(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Tisa)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is:

Isaiah 42:10-13 NIV

¹⁰ Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
    you islands, and all who live in them.
¹¹ Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
    let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
    let them shout from the mountaintops.
¹² Let them give glory to the Lord
    and proclaim his praise in the islands.
¹³ The Lord will march out like a champion,
    like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
    and will triumph over his enemies.

Something amazing happens when we sing and give praise to the Lord. In this excerpt there is a call to sing and rejoice but look carefully at the reason in verse 13. Had those being encouraged to sing been the recipients of some great act of God of redemption or provision, the verse would have read ‘The Lord HAS marched out like a champion,…’. Instead it reads he WILL march out like a champion, like a warrior! They were called to give praise and sing a new song before the Lord would fight for them! This is why we give thanks and praise BEFORE God does great things for us! On the 24th June, 2022 at midnight, there will be a shout and blowing of the shofar and the Lord will triumph over his enemies in Kenya that would like to bring calamity, bloodshed and tear the country apart for their own gains and for the kingdom of darkness! Hallelujah!

Pray that the Lord would quicken the hearts of those whom he has chosen to contribute towards the 20 million Kshs budget needed to carry out the event so that praise will be lifted up as the altar of God is built of united Praise and Worship of millions of Kenyans and others on the 24th and his enemies are brought down. Pray that he provides you with the grace to be a part of this great move of God that will go beyond Kenya’s borders spearheaded by ordinary people who believe in an extraordinary God.

(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Nane)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is:

Isaiah 62:6-7 NIV

⁶ I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,
⁷ and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes her the praise of the earth.

Isaiah 62 is a promise made to Zion by the Lord in this prophecy that He would eventually delight in her and would not leave her desolate and abandoned. Isaiah starts off by declaring he would not remain silent, but would speak out until he saw the salvation of Zion appear like a blazing torch for all to see. In verse 5 we are given the picture of a bridegroom rejoicing over the bride, an amazing prophetic pointer towards the bridegroom rejoicing over the bride he is about to marry, which is the return of Jesus in this last hour of the world’s history. We can take this same promise for our nations if we stand in the gap as watchmen on the walls, and do not remain silent until we see the light of revival in Kenya and nations beyond!

Pray that the Lord would make us watchmen on the walls of the nation and that all would give themselves no rest until God establishes Kenya and makes her among the nations that are a praise of the earth. Let it be said that the Lord has taken delight over Kenya and has called the nation Sought After and its cities a sanctuary of the Lord.

(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Saba)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is:

Matthew 9:35-38 NIV

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

In this chapter of the book of Matthew, that is chapter 9, we see a host of miracles that Jesus performed. These included healing and forgiving the sins of a paralyzed man laying on a mat and raising a dead girl as well as having the woman touch his garment and be healed. From this we can clearly see that His mission, and ultimately ours, is to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God and demonstrate it by attending to the issues of those with needs in the area of physical health.

Indeed He also tasked His disciples to do the same, promising them that signs and wonders would follow believers. Healing is not an optional part of the life of the believer, especially if we pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I would take a very wild guess and declare that there is no one with any kind of sickness in heaven, and that is what God would like here on earth as well. The enemy has lied to us that continual sickness and disease are from God to keep us in our place and so we remain humble. That is far from the truth and contradicts the Lord’s prayer. It is not that we will be denied entry to heaven if we cannot grasp this and choose to remain with our spirits of infirmity tormenting us. Not at all! What will be made clear to us is that it is not God’s perfect will that mankind would walk around and carry out His will in a diseased or infirm state. Our bodies are the temple of the Lord, and should be an example of the same to encourage others. Healing is for everyone!

Pray that on the 24th of June, as the nation of Kenya lifts up a sacrifice of praise to The Lord, He will release healing to ALL who hear the Praise and Worship whether at the stadium or in their homes and where they are. Pray that Jesus will release the gifts of healing to all believers in these last days and that the Lord will raise up hundreds of thousands of servants from the nation of Kenya for the end time harvest worldwide.

(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Sita)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is:

Matthew 21:14-16 NIV

14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

16“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

“ ‘From the lips of children and infants

you, Lord, have called forth your praise’ ^g ?”

When Jesus entered the temple courts he was greeted by a chorus of children shouting praises to Him. This upset the religious order quite a bit and they indignantly pointed out that fact to Jesus. He responds by quoting to them Psalm 8 as you can read above, yet it is easy to miss the powerful significance of this action by the children if you do not refer to the whole Psalm as opposed to just the quoted verse:

1Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

2Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

3When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

4what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them? ^c

5You have made them ^d a little lower than the angels ^e

and crowned them ^f with glory and honor.

6You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their ^g feet:

7all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

8the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

9Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8: 1-9, NIV

A closer examination of verse 2 explains it all. The purpose of praise in our mouths as His children is to have God establish a stronghold against His enemies (who are our enemies) and to silence the foe and avenger! Praise thus is a means of spiritual warfare against the enemy, and especially when done with childlike abandon and joy.

