Signs and Wonders!

People love to say that GOD does not show us any miracles. But if we truly think about life, we are seeing miracles all the time.

As a Christ follower, I have seen and been witness to more miracles than I can ever recount.

Each day is a miracle when we think about it.  We are given the breath in our lungs.  GOD gave us oxygen to breathe, water to drink, the sun to warm us and the moon gives us light at night.

Each night the stars come out. As clever as we think we are, we cannot create the universe.  We cannot cause the sun to rise nor to set.  We cannot cause rain to fall or any of these things that we take for granted.

Then there are miracles that happen all around us.  Most of which we are not even aware.

When we run late, it may be that we missed a serious collision in our cars, or that we should not be in a place where there is danger at that time.  But we do not even see that.

I have prayed for healing and GOD has healed, not myself but people that I know.  I have prayed for help and GOD has sent it.  I have prayed for a situation to change, and it has.

I have been put in places to help others even although I did not want to be there at that time.

So it was in those days.  GOD gave the disciples the power to perform miracles in HIS Name and it was so.  And many people we converted to Christianity.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that even today, YOU perform many miracles.  Some we see and some we do not.  I thank YOU FATHER in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly Jesus Blessed today! 

Continue in the faith!

 We, Christ followers, are not guaranteed a life without trials and tribulations.  In fact, Jesus said this and moreover He said that we should endure the trials and tribulations in the faith of knowing that He has overcome this world.

Here in Acts, Paul is exhorting the disciples to continue in the faith, knowing that through the tribulations that we suffer, we will enter into the Kingdom of GOD.

It is very painful to go through the pain and suffering here on earth.  Both our own and that of others. 

It is sometimes almost as painful to watch our loved ones and our friends experience pain and suffering as it is to go through it ourselves because of our human frailty.

However, through the pain and suffering we are experiencing we are being perfected to be able to be fit enough to enter into the Kingdom of GOD.

It is not to say that everyone who believes will have the same level of tribulation.  But we need to be humbled.  Trials and tribulations can bring us much closer to the end of ourselves and towards total reliance on Jesus.  That is where GOD wants us to be.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that YOU are refining me through the trials and tribulations that I face in order to make me fit to enter into YOUR Kingdom.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

No other Name - Only Jesus!

 We can only be saved by believing in Jesus.

There is simply no other way to get to the Kingdom of Heaven.  

GOD gave all the authority for judging us over to Jesus.  And if we do not believe in Jesus, how will we be judged?

And moreover, GOD, in HIS merciful Grace sent Jesus to be punished for all of our sins, past, present and future.

All we have to do is accept the Grace of GOD.

How do we do that?  We believe that Jesus is the Son of GOD.  We believe that Jesus came to this earth, lived a completely sinless life, even though He was tempted by satan.

Jesus was crucified, died and was buried and rose from the dead on the third day, thus conquering death for us, the believers.

We repent and we forgive those who have sinned against us.

We are then filled with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit starts His work in us.  The Holy Spirit convicts us when we sin.  This causes a change of heart.  No longer can we go on sinning as before.  And no, this does not mean that we do not sin.  It means that we sin less and less and we are conformed and convicted to be more like Jesus.

True Christianity looks like something.  Repentance looks like something.  Believing in Jesus looks like something. And if nothing is changing, then it is time to ask GOD to fill us anew with the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus told His disciples, "By their fruit, you will know them". (Matthew 7 from verses 15 to 20). ( If you would like to read the full context of that saying.)

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, How gracious, good, and merciful YOU are.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ for saving me from an eternity spent without YOU.  I thank YOU FATHER.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

GOD's plans are better than ours!

 We are part of GOD's plan when we hand over our lives to HIM.  Peter had given his life to the spreading the Gospel.  The LORD had need of Peter, so although Herod had imprisoned Peter, the LORD sent HIS angels to free Peter.

Later on Peter would be crucified for his faith.

We need to give our lives to the LORD completely.  This story shows that.  And regardless of the outcome, GOD will use us for HIS glory on earth.

That is our purpose on earth.  To bring glory to GOD.

The LORD's prayer that Jesus taught says that. 

