WE STAND-WE FIGHT-WE ARE WOMEN!

Life is about being responsible for every decision and every action we take, despite the good or bad that it might pose for us. It is about being the kind of person who fully understands that nothing in life is as we want it to be all the time and affords us the courtesy of always being real with ourselves before we can offer the same kindness to others.

I have met a lot of people in my life, from my high school days to my workplace, church, events, and day-to-day life in general. This ranges from people who live their lives without any sense of duty or responsibility to anyone or anything to the ones who always played the victim card in everything, the ones who always craved and lived for the thrill of being given all the attention and felt sorry for.

They are forever ready to deny everything and anything, ready to get into a fight to defend their wrongs, ready to manipulate and lie their way through the plain field that only has their own truth as the pattern of existence. 

I can definitely say that we are all aware of such individuals; we have them as siblings, friends, parents, colleagues, and, my favorite, you and I. We have all asked ourselves the famous questions: what's wrong with them, when will they change, what's so hard about getting their lives on track, why do people don't understand me, why are people so difficult—the list goes on and on. 

The denial that lives within us as individuals at times can have severe and long-lasting implications, not just for us but for those around us and the people we care about. However, we rarely come face-to-face with the real issue, and that is their unawareness of the problem that truly leads to its prolonged existence, which we so quickly and accurately pick up and even define, no matter how inaccurate and incorrect that is. 

Our society is filled with such individuals, and, sadly, you and I might fall under that category of individuals, whether we realize it or not, or whether we are willing to accept it or not. The fact is, if we are such, then admission and working towards it are essential.

Hence, it is important to note that everything starts at the point of admission—admitting a problem, admitting a wrong that was done, and, in this situation, wreaking havoc on the female species. It is therefore important that we acknowledge that women have been wronged and continue to be wronged; this is not sidelining anything that the other gender has experienced over the years. 

This is not neglecting the issues that men face on a day-to-day basis or even suggesting they don't experience their own issues due to how society has been functioning. But rather, it is taking the duty and responsibility upon ourselves to say that injustice continues to a greater extent to be directed and experienced by the female gender (the girl child, the woman) all across the world, despite race, religion, or class. 

To zoom in on the issues that continue to disable society and the glue that holds it (this being the impact, role, and strength of a woman), for no society can truly exist and be great without women. To agree and accept without sidelining the work and developments that have been done in this regard over the years, but rather to say it is still not enough. To daily take it upon ourselves to fight for a society that is free from GBV that continues to wreak havoc, sex trafficking, gender inequality, self-inflicted hate towards each other as women, et cetera. It is time we rise—I mean fully rise—and shout out with not just words but action at play—that enough is enough.

That being said, we will not keep silent; we cannot continue making the other gender feel good or better about themselves at the detriment of the mothers of society and future mothers, who are slowly being stained, destroyed, and crushed to the core. We cannot stop, but we must continue to fight the monster that is determined to wreck the very existence of a great woman. 

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY TO YOU ALL QUEENS!

"Young and Crazy in Love with Jesus"

Fused with tingles of excitement, like a child, my chicks flushed pink, endlessly talking and thinking about You.

A pounding heart, almost ready to explode, is the state I find myself in.

 Yet your unending serenity and the ambiance inspired by your very touch have taken over me.

How could I ever think I could feel this way and love this way—with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind!

 

Yet, I have stepped onto a path that binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Steered into a path where fear is a foreign concept, a path of perfect love.

 It's a feeling I could never find words to express, an urge to shout, and yet at the same time laughter that evokes praise—to declare the wonders of your greatness.

 

I have found the one that my entire being longed for; I have secured the one that truly completes me, the one that I ascribe to.

The one that has become my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer— my all in all.

Your very presence in my life is a never-ending celebration.

 At every thought of knowing you, tears flood my eyes as they draw me to a path of recognition and acknowledgement of how great You are.

 I cannot ignore You; the world cannot ignore You; Your very existence is contagious; it overtakes.

 The one whose voice commands attention while simultaneously soothing and comforting the broken-hearted. 

Whose eyes are always fixed on me, and His ears are always open to my cries.

Metanoia

 

There is no greater joy than the pure understanding,

that despite what people, what your society might say

or think about you, is irrelevant.

Taking this journey is like no other, a moment you realise that you are in control over your attitude and reactions to those perceptions around you.

 

Perceptions intended for your distraction and downfall.

Perceptions instigated to make you doubt yourself, and question all about you.

Allowing yourself the grace to decide what is important to you,

the grace to invite nothing else but positive energy within your space.

 

If it happens that the negativity creeps in, don't be too hard on yourself.

As I said, it's a journey, so reposition and align yourself,

bring yourself to the place you deserve to be in.

Understand that even the best people find themselves in that position,

you are human and at times can find yourself in the most unfavourable position.

 

However, remember each day is an opportunity to try again,

do better and make better decisions for you.

Most importantly, enjoy the journey and learn from every error or mistake.

You are the element that makes life beautiful.

 

Be comfortable in your own skin, in who you are as a person, and never allow yourself to doubt the strength within you.

In you lie great possibilities and beauty that the world be honoured to experience.

 

Look at yourself and perceive nothing but greatness and God’s exquisite display of His artistic abilities.

