God has a purpose

There have been times when I have been lonely following God. There have been times when those I thought I could on depend on for support and encouragement disappointed me. I have been misunderstood, and even criticised for choosing to obey God but I have come to see that in it all God has a purpose.

I remember the story of Joseph from the bible. He was his father's favourite and he had a dream about his future. But rather than get the support of his brothers he was criticised, betrayed and sold as a slave. It was a very tough journey for Joseph as he went from being a servant to being a thrown into prison and forgotten. One striking thing the bible records was that God was him (Gen 39:2-3, 21, 23). Yes God was with Him through those difficult times, through the uncertainties and problems. He must have had low moments, there must have times when he felt afraid, but he did not give up. He never forgot the dream. He never forgot that God was him. Even when it seemed his prayers were unanswered, God was right there, through it all God had a purpose.
Eventually one faithful day he saw the fulfilment of his dream - he was a ruler and those who betrayed him bowed to him. He was moved to tears as he said to them, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20)

We were not promised a bed of roses as we move towards our dream. God never said it will be an easy ride but He assures us that He will be with us through it all. Today remember that even in this God has a purpose - you are not alone. He has a purpose for your pain, loneliness and everything you pass through. In your lowest moments say a prayer and keep moving- He is right there.

God loves you

God loves you very much. His love is different from anything you have ever experienced. It is not based on what you have done or what you have not done. He doesn’t love you more for being good or less when you sin. His love is constant. Before you were born God loved you; while you were a sinner God loved you and sent His son to die for you. He does not give up on you, He cannot get tired of you and He will do anything for you.

In the bible we see our loving God not giving up on his people. When they got lost he sought to bring them back. He made a way to rescue them. He fought battles for them when in trouble. He protected them in the wilderness. He sent them a saviour when they cried to Him. He embraced them and gave them eternal life.

God loves you incredibly, He sent His son to save you, He is thinking of you right now and waiting for you to respond to His love. You don’t need to do anything extra- just come as you are. My prayer for you today is that you will accept His invitation and experience love like you never have.

Affirmative words

Valentine's day is a day to celebrate love. There are diverse views on the meaning of love and what today represents, however, will talk about showing love by being specific in the things we say. We deliberately choose the way we speak, and one thing that makes a happy relationship is cherishing our spouse with our words.

An early church father John Chrysostom once said to husbands, “Never call her by her name alone, but with terms of endearment also, with honour, with much love. If you honour her, she won’t require honour from others; she won’t desire that praise that others give if she enjoys the praise that comes from you. Prefer her before all others, in every way, both for her beauty and for her sensitivity, and praise her"

 Most people are very specific when criticising their spouse. We hear things like “have you seen how fat you are- look at that tummy?” “It drives me crazy that you laugh so loud or stop laughing like a witch”. “You are so lazy -just look at this house”. “What horrible hairstyle". "Why is your make up is too much- you look ugly?”.“This food is salty you just can't cook etc. However, when it comes to praising their spouse they keep it in their hearts and not say anything. Why is it that when the food is delicious the spouse gets no words of appreciation? We should verbalise positive things and that means being specific and intentional with our words. It means so much more to your spouse when you say “You look gorgeous in that dress, your hair is lovely tonight!” than a general -“you are okay" when she asks about how she looks. As heartfelt praise cannot be overdone learn to use specific words of genuine appreciation 

Think about why are you are in love with your spouse; about what you admire in him/her; about what makes you smile when they come to mind and tell them.

If your husband /wife doesn’t hear encouraging words from you, who will they hear it from? It is your responsibility to be their main encourager once you get married. It is part of your job to support and encourage your spouse. If the only or the main encouragement they get is from in-laws, church groups, children's, or even their best friends- then there is something wrong. You should be your spouse's main encourager, chief supporter, and advocate. Always speak specific kind words to them.