Pray that on the 24th of June, as the nation of Kenya lifts up a sacrifice of praise to The Lord, He will establish a stronghold against the enemies of Kenya both within and without. Pray that He clothes Kenya with a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness that the foe will be silenced as well as the avenger.

(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Tano)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is:

Acts 1:1-7 NIV

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with ^a water, but in a few days you will be baptized with ^b the Holy Spirit.”

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In the beginning of the account narrated by presumably Luke and commonly known as the book of Acts, the writer starts off by talking of how Jesus was with his disciples for a period of forty days after his death and resurrection. During this time Jesus reminds them of the promise of the baptism of fire by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word Baptizo means to immerse, submerge or make fully wet. The Holy Spirit is not just a power or mysterious force, but it is one of the triune natures of God in person. By pouring out His spirit, God is giving us an opportunity to become completely immersed in Him and by doing so become empowered to become His witnesses by demonstrating that very power.

Notice here the disciples ask when the kingdom will be restored to Israel and Jesus tells them that this information is exclusively known to God alone. This clearly reinforces the premise that the kingdom of God that Christ said had come upon men was not a political one, but a spiritual one that exerted its authority in the physical realm by demonstrations of power through miracles, signs and wonders.

Pray that you too would be immersed by the presence of God and receive power to become a witness of His goodness in Kenya and beyond. Pray that the Lord would once more pour out His Spirit on all flesh in this last great move of God before Jesus returns for His bride.

(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Nne)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is:

1 Corinthians 2:3 NIV

³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

Paul here is emphasizing the point that as believers we cannot rely on empty and powerless words to shake the world and enforce the Kingdom of God. Jesus clearly commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom healing the sick and casting out demons in His name. The Kingdom of God is not just quoting scripture but demonstrating it. It is the only language the enemy understands and surrenders to. Does the body of believers in Kenya demonstrate this truth, or has the church become a powerless place of eloquent words that come from pulpits? We must examine ourselves honestly, as signs and wonders were promised to ALL believers, not just a few.

Kenya will be a springboard of revival to the nations. The only way that will happen is if there is less talk and more demonstration of power which is driven by love.

Pray that the Lord would empower the body of believers in Kenya to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom with demonstrations of power, so that instead of men being given attention and glory, people will see these good works and give God the praise and depend on Him for their own deliverance and salvation.

(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Tatu)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is:

Acts 2:1-4 NIV

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues ^[1] as the Spirit enabled them.

On this day of Pentecost the Lord poured out His Spirit as Jesus had promised them. When the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jesus, he began a ministry of three short years that impacted the world as we know it today. He also promised that signs and wonders would follow the believers as they proclaimed the Good news of the Kingdom of God, and said they would do greater things than He did. Today very few can claim to have done greater things. More than ever we need the Holy Spirit. We need to receive power from on high so that we can boldly proclaim the kingdom of God.

Pray that the Lord would honor His promise in Joel 2:1 that Peter quoted and that this would happen in the nation of Kenya as we enter into the last days of history awaiting the return of Jesus.

(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Pili)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is:

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

According to the chapter we read from Daniel yesterday, the angel Gabriel was detained for 21 days by the ‘prince of Persia’. This clearly was a territorial spirit assigned by the enemy to rule over the land. Kenya also has a territorial spirit and the task to bind a regional strongman is not as simple as many think. This is why even after many prayers and prayer efforts we still see the manifestation of evil in an area as the strongman still rules. In history God has brought revival by turning up in a region with His Shekinah Glory and manifest presence. The outcome is very dramatic and distinct. As we head into remembering the Day of Pentecost tomorrow, when the Holy Spirit alighted as fire on those gathered and gave them power and boldness, let us remind God that we cannot defeat the enemy by our own strength or might, but by His Spirit.

Pray that the Lord would pour out a Spirit of grace and supplication in Kenya that leads to a distinct and powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied by the tangible presence of God that will cause the strongman to be subdued at least till the church is snatched up to heaven on the day the bridegroom comes for His bride.

(Moto Kwenye Madhabahu Mfungo wa Siku 21 Mkesha wa Kasarani – Siku Ya Kwanza)

As Daniel did when he fasted for 21 days, you are encouraged to abstain from choice foods and to earnestly petition before God for the nation of Kenya and the purposes of God for the nations beyond that Kenya will touch. At the very least remove all refined and processed sugar foods and drinks from your diet and not only will you be blessed spiritually but your body will thank you for it.
The prayer point of the day is from Daniel 9: 1-9:

1In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes ^a (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian ^b kingdom— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

7“Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;

Pray that the Lord would have mercy on Kenya and its leaders for sinning against Him and travail on behalf of the land.

