Now as stated earlier. I haven’t written for quite a long time. Especially on such a personal level. However I believe that I owe it to God to document and share the work that he has done in my life over the past 2 years. There is a blessing in here for myself and for somebody else.
There is an old time song that I never really enjoyed especially as a child growing up. This was one of those songs that I knew once sung in church would get everybody crying and hollering. However the words of the song now carry a much heavier meaning and have an added dimension in my life because of my personal experiences.
Shackled by a heavy burden,
‘Neath a load of guilt and shame.
Then the hand of Jesus touched me,
And now I am no longer the same.
He touched me, Oh He touched me,
And oh the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.
For years I had carried many heavy burdens. However I was blind to most of things that I carried. I had suppressed rather than managed and confronted many issues and hurts that had taken place in my life that were happily and actively eating away at me. BUT! and it’s a big but. The hand of Jesus touched me. He took me through a two year journey of inner healing with the end result being the gift of self awareness and an appreciation for myself and all that God has ordained for me and my life. I am healed!
This leads me to assert that sometimes as children of God we can be carrying heavy burdens, put on the mask as if we are OK, but inside we are battling and struggling! But I believe that we are in a season of being stripped bare so that God can truly and thoroughly deal with us. This ‘dealing with period’ will be a MANDATORY precursor for those who aim to enter ministry, be emotionally whole members of their families and societies and those who want to be an effective witness for Christ. Our actions should stem from a place of emotional wellness.
I believe that now is the season for all the excuses to be left behind and for us to truly examine ourselves and go to those deep, dark places that we have compartmentalised and left God out of or in some cases are too afraid to confront. Examine all the hurts, the pains, the disappointments and the negative emotions that come with it and allow God to heal us.
It’s been just over two years since I’ve last written on here. I had archived this blog in the back of my mind without any real intention of writing here again.
But I believe that now is the season for me to write and share with an increased level of openness and honesty. God has and will be glorified in my life and I believe that through this blog even at least one person’s life will be changed.
‘Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.’ Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
Putting aside individual personalities, children are a reflection of their parents. To be even more precise, children are a reflection of the input from their parents.
In life we are always preparing, from small things to bigger things. We prepare for work in the morning by setting our alarm clocks (and for the super organised), what we will wear the next day. When going on a holiday we make sure that we pack all that we need for a safe trip.
As parents do you know you are preparing your children for adulthood? You see, children learn very quickly, but they also grow very quickly. Don’t miss out on opportunities to shape and nurture them.
The hard drive
I like analogies, and as I write this piece a hard drive comes to mind. Every child is born with a blank hard drive. What will you upload to that hard drive? The contents of a child’s hard drive will determine their outcome.
I thank God that he has allowed me to be in the teaching profession; I believe it has given me a unique insight into the life and development of children. I love when I have uploaded a new file into their little hard drives. This has also led me to understand that what children are exposed to and have experience of fills their hard drives.
Now just like a smart phone, many applications (apps) are available, however they won’t just come at the click of a button!
*The politeness app
*The responsibility app
*The bed spreading app
*The punctuality app
*The cooking app
*The musician app
And many more!
As parents we need to be deliberate in all that we do, this should include what we upload into our children’s data bases. Take a self-evaluation? Are you on the treadmill of life and just making life happen to you? Or are you deliberately exposing and uploading new files to your child that will set them up favourably for later on in life?
Children learn what they live
I remember when I was growing up there was a little poem that was displayed in my front room, it was called ‘children learn what they live’. It makes for powerful reading.
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.
Invest: Nurture and Shape
I didn’t understand the significance of the above named poem at its greatest level until I was in my 3rd year of teaching. Now in a classroom of children there are an array of personalities present. You have a room of future doctors, lawyers and criminals sometimes all in one room! I have found that children that often display challenging behaviour often come from unstable homes. Similarly children that display positive behaviour often come from loving, nurturing homes where parents invest heavily in their children. In fact, research suggests that parental involvement is the single biggest contributor to successful educational outcomes for children! You don’t need to send your children to private school for them to do well, just invest!
