Prosperity a distorted yearning?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

(Jeremiah 29:11)

This week I have such a burden in my heart for something that is growing within the body of Christ and, as aggressive the growth thereof, as aggressive is the burning in my heart against it!

This is not an easy topic and I beg of you to distinguish clearly between what I am saying and what I am not saying.

The thing that I am talking about is the teaching of and the yearning for prosperity. What I am seeing and hearing is that more and more there is an attitude where hardship, struggles, sickness, poverty and the likes are shunned. I regularly hear proclamations such as "We will not take it," "We will bring this thing into obedience to the LORD," or "This is all a lie...it has already been conquered." The feeling is that in Christ we have the victory and in Him we can do all things...we only need to stand in faith. There is no need for a Christian to suffer any of these.

Hmmm, I cannot deny the truths within these words...but there is nothing as dangerous as half-truths!

If I should believe the above truths and the passion and tenacity with which they are preached, then at least those Christians with a true and strong faith in the Lord, should be the most successful, rich, healthy and relationship-hiccup-free people in the world. Then surely they should not even suffer death but be taken up into heaven as Enoch of old.

I wanted to see if this is indeed Biblical. My first stop in my search was Hebrews 11 also known as the Hall of Faith. Indeed Hebrews 11 discusses what we can call the 'faith giants' of the Bible. If any were to prosper according to the above truths, surely it was them. Allow me to list some of what I have discovered:

Starting from Abel to Abraham, verse 13 says, "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance."

Verse 22 tells us that Joseph also did  not receive what was promised. "By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones." Note that the exodus had not yet taken place and Moses had not yet been born. Joseph would not receive the promise but he wanted his bones to go into the Promised Land.

Oops, they did not receive what was promised? Was it their faith? Did they not claim the victories as they should have? Yet...they are in the 'Hall of faith'? How is that possible? Let's continue.

Verse 32 says, "...I have no time to tell about Gideon, Barak...and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned into strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again."

Wow...now that sounds familiar. That is what is being preached today with loud voices and stamping of feet. This is the faith life we yearn for right? Once again, let's continue...I want to know more of this kind of faith!

Verse 35 goes on, "Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated...they wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground."

O my...they should not have taken this! They should just have stood firm in faith...they should have remembered who they are...children of the Most High God, the victory was already theirs so to speak! Did they show weak faith? Let's see...

Verse 39: "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised."

Now what to make of this? Faith giants...yet some of them saw the greatest victories and some of them seemingly the ultimate shame and defeat. I am determined to search a little further and page to Philippians 4:12. Paul is speaking: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to be content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." So, here we have Paul...a Paul who had times of prosperity and times of poverty! Did he have faith fluctuations? What was he thinking...content in times of poverty? By no modern teaching! We are told to reprimand poverty...to put it under our feet...to expect God to lift us out and make us prosperous!!! Against the backdrop of modern teaching I am even more surprised at what Paul confesses in 2 Corinthians 12:7, "...there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." What??? Don't take any torment from Satan, Paul! You have the victory in Christ! Any sickness, disease is a lie, you are healed by the stripes of Christ!! Yet God would not take away this thorn! It seems that at least in this case, God did not agree with modern teaching.

What did Jesus say? The One who died on the cross, the One who was going to heal us by His stripes and give us victory and all authority over the enemy. Let's turn to Luke 21:12 and onwards where Jesus is talking to His disciples - "...they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons...You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death...but not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life."

You will be put to death...but not a hair will perish and you will gain life?? We could not have a clearer example of the dilemma of the prosperity teaching compared to real life!

Before I address this seeming contrast, let us look towards something of God's purpose in allowing this suffering and hardship in our lives. Though suffering and pain was not from Him...though it was the plan of Satan and the doing of man's disobedience, God will and can work good in it.

Hebrews 12:7-10 "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his Father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are...not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live...God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness."

PLEASE NOTE THAT DISCIPLINE DOES NOT EQUAL PUNISHMENT!!! This Scripture is not saying that we are being cruelly punished for our sins!! (I might write about this in another post later)

James 1:2-4 adds this understanding - "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."

