Jesus Christ - It's ALL about Him...

Recently my search for answers about various topics has led me to one conclusion - nothing new, only a new and totally empowering way of looking at things.

I'll tell you what I mean, using the topic of Relationships/Marriage as a focus today. I have received several pained questions from women who've either left or are thinking of leaving a marriage/relationship for one reason or another.

I call these reasons 'deal breakers or not' as in this reason you're thinking of ending the relationship for, is it really a deal breaker or not? Is it really a good enough reason for you to walk, when you look at the whole scheme of things, at the big picture of your relationship?

Take for example, the issue of romance in a long term relationship/marriage.

One question I'd been asking about romance in relationships as in, whether the lack thereof, or a small amount of the same, was reason enough to end a relationship (a 'deal-breaker') with a guy who is otherwise good, committed and demonstrates in his own way that he loves his partner/wife (but is not expressive enough to actually say the words 'I love you' - ).

I've come across several women who say they 'want more' in their relationship from their man, and wind up disappointed because the guy seems to fall short, etc, etc even though what it is is that the guy is simply an imperfect human being (same as the woman is...). Yet these ladies are thinking of walking away from the stable, good thing they've got going, in search of 'Mr Perfect'.

One problem is that Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general have created this really strong, often unrealistic, picture of romance, which perception has so permeated cultural thinking that those ideals and expectations get wrongly translated to 'requirements for happy marriages' by newly married women or women in long term relationships.

Unfortunately, as those expectations are not real, wise or reasonable (and really not necessary for a happy marriage), they lead to disappointment, nagging, hurt which if allowed to go on for long can destroy a marriage.

So anyway this is the sort of thing I was thinking about and had started receiving answers along the lines of 'trust God for all your emotional needs, for He never disappoints and you will always be emotionally fulfilled in your relationship if you do', which made a lot of sense because after all, if you 'seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you get everything you desire including marital bliss...'

Still I was wondering about that question of romance or the lack thereof from a spouse, especially if there was some in the courting/pre-marriage days, and now it seemed to have sort of fizzled out.

I then received an email from Steve and Cindy Wright of www.marriagemissions.com, with the subject of 'Working On Issues'...and the first sentence completely settled this question for me and I hope it settles it for any woman out there who struggles with this issue. Or any believer in Christ, who struggles with issues to do with expectations from another person in your relationship (friend, spouse,partner, etc, ) being met.

The very first sentence was a quote from Psalm 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders labour in vain". Even without going further, for some reason I saw this famililar verse in a whole new light today - the success of your marriage or relationship, the satisfaction you feel in it, the happiness you experience in it, boils down to whether or not God's the one building it - not you or your partner!

It's all about Him!

No wonder He says to 'seek Him first...' Matt 6: 33
No wonder He says 'for we were created by Him and for HIs pleasure we are and were created' - (Rev 4:11) - talk about rediscovering your purpose, your reason for being.
No wonder He says 'our citizenship/conversation is in Heaven...' (Phil 3:20)
No wonder He says 'Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ' Colossians 2:8

I could go on and on but the point of this message is to remind us, that Hollywood and the entertainment industry's ideal of a truly happy relationship, is way below the standard of what actually brings true happiness and lasting love in a relationship - God's way is the only way to experience true happiness, lasting love and emotional fulfilment in your relationship. It's a higher quality experience.

Nothing superficial about it. Definitely no disappointment from His end.

Go to God in prayer, to meet your emotional and spiritual needs, ladies. In finding these needs met (which is guaranteed to happen if you trust Him), you will find yourself enjoying your relationship with your man even more than ever before. You don't know the meaning of the word 'pleasure' until you've spent time in God's presence, girls. (Psalm 16:11 - ... " Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

And this makes full allowance for the fact that your partner is not perfect (neither are you, mind!), so you're well able to accomodate their flaws (pretty much as God accomodates your flaws yet loves you just the same), and you'll know that as long as he's happy to live with you you can '1 Peter 3:1' him :)

The bottom line is this, ladies:

That feeling you crave, that emotional hunger for love: 'I just wonna feel loved' and all that...you won't find it in any man if you look to him for it. However, you will find it in your man if you seek it from Jesus Christ.

