Gratitude

BEING GRATEFUL

"Live a life worth living for" and do so by being grateful for every "Hilltop" and every "Valley". 

1 Timothy 4:4-5 [AMP]

"For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified [set apart, dedicated to God] by means of the word of God and prayer."

Our lives are filled with many experiences and circumstances and the way we see these are so important, life changing I could argue. Moving from Western Australia to New South Wales (East Coast of Australia) someone asked me how I found the place, work etc. and my response was one of God-inspired wisdom. I said: "What I have learned by moving here, is that the grass is not greener on the other side, but where you water it." I'm sure it's a quote used from somewhere...but yet so very true. Looking back to our time in WA, it was such a blessing to live and work there, but did not seem so wonderful at the time.

In every circumstance, there will be something to be grateful for, even if it's just the fact that the circumstance is exposing a weakness, or strength in your character. 

I can tell you this out of my own experience and hardheadedness: God will continue to allow certain trials in your life, until you learn the lesson and complete the change required in your character! There is no circumstance or experience that does not have these two "attributes" available. So the key in gratitude is understanding this and the moment you get "it", the door to contentment opens. Contentment here should not be confused for lack of vision or desire to improve your circumstance/s, but to be comfortable, to experience inner peace and joy no matter the circumstance you find yourself in.

James 1: 2-4 [AMP]

"2.Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. 3.Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. 4.And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing."

"GREEN GRASS"

There has been a lot of ups and downs since I confessed to my wife about my unfaithfulness, yet I have so much to be grateful for and have changed in character:

• I am learning to trust God fully,
• I can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit more frequently,
• I feel gratitude towards God when faced with trials and challenges,
• I am grateful for the, nearly 3 hour commute, to and from work (this is time I spent in the presence of God, praising, worshiping and reflecting) 
• I am grateful for time with my wife and our children,
• I am grateful to be a steward of God's resources,
• I am grateful for friends and the "Body of Christ",
• I am grateful for this platform to share, albeit a fraction, of the goodness and glory of God through Jesus Christ and my own experiences (and my many flaws),
• I am grateful for the man I am becoming,
• I am grateful that I was a "Prodigal son" and that God welcomed me back with open arms!

CHANGE YOUR VIEW, CHANGE YOUR FUTURE

Romans 12:2 [AMP]

"And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

When you change the way you see your circumstances by "renewing your mind" you will learn to know what the will of God is for your life and when you do this, you will prosper as said in:

Jeremiah 29:11 [AMP]

"For I know the plans and thoughts I have for you; says the Lord, 'plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Marius Döhne has given me this advice: 

"Write down all the deepest expectations of your heart, because it's very clear that God want to prosper you and give you all the things you hope for (and need), now and in the future. For you to receive all those things, you need to guard your heart, control your emotions and avoid any negative feelings and thoughts. You need to be JOYFUL all day, PRAY as much as you remember and GIVE THANKS to the Lord (all day long!) for everything He has done and more so for the things He is going to do for you.

You are purposefully made to worship God, spread the Gospel, give your Testimony, to prosper here on earth (will look different to everyone else), to love/bless/help your neighbor and to, more than just overcome struggles, but to exceedingly prosper even more so after."

To be grateful for every circumstance and to give thanks to God is how you "renew your mind" and ultimately change your future.

1 Corinthians 8:3 [AMP]

But if anyone loves God [with awe-filled reverence, obedience and gratitude], he is known by Him [as His very own and greatly loved].

PRAYER

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Let Your Kingdom come. Let Your perfect will for us be done, on earth, as it has been predestined in heaven. We are not a mistake, we are wonderfully and fearfully made in Your image and likeness. You have given us all authority to rule over the earth. We thank You for every experience and circumstance that You've allowed and we're sorry for the ones that we brought on ourselves by not being in the very center of Your will for our lives. Forgive us our sins, transgressions and iniquities, as we forgive those who sin against us. Please Lord, give us the things we need and the desires of our heart, where it will be for Your glory. We submit to You o Lord, we ask for strength to resist the devil so that he will flee from us. Let us not face any temptation of the world without The Holy Spirit guiding us, deliver us from evil. For Yours is the Kingdom, the Glory and the Power. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Stolen Joy

For anyone reading this, I need to be very clear on something: everything I talk about in this blog, I unfortunately have learnt through personal experience. This of course mean I make frequent mistakes and act like an idiot before being convicted by the Holy Spirit, pointing out the now, very obvious, hindsight, 20-20 vision of my flaws. The best thing is that I do get convicted and then take the opportunity to reflect, leading to the hardest bit, correcting the mistake or behavior and asking for forgiveness from people and God.

So then, thank you for taking the time to read about yet another flaw of mine...

THE FALSEHOOD OF JOY

I, like most, will tell you that I like nice things. I like to spoil myself as well as others, to the point where I have to be concerned about making it to payday (this is of course not very clever nor sustainable and should be avoided and I have started to change this behavior-thank God). I don't believe there is anything wrong with buying something nice for yourself or someone else, but the motive should be pure and God's resources should be effectively administered and used well. I feel a sense of joy when buying things, but it never lasts, never ever. What I have found is I seek the endorphins that's released to give me that feeling of joy. What is quite clear is that this is not by any means real joy, it is merely a feeling that masquerades as joy.