 Do not wait for others or the world to confirm your worth and value; you are a unique and a rare breed, despite your flaws and imperfections.

Therefore, learn to find joy and love in yourself and allow each day to bring you closer to understanding your divine strength.

 

 

Beauty In The Imperfection

An attempt to convey how I am feeling right now, down to the last drop of sweat, agony, and overpowering emotions. To say I am at ease and in control would be to refuse any assistance offered and foolishly close any door of hope.

For I am plagued by complete turmoil and unrest; what I crave most is stillness, a condition of peace that will lead me to my true self. What I want is something bigger than me, capable of taking away all my sufferings. What I see in my reflection now is a self that I no longer know, consumed by the world's anxieties and unfairness. 

Who could possibly lift this burden off my shoulders, totally grasp how I feel, and be capable of bringing peace to the insanity and chaos within? 

Despite everything, I remain positive, hopeful that the world will give me something larger than myself and that there is more to life than the havoc around me.

Glory to God, what I desired and what I prayed for is before my very own eyes. 

What I almost forgot and feared I could ever attain has become a reality—a beautiful reality, almost denying what once held me hostage and in bondage. 

Yet the present speaks loudly and acknowledges that it was with each comfort received and the soothing words of consolation and encouragement from the most high God that led to this moment—the person I am meant to be—a fearless, strong, bold, and courageous being.

One that is destined for greatness and not a life of misery or ridicule. One that is not consumed by the mess in their lives anymore. 

Having fully embraced the beauty amid the mess-transitioned from where I was once at to where He original destined me to be-a state of peace and joy. 

An attempt to express how I am currently feeling, down to the last drop of optimism, peace, and joy. To say I am at ease and in control is a true testament to what God has done for me and how He has restored my life.

Reprogram Your Thinking – the Power of an Attitude!

To reprogram your thinking in simple terms basically means to rewire your mind to think for you instead of against you, that is think more positively. But one thing we need to understand first is that thinking is normal, even though at times we might find ourselves in unpleasant thoughts that make us guilty and feel like the worst people in the world. What we need to understand is that it is important to take steps towards changing our thought patterns that are destructive and contradictory to the word of God. 

Maybe you’re saying to yourself why is it important that I reprogram my thinking, there is nothing wrong with how I think. Well one important question you need to ask yourself is what is negative thinking? What are the effects of negative thinking in my life and most importantly in my relationship with Jesus? We need to first understand that when one reprograms his/her thinking that means there is a pattern in his/her thinking that is faulty, a pattern that is a stumbling block in his/her way of the necessary growth and success that God wishes for us all as His children.

So all in all this means that there are great benefits in reprogramming our thinking patterns, reprogramming your thinking has a powerful effect as it basically transforms your whole life. According to Susan Reynolds “if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make sure you keep your brain happy.” This basically means that positive thoughts in our life have such a great impact. She further stated that happy people (positive people) are more creative, solve problems faster, and tend to be more mentally alert. When you think positive you become a positive person and become more relaxed, at peace and happy and being such a person allows other people to feel comfortable around you as your way of life (thinking) is just positive and probably encouraging too. 

If we try and observe the life of Jesus Christ on earth, we will notice that He was a man who was at peace, happy and very positive. People who were around Him, in His presence couldn’t help it but feel encouraged to change for the better and be at peace. His way of life made His stay on earth amazing and very inspirational to many people around the world, not only to believers but also to unbelievers even still today. The reason was because of the truth that His thinking was in line with God’s word; His thinking was not contradictory to what His father expected of Him or His word. One of the most neglected disciplines by the born-again Christians these days is meditating on the word of God, which is taking special time every day to study and explore the word of God so it becomes part of you. Well meditating is a form of thinking that God requires us to do, this form of thinking helps the rest of our thinking life to become more structured and positive, it helps your think to stay in line with God’s word.

We don’t pay special attention to what we think about and one of the main problems we end up having by such disruptive thinking is that we continue feeding ourselves with negative and unhealthy things (that is information that is contradictory to the word of God) after we have left our ways of the past. While we are still in the Lord, we continue in the way we thought before, our old patterns of life. Probably you have heard of the expression, you are what you think, well that’s true because what we think in our minds we speak and also act. It is God’s wish for us to always think in a manner or pattern that is positive; He requires that we reprogram our thinking in a way that allows Him to use us. Because honestly speaking working with a negative person in mind is almost impossible as they are full of doubt and impossibilities of which we all know that is not in line with our Lord and Saviour. 

We serve a God of possibilities. God that can do anything, the word impossible does not exist in His vocabulary. We also are well aware of the truth that we can only please God if we have faith; hence doubt has no room in God’s presence. The scripture below clearly illustrates to us what God wants our thinking pattern to be like. You might be saying to yourself right now, how am I supposed to change the way I think, I can’t control how I think. Well I have news for you, you do have control over what you allow your mind to continue thinking, yes you might not entirely decide on the thoughts that drop in your mind but you have a choice, a choice not to entertain the thoughts that are disruptive. And you even in great luck to have the Holy Spirit by your side, as He will remind you that you not supposed to be thinking what you thinking currently, He will always keep you in line but one thing you need to understand is that, you need to work with Him. 

The Holy Spirit won’t force you and having the Holy Spirit does not mean it will be easy, but what it means is that you will have the strength to want to decide on what is right and in line with God. Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Our God is not impressed with what we appear to be or act like when we are around people. At times we become so devious that we play church and think we can fool God too. 

