Be Repositioned

 Philippians 4:9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. This was Paul speaking to the believers, of which that applies to us as well. Paul who was initially called Saul, was a horrible  man who persecuted Christians, before he became Paul, as he was killing Christians and putting others  in jail. However, he had an encounter with the Lord, who strike  him with blindness and eventually regained eyesight after God sent His servant  Ananias to pray for him. This is found in the book of Acts 9. After Saul regained his eyesight, he was a transformed  man, who listened  to the Lord and repented from his sins. God then started using him to peach the good news to the people, and that's how it happened that we find so many bible chapters written by Paul (who then changed from Saul to Paul).  His life story  has become a testimony  for m...

 Psalm 30:5 For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. This is critical to know. How we view God, influences how we engage Him and what we believe about Him. If we think He is a Father that is always angry and out to get us, we will always be fearful to ask and get closer to Him. This however is far from the truth. God loves us so much that He sent His Son, so that what He sees, is His righteousness, not our mistakes. Our sins are forgiven, and even when we fail , He is there to pick us up and help us back on our feet. He is never angry at us and looking for an opportunity to punish us. Those voices are from the enemy,  and they must be rebuked every time. The second part of this verse reminds us that hardship doesn't  last. It is just for a moment. Difficult times will come in order to strengthen us, teach us and bring us closer to God. Also,  to make us rely on Him, recogniz...

 Matthew 5:10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. We might feel persecuted at times by all, feeling the pressure on the expectations for what is needed, we must not feel the pressure for doing what is right. We must realize that doing the right thing 

 Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. Ultimately, we are called to be peacemakers. We see this from the walk of Christ, where He came to mend and bring stability. As we  know in many kingdoms, there's always strife and war, however the kingdom  of the Lord is that of love and peace. We see this in the way Jesus approached disputes, that  He seeks to settle them peacefully. Take the example of the woman caught in adultery, found in the book of John 8:1-11, where people brought a woman that was caught in adultery to Jesus, and were ready to stone her to death. However, Jesus calmed them with facts, where He asked them to cast a stone on her  if they had no sin; this hit hard,  and they all disappeared  and couldn't   continue  with their violent act they were proposing. It is the same with us, we are called to work for peace, find a common ground without compromising what the Lord said. ...

 Matthew 5:7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. This takes us back to the bible verse that tells us that we will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7); indeed, we will reap what we sow. You sow mercy, you will reap mercy, this is what this bible verse tells us. If you show mercy to others, God will show mercy on you and bless you. This reminds me of the story of the good Samaritan which is found in the book of Luke 10:25-37 where one asked Jesus what they must do to inherit eternal life, this is when Jesus told them the parable about the good Samaritan, that the one who will inherit the eternal life, is the one who is compassionate  to others , just like the Samaritan who didn't do what others did, to pass and not help a person that was mugged, but the Samaritan took care of this stranger and ensured they were taken care of. A lesson for all of us... In this case, we need to work backwards. If we want an eternal life, mercy from the Lord and His bless...

 Matthew 5:6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. This is the promise from the Lord. Those who desire to see and strive for justice and righteousness, they will be blessed by the Lord. God is against injustice, as He sees His children equal and that He loves them all. We see this by the principles  that He teaches us about loving one another. If you love as God has commanded you to, then there would be no injustice in any way. No one would oppress, treat unfairly and steal from anyone, as we would feel for the next person and do the right thing.  1 John 4:7-8 sys: " Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God, b ut anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." This verse is clear that if we know God, we would love because He commanded us and we pass the love to others, that we have received from Him.  Therefore, in our own envi...

 Matthew 5:3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. This is wonderful! Knowing that the kingdom of heaven belongs  to us! As children of God, this is our inheritance, which is why we must never give up hope and our faith, as this will fulfill the intentions of the enemy, to pull us away from the Lord and miss out on our inheritance. Hence, God recognizing the poor, is humbling. Being poor in this context I believe covers many aspects, besides the economic  terms. Yes financial, but also poor in peace, in spirit where one is tormented by thoughts or demons. Also poor as the result of them being unable to do things for themselves, where they depend on others (including physical disabilities and even mental disabilities), and many others. All of that, God says the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Those who are oppressed, poor in freedom, the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Thus, when we are in any or all of t...

 Psalm 34:4-5 I prayed to the LORD, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears.  Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Hallelujah! Such a wonderful  promise. The Lord is indeed good, a Good Father to us. If we can understand that the Lord loves us and is on our side, we'll be able to face the storms with strength and conviction that we are more than conquerors, as a result of us knowing that our Father will fight with and for us.  This verse today shows us that when we pray, we don't pray in vain, but God hears us,  and He answers. I can testify to this, that indeed God does hear us and He answers. I've had some challenges that I could not get myself out of and I had to do what I know best, which is to pray and indeed God came through. A caution though is that God's timing is not our timing, at times we may want something now, change, relief now. But only to realize that it is not the timing o...