Don't ask me how come this works, as I didn't write the book or the rules of this deal - God did - all I know is that it works, and further research on this topic proves this. Doesn't seem to make sense at first glance but then, God's thoughts and ways are as far away from ours as the heavens are to earth.

There is something powerful about a woman who is empowered from within by God's Spirit, who knows she does not need any man to please her emotionally or make her feel loved, accepted, or complete.

There's something very attractive to a man, about a woman who doesn't place the burden of her emotional wellbeing on him.

Such a woman is not needy and dependent but can hold her own easy. Think Proverbs 31.

So really, a paraphrase of Matthew 6:33 is this: "Seek first your emotional fulfilment and romance in Jesus Christ, and marital romance and fulfilment will be added onto you".


At the end of the day, it's all about Him.


You can't escape this because He made you for Himself, see. That's why you exist, as Revelations 4:11 shows. Whether or not you believe this doesn't change the Truth of it, so the sooner you embrace this Truth and begin to live like you were created to live, the sooner you will be set free to really really enjoy your life here on earth.


Now if you're reading this and you still haven't received Jesus into your heart, you still reject Him and haven't accepted Him into your life, you're missing out on the most fulfilling experience in human existence. Not saying it's the easiest lifestyle - in fact it may make you rather unpopular when you make this decision, but hey, whose opinion of your life counts? Who really cares about you? Who would you rather be unpopular with: fellow, imperfect, weak humans or God Almighty, the perfect, all-knowing, all-loving, God, your Heavenly Father?

I encourage you today to accept God's free gift of forgiveness and salvation today.
It's quite simply a wise decision, one which will change your life forever, the way you see things, the way you view other people, the way you relate to them - everything in your life changes when you change your mind about Jesus Christ and receive Him into your heart.
"...for as many as received Him He gave the power to be called Sons of God, even to those that believed in His name" John 1:12

Read this tract for more information. Then contact me if you decide to join God's family and want to know what to do next, or have some questions you'd like answered.


Blessings in abundance to ya!


Kem

TOP REASONS FOR TITHING (or 'What's In It For You')

1. The tithe belongs to God.
   Tithing is first and foremost, an act of obedience to Him.
   Leviticus 27:³⁰ " 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD."
   
   
2. It is one of God's ways for providing for His people of which you are one (if you have been saved. ) One day, it could be you in need, and thanks to the tithes of faithful believers, there'll be money or food in the house of God to meet your needs.
   
   This was brought home very strongly to me when Sheila (name changed to protect privacy) shared her story with me.
   
   I'll let her tell it in her own words: "I was at a financially low point in my life, and had no-one to turn to for help. Then a member of our church advised me to ask the Pastor for money from the church's coffers, as the tithes and offerings of faithful members had made it possible for the church to financially help members in need. This made me feel both guilty and grateful. Guilty because when I had money I never tithed, finding all sorts of reasons not to - yet the money was being spent on unimportant things, very often - ; and grateful for the faithful church members who did tithe regularly, for it not for their obedience, there would not have been funds available to help me. So I went and asked the Pastor for money to help me through this difficult patch. The next day he had transferred £1000.00 into my account. From that day on I vowed to regularly tithe of all my increase, even if just so that there may be enough funds in the church to help others who may need it as I did and was helped."
   
   Sheila's testimony illustrates what God meant when He said in Malachi 3: ¹⁰ "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house..."
   
   
3. Tithing is a discipline. Discipline turns your goals into reality. If you discipline yourself in the area of increase (finances, etc), you will automatically find it easy to discipline yourself in other areas of your life. If you make yourself consistently keep this discipline, you will find it easy to keep other disciplines.
   