Well God values what we think about a lot, He weighs the motives of our hearts. Hence it is of great importance that we think positively and ensure that we portray a mind like Christ. The word of God clearly explains to us how God feels and values positive (pure/right) thoughts. Proverbs 16: 26: “The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to Him.” What we fail to forget and sometimes fool ourselves into thinking we don’t know, is the truth that God cannot be fooled or schemed by us, everything to Him is clear, He sees and knows about everything that takes places in our lives, around us and in the entire world. 

So what makes us think that we can watch whatever we want and talk about whatever we wish to talk about and somehow still get away with it. Everything we spend our time in is mastered and pondered in mind, spoken about intentionally and/or accidentally and eventually reflected in the way we act, in our lives. Hence it is important that we take note of what we invest in our lives if we aim to have a mind like Christ. I just want you to clearly go through the scripture below and understand for yourself that indeed God cannot be mocked, and that what you sow into your life you will reap its fruits and nothing else or more. You cannot expect to reap bananas whereas you know that you sowed apple seeds, you will get apples as that’s what you sowed into the ground. Galatians 6:7-9: “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 

The one who sows to please the sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the spirit will reap eternal life.” What we need to understand is that what we feed ourselves with, which is what we listen to, what we watch and even talk about affects the way we think, it has a great impact on our thinking patterns as born-again Christians or any person for that matter. 

Hence it is of importance that you surround yourself with positive, godly and right things so as to maintain your new thinking pattern that has been transformed. God is more interested on the unseen that is what is on the inside, God’s desire and wish is that we are clean from the inside so as that to be reflected on the outside. 

                                     SELAH!

"The War Within"

What a world and a people we surrounded by, always attempting to cope, understand, and persevere in the face of injustice? 

Gripping thoughts and a loud cry from within, yet I am unable to completely express myself; am I simply concerned about whether I will be heard or given a platform to do so? Thoughts reverberate all around me, with a bang that never seems to fade, and a concern, grief, and aggravation that no one can really comprehend, or perhaps is uninterested in understanding. 

You know, no one ever openly discusses the poisonous or toxic work environment—that terrible supervisor, boss or coworker who has it in for you. No one ever discusses with real concern the violent or toxic relationship that has steadily drained your life away. And no one talks about the time you became your worst enemy of growth, peace, and sanity, when you began to lose sight of anything good about yourself, those accomplishments, no matter how small or large they were or how far you had come. 

Nobody ever discusses the daily demands placed on women about everything from the ticking clock to having a child, getting married, being suitable, being slender, and being some type of attractive. No one ever discusses South Africa's youth unemployment rates: the graduate who is sitting at home, not by choice or lack of effort; the graduate who has become a nanny, cleaner, gardener, prostitute, and so on, not by choice but by necessity and circumstance.

Don't get me wrong; this is not an attempt to denigrate those who do such jobs; rather, it is an illustration of the reality of our people's lives, a reality whose influence is often underestimated and overlooked.

 No one ever talks about your friends, you went to school, or Varsity excelling while you could barely afford a pair of shoes or the next meal for you or your family. No one ever discusses how it affects you, not out of envy, but because of the ideas that run through your head, such as what is wrong with me or what I am not doing well. Nobody discusses the everyday questions and comparisons made by your friends, family, and community now that all of your classmates have graduated and started progressing with their lives.

 

Nobody ever discusses the depths and demands of the black tax or even takes the time to ask the genuine questions, instead jumping to conclusions or assuming you are ungrateful for how your family supported you prior to your success or what looks like success in their eyes.

No one ever talks about the devastation that occurs when you just divorced or separated from your partner, discovered your partner is cheating, or abandoned by your baby daddy with no evident means to support you or the child. Nobody ever talks about the man who is emotionally assaulted on a daily basis by his partner. No one ever discusses the sexual abuse that males face or the consequences of being unable to open up about it—the lingering thoughts that crimple them until there is nothing left of who they used to be. 

 

No one ever discusses the mistreatment of the daughter-in-law by her mother-in-law or their in-laws in general. No one ever talks about the rape that resulted in me having a child. The battle to love and hate at the same time, remembering how she or he came to be, torn between love and pain that attempted to replace itself with hatred. No one ever mentions the physical scar he left on my body, the STI, STD, or HIV/AIDS he/she infected me with. And yet, by all means and indications, I am expected to live, be grateful and happy that I am still alive.

 

Questions go through my mind, wondering if Am I still living or surviving or has tragedy, the trauma and pain killed me? Am I just a shadow of who I used to be? Just maybe no one ever discusses it because no one really cares or understands the weight of what I am going through. And yet, boldly, and naively, you (we) claim that mental health issues are only for the wealthy, attention seekers, and the weak.

 

Reality Check: Life can be harsh and brutal at times, and no matter how strong you are, you can find yourself in its ruthless clutches, pulling you apart piece by piece.

                                 SELAH!

AN ILLUSTRATION OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD!

