Hearing, Seeing and Doing...

The story of the Prodigal Son is a profound story of extravagant love, grace and forgiveness of the father to the wayward son who squanders his wealth and finds his way back home. The son leaves home thinking "out there" he is going to find success and fulfillment. He discovers that after the initial thrill, he is lost, wasted and starving and longs to return to the father's house where even the servants had plenty. The contrast is stark - away from the Father there is lack, suffering and deprivation while at the Father's house there is abundance, joy and celebration!
Luke 15:22
But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Hearing..
Jesus is our Good Shepherd and He says that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:27). It is really important that we stay close to Jesus to hear His voice and don't wander off thinking that there is something better "out there". Jesus has come so that we can have life and have it in abundance!

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

God's plans, purposes and intentions for us are the best and it is all experienced in the Father's house! So are you close to Jesus that you are hearing His voice and not wandering "out there"?

Seeing..
The future is not ahead of us, it lies within each of us as we begin to see things as God sees us. The vision you see today should lead to the decisions and actions we take and these create the future.

Ephesians 1: 18- 19

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength. 

Vision is the key to our future. What glimpses of the future does the eyes of your heart see? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal this to you.

Doing..
We are made for greatness and significance. Real greatness comes from serving others. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in serving others. Martin Luther King said, Life’s most persistent and urgent question is “What are you doing for others?”. Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.” Jesus’ words were the same, encouraging us to serve others.

1 Peter 4:10 – Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in it’s various forms.
Matthew 20:26 – 28: Whoever wants to be great among you must become your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Serving is a hall mark of a disciple and it takes many forms. What are your forms of serving others? What are you doing every day to live out the greatness and significance?

As we go about our lives, let’s be careful about that we are hearing God’s voice, seeing the vision that God has for us and doing what He has called us to do so that we can truly live out our destiny!

Never Been this Way Before...

It's the start of the New Year - new beginnings, new opportunities, new possibilities - so much to look forward to and expect! However, it is a year we have not walked before and if we are honest, we possibly have questions of how the year will turn out, some of us may have fear, trepidation, anxiety of how to conquer the challenges ahead of us and wonder how the road not traveled before is going to turn out.

Joshua was in a similar position - He had to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land after the death of Moses. 
Joshua 3:1-4 
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittimand went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

So how did Joshua go about going through a road he had never been before? The Bible records three things that Joshua specifically did and these can serve as guideposts in our own journey as we traverse through unknown territories and conquer new challenges and live victoriously this year!
Joshua 3: 5-8
Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing thongs among you."
Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them.
And the Lord said to Joahua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: When you read the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river.' "

The first thing that Joshua told his people to do was to sanctify themselves. To sanctify means to dedicate oneself to a higher purpose, to be set apart. We can live for a lower purpose of grasping at everything that comes our way in terms of entertaining and gratifying ourselves and living for the moment versus making a conscious decision that our lives this year will be consecrated to Him. How can we sanctify ourselves this year to be used by God in the way we think and act, what we do with our time, resources and the way we honor God and people? We can consecrate ourselves by choosing to walk by the Spirit and not giving in and gratifying the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)

The second thing that Joshua did was to take up the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the covenant was special to the Israelites as it signified God's presence with them. In it were the Ten Commandments, a golden pot of manna and Aaron's staff that sprouted buds, blossoms and ripe almonds supernaturally. Each of these objects have a spiritual significance that we can apply in our own lives.
The Ten Commandments serve as a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites. For us, we have a covenant relationship with Christ - He has redeemed us and written his truth in our hearts and sealed us with His Holy Spirit! How should we then live in a way that gives preeminence to Christ in all that we do?
The pot of manna serves as a reminder that ultimately God alone is our provider and supplier of our needs. Christ is the Bread of Life. Do we recognise that our source is God and that we will never run out of His provision for us and He will supply all our needs? So we can put our trust in Him and we don't need to put our trust on a job or business or a person or even our own feelings and perceptions. We can stand on the promises of our God and depend on Him alone!
Aaron's staff supernaturally produced buds, blossoms and ripened almonds overnight! This was given as a sign to the Israelites after they rebelled and grumbled against Aaron and Moses' authority. Do we grumble about our circumstances when things don't go the way we envision? Let's take encouragement that we serve a God who is far bigger and stronger than any circumstance that we will face this year.