"Our FATHER who art in Heaven.  Hallowed be THY Name

THY Kingdom come, THY will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".

And Peter was used by GOD to start the early church and to get people converted to Christianity.

So we may be used if we relinquish our will to that of the LORD's.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, How I love THEE dearest FATHER.  FATHER, I humbly pray that YOUR will be done in my life rather than my will.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Christ Followers - Christians

 The first time the disciples were called Christians was at Antioch.  We are a continuation of that lineage.

So what does it mean to be a Christian?  And how should we look?

Christians should be followers of and believers in the redemption of our sins through the blood of Jesus.

We need therefore to emulate Jesus.  In order to emulate Jesus, we need to know and to understand the nature and character of Jesus.

Always bearing in mind that Jesus is GOD and Jesus is part of the CREATOR of the entire world and indeed, the universe.

Therefore when Jesus came to earth born of a virgin, He added humanity to His deity.  He never foresook His deity for His humanity.

Although through His humanity, He felt the same pain and suffering as we feel.  He felt the same temptations that we feel, because for the time He was on earth until He died on that Cross, he was fully human.

That is why Jesus understands our pain and our suffering.

So again, what does it mean to be Christian?  It means we want to be like Christ because Christ died for us.  It means we die to self and start to enquire after Jesus and GOD what their will is for our lives.

And what does a Christ follower look like?

He or she looks different to the person that they were before they became a Christian.  They act differently.  They speak differently.  They do not conform to the things of this world but seek their eternal lives in Heaven with a newfound fervour.

No longer do they want to use bad language or to watch the disgusting things that appear on TV or billboards worldwide.  No longer are they immune to the suffering of their fellow humans.  Addictions become easier to give up as they hand over their lives to Jesus. They become more empathetic and more selfless.  The things of this world grow strangely dim. 

If these things are not in your armour, then it is time to reflect as to whether or not you are a true Christ follower. 

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER teach me how to be a better Christian.  Show me YOUR will for my life rather than my will.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus blessed today!

GOD is impartial to all who believe in Jesus!

 Peter was shown in a vision that he could mix with all persons, both Jews and Gentiles.

GOD sent HIS Son Jesus Christ to die for all.  Anyone who believes in Jesus and who repents is saved, regardless of whether Jew or Gentile.

We serve a Holy, Merciful, Righteous and Just GOD.  We serve a GOD who wants each and every person to live in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We only have the choice to believe in Jesus whilst we are alive on earth.  In other words, this side of death on earth.

Today, choose Jesus.  Repent and believe.  Call on the Name of Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life and choose life everlasting in the Kingdom of Heaven with our FATHER.

Prayer: ABBA FATHER, thank YOU for YOUR impartiality.  Thank YOU that I could choose to serve Jesus this side of the grave.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus blessed today!

The Damascus Moment!

 Can you imagine Saul of Tarsus going to Damascus armed with arrest warrants for Christians.

And on that road, he met Jesus.  It must have been truly the most momentous thing that ever happened.

The people around him heard the voice but could not see anyone.  But Saul definitely met with Jesus on that road.

Now not all of us will have a Damascus moment.  But however you have come to the Lord, the one thing that I do know is that your life will never be the same again if you truly believe in Jesus.

I am not talking about people who think that they believe, I am talking about people who truly believe.

Once you truly believe, your life will change.  Suddenly you know that Jesus is with you in everything you think, you say or you do.  It is not a case that your life can go on the way it used to be.

True belief in Jesus looks like something.  You are suddenly aware of your life and how it looks through the eyes of Jesus.  No longer can you do the things you used to do, you start to change.  And it may be gradual, but you do change.  And I always say that true Christ followers look like something different.

If you say you believe and your life has not changed, I would sit down and ask GOD to give you the wisdom to see your life as HE sees it.  I guarantee you will start to change.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for my firm belief in Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Saviour.  FATHER I humbly pray that you open my eyes to show me where I can be more and more like Jesus each and every day.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus blessed today!

Performing miracles in the Name of Jesus!

 A certain lady called Dorcas had died and Peter went to where she was laid out in death.  Then he sent all the people out of the room and knelt down and prayed and Dorcas rose from the dead.