The essence of a real relationship with Him is obedience. Obedience is about realising that it’s not about you but about God. Obedience is constant realisation that the God you serve knows what’s best for you and all you can do is only obey. You don’t have to like something or agree with it or for it to be easy for you in order to obey, it means even when you don’t like it or think you know best or it’s hard you still obey. That’s the life of a child of God, an obedient Christian. It is putting God first and you last. Pastor Hagee once shared the most amazing statement in one of his sermons, a statement that I believe is very important for every individual as it guides us towards what is and what should matter more about us being called Christians. He stated that “one is not a Christian (disciple) by believing only, but rather a Christian (disciple) by what you obey.” So let us be doers of the word of God, not just hearers of the word. To some this might not be their understanding of obedience or ideal explanation, but whether we like it or not we need to face this truth. For many Christians obedience is the hardest thing, mainly because it takes them out of their comfort zone, it forces them to listen and do.

Though no one likes to go through difficult times, the truth of the matter is that it is that pain and hardship that we go through that teaches us obedience, because honestly speaking when we disobey, in a way we are prolonging the difficult times. We need to be able to listen and pay attention to what God requires of us, we cannot expect to grow if we do not face hardships along the way. We have certain lesson to learn and some of the greatest lessons are through one of the hardest times in our lives, times where the easiest solution is just to give up instead of holding on. Obedience to the human mind most of the time is not ideal at all, as it sometimes requires us to make some huge sacrifices in order to do as God instructs us and for us as people that is very hard. Probably you have worked at this firm for years and now you just require quitting and packing your bags to a new destination. Thoughts go through your mind, thoughts like can I really succeed in this new adventure, do I have the abilities or talents to do this or maybe this is not for me. While you at it, the most dangerous thoughts come through your mind, maybe this is not God speaking, you question the order/command, and you are at the verge of wanting to find a greater and real reason why you should disobey.

These feelings are mainly brought on by the fear of change, fear of failure and security. The strange thing about this is,   that after such a long journey with our Saviour we forget one important thing, and that is He will never give you what is beyond your power and that when He asks you to do something He will also give you the ability and strength to do it. He is not on a mission of making sure you fail but the opposite, He is on a mission to grow you and make sure you succeed in life and become the best you can be.

When I speak of importance of obedience I refer also to the act of having an obedient mind, making sure that you avoid having a wondering mind, because we cannot run away from the truth that if your mind is disobedient then chances of an obedient life are very slim. Obedient mind is equal to an obedient life and vice versa. It is not a lie that God wants us to have a mind like Christ, a positive mind filled with God thoughts. Just as the famous saying goes “where the mind goes the man follows”, it is no secret that the devil attacks the mind and aims to paralyse it first. His second aim is to make sure that our minds (thoughts) control us and not God. Hence it is important to be filled with the Holy Spirit as He prompts you when you think wrong thoughts and reminds you of the word, so in a way the Spirit of God guides you in ensuring that you are obedient. We need to be committed to the agenda of our Father and nothing else should matter as much.

Obedience to God and His word is a true sign that you love Him and that you trust all that He instructs or demands of you. Obedience reveals your complete trust In God and that you fear God enough to do as He commands. This scripture clearly demonstrates that obedience is an act of love towards God and it clearly explains that obedience is not a once off thing but rather a continuous act towards God.

Obeying God is the core value of being a Christian, it’s an ingredient that brings you closer to your God and allows more intimacy. Through obedience God can speak to you as you are faithful enough to obey what He instructs of you, when He speaks you hear, listen and do as He commands. Obedience informs God that He can trust you, that He can share His secrets with you, just like friends do. This formation of friendship is God’s promise to all that obey Him and do as He commands. 

 

 “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome,” John 5:2-3

When you obey someone, it’s more than just a mere act of respect, it’s about the love you possess for the individual. Our love for God should be evident and clearly shown through the way we honour His word. For God to know that we love Him, we need to obey His commandments, to allow His will to prevail in our lives. Saying you love God and supporting that statement with some good acts is not enough; it does not even begin to convince God that you love Him. All our God needs from us as proof that we care and love Him is if we obey His commands, because when we obey His commands we portray the complete trust we have in Him and as His word states nothing pleases God as a child that has absolute faith in Him. We need to realise that our God has feelings too, that what we do matters, He has these guidelines, laws or commands depending on how you define them in place for a specific reason. So, we need to stop thinking we know better and questioning His every move, every command, because of this very attitude towards the word of God, so many Christians now view His law as burdensome.
When you see something as a burden no matter how good it is for you, how much it can change your life, you will never experience the blessing of it. Why? Simply because you thought you knew better or didn’t give it a chance. We allow the devil to place thoughts in our mind, thoughts such as this is too hard, is it really necessary for God to say, no sex before marriage – I mean we are engaged, we basically married – it’s not like I’m sleeping around like other people-he loves me and we’re getting married next month or is it really necessary for Him to want us to love everyone, why should I waste my time loving someone who could care less about who I am or what I need – I give to the poor, love my family and friends.
When we go against His word, decide to sleep with that fiancé you get pregnant or that man decides he’s made a mistake; he leaves you and marries someone else. Now when things are all sour, all has gone completely the opposite in how you planned your life-no marriage in a month’s time, you are ashamed, humiliated, scared, and angry at the whole world. You are mostly likely to get trapped in a trap in which you blame the very same God you questioned before; you ask Him why He didn’t show you that the fiancé was fake, that he was not the man or a woman for you. You forget that you had your ears shut all the time and that your main focus was questioning God, so how could you have expected to hear anything when you were preoccupied with something else.
 
