Chat Room - December Issue

December issue

Festive fever

This is the last monthly issue for the year end 2012. It is the month of December the month that is known for its festive fever. People are excited about the year finally ending and some of them are preparing to spend most of their time with their friends and families. However it’s not happy moments for all of us. Many have had dreams and resolutions at the beginning of the year such as finding jobs, buying new cars, getting promotions and etc. but unfortunately none of those resolutions have been fulfilled.

This brings sadness to most people especially the youth. I can imagine the hope and dreams that have been lost. A lot of questions come up, questions such as “why me? Or where is God?” then they stop dreaming and lose their faith. What people are not aware of is that when you lose your faith things become worse than what they were. By losing your faith you are creating a distance between you and God. Once that has happened you stop believing in His word and you start questioning His authority.

There is always something positive in a difficult situation because life has its own way on turning things your way. It might not be easy reaching the top because there is no shortcut to success however by having faith in God, working hard and being patient you can reach whatever destination that you are planning to get to. We shouldn’t give up easily and we must never stop believing and dreaming.

We must always remember that God created us for a reason and we are living on this earth to fulfill that reason. God has plans for us that is why His word says “Ngokuba uma uvuma ngomlomo wakho ukuthi uJesu uyiNkosi, ukholwa enhliziyweni yakho ukuthi uNkulunkulu wamvusa kwabafileyo, uyakusindiswa” (Romas 10:9 - that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved). That’s all God wants from us: faith. God doesn’t care about what you look like and He doesn’t want your money or material but He wants you.

Our words have been blessed with the power of creation so we must use this to our advantage. When we see that things aren’t going our way we have to speak positivity unto our lives; speak happiness, wealth and all this shall come to pass. When you wake up every morning pray for blessing and bless those who are next to you. It doesn’t matter where you come from but what matters is where God wants you to be in the coming years.

It is not over until our God Jehovah says it is over, so stay blessed.

Sab’z

Under the shadow of His wings..

Psalms 36:7 KJV
How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
 
God’s love is so deep in such a way that we get to experience it even in moments where we don’t deserve to. Everyone knows his or her background and whatever we’ve gone through in life we’ve survived because of the love of God. That is why we need to ask ourselves what can we do without Him? When God puts us under the Shadow of His wings we have certainty that He is watching over us and we can do all things through Him because He gives us strength. Even if the enemy attacks He prepares us in time and enables us to face him.
 
We have shade and protection under the shadow of God’s wings. Whoever has faith in Him shall be placed under the shadow of His wings which is the only place where we can find peace. Peace that keeps us calm through every situation that we go through. Even if seasons change whether summer, winter, autumn or spring we will get through because He is watching over us. That is why we are able to walk in the valley of darkness without any fear because He is there with us and has protected us under the shadow of His wings. (Psalms 17:8)
 
S. Mlilo

 

The renewal of strength..

Isaiah 41:1 KJV
Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

Keep silence before God even in the noisiest of situations. The storms and winds of this life are one of those noisy situations that we cannot control however we can get through because our God is with us. Noisy situations are not only heard but they can also be seen. Yes your situation might be making noise in such a way that those who are close to you have made you the talk of the town but still keep silence before your God because no situation is bigger than Him.

When one has to go into a medical operation they have to be medicated so that they do not interrupt the process. Well that’s why we have also been instructed to keep silence because while we keep silence before Him, He takes us through a renewal process. Let us go near to God and He will renew our strength. We’ve gone through ups and downs but with the experience that God has given us and the renewed strength we have been promised nothing can destroy us. Let us speak to Him and say what we are going through because He listens and replies. His judgment is never wrong because it brings light into our darkness. (Isaiah 40:31)

S. Mlilo

My redeemer..

Job 19:25 KJV

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, Yet in my flesh shall I see God.

