Diamonds or Sand?

It has been a while since I blogged, actually over a year. I have decided to pick up the torch and write something at least twice a month.

I was in church this past Sunday and the preacher delivered a sermon that has got me thinking about my greatest desires in life.

Andrew Hunter, in his message said that the reason why humankind would choose sin over God is because we do not know who this God is. He gave the analogy of a bag of sands versus a bad of diamonds and said that the only reason someone would choose the former over the latter is because they do not know the value of diamonds.

I searched my heat in that moment and was brought to the words of Asaph the psalmist:

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And I have no delight or desire on earth beside You." (Psalm 73:25 Amplified).
The Message says: "You're all I want in heaven! You're all I want on earth!"

Now it is one thing to say: God is all I want in heaven. I mean, what more could you want there? But knowing the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts and worries of this world here on earth, Asaph boldly declares that God is ALL he wants on earth.

There are so many voices, pleasures, desires locked up in this world and our flesh that pull us into a pool of sin and make our hearts non-responsive to the beat of God' heart.

I then ask myself: Is God all I want in this world? Is He all we truly want from the depth of our souls?

May we be like Moses, who,

Aroused by faith, when he had grown to maturity,refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life. He valued suffering in the Messiah's camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. (Hebrews 11:24-26 AMP + MSG)

May we be like David who,
Asked God for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
I'll contemplate his beauty;
I'll study at his feet." (Psalm 27:4 The Message)

May we be become so passionate for God and His name that we will see the pleasures of this world counting as nothing compared to God's glory!

God Bless.

GOD Lasts

I have been going through a rough patch for a while, and often circumstances will cause you to leave the path that God has destined for you to walk on. Just because He did not come through for us as we thought He should have, we can easily be found questioning God's faithfulness. We have to understand that His ways are not our ways. I have decided to encourage myself with the following words:

"Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
or, whine, Israel, saying,
"God has lost track of me.
He doesn't care what happens to me"?
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind. "

(Isaiah 40:27-31 The Message)

GOD lasts and He has a plan for my life. Hold my hand in these tough times.

Blessings :)

What's Your Passport?

It had been a couple of days since I could not find my passport. I was not too sure where I had put it. Even to the point of not being certain if I had taken it with me when I went out two weeks ago.

I looked everywhere in my room. I searched all my clothes and on the table where I normally put it and still could not find it. I began to panic as I had not even photocopied it knowing I had visa stamps inside and am planning to travel this month.

Today, after cleaning my room and being fed up that I could not find it, I randomly opened one of my books and I saw my passport on the inside cover! I had such an unspeakable joy!

I instantly sensed God speaking to me about the things that we hold dear to us in our lives: passport, houses, cars, jewelry, etc but then how much value do we place on His Word? This may sound cliché but the psalmist in Psalm 119 saw it as a reality. For he said
"The law from Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces." (verse 72)
Do we have such a passion, such desire, such hunger, such craving for God's Word? May we re-evaluate our priorities in life.
I'll end with this:

"My son, hear the instruction of your father; reject not nor forsake the teaching of your mother.
For they are a [victor's] chaplet (garland) of grace upon your head and chains and pendants [OF GOLD WORN BY KINGS] for your neck. (Proverbs 1:8-9 Amplified,emphasis mine)

May we harken unto God's voice in His teachings and treasure it more than anything.
Blessings.:)

The Heart Matters

I am excited about this new season in my life because God has been speaking to me through His Word, although the flesh does not want to hear it all the time.
I have come to know that in life, it is vital to have a clean hearts before God and not only have it altogether outwardly. People generally say that silent men are the most dangerous, because when they act, you would be so suprised and the impact would be deeper than the expected 'loud' person. There was something residing in their hearts that propelled them to act out so furiously.
I believe God's more interested in the condition of our hearts than He is with our works.

When Job's sons used to take turns hosting parties in their homes, Job would get up early in the morning and sacrifice a bust offering for each of his children, thinking, "Maybe one them sinned by defying God INWARDLY" (Job 1:5 The Message, emphasis mine)

There's a lesson I'm learning here: What do I have inside of me that is residing in my heart that is unpleasing to God. We may not be sexually active, but do we lust in our hearts? We may not be thieves, but do we covet or get jealous about other people's things? We may not be murderers but do we have anger towards other people?