Even today, miracles abound if we will just have faith.

The biggest thing standing between us and doing things like this is our faith.

We simply do not believe enough that people can be healed, or that miracles can still happen.

Jesus told His disciples that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains.

What we need to do is to grow our faith.  We do this by reading the Bible.  We do this by fellowshipping with like minded Christ followers.  We do this by attending Church and home groups.

Alone we cannot grow our faith.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I humbly pray that YOU give me more and more faith each and every day.  Help me to grow my faith.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Believe with all your heart!

 I love this passage about the Eunuch.  It is such a powerful reminder that Jesus came to save all the people on earth.

Here sat a Eunuch who was reading from the Book of Isaiah.

And he was reading about the death of Jesus, when along came Philip.  Who better to explain the passage in Isaiah than one of the original Apostles of Jesus.  A man who had been a eye witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  A man who had witnessed the miracles performed by Jesus.  A man who had witnessed Jesus ascending into Heaven after having conquered death.

Talk about a fortuitous meeting!

When the Eunuch asked Philip if he could be baptized, Philip answered so simply.  "if you believe with all your heart, you may".  And the beautiful reply from the Eunuch.  "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of GOD".  And that is the absolute truth and the absolute simplicity of what we are required to do in order to be co heirs with Jesus to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Believe with all our hearts that Jesus Christ is the Son of GOD.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER I thank YOU that YOU made my salvation so simple.  I praise and worship YOU today FATHER for YOUR mercy and YOUR grace and YOUR love of me.  I praise YOU FATHER in the Holy Name of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

Stephen asks GOD to forgive those stoning him!

 After Stephen had delivered his message about the Messiah, the jewish elders were so enraged with him that they gnashed their teeth at him and then grabbed him and took him outside of the city walls where they stoned him to death.

Now I find it so hard to grasp how brave Stephen was, that as he was dying, he called on the LORD to forgive those who were doing this to him.

I question my faith when I read things like this.  How would I react in this situation?

Stephen must have been in dreadful pain and yet, although dying, he knelt down and asked the LORD not to hold this against these people.

This is such faith and such kindness and such grace in the face of such harshness.

I like the way Luke ends this off by saying that Stephen fell asleep.

And I would like to think that that is what the LORD did.  I would hope that he just fell asleep and died. 

But the reality is he must have been in intense pain and suffering, just as our LORD was on that Cross of Calvary and when He had been scourged and slapped around and beaten.  

It brings me back to the start.  I wonder whether I would be this magnanimous in the face of imminent death at the hands of unbelievers.  I pray I would have a tenth of the courage of Stephen.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for Jesus who died for me and for people like Stephen who were willing to die for their faith in Jesus.   FATHER it is sometimes so hard to forgive the smallest slight, Father grant me the mercy to forgive as I am forgiven by YOU.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay forgivingly Jesus Blessed today!

Full of faith!

 If we as children of GOD have great faith, we too can do miraculous signs.  It is our faith that is not great that stops us from doing the same as Stephen.

What strikes me most is that Stephen is described as being full of GOD's Grace.

Are we full of GOD's Grace?  Because I feel that that is the secret to great faith.

So how do we get full of GOD's Grace?

The first thing is to understand the magnitude of the GOD whom we serve.  Our GOD is so GOOD.  Our GOD is so GREAT.  Our GOD is JUST.  Our GOD is so MERCIFUL.  Our GOD is so LOVING.

Let us meditate on the character of GOD to understand the overall magnitude of this ENORMOUS GOD we serve.

Once we begin to grasp who GOD is and how Powerful HE is, we can then work on our acceptance of the Grace of GOD in order to be filled with the Grace of GOD.

Only when we are filled to the brim with the Grace of GOD can we be filled with faith and power.

This is a very rare thing today.  We need to try to emulate Stephen.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for YOUR Goodness, YOUR Mercy, YOUR Grace and YOUR Power.  FATHER fill me with YOUR Grace.  Let me be so filled with YOUR Power that I can spread the Gospel in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Proclaim the GOOD NEWS! JESUS IS THE CHRIST!

 We need to remember the perils faced by the early disciples who went out proclaiming Jesus as the Christ.

