The Me,Myself and I Culture

Who likes noise? Not many people I am sure. (unless you happen to be a hormone infested teenager...lol luv u teens...which doesnt count in this case)
Yes, undoubtedly we all detest any noise that disturbs our serene tranquil state of being. The irony of the situation is that many a time we are the greatest source of noise ourselves, not literally, but in our actions. The bible says that if "... we have not love we have become a clanging gong or sounding brass.." 1 Cor 13:1 NKJV Oucchh!

Now I dont know about you but I dont want to be no gong or even sound like one and I encourage us to pray and ask God to fill us with love for those around us. Let's purpose and determine within our hearts to walk in the love of Christ. Now its not going to happen overnight, neither will we ever arrive at the point where we'll be perfect on this earth but its a decision we'll have to make daily to do the best we can.

There are so many people out there hurting emotionally and physically. People going through enormous challenges and sometimes all it takes on our part is to pick up the phone and say "hey how are you? I was thinking of you, praying for you..." Who knows...That small gesture could make such a tremendous difference to that person.
I remember a few years ago I met someone in church who I wasnt close to but I just greeted them enthusiatically and gave them a great big hug. The person later told me that they had been going through a very rough patch and that hug had meant so much to them than I could ever imagine. I was utterly amazed, what had merely been a friendly hug on my part had actually been a comforting gesture to them. Prayerfully ask God to lead you on how to minister to different people. Each situation is different, you might need to help in other practical ways. You might have to give of your time, money, talent or whatever but it will always cost to walk in love.
Jesus loved us and it cost Him His life. He has therefore set a high standard for us to emulate. Sometimes the temptation is there to wallow in self pity and concentrate on whats wrong in our lives but lets reach out to others and chuck that "its all about me attitude" in the bin.

Recently I read the story of how a man was preaching salvation to some starving people in a third world country and one of the women said to him "Your words are nice but they aren't gonna feed my stomach." It might sound bitter but to be honest I dont blame her. Its alright to talk the talk but there comes a time when you have to walk the walk as well. I know we all have our own "issues" to deal with but lets take a minute to forget ourselves and consider how we can be a blessing to others outside the four corners of our church. If your church is not involved in outreach or community projects and you want to be involved in something "holla". It's not just about what we can get from God but more importantly what we can do for others on God's behalf. We are His ambassadors, lets be creative and go out there and make a difference.

Thought I'd share this video....

http://www.joycemeyer.org/ourministries/broadcast/?myVar=2

The video's entitled "God's passion Part 1" and it aired on 21/09/09. I believe it's an excellent example of love in action. Please consider sowing your seed in this ministry which is making a difference in the lives of others.

Afraid of the Dark

As a small child I remember begging my mum to leave the light on in my room every night when I was going to sleep. Why? Because I was afraid of the dark. Many people are afraid of the dark and for most the reason is fairly obvious, it’s hard to see in the dark and we don’t know what might be lurking about out there.....to put it simply we are generally afraid of the unknown.

As we all know life can be tough and from time to time challenges are thrown our way. For many this can be a very rough and dark patch in our lives. These dark periods come in all sorts of forms. For some it could be a terminal disease, a divorce, a major financial crisis, losing a loved one, parenting a troublesome teenager, losing a job or your home. You may feel discouraged, hurt or anxious because you don’t know what the future holds. You may even find yourself asking why? There’s no simple answer to that but the following insights have helped me and might encourage and help you to get through the difficult and painful times.

James 1:2 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” God wants us to develop perseverance and he will allow trials so that we can grow in our faith. Take for example a guy trying to build his upper body and biceps. He has to spend hours lifting heavy weights over a period of time. It’s not an easy process and he has to endure some pain but in the end he develops his muscles and becomes stronger. I believe that in every situation in our life God will always take the pain and use it for our gain. I know it’s not that easy to count it all joy when you are facing a crisis. I know how hard it can be, I have faced some difficult situations in my life. I lost my father after a short illness at a very young age and I have also faced periods of long term unemployment in my life. During those times I felt helpless and frustrated and a part of me wanted to give up on life but I hung in there and continued to look to God to strengthen me and as a result I became closer to him and my faith was stretched and grew.

