Success-thru-Christ

Stewardship...the flip-side of the teaching on Giving...

2012-01-08T01:06:00.000Z

Many pastors preach about how you oughta give, give, give 'to the Kingdom', but very few people teach about how you should be a good steward with your finances.

I wonder if it's because good stewardship involves more effort on your part than just giving...and many of us are lazy by default, and shy away from anything that involves work or effort if possible.

I'm tired of watching Christian TV cos most of it seems to be appeals for money, money, money. Very few people are teaching you how to manage your finances - they just teach you to part with them. That ain't right. It's not balanced teaching.

It's true that if you're a consistent giver you won't go hungry or get poor, but it's also true that if you're not a good steward of your resources (finances, etc), you won't prosper or excel in life. Giving in the context of good stewardship is what brings about great rewards. But if you give in the context of poor stewardship, you're not only unwise, but are on a self-destruct mission.

If you are irresponsible with your finances, no responsible Father will reward or prosper you by giving you more finances, people!

So the teaching about giving must be balanced with the teaching on good Stewardship.

Wake up, Church!

Quit thinking that giving is a get-rich-quick scheme, and quit listening to preachers who make it appear to be so. Search the Scriptures for yourself and you will discover the whole counsel of God in this matter.

Stop this madness of taking one tiny part of Scripture and going crazy with it, while all the time neglecting the rest of the Word.

Educate yourself on good financial stewardship (some people call this 'financial intelligence').

Don't just swallow up everything your pastor says - be like the noble Berean Christians, and ALWAYS search the Scriptures for yourself to make sure what he's said is the Truth.

Don't get suckered into giving if you are not also being taught the wisdom of being a good steward in the first place.

God is not mocked: you will reap what you sow. If you sow bad Stewardship, even the little you think you have will be taken from you.

Here are a few tips to get you started on good stewardship: for every income you receive...
-- Pay God first (tithe is the minimum to get you into the habit of giving...)
-- Pay yourself 10%
-- Pay your taxes and everyone else.
-- Live within your means on the rest...

If you're in debt, then add to that list 'Put aside 10% each month for paying off debts' - then begin paying them off and stop doing things that drive you right back into debt - that's bad stewardship.

If you desire to see an improvement in your finances, you've got to manage your money wisely, be a good steward of your finances. Seek advice from a professional financial advisor if need be, but for goodness sake, step up! Handle your finances wisely!

And have a prosperous New Year!

I can only imagine...

2011-12-20T10:27:00.000Z

If a loved one has gone to be with the Lord, rejoice for they no longer have to imagine, like we do! They're literally having the time of their life! Glory!
Thinking about this Truth sets you free from sorrow and grief. It also causes death to lose its sting over you and your loved one, and denies the grave its victory - rather victory remains ours in Christ Jesus, yeah baby!

How To Find Rest for your soul

2011-11-26T17:20:00.000Z

This is a testimony to how God's yoke really is easy, and his burden really is light.

My dad passed away a few days ago.

He'd been unwell, and I'd been taking care of him until the day before when he got suddenly even more unwell and I had to take him to hospital via ambulance. He passed onto a better life on the 22nd of November 2011.

I wept on the 22nd but have felt increasingly happy since then.

Reason: I realize more and more each day, that passing on was the best thing for daddy at this time - he'd been suffering from his illness which also caused him a lot of pain on most days you see, so it was a mercy that God cut short his suffering and took him from his earthly body. The real daddy lives on - he was always a spirit anyway - the body was only a temporary vehicle for that spirit.

Knowing this, knowing that daddy is now truly free from pain, sickness, stress and all the rubbish that earthly life can throw at you sometimes, makes me truly happy that he's gone home to Jesus.

What's this got to do with your success?

Everything!

Your focus determines your emotions and your actions.

I have chosen to focus on the good life that daddy led, the fact that my brothers and I were able to spend time with him and keep him as comfortable as humanly possible while he was with us, and the even better life he is leading right now and for eternity, and that pleases me - dude's having a blast presently! This focus has empowered me to move on with life, to be full of joy, praise and thanksgiving to God, and also to console and comfort others touched by dad's passing.

I also know to choose my words carefully cos they also affect my focus. I refuse to say I've lost my dad - how can you lose someone when you know exactly where they are? Besides, 'loss' conjures sad images and emotions - not my cup of tea. No, I've not lost my dad. I know exactly where he is!

So I refer to his passing as just that. I don't even say he's dead anymore, cos I now realize that no, he's not! His body (earthly vehicle/container) may be, but he was never really his body anyway.

Dear reader, there are some profound revelations in the above paragraphs, if you are willing to see:

- You are not your body: your body is simply a vehicle that transports the real you, around on earth.
- You are a spirit. God made you in His image, and He's a spirit.
- This means that you, the real you, are perfect - no sickness, no weakness, no disease, no sadness or lack, no stress or grief etc; the real you is perfectly whole - abundantly wealthy, abundantly joyful, abundantly complete in every way!

The implication of this truth for you is tremendous:
- Your self esteem, your self image, gets a super turbo boost when this truth dawns on you. This is who you are, dear reader. A spirit made in God's image. This is why your thoughts are powerful, and become things. It's why your words are powerful, and come to pass. You're all of that, baby!

- Your self image determines the level of your performance in life. You can never perform above or beyond the image you have of yourself. Knowing that you've been made in God's image empowers you to know beyond a shadow of doubt that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength, that you are above only, not beneath, the head and not the tail, etc, etc. You rock! You excel!

- Knowing who you really are, and focusing on this regardless of what the outside world looks like, empowers you to bring into physical reality, that which you are focusing on.

I'll let you chew on that for a while.

For now I'd like you to please think on these things, be thankful for who you are, and start acting like who you really are.

Your life, your success, depends entirely on it.

God bless ya!

Is Jesus Christ part of your 'Social Network'??

2011-10-12T22:13:00.000+01:00

Is Jesus Christ in your (Social) Network?

Have you accepted His 'friend request'?

Are you following His 'tweets' (Word)

Are you 'LinkedIn' to Him?

Is He in your space (MySpace)?

Do you 'digg' Him?

Etc.

....He/she who has ears to hear, let them hear.

....Call on the Lord while He may be found, while He's near.
For this is a warning to all mankind, no exception.

....One appointment we all MUST have is the one with death. After that you've gotta face Him. Whether or not you believe this doesn't change the fact that this is what's going to happen.

...He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

..."Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" - Jesus Christ

..."But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" - John the beloved.

He considers you the apple of His eye, but He won't impose His presence and relationship on you...you've gotta make a conscious decision to accept Him. Or to keep rejecting Him.

..."And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; ... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

..."I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"

What will YOU do with this Person called Jesus Christ?

Your answer, your response to this question - the all important question - seals your true destiny, your destination from here on. Pretty much the same way the way the people of old answered the question 'what will you do with this man called 'Noah' and his crazy message of a coming flood, sealed their destinies...we all know how that story ended.

Folks, these days are just like the days of Noah, only it's not a flood that's coming.

Think about that. Let him/her with ears hear. Let those that think they stand take heed lest they fall.

God bless you all.

Love,

Nkem

He's already done it!

2011-08-18T06:54:00.002+01:00

Dear Reader,

Here is a Truth that will shatter your old paradigms and challenge you to see things differently from now on (if you're open enough...)

God anticipated ALL the needs, challenges and issues you would ever face in from the start to finish of your life, and made provision, provided the solution to EACH and EVERY one, BEFORE you ever showed up on planet earth.

That's why He said 'It Is Finished'
God anticipated every sin you'd ever commit, and provided total forgiveness and salvation from the works of darkness...it's up to you to receive or access it, then walk in it. He won't impose or force it upon you.

God anticipated every sickness you'd ever experience, and provided total healing for every part of your body and soul (mind, will, emotions)...it's up to you to receive or access it, then walk in it. He's not going to force it on you.

God anticipated every need you would ever have in this life, and provided an abundance of supply for it. He's not going to force any of this good stuff on you though. He's done His bit. Your bit is to reach out and receive what's already been provided for you.

...So how do you access all this good stuff?

Mark 11:22-26 reveals exactly how (and several other passages confirm it), and it works for EVERYONE who acts on it, regardless of your religious affiliation (same as the sun shines on everyone at some point, regardless of if they're 'saint' or 'sinner'...). The solution applies to 'whosoever'. EVERYONE is invited and most welcome to take part of the amazing Grace of God. This means YOU, dear reader. :) doesn't matter what you've done, who you are, where you've been, etc.

Folks, this is 'The Secret', and really is the true basis for the entire personal development and personal success industry as well as the 'Laws of Nature' - though many proponents deny the Source of this Truth and attribute it to 'the universe' or some such vague entity.

But once you grasp the Truth, if you will receive it and act on it, your life will never be the same. The way you pray will never be the same: (if you realize that something's already yours, you don't keep asking for it, you rather receive it with a grateful heart, see). Your posture and level of confidence will radically change - you're no longer needy and whiny, you're now 'more than a conqueror through Christ'. The way you respond to news, events, circumstances will be way different, on a much higher plane than what it is right now: when you receive news that others may perceive as 'bad', your attitude is one of 'bring it! cos He that is in me is way Greater than anything you could throw at me, baby!'. You will experience first hand why the psalmist said 'I shall not want...'. Sweet!

And you know that the way you (choose to) respond to an event determines the way you experience it, and in turn your outcome.

In the final analysis, it's YOUR CHOICE: believe what you want, respond how you want...and as a result you will experience the corresponding consequence.

But as for God, He's done His part. It Is Finished.

Scriptures for your healing and health, cont'd

2011-05-28T07:14:00.000+01:00

Here are some more healing passages for you to feast on.
Memorize these words, act on them and watch your miracle happen

Psalm 103: 2-5

²Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
³Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth ALL thy diseases;
⁴Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
⁵Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 91
²I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
³Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
⁴He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
⁹Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
¹⁰There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
¹⁵He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Psalm 147:3
³He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Proverbs 3:7-8
⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
⁸It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Isaiah 58
⁶Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
⁷Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
⁸Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.

Jeremiah 17
⁷Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
⁸For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
¹⁴Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Jeremiah 30:17
¹⁷For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD;

Malachi 4
²But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Matthew 4
²³And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

(Sidebar: Jesus Christ is STILL the same yesterday, today, forever!!)

Matthew 8
¹³And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

(Sidebar: So you can apply these healing scriptures on behalf of someone else - the power of intercession!)

Prescription for Health: Healing Scripture Passages part 1...

2011-05-27T06:44:00.001+01:00

Here's your Prescription for Physical and Emotional Health, a collection of Healing Scripture Passages which work if you do your part: read, believe, and ACT.

Faith comes by hearing and understanding the Word of God.

God places the very highest value on His Word, and even says He's esteems His Word above His very Name (Psalm 138:2 - you have magnified your Word above your Name) - no wonder Jesus said that man shall live by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of God's mouth.

With Faith in God, ALL things (including your healing) are possible.

Jesus Christ is the only Healer, the Master Physician, the Balm of Gilead.

So here's the beginning of a compilation of verses on healing. There'll be more added in the coming days, weeks and months.

Read them, meditate on them, BELIEVE them, ACT on them (for Faith without Action is useless and accomplishes nothing)... and as surely as God's Word stands true, you WILL be healed. You can count on God to keep His Word - anytime it appears His Word hasn't come true in your life, chances are YOU've not kept your part of the deal, cos God ALWAYS keeps His part. Without fail.

Simply put, the Word WORKS!

You are welcome to share any healing scriptures you come across, for the benefit of us all.

Proverbs 4: 20-22
"My son, attend to my words; incline your ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are LIFE to those that find them, and HEALTH to ALL their flesh."

Pay attention to God's Word. Think about it all the time. ACT on it. When you 'get' it, you will have life and receive Healing.
Exodus 15: 26
"If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will DO what is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and KEEP ALL His statutes, I will put NONE of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: FOR I AM THE LORD THAT HEALS YOU"
Psalm 107:20"He sent His WORD and HEALED them, and delivered them from their destructions."
Deuteronomy 7:12-15
"...if you hearken to these judgements, and KEEP them, and DO them, that the Lord your God will keep unto you the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto your fathers...you shall be blessed above all people; there shall not be male or female barren among you...and the Lord will take away from you ALL SICKNESS, and will put NONE of the evil diseases of Egypt...upon you..."
Isaiah 53: 4-5
"Surely He has borne OUR griefs, and carried OUR sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was wounded for OUR transgressions, He was bruised for OUR iniquities, the chastisement of OUR peace was upon Him: and with His stripes, WE ARE HEALED."
This was an awesome exchange that took place on the cross of calvary. Will you reach out and receive your gift from the cross today? Your choice.

You've got a decision to make, buddy...

2011-04-05T09:58:00.002+01:00

Will The REAL 'Law of Attraction' Please Stand Up!

2010-10-23T07:35:00.000+01:00

From Ephesians 1.
God has blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

I like the way these things are stated as having happened.
Where are all these blessings? In heavenly places. In Christ.
What are all these blessings? Whatever they are, according to the Psalmist, 'they make you rich, with no added sorrow' - that's one way to know the source of your 'blessings'. If they're from God, there's no side effect or sorrow associated with it. So you actually get to enjoy the stuff.
This statement in Ephesians 1:3, is the basis for the so-called 'Law of Attraction', except that when talking about this law, the 'In Christ' bit is left out, and so the people who practice that form of the law, miss out on the full, permanent, blessing that comes with it.
Everything you could possibly need or desire, ALREADY EXISTS. In Christ, it's all here NOW, only it's in spiritual form. The Word of God doesn't leave us clueless as to how to bring these things into physical form though. But more on this later.
What about the 'In heavenly places' part of that verse? The relevance of this becomes clear in subsequent chapters so stay tuned...However, it talks about your posture, when you've become a person In Christ. Your position, your vantage point. The fact you're above, not beneath, any and every circumstance.

The Power of His Acceptance: You've been accepted...if you accept it, that is.
He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love. He also predestined us to be adopted by Jesus Christ because it pleased Him to do so.

If you ever feel lonely, if you ever feel like you don't belong, if you ever feel like you have no family, you need to remember these words. But for these words to apply to you, you've got to be part of God's family - let Jesus Christ adopt you so that you receive power to become a Son/Daughter of God.
If you are already a child of God and you're ever tempted to feel this way, come meditate on these words and give God praise and thanksgiving for accepting and loving you as you are.
He adopted us to be holy...in love
He adopted us to be blameless...in love.
ALL our actions must be fuelled by love.

to be continued...

Thought for Today: Let The Redeemed of The Lord Say So!

2010-09-10T04:13:00.001+01:00

You know how, you often are familiar with a verse or passage, sometimes 'too' familiar?

Then one day when you read it again it just leaps out at you with the full strength and power of its depth of meaning and significance?

I had one of those moments recently with this verse from Psalm 107:

" ²Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy"

Says there in plain English that God has redeemed me from the hand of the enemy.
It's not something He's going to do in the sweet by and by - He's done it already!
This redemption was part of the 'It Is Finished' that Jesus said on the cross.

I want you to meditate on this Truth for a bit. The Truth does set you free.

The Hand of The Enemy:

What is the hand of the enemy?
Some versions call it the hand of the oppressor - gives you some insight into the fact that 'the enemy' is anything that causes oppresion in your life. Harsh truth: that should read 'anything you allow to oppress you': always remember that in every situation you can choose to be a helpless victim or the one in control.

Very often our actions give 'the enemy' an open door into our lives, to cause the oppression we fear. Redemption from the hand of the enemy starts with recognising who that enemy is, believing you've been redeemed from this enemy's hand, and then working out your redemption by your changing your ACTIONS to reflect your new belief.

'The hand of the enemy' includes:
- Self (lust of the eyes, greed, envy, selfish pride, etc)
- The world system, which goes against God's system
- Sickness/disease
- Relationship woes
- Lack
- Debt and/or financial woes
- Career or business frustration
- Foolishness
- Laziness/slothfulness
- Bad mouth/evil tongue
- ... the list goes on...

Deliver Us From Evil...
When I remember the Lord's prayer - 'deliver us from evil...' (please note that this prayer happened before His resurrection and ascension: this prayer was answered and fulfilled at the Cross of calvary. All God's promises are yes and amen in Him, so rather than recite the Lord's prayer, take the active stance and praise Him for ALREADY delivering you from the hand of the enemy - if you are one of His 'Redeemed' that is! I tell you, that Cross accomplished so much it gets me all excited just thinking about it!) - when I remember the phrase 'deliver us from evil', it tells me that 'the hand of the enemy- represents all that is evil.

That is why God has redeemed us from the hand of the enemy

That is why Jesus said to ask God to deliver us from evil (while He was yet in the human form) - and finished the deliverance at the Cross of Calvary

That is why God said through the psalmist that 'no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling'.

God has redeemed me, delivered me, from all evil. It's a done deal. In the past.

No need for fancy, frenzied 'deliverance services'.
The world's only necessary 'deliverance service' happened on the Cross of Calvary thousands of years ago.

After the deliverance/redemption work on the Cross, our role is now to 'say so', to 'shout unto God with a voice of triumph', to 'walk in it', to 'work out our salvation with fear and trembling', to 'put works to the faith we profess'. This is not time for lip service, people!

So 'let the redeemed of the Lord say so!' - but say so with an understanding of what He has ALREADY DONE for you.

He HAS redeemed you from the hand of the enemy.
He HAS redeemed me from the hand of the enemy.

Now He admonishes you to say so! Wonder why? Here's why: Because:

a) When you say it out, you hear the words, and your faith comes by hearing (and understanding) God's word
b) The things you speak out in faith, come to pass (says so in The Book: "Have faith in God.
²³For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."

So dearly beloved reader, if you have truly been redeemed by God, if you have let Him redeem you and make you a part of His family, if you have been born into God's family, then rejoice! He has redeemed you from the hand of the enemy, no matter the shape or form the enemy has affected you up til now.

How To Manifest Your Redemption
Now is your time to walk in that redemption, to work it out so that it manifests and becomes real in your life.

Do this by meditating on His Words, and making sure your words match His ones, and sealing your faith with praise: for instance anytime you feel tempted to give in to fear, say something like 'Praise God for redeeming me from fear! I am redeemed from the hand of the enemy in Jesus name'. Replace the word 'fear' in that statement with any oppression or challenge you face right now.

So your first step is to SPEAK the words of God in FAITH, bathing your words in praise and thanksgiving (when you are deep in the 'oppression', when the hand of the enemy seems heavily upon you, you come to understand why sometimes it's called a 'sacrifice of praise' - last thing you feel like doing at the time is praising God, but go ahead and do it anyway: in doing so you are paving the way for the manifestation of your deliverance)

Then ACT accordingly - no redemption without repentance - so you've gotta change your ACTIONS to reflect your newly acknowledged status of redemption.

Discipline in the area of your thoughts and actions, seals your victory and makes your redemption visible, tangible, real.

Have a super duper day!

Kem
PS: If you have not yet been born into God's family please contact me now and let's get you started on this amazing, truly life changing journey.

God is just: You WILL Reap What You Sow...

2010-08-19T10:30:00.000+01:00

Christians are sometimes lazy.

They want a quick fix miracle to bail them out of the mess they've put themselves in.
Notice - they've put themselves in the mess in the first place, then when the consequence of their actions becomes manifest, they run to God for 'deliverance'.

Like the person who eats junk food and never exercises, gets sick and runs to God for a 'healing miracle'. God still does miracles, don't get me wrong, but when your actions have made you sick, you're going to have to change your actions to make you well again. God is just. You reap what you sow.

God is just. He loves you too much to let you go on like that. So He will let you have a wake up call, sometimes: eg you go to the bank the day after you get paid and there's nothing in it. Happened to me once. I'd had challenges with my finances, not managing them well, spending when I shouldn't have been spending so going behind on my payments.

Then I ran to God and asked Him to bail me out. No, I didn't do any such craziness as asking someone to send me a handkerchief or some oil. I just asked God to pay off my debts and bring me out of the pit I'd found myself in. And these purchases weren't frivolous things either. They were often good things, important though not vital things - things which could have really waited until there was more money, before I'd bought them. Things like a gym membership and personal trainer (I could work out regularly at home, the gym and trainer were good but not vital, see...), things like paying for a press agency to work on a project for me (it would have taken me longer but I really could have used some no-cost publicity methods ... until the cash flow improved, etc) - so not useless things, just not the right time to pay for them.

Anyway I asked God to bail me out. Seemed He was ignoring me at the time, but guess what, He was really letting me learn how to better manage my finances, for until I proved myself faithful in a little, He wasn't going to bless me with abundance. Which is fair and just, methinks, though it hurt at the time. I realised that God really, really loves me. That's why He was using His rod and staff on me :D. Quite comforting, at the end of the day.

The whole time God was reminding me that 'when you walk through the fire you WILL NOT be burned, when you go through the waters, they WILL NOT sweep over you'. So I knew I was going to be alright at the end of it all. I knew this was something I was going THROUGH, not here to stay.

I learnt how to budget, how to stick within my budget, how to plan, how to call companies and explain to them that I was going through a period where I may not be able to pay the total I owed them but was working on it...(and found to my pleasant surprise that these companies were reasonable and happy to negotiate payment plans with me...). I became a lot wiser in the area of finances and money management during this time - it was like going to school to learn about money.

I never did ask God to cancel my debts though - that prayer has always sounded wicked and selfish to me: the people whose services you used, they deserve to be paid for their services, so if God cancels your debts, how do they get paid?

Rather my prayer was for God to empower me to pay them all back in full. As I learnt how to manage my finances, He answered this prayer for me.

One of the best things that also happened to me during this time, was that I felt perfect peace within me, and had no more fears of financial lack. This was crucial because my biggest fear had always been that of 'what if I wake up and theres no money in my account, how will we survive'? Well I had successfully attracted the manifestation of that fear into my life and somehow had survived - we never spent a day without food, clothes or a roof over our heads. Now that I've learned how to be abased, that fear has been conquered once and for all, so I'm not fazed by the possibility anymore.