Every behaviour stems for a source, be it positive or negative! And I mean every behaviour!
Now the Lord has blessed me with two sons. At times, I find my youngest Isaac quite a challenge. My eldest Joshua was a piece of cake as a toddler and would follow my instructions first time. Not so with Isaac. Have you heard of the phrase broken record? I find myself constantly having to repeat myself with him! I also found that often he would exhibit negative attention seeking behaviours. So I prayed and I asked God to really help me, as to be honest it was beginning to get me down.
When I had a moment I found myself observing him and I noticed that he is quite high functioning and what I mean by that is that I believe him to be higher achiever and quite bright. Observing him I found that he was bored and this boredom was leading to his negative attention seeking behaviours. So we started to think of things to engage with him such as stories, games of hide and seek or just generally being silly together. After these engagements I found that his behaviour would become a lot more positive.
You see you need to know your children. Know how to hook them in. Know their strengths and weaknesses. What observations do you make of your children and what strategies and support structures can you put in place so that they can move forward?
The upload through observation
Children are like sponges and soak up all they see. Children learn what they live is a poem that humbles me because the fact is that the majority of the uploads that we make to our children’s hard drives are through observations of you.
So what are your children observing?
*Are you a go-getter?
*Are you punctual?
*How do you handle finances?
*Are you neat and tidy?
*Do you honour your word?
*Do you worship and pray regularly?
*How do you resolve conflict?
I was shocked one day to find that when Joshua was at the tender age of 1 the nursery nurse reported to me that any time he dropped a toy he would kiss his teeth! Where had he picked that up from? Me of course! I never taught him to do that, I didn’t even notice myself doing it but he had picked that up from me. How much more has he picked up, positive and negative? So be a role model is what I’m saying!
Setting a vision for your children
Do you have a vision for your family? What do you want your children to aspire to?
Maybe your dreams and visions may not go as far as choosing your child’s career path, but what is of greater importance is to equip them with skills and the strategies to be able to succeed in any profession or path that they choose.
There are many different ways that you can do this:
* Instrumental tuition is a really good way of getting a child to be disciplined. It also teaches persistence!
*Having a literature rich home with lots of books, thus exposing children to a wide range of language and vocabulary. Speak to your children in full sentences and expect them to do the same.
*Know when your child’s homework is due and support them with it. Not only does this help with their learning. This shows them that you are placing a high value on education.
*What learning is taking place in your home that is outside of school? What life skills are being taught at home through observation and through deliberate time spent teaching a new skill?
Positive affirmation
We have a duty as parents to spend quality time with our children. Now, many people have a lot to say about Oprah Winfrey. However I chanced upon something that she said which struck me. She said when your child walks into the room does your face light up or do you automatically go into nagging mode? Your children need to see that they are the light of your life. It makes a huge difference! Enjoy the gift of your children, spend time getting to know them through conversation and teach them something new. After all, children are a reward from the Lord! (Psalm 127:3)
I am also a strong believer in that if a parent strongly affirms their child/teen then the need to look to others for affirmation will not be as strong. This is especially true for fathers and their daughters.
Dealing with viruses
Now there is the ever threat of viruses that can attack the hard drive of a child and young person. Negative influences from peers, social and media influences etc.
Now these attacks are inevitable, but praying for their continually covering can counteract this threat. Stormie Omartian as written a tremendous book called the power of a praying parent that has a selection of powerful prayers to support parents in praying for their children.
Stormie starts off her book of prayers by a series of prayers first for the parent. I believe this is a good starting point. Evaluate yourself. Pray and ask God to help you and be your strength as you labour on your journey of parenthood. He is the ideal parent and the source of all things and is sure to guide us and help us.
To conclude, as parents and prospective parents we are no means perfect and will make mistakes in our parenting. However it is good to note that being a parent is a Kingdom responsibility so we must take it very serious and prepare our children for greatness and the best they can be.