They were beaten, imprisoned, and eventually put to death for their faith.

We are so fortunate to live in a society which is tolerant towards our Christian faith.

There are many places on earth right now where Christians are facing persecution and death for their faith.  And yet they continue to spread the good news.

What are we doing to spread the Gospel?  Are we even just talking about it with like minded Christ followers?  Or are we ashamed of our faith?

These are very loaded questions.  But we need to search our hearts.  We need to prod ourselves into action.  We need to tell people how they too can be saved into an eternal life with our FATHER in Heaven.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that I am a co heir of YOUR Kingdom with Jesus Christ.  FATHER embolden me to spread YOUR goodness and grace and mercy to all who are not yet believers.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

Salvation only through Jesus Christ!

 Once again in the Book of Acts we are reminded that there is no salvation through any belief other than the belief that Jesus Christ is the Saviour, the Messiah, the Redeemer.

We cannot go to spend eternity with GOD if we do not believe in Jesus Christ.

When Peter healed the lame man who used to beg for alms at the Beautiful Gate, he used the Name of Jesus Christ to heal the man.

Those famous words; " Gold and silver have I none, but in the Name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk".

This man had been lame from birth and was now in his forties.  Yet here he was walking and dancing around.

Only when we call on the Name of Jesus Christ can we be born again.  If we do not believe in Jesus, unfortunately we are not going to Heaven.

Today, if you have not accepted Jesus as the Lord and Saviour of your life, I implore you to do so.  We are definitely living in the end of times and you may not have tomorrow.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for Jesus Christ my Lord and my Redeemer.  I thank YOU for YOUR grace and I pray all this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus blessed today!

Community living!

 There are worldwide ideologies that are far removed from the Spirit of true Christ like living.

In this last part of the Book of Acts, we see true Christ like living implemented and carried out.

In our modern day world, we have so called communism and people all calling each other comrade etc.  But in the true "Holy Spirit filled" world, this really worked as it should.

All who believed in Jesus were together and had ALL things in common.  The people who lived in this belief together sold their possessions and their goods and divided the proceeds according to the needs of all.

This is an ideal world and it only lasted for a very short time.

Unfortunately we are born sinful and our desires and wants far outweigh our beliefs.  Jesus knew this.  

That is why Jesus came to this earth.  To save you and I from hell.  Without the Grace of GOD, we could never ever hope to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

So today, let us that GOD and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Let us thank GOD for His Mercy, His Grace and His love of us.  Let us thank Jesus for His goodness and mercy and His Redemptive blood shed on that Cross for each one of us.  Let us thank the Holy Spirit that He lives in us and convicts us when we stray from our faith or when we sin.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, thank YOU for my Redeemer Jesus Christ.  FATHER thank YOU for YOUR mercy and YOUR Grace.  Holy Spirit thank YOU for YOUR conviction.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay thankfully Jesus Blessed today!

Repent!

 The Apostles were eye-witnesses to the life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

They knew Jesus personally and they saw the miracles that He performed on earth.  The final deed that Jesus performed for the Apostles was His death, resurrection and then His ascension into Heaven.

Here in Acts, Peter exhorts the people to repent and to be baptized.

Now baptism is not a salvation issue.   You do not have to be baptized in order to get to Heaven.

But repentance is mandatory.  Without repentance, you are not getting into Heaven.  And it is not a perfunctory "sorry FATHER" without your heart being overwhelmed with the hurt and anguish we have caused through our sin, but it is a heartfelt "forgive me FATHER for I have sinned. Not only have I sinned against YOU dear FATHER, but I have hurt others in the process of my sinning."

GOD reads our hearts.  GOD knows our thoughts and GOD forgives the truly repentant.

Baptism can follow in obedience to the conforming of our hearts to GOD.  We die to self and are baptized and born again of the Will of GOD.

This is pure obedience and supplication to the Will of GOD.  Baptism without repentance, true repentance is also meaningless.

So today, if you have never truly repented, pray the prayer with me at the end of this blog and be saved.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I am so sorry for the way I have sinned, not only against YOU but I am truly sorry for the people I have hurt and harmed through my sins.  FATHER forgive my sins today as I forgive all those who have sinned against me.  FATHER, I humbly ask that give me a heart that lives for YOU alone.  I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

Witnesses of Christ to the ends of the earth!