   The importance of discipline in life is that it is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. So tithing 'builds your discipline muscles' if you will, making you better able to discipline yourself in other areas of your life.
   
   
   
4. Tithing builds your faith and expectation.
   When you tithe regularly, you subconsciously know you are doing something that pleases God. And you subconsciously know that God blesses those who please Him. Thus you subconsciously expect good things to happen to you. This is a powerful mindset to operate in, for it attracts good things into your life as a result. As you believe so do you receive, in effect.
   
   You get what you expect subconsciously.
   
   By the way, here's more from Malachi 3 to strengthen your faith in God's ability to provide for you when you tithe regularly:
   

   ¹⁰Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

   ¹¹And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

   ¹²And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
   
   Now you can rationalize the above passage all you want, but you know in your heart of hearts that it's true, and that the above words transcend all covenants, for they state a principle put in place by God to prosper His people.
   
   Here's another passage from the book of Proverbs this time. Feast on this:
   Proverbs 3: ⁹Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

   ¹⁰So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

5. Tithing builds your confidence in your security and God's protection.
   See verse 11 of Malachi 3 quoted above.
   This point is similar to the one above, about your faith and expectation being built up when you tithe. It just elevates you to a whole nother level of thinking and believing.
   
   
6. Tithing connects you to, or provides a channel, for God's blessings and promises to come true in your life. Mostly because it is an act of obedience to God. Obedience to God puts you in a very good place to receive His blessings.
   
   This is not rocket science. It applies to humans too: if you're a parent, how do you feel towards a child who always obeys, respects and honours you? Are you not inclined to do more things than usual for this child? Do you not desire to do things to show this child how pleased you are with him/her? Well God is the ultimate Parent! And when we consistently obey, respect and honour Him, God, the maker and owner of the Universe, blesses us, big time!
   
   
7. Tithing sets in motion a powerful abundance mentality and consequent attraction force in your life. The reason for this is that when you give your tithe (or any form of giving), in the very act of giving, you are sending the subconscious message that 'I have' or 'I have, therefore I give out of what I have'. and because this is your predominant thought, you attract more of 'I have', thus you find that things work out for you such that you always 'have'.
   
   So you see another mechanism by which God provides for His people - this time not just by providing meat in His house but by providing for the giver of the meat/tithe. You cannot outgive God, and you've got to remember that what you're giving Him is from Him anyway. Without Him you wouldn't have anything to give from. He's asked you to keep 90% of all your increase (earnings) - the tax man demands more than 10% from you - what does he do for you in return? Yet if you don't pay your taxes you are penalized.
   
   How much more giving your tithes to your loving Father whose money or substance it is to begin with. And who heaps you daily with blessings for your obedience.

Think on these things, and get your act together with regards to tithing today.


You know you will spend that 10% on something anyway. Might as well discipline yourself to spend it on stuff that has eternal value plus earthly dividends.


This is simply smart use of your money.


The richest people in the world know this and faithfully practice this principle.
Take a hint from them, if nothing else, and see for yourself if your mindset and corresponding outward reality won't change as a result.


Blessings to ya.


Kem

Faithful in the little things...

Sometimes the reason you're stuck at the same level is that you have not done the best you can at that level of operation.

Do you desire a promotion?
Then do your very best in your current job, at your current level.
Don't be mediocre and expect to attract a promotion.

If you are faithful in the little things, then you have a basis for trusting and expecting God to give you bigger things, for He knows He can rely on you to be faithful in the big things too.

Thought for today: the little things make the big difference, so do everything well. Be faithful, reliable, in even the little things you do. Do your best every time. Don't ever get weary when it comes to doing your best, for in due course you will be rewarded.

Blessings to ya!

Kem

Be encouraged - the waters will lift you up!

Here's an encouragement for you - I remembered this while reading about Noah and the great flood.


