God....my healer

I can't believe I am putting up another post barely 24hrs. after the last one..I guess God really needs me to think straight....lol

What really got me thinking about this was a daily devotional email I received a couple of days ago and it mentioned Hezekiah.


2 Kings 20:1 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘ Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’”
2Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3″ Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight ” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,5″Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.6″I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”‘

This is interesting to me, because Hezekiah wasn’t just sick, he was dying. He looked up to God after speaking to him and then Hezekiah wept bitterly. Bitterly? Sounds to me like Hezekiah was disappointed at God. Can this be? Can someone be disappointed with the creator of the Heavens and Earth? I think so (trust me, I have been there). I think God wants this kind of interaction with his followers. He created us in his image, and so we have feelings like anger, resentment, and disappointment. When we get behind God like Hezekiah did, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight “, then are we are a follower of the one true God. I think if you are truly in the path of righteousness, then you can get healed like Hezekiah did, if it’s within God’s will. It would be no different than asking a parent for something. God is going to take everything into account, including your faith and commitment to him, and come back with an answer. I don’t think that’s anything new, but I believe that answer can even be “Your healed”.

I don’t just conjure up these thoughts, I read the Bible and then try to apply it to today’s world. I’d love to hear your comments on this, maybe my thinking is way off, but I think a lot about my interaction with God and how in the Bible their interaction was totally different, I’ll be doing a second post this week along this same lines about faith in the 21st century.

Meemeethinks......

On your marks.......

It's been a long time since I last posted here. You'd think that I'd have a killer story or reason for my absence. If I think about it long enough I could probably come up with something. However the simple truth is that I've been sucking up life. Taking it in. Embracing it and holding on for dear life.

Sounds exciting, huh? Sounds like I've been on a wild ride, but honestly it's been very quiet around these parts. I have literally turned inward and have sucked up life like a vacuum. That's not always a good thing. Without outlets we grow fat. That's what I've done. (In more ways than just the obvious. lol)

There are some very legitimate reasons I've been so quiet and I'm still not quite ready to openly share those. Yet. But the more disturbing reason (to me) is that it's become all-too easy to *hide* from all the stuff of life. School. Friends. Relationships. Problems. Busyness.

In stepping back a bit I found myself stepping waaay back. Too far I think. But I think only time will tell as to how far was enough. Until then I take each day as it comes.

I feel a stirring; a coming 'push' that will send me out of this exhaustive internal space I've created. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't excited. A healthy combination of the two is important. I feel God saying to me the same thing He said to the church in Sardis...

“Wake up!, Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember therefore what you have received and heard; obey it and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief in the night, you will not know what time I will come to you." Revelation 3:2-3...... Scary right? I know lol

So I have decided to wake up , just as that passage says......VERY SOON! ( Going to move very soon, just want to enjoy my comfort zone/shell a lil longer).

P.S- Happy graduation to my friends and classmates....I wish you all well in the next phase of your lives.

Meemeethinks....

Still on JOB...

OK lets get back to Job....lol

Every time satan went to God concerning Job, he always left with Gods permission..... meaning, no matter how powerful the devil thinks he is, unless God permits him, he is powerless.

God is powerful and we under estimate his power . Job 9 basically talks about how Job perceived God, he said 'He moves the mountains without them knowing it' ( when I read that part for the 1st time, I just started speaking in tongues...lol). We Christians need to start seeing God for who he is, so we can start experiencing the grace and blessings that come with knowing him.

As mere mortals it is simply impossible for us to look beyond heavens veil and see why God allows things to happen as they do. The simple truth is 'God is God' and we can't question His ways.

In Job 16:19 he said 'Even now my witness is in heaven, my advocate is on high'. After lamenting Job still understood that God had his back... Hmm imagine everything in your life going wrong- disappointments, rejections, broken promises, loss of a loved one, failure, stagnancy (when you see everyone around you moving forward) and you read the bible and its telling you to trust in God with all your heart! I can't guarantee that if I had to face the battles Job was facing I would react the way Job did. We would probably not go through half of what Job went through so we have no reason not to trust God in any circumstance.