 When we accept Jesus Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.  This Holy Spirit is our Counsellor, our Guide.

We can be witnesses of Christ too.  We can spread the Gospel to the people we meet and the people we see each and every day.

Obviously we all cannot travel to the ends of the earth to do this, but we can certainly start with those around us.

What we need to do is to pray to GOD to give us the courage to talk about Jesus even when we are not sure how to do this.

We need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and to show us who is receptive and then we need to take a deep breath and take the plunge and talk about Jesus.

It would be terrible to get to Heaven and for Jesus to say to us "You never spoke about me when you had the opportunity, so I do not know YOU now".

That would be awful.  

Being bold in Jesus is about a living relationship with Jesus.  It comes through continuous prayer.  It comes through reading the Word and it comes through fellowshipping with like minded followers of Jesus.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I humbly pray that YOU show me opportunities to witness for Jesus on earth.  I pray that YOU give me courage to speak boldly even when I am nervous of doing so.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay boldly Jesus blessed today!

The life of Jesus on earth!

 John was the "beloved" disciple of Jesus.  And in closing his Gospel, John tells us that he witnessed Jesus doing so many miracles that if they were written down, the world would not be big enough to contain the books that would need to have been written.

The biggest thing Jesus did for you and I was to come to earth and to die on that Cross of Calvary and to take our sins with Him and be punished for them.

Jesus' disciples all witnessed the many many miracles of Jesus.  But most of all, they witnessed his death and resurrection.

They all, with the exception of John and Judas Iscariot died for their belief in Jesus.

Now that is evidence of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.  No man would die for a lie.  Without exception, facing death, they would renounce their lies.  But the disciples knew that Jesus is the Messiah.

How blessed are we today that we are not being called to die for our faith.  It may yet still happen but as it stands now, we are free to believe in Jesus.  I thank GOD for this.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that I am free to know Jesus.  I thank YOU that Jesus is my Redeemer.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus blessed today!

Blessed are those who have not seen, but believed!

 As mere mortals we are quite gullible. We believe a lot of what we hear but do not actually see.  We also like to believe what we want to believe in.

The disciples here were admonished by Jesus.  Thomas especially said that he would only believe in the resurrection of Jesus when he could see the nail marks and the piercing in Jesus' side.

This is where Jesus says to His disciples: " Because you have seen me, you have believed, but blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed".

And that is you and I dear Christ followers.  We have not seen Jesus.  

What I will tell you though, is that I absolutely know that Jesus is real.  Jesus is with us all the time.  Jesus never leaves us and He never forsakes us and that is our comfort.

All we have to do is to believe.  It really is that simple.

A lot of people died because of their belief in Jesus.  But that is not why I believe.  I believe in Jesus because I know that Jesus lives in me and I in Him.  I have experienced His love first hand in so many instances of my life.  I have seen and witnessed Jesus working in the most amazing ways.  I also know that this does not mean that I always get what I want.  No, but that does not shake my faith in Jesus. Jesus lives!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU for my unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ.  I thank YOU that I know Jesus is my Redeemer and that He lives.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today!

Jesus gave up His Spirit!

 Jesus finished His work on the Cross.  And then He gave up His spirit.

The only reason that Jesus came to this earth, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and was crucified, dead and buried, was to save you and I from our sins.

There is no other reason.

And that is why we cannot work our way into Heaven.

There is nothing that you or I can do to earn our way to Heaven.  We have to believe in Jesus.

Jesus did not die, Jesus gave up His Spirit.  And although He spent three days in the tomb, He rose from the dead and conquered death to give you and I eternal life in Heaven.

If we do not believe in Jesus, we cannot go to Heaven.  If we believe that we can earn our way into Heaven, we make Jesus a liar.  If we do not repent, we ignore the fact that Jesus paid for all our sins.  Past, present and future.

So today, if you have not done so, believe in Jesus.  Repent of your sins.  Give your life to Jesus today.  Accept the free gift of the Holy Spirit who will come to live in you.

