Rhythm of Faith

As Christians we do not need to live in constant fear in assumption that something terrible may happen to us. For nothing can happen to us except our heavenly Father wills it and maybe,  just maybe God doesn't even permit those fears we have in our lifetime,  but we cannot know until the moment comes (or never comes),  So we must live in the confidence of God's protection everyday, every moment of our lives.  "Fear not" is written in the bible 365 times. That means at all times, everyday of our lives we are to live without fear.  Sometimes in our lives we face challenges that are so unpleasant that at that moment it is difficult to believe that God has permitted such trial to come our way. Let us refer to Job's story (Job 1vs. 12),  here God gives satan permission to try job.  Also in Luke 4: 14-31 when Jesus preached in Nazareth and was almost pushed over a cliff but passed right through the crowd because His time had not yet come, in other words God ...

"What does it mean to have the fear of God?"  After reading 2Corinthians 7:1;  "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,  perfecting holiness in the fear of God." I realized that holiness could be perfected in the "fear of God",  I wanted to know what it truly means to have "the fear of God".  Answer:  For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31).  For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. The believer's fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire." This reverence and awe is exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is ...

Why Does God Bless Some People Even When They Have Nothing to do With Him? Have you ever asked yourself what success is in the eyes of God? We often say a person is successful if they have wealth or power–and that is understandable. But God doesn’t define success the way we do, and His definition is different from ours. Success in God’s eyes has to do with our character and with our faithfulness to what God wants us to do. Jesus wasn’t successful in a material sense, nor was He socially or politically powerful–not at all. And yet in God’s eyes He was absolutely successful, because “He was faithful to the one who appointed him” (Hebrews 3:2). God sent Him into the world to save us from our sins by His death on the cross, and He was successful because He did exactly what God sent Him to do. You see, a person may be very successful in the eyes of the world and yet be a failure in God’s eyes. This is why material success isn’t necessarily a sign of God’s blessing. Yes, sometimes it is; God...

The Four Laws Of God’s Blessings “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing to others” (Genesis 12:2 NLT). The Bible teaches that we should use our blessings to bless others – Our blessings should flow to others  The Bible teaches us that we are blessed not just so that we can feel good, not just so we can be happy and comfortable, but so that we will bless others. God told Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others” (Genesis 12:2 NLT). This is the first law of blessing: it must flow outwardly.   When we bless others, God takes care of our needs God promises that if we will concentrate on blessing others, he’ll take care of our needs. There’s almost nothing that God won’t do for the person who really wants to help other people. In fact, God guarantees this blessing. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth . . . no one who has left home or wife or brothers or pa...

WHAT IS THE DEVIL DISTRACTING ME FROM?  As a child of God where should my focus be?  What is my mission here?  According to the bible our no. 1 rule is  to "LOVE GOD" and to "LOVE MY NEIGHBORS ".  God is love,  love is everything, for in love there is joy,  peace,  gentleness,  patience,  kindness,  faith,  hope,  perseverance,  tolerance,  forgiveness,  truthfulness,  etc.   When we love God righteousness and holiness fall into place naturally,  it becomes our nature. But it's a different outcome when we are being distracted by the devil. Our focus shifts from loving God to satisfying ourselves.  The devil is desperate!  The devil is running out of time!  Anything or anyone could be used to distract you.  From the television to the internet to hunger,  poverty, family conflicts, spiritual warfare, ignorance, confusion, sickness,  and so many more devices. So your...

Must Have I “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” Jn.10:27. The Supernatural: Simply put, the supernatural means the natural that is super and in plain language, the unseen world. There is a world that cannot be seen and the world that cannot be seen is so active it is unbelievable. In the unseen world there are two things that I want you to know and that you have to develop. The first is the ability to hear heavenly conversations. Every child of God should be able to hear God. You should be able to hear your Father that is what makes you a son. The ability to listen in on spiritual conversations is so powerful. When I am discipling people I make a lot of effort to make sure that they can hear God by themselves. It is because when you can hear God by yourself a lot of things are solved. In fact, one of the most important question you will ever have to answer in your life is what is God saying? In your career - what is God saying? In your business - what is God ...