When specific and encouraging things are said to our spouse we reinforce that good attribute. Saying things like “I appreciate your integrity; I love seeing you so happy; your kindness is remarkable”, registers in the mind and makes your spouse more likely to keep the good. This valentine if you want a better relationship with your spouse, find something good and reinforce it specifically and verbally.

God has got you

It is the beginning of a new week and I'm excited. The possibilities are endless with the right attitude. Do not keep your focus on the troubles and disappointments of yesterday, instead look to the Lord for guidance, learn the lessons from every situation and keep growing. As the week begins, remember that He is in control. God's got you and that is a fact. He doesn't do things halfway, when He begins a thing in your life He brings it to completion.

  Exodus14:26-28 The Lord said to Moses,“Hold out your hand over the sea, and the water will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and drivers.” So Moses held out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak, the water returned to its normal level. The Egyptians tried to escape from the water, but the Lord threw them into the sea. The water returned and covered the chariots, the drivers, and all the Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea; not one of them was left 

Pharaoh thought it was a good idea to follow the Israelites and bring them back to Egypt as slaves. He must have imagined that they had no escape route unless they wanted to drown in the Red Sea. He had forgotten the plagues God sent on Egypt. He underestimated  what God will do to rescue His children. They Egyptians realised their mistake too late - not one of them survived.

Today God still intervenes for his children. He has got you covered, he is in control. You may feel like you are being chased by problems and pressures, you may be worried about what lies ahead this week. No matter the situation Look to the Lord for guidance, never forget He is in control and  He will defeat all the enemies. He doesn't do things halfway.

Are you aware that God is working out things on your behalf even when it doesn’t appear that way?

Life is a gift, be grateful

We often take for granted that we wake up every day and we mostly don't give it an extra thought. When we realising that every day is a gift from God we have the opportunity to value it. One way to do this is by using our day purposefully, not wasting our time, not allowing our circumstances control and manipulate us. We should make each day count by living with a purpose and not just letting the day roll by, allowing the wind and distractions make choices for us. When we value each day and put our time to good use it shows gratitude to God. We should not live in bitterness but seek to get better no matter what comes our way.Praise God in all situations. I have found that among the worst kind of people are the ungrateful ones. Be grateful for Gods protection,  for your family, your career, for salvation, for safe journey every day, for unconditional love, for uncommon wisdom, for escaping calamities, for divine healing, for long life, for divine intervention, be grateful for everything and in everything. Value your life and be grateful for it.

The right side [part 4]

Our final lesson from this series is: The answer is often closer than we think. Going back to our story, the fish were not on the far side of the lake, but just on the other side of the boat. Like the disciples, you have to cast the net on the side with the fish. The answer you seek is quite often as close as your willingness to obey what God asks you to do.

We see this lesson over and over in the bible, the answer is closer than we realise. There is a story of Naaman a Syrian general with leprosy in 2 kings:1-14. He came to Elisha the prophet for healing. Elisha asked him to go and wash in the river Jordan and he was disappointed. He expected a big great solution for his problem. He imagined the prophet would tell him to do something spectacular. He felt the water where he lived was better than river Jordan. He refused to obey until he was convinced by his servants that there was no harm in trying and when he obeyed he was healed. How often have we sought the big answers wasting our time and energy instead of obeying God? A preacher once said - ‘If you are going to fish, you have to put down your net where the fish are. If you are going to receive the answer God has for you, you have to do what He says, when He says it and where He says to do it’.

Often we pray for answers to our problems and when it comes we don’t like it because we already had in mind how God should do it. In fact, some people expect God to do everything for them while they do nothing. They spend time praying for a job but are not willing to fill an application form. They pray for a promotion but are unwilling to work hard. They pray for their children to grow up as responsible adults but are willing to train or correct them. They expect God to wave his hand and make everything perfect. Remember the disciples had to cast the net to catch the fish. Naaman had to go and wash in the river. The answer you seek may not be the big thing you desire that will attract lots of attention. God asks us to do the simple thing of obeying what he says and doing it consistently. It is when you obey and cast your net on the other side that the net is filled.