And lastly for now, Romans 5:3-4 "...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

May I ask this one question to all those who want to pray and preach and speak away all trials: If God wants to work something good in us through them, should we be shunning them? Should we be telling people not to take it? Should we demand that they be taken away?

It is obvious from these Scriptures that we have been looking at, that in God's view, His children will not escape all horrible things, all sickness, all poverty and the likes. Some will perish from it! Yet, Jesus said that by standing firm, you will gain life. Jesus is clearly speaking not about the physical realm but of the spiritual realm. We might suffer all kinds of 'bad' in the physical earthly life we live in the body, but if we stand firm in our faith in Him through all our trials and suffering, we will gain eternal and spiritual life...and that is His ultimate goal in and through us.

That said, let me be very clear now - God does also care about the physical realm. He does also heal. He does change circumstances for the better. He is also glorified through our physical prosperity and so we CAN ask Him to practically and physically help us in whichever negative situation we find ourselves in and we can expect Him to hear and answer our prayers.

But here is the big BUT -

We cannot yearn for physical prosperity. We yearn for Christ. We yearn for His glorification, not our comfort. We yearn for His will to be done in and through us...not our will. Remember that Jesus Himself asked of the Father to let the cup of suffering pass him by...yet got a 'No' from God. 

"Faith is not a way of manipulating God for a specific outcome, it is trusting God regardless the immediate outcome. In faith we trust God to the point where we surrender all and completely yield to His plan and purpose in every circumstance." (from my book, 'Bride Adorned')

Dear friend, if we start yearning prosperity instead of yearning for Christ and to glorify Him in whichever circumstance, if we start demanding only the good from His hand and reject all suffering, we set ourselves up for true defeat for we will have fallen for a half-truth and we will eventually stumble on the Rock. The truth is that indeed God wants to prosper us, the lie added to it that turns it into a half-truth is that therefore, He will keep all suffering and long-suffering away from us.

Until next week, keep trusting whether the fig tree buds or not.

God bless
Lize

Stronger

We all have this idea that Christian speakers, authors, teachers, pastors and the like always have it all together. They seem so sure and steadfast in their Christian walk and with their strong faith we gather that overcoming struggles must be a breeze for them.  

Not so. I can now testify to this truth!   

Having had to travel to a neighbouring town this past week, I decided to dodge the radio and rather use the odd hour or so to spend some time with God. I decided to do a whole layout of my life and any issues that I have at the moment on a big imaginary white board with circles, lines and links all over the place. Having it all clearly set out and nicely explained to Him, I said, “Lord, this is my life at the moment, the current issues, the things I need clarity on and the things I need help with.” (God must have had a huge chuckle here...as if He didn’t already know)  

There was no immediate answer and so I listen to the radio a bit but then turned it off again. My mind drifted off to a Bible study by Angela Thomas called ‘Stronger’ that I am planning to do with some women in my home town.  Thinking of my own issues I was sure that they were not really that different from other people’s issues. Concerns for health, finances, the well-being of one’s family, work-stress... 

The question popped into my head, “What is it that we need God to be stronger than? Psalm 45 gives us a beautiful description of our Groom as a mighty warrior.  

“You are the most excellent of men...Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendour and majesty. In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds. Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.” 

Oh yeah, my God is strong. 

In my book ‘Bride Adorned’ I mention the importance thereof: “Christ goes forth to conquer the enemies of the Kingdom of God. Is not this kingdom the bride’s new home? Are not His enemies also her enemies? Yes, and therefore His fight is for her, to bring her safely into His kingdom!” (Bride Adorned) 

Yet, as I was pondering this question in the quietness of my car, it wasn’t any images of physical or spiritual enemies that came to mind. No, the final plea of my heart was this:

“Lord, I need you to be stronger than my ability to live out the redemption and salvation that You have already worked on the cross for me.”

You see, my mind – well trained in godliness – could easily identify not only the different issues in my life, but also and even many of God’s truths surrounding them. I KNOW God’s truths and their applications in my life. At the very least I KNOW to Whom to go and where not to go with these issues.