Jesus said:
"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder'. I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder...You know the next commandment pretty well, too: 'Don't go to bed with another's spouse.' But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices- they also corrupt." (Matthew 5:21-22a, 27-28 The Message)

Wow. May we be purified from the inside out and may our hearts be cleaned by Him that sees it as barely as it is.

Blessings.:)

Hold On

Still on the book of Esther, I cannot help but be inspired in the way to persevere concerning our rights and promises in God.
The Jews were meant to be destroyed by Haman, the most powerful man after the king. But Esther prayed and fasted believing God for the restoration of her people.
She kept knocking both on God's door and on the king's too.

Jesus tells us to "Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.
For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keep on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. " (Matthew 7:7-8 Amplified).

I urge us to hold on to what we know is rightfully ours. For God does not forget.
I'll end with this:

"I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward." (Philippians 4:14 Amplified)

Blessings.:)

Walk With Me

I'm enjoying writing these posts because these are practical lessons that I keep learning over and over again.

I have just been reading the book of Esther and the first chapter is full of lessons as it is. I'll zoom into one that stands out the most: "Who am I walking with?"
When Queen Vashti refused to obey her King Xerxes, the latter "called in his counselors, all experts in legal matters" (Esther 1:13 The Message). The Amplified says "...the king spoke to the WISE men who KNEW THE TIMES..." (emphasis mine)

This great king who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, who was wealthy enough to show the riches of his glorious kingdom for 6 months, this king in his situation where the queen disobeyed him, needed some advice.

Kings and presidents all have people around them to give them advice in governing a kingdom or country. Who do you run and listen to for advice in critical situations?

One of the king's highest-ranking priests who was also amongst his expert advisors named Memucan "spoke up in the council..." (1:16) and his "advice pleased the king and the princes, AND THE KING DID WHAT Memucan proposed" (verse 21)

When facing tough decisions, who do we listen to? Because "evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character." (1 Corithians 15:33 Amplified).

"Become wise by walking with the wise" is what King Solomon said in Proverbs 13:20a (The Message)
I choose this day to intentionally walk with the greatest counsellor there ever will be: the Holy Spirit. For He is a great "Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby" (John 14:16 Amplified).
He has counselled so many such as the Apostle Paul and other men of God and led them to do mighty exploits! And He does know the times I'm living in.

Join me to choose to have the G-O-D team on board to advise you how to best navigate through this life.

"The wise counsel GOD gives when I'm awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart." (Psalm 16:7 The Message)

One way, One vision, One door

At some point in my life, I had found myself living a "double life" and I've come to realise that it is this lack of singleness of purpose that made me stumble. My God tells me that He has placed before me life and death and even goes on to advise me to choose life! (Deuteronomy 30:19).

In the face of adversity we always have a choice to make. When Peter was walking on water, his focus was on Jesus, and when the atmosphere around him instilled fear in him, he stopped looking at Jesus and began looking at the waves and started sinking.
James tells me that the double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (1:8). In Revelation Jesus says
"You're not cold, you're not hot- far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit."
(3:16 The Message). Other versions use the word 'lukewarm' which is double-mindedness. Have you ever had lukewarm tea or coffee? Its tastes weird in one's mouth..

What then is the solution? I've found out that singleness of purpose is the way to overcome. It is said of King Jesoshaphat that "He was single-minded in following GOD; AND HE GOT RID of the local sex-and-religion shrines" (2 Chronicles 17:6 The Message, emphasis mine).

That right there is the solution: to be focused on the person of Jesus, to be single-minded and as a result the things that used to appeal to you won't appeal to you anymore because they would have been displaced by a new vision, a new passion to please God.

I've found myself in the past lacking this single-mindedness and falling in the arms of temptation. But I now know better.
I'll end with this: The lover in Song of Songs describe his bride as follows,
"You're so beautiful, my darling, so beautiful, and your DOVE EYES are veiled" (4:1 The Message, emphasis mine).

I'm told that doves can only look at one direction at a time. This means that when the lovers look at each other, there is a passionate single-mindedness at hand that enables them to be focused on one another only..
May we be men and women of one vision like the dove, and as a consequence be victorious over sin.

Blessings.:-)