Father's love

Isaiah 61:10

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels

The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, is a love story and it’s also about forgiveness, repentance, acceptance and second chances. Oh the significance of the gifts given by the father to his returning son!!

Robe -Represented the acceptance and the authority given by a higher authority.

Ring-Confirmed that authority. In most cultures of the world today a ring is a sign of a covenant or an engagement; it is a sign of love and acceptance.

Sandal-The giving or exchange of sandals represented ownership of the land.

Fattened cow- The father was ready for his son's return, and the servants did not need any explanation as to which calf they were to kill and prepare for the feast. They had been witnesses to the father's preparations, to his faith that his son would one day come home again

I imagine how our Heavenly Father awaits us on our return. Many of us take a while to find our way back to His loving arms but when we do return, He awaits us with His loving gifts!!!Why don't you return to Him today? It doesn't matter how far you gone or how dirty or bad you've become, His love for you has never ever changed. He will welcome you back with open arms!

Did Jesus Appear in the Old Testament?

WOW! This revelation has inspired me to dig deeper into the Word of God.

Rejoice

I'm gonna dance and praise Him
It doesn't matter what comes my way
The greater One lives inside of me
His name is Jesus
I'm born a winner
More than victorious
I'm a heir of the kingdom
Filled with the Holy Ghost

Seek the Lord, take up your position; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord

2 Choronicles 20:1-22
I so love this story about Jehoshaphat and lessons within it. When Jehoshaphat heard that the
men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir were coming against him, he proclaimed a fast for all Judah so they could seek help from the Lord. He didn't try to work things out on his own, he fully trusted in the Lord's ability to deliver and help him out. He turned to God in prayer and fully trusted His promise of deliverance. That was his first port of call! 

I could imagine the size of the army that was coming against him. In verse 12 it says
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” The thoughts that were probably running through Jehoshaphat's mind. He knew that they couldn't face this army alone but he knew that the great God that they served had the ability to turn impossible situations around. He admitted, Lord we have NO power to face this vast army. We do not know what to do but OUR EYES ARE FOCUSSED ON YOU! Despite what's happening around us Lord, our eyes are glued on You. All our trust and hope is directed towards You, fully trusting that You alone will deliver!

And I love the Lord's reply in verses 15-17, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’

I thought about how many times the Lord continuously reminds me that the battles I face in life are not mine but His. Often I try to fight with my own human knowledge, strength, finances etc. The
Jehoshaphat story reminds me to seek the Lord, take up my position; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give me,

When  Jehoshaphat heard from the Lord, he bowed down with all his people to worship God. Some Levites praised the Lord with very loud voices! On the morning of the battle, Jehoshaphat encouraged his army by saying "Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 
 He then led his army out, praising God for what the Lord was about to do, At the end of the story,
"As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. ²³ The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another."

 What I love about this story is the fact that Jehoshaphat chose to fast and pray when he was overwhelmed with the news of the impending attack. He fully trusted His God to help him! He worshiped and praised Him! "Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his^[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

And his God delivered!  

Throne Room

Throne room by Kim Walker🎶🎶

I run to the Throne room
I run to the Throne room
And I fall on my face
With angels and saints
And all I can say is
Holy, holy, holy are You, God
My heart can't contain
The weight of Your name
And all I can say is
Holy, holy, holy are You

His timing is PERFECT

 The Shunammite’s Land Restored

 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” ² The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.

³ 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. ⁴ 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.” ⁵ 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.” ⁶ 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.”

2 Kings 8:1-6 (NIV)

What a story! and talk about timing! In chapter 8 of second Kings, we read how the Shunammite woman came back after 7 years of being away and she wanted to appeal to the king for her house and land. When she returns to see the king, she walks in the very moment that Elisha's assistant Gehazi was telling the king how the woman's son was brought back to life. Was that a coincidence? She walks in just at that moment and that caused the king to give back to the woman her land.