On the day of Pentecost, a day that is commemorated each year as the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out and marked the beginning of the demonstration of the power of God in believers which enabled them to carry out the great commission as promised by Christ, we acknowledge the special place the Holy Spirit has in our lives as believers in Christ. He said that they should wait in Jerusalem until the promise of God to pour out His Spirit was fulfilled, and that He would not leave them alone but would send a counselor, a helper who would give them power.

What place does fire have in the operation of God’s will and His kingdom? Throughout the word we see examples of God sending fire to consume the sacrifice, or appearing as a column of fire, or even as fire in a burning bush that was not consumed. Let us look at the command of God to Moses when instructing Him on how the Israelites were to make a dwelling place for Him amongst them, which was called the Tent of Meeting. Also known as the Tabernacle, this housed the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant. Look at what it says in Leviticus 6:8-13:

8Then the LORD said to Moses, 9“Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.

10And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it. 11Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place.

12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 13The fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.

Is it not amazing to note that the fire was never to be extinguished but was to be kept burning? In the times of Elijah we see fire coming from heaven to consume the sacrifice, and that brought back the reverence of God among the people. A demonstration of the nature of God as being an all consuming fire. In Revelations we see fire in seven lamps, also called the ‘seven Spirits of God:

1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits ^a of God. Revelations 4:1-5, NIV

The censers that are filled with incense which are linked to the prayers of the saints also indicate that there is fire, as incense requires to be burned to release its aroma:

3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Revelations 8:3-5, NIV

Now we can see the relation to fire and why there is a requirement for an altar which is on fire! Paul tells us that we are the temple of the Lord, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who baptizes us with His Fire, for indeed our God is a consuming fire, but he consumes that which has to burn in order to purify it, a refining fire for the redeemed yet a destructive fire to the enemy and those who assign their lot with His by refusing to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and position as creator and Lord. The Holy Spirit is our fire and we turn our bodies into a temple that has the altar of heaven inside it. Indeed when Christ says He and the Father will come inside and dwell within, it is by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Today we have reduced our relationship of fire to one where we seek external fires of revival and moves of God in our nicely constructed buildings and organized worship that gently or even sometimes forcibly remove the Holy Spirit from our midst. We have succeeded at perfecting the religion but not the relationship. Jesus told us of a time when true believers would worship in Spirit and Truth, and that God is seeking for such. The hour has come when the outpouring that is beginning will cut through walls, borders, denominations, religious rites and practices, political systems and even enemy strongholds to reveal a bride that has a lamp trimmed with oil and burning, ready to receive the bridegroom.

May Yeshua grant you the fellowship of the Holy Spirit as you pray for the precious gift of fire that will restore the broken altar in our hearts and keep the fire burning until He comes! Be blessed! Believe!

In the book of Matthew Chapter 24 and verse 14, Jesus explains to his disciples the events leading to the end times and his return.
¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ((NIV)

Throughout history the gospel has been preached but let us examine what gospel, or good news, Jesus preached and commanded his disciples to preach. It certainly was not the gospel of Christianity, or a new religion. It was not a message of salvation for sure but it was clear that the good news would bring about mankind’s salvation. This begs us to ask why he insisted on it being the good news of THE KINGDOM. To understand the message of the kingdom one must understand what a kingdom is, how it is administered and ruled and who it’s subjects or citizens are as well as their responsibilities. According to the Merriam – Webster dictionary, a kingdom is defined as:

1 : a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen. 2 often capitalized. a : the eternal kingship of God. b : the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled.

Thus a kingdom can be agreed upon as a territory or community headed by a king. Obviously even a community has territory, hence being able to organize itself politically. Having established that we then see that Adam was given ‘dominion’ over the earth and all that was in it and commanded to ‘subdue’ it.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1: 26-28, NIV

At this point you see that there is a territory and its possessions (all the living creatures and the land on earth) and one who is assigned to ‘rule’ over that territory.

Fast forward to the time of Jesus, and you find man in a state of struggle to subdue the elements and living creatures, let alone his own carnal desires which bring about every known evil perpetuated against fellow man. In this state God sends his son to remove the barrier between heavens authority caused by man’s rebellion against that authority (sin).

One would have expected that John the baptist would have preached the message of salvation but instead we see him in Matthew 3 preaching the following:

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”^[a] Matt 3:1-3 (NIV)

When Jesus begins his ministry again the same message in Matthew 4:17 and 23,24:

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. ²⁴ News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.

In Matthew 9:35 we see the same:

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

At this point it is clear that Jesus was not bringing a religion but proclaiming the sovereign nature of God and his right to represent him. He was not interested in systems of the world, and neither was he interested in overthrowing them. The word repentance has its root in the act of having a transformation of one’s mindset to move in a direction completely opposite to where they were pointed at. Mankind, unlike the fallen angels, did not fall from the kingdom. Mankind fell from their position of authority as representatives of the king on territory earth. As witnessed by miracles, signs and wonders (which are not supernatural in the heavenly kingdom, but just a restoration to what was supposed to be the natural), the kingdom of heaven or God reclaims territory and authority when God shows up. It is the very nature of a king to have dominion over his territory. His command is final. There is no democratic counsel, or option to do otherwise. Hence bacteria and viruses come under the dominion of God, as do body cells and parts. They submit to the final authority. This is commonly known as healing.