We basically allow ourselves to get in the trap of questioning the most excellent, perfect, genius, awesome, magnificent, holy God, a God who’s all knowing. All that God does is for our best, it is never in His plan to harm us or hurt us. He has the word, His word in place for our own benefit, our own safety, we are His first priority, and He loves us more than anything. Obeying His word should not be a battle for us, a battle where we prove that this His word contradicts with the other or it’s not fair. If we find it hard, as we will at times, He’s always there to assist us, to guide us and give us the strength to do His will. Our relationship should never be about debating His word and go on some ridiculous journey of proving some facts/truth but should rather be centred on loving Him and that’s through obedience.

SELAH!

 

Be Courageous and Confident!

Fear has a way of controlling our thoughts, motives and even our very movement in life. It basically becomes a threat to our dreams and plans for life. When that fear strikes us, what do we do, how do we find the courage to paddle through that tormenting feeling called fear. One important thing that I have learned in my journey with Christ is that He is the source of everything, the source of even the courage I need to paddle through life, strong and confident.

It is only when you go through a scary situation and you paddle through it despite fear that strikes your heart like a burning knife that you truly realise that God has blessed you with a gift of courage. We can’t wait for courage to pitch up until we act, we need to act now despite the feeling of fear, just like Joyce Meyer usually says, “courage is not an absence of fear but its acting despite that feeling, not allowing it to stand in the way of what you need to do.” When you worry it’s dangerous as it pushes you towards disbelief, making you doubt what you know as the truth and in a way fills your head with lies and negativity.

You don’t need to be a talkative person, a person who is not shy in order for you to be used by God or to do what God has appointed you to do at church, school, university, work or even in your community, but all we should remember at all times is that our Lord Jesus Christ is with us all the way. So do not allow your weakness to define you, be confident and courageous in the Lord.

The story in the book of Mark chapter 10 verses 46-52 is a very significant and powerful story that we as born-again Christians can learn from about faith and the power of being courageous and not allowing fear to stand in the way of what you want or need in life. As you read through this, I want you to notice mainly the character of the blind man, observe it and learn from it.

Mark 10: 46-52: “46 Then they come to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), was sitting by the road side begging. 47 when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me! 48 many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me! 49 Jesus stopped and said, call him. So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’50 Throwing His cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 what do you want me to do for you? The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’ 52 ‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”

Do not allow people to threaten you, be like the blind man who kept on pushing despite fear and whatever people said, he knew exactly what he wanted and went after it. He realised and knew at heart that it was not about the disciples, but about Jesus.

Christianity is an individual matter so stop leaning and depending on anyone else but God – stand on your own and seek God for yourself, fulfil your life purpose despite fear or challenges on your way, do whatever it takes to get the attention of our Lord Jesus Christ. So stop making unfaithful pastors or churches be your excuse in not doing what you know in your heart is right and you are destined to do. It is time we stop using that lame excuse, you came on planet earth alone, you were created by God with His own unique purpose for your life, so why the need of wanting a crowd’s confirmation before you can act or start being serious and committed in the things of God. You need to believe that God can change any situation; to Him nothing is impossible so trust Him with your life. You need to allow God to be the master of everything in your life.

So stop cursing yourself, because today you are what you are because of what you spoke into your life years ago and still speak into your life even today. It is important that you speak words that will build, encourage and drive you towards greatness and not words that will break you and cause destruction in your life. Being courageous also has to do with what we believe about ourselves and what words we speak into our life. If we speak victoriously and courageously, we will also be victorious and courageous. God knows all your mistakes, sins and weaknesses but even that has not made Him change His great thoughts about you. He still has the best plans for you.

We need to be faithful to the word of God and Him as our Lord and Saviour and one way we can do that is do as it tells us, believe in it and let it guide us. This can start by not allowing fear to control us and believing the word of God when it tells us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and that in us He has not deposited a spirit of fear but rather power, love and self-discipline.

Many young people have allowed fear to stand in the way of being used by God, mainly because they are too scared to stand before a crowd. They fear that they will be laughed at and that people will judge and criticise them. I know exactly how it feels to want to do something so bad, for God to give you chance after chance to do His work but because of the stronghold of fear over your life you chicken out. In other words, you bow down to the spirit of fear and allow it to control and rule over your life, over what you can do or even what you should say.

The spirit of fear cripples you. It causes so much confusion in your life, you are never at peace, because you are guilty, guilty of not having done what you know very well you were supposed to do. This is a way in which the devil can steal your joy and peace and basically stand in the way of your growth and your relationship with God being deepened.

The devil knows very well that living with fear means you don’t have absolute trust in God and what He can do for you. He was once with God and he knows very well that faith is what pleases God, so he is trying to take that from you in order to deny you the opportunity of pleasing God.

You know the devil can put so many forms of things in your way to erupt fear in you, he can convince you that your English is not good enough and even use people to be a confirmation to those thoughts he has triggered in your mind. But you know what? It does not matter, good or bad English, it does not matter. As I said before God knows everything about you, even your weakness in a particular language, if that’s the case, but guess what, that does not stop God from wanting to use you and using you.