When you are going through any trial, you may feel like the waters are about to cover you up and drown you - your trial may seem that overwhelming, you may feel you're way in over your head and can't handle it.


If this is you, and remember this applies to any sort of difficult time you may be going through: financial, personal, physical, emotional, etc...if this applies to you, here are a couple of thoughts to encourage you and remind you that 'this too shall pass' and 'everything's going to be alright' (sometimes we need to be reminded of that).


A) First thought: The same floods that drowned thousands of people, lifted up Noah and his family to safety. Note that the difference between the effect of the flood on the groups of people (Noah - believers, and the rest of the world - unbelievers) was that Noah and his family were in a boat. That boat represents faith in and obedience to God inspite of opposition and resistance from everyone around you. As a believer (who trusts and obeys God), you are in Christ. Because you are in Christ, your destiny is to overcome any difficulty or trial that comes your way (which is why you are more than a conqueror through Him...).

So the same trials which drive others to do drugs, drink excess alcohol, be dishonest at work and so forth, will not have those effects on you. Rather, those same trials will lift you up to a higher level in your life as long as you remain in Christ throughout the duration of the trial, and refuse to be discouraged by your circumstances.

God ALWAYS comes through for His children. ALWAYS. May not happen immediately, but remember the floods lasted for 40 days and 40 nights, and that can seem like an eternity during a difficult phase, or wilderness experience, in life. You need to hang in there and you too will be lifted up to a higher, more prosperous level.

Remember this whenever you're in the heat of trial or tribulation. The end result is not your death or defeat or destruction (unless you change ship from Christ to the Enemy, by letting the enemy instill fear in you). As long as you remain in Christ, the end result of any trial you face, is your VICTORY.


B) Second thought - Isaiah 43
"1But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O [put your name here], and he that formed thee, O [put your name here], Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

2When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. "

Read the entire chapter. It's awesome. And very encouraging for anyone going through a difficult time.

You see, the thing about having this mindset is that it empowers you to see opportunities, resources and solutions to your current challenge, which you would not be alert to in a mindset of fear, doubt and uncertainty.

So I encourage you today to go forth, with faith in God, KNOWING that your current trial is simply designed to make you a better, stronger, more prosperous person. It's actually designed to take you to a higher level in life than you been yet.

God bless you, and thank God for trials!

Kem
PS: No wonder James said in James 1:2 to 'count it all joy...'

The God of 'inspite of'...

I recently passed a supposedly difficult medical examination.

I give God the glory for this success because I passed the exam inspite of the fact that I hadn't had much time to study for it. In fact, I'd taken a break of almost 6 weeks during which time I didn't study, because I'd become overwhelmed and discouraged and was thinking of postponing the exam till next year. Glad I didn't.

I immersed myself in encouraging scripture passages, got my faith and courage back and kept on studying, believing that God would see me through inspite of my limited knowledge, inspite of the fact that I didn't attend any course geared towards the exam, like some of my colleagues had done.

I want this testimony to encourage you to trust in the Lord with ALL your heart.

He is a God that loves you inspite of yourself.

God loved us first, inspite of the fact we didn't believe in Him or live the way He wanted us to live. He loved us enough to come to earth as a man and rescue us from what would otherwise be our fate (eternal damnation) - and has given us His awesome FREE gift - eternal life and the power to be called his children (all you have to do to be a part of God's family is to receive Jesus Christ into your life - John 1:12).

God provides for us inspite of our limitations.

He fed a multitude with loads to spare inspite of the fact that their supply seemed limited (5 loaves, 2 fish).

He saw the Israelites safely across the Red Sea inspite of the fact they had a massive body of water between them and the other side.

He provided Peter with money to pay his tax inspite of the fact there was no bank or ATM nearby (made money appear in a fish's mouth...that's another story unto itself...)

He provided the best tasting wine for a wedding inspite of the fact they only had water left.

He is looking to bless you inspite of your faults, your limitations, your weaknesses.

