#letstalk Depend on God

Have you ever reached breaking point? The point where you feel like everything is falling down around you. If you have, then you are not alone. Nine times out of 10, everyone you speak to or come across is not far away from breaking point.

According to the dictionary, breaking point is - 'the moment of greatest strain at which someone or something gives way'.
I want to look at two sides of breaking point and then why you need to depend on God.

- Moses was given a task to confront Pharaoh and set the captives free. Pharaoh's heart was so hard and stubborn that Moses had to literally break through that stubbornness in order for the captives to be set free. Time after time, whenever Pharaoh resisted and said no, God would then send plagues.
Finally, Pharaoh broke and gave in and the captives were set free.
Whenever we as a people begin to resist God, let's understand that God will literally break us to the point where we have no choice but to rely on God.

- Peter, just after Jesus died, decided enough was enough and went back to what he is accustomed to which was fishing. On this particular night, Peter and the boys decided to go fishing. Time after time, Peter caught nothing. At that point, Peter was at breaking point, nothing he did was going right until Jesus came through. After throwing his net on the right side, he caught so much fish that his net literally broke into pieces.

In order for us to grow past pain and rejection, we must be willing to push through the breaking point. Peter's customary position was his boat but if God needs to use him, then Peter must be taken out of the comfort zone and into the unknown. Let's call it uncharted territory

Joshua 1:9 - Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Ever been told to be strong and get on with it? Ever been told to push past your fears? There comes a point where we will be dealt with a hand that doesn't look too good but we have to make the best of it. There will come a point that we will need to depend on God in all things and when you get to that breaking point, you need to rely on God.

God has promised us that wherever we go he will be with us. In all trials and tribulations, God is always with us. In 2 Corinthians, we see that God said to Paul that his Grace is sufficient for him, his power is enough for when we are weak.
Whenever you get to that breaking point, trust in God, rely on him and you get through it.

Psalm 51:16-17 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Matthew 11:28 -29 Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls

In all things, depend on God. It may be rough, it may seem like there is no end to what you are facing but rely on God and he will help you through it. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown in the fire, God was with them. When Daniel was thrown in the Lion's Den, God was with him. 

Have no reason to fear, ask God to help you push past the breaking point. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom, knowledge and understanding. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight

Be blessed. As you read, I pray that God gives you more strength and more grace. 

#letstalk - The Importance of Rememberance

Each and every year in November, the whole nation stands silent in order to remember the soldiers who lost their lives in the war. For a minute or two, everybody's minds are on the wars that have recently gone by and wars in the past.

As this piece was being written, we then had this thought - Do we ever take time to just be silent and remember what God has done for us?

Some of you may be wondering why we should remember what God did for us......... Let's delve into that. One of the reasons is prayer. Prayer is a line of communication between you and God, if you want something you will ask for God it. Often, we sometimes be faint in prayer because we have forgotten what God has done for us. The time he saved you, the time he healed you etc is all forgotten and as such you are hesitant to ask.

Malachi 3:16 says  - "Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name"
Just imagine, having your name in the book of remembrance. In that book are all the names who will enter heaven so in essence when you communicate with God he will remember you and all that you did.

Abraham had a relative called Lot and when Abraham parted from Lot, God made a covenant with Abraham. In Genesis 19, we see that Sodom and Gomorrah was about to be destroyed and henceforth because Lot was still in the land of Sodom, God delayed what he was going to do until Lot left.

Genesis 19:29 - "So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived".
So what exactly did Abraham ask God, Let's have a look.

Genesis 18:32 - 33 - And he said, "Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again only this once. Suppose ten [righteous people] shall be found there". And [the Lord] said, "I will not destroy it for ten’s sake".
And the Lord went His way when He had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

So we can see that whenever you make a covenant with someone you must always remember that covenant. A covenant is an agreement which must be honoured at all times but when that covenant is not remembered or it breaks, all hell will break loose.

Another reason why remembrance is so important is so that we can be obedient. Let's break this down - Someone gives you a job to and also accompanying the job is a set of instructions. It's your duty to not only finish the job but follow the instructions.  Now, you have completed the job but didn't follow the instructions, it is classed as disobedience. Most people would argue that they were obedient but in this case you didn't listen to the instructions which is classed as disobedience.

As you read this, I want you to ask yourself this - How good are you at remembering things and people. This will be key when you are building bonds with people.

So......how can we help ourselves to remember things?
We can make notes, put down reminders. If it helps, put up scriptures in your car, record voice notes to help you remember. In other cases, just ask the Holy Spirit

A reason why people don't remember is because it didn't mean much to them or in other words, call it pride.

It's important to remember. As we enter a week of remembrance take some time out to remember God. Just be silent, bring all those things back into remembrance.

'The Importance of Remembrance'

#thefathersword - Focus

Focus..................... we all need to focus in our life. What happens when you don't focus? You begin to look confused and distressed. Mountain climbers know that to reach to the top of the mountain, they need to focus and not look down, I'm sure that when they climb a fair distance and they look down, the thoughts going through their mind must be one of fear or courage. It's not wise to look down, it's best to look forward.