So go ahead and do what God has laid in your heart, stop allowing the standard of the world to question and stand in the way of God’s purpose for your life. Your lack of education, your stuttering, etc. should never be an excuse that you can’t do this or that, just know and believe me He has a reason for choosing you and not the person that you think deserves the role. God does not choose or judge as the world does or weigh things as man does but He looks at the unseen in you.

Don’t allow anyone or anything to discourage you, continue to encourage yourself. Don’t even allow anyone or the devil to use your past/background to undermine you. It does not matter what you are competing with, if God is on your side nothing can stand in your way, You and Him, there is no limitation to what you can achieve.

                                                              SELAH!

Finale: Holy Spirit-being filled with the Spirit of God

As we come to the end of this series, it is important that we step into a path where we realise: that the Holy Spirit is not some wind blowing, it is not wind so we need to be careful of reducing its importance and value to as mere a thing as wind. The Holy Spirit deserves as much appreciation, value, honour and respect given to God the father and God the Son. Why?

Well because the Holy Spirit is God Himself, the Holy Spirit is the very presence of God. The Holy Spirit was present in creation and nothing was made without the Holy spirit, so who are you to want to exclude the Holy Spirit? Most people wonder how it is possible that they can detect whether they have the presence of God, whether they are in the presence of God or guided by the Holy Spirit. Well to try and simplify this, I will explain it to you this way: you know you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, you hate the wrong things you used to do, you hate the things you used to love and all that matters is serving God. 

Where there is the Spirit of God, there is freedom and rest for your soul. To end of this very important series, I need to share one thing I have noticed and probably something I have mentioned before rather differently than now.

We have a tendency of concentrating on Jesus only, ignoring the very Holy Spirit He left us with or simply forget about Him completely. What we fail to realise is that the reason so many times Christians fall into sin is because they don’t have any sort of relationship with the Holy Spirit, that they never acknowledged Him as God, they do not listen to His voice, allow Him to guide and counsel them. 

If you think you can ignore the Holy Spirit and still be able to maintain the kind of a relationship I’m talking to you about, the relationship that you know you’re supposed to have with God on your own, then you walking straight into the trap of the devil, you’re setting yourself up for failure. If we were able to do perfect on our own, do right so easily then Christ would not have died for our sins, He would not have given us the gift of Salvation and most importantly left us with the very presence of God, there would be absolutely no need, but hence there was He did.

“The most important person in the world is the Holy Spirit, what is most important is not education but the Holy Spirit. The most dangerous thing you can ever have or do is not have the Holy Spirit in your life” (Dr Myles Munroe). 

Ephesians 5:18-19: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

This means we as children of God, need to be continually filled with and under the Holy Spirit. As I have mentioned before, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is a daily thing. To be walking in the spirit, guided by God’s spirit means you honour God and have decided to not be led by your carnal mind. This means you are allowing God to be in control and participate in all that you do. I want to end off this series by clearly stating that if you do not have Jesus as your personal saviour and believe that God the father gave up Jesus, His one and only son who died for us so that we might be forgiven and have everlasting life, then you cannot experience the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Part 3: Holy Spirit -being Filled with the Spirit of God!

As we carry on from our previous post on the significance of the Holy Spirit in our lives and relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, I must emphasize that this post is not just about filling in our knowledge banks with facts and giving us a sense of superiority or giving us the impression that we are experts. As a matter of fact, it is realizing that God's love and desire for our best interests are predicated on His constantly revealing things to us for our transformation and a genuine encounter with the King of Glory. Therefore, my sincere prayer is that these blog posts about being filled with the Holy Spirit may inspire a desire to be filled with the Spirit of God rather than just excitement and curiosity about new information.

The Spirit of the Lord resting upon us is important because: 

4. He is a spirit of knowledge/wisdom 

John 14:26: “But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Just like a teacher in a school setting in a class, its role and purpose is to make sure that the students/learners learn mainly because the teacher knows and appreciates that knowledge is power and does all that is in her/ his power to ensure that growth take place through that learning. It is the same with God the Holy Spirit, one of His roles is to make sure that we learn and that happens through the teaching that takes place. Hence it is of great importance that we allow the Holy Spirit dwell in us so as to teach us. Just like students need assistance from their teacher to pass or succeed, we also as Children of God need the Holy Spirit to teach us and prepare us for anything in our daily lives so as to pass or succeed in all that we do. 

We cannot just expect to succeed without acknowledging the very presence of God, without respecting the Holy Spirit. We need to be at a point in our lives where we accept the good judgement of the Holy Spirit, because it is truly the greatest judgement you can get and freely trust that you can never go wrong with His judgement. Let’s not rely on the judgment or our friend’s or family’s judgment but rather the Holy Spirit’s judgement. We cannot run away from the fact that people, and especially our loved ones, will always think they know better, even when they don’t. 

We need not completely rely on the information that we get through education but rather trust in and rely on the Knowledge of God. Know this it is only the Holy Spirit that can give you revelation.

5. He is the spirit of fear of God

At times we take the greatest gift we have for granted, having the Holy Ghost by our side is no joke, but somehow we mock His very existence in our live. What do I mean by that? Well what I’m about to share with you is nothing new, what we do is his presence is truly despicable. It shows how much we value Him. What I have learned in life is that it’s so easy to sin or allow yourself to be tempted into doing something that goes against all that you believe, and worse we even succumb to that temptation. 