Marriage is a lifelong commitment, entered into voluntarily between two parties. So as young women of God we should have a heart that is fully committed and sold out to Christ.
Putting God first is a must. This is highlighted in scripture when we are commanded to love God with all of our heart, soul and strength (Deut 6:5). Love brings about a response and must change the way that we are as women. I believe truly loving God means living the lifestyle of a sold out worshipper. God should be your first and top priority. He is the main man and should be first in your life.
The Bible instructs wives to submit themselves to their own husbands as they do to the Lord (Eph 5:22). How we submit to our earthly husbands parallels how we should submit to Christ in all things. Being married to the main man means not doing things our way, but God’s way as He is the head. We can confidently be subject to Him because He knows best.
Being married to the main man should not be an ‘extra marital affair’. As some husbands do feel that Christ has stolen their wives! So it is important to not compartmentalise our relationship with Christ and neglect our earthly duties. Christ is Lord of all! Not just our secret chambers, prayer meetings and worship times.
Being a part of the bride of Christ should produce a spirit of gentleness (1 Pet 3:4). This should change how you interact with your children, friends, brethren, colleagues and employers. Being married to the main man benefits everyone around you and allows you to be the best woman you can be!
So today, I received a link from a fellow blogger documenting the reasons as to why Christians are not required to keep the Sabbath.
For a split second I felt somewhat reluctant to allow the comment to be posted on my blog but then I thought to myself there is nothing wrong with healthy discussion amongst the body of Christ.
Sabbath observance has been a major blessing in my life! My reasons for keeping the Sabbath started from my upbringing but then grew to a personal conviction. Reasons for this conviction are stated below.
The 7th day is blessed and holy
First let’s go back, way back… to creation.
Genesis 2: 1-3(NIV)
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
The verse above details that after the creation was completed in 6 days God rested on the 7th day, blessed it and made it holy (highlighted). Therefore the seventh day is a blessed and holy day.
We cannot say this for Sunday or any other day.
The Sabbath was made for man
Now those that object to Sabbath observance often state that it cannot be kept according to the Mosaic ceremonial law which was a very strict regime. For example not travelling too far a distance on the Sabbath or picking up too heavy a load on that day.
However Christ came as our example to show us these requirements were unnecessary burdens when he picked the ears of corn on the Sabbath day (Mark 2:23). Christ taught at that time the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Wonderful really.
Within the same scripture of Mark 2 Christ made the very bold statement that He was ‘Lord of the Sabbath’, hence the Sabbath day is the true Lord’s day.
The Sabbath is part of the ten commandments
Observing the 7th day Sabbath is a part of the commandments therefore should be observed.
My personal conviction is that Christians are required to observe the Ten Commandments (the law of God), all commandments not just 9.
Opposition to keeping God’s law is called antinomianism (anti = against; nomos = law). The idea that salvation by grace alone rules out the importance of obeying the law of God fails to recognize the principle that Christ’s gift of salvation is designed to bring us into accord with God’s will. Of course, it is not true that salvation is by law keeping. We receive saving grace from God when, by faith, we accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord (Eph. 2:8, 9). But such faith always results in conformity to the will of God as expressed in His law (verse 10). Paul wrote that Christ died “so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4).(4) If we are not obeying the law of God, we cannot claim that its righteousness is fulfilled in us. (Sabbathfellowship.org)
There are further objections to Christians being obligated to the Ten Commandments,
However Matthew 5:17 is the scripture that is most quoted in order to show that Jesus did away with the Law. However, Jesus himself said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt.5:17 NIV).
Christ put flesh on the bones of the Ten Commandments, he upgraded adultery to even looking at somebody lustfully! Therefore he did not do away with the law but actually explained the true essence and meaning of God’s holy standard.
Please note: Only born again believers through the power of the Holy Spirit can have the power to observe and obey the Law of God, it cannot be achieved by human effort and is not a means of achieving salvation. Furthermore, Romans 2: 14-15 states that the Law of God is written on the hearts of those who do not even know Him. It is of no coincidence that throughout the world stealing, murdering, being disrespectful to parents, committing adultery etc are frowned upon. Even societies that have no religious beliefs uphold to these principles which show you the strength of God’s moral law and it is still in effect.