HONEY...I BOUGHT A MOTORCYCLE

I grew up on and around motorcycles, I washed them for pocket money, I built them with dad for him and also for me, rode them, enjoyed them and lost my best friend at the time to death on one of mine. Motorcycles are in my blood and for the last 8 years or so, I didn't have one. I made the decision to hang up the leather jacket when my wife fell pregnant with our first child to avoid unnecessary risk. Over the years I've lost my love for them and would consider myself fond of the idea of having one. This was enough of course to make me wander into a dealership and look at what was on offer in the year 2020. Sure enough, something I liked a lot. Now all that was standing between me and the bike was my conscious and being scared after not riding for years. I very soon overcame both of these hurdles and was in the dealership, signing some pre-agreement papers. The finance approval took some time due to Covid-19 and I basically prepared myself for a "sorry sir, you're not approved" for some reason then I got the call to let me know that the finance company had settled the purchase amount and I could come and get the bike. I was strangely enough not real happy, as I have since learned that what I'm after is joy and not mere happiness or pleasure.

Romans 14:17 [AMP]

"for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [what one likes], but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

TIME FOR DELIVERY

I asked the wife to drop me off at the dealership to pick the bike up. When it came to the riding gear I said I wanted with the bike purchase, things turned a bit sour. I signed for an amount and not individual items so when I asked the "parts guy" to price up the gear I wanted, it was less than the allotted price I initially signed for. I took a bit more items to make up the total value and when asked what I owed them, the amount was a lot different to what I had in my head. Turns out, they added the individual items after I signed the papers at a specific price and then I had to pay for all the gear not part of the bike purchase. This really upset me as I felt I was cheated and stood my ground until I was basically asked to take my stuff and leave. I'm sure that I could have handled the situation better and certainly my own behavior.

Proverbs 12:20 [AMP]

"Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy."

STOLEN JOY

For some time after this happened, I felt angry and disappointed in myself for "rolling over" so easily and mad at them for, what I felt like, was cheating. This completely overshadowed the whole experience and one what was meant to be joyous. Every so often I will find myself thinking about it and get upset, capture my thoughts and then re-direct them. Some days later, after this happened a number of times, I realized that those people were not losing a single second of their sleep for what happened and especially had no idea how I felt. I allowed the situation and my own thoughts to rule over me and ultimately steal my joy!

Proverbs 17:22 [AMP]

"A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing, But a broken spirit dries up the bones."

PRAYER

Dear Lord, our Father who is in heaven, we stand in awe of your goodness and kindness. Thank you Father for all the blessings we so freely receive from Your mighty hand. Father, so many times we rely on the world to fill our cups with joy, yet what the world offers is not joy, but only moments of short lived happiness and pleasure. Will You show us what true joy is and fill us with Your Spirit to be the lamp on our feet, to guide and direct us on the path You have for us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen!

Romans 15:13 [AMP]

"May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises." 

Doubt!

THE PAINFUL TRUTH

It is written that in this world we, as followers and lovers of Christ Jesus, will experience adversity, pain, suffering, grief, temptation, and probably more so than people who reject the Truth. I wish this was not true, but I assure you it is. Simple reason for this, in my opinion, is that someone who follows Jesus and tries to do what the Word demands, basically becomes a target for the enemy, the dark forces of the spiritual world. You are then the opposition to the evil one and all his cronies, will do what they can to rip you and your loved-ones to shreds.

EXAMPLE...UNFORTUNATELY ANOTHER ONE

The week preceding my newly "separated" wife's birthday, I had a really good week (for the most part) where I spent a fair bit of time in God's presence; reading, listening, watching, praying and sharing the good news. Come two days before her birthday and on the way to work, I hear a sermon from Dr. Michael Youssef on the seventh commandment: "You shall not commit adultery." convicted by my past sin, followed by a sermon from Derek Prince about God's blessings and curses as written in Deuteronomy 28. During the reading of  the curses, I experience an  intense feeling inside me, like I'm carrying a very heavy burden and I feel doubt and anger overcome me and I sneer at what I just listened to. Moments later after thinking about my situation and my past, I address God in prayer, with little reverence I'm sad to admit, questioning if He was actually good and if I ever had a chance at succeeding, I mean, how can one keep the Law in its entirety to escape the curses and receive His abundant blessings?!? That day, completely overcome with doubt, fear and anger, I found myself many times questioning God and even the presence of the Holy Spirit. I felt that I was set up for failure, abandoned by the one who is talked about: "He will not fail you or abandon you." Deuteronomy 31:6 [AMP]

I would read scripture to try and drown out this voice, this heavy presence inside me, but would laugh at the passage, followed by more questions. I continued to struggle that day, a lot, but I reminded myself of the Psalm of David 30:5b [AMP]

"Weeping may endure for a night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning."