Note this it’s not because we are unaware of the bad we are doing but rather we have allowed ourselves to be a yoyo of the devil, and we do this at the cost of disrespecting the Holy Spirit. We force our way into doing something that he warned us not to do. The sad part about this whole scenario is that at that point many of us don’t realise that we are driving the covering and presence of God is our lives, by disrespecting the Holy Spirit it’s sending Him out of your life. 

The Holy Spirit is very sensitive and takes what He does very seriously. Ask yourself this, how do you expect to fear God and honour Him without the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding you? We need the Holy Spirit; we need Him to ensure that our relationship with God is safeguarded. What I have shared with you is not to scare you but rather to alert you as my brothers and sisters in Christ, because what I have shared is what I have personally learned from my own mistakes in my walk with Christ.

 

6. He is a spirit of truth

John 16:12-13: “12 I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”

The truth is something that is very rare nowadays, we have so many untruthful people and people have become addicted in being untruthful and telling lies just to get their way or get out of trouble. Some people don’t even see the need to be truthful as they believe that truth is now just a cliché that whether you’re truthful you will be the one scammed as that practice of being truthful no longer exist. Sadly, for many they can no longer trust anything or even the church or the word of God, due to so much destruction that has happened because of people being untruthful. 

Whether we want to believe it or not truth is important and many problems could have been avoided if people were truthful. Many people now prefer to be lied to than told the truth, all because of their insecurities and fears but that’s another topic for another day. The Holy Spirit is the power of God that can change any heart, mind, person and any situation.

The Holy Spirit allows you to be able to express yourself freely without any fear. Through the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God, any addiction or problem can be a thing of history, in Him all is possible. The huge mistake we tend to make is to forget this precious gift of God’s presence in our lives; we forget its mighty purpose in our lives and because of that we suffer, as we have literally put stumbling blocks in on our way of growth and maturity as children of God.

You see God truly knew that we needed the Holy Spirit as the spirit of truth because He knew that in the world there were other spirits, spirits of lies around the world, spirits that cause pain and destruction in people’s lives. These spirits refuse to accept that Jesus is Lord, that He is the only way and there is no other but Him, there are many of them and to be able to be truthful we need the Holy Spirit as on our own it is difficult. 

You need to reach a point in your relationship with God where you are guided by the Holy Spirit, because that’s being wise and wise people listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Start by being a living testimony that your Saviour is wise, He’s smart, by respecting and listening to the spirit that dwells within you as a child of God. 

The reality is the Holy Spirit speaks the mind of God and we need not ever separate the trinity as the whole it is of significance; none is greater than the other as they are one. We need all of them in our lives, remember this: God the father introduced to us God the son (Jesus) and Jesus introduced to us God the Holy Spirit, so who are we to think that all was a mistake, to change things the way God wants them to be.

To the third person of the trinity! 

                           SELAH!

 

Part 2: Holy Spirit-being Filled with the Spirit of God!

In our previous post, we discussed the identity of the Holy Spirit, made a contrast between Him and the other members of the Trinity, and—most importantly—exposed how they were all one even though they each played a unique role in our lives. After spending the time to read our previous article, I think it is crucial that we now delve deeply into the significance of the Holy Spirit. I'll talk about three attributes of God the Holy Spirit to illustrate His relevance in our lives.

Spirit of the Lord resting upon us is of significance because: 

1. He is a spirit of rest 

Having the Holy Spirit guide you is a perfect way to ensure that you are relaxed, whether we like to admit it or not it is a known fact that the lives we living nowadays are always busy and un-peaceful for many. It is not a rare case to hear that a young person or anyone for that matter has been diagnosed with depression. It’s a common thing nowadays, and mainly this is due to the unrest that many people have. They find it so hard to cope in this busy and demanding world, they always feel that they are not doing enough or should be doing more, but sadly there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done. 

As high as the rate of unemployment is in our country, in professions such as nursing, social workers, etc. is not unusual for someone to resign or simple quit; hear me carefully it’s not because these people are weak or don’t have the potential to withstand such pressure exhorted by their working industries. It’s mainly because whether we like it or not at some point in our lives as human beings we need that higher power and assistance from that higher being to help us just to get through. Believe me everyone in this world needs God, maybe it may not be in the aspect of a coping with the demanding job or studies, to some it might be their marriage, their families or children. 

We all have those problems that we can’t deal with on our own but need assistance from God. Without rest it is impossible to continue with anything and with some with life itself, hence we get incidences of suicide or suicide attempts. This truly portrays the significance of rest; by rest I don’t mean just physical but rather all spheres of our lives, whether mentally or emotionally. Hence it is of importance to realise the importance of the Holy Spirit, because sleep cannot always give us the rest needed for us to continue with life and to be able to handle everything. We need to be able to be at peace and relax even though life is so busy and demanding, remember god has created us with authority over everything on earth. We cannot allow ourselves to be defeated by our daily routines and work or our careers.

 2. He is a spirit of counsel

One thing I have learned in my relationship with Christ is that you can never rely on yourself, that no matter how much you know or think you have learned you can still find yourself out of position. What do I mean? Well in life it’s easy to be side-tracked and at times you’re never even aware that it has actually happened to you. This is especially popular in matters of spirituality, one of the reasons being we become blinded by the simple fact that at times our routines or habits have not actual changed even though new habits have developed. Most of the time it is these new habits that make others realise that a shift has taken place in their lives, and sadly for others they never realise it or simply ignore that things are no longer the same. I have learned through the help of God to understand that my relationship’s success with Christ relies on me acknowledging the very existence and importance of God the Holy Spirit. I have truly understood that for me to be focused, to be in the right position that God wants me to be I need God the Holy Spirit to guide me. 

