THE PAGES OF LIFE

There comes a time in our lives when we are excited about what the next page in our lives will present unto us.  Waiting for the expiration of twenty four hours feels like the duration of a month.  "What will tomorrow bring if today is this good" is the question we ask ourselves as we await the new day.  Such feeling reminds me of the joy that floods the heart of the babe in Christ, everything is happening so quickly.  Prayers are answered almost immediately, new friends, a new mind, a new heart and most importantly a new life - fullness of joy.  With such newness experienced simultaneously, the excitement of what the next page in our lives will bring is overwhelming.  We believe everything promised to us in the holy scriptures and we receive it with joy knowing that our God, Jehovah is able to do all things well.

Time passes and we are challenged to mature spiritually and because of this we experience the opposite. Our prayers are not so quickly answered, our new friends are now those who gossip about us and betray us. We struggle with having the mind of Christ and a heart of flesh and sadly  the promises of God are no longer yea and amen for us because the answers to our prayers are delayed.  Temptations, divers temptations are experienced daily and we fight to remain alive spiritually.  Now we don't want to see what the next page in our lives will present unto us.  We don't  want to hear the next rumor about ourselves, we don't want to experience the broken relationship with the new friend our church member, we don't want to sacrifice something else which we enjoyed.  The next page is what we don't want to live and we would rather just remain right here and put a bookmark on our lives until we are relieved from today's sufferings.  

Unfortunately the pages must turn and like all stories they have to end, this applies to the excitement, the pain, the divers temptations and the betrayals, every story has an end.  Are you excited about what the next page in your life will bring?  Are you expecting another trial, another betrayal, another answer to your prayer, or another person to leave your life? The pages of our lives is something that we must embrace whether or not we are prepared.  We don't know for certain what tomorrow will bring but we will experience whatever the next page in our lives discloses. Whether life or death, joy or sorrow, victory or failure, love or emotional pain, healing or brokenness - it will come.  Are you ready for your next page?

SUPPOSE

Suppose those words that you spoke in anger immediately took effect, how will you feel?  We so often fail to control our tongues and release curses into the spiritual realm over the lives of others and ourselves, not considering the effect of our words. 

Suppose you are terminated from the job that you've been complaining about for the past six months, how will you satisfy your expenses? Probably it is time for you to have a change of heart and come to the realization that your job is not for you to establish friendships or for your physical comfort.  Your job is for you to be able to provide for yourself, your family if applicable and to enable you to enjoy some pleasures in life. 

Suppose the child that you claim is always getting on your last nerve dies, would you feel relieved?  We must learn to be grateful for the  blessings of God; He  provided us with a child.  We have someone to love, someone to care for, someone to assist in shaping their future, someone who resembles us and most importantly someone from ourselves whom we can call our own. Learn to appreciate the blessings of God. 

Suppose the car that you are so tired of repairing, whose back truck no longer opens, air conditioner is not working and the rear windows can't go down, just stop working?  Would you honestly prefer to take a cab everywhere you have to go or hike a ride and also have to contribute towards gas? The car is not as attractive as it use to look and does not function as good as when you got it but it is a vehicle that takes you where you want to go and when you want to go.  

It is really time for us to take a deeper look within our hearts and come to the realization that there are so many things which we  take for granted.  We must also come to the realization that we complain too much about those things that are really in our lives to bring us joy, make our lives easier, grant us fulfillment and most importantly give us hope for the better.  Just suppose it really happens, would you honestly be happier?

Can't Afford To Quit!

There is a song that says, "We've come this far by faith leaning on the Lord. Trusting in His holy word, He's never failed me yet!" This song is often times sung with compassion and this compassion can be seen on the faces of persons while worshiping the Lord. It is a joyous sight. Notwithstanding the song is sang as a testimony, we so quickly negate how far the Lord has brought us. 

When we find ourselves focusing more on where we want to be, what we want to possess and how we want to live, our vision becomes blurred. If we sincerely believe that the position we now find ourselves in is as the result of leaning on the Lord, then it is the Lord who will take us further, provide those things our hearts desire and improve our lifestyles. We have come this far by faith and not by means of our spouses, our education, our profession, our social connections but by leaning on the Lord. 

We have dreamed dreams, we have offered prayers, we have made spiritual sacrifices and we have also yielded our lives onto the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Resulting from the aforementioned, our faith has ushered us into our present position and it is this FAITH that we must focus on. We have truly came this far by faith and it is our faith that we must continue to hold onto. We can't afford to quit; not now, not ever. We must fight the good fight of faith and continuously remind ourselves that is our faith that has brought us this far. Let us continue to lean on the Lord for there is much more spiritual distance for you and I to travel. We can't afford to quit, there is more for us to encounter on this journey.

