Be Repositioned

 Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him  must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. This could not be over-emphasized that with God, the currency is faith. Without faith, you can never please God. We believe  in things that we have never seen before, things that are intangible, however, the power, the force behind the name of Jesus, is evident in our lives. There is no way you could miss it. We must believe  in our hearts and minds that Jesus is king, that He is the Son of God, He died for our sins and in order for us to have a relationship with God. I heard something I never realized, that Jesus died young so we may have long life! How amazing is that. Also that His pain on the cross, is our healing! That His tears are a celebration and joy for us (song by Dr Benjamin Dube)! Powerful! In addition, He was forsaken by our Father so that He may never forsake us. Basically everyth...

 Colossians 3:17   And whatever you do,  whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks  to God the Father through Him. We need to realize that we are the disciples of Jesus here on earth, Christ Ambassadors, powered by the Holy Spirit! The last part is comforting, as the Holy Spirit will help us in doing that which God has ordained and sent us to do. This bible verse reminds us that whatever we do or say, let us do it in His honour! There's another verse that says, whether you are eating or drinking, do it for the glory of God (1Corinthians 10:31). I was asking myself what it means, the significance thereof. I got an understanding that what we have, what we do, it is all for His glory. We have an opportunity to eat for example, not because of our wisdom or doing, but behind the scene, God makes sure  that He provides for us, so that we don't go to bed hungry. Now that you have something  to eat, enjoy and remembering that H...

 Romans 1:17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” The Good News is based on God sending His one and only Son to take upon all our sins on Himself. The prophecy was fulfilled already, where He was betrayed, crucified, laid to rest in a tomb, rose from the dead after three days and finally ascended to heaven where He is sitting at the righthand side of God, interceding on our behalf. Through this sacrificed, we are saved, we are redeemed, we are healed, we have life, we are blessed, we are protected and we are prospered. Most of all we are made righteous...We are born sinners, but through His blood, we have been made right with God. We can come boldly  to the throne of grace and make our requests with God (Hebrews 4:16), as the veil has been removed! We receive His mercy and grace. Hallelujah! The key, is to believe  this...

 1 Corinthians 13:6 Love does not delight in evil  but rejoices with the truth. This is aligned with the character of God, Whom we refer to as Love. The bible tells us that God is love (1 John 4:7-21). He is true to His character and does not associate with evil, He is clear where He stands with evil. Like the bible says, hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). Evil and good cannot co-exist.  Furthermore , we are told that love rejoices with the truth. You can substitute "love" with God- God rejoices with the truth. We cannot associate God with liars, it is not in His character, but He stands for the truth, no matter how sharp or painful it is...His word is sharper than the double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)! Sugar-coating and half-truths is not of God, rather the sharp sword to deal with. The word is our guide, it is the lamp at our feet and we should always use it as our foundation. May we always strive for good and truth. It may not be well-...

 Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Another version of this verse says, be as wise as a serpent  and gentle as a dove... Jesus was warning us, that in this world, we ought to be on the lookout. In as much as we want to see good only, there is bad as well. That we should realize that not all are sheep but there maybe some wolves as well, dressed as sheep, that will have to be treated in a particular way. This needing wisdom and discernment  from the Lord. On our own, we may not see what this verse refers to, but worry not, we have the Holy Spirit that knows and sees all, and as our helper, we will be given that revelation.  Also, noting that we should remain innocent and gentle as a dove. This doesn't mean that if you are surrounded by wolves, then you much change and be like them. God made you unique and special in your own way for His will and purposes. Hence, you still need t...

 Psalm 34:19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. This truly is comforting...The righteous may face many troubles, BUT the Lord rescues them from all of those! The bible shows us that God never promised us a life that doesn't have troubles, in fact, in the book of James, there's a verse that says when you face trials, rejoice. It does sound contradictory, but simply put, our faith in our heavenly Father, gets strengthened when we face troubles. It is then that we see His mighty hand at work in us and for us, that reminds us that we are not alone, but God is looking out for us. He sees all and He knows all. What we need to remember, is that When (not If) we encounter troubles, is that we should run TO God, not away from God. The devil is quick to whisper wrong things when we face challenges, things that will make us doubt God, but we must not fall for that trick. God allows us to go through trials, to strengthen our faith and to a...

 Psalm 28:7 The  Lord  is my strength and my shield;  my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.  My heart leaps for joy,  and with my song I praise Him. The Lord is our everything. He provides that which we need. He is our strength, our covering, a hiding place, a sure foundation and a place to source help from; and so much more. In this psalm, David says with full confidence that he can trust Him, based on the power and might, that he witnessed in his life.  Can you trust God? The answer is based on what you have been through, which could be evidence of what He has done for you before. However, testimonies of other people, does strengthen our faith and trust as well. Where people had no where to run to, but God. Him rescuing them and bringing victory, strengthens our trust in Him as well. In the bible, God repeats the phrase of not being afraid, not having a troubled heart, but a heart filled with joy and praises, a number of times. God wants...

