long, you can know that the harvest will be richer for it. Even when you reach the point of not being able to wait more, you can like the sailors of old, hold on to the hope that Your Promise Keeper's promise is like that little seed in the ground. Though you may not see the progress, it is growing and the season for it to burst open WILL COME.

Seasons change. They do, right. We know this from experience. Winter becomes Spring and Spring turns into Summer and then we have Autumn coming around and then winter again and so on and so on. We depend on it. God created the seasons. He knows we need it to change. BUT He controls the timer.

I really personally relate with the second verse of the song. The Lord's love is compared to the low winter sun. If you focus your attention on the Lord and the light of His love, you will be blinded by it. It is that strong! When that same light and fire hits the snow of your life in the "doldrums", it melts and you feel renewed in it's warmth. I have experienced this in my "doldrums". Each time I was ready to, or really wanted to just give up because it was just too hard to hold on anymore, God with a soft touch would quietly remind me of His love and who He thought I was. When I realised once again that I was loved and validated, it re-aligned me some how. Once I took up my position in Christ again, I would be able to give just one more step...and the next...and the next. That is how I got through each of those times. Surrendering to Him is different than just giving up. God had to tame my 'wild soul' by taking me through the hard times, guiding me all the time, reminding me He was right next to me.

You may feel totally stripped even barren. I can relate. I am turning 44 soon and I have not been able to fall pregnant in nearly 9 years. Some women reach a point where they just accept it and other morn for the rest of their lives. For me it is all about God's timing. I know one thing. If He placed it in me to be a mom, He will be faithful to bring me to it. I have been a teacher for over 20 years and have experienced motherhood in one form or another for most of that time. I have had the privilege and responsibility of holding thousands of children's hearts and minds in the palm of my hands throughout my career, but I still have the dream of my own babies some day soon. Yes, I know the reality all too well, but I know my God and nothing...nothing is impossible for Him. I choose to trust His timing.

And then the bridge of the song, hits home right in the center of my heart. A statement of FAITH:

"I can see the promise. I can see the future. You’re the God of seasons. I’m just in the winter. If all I know of harvest is that it’s worth my patience. Then if You’re not done working God, I’m not done waiting. You can see my promise even in the winter because

You’re the God of greatness...even in a manger.  For all I know of seasons is that You take Your time. You could have saved us in a second...instead You sent a child."

And that puts everything in perspective. God has a purpose...a greater purpose in mind for us all and He is very patient in seeing it come to pass. We sometimes forget this when we get so busy with our lives and our own 'stuff'. 

When we think of Jesus and his 33 years on earth, we also think of how His tree saved us all and that it started in a very humble place...a manger. Then we read the rest of the story and know that there is more to come for us all. We know that we know that where we may find ourselves now is not where we will end up. God is a God of promise. Jesus is our Hope and in Him we have the Hope of Glory. 

Someday He will come and everything will make sense to us. 

The song builds up into a crescendo and end as it should with Christ. Like a seed He was given up for us all to die, His tree on Calvary saved us all and through Him we have been made righteous...the unrighteous made righteous. Can you believe that? None of us deserves to be saved but He did it anyway and He gave it all up for us.  

So the encouragement I offer you today is that your tree, your harvest, will come. Your time in the doldrums will come to an end. The seasons of your live will keep turning. But know that there is always a season to come. Keep your eyes on God and eternity and not just on this fleshly world with all its trimmings and temptations. They are all temporary. What God offers us, is eternal and very real. Just because you are not shown the full picture, does not mean that it doesn't exist. 

So make that choice today to spend more time with God when your life makes less sense. Spend more time talking to Him, when all seems lost. Spend more time choosing to trust Him and wait on His timing, than doubting or giving up on Him. Choose to wait on Him for however long He asks of you...even when it seems like nothing is happening or ever going to happen. Choose to BELIEVE. Choose HOPE. In the end, the only thing that you can really truly depend on in this world is Gods unending, everlasting, all encompassing LOVE for you. And we all know what 1 Corinthians 13 says: Faith. Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is....? LOVE. Love is all you need. 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you for planting the seed of Your love in us. Help us to live for you. Wait on You. Trust You. Thank you that You are with us in all seasons and that Your Word promises us that You will never leave us. You are with us in our troubles, dry seasons and dark places. Please shine Your light in those places all the time so we know the way HOME. 