"Try your best buddy, but go and rest, you will feel better in the morning." I didn't. In actual fact, I woke up angry with God and dismissed the rebuke and conviction I was feeling inside. I rebelled against God for that whole day and reached a very low and and dark place too...I actually prayed that I wanted to die and that God had to kill me. If I could not trust Him, the seemingly only One I had left, what is the point of even trying! I wept profusely as I was driving home, then I would grit my teeth and tell myself that I should shut-up, that I'm weak, useless, rejected and hated by everyone. I would cry out to God and then reject my own desperate cry for help. I made it home, packed an overnight bag and headed to my old home to spend time with the kids while the wife went out for the night after getting her hair done. Me and the kidlets prepared her birthday gifts, wrote her a couple of birthday cards, baked 24 delicious cupcakes, ready for the morning. We go to bed and around 12 pm I woke up with the wife coming home after her night out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Early morning and the wife leaves to go and exercise and I woke up in that process. I feel mad at her for not letting me know that she was going out for a drink after her hair appointment. She comes back after her workout and I just lay in my room, browsing on my phone, waiting for the kids to wake up so that we can take her presents. She shows up, all happy and excited and I'm just like...here is your stuff, happy bday. FAIL!!! I make her breakfast in bed and then get myself ready and self-isolate myself in the theater room for much of the morning. I didn't want to be there, so I make arrangements to go and visit a friend, just to find out that I can't go, because the wife is going out again for cocktails. 

By now, the anger and resentment I feel towards my wife on top of the doubt and disappointment I feel towards God, is unraveling me and I'm ready to reject my faith all together! I could feel a battle going on inside me, one of intense ferocity. I find myself wanting to praise God, then I would reject the thought, on and on it went.

THE MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE

I woke up the next day, feeling frustrated as anything, but on went the TV to watch Dr. Michael Youssef and then Dr. David Jeremiah, it was Sunday after all and I do "Church" on Sunday mornings. Today I don't reject what I'm hearing, but I am numb to the teaching, I just feel nothing! The two sermons are finished and I plan to wash my car, take the kids for an outing and some hot chocolate. We spend time walking and them riding their scooters along a meandering river. It's nice being out and here, God starts to gently knock on my heart again and I respond by opening it, albeit just a bit.

I take the kids back, hang around for a bit, got fed some fried chicken (yum) and went to my shared house. I prepare for the next day and go to my room and grabbed Wreck my life by Mo Isom Aiken (get it on Amazon or www.moisom.com)

What an absolute Godsend book by a Woman of God!!! I start reading it and I can barely put it down. I read about her faith journey, struggles, an untimely death in the family and the moment she met the Holy Spirit of God and how her life was forever changed.

Check out this brief interview to give you an idea of what she's about!

In the book, she mentions that we must be certain that we will experience opposition and adversity in our walk with and for Jesus Christ, but rather than see it as an unwanted experience, to an opportunity to grow in our faith.

TODAY

Today I realized that the enemy was at work, a relentless pursuit to destroy me and my faith, with our marriage as collateral damage. Why would my wife consider our relationship if I'm angry, bitter, spiteful and resentful. The moment you rebel against God, you keep silent about Him and how GOOD He really is, your behavior becomes such that even if you turn back to God, "pagans" would not believe you or your faith. I also wanted to "check out" before I could see what God has in store for me, for us! Never thought I would say this, but I'm really glad that God does not always grant our prayers, because we are at most of times myopic and selfish. 

DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE ENEMIES' TACTICS!

Here are the tactics the enemy use against you and what keeps you from God's plan and purpose for your life (from Tiaan Gildenhuys, confirmed by an ex-satanic believer):

1. Lies - The voice you hear with all the negativity, believing it's your own thoughts. I never understood when it was said:'The greatest lie the devil ever told, was making the world believe he does not exist.",
2. Fear - The fear you experience, fear of loneliness, rejection, misfortune, future etc.
3. Aggression - The fear turns into anger as you try to cope, it is after all easier to be mad,
4. Unforgiveness - you can't forgive those that hurt and reject you or you can't forgive yourself,
5. Bitterness - not forgiving yourself or someone else, leads to bitterness and resentment and becomes proverbial cancer and if left unchecked leads to depression,
6. Rebellion - you shake your hands at your "enemies" and at God and rebel against them which also leads to more sin and more pain.

The enemy has now silenced you, the voice of the Holy Spirit inside you and the God-filled heart you have! You are no longer a threat and are unknowingly, but willingly helping the enemy destroy yourself and others!

Ephesians 6:12 [AMP]

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places."

Proverbs 4:23 [AMP]

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."

Prayer

Heavenly Father, today I near Your throne with reverence, with humility and with love. I stand before you, ashamed of questioning Your authority, Your goodness, Your kindness, Your faithfulness, Your love and Your sovereignty. In my weakness, I gave in to the doubt, believed the lies about You, Jesus and Your Spirit. Father forgive me, for I have sinned against You and have grieved You all. Father, wash me clean with the precious Blood of Jesus and wipe away my transgressions. Fill me with Your Spirit a new and bless me with His fruit. I have declared war on the enemy in the mighty Name of Jesus, Yeshua and they have retaliated and found me with my guard down. Protect me Yahweh, send forth the Arc Angel Michael to behead the enemy on my behalf. protect my family and my friends, all who are near and dear to me. Let Your power be known in the Spiritual realm as well as here on earth. I come now and testify against the accuser and all his unclean spirits. They have lied to me and have blasphemed Your Name Jehovah, they have come against Your child to wage war and to kill him. Let Your judgement be swift and the punishment deserving, behead them and throw them into the lake of fire, for You are the righteous Elohim, the Creator of all the Heavens and earth. I exalt Your name above all other names! I pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, Amen! 