But knowing and living is not always automatically linked.  Jesus told His disciples, ‘The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) And so my heart whispered a cry – “Lord, I am weak...” In the silence, the whisper came back, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God I need you to be stronger than my weakness.

I am.

He heard. He answered. He was stronger than...

I gasped, and cried silent tears of awe and wonder and love...

We serve a living awesome God.

Now the verses I have read a couple of evenings ago came alive upon my soul:

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

(Ps 146:1-2)

 

and

Praise the LORD.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

How pleasant and fitting to praise him!

(Ps 147:1)

What are the issues in your life right now?

What do you need God to be stronger than?

 

Tell Him, ask Him and oh, may your heart rejoice and praise Him as He tells you...I am.

 

 

God bless

Lize

 

 

Bashing the bride

To my embarrassment, I have to admit that I have watched a programme called ‘Four Weddings’ on DSTV a couple of times. In this programme, four brides get the opportunity to judge each other’s weddings including the dress, venue, food and atmosphere. Needless to say, it results in some horrible ‘bride bashing’.

I could choose not to watch this programme again, but there is another type of ‘bride bashing’ going on that is becoming hard to bear and I for one have decided to speak out against it. This is the bashing of the bride of Christ. We can also call it ‘Christian-bashing’.

Christians are continuously bashed with descriptions and accusations such as the following: Being judgemental, offending people and/or human rights, being hypocritical, having double standards, being guilty of empty religious activities and having weak relationships with God.

These are somewhat to be expected from non-Christians, but the thing that concerns me most is that more and more Christians themselves seem to accept these accusations as true and the descriptions as part of their identities.

Today, I am standing up against it. I do not accept these accusations. Not from anyone. Actually, there is only one accuser working through many.

Before I continue, let me be absolutely clear that when I refer to Christians I am talking about those people who have truly accepted Christ as their Saviour and have received His Holy Spirit to show that they now belong to Him.

I am not talking about people who merely call themselves Christians. It is easy to call oneself a Christian. Calling oneself a Christian and speaking ‘Christianese” if I can make up such a word, does not equal being a Christian. Jesus said you would know people by their fruit. Close inspection of the fruit of a person’s life will reveal whether they truly love the Lord. To those who call themselves Christians without being earnest in their desire to follow Him, Jesus gave this warning:


“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will say to them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

With this understanding, let us turn or focus back to the bashing of the bride of Christ.

One of the favourite accusations against Christians is that they are judgemental. Whenever a Christian speaks out against sin in the life of a non-believer or even another believer, he or she is regarded as being judgemental. Although at times this might be true, I believe that in most instances, this is not the case or the real issue.  For when you tell someone that the acts of homosexuality, adultery, drunkenness and the likes are detestable to God, you have offended nobody – you have shown them the way of death and the way of life. The truth is that they are offended by Christ. They have stumbled over the Rock and often their own consciences condemn them. 1 Peter 2:8 describes Christ as a “stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall,” and the reason they fall is because “they disobey the message...”

When the bride of Christ start to accept and own this false accusation of offending people, going against human rights and being judgemental...she is effectively silenced by the accuser...she who according to Revelation 22:17 should, together with the Spirit, be inviting others to the free gift of life, now leaves them on the path of death for fear of offending them and being judgemental!

Another popular accusation against Christians is that they are hypocritical, having double standards. Did Jesus Himself not ask the people, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Yes, but His intention was not ‘see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil’.  

If having faults and struggles of our own disqualifies us from speaking out against sin, none of the disciples had any right to do what they did. Then certainly Paul and Peter should have kept their quiet instead of writing all those letters telling the saints what they should and should not be doing! Did Paul and Barnabas not part ways because of unresolved conflict? Did Peter not eat with Gentiles but when certain men came from Jerusalem he separated himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of what they would say and do if they saw him eating with Gentiles? Yes, but they were not disqualified from the task of going out into the world and preaching not only the love of Christ but also His principles to be obeyed.

Why did Jesus not call them hypocrites and send them off as well?

