Fighting the Right Way

Confession.

I struggle with perfection. 

So much so that I spent most of last year hiding my mess from God. I found it hard to go to God with my struggles. My (inner) battles. I was convinced He didn't want to see nor  know about them; that He wanted me to have it all together. I thought I had to fight alone, which I tried a couple of times and every time I lost miserably; even if I started on a good note, it was never long before I failed. It didn't matter how determined I was or how much preparation I had, the result was always the same. Failure. My continuous failure took away whatever willpower I had to continue fighting and so I gave up.

 But now I realise that I was believing a series of lies. 

First, I was convinced that God didn't want me to share my mess with Him but I realise now that with intimacy comes vulnerability. If I was in close fellowship with God, which I wasn't, I would have known that He wanted me to tell Him about my mess and ask Him for help. Just as we tend to open up more, the more we know a person, so it is with God. The deeper our relationship with Him is, the more likely that we'll share our very hearts with Him. 

Secondly, I thought I could conceal my struggles but now I realise that there is no point in hiding anything from God because He knows and sees it all (Hebrews 4:13, Psalm 139). Inside of hiding things from God, we should be taking these things to Him and asking Him for power to overcome them. Praying for conviction also otherwise our hearts become hardened.   

Thirdly, I assumed that God didn't understand me nor my struggles but now I realise that He knows my frame. After all He made me. God knows both our strengths and weaknesses. I know that I need His help and for me to think that He doesn't want to help me is very wrong; after all Christ came at a time when we were utterly helpless (Romans 5:6). Without His strength, if we don't rely on the Holy Spirit, we will eventually fail. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to overcome the power of sin through Christ (Romans 8:2).

Finally, although I knew that God's love for me was unconditional, I believed that He surely couldn't love the mess that I was. But God loves us so so much. I found and still find this the hardest truth to grasp fully. God's love for the individual is so vast! When I lost my battles, I somehow thought that I had let God down and that He probably didn't want anything to do with me. I was a failure after all. However, He loves me despite my faults. He loved me when I was His enemy and His love for us all was revealed in Jesus' death on the cross (Romans 5:8). If He loved me so then, what more now that I am His child? God's love for me isn't a blank cheque to sin as much as I want, it's actually the contrary. His love for me should motivate me to love Him back, and that means keeping His commandments (Romans 6, John 14:15-26; 15:10-17; 1John 2:5).

So to make a long story a bit short, God is teaching me to fight the right way. With Him. We are not meant to fight our battles on our own, don't make the mistake I made. Invite Him in. You can only kill a Goliath with a stone when you know whose you are and Who is on  your side!

This song by Steffany Gretzinger: Out of Hiding (Father's Song) summarizes what I just wrote perfectly. I also love this song by Positive on a similar theme: Two Man Army. Last but not least this beautiful sermon by Kim Walker Smith (I didn't even know that she preached??!!): The Art of Vulnerability. Check them out!

What lies have you believed about battles? What truths has God shown you? Leave a comment below!

Blessings 💜

Sharing is Caring

The societies we are a living in, especially in the West, are evolving from ones that are concerned about others to ones that are individualized and closed. And as a result, we are becoming the kind of people that "mind our own business" in other words, people that are concerned only about themselves.

 This change and it's consequences are contrary to what God desires of us. Human beings are created in the image of God. God is a relational being and is greatly concerned about our welfare. So when we become less relational and more selfish, we are acting in an abnormal manner. One of the most important ways to show genuine care for others is by sharing the Gospel in word and in deed, God doesn't want us to live among the lost without caring enough to tell them about His love which was so richly expressed in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection three days later.

In the years that I have been living in Belgium, I have found it hard to be an effective witness of Jesus not only because of the above mentioned reason. For the first two years, I was uncertain of my faith although I still sought God, it's not easy to talk about someone you don't know. After my baptism, it was mainly because I was afraid of what people would think of me if they knew that I believed or  I was not confident enough to start a conversation about the Gospel.