The perfect Love story!

LOVE

One could easily think that this should be a controversial subject for me, but to the contrary, I have in actual fact learnt a great deal of what love is and isn't through this season of my life. I, as many do, thought that I understood what love is, after all, I experienced that feeling before and when you have children, you get to experience love so more frequently. I'm happy to report that I was not entirely wrong in identifying the emotion of love, I did however miss the fundamentals of love and the biggest type of them all; AGAPE!

 4 Types of Love

STORGE, EROS and PHILIA Love according to the Apostle Paul in

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a [AMP]

"4. Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6. It does not rejoice in injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7. Love bears all things [looking for best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. 8a. Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]."

Not sure about you, but just reading the scripture above, I can honestly confess here today that I fail at love more often than not! There is however some good news, once you understand the source of real, true, unconditional love, you will realize that the LOVE the Apostle Paul is referring to, is indeed possible to have and to achieve! 

LOVE?

If you are anything like me, you would have heard about God is Love and thought to yourself: "I just don't get it, what does that even mean and why don't I feel it?" I would suggest that many of us have never really experienced real love before and for us to understand it, we must understand the Creator's original design intent for humans, the very reason why we were created in the first place.

1 John 4:7 [AMP]

Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience]."

DESIGN INTENT

We were wonderfully and fearfully made in the image and likeness of God, for the purpose of an intimate relationship with Him. God made His dwelling place here on earth and spent time with Adam. God saw that it was not good for man to be alone and thus created for him, a helper, an equal partner and said that they must rule over all the earth and that they should be fruitful and multiply (that means to enjoy each other in the intimacy of sex and have children). Unfortunately man's weakness were exposed when they ate from the forbidden tree, being deceived by the devil.

I have to pause here for a moment to anyone blaming Eve for the fall of man only:

Yes, Eve was deceived by the devil and chose to eat the apple, but it was only after Adam ate from it, when they realized they were naked and only then God called them. Adam abdicated his responsibility and stood there watching the whole thing unfold and did nothing. Life would probably have looked a whole lot different if they had repented right there and then, instead they blamed each other. The story about Adam and Eve also shows that by the creation of a woman, man had replaced the love meant for God, by loving her more and choosing her over God.   

DESIGN INTENT CONTINUED

We were made by God to have a relationship with Him and nothing will ever fill that hole inside us until we do...

Ecclesiastes 3: 11 [AMP]

"He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] - yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end."

PERFECT LOVE

In our weakness as humans, we rejected God, from the very beginning and despite our best efforts to remove Him from our lives, He still formed the perfect plan to reconcile us with Him. 

Romans 5:8 [AMP]

"But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 15:13 [AMP]

"No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends."

John 3:16 [AMP]

"For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life."

1 John 4:8-10 [AMP]

"8. The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] 9. By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him. 10. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God's requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath]." 

WHY CALL IT THE PERFECT LOVE STORY?

Imagine a "Being" so powerful, that He spoke the world into creation (just imagine with me, even if you don't believe in God yet) to take on human form, the very creation He made for His own glory, to live in a fallen world full of sin, to experience what it is like being human, to live the perfect sinless life, to be rejected by the very people chosen by God, to be nailed to a wooden cross on Calvary bearing the sins of the world to die a sinners death and to raise from death on the third day, so that whosoever believe in Him, may be reconciled to God and be guaranteed eternal life! 

PRAYER

Our loving Father in heaven, we exalt Your Name. We pray that Your Kingdom will come and that Your perfect will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Father, we come to you as sinners today, scarred by our transgressions, filled with fear, shame and guilt. We come to you Father, because we want to reconcile with You. We want to be made free and blameless just as You intended for us to be. We come before you and ask for forgiveness of all our wrong doings, to be washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We ask that Jesus will come into our lives, to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to experience your immeasurable love. Help us to love like You do, break our hearts for what break Yours and bind us to thee. Give us eyes to see like You see and ears to hear like You, so that we may hear the cries of others. Give us the strength and the courage to stand up for You and for what is fair and just in Your eyes. I ask that You will fight our battles for us today and that no weapon formed against us shall prosper and that every tongue that rises against us shall be cast down in Jesus' mighty name. Bring down Your hammer on the ungodly and unrighteousness and the devils dominion. We break every chain with the demonic world and we tear down any altar that we may have erected, knowing or unknowing. We declare Your favor, blessings and protection over us, our families and friends. We fully submit to You dear Father and ask that we may have the ability to love You as You love us. We plead the precious Blood of Jesus over us and ask everything in Jesus' Name. Amen and Aman!

  Aaron's Benediction: "The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain and guard you]; The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor], And be be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness]; The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval], And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life]."  Numbers 6: 24-26 [AMP] 

Why do bad things happen?

This could probably be the question that is asked the most in this world for the past, present and for the future and I would suggest that the answer is one that probably satisfy the least:

Why do bad things happen?

Fortunately for you, you have come to the right place, because today I'm going to tell you why and the reason is...just kidding, I don't know. I do however have some suggestions that you can chew on for a bit so give me some of your time today.