The whole experience made me a lot wiser with my finances made me a better money manager.
AND THEN the increase started to come.

I first had to admit that I had been lazy in the area of my finances though. Then I had to repent of that laziness, and become disciplined in that area, making me a better steward of the riches of God's kingdom.

God is for real, folks, and God is just.

He is very practical and won't let you get away with slothfulness in any area of your life. If true Success is what you desire, you're going to have to be DILIGENT in every area of your life.

Have a great day, God bless ya!

Kem

A Very Present Help...

2010-07-23T06:42:00.002+01:00

I have missed blogging on here and sharing the insights I have been learning from my daily devotions.

I find the Psalms particularly encouraging and hope-inspiring and find that they give me a sort of 'spiritual boost' or 'lift' whenever I either mess up, lose hope or start to feel low. Works every time.

Today's insight is from Psalms 46, 91 and 107. I find these words very encouraging whenever I am going through a trying time. They help me find peace in the midst of a storm. See if they do the same for you...I like to personalise these words when I read them, so I'll write the following in the 1st person - read it that way too, so that the words come home to you.

Read them in their entirety here:
Psalm 46
Psalm 91
Psalm 107

When I Messed Up And Was In Trouble:

When I was hungry, thirsty,
When my soul was faint and I was about to give up
When I sat in darkness and in the shadow of death
When I was bound in affliction and iron because I rebelled against His Words
When my soul melted because of the trouble I was in
When there seemed to be no way out of the situation I found myself in...
When I was at my wits end and had given up all hope
Even though I was responsible for being in the mess... (thank God for His mercy!)

God is A Very Present Help In Time of Need

I cried unto God in my trouble and He delivered me out of my distress, He saved me, He calmed the storm in my life and brought me to my desired haven.
He turned my wilderness into a standing water
He turned dry ground into watersprings
He made me live in this place so that I could work and yield fruits of increase (notice He sets you up with everything you need to experience Increase: you've just gotta WORK with what you've got, where you are, then increase is yours.)
God is a refuge to those who trust in Him (me, you - if you do trust Him, that is)
He has broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron (that kept me bound)
He sends His Word to heal me and deliver me from my destructions. The Word of God is the most powerful thing in existence. God holds His Word in higher esteem than His very name (Ps 138) ... that should give you an idea of how you should esteem it. Take it seriously for your very life depends on (what you do with) God's Word.
He is my strength
He is my fortress
He protects me from traps and deadly diseases
He is my habitation, I live and exist in Him
His Truth is my shield and buckler (city wall)
God gives His angels charge over me to keep me in ALL my ways.
God answers me when I call
When I am in trouble, He delivers me (notice God acknowledges that yes there are times when His children are in trouble...we all mess up sometimes; God knows we do, for we are but dust...but He is willing to forgive and deliver us. So no need for living with guilt once you've confessed your sins or weaknesses, and renounced those ways. At the same time, do not abuse His grace and mercy otherwise you will taste His wrath.)
He redeemed me from the hand of the enemy
He delivers me from my distresses
He satisfies me with long life

Therefore...

I will not fear, though the earth be moved, mountains are carried into the sea, seas roar and shake the mountains
I will not be moved
I am not afraid of night terrors or daytime arrows
I am not afraid of deadly diseases or sudden disaster
I am not afraid of pestilence in the dark or destruction in the day
No evil shall befall me
No plague shall come near my home

So In Appreciation and Gratitude To God...

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; for His mercy is not only new every morning, but it lasts forever.
Praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men (that's us!)
Praise Him for He has broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron asunder
Be still and know that He is God
God will be exalted among the heathen in the earth.

Amen, Hallelujah!

To Believe or Not To Believe...

2010-06-29T21:40:00.003+01:00

In John 7 we learn some things:

- Jesus' brothers didn't believe in Him, even after He'd done several miracles. They related to Him with sarcasm.

- If His own brothers had this attitude towards Him, why do you act surprised when people around you ridicule you and make fun of you for doing right and standing for what's right?

- His brothers' attitude didn't faze Him though. Rather He didn't hang about with them, telling them to go on ahead without Him, to the feast. Soon as they'd left He then set out on the same trip.

- Whether it's your blood brother or not, you should not hang about with people who undermine you and your vision, dream or purpose. They're dangerous. Reminds me of the time when Jesus was going to raise the dead girl up back to life. He only allowed people who had faith in Him and what God was going to do, into the room. All doubters were left outside so that the room in which the miracle took place, was filled with faith.

- Take a hint and surround yourself with people who are positive, faith-filled, big-thinking folks.

- The people believed Him because of the miracles He'd done. Would you believe in Him even if He'd not done any miracles? Would you take His word for it?

Living Water...

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
Jesus said this referring to His Spirit, whom He was going to give to those who'd believe in Him. Interesting He should liken His Spirit to water...water is absolutely vital to life in the natural. Likewise God's Spirit is absolutely vital to life in the spiritual realm.
Notice that the Spirit is given to those who believe - it's up to the believer to receive this gift. Don't complicate things, don't go all weird about the gift of God's Spirit: if you wish to really live, believe on Him, repent and receive the Spirit of God into your heart and life. That's all there is to it, no fanfare, no hocus pocus, no nonsense. Keep it simple. Keep it true. Keep it real. More on this later.

Division Because of Him

"So there was a division among the people because of him. " Was true then, is true now. When presented with the evidence about Jesus Christ, every man and woman has a decision to make: do you believe Him or not? Same evidence, decision is entirely up to you.

How To Get What You Desire...

2010-06-25T05:34:00.003+01:00

You'll find out exactly how, when we study the 7th chapter of John, but before we get to that chapter, here's a concept I want you to get your head and heart around really well:

it's the concept of living in Him and Him living in you.

Jesus almost casually brought this up when He said in John 6:
" He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. "

We've already established that to 'eat his flesh and drink his blood' means to study His Word, receive it and believe it.

Therefore when He talks about you 'dwelling or abiding in me, and I in you' - this is what He means for you to do: study His Word, receive and believe it.

Hold this thought, we shall bring it up later in John 7...

Quick Thoughts

2010-06-25T04:42:00.002+01:00

From the rest of John 6:

Got a challenge? Let Jesus into your ship/situation then!

And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
Here's the situation: great wind, rocky sea, disciples right smack in the middle of this, in their boat. Jesus comes walking on the water, to them. The disciples have the option to freak out so much they don't let him in, or to let him in, but first they need to make sure it's Jesus. When they hear His voice they know it's Him, and so they let Him in... (Pretty much like when He says 'Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.' - also in John when He says 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me...'
Then they let Him in - and immediately they're at their destination.
The fastest way to reach your destination, to achieve your intended goal, is by having Jesus Chist 'in your boat' with you. How do you do this? Well, remember how in John 1 we learnt that Jesus Christ = the Word of God? Having Jesus with you in any situation means having the Word of God in every situation. And God has a word for EVERY situation you have or will ever face. So dig in the word (seek and ye shall find), find the Word for your situation, receive it as Truth, into your heart, believe it and act on it - and you'll get to your goal quicker than if you'd attempted it without Him.

"What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"

Simple question, to which Jesus gave them a simple answer. Let's not complicate things, folks. Here's the answer He gave:
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Simple and short.

Here's Someone who'll NEVER reject you if you come to Him...

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
Will you come to Him today? He's waiting for you...what response are you (choosing) to give to Jesus?

See Him and Believe Him...The Will of the Father

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
When you see Jesus (which you do when you study the Bible), and believe Him, He not only gives you ever lasting, never - ending life; He also promises to raise you up at the last day - see, when you die, that's not the end of you; it's the end of your physical body (which was always a container to house the real you anyway), which is God's will for you.
Will you see Him today? Will you believe Him?
Seeing and believing in Him are the same thing as 'eating the living bread' and/or 'eating Jesus' flesh', which makes sense when you remember that Jesus Christ is The Word that became Flesh. So really, 'seeing and believing in Him' means seeing and believing in God's Word.
So don't freak out when you read him talking about 'eating His flesh and drinking His blood'. It's not a pretty picture - a fact that speaks to the fact you won't always appear to be nice and pretty when you're doing what He asks you to do in your situation...- but go ahead and do it anyway because therein lies your victory.

It Must Be Important Or He Wouldn't Repeat It ....

Jesus is trying to communicate something REALLY IMPORTANT to His listeners here. Check this out:
³⁹And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. ⁴⁰And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
He then sees them freaking out and murmuring (public speaking tip: engage with your audience enough to suss out their responses and reactions to your talk, then act accordingly. Jesus observed some of His listeners murmuring, so He paused for a bit...addressed their concerns...then continued)
To help you see what He's been trying to say this whole time, read this: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WORD, FOLKS!
The Word is His 'flesh and blood'.
The Word is that which, if you believe, gives you everlasting life.
The Word is that which gives you life in abundance.
The Word is life.

But just as back in the day, some people heard The Word and chose not to believe - today also, some people will hear this same Word and reject it, effectively giving themselves a sentence of death - death to their situations in life, and everlasting death, which is an active experience of torture that awaits all who choose this path.

I encourage you, friend, nay I implore you, to believe and receive the Word of God into your heart today. He's for real and He's looking for real people to adopt as His Children also. I've accepted His invitation and now am His child. Will you do the same today?

Your Choice!

The More-than-enough God meets your Not-Enough challenge...

2010-06-16T11:21:00.003+01:00

Today's lesson is from John 6. This is where we learn, among other things, about the feeding of the multitude.

Read the entire chapter here: John Chapter 6.

Got a challenge with things being 'Not Enough'? Meet the God Who can multiply the little you do have, and make it 'More-Than-Enough'! If you would only believe...

The Challenge. The Test

The disciples faced a very real, present, serious 'not enough' problem: there was this crowd of over 5000 people (the 5000 was just men; there were also women and children there). Yet they didn't have enough supplies to feed them with.
All that was available that had a semblance of 'supplies' was the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish belonging to a boy among the multitude.
What is YOUR 'not enough' situation? What don't you have enough of? What is one very real, 'starring-you-in-the-face' 'not enough' challenge you're facing NOW?
Let me introduce you to the God I serve: He's the same today, yesterday and forever, and doesn't change. Let us continue with the story so that you know EXACTLY what you need to do NOW to experience God's abundance, His 'more-than-enough'ness, for yourself and see if that doesn't make a believer outta ya.
So yes, the disciples had a real 'not enough' challenge. How did they tackle it when Jesus asked them how they were going to solve it (note Jesus asked them this to test them - He already knew what He was going to do to solve it, just wanted to see if these guys, who'd PERSONALLY WITNESSED Him do miracles, would figure out a solution involving Him...)
Philip failed the test completely - he couldn't see at all, the possibility of Jesus doing a miracle to help them out. All he could see was the physical reality in front of him, and the fact that "Two hundred pennyworth [about an average annual salary worth] of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little"

Philip saw 'not enough' and verbalised 'not enough'. Actually, he saw 'impossible' in front of him, and verbalised that. He'd not thought to look beyond the physical to the realm of invisible, where All Things Are Possible.

Heck he was speaking to Someone who bailed out a wedding party when they ran out of wine, by changing water (what they had) into wine (what they needed); this was the same Someone who had just spoken a word and terminally ill child had been restored to perfect health and life - and there are many other miracles Jesus had done, which weren't recorded in the book of John - and here he was spouting 'not enough' and 'impossible' just cos that's what his physical eyes could see.

Can you relate? Are you overwhelmed by what your physical eyes can see? Is that ALL you do see? There's a whole other realm in existence right now that you need to start seeing, for that is where reality really exists and originates from (which is how come you create your own physical reality by your thoughts and words and consequent actions...)

Let's read on to find out how others fared in the 'test'. (How would YOU have done on this test? Be honest with me now! How are you DOING right now in your own 'not enough' test? Today I'm going to show you how to pass it in flying colours!)
Andrew also failed the test but he got more scores than Phillip - he saw some resources but could not see past them to the God who could use them to bless the multitude. He said "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? "

So he saw some potential food but was still overwhelmed by the physical reality of 'Not Enough' in front of him. Yes it really was a huge challenge. As far as human eyes could see, that is.

The Solution

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
The loaves were put in Jesus hand - your first step is to take your challenge to God in prayer. What do you have 'not enough' of? Take what you do have and put it in Jesus' hand.
Jesus gave thanks. Now I ask you: What kind of faith did Jesus have, to be holding the challenge in His hand and be thanking God for the solution at the same time? What was that all about?

Well guess what - that's the same sort of faith you should have, in God. To grow this sort of faith in God, you've gotta soak yourself in His Word. The more you read and hear about the great things God has done, the stronger your faith in Him to do great things in your life, becomes. And as a result you will see greater results and outcomes in your life.

Some of the most successful men and women who've ever lived, had this sort of faith in God.

Apart from King Solomon, JC Penney comes to mind - yep, the founder of the chain of stores - he had so much faith in God, and kept seeing his faith confirmed in the area of finances that by the end of his life, he was 'tithing' about 90% of his income - and still was a billionaire (he'd started tithing 10% when it looked like he couldn't afford to - but God being the faithful God he is, kept His word and rewarded him financially, so he kept increasing his tithe by 10% - and his financial increase continued to abound - business success exploded, etc, til the end of his life, when his 'tithe' was about 90% - yet the increase kept following and overtaking him. (reminds me of Deuteronomy 28 where it says that "And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God" ).

Dude learnt it's impossible to outgive God (and that's one place where it's okay to talk about 'impossible'!)

You see, Jesus came here for you to enjoy a more abundant life (John 10:10). God NEVER runs out of supplies.

So doesn't it make sense to plug into Him and His provision?

I can testify to the Truth that "My God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory" ... but he won't force that upon you - you've gotta bring your need to Him: put it in His (more than capable) Hands, and then begin to thank Him NOW for sorting things out for you.

Thank Him even before the answer to your prayer becomes apparent. Stick with the gratitude and you will see your reward manifest.
When your challenge is in His hand - you know the sort of challenge where you are between a rock and a hard place, there seems to be no way out of it for you? I want you to bring a true and proper hard case here to prove this principle for yourself - when your challenge is in His hand, because there's nothing else you can do about it, do what Jesus did: give thanks.

When you are tempted to give in to the pressure of the situation - bills are due, no way to pay - put this challenge in God's hands and give thanks. Gratitude is a powerful state of mind. It certainly is the right mental state to be in, if you are to receive ideas of how to get out of your mess... a worried anxious mind is effectively closed to solution suggestions so misses out on the 'miracle' of provision.

Give thanks to God for the solution. This is where unwavering faith comes into the picture. Kinda like old Abraham in Genesis had unwavering faith that though his wife was way past the menopause, she was going to have a baby because God had said she would.

Every success teacher knows and can testify to 'The Power of Gratitude'. In fact it's so powerful it has been called 'The Law of Gratitude' to emphasize the fact that if you work with this 'Law', you get precise results every time. Well, learn from the Creator of that 'Law' and watch Him apply it in a real life situation.
Your breakthrough is within those two lines right there: put the challenge in His hand, and give thanks. Jesus once taught that "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. " - that's why you oughta give thanks when you've put your challenge into God's hand: you believe that you receive what you've asked for, and you SHALL have it. So you're thanking God that you have what you ask for. Whether your answer comes at the last minute or not, the important thing is for you to HOLD FAST to your faith and confession of gratitude.

If you do this, you SHALL have your breakthrough and overflow.

This stuff WORKS, folks.

If you read it and it's not working in your life, the fault is not with The Word, for it's infallible, and God hasn't changed. If God's word seems not to work in your life, the fault lies with YOU, dear reader.

Always has been the case. Anytime God's word is not working in your life, chances are you have a faith problem, just like these guys did:

"For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."

Whenever you read something in God's Word and you wish to see that something come to pass in your life, you've gotta mix what you read or hear, with faith.

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. " And remember, all you need is mustard seed faith (which speaks to not just the size of the faith - after all didn't Jesus chide them for having little faith? Rather it speaks to the QUALITY of your faith - a mustard seed is the ONLY seed that can't be turned into a hybrid plant as you can do with some other seeds. So if you have a pure faith, one that's undiluted or mixed with other junk (which is why you must guard your heart and mind diligently - you don't want any junk entering there and messing with your faith...), and can't be diluted [hybred] with other stuff - then yes you too can move mountains. But first you gotta hear the Word of God to have faith)

I'll continue with John 6 at a later time but I hope and pray today's message has encouraged you to take your 'not enough' challenge to the One who's more than able to solve it - the More than Enough' God who is "that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, " (right there is a whole nother message 'according to the power working in US...but that's for another time...).

Have a fantastic, abundant, day!

Plug into God's abundance right now.

Love ya, appreciate ya.

Kem

Be Encouraged...Lift Up Your Head...Psalm 3

2010-06-15T05:15:00.003+01:00

I love reading King David's words. You can tell he was a passionate man, a man in touch with emotions, which he freely expressed in writing, good and bad.

I particulary find it interesting that though he was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, he's the only one that God describes in the Bible as 'a man after my own heart'. This makes me want to study this guy real close, and learn how to be a woman after God's own heart. I named my son after King David as my prayer is that he too, grows into a man after God's own heart, amen.

Here, King David moans about those who plotted against him and taunted him, questioning his faith in God. Then he reminds himself, and encourages himself to trust in God anyway. Read, learn and ACT likewise.

Read the entire chapter here: Psalm 3...

Do You Feel Like This Sometimes? Can You Relate?

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
Are you struggling with many debts? Personal problems seem more than you can handle? Do you sometimes feel there's no help for you in God, because of the way things appear right now?
My friend does; he's a committed christian but seems to be struggling constantly in one area or another. I'm not free from struggles either. Today's reading reveals what helps me overcome each struggle I face.
You are not alone if you feel like this sometimes. As long as you reside in this temple of flesh, you will be exposed to feelings and struggles and thoughts like this.
You've got the POWER though, the CHOICE, to remain in that situation or do what David did next...

What David Did Next...

He encouraged himself, then he expressed his desires and feelings, to God. And so should you. This puts you in the right mental state to find and act on solutions to your dilemma.
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, 'Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God...' and he heard me out of his holy hill.

God does hear when His children call to Him. Tell Him exactly what you want. Cry to Him if need be, but don't keep your burdens to yourself, dear reader. Man was not designed or created to be alone and carry all burdens alone. So give yours to your Heavenly Father today, as David did...

And As A Result...

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me - Can somebody say 'peace of mind'? David's not losing any sleep, and nor will you. You'll sleep peacefully, knowing that God is sustaining you, and is working on your problem while you sleep. With the right mental state you will receive the solution when you are awake...
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

David was a king and there was always some country fighting against him or another. Your situation is not too different, you know - the principle is the same: wherever you are in your life right now, you are facing challenges. However, regardless of the threats looming against you, no matter how large the multitude of your challenges seem, if you do what David did, you too will be able to say 'I'm not afraid of all these challenges against me.'
Again, a powerful state of mind to be in - it's the perfect state of mind for you to receive the answers and solutions to your current challenges. An attitude of fear blinds you to the answers you seek, see.

Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
God has dealt ALL your challenges a serious can of whup-ass. Do you believe it? Can you receive it?
I don't want you to think of these psalms as weapons against specific people in your life. They're weapons alright, but you must remember that 'we wrestle not against flesh and blood' so don't ever direct these powerful words at 'people'. Rather, direct them against unfavourable circumstances and spirits (eg spirit of debt, spirit of sickness, spirit of ...you get the idea), and pray for God to save the actual people who act under the influence of such spirits, as appropriate.
Leave judgement and punishment of people to God. Your job is to treat everyone right.

The Final Word...

Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people.
Hear, hear.

Be encouraged, dear reader - God's got your back (if you are His child. If you're not His child but would like to be, please contact me over at kem@successeminars.com and put in the subject heading : "I Wish To Be God's Child" and we'll get you started in no time!)

Have a fantastic day and remember, God is your glory and the lifter of your head so step out today with your head held high and a big smile on your face, INSPITE OF your challenges!

Love and appreciate ya.

Blessings,

Kem

The Word Takes Effect INSTANTLY...John 5

2010-06-13T08:41:00.003+01:00

What I'm about to share with you about the Word of God, applies to YOUR spoken word also:

your words have power to create or destroy (Remember Solomon teaches us that 'death and life are in the power of the tongue...)
the effects of your words are INSTANT, whether or not you see the effect instantly. It's all about the vibes you set in motion when you speak, see.

Several places in the Bible we're shown this fact graphically, to send the message home. This story in the first part of John 5 illustrates it well. I'll share the relevant 'punch line' verse with you below, but go read the entire chapter here: John 5.

The Immediate Impact of The Spoken Word

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked...

Know Who You Are...

And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
Jesus knew exactly who He was, and was not afraid or ashamed to say it. He also made no apologies about the fact He's God's Son. When you become a child of God, it means you become made of the same 'stuff' He's made of.
If you could only grasp the enormity of the previous sentence, your very life could be transformed.
The problem is that a lot of Christians suffer from 'spiritual psychosis' where they believe the wrong things about themselves, and act accordingly.
When you know who you are, it doesn't matter what others think about you - you do what you're meant to do as God's child; religious folks may not like it, but that's their problem.

All Men Should Honour The Son as They Do The Father

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him
People claim to honour God. However if you do not honour Jesus Christ you are not honouring God.
If you (think you) honour God, yet you're not honouring Jesus Christ, you're not honouring God and are kidding yourself.

How To Pass From Death To Life

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
It really is not rocket science, nor is it as complicated as some people would have you think: to pass from death to life, all you need to do is to hear the word of Christ and believe in God as revealed by Jesus Christ. So really, death or life are down to your personal CHOICE.
What is dead in your life? Which area of your life do you wish to see pass from death to life? Find out what God says about it, and believe it.

