Category: Christianity

3 Essential Spiritual Goals for Lasting Growth

At the start of a new year, many people create goals they hope to achieve by year’s end. But let’s be honest—by now, many of those goals have already been forgotten or abandoned. While there’s plenty to say about the value of goal-setting and the reasons we fall short, I want to shift the focus to something more eternal: your spiritual goals.

Spiritual Goals Aren’t Measured by the Calendar

Unlike career or fitness goals, spiritual growth isn’t defined by how much you accomplish in a year. The real measure is how you’ve lived when your life is complete. As Christians, our ultimate goal is eternity with Christ. That means our focus should be less on ticking boxes each year and more on whether our daily decisions are sowing into eternal life.

Recently, I’ve been reflecting deeply on what it truly means to have godly ambition. I’ve realised that the vision I carry can’t be limited to a 12-month framework. I want to tell the world—literally the entire world—about Jesus. I long to lead millions into salvation, to create resources that nurture a vibrant walk with Christ, and to inspire men, women, and children by the way I live and love. If that’s truly my goal, then I need to examine how I live today.

God has been showing me areas where I’m not aligned with the level of discipline and devotion required for that kind of impact. The truth is, my current pace of life—comfortable and familiar—won’t produce the fruit I long to see. Real spiritual transformation requires intentional sacrifice and radical prioritisation.

In all of this, one scripture keeps echoing in my heart: John 15. I’ve read it many times, but I now realise I’ve missed the point. “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” That’s Jesus speaking. And if He’s right—and He is—then I must prioritise time with Him, hearing His voice, and living in obedience. These are the three pillars that sustain any meaningful spiritual journey.

1. Listen to His Voice

In a world flooded with opinions, ideologies, and noise, hearing God’s voice is not just helpful—it’s essential. I love the dynamic between Jesus and His mother Mary. She was wise and full of faith, yet still very human. After searching anxiously for a 12-year-old Jesus, she finally finds Him in the temple. His response? “Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?”

Even those closest to us—our mentors, parents, or friends—may not always understand or affirm God’s call on our lives. That’s why we must learn to hear from God personally. Yes, He speaks through spiritual leaders and those in authority, but their voices should never replace the voice of the Holy Spirit in your own life.

Think about it: how will you discern divine direction from distraction if you can’t recognise God’s voice? The internet, schools, workplaces, and even entertainment constantly promote their own values. These voices aren’t always malicious, but they often reflect agendas that aren’t aligned with your God-given purpose. What we listen to shapes our mind, emotions, and ultimately, our spiritual destiny. Guard your ear gates and tune your spirit to God’s frequency.

2. Prioritise Time with God

There’s a popular saying: quality time over quantity of time. But when it comes to building a relationship with God, quantity often leads to quality. It’s hard to develop intimacy with God on leftover minutes and rushed prayers squeezed between errands. There’s no one-size-fits-all rule for when to spend time with God, but there is something powerful about setting aside focused, uninterrupted time each day. When we prioritise our quiet time with God, we give Him space to speak, correct, encourage, and lead.

Ask Him to guide you. Ask Him to stir a hunger in your heart. And as you commit to carving out that sacred time, you’ll find that quality begins to blossom in the midst of quantity.

3. Practice Obedience

Hearing God’s voice is one thing. Obeying it is another. Yet the fruit of a Spirit-filled life is found in doing what God has said—not just hearing it.
Isaiah 1:18-19 offers us an invitation: “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land.” God’s instructions are not burdens—they’re blueprints for abundant living. He’s not trying to restrict us; He’s guiding us toward our best and most fulfilling future.

Still, obedience often feels unnatural. We’re used to living life a certain way. Change is uncomfortable. But here’s the good news: when we say yes to God—even while trembling—He supplies the grace and courage we lack. Don’t wait until obedience feels easy. Ask God for help, and declare, “Lord, Your Word is important to me. Strengthen me to follow through.”

The Bottom Line

There are countless tools, strategies, and spiritual disciplines we’ll explore in future posts. But before anything else, God desires your ears, your heart, and your time.