I hope you have all being blessed reading the lessons from this story. I would like to hear from you. Please click on the ‘Follow’ button for new fresh inspiration every day. God bless you

The right side [part 3]

Our next lesson from the story is: We encounter God after we come to the end of our ourselves. Recall that the disciples had been fishing all night and they had done all they could. We established earlier that though fishing was one thing they were experts at but they caught nothing. They had come to the end of what they could do. After spending their time, resources, energy and they got to the point of surrender then God showed up. Many of us often don’t give in to God until we come to the end of our resources and see our weakness. We must get to the point of completely giving the control to God and forgetting about personal success. We must get to a point where recognise that we cannot do anything on our own and ask Him to completely take over, resolving that we will do all that He wants us to. Things begin to happen for us when we stop trying our own way and let Him have His way. That is the lesson- when we come to the end of us, we come to the beginning of God. When we come to the end of what we can do, that is when we are ready to see what God can do.

When disciples came to the end of their resources, they had a miraculous catch of large fish. It was an enormous catch, more than they ever anticipated.Despite all the pressure on the net, there wasn’t a break or tear. That can only be God.
Jesus had already prepared breakfast when they arrived. He knew they will be tired and hungry and he provided for them. Have you ever wondered where fish and the bread came from? Surely Jesus didn’t go to the shops – No! He miraculously provided just as he had done before when feeding the crowds. We have a God who makes something out of nothing.

Jesus always makes something out of nothing and He is still the same today. He has not changed. When all you have tried in life turns out to be nothing He can make something of it.  We have a God who makes fish and bread from nothing, who knows your needs before you arrive and prepares for you. He restores health where there was sickness. He gives beauty for ashes and strength in your weakness. He gives hope in despair, and life where there was death. He gives forgiveness where there was shame. He is a God of new beginnings. When we come to the end of ourselves, we reach the beginning of him.

The right side [part 2]

Continuing from our story in John 21:1-7. The first lesson I want to talk about is obedience. Jesus told the disciples to cast their net on the right side and they did just that. What are the chances that they had not tried that side for fish? But they did not argue they simply obeyed. Sometimes I struggle to obey when God wants me to take the first step towards reconciliation after being hurt by others.  I have found myself in situations where it seems there was no answer. Even after trying everything I thought I should do, it still seemed I was losing control of the situation.While Jesus could have miraculously supplied fish to the disciples He rather tested their obedience so that they could learn that blessings follow obedience.

The success of your relationship with God depends on your obedience. God sometimes asks us to do what could look ridiculous to test our obedience. I have learned that there are blessings when we obey God, and it also shows humility. He may have allowed that situation as a test of your obedience. Remember that you are not smarter than God and you cannot expect different results if you keep doing the same things or if you go against what God says. Success comes when you are willing to listen and do what He says.

There is a connection between obedience and humility. Though the disciples knew all about fishing, they had to be humble enough to do what Jesus said rather than trusting what they personally knew. Jesus desires that we have a teachable spirit. I personally believe that one of the most important characteristics you can have is a teachable spirit. Those people who can’t be told anything, never listen to advice and don’t want to hear it because they think they know it all, never, never learn. We must be willing to do what God says having a humble and teachable spirit. 

Do you sometimes struggle to obey God in some areas?  I would like to hear your thoughts on the humility and obedience.  Join me tomorrow as we dig deeper into life lessons from this story.

The right side [part 1]

What do you do when you have an unbelievable day? When what seemed to be a good start to the day suddenly goes all wrong. That’s exactly how my day went, a sudden spiral down, things we not right at every turn, sadness, and despair beckoning at me. I had to intentionally look on the right side, I had to search within for strength and reason, I had to come back and read this blog. I had to bare my mind to my heavenly father. 

