Category Archives: Devotion

Enlightened eyes

18 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), 19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength 20 which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers]. Ephesians 1:18 – 23 AMP

It’s happened a few times that I was reading and thought I had read a word that wasn’t actually written on the page. I have also walked down the street and thought I saw someone that I knew, only to realize my eyes were deceiving me. We don’t always see what we think we’re seeing…it’s true in the natural, but it’s also true about what we see in the spirit. It’s not always about what we see, it’s about how we see.

Without my prescription glasses I am useless. I have a condition on my driver’s licence…no glasses, no driving. I can buy trendy glasses, I can buy glasses with cool, tinted lenses, but unless they are the correct prescription, they are utterly useless to me. I will look good, but I will not see clearly. According to James (Chapter 1: 23 – 25) the Word of God, His perfect law and will for us, is like a mirror we look in, and if we do what the perfect law of God teaches us…in other words, if we have eyes to see…, then there is blessing and favor released to us.

The opposite of that is seen in Matthew 6:22, 23 (BSB): The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  If we’re honest with ourselves we don’t always see well. We often don’t see what the Lord sees, because we’re wearing the wrong lenses. They might be cool, they might be trendy, but they are the wrong prescription. We observe through darkened eyes, because of darkened hearts.

David prays “ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Ps 139: 23, 24) and in doing so, he is confessing that he cannot possibly see his own wickedness, but the God knows and sees everything. What a posture of humility! Jesus knows we all have trouble seeing well, so He issues an invitation, no a directive, saying, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.”

Not only do we need our eyes healed so that we can see the Lord clearly, but also that we can look at each other and see Christ in each other. I don’t want to go there, but I have to…we have become so critical of each other. We find fault, we trust what we see with our damaged eyes, our twisted lenses, our wrong prescriptions. We need to make Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 our prayer…that the eyes of my heart be enlightened, that I would see Jesus at the Father’s “own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.” and that I am able to see people as created in the image of God, carrying light (even in the smallest measure) and sustained by the breath of God. I am challenging myself to look for the light, the tiniest spark, and to call it out. That is excellent sight and in order to have it, I am going to buy salve from Jesus because my eyes need healing as much as the next person’s.

This is my confession…that “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13) I declare that I will look for it, I will believe for it, I will call it out…in and for me, and also for you.

Mirror, mirror
Mirror on the wall
Telling those lies, pointing out your flaws, that isn’t who you are
That isn’t who you are

It might be hard to hear, but let me tell you dear
If you could see what I can see
I know you would believe that isn’t who you are
There’s more to who you are

So when it’s late
You’re wide awake
Too much to take
Don’t you dare forget that in the pain
You can be brave, and safe

I see you dressed in white
Every wrong made right
I see a rose in bloom
At the sight of you (oh, so priceless)
Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable, darling, it’s beautiful
I see it all in you (oh, so priceless)No matter what you’ve heard
This is what you’re worth
More than all the money or the diamonds and pearls
Oh, this is who you are

Priceless

Storm with Purpose

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.

 hushed the storm to a gentle whisper,
So that the waves of the sea were still.

Then they were glad because of the calm,
And He guided them to their desired haven (harbor).

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
Psalm 107: 28 – 31 AMP

Yesterday a storm blew through, and it lasted through most of the night.  The wind was howling, and I could hear banging and creaking while heavy rain was pelting the roof and windows.  I fell asleep, feeling blessed to be inside, safe from the tempest that was raging outside.

This morning, however, as I stepped outside, the air felt fresher, crisper and although there’s debris that will need tidying up, even the garden looked greener and healthier.  The strong wind had dislodged dry and dead leaves and branches, leaving healthier-looking plants in its wake.

As usual, before a big storm blows through, a warning to tie down or put away items that can be blown around is issued, and those who ignored the warning will most probably be spending their morning trying to dislodge trampolines from trees…it always happens and it’s only funny to those who don’t own trampolines.

It got me thinking of the storms of our lives.  Our Father is good, loving and kind, so when He allows a storm to blow through our inner landscape it’s always with a purpose and if we allow the storm to do its work, leaves us fresher, greener, and healthier.  As with natural storms, there will be some tidying up required. 

If we’re honest with ourselves we must admit that very few people go through a storm without lashing out here and there (or sometimes everywhere), saying harsh things, isolate from friends and loved ones, maybe self-medicating a bit or resorting to full-on “trampoline in the tree” stupidity.  I get that, me too.