Know who You are.

The Dead Are Rising Now

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Jesus is talking about 2 types of resurrection - a spiritual one taking place NOW (people are hearing God's word and CHOOSING to believe it, so are being transformed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive). Also a physical one which is yet to happen (a literal resurrection which will happen when the dead in the graves will hear His voice and rise to judgement.

Third Party Credibility (and what a Third Party!)

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.

There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

How He Abides In You...

And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
This means that if you believe in Jesus Christ, then in effect you've got God's Word living in you...and as you'll learn later on, if you live in Him and His Word lives in you, you can ask for anything you desire, and you'll have it!

It's All About Jesus Christ

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
At the time He said this, the people only had the 'Old Testament' as 'Scriptures', and Jesus here is telling them that those Scriptures were talking about Him! That oughta make you read the Word with a different perspective right there.
Jesus is still extending His invitation to you - 'come to me...' Will you accept or reject it?

Honour From Man or From God?

I receive not honour from men.
But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
"If another comes in his own name, him will ye receive" - Same today as back in the day: today the world has received Jesus's message - not as coming from Jesus, but as coming from 'the universe', 'the ether', 'the cosmos', everything but the true Source of all wisdom and knowledge.
Men don't honour Jesus Christ as the rightful Source of 'The Secret'...they honour one another. So of course they can't believe in Him. Rather they choose to believe the faceless god of metaphysics.
Never mind, the dead are rising, and the dead WILL rise.

Question is, will YOU rise to glory or to condemnation?

Whether or not you believe it, this stuff is true. So you'd be wise to secure your salvation while there's time to do so.

Have a fantastic day.

Blessings to ya.

Why All The Rage? It's All Good Though...Psalm 2

2010-06-13T07:32:00.005+01:00

'I Pity The Fool...' (Mr T)

A friend of mine who is also a child of God, is experiencing antagonism at work, for no real or apparent reason. She's been falsely accused, disrespected and otherwise mistreated at work though she is a highly qualified manager in her own right.

Course this has had her unhappy in that environment, so we've had discussions about how she's to deal with and respond to the treatment.

In terms of how to deal with it, I've told her that I actually fear for the sake of those mistreating her. God, in Psalm 105:15, 1 Chronicles 16:22 says, through David, "touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm"...bearing in mind that a 'Prophet' is someone who speaks God's word (because God's Word ALWAYS comes to pass), so while there is a separate 'gift' of 'prophecy', in another sense, God's children are prophets, and so these verses apply.

God is saying there: "don't mess with my people or else..."

I 'pity the fool' who dares to mess with God's child - whether or not they're aware of the 'identity' of the person: just don't treat people wrongly, full stop.

I've experienced this scripture come true in my life also; soon after I qualified as a doctor, was doing my housejob (internship) and the boss in charge of our rota, kept giving me the short end of the stick, making me do shifts that were not only unhealthy for any sane person to be doing, but other docs didn't have similar shifts. Also, whenever he 'pulled a sickie', he got me to do his shifts also. Some put it down to racism - they were all polynesian, I was the only african there - I don't know about that, all i know is that this gentleman, for reasons best known to himself, was not treating me right.

I chose not to get upset about it but chose to let God deal with the situation. I didn't even have to pray and ask God to take care of the guy - that was already a given, from those verses. Rather my prayer was more for grace to still do my job to the best of my ability. And for God to forgive this guy.

Well, soon after I finished my stint in that department, the same guy got DEMOTED amidst a public scandal. Seriously humiliating for him. When I heard that news I knew at once he was getting his commeuppance for messing with God's anointed, with a child, a 'prophet', of God.

There are other examples from my life also where that scripture verse has been proven, convincing me that while there is a time to be assertive and speak out when you are being treated wrongly, you should not, if you are a child of God, get offended or harbour anger and resentment against the person mistreating you. Love them. Pity them because, unless they change their ways, they're in biiiiiig trouble.

This morning while studying Psalm 2, the Lord inspired me to share it with my friend because it speaks to her situation quite well.

Read the entire chapter here: Psalm 2.

Rage Against The People of God

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Corporate bullying, being treated with blatant disrespect and such...if you're God's child, rest assured He's got your back. Say the prayer that Jesus said on the cross 'forgive them for they know not what they do' cos if they only knew who you really were, and Who's got your back, they'd back off.
If you're not God's child...well let's just say very often at work in the Practice I see patients who are victims of bullying at work - suffering from severe depression and seeking time off work because of it. All is not lost though: the invitation to be a part of God's family is STILL wide open to you, and Jesus Christ is waiting with wide open arms to welcome you into His family so all is not lost...it's YOUR CHOICE though.
If you are a person who actually bullies or mistreats others, for your own sake I suggest you quit that madness - otherwise when your victim's Father responds to your behaviour you'll wish you weren't born. Seriously, there's no benefit in treating others wrong, no matter the circumstance. Repent and come join His family - He'll forgive you and sort you out, cos He loves ya.
Mind you, it takes a seriously unhappy person to try and generate unhappiness in another person - misery loves company and all that. So that's another reason to 'pity the fool' who bullies or mistreats others...

God's Response To All The Rage...

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Folks don't be fooled: God IS watching you. The fact He doesn't mete out punishment immediately is not because He doesn't see what you're doing, it's because He wants to give you time to repent, change your ways. In His time though, you reap what you're sowing.

God's Word To His Children...

Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
The second part of the above paragraph does not mean you will physically beat them up, lol. It rather refers to the effect your godly response will have on the ones mistreating you - also the effect God's response to them will have on them - is to break them, in some cases to humble them, to shatter their facade of 'power and might'.

God's Invitation To Those In Authority...

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Trust in God, treat His children right out of fear of the Lord, 'lest He be angry and you are suddenly destroyed'. Treat everyone with respect. Leadership doesn't equate to shows of power and authority.
True Leadership is about respecting others and building them up, not tearing them down.
Blessings come to those who trust God. And the blessing of God makes you rich, with no added sorrow to it. The opposite is true too.

So in summary:

If you are a child of God and you're being mistreated at work or elsewhere, express your feelings about the way you're being treated, but do so in love and respect for the one doing it. Then let go and let your Father take care of them on your behalf.
If you are a person in a position of authority and leadership, respect and treat those under you right. If you bully or disrespect them, you are effectively setting yourself up for disaster.

Have a fantastic week, dear reader.

Read, think about and ACT on what you're reading.

Blessings to ya.

Kem

Believing is seeing...John Chapter 4

2010-06-10T05:43:00.002+01:00

Read the entire chapter here: John 4.

Jesus Christ Gives Living Water...You Either CHOOSE To Take It Or Leave It.

Water is absolutely vital to life - you can do without food for 40 days, and still be well, but you can't do without water the same way. So when Christ says that God gives living water to anyone who asks for it (notice that though this is the stuff of life, God's not forcing you to take it...He's left that choice, that decision, to you.), He is referring to Something without which you can't really live.
A reminder from John 3: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "
The second birth, the chance to be a child of God, is where you receive that living water. BY CHOICE. I emphasize this concept of CHOICE because very often people think God owes it to them to save them. God owes you nothing, friend. He's gone ahead and paid the ultimate price for your life...if you CHOOSE to ignore Him and His wonderful gift of salvation from sin, sickness, poverty and death - you are also at the same time, choosing to bear the consequences of your choice.
"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." This new birth leads to everlasting life, from the moment you are (re)born. And this 'everlasting life' does not mean just 'being alive' as in 'taking breaths, having a heart beat and circulation'. It means so much more than this. As you'll learn later, it means 'a more abundant life'. It encompasses every aspect of your life here on earth and beyond.

Get Real With God...of Get Lost!

Harsh words, but true: this is not the time for BS, folks. This is the time for people to get real with God. No hype, no big titles that mean nothing, no hypocrisy, just plain honest, true relationship with God. Now is the time to walk the talk, people. Don't just pay lip service to being a follower of Christ. Be a living example, living proof that He's still alive.
"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."
Now this doesn't mean you're perfect on your own steam - if you are 'hidden' in Christ, then yes God does see you as perfect though. But it doesn't mean that while you live in this body on this planet, you won't mess up every now and again...however don't deliberately mess up as that would be an abuse of the kindness and grace of God, an act of pure wickedness. If you do mess up and realise you've done so, come at once to God, confess and ask Him to forgive you - He'll not only forgive you, He'll cleanse you and make it just as if you never messed up.
God is actually looking for people who are true in their worship. People who worship Him in spirit and in truth.
If you are not re-born of the Spirit, how can you truly worship God? So true worship starts when you become God's child, born of the Spirit and the Water.
Get real with God today, or get (rather, 'CHOOSE TO STAY'...) lost!
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Only those who are truly His children, because they've been born of the Spirit so are now Spirit too - can worship God. Truly.

Samaritan Woman: First 'Evangelist'? First Witness?

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, 'He told me all that ever I did'
Anyone who has a real encounter with Jesus Christ - it's something you just CANNOT keep to yourself. This woman's reaction is typical of a real experience of Jesus Christ - you want to tell everyone!
And when you're telling people about Jesus Christ - you are lifting Him up, and when you do - He draws people to Himself...
And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Jesus Christ - Miracle Working God: Raising The Dead Child

Hear the plea of a desperate man : "Sir, come down ere my child die" His son's what you could call 'terminally ill' - only one destination for the child - 6 feet under...until Jesus turns up at the scene...
Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
And the rest is history.
But notice what just happened:
- Jesus spoke to him
- And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him.
I could stop right there and teach all day on the above, it is so profound. But first let's read the rest of the story.
And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
What turned things around for this man? JESUS CHRIST, in a nutshell.
- Basically, Jesus was on the scene.
- This man needed help, desperately - dying son, hello?
- The desperate man ASKED Jesus for help
- In response Jesus SPOKE a WORD to the man's situation
- The man on his part BELIEVED the word Jesus had just spoken...
- And DEATH was turned into LIFE!
The reason I've spelt it out like this is to ENCOURAGE YOU because nothing has changed in that sequence of events:
- Jesus Christ is here right now. Wherever you are, so is He. He's omnipresent.
- What do you need help for?
  Are you facing something where the situation seems hopeless?
  Are you all messed up with no hope but death (death of your relationship, death of your job, death of your finances, death of your esteem, etc, etc?)
- If you ASK Jesus for help...
- You will discover that He has given you a WORD for your situation. Because He is no longer here in the flesh, you are His mouthpiece (if you're His child...), so you've gotta SPEAK THE WORD He's given you (search the scriptures for words that pertain to your given circumstance - it's all in there, baby.)
- BELIEVE that WORD that Jesus Christ has spoken to your life (and note that this includes every Word in the Bible, not just the 'red letter ones' spoken by the man Jesus. He's the Author of the entire Bible, though He spoke through different people from the Old to New Testaments.
- When you do the above...whatever was dead in your life, will be transformed to LIFE!
That right there oughta fill you with hope, joy and excitement because your life is about to be turned 180 degrees from death and despair, to hope and life!

This Word is true to everyone who believes it. If you believe it, it comes true in your life. If you believe it, you will see it come to pass.

To believe or not to believe is YOUR CHOICE.

To speak God's Word or not to speak it is YOUR CHOICE.

Just don't go blaming God when things stay messed up in your life - He's laid out your solution clearly in His Word.

Take it or leave it. YOUR CHOICE.

As for me and my house, we believe and we speak. Therefore, as is inevitable, we receive!

Have a fantastic day!

It's ALL about Jesus Christ: John Chapter 3

2010-06-08T06:17:00.003+01:00

Jesus and Nicodemus

One thing that strikes me early on in the chapter is what Nicodemus says when he talks to Jesus; he says "we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" - meaning that Jesus's actions spoke volumes and made it obvious that God was with Him. He didn't have to go around calling himself 'Anointed minister Jesus' or 'Prophet Jesus' or 'Miracle Worker Jesus' or anything at all.

These days we seem to be keen on having titles as if they convey any importance or say anything about who or what we really are. I cringe when I see, eg on FaceBook, the titles many religious people go by.

Jesus didn't go by any titles, but His 'fruits' told people who He was and where He came from. Our fruit should do the same. It should be just as obvious to those who see us that we come from God, if we are indeed from His family, as obvious as it was to Nicodemus and the others - there was no doubt in their mind as to whose side Jesus was on.

Jesus and Nicodemus: The Kingdom of God

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ..Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"

When people talk about this verse, they often emphasize the phrase 'born again', but tend to neglect the gist of this passage. Throughout the gospels, Jesus talks about this thing called 'The Kingdom of God'. When teaching His disciples how to pray He says '...your Kingdom come...'

It's clear that The Kingdom of God, and establishing it here on earth, was (still is) high on Jesus' agenda. Yet today it seems to be ignored while people mess about with the term 'Born again', and some even use it as a title! What foolishness.

It is God's will that you see, and enter into, the Kingdom of God, dear reader. The Kingdom of God represents God's way of doing things (thinking, speaking, acting), God's way of living.
The Kingdom of God - The True 'Secret' To 'The Law of Attraction': in Personal Development circles you hear a lot about 'The Law of Attraction'. I believe in the Law of Attraction as much as I believe in The Law of Gravity - God put both of them into place, see.

However the key to attracting EVERYTHING you desire, is found in this verse from Matthew 6:33 " But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 'ALL THESE THINGS' shall be added to you - you won't have to go chasing after all these things - they get attracted to you - you become a MAGNET for ALL THESE THINGS.

Jesus and Nicodemus: Born of The Spirit

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

This concept of being born of the Spirit is not something that can be grasped by the faculty of human reasoning. It really is something you accept by faith first - and then the understanding (or 'revelation') comes to you in a way that no man could ever have explained.

How does one become born of the Spirit?

Remember in John 1 when John wrote about those that became children of God? He wrote: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. "

It starts with a CHOICE on your part - you can choose to receive Jesus Christ into your life and to believe on His name. There's no big ceremony about it.

It's a personal choice you make - you either reject or accept God's gift.

Jesus & Nicodemus: Heavenly Things...

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

This here is some deep stuff. The earthly things are what Jesus has told Nicodemus so far - which stuff Nick is finding hard to believe. The heavenly things, which he would therefore likely find harder to believe, includes things like the statement that '...the Son of man...IS in heaven', and also 'the Son of man must be lifted up: that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life'.

You just have to accept it by faith that when Jesus was here in the flesh, He was at the same time in Heaven. Doesn't make sense to your human mind does it? Then exercise your faith muscles and accept it for now. All will be made clear to you eventually, but you've gotta take the first step. Faith is a heavenly thing. Heavenly things are the things in The Kingdom of God.

So is eternal life. That is a heavenly thing. That is the life in The Kingdom of God. And God desires for His children to enjoy heavenly things while here on earth. I know this because, in 'The Lord's prayer', Jesus said 'Your will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN'. He also prayed 'YOUR KINGDOM COME'. Come where? Down to earth, that's where!

And eternal life is yours when you receive and believe in Jesus and become God's child. Just as physical birth gives you physical life (which has to end someday), spiritual birth gives you spiritual life which is never ending (eternal).

Why would God want us to enjoy the abundance, the life, that He enjoys, the life in His heavenly kingdom?

Jesus & Nicodemus: The Amazing LOVE of God for YOU

This is why - because God loves you so, so so much.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Don't ever let anyone make you think or feel that you are not loved. When you grasp the truth and the fact that the Creator of the Universe - LOVES YOU so much, you will find fulfillment that surpasses anything you can get from another human relationship.

Dear reader, God does not want you or anyone, to suffer or be destroyed - He wants you to enjoy everlasting life, and to save you from sickness, sin, poverty and all the nastiness around us today.

God is not interested in condemning you. Actually, for you to be condemned IS A CHOICE you make! "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. "

In choosing to reject Jesus Christ - by not believing in His Name, you choose condemnation rather than salvation. God doesn't force anyone to believe in His name - He simply makes you aware of the consequences of your decision and lets you choose.

This is simply the way the world works - actions have their stated consequence. Nothing you do or think or say can change this. If you don't like it then go make your own world and put your own laws in place! But as long as you live in God's Earth, there are laws that govern its operation; living in harmony with the Laws of God or the Laws of Nature, leads to a life of peace, health, prosperity (with persecution!). Violating the same Laws, leads to sickness/dis-ease, poverty, war, misery, depression, etc.

As John the Baptist testifies a bit further on in this chapter: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him"

John The Baptist: Humble Giant

I love this guy. Some of his disciples came to him and said, in effect, 'hey boss, that new guy Jesus is pulling all the crowds now - everyone's going to him now, and he's baptising and everything!' I wonder if they expected John to be angry or envious that the crowd was now flocking to Jesus, rather than to him.

Check out, and learn from, his response. "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

In effect he's saying 'guys, this is exactly the way it's meant to be- didn't I tell you at the start, that 'one greater than I was coming'? He's the one I was talking about! He's the main event, dudes, the bridegroom at the wedding - I'm the groom's friend, so I'm happy. He must increase, I must decrease' (oh how I love this concept, and love John for speaking these words!).

John also says that if you receive what Jesus says, you will find that God is true. God is for real. God is faithful. And if you receive and believe in Jesus, you have everlasting life (cos now you've been born of the Spirit, see).

Awesome Word!

Now I've fed from the Word, let me get ready and go to work. Will add more thoughts on this passage later.

Have a blessed day, dear reader. Remember - God loves you - and so do I!

Kem

Jesus Christ: It's ALL About Him...John Chapter 2

2010-06-05T20:47:00.002+01:00

Read the entire chapter here: John 2

Water Into Wine

A theme here which is found throughout the Bible, is that of giving God what you've got in order to get what you desire. Here, the situation is that they desire wine. They've not got wine, but they've got water. And empty pitchers. So Jesus tells them to bring what they've got - fill the pitchers with water, then leave the rest to God. God then takes what was water, and turns it into the most beautiful wine, better than what they had before.
What is it in your life right now that you desire yet you feel you haven't got the resources to acquire? What resources do you have at your disposal? Rather than write them off, why not ask God for wisdom on how to use what you've got right now, to get what you really want?
Fact is, truth is, right this very minute, you've got within and around you, EVERYTHING you need, all the tools and building blocks you require, in order to achieve the excellence you desire in your field.
Have you read or heard the story of Acres of Diamonds? It's where the phrase 'you've got acres of diamonds in your own backyard' comes from. It also illustrates the same principle - before you go out looking for what you want, look within and around you where you are. Start where you are, with what you've got, and make the most of it. Your breakthrough is not far away if you only believe and act accordingly.

Zeal of The Father's House

Here we see how passionate Jesus Christ is about God's temple. Notice how he had a zero tolerance policy when it came to harbouring the wrong type of people and interactions in God's temple.
Do you know that YOU are God's temple? Your body is the temple of God's Holy Spirit. What things are you tolerating in your life, that distract you from doing what God expects you to do with His temple?
God's temple is (supposed to be) house of prayer. Prayer is communication with God. So the house of communication with God must be aggressively protected against things which stain the purity of the temple: junk food, junk mental food (what are you feeding your mind through your senses - visual, auditory, smell, touch?), junk interactions with junk people? Etc.
Be diligent to keep your heart pure, for God lives in there - at least He does if you let Him in...Guard your heart with all diligence...

What People Are Like: Don't Be Fooled...

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
There's no fooling Jesus Christ: sure he got rave reviews when he did miracles, but he didn't for one minute let them get to his head so that he never let his guard down. Sure enough these same people, oh-so-fickle they were, were the same ones that shouted 'crucify him' with the angry mob when incited by those who falsely accused him, later on. He is always in control of his emotions. Learn from this.
If you tend to get excited when people praise you or things go great for you, contain yourself and be calm about things. There is a natural law at work here - the so called law of rhythm. Ups and downs, you choose to remain calm and in control of your emotions. That is the character of a strong personality. Don't get swayed either way by good or bad news. Choose your response carefully. If an event happens on the spur of the moment, then plan ahead for spur of the moment possibilities and eventualities - have a response ready for situations you can't predict. Be in control. This is self control at its finest.

This Was Your Life

2010-06-05T06:32:00.003+01:00

Read a Jack Chick Tract with the same name, here: http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp

Contact me on kem@successeminars.com if you desire to find out more about getting saved, becoming a child and friend of God (what a concept!) and things of that nature.

I look forward to welcoming you to God's family - THIS is where the grass really IS greener! Yup, even with all the challenges and trials we go through (and believe me, there ARE challenges and trials to experience when you are in God's family...) still, I'd rather go through them on this side than on the other side :). The experience and outcome's always better.

Blessings to ya!

Kem

Psalm 1: WHATEVER You Do Shall Prosper IF...

2010-06-05T05:57:00.002+01:00

IF YOU...

Don't walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Eg when you are being mistreated at work and a friend (well meaning, but ungodly) advices you to take revenge at them, or when a friend (well meaning but ungodly) encourages you to tell a white lie and take time off work so you can pursue a personal interest, and call in sick...can you think of other examples? Don't take ungodly advice from anyone.
Don't stand in the way of sinners. Don't behave the way sinners, who are ungodly, behave.
Don't sit in the seat of mockers. People who mock God or mock others for that matter, don't hang with them and worse yet, don't BE one of them.
Notice the progression of your involvement with these sorts of people. First you walk, then you stop walking and you stand, then you stop standing and you sit...If you don't leave that company you'll pretty soon set up tent and live there!

RATHER IF YOU...

Find your delight in God's Law. The Word of God really is sweet and nourishing...it's there for you to enjoy digging into and learning from.
Meditate on God's Law day and night. It's also there for you to meditate on day and night. This right here is a vital key to your success. If you spend time meditating on God's Word rather than on what the world is talking about eg the daily news - you CANNOT suffer from depression. You CANNOT but succeed. Reason being that what you think about expands into physical. I remember during the time I was studying the book of Proverbs, because at that time the material I was reading was always on my mind, I noticed that my level of diligence increased and has stayed at a higher level since.