Because there is a huge difference between those who do not love God and happily follow their own agenda (whether it is living in ignorance of the One Holy God or being hypocritical), and those who truly love God and have received His Holy Spirit who is working in them to teach, guide and sanctify them.

For although, as Paul said in Philippians 3:12, we cannot claim that we have already been made perfect, WE KNOW AND HAVE FOUND THE TRUTH, THE WAY AND THE LIFE AND WE DARE NOT KEEP THAT TO OURSELVES. WE DARE NOT LET ANYONE FOLLOW THE WAY OF DEATH WITHOUT TELLING HIM THE TRUTH.

I think Gandhi has once said something like “I like your Christ but I don’t like you Christians. So many Christians feel bad and think that they are rightly accused when they hear this saying but it was not a word of wisdom!  Christ is the Head and we are the body. You cannot like the Head but dislike the body. We are one. If anything, this comment showed that he knew little of our Groom and what was already accomplished in the heavenly realms. Take a look at the following Scripture:

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.”  (Zechariah 3:1-4)

I love this. Satan, the only accuser who is working through many even to this day, is rebuked by God because he dared to accuse His child. Satan saw the filthiness; God saw the new garment – the righteousness of His Son, paid for by the highest price possible.

To my fellow Christians, the bride of Christ, I want to say this: Walk and be led and live in the Spirit. Allow Him to sanctify you more and more. Search your hearts and bring any wrong doings in repentance before the Lord. But, also stand tall and do not give out your ears to Satan, standing there to falsely accuse you. Do not be quieted by any such accusations but continue to speak out the love and the truth of God as He guides you in your everyday dealings with your fellow man.

You are His bride adorned, inviting others to come to Him and receive of the same grace that saved you!

God bless

Lize 

To fear or not to fear

This week, I cannot help but to write about fear. Life is simply full of fear evoking things...


I live in a country often characterized by violence. This past week we booked ourselves into a beautiful reserve on the outskirts of Pretoria. Situated next to a lake, the resort was the perfect setting for a fishing trip for our boys. That is until we were alerted to the fact that there had been three cases of armed robbery in the past two weeks at the resort's camping site on the other side of the lake. Family and friends alike wanted us to leave the resort at once. What were we to do? Where would we be safe from life's dangers?


Someone once told me a story. There was a man who was on his way to city A when he overheard the angel of death telling someone that he too is on his way to city A. Filled with fear the man immediately changed his plans and went to city B instead. Great was his shock when, once in city B, he bumped into the angel of death. "What are you doing here? I heard that you were going to city A today?" he asked the angel. The angel answered, "Indeed I am going to city A later today, but first I had an appointment in city B...with you."


We could leave the resort but have an accident on our way home. We could arrive safely home but suffer ill health. Where will we be safe from death or sickness or any other calamity? Driven by fear, where will we run and when will we stop?


I want to be completely honest today. Bad things also happen to God's children. We are not exempt from the brokenness that characterizes life since the Fall. But we are not left on our own! God promises us in Isaiah 43:2 - "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." God will never leave us nor forsake us. In Matthew 10 Jesus told the disciples, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of you Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."


You and I matter to God. When we are allowed to go through the fire, the water, the trial or the calamity we can know that He will be there with us and we will receive from Him the protection or the strength or the comfort or the guidance we need in that moment. That is why Psalm 112 says, "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD." It is not that we will never receive any bad news, it is that our God is greater than any bad news and He is able to keep us in the midst of the fire.


Struggling with fear since I could remember, I have learnt two things as God continues to deal with my fear:


1) Fear robs us of the abundant life to be found in the present. When the Israelites were confronted with the news of the giants living in the fortified cities in the Promised Land, they were overcome with fear...it took them to events that did not exist except in their fear filled imaginations: "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder." (Numbers 14:2-3) Sadly, because of fear, they turned away a land of milk and honey which God had specially prepared for them. How many times do we live in fear of something that in the end never materializes, but in the process we miss the joy of the present.


2) I have also learned to respond to the spirit of fear in this way: "No thank you, you can keep your package of fear evoking thoughts. I will not take these thoughts of fear from you. If something bad is to happen to me or my loved ones, I will only consider it, take it and deal with it when it actually happens and in the presence of my God...not before that and not without God."