Let's look at Peter, he was with his fellow disciples in the boat. It was stormy, the tide was strong and they must have feared for their life. Jesus appeared but the disciples didn't recognise Jesus in the midst of the storm but Peter said, 'If it is you, bid me to come' to which Jesus replied 'Come'. It was within that moment Peter learnt a very powerful lesson.

He negotiated the first part which was to get out of the boat and now he had to walk towards Jesus. The bible doesn't tell us how far it was or how many steps Peter took but we do know that Peter was walking on water. Peter's focus was on Jesus, he was like Jesus, walking on water but as soon as he zoomed out, he focused on the storm and how rough it was. It was at this very moment that Peter begin to sink, he began to fall. Jesus immediately lent out his hand and rescued him and asked why he had so little faith. Once they got back in the boat, the wind stopped.

I wonder, have you ever got to a point in life where you've lost your focus and all your problems are now facing you. Why not Focus on the task at hand and see what happens.
We don't know what Jesus said to Peter or whether there was any dialogue involved but I'd imagine it would be things like 'Focus on me', 'keep your eyes', head up'. It's very obvious that when Peter took his eye off Jesus, he was quite terrified and scared.

There are moments in life where if you're focus is not 100%, you will not see correctly. In order to completely focus on something, you need to zoom in and block away all distractions.
It can be difficult but Jesus is right there with you. Focus on him and you will make it, look upwards and you will get to the top.

Focus.......................Focus.........................

#thefathersword - Love

Love – A journey of love

How do you love yourself? That was a question posed to me recently. It was a question I had to think long and hard about.

Before I answered, I had to break it down into - How can I love myself?

There’s a saying which is ‘Look after yourself before you look after others’. At first glance you would think it’s quite a selfish quote but when you read it again, it will make sense. Looking after others will require a lot from you and if you aren’t well yourself, it could end in disaster.

One of the ways is to Take a break - Yes, take a break. In life, you will get involved in so many things that you find you have no time for yourself. This results in being rundown, tired and soon or later turn into depression. From time to time, take a break, go on a spa, rest yourself and regain your energy.

Anther way is to cut off all the toxic people in your life - You will find that there are people who will drain all your energy and demand time from you. Please, it's time to cut them off, they are not helping you or your health.

Live a healthy lifestyle - This is a way to destress yourself. From time to time, it's always good to get out and stretch yourself. It also benefits your mental health and it will keep the brain ticking. Eating healthily can also contribute to us being well both physically and mentally.

Treat yourself - Now and again, it is good to treat yourself. This could mean from buying new clothes to watching the latest movie at the cinema. Go on a shopping spree, have a night out with friends. Treat yourself, make yourself feel special.

Focus - Focus on yourself for a change. We have a tendency to want to help everyone around us and take on their problems but in reality we simply can't do that. It's not wrong to want to focus on yourself for a while, get yourself back to full fitness, regain your happiness and most of all love yourself.

Listen to your body - Rushing around can eventually cause us to slow down and then stop. It's good to get things done but there's a need to slow down and take it easy. Listen to your body, know when to stop or when to put the brakes on.
Picture a car travelling at a fast speed, it fails to spot the red light ahead and then crashes. Instant write off. That can become us when we ignore warning signs, we too can crash and burn. In order to prevent that, listen to your body.

When I think of love, I think of it as an action word. Loving yourself is the most important thing you should do, because let's face it - if you can't love yourself, who else will?
There will come a time when loving yourself becomes hard but it can get easier when you begin to value yourself and see yourself how God sees you.

I pray that as you start this journey of love, you will experience the love of God even more.

#thefathersword - Idleness

Idleness is a very deadly plague. What does idleness actually mean? There are a few meanings that we have picked which can describe it best.

habitually doing nothing or avoiding work; lazy.

to pass time doing nothing.

So someone who is idle can be described as someone who is not productive. Let's see what the bible has to say about Idleness

2 Thessalonians 3:10 - For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat

If we are not willing to work, then we shouldn't be expecting to take part in the finished product.

'There once was a man who was planning dinner for some family and friends. He ordered his 4 sons to help him. The father and the son were in charge of cooking the food but for that to happen, they needed to buy the food so they sent one of the sons to buy the ingredients for the food. The 3rd son cleaned up, set the table and made sure they had everything they needed to make the meal possible. However, the 4th son refused to do anything.
When everything was complete they all sat to eat except for the 4th son. He wasn't allowed anywhere near the table. The reason is that he didn't help contribute to dinner party so as of such he was excused'.

What this tells us is that even though we are not on the frontline, there is always something to do.
Jesus gave us this pretty direct message and it is in Matthew - 'The harvest is plenty but they are few willing workers'

There is plenty to do, even if someone is occupying what you normally do, you can still do something. Idleness should not be your portion

Things have changed since the old days, in this age we are living in it is impossible for us not to do anything. There is now social media, there are phones etc. There is so much online that we can devote time to and concentrate on. Do something meaningful with your time, don't waste your time on doing nothing. Pity is the man who spends time but doesn't have nothing to show for it.