Notice I say the material I'd been studying, was on my mind all the time and as a result my actions were influenced and I became more diligent as a result. Now the result of my actions of course is that things are flowing more smoothly at work now and my boss is happier with me now than before.

If you're not meditating on God's Word, you're meditating on something, and that something is determining your words, behaviour and results.

Choose to meditate on God's Word - it can only lead you to SUCCESS!

THEN THE PROMISE APPLIES:

You'll be like a tree planted by rivers of water:
Bringing forth fruit in its season
Whose leaves never wither
And WHATEVER YOU DO SHALL PROSPER.
When God says 'whatever you do', He's referring to 'whatever you do'. By now you've probably grasped that God is ALL INCLUSIVE. He is a BIG, BIG, God.

If you find that whatever you do in one area of your life or another is not succeeding/prospering, go through this checklist and examine your thoughts, words and actions: you'll likely find that you've messed up in one of the above areas:

Perhaps you've heeded advice which goes contrary to God's Word and Principles
Perhaps you've done things in a way that displeases God
Perhaps you've kept company with people who speak lightly of God rather than with the AWE He deserves
Perhaps you've found it a chore, rather than a delight, to spend time with God and His Word.
Perhaps you're not meditating on God's Word day and night - and if you're not meditating on God's Word, what are you meditating on?

Have a fantastic day, dear reader!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

In The Beginning Was The WORD: John Chapter 1

2010-06-04T06:51:00.003+01:00

I love the way John wrote his book. You could tell this was a man who was close to the subject of his book. He wasn't writing from theory. He was writing it from personal experience and personal revelation.

There are some profound insights in this book, and very often when someone first becomes a Christian, they're advised to first read through the gospel according to John because that gives the most intimate account of Jesus Christ of all the gospel books.

Being a Christian is not about having a label - it's about a very real relationship with Jesus Christ, who we're about to learn about in this study of the gospel according to John.

Read the entire chapter here: John Chapter 1

In The Beginning Was The WORD

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. God here is saying that He and His Word are one and the same. He is also saying that His Word has always existed - because He has always existed, and He and His Word are one...what this bit of this chapter does for me is remind me of how profoundly important the Word of God is.

Just because we have it freely available, does not in any way diminish its value. The Word of God is- the Holy Scriptures are - the written manifestation of God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ALL things were made by Him. God made everything. God's WORD made everything. This gets exciting when you realise you were made in God's image and likeness. It oughta give you a glimpse into the potential power you have residing in you: God's Word made everything in the world. So YOUR WORD has the power to make everything in your world. Do you get this?

Are you seeing this? Getting excited?

The Life and Light of Men

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. In the Word there is life. That Word is the light of men. No wonder David said 'thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path'. Dude knew a thing or two about the Word of God. No wonder then that God called David 'a man after my own heart'. An awesome thing would be to study the book of Psalms alongside the gospel according to John...2 books written by 2 men who were very close to God, almost intimate even. He is also the Life, notice. Folks you don't start really living until you've got 'the life' of Christ Jesus in you.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Interesting. Jesus Christ, the true Light, the Word of God, who Himself IS God, lights EVERY MAN that comes into the world. What a thought! Nobody is exempt from the light of God - every baby born into the world receives the light of God in him/her. 'Man's search for meaning' really becomes about seeking to express that light received at birth...a similar thought to that of 'the G-O-D shaped hole in everyone's heart, which can only be filled by G-O-D'...

Born - Again?
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. Guess what, right now, He IS in the World, and as we read in the first paragraph, He made the world, and the world still DOES NOT know Him. It doesn't help that there are so many false representatives of Christ out there, confusing the issue...
He came unto his own, and his own received him not. This happened then, this is still happening now. Every day, Jesus Christ comes to His Own - and His Own includes 'every man that comes into the earth'. Every day, His own rejects Him. Some people do receive Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives though. If you are one of those that do, here's what God has to say:
^"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." When you receive Jesus, it means you believe on his name. Doing this means you have become born - again - of God. It's unfortunate that the term 'born again' has been bastardised by people, and is now loosely bandied about by every tom, dick and harry.

It really is a term which signifies a beautiful, pure, miraculous process of transformation that starts when you make a decision to receive, rather than reject, Jesus Christ, and to believe on His name and what it stands for (more of which you will discover in the course of this study)

The Word Made Flesh

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ the man was God in the flesh. HE was the Word in the flesh. So when you are talking about Jesus CHrist, you're talking about God and oughta be in awe of Him. He in the flesh, embodied the Word of God so if you want a living example of the Word of God, look to the life of Jesus CHrist.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. We have ALL received grace - same as we ALL receive His light at birth. What we do with these gifts in future then becomes a matter of personal choice and decision. This verse here is wonderfully liberating: in pre-Jesus times, the only way we could get close to God was by obeying the Law. And boy were there some heavy laws in there! But now, since Jesus, and because of Jesus, we can now get close to God by His Grace. His Grace is that unmerited favour that God has made freely available for us to use: by His grace we are saved, when we receive and believe His truth. What are YOU doing with Gods grace on your life?

John's Testimony

I love John the baptist (no, he's not the one who wrote the gospel according to John - this was written by John, the disciple, the son of a guy called Zebedee).
John the baptist knew exactly who he was and what he was here for, and he made sure his audience had no doubts as to who he was.
He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. , I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." He was humble too. Jesus the man was John's younger cousin - in the flesh - but John knew Who He really was, and he was not too proud to admit it. John at this point didn't know that 'The One' was actually his cousin! Until it had been revealed to him.

The Lamb of God Revealed

So there John was, doing his baptising work, when the revelation happened: he saw Jesus coming to him, to be baptised as well. Here's what he had to say about Him:

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost". These verses actually make it clear that John didn't know who The Messiah was until this moment in time. He tells us how come he knew it was Jesus - God's Spirit descended on Him (in the form of a dove) and remained on Him: that was God's way of pointing out to John Who His manifestation was.

Notice: John describes Jesus Christ as the one who takes away the sins of the earth. God is an ALL God. He gives His light to ALL that are born in the earth. He gives His grace to ALL, and because we've ALL messed up, He takes away the sin of ALL the earth - but none of this is by force - if you reject Him you reject ALL that comes with him.

Reject Jesus Christ or Receive Jesus Christ: Your Choice.

Jesus Christ The Son of God

And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. Said John. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus Christ is God. Calling Him the Son of God makes Him God just like calling you the son of man makes you man. This speaks to His nature, the 'stuff' He's made of/from. Just like your nature is man. Your species, if you will, is man. Well, Jesus Christ is God the same way.

Gotta head off to work now. will share more after I return.

Meantime, think about what you have read so far, and share your insights in the comments section below.

May 31: Proverbs Chapter 31

2010-05-31T01:51:00.002+01:00

Another interesting intro, with all sorts of speculation existing about who King Lemuel was. There is a strong case for 'Lemuel' being a poetic name for none other than old King Solomon himself...nonethless, whoever Lemuel was, what's important is that he had some wise words for us (at least his mom did...) so let's find out what they were.

Read the chapter here: Proverbs 31.

Leadership Qualities

Not a womaniser or 'maniser'
Not into alcohol (don't get drunk - the occasional alcoholic drink is fine, as long as it's just that - occasional)
Speaks out on behalf of the less fortunate when necessary.

The Virtous Woman

Does good to her husband all the days of her life: The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Is willingly hard working and innovative: She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
She ensures everyone in her household is catered for. Note that she has servants, house helpers. This shows she knows to delegate stuff. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
Hard, hard working lady, this one: She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
Is generous. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She has good taste in clothes, a proper fashion sense. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Is an entrepreneur. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Speaks wise, kind words. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She's not a time waster. Looks after her household. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
She fears the Lord. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

I think the last verse pretty much sums up what makes this woman worth aspiring to be like.

Have a fantastic day, dear reader.

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 30: Proverbs Chapter 30

2010-05-30T09:44:00.002+01:00

Here is a chapter with an interesting intro.

I'm not going to dwell on who Agur was because there are so many varying interpretations of that intro, but perhaps at a later time, on a different post, I'll explore that.

I will for now, dive right into the meat of the chapter.

Go ahead and read it all here: Proverbs 30.

The Power of God's Word. Protective Shield

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. EVERY word of God is pure - don't mess with it. Rather believe it, trust in Him and ACT on what He says.

Small But Mighty Wise: 4 Things

There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; Again we are pointed to the ant, and the way they 'make hay while the sun shines'. They are a great example of 'seizing the day'. They don't make excuses. They don't wait to be inspired before taking action. They simply acknowledge what has to be done and they get on with the task at hand. What's your excuse for not taking action?
The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; Conies are like badgers: they live in burrows which they've dug, often through wood but also through rocky cliffs sometimes. This speaks to the power of persistence: ever tried to dig through a rock? No way you'll do that on day one. But with persistence, consistency and sheer stick-to-it-iveness, you'll crack that rock eventually, just as the conies make their homes among rocks. And an amazing thing is that such burrows can last for hundreds of years...this teaches the fact that the fruit of your labour, the labour of your persistence, is lasting fruit, not quick fix or here today, gone tomorrow results. The reward of your efforts is here to stay. Think of that when next you are tempted to quit or give up: think in terms of how you oughta 'badger' the task at hand until it's done and your goal is achieved.
The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; Locusts are very organised in their movements, quite precise and disciplined too. This is inspite of not having a specific leader. However, this talks about individual discipline, teamwork and the Mastermind principle. As a team, as part of a mastermind alliance, every member goes much further in life than outside such an alliance.
The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces. For some reason, some other translations say 'lizard' instead of 'spider', but I like the way it reads in this version because prompts me to think about the skillful spider - ever studied the intricacy of a spider's web? It's stunning! - the skillful spider is found everywhere, even in palaces. Notice that to weave that web, the spider has got to be diligent, and focused on the task at hand. It takes wisdom to find yourself in such an environment. It also takes diligence and laser sharp focus to cause you to be noticed by highly influential people.

Self-exaltation. Thoughts. Words
If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. (a) If you have bragged about yourself, you've messed up and need to shut up before you mess up some more. (b) If you've harboured any evil thoughts against yourself or someone else, you've messed up and need to shut up so you don't mess up further by stirring up strife.

Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife. If you force the issue by (not shutting up and) talking from a place of (a) or (b) above, you will cause trouble: disagreements, anger, etc. So stop that madness and speak the way you've learnt to speak from the previous lessons in this Book, eg soft answer turns away wrath...

Today's chapter has given me a lot of food for thought and reflection, especially the bit about the '4 things'.

What insights have you received from today's reading? Share them below, I look forward to hearing from you.

Have a fantastic week.

Blessings to ya!

Kem

May 29: Proverbs Chapter 29

2010-05-29T06:47:00.002+01:00

Another glorious day has dawned.

Let's find out what treasures King Solomon has for us today, shall we?

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 29.

Parenting Tips

The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. It's hard work, no doubt about it, but the effort and time you invest into training your child and disciplining him when he's messed up, is well worth it in the end.
Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. Hear, hear.

The Power of Vision/Revelation of The Law

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. When you live in harmony with the Laws of Nature (which agree with Word of God - since He's the one that put them in place), you are blessed. You succeed. You prosper. When you don't, you're doomed. Very often people quote just the first part of this verse, but neglect the second part, which sheds more light on the meaning of the first part.Without vision you don't know what the Law is, so how can you keep it?

And yet, the Law is in operation in your life regardless of your lack of vision - take gravity for instance: it didn't come into existence when Newton discovered it - it'd been in operation all along, but the revelation, the vision of gravity empowered men to 'keep the law' - to consciously work in accordance to the Law, and achieve some of the great feats we have today.

Pride. Arrogance.

A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. No matter how 'all that' you believe you are (and you really ARE 'all that' - because God made you fearfully and wonderfully...), don't be arrogant or conceited because if you are you're setting yourself up for a big big fall.

What People Think of You...

...doesn't matter, because "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." This 'fear of man' is the cause of many an anxiety attack, lack of confidence, depression and many more negative, disempowering, self-sabotaging, mental states.

You don't need an anti-anxiety pill to overcome your symptoms of anxiety - you need to put your trust in the LORD, for when you do, you SHALL be safe. You SHALL give an awesome talk. You SHALL ace that job interview.

Have a blessed day, friend!

Love and appreciate you.

Kem

May 28: Proverbs Chapter 28

2010-05-28T06:33:00.003+01:00

This month is fast drawing to a close, isn't it awesome?

I hope you're not at the same place you were at the start of the month, are you?
Hope you're at least, wiser than you were at the start of the month.
Hope you've become more diligent (cos wisdom is worth nothing if your actions are not based on it).

Let's find out what goodies are in store for today.

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 28.

The Benefits of Righteousness: Confidence. Good Things. Safety. Salvation.

The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. Lions have no fear, rather others fear the lion. That's right. When you are righteous you've got nothing and no one to fear, but are confident in every situation.
...The upright shall have good things in possession.
Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit
Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.

You Want To 'Get It'? Seek God.

Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things. They that seek the Lord 'get it'. Get what, I hear you ask: everything. About life, the universe, why we're here, where we're going, all that stuff. It says 'ALL things' in the Word - that's an all inclusive term, see. So if you don't get something, go seek the Lord some more.

Unjust Riches

He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest (usury and unjust gain) amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor. If you desire to enjoy your wealth when you get it, go about getting it through honest means, by doing things that benefit everyone involved.

What To Do When You've Messed Up: Fess up and Forsake it.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Don't be afraid to own up when you've messed up. People are a lot kinder and merciful than you think, even more so when you confess what you've done, apologise and most importantly don't go down that road again...

Rewards of Diligence and Reliability. Abundance.

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough. This concept is so important that King Solomon has mentioned it in so many different ways. Work hard and you will prosper. It doesn't get plainer than this, folks. Laziness leads to poverty. If all you do is read this stuff and do nothing about it, you'll end up poor. If all you do is listen to motivational talks and watch inspiring dvds yet do nothing about it, you'll end up poor. Get up off your backside and DO SOMETHING about your dreams already!
A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Seeking to get rich quick? Er...then you have ruled yourself out of the chance to receive enduring wealth. Rather build the foundation of faithfulness/loyalty/reliability, diligence, discipline into the very fabric of your being, in all you do. The riches you then attract - albeit not as quickly as you'd hoped (though sometimes breakthroughs happen to someone hard working and diligent) - are riches that have substance and are lasting. Methinks that's the better outcome.

Get Rich Quick?

He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
one eager to get rich will not go unpunished

'Partiality'. Favoritism. Treat Everyone The Same.

To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress. Being partial to someone just cos they're well off will cause you to do the wrong thing for their sake. All men are created equal, so your respect for all men should be equal. Don't disrespect someone cos they're poor. Don't treat a rich or highly successful person with more respect than you would do someone who doesn't earn as much. If you have this attitude, you're likely to go ahead and do something wrong, just to please them or gain their favour. As the wise man put it: "for a piece of bread that man will trangress."

Prosperity. Generosity. Trusting God.

He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. Meaning, if you put your trust in God, you SHALL succeed. You SHALL prosper. Notice the choice of word here. The word 'SHALL' implies certainty, definiteness, leaves no room for doubt as to if something is going to happen or not. And all God's promises use this word, SHALL. I love it! It's reassuring and empowering. I shall succeed is more powerful than I will succeed.
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. It's an irrefutable natural law, friend. Whether you are aware of it or not, whether or not you believe it, it's in operation at all times: water and you shall be watered. Give to the poor and you SHALL not lack.

The Fool

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. Judging from what he said in Proverbs 3, one can infer that 'walking wisely' means to 'trust in the Lord with all of your heart and acknowledging Him in all your ways' as opposed to 'leaning to your own understanding'

The word of God truly is life changing. It also builds your faith in Him.

I hope you have a fantastic day, and you act on these messages.

Blessings to ya!

Kem

May 27: Proverbs Chapter 27

2010-05-27T05:10:00.002+01:00

Hi and welcome to today's blog post.

It's Children's Day today in Nigeria - apparently, different countries celebrate the little people on different days. One of the best gifts you can give your children is the gift of an exemplary life: be a doer of the Word of God and your personal and professional/business life will be exemplary, and if that's what your child sees when growing up, that's what he/she will aspire to.

Powering on with today's passage...

Read it here: Proverbs 27.

Pride. Boasting. Bragging. Self Praise

Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Make plans, yes, but commit them to God, cos He's the only one that knows exactly what will happen tomorrow.
Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. We learnt this yesterday too. This concept makes me think about the Business and Professional arena. This is the key to your credibililty: third party validation. Especially unsolicited, but solicited is good too, as long as the person is then given the freedom to speak his mind about ya.

Anger. Envy. Wrath

A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.
Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

True Friendship. Relationships

Open rebuke is better than secret love. Be assertive - if your friend is doing something wrong, offensive or otherwise not right, talk to them about it. If you really care about someone you'd tell them when they've been in the wrong. This includes your kids if you've got any. Not rebuking them is not, contrary to what some may think, a sign of your love for them. Rebuke and discipline them to keep them out of trouble. That's true love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Same theme: if you're on the receiving end of a telling-off from a friend, you know they mean well and have your best interests at heart, though the telling-off, or constructive criticism, hurts at the time. Better this than the 'kisses of an enemy' - someone who does not wish you well, someone who smiles in your presence then destroys you behind your back.
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Good advice from a friend is a wonderful thing.
Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. Cherish your relationships. Don't neglect the people in your life. Stay in touch with them. Not only when you need something from them, but also when you don't.
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. These passages are convicting me because they show me I haven't been a very good friend to some of my friends. I'm going to contact every one of them - as many as I can remember- and re-establish our friendship. I've been guilty of using excuses to not keep the friendships alive, sometimes even valid-sounding excuses. But as I was reminded yesterday - you can't make excuses and make result at the same time. I can't make excuses and make friends at the same time. I choose to make results. I choose to be a good friend to my friends.

If you're my friend and you're reading this, know that I love and appreciate you and apologize for not staying in touch much in the past few years. If you're in my phone contact list, look out for my call or message in the coming week!

Desire. Hunger

The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. If you want something badly enough, you're more than happy to do whatever you need to do, to satisfy that desire. What do you desire in life?

Out of Place

As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. What is your place in life? Are you a parent? A husband/wife/partner? A child? An employer? An employee? Whatever your station or role, stick to it. If you wander out of your place, you're vulnerable and could end up in a dangerous place...The first time I heard this verse it was used in the context of an unfaithful person in a relationship. I suppose it could mean that too.

Loans

Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. If you lend something to a stranger, take a guarantee from him against the loan. Don't feel bad about asking for something to guarantee that they will pay back the loan. This is sound advice. Many people have been played for fools by not following it. Banks do it all the time.

Labour and Reward. Diligence

Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. Take care of business and business will take care of you.
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.
Be on top of things in your life, in your finances, in your business, in your job, in your house, in your relationships. Making the effort to do so, rewards you with provision of all your needs and for the needs of your staff. I like that he takes it for granted that you have servants and people who help you keep house and stuff. After all, such a person is someone you've given a job, and who wouldn't appreciate a job in this day and age?

The Heart: The Real You

As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. Just as you see your reflection when you look in water, your heart - the real you - is reflected in you (your life, your words, your actions, your dress code, everything about you reflects what's in your heart, to others)

Carrot and Stick...

As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. The fining pot makes silver better and more valuable. The furnace makes gold of better quality. You want to get the best out of your friend/employee/child/spouse/anyone you care about? Praise him. Give him good words about himself. Compliment good behaviour. You'll make him and the relationship, of a higher quality than before.

This is why one thing that people seek the most is praise from someone significant: it inspires you to do your best, just to earn praise from your parent/boss/partner. The biggest 'praise' I desire is for God to say 'well done Kem, you good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest...' I want to hear those words from God so I daily strive to live a life worthy of those words. By His Grace.

Interesting isn't it, how these days King Solomon is not so much using the word 'wisdom' as before; rather he is spelling out how it looks, bringing it home so we can relate to it and understand how to apply it in our day to day lives and relationships.

Guy was a genius!

So are you :)

Have a fantastic day!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 26: Proverbs Chapter 26

2010-05-26T06:08:00.003+01:00

Good morning, dear reader :)

How are you this lovely, brand new day?

Ready to feast at the bountiful table of The Word?

Then join me as we dig into today's study. Today's lesson reads like a 'who's who' of bad guys. Read and ask yourself as you read, whether you're guilty of any of the following vices, then decide to change your ways from today if you are indeed guilty.

It also contains encouraging words for you if you're the one on the wrong end of the stick.

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 26

On Being Cursed...

As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. As long as you're in the right, as long as there's no cause for it, you have nothing to worry about when someone curses you- it's not going to affect you. They might as well keep their curse to themselves, cos it'll come back to them anyway. Likewise you shouldn't go around cursing people. In any sense of the word.

Fool!

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. There is a time to respond to a fool so you put him in his place.
He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage. This is because the fool is unreliable. So you're courting trouble and disaster if you rely on him.
The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. All words and no action- another description of a fool. Just like having legs but unable to use them.
As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool. Why would you want to honour a fool anyway? Doesn't that make you a bigger fool?
As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouths of fools. Dangerous.
The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors. Fools get their comeuppance
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. Gross! But seriously, this describes the habit of repeating mistakes, or the insanity of doing the same thing yet expecting different outcomes.
Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. Wow - someone even worse off than a fool is someone who thinks he knows it all.

The Lazy Git!

The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. Always makes excuses. This verse shows how silly excuses are. You either make excuses or you're making results. Can't have both.
As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.
The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.
The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

The Busybody and The Troublemaker

He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

On Being Flippant

As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

The Gossip, The Liar and The Flatterer

Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.
Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.
A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

On Planning Evil...

Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

Off to get ready for work now. I'll write in my thoughts later, but feel free to share yours in the comment box below.