Amen

Is faith enough?

Dear friend,

This is a very old song I share with you today. A song by "4 Him", one of my favourite Christian bands. It comes from a time I was still young in my walk with God, but the words ring true still today. Here is the link to listen to this song: https://youtu.be/I-OJtMxMT7k called "Where there is Faith". My encouragement to you today: Keep walking!

Scripture Power verse:

Habakkuk 3:17-18New International Version (NIV)

17 Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

What is it to have faith and what do you have faith in? 

Do you believe in yourself and your own abilities? 

A young preacher in America today had a message and as part of it he told how a big famous theologian in America was asked about him on a YouTube video interview the young preacher was watching and the learned man paused for a moment and said: Not qualified! He didn't regard this young preacher to be worthy to preach the Gospel of Christ. Imagine watching a video where people talk about you and what they are saying is not very flattering. The young preacher surprised by not taking offence and said: Sure, I am absolutely not qualified. He was agreeing with the theologian.  BUT who makes us able and qualified to still, despite our shortcomings, live a faith-based life, a life preaching about God, sharing His Word and Truth as He reveals it to us, with others...as this may also be a life of persecution and judgement by this world? Is it even worth it would you say? Would you like to live such a life?

I am so glad to bring you the Good News today that no person on earth is actually qualified to represent the most High King. The Bible says: none is found to be worthy or good...not one. So, if we all fall short of it, then none of us is worthy.

But God. Because He sent His only Son and paid the ultimate price through His blood for each and every human on earth, He is the only One that can make us able, willing and worthy.

I struggle a lot with this life and all it holds for a believer, just like any other person, but my heart is willing and God looks inward to the inner man where no one else can really truly judge. We can judge each others fruits, but we can never truly judge each others hearts. He is the only One that knows each of us as we truly are. 

Do you fake it till you make it or do you trust in Christ with humility, not regarding yourself more than anyone else? If so, and if you are offering yourself and your life up for Him to be used, do not be surprised if you go through fire to be purified and tested. He makes us worthy through hardship and testing and trials if we desire to stand up and be counted for His Kingdom. This has been my experience over and over again throughout my Christian life since the age of 15 and it has never not been like this. You may even find yourself cut off from others for a season, so He can do His good work in you. It is a hard thing to say you want to live for Him. There is a certain price to be paid...a cross to carry and bear. It is not easy. It is the narrow hard uphill type of road. So, if everything is smooth sailing for you, you are probably not on that road. He wants to know if we will choose Him or choose this world and the fame and fortune it offers and to do that He asks us to go through seasons of winter and drought and dry land. He cares for us in these seasons. He doesn't abandon us in these times, but be assured, it is a lonely season. Friends and family and all your connections may just abandon you when they see you being tested this harshly. They will even judge you and your life like Job's friends. Be encouraged though, it is just a season and will pass. God knows just how much you can take. The closer you walk with this world, the blinder spiritually you will be. The closer you walk with God and the more you desire to grow in your faith, the more He will open your spiritual eyes. You will start to see things as they are and not as what the enemy wants you to see and believe. Things that were so important to you in the past, will become less so. You will start to have an eternity mindset, knowing that this world will not last forever and that puts it kind of in its place. 

What do you choose today? I choose Christ. I will always choose Christ. Even if I fail miserably at this life, I will choose Christ. Even if no one wants to know me, even if everyone rejects me over and over and over again because of His Name, I will always choose Christ. I will never choose fame or fortune over Him. I will never be bought or sell my soul for money or worldly success. Does that make me a failure? Not in His eyes. I will not even choose friends or family over Him. I will not choose my own way over Him. Even if none of my dreams come true, I will choose Him. If the fig tree does not bear fruit and the harvest doesn't come. When my vineyards are empty and dry and all I have is Jesus, I will be content. (Habakuk 3)

I believe like this song, in faithfulness. I believe in giving of myself for someone else. Yes, I believe in peace and love even if I never find it in this life. I believe in honesty and trust but I know like this song says it is not enough. For all that I believe may never change the way it is in this world, or in my life or even me, but unless I believe Jesus lives and I'm willing to let Him shine His true light through every part of me, every aspect of my life and being...even the dark places, then I am just an empty hollow shell that makes noise.