To God there is no such thing as coincidence. He knows exactly what we want and when we need it. 

I'm sure that moments like this happens to everyone. I just smile because I know it has to be Him, His invisible hands orchestrating the divine appointment. His timing is so perfect. What an incredible God we serve!

 

The prophet Daniel

This morning I was reading through the book of Daniel, from chapters 1-5. Daniel was famous for interpreting dreams and visions. He was also known for his wisdom and intelligence. One thing I admire about Daniel is the fact that he was faithful to the God that he served. He didn't compromise his faith for anything else. 

He was courageous in his decision not to eat the food or drink the wine, which the king provided. He chose to honor God rather than bow to the demands of the king. 

In the Daniel story, King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to destroy all the wise men if no-one interpreted his dream, Daniel and his friends asked for time so they could beseech God in prayer to reveal this information (Daniel 2:18). 

Daniel knew that wisdom and power belong to God (v.20), and praised Him.

For me, it is important to learn how to pray, but also to give thanks to God for answering my prayers.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil 4:6
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Col 3:15

 Daniel's journey reminds me of Heb 11:6

PC: Google images

Journey through Daniel Fast

I am trying something new this year and that is starting 2018 with Daniel fast. It will be for 21 days. I've done the Daniel fast during the year before but haven't started the year with it. So far so good...today is my 9th day on this journey.

I'm enjoying the time of reading and reflecting on the Word of God. This morning I am reminded about the goodness of this great God that we serve. He is faithful, steadfast and so true to His Words. He is patient, loving, gracious and merciful.
 Nehemiah 9:5-6
Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. ⁶ You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Jehovah is Your Name

Jehovah is Your Name. Jehovah is Your Name.
Mighty warrior
Great in battle
Jehovah is Your Name.

Sometimes I just need to stop and remember that Jehovah is His Name.

The bird lesson

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?  Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Matthew 6:25-27

I was baffled and at the same time concerned about the bird laying her eggs out in the open, exposed to the elements. As you can see from the picture, it is such an odd spot for a bird's nest.

I was wondering why she chose the exposed location to lay her eggs. Why didn’t she hide her nest behind some plants or some sort of shelter? Wasn't she afraid of being attacked? How would she gather her food?  She would have to leave her eggs alone while she searched for food. Wasn't she concerned about that?

The bird didn't realise that she was teaching a massive lesson about worrying.

“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.”

The bird wasn't worried about anything because our Heavenly Father feeds her.  The bird is a reminder that our Heavenly Father knows what we need and He will take care of it!

Trust in the powerful, limitless God because He is faithful.

Thank you Lord for the simple yet powerful message!

Fragrance of Christ

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

“Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” (New Living Translation)

This verse struck my attention this morning, in particular the first part, ‘For we are the aroma of Christ…..’

 

My mind associated the word aroma with a mental image of a burning incense or perfume being sprayed. The fragrance it gives out is pleasantly sweet. The sweetness attracts me to it and makes me want to ‘hang around’ it. The sweet fragrance will also drive or stimulate my curiosity to want to know the brand or the origin of the smell.

Just like the burning incense or the perfume, as we spend time with God, our knowledge of Him grows. We learn about who He is and who we are because of Him. As our knowledge grows, our lives, our behaviour changes. The old is gone and the new ways take over. Where ever we are whether at work or out in the community, we carry the fragrance of Christ. People will see who Christ is through our words and our actions. Our Christ-like aroma that is like a pleasantly sweet perfume will first attract people then cause them to seek the Source of the sweetness.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

Sometimes it takes a mountain

"Sometimes it takes a mountain
Sometimes a troubled sea
Sometimes it takes a desert
To get a hold of me
Your Love is so much stronger
Then whatever troubles me
Sometimes it takes a mountain
To trust you and believe." 

 lyrics from Gaither Vocal Band


Thank you Jesus that your LOVE is so much stronger! I know that I can lean on You no matter the circumstances!