 Proverbs 22:4 True humility and fear of the LORD lead to riches, honor, and long life. In the kingdom of God, you need not have to struggle in the dark, searching for fulfillment in life. One very important thing that is needed of us, is to put God first! Honour Him, obey Him and be in His will and He will take care of the rest. We see this clearly in the book of Matthew 6:33 that says: " But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This verse tells us to seek God and His righteousness  FIRST, then all these things will be added unto us. This is in contradiction to what the world says, where you need to seek all your life for all these things (money, status, houses, cars, clothes etc.) and still feel empty inside. But with God, you focus on Him, whilst you do that, He sorts out all your issues and adds all the things that you need. I like the book of Matthew 6, which reminds us that God knows all that we need, that He ...

 Psalm 31:24 So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD! When you are in the kingdom of God, fear must not feature , as it becomes a stumbling block from being who God has called you to be! It prevents you from doing the things that God needs you to do. However, God is merciful and He understand, hence He gives us the spirit of boldness and power when we ask. This is what allows us to proceed even in the face of fear. Thus, God is always calling on us to be strong and courageous. We see the similar encouragement that God gave to Joshua, who was now appointed to take over from Moses and lead the nation into the promise land (in the book of Joshua). God commanded him to be strong and courageous (in Joshua 1:9). I believe God is saying the same to us, that we need to be strong and courageous. There's so much that He is orchestrating  behind the scenes for us, that might need us to take bold steps and press on in that direction. May we use this time to call...

 John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. This verse puts it simply, that if you want eternal life, you must believe  the message Jesus brought here on earth, of which all of it is recorded in the bible. If you believe Him, you believe in His Father and this will lead to an eternal life; something that we are all aiming for. If we believe Jesus came and was crucified  on the cross for our signs, indeed, we will never be condemned  for our sins as they were punished on His body, when He was crucified. This  means we are forgiven,  and God does not see our inequities , they are hidden by the blood of Jesus that was shed for me and you.  Therefore, we need to take hold of this truth and walk  freely. Our relationship with our Father was restored on that day, we no longer should have o...

 Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. I am a living testimony to this particular verse; indeed, the word of God has changed my life. This word tells us that we MUST NOT conform or copy the customs and behaviours of this world, but to stick with what the word of God says and allow Him to transform us inside out so that we know His perfect will for our lives, that is good, perfect and pleasing. Wow, it is so true! I used to be a slave of "what will people say", which limited my life, made me to be self-conscious and frozen. I used to follow the crowd, hoping to fit in, even though I failed every time with every group of people I was trying to fit in with. But my God came and made me realize that I do not have to do all of that, what I should worry about, is pleasing Him, full-stop. T...

 Isaiah 41:13 For I hold you by your right hand— I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you. The Lord is with us, to help in every step of the way. Sometimes we may encounter situations that are unexpected that may want to set us off; however, the Lord reminds us that He is holding us with the right hand. In this verse, God is reassuring us that it is ok, whatever  that is. He is in control,  and nothing catches Him by surprise . For us is to remember that we are not alone, He is with us and for us, and He is ready to provide the support and help we need. I was reminded also today of 2 Timothy 1:7 that says: " For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." This reminding us not to fear, but to remember that God has already given us the spirit of love, power and sound mind. Meaning, no matter what we encounter, mentally, we are able to handle it as we have a sound mind,  and we hav...

 2 Timothy 2:15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. This statement is loaded...First, we are urged to do our best by working hard, to represent ourselves to God and get His approval. This is partly now, whilst we are on earth, as we go by, to ensure that we are aligned and are working according to His will and are getting the approval on the tasks we have completed. Secondly, to get the approval for when we pass away, on our last day when we meet God, that we get His approval on our entire life, on the journey  we had. This is the ultimate, we should work so hard (thus working IN HIS WILL), that when we meet Him face-to-face, we get a "well done good and faithful servant!", because He'll be pleased with how we lived our lives here on earth. It will be a painful and futile exercise, to work hard here on earth, only to find that it was not w...

 Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because You created what you pleased.” May we praise the Lord for who He is. Let us not wait until He has answered all our prayers. One thing for sure, is that He is faithful. So, if He said He will do something, best believe that He will; thus, let us give Him praise and honour. He is the Creator of everything, all that we are, all that we see, is because of Him. The book of Genesis shows us how everything came to being, He spoke the word, and everything was formed. That is how powerful He is. I've recently heard something powerful from Ps TD Jakes that God did not create chairs, what He did, was He created nature, in this case, He created trees when He was commanding everything to being. However, He gave humans the insight, creativity and ability to create the rest, out of what was called into being. This is so power...