 Isaiah 54:10 Though the mountains be shaken  and the hills be removed,  yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken  nor My covenant of peace be removed,”   says the  Lord , who has compassion on you. The Lord will never fail you! His love is too great for you to do that. In fact, that will be against who He is. This is such a reassurance  that no matter the circumstances, expected and unexpected, His love is constant and His covenant stands! That counts for something. In fact, it is a game-changer, knowing that you can count on Him! We also need to know the covenant that He has with us. yesterday I was reminded in the book of Romans that God made a covenant with Abraham, and He promised that those blessings were not just for him, but also with his descendants. Remember, Abraham is our Father by faith, God saw his faith, how he believed in Him and made him blessed many descendants, us included. Thus, learn what those covenant ...

 John 7:38-39 Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Rivers of living water flows within us! What an honour! Jesus made this statement, that whoever believes in Him, rivers of living water will flow within them. In verse 39, an explanation is given that He was referring to the Holy Spirit that will live within those that believes in Him. He was referring to that which He promised them, that once He is crucified, He'll be buried, but He will rise and ascend back to our Father in Heaven; however, He urged the disciples not to be sad that He was leaving them, that when He leaves, the Holy Spirit will come and will be with them at all times. And that is the rivers of living water He was referring to. Therefore, as ...

 Psalm 23:3 He refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths  for His name’s sake. This is one of the popular psalms of David, that we apply in our lives as it stands true for us. The bible shows us how David had many enemies and found himself on the run, which we can imagine that it might've taken a lot from him, on his body, spirit and soul. We realize that such fights can take a toll on the soul, which is why David recognizes that only the Lord can restore his soul. It is true for us, the Lord is the one who refreshes, revives, restores, resuscitates  our soul. We ought to recognize that and invite Him to do it for us.  Furthermore, the Lord is our guide along our path, He's interested in every bit of our life and when we surrender to Him, He is able to direct and lead us, on the path that is right for us. This is where obedience is required, to follow His leading even when we don't understand or even agree; but realizing that He is faithfu...

 1 John 4:11   Dear friends,  since God so loved us,  we also ought to love one another. This bible chapter teaches us about the love of God, how He displayed His love for mankind by sending and sacrificing  His one and only Son, for our regard. It tells us God loved us first, and so by this act of love, we have no choice but to receive His love and try reciprocate  it in our own way. It can never match but we know God understands and that is good enough. Furthermore, we are urged to love others. Not because  you know  them or like them, only because it is the second most important commandment that God gave us, which comes after the one of loving Him with all of our mind, heart and soul.  Love is the opposite of hate, we know God says we must hate what is evil (in Romans 12:9), this showing that it doesn't  mean that with this command, we must condone and be in agreement with what is evil, but to love everyone as per the command and hate...

 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. There are many bible verses, where God is telling His children not to be afraid, but to be strong and courageous. We are made in the image of God, we are His children and it is expected that we would resemble Him and His characters (work-in-progress). When we think of God, we see a Father that has authority, power, Who is fearless, unstoppable, kind, loving and the list goes on. What we need to see is that He is fearless! Now, because He is our Father, He expects us to be as fearless as Him. Just like in the natural, where a child knows their parent loves them and will protect them by all means. Those kids tend to be free in everything they do, with no worry in the world as they know who's protecting them, should trouble arises. They know their parent will step in and sort out the problem. It is the same with God. He doesn't expect us to live fearful, of one thing and another...

 Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace  for those who have been trained by it. Being disciplined, either by somebody or through self-discipline, is hard, as it requires sacrifice of some sort. For example, sports players, a lot goes into a winning team which involved a lot of discipline that included things like a lot of training, sacrificing some favourite food etc. That may seem painful at the time, however, the bible reminds us that it may be painful at a time but later, it will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace. You will benefit out of that discipline.  It is the same with doing something proper or taking shortcuts. These shortcuts could seem like a good idea, but in turn may yield rework, loss of time undoing or fixing mistakes or issues that have risen. Whereas taking a proper action, which may seem like a longer route, will yield good results. In this case,...

 Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the  Lord  is the beginning of knowledge,  but fools despise wisdom and instruction. The bible is clear, fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom! Putting God in His rightful position, as our number one, at the centre of every area of our lives, that's when God will impart His wisdom on us. Remember  Proverbs 3:5-6 that says lean not in your own understanding...That's why the bible says, fools, despise wisdom and instruction. God gives us instructions that we need to follow, guidance to the path that leads us to the kingdom of light, which is why fools will be uncomfortable  with that, as they prefer to lean on their own knowledge and understanding... God has given us choices in life, good or evil. Path to righteousness or to destruction. The trick is that, the route to the kingdom of light, seems rough and a hill to climb; which is why the bible refers to it as a narrow gate, many people choose not to go this route. Ev...

 John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. The only think that can get rid of darkness is the light. When light is brought in, darkness has no power but to obey and disappear. Just like in the book of Genesis, in the beginning, when God pronounced that let there be light, and there was, darkness was dispelled. Truth is, we cannot stay in the dark, it is too dangerous and life comes to a standstill. Which is why light is needed.  Now the bible in the book of  Matthew 5:13-16, we are told that we are salt and light of the earth. Meaning, God has put His light in you so that wherever you may be, you may shine His light so that people don't find themselves in the darkness. Which is why God wants you to be you, not to hide who you are and pretend to be someone else. The way He designed you, is the way He needs you to be and be His light to His children. This light can be displayed through your words (positive and encouraging), yo...

 Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart,   for they will see God. It sounds simple, but in practice it might not be. Keeping your heart pure, is a task that can be achieved by being plugged in with the Holy Spirit; through His power, all things are possible. As humans, a lot happens, different characters that we come across that could trigger an unbecoming behaviour, which could lead to the condition of the heart not be remain in that state. However, like David, God expects us to ask Him to search our hearts and remove anything that is not of God. This is found in Psalm 139:23-24 and it says: " Search me,   God, and know my heart;   test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way   in me,  and lead me   in the way everlasting." It's like surrendering your heart to God and allowing Him to do that which only He can. Allow Him to search your heart and test you. Test our motives, our plans and thoughts, and deal with t...

 Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 For everything there is a season, and  a time for every matter under heaven:  a time to be born, and a time to  die;  a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; Our life journey is made up of seasons. Some nicer seasons than others; some very harsh. Just like nature, where there are different seasons in a year, spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each one allowing plants to shed leaves, grow leaves, bear fruits etc. Even with our lives, there seasons to sow and seasons to reap. Season to live and unfortunately a season to die. This verse serves as a reminder that we will not live forever, we are here for just a "short" period of time, which may feel and seem long but it is not. Hence, it is important to ensure that we strive to fulfill the purpose that God has assigned us. That we use every gift and talent, to bring honour and bring glory to Him. God blessed us with those abilities not to be used selfishly, but to solve problems,...

 John 15:5   “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;  apart from Me you can do nothing. Picture a tree, with different branches, some small and others long. They bear fruit when they are attached to the tree itself. However, a broken branch, quickly dries off and dies. No longer will it bear fruit, it doesn't  matter whether it is rainy season or winter, no fruits will come out of that branch; it is no longer plugged in to the source of life. However, the branches that remains attached to the tree, continues living and bearing much fruit in season. It is exactly  the same with us. God is our tree, our source where we get our nutrients from. In Him we are grounded and continue to grow and flourish. He is the One behind the successes, the victories and the impact. Without Him, we bear no fruit, we are dead! The question is, how do we remain plugged in to the Source, as it is imperative? By staying in His pr...

 Isaiah 55:11 So is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. God's word is truth and it is life. This verse confirms that His word that comes out of His mouth, will not return to Him void, but it will do that which was meant. This means all the promises that God has made to you, whether they have materialized or not, they will manifest. If He told you that He will never leave you nor forsake you, best believe it because that is true.  He will keep to His word. What we need to remember though, is that His timing is not the same as ours. We may want things to happen now, immediately, when actually His plans are  not aligned with ours. This doesn't  mean that He has failed you or has forgotten you, no! It could be that He is preparing  that which He promised  you, or maybe He is preparing you for that which He promised you. Or it could be that He is build...

 Malachi 3:10-12 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the  Lord  Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.  I will prevent pests from devouring your crops , and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the  Lord  Almighty.  “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the  Lord  Almighty. Our provision and protection comes from the Lord. God asks us to put Him to test, following His commands and being obedient and watch  what He does. God is keen and willing to bless His children, to open the floodgates of heaven and release the good things for them, so much that they will not be able to contain it. The net-breaking miracles... He further promises to protect that which He has blesses His childr...

 Philippians 1:1-3 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons  :  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.   I thank my God every time I remember you . Paul wrote quite a number of bible books or chapters, that we consume today, whilst he was still in prison. Thus, God was able to use him even in the most unfavorable  places, to teach His word and encourage people. We can learn a lot from that, as at times we may think God will use us when conditions are perfect and everything is going according to plan. But we must remember  it is not about us, but about the people that God wants to touch, transform , heal and save through us. These people are your assignment, they are part of your purpose and through them, you will get your reward. It is no wonder Paul was writing  to God's people, thanking God for them, as the people that He k...