Today I offer you this advice: care more about who Jesus says you are than what you care the world, others even friends and family, say you are. Care more about God's will for you, than to please this world. Care more about doing life with Christ than impressing this world with what you do and say. Care first about time with Him than time with others. In the end, you have to spend eternity somewhere. Will, what this world offers you really take you there? So, today spend a little time with Jesus. Even just a couple of minutes with the King is worth more than anything else you do.

May you be blessed enough today to realize that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of you or says to you or even spreads about you behind your back...even if they do it over and over again. It is better to please God than people. So you have to kind of make peace with the fact that if you truly please God, you will be in "trouble" with people. Can you live with that? If you can't truly say yes to this question, maybe you need to take another hard look at what really matters to you.

Here is the lyrics to the song. I hope you listen to it today and that it inspires you to walk closer to Him. Your beliefs won't change anything...only Jesus has the power to change hearts and minds and lives. Let Him change you today. <3 

4him – Where There Is Faith Lyrics 

I believe in faithfulness
I believe in giving of myself for someone else
I believe in peace and love
I believe in honesty and trust but it's not enough
For all that I believe may never change the way it is
Unless I believe Jesus lives

Where there is faith
There is a voice calling, keep walking
You're not alone in this world
Where there is faith
There is a peace like a child sleeping
Hope everlasting in He who is able to
Bear every burden, to heal every hurt in my heart
It is a wonderful, powerful place
Where there is faith

There's a man across the sea
Never heard the sound of freedom ring
Only in his dreams
There's a lady dressed in black
In a motorcade of Cadillacs
Daddy's not coming back
Our hearts begin to fall
And our stability grows weak
But Jesus meets our needs if only we believe

Where there is faith
There is a voice calling, keep walking
You're not alone in this world
Where there is faith
There is a peace like a child sleeping
Hope everlasting in He who is able to
Bear every burden, to heal every hurt in my heart
It is a wonderful, powerful place
Where there is faith 

Prayer:

Lord, thank you that you know my name and that because You love me, I can know that what Jesus did for us, also was for me. Thank you that all I am is secure in Christ and that I am covered by the Blood of the Lamb. Lord, thank you that I can believe in You and that You have given me the Holy Spirit to be my Teacher and Comforter in this life and thank you that You make me qualified to witness and shine Your light despite my human nature and shortcomings. Thank you so much that Your light shining through me is not dependent on my ability to DO anything or BE anything more than your child, forgiven and made new by what YOU do. 

Lord, help me to believe what You want me to believe about me, my life, my purpose, my position, my work, my relationships, others and your will in all of that. Teach me, guide me and be gracious to me. 

Help me Lord, when I fall short, to also have mercy and grace for the world around me. Help me to live your love harder than ever before. Forgive me if I stray from living your purposes for my life. 

Protect me against those who want to take, steal and destroy what You have given and blessed me with. Protect me against the real enemy and his plans of destruction and give me the discernment to know when he is using people to discourage me and get me off track. Help me to forgive others like you forgive me. 

Help me always to return to You and your path for my life. Help me stay on it and help me to stay focused. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen. 

May this prayer help you stay strong in your faith in Christ. Do not give up and do not lose hope. God is not finished with you yet.

Is God's Grace enough to change us?

Dear friend,

This was written by another writer on her blog about 3 years ago and as it is a topic I feel passionate about, I wrote quite a long comment today on it that I would like to share with you here. I will post my comment after her post. For privacy reasons, I will not disclose her identity.