Background

If you have read my story so far, you would know that I confessed my trangressions and years of struggle with sexual immorality to my wife and since then, I've been doing everything in "my own strength" to win her heart back. This includes leaving her notes on her pillow, letters, gifts, non-sexual touching, hugs, even kisses on the forehead and there is just nothing. I also thought that this would be enough for her to reconsider her decision to separate, here too I was sadly mistaking.

So naturally, I was asking myself, her and God, why she was not responding to my efforts and what could I possibly do more to have her come to her senses! I have been so grieved by the rejection that I was really at the end of my own rope and then...

One Tuesday night, while doing Bible study as part of a group, we were covering the "Character of Jesus" and the scripture was John 13: 1-17 where Jesus washed the disciples' feet. Just an FYI, this was the ultimate gesture of humbleness from Jesus, because washing feet was given to the lowest slave, as a duty, in those days. Jesus, the Son of Man, came to be a servant, not the mighty King, people were expecting. The washing of the feet also symbolizes FORGIVENESS and that you only need to have your feet washed when you walked in the streets after having a bath. This means that after you have accepted Jesus into your life and have asked for forgiveness of your sins, you are washed clean from all the sin and then you only need to ask for forgiveness daily to have your "feet washed" after being in this sin-filled world.

While reading the scripture, the Holy Spirit highlighted John 13:2 for me: "It was during supper, when the devil had already put [the thought of] betraying Jesus into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son." and revealed to me:

Answer

God will ALLOW, not cause, bad things to happen so that His perfect will can be done! When you love and obey God, "bad things" become opportunities to learn, to grow and to ultimately turn you into the person you are meant to be. 

Let me explain

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ was to tear down the wall [separation] that existed between us and God after the fall of man by Adam and Eve [in the Garden of Eden]

and the redemption of man out of the hands of the devil!

The plan, obviously involved Judas to betray Jesus and even though Judas Iscariot was a disciple, that saw all the miracles and heard Jesus speak, it did not matter as he was chosen to help accomplish God's will, plan and purpose.

A likely Conclusion

The storm that is raging around you, may very well be caused by satan, but might very well be an instrument in the hands of our Almighty God ~ Jehovah Shammah, if you LOVE and OBEY HIM!

Romans 8:28 [AMP]

"And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose."

So today, change your FOCUS on the situation you are in and realize that God can use any "weapon formed against you" for His, and your, good.

Disclaimer

Habitual sin and the decision not to repent and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior will be used by satan as the "green light" to cause havoc in your life. Romans 8:28 may not apply to you if you choose to continually reject God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit! 

Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, You are a good, compassionate, forgiving, loving, powerful and just Father and we exhalt your Name above all other names. Today, as the storm in my life is raging, remind me that You are in full control and that You have a plan and purpose for my life. I am not pray to the devil that is walking around like a roaring lion, ready to devour because You are our Shepherd ~ Jehovah Rohi. Please use my circumstances, my pain and my suffering for Your perfect Will. I am your servant, use me for Your Kingdom! I rejoice in the fact that I will be rewarded in Heaven when I come home one day. I pray this in the precious Name of Jesus. Amen!

When the truth hurts

It hurts, I'm broken, I feel rejected, I think I'm depressed, I feel lost, I feel scared, I'm nervous, I'm uncertain...

At some point or another, from my confession to now, I have had some feeling or emotion that can be described with the phrases above. It would have been much easier for me if I were to sit here writing and say that since my confession, our relationship has blossomed and that we are giving the young tree all the water and nutrients it needs to become a huge, strong tree that delivers many amazing fruit. Unfortunately I can't, the seed I had planted in 2018 was called "divorce" and that it fell on very fertile soil. I also sowed that seed three times I was told and now those trees are in the way of reconciliation with my beloved wife!

What I know now is that I was trying to get her to notice that our relationship was in trouble and I was too. Let's call it "negative motivation" if you will. I thought that my negative words had no effect, based on her initial reaction, that however changed towards the end of that horrible year. I can't deny the fact that I most certainly contemplated the idea many times, that's why I could utter the words so recklessly. I also had no idea what "divorce" actually means practically as well as emotionally for everyone involved, this includes children and not withstanding the fact that it's against God's Word to divorce (accept if you or your children are in danger). Refer to Mark 10:2-9

The tongue is one of the smallest members, yet it causes the most destruction if not controlled. I wish that I never said those hurtful things, I wish that I was a man of integrity and courage back then. It's quite clear that none of us can change the past, but remember that you can surely change the future, so:

STOP!

What you are thinking about doing!

You are not the man you think you are, you're wife is not the person you think she is. If only you could see yourself through the eyes of our Creator and change the way you look at other people too. You both have a divine purpose and if you choose to seek your life's purpose by approaching God's throne first, He will guide you on the path you were meant to walk. 

The parable of the sower

Mark 4:1-9

You can be the seed or the soil, all depending on the situation or the season in your life. When you are the soil, it's very clear that different soil types will yield different results and here you would want to be the soil where the weeds were removed, ploughed and fertilized. This means that you want all the sin removed from your life, so you can yield a good crop. 