Prayer:   ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that Jesus came to save me from my sins.  I thank YOU for YOUR grace in sending Jesus to Redeem me.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly, graciously Jesus Blessed today!

Jesus - Our King!

 Jesus has been arrested.  He has been up the entire night being questioned by the Jewish Synod.  He is then taken to Pontius Pilate.  Pilate questions Him and asks Him "Art Thou a King?"

Indeed Jesus is a King.  Jesus is GOD and there is no higher authority on earth than GOD, because GOD created the entire universe.

Jesus, the King of the Universe came to this earth, born of a woman, and added humanity to His deity in order to bring us the Truth.

The Truth is that Jesus is GOD.  There is no other way to get to GOD except through Jesus.

Satan likes to deceive the world and that is why there are so many lies about today. There is "your truth, my truth" and all the lies between the two.

Because the Truth is that only Jesus is the Truth.  

If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, unfortunately you are not going to spend eternity in Heaven with GOD.  No matter how good you believe that you are.

Jesus is the Truth.  Jesus is Life and Jesus is the only way to Heaven.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER thank YOU that in YOUR Divine mercy YOU sent Jesus to this earth to save me.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

The Comforter

 Dear Christ followers.  We are so unbelievably blessed to have our faith in Jesus Christ.  Not only are we assured that our sins are forgiven, but Jesus has given us a Comforter.  A Counsellor.  A Holy Spirit. A Guide to help us. 

We can be sure of one thing in this world.  When we accept Jesus Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.  This is our Guide, our Conscience, our Comforter, our Counsellor in times of trouble.

And this chapter of John deals with all the issues that we will have as children of GOD, co heirs with Jesus Christ.  We will face trials and tribulations.  This is GOD refining us and getting us ready to spend eternity with HIM in Heaven.

When these trials and tribulations come upon us, we are not alone.  Jesus has given us help.

An ever-present help in times of trouble.  The Holy Spirit.  

How blessed we are!

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ for sending YOUR Holy Spirit to indwell me.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

GOD will give us light!

When we go to our eternal home with GOD, there will be no more sun and no more moon.  The LORD will give us our eternal light.

We serve the most amazing awesome FATHER.  HE knows our every need, our every thought, our every desire.

We are totally dependent upon GOD whether we know it or not.

Without GOD there would be no universe, no earth, no galaxies, no solar systems, no sun and no moon. 

There would be no gravity to keep us on this earth.  We would not be here at all.

And GOD knows that whilst we live on this earth in our mortal bodies we need the light of the sun by day and the light of the moon by night.

If we accept Jesus Christ, we are going to spend eternity with GOD.  And GOD has promised us a new heaven and a new earth.  And the most beautiful thing is that we will have no need of the sun or the moon, because Jesus will be our light and GOD our everlasting glory.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that YOU are so amazing and so awesome.  I thank YOU for this life on earth and the life to come with YOU.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Tribulations in this world!

 Jesus warned His disciples that they would encounter tribulations in this world.  Just so we too today have to face our trials and tribulations.

However, the good news is that Jesus overcame the world.  Jesus came to this earth and lived on earth as a man.  He faced the same trials and tribulations that we face.

He had even more.  He lived a sinless life and never succumbed to temptation.  As a sinless man, He was mocked, beaten, flayed and then hanged on a Cross.

All because He needed to save us from our sins.

The good news in all of this is that despite the trials and tribulations we may face, Jesus is with us.

We have never been left alone even for a minute.  Jesus is with us if we believe in Him.  Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us.

So today, no matter what trials we are facing, know this.  Jesus is in this with us.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that I am not alone in my trials.  I thank YOU for sending Jesus Christ to this world to overcome this world.  Thank YOU FATHER that I know that Jesus is in me and with me.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Mighty Counsellor!

 Once we become Christ followers, Jesus has promised us the Mighty Counsellor who takes up residence in us.  This Mighty Counsellor is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Truth, our conscience if you like.

When we behave as we ought not to, this Truth pricks our conscience.

Being a Christ follower comes with a new set of rules, a new way of living.  No longer can we be of this world.

We need to be in Jesus.  This does away with a whole lot of things that we may have believed in, or done, or are still doing?