I will for example not host images of us being attacked in an armed robbery each day and night of our stay at the resort...or of being diagnosed with cancer...or of financial ruin or of any other kind of calamity. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED! These are empty thoughts from Satan and they are meant to paralyze us with fear and steal our peace and joy. Should any calamity do take place, in that moment I will deal with it and God will be right there to protect or guide or strengthen or comfort me and my loved ones. And even if we have to meet death itself, my God - who Himself has overcome death - will be right there...


That does not mean that I live in an irresponsible way or that I am being arrogant in the strength of my faith and the absence of calamity - far from it. I have also had my share of calamity in life. Rather, I am convinced that God is faithful and sufficient in ALL circumstances. Therefore, I reject the fear from Satan and choose to take joy in the present blessings from my Father's hand.


God bless you when you come in and when you go out.


Should you want to learn more on how to overcome life's challenges, have a look at my book "Bride Adorned" by clicking on the link at the top of my blog.




Until next week
Lize

Holding on for life

 

Last week, on my way to church for Good Friday service, I could not help but to think of all those who still reject Christ. The Bible calls them the ungodly. To us they might be strangers, dear friends or even loved ones. I felt an anger in my heart because of all the false believes, the lies and the ignorance which seems to always be on the increase.

Thinking about the ungodly, my mind also drifted to the godly or saints - those who accept and follow Christ as their Savior, not only in word but also in heart and mind and who bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I thought of my own life as a Christian. I had to acknowledge that many times I don't get it right...often I still act in an ungodly way. My fellow Christians and I are not alone in this. The disciples and the saints in Biblical times also struggled with the sinful flesh. Peter was a passionate and bold follower of Jesus, yet at one time Jesus himself told Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" The disciples listened as Jesus taught people about love for one another yet at one point they had an argument about who was the greatest amongst themselves. There are many more examples before and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

What then is the difference between those who don't accept Christ and ignorantly continue to live in an ungodly way and those of us who do accept Him though still battle against our sinful flesh?

Pondering on all of this, my heart instantly knew the answer.

Though as Christians we might still not get it right all the time; though as Paul said in Philippians 3:12 we cannot claim that we have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect; though we might still battle against the sinful flesh and though we might still slip in mire and mud...we are safe because we took hold of the outstretched hand of the Savior. The ungodly on the other hand, took hold of chaff. The ungodly, by choice, is without a Savior. While we are set for life, they are on a road that leads to death only.

Daniel 2:34-36 gives us this truth from the dream of Nebuchadnezzar:

"While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing-floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth."

All the worldly kingdoms, together with their wisdom, philosophies, believes and practices will be swept away without leaving a trace. Only the Rock - Christ and His kingdom will last. No saying of the Dalai-Lama or of Buddha, no yoga exercise or meditation, no palm-reading or crystals, no ancestral ritual, no honoring of the earth, no increase of human rights, no amount of religion will amount to anything. It will all be swept away without a trace. It is all chaff in the wind. It is not wisdom unto life. It is not wisdom unto salvation. Psalm 127 says, "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain." Any wisdom, philosophy or practice, however good it looks or feels, however much the world approves of it - apart from Christ it is all in vain, it amounts to nothing...it cannot save from death.

Only one thing matters dear friend, only one thing will last...the Rock...Christ.


Should I have no other wisdom than the knowledge of Christ as my Savior, I have all the wisdom needed for life. No matter how many times I might slip, how fierce the battle - in Christ my destination is secure. I am saved and I am safe.

I can say this because my hope is not in myself, my works, my virtues, my fasts, my meditations, my philosophies, my religious activities, my goodness or in any human wisdom, effort or promises. No, my hope is in Christ and the salvation that He has worked for me on the cross; in the promise that He is the Author and Perfecter of my faith; and in the knowledge that He is able to keep me from falling and to present me before his glorious presence without fault. Job 27:6 says, "I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it...". How much more will we hold on to Christ, our righteousness, and never let go of Him as someone who is shipwrecked will not let go of the rescue rope thrown at him.