When you are the seed, you can be good or bad seed, you can build people up, or tear them down. What seed would you rather be?

There is no doubt that sometimes when you are the seed, you may feel that you are buried with no light and you don't know if you will have enough water or nutrients to survive. FYI-Plants initially have enough nutrients inside the seed to start growing, before relying on the nutrients from the ground. When you are in a dark place and you don't know if there is any light, call on God, because the Holy Spirit within you will give you the nutrients you need to start changing, transforming and before long, you will grow roots and break through to see the light. With faith and continuing to seek God first, you will grow into a person that will fulfill the needs of people around you, yielding a good crop.

I know that I am in good soil, as I have found my refuge in God and although it is dark right now, I know that by the strength of the Holy Spirit, I have started to change - I have started to grow and in time, I will break through the surface, exposing me to the light. I will grow and yield a good crop for God's Kingdom.

Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, thank you for being the perfect farmer, for knowing what the soil needs to make the seeds grow and what seeds to sow when. Your timing is perfect and today I thank you for my current circumstances. Thank you that this is only a season and that you have a plan for me and that at the right time, You will harvest. Please give me the nutrients I need to grow and yield an amazing crop. I ask that You will encourage growth in my wife, so that she too may yield a crop for Your Kingdom. I pray this in the precious Name, above all other names, Jesus Christ. Amen!

The courts of Heaven

I'm by no means going to pretend like I fully understand the Courts of Heaven, because I don't. What I do know however is that the devil is referenced a number of times in the Bible as being "the accuser" or "adversary"and many times the setting of, or the surroundings in parables, warnings about the devil and prophecies, are in a court setting.

Zechariah 3:1 [AMP] "Then the guiding angel showed me Joshua the high priest [representing disobedient, sinful Israel] standing before the Angel of the Lord, and satan standing at Joshua's right hand to be his adversary and to accuse him." 

So my understanding of this was by listening to Robert Henderson* on this very subject and the bottom line is that we should many times pray like we are an accused by the devil, defending our case in court before God as the judge, with Jesus Christ as our counsel.

Why would satan have a case against us?

Whenever you have unconfessed sin, satan has a case against you and will lay claim. We know that sin has it's own consequences and this is because satan will lay charges against you in the courts of heaven and if you do not repent, God will allow, not cause, the "sentence" to the charges against you. Confess and repent of your sins is the answer here if you wondered... 

Now the Good News!

Do you know why people watch reruns of their sports teams playing a final or some may watch a thriller over and over?

Quite simply put, it's because they know how it ends, they know that their team wins or that the person in that movie lives etc. The good news for you, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you know how all of this ends one day: God wins and the devil loses

Revelation 12:10 [AMP] "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom (dominion, reign) of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come; for the accuser of our [believing] brothers and sisters has been thrown down [at last], he who accuses them and keeps bringing charges [of sinful behavior] against them before our God day and night." 

Prayer

Dear God, our Abba Father, Friend and Judge hallowed be Your Name. We humbly approach You dear Lord to hear us as we plead our case before you.

We bring before you our sins, where we have made any offerings with wrong motives, we ask that the sound of these offerings be annulled. Sanctify all of our motives.

 Any transgression against the Will of God and the law of Moses, we repent of. Let the “Blood” talk and represent on our behalf and plead our case before You. Satan has no power over us and has no unsettled claims against us, because we were made free by the precious blood of Jesus our Christ.

 Father we bring our iniquities to You, that any covenant made with the demonic realm be broken, that any altar where a sacrifice has been made, will be torn down now, in Jesus’ name. Reveal the sins of the father’s before, our families and family members of our bloodlines, our lineage and heritage that may cause the demonic realm to have a case against us. We bring these to you as Jehovah-El-Elyon and request the “Blood” to annul these accusations and claims.

 Let the Liberty of You oh God now come, let the Holy Spirit consume any unrighteousness by testing our hearts with fire, cleanse our heart from any wickedness. Capture any impure thoughts and bind any negative thoughts in the name of Jesus so that it will not grow or bear any fruit.

 We are the chosen by our dear God, Abba Father. We speak life into our marriages, relationships, health and finances. We pray for your blessings and favour upon our lives and that You will give us strength to persist and the power to resist the evil one. We submit to You Elohim.

 We pray that Your perfect Will be done on earth, as it is in heaven and acknowledge that You are the God most high, our Father and our friend who delights in us. We humbly pray this in Your perfect Grace through the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

*A video from Robert Henderson explaining "The Courts of Heaven"

A Thorn in the flesh

The term "a thorn in the flesh" comes from the apostle Paul who wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7 [AMP] "Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me - to keep me from exalting myself!" We are not told what this thorn is however, the best possible explanation I have read so far is that Paul could have been plagued by guilt from his past life as a persecutor of the early Christians and that the "guilt" is brought on by "the accuser" which is satan (read here) 

So what is this thorn anyway?

I believe that a thorn in the flesh can be a weakness or anything that can cause you to sin or which can negatively affect your body and soul (a good way to understand the "human design" is in the image below from an article called: Spirit, Soul and Body

A thorn could then be described (in my own opinion) as things like: guilt, shame, doubt, fear and of course what is known as the seven deadly sins: lust, envy, pride, gluttony, greed, sloth and wrath. Now with sin it is important to understand that the devil does tempt you and that you could quite possibly have a spirit/demon tormenting you (please read more about spirits here) The emotions mentioned are things we possibly manifest in our mind which later becomes a heavy burden we carry around in our hearts, a thorn in the flesh. 