I’ve realised that things that cause great pain and frustration to us can be turned around by God to become a blessing to us and/or other people. Although at the time it may not make sense to us, God sees the bigger picture and in all things God works for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28a) We should walk by faith and trust in God even though we can’t see what lies ahead. I always like to tell people about oysters. Now before your mouth starts watering let me tell you, it’s got nothing to do with food. What I find fascinating about oysters is that when a foreign substance such as sand or seaweed enters its shell it causes painful irritation to the oyster and in response the oyster begins to secrete a substance called nacre onto the foreign substance. Over time this irritant covered in nacre develops into one of the finest gemstones, a pearl. We should therefore look to God to give us strength to endure the trial knowing that, “... weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5b)I sincerely hope and pray that as we continue to believe God and trust Him no matter the odds, He will turn our frustrating situations to pearls.

There are things that haven’t come to pass yet in my life and I continue to pray and trust God that as I serve him, love him and walk in obedience to him, he will give me the desires of my heart according to His will and may He do the same in your life IJN.

Being not so young and single....to be or not to be that is the question?

I’ve heard many single folk (both male and female) say that they hate going to Singles events(Christian or non Christian) and they wouldn’t be caught dead there (or alive). I am not sure what the real reason behind this is, but for some they seem to view such events as a “hunting ground” and therefore do not want the added pressure of possibly "pairing up" at such an event. For some they merely fear being considered desperate. Then there is the daunting task of going to weddings, dinner parties and other gatherings alone or with your single friends who you have been hanging around with forever.

It appears that being a single person whether divorced, never married or widowed somehow seems to carry some unwritten social stigma. It’s almost made to seem like a bad disease which should be treated as soon as possible by getting married. Some people even regard one as a failure until they have a hubby/wife and a couple of rugrats in the backseat of car. I’ve heard of well meaning family members that like to ask questions like , “So when are you getting married?” to which most singles would answer, “When I meet the right man or woman?” to which Auntie X would be so quick to reply, “Well you better hurry up because you’re not getting any younger you know.” Gee thanks Aunty, like they don’t already know this simple fact which they’re reminded of every time another birthday rolls around.Hmm.
Let me say this...Peeps,just because you are single it doesnt mean there is anything wrong with you...dont believe the hype! You are fearfully and wonderfully made and God loves you in your very situation. Have fun, pray and maintain an active social life...God will do the rest in His time!!!

Most people desire to be married one day because marriage is a great blessing but while waiting for marriage let the joy of being Single flow through your very bones. Woooaa! Pray that God will help you to be content at the place you are at. I believe that everyone has an assignment for every season in their life and for you as a single person it might be to be the best single person for God there is. Seek Him and find out what He wants you to do with your life in the meantime. And I just encourage every one of my Single peeps that if you have put your life on hold till you get married...STOP! You need to start living life NOW.

Now I know that being Single has its downs and yes being human means that we have feelings and yes I know once in a while we feel lonely and we want to have that special person to go home to and snuggle up to...and we’ll stop there... but there’s so many other positives to being Single. Yes...you heard me...lots of positives...and you should enjoy every moment as much as you can because once you get married ...well it will be a different ball game altogether.

Just for fun here's a few things that should bring a small but significant smile on your face....Being single means that:

1)You have plenty of time to develop your relationship with God. Now I know many of us have probably heard this said so many times and blah blah blah...been there done that, got the t-shirt and all that jazz ....but really think about it. You can give your undivided attention to God without worrying about spending time with a spouse or children. You can wake up anytime of the night and pray or sing as loud as you want without worrying about waking up your husband/wife, you can also get involved in church ministry without the undivided responsibility of family life.