I can never expect to go through life without His counsel, I need it and my life depends on it. It is important that we realise that the trinity as a whole is important in our lives as Christians. We need the Holy Spirit as our counsellor. It is only Him that can ensure that we not side-tracked and we are in the position that we need to be. Each and everything that God does and has put in place, it has all been for a perfect reason. When Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and informed His disciples that He had not left them alone but with the Holy Spirit, He meant it and believe me the whole trinity knew the significance of the presence of God remaining on planet earth. Even though the disciples felt the loss and some of them didn’t understand all that was happening, God’s will was prevailing in front of their very eyes and soon they would realise the importance of God’s very presence being in their midst.

I am sure some would have preferred the previous option of God the son being in their presence in His physical appearance and in a way that is understandable as people prefer what they can see with their physical eye. What we fail to understand is the greater advantage in what we cannot see with our physical eyes, that there is greater power in what is unseen than what is seen. Having the Holy Spirit is the greatest experience ever, an experience that each and every person should have. It is sad to be in a relationship with Christ and never get to the moment in your life to experience Him. Believe me when I say there is no greater support than a support from God the Holy Spirit. He is the only one that can give you exactly what you need at the moment you need it. 

Remember He is God and He knows you better than you know yourself, so who else can be there for you the way you want than God Himself. He is the greatest advisor, when it comes to any problem you have in your life, just consult Him. He is always free and willing to help you with anything, there is no problem or issue that he has no advice for, believe me He never runs out of advice. We all need the Holy Spirit as our counsellor, we need Him to warn us of things we should not do, deals we should not accept. He is that voice that will inform you and warns you when you are about to make the biggest mistake of your life. He will guide you through any business transaction and warn you of what is ahead of you before you even sign the deal or agree to anything. What I am telling you is not some magic trick. No, it’s the reality of having the presence of God guide you and direct you in everything you do. His counsel does not end in just business transactions; it goes as far as you can think and beyond what your mind cannot even think of. Even when you think you have met that one person for you, your soul mate, if God’s presence guides you, you will know if that’s the person for you. 

The Holy Spirit will warn you if that man or woman is the wrong one for you, He will never let you go through something that He knows will destroy you in the long run. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you can recognise and understand truth and make right choices and inspired decisions. Remember His aim is not to see us hurt or distracted from Him. He is the same God that will guide you towards the perfect or right career choice you need to be in, the same God who will guide your steps towards the right job you need to be in. One important thing we need to know is that, God the Holy Spirit won’t force you; He will guide you if you allow Him to do so. It is important that we never underestimate the power in the presence of God, the importance of it being part of us always; we don’t need His presence occasionally but rather always. One of the most important things we need to understand is that the Holy Spirit is important in our lives, we need Him everywhere we are and everywhere we go. 

The Holy Spirit is our guide when we get lost in life, when we are filled with all confusion to a point that we are totally lost. He is always there to guide us and we can truly rely on Him more than we rely our motor navigators. It is time we stop relying too much on our Tom-tom navigator and rely on God more. It is no lie or an exaggeration than people turn to rely more on things that they can see; people rely on their friends, their families, their partners and even their careers/money/assets and less on God the Holy Spirit to guide them and direct their everyday lives, their plans and future dreams. Sadly, they even forget the greatest gift that they received from God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when He went up into Heaven.

3. He is a spirit of power 

With the Holy Spirit by your side, the very presence of God you can be sure of great influence wherever you are. He can take you to the greatest heights, heights you never even began to imagine in your life. When you talk to people they will want to stop and listen to what you have to say, because what you will be speaking will be guided by God Himself and through what you will be speaking an impact will be made. We need the Holy Spirit in order to have the kind of influence needed in our policies in South Africa, our  schools, hospitals and anywhere that great influence is needed. We cannot expect things to change without having the great influence in the world that we are living in without God the Spirit by our side. This is not even a fact but the truth; without the presence of God, we lack power. The presence of God is stronger and greater than any problem, enemy, struggle, stronghold or anything considered great for that matter. 

We need to realise that we are nothing without the presence of God in our lives, our knowledge, understanding or wisdom can only sustain us for a short period of time, greater power than human power is of necessity. In the world that we living in, there is so much confusion and chaos, and sadly this is even within groups of people who call themselves Christians, children of God and the body of Christ that is the church. You are wondering what is the problem? Well, this is simple, the problem is that there is no presence of God, people are leading themselves, guiding themselves and no longer the Holy Spirit, they have rejected the Holy Spirit, have stripped Him of His responsibilities concerning them. 

Sadly what they do not understand or have forgotten is that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and that means He will not force you or force Himself when unwanted or feels that He is unneeded. What we fail to realise is that the chaos we have can only be sorted out by one person and that is the God of order, the Holy Spirit, the only one that has the power to clear all confusion. The truth is we cannot do it ourselves; we need some assistance from our Lord, the owner of all things, including our very being.

SELAH!