A personal thorn as an example and what led me to write about it...

I was walking in a shopping center after the strict Covid-19 restrictions the other day and as I was navigating my way to the desired store, I found myself looking at a woman I would consider good looking, for longer than what I am meant to (the definition could be that I was staring) Then it dawned on me, or probably most suitable that the Holy Spirit convicted me, that I had a quite obvious "thorn" and if left unchecked, could lead to sin. I thank God for this revelation, because I know that I have a weakness and can guarantee you that satan knows it too. Fortunately by identifying this weakness I can do something about it and the best place to start is to pray about it and to give it to God. Do this continuously!

Should you wish to pray a prayer that works, please visit www.wildatheart.org and visit there prayers page or alternatively click HERE! Pray everyone but most of all, pray the one about sexual healing!

Have you identified any thorn/s in your flesh?

There are two scriptures I would like to bring to your attention here and the one is regarding Temptation:

Mark 14:38 [AMP] "Keep [actively] watching and praying so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Be on the lookout and be aware of temptation, because it is all around us, everywhere you go, there temptation will be. Capture every thought and discern its origin and only then, once you are certain that it is not from satan, let it "bear fruit".

The second scripture is Paul telling us that he indeed did ask God to take away the thorn and what God's response was (with a caveat):

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 [AMP] "Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; 9 but He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough-always available-regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weakness, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] and may dwell in me."

Note: When you have accepted Jesus into your life, you are meant to be free from all these negative emotions, albeit it takes effort and diligence, God can't help you if you keep holding on to the hurt and the guilt. You must surrender all to God.

Ever wondered what Mercy is or how to explain it?

Say you are a parent and your child was murdered; Justice would be if the person is caught and follows the Judiciary System; Grace would be if you forgive the murderer; Mercy would be if you got up in court and pleaded to the Jury and the Judge that the person should be set free. I can't recall where I heard it, but it sure made a lot of sense to me and I hope it can help you too.

PRAYER

Father God, hear my voice as I praise Your Holy Name. 

You are Jehovah-Uzzi, The Lord my Strength!

Lord Jesus, You know of my weaknesses and the temptation I face,

as You too were subject to temptation and weakness yet you did not sin.

I ask, as David wrote in Psalms 119:133 "Establish my footsteps in Your Word; 

Do not let any human weakness have power over me."

I submit to You dear Lord and ask for the strength and power to resist the devil.

I pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen

Forgiveness

The burden of guilt can be very heavy, often times debilitating and the enemy "satan" will do everything in his power to constantly remind you of your wrongdoings. It is a very simple tactic really: the worse you feel about the things you have done, the less likely you are to praise God. Now it is very important to know that there is a way to become free from that burden, John says this in 1 John 5:16 "If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]."

There is a caveat though: if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior by Him dying on the cross for your sins and that you believe that He was raised up from the dead on the third day and ascended into Heaven to sit on the right hand of the Almighty God, you can confess and repent of all the things you have done wrong and you will be forgiven. To continue to be forgiven, you must also do as it is written: Matthew 6:14-15 "14. For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15. "But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.
Also in Matthew 18:21-22 "21. Then Peter came to Him [Jesus] and asked, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?" 22. Jesus answered him, "I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven."

Forgiveness is so important for peace, for the transgressor but mostly for you who forgive. What forgiveness also allow, is for the healing process to start. Please note, forgiveness is not saying that what was done is right, it does not deny the fact that you have been hurt and that you are accepting the injustice, nor does it establish a relationship. To be quite fair, forgiveness is probably the most difficult thing that God is asking from us and can be best described in this article: The most difficult thing God is asking you to do - Forgive

To the one whose trust I have broken, the one who is wondering how does one pick up all the broken pieces when the hurt is so severe, so deep...my beautiful wife, to say sorry for what I have done seems so insignificant. I am here to ask for your forgiveness and for you to free yourself from the grips of the evil one. The guilt of what I have done nearly destroyed me and our family and I had to confess and repent to God and to you. I used my own personal pain and experience from my past as well as my own "wickedness" to fall trap to temptation.

I'm not just here to beg for your forgiveness, but to say this: I can't change the past, nor can I wipe away the unimaginable pain that I have caused, but I can promise you that I am a changed man. I have realized that I was looking to you to fill a void in my heart that no one can fill except God himself. I was dependent on you for my own happiness and was constantly looking to validate my own self-worth from you. I promise to love you, as near as humanly possible, as God loves us and demands in Ephesians 5:25. I also, for the first time in my life, understand what love really is and that it is not self serving, the type of love Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13 (that was recited at our wedding day) I promise to really hear you and to really see you, to give you space when you need it, to allow you to be vulnerable, to be strong for you when you can't, to make you feel safe, to help you conquer mountains should you need it, to make you feel truly adored, cherished and most of all, to feel that you are loved unconditionally. I further promise to set God as the head of our household, to read the infallible Word of God together, to pray together and to take communion together as a family. I will not do this in my own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in us and by the never ending grace of God Elohim.