We always come across occurrences that threaten to destroy us however they can never do so because we have a Redeemer on our side. Our Redeemer is our living God Jehovah and that is unquestionable. That is why even if we suffer we should not be troubled because He will reward us with a reward that is far greater than our sufferings. No matter what pain we are facing nothing can be compared to what God has prepared for us. Though it might feel like all is lost but still there is nothing that can stand in the way of us meeting our redeemer.

Our redeemer stands today and untill the end. All He wants us to do is to abide in Him and then we shall see Him. What joy it is going to be to know that through the sicknesses and sufferings we stood by Him till the very end. I can imagine us being rewarded with everything and even more than what we have ever wished for, just because we were faithful to God. All this comes from knowing our redeemer because once we know Him there is no reason for us to fear. You have the authority through the Son of God Jesus Christ to say to whatever suffering you are facing “I Know my redeemer”. (Romans 8:19)

S. Mlilo

Going up..

Jude 1: 24-25 KJV
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen

If it wasn’t for Him we would have fallen down by now. Each and every day we come across a lot of things that are pulling us down. Yes nobody wants to fall however we do fall and no matter how much of flapping we can do we can’t pull ourselves up because we can’t do it on our own. When we fall our lives are affected because it is difficult for us to make the right decisions. The only one solution that we have during our fall is holding on. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only one to hold on to.

Whether you are falling physically, spiritually or emotionally Christ can pull you up. During a fall one doesn’t feel any pain except worry because you don’t know how painful your landing will be. Now what’s amazing with Christ is that you don’t even get to reach the ground because He is able to keep you from falling. This means that you will be worried but you will not feel any pain because our Lord will not allow you to reach the ground. Glory be to God who is our rescuer even in difficult times. (1 Corinthians 1:8)

S. Mlilo

I made a covenant..

Job 31:1 KJV
I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

Through everything that Job went through he never broke his covenants. This teaches us that when we make a pledge we need to be ready to fulfill it even through hard times. It might be easy to make a it but it takes courage and determination to fulfill it. There are a lot of situations that will not change until you make a pledge to change them. The sinner that was with Jesus Christ on the cross decided it was time for change that is why he was brave enough to make a pledge with His Lord. Making a pledge requires only you and your heart.

Yes you might have gotten used to committing whatever sin that you are committing but now it is time to make a pledge and change your future. Don’t let sin rule over you. If your eyes, habits, thoughts or even your body has become a distraction between you and your God, marriage, work, faith and any relationship it’s time to make a pledge to change. We serve a mighty God Jehovah who knows our desires. If we truly want to change all we need to do is to ask Him for His wisdom through His Son Jesus Christ. Take a stand and make a pledge with God. (Mark 16: 17)

S. Mlilo

Our first love..

Revelation 2: 3-4 KJV

and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

There is no stage in love that can match up to the first phase of it. It is where you find all the commitment, trust, patience, effort and plans for the future not to mention the joy it brings. When the feeling of first love is no more the actions that are going to be performed will be done because it has become a habit and not out of love. That is why God says He is against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. If we lose our first love for God we lose our interest and commitment to His commandments; we forget the impact that He had in our lives; we start having faith in our own will and most of all we no longer fear Him.

Yes we might have been faithful and trustworthy in the beginning when we first knew Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior however if we no longer have our first love for Him all our work and efforts no longer count because our actions are no longer motivated by love but by habit. Like a vehicle that cannot run without being maintained love is the same. We are responsible for maintaining our relationship and commitment to God. As much as God shows us His mercy each and every day we also have responsibility to give Him all the praise and glory through our faith every day. (Hebrew 10: 38)

S. Mlilo

Those who belong to Christ..

Galatians 5:24 KJV
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

Those who belong to the Lord Christ Jesus have to be distinct from those who are non-believers. If you repent and become a follower of Christ you no longer engage in immoral worldly activities instead you live for God because the sinful nature that you once had has been crucified with its passions and desires. It is not something that you can do on your own however you need the Lord's touch in order for you to overcome this battle between the flesh and the Holy spirit.