The third thing that Joshua did was to go to the waters of Jordan and take a step and stand in the river! When Joshua did that, the waters parted!
Joshua 3: 15-16
Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 
Sometimes, we just sit back and expect God to part the waters and do a miracle for us! He will but often we have to take a step of faith and get our feet wet! What are the steps of faith that God is asking you to take this year?

Joshua followed the above principles and he helped the Israelites cross over into the Promised Land and overcome even more challenges to possess the land! He had never been this way before but giving preeminence to God through sanctification, depending on God as his source and not grumbling or complaining along the way and by actually outworking his faith, Joshua was successful in traversing and conquering the lands he had never been before. And just like Joshua, you too can this year!

Pursuing your Destiny with Passion and Perseverance!

A moment can change your life, your destiny when you recognise and respond to the call of God! Elisha had such a moment - the moment that changed the course of his life and he found his purpose and destiny. He was doing his every day job, doing the back breaking job of plowing the fields of his family, unknown, undiscovered in the backwaters of Israel. Who but Elijah, the established prophet comes by? And not only does he come by but he goes up to Elisha and throws his cloak around him to take up his prophetic mantle! Throwing the cloak in ancient times, was a sign of passing on a designation or placing a call to take up the mantle!

What an opportunity seemingly out of nowhere! God does have a plan - the opportunities to transition and step into your calling may come unannounced when you are least expecting it, when you have given up and feel stuck in your day to day routine. If you stay faithful to what God has called you to do and keep a heart and spirit willing to respond without grumbling and complaining about your lot in life, and be in communion with God - you will surely recognise the moment and not miss it or see it pass by! Elijah was quick to respond - he did not stand there and question it, toy with the idea of trying something like this another day or year but did what he needed to quickly do and respond to the call with urgency without missing the opportunity and the rest is history!

1 Kings 19:19-21

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father

and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

Elisha not only took up his calling but pursued it with passion and perseverance. He stuck to his master Elijah to the end, wanting to spend as much time with him even though Elijah himself discouraged him three times and asked him to turn back just before he was to be taken upto heaven in a whirlwind. Talk about commitment and not letting discouragement of not seeing his mater anymore keep him from pursuing his own call!

2 Kings 2: 2-6

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.” Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.”And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.” Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.

This perseverance to pursue his calling, is why he was able to ask Elijah for a double portion of the Elijah's anointing and actually receive it on the condition that he actually saw Elijah being lifted up!

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 

Elisha did receive not only Elijah's cloak or prophetic mantle but also the double portion of Elijah's anointing and went on to do great things for the Lord in this tumultuous time of Israel's history! How are you preparing your heart to respond to God's call when it comes? Are you ready to step into destiny, able to discern God's call and not question it or dilly dally and totally miss the opportunity? Do you have the passion and perseverance to not just step out but to see it through like Elisha did? A moment can literally change the course of your life and destiny when you respond to the One who calls you....

Positioning for Breakthroughs!

Sometimes we can feel beaten by life and we shelve all our dreams and aspirations especially if they did not eventuate according to our timeline and even lose our faith in God for a breakthrough. How can we position ourselves for a breakthrough and enter into the things that God has planned and purposed for us even in times of adversity. 

The story of the Shunammite woman who lived in Elisha's time from 2 Kings 4:8-37 gives us some keys on how to plough through in faith. The story starts with this woman creating a room for Elisha, a man of God to come and stay in her home. She said to her husband, "I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” On one of the visits of Elisha, he asked his servant Gehazi on what can be done for this woman in return for her hospitality.

2 Kings 4: 14 - 17
“What can be done for her?” Elisha asked. Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.” “No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!”  But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
This Shunammite woman positioned herself to receive her blessing by “Creating Room" for God in her life. Though her dream had not eventuated according to her timeline, she continued to make space for God and this positioned her for Elisha to proclaim prophetically that her dream of being a mother would be realised in a year's time, even when she dared not believe in her dreams anymore because she did not want to be disappointed.

The story does not end here. This precious son of the Shunammite woman grows up and suddenly dies. Sometimes, we may start well on a dream or vision and then we run into roadblocks like this woman does. We can wallow in self pity, discuss our problems with everyone and be paralysed in our situation and give up again when we are faced with the impossible. But that's what this Shunammite woman did not do when faced with the impossible. 

2 Kings 4: 18 - 24 
The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out. She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.” “Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.” “That’s all right,” she said. She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
Wow, what a response! She did not waste time in even telling her husband that their son was dead. She fled to have God intervene in her situation through Elisha. God honored her faith - Elisha prayed to God and stretched himself on the boy and he came to life after sneezing seven times. The woman received her son back again!