"this hit home today..............  i mean i know this.  once you accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you love Him so much, you want to Glorify His name through your life. but then "life" gets in the way, and before you know it, you look just like the world again...........

 if you cannot see the Grace in someone's life, then they probably have not yet asked for it or accepted it when it was Offered.  we all fall into sin sometimes (and if you are like me - a lot of times!!)  when we have received Grace, however, we can recognize it and not be enslaved by it - or literally be held captive by it.  we will ask the Lord to free us from it and to transform us into what He desires us to be..........this is not an overnight process and it normally hurts something awful............ but what if Blessings come like rain and through tears?  i see people whose hearts are so hard and who are so unforgiving and mean - it makes me so sad.  it makes me want to hug them and tell them that Jesus died for them too - yes, in our current, sinful state, He died for us.  you cannot be happy when you are always looking for ways to hurt others or do mean and spiteful and ugly things.......  it shows on your face, your life and in your ways...........

let Him change you - He is Grace.  let Him touch your heart.

and remember - a message to those of us who claim to be changed and saved by Grace - we need to be accountable to each other and tell each other when we see one another falling into sin............ i know that i appreciate it every time someone corrects me in Love............only through that kind of love can one grow into who He wants us to be.  day by day, step by step..............

all only for His Glory!!

Charles Spurgeon said it well: "The grace that does not change my life will not save my soul.""

My response to this was:

I don't know how I got to this post, but here I am. I love this post and absolutely agree with it. The meaning of my name is "Grace". I am all for it and passionately desire to show grace to others. I believe the names that God gives us, is also a prophetic blessing of who we are suppose to be an what we are suppose to accomplish for Him in this world. 

In the same spirit of this day where all South Africans across cultural divide came together to stand for what is right and good and honorable, despite their differences, I am reaching out to a fellow sister in Christ once again. 

When God calls us to be His light in a dark world, He also wants us to be unified as one Body in Christ. That means we need to have grace also for our fellow believers. We absolutely passionately have to on purpose love each other. 

My question to you, is should one sister in Christ not also have grace for another sister in Christ?

 Is it even possible that two strangers can find common ground and isn't that common ground suppose to be the Lord they both profess to love so passionately? Isn't it enough to spark a friendship? Are we not suppose to give each other the benefit of the doubt even if we misunderstood some things or didn't have all the facts or see the full picture that is a life given by God with all its ups and downs and lessons and change and challenges and pain and growth? Does the things of this world, money, business, work, interests, hobbies, stuff, have that much power over us that we cannot see past it, to see someone's heart...too see someone reaching out? Why do we then sometimes feel we need to shut a door, walk away, not give grace? I tell you why...it is because we are all..even when we are in Him and He is in us and with us...still a little bit broken. And then I hear Him say: give me your heart of stone and I will give you a new one...a heart of flesh that feels again. Christ will never unfriend us, or exclude us or dismiss us or misunderstand us. He died for us...paid the ultimate price for us. He is GRACE. He is what we need all the time to give others grace. 

I have a big big big issue with Christians not being able to find this common ground. I seem to have a "thing" about it...blessed with a burden for it...and just maybe because it bothers me so much, God wants me to speak out about it...remind others in love to think again...sit up and take note of it...this "thing" between believers not being able to show grace for each other. We seem to be able to preach it. To give that grace to the broken world but not the broken pieces in our fellow believers. 

We are all cracked pots of clay and the only difference between us and the world, is that we stand under forgiveness and we have accepted it. I accept I will not be included by this world. I however have still a little bit of a struggle with not receiving grace or kindness from fellow believers. I'm getting there however...accepting it, I mean. Call me old fashioned or weird, but I thought if I was part of God's family that made His family also my family and that is also where grace and love should start...and then overflow to the world. 