Sunday worship was instituted by the Catholic church
This is an elephant in the room that cannot be pushed aside. Papal Rome makes the following boast: “Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday, because the Catholic Church, in the council of Laodecea (A.D.336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.—Peter Geiermann, The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, sec.ed. ,1910, p.50
Sabbath Observance encourages physical and emotional rest
We now live in a 24/7 culture. In recent news we hear of the corporation Amazon working their staff to the brink of depression. Demoralised staff made to feel worthless if they could not perform as robots.
What Sabbath observance does is protects us from overworking our bodies and minds. Now I’m not talking about the 28 statutory days that you are entitled to within a year (for those of us in the UK) . I’m speaking about more often than that, 1/7 days.
Now I work in the teaching profession where clocking up 50 hours+ of work is the norm. I hear of colleagues working on Saturdays and Sundays to fulfil their workload and operate on no day of rest for weeks at a time! Have I ever been tempted to give up my day of rest to work? Never! My mind is totally switched off from work and other burdens, what a privilege. God made the Sabbath for our rest and enjoyment, so go on… take a break! God knows you need it!
To conclude, the Sabbath has been a blessing in my life. It is my prayer that others would come to experience its benefits. It is not a badge of righteousness, but rather a delight. Sabbath keeping does not supersede God’s gift of salvation through Christ Jesus and I know that my Sabbath keeping does not earn my salvation it’s a part, not the pinnacle of my walk with Christ.
I hope from this blog you may be able to gain some perspective as to why myself and other Sabbatarians observe the 7th day Sabbath.
1As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalm 42:1-2a
Identifying thirst
Everybody has a drink that they really like or enjoy. I went through a phase of Rubicon Mango, then Strawberry Ribena now I love me some guava! What are you drawn to in the chilled section of a shop?
The government recommends that we drink 8 cups of water per day to keep hydrated. Although beverages, cups of tea and coffee are part of that intake, what is best is pure water.
Thirst is a sensation that once identified needs to be acted upon. So drink.
Symptoms of physical dehydration are, chapped lips, dry skin, hair and mouth. But what if one is spiritually dehydrated?
Symptoms include,
A feeling of emptiness
The fleshy man taking the fore-front
Feeling disconnected from God
Lack of power in prayer
Surface level praise
Obey your thirst
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.’ Matthew 5:6
There may be many different thirsts in your life. You could have a thirst for a spouse, child, house, more power and influence, but it is important to note that we must thirst for righteousness! As that is where true fulfilment and quench comes.
In John we hear of the woman at the well, a woman that was thirsty, but probably didn’t know it.
Perplexed, she sat with a man (crossing gender and cultural boundaries) that revealed her innermost yearnings and secrets. She was dissatisfied at her present situation but was stuck in a destructive cycle of trying to find fulfilment in a partner.
But Christ, the Son of the living God, told her of a water that would fulfil her every need. Praise the Lord!
John 4:13-14 states,
‘Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water (in the well) will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life’
In God’s word the Holy Spirit is often represented by water so Christ was talking about His Holy Spirit. God and His Holy Spirit is the only source that can quench your spiritual thirst, so get into the habit of drinking His water daily!
Remember pure water is best!
Just like in the natural, you cannot fully function without drinking daily. You need to drink from His fountain daily. Yesterday’s water just won’t do.
So how does one get a refreshing drink?
-Spend time in His presence
-Read His words
-Talk to Him
-Praise Him
-Spend time with His people
Drinking to overflow
What is the first thing you offer a guest that comes to your home?
‘Would you like a drink? Hot or cold?’ It would be a shame not to be able to offer a guest a drink, at the bare minimum you should at least be able to offer a cup of water.
John 7:37-39 reads,
‘Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.’
As a Christian you should be a living river! A living river that has a continuous stream of water flowing from your innermost being.