Don't be idle, it's a deadly plague that can cause deadly thoughts to enter your mind. It is also a path for the devil to play with your mind.

1 Timothy 5:13 - Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not

Proverbs 13:4 - The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied

Proverbs 6:6-11 - Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, ..

Philippians 4:8 -“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

It's only when we stop thinking of these things, that is when idleness sets in and then the mind starts to wonder. For some people, the decision to be busy with something is so that they don't become depressed.

An idle mind is the devil's playground.............................

#wordfromabove - The Well of Restoration

John 4 - So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.[b] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

Here we have a passage that throws up many angles and perspectives. There are many questions to why Jesus went through Samaria and what made him stop at Jacob's Well. We see that Jesus, as tired as he was, stopped and sat on the well. The woman came along and came to draw water, this signifies that her soul is not satisfied, she has been going back and forth looking for something to satisfy her soul. Have you been looking for something to satisfy for you soul?

Jesus asks the woman for a drink, but the woman, oblivious to what's actually taking place says that they shouldn't be talking to each other because it's not common for Jews and Samaritans to hang around with each other. Jesus then told her that if only she knew who she was talking to and what he could give her, she would be asking him for a drink.

So, we then see that Jesus says that if she kept on drinking the water, she always be thirsty, her soul will always be unsatisfied but if she drinks of the water he gives out, she will never be thirsty again. Without second thought, she told Jesus to give her the water so that she will not be thirsty ever again.

We don't here from this woman again which may signify that because of her encounter with Jesus, her soul is now restored.During the woman's interaction with God, we see that she had 5 husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband.
Could this tell us something ourselves. Before we encountered Jesus, we were involved in many things which we thought could satisfy us but time after time, we find we are not satisfied so we go back again and again looking and searching for something that could satisfy us.

How did you feel?

Whilst pondering on this subject of Restoration, a popular passage popped up - Psalm 23:2- 3 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake

Could it possibly be that the whole time, Jesus was waiting for the woman because he wanted to restore her soul.

The Living Water is a type of water that will restore you, that will satisfy your soul. No longer will you thirst after the worldly things of today.

John 7:37-38 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. To the one who believes in Me, it is just as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”…

Are you thirsty for God? Do you need God to restore your soul? Are you looking for something to satisfy you? Come to God, he has what you need to satisfy you, he can restore your soul.

Do you want to be well? #openthoughts

Question - If you were in pain, what's the first thing that you would do? Would you stay silent or would you shout until someone came to help you?

This is a question that has been pondering in our thoughts for a while now. Initially we would try and ignore the pain but on the flip side we would actually look for a solution. It's only until we cry out for help that someone will notice us.

We want to look at two people who's actions help receive their healing.

The first one is the woman with the issue of blood. Now, she had this issue for 12 years and as accustomed in that period, she couldn't leave her house. You would like to think that she is now coping with her illness. She had gone everywhere to find a solution but yet nothing could heal her. In all her pain, she then saw a crowd of people and saw that Jesus was in area.
12 years is a long time to be coping with an illness but the woman decided to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. At that instant, he felt power leave him. Her touch was so powerful that he had to stop and find out who it was but despite the disciple telling him that it was nothing, Jesus insisted on finding out who it was. This lead him to the woman, who declared that it was she who had touched him. Jesus said her faith has made her whole. The woman stepped out and touched him by faith, it was her faith that healed her.

When you put your whole faith into Jesus, he will cause your situation to turn around in an instant.

The next person is 'Blind Bartimaeus'. In the text (Mark 10:46-52) we see that he was sitting by the roadside. Bear in mind, he had been in this position for some time, he had begun to cope with his issue. It was now part of his nature so he sat down and waited. Have you got so used to something that you just sit down and concede defeat?
When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was in the area, he cried out to him. The people who heard his cry told him to keep silent and to stay still. It's almost like he was an outcast, the black sheep of the crowd but nevertheless he cried out again but even louder - "You son of David, have pity and mercy on me {now}!". It was so loud that Jesus stopped. He told his disciples to call him and bring him forth. Jesus told the man that his faith has healed him, he should now go and be on his way but the amazing thing is this - he followed Jesus. His eyes were now open, he could now see the way forward.

How many of us have walked into a situation with our eyes closed? How many of us have stayed silent rather than acting upon our faith?

What is similar between the two is that they both caught the attention of Jesus. They both acted in faith which is something that pleased Jesus. They both were told to stay silent, to stay away but they refused to back down. They wanted to see and end to their pain and their affliction.
What have you done which caused you to step out in faith? Did it work?

Another thing which is similar is that they took the opportunity which was laid before them. Jesus was passing through and if they missed him, they may never get the opportunity to see him again. Whenever you see or hear that Jesus is passing through, you need to do whatever it takes to receive your blessing.

You can be healed, no longer do you need to suffer in silence. Step out, call on Jesus. You can be well if you want to.

Do you want to be well? It's not too late.