But last month, God had been speaking to me and teaching me about evangelism in so many ways.
- He encouraged me to not only know my faith but also share it and  He reminded me that I am His ambassador through whom many will come to know Him.
- He helped me understand that  it's not my job to convict and cause people to confess that Jesus is Lord but that my part is in planting the seed which He will tend and cause to grow.
- He showed me that each day is a day for salvation and that I should seize every opportunity that comes my way.
-  Although I can witness with my lifestyle, I can also do so with my mouth; after all, faith comes by hearing the Word of God. This to for me, has been the most important lesson because I had always relied more on my lifestyle to witness to people. However, I have also been given a mouth to speak words of life. One method is not better than the other, both a biblical and both should be used.
- Lastly, He made me realize that wherever and with whoever I am, I am there to witness.

 All this has been a lot to take in but the Holy Spirit both teaches and enables us to do good works of which evangelism is one. We can not witness in our own strength. Instead effective witnessing is a result of a rich relationship God which develops from spending time with Him, the knowledge of one's identity in Christ and a correct understanding of the Bible. The more I will know Him, the easier it will be to tell someone about Him. And the more I understand that I have not been given a Spirit of fear, the more I will not be ashamed to tell others about the Lord. Lastly, the more I understand the Bible, the better I will explain the faith.

The sharing of the Gospel to a single person has a ripple effect, like that which is seen when a stone is thrown in a lake with each subsequent wave growing larger, it not only affects the person in which the seed was planted but also his/her lineage and  the lineage of others around him/her.

What greater gift is there to give to someone than the message of eternal life because of God's love displayed in Jesus' death and resurrection?

Now is the time of salvation! Be bold, be silent no more!



How has God been using you to draw people to Himself? What do you find difficult about the sharing the Gospel? Which songs inspire you to evangelize?

Two songs that have greatly inspired me about witnessing are Tell The World by Lecrae ft Mali Music and  Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective. 

Check out these devotionals from Our Daily Bread about evangelizing:
Evie's Decision
A Pleasing Aroma

Three & Free Indeed!

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. - John 8:34-36 

 Three years ago today, I got baptized and decided to take my walk with Christ seriously :)!
I have had ups and downs, overflows of  living water and dry spells. It hasn't been a problem-free, cherries and roses 3 years. However, it's still the best decision I have ever made, I don't regret it!

A wise person once said that you can't met the real Jesus and stay the same, having Him in my life has indeed changed me for the better. And I am sure that many fellow believers can agree with that! The Gospel changes everything! And definitely for the better!

The song, Thank You Lord by Israel & New Breed, is my celebration song  for this wonderful occasion!

 If you, my friend, are still doubting about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, doubt no more. Believe! His arms are open wide, ready to welcome you to a new life full of adventure! Delay no more. Now is the time for salvation.

Masterpieces of Grace

Leuven is a lovely small city. Every year and in different places something is always under-construction, it can be anything but usually it is a building, a road or a roof.The same is true for other cities like Ghent and Brussels. Renovation can be considered as something typically Belgium. Just take a walk outside and you will hear the drilling machines, the sounds of hammers hitting metal and you will see the builders at work from early morning to late afternoon in winter, spring, summer and autumn and in all kinds of weather too. Their dedication is visible. They want to see the project complete and to admire the beautiful result of hard work.  

Apart from Belgians, I  know Someone who is an expert and incredibly skilled in all things regarding restoration, renewal and rebuilding and He works on people. His name is Jesus. You might think and be convinced that people do not need repair, but we do. We are not in our original state. We used to be, until the fall and are in great need of restoration. Let me be explain further.

When God created the earth and made the first humans (Adam and Eve) in His image, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). But Adam and Eve went against God by disobeying Him. This lead to what we call sin, and every human being after Adam and Eve is born with it (Genesis 3). The problem about sin is that it destroys and disfigures us; it has stolen our true identity and left us empty and separated from God. Sin has made a mess of life. But the good news is that God has given us a solution to this sin problem. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who was in every way human as we are but without sin. He lived, died and rose again. In dying all sin was laid on Him and in rising up again from death, He destroyed the power of sin and all it's consequences such as death for example (Hebrews 2:10-18). So when we accept and confess our sins and  trust that Jesus did this for us, we are saved and we receive eternal life, new life (John 3:16, Rom.10:9; 2Cor 5:17).