Jesus knew we were going to face storms and He made sure that we would know that we could survived each one.  In the book of Matthew, we read about Jesus’ reaction to a storm…

“They all got into a boat and began to cross over to the other side of the lake. And Jesus, exhausted, fell asleep. Suddenly a violent storm developed, with waves so high the boat was about to be swamped. Yet Jesus continued to sleep soundly. The disciples woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We’re going to die!” But Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you gripped with fear?  Where is your faith?” Then he stood and rebuked the storm, saying, “Be still!” And instantly it became perfectly calm. The disciples were astonished by this miracle and said to one another, “Who is this Man? Even the wind and waves obey his Word.”

Matt. 8:24 – 27 TPT

Isn’t it interesting that even the most violent of storms could not wake Jesus from His sleep?  Could it be because there was no internal storm in Him?  He was at peace on the inside, so what was happening on the outside could not disturb His inner landscape and disrupt His rest. 

Maybe if we view the storms of our lives as something purposeful, something allowed by the Lord’s infinite wisdom to dislodge dry and dead branches from our tree, so that we would be cleaner and fresher, ready to sprout new leaves when the season comes?  Whatever the storm looks like, He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him. (Is. 26:3)

The Lord still speaks through the  prophet Isaiah and says to us today “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Is. 41:10)

If you are going through a storm right now, may I encourage you to hang in there?  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.(1 Pet 5:7)  If you’re on the other side, maybe this is the time to mend some fences, offer some apologies, maybe make amends?  The clean-up is never much fun, but it’s always worth the trouble.

I bless you with peace, love, hope and courage, and one last promise, in Jesus’ name.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.   Is. 43:2 AMP

The gift of NO

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.  Luke 9: 51 – 56 NKJV

Have you disappointed someone lately?  Has someone disappointed you?  It’s part of the human condition, isn’t it?  In our fast paced world it’s expected that we would be available and accessible all the time.  

In the scripture I opened with, we read of an incident where Jesus didn’t just disappoint His disciples, He went as far as to insult them even.  That must have stung on many levels.  On more than one occasion Jesus predicted His death which must have confused His disciples greatly.  They were expecting a great leader, a man of military might who would overthrow the Romans and set them free from the oppression they were living under.  Yet Jesus arrives on the scene and looks nothing like what they expected the Messiah to look like.  

The Bible is brimming with examples of God saying “no”.  There are also numerous examples of Jesus saying “no” loud and clear.  In Luke 15, verse 16, we read “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion].  (Amp). Jesus gave His disciples the gift of no and He put a clear boundary around people’s demands on Him.   

In Matthew 12 there’s a passage that seems counterintuitive, especially in the light of Jesus’ concern for His mother, as demonstrated at the time of His crucifixion, when He charged John with taking care of Mary.   

Let’s read from verse  46 to 50.  While He was still talking to the crowds, it happened that His mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside asking to speak to You.” But Jesus replied to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples [and all His other followers], He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven [by believing in Me, and following Me] is My brother and sister and mother.”

I don’t believe Jesus was saying no because of a lack of love or concern for His family.  That would have been inconceivable for Him and we know His character was faultless.  I believe Jesus said a clear “no” to the entitlement of His natural family because He was on a mission from His Heavenly Father.  To say yes to them, would mean choosing to disappoint His Father and He was making a point as to His own priority.  He was about His Father’s business and He wouldn’t even allow His nearest and dearest to interrupt that.

There’s a lesson for us too.  Every time we say yes to something, we are inevitably saying no to something else.  Regardless of how hard we try, how pure our motives are, how much we love and care for people, the truth is that somewhere, somehow we are going to disappoint someone.  The key is to disappoint the right people.

We have to understand that we are going to be faced with choices and our choices have consequences…some of those decisions may alter the trajectory of someone else’s life forever.  For the father saying yes to work at the expense of his children, for the husband or wife saying yes to an adulterous relationship at the expense of their spouse, for the pastor or leader saying yes to religious activity at the expense of their own intimacy with the Lord…there will be natural and spiritual consequences and each one of us will be held accountable.  Until we understand that we are on a mission too…to be and to make disciples…we are going to disappoint the wrong Person.

 For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for  [dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature. For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (insight, understanding), and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit]. For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:3 – 8 AMP

Let’s get comfortable with giving  and receiving the gift of “no”.  Let us release whoever and whatever is distracting us from growing into the maturity our Lord Jesus is calling us into, and let’s give one another the freedom to be everything they are called to be, even if it means dealing with disappointment ourselves.