Let's remind ourselves of God says will go to heaven. Matthew 7: 21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ John 5:24   Truly, truly, I say to you, WHOEVER HEARS MY WORD  and BELIEVES HIM  who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. John 3:3   Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Romans 6:23   For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually im...

Who is the devil? Ephesians 4:26-27 - "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Do not give the devil a foothold. There are two extremes when it comes to the devil – not believing in him or giving him credence, and giving him too much. For those who do not give him enough credence, we know from Ephesians 6 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, and we also know from Revelation 12 and 2 Kings 6 that there is an unseen spiritual dimension behind our everyday experiences. And for those who give the devil too much power, we are reminded that he is only a created being who is not a god but a fallen angel, and that some bad things that happen are just a product of bad decisions, not because “the devil made me do it.” Let me begin by doing a brief introduction to who the devil is. Satan is a created being, an angel who rebelled agai...

Why Should God Keep You Alive? I want us to ask ourselves some key questions as Christians. Let's say you are pleading your case and justifying the reason why you should be in the land of the living. Why should God continue to keep you alive?  Is there any reason why God should say, I need so and so to live to 80 or more because he/she is....... Whether we live or die,God never changes. He is the same today and forever. God doesn't need you so why should He keep you alive? The bible says in Hebrew 1:3 that God sustains all things by the mighty power of His command. This means that you are alive because God has kept you alive.  You are not alive because you are smart, beautiful or the best that God has ever created. Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes what He has observed in this world  "I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; f...

When Ordinary Things become Worship! We all have routines! Waking up, preparing the kids for school, school run, work, house chores, cooking, running errands for our boss,reading, watching tv,gardening e.t.c. We all have activities that consume our days. Some activities are routine, some are occasional and are all ordinary. These ordinary everyday activities pile up into weeks, months and years of ordinary activities which eventually makes up an ordinary lifetime. These ordinary activities are what our lives are made off as ordinary as they are. These ordinary activities are what we are going to held accountable for in the presence of God! God says we should put Him first in all things. " So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God." 1 Col: 10:31.  These ordinary activities make up the "everything" God is asking us to Glorify Him with. Imagine putting God first while doing ordinary house chores, while working in the office, in...

Find Your Crusade!  At this very moment, there are people in hospital who are in pain; some families do not know where their next meal is coming from; some people are grieving because a loved one just died, some are in emotional pain because their relationships are disintegrating, and there are people with overwhelming health challenges. People are in dire situations and they want a way out. Millions are looking for fulfilment but they do not know how to get it. In trying to find satisfaction, they try to get more money, acquire many material possessions, some eat and drink excessively, while others acquire more sexual partners. Unfortunately, these acts do not give lasting satisfaction. Jesus met a woman at the well in Samaria and struck up a conversation with her. When He told her about the Living Water, she was very interested. However, Jesus was trying to draw her attention to the very core of her life. He showed her that this earthly life only gives temporary satisfaction; non...

Jesus in Your Boat If I am with Jesus, there shouldn't be a storm.Christianity is not a playground but a battle ground. It is Warfare! Smooth life is a distortion of the gospel. We will face problems and pain but it will never sink you because Jesus is in your boat. Don't ever let the presence of a storm make you doubt the presence of God.  The storm will rock u but it will not sink you. You are in d storm with His presence and for his purposes. It was Jesus's idea for disciples  to get to the other side. So Jesus knew there would be a storm.They were not in the storm because they were out of Gods will but because they were in Gods will. James1:2-4 In psalm 23: David understands that the presence of God is always with him " though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for thou are with me, thy rod and thy staff. Thou comfort me..." You are in middle of a test, why does a good teacher test you? So u can move to a new level.Sometimes...