On the 25th of November 2016 I wrote a letter to a fellow sister in Christ and I opened my heart to her and with honesty and care I took the time to be open and gave her an opportunity to get to know more about me and she shut me down. Her response was harsh and had no grace in it. I felt a dagger go through my already bruised heart because she dismissed my efforts, but I realized that she must have had something keeping her from giving that grace when she needed to. I responded very passionately reminding her about the reality facing Christians around the globe..that the Name she professed meant something and couldn't be kept aside and only brought out when it suited her. That day I was profoundly touched and affected by the news of Syrian Christians being beheaded and the plight of Christians over the world, was weighing heavily on my heart, and I know God wanted me to feel it so intensely...so I could pray. She on the other hand, didn't want me to include Christ in my conversation to her..to put Him in the middle between us..to invite Him to the table. To her He was to holy for that and strangely enough all I was doing was witnessing about His role in my life. My heart sank as I read her response, because to me, Christ is in and part of EVERYTHING. I cannot and will not ever exclude Him. As a Holy God, who was the beginning of everything, He came to earth to become a lowly man...why?...So He could give His life to save us all and make us part of Him. He became my friend the day I accepted him at 15 and I cannot ever imagine excluding Him from anything ever and even if I was to be so foolish as to think I could, He is an ever-present God. He is everywhere and sees all we do and say. He is my ever present guide and His spirit is my Teacher and Comforter.  

So, as a "Peter" of old I pulled out my sword. "I will fight for You, Lord...I will make her see"...but then halfway through I realized I cannot make anyone see anything. I can only witness, like I am doing here..that Christ is Lord and every knee will bow before Him in the end. And all I could do is to pray for her and release her in His Name and hope that He walks with her and talks with her like He does with me in all my broken ways...and somewhere my heart was also still hoping that He would whisper my name in her heart like he is whispering her name in mine and that His grace for us both and for every other fellow sister in Him, would flow like the rain that fell in my fair city yesterday.  

Because you see, when we presume we have arrived at any given time, we can know, we still will always fall short of perfection, because none of us will ever reach it in this life. We are MADE knew daily by Grace and His presence...it is a lifelong process.  The Word says all men are equal in the eyes of the Lord and we all have sinned...there is not one good among us. We must accept we are all still in process of becoming all that Christ has for each of us and that we each have our part to play. 

Today we prayed for change in our country. We prayed for corruption to leave it...for evil to flee, but in my heart I also pray for the family of Christ to truly become one. Only when we shine His love like diamonds in the sky, will the world around us start to change. As long as we don't show this grace my fellow sister in Christ was talking about here, to one another, we cannot expect true change. 

On the 25th of November last year I let that fellow believer go with a heavy heart, but I am writing this in the hope that she would somewhere sometime someday go back and read my letter and see my heart...and maybe just maybe God will change her heart and mind and she would see what she is missing out on. And only He could tell her what that is. 

"Grace that does not change us...cannot save us" 

If we really believe that Grace, His grace is the answer, then why can't we give it abundantly? My heart is still filled with questions over the interactions between believers, but my Hope is always and will always be in Him. His Word is also clear that He will be the Stumbling Stone that divide men and I have to accept if I keep clutching to His cloak and keep on standing under His Grace, that I will be included in His Kingdom and His heart but most likely be excluded from things  or situations in this world. 

Finally, I pray that the grace we talk about here, is the same grace that you receive from Him daily and that you are able to truly give it in spades. May my story inspire you even though both these pieces wasn't even written in the same time, I believe the written word can reach hearts over a virtual space where physical connections are not always possible. God bless.

What does the Word say about Grace:

Colossians 4:6 ESV / 27 

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Ephesians 4:29 ESV / 24 

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

James 2:13 ESV / 18 

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

1 Peter 4:10 ESV / 17 

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace..

Colossians 3:12 ESV / 16 

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience..

2 Timothy 2:1 ESV / 8

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus..

Romans 12:18 ESV / 6

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

For more form His Word on Grace, click here.

And for a great article on how to show more grace to others, click here for some helpful tips.  

A prayer for believers:

Lord, help us to include you in every aspect of our lives. Give us the grace and understanding to know how to treat our fellow believers even in times of conflict or disagreement. Help us to resolve issues and not just give up and run away. Help us to live in peace with our family in Christ and Lord, bind us together, Lord, bind us together ...with cords that cannot be broken.  

In the lovely Name of Jesus Christ.

Amen