Be Repositioned

 John 20:19-22  "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said,  “Peace be with you!”   After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again Jesus said,  “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”   And with that He breathed on them and said,  “Receive the Holy Spirit..." This happened after Jesus had resurrected and His disciples had not seen Him since. The first words that came out of Jesus' mouth was "peace be with you". Jesus understood the state His disciples  were in, after what had happened with the crucifiction of their Lord and the fear of them being next in line. Also the fear of having lost their great Shepherd. The bible tells us that Jesus is the great Shepherd, that lays down His life for His sheep, who is willing to leave the ninety nine

 Psalm 126:1-6 "When the  Lord  restored  the fortunes of   Zion,  we were like those who dreamed.   Our mouths were filled with laughter,  our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations,  “The  Lord  has done great things  for them.”  The  Lord  has done great things  for us,  and we are filled with joy.  Restore our fortunes,   Lord ,  like streams in the Negev.  Those who sow with tears  will reap  with songs of joy.   Those who go out weeping,  carrying seed to sow,  will return with songs of joy,  carrying sheaves with them." God is able to turn any situation around. He is able to release those in captivity back to their rightful land. He is able to bring full restoration upon that which the enemy has stolen (Joel 2:25). He longs to see His children rejoicing and having a laugh. Take note that the Lord sees when we sow even in tough times, continuing doing good, bringing hope and relief to others in spite of the storm. Remaining faithful to Him even d

 Ephesians 1:21-24  F ar above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.   And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church,   which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way. Jesus sacrificed His life for us, He laid His life down. He was bruised and beaten, put to shame, spat on for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:3-5). It is thus that God lifted Jesus up and seated Him on the throne and God put all things under His feet and made Him the head over the church. This shows the authority given to Jesus, He rules, He reigns. Amen.

 2 Samuel 22:1-4  David sang to the  Lord  the words of this song when the  Lord  delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.   He said:  “ The   Lord   is my rock,   my fortress   and my deliverer ;  my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,   my shield  and the horn  of my salvation.   He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior — from violent people You save me.  “I called to the  Lord , who is worthy of praise,  and have been saved from my enemies. Such a wonderful praise for the King of kings, the Prince of Peace, our Lord, our Creator. I come in agreement with this praise in the mighty name of Jesus! Indeed the Lord is dependable, trustworthy, the One who defends and delivers at all times. We might find ourselves in sticky situations, but He is sure to bring us out safely. He is our hiding place, a strong foundation in which we need to build our lives from.  He does all this because He cares for us, He loves us! He is a great Shepherd that lays down

  Matthew 6:33  "Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."  For a while, God had been highlighting this verse to me, until I started getting worried on what was I missing about it, if God was sending a message to me. I couldn't fully get what it meant until it was unpacked in one of the sermons. That as God's children, we need to seek God's kingdom first, meaning we should be looking for what God's will is in our life, His plan and desires for our lives. That it should be our priority. Then once we put our focus on that, He will give us the rest, the things that we need in  life. As people, we tend to seek first the things that we want and need for our lives, and then try squeeze in what God expect us to do and to be. This however, may result in us putting burdens on ourselves that we shouldn't be carrying, as we might not have the wisdom God has for us, and we might not see what the future holds, wh

 Luke 6:35 "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." God expects all of us to love our enemies and do good by them. I heard a sermon about this, it clarified it to me, that if we love only those that are good to us, then we are no different than the wicked people, who do the same. But for us, children of God we are expected to stretch and go an extra mile, like our Father does; thus loving even those that hate and persecute us. They belong to the Lord as well. Furthermore, God teaches us that when we lend, we must expect nothing back. Give as though it will never be returned. This manages the expectations we might have, and the frustrations that could result with expectations not met. By so doing, we will receive our reward that is great, from our Heavenly Father. 

 Deuteronomy 8:1-5  "Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the  Lord  promised on oath to your ancestors.   Remember how the  Lord  your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.   He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna , which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the  Lord .   Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.   Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the  Lord  your God disciplines you. " The Lord is reminding us, that life has seasons where in some of them, we may find ourselves  in a season of wilderness. Like verse 2 says, that the Lord will allow us to

 Isaiah 10:27  It shall come to pass in that day  That   his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,  And his yoke from your neck,  And the yoke will be destroyed because of   the anointing oil. The Lord has an appointed time for everything. He allows things to happen to us for a reason. At times to strengthen us, teach us or to refine us. During this time, it may feel like heavy budenrs on our shoulders, which we are struggling to carry. However, when the time comes, the burden and the yoke are lifted off and we find relief. It is not God's desire to see His children carrying yokes and burdens forever. The scripture tells us that the anointing  oil, will be as a result that the yoke breaks off.  May we all find freedom from the yokes and burdens we are carrying and start experiencing the life of abundance. John 10:10 tells us that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. However, Jesus has come so we may have life more abundantly. Is is my desire to finally reach that sta