This explains why Jesus sent out his disciples with the following instruction in Luke 9:1,2:

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Notice once again he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God AND to HEAL THE SICK. Those two are not mutually exclusive and are a non-negotiable part of the contract. In Luke 10:9 we see another reference to healing the sick and the kingdom of God:

⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

This then is the gospel of the Kingdom. The restoration of the authority of God in territories by His presence manifested in those who have believed in the message of Jesus and embraced their redemption found in the work of the cross. Indeed by His stripes we were healed. This is not a declaration of possibilities or probabilities. It is the living word of God available to all who believe in Christ and who then receive the power to become sons and daughters of the King. The king always sent his representatives out with authority, for he knew that his glory was represented by their appearance.

In this last hour the Holy Spirit will quicken us to understand that the kingdom of God is one of power and authority, not for the sake of ruthless dominion but a loving restoration that will also see creation rejoice, even if for a brief period, in the manifest presence of the Father on earth as believers experience the last great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the world is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the see.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled. – Matthew 5:6, NIV

Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God. Matthew 5:8, NIV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3, NIV

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33, NIV

Holy Spirit we are hungry. Fill us with His righteousness and cause us to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and verify it with miracles, signs and wonders. Father, THY kingdom come and THY will be done here on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
    and give you a pleasant land,
    the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’
    and not turn away from following me.

– Jeremiah 3:19 (NIV)

inheritance (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

noun

in·​her·​i·​tance | \ in-ˈher-ə-tən(t)s , -ˈhe-rə- \

Definition of inheritance

1 : something that is or may be inherited
2
a : the act of inheriting property
b : the reception of genetic qualities by transmission from parent to offspring
c : the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations
3
a : TRADITION
b : a valuable possession that is a common heritage from nature

The word inheritance is mentioned 219 times in the Bible and something remarkable can be observed by its use. If we are to understand the Kingdom of God and how we inherit it we must first understand the concept of inheritance. An inheritance cannot be bought by the one who seeks to acquire it and neither can it be legally taken by force from its rightful owners. Inheritance by legal terms requires that the person inheriting whatever is theirs to fully posses it and and the powers over it only when the current owner dies.

This is why we enter into the inheritance of the Kingdom of God through faith and never by our works, as no amount of labour qualifies us to take possession of our inheritance. Jesus points us towards the manner in which we take hold of our inheritance of the Kingdom, by God restoring us to sonship through the work of the cross.

In Hebrews 9:15-17 Paul describes this as follows:
¹⁵ For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

¹⁶ In the case of a will,^[d] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, ¹⁷ because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. (NIV)

Throughout the history of mankind from Adam to the present day we see our Father orchestrating an amazing divine purpose by giving us our inheritance even before we were entitled to it. This is illustrated in the story of the prodigal son, who demanded his inheritance and left his home, only to squander it and yet still the Father ran to him when He saw the son whom he thought was dead and gone. He then gives him the signet ring after giving him new clothes and cleaning him up, and calls a celebration.

For us to inherit the Kingdom and all its benefits the ‘death’ of the rightful owner had to occur for it to be legal. As Paul describes so aptly we could not receive the inheritance without that happening. How amazing then that we are restored to a place of righteousness by faith through grace which we do not merit in order to enjoy the full benefits of our inheritance both now and for all eternity! No wonder Jesus exhorts us to ‘seek first’ the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all that we need and more will be added to us.

According to the definition of inheritance we inherit the genetic traits, possessions and property of the living owner upon their death. Christ did not come to show us how to work for our inheritance, but rather to acquire it and then produce good fruit as we operated in our authority as heirs of the kingdom, as kings and a royal priesthood, fully equipped with the character, power and resources only available to heirs.

He thought we would call Him Father and we are to respond to Him as children. When Jesus tells us that we must become as children, it is not just in having the characteristics of childlike trust and behaviour but also encompasses the realization that we are indeed to grasp that we are restored to sonship, and children are not slaves or servants (do understand that children serve in a manner of speaking, by virtue of mirroring the characteristics and traits of their father in their actions which include dominion and trusteeship of His properties which are essentially theirs).

Romans 8: 14-17 (NIV)
⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[g] Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

May we indeed cry out “Abba, Father!” Be blessed! Be restored!

11The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13, NIV

When Elijah ran for his life after demonstrating God’s power by rebuilding the altar and having God answer by fire, he was instructed to go on a journey for 40 days and 40 nights to the Mountain of God, Mount Horeb, also known today as Mount Sinai.