Living with that flowing in your innermost being is also known as the overflow. Those around you should be able to drink from you, and be refreshed and revived around you. As Christians we should be rivers, not reservoirs.
What I mean by that is having a spiritual effectiveness that affects your surroundings. This can be from the small things such as a tender phone call, a word in season or the ministry of song.
Or it could come with those who have a strong anointing to heal miraculously, prophesy over your life or intercede on your behalf.
When have you last been affected by somebodies overflow? When have you affected somebody by your overflow?
This must come from drinking! Is your fountain stagnant or flowing?
I just got back from a rare date night with hubby, we watched the movie Selma which is a biopic of Martin Luther King. I’ve left inspired and it’s rare that I leave a movie feeling that way. To see how Dr King was a modern day Joseph to his people and how God used him mightily to change a nation shows that there is no limit with God.
Leaves me wondering who the next ‘Martin Luther King’ of my generation will be.
One who will stand for justice in the face of adversity.
Which leads me on to my next point. The black church.
Now I speak of the black church because recently it has come to my attention that to many we are too black. ‘We need to be multicultural’ often comes the cry.
Now Martin Luther King started a movement for the advancement of black people, his tactics of non-violent and peaceful protests eventually led to support from other nations and races.
So for me, the effectiveness of a church shouldn’t first be measured by how colourful their pews are, but rather how effective they are in the ministries that God has ordained them to do.
Martin Luther King had a job to do. He had clear aims and objectives. The church has a job to do, but more specifically, I believe that each church has a specialised job to do. God chose Dr King for a very specific purpose. What is the specific purpose for your church?
Seek God for that purpose and fulfil your purpose. Don’t get hung up on the demographics. Once God sees you mean business He will bring more hearts and souls to your fellowship be they red, yellow, black or white.
Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? John 9:1
You see when you are faced with an obstacle, illness or any negative situation in your life. You may tend to ask the question, where did I go wrong?
I’m sure it’s something that I have done that has caused this ‘crosses’ on me! Maybe I took a wrong turn, maybe I didn’t listen. Is it something I ate that caused this baby of mine, to have a defect? Why is this ‘baby’ not the way I want him/her or to be? Why are they blind?
Hear the words of the Father, spoken through Jesus.
Verse 3: ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life’.
You see God doesn’t do a miracle in your life for your glory. The primary reason He works a miracle in your life is for His glory! Your benefit is a secondary side effect.
Coming down in John to a dead Lazarus in John 11:40, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’
The Mighty Son of God, raised Lazarus from the dead and God was primarily glorified, the scores and scores of people that believed on the Son when Lazarus was raised was immense, many travelled from far and near just to glance a look at Jesus and the one whom He had raised. God was glorified and guess what, Lazarus got a second chance at life, but however, this was secondary.
John 12:27-28 highlights the run up to the unrivalled, incomparable and indescribable glorification of God the Father.
‘Now my heart is troubled’ – Christ, fully man and fully God was not immune to feeling distressed, but in his time of distress His response was for the Father to, glorify His name!
Now I’ve been doing a bit of soul-searching, or maybe I should say Christ searching. I really and I mean really want to know who Christ is, my findings may come in the form of another blog.
But what John has taught me is that Christ lived and breathed for His father’s glory and did exactly what He wanted, said exactly what He said and lived to please Him. Seeing as Christ came as the example and to show us the way, let us follow His example.
‘I have glorified it and I will glorify it again’. (28)
Father God, Glorified His name through the death of His son. I believe him glorifying his name is continuous, hence why he says He will glorify it again. God the Father wants to glorify his name in various different ways, one being in your life!
There is nothing comparable to the death on the cross, the agony, the pain, the distress trumps our problems greatly.
Let us seek for the glory of God!
We have his promise to us in His word. I will glorify my name If God could glorify His name on a gruesome, ugly cross. Can He not glorify His name in your situation?
For Your glory
I will do anything
Just to see You
To behold You as my King
lightinsightbymj 