The disciples too had a day like mine, after the crucifixion of Jesus, they decided to do what they knew how to do best – fishing. This was one thing they were brilliant at doing, they must have grown up watching men fish, they knew the secrets of the sea, they had a passion for fishing, it was their thing. On that day, however, they toiled all night but caught NOTHING.Can you believe it? How could they not even catch one fish with all their experience? I can imagine the despair and exhaustion as they returned back to land. Jesus called out to them asking for fish, it must have shameful for them but they had to admit they caught nothing.         

Then he says to them ‘cast your net on the right side and you will find some’. It must have looked like a weird thing to suggest as they had been trying all night, but what difference could it make to try the right side one last time. They obeyed and there was such a big catch that they could not pull and only then did they recognise it was Jesus.

Their horrible night took a turn for overwhelming blessings when they cast their net on the right side. Their shame became honour when they cast the net on the right side. Their day did not end purposeless when they cast their net on the right side. By obeying that singular command from Jesus everything turned around.

This was my lesson, God spoke to me on that day and asked me to cast my net on the right side. He reminded me not to look at all that had gone wrong, but to look up to Him. He reminded me of His love, He reminded me that my day did not take Him unawares.I began to see the purpose in my trial, I had to lean totally on Him and keep my focus totally on him. Over the next few days I look forward to sharing the lessons I got from this story with you. 

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work with passion

Life is full of hard work. Some days we move mountains and other days seem purposeless.  How we choose to see the work we do is entirely us to us. While some see their work as a blessing others see it as a curse. In reality it is all about perspective, understanding our identity and our calling.

When work is seen just as a way to accumulate wealth, it easily loses its appeal in our hearts. Working just for earthy rewards can only give us temporary enjoyment. We easily get frustrated and dissatisfied and begin to question what we do.

But understanding our identity, accepting God's promises for us, and having discernment in our work, helps us begin to see His purpose in what we do. The truth is that work is a form of worship. God designed all of us with passion, purpose and potential. This is not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of His kingdom and His Glory.

God calls us as His ambassadors in all places. Whatever the season of work  - running your own business, full-time career, carer, stay home mum, store keeper, teacher, bar tender - do it as worship unto God, whole heartedly, depending on Him to give you the strength, grace and the capacity you need to be effective.

Never forget that our heavenly Father is interested in what we do with the talents he has given us. Work is an opportunity for us to use what we have been given to serve others and to give Him Glory. Take some time today to think about if your actions show your passions, think about your purpose, and follow your passions because you will discover your purpose on that path.

Expect the best

Someone recently said to me "Expect the worst and hope for the best." While I understand that she meant I should have a backup in case my plans fail, I find it to be a terrible saying. It misinterprets the power of expectation which is a form of faith. Your expectation is the belief that what you're hoping for is actually going to happen, and not a backup plan to take care of yourself in case it doesn’t. The scriptures say that the expectation of the righteous shall not be cut off.

It is impossible to hope for God's best if you're believing for the worst. You can’t hope to pass your driving test if you expect to fail. How can you hope to get the job you badly need if you're expecting to get turned down.

There is the story of Peter from the bible who walked on water to meet Jesus. I can’t imagine what would have happened to Peter on the Sea if he had been expecting the worst as he stepped out. That terrible expectation would have started him off by drowning, then hopefully Jesus would pull him back to the surface. But Peter did not expect the worst, No! he started by expecting and hoping for the best. Jesus asked him to come out of the boat, and he did not see any reason why not. Peter believed he can go to Him walking on the waves, and he did just that but not for long because his fear got the better of him, and his faith stopped holding him up. Jesus rebuked him for expecting the worst. When he believed he could walk on water, he did.

When God calls we should have such a strong expectation of the best that we are prepared to place the ball of our foot into uncertain waters. He says to us today "Come to Me, Come toward the future I have for you’. Expect the best. Hope for the best. Give Him the glory in all things.