We can learn a number of lessons from this encounter, including the fact that God is not restricted to appearing with massive displays of energy and power, as we are often tempted to think. As we wait upon God, let us all realise that it is often in the stillness that He is at His most powerful and we become able to clearly hear His voice. As we await the outpouring that is about to be released, let us not be of a mind that restricts God’s manifest presence by our expectations, but be assured that He is about to glorify Himself as He pours out His Spirit on all flesh.

What the Father will pour out is a desire to seek His face and fellowship and to be like Jesus rather than His hand and power and gifts. Indeed the power of love is what compelled Jesus to heal the sick, help the poor and oppressed and He will give us that same compassion and love fr one another and for Him. When the love of God overwhelms us and overruns our carnal desires, we seek nothing else but to know Jesus and to walk with Him and in His power. Then truly shall we do greater works than those that He did, as He promised us. That hour is now upon us. Be hungry and be blessed!

1949 – October: Hebrides Islands, Scotland (Duncan Campbell)

Duncan Campbell

Following the trauma of World War II, spiritual life reached a low ebb in the Scottish Hebrides. By 1949 Peggy and Christine Smith (84 and 82) had prayed constantly for revival in their cottage near Barvas village on the Isle of Lewis, the largest of the Hebrides Islands in the bleak north west of Scotland. God showed Peggy in a dream that revival was coming. Months later, early one winter’s morning as the sisters were praying, God give them an unshakeable conviction that revival was near.

Peggy asked her minister James Murray Mackay to call the church leaders to prayer. Three nights a week the leaders prayed together for months. One night, having begun to pray at 10 pm, a young deacon from the Free Church read Psalm 24 and challenged everyone to be clean before God. As they waited on God his awesome presence swept over them in the barn at 4 am Mackay invited Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) to come and lead meetings. Within two weeks he came. God had intervened and changed Duncan’s plans and commitments. At the close of his first meeting in the Presbyterian Church in Barvas the travel weary preacher was invited to join an all night prayer meeting. Thirty people gathered for prayer in a nearby cottage. Duncan Campbell described it:

“God was beginning to move, the heavens were opening, we were there on our faces before God. Three o’clock in the morning came, and God swept in. About a dozen men and women lay prostrate on the floor, speechless. Something had happened; we knew that the forces of darkness were going to be driven back, and men were going to be delivered. We left the cottage at 3 am to discover men and women seeking God. I walked along a country road, and found three men on their faces, crying to God for mercy. There was a light in every home, no one seemed to think of sleep.”

When Duncan and his friends arrived at the church that morning it was already crowded. People had gathered from all over the island, some coming in buses and vans. No one discovered who told them to come. God led them. Large numbers were converted as God’s Spirit convicted multitudes of sin, many lying prostrate, many weeping. After that amazing day in the church, Duncan pronounced the benediction, but then a young man began to pray aloud. He prayed for 45 minutes. Once more the church filled with people repenting and the service continued till 4 am the next morning before Duncan could pronounce the benediction again.

Even then he was unable to go home to bed. As he was leaving the church a messenger told him, “Mr. Campbell, people are gathered at the police station, from the other end of the parish; they are in great spiritual distress. Can anyone here come along and pray with them?”

Campbell went and what a sight met him. Under the still starlit sky he found men and women on the road, others by the side of a cottage, and some behind a peat stack all crying to God for mercy. The revival had come.

His mission continued for five weeks. Services were held from early morning until late at night and into the early hours of the morning. The revival spread to the neighbouring parishes from Barvas with similar scenes of repentance, prayer and preaching. People sensed the awesome presence of God everywhere.

That move of God in answer to prevailing prayer continued in the area into the fifties and peaked again on the previously resistant island of North Uist in 1957. Meetings were again crowded and night after night people cried out to God for salvation.

The Hebrides revival, experienced in a Presbyterian context, illustrates how the impact of the Spirit floods and transcends any context. Campbell emphasised the importance of a baptism in the Spirit, as had been a common theme in the Welsh revival.

Source: Renewal Journal – Geoff Waugh

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

² But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴ and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

⁵ “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:1-5, NIV

Psalm 8^[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] A psalm of David.

¹ Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
² Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?^[c]

⁵ You have made them^[d] a little lower than the angels^[e]
    and crowned them^[f] with glory and honor.
⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their^[g] feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹ Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

If ever there was an insight into how much God values us, this Psalm by David gives us a clue as to how much the Father loves us and has endowed us with much responsibility and crowned us with glory and honor for His own sake. Indeed, Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have made us rulers yet we still do not grasp the authority you gave us and the dominion. May your Holy Spirit rekindle the fire that spurs us to take our place that you restored through the sacrifice of your son, Jesus. Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done! Amen!