• If you are not holding on to Christ, you will not live. He will say to you: "I tell you the truth, I don't know you." (Matthew 25:12)

• If you are holding on to Christ with one arm while holding on to something else with your other arm, you will not live. He will spit you out (Revelation 3:16) 

• Only if you hold on to Christ with all you have...He will grab hold of you and you will live.

 

Have you reached out to Christ and Him alone?

God bless
Lize

New life for His bride

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

(John 1:1,4)

Life and light - the two things man had lost and has been in desperate need of ever since the Fall. 

 (Abstract from "Bride Adorned")

 

Often during this time of Lent and Easter, our focus is on our own sinfulness and the high price Jesus paid on the cross to redeem us. Yet today, with the cross in mind, I want to focus on life. Life - the essence, the purpose, the meaning and the hope of what happened on the cross. At creation, man was gifted with the fullness of life that is to be found in the presence and in the knowledge of God. It was a fullness of life with regard to man's spirit as well as his physical reality. Created in love and in the image of God, man not only enjoyed the fullness of communion with his Creator but also fullness of life as was found in his body and in the Garden of Eden. 

With the Fall, both of these - man's spirit and his physical reality - were touched and scarred by death itself. Lost was all fullness of life. Hence forward, life in our bodies together with all life springing up from the earth was to be cursed...broken...leading only to death on all levels. This was the plan of Satan and the doing of man.

Just yesterday, a dear friend who is battling with cancer, told me how a family member of hers asked her how a loving God could allow this suffering in her life and how she could serve, love and believe in such a God...a God who did nothing about all the pain and hurt in life.

Listening to her, Jesus' words from John 16:33 came to mind: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Maybe for the first time ever, I truly understood the full meaning of these words. Far from not doing anything at all about the pain and hurt in life, God has done the ultimate thing in Christ - He has brought a complete end to it! He has fully overcome it. It will not last. It will be no more. A time has been ordained when there will be no more sickness; when no-one will ever again fear or battle cancer or aids or any kind of disease. There will be no more addictions or depression, fear and hatred and no more broken and hurtful relationships. No more tears. No more sin, transgression and wickedness. Christ overcame and set an end to it all, and in its place He made something new...

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!'" (Rev 21:1-5)

Dear friend, we know that the time for this to be fulfilled has not yet come, but it will. Of this we have been given a guarantee. "He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:22) We are not left as orphans in this broken world and old order of things. We have received a divine Helper to strengthen, guide, encourage and comfort us so that we will not perish under the weight of life's struggles and sorrows. Not denying the pain, the difficulty or the cost...this is truth. Ask any Christian and they will testify to the sustaining and renewing power of the Holy Spirit within. To those who have not received the Spirit of Christ, this is above understanding but to those who have, it is wisdom and newness of life.


Yesterday evening, I myself was again reminded of this beautiful truth of new life. After just more than two years filled with the adventure, adrenalin and excitement of writing a book, I find myself in a slightly lost place - reluctant to return my full focus to the mundane tasks of the everyday life of a mother and wife, yet still without a vision for any new ministry ventures. (Does anyone else know what I am talking about!?!) As the days pass by I start to wonder about myself...how can I find myself in such a place after such a great ministry 'high'? Have I wandered away from God? Will He use me again? What is my purpose?


Then, yesterday evening, I received a text message from a very precious friend who has no idea of the strange space I'm in. As I read the message, my heart leapt at the following words: "In God's time, you will find new dreams, new growth taking place. In waiting for Him to come, you'll find He's already there." Oh how my heart rejoiced!


This is our God...He makes all things new...He gives life.

Looking at the cross, let us celebrate the 'Life of men' who poured out His blood to cover us so that eternal death would pass us over. Let us celebrate the new life He promised is coming...a life that can never again be scarred by the consequences of sin. Let us celebrate the life of the Holy Spirit in us, sustaining, lifting and carrying us through every challenge we may face whilst waiting for the glorious return of Christ, our Groom and, last of all, let us celebrate the newness of life found in the break of every new dawn...filling us with the promise of new dreams and new growth even in this life!