Do not be alarmed

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] John 16:33

A few nights ago, I dreamed that I was woken up from my bed and that I walked through the lounge and through the dining room towards the backyard.  I noticed that one of the glass bifold doors was standing open and I was confused because I was sure I locked it before going to bed.  I saw that my backyard was enveloped in a thick, dark, eerie mist and it felt alive in some way.  My dining room was also pitch black and I felt very afraid and confused.  Then my cellphone started to ring on the dining table next to me.  The screen didn’t light up, so I followed the sound until I got a hold of the phone.  I answered the phone and heard my husband’s voice saying “do not be alarmed” but before I could hear more, I woke up.

As you can imagine, I was somewhat disturbed and prayed God’s protection over my husband, my children, grandchildren and loved ones.  I assumed it was a warning dream and and as such, I prayed for protection.

Today however, in church, I was reminded of the dream by something my pastor said and during worship, I felt the Lord speak into it some more.  To give you some context, let me explain what happens in our family when something bad happens…my husband gets the phone call.  He then calls me and usually says “don’t be alarmed, this and that happened but no-one is hurt”.  I think they do this because I tend to overreact when I get a fright, so my husband calms me before he even tells me that something’s happened.

What does this all mean then?  I don’t think it takes a supernatural gift of discernment to notice that some dark, evil agenda is being played out all over the world.  I was reminded of the prophet Isaiah who forewarned us when he said “For in fact, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness will cover the peoples” (v2).  I am also reminded of Paul, exhorting the Ephesians by saying “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5: 15, 16)

The question we have to ask is how does a wise person walk?  The answer is by heeding the Word of God…for example 2 Corinthians 5:7…we walk by faith, not by sight.  Philippians 4:6 is another one…”Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.”

Another way to walk in wisdom is to rely on the leading of Holy Spirit.  We have to stay in relationship with him, making sure our spiritual antennas (as my pastor calls it) are up, our cellphones are turned on.

As I was meditating on this during worship, I heard the Lord saying “you will live and not die” and also “everything you lose will be recovered and then some”.  How encouraging to be reminded that our enemy is a defeated foe and in due time will be exposed for who he really is.  We, on the other hand, are in Christ, are seated at the right hand of God with Him and we have been given authority over the enemy and the works of darkness.  We recognise the darkness around us, sometimes we even suffer because of it, but we don’t submit ourselves to it…in fact, we resist it with all our might.

Further on in chapter 60 of the book of Isaiah there are some beautiful promises.  The second part of verse 2 reads “But the Lord will rise upon you [Jerusalem] And His glory and brilliance will be seen on you.”  Even though a deep darkness is covering the globe, the glory and the brilliance of the Lord covers us.

Furthermore, verses 18 and 19; and also 21 and 22 encourages me so!

Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
And instead of iron I will bring silver,
And instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers,
And righteousness your rulers.

“Violence will not be heard again in your land,
Nor devastation or destruction within your borders;
But you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise [to God].

“Then all your people will be [uncompromisingly and consistently] righteous;
They will possess the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified


“The smallest one will become a thousand (a clan),
And the least one a mighty nation.
I, the Lord, will quicken it in its [appointed] time.”

So I say to you…do not be alarmed!  You will not die!  The Lord will cause you to recover everything that you have lost, and then some.  

The Spirit of Christmas

For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given;
And the government shall be upon His shoulder,
And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace,
[He shall rule] on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From that time forward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

 Isaiah 9: 6,7 AMP

There is a term used in legal circles, namely “the spirit of the law” which speaks to the   the aim or purpose of a law when it was written, rather than the letter of the law.  For example, a law may state that it’s illegal to consume alcohol on the street.  The intention of the law is to stop people from getting intoxicated in public places and  causing trouble to innocent pedestrians.  Someone could interpret it by the letter of the law, put a wooden crate on the street, stand on it whilst drinking and then argue that he is not breaking the letter of the law, because he is not standing on the street.

This may be true, but the offender is clearly in breach of the spirit of the law and should he be brought before a judge, he would most likely pay the penalty for breaking the law, even though he hadn’t technically broken the law.

In the same way we can get caught up in the “letter of the law” for want of a better way to describe celebrating Christmas.  Yes, Jesus didn’t mention or preached Christmas, and yes, Jesus wasn’t born on the 25th of December and yes, Christmas trees may or may not have pagan roots, as Christmas Day itself may or may not have pagan roots, depending on which source you look at.  It’s also true that some people make it about the gifts, the food, drinking in excess and celebrating Santa more than Jesus.  