Blessings to ya.

Have an awesome day!!

Kem

May 25: Proverbs Chapter 25

2010-05-25T05:39:00.003+01:00

We're fast drawing to the end of this month, and I hope this exercise has been fruitful for you as it has been for me. I've been challenged to up my game several times while studying this Book. King Solomon does not suffer fools gladly -because God doesn't. He tells it like it is. No time for nonsense.

God is for real and He's looking for people who are real, to be real with Him. No gimmicks, no show, nothing fancy, just plain and simple get on with it faith, love and action.

Ok, on with today's study.

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 25.

On Self Control...

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. Discipline is protective; lack of discipline, lack of self-control, leaves you vulnerable to all manner of danger, like a city broken down, without protective walls...

The Purging Process...

Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. When you are being 'refined' by God, it's not always a pleasant experience, but it's necessary to transform you into a vessel fit for His use. Kinda like when 'dross' is removed from silver...Similarly sometimes it is necessary to purge your life of unfruitful alliancea or relationships...
Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness. Remove all clutter and tolerations from your life and you will be established in your business and life. Purge. Cleanse. Release.

Pride

Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen. Don't exalt yourself - let others do it for you. Note that this is not to say you are not to promote or market yourself if you own a business. Rather it's more like saying you should not give yourself a testimonial and expect that to attract quality clients, rather it's better for someone else to do that for you and lift you up in that regard.
Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain. Don't make false claims about yourself. Back up all your claims with substance. Integrity rules.
It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory. Self praise is not the same as when others praise you for what you've done.

Relationships

Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away. If you have an issue that's bugging you, discuss it with the person in question. Don't rush to make trouble for him/her because of it. Have a proper dialogue - seek first to understand the person, before you seek to be understood by them. If you rush in without understanding where they're coming from, you could end up embarrassed and ashamed of your assumptions, words and actions. Plus now you look bad, a right old twit.
Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee. Don't visit your friends too often otherwise they'll start loathing you and get fed up of having you around.
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee. Treat everyone with kindness, regardless of how they treat you - whether friend or foe. Meet needs wherever you go, whenever you can. Remember this especially in close relationships where you are being treated poorly. No matter your decision about the relationship (to stay or leave), treat the other person kindly in return to whatever they say or do. Always remember: your reward is from God. You will be happy.

The Right Words: Beautiful, Refreshing and Powerful

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Dietary Advice

Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. At face value alone, this verse gives excellent advice regarding your eating habits. On a deeper level as well, the principle is just as important: no matter how good a thing is, avoid excess.

Are you getting any insights from this study?

Share them in the comments section then. Let's learn from each other.

Blessings to ya, and have a fantastic day!

Kem

May 24: Proverbs Chapter 24

2010-05-24T01:59:00.003+01:00

Hello and welcome to today's study.

Let's dive right into the good stuff...

Read the chapter here: Proverbs 24.

The Big Three: Wisdom. Knowledge. Understanding.

Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. This is some deep stuff, and its meaning goes beyond just building a house and filling it with good stuff.
A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Strength here also implies more than just physical strength - there's strength of character (integrity) and conviction (for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God)...again he mentions about the mastermind.
My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. The knowledge of wisdom is sweet to the soul. Not only that, it comes with a reward. Listen, it's okay for you to seek wisdom just for the reward - if God didn't want you to use the reward as an incentive He wouldn't talk about it.
It's just better when you seek it because you want to because you realise the value in doing so, not cos you get rewarded for doing so.

I love it when he says 'your expectation shall not be cut off.'- you get what you expect, when you're walking in wisdom.

I Fall Down...But I Get Up!

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. That right there oughta encourage somebody. When you are on God's team, no matter how many times you mess up, are hurt or discouraged, you can get right up and rise to the top. Don't get into the habit of messing up though. Don't abuse God's grace...

When Your Enemy Has It Bad...

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Don't ever rejoice when things go wrong for someone who's hurt you. I understand the urge to think 'serves them right', but don't gloat over it. Your attitude to your 'enemy' is to 'love, not hate, bless, not curse; feed if hungry; give drink if thirsty'. That elevates you to a whole nother level of functioning...

Don't Envy The Evil Man...

Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. Sometimes you want to hang out with or be like, someone who's ways are clearly contrary to the ways of God. You may see someone who appears successful, rich and beautiful, and who's gotten that way by doing things that are not in line with God's Word. You wish you could be like them. DON'T do that: you don't know their motives, their heart though you can suss it out when you listen to the things they say...
Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked: For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Assess Fairly...Call a Spade a Spade. Tell It Like It Is

It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. Don't be afraid to speak up against evil when you're involved in a situation. Don't condone sinful behaviour, no matter who is doing it.

First Things First

Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. Secure a source of income then you can start a home (get married, start family, etc). Good advice for men AND women. A lot of grief in relationships is related to finances or the lack thereof. Here's how to avoid it: each person should be financially stable before y'all come together. And ladies, don't go making excuses about why you can't wait for that to happen, why your man is meant to take care of you and stuff. If you're a lady who thinks like that and wants to wait and depend on a man to take care of her - wake up and smell the coffee. Sure there are men who can and do take care of their women, but financial independence is more than about just being able to take care of yourself (the Proverbs 31 woman is financially independent, just so you know...) - it's also about what it does to your psyche to know you can provide for yourself if push comes to shove.

Telling Lies...

Is one of the things God hates. Don't do it. Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.

Tit For Tat...

Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. Treat people the way you'd like to be treated, regardless of how they treat you. Leave payback to God.

Laziness and Procrastination: A Sure Fire Way To Attract Poverty and Lack

I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Is your environment cluttered? This is a symptom of laziness. It is a symptom of Procrastination, the opposite of Discipline and Diligence. It shows a habit of leaving things undone...and attracts poverty in a hurry. Therefore, as is the pattern in the book of Proverbs, the opposite of this verse is true: be diligent and disciplined with everything, even the small things. Declutter your life.

Then will you attract wealth in a hurry...

Have a fantastic day!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 23: Proverbs Chapter 23.

2010-05-23T13:51:00.004+01:00

My goodness this book is JUICY!
As long as you remember not to just read it and enjoy the taste of it: ACT on what you are reading otherwise you're a waste of space. And Time. And I mean that in love.

Ok, let's dive right into today's passage. Gotta go to work in a little while so I'll write more when later.

Read the entire verse here: Proverbs 23.

Conduct In The Presence of A Person of Influence.

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat..

Riches. Wealth

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. So don't set your heart on them. They should never be your goal. Wealth for the sake of wealth should never be the aim of your endeavour. Money is a tool for you to use to bless yourself and others. It should never in and of itself, be the reason for your labour. To paraphrase Earl Schoeff: desire riches not for the riches themselves but for what they make of you to acquire them honourably...

Thoughts. As a man thinketh...

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. Note that as with the rest of the book of Proverbs, the convrse is true. So the words 'as he thinketh in his heart, so is he' applies not only to the evil eyed guy - it applies to good guys as well - it is a law of nature, a landmark that you can't move. But in the context of this verse, be careful and discerning with who you associate yourself.

Landmarks.

Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee. Even if the 'fatherless' in question is behaving badly towards you, love them in return. Let their redeemer sort out their discipline, not you.

More Parenting Tips

Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell..

The Joys of Kids Raised Right

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

Advice To A Young Person. Attitude To Parents

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. This old English is so quaint and poetic, I love it! 'begat', lol. Anyway, the point here is that you've got to respect, honour and love your parents. Don't think you know more than they do. Seek to understand them, where they're coming from, don't rebel.

The Fear of The Lord

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Oh, how encouraging this verse is to me - my expectation shall not be cut off. I'll get what I expect. But I gotta be in the fear of the Lord all day long though.

Drunkness. Gluttony. Excess. Abuse of your body.

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
Occasional alcohol is fine. Drunkeness is not. Not from a physical/health point of view, not from any point of view. Likewise eating is fine but not gluttony.

Have a fantastic Week, dear reader.

Blessings to ya!

Kem

May 22: Proverbs Chapter 22

2010-05-22T07:37:00.002+01:00

Today, you're challenged to think about your reputation, your borrowing habits, debts, your work ethics, and of course you learn about how to gain riches with honour...King Solomon today also introduces parenting advice...

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 22.

Why King Solomon Wrote The Book of Proverbs, This Book of Excellent Things in Counsels and Knowledge (vs 20)

That thy trust may be in the LORD. The world's richest and wisest man wants you to trust in the Lord. Don't reinvent the wheel. Follow what works. And judging from the results of this man's life, I'm smart enough to know to sit at his feet and learn what works. Here he tells us the bottom life of it all: trust in the Lord your Maker.
That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee. To assure you that these things are really, really, true so that you can confidently respond to any questions about these issues he talks about in the book.

Reputation. Good Name.

A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. Interesting paradigm. Here is what the world's richest man has to say about the importance of riches relative to reputation, respect, favour. He understands that these are the things of lasting value. They make the wealth worthwhile, when it comes.

Wisdom. Prudence

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. Stay away from even the appearance of evil - if you keep going on that road, you suffer. If there's an area of your life where you're 'suffering', perhaps you should take a look and see if you've allowed evil in, albeit inadvertently. One thing about this prudent person, is they have a great sense of awareness. They're aware of what's going on around them - which is why they're able to forsee the evil and avoid it.

Wealth. Riches. Generosity

By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. Again, riches, honour and life are shown to be the result of an attitude of humility and the fear of the Lord. Folks, there's no getting around it, so don't even try to: if you desire riches, the kind of riches that have no added sorrow, the type of riches that are associated with honour and life, you've got to have the fear of the Lord and let that influence your choices (thoughts, words, actions).
The rich ruleth over the poor...
He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor. Be generous. You'll be blessed when you are. And the blessings of God make you rich with no added sorrow...
He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want. Give to those that need it. Giving to the rich will not increase your riches, because they are not fertile ground for your seed. That's food for thought, because this is not to say there is not a place for gifts...
Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate. Don't even think of taking advantage of anyone, especially someone less fortunate than yourself. Don't even go there - God's got their back, so you mess with them you're messing with God and you don't want to do that, trust me. Love these people. Give when you can (and you can always give a smile, a kind word and a good thought, even if your pocket is empty...). For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them..

Parenting Advice

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. It's the hardest job in the world, but the most rewarding - parenting. Do it right, and you'll be glad you did. Teach them to love and obey God's Word. Teach them to respect themselves and others. Teach them to be responsible for their choices. Teach them from a young age to eat vegetables and fruits, to enjoy water as their favorite beverage, to shun processed foods, to be physically active and intellectually active. Start when your child is young and when he is old, he won't depart from this track.
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. You've got to be firm about disciplining your child otherwise you'll lose him/her. If you think that not disciplining a wayward child is a sign of love, think again. Think of the outcome of that sort of behaviour. If you really love your child, would you be happy for him to end up irresponsible?

Borrowing. Debt.

...the borrower is servant to the lender. Borrowing messes with your posture. It also affects your esteem of yourself. You are always subordinate to the person/organization you borrow from. Tell me, what's the worst thing that could possibly happen, if you didn't borrow money? The first part of that verse is the part that talks about the rich ruling over the poor. The implication in associating those two parts in the sentence, is that borrowing tends to poverty. This is easy to understand when you realize what the very act of borrowing does to your psyche: it sends a message to your subconscious mind, a message of lack. It programs you to remain in lack and to attract more of the same. Is that the sort of outcome you truly desire?

What can you do to break this cycle? To lift you out of the pit you've dug for yourself by borrowing? Do it NOW!
Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? Don't make deals you can't keep. Don't say you'll pay off someone's debts for them if you have nothing to pay.

Thoughts. Words

He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend. Your words can cause you to be associated with people of influence. Your words originate from your heart (mind, thoughts). So lips that speak with grace stem from a pure heart, a love of purity of heart. It's always connected: heart/thought and words.
Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. Notice that if you keep the words of the wise, and knowledge, within yourself, they shall be fitted in your lips - your words will always reflect what's in your heart.

Laziness

The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. And with that excuse he stays home and does nothing. Yet he's the same person to talk about how life is not fair, how he's always broke, etc, etc. Coincidence? I think not! Stop making excuses! Get off your back side and go to work! The hand of the diligent shall be made fat. Work hard whether or not you feel like it. Work hard on yourself: your thoughts, your words, your body, your job, your business, everything. Don't wait to feel like it, don't wait for inspiration to strike. Just go for it!

Landmarks. Boundaries

Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. This speaks to principles or statutes for living. God's Word provides the framework for your day to day life. Don't try moving it, rather live within it. Your country has a set of frameworks and guides/rules for your daily living. Don't move it- live within it. What other insights do you have from this verse? Please share in the comments box below as it's something I'm seeking greater understanding of.

Diligence. Hard Work. Discipline

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. You want to associate with people of influence? You want to pull in the high-ticket paying customers? You want to be highly paid in your field of endeavour? Be diligent in your business. Here's a hard fact: if you are attracting 'mean men' - cheapskates and freeloaders who do not see the value in your service or want to get everything for free without paying you for your work, people who (have convinced themselves that they) can't pay for your services - if that's the calibre of prospects you are attracting, examine yourself carefully. If you are truly diligent in your business, you WILL stand before kings. You WILL attract people of influence and means to pay you for your hard work.

Have a fantastic day!

Blessings to ya and remember to share your thoughts on here, in the 'comments' section.

May 21: Proverbs Chapter 21

2010-05-21T06:41:00.003+01:00

A Proverb A Day Keeps Stupidity, Foolishness, Mediocrity and Failure away... if you act on what you learn!

Today's study has some exciting insights for us so let's just dive right in!

Go ahead and read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 21, then come back and let's share insights on here. Be sure to share yours in the 'comments' box below.

Thoughts. Action. Results!

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want. I could write a book on this verse alone! This right here is the core of every personal development, 'law of attraction', 'prosperity message' teaching ever done: it all starts with your thoughts. Your THOUGHTS can lead to 'plentousness', especially if you are wealth conscious (if 'financial plentousness' is what you desire) and fill your mind with images that depict wealth. BUT, along with your thoughts and vision of abundance, you've got to apply DILIGENCE.

The combination of thought plus (diligent) action is a very potent one. As the wise one says, it can ONLY lead to 'plentousness'. There's just no other possible outcome.

The challenges come however in thinking the 'certain way' that stimulates 'diligent action' which in turn leads to 'plentousness'. This is where your 'thinking skills (TM)' come into the picture.

Check out my success blog to see what I mean by 'thinking skills' - you've gotta know what these are, and use them regularly, if you desire plentousness.

....Ok I'll have to get ready for work now or else I'll be late :D I'll share the remaining insights from Proverbs 21 when I return. Do share yours in the comment box below, so that we may encourage and edify one another.

Thanks for reading this, dear one.

Love and appreciation to ya.

And of course...blessings to ya!

Kem

May 20. Proverbs Chapter 20

2010-05-20T18:57:00.002+01:00

King Solomon does not suffer fools (or sluggards) gladly, as will become even more apparent in today's study.

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 20.

The Lot Of The Lazy Git:

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. This is a person who lacks discipline and personal power. He finds every excuse for not doing what he is supposed to do, when he's supposed to do it. As a result, come harvest time, he's got nothing to reap. He's got nothing. Do you know anyone like this? Is this you, perhaps? Hear me now: success belongs to the diligent: do what you have to do whether or not you feel like it. Do it now, don't procrastinate. Only in taking appropriate action (regardless of if you feel like it or not) will you experience good results.
Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. If the only price you have to pay to make your dream come true, is some hours of sleep every now and then, is that too much to ask? Get off your behind, don't oversleep: get to work on your passion now!

Integrity Rules!

The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. It's not just you that benefits from your integrity - your kids too!
Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.This really speaks about dishonesty in any form. God hates this.

Mind Your Language :)

There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. God places such a high value on your words; you can literally speak your way to wealth or poverty, death or life, success or failure. Your choice.
He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. Don't hang out with someone who gossips or is into flattery. You can be sure that's how they talk about you behind your back...
Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. You must respect your parents, no matter how much you think you know more than they do. Never speak evil or ill about or to them.

Mastermind, The Power Of

Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. Don't start out any major undertaking without talking it over with the members of your mastermind team. Not part of one yet? Start one then!

Wealth

An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed. Ever heard of someone who became suddenly rich, but ended up poorer and more miserable than they were before their sudden windfall? I think the reason for this is that such a person has not had the time to grow into the sort of person that handles abundance wisely. Remember the other proverb that says 'the prosperity of fools shall destroy them'? Same principle. That's also kinda what happened to that prodigal son dude.

Revenge. Vengance. Payback.

Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. Let God be God and let Him take care of someone who wrongs you. Don't waste precious time planning to pay them back for what they've done.

Food For Thought

Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way? This verse is not totally clear to me though it seems to be saying that God determines what happens to each person. If this is the case, then where is free will, which I know God advocates - He wants us to love Him willingly, to obey Him willingly, etc, etc. Any thoughts? Please share in the 'comments' section below.

On further thought and searching it appears that what Solomon is saying here is, 'how can you understand your way outside of [the context of] God'. In other words, remember how, in the book of Acts, Paul says about God that 'For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.', well that seems to be the message that Solomon is getting across here.

This means that the answer to this apparently rhetorical question, is that the only way man can understand his own way, is by recognizing that 'In God we live, move and exist'. You won't 'get it' otherwise. You won't begin to understand what you're about until you accept that your goings are of the Lord...

These proverbs are for building the reader up into a person who acquires and can apply the type of wisdom Solomon had, and its attendant effects/benefits.

I encourage you today, to read the entire passage, but more importantly, to ACT on what you are reading, for knowledge is not powerful until it's put into action.

Have a fantastic day!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 19: Proverbs Chapter 19

2010-05-19T06:36:00.005+01:00

Today, Solomon teaches the importance of integrity and honesty in every dealing we are a part of.

Read the entire chapter here. Proverbs 19.

Integrity equates to wisdom.

Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. Implying that a person who is perverse in his lips - ie not walking in integrity - is a fool. So, a person who is walking in integrity, is wise. Now if you've followed this study for any length of time, you know by now that wisdom has many benefits attached to it, in case you're wondering 'what's in it for you' if you walk in integrity and apply wisdom to your behaviour.

Honesty

A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. Think about this next time you're tempted to tell lies for any reason. In business, this can be particularly tempting. A friend of mine who's starting in business asked me what I thought about the idea of lying about testimonials (not) received ie, to use 'testimonials' on her marketing material, saying the testimonials are from happy customers when it's really herself writing them...I'm going to tell you what I told her: not a good idea. If your product or service is really that good, then trust God to attract clients or customers who'll benefit from using it, and be happy to give you rave reviews afterwards.

Wisdom. Understanding

He that gets wisdom loves his own soul: he that keeps understanding shall find good. So it's not enough to look for wisdom and understanding; as you find it, you've got to keep it. You keep it by using it. When you use wisdom and understanding, you'll inevitably have good outcomes in your life.
Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth. If you're always rushing about, you're likely to run into trouble. Be patient.

Wealth

House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD. Good to know who to credit for the good gifts in your life.

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Did you get that? Go ahead and read it again. When you give to the poor, you're lending to God - and God ALWAYS pays you back (with interest and then some!). Think about that next time you're tempted to turn away from that begger out in the street...
Wealth maketh many friends. But don't abuse your wealth by taking advantage of people. Use it to serve others.

The Fear of The Lord. Protection

The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. Folks, by now you should be aware and conscious of the importance to yourself, of having the attitude of the fear of the Lord. This here is where true security is found. When you have the fear of the Lord, YOU SHALL NOT BE VISITED WITH EVIL. Doesn't get plainer than that. You just need to receive it and act on this Word.

May 18: Proverbs Chapter 18

2010-05-18T21:55:00.004+01:00

Today, King Solomon has a lot to say, about The Power of The Tongue. The Power of The Spoken Word.

Basically, he has a lot to say about what you say when you open your mouth. Course he continues to address the other issues which are vitally important.

As is the pattern in the Book of Proverbs, you learn not only from what it said explicitly but you also learn from what is implied as the opposite of what's been said...

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 18

The Power of The Tongue

The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Finding a Wife

...is to find a good thing and obtain favour with God. What I find interesting is that the same thing is not said about finding a husband...I wonder why not? What do you think? Share your thoughts below.

Golden Rule

If you wish to have friends, be friendly. Be the sort of person you wish to have around you. What good advice. Do you realise that your company reflects your character?

True Safety

A rich man's wealth is his strong city. But be careful here cos only in God is there true security/safety.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and are safe. Don't ever rely on any one else for your safety and security. Unless God protects you, you're vulnerable to all sorts of attack.

Power of a Gift

Your gift makes room for you and brings you before great men.

A lot of this chapter is devoted to the power of your tongue. This tells us how important God sees this issue. We do well to heed this advice.

May 17: Proverbs Chapter 17

2010-05-17T22:16:00.003+01:00

Ok, am well knackered after a really, really, busy day.

Still, can't let a day go by without feasting at the Lord's table. Today's feast happens to be from the 17th chapter of Proverbs.

So let's dive right in. Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 17.

Peace and Harmony

These two are better than all the riches in the world.

Wisdom

Wisdom exalts a servant to a position higher/greater than his boss's son.

Thoughts

God tries your heart: He knows what you're thinking in the innermost parts of ya.

Words

If you're a liar, you listen to liars
Falsehood is unbecoming of a prince.
If you are wise, you use your words sparingly. Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps his mouth shut!

Relating To The Less Fortunate

If you mock the poor you insult God
If you rejoice at someone's misfortune, you will be punished.

The Power of A Gift

It prospers you wherever you take it.
However you've got to use it wisely

Folly

A fool is a more dangerous encounter than a momma bear who's been robbed of her cubs.

Strife

You've got the power to stop any argument before it gets out of hand.

Health

A merry heart does good, like medicine

Will work on the formatting later.

Right now I've gotta go sleep.