The story does not even end here. God's favour was with her when she again faced adversity again (2 Kings 8: 1- 6). When she left her home and lands to escape the famine in the land, her property was repossessed and she went to appeal to the king. 

2 Kings 8: 3-6
At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land. The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.” Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my lord the king, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”
Wow, what favor, what a restoration! If we are faithful in following God no matter what adversity we face and persevere, God will honor us just like he did to this Shunammite woman.

Yes life may have been hard on you lately - what is your response? Do you feel like shutting God out of our life or do you want to continue to create room for God and persevere in faith when faced with the impossible like this Shunammite woman did? If you do, God will provide a breakthrough for you and you will find favor and restoration - not according to your timeline but according to His for His glory!

This is How I Fight my Battles!

I love the song by Michael W. Smith "This is how I fight my battles".

It may look like I'm surrounded but I'm surrounded by You!
Nothing is as strong as Your blood
This is how I fight my battle
Right here at the table
Your blood and Your body has overcome!
How powerful to sing this in worship and make it our battle song!

However when troubles and problems may surround us on every side, we tend to feel we are alone and we are overcome by the enemy. We forget that God is for us and on our side and is fighting the battles we face and He will bring us victory! A good story that illustrates this is from 2 Kings chapter 6. The nation of Aram was at war with the nation of Israel.  Every time that Aram attacked the nation of Israel, Israel was prepared and escaped the Aramean strategy. This was because God was revealing the war plans of the enemy to Elisha and he would duly inform the king of Israel. When the king of Aram got wind that Elisha was the one helping Israel to win, he sent an army to get Elisha.

So you can imagine the shock and panic that Elisha's servant felt when he woke up one morning, surrounded by the enemy and totally outnumbered. Let's pick up the story here.
2 Kings 6: 5 - 17
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.What an experience for Elisha's servant when his eyes were opened by the Lord and actually saw the Lord's army!

In the natural it felt that Elisha and his servant were far outnumbered and without any hope. In reality, it was the opposite – those who were for Elisha and his servant far outnumbered the enemy and there was definite victory! Yes, this is how we fight our battles, by standing on the victory that Christ has won for us by the shedding of His blood.
Romans 8: 37 - 39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What is your reality today – do you feel outnumbered and defeated or do you know beyond a shadow of doubt that Christ is for you and with you, no matter what you have to go through. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and your heart to the truth and then stand on it! This is how we fight our battles! We are more than conquerors!

Facing the Giants...

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. It can help us achieve great things and overcome challenges that we never thought was possible, or it can limit everything we do. The story of the twelve spies in the Bible is one that highlights this. Moses sent twelve spies to spy the promised land Canaan and to come back with a report.

Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb came with a report that they can indeed conquer and possess the land. The other ten spies came back with the report that they would not be able to conquer the land and that they seemed like grasshoppers in their own eyes. What a great difference in perspective on the very same situation!
Numbers 13:30-33
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

What makes Joshua and Caleb press forward in faith while the other ten spies shrink back in fear and are unable to take hold of their destiny and promises of God?
Numbers 14: 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.
Revelations 12:11 gives us keys on how to be an overcomer and triumph over the enemy who constantly belittles and undermines us and wants to rob, steal and destroy our destiny in God. Revelations 12:11
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Joshua and Caleb fixed their eyes on God and had complete trust and faith that God would take them to the promised land as He had promised. Given we are people of the new covenant, how much more faith we should have in Jesus Christ who has overcome the enemy by His victory on the cross by the shedding of His innocent blood! The second thing is that Joshua and Caleb did not speak negatively and their confession was in line with their belief. The third key was that Joshua and Caleb were bold and realised God was in control and did not fear for their lives.

How do you see yourself in comparison to the challenges and obstacles in front of you? Do you feel like a grasshopper like the ten spies did or is your attitude like that of an overcomer like Joshua and Caleb? Let's not give in to the tactics of the enemy who constantly undermines and intimidates us to make us feel like grasshoppers. We are more than conquerors through Christ and we are not alone in the battles of life we face as Christ is right with us! Let's confess God's truth and promises and know that God has a plan, purpose and destiny for us and He is in control. Choosing to give in means embracing stagnancy and limiting ourselves while choosing to fight the battle means that we embrace and possess all that God has for us like Joshua and Caleb did!