HE STILL LOVES YOU. Have you ever been in such a terrible situation as Job was?  Have you known loss, disappointments, defeat, shame, poverty, sicknesses, e.t.c?  How did you handle it or how are you handling it?  We all know about the story of Job in the bible, so are we asking like job did, "Why me Lord"? or "God where are you? " Have you been compelled to doubt God's existence because of your experiences/situations?  This message is for you,  Just like I've read in Job, and other similar stories in the bible, God is with you in all of this, He hasn't gone deaf neither is He asleep, He hasn't forsaken you, and He never will. Yes God is still in control and above all God still loves you.  Be encouraged!  Written by: Mis Lin.

I Choose Not To Grieve God! Do You? I am a Mother. I went through the stress of pregnancy, the pains of labor, the sleep deprivations, the constant sacrifice, doing my very best to give my children the best, working hard to make all things better for them in every way. A lot of us can relate to these feelings, either as a child or a parent. You remember how your parents loved you unconditionally, how they deprived themselves, how they cry when we cry and hurt when we make mistakes that affect us. They love us whole heartedly and unconditionally. Then this child grows and wants independence. The child you sacrificed everything for is ashamed to call you father or Mother. Your child that you love so much no longer loves you back. This child even goes as far as insulting you, rejecting you, and basically hating everything that you are and that you stand for. The child spits on you and chooses to dine with and glorify your enemy. You have to be inhuman as a parent to not be heartbroken. Ha...

I Am Blind Like That I believe in God. He is my sovereign, the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, my God. I follow the edicts and commandments of God to the best of my ability. If God says this is ugly, then to me it is ugly, if He says this is good then I agree that it's good, if God says this is beautiful, then I say it is beautiful, if God says this is dirty no matter how clean it is to me, I say it is dirty too. If God says it is then it is. No more, No less. If God says its 30%  dark, even if my brain says it's 40% and I can see a lot of light ,I still say No it's 30%. I have no higher thoughts than God. No matter how smart I think I am,how logical or how creative, I bow to the one who knows it all.  Yes I may not know all about God but I know He is a good God and He loves me so that's enough for me. Besides if I knew everything about God then what makes Him God? I don't need to ask or to question God because how smart are humans anyway? We are...

HOW TO GET A GRAND ENTRANCE INTO HEAVEN. 2Peter 1:3-11. The bible says that God has given us everything we need for a godly life. He has given us great and precious promises, these promises enable us to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. It admonishes us to make every effort to respond to these promises of God.  How?: -Have faith in Christ,  -Supplement your faith with a generous amount of moral knowledge,  - Knowledge with self-control - Self-control with patient-endurance - Patient-endurance with godliness,  - Godliness with brotherly affection,  - Brotherly affection with love for everyone.   The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The bible warns that, if you fail to develop in this way, you will be short-sighted and blind (spiritually), you will forget that you have been cleansed from your old sins (you will be tormented with guilt...

All Access Pass to Gods Banquet Every Home has it's rules. In some homes, you will be asked leave your shoes at the entrance door as one of rules. Well in Psalm 15, God tells us His requirements to be a guest at His table. We all want to be allowed to eat at Gods table, we want full clearance, all access, we even want to have permanent seats or permanent rooms. Here are Gods requirements: Psalms 15:1-5  Who may stay in God's temple or live on the holy mountain of the Lord? ( requirements for staying in Gods temple or living on His mountain) Only those who obey God and do as they should.( walk uprightly, always doing the right thing).   They speak the truth and don't spread gossip; (no lies, deceit, cheating,falsehoods) They treat others fairly and don't say cruel things.(no insults, no discouraging,no criticizing, no pulling people down, putting them at their level or in their place) They hate worthless people, but show respect for all who worship the Lord. ( we delight...

5 Tips to Success in Everything You Do Let the bible  give you it's 5 tips to being happy and successful in everything you do! We have a lot of self help tips to being successful, to being productive, to being rich. I don't have anything against self help books but sometimes some self help tips encourage things completely against Gods commandment. Some teach you how to be selfish, be more self absorbed, more manipulative while the bible teaches us to be selfless, to love and sacrifice. A popular book I would note is " POWER" Well the bible's 5 tips for success in everything you do is all in Psalm 1.  1) Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people. 2) Happy are those who do not follow the example of sinners. 3) Happy are those who do not join those who sneer at God and have no use for God. 4) Happy are those who find joy in obeying the Law of The Lord. 5) Happy are those who think and chew on the scripture ( word of God) day and night. The bible gives us a...