Were you or are you superstitious?  No longer.

Did you use bad language or are you still swearing?  No longer.

Do you use the Lord's Name in vain? No longer.

Do you tell lies? No longer.

These are but a few things that have to change.

We simply cannot shine the Light of Jesus on earth and want to be a part of this darkness any longer.  We need to show growth in our walk towards Jesus and we need to shine the Light of Jesus on earth.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I humbly ask that YOU make me aware of the dark things of this earth and help me through the Mighty Counsellor to avoid them.  FATHER let me shine the Light of Jesus on this earth.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay faithfully Jesus Blessed today.  

Apart from Jesus we can do nothing!

 This is the most beautiful analogy.  Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.

Just think back to the first miracle recorded that Jesus performed at the wedding feast.  He took water and blessed it and turned it into wine.

Here again, Jesus refers back to the miracle of that occasion.  He can take us and transform us into "justified" people who are able to be in the presence of GOD.

Without Jesus, we cannot be in the presence of GOD.  We can do nothing.

This is also such an important passage for us all, because we love to think inclusively about all people on earth.

NO ONE comes to the FATHER except through Jesus.  Jesus is the Way.  Jesus is the Truth and Jesus is the Life - eternity spent with GOD.

No exceptions.  If we do not believe in Jesus we cannot of our own volition get to GOD.

It is simply impossible to be obedient to the Mosaic Law.  There are simply too many and quite frankly, being the sinful people that we all are, we would fail.

Therefore we have a "way out".  And our way out is to be in Jesus.  Let Jesus be our Vine and we must be the branches.

This brings forth another analogy.  Branches must be pruned and so shall we be.  This is a reality to prepare us to be ready to meet our FATHER.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that YOU are so Gracious.  I thank YOU for Jesus Christ.  My Redeemer. FATHER YOUR will be done in my life.  I humbly pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay amazingly Jesus Blessed today!

Do we know what Jesus did for us?

 Jesus washed His disciples feet.  And when they asked what He was doing, He told them that they would understand later.

How do we love each other?  Would we wash our neighbour's feet?  Would we wash anyone's feet?

The question is not that.  The question is - would we die for each other?

Jesus came to serve us with all His love.  We need to be the same.  That is the challenge.

Especially in this sordid world of ours, this ever darkening world - how do we love each other.  And I am not talking of the love we have for our family or our friends.  How much do we love all the people of this earth?

Would we be prepared to die for anyone that we do not know?

The answer must be no.  Therefore this indicates how much Jesus truly loves all of us.  Because Jesus died for every single person on earth.

All we have to do is to accept that He did this for us and then to love one another in the same manner.

An impossible task in this world of today, unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit and we realize that Jesus loves each and every one of us in this manner.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, thank YOU for loving me so much that YOU sent Jesus to die for me and take my sins onto that Cross of Calvary.  I thank YOU FATHER and I ask that YOU make my heart so full of the Holy Spirit that I may try to love in the same manner.  I humbly ask this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay truly Jesus Blessed today!

Walk in the Light!

 

Dear Christ followers, how blessed we are to be able to walk in the light.  We know our purpose in this world.  We are to shine the light of Jesus.  We are to bring glory to our ABBA FATHER.

Imagine living in this world with no faith.  It must be absolutely dreadful.  Thinking that we are living just to die.

This is why it is so important for you and I to walk in the Light.  To know Jesus, to understand the character of our ABBA FATHER.  To fear His Holiness, His Righteousness, His Justice, His Mercy, His Grace.

And here I am not talking about fearing like watching Nightmare on Elm Street and things like that.  I am talking about a reverent fear.  A fear that in His presence we will not be able to stand because we will be in total awe of who GOD is, how Omniscient, how Omnipotent, how Omnipresent HE is.  A fear of knowing that GOD knows the number of hairs on our heads.

We are privileged to have a FATHER like GOD.  We are privileged to be able to be co heirs with Jesus Christ.  We are indeed blessed.

Prayer:  ABBA FATHER, I thank YOU that I know Jesus.  I thank YOU for YOUR immense Grace and favour.  I thank YOU in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Stay graciously GOD blessed today!