The Danger In Not Knowing

We have become so accustomed to just focusing on Adam and Eve's sin and missing the root of the matter. Truly we have equally suffered from their decision to disobey Jehovah, but we have also done the same act. There should be no comfort in us just knowing how we inherited our sinful nature. We also should not find any comfort in our acceptance of the lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives to free us from our sinful nature. Unless we dig deeper to ascertain the root of the matter, we will also like Eve succumb to the consequences of not knowing. We cannot get to the root of the matter unless we dig. Roots grow downwards into the ground and are not seen on the surface. Therefore you and I must dig deep to obtain the root of the matter so that in Christ we can continuously overcome sin and prevent it from having any further dominion over us. So what is the danger in not knowing? The danger in not knowing is the open door for you and I to make the same mistake like Adam and Eve. Let's get out of our comfort zones and seek the golden nugget. Why was Eve deceived? Eve was deceived because of three reasons. First of all she did not understand what woman meant. Adam said that she shall be called woman because she was taken from man. Secondly Eve refused to acknowledge her identity which was in the likeness of Adam who was created in the likeness of Elohim. Our third reason is a combination of the two; Eve's inability to define woman and understand and/or accept her identity was the reason for her deception. Eve accepted the proposal of the serpent that she would be as or like God after eating the fruit simply because she failed to acknowledge that she already was in His image and likeness. Recognize that the serpent did not offer Eve anything. What the serpent did was robbed Eve of her identity because she did not know who she was - this is the danger in not knowing. Eve already had dominion and likewise Adam. They both reflected the image and likeness of God, even to the extent of His mind and authority. What was Eve going to gain by eating the fruit? Nothing of value, on the contrary they both suffered loss thereafter. All of this happened and began with one issue, Eve not acknowledging who she was and what she had. We have all been born in sin, shaped in iniquity and suffered sin dominating our lives in the absence of Christ being Lord simply because of one person's ignorance. There is great danger in not knowing.

My Committed Change!

I have made up my mind to do one simple yet a very profound thing - 'To live my life totally in Christ and permit everything else to fall apart so that He can set everything that concerns me in His divine order.' I verily believe this is one of the best choices I've made in a long time and you're welcome to join me. Too often we try to include Christ in our endeavors when Christ should be our lifestyle. Many of us claim that it is in Him we live, in Him we move and in Him we have our being. Sadly we don't live our lives in such a manner because we do so much without Christ. There is an old hymnal song which says, 'Without Him I can do nothing. Without Him I'd surely fail. Without Him life would be hopeless, like a ship without a sail.' A ship without a sail is simply a ship whose destination cannot be navigated or steered, it goes wherever the winds blows. This is not the type of life that Almighty God intends for us to live, therefore I have made up my mind to commit myself to a positive and lasting change. To live my life in Christ and no matter how chaotic the world around me becomes, I am knowledgeable of a very pertinent fact, HE created this world in which we live in out of chaos, and God can do the same with mine.

HOLD YOUR SEAT!

We hear many declarations by various spiritual leaders and fellow Christians and we likewise watch various ministries on television. Not every spiritual declaration is for our lives. While some declarations are universal and conditional, others are just for the local assembly of the spiritual leader. Too often we as Christians, grab and hold tightly onto a declaration which was not intended for our lives and it is because we are out of position. We are down the road or in another place catching the new spiritual drift from another ministry and not where God has placed us. If we will learn to commit, support and adhere to the spiritual instructions of our spiritual leaders where we have been assigned to be spiritually trained and matured; we will not be tossed about with every wind of doctrine. Ephesians 4:14 (NKJV) - "that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,..." How often have we told children, "Please keep still, just sit there for awhile...you are too busy!" The only way we can ensure that we hold our seats is by committing and supporting the ministry and spiritual leader to whom we have been assigned. God is faithful to add to each local assembly those persons needed for the ministry to be effective in every spiritual area. God is also faithful to add to each local assembly spiritual gifts, administrators and ministers to meet the needs of its members and faithful supporters. When you and I fail to hold our seats, we contribute to a need not being met, a work not being properly executed and a people lacking the fullness of their spiritual lives in Christ. We are too easily lured away by each new wave of doctrine and movement and so quickly adapt to what other ministries are practicing. Learn the vision of your local assembly, commit to assisting with bringing that vision into reality for God's glory and practice holding your seat by remaining faithful to the work whereby you have been called. Ephesians 4:1 (NKJV) - "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called..." It does not matter what the other ministries are doing, our responsibility is to assist and support where God has planted us and learn how to hold our seats. It is time for us to stop playing musical chairs and focus on our spiritual purpose. It is also time for all silly games and spiritual immaturity to come to an end. Each of us as followers of Christ and laborers in God's Kingdom must desire to mature and walk worthy of our spiritual calling. It is time for each of us to hold our seats!

The Assignment, Knowing The Purpose

I am doubling up on my productivity this year. I do not only believe that this is my year to experience and receive double; I am also producing double for God's glory. The principle of double is not based on wishful thinking but upon our method and quantity of sowing. My expectancy is double because I am doubling up on my praise, worship, prayers, meditation and talents...The only time my talents will be buried is when planted in a fertile ground for sowing. Here is my next book and there is much more to come. As the Lord deposits into my soul, I will be obedient and write it, publish it and wait on the next one. This is my year for double productivity!