If You Have a Question For God In the story of Job, in the midst of Jobs sufferings, he constantly complains that he did not deserve his sufferings. He says in Job 31:35 " if God has something against me let Him speak up and put in writing" When God finally answers in Chap 39. God did not explain anything to Job. He makes it clear to Job that He owes him no explanation so think about this next time you want to ask God why.lol He asks Job in 39:" have you been there when mountain goats and deer give birth?", how long are they pregnant before they deliver? Did you give the horses strength and flowing hair? Did you teach hawks to fly south for the winter? Did you train eagles to build their nests on rocky cliffs?  ( so next time you think you are just too smart. Think again) God asks Job  in Chap 40:8" are you trying to prove that you are innocent by accusing me of injustice?"  ( people do this all the time, they say after all I have done for God, for the chu...

Knowing Deceit: In Relationships, Business and Everything You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Matt 7:11 The Bible amazes me, God amazes me! The key to so much can be found in just a verse in the bible. The word of God says by their fruit you shall know them. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. Matt 12:35 So many people claim to be what they are not, even what they are very very far from being. So many of us wonder if our friends are good, honest, God fearing people as they claim to be? We wonder if our Priests.Pastors, Spiritual leaders are as God fearing as they seem on the altar? If our fiancé will make a good husband? If perhaps the person we work with is honest? Everyone can carry a bible but very few actually read it and even fewer understand what they read. Deceit is everywhere,in the house of...

Prayer: Heaping Empty Phrases “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Matt 6:7 According to the canons of the Pharisees, every day a man ought to pray eighteen prayers. Their prayer books abound in tautologies, and in expressing the same things in different words, and by a multiplicity of them. " Gils exposition on the bible" There are formulas, programs, advice and techniques for getting what you want from God.This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.  As loving Parents, we all want the best for our children. Their wants and desires are not always the best for them. I for one as a parent would like my kids to approach me with their desires and wants in the most simple way without a lot of drama. I would rather they come as they are not with escorts to ask on their behalf but as they are even if they are incoherent. No matter how incoherent my ...

Grow Down How honest and direct children are with their needs! If it feels good, they laugh. If it hurts, they cry. If they want it, they ask for it—or just take it. In Luke 18:17 Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” These words about children actually preceded Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler who couldn’t admit his need for God and Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus, who scaled a tree — like a child — to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus set the stage with a truth and then illustrated it both negatively and positively. By contrasting two men’s actions — one who couldn’t admit his needs and one who readily admitted his needs to the point of making himself look like a child — Jesus clearly teaches us how to approach God with our needs. What do you need? Patience with a potty-training three-year-old? Wisdom with a truth-stretching six-year-old? Compassion with a troubled thirteen-year-old? Jesus ...

Exercise for Your Soul Can you think of any other exercise that yields more results than prayer? We can converse with the God of the universe. When we bow our heads and utter God’s name, we have an audience with a king more powerful than the leader of any country on earth. We’re reminded that we’re not alone. Even after a terrible tragedy or trial, God waits to be with us in prayer. Our trust is stretched and we gradually gain perspective. We’re united to God and to other believers. When we pray for a sister, we’re joined with her and with others who have the same desire. Our bond with others is strengthened. We grow when we pray. By uniting our wills with God’s, we can see ourselves making progress toward becoming more like him. Our faith is flexed. We wee God answer. Friends are healed. Children begin a relationship with Jesus. Patience appears in the face of trials. Jobs are provided. Our spirits expand. We learn to wait. When answers are slim, we learn that God is still at work whi...