Job 19:14 'My kinsmen have gone away and my friends have forgotten me', this was Job lamenting even though he was physically surrounded by 3 of his friends he felt completely alone (who hasn't ever felt like that?..). They thought he had done something wrong and was being punished....God please save me from friends with no insight...SELAH

In all of this, Job still took out time to pray for his friends, and the bible records in Job 42:10 'after Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him 'TWICE' as much as he had before'.

In conclusion the Lord blessed the latter part of Jobs life, Job didn't look back at what he had lost or at friends and family that has despised him, He looked ahead knowing God had a plan for him. I know its hard for us to forget the things we have lost in the past but if Job (who not only lost his entire family but also riches, cattle and respect) can do it, then we have absolutely no excuse.

The book of Job is worth reading over and over again because it sums up what God expects from us- Humility, Faith, Love, Forgiveness and Long-suffering.

Good night folks.

Meemee

JOB....SELAH

I read the book of Job earlier in the year and i came across some insightful things i had written down about it, so i decided to share it. I promise there would be no big grammatical expressions like the last post...hehehe.

Job was blameless and upright, he feared the Lord and shunned evil (Job 1:1). Job wasn't just a believer, the bible records that he 'shunned evil' therefore he was also a doer, so because we know what the bible says and we do it does not exempt us from being tried....just wanted to get that out of the way...lol

When God wants to humble us, he starts by taking that which you hold dear to you so you can focus on Him. I am not talking about the the humility we all think I.e talking to those we think are poor or down-playing our strength or wealth to the under-privileged but the kind of humility Job went through. In Job 1:3b the bible records that Job was 'THE GREATEST' among all the people in the East but that was before God took all that made him great physically.

I realised and understood that the devil constantly watches us , trials don't come because we have been bad or good, it is a normal part of our Christian walk.

God was proud of Job.... hmm do you understand what it means when God is proud of you?? Even I can't phantom it, all I can picture is my earthly father smiling at me (and if you have a father like mine who doesn't smile so often... well...lol) and telling me how wonderful I am. Not only was God proud of him, He also boasted to to the devil about Job..Job1:8 'have you considered my servant Job?......imagine God calling the devil urging him to test you because he is so sure of your love for Him...gosh imagining it alone is giving me goose bumps.

Another thing i learnt from this book is that, God doesn't cause evil, he permits the devil to try us just to test our faith and sometimes to show us off. So every time you are going through a hard time, imagine God smiling saying 'she/he can handle it or she/he has been trained well'

The 'sabeans, chaldeans and wind' (if you don't understand what 1 am talking about, then you need to go back to the book of Job..lol) are not bad neither are they the enemy, they were just elements the devil used to destroy all that Job held dear, alot of things that happen to us are not bad, they are just messengers used to pass a message across to us.....SELAH

It is amusing when Christians pick out the verse that says 'after Job heard all that had happened, he worshipped God' which he did but not before he grieved. In Job 1:20 'At this job tore his robe and shaved his head then he worshipped God'....Job grieved when he heard the news, who wouldn't? but that was a physical response which isn't a sin, meaning crying when we are hurt or sad doesn't mean we lack faith in God, it just re-emphasizes the fact that we are flesh as well. Even Jesus wept in the garden when he realized how great his mission was, but at the end He said....'Not my will but yours be done Lord...'

To be continued....

Have a lovely day

Meemee

Brokenness....

We live in a broken world with broken people (me included...lol). Inside us, we all have areas of brokenness: Broken Dreams, Broken Spirits, Broken Hearts, Broken Relationships, even a Broken Sense of Self Esteem. A Broken Heart can hold us back from taking part in an authentic and loving relationship, Broken Self Esteem can stop us from exemplifying a positive and productive personality, and a Broken Spirit finds it virtually impossible to experience real joy.....big words right? even I am impressed with myself...kk back to serious Kingdom stuffs.

The question is how are we going to deal with the brokenness in our lives? Will we put on our polished Sunday Faces and pretend all is well with us, or will we deal with it? Realize that in dealing with the reality of brokenness, it requires truth. We must admit that we have messed-up-broken-down-heaps-of-lives. We run from one relationship to the next without allowing ourselves time to breathe and recuperate from the last one..(when I say relationships it doesn't just mean with the opposite sex, it could be a lost job, old friends letting you down e.t.c). In our search for Mr. Perfect, Miss perfect or the perfect paying job, we compromise our integrity, yet compounding additional brokenness.

Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Through the brokenness of our lives we can become the vessels that God intended us to be. God gave us Wisdom which is in His Word. Through His Word brokenness can be repaired. Maybe that Broken Dream was your dream that did not fit His plan for your life. That Broken Relationship was never ordained by God and never destined to be, because it was never part of His plan for your life.

As long as we rely on our own foolish pride and selfishness, lusting after the flesh and worldly things (fast cars, bigger houses)....but seriously we all want all of that right? but if we focus on that, we will continue to live a broken life, filled with frustration and loneliness. Brokenness stops at the point where our spirit yields to His Will. God uses our brokenness to reveal to us our need for Him and to prepare us for future service. Let Him perfect your brokenness. God’s ultimate goal is spiritual victory.

Let imagine a glass that has fallen to the floor and broken into many pieces. We can easily sweep the pieces together and discard them in the trash. But God takes those broken pieces and fits them tightly together in such a manner that they will never be broken again all We have to do is surrender all the pieces to Him.

Have a beautiful week

Meemee

Keeping in steps......

Still studying the new testament and still discovering beautiful things about the holy spirit..

Galatians 5:13-25. These are verses every believer recites now and then but do we really grasp what its saying? that's the big question.

'Let us keep in step with the spirit' Its as if Paul is describing those who are lead by the spirit as dancers who are in step with their perfect dance partner, imagine dancing with the stars (the TV show), the stars represent the imperfect us while their partners who are the professionals represent the holy spirit. But in contrast, when moved by the flesh, the thots that tell us to do as we desire, it is as if we are experiencing the clumsiness of a dance partner who keeps stepping on our toes and leading us in the wrong direction.

Like a dancer constantly tuned to the beat of the music, we must continually tune in to the voice of the spirit and follow his lead.....Trust me that could be very difficult. The spirit moves us to places where we might not feel comfortable, to step back when we want to step forward, the rhythm might be to slow or fast for us but following the spirit means resisting the urge to dance through life our way and 'DAMNING THE SPIRIT'.

How difficult it can be to be led by the Spirit and to hold our tongue, how difficult it is not to repeat that juicy gossip with friends, or how difficult it is to say sorry even though you weren't the one wrong. How difficult it is to make the move to release resentment when we feel we've been wronged or unappreciated. But the bible says 'His grace is sufficient for us'.

Throughout the day we should ask ourselves 'who am i being led by?' myself? with my emotions, worries, pride, fears, selfishness? Am i being led by the enemy with his distorted tunes? Or am I being led by the Holy Spirit.

Each time we move in step with the Spirit, we are saying YES to God. We are no longer bound to follow the whims of our flesh or the whisperings of the evil one. We can choose to move in sync with the Spirit.

One-hit wonderful.....1cor13:1-3

I have been studying the new testament for a while. Today I decided to read through my word note and I came across this entry I put in like a week ago.

In Corinthians 13:1-3, Paul listed some attributes that fall into the great, but not the greatest category of one-hit wonders known to human beings : FAITH & HOPE... But nothing can compete with the greatest attribute of all: LOVE.

In the bible, love is a one hit wonderful. if you are going to be known for anything, let it be LOVE. Your lifelong goal should be to embody the diverse characteristics of love found in 1cor 13.

Unfortunately, the English language is limited to only one word to describe the many types, As a result,our understanding of genuine love is inadequate.. I love the Greek Language, I can't speak nor understand it but it just has a way of making every word come alive. The Greek langueage has several words for Love.

EROS- romantic love

PHILIA- friendship

And there are so much more, but Paul used the Greek word AGAPE to describe the love that is divine,the love that originates from God,the love that is eternal, the love that never fails.....remember John 3:16??(if you don't then your Sunday school teacher should be spanked).. yes that kind of love that one can sacrifice ones life or child for.

Verses 4-7 describes the many facets of this pre-eminent type of love....PATIENCE, KINDNESS, PERSEVERANCE AND HOPE.

So here is a challenge for you: Live today seeking the greatest of all attributes. Try to express the heart of Biblical love in all that you say and do. Let today be your love song,you one-hit wonderful to everyone you encounter.