I do not expect anything other at this point in time than a commitment to the marriage and to rebuilding the "broken walls". Things will never be the same again, they will be better. Our relationship flame will burn high and bright and I believe that we will use our experience to minister to other couples that may go through a similar thing. I believe that we will have the marriage that God hopes for so that when people look at us and our family, that they can see and experience God's grace and His favor. I now speak life into our marriage and our relationship and the blessings of Jehovah-Jireh and seal it by the precious Blood of the Lamb. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Prayer:
Abba Father, who are in Heaven, praise and glory be to Your Name. Thank you for being my rock and shining the light on my sin. I have given the devil all the evidence he needs to forms a case against me. I come to you as an accused and ask that You would forgive my sins and wash me clean as Jesus has already died for my sins. The devil now has no unsettled claim against me and I ask that you annul his claim. I ask that I will forgive as You have forgiven me. I also ask that those whom I have sinned against, will have a soft heart and will forgive me also for what I have done. I pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen

In a world gripped by sin!

In a World Gripped by Sin

Sin, most likely the word that makes all of us cringe a little or quite possibly offended by its use. What do I mean when I say that? You see, we would like to do the things we want and more often than not, we really don't like it when anyone tell us that what we are busy doing, is in actual fact wrong. The world we live in has even changed many of its laws to not "cause offense" to many minority groups. Here I can think of two major laws that have changed dramatically in the last two decades or so: abortion and marriage laws.

What is wrong and by whose standard? I'm glad you asked, let me give you my perspective. I am a Christian and I believe in the Triunity of God meaning God the Father, God the Son and The Holy Spirit. I believe the Bible as the infallible Word of God, written by humans, inspired and authored by The Holy Spirit. The summary of my faith is what is known as the Apostle's Creed which is the oldest Christian statement of faith. This then means that I use The Bible as the absolute Truth and thus God's standard for what is considered sin.

Important to note: My faith was not always as strong as it is now and so far, the best personal change to come out of my confession to sin. I have been "practicing" religion for a long time, seeing that I come from a Christian home. I went to Sunday School and mum would go to church often and dad would come along too most times. What I experienced after my confession, was not "religion", but a faithful God who was there to pick me up and mend my broken heart. I have since submerged myself into the Bible and Prayer, all to grow in a relationship with the Father, His Son and The Holy Spirit, something I have never done before. This is what the Bible calls, putting on the Full Armour of God, Ephesians 6:10-17, equipping me to 1. Submit myself to God, 2. To resist the devil, so that 3. the devil will flee from me (James 4:7)

Let me move to the topic of my own personal sin. When I confessed to my wife and my world came crashing down, I experienced something I have never experienced before: introspection. Whenever I would treat my wife badly or we would fight, I would always have a reason, a justification for why I acted or reacted in a certain way. This time, I had a very clear perspective of all my own actions and sin, that contributed to our failing relationship. The only explanation I have for this is here in:

 Ephesians 5:13 

"But all things become visible when they are exposed to light [of God's precepts], for it is light that makes everything visible." [Light here means the Holy Spirit]

What I believe to be the root of all my "Evil": SELFISHNESS. I am convinced that most problems in marriage, and other parts of your life, will have their origin from selfishness, the own me. What I want, what they did and said to me, I'm hurt, I'm offended, what I'm experiencing, self gratification, self pleasure, lust, even jealousy and envy starts with selfishness. Let's take one example which fits right in:"self pleasure" - I would think about sex after seeing or thinking about something (the devils tactic used so effectively; temptation - as mentioned in here) I would then not wait until I got home tonight to have sex with my wife, I would go to a toilet and pleasure myself. The consequence of course is that our sex life grew cold and took intimacy with it. The worst part here is that my wife absolutely loves to have sex and the intimacy is very important to her and I denied it to her by my own selfishness. Just so you take note, not having sex with your spouse leads to more sin, as Paul says in:

 1 Corinthinas7:3-5 

"The husband must fulfill his [marital] duty to his wife [with good will and kindness], and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have [exclusive authority over her own body, but the husband shares with her] and the likewise the husband does not have [exclusive] authority over his body, but the wife shares with him. Do not deprive each other [of marital rights], except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves [unhindered] to prayer, but come together again so that Satan will not tempt you [to sin] because of your lack of self-control."

Let's take a look at what the Bible says about selfishness and I will only quote a few passages: 

Phillipians 2:3

 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves."

Galatians 5:13

 "For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another."

James 4:3

"You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires."

If I could give you a word of advice, if you want to have joy, peace and love in your life, you must "die to self" 

Colossians 3:5

 "So put to death and deprive power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God]." 

Living only for yourself will have devastating consequences and by doing so, you will rob yourself of a great life God has planned for you.

Prayer

Dear Jehovah-Jireh, thank you for the blessings that I have in my life, thank you for giving me a spirit of power to resist all worldly temptation so that I may not sin against you and those I love. Thank you for the redemption that was offered to me by Jesus dying on the cross. I am now a new creation in Jesus, raised in new life. Please now forgive my sins and transgressions. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and guide me to live the life You have planned for me. Let me think less of my own needs and more of others. In Jesus' Name. Amen