 2 Corinthians 4:18 So,  we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. We have a choice of focusing on the troubles surrounding us, or to fill our hearts with hope and keep our eyes fixed on the Lord who has promises that are a sure thing. The former leads us to anxiety, worry and life that doesn't bring honour to God. However, a switch from focusing on the trouble, the negative  we see, we are able to build our hope as we'll be keeping our eyes on what is a sure thing. Philippians 4:8-9 tells us what we should focus on. It says we should fill our minds  with things that are good and  deserve praise. Things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honourable. These are positive things which are all summed-up in the promises of the  Lord. The bible is full of God's promises, we just need to spend time in His...

 1 Samuel 2:2 No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God. We praise the Lord for who He is in our lives, our Rock, that we can count on. He is dependable. There is no one beside Him! We know this because He has seen us through the tough times, where we found Him to be the Rock that  we can stand on and find strength. We need to realize that God is our Source of everything; He is our firm foundation. We find our being and identify  in Him. We find shelter when we are in turbulent times. We find protection and health against the attacks that come our way. We find provision, love prosperity, direction, peace, joy and so much more. May we start seeing God for who He is in our lives, our loving Father! The One we go to for help and solutions. He gave us His Son to mend our relationship, so that we can do life with Him. It is an honour and priviledge to be able to rely and depend on Him. He is faithful! May we never be discouraged w...

 Romans 15:5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. The Lord desires for us to live in harmony with all, as fellow brothers and sisters; no hating on each  other, jealousy , gossip, stealing from, killing and wishing bad on each other. This is in full alignment with the  10 commandments, which are subsequently summed-up on the two most important commandments that Jesus gave. First one being to love God with all our heart, soul and mind; the second one that says love your neighbour as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). If we follow these commandments , we will find a way of living in harmony with each other, thus fulfilling what the verse for today is urging us on. It may not be easy, but it is possible. Which is why in everything, we rely on God. His strength, wisdom  and mercy will enable us to love everyone as God instructs us and we'll be able to live in...

 1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. We are the children of light! God's kingdom is the kingdom of light! With the Holy Spirit living in us, we are surely living in the light , where His light illuminates  in and through us, wherever we are. This is confirmed in the bible in Matthew 5:14-15 that says: " “ You are the light of the world —like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house." This shows that God sees you as His light in the world, to bring light to the world  that is dark. When you look at how people treat each other, how corrupt, greedy, selfish and inconsiderate they are, you get to realize that indeed people are living in the dark. There's no way they can behave the way they do, if the...

 Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. A heart filled with gratitude is like a sweet-smelling  aroma of sacrifice to the Lord! We ought to always have gratitude towards Him, in our hearts. Not only for the things we can see with our own eyes, but also the ones that we don't. For one, He protects us from a lot of things in the spirit, that the kingdom of darkness is sending our way. But He is able to block them for our sake. We need to  give thanks for the life He gave us. It is no coincidence or our own doing that we are still living and breathing, but it is by His grace. We need to appreciate that. Also, there are so many things that we go through in life, that we don't even understand, where  the revelation will come much later, because God is a Strategist. All these, as part of His plans that are good for us (Jeremiah 29:11). We still need to give  thanks for that! He works every...

 Zephaniah 3:17 For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” How beautiful is this message! May we receive it for ourselves. Soak it in and believe it! God says He is living among us, wherever  we are, He too is there. This giving us assurity that we are never alone, but are always protected. That we are covered! He is there to save you! He says He will take delight in you, meaning whatever He does for you, it will be pleasing to Him, He will do it with gladness. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs, how beautiful ! Furthermore, He will take away your fears so that you may live life the way He designed it for you, according to 2 Timothy 1:7 that confirms that you are not given the spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind. Hence, God declares that He will take away your fears. Rejoice, because with God on your si...

 Exodus 23:29-30 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.  I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land. These were the words from God as He was about to give the Israelites their promised land. In this passage, we see how considerate and strategic God is, where the plan is well-thought through, not to disadvantage the people that are benefitting, by overwhelming them with the blessing that may in turn become a burden. This stands true for us as well, in our daily lives and our needs. God plans everything out, and then execute. In our eyes, it may seem like delay, unanswered prayer, only to realize that God is orchestrating things for our good. Which is why we are urged to ask in His name and believe that He has heard us. This translates to us giving God a chance to work things out. In...