 Matthew 5:16   In the same way, let your light shine before others,  that they may see your good deeds  and glorify  your Father in heaven. God commanded humanity, in the book of Genesis to go and be fruitful. This means different things for different people, as God has placed us in different positions to accomplish different things. He has placed different gifts and talents within each one of us. Thus, through the Holy Spirit who is our guide, we get to accomplish that which God has assigned us to accomplish. Which is why this verse urges us to allow others to see the good deeds that are done, so that they may see what God is doing in and through you.  God allows His children to accomplish things in order for His name to be glorified, not for people to show off what they can do, because it is God accomplishing things through His children. It's wonderful when we taste victory, however, the most critical thing is to remember Who gave you that victory. Arrog...

 Colossians 3:16 (NLT) Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. God wants us to be filled with His word, which is encouraging, giving us hope, healing, convicting and life-giving. God wants us not to only receive the good news and keep it within ourselves, but He wants us to share it as well, teach others about the light we have found in Him. God expects us to be there for one another, encouraging one another in Christ, so that we don't lose hope but we increase our faith in Him. John 10:10 says the enemy came to steal, kill and destroy. So the word that you might have received a while back, the enemy may steal it from you (make you forget it, doubt it for yourself or something), so that you end up losing hope. However, God wants the body of Christ to come through for each other. I've learned not to withhold what I feel in...

 Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you,  who pardons sin and forgives the transgression   of the remnant of His inheritance?  You do not stay angry forever  but delight to show mercy. That is our God! The one who forgives and doesn't  stay angry at His people forever. The bible tells us that we are righteousness of God through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus, when God looks at us, He doesn't see our sins but He sees us through Christ who is righteous, who is blemish free, holy. Which is why by the Holy Spirit, we are strengthened, we are empowered such that we are able to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. On our own, we couldn't. But God is full of mercy, He delights in showing us His goodness, showering us with His kindness and peace because He loves us, He loves you! This means, you also need to forgive yourself as well, let go of your wrongs, your mistakes  and disappointments . See yourself as God sees you; and I must say, God...

 Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.   Forgiveness is so important. No wonder our heavenly Father found Himself sacrificing  His One and Only Son, in order for our sins to be forgiven! That's powerful! This is why God urges us to forgive those who trespass against us, in order to free ourselves. They say unforgiveness is like drinking poison yourself and expecting the next person to die. This shows that when we forgive, we release the baggage , we free ourselves from resentment and find peace. If it's important for God to forgive you, then it is just as important for you to forgive those who sin against you. Some might find it difficult to, due to what has been done to them to a point that they'd want to revenge for themselves. But God says no, we must not revenge for ourselves, we must forgive and release it to Him. The bible in the book of Romans 12:19 says:  Beloved, do not  aveng...

 1 Samuel 2:2 “There is no one holy like the  Lord ;  there is no one besides You;   there is no Rock like our God. Our God is dependable, a strong foundation that we build our life. When you have seen the goodness of the Lord, His faithfulness where His promises manifest, when you have seen Him carry you through the difficulties  in life, it is then you realize that indeed He is the Rock you can stand on. God is our shelter, our hiding  place where we find comfort and love. He is always ready and open to receive us, to help us and bring us through life. We just need to remember His presence and draw closer to Him. He already said He will never leave us nor forsake us, we just need to take His offer.

 Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice  is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  Hearing the word of God is one thing, but putting it into practice , is more important. This is where obedience comes into play. God expects us to obey His word, to follow it through and align with what He tells us.  This story/parable that Jesus was teaching in this book of Matthew, was based on two builders, one who built their house on sand and the other one built on a rock. The one who built on sand, it must've been quick and easy, whilst for the one who built on a rock, it must've taken a lot of effort. The bible tells us however, that when the storm came, the one who built on sand, their house was swept away, as it didn't have a strong foundation; whilst the one that was built on the rock, remained safe and secure, when the storm came. This means, in life, we are all bound to face challenges or difficulties, what matt...

 Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. There's a say that we become our thoughts...Which is why the bible tells us to only think of good things. That we should think of things that are positive, noble, praiseworthy, pure, right etc. This will result in good moods and positive  attitude, to look forward to something. The opposite is true, if we think of negative things constantly, we may get into depression- something a lot of people struggle with or have encountered (myself included), anxiety, stress and so may mental issues. Our thoughts could frame the way we see life, the way we see our future. If we are negative, we are most likely to be negative in what we speak and might be negative about what's in the future. Remember the power of our tongues... However, God has the final say; when ...