However, there’s the spirit of Christmas…the aim and purpose for the birth of a Son that transcends the letter of the law.  Think about this for a second…Abba Father could have send a host of warrior angels, with Jesus leading them on a white horse, in a show of power and might, to subdue the enemy and force the people to follow Him.  Instead, He comes in the most innocent, vulnerable and non-threatening way imaginable.  A babe.  Have you ever wondered why?  I, for one, have never been able to resist the charm of a baby.  They awaken in me the overpowering desire to nurture and protect them.  The smile and cooing of a baby can melt the most hardened of hearts.  That’s what Jesus came to do…to melt the hardest of hearts.

This year I have noticed a chasm open in the body of Christ, more than ever before.  It has indeed been (and still is) brother against brother.  So here we are, at Christmas and we can decide whether we are going to partner with the spirit of division, which comes from elevating the love of law or whether we are going to submit ourselves to the spirit of Christmas, which elevates the law of love.  Each one of us is responsible for our own conscience before God, whether we have a tree or not, celebrate or not and how we choose to do it.  Jesus left us no directive for celebrating Christmas, but He gave us Holy Spirit to guide our steps and inform our choices.  We do not have to partner with that which brings more disunity, more condemnation, and more pain when the spirit in which Jesus came was to bring peace, love, hope and comfort to a dying world.

This Christmas we can embody that spirit by offering hope to a hopeless world, by celebrating Jesus as the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Councillor, the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father.  May the peace of the Lord, which transcends all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  May you experience the joy of the Lord, and be filled with hope as we look to Jesus to accomplish what only He can do.  Let’s set our hearts on celebrating that.

I wish you a very blessed, joyous and festive Christmas, in Jesus’ name.

Girl, I want what you have

So, am I saying that Israel stumbled so badly that they will never get back up? Certainly not! Rather, it was because of their stumble that salvation now extends to all the non-Jewish people, in order to make Israel jealous and desire the very things that God has freely given them. Romans 11:11 TPT

I had the immense pleasure to spend the weekend in the midst of a group of women who love Jesus fiercely and as I am reflecting on our time together, Romans 11:11 came to mind.  I understand the context of the scripture is the restoration of Israel and I would hate to bend a scripture to make a point stick, but bear with me.

The Hebrew word for jealousy is parazēloō which means to be jealous of, or to be provoked to emulate.  One definition for the word emulate is “to equal or approach equality with”.  Jealousy is a word that immediately causes us to flinch.  It’s a negative emotion to be avoided at all cost…yet the Lord saves us gentiles in order to provoke the Israelites to jealousy.  The purpose is that they will see the goodness of God displayed in our lives, so that they would desire it for themselves and by emulation, enter into their destiny and promises.  Their salvation in no way, shape or form devalues ours, it robs us of nothing and it doesn’t lessen the impact of soteria for each one of us.

In the same way, I believe the Lord will send people across our path in order to provoke us to jealousy.  Exodus 20: 4 – 6 reads like this: “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”  The Lord is jealous for us and I believe He wants us to be jealous for more of Him.  Let me explain…

I have a friend who, if you squeezed her, would have joy come out of her pores.  When I met her, I was the saddest, broken, and probably the most depressing person to be around.  My cup was always half full.  I saw her joyful exuberance and knew that I needed what she had.  She never lectured me on the art of being joyful, she didn’t share steps to follow or suggested a book to read.  She just rubbed shoulders with me, and as we spent time together, as I blessed her and walked with her a while, se rubbed off on me.  Can I confess…even now when someone comments on the joy that I have, I have to suppress the urge to check whether someone is standing behind me.  Little did I know that she, in a very roundabout way, prepared me for the hardest season I ever had to navigate.  If it wasn’t for the impartation of joy, I would have not survived, emotionally, spiritually or even physically.  I needed what she had to prepare me for what I didn’t even knew was coming.

This weekend I shared a room with three women the Lord had handpicked to be in my world.  There was the kind, gentle one who exudes peace and tranquillity and kept me from hyperventilating just by sitting with me.  She taught me to be considerate by bringing a small, but thoughtful gift…the stress ball was a particularly good choice and we had a good laugh!  She provokes me to jealousy…I want to be able to rise above the fray and just be.

Then there’s my prayer warrior friend.  She is dynamite in the spirit, yet elegant, soft-spoken and usually somewhere on the perimeter.  She’s not hiding, she is on patrol.  She watches, she discerns and then she prays without drawing any attention to herself.  I learned that she prays in her sleep…what a comfort to lay awake and hear a warrior pray in the spirit through the night watch.  I want to emulate her and be okay with being an unseen and unsung powerhouse that places a hedge around people even when they don’t even realise it’s there.