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 16: Proverbs chapter 16

2010-05-16T07:48:00.006+01:00

Hello this brand new day!
I love new days - each morning is an opportunity to start afresh if you've messed up the day before, or to continue and move onto even greater heights if you're doing great so far...
Each morning is filled with potential. Luvvit!

Today we continue, with King Solomon, to explore certain life-enhancing themes, some repeated but with more detail, some introduced here...

Read the entire chapter in 3 versions, here: Proverbs 16.

The Power of Your Thoughts. The Power of your Words.

God is the one who makes your thoughts and words come to pass. (vs 1 says "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD"). Your thoughts and words surely manifest, so be careful that you are thinking and speaking things you're happy to see become real in your life.
You may (think) you're doing the right thing, but God looks at your innermost part, your 'spirit', and that's what determines the outcome of your actions. This is an important point because it means you've always got to be sure that your outward actions line up with your thoughts, especially your subconscious thoughts, which determine your ultimate outcomes.
"Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established" (vs 3). Knowing that God is the one who orchestrates the transmutation of your thoughts into physical outcomes, knowing that God establishes, makes real, your thoughts, it makes sense, doesn't it, to commit them thoughts, goals, aspirations, plans to Him: doing this will ensure that the said thoughts (which will be established), transform into reality you are pleased with.
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps". Another verse which shows us that your outcomes, which are determined by your thoughts, are brought to pass by God. Again, implying that you've gotta choose your thoughts wisely. Your thoughts always determine your behaviour.
The heart of a wise person 'teaches' his lips to speak the right words, and empowers him to teach others the same.

The Power of The Spoken Word

Pleasant words have healing power in them. The spoken word has the power to heal or make ill. Mentally and physically. (Mentally: Cure for depression, anxiety and related conditions, people?). I choose to speak words that heal me and others around me. How about you?

'Why Am I Here'?

The Lord has made ALL THINGS for Himself. That includes YOU, dear reader. If you wish to experience true fulfilment in your life, start by coming to your maker and sitting in silence with Him, and let Him show you what He intended for you when He made you.

You have a God-shaped hole in your heart - you were born/made with it - and only God can fill it. Drugs can't fill it, alcohol can't fill it, sex can't fill it, wealth can't fill it, nothing and nobody can fill that hole but God, the One who made you FOR HIMSELF...Brilliant thing is that if you seek Him you WILL find Him. And believe me, your life becomes COMPLETE when you find Him, so I encourage you today to CALL ON HIM WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND, friend.

Until you do this, you will continue looking (in all the wrong places) for that sense of purpose and fulfilment, but you won't find it...

Pride. Conceit. Haughtiness

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall". Let everyone who has ears to hear, hear this. If you are conceited and 'haughty', be warned. Repent.
God considers pride (the wrong type) an abomination, and everyone who is this way will be punished.
"Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud"
NB: to be 'haughty' means to be 'disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant'

The Fear of the Lord

Good place to mention the fear of the Lord, right after talking about punishment (the result of conceit)! That oughta make you at least check yourself to make sure you don't qualify for God's punishment, because it is a fearful thing to fall under God's wrath/punishment...
Here's how Solomon puts it here: "...by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil". The fear of the Lord makes you do the right things.

Mercy and Truth

These are two qualities which, if you possess, keep you on the right path. They should be your attitude in every interaction.
Earlier on in this month Solomon said we should bind them around our necks - that means we should never be without these two.

Your Actions

When your thoughts, words and actions please God, He gives you peace on every side, even from your enemies.
If you are not experiencing peace in your life, check to see where you have stepped out of line, check to see what in your life, displeases God. Then go ahead and fix things, so your peace can be restored.

Righteousness. Wealth

Get your priorities in the right order. First things first: righteousness God's way, then wealth. "Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right"
Righteous words delight God.
Being righteous and upright mean that by default you're protecting yourself from evil and its consequences. You can't do good and bad things at the same time, so focus on doing what's right.

Leadership. Also consider this to be a reflection of God as our Leader.

A good leader speaks with authority and speaks the right words at the right time. God's judgement is always the right one.
Righteousness in thought, word and actions, establishes a good leader in his position.
A good leader loves a person who says good things, who speaks right.
It takes wisdom to pacify a leader who's been angered. God's wrath is like a messenger of death, but if you're wise you can pacify that too. There are several examples of men and women who did just this, scattered all over the Bible.

Wisdom. Understanding. Wealth

Wisdom and understanding are much more valuable than wealth - you're better off seeking them first. This is from the man who sought wisdom first ... and ended up with not only wisdom, but more wealth than any man before or after him. Take a hint.
"He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he". Apply wisdom to everything you do and you will succeed. Trust in God and you will be happy. So rather than be 'in pursuit of happiness', trust in God and your happiness will come from the inside of you.
If you're wise, you are also prudent, and know how to provide for your future and current circumstances. Not only that, you will be able to teach others how to behave if they wish to prosper and be wise too.
Understanding is a wellspring of life. When you have understanding, when you 'get it' about the things that matter in life, your quality of life is enhanced.

The Power of Desire

A strong desire, like hunger, motivates you to take action and work to satisfy that desire. You're the only one who can 'labour' to make your desire come to pass. Mind you, this doesn't mean you're doing everything yourself; wisdom dictates you delegate when you need to, but the point is that you've got to be proactive about doing (or getting done) the things that satisfy your desire, your 'hunger' for an outcome.

Self Control. Anger

He that is slow to anger is greater than the mighty. Your 'threshold' for becoming angry, how quickly you get angry, how easy it is for you to get annoyed, is entirely up to you to decide.
He that rules his spirit (Self control, especially in terms of choosing the right response to every situation) is greater than someone who captures a city. Implying that you've got the power to control your emotions. So use this power today.

God's Direction

You can cast a lot but God determines the ultimate outcome of it.

God is still God and there's nothing anybody can think, do or say to change that. Amen.

Have a fantastic, wisdom and righteousness-filled, week!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 15: Proverbs Chapter 15

2010-05-15T07:01:00.004+01:00

Welcome to Saturday the 15th's study from the book of Proverbs.

Today you will discover :
- The Power of the Spoken Word
- The Power of Your Thoughts
- The Power of the Mastermind Alliance
- Why you need to Be Authentic

I'm finding this study to be quite life-enhancing...are you?
By that, I mean that I'm finding it to be a much needed kick in the backside, stirring me to get my act together in the areas I find challenging.

And the way he keeps harping on 'diligence', for instance, has made that word a recurring thought in my mind, which makes it easier for me to up and do things (diligently) whether or not I feel like doing them...definitely a work in progress.

Read today's chapter here: Proverbs 15.

Solomon dives straight into discussing his favourite themes, while introducing some new ones:

The Power of Your Words...

A soft answer turns away wrath. Your words have the power to diffuse a potentially volatile situation. Sometimes you've just got to swallow your pride and (choose to) respond to someone (whether an irate or short tempered person, or someone like that) in a way that doesn't 'stir up their anger'. You know better now. Take control of the situation and don't get carried away by the emotion of the moment, don't get trapped or led into responding in a similar way to the way they're behaving...give a soft answer. This can be quite disarming...
The tongue of the wise uses knowledge right. When you are wise (have the wisdom that begins with the fear of the Lord), you are able to make good use of the knowledge you have, you are able to speak sensibly from your knowledge base.
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life. It's interesting to note that anytime Solomon talks about the power of the spoken word, he makes a statement about the link between your words and your health and your life in general. Folks this is a tremendous revelation right there. Your words literally do hold the power of death and life. So choose your words wisely.
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, so this is not surprising. The second half of this verse alludes to that when it says "...but the heart of the foolish doesn't do disperse knowledge".
A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken at the right time, how good it is!
The words of the pure are pleasant words, which delight God (whereas the thoughts of the wicked are abomination to God) - notice how he almost uses 'words' and 'thoughts' interchangeably. This is because Solomon knew that words were outward expressions of thoughts...
A good report makes the bones fat (your words bring you health...).

Wisdom. Prudence. Understanding.

The prudent person considers instruction. Constructive criticism is something this person is open to receiving. The wise person knows that instruction or constructive criticism can only make him/her a better person so he doesn't despise it.
The heart of a person with understanding seeks knowledge.
A man of understanding walks uprightly.
The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
The fear of the Lord teaches you wisdom; before honour there is humility.

Righteousness. Uprightness.

In the house of the righteous there is much treasure. Solomon should know. You don't have to be a crook to be rich. You can be righteous and enjoy 'much treasure'. Until you're open to this possibility, you won't experience it. If you've closed your mind to the fact that righteousness, wisdom and the like, can actually attract abundant wealth to your life, if you've been brainwashed into thinking that 'money is evil' or that 'money is the root of all evil' (a misquote of the verse that says that 'the love of money is the root of all evil'- ie, greed is the root of all evil...), or if you've believed any such lies about it, you need to change your thinking and do what the richest man that ever lived, says about wealth and riches. In fact in a later verse (27) he actually says that 'he that is greedy of gain troubles his own house...'

Right now he's saying that much treasure, much wealth, is found in the house of the righteous.

Another way to look at this verse is that there is great value in the home of a righteous person ie the quality of their home, not just in terms of material things but also in terms of good qualities like love, peace, joy and qualities that money can't buy. Because God is a huge, all-inclusive God, and because many other verses have said so, I believe that this verse refers both to material and non-material 'much treasure'. In fact the other half of this verse leans towards the material more than anything: "in the revenues of the foolish is trouble". What are your thoughts on this? Write your comment below.
The prayer of the upright is God's delight.
God loves the person that follows after righteousness.
The way of a righteous person is made plain.
The heart of the rightous studies to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. Here again Solomon is implying that what's in the heart determines what comes out of the mouth...Anyway, this verse is telling us that a righteous person thinks before he speaks. The wicked person just spouts evil without thinking.
God hears the prayer of the righteous and is near to such a person. Are you a righteous person? God can make you righteous in a split second, if you desire this...just ask (read previous posts to discover the thinking process you've gotta go through before you get to this stage. It's awesome!)

God, The All-seeing, All-knowing, Ever-present, knows you inside out and watches your every move:

The eyes of the Lord are in EVERY PLACE, beholding the evil and the good.
Hell and destruction are before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of men? God knows exactly what's in your heart. That's why you've got to be authentic. Be true to yourself and to God. Don't be like Cain who thought he could lie to God and get away with it...if you mess up, go, confess what you've done (confess to God, that is, not to some person on the other side of a partition: go directly to God, in the name of Jesus Christ His son; ask God to forgive you and clean up your mess and make things right. Then you go and make things right with any person involved in your mess. God's watching your every move. So make it a smart one.

The Power of Your Thoughts

A merry heart makes you cheerful. The great thing about this is that you're the one to choose the state of your heart. Sure some things happen that make you want to feel sad, and it's okay say to grieve when a loved one dies (Jesus wept for Lazarus his buddy...), but don't dwell on that stuff. There's always reason to choose thoughts that make you cheerful/joyful. (Jesus wept for Lazarus his buddy...but he turned things around and did something about the situation; now while you may not be able to physically raise your loved one from the dead- or turn around a situation that is potentially upsetting, you can choose to think differently about it.

Focus on the good times you had with your loved one rather than focusing on the fact they're gone; focus on the fact that they're in a better place right now- if they were a child of God - and are free from all sorrow and pain but are in a place of eternal joy and life. Change your focus and your emotions, your countenance will change correspondingly. A lot of psychiatric illness would be prevented if people grasped this simple truth: you have the power to choose your thoughts and the state of your 'heart', whether merry or sorrowful. You do this by deliberately choosing what to focus your thoughts on.
He that is of a merry heart has a continuous feast. What a concept! Choose to be of a merry heart, friend, regardless of the economy or other circumstances facing you.

The Fear of the Lord

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith. So you see, it's not worth having great treasure when you don't have the fear of the Lord and its attendant wisdom to empower you to enjoy it. No matter how wealthy you are, if you do not have the fear of the Lord , a person with the fear of the Lord is always in a better position than you, whether they're wealthy or not.

Love

Better is a dinner of herbs where there's love, than a feast where there's hatred. Get your priorities and values right, folks. First things first. The fear of the Lord, love, uprightness...these things are worth more than anything else you could think of.

Anger

A short tempered man stirs up anger but someone with self control, who is slow to anger, appeases strife. These are traits you can CHOOSE to adopt or not, notice. Nobody can 'make' you angry. Practice controlling your response to things or people who would ordinarily annoy or irritate you. Yesterday I had cause to be angry at work: I had been denied a day of study leave, since I have a major exam in a couple of days - and to make matters worse, I was put on call on the same day, plus had to see extra patients including a home visit, all of which served to greatly cut down my study time. This made me angry yesterday, and at a point I resented the person who'd denied my request for a day off (not a week off, just a day, to tweak up my techniques and such). But then I remembered what God says about how I could choose to see things differently.

So I started telling myself 'he meant well when he denied me the study leave, he just didn't know better', 'I am so thankful to even have a job, and not just any old job, but one that I actually enjoy, and which pays me well', 'I'm going to pass that exam anyway, because God is my helper- so today doesn't change that,', 'I choose to praise God for all the blessings in my life. I'll praise my way to victory come exam day', 'everything happens for a reason and everything happens for my good'. I just kept saying those things to myself and the angry feeling got replaced with love, calm, gratitude and appreciation. So end of the day though I was knackered (it did turn out to be one long, busy day!), I was happy. Same circumstance, different (choice) of thoughts about it.

Laziness

The way of a lazy sloth is as an hedge of thorns but the way of the righteous is made plain and smooth.

The Mastermind Alliance

Without counsel, purposes are disappointed but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. A mastermind alliance is really a group of people with a common goal set. So the common goal set could be to help each member of the team succeed in their individual goal, then the team collectively meets and discusses, and plans strategies to facilitate this, so that it's a win-win for everyone in the team. So that each team member's purposes are established. This also refers to the fact that you need to seek advice from the right people: don't seek financial advice from your next door neighbour- go to a professional qualified to give you appropriate advice.

In another part of the Bible we're told that God's word is like a bunch of counsellors. Enter a mastermind alliance with God and your purposes most definitely will be established...

What a wealth of wisdom King Solomon has imparted to us today. Come back and go through this series over and over again, being sure to read the actual chapter via the link above...your life simply cannot remain the same if you study this material with intent and purpose.

Have yourself a fantastic day!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 14: Proverbs Chapter 14

2010-05-14T05:03:00.004+01:00

The benefits of wisdom, honesty, the spoken word, hard work, righteousness, the fear of the Lord, etc, continue to be discussed today. You'll find that some of the qualities above are interrelated so fall under 2 categories. Awesome!

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 14.

Wisdom. Understanding. Prudence. Knowledge

Every wise woman builds (up) her house (hold) through her actions. Ladies, you've got the power to build up or tear down your home. Please choose to build it up; our society can only thrive when it's made up of homes that have been built up by wise women. Go ladies, go ladies go!
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way.
There is a way that seems right to a man but leads to death in the end. This is sobering.
The prudent person looks well to his going. He considers everything he's told and doesn't believe anything he's not checked out first.
A wise man fears and departs from evil.
The prudent are crowned/rewarded with knowledge
Wisdom is rewarded with riches. Hear hear from a man who had lots of both.
Wisdom is in the heart of someone with understanding.

Your Words

The mouth of the wise shall preserve them. I hope that by now you have at least changed the way you speak, to reflect the wisdom that Solomon talks about here. Your words have the power to make or break you. For real! Choose them wisely.

Uprightness/Righteousness

He that walks in his uprightness fears the Lord.
Among the righteous there is favour.
Mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.
Even in death, there is hope for the righteous person. That's how come when a child of God dies, we can rejoice because finally, death has lost its sting and can't stop God's child from living eternally!
Righteouness exalts a nation. Let us pray for our nation daily and pray for our leaders to be righteous, as well as for us to be righteous. Our nation can only benefit.

Hard Work

Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox
In ALL labour there is profit; merely talking leads to poverty. You've gotta put in the labour.

Honesty

A faithful witness won't lie
A true witness delivers souls

Attitude to those in need

He that has mercy on the poor is happy.
He that has mercy on the poor honours the Lord.
This attitude, methinks, reflects God's attitude to us. That's perhaps why He says His mercy towards us is new every morning...

The Fear of the Lord

In the fear of the Lord is STRONG confidence and protection/refuge.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, and it protects you from falling into traps that lead to death.

Health and healing

A sound heart/mind is health to the flesh. Envy rots your bones. Kinda like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.

Some powerful nuggets there to think about and act upon. The way he repeats certain themes, makes them easy to remember, which is great because then it's easy to act on it.

Have a wonderful day, filled with wisdom and all the good things we've learnt or been reminded of, today.

Blessings to ya.

Kem
PS: Do share your insights in the 'comments' section, thanks!

May 13: Proverbs Chapter 13

2010-05-13T06:07:00.002+01:00

Hello again, dear reader and welcome to today's study from the book of Proverbs. Solomon, said to be the wisest and richest man that ever lived, is giving us some SOLID advice here, which we'd be wise to follow.

Please don't just read these words and do nothing about them: there is life-transforming power when you study and apply them, so as you read them, determine in your heart to act on what you're reading. For in obedience is there great reward.

Read today's chapter here: Proverbs 13.

The spoken word must really be a powerful force - King Solomon here continues talking about it:
- A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth
- He that keeps his mouth keeps his life

Diligence continues to be a theme in this book:
- The soul of the diligent shall be made fat
- He that gathers by labour shall increase in wealth (but wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: kinda reminds me of those lottery winners who become poor within a short time...)

Honesty
- A righteous man hates lying

Righteousness, another recurring theme. By now you should have started getting a feel for the principles that Solomon attributes his stupendous wealth and wisdom to.
- Righteousness keeps him that is upright in his way.
- To the righteous, good shall be repayed. So don't get weary in doing good. Good pursues the righteous person.
- The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul

Generosity
- There is that makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

He introduces the principle of getting good advice:
- With the well advised is wisdom
- If you regard reproof, you will be honoured.

Wisdom of course is a central theme of this book
- The law of the wise is a fountain of life which protects you from falling into traps that lead to death.
- Good understanding gives favour (favour is when good things happen to you without your knowing why, or when people treat you really really nice without [them] knowing why even.)
- Every prudent man deals with knowledge
- If you hang out with wise people you too will be wise

The joy of the accomplished desire/goal
- When the desire comes , it is a tree of life
- The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul

Let's take these principles on board today, friend!

Have a fantastic day :D

May 12: Proverbs Chapter 12

2010-05-12T06:04:00.002+01:00

A Proverb A Day Keeps Foolishness Away.

Today, among other powerful truths, King Solomon begins to teach us about The Power of Our Words: your words really do have the power to bring life or death to you depending on how you (choose) to use them...

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 12.

- vs 6: the mouth of the righteous shall deliver them
- vs 13: by the fruit of lips, the just shall come out of trouble
- vs 14 A woman shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of her mouth: and the rewards of your deeds/actions shall be rendered to you - you reap what you sow in word and deed...
-vs 18: the tongue of the wise is health
- vs 19: the lip of truth shall be established for ever
-vs 21: there shall no evil happen to the just
-vs 24: the hand of the diligent shall bear rule..
-vs 25: a good word makes the heart glad (cure for depression?)

Again, he reminds us of the importance of these keywords:

Honesty: they that deal truly are God's delight (lying lips are an abomination). Also see vs 19 above.
Diligence: the hand of the diligent bears rule. Diligence makes you a leader. Laziness makes you a slave/servant to others.(24), gives you all you need to survive
Righteousness: leads to true security (vs 3), shall not be overthrown/defeated (vs 7), makes you kind and tender hearted (vs 10), leads to good results and outcomes (vs 12), protects you from evil (vs 21: there shall no evil happen to the just), makes you excellent (vs 28), leads to life (vs 29)

Make every effort to see that your life reflects these principles.

Have a super duper day!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 11: Proverbs Chapter 11

2010-05-11T05:35:00.004+01:00

Solomon today talks some more about something he knows very well about: wealth, riches, prosperity.

Read the chapter here for now: Proverbs 11.

Some principles that jump out at me already, are:

Honesty
Integrity
Diligence
Trust in God
Generosity
Righteousness, Uprightness

You can probably already see how applying the above principles to EVERY ACT you perform, can only lead you to prosperity and honour.

Go ahead and memorize those 6 words: make them your mantra, your aim, part of your very being, from today.

I'll share more thoughts later.

Have a fantastic day!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 10: Proverbs Chapter 10

2010-05-10T22:03:00.002+01:00

A Proverb a day keeps stupidity away.

Today's lesson contains a lot of contrasts between 'the wicked' and 'the righteous', or 'the foolish' and 'the wise' respectively.

Let's crack on.

Read today's chapter here: Proverbs 10

Some points that stand out for me (write yours in the comments box below why dontcha?)

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing (ill gotten wealth has no value)...but righteousness delivers from death.
Laziness, slacking, leads to poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes him/her rich. The word 'diligence' crops up again...
It's wise to 'gather in summer': when you have the opportunity to take action, to 'reap a harvest', take it!
If you are wise in heart, you will receive commandments. If you're a fool who does nothing but talk, talk, talk, you will fall.
If you are doing the right thing, your steps are sure and confident.
Your words can give you life. Your mouth, if you are righteous, is like a well of life.
A rich man's wealth is his strong city...
The labour of a righteous person leads to life. Profit. Results.
Being talkative makes you vulnerable to saying the wrong thing.

Today, Solomon starts to introduce us to the concept of and importance of our words ...

A wise person refrains from talking all the time
The tongue of the just is choice silver - your words are of high value.
The lips of the righteous feed many

Then he also shares with us several faith-building principles and truths:

The blessing of God makes you rich, with no added sorrow.
The desire of the righteous shall be granted.
The righteous is an everlasting foundation
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness
The way of the Lord is strength to the upright
The righteous shall never be removed...
The mouth of the just brings forth wisdom...
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable. You'll always know the right thing to say. This comes in handy in business, academia, relationships, etc.