The decisions that you take, the thoughts that run through your mind and the things that you love the most have an impact in the outcome of this battle. As much as you cannot be in two places at once, you cannot worship two gods at the same time. If you call yourself a believer and yet you follow the desires of the flesh this means that you are denying that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and was risen from the dead in order for your sins to be forgiven. (Colossians 3:1-2)

S. Mlilo

Born to be..

Jeremiah 1:4-5 KJV
Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Nobody came to this world by mistake and nobody came to this world empty handed. Before you came forth God already had plans for you. He knows what youshould be and where you are supposed to be. Sometimes we fall out of God’s plan because of our own desires and lusts but through His mercy He has His own way of returning us to it. Nowadays many of us are searching for our purpose in life, but the problem is we are searching in the wrong places. The only way we can discover our purpose is through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our God Jehovah blessedus even before we were formed. Now because the devil knows that God has prepared blessings for us hetries by all means to turn our focus away from God’s will, so that instead of receiving these blessings we might receive curses. Well satan will not prevail because none of his attempts can take us away from God’s plan. We might think that we are not ready to be part of His plan but we should remember that our God doesn’t give us anything that we cannot handle. If we were born to be we shall be. (Jeremiah 29:11)

S. Mlilo

 

God makes it possible..

Ezekiel 37: 3-4
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD

Our God Jehovah knows everything. He knows what can and cannot happen that is why what is impossible to men is possible to God. As a man of God Ezekiel knew that all things are possible through God that is why his answer to Him was “O Lord God, thou knowest”. When Ezekiel spoke these words he was in a midst of the valley which was full of bones maybe he was confused because he was lead to a lifeless place which he had never been to before but he had faith because God was there with him.

When God placed Ezekiel he had a purpose and this purpose was for him to prophesy upon the dry bones and say to them “hear the word of the Lord”. I can imagine that speaking life into the dry bones was a tough task for him but through God it was possible. Maybe he didn’t know why God chose him but because God knows why he chose him all he needed to do was to rely on his faith. God knows why you are where you are and he knows where you are supposed to be. It might be confusing at the current moment but have faith in God and you will prevail. (Mathew 19:26)

S. Mlilo

Breaking the walls..

Joshua 6:20 KJV
So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Have you ever felt like you’re surrounded by walls and your life is on a standstill because you cannot move forward or backwards?  Well at times that’s how life’s challenges make us feel. You feel like you’re all alone and nobody else understands what you’re going through. Sometimes your even bounded by walls that have been created by pride, regret, grudges, lack or hate but God is able to demolish those walls for you.

Those who shouted that “the wall fell down flat” were shouting out of joy because they saw God’s power working for them. Instead of being in denial and thinking that nobody can help you it’s time to hand over your situation to God. Demolishing those walls around you means a way forward and a new beginning for you like those men who went straight up into the city, you too can open new doors for yourself through God’s power.  (Psalms 18:29)

S. Mlilo

Gods exceeding magnification..

I Chronicles 29:25 KJV
And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

King Solomon didn’t magnify himself but it was the Lord who magnified him exceedingly. When God magnifies you He does it exceedingly so that people can see the evidence of His works in your life. You may have come from a small family or background where no one expected that someone from that place or background would one day amount to anything but through God’s hand today He has touched you and has magnified you exceedingly. Even though we don’t go through the same magnification process nevertheless those who abide in Him are bound to be magnified.

The main reason for us to be magnified is to do God’s works and bring glory to His name. That is why you are where you are because God has to touch other people through you.  No one can remove what God has bestowed upon you; hence it is your responsibility to hold fast to what He has given you. Those who have been magnified by God know the value of this magnification because it is not from their own good works but it is by God’s grace. As much as God has gracefully blessed you he can just as easily take it away from you, when you lean on your own understanding instead of trusting in Him. (Deuteronomy 28:1)

S. Mlilo

I have arrived..

Deuteronomy 26:3 KJV
And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us.