I wish you all a blessed, life-filled Easter.
Until after Easter (I will not be posting next week on Good Friday),
God bless



All in a bride's heart

"You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him."

 (Nehemiah 9:8)

 A couple of days ago, whilst chatting to someone, I said something that I should rather not have said. It was not something nasty, it was just touching on something that could put the other person in a difficult position. Driving back home I acknowledged to myself that I did not get it right. I made a mistake. I didn't wake up that morning with an intention of doing anything 'wrong' or bringing any harm to anyone but then the day just threw me an unexpected situation and I got it all wrong. 

Thinking of my own mistake, my thoughts drifted to that great patriarch - Abraham. God called Abraham to leave his country, his people and his father's house to go to a land that God would show to him.

"Through Abraham God was calling a people who would leave behind their old ways of living and start a new life of love and devotion to Him...God was calling a bride unto Him!" (from 'Bride Adorned')

Abraham obeyed the call of God and according to Romans 4:11, he became the father of all who believe. Though Abraham was the 'father of faith' so to speak, he did not always get it right! Still on the way to the Promised Land, he found himself lying to the Pharaoh, saying that Sarai was his sister instead of his wife. When Sarai suggested to him that he should sleep with her maidservant because God was not giving her any children, he agreed to it. Having waited so long for a son with no results, they both assumed that maybe the covenant promise would be fulfilled through Hagar and not Sarai. When God confirmed to him that the promise would indeed come through a son born to Sarai, Abraham's first reaction was to fall facedown and laugh and say to himself "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" (Gen 17:17)

Abraham, like myself, made mistakes.

The thing to ask ourselves is this: Did God count these mistakes? Did He hold it against Abraham? Did He disqualify Abraham as the heir to the covenant promise?

No, but God did see something and He did count something...

"Abraham believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness."(Gen 15:6)

God saw Abraham's heart and it was a heart that loved God, believed God and belonged to God forever more no matter what.

No, Abraham did not always get it right - in Egypt he was overcome with the possible threat of the Pharaoh killing him for his wife and, in his panic, he didn't fathom that God would and could protect him and Sarai, so he lied about Sarai being his wife; when time went by and no son was born to Sarai it seems that, like her, he too started to think they might have misunderstood God's plan...that maybe God was going to work through Abraham but not through Sarai; and when God did confirm that the promise would come through Sarai, Abraham was momentarily sinical. But the One who knows everyone's heart knew that though Abraham had his moments of weakness, confusion and doubt, his heart was not rebelling against God, not rejecting God and not adulterous and disrespectful of God.

God searched Abraham's heart and found it faithful to Him.

Dear friend, as the bride of Christ, you and I also sometimes get it wrong. There are times when in the heat of the moment we make a wrong decision, we say the wrong thing, we act in the wrong way or we misunderstand God's will and plan for us in a specific circumstance...yet we love God and with our hearts we believe God.

This is not the same as the heart that ignores, rejects and scorns God and His commands! No, this is a heart that is sensitive to God's correction, a heart that can repent, a heart that can be molded by the love of God...a heart that can grow in the knowledge of God...a heart of faith.

Indeed Abraham showed that he was continually growing in the knowledge and love of God. By the time that God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering, Abraham did not get it wrong. When they came close to the place of sacrifice, Abraham told his servants, "Stay here...while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." Note that he did not say, "I will come back to you" but "we will come back to you". By this time Abraham knew that God could not be anything else but faithful to His promises. He knew that somehow God would save Isaac because He had said that He would fulfill the covenant promise through Isaac. Hebrews 11:19 tells us that "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." This is knowing God. This is loving God. This is the heart of faith that God counted and credited...not all the mistakes Abraham made on the way.

My word of encouragement to all of us today is that God does not count our mistakes but counts what is in our hearts. Therefore let each of us regularly search our hearts to ensure that it still belongs to God through our love for His Son, Jesus Christ.

Until next week,
God bless
Lize

Ps. You can buy a copy of my book by clicking on one of the links at the top of my blog J