This new life consists of a lot of restoration, God bringing us to be like His Son; so in a way taking us back to our original state. He intends for us to be as holy and blameless as He is. So Christians are in fact people under-construction, this project lasts for a lifetime and ends either when we die or when Jesus returns (1Cor 15:35-58). Jesus through His Holy Spirit and our effort is slowly but surely changing our hearts and giving us new habits, new goals, new attitudes (Titus 3:5). Some habits are easier to break than others, some new characteristics will take more time and energy to learn. Some wounds are harder to heal, and painful to treat but they will be healed completely because God is not the type who doesn't finish His projects (Philippians 1:6). However, we should not use this fact that we are being renovated as an excuse to fall back into old destructive habits but as a propeller that energizes to seek to work and cooperate with God. 

And the great thing about this restoration is that, God is not only restoring human beings but everything and one day there will be a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21).

Salvation is only the beginning and Christ is making all things new!

Share your story in the comment section below or with a sister or brother, what new habits has God placed in you? What old habits has He taken away? 

For further reading on this topic, check out the links below (the short list) ;)

http://odb.org/2016/05/01/the-restoration-business/
http://odb.org/2016/05/04/out-of-the-ruins/
http://odb.org/2015/12/02/glass-beach/
http://odb.org/2016/02/03/training-for-life-2/
http://odb.org/2015/06/03/something-new/
http://odb.org/2015/07/27/the-checkup/

Guest Post:The Word of God by Myriam Ndanga

The Word of God, when we think about it, we think about the Bible.

But the Word of God is so much more. Let's take a look at the Bible and at Jesus.

The Bible is active and alive, it's our daily bread, it gives life, it's the Truth, it shows us the way, it is there for correction, encouragement and teaching, it's as sharp as a double sided sword, it's perfect in itself, it enlightens our ways by enlightening the path of our feet and much more.

Jesus is the living Word of God. He was in the beginning and He was with God and He was God Himself. He became flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus says of Himself that He is the Truth, the Way and the Life. He says that He is the Bread of Life. He speaks what God speaks without error. When He speaks, He speaks with divine authority, with grace, with wisdom, with power, with knowledge, with truth and love. He proclaims the righteousness of God. And He uses Scripture to rebuke and correct and to guide.

Now, both of them are the Word of God but we can not live with one while neglecting the other one. They belong together and are one. You can not love Jesus but have no desire to read the Word also if you think that Jesus spoke to you but you can't find it in the Word it is not of Jesus, since He doesn't speak anything against or not according to His Word.

The Word of God is what God, Himself, speaks. It is what He thinks and it is coming out of His very heart. When we know and understand His Word, we get to know and understand His heart.

It is very interesting to see that He blessed us with His whole Word. Now, this doesn't mean that God doesn't have more to say, NO! God's wisdom is endless. It just means that He told us everything WE need to know in order to survive in this world and to be prepared for the world to come. He told us everything we need to know from beginning to end. There is nothing which should surprise us since He made sure to tell us everything we need to know concerning history, present and future events.

His Word also says that it is forbidden to take anything away from it or to add anything to it. Otherwise the Word would be twisted and not perfect and complete and holy in itself. It wouldn't be 100% the truth.

With that being said there are two parts of the Word. The reading part and the living part. The Scriptures help us to understand God's heart and will for our lives and Jesus helps us living according to it through His Holy Spirit. 

If you don't read the Word, you won't understand God and you would be spiritually dead and defenseless against the tricks of the enemy. If you don't live it, you can't please God, since your faith wouldn't be complete and faith without works is dead and it's impossible to please God without faith.

We have to abide in Him and His Word to understand and live it. 

Through His Word, by beholding Jesus, we are being transformed more and more into His image.

Just as Jesus is with us everywhere and everyday of our lives, it's important that the written Word is with us everyday and everywhere too.

Guest Post: Walking in Obedience to His Way by Wadzanai Kaziboni

Obeying the voice of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit is an important aspect in our daily walk with Christ. We need this continuous and unwavering communication to navigate every aspect in our lives, especially when making decisions that affect us, such as whether or not to do that degree, whether or not to take that job offer and so on. Many a time we find ourselves in situations that would not have occurred had we chosen to obey. We pay that price by making a sacrifice of another element in our life such as our joy, time and perhaps happiness. There are instances also where the voice of God in our hearts is as clear as day and yet we choose to do what we want regardless of the unconcealed guidance and direction of God. This brings me to Saul and his disobedience which he paid a dear price for. In 1 Samuel 15- God clearly instructed Saul to attack Amalek and utterly destroy it. Saul chose to use his discretion, blatantly ignoring the voice of God, by sparing the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings and the lambs and all that was good even though God had set out a clear directive which was to destroy everything.