Our God is not a God of empty promises. He is a God who takes you from your departure and carries you until you arrive at your destination. Off course the road isn’t always smooth but the final results are what’s most important. Today you can also profess this day unto the Lord and say I have arrived because today, my kids have grown up even though we had to go through difficult circumstances. I have arrived even though there were tough times at home yet today I have my own family and I have forgiven those that didn’t treat me well.

Conquering and being victorious under any circumstance of life means you have reached the destination of that journey. It was not through your own power but by the power of God that you have arrived. If you were previously a sinner like most of us were and today you worship the Almighty God just that alone means you’ve arrived. If you were previously addicted not because you wanted to be but because of your circumstances and then today you can say I’ve quit whatever addiction that I had that means you have arrived. Remember climbing only one mountain doesn’t mean that the journey is over yet but it shows you the power and strength of your God so that when you climb the next one you won’t forget what He has done in the past and what He can do for you in the future. If you’re still fighting and you haven’t arrived yet don’t lose hope because your destination is not far off. (Psalms 27: 2-3)

S. Mlilo

Fear not..

II Kings 6: 15-16 KJV
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

Most of the time when we wake up in morning even if we slept with worries we wake up fresh and ready to begin a new day because God created sleep to serve as a temporary comfort from our worries. Now imagine waking up to find out that there is a crowd of your enemies that is waiting outside of your doorstep to attack you. Well that’s what happened to Elisha and his servant. Unfortunately for us there is no right time or place for our enemy to attack. The devil uses every opportunity that he gets because he wants to attack when we least expect him too.

Elisha’s servant was afraid because of what he saw and he rushed back to inform his master of what was awaiting them. Obviously the servant had already lost the battle before it even began because we lose most of our battles just from our thoughts and fears. What Elisha’s servant forgot was that his master was serving a faithful God who gives hope, prosperity, power and everything else. That is why Elisha’s words were “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them”. Even today if you are serving the one and the only true God I say to you “Fear not” because we have the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and Gods army behind us. Fear not if you have abided in the Lord because you will come out victorious. (Deuteronomy 20: 3-4)

S. Mlilo

What would you ask for..

James 4:3 KJV
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Through prayer we are given an opportunity to ask from God and to let Him know our requests. The problem is that we take this opportunity for granted. Instead of using it to ask for things that would be sensible and necessary to us we ask for things that will fulfill our envies and desires. Well God doesn’t give us what we shouldn’t have.  God knows the outcome and the results of every situation. If whatever we are asking for will destroy us then God will not give it to us.

As much as a parent would not give their own children anything harmful that’s how God is towards His own. If we could only accept that God is beyond our own intelligence, abilities, strength and being then we would surrender everything to Him. Why should we waist our requests on things that will not last us for a lifetime and things that are for the worldly boasting rather than ask for what would be necessary for our own survival. Like David who asked to dwell in the house of God. (Psalms 27:14)  

S. Mlilo

November Issue

NOVEMBER ISSUE

 

We often see people being successful at what they do, happy and glowing, growing in every way, getting promotions, getting married and achieving more in life. Then we ask ourselves how do they do it? and why not me? The fact is we all receive blessings but they are not the same blessings. Today I want to help you see how you can also attain your blessings from God.

 

 

Life

·         Put God first in everything and anything you think, say and do.

·         Allow God to heal you from your past experiences.

·         Pray for survival through the best and worst times.

·         When you wake up alive thank God for it.

·         If you know God you will always be happy so be happy at all times.

 

Personally

·         Don’t compare your life to others, you have no idea what their journey is all about.

·         Don’t overdo but keep limits.

·         Dream more and make the most of your time.

·         Life is too short to waste time hating anyone so don’t hate others.

·         Realize that life is a lesson and problems are simply a part of the curriculum. You have to go through them in order for you to pass.

 

Community

·         Each day give something good to others.

·         Forgive everyone for everything .

·         What other people think of you is none of your business.

·         Try to make at least three people smile each day.

·         Your job will not take care of you when you are sick, your family and friend will. Stay in touch.

 

Sab’z