He's looking to welcome you to His family inspite of all the times you've rejected Him or mocked Him.

He's looking to provide for you abundantly in this so-called 'credit crunch' inspite of your current financial status.

He's looking to unite you with your soul mate inspite of your being single for so long.

He's looking to forgive you inspite of all your sins.

Our great and mighty God, the God of 'inspite of', is waiting to hear from you. He won't reproach you, rather will receive you with open arms of love and acceptance into His family.

Will you come to Him today? By faith?

You'd be smart to!

Blessings to ya.

Who Do You Listen To?

A recent experience reminded me of how important it is, in the Christian walk, to be very careful who you listen to. Tis not everyone who calls themselves 'christian' that speaks for Christ. Not everyone who calls Jesus 'Lord, Lord', is genuine. And He knows who is, too.


Here's a principle for you. No matter what you hear in church or on christian TV/radio or wherever, no matter who is speaking, apply what I call 'The Berean Principle' - do like the Bereans did after listening to the Apostle Paul preach a sermon: they were excited and motivated by the message, but went back home and read the Scriptures for themselves to find out if what Paul had said was true.


You must do the same. Always go back and cross check Scripture to see if what you hear is true.


Think for yourself. Don't swallow information hook, line and sinker just because this or the other highly-regarded (by man) preacher has said something.


Study the Bible for yourself. Be open-minded and trust that God will teach you directly from His Word, as He's promised to do. Don't close your mind to His interpretation of His word, simply because someone else has given you their take on it. Listen directly to God, and obey what He says.


Remember, come judgement day (yes folks, there really is going to be judgement day :) ), it's going to be between You, God and The Word of God (as in, what have you done in response to His Word?). That's what's going to determine the outcome for you, not what you did in response to someone's interpretation of it - that 'someone' is going to be busy answering for himself when the time comes, see.


So please, please remember - let the Word of God be your final say in all matters. You can never go wrong if you honestly believe and obey that Word - God will lead you in paths of righteousness for His names' sake when you do. These paths may run contrary to the paths of popular christianity (which is okay because the road of deception is broad, and many are on it because it's popular and easy, whereas the road of Truth is narrow).


God says in Psalm 138 that He has exalted His Word above His name. That oughta give you an idea of how highly you should regard that Word. That is Who you should listen to - God and His pure, unadulterated, powerful, Word.


Have a great day.

THE BEST REASON FOR EVANGELIZING/WITNESSING

Today's message at church was on Evangelism.

Also known as 'witnessing for Christ', this is
what you do when you talk to people about Jesus
Christ - who He is, what He's done for them, etc -
basically when you 'share the Good News' of
salvation with someone.

Because it's not always the most convenient thing
to do, because it's not always the 'cool' thing to
do, many Christians don't do it. It's too uncomfortable.
Too embarrassing. Sound familiar?

Yet there are many reasons why each true Christian
should be a witness for God.

Here are the reasons the Pastor talked about in today's
message: (scripture references to be added soon...)

1) It brings great joy to Heaven
2) God wants every believer to be a soul winner
3) It's the key to spiritual prosperity
4) It's outward proof of our love for God and His kingdom


One reason which stood out above the
others is this: simply because it makes
God very happy when we evangelize.

If you love someone, you want to do what
makes them happy. If you love God, you want
to evangelize because you know it makes
Him really happy.

God places tremendous value on each soul.
When you evangelize, you have the chance to
win souls. When souls are won, there is
great joy in heaven, and God is pleased.

If you love God, you'll want to obey Him.
He's told us to go out into the world and
tell people about Him.

Sure there are rewards in store for you when
you diligently evangelize, but the best reason,
the purest reason, for doing so, is because you
really, really, love God.

Do you love God?
Do you want to make Him happy?

Then go talk to someone about Him today.
Go plant a seed (God's word) in someone's life
today. With His help, you will be fruitful, and
that will make Him even happier with you.

Happy witnessing!