Ephesians 6:1-4   Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.     “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),   “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”   Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. This verse is loaded with instructions for both children and their parents. The first part of the verse deals with the commandment for children in respect to their parents. This is one of the verses I've learnt of since I was young; for children to respect their parents so that they may live long. it is true, this brings favour of God. The second part of the verse deals with the parents, that they must not provoke their children to the point of anger, but emphasis is placed on raising up the children with discipline and instruction of the Lord. This means as parents, we need to instill the values of Christ, teaching them about Jesus and ho

 The Lord is a compassionate Father, who cares about us and want to have a close relationship with us. He is longing to tell us things we not know, He wants to enlighten us, empower us and show us things that are hidden. Jeremiah 33:3 says  ‘Call  to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable  things you do not know.’ This verse shows us that He is a Father that wants His children to grow in knowledge and wisdom; to have a higher level of understanding of certain things. He is the source. In Matthew 11:28 there is another call. It says " Come to me,  all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest .  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,  for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. " In this verse, we are invited to make an exchange  with Jesus, who wants to give us rest. He calls those who are tired and worn out, to bring their challenges and in exchange, take His yoke which is light and easy to handle. By so

 Jeremiah 1: 9 says "Then the  Lord  reached out His hand and touched  my mouth and said to me, “ I have put my words in your mouth ." How amazing is that. God is able to strengthen us and give us words where we may feel weak and less equipped. Sometimes God gives us assignments, that we may feel under-qualified, but God says I will equip you. Remember the story of Moses and the burning bush, where God called him and gave him one of the greatest assignments, to go to the king of Egypt and tell him to release His children, Moses was terrified and tried to reason himself out of the assignment. Exodus 3:11 says: " But Moses said to God, “Who am I  that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Moses was doubting himself, his abilities . Though what he didn't  realize at the time, is that he wasn't  going to do this in his own power and alone, but God was going to use His power to influence the whole situation. That makes a huge difference! Howev

 Isaiah 40:30-31  Even youths grow tired and weary,  and young men   stumble and fall;  but those who hope   in the   Lord  will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles;  they will run and not grow weary,  they will walk and not be faint. Life activities get us tired in one point or the other. Stress can get us weary and tired. Worry can wear us off. All these are associated with what can put us in a state of weariness. Weariness leads to less productivity and less passion. This bible verse gives us a remedy on how we can counteract this weariness by putting our hope in the Lord. The Lord is able to renew our strengths. Nehemiah 8:10 says: ". .. Do not grieve, for the joy  of the  Lord  is your strength.” The Lord is the source of our strength. Verse 31 of Isaiah 40 shows the benefits of finding our strength in the Lord, that we will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary and also when expected to faint, we will still be able to walk. That'

 Isaiah 40:6-8 says: ". ... All people are like grass,  and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.  The grass withers   and the flowers fall,  because the breath   of the   Lord   blows   on them.  Surely the people are grass.   The grass withers and the flowers   fall,  but the word   of our God endures   forever.” People here are described to be similar to grass and flowers, which are destroyed easily. That they are weak and can dry-up and be wasted away. Verse 7 shows  their vulnerability where it says that the breath of the Lord blows on them and they wither away. Also that as people, we are not here on earth forever, but we can be here one moment and gone the next. This passage reminds us how precious life is, how important it is to plug in to God. To be present on earth doing His will and working towards the destiny set before us. Failure to do so, could result in us wasting our lives away and have nothing to report back on, when we are called back to our C

Nahum 1:12-15  “Although they have allies and are numerous,  they will be destroyed   and pass away.  Although I have afflicted you, Judah,  I will afflict you no more.  Now I will break their yoke   from your neck  and tear your shackles away.”  The   Lord   has given a command concerning you, Nineveh:  “You will have no descendants to bear your name.  I will destroy the images   and idols  that are in the temple of your gods.  I will prepare your grave,  for you are vile.”  Look, there on the mountains,  the feet of one who brings good news,  who proclaims peace.  Celebrate your festivals,   Judah,  and fulfill your vows.  No more will the wicked invade you;  they will be completely destroyed. God is speaking a powerful word, that shows His mighty power to save us. This verse further shows that God does allow the affliction to be put on us, to refine us and empower us. Furthermore, in verse 15, says those that will invade or continue to afflict us, the Lord will destroy them complete