Let’s not forget my friend who is exuberant in praise and worship.  She loves the atmosphere of heaven, she can detect the presence of the Lord like no other, where she becomes unashamedly undone in His presence.  She is the one that sees and acts.  I often saw her having quiet conversations, imparting wisdom and brought healing.  I want to be like that too.  

I had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with ladies who serve, unconditionally, with so much love, taking great care to bring the fragrance of heaven into the world around them.  I met a general of the faith, a woman of great spiritual stature who is so confident in her Lord, brave, fearless and someone I knew would not tolerate compromise or anything flaky.  I saw her and knew that she was a woman who would walk alone if she had to, as long as Jesus walked with her.  She carries an authority that is evident, even at a distance.  She is wise, she speaks truth and even if she dressed me down a thousand times, I would still love her because I recognised her great love for the Lord and His body.  The words she spoke is a great treasure  and I want what she has.  

For all of these ones and the many more I haven’t mentioned, I am so grateful.  The younger ones, full of vitality and strength, the older ones full of wisdom and experience…everyone carries something that provokes me to jealousy.  

So when I say I want what they have, I mean it as the greatest compliment I can pay them.  I know some of their stories, but even for those stories I haven’t heard yet, I have been around long enough to know it came at great cost to them.  I know each ones of these had to make hard choices, overcome obstacles and heartaches and everything else the enemy throws at us to stop us from being who and what we are destined to be.  So when I say I want what you have, I have already counted the cost, and I am prepared to pay the price, because I see what you bring to the body…you heal, you deliver, you teach, you cover.  You have something of what the Lord Jesus paid for already…am I am a “whosoever”. Like David, I say  “No, but I will certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” (2 Sam. 24:24). I don’t have much to offer in return, but such as I have…it’s yours.

Ladies, your radical obedience and your unfailing trust in the One that made it all possible, is a beacon of light and I bless you for every bit of light you impart into my world.  This is true for the ones I have know for a while, the ones I just met and every other woman I am bound to meet as we journey towards our eternal home.

Let’s talk strategy

On the 9th of September I had a dream.

The number nine has to do with both sides of God’s divine judgment.  When the judgment is life, this number represents the Spirit bearing fruit and forward progression.  When the judgment is death, it represents the Spirit putting a stop to something and finality. I believe this number is significant because the Lord wants to put a stop to a demonic cycle that is crippling the church.

I dreamed that I was in a very large building and it seemed to me that there was some sort of Christian event happening.  Someone came to me and asked if I would drive to collect someone from an apartment in the city.  I was given directions and told to go to apartment no. 39.

I got into my car and drove towards the city.  When I arrived, I walked down a few steps into which resembled an upmarket mall…the kind that host designer shops.  I was a little confused but when I saw double doors leading to a long hallway on my left, I assumed that the apartments were that way and I walked through the double doors.  Apartment 39 was the first one on my left and I knocked on the door.  A voice called out for me to come in.  Assuming that I was expected I walked into the room only to be surprised that instead of the expected lounge room, I found myself in a room resembling a doctor’s waiting room.  A door opened and a man and woman dressed as nurses came out.  They grabbed me and dragged me into the next room, where they forced me onto an examination table, where they held me down.

The man brought out a syringe with a very large needle, which he forced into my arm.  I was fighting, screaming and telling him that I trusted God for my healing and I didn’t want what was in the syringe.  He just laughed at me and continued to inject me.  Then he told the woman to bring the eyedrops and I knew if they got that into my eyes, I would be blinded, so I fought even harder to get free.

The Commander in Chief is revealing the enemy’s strategy in this dream…He wants us to know the enemy and the devices he is using against us.  We, as brothers and sisters in Christ are not each other’s enemies! 

So what is the strategy revealed in my dream? 

First the enemy isolates us, as I was asked to get in my car and drive solo.  Isolation usually starts with a thought…no-one understands, no-one cares, no-one has the revelation that I have, no-one sees what I see etc.  Then you start building a wall around yourself.  You get offended and you retreat inside of yourself.  If this process is allowed to carry on for long enough, you exit the community of faith and you have now become a prime candidate for the enemy to pick off.

Romans 12:18 says:  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

This is the Lord’s strategy to counteract the attempt from the enemy to isolate us.  We are to guard our hearts against offense and remind ourselves that this is not God’s plan for us.  His plan for us is to be in a community of believers so that we can strengthen, encourage and even rebuke one another, if there’s need for it.