If there is anything more divisive in the body of Christ it is the use of absolutes in speech to emphasize a matter. The enemy has clearly brought confusion and division that is needless in the body of believers with the sole purpose of defeating the one who is easily snared by arguments on the validity of the Torah to those who are not of Jewish lineage or belief. The minute one brings even the slightest question they are attacked viciously as though it is God Himself fiercely condemning the use of the ‘Torah’ as anything other than a ‘historical account’. I quote because I have encountered this rather frequently here on Facebook and it has become a Paul and Apollos thing, to say the least.

The Word of God is valid from Genesis to Revelation, and it is the modern Christians agreed set of books that are meant as a guide to the character of God and as a manual of instruction. I have seen people adamantly say that the ‘Old testament’ is nothing more than a historical book and cannot be used for instruction to the believer. The early believers, including those who were not Jews, clearly had none of the letters and accounts that we call the New Testament today, yet for hundreds of years referred to the ‘Old Testament’ for a reference towards how to interact with God and the promises He had made in the Torah leading to the New Covenant. Notwithstanding that early generation had the greatest impact on history, as shown by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their midst and their love for one another and the Word. Indeed they received power and became witnesses even through great persecution and hardship.

Wisdom dictates that we are very clear when we say the Torah is just a historical book, because history can be a good teacher as well. Just because a covenant does no longer apply to us, or never did, does not negate the learning within and the revelation of the character and nature of Jehovah. It does not change His name, or names, for that matter. It does not change His character, and neither does it change His purpose. The two camps of Old and New are locked into this never ending cycle of misunderstanding and misrepresentation that does not seem to be building the body, but rather tearing it apart.

The Torah can be summarized as God’s love letter to the world given in a promise to Abraham for all mankind and Yeshua fulfills that promise. To place emphasis on either Old without understanding that it had a purpose or only on the New without understanding that it came out of the Old, is to confine the understanding of God to an inferior place where many blessings are missed for simple plain ignorance and I dare say even conceit. You cannot fully learn the character of God just by opening the New Testament, and even though Christ is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3), we still find that being described in the Torah as a shadow and Christ himself saying he came to fulfill it. So in the Torah we are actually to learn about Christ, and the blueprint for mankind’s redemption through the Jews.

We must be firm with rightly divining the word of truth but let us also be as gentle as doves. Social media unfortunately can easily be a place where we pour out emotional statements that inflame rather than build. I am almost certain that some will immediately attack me on this and they know themselves, but again I would ask what benefit is it to deny a believer who trusts your judgement and doctrine the deep knowledge available in the Torah?

It may be that those who deny the Torah’s ability to instruct are merely emphasizing the misuse of the Torah in that we are clearly in a New Covenant, thanks to the work of the Passover Lamb in this season of Easter. That same Torah talks of promises that we as believers are enjoying today. How can I not be encouraged by the account of Elijah, when even Paul uses him to talk about faith while ‘instructing’ those he writes to? And what about Abraham, the father of faith? Can I learn nothing from the accounts of his life as written by Moses in the Torah? What about the Psalms? Is the book of Daniel merely a historical book? If so, why would Jesus refer to it when talking of end times?

I dread the day when many of us will miss out at the judgement of our works simple because we did not teach the full gospel, and become the least because of that.

(Matthew 5:17-19 NIV

[17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. [19] Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.)

Mine is not to extend these arguments for I know whom I have believed and whom I serve, and His Word is my beacon and standard, and it will be the one that judges me on that day, not people’s opinions and doctrines. To either say that the Torah is what one born of the Spirit should follow to the letter implies that Christ did nothing on the cross, apart from fulfill a historical purpose.

Picking and choosing scripture can also be detrimental to one’s walk in Christ, as well as being a tool for bigotry and hatred of those whom we think commits sins as though we ourselves are without fault. The common thread of rejection of the Torah is the use of the work of the cross to establish the New Covenant, but even after that on the day of Pentecost Peter quotes Joel 2:1.

The disciples taught from the Torah and how Jesus had explained it to them as a reference to the promise of salvation through the seed of Abraham. They also clearly saw that the Law of Moses was not directed at those who were not Jewish, but as a lasting ordination to the Jews, and with that insight made a proclamation that as long as people did not eat of food sacrificed to idols and engage in sexual sin, they were free to not observe the law to the letter. But they still taught the faith by using the Torah and how Christ is revealed in it.

This is why it is by grace we are saved, through faith and not by works or our personal effort, and that is the work of the New Covenant. Let us in this season of contemplating the work of the Cross not engage ourselves in mocking one another or pointing out what we think is wrong with each others doctrine’s, but build one another by allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us with love for one another and for our neighbors that surround us so that the truth will prevail and peace will preside over our relationships. God bless us all and may His Shalom prevail!

We live in a world today where it seems there is an exponential increase in the suffering of people. As a person who has a presence on social media I am confronted daily with people sharing their illnesses and other needs. The media is awash with high profile personalities that are going through traumas or have had their lives ended by illnesses or even taking their own lives out of despair.