I've just shared above, some powerful affirmations which you can start using right now, to program your mind to attract more success to yourself...

Have a fantastic day, blessings to ya!

May 9: Proverbs Chapter 9

2010-05-09T08:50:00.002+01:00

Welcome to today's study of Proverbs.

Read Chapter 9 here: Proverbs 9.

In the first 6 verses, Wisdom is seen imploring you to come and make use of her, to spend time with her, to 'wine and dine' with her.

It appears that this precious quality, Wisdom, through which you have the power to obtain wealth beyond your imagination, health, happiness and long life, is FREELY AVAILABLE to every human being on planet Earth.

It's yours for the asking.

And God seems to be going out of His way to show you that He desires to lavish the good stuff on you - but He won't force it on you; you've got to desire it yourself, then ask for it. Rather, receive it, going by the way it's put in Proverbs 9, where you're being invited to receive it.

Forsake the foolish and live. If you desire life, let go of all foolishness in your life. Refuse to tolerate it. Be smart. Be wise.
Go in the way of understanding. If you've followed this study from the 1st of May, you now know how to do this, what it means...dontcha?

More about wisdom...

Don't try to correct or 'rebuke' a scorner - that just attracts insults from him - he doesn't know any better to be honest - and he will hate you. So, no-win, no-win there. Waste of time.
Do correct or rebuke a wise person though, when necessary - it'll only make him wiser, and he will love you for it. Constructive criticism is taken the right way with this fella.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and getting to know Him is understanding.

So...the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The fear of the Lord is (also) the beginning of knowledge

Here then is Wisdom 101.1 : it all starts with The Fear of The Lord. Any wisdom or knowledge that is not based on this, is not the real deal.

Wisdom (which starts from the fear of the Lord), multiplies your days, and increases the years of your life.

Folks, this stuff is your choice to believe and reject.
The way I see it, you've got everything to gain and nothing whatsoever to lose, by believing these words, and acting on them.
But the choice is yours and yours alone.

When you receive and apply this Wisdom, you alone stand to benefit.

And now let's contrast Wisdom with A Foolish Woman...

A foolish woman is clamorous
She is simple
She knows nothing (duh!)
Yet she sits at the door of her house, in a prominent, obvious way, calling on passers-by to come into her place and hang with her.
She actually invites the one who lacks understanding, the simple one, to come into her place - promising to give them what they lack. I get the impression she makes out like they can get wisdom from her...
What she really has to offer is defined as 'stolen waters' (which she convinces the gullible is sweet) and 'bread eaten in secret' (which she says is pleasant).
The end result of her offer is death and hell.

Folks, test ALL things: not everything that's sweet and pleasant that's good for ya.

You've got the filter to test ALL things through: " is it based on the fear of the Lord?" or " Has this been done out of the fear of the Lord?"

Think on that today.

Have a FANTASTIC, BLESSED, PRODUCTIVE, week, dear reader :)

May 8: Proverbs Chapter 8

2010-05-08T09:11:00.004+01:00

Would you like to know the 'secret' to enduring wealth?

Then let's dive right into today's study and find out!

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 8.

Firstly thank you Rose, whose comment shed more light on yesterday's message.

Yes, the essence of 'the strange woman' is temptation, and wisdom keeps you away from that trap. Even if you hear the temptation calling out at ya, trying to seduce (tempt) you, wisdom empowers you to not fall for it.

Great stuff.

Today we'll discover more great stuff that wisdom empowers you to do and have. We'll also learn how to 'get' wisdom, where to find it...

We are encouraged to understand Wisdom because:

Wisdom speaks of excellent things
Wisdom speaks the right things. How can you go astray or miss a step if you do what Wisdom instructs? How can you make a bad decision if you listen to what Wisdom says in every circumstance?
Wisdom speaks truth. Wisdom loves ya, but she's not going to BS you just so you don't get hurt. She ALWAYS speaks truth. Can you take it? Sometimes the truth may hurt, but better to be hurt by truth and learn your lesson and overcome your error, than to be pleased by flattery and end up devastated by the outcome of such lies.
All Wisdom's words are righteous; there is no element of evil, wickedness, falsehood or perversion in them.
Wisdom's instructions and knowledge are better than precious stones: silver, choice gold, rubies: nothing you desire is as important or valuable as wisdom. This is because, just like the goose that keeps laying golden eggs, Wisdom is your constant source of ALL things good. Wisdom is what gets you enduring riches and treasures. This is why it is important to seek Wisdom FIRST if you desire lasting wealth and the good health to enjoy it all.
Wisdom gives you true 'common sense' - and we all know how uncommon that is in this day and age!
I like the sound of this: 'Wisdom finds out the knowledge of witty inventions' (vs 12) : If you like to understand, to have knowledge of really smart things, you need Wisdom.

Is your appetite, your desire for Wisdom being increased yet? :)

Do you remember from Day 1 when we learnt that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge'? Now hold that thought as we read on...

The fear of the Lord is:

to hate evil. You can't accept evil, no matter how common or otherwise 'acceptable' to society it is. If you fear the Lord, that is.
to hate pride and arrogance.
to hate lying lips and all manner of falsehood
to hate the evil way
to have counsel (guidance) and wisdom
to have understanding
to have strength (emotionally, mentally, physically if you do what you know to do. Confidence comes when you have the fear of the Lord.)

Wisdom goes on to say:

Wisdom loves you if you love 'her'
Look for wisdom diligently and you will find her.
Wisdom gives rulers the power to rule with justice
Durable Riches, righteousness and honour are with Wisdom
The fruit, the outcome, the value of Wisdom, is far better than the finest gold or the purest silver
Wisdom leads you on the right path and sound judgement so that those that love her can inherit substance (folks, God wants you to enjoy a life of abundance while you're living on planet Earth. He's made His Wisdom available freely for you, it's now up to you to do what He says and enjoy the blessings of God in your life, or you can ignore all this stuff and bear the consequences. As always, it's YOUR CHOICE.)
Wisdom will fill your treasure. Your bank account. Great riches come to the one who possesses, and applies Wisdom. Solomon wrote this, remember, and if anyone knows about how to attract riches and stupendous wealth, he should.

God has used Wisdom since 'in the beginning...':

God used Wisdom to design and create the universe and every single detail within it. That just gives you an idea of what is possible when you possess Wisdom. At every step of the way in the creation process, Wisdom was there, instructing God on what to do, when to do it, where to do it, where to put it, etc.
Wisdom is something that delights God daily, and verse 30 paints a picture of God having fun with Wisdom as He created the universe and planet Earth.
Wisdom rejoiced and was pleased with the habitable part of God's earth, and with man (which probably tallies with when God saw everything He had created and said it was all 'Very Good'. Good times, those were...)

Today also, we are left with an admonition to:

Listen to Wisdom and do what she says because those who do, are blessed: they have good things happening to them. Remember that God's blessings make you rich with no added sorrow, so Wisdom makes you rich with no added sorrow, if you apply it in every act you perform.
Listen DAILY for Wisdom. Seek her DAILY. Thankfully God has said that if you lack wisdom you can ask Him for it and He'll give it to you freely. So, ask for wisdom DAILY. Ask, and you will receive.
Don't refuse her instruction: Do what she says...

Because...

Whoever finds Wisdom finds life
Whoever finds Wisdom obtains God's favour. Bear in mind God's favour can be directly from God, and it can be indirectly via man, like when Daniel and the 3 Hebrew boys were taken to Babylon, God caused the leader to show them favour (Daniel 1 vs 9). God's favour does wonders for your interpersonal relationships, that's for sure!

My take home thoughts for today:

A reminder to seek, find and obey the instructions of Wisdom
A reminder to fear the Lord. To respect Him and His Word more than anything else on earth. Also some more facets to the fear of the Lord (to hate evil, etc)
A reminder that in Wisdom I find the key to enduring riches, so it's really Wisdom I should spend my time and effort seeking and learning for when I act on Wisdom, the riches and treasure and substance are inevitable. Kinda like the whole 'seek ye first' message. I love the way the same Word is consistent throughout the Bible. Not surprising, I guess, considering the same Person wrote the entire Bible!
I'll write more thoughts as they occur to me in the comment box below.

What are your thoughts on today's study?

May 7: Proverbs Chapter 7

2010-05-07T23:59:00.004+01:00

Right, time for the 7th chapter of the book of Proverbs: You feeling wiser already?
Made any changes in your behaviour and attitude from what you've read so far?

Remember, you want to be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer/reader.

So be sure to take something out of each day's reading, and act on it one way or another.

Read the entire chapter for today here: Proverbs 7.

Again, how much value should we place on God's Words?

Keep My Words
Lay up my commandments with yourself
Bind them on your fingers
Write them on your heart
Keep My commandments and live
Keep My Law as the apple of your eye (protect it fiercely...)
See Wisdom as your sister
See understanding as your kinswoman

Wisdom and understanding keep you from

the strange woman
the stranger who flatters you with her words

They keep you from being like the young man who is void of understanding, who went to meet the strange woman:

in the dark
she is loud and stubborn
she's not a home buddy - her feet are always outdoors
she lies in wait at every corner of the street
she is dressed like a prostitute
she's got a deceitful heart
she caught him, kissed him and seduces him to make love with her while her husband is away
she seduces him with 'much fair speech' and with lots of flattery.

He then foolishly follows her, pretty much like:

an ox going to be killed
a fool about to receive a can of whooping.
a bird rushing towards a trap, not knowing it's his very life at stake.

This is some serious stuff, friends!
You do not want to be messing with this 'strange woman', whoevever she is, whatever it represents.

As we are further admonished:

Listen to me now therefore, children
Pay attention to my words
Don't go her way
Don't stray onto her path: she has cast down and wounded many; she has killed many strong men. Plus, her house is the way to hell and death.

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that, while the admonition against adultery is to be taken literally, there's another layer to this Word.

Think about it: Wisdom and understanding are described as women in many parts of the book of Proverbs.

They are the opposite of the strange woman - they keep you from her.
So surely the strange woman has also got to be something to do with doctrine.

What do you make of it?
Share your thoughts in the 'comments' box below, please!

May 6:Proverbs Chapter 6

2010-05-06T19:21:00.004+01:00

A Proverb a day keeps stupidity away.
A Proverb a day keeps failure away too.

Read Proverbs Chapter 6 here: Proverbs 6

Thoughts that stand out for me - do please share your own insights in the comment box, and share this blog with those you love....

a) What to do when you've not kept your big mouth promises:

If you have trapped yourself into saying you'll do something then not done it: here's how to deliver yourself, save yourself out of trouble:

GO (make the first move, take the initiative, be proactive about this)
Humble yourself
Make sure your friend - do that which you said you would do. If you can't do it then apologize and say what went wrong. Basically, make the first move to fix things.
Don't rest until you've done this.

b) Lessons to learn from the ant:

Think about the ways of the ant:
She's got no guide, no overseer, no ruler
Yet she provides her meat in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest: she is one hard working little person, this ant. She again, takes the intiative and takes appropriate action to ensure she's always fed.
She is proactive (do not be weary while doing good, for in due time you will reap if you don't give up...) and persistent.

c) Warnings against laziness/slothfulness:

Don't oversleep: no matter how sweet it is, be proactive, be disciplined and don't oversleep: get out of bed once you wake up.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking ' I'll just have a few more minutes of sleep then I'll get on with that project / do that workout/ read that book/[to do list item goes in here]' - that's a trap to think like that because:
'a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep' is all it takes for poverty to come upon you with a vengeance, and that not financial only either: in every area: poverty in health, wealth, happiness, confidence...
Diligence, then, leads to wealth.

d) Warnings against being wicked/mean: here are the qualities of such a person

Liar, deceitful
Insincere
Continually devising mischief, stirring up trouble for others
Sows discord between people
Calamity is his destiny, and that will happen suddenly and irreversibly.

e) Seven things which are abomination to God:

A Proud look
A lying tongue
Hands that shed innocent blood (and we know that murder is just as bad when it happens in your heart...)
A heart that devises wicked imaginations (for as you think in your heart, so are you...)
Feet that are swift in running to mischief
A false witness - lies
He that sows discord among brethren

f) How should we view the Word of God?

Bind it continually upon your heart (think about it all the time)
Tie it about your neck (remember it)

g) What benefits do you get when you think about God's word all the time?

It'll lead you when you go (and you can be sure it'll lead you in the right direction)
It'll keep you when you sleep (and you can be sure your sleep will be sweet and peaceful)
It'll talk with you when you're awake (and you can be sure you'll get the answers you seek)
The commandment is a lamp
The law is a light
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life - the Word is really the 'Owner's Manual' for your life.
It'll keep you from the evil woman.
It'll keep you from the flattery of the strange woman/man

h) More warnings about that strange woman eg someone else's wife/husband- associating with her/him shows a lack of understanding:

Don't lust after her beauty in your heart
Don't let her take you with her eyelids (don't be fooled by her apparent charm)
You will be reduced to a piece of bread if you hang with a whorish person
Your life will be in danger
You'll be burned - it's like playing with fire under your shirt/blouse, or walking on hot coals.
Your very soul is destroyed when you commit adultery
You lose all respect, and get dishonour and shame.
You will have the wrath of a jealous spouse to face when you are found out.

Again, what if the 'strange woman' is a type of false doctrine?
Would this passage read differently, perhaps more powerfully, to you?

Course this doesn't mean you neglect the literal message -this applies too, of course.

This study is challenging me and stirring me up to fix my game, BIG TIME. Time to upgrade to a higher level of operation now.

I hope it does the same for you!

Blessings to ya.

Kem

May 5: Proverbs Chapter 5

2010-05-05T22:55:00.003+01:00

Today, I've spent a lot of time asking myself: is King Solomon just talking about men and women here or is there something deeper to it?

Well, until I get a clear answer to this question, I'm going to go ahead and share what's obvious from today's reading...

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 5

Again we're reminded that if you pay attention to wisdom and understanding...
- You will be able to apply discretion in your dealings
- You will gain knowledge to talk about.

Then he continues to explain why, in the context of relationships, you need wisdom: it keeps you from hanging out with the wrong type of person (male or female), who is described below:

- "the lips of this person drop as an honeycomb, and their mouth is smoother than oil"

This is the smooth talker, the flatterer, the type of man or woman who says things that tickle your fancy, though they are not sincere in their nice words...

- "the end of this person is bitter, sharp like a sword, death, hell."
- this person is not reliable- 'their ways are moveable', you can't depend on them for anything.

Listen, no matter how attractive or fantastic someone appears to be on the outside, if they are insincere, unreliable, undependable, you need to...

- Remove your way far from him/her
- Don't go near the door of their house

If you don't do the above ...
- You will lose your honour (self-respect, self esteem, self confidence)
- Your years will be hard (cruel)
- If you gain wealth it will go to strangers
- If you labour it will be for strangers
- Your health will suffer greatly (for your flesh and body will be consumed...think AIDs, sexually transmitted illnesses and the like...these are literal examples, but there are other interpretations of this chapter too...)

Then you are admonished to:
- Drink water out of your own cistern and running water out of your own well. If you've got a life partner, stick with them. Be faithful to them. Satisfy yourself with them.
- Don't disperse your water for strangers to drink: you're not to use your body for sexual gratification with lots of people ('strangers') - have the one person and be faithful to them.
- Enjoy your spouse: sexual intercourse is for you to enjoy and experience total satisfaction...when it's with your spouse.

-Don't fall into the temptation of messing with another man/woman ('the strange woman'), who is not your life partner or spouse.

Remember that God watches all your ways, so don't mess up.

**********************

That's the obvious interpretation...
However, what if we chose to also look at it in terms of 'types'.

For instance, what if the 'strange woman' is a type of 'false doctrine'?
What if the cisterns of water and so forth, are type of 'God's Word'?
How would today's Proverbs reading look to you?
Would it look like it's got several layers, and is true on every level?

Think about it.

Then share your thoughts below.

Blessings to ya!
-

May 4: Proverbs Chapter 4

2010-05-04T21:38:00.004+01:00

Today we continue our study on the Book of Proverbs.

Just in case you've forgotten why we're doing this, let me remind you.

Solomon, who wrote the Book of Proverbs, is known as the Wisest man who ever lived. He's also the Richest man who ever lived, the richest man of all time.

Based on the above, it makes sense to learn from him - so this month, we're sitting at his feet and listening to his lessons on wisdom, health, wealth, relationships and more!

For sure, 'A Proverb A Day Keeps Stupidity Away!'

Let's dive right in to today's fun stuff! Read Proverbs Chapter 4 here: Proverbs 4.

It must be of utmost importance, to seek wisdom. Otherwise Solomon wouldn't repeat this admonition. It's like a daily reminder. Check this out:

vs 4: Keep my words in your heart; keep my commandments, and live ('my' here refers to God's)
vs 5: Get wisdom, get understanding; remember it and talk about it;
vs 6: It will preserve and keep you (protection again...)
vs 7: Wisdom is the main thing; therefore get wisdom, and with all your getting, get understanding. Doesn't get plainer than this.

Get wisdom first.
Then all other things shall be added unto you.

Esteem wisdom highly and your reward will include:
- Promotion (vs 8)
- Honour (vs 8)
- Grace (vs 9)
- Glory (vs 9)
- Long life (vs 10)

If you apply wisdom in all you do...
- your steps will not be hampered/blocked (vs 12); I like this one.
- you will not stumble when you run (vs 12); Like this one too. They both give me the impression of being sure footed wherever I tread.

To give you an idea of how important instruction is, we're advised to hold onto it and not let it go.
- 'Keep her', says King Solomon the wise, 'for she is your life'.

What should you do when there are 'evil men' around you?
- Don't enter their path (vs 14)
- Don't go in their way (vs 14)
- Avoid their way, turn from it, pass by it, pass away (Vs 14)

He then goes on to describe this evil type of person: see if you can recognize these traits in anyone you know:
- They don't sleep until they've done mischief; gossiping, doing harm to others either verbally, physically, emotionally
- They cause others to fall
- They are wicked and violent. Cruel in intent, word and action, bullying in all its forms, manipulative behaviour.

However, everyone gets their commupance:
- The way of the wicked is dark - they stumble without knowing why.
- The path of the just is as a shining light, shining more and more unto a perfect day, until broad daylight.

Again, some more reminders of how important God's word should be to you (vs 20-22):
- Attend unto His Words - pay close attention now.
- Incline your ears to His sayings (basically, read and listen to His word)
- Do not let God's Words depart from your eyes
- Keep them in the midst of your heart (think about them often)
-...for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.

Wait a minute - health to ALL their flesh? Did I read that right?
ALL their flesh - this means every cell, tissue, organ, in their body.
Can you believe this, dear reader?
Can you receive it?
Will you (choose to) receive it?

Your Choice: the gift is there for you to take and use.

The Son of God comes with healing in his wings.
The Son of God is the Word of God made manifest.
The Word of God gives health to ALL your flesh.
So valuable, yet FREE for all who would receive it.
Nice.

But at the same time he says '...to those who find them...' so even though God's word is freely available, you've got to seek His meaning in the words, and you will find them - and He's told you above, how to find God's word...

Then King Solomon says something rather profound:

"Keep your heart with ALL DILIGENCE; for out of it are the issues of life" (vs 23)

-Folks, this right here is why you must guard your thoughts: out of your thoughts come the issues of life.
- What issues are you dealing with right now, or facing?
- What would you like to see come true in your life?
- The key is to ensure your thoughts are thoughts whose end result you are happy to see, for your thoughts are things which have power to change from intangible to tangible.
- Your thoughts should be in line with, reflect, your desired final outcome.

"Keep your heart with ALL DILIGENCE; for out of it are the issues of life"

He then leaves us with some final words:
- Speak good words, not perverse or dishonest words;
- Focus on one thing: the path ahead of you (vs25): FOCUS on your vision.
- Plan your course and be sure of your direction. Let all your ways be established. Make a DECISION and stick to it.
- Once you've decided on a course of action, commit to it and don't be swayed from side to side. Yep, COMMIT to a course of action once you've decided on it.
- Remove your foot from evil.

I don't know about you, but this study so far has whet my appetite for more of God's Word. I want to dig in and bombard my mind with Words that are powerful enough to bring about the healing of all my flesh, to protect and keep me safe, to keep me from messing up or staying messed up if I am messed up, to make me rich, to make me live a long and fruitful life, to walk and my steps not be hampered, to run and not stumble...

I want to get thorougly familiar with that sort of programming for my mind, spirit and body!

Where dat Word at?

I'm encouraged and reminded to give God's word the priority it deserves in our hearts. I hope you are too.

What have you learnt today?
GAP and write it down ('GAP' = Grab a Pen)

Blessings to ya, see ya tomorrow

May 3: Proverbs Chapter 3

2010-05-03T09:51:00.004+01:00

Building on the foundation laid in the first couple days (chapters), King Solomon the Wise is today getting down to the nitty gritty stuff, the every day issues that affect each of us.

Today he gives us advice on how to be healthy, how to obtain riches, etc. Let's read:

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs 3.

If you desire any of the following:

Long life (vs 2)
Prosperity (vs 2)
Peace (vs 2)
Favour with God and man (think of 'favour' as being considered and treated as someone's 'favourite') (vs 4)
Good understanding in the sight of God and man (vs 4)
God's direction in all your ways (imagine that - a life where each step is under God's direction! The all-knowing, ever-present, God! That oughtta keep you out of trouble - if you follow His direction, that is...)
Health (vs 8)
Strength (vs 8)
Overflow and abundance (vs 10)
Happiness (vs 13)
Length of days (vs 16)
Riches and honour (vs 16)
Pleasant life (vs 17)
Good quality of life (vs 22)
Grace (vs 22)
Safety (vs 23)
Your foot shall not stumble (vs 23)
No fear (vs 24)
Sweet sleep (vs 24)
Confidence (vs 26)
Safety/protection (vs 26)
God's secret (vs 32)
Blessed home and environment (vs 33)
Promotion to glory - something better than where you are now (vs 35)

If you desire any of the above blessings - picture what your life would look like if every one of the above promises applied to you right now - go ahead, go through that list one more time and picture yourself living a life with those qualities as your current reality.