God makes a home for the lonely; He leads the prisoners into prosperity, Only the stubborn and rebellious dwell in a parched land. (Psalm 68:6 AMP)

The next step in the enemy’s strategy is deception…a lie is told, it takes root and if we keep feeding the lie, it begins to bear bitter fruit. In the dream, I was asked to collect someone but that was not the purpose of sending me.

Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come, And the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you. “For in fact, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness will cover the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you [Jerusalem] And His glory and brilliance will be seen on you.  (Is. 60:1, 2)

The enemy has been planting lies in our minds and hearts…lies about our identity, our value and especially about our destiny.  He is using the media to sow seeds of unbelief, fear and anxiety.  We run the risk of believing all is lost, or we don’t matter if we’re not young, skinny, good looking or rich enough.  God’s remedy is the Word, full of promise and revelation of who we are, Who we belong to and what our destiny is in Christ Jesus.  In this hour we need an extra measure of discernment and the Lord is a good Father, who will give us the desires of our hearts.  Let’s desire a greater measure of discernment so that we can be well armed against every lie and deception.

The next thing that happened in the dream was that I was ambushed.  Ambush comes in many ways, whether it’s an addiction that takes hold of you or a toxic relationship that traps you.  We can also be ambushed by attitudes and mindsets. 

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” And in Matthew 26:41we are told to

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

To guard against an ambush, we need insight and prophetic wisdom…the opportunities that present itself, the people we meet, the relationships we enter into, the values and mindsets that we live by or hold on to.  This is the Lord’s strategy for us…ask for wisdom when you need it and your Father in heaven will give it without measure

Captivity follows the ambush.What used to be a choice now becomes a compulsion.  You want to stop; you want to get out but your are held against your will.  Every captive needs a deliverer, and Jesus when He was preaching in the temple read from the scroll of Isaiah and made a declaration that’s our strategy for freedom.  He said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, (Luke 4:18)

The is freedom available for whosoever calls on the name of Jesus.

Once the enemy has taken a person captive, violation follows.  In my dream I was manhandled and forcibly medicated. The structures of the world, and the power behind it shows nothing but contempt for the personhood of any human, nor for the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Look at what atrocities have come the norm: abortion, euthanasia, gender ideology, idol worship and the total love of self, to name a few.

2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.

God’s strategy for us is to be cleansed and purified from everything that sins against Him.  We are called to be holy and live lives consecrated to Him and Him alone.  We need a fresh baptism of repentance and we need a healing plan for every place we have been sinned against.

Finally, blindness gives us the death blow.  The enemy works tirelessly to steal our prophetic vision.  He wants the church to be a company of people where the blind leads the blind so that we get locked into this demonic cycle.  We are warned about this in the word:

Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14) and Revelation 3:14 to 18 (AMP) “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Laodicea write: “These are the words of the Amen, the trusted and faithful and true Witness, the Beginning and Origin of God’s creation: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need], I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.

Once you’re locked into this demonic cycle you keep spiraling downwards. Deeper deception leads to another ambush, to more captivity and worse violations which blind us even more.

We have this promise in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 13.  Not only is this a promise but the most effective strategy to combat the enemy’s evil schemesand the downward spiral.

“We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  (TPT)

A&A

During worship this morning the Lord spoke two words to me…Allegiance and Alliance.  I couldn’t help but do a quick Google search to find the precise definition for it, so if my pastor is reading this, I should probably say sorry for getting a little distracted but I’m not really sorry.  Actually, when he started preaching the sermon confirmed very much what the Lord was saying to me.  This morning’s sermon was all about the heart and his question to us was whether we were serving the Lord with ALL our hearts.

Before I get into what I want to share, some definitions to get the ball rolling:

Allegiance:  the obligation of a feudal vassal to his liege lord, the fidelity owed by a subject or citizen to a sovereign or government, loyalty or devotion

Liege lord:  a feudal lord entitled to  allegiance and service

Feudal:  a type of social and political system in which landholders provide land to tenants in exchange for their loyalty and service.

Alliance:  an arrangement between two or more people, groups or countries, by which they agree to work together to achieve a common goal

In these definitions we see words that have become almost obsolete in our modern vernacular.  The terms “feudal” and “liege lord” don’t get mention much and very few people uphold these principles.  Very few citizens has an allegiance to their government and most people certainly don’t hold to the premise that they owe fidelity, loyalty or devotion to their sovereign or government.  