1 Chronicles 4:9 "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”   Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request."  When Jabez was born, things were not good, there was so much pain that his mother set a reminder thereof. With such a burden, it could continue throughout his life as a prophecy made at that moment and this was what Jabez recognized and that's when he decided to cancel the pain from following him throughout his life. He prayed to God, asked to live a life free of pain and harm, he further asked for a blessing, to have his land or territory  to be enlarged. The bible tells us that God granted his wishes. This proves to us that there could be covenants  that our forefathers could've entered into (knowingly or unknowingly), on our beh

In the book of Judges 6, we find a man by the name of Gideon, who had an encounter with an angel of the Lord. It was during the time when the Israelites were being defeated by their enemies and they were feeling helpless. Now the way the angel approach Gideon, shows how God saw Gideon, not as in the state that he was in or the way he saw himself, but in the way God saw him. In verse 12, this is what the angel said :  “The  Lord  is with you,   mighty warrior . ” Gideon saw himself defeated and weak but God saw a strong and mighty warrior. In Romans 4:17- we are taught of faith and to call things into being as though they were (Abraham the father of many nations). This verse says:   “As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ [Abraham] is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” Abraham was called by God a Father of many nations, way before he had a son. Therefore, let us start s

 Deuteronomy 30:11-16 says: "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.   It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”   Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”   No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.  See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.   For I command you today to love the  Lord  your God, to walk in obedience to Him, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the  Lord  your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess." In this bible verse, the Lord is giving us a choice, to either choose life and prosperity or death and destruction. Life and prosperity is linked to following His word, worshiping only Him and loving only Him

 John 10 tells us about Jesus being the good shepherd, that is laying His life for His sheep. Verse 14-18 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—   just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.   I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.   The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.   No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” Jesus has laid down His life to protect us, His sheep. He is willing to protect us with His own life and this is evident with Him going to the cross for our sins. What is also profound is the relationship that is described in this passage where Jesus shows that He knows His sheep and His sheep knows His voice and follow Him.

Finding comfort in the psalm of David, Psalm 23.  The  Lord   is my shepherd ,   I lack nothing.   He makes me lie down in green pastures ,  he leads me beside quiet waters,  he refreshes my soul .  He guides me   along the right paths  for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk  through the darkest valley ,   I will fear no evil ,  for you are with me;  your rod and your staff,  they comfort me.  You prepare a table   before me   in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil;  my cup   overflows.  Surely your goodness and love   will follow me   all the days of my life,  and I will dwell in the house of the   Lord  forever. This psalm speaks of protection and strength in the midst of difficulty, finding comfort when we feel forsaken. Also victory and vengeance from the Lord for the enemies to see, where His power and presence is evident. Divine selection or appointment as well. All of this is the evidence of the goodness of the Lord. May we also declare that we will dwell

God, our Father, has compassion for us, and is willing and able to meet our needs. Matthew 7:7 says " Ask and it will be given to you ;  seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." His compassion is demonstrated through Jesus who came on earth to reveal to us the character of God our Father. There many encounters that demonstrate His compassion, one of them is found in the book of Matthew 14:14 which says " When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick." Also when He saw the mourning woman whose son was about to be buried in the book of Luke 7:12-15 that says " As He approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.” Then He went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said,

Psalm 118:24 says "this is the day of the Lord's victory; let us be happy, let us celebrate". Another version says let us rejoice in it. God's desire for our lives, is to live a stress and worry free life. He wants us to surrender all to Him, remove all the burden off our shoulders and just rejoice in what He blesses us with.  Worry and fear are a big factor in achieving the state of our worry free life. So many things are on our minds, that leads us to stress out. But God is calling us to bring all the burdens to Him and place them at His feet (Matthew 11:28). Psalm 118:10-14 talks about the enemies surrounding us that God is defeating for us. So why worry.  Psalm 116:12 says "what can I offer the Lord for all His goodness to me?" This is something we can occupy our minds with, on how to show our gratitude for saving us. 

When storms of life hits, people make different consultations for different reasons, with different individuals, which can include family members, friends, elders, church members, mentors etc. Such an approach might result in finding a solution or an exaggeration of the problem. For some people, this might be an opportunity to gossip about you, mislead you (intentionally or not) or use that information for future blackmail.  However, what does the bible say? Who do we need to consult and get help from? The book of Psalm 121 sheds some light and gives an approach that we can also follow (like David). This bible verse says: "I lift up my eyes to the mountains—   where does my help come from?  My help comes from the  Lord ,   the Maker of heaven and earth.   He will not let your foot slip—  H e who watches over you will not slumber;   indeed, He who watches over Israel   will neither slumber nor sleep.  The  Lord  watches over you—   the  Lord  is your shade at your right hand;  the

The Bible tells us that we should put on our full armour as we prepare for a spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:10-18 says: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.   12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   13  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.   14  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,   15  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  16  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  17  Take the helm