2)You don’t have to make decisions with anyone else... (well other than God that is) in simple terms you are the king of the castle. (or queen for the feminists of this world)

3)If you choose to travel around the world for a year, that’s fine as long as your pocket can pick up the bill, if you want to give a million to the church...you don’t have to answer to anyone about such generosity...

4)You can basically eat whatever you like for supper; a sandwich an orange or whatever thy taste buds desire without worrying about anyone else, you can get home whatever time you want and you don’t have to check with anybody if that’s ok.
5)You don’t have to share the bathroom with anyone or pick up after anybody other than yourself. Also you do half the laundry, half the ironing that you would have to do if you were married. Now aint that a peach! :-)

Now there are those who are called to a life of Independence and have no desire whatsoever to get married, that’s fine too if that’s what you want. People should not think you are strange or weird, it’s simply a choice.

Finally for those who dream of a trip down the aisle one day: Learn all you can about marriage, what it is and its purpose, also pray and stay positive ... and of course mingle ...!!! Lastly like Joyce Meyer always says “enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going!”

P.S Don’t forget to send me a wedding invitation when your time comes!

We got to pray just to make it today!!!

"We got to pray just to make it today..." I remember singing and doing the running man to that song when I was a little girl. MC Hammer had a point when he sang that song in the early nineties... we have to pray to be able to make it every day.

Prayer is talking to our Daddy, baring our heart and soul to him... The question is though ...do we really understand the power of our prayer?

Our prayers can move mountains and change the world if we truly believe.

The bible tells us that we should "pray without ceasing." 1 Thess 5:17 and that "...the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16b)

Lets do our part, small as it may seem...lets take the time daily to go boldly before His throne and make our requests known unto Him. Pray for your family, pray for your neighbour, pray for your enemy. You never know, your very prayers could save someone's life or more importantly their soul. Join me and lets shake things up in here.

In the words of Aretha Franklin..."Each morning I wake up, before I put on my make up....I say a little prayer for you...."

Get Up and Do It!

Like Martin Luther King....So many people have dreams ...very big dreams, but sadly only a handful of people ever strive toward the realization of their dream.
If you have a dream, make sure its from God and then pursue it. As soon as you take the first step, He will guide you.
Do whatever it takes to see the dream come to pass.(this doesn't include by hook or crook methods or devious ways of getting there, These are a complete no no! :-))))
Be creative! Work Hard!
Dont be afraid to try something new... With God on your side all things are possible! As somone once said "Amateurs built the Ark, Professionals built the Titanic."

The 3 L's of Love!

The 3 L's of Love!

Love God, Love others and Love yourself.

I like to call these the modern day commandments. If you havent done so....Try them...I assure you...its utterly infectious and to top it off, you wont regret it!
What is love? 1 Corin 13 describes it best...

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸Love never fails.

Love God.
Most of us have been in love before.... what do you do when you're in love with someone...we will probably exhibit some of these things...

1.You spend as much time as you can with them.
2.You cant stop talking about them to other people.
3. You can't stop thinking about them.
4.You do everything you can to please them.
5. You give them lovely gifts.
Well if we can do all this for a man or a woman we love, what stops us from acting the same way with the lover of our soul...seeing as we profess to love God. Is it that maybe we need to examine our hearts and truly see where our true love really lies? Whatever the case let's cultivate our love for God. It's important to note that if we dont love God the way we should, it will be difficult for us to love others or even ourselves in a healthy way.

Love others as yourself.
I pray that God will help us to walk in love and show kindness, patience, generosity, forgiveness and be gracious towards others around us whether or not we feel like it. As we do this we will demonstrate love in action.

Love yourself.
This doesnt mean turning into the snow queen and asking the mirror on the wall, who's the prettiest of them all...no no, all it means is that we should find out what the Word of God says about us...
"You are fearfully and wonderfully made.." Psalm 139:14 paraphrase "...a treasured possession and the apple of God's eye..."
We are made in His image, therefore we should treat ourselves as the royalty that we are. Don't look down on yourself.
Love who you are, you're an original unique individual!