What does such a life look like?
How does it compare with the life you've got now?
Do you believe such a life can be yours?
Remember, those words were written by someone who'd lived every single one of them, so he knew what he had to do, in order to experience that sort of life, and he's written it all down for us, so that we too can do what he did, and get the same results.

So, what conditions do we have to meet, in order to enjoy a life of the quality described above? Here they are.

If you desire the above qualities then you should:

Remember God's Word and obey it
Be merciful (think kind, loving, understanding)
Be truthful (integrity to God, to yourself - where you do what you say you will do, keep your promises to yourself; integrity to others. Honesty.)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Don't rely on your own understanding of things
Acknowledge God in all your ways
Fear the Lord
Depart from evil
Don't be wise in your own eyes (says King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. Interesting.)
Honour God with your substance
Honour God with the firstfruits of your increase (now, I encourage you to focus on the Spirit behind these words you're reading, not just on the letters. The spiritual principle here is related to that of tithing - giving the first tenth of your earnings to your local church or other organisation that supports your spiritual growth. Yes I know that first fruits literally referred to food. However, the principle laid down here goes beyond just food. So don't get all titchy about the fact that I believe this part of the Word is implying that you should give God the first part of all you earn. It's not mandatory, however it is a discipline that brings great benefits to other areas of your life including freedom from bondage of material things.

Also, your decision to do what the Word says or not depends on the results you desire: if an overflow and abundance of wealth is something you desire, then you have a principle right here that's guaranteed to unlock that gate for you. But don't take my word for it - take God's word for it, prove it and see for yourself whether or not the principle is true.) (vs 9)

Remember, King Solomon, who penned these words, knew a thing or two about financial intelligence...
Don't despise God's discipline - every loving father disciplines a child he loves.
Find wisdom (vs 13 - 15)
Get understanding (vs 13 - 15)
Keep wisdom and discretion (vs 21) - so don't just get em, you need to constantly keep them in your 'view'.
Do good to someone who deserves it, when it's in your power to do good to them. (vs 27)
Give today, if you have what 'your neighbour' asks for - don't procrastinate and say you'll give it tomorrow.(vs 28) - 'neighbour' doesn't just mean the guy living next door. Think broader here: do you see how doing the opposite of what he's saying here, can lead you down the slippery slope of debt? What other consequences of procrastinating when things are due, can you think of?
Don't devise evil against any one, don't be mean to anyone especially if it's someone who trusts you. (vs 29). If you must think about someone, think good things about them.
Don't argue for the sake of arguing. (vs 30)
Don't envy a cruel, person, someone who oppresses others, and don't copy his ways. (vs 31)

Notice how the first part of the chapter teaches you how to relate to God and His Word, then the second half tells you how to relate to your fellow human beings.

You can't succeed if you don't relate and communicate correctly with other human beings, for they have a role to play in your success story. People are involved in your progress - you don't exist in isolation, and you can't progress in isolation so it's vital that you learn how to treat others.

So go through the above list again, study each condition and begin to work on any area you find yourself deficient.

Today again I emphasize that you don't have to do any of this stuff - unless you desire the stated outcomes as listed above. Whether or not you follow the advice of the Wisest and Richest man who ever lived, is entirely, 100% your CHOICE.

Have a fantastic day, blessings to ya!

Kem

May 2; Proverbs Chapter 2

2010-05-02T08:40:00.003+01:00

A Proverb a day keeps stupidity away.
A Proverb a day keeps foolishness away.
A Proverb a day keeps (preventable diseases) away.
A Proverb a day keeps poverty away.

Welcome to Day 2 of our study of the book of Proverbs. Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the 'share' buttons over a the right of the page, then also, please share your thoughts on Proverbs chapter 2 in the comment section below.

God bless you, as we dive right in!

Read the entire chapter here: Proverbs chapter 2.

Today, Solomon the wise is teaching us a bit more about the fear of the Lord.
Which is good because a question I thought about after learning yesterday that 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...' was 'how does one get the fear of the Lord, and what does it really mean anyway?'

First of all, the 'fear of the Lord' implies a sort of deep respect for God and regard for His Word and His ways. It has nothing to do with being afraid of Him (He's a loving father - respect Him, don't be afraid of Him) - though you should be afraid if you are constantly disobeying Him - yes, you should be afraid of His wrath...

However...

If you desire to understand the fear of the Lord (and in doing so, get to know God - the most important 'knowledge' to have...), you need to:

Receive the words in this book regularly whether by reading them or by listening to them.
Meditate on, think about these words ('apply your heart to understanding') diligently - gotta consciously make time to do this. Pencil it in my daily planner and stick to it.
Approach your 'search' for wisdom, knowledge and understanding with the same vigour as you would if you were looking for hidden treasures and precious jewels

Because...

God GIVES wisdom, and understanding and knowledge come from His words.
He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous

...Let me just interject here, in case you're wondering what it means to be righteous - it means to have right standing with God - and the only way to obtain this standing is by accepting God's gift of salvation and eternal life which offer He extends to you through Jesus Christ His Son. So if you receive Jesus into your life/heart, accept his gift of salvation, He gives you the power to be called a child of God, and He gives you His own righteousness, and when God looks at you, He no longer sees you, the sinner - He sees (through His son-) you, the righteous (awesome, isn't it'!)

...so if you want to be one of 'the righteous' for whom God lays up sound wisdom...[CHOOSE TO] accept Jesus into your life today. Acknowledge that you are a sinner - for ALL have sinned and fall short of God's glory - and ask Him to forgive and save you from your sins and their consequences, then thankfully accept His GIFT of salvation, righteousness, eternal life in future and a life of abundance in the present...

...you do all this by FAITH - ie you believe that's the case, you receive the gift by faith. And faith, as with most everything else on earth, is a CHOICE.

Contact me if you'd like to discuss this further, and get saved...
God protects those who walk uprightly. So yes it's by faith you become righteous, but you've gotta back that up with appropriate action. You can't claim to be righteous by faith then walk around deliberately hating everybody or abusing your body or doing anything wrong - when you have a change of heart and become righteous by faith, you've gotta change your ways and begin behaving in a way that befits a member of God's family.
God keeps the paths of judgment for you if you are righteous and seeking His wisdom and knowledge and understanding: He sees that justice is done wherever you're concerned.
God preserves the way of his saints. His saints = the righteous ones (you know, those of us who've received His GIFTS by faith...) - He keeps us safe.

So if you diligently receive His words, seek after knowledge and wisdom like you'd seek after hidden treasure, then yes you will understand righteousness, judgment, equity and indeed every good path to follow.

Also, when you are wise from the heart, and when you're at a place where you enjoy understanding...

You'll be protected (prevented from going with) and delivered from (if you are already in it) the way of 'the evil man' (verses 13-15 describe this sort of person)
You'll be protected and delivered from 'the strange woman' (verses 17 - 19 describe this dangerous character and the consequences of hanging with them ...)
You will, though, walk in the way of good men, right paths, you will live in the land and remain in it if you so desire.

But the wicked (think 'opposite of righteous') will be cut off from the earth and uprooted from it.

Sobering thought, that one.

The main message of this chapter really is to emphasize the attitude you need to have if you're to develop the Fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.

Study it again and do share your own insights in the comments box below. Love to hear and learn from ya.

Have a fantastic day,

Blessings to ya!

31 Chapters in 31 Days: Proverbs Chapter One

2010-05-01T19:05:00.006+01:00

Do you wish to be wise? I mean, really really wise?
Do you wish to be rich? I mean, really, really rich - with no added sorrow, that is?

Well then doesn't it make sense to sit at the feet of the man who is known to have been the Wisest and Richest man of all time?
To listen to what he has to say?
To learn from him?
To seek his advice and listen to his counsel?

Makes sense to me.

So...come with me as we go through the book he wrote. One of them anyway .

I'm talking about King Solomon, and I'm talking about the book of Proverbs.

It's conveniently got 31 chapters.

The month of May's got 31 days.

So let's study one chapter of Proverbs each day this month - then start all over next month, and the one after that, etc, etc. If you do this, you will end up wiser at the end of this month than you did at the start of it, and you will be laying the foundation for real wealth (material, spiritual, etc) for yourself, if you act on the wisdom you receive here.

Here goes, then.

Proverbs Chapter One:
Read the entire chapter here.

The verses that stand out for me include :
vs 2-5, which summarise the aim of this book:

to know wisdom and instruction
to perceive the words of understanding
to receive the words of wisdom, justice, judgement and equity
to give subtility to the simple
to give knowledge and discretion to the young man
to increase the learning of a wise man
to give wise counsels to a man of understanding

...the gist of which is to say that the aim of the book is to make you wise, knowledgable, discerning, of understanding.

Which is really neat because once you're sorted in that area, everything else is added to you - you'd know how to go about doing what you need to do to get wealthy if that's your desire, to stay healthy, to be happy, to be extremely confident, to have a super healthy self esteem, to experience love and fulfilment of the lasting kind...

Then he goes on to say something profound:

..the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...

Folks, this is 'wisdom 101' right there.
Any other 'wisdom' that's not based on 'the fear of the Lord' ain't it at all, doesn't bring you lasting success or results.

So if you're serious about achieving true, lasting, success, study to learn what the fear of the Lord is, then choose to adopt that attitude in every transaction, every interaction, every conversation, every facebook post(!), everything you do.

NOTE: This message is for serious players only.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

And at the end of the chapter he implies that 'the fear of the Lord' is a CHOICE that you make, when he talks about the calamity, fear, desolation, destruction, anguish, distress that come upon those that hate knowledge, because they did not choose the fear of the Lord.

..."for the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them" (vs 32.)

- ever heard of someone who suddenly became rich, then ended up worse than ever before? Many of the billionaires mentioned in the bestselling book, 'Think and Grow Rich', ended up destitute, some committed suicide, some were in prison, etc...

The prosperity of fools SHALL destroy them. Hey, I didn't write the book - I just learn from it and do what it says.

The other side of this, true and implied (and there's a lot of this in the book of Proverbs, where you learn from what is not said explicitly...) is that the prosperity of wise folks won't destroy them.

Put another way, the prosperity of the wise builds them up.

Sounds like a better option to me, this wisdom deal.

Later on in the book of Proverbs, around day 10 (Proverbs 10:22) the wisest man who ever lived, tells us that 'the blessing of the Lord makes you rich and He adds NO SORROW to
it' .

Dude knows the Source of his stupendous wealth.

So it looks like we have a choice to make from today's lesson:
Choose either 'The fear of the Lord' - and its attendant 'blessing that makes rich with no added sorrow'
OR
Choose to turn away from , to refuse, to listen to, 'The fear of the Lord' - and its consequent calamitous outcome.

As for me and my house, we choose the fear of the Lord!

Have a fantastic day and a wonderful month of May, dear reader!

Please share this post with at least one person you care about today :)

New Beginnings...Easter Thoughts...

2010-04-02T09:29:00.002+01:00

Whatever you feel about the origin of the term 'easter' and the origins of the celebration, whatever you feel about the fact that bunnies and fairies have nothing to do with Jesus Christ (but more to do with pagan fertility rites...) the fact remains that at this time of year, the world once again, even if for a couple days...thinks about Jesus Christ, His death and Resurrection.

We're advised to 'test all spirits, test all things, hold fast to the good and discard, let go what's evil.

So I choose to focus on the latter (not just during Easter, but daily, for this event is the reason for the hope I now have - if Jesus had stayed dead, then 'we would be of all men the most miserable bunch', who believe in Him).

But thank God, praise God, He rose right up from the dead!

Do you understand the implication of this in your life?
This is what makes the gospel such good news, for those who believe it and receive Him into
their hearts (and for those who do this, God gives the power to be children of God...). This is what gives believers hope in this life and of the life to come.

I'm not about to repeat the story of Christ's death and resurrection and why He did it - y'all have heard this several times already and sadly for some people the story is just a bunch of words...indeed for some people the story of the Cross and the resurrection are but foolishness...

The purpose of this note really is to encourage someone out there (you know who you are, that needs to hear this...) to take heart in the fact that Jesus Christ is risen.

Nothing anyone says can change this, see, so folks might as well get with the program, believe in and receive Him and start living the quality of life you were created to live...

He is risen. He is alive!

Not only is He risen, when He rose, He rose to a new beginning, a new type of existence, a type of existence that included the promise of His Holy Spirit dwelling in His children, who have believed on Him. This is what empowers believers to do 'greater works' than He did when He walked this earth as a man.

Be encouraged, dear believer, whatever your past life has been up til this point, be encouraged that you too can experience a new beginning as long as it is called 'today'.

You can 'forget the former things, do not dwell on the past...'(learn from the past experiences then move on, don't park and live there now) '...see God is doing a new thing in your life...' (if you let Him - He loves you but won't impose His blessings upon ya...) see, now it springs up (not tomorrow, not later), do you not perceive it? He is making a way for you dear one...God is making a way in your wilderness, He is making rivers in your desert.

There are many promises, powerful words in The Bible which, thanks to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, are now 'yeah and amen' - they're now 'done deals' to anyone (and I mean, anyone) who believes, receives and acts on them.

These promises elevate your sense of self worth once you embrace them, they make you unstoppably confident, and fill you with God's spirit of excellence in all you do (and we all know how important that is if you wish to succeed in life...), but more importantly they empower you to partake of God's divine nature. Daily.

If you are not seeing the promises in the Bible manifest in your life, don't blame the Word - it is as sure and true as can be: rather, if things in your life, your current outward results, are not reflecting the promises of God - His promises of abundance, healing, etc, know that it is because those words are not seeds in your subconscious. You either don't really believe them, or you're not mixing your faith with appropriate action.

Your outward life always reflects the real you, the real dominant thoughts that dwell in your inner being (from whence all results come...for the subconscious is like a fertile garden - it grows whatever seed you plant in it, and the fruit of such seed are visible for all to see...), so the origin of your outward circumstances, is in your mind, your heart (any wonder then that we're admonished to 'guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the issues of life...'

This should encourage you because if you are in a place you don't want to be right now, you can start now to come out of that place. You can begin to bombard your subconscious with the powerful promises in the Bible from now.

You can totally change your direction in life right now (course the challenge is to remain on track, which is why daily constant bombardment of your mind with the right Word is imperative...)

Because He is Risen, those words come with life-giving power, life transforming power for anyone who receives, believes and acts on them (for faith without action is dead...).

I've seen The Word work over and over again, and continue to see it work. Anytime it seems not to be working in some area of my life, I look inward and sure enough I've missed the boat in some way each time I've messed up.

But I don't dwell on my error - I recognize it, acknowledge it, learn from it, and move right on, looking forward to the prize of my high calling.

Because He is risen, I can do this, and as I do this, I rise from glory, to glory, to glory...sure there continue to be trials and challenges along the way, but each one turns out to really be a stepping stone to the higher level when I succeed and overcome it (which I inevitably do, because He lives and empowers me to do so...)

I could go on about this but by now I'm sure you get the point: Jesus Christ is risen, He is alive and folks, He is for real! More real than the nose on your face!

So, for you who need encouragement, find it in the fact, and the implications of the fact, that Jesus Christ is alive and well. With Christ on your side,

- you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. Notice it says 'all things' -don't go changing that to mean 'some things' now. You get what you believe.

- God's got your back. can't think of any fact cooler than that. Nobody can be against you now ('can't touch this!')

- you've got reason to rejoice daily.

For those of you who do not believe in Him, I ask you 'what shall you do with the one called Jesus Christ' then?

End of the day it's all a matter of choice, folks.

And every choice comes with consequences, for which each of us is responsible.

God bless you, dear reader, now and forever!

Kem

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

2009-06-14T08:46:00.009+01:00

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')

2009-05-29T12:29:00.003+01:00

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."
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..."
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.
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.
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.
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!
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...

2009-04-27T07:58:00.002+01:00

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!

2008-12-08T08:03:00.003Z

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'...

2008-12-06T18:10:00.000Z

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?

2008-04-22T02:59:00.000+01:00

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

2008-02-17T22:31:00.000Z

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!

How To Have The Most Meaningful Christmas Yet...

2007-12-21T04:05:00.000Z

As Christmas day approaches, I feel compelled to share these thoughts with you.

I've always wondered why, if Christmas is (supposed to be) Jesus Christ's birthday, why do we spend a lot of money buying gifts for each other?? Is it not normal to buy birthday gifts for the celebrant of the birthday?

A lot of things about 'the commercialization of Christmas' don't sit well with me, but this one thing about giving gifts to each other has always felt particularly odd, and I never really understood why until this morning when I was meditating, then it hit me: Jesus said that if you helped the less fortunate, you were 'doing it unto him'. However, with the way Christmas is celebrated, Jesus is not even in the picture. Instead, it seems as if every effort is being made to eliminate Jesus Christ from everything to do with Christmas, including the name of the occasion itself ('X'-mas? puhleeze!)

How would you feel if your friends celebrated your birthday yet never invited you to join in the celebrations?
How would you feel if they threw a birthday party for you and yet you were not invited?
How would you feel if they gave each other presents to 'celebrate' your birthday, but neither gave you one nor wished you a happy birthday? Rather they went around wishing each other 'Happy Kem's birthday' (insert your name where I've put mine).

You'd feel hurt, right? You'd also probably think they were nuts.

Jesus said:
"For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not...inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me..." ( from Matthew 25: 31 to 46).

This implies that if you must give any gifts at Christmas, 'Jesus' so-called birthday, the people mentioned in the paragraph above are the ones you should give them to, for in doing so, you're giving gifts to Jesus Christ, the celebrant of the occasion, the 'reason for the season'.

Let's stop this herd mentality of doing what everyone else does, without stopping to think about what we're doing and why the heck we're doing it.

Dare to think outside the box. Dare to think for yourself and act for yourself regardless of what the herd expects of you.

If you wish to have your most meaningful Christmas yet, give gifts to Jesus Christ (as represented by the groups of people above...). Invite Him to your parties (if you have any) and shower Him with birthday gifts. Don't have a 'Christmas party' and not invite the very person whose birthday it's meant to be! That doesn't make sense does it?

Do this, then compare it with the times when you've spent your Christmas in selfish ways - on yourself and on others who already have more than they need, going into debt just to 'look good at Christmas'...etc, etc.

I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised with the calibre of Christmas you have when focus on what really matters.

So I challenge you - go out and have a meaningful Christmas if you dare!

Love you and wish you God's blessings.

Kem

Provision and Possession

2007-10-28T17:12:00.000Z

Today's blog is about the concept of God's Provision and your possession of it.

You see, all God's promises tell you about what He has already provided for you. That's right. He's made available to you every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Every need you could possibly have, already has a solution in God's Word.

He's also said that His blessings make you rich with no added sorrow.

Does this show up in your life?

Have you possessed your God-given provision?

You see, until you get up off your backside and grab what's yours, it remains there, not manifesting in your physical life.

You've got to possess it spiritually first before you see it in your physical life. Believe that you receive it and you will have it.

Many times we're spiritually and intellectually lazy then we go and complain when good things don't show up in our lives. Not very smart is it?

An illustration used by several preachers is this: the preacher drops a bank note on the floor and says it's John's money (or some other named person in the congregation). Now, if John doesn't get off his seat and walk up to the stage to pick up his money (in other words, if he doesn't take appropriate action towards possessing what's already his), it's not the Preacher's fault that John hasn't got that money. He's already given it to John. Whether John takes possession of it or not is up to John.

Same to you. God has already given you everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Will you rise up and take what's yours? Will you possess it spiritually first, that you may manifest it outwardly?

It's up to you. Your choice. God has done His bit. Will you do yours?

What's your part? To believe you receive it, as Jesus says in Mark 11: 24

Know this: if you are broke, if things aren't going well for you, don't blame God. Look at yourself and see what you're doing with all He has given you. He has given you absolutely everything you could possibly ask for. He even paid for your abundant life with His very life. Was His suffering in vain where you're concerned? Hope not.

He's told you what to do in order to experience 'Good Success'. Are you doing it?

The ball is entirely in your court, dear reader. God's done His part.

You seek success? It's your move.

Blessings to ya!

Kem

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

2007-03-18T04:06:00.000Z

Hi and thanks for stopping by.

The purpose of this blog is for me to share my thoughts on Biblical principles and how they affect the quality of our lives.

I'm big on Personal Develpoment, Success Strategies, 'Self' improvement (you'll discover why I put the word 'self' in parenthesis later), and I've come to realize that the reason they work is that they have their origin in what I refer to as The Truth - the Word of God as revealed in the Holy Bible.

That is partly what excites me about the Personal Development industry. A lot of the material taught in it, especially the integrity-based stuff, is not new - it's been in the Bible for ages. Perhaps that's why the top people in the industry often quote Scripture passages.

In the coming weeks I hope to share with you exactly what I mean, so you can see how to apply the Wisdom in those Words, to achieve real, lasting success and abundance in this life and the next (if that's what you desire).

Spot of warning though: you've gotta be willing to do your part in all of this. Sure, faith plays a major part in your results, but faith without works to back it up, is dead (James 2:14-25). So, contrary to certain teachings out there, it's not enough to just believe. If your works don't line up with your claimed belief, then you don't really believe in the first place, see.

Your actions are evidence of what you believe (or don't believe).

But more on all this later. I'm so glad and excited that I finally started this blog. It's something that's been in my heart to do for a long time...well, better late than never, yes? :)

I'll stop here for now.

Have a fantastic, blessed week!

Kem