God then said“I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.”  1 Samuel 15:11.

Does God speak the same of you?

1 Samuel 15:22

“So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

In response to Samuel, Saul said 1 Samuel 15:24“I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”

We need to learn to hear more of God and less of people around us and to do things out of the fear of God as opposed to doing things because we are scared of people and their opinions no matter how important these people may be to us. It is also important to be able to discern when God is speaking to you through another person. That is why we need to pray for God to teach us to obey and help us to know when it is Him talking, to be able to recognize His voice.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and of a sound mind”

This should be one of the guiding principles when discerning the voice of God.

Hebrews 5:8 “though He was a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things he suffered.” 

This is a clear illustration of one of the ways on which obedience is learned. Sometimes choosing the path of disobedience seems like a more appealing and less rocky-route in the terrains of life. However even though it seems easier and takes less of our time and effort at first glance it costs more in the long run. The path of obedience on the other hand is not an easy one, because it is not that we follow in our own strength therefore we need to ask God to teach us to obey Him and enable us to obey Him. This path is worthwhile because God is our Father and He loves us and has our best interests at heart.

Matthew 7:11 ‘If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

“But when we position ourselves under the headship of Christ and learn to do what He requires of us, there is a flow of the Holy Spirit that will carry us wherever we need to go.” (Stormie Omartian- The Power of a Praying Woman).

It's Too Late, Lord.

"When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.....Jesus said, 'Take the stone away.' Martha, the dead man’s sister, told Jesus, “Lord, there must already be a stench. He’s been dead for four days.”
 - John 11:32,39 (GW)

 I learned something from Martha and Mary again! If you haven't read the previous post, click here Eliminating the Unnecessary. 

Sometimes in life we give up and lose hope easily. This loss of hope can also affect the way we view God. Let me illustrate this with Mary and Martha. 

Lazarus, their brother, had been sick and had just died. When he was sick, they had sent a message to Jesus; they knew that if  He came, He would heal him. They knew Jesus was a healer, He had healed many people before. He had healed the royal officer's son, the paralyzed man at the pool and many others. But the issue was that, when Jesus finally came, Lazarus was dead. Mary and Martha had given up. It was too late. Their brother was gone. We can see that that's what they thought because:

1. Although Mary had deep reverence for Jesus ( "she knelt at his feet"); she said to Him, "Lord, IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE..."
2. When Jesus asked for the stone be rolled away, Martha said " There is a STENCH. HE'S BEEN DEAD FOUR DAYS". (Emphasis added).

They had lost hope even in the Lord. But you know what Jesus told Martha? He said “Did I not tell you that IF YOU BELIEVE, you will see the glory of God?” (v.40). Jesus had already told Martha that her brother will rise again but she did not believe and so she limited God (v.23-24). But that didn't stop Jesus; He went on ahead and shouted “Lazarus, come out!” and guess what? Lazarus came out! He came back to life, still wrapped up in his burial clothes (v.43-44).

When I read this, I had been reading Ephesians and the Spirit revealed something to me. I remembered this verse: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins....But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions" (Eph.2:1,4-5).
   
 We all have many loved ones, friends and family, who do not know the Lord. We all have things that we might be giving up on. Lost causes so to say. Things that HAVE BEEN DEAD MANY DAYS, MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS. But you know what? We were all dead once.I was dead for many years, I stunk way more than Lazarus, people might have given up on me but that didn't stop the Lord from calling out to me. And He shouted "Twi, come out!" and I came out of that dark and rotten place and stepped into life and into light.

I want to say to you, don't give up. Don't lose hope. Don't let your view of God be changed by your current situations. Maybe your health, finances, relationships, spiritual life or whatever it is, is dead. Despite all this, you must chose to remember that He has victory over death and nothing is impossible for Him (1 Cor.15:55; Luke 1:37).