Statistics worldwide show that the number of cases of non-communicable diseases, NCD’s, is on the rise. The recent pandemic was an unlikely wake up call to the state of affairs of the general health of mankind. At the time in history when Christ was on earth, it is clear from the many accounts noted in the gospels that the number one activity that Jesus performed was healing. Today, as modern medicine improves, we have become indifferent to the supernatural ability of God to intervene in our physical health. This is why miracles seem to be more prevalent in less developed countries where medical care is not as easily available or sophisticated as in those countries that are considered developed.

When we look at Jesus’ ministry on earth, we clearly see that the purpose of restoration of the Kingdom of God included restoration of physical and mental well-being. Indeed John writes thus:

3 John 1:2 NIV
[2] Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

It is God’s pleasure and His absolute delight to see us all well and healthy and prospering as we ultimately are a reflection of His grace and will for mankind. We thus fall short of His glory when we do not grasp all the promises He has for us. We will go through various trials and tests but are destined to be triumphant. Ours is to live by faith in his word.

Proverbs 16:20 NIV
[20] Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

If we remain in Him and give heed to His word, the promises He gave us will manifest themselves so that He is glorified. Miracles, signs and wonders are thus not an entertaining feature of our faith, to be used to attract attention to ourselves or to be ‘sold’, as is the case of some selling holy water and oil, but are meant to demonstrate the power of God’s love. A sign points to a direction or declares the description or name of a place or facilities at that place.

When Jesus saw the multitudes in their suffering He was moved by compassion. What do you feel when you see someone with a disability or suffering from some condition? If compassion rises up within you, then you are on the right track, for your hunger and thirst to see healing will be rewarded as you seek God’s intervention.

Mark 16:17-18 NIV
[17] And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [18] they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Let our love for God be demonstrated and accompanied by these signs in the name of Yeshua! Be blessed!

Tanzania is a nation blessed by The Lord God. Within her borders are natural wonders that are not to be found at the same scale anywhere else. Mt. Kilimanjaro. The beautiful Island paradise of Zanzibar comprising Unguja and Pemba and of course Mafia. The Serengeti Plains and the vast numbers of freely roaming wildlife. Mineral and energy resources that are in the trillions of dollars in value. A people that have been the bastion of peace and harmony and in the forefront of the African liberation movement.

Today Tanzania stands at a threshold of being able to accomplish what may seem to be the impossible, and we are called to be at the helm of this great movement of God that will bless Tanzania and nations beyond her borders. If you are reading this you are welcome to become part of that movement to share these blessings.

On the 17th of Febuary 2023, a thanksgiving and praise event will be held overnight at the City Christian Center, Upanga from 8:30 pm. This has been changed from the previously announced date of 27th January to allow for more time for mobilization and preparation.

Follow this page and the Facebook and Instagram and Twitter to get updates on this world changing event that is a simple invitation to God to inhabit the praises of His Children and manifest His Glory. The lame will walk. The blind will see. The sick will be healed. All this as the event is broadcast live on national radio and one live streams via YouTube and Facebook.
Here is the event link, information and description.

To donate towards the expenses donate as little as Tshs 1000/- here and it will help immensely.

Be blessed!

[wc_woo_donation id=”358″]

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
-Matthew 24:45-47 (NIV)

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 25: 14-30 (NIV)

The Lord is not expecting us to do more than that which we are able. He just expects that we will have done that which we knew we could and should have out of the abundance of love we have for Him and our neighbor. He is coming soon. May you be counted amongst the wise and faithful when He returns! Be blessed!

Now is as good a time as any to reflect on whether you are exhibiting the love of God found in Christ and shining your light or are being a clanging cymbal as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13. Your speaking in tongues and prophesying and knowing all mysteries amount to nothing if you do not have love for others whom you can see and yet profess to know and love God whom you have not seen.

As we approach the years end and make New Years resolutions for 2023 determine to make love the centerpiece of your life. This is regardless of whether it is reciprocated or not. This should extend to even those who do wrong to you. Forgive and love. Let your first love resurface. Let your light shine in a world where darkness and despair rule the headlines.” Be blessed!

Number 5.

The story of the underdog is often the one of David and Goliath. against what seemed insurmountable odds he ‘volunteers’ to challenge the champion of the Philistines who had issued a challenge to the armies of the Kingdom of Israel to send their best to fight him, and whoever won the other side would surrender.

Apparently in history this was one way of avoiding mass bloodshed by only pitting the two individual opponents against each other, with the gentleman’s agreement that the side that lost would cede defeat. David remembers and recalls the times he fought off a lion and a bear by killing them to defend his fathers sheep. With this recall of his previous victories, he launches himself head on into making history by becoming the founder of the ‘City of David’ now being hotly contested by others as not being a part of the Jewish homeland, Jerusalem.