Grow Down How honest and direct children are with their needs! If it feels good, they laugh. If it hurts, they cry. If they want it, they ask for it—or just take it. In Luke 18:17 Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” These words about children actually preceded Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler who couldn’t admit his need for God and Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus, who scaled a tree — like a child — to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus set the stage with a truth and then illustrated it both negatively and positively. By contrasting two men’s actions — one who couldn’t admit his needs and one who readily admitted his needs to the point of making himself look like a child — Jesus clearly teaches us how to approach God with our needs. What do you need? Patience with a potty-training three-year-old? Wisdom with a truth-stretching six-year-old? Compassion with a troubled thirteen-year-old? Jesus ...

The Reason We Ask, Seek, and Knock God answers prayer, but asking prayer is not primarily about answers. Asking prayer, like all other forms of prayer, is about relationship. If you make asking prayer about answers, you're moving into dangerous territory. When prayer is primarily about answers, our relationship with God becomes results focused. When God says no or works outside of our time schedule, we desperately question why and are tempted to feel inadequate or unloved by God. Be assured that as you grow in the area of asking prayer, the Devil will seek to shift the focus of your prayers from relationship to results. Christ was well aware of the relational purpose of asking prayer. In the seventh chapter of Matthew when Jesus dared His followers to ask for things – big things – like "elephants" in prayers. He immediately transferred the focus from the asking to the fatherly or paternal relationship that surrounds each request we make. Jesus was saying that whenever you...

Abandon:  Laziness You may or may not remember the “get rich quick” commercials promising little work, lots of pay, and early retirement. The underlying messages were that the best life was to have more money than you could ever need, quit working, and be lazy gallivanting around in a beautiful mansion with everything you ever wanted. (i.e., cars, food, trips) This, however, is not how God designed us to function. As humans, we’re made for work; work gives us meaning. In fact, work begins with God in the first book of the Bible: Genesis. In the creation story (see Genesis 1), God works for six days and rests on the seventh. This is the example we as people, made in the image of God, are suppose to follow. If we don’t, the Bible has some tough words for us. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “...The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” (NIV) How do we abandon laziness? We find what it is that we love doing that serves other people. Instead of focusing on what it is that will...

BELIEF BEFORE BEHAVIOR  People conceived and brought into life by God don’t make a practice of sin. How could they? God’s seed is deep within them, making them who they are. It’s not in the nature of the God-begotten to practice and parade sin. Here’s how you tell the difference between God’s children and the Devil’s children: The one who won’t practice righteous ways isn’t from God, nor is the one who won’t love brother or sister. A simple test. (1 John 3:9-10 MSG) This is a difficult verse, but it speaks volumes about the priority of heart change over behavioral change. John is telling us that belief is the essential act required before behavior will change. When we believe and are "born of God", the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us and empowers us to live a life that is free of habitual sin. That's not to say that we will never commit individual sins, but that we will not be trapped in a pattern of behavior characterized by long term, blatant sin.  This speaks to our ...

SUFFICIENCY AND EXCESS  Paul used the example of manna to make the point that God will provide just what each person needs, and no more. No one in Moses' time could keep extra manna around because it would rot, become worm-infested, and demonstrate a lack of trust in God. Like manna, grace cannot be stored up for the future. That would lessen our dependence on God for our "daily bread."  Similarly, when we try to store up our material possessions and ignore others who have little or nothing, we are violating God's call for us to use what we need and share the rest. God blesses us with what He knows we need and asks us to use the extra "plenty" to supply those who don't have enough.  The way we handle our money is a gauge of our affections. Generous giving demonstrates to our children that we see our resources as God's rather than our own.  Be a model of generosity, trust, and dependence on God. Written by parenting and design   Posted by kachi 

Elijah had been used of God to hold back rain from the people for over three years, because of their sins. Obviously, he was not well liked as a preacher. I can imagine the stress he experienced during those years. Consider 1 Kings 18:1: "After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." According to a couple New Testament passages, this "After a long time" was actually three and a half years. The famine was three and a half years long. For three and a half years, the people apparently continued to sin, Elijah continued to hold on by faith, but God said nothing. God was apparently inactive...not speaking...even to His great servant Elijah during this time. Have you ever been there? Has the silence of God in your life ever been eerily strong? Imagine you had been faithfully serving...God is using you...you are in constant communication with Him...and then suddenly...eve...