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!
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!
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!!!
As promised here is the first of a series of posts summarizing my impressions of the days ahead and the likely outcomes based upon what I sense God is speaking to the nations. There will be 12 such posts culminating with the final one on my birthday in December which is on the 12th day (12/12). No significance in the numbers but easier to break down the download into 12 chunks rather than all at once.
This year has seen an acceleration in the speed and intensity of “incidents and accidents, hints and allegations”. Indeed “these are the days of miracles and wonders”. Paul Simon’s Graceland album released in 1986 may have been one of the most prophetic works of art of our generation. Watch as the increase in natural and supernatural phenomena takes place from this point on and increases in 2023. As a matter of fact I am compelled to call 2023 the year of “Miracles and Wonders”.
Miracles because it will take a miracle for many to get through the year and we will find ourselves bidding some of those close to us farewell. Should they have made peace with their maker it should be cause to rejoice, for they will be escaping the coming whirlwind of events that many will not be able to withstand. We will here of even suicides by loved ones and be watchful especially of your children and learn to catch the tell-tale signs. These are just the beginnings of birth pains. Be not afraid for you have been forewarned. Abide in the shadow of the Almighty and it will be well with you.
Wonders because in the midst of everything there will also be extraordinary incidents that will only be able to be attributed to God. The Bridegroom is at the door. Fill your lamps with oil. Wonders because many will ‘wonder’ how you and your family made it through 2023. Even if you are somewhat financially secure at the moment or just barely making ends meet, make this Christmas a different one by refraining from the usual holiday spending especially on credit. Far better you spend Christmas with your family and friends with a meal and thanksgiving than pulling out the stops with ‘gifts’ that you either cannot pay cash for or will be paying for for a long time. Some of you will have financial stress from possible job cuts. Some will see income dwindle. You have been warned so be smart.
As Joseph told Pharaoh to store grain, please consider keeping away at least 6 months living expenses if you can and then spend what you wish to spend after. Preferably spend on feeding the poor and helping those in need rather than buying that expensive gadget that you will have to sell at half price to make it through the coming financial storm. God will keep you and see you through and ensure that you will have plenty if you do (Psalm 91).
Stay tuned for Number 2 of this series coming shortly. Love and blessings to you all!!
