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