In our day and age alliances are fragile too.  Friendships, business partnerships and even marriage contracts are entered into with the “what’s in it for me?” mindset.  When it doesn’t work for me, when my interest isn’t served, the alliance is broken regardless of whether the goal we were working towards have been achieved or not.

As Christians we have a Liege Lord.  Jesus, as our feudal lord, owner of everything we see, gave us a tenancy.  God placed us on earth to rule and reign is His stead.  Jesus is the landowner who provides us with land to occupy and to tend and in return we owe Him our loyalty, our devotion and our service.  The Bible tells us we were bought at a price, that we do not belong to ourselves, our bodies (and our lives) are not our own and because we belong to the Lord, we honour and obey Him.  We are citizens of heaven, we have a sovereign, a King who is entitled to our allegiance because He paid dearly for us.  

Colossians 1 verse 13 tells us what God has done for us…”For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son”.  We once were citizens of the kingdom of darkness, but now we are citizens of the Kingdom of Light, we were once ruled by Satan, but now we are children of God and we serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  This is where our allegiance should be, to the One who rescued us, the One who is entitled to our worship, our loyalty and our devoted service on account of the cross He bore for us.

So we have to examine ourselves and see where our alliance is.  Are we working with Jesus towards a common goal…to see the kingdom come, here on earth as it is in heaven, or are we still living with one foot in the world?  Matthew 6:24 says “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”  
Even though the context of the scripture is the love of money, I believe the principle applies to everything that is in competition with our love for the Lord.  We cannot serve the Lord and serve our own purpose, our fleshly desires or our own ambition.  We have to choose where our alliance lies.

In Deuteronomy 11, verses 13 to 17 we read:

 13 It shall come about, if you listen obediently and pay attention to My commandments which I command you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul [your choices, your thoughts, your whole being]— 14 that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early [fall] rain and the late [spring] rain, so that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your [olive] oil. 15 And He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away [from the Lord] and serve other gods and worship them, 17 or [else] the Lord’s anger will be kindled and burn against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the land will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

It is clear that there are rewards for our obedience to the Lord, and consequences for  rebellion against Him.  The principle of sowing and reaping is a very real thing.  For the one sowing to his own flesh, from the flesh will reap decay. But the one sowing to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal. 6:8)

The Passion Translation puts it like this:  The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.

I will let Joshua have the last word on allegiance and allianceBut if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:15)

Saved

Soteria can be defined as deliverance, preservation, safety and salvation.  According to author and Bible teacher A.W. Pink, it’s a fourfold salvation:  we are saved from the penalty, power, presence and most importantly, the pleasure of sin.   The Greek noun SOTERIA has a related verb, SOZO.  Sozo is a Greek word translated “saved, healed, delivered.” It’s the complete package that we need to be completely set free in body, soul and spirit. 

Three days ago I had a little accident coming down a few steps in the dark.  I missed the last step, rolled my ankle and it resulted in me being fitted with a moon boot.  To be honest, it could just as well have been a ball and chain.  As much as it helps me walk without suffering more pain than necessary, it’s heavy, cumbersome and it slows me down.  However, I have noticed that the longer I wear it, the more I am becoming accustomed to the weight and awkwardness of the boot.  I have adjusted my gait to compensate for the height of the boot in relation to my other leg.  I look funny when I walk, but I get around just fine.

It got me thinking about salvation and the gospel of the kingdom.  So many Christians believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is our ticket out of hell.  It’s a “one day” salvation, the good news being that we don’t go to hell when we die even if living every day feels like being in hell already.  While we are walking the earth on our little human legs, we do it with a moon boot on our foot and we’re hanging on for dear life until the day we go to heaven or Jesus returns, whichever comes first. We have adjusted to living with a measure of salvation, settling for getting by as long as we don’t suffer too much pain.

Or there’s the gospel of the rollerblades.  We get saved and all is forgiven and therefore we get our skates on and have licence to live for ourselves, do whatever gives us pleasure and we serve nothing and no one but our own desires. Neither of these is the true gospel.

Then what is?  I have much to learn, but here is what I know…

  1. Jesus stripped our enemies of all power, making a public spectacle of them and triumphed over them in every imaginable way (Col. 2:15).  The enemy was stripped naked…he has nothing left but deception and the power we give him.  A complete victory was won.
  2. Jesus is the head of the everything.  Everything under, on and above the earth is under His authority and He is FAR above any ruler, power, principality and authority (Eph. 1:21, 22)
  3. Jesus delegated that authority to us. We have the authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy(Luke 10:19)
  4. As King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus has full authority to rule over kingdoms and nations and that authority has also been delegated to us.  We are not supposed to be subject to kings and governments.  No, as His body, we are called to make kings and their kingdoms, and governments and their people subject to Jesus Christ.