I have had the privilege of visiting the Old Town and walls in person and can say without shame or fear that Jerusalem is the undivided capital of not only the people of Israel, but will also be the future capital of an eternal kingdom that rules the world with justice and equity as foretold in the Bible.

14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring a forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” – Genesis 13: 14-17 (NIV)

You can argue all you want about who owns the land, but one way that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (later renamed Israel by God) makes His words known as truth is when He speaks of things to come and they happen. This is commonly known as prophecy. The Book of Revelation and Daniel are two such books that tell of the end times. It is only fair that if you believe it is a bunch of nonsense and contradictions to dismiss it, but things have come to pass with such accuracy, including the foretelling of the coming of the ‘Messiah’ in Isaiah 53, and the accounts of what He did and accomplished in the three years He ministered on earth.

If there is anything you can take away from the story of David and Goliath is that you have everything in your hands to defeat whatever giants will rise up against you and those you love. It only takes faith and to remember how many times God has seen you through what seemed like impossible situations for you to even get through in one piece.

As 2023 sets in just remember that you are not the underdog if God is on your side!

There is something profound and precious in our fellowship with the Holy Spirit, especially considering His place and work in the triune Godhead. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A mystery only grasped by those born again and dead to self but alive in Christ. The illustration below is probably the best one I have seen describing this state of God.

There are many arguments about the Trinity, but I reduce it to one simple thing: by definition we say an entity qualifies to be called a god if it has at the very least the following attributes – Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence. Anything short of that really will struggle to be called a ‘god’.
In the case of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we see these attributes and the encounters of the people of Israel from the time their ancestor Abraham leaves what is now present day Iraq and moves by faith to a promised land which his descendants eventually inherit by supernatural intervention to present day where history foretold is unfolding in present day Israel.

There is an interesting sequence of encounters between man from when he is created as per the description in Genesis chapter one, a book attributed to Moses, who had close encounters of the godly kind, that is face to face. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The Hebrew word for God there is pronounced El-O-Heem, which is plural and not singular so the English translation does not do it justice. It then adds credence to the assertion that there is a plurality of this one God.
“Let us make them in our likeness” ring a bell? So we too, having been formed from the dust have the attributes of Elohim – godliness, humanity and a spirit that make our full character and being. It is often taught to simplify this comparison that the triune nature of man is body, soul and spirit.

After the fall of man we see God the Father trying to reconnect back with mankind through His first direct encounter with the Israelites at the mountain in the desert. It didn’t go too well, for the form which He took as the Father in all His fullness and holiness was terrifying to say the least. So much for that encounter. The Israelites had prepared themselves but when a cloud covering a whole mountain kilometers wide with peals and rumblings, thunder and flashes of lightning and earthquakes descended they told Moses to go meet with ‘his buddy’, for they were scared out of their wits.

Fast forward to the next encounter which God organized and promised in Isaiah 9: 6,7(NIV) –

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

Lets remind ourselves of step one where God the Father in all His fullness, power and glory comes to meet with men and it is scary. So He decides to come as the Son. A man, only one born of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Spirit moved over the waters, the Holy Spirit came upon a simple woman who said yes to being the one to carry the helpless child and bear Him supernaturally. The Holy Spirit came over her and she conceived. The Hebrew word for ‘moved, hovered, brooded’ is the word ‘rachaph’ which is only used 3 times in the Bible – Genesis 1:2, Jeremiah 23:9 and Deuteronomy 32:11. The word indicates a high degree of care, concern similar to a mother brooding over her newly hatched eggs or just about to be hatched eggs. The amazing thing is that the Holy Spirit somehow seems to be the power arm of God yet is the most concerned and gentle and even flutters over that which he is charged to look after.

Again this encounter produces mixed results to the human eye but not according to God, because by sending the son whom we can relate to and fully God, we have the opportunity to encounter God without fear because He is like us and we are like Him.
1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, ^a we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1,2 (NIV)

When Jesus is then ready to leave He talks of a ‘helper’ to His disciples.

¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[a] in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

²² Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. – John 14:15-25 (NIV).

The Son asks the father to send the Spirit so that we are not left alone but have a ‘Counselor’ or advocate. It makes one ponder why someone who is appointed to us as a legal representative and lives in us? Amazing! The same Spirit that rachaphs over us is now in us revealing the Father and the Son! Oh how we need to you Holy Spirit! An advocate because only He knows the law and the heart of the judge, because HE IS the heart of the judge, and knows the heart of the judge!

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. – Romans 8:26,27 (NIV)

It is the Holy Spirit that knows God’s heart and prays through us according to His will. Little wonder Jesus says blasphemy against the Holy is the unforgivable sin. So do not grieve the Holy Spirit for He knows God’s heart and mind.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin” ^d : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Brothers and sisters in this season of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit tap into the final pouring of oil into our lamps before the Bridegroom comes in that day as a thief – unexpectedly. Be blessed!!!