Which bring me back to soteria, or salvation. In order for us to share the true gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to be saved.  We need complete freedom in body, soul and spirit. We cannot fulfil our great calling while we are walking around with a moon boot on our foot.  Jesus completed our salvation.  In Christ, there is no penalty, presence, power or pleasure of sin and He has made provision for our total freedom from everything and anything the enemy can throw at us, body, soul and spirit.  This is the gospel of the Kingdom!  We have victory, freedom, power and dominion through Christ Jesus.  He paid such a high price for it…how dare we settle for anything less!

The apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians (and also to us)

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.  (Ephesians 1:17 – 23)

I bless you with “the fullness of HIM who fills everything (and every one of us who call ourselves by His name) in every way.

BREAD

They replied, “So what should we do if we want to do God’s work?”  Jesus answered, “The work you can do for God starts with believing in the One he has sent.”  They replied, “Show us a miracle so we can see it, and then we’ll believe in you. Moses took care of our ancestors who were fed by the miracle of manna every day in the desert, just like the Scripture says, ‘He fed them with bread from heaven.’ What sign will you perform for us?”

 “The truth is,” Jesus said, “Moses didn’t give you the bread of heaven. It’s my Father who offers bread that comes as a dramatic sign from heaven. The bread of God is the One who came out of heaven to give his life to feed the world. “Then please, sir, give us this bread every day,” they replied.  Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty.                                    

  John 6: 28 – 35 The Passion Translation

  A few months ago, I started to apply myself to the art and science of baking sourdough bread.  My journey with home baked bread started when I was a teenager, but it’s only now, as I have matured a lot, that I have cultivated the patience and persistence that it requires to bake sourdough.  For those in the know it’s no secret that it takes months and months of trail and error to perfect the technique and it takes patience to wait for the starter to mature enough to achieve a good rise.  Even when you have a good, strong, healthy starter it takes at least a week of feeding and nurturing a starter before you can bake another loaf. 

In the meantime, you have a lot of discard…each time you feed the starter you have to scoop some out to make room for the fresh flour and water.  If you neglect this process, your starter runs out of food and dies. Then there’s the baking process.  The loaf is baked inside a cast iron pot, heated to an extreme temperature and the loaf itself is baked fast and hot!  I can testify that getting distracted at this point, even for a few minutes, can be disastrous, unless you like your bread charcoaled.

Yesterday, as I pulled a perfect loaf from the oven, Holy Spirit started to speak to me about the process.  It’s no different from our Christian walk.  No wonder Jesus Himself used the analogy of bread and yeast to teach the people.  Sourdough consists of the natural, unseen yeast that float around in the atmosphere.  What a powerful picture!  We too are bombarded with spiritual “yeast” floating around in the atmosphere around us.  How easy it is to get infected by it. 

In Matthew 16 we read an account of Jesus’ altercation with the Pharisees and Sadducees, who questioned Jesus in order to trap Him.  They demanded a sign so that He could prove His divinity.  Jesus and His disciples left by boat and we get an insight into what Jesus taught them: When the disciples reached the other side of the sea, they realized that they had forgotten to bring bread. 6Jesus said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you have no bread? Do you still not understand or remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you picked up? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many large baskets you picked up? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the [false] teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  (Amplified)

Like a good yeast starter, our character and our walk with the Lord takes a long time to be perfected.  There’s process involved and we need patience and perseverance.  Like loafs being only as good as the yeast that rises it, we are only as good as the spiritual food we eat.  Jesus alone is the Bread of Life.  He is the only bread that will satisfy the deep hunger of the human heart.  Every other spiritual food will disappoint us.  There’s a lot of stuff inside of us that needs to be scooped out and discarded to make room for the good food that will help us to grow healthy and strong.

Through the ages people have tried to feed their souls and spirits with the delicacies of the world, and we are still trying today.  Entertainment satisfies for a short while, addiction of every kind tries hard to fill the grumbling spiritual stomach, but soon the hunger for more drugs, more drink, more pornography, more shopping, more gossip, more food, more religion etc. returns.  The appetite is never satisfied.

Deep in the heart of man is a hunger and thirst for that which only Jesus can provide.  He alone satisfies. This morning He would say to us: “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. (Isaiah 55:2) Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to us today and feast on Jesus, the Word made flesh, the Bread that never disappoints.

I am the bread of life – Jesus of Nazareth (John 6:48)