Make space daily to hear His voice. Choose to obey, even when it’s hard. Spend time in His presence—not as a task, but as a lifeline. If you can commit to these three spiritual priorities, everything else will fall into place. And you’ll find yourself not just setting goals—but actually growing into the person God created you to be.

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4 Ways to Tell if you are on the Wrong Path

At times it can be difficult to discern the difference between two paths that both seem right, and even more difficult to identify which one God is leading us to pursue. We can distinguish between the many paths that lay before us if we firstly believe that there is a right way and a wrong way in life. Yes, God does work everything out together for the good of those who love him, but this promise is based on the premise that you firstly whole heartedly love the Lord and that you are walking according to his purpose. God has a destination for each of us and he requires us to walk in accordance to his purpose. We are only human and we will sometimes take the wrong turn or experience accidents that may not even be our fault on the path of destiny. God promises that he will get us to our destiny regardless of these incidents. However, if we deliberately take wrong turns we are telling God that we don’t want his help or guidance and are choosing to walk in our own way. If you do believe that God’s way is the best way and are fully committed to following the path of Jesus, then here are 5 things that you can look out for in your journey, that serve as indicators that God is telling you, you have taken the wrong turn.

1. God is warning you that you may be on the wrong path if everyone close to you is contradicting your decision.
God may be asking you to reconsider the choices in your life, if the most trusted people around you are telling you that the choices you are taking are wrong. Of course people can be wrong and can have hidden motives, but a general rule of thumb for you to live by is that if everyone around you is complaining about the same thing you should definitely consider that what they are saying may be right. This is especially true if these people have your best interest at heart, know you well enough and may also have more life experience than you.

The bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians 13:1 that “every matter must be established by the testimony of two or more witnesses”. In this scripture, Paul was writing to the Corinthian church and reminding them what was written in the law of Moses. He was quoting Deuteronomy, where it says that in order for a statement to be taken as truth in a serious matter it must be corroborated by at least two other witnesses. So, in other words the bible is telling us to be careful about the conclusions and judgments we make about any statements of fact.

An example of this would be when Samson’s parents tried to discourage him from marrying the Philistine woman he met in Timnah. Samson had every reason to listen to his parents, but he refused and eventually got his heart broken. His reason for pursuing this ungodly relationship was that “She looked good to him” (Judges 14:3, NLT)

2. God will show you that you are on the wrong path by allowing a significant disappointment to take place.
When God can’t get us to go about things in the right way he will often let us walk in the path we chose, but allow it to end in disappointment, in order to give us the opportunity to get back on the right path. This is exactly what happened to Samson.

The Bible tells us that,

“His father and mother didn’t realize the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.”

God was still, able to makes things work out in accordance with his divine plan for the people of Israel, even though Samson had his own personal agenda. Eventually, this ended in disappointment, as Samson’s wife, betrayed his trust and was given away in marriage to Samson’s best man. Rather than trusting the good interest of his parents, who had spiritual insight into the direction of his life and destiny, he trusted his feelings and his friends and ended up in disappointment. The important thing to note here is that God was in the background orchestrating and creating an opportunity that was not just for his glory, but also ended up realigning Samson with God.

3. God maybe telling you that you are on the wrong path, if people are taking advantage of your weakness.
The Philistines frequently tried to turn on Samson by finding out what his weaknesses were and exploiting them. Samson clearly had a weaknesses for pretty Philistine women and because of this the Philistines always used beautiful women to entrap him. The enemy will always try to take advantage of our weaknesses by tempting us in that area. God on the other hand will not tempt us, but will create a way of escape for us in the midst of our temptations. For Samson it was always having the spirit of God come upon him to help him breaking out of the ropes that were used to bind him.

But the men of Judah told him, “We have come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”
“All right,” Samson said. “But promise that you won’t kill me yourselves.”
“We will only tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines,” they replied. “We won’t kill you.” So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists. 
Then he found the jawbone of a recently killed donkey. He picked it up and killed 1,000 Philistines with it. 

Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the Lord, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?” 
So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place “The Spring of the One Who Cried Out,” and it is still in Lehi to this day. (Judges 15: 12-15, 18-19)

The passage above shows that God will keep providing a way out for us even in the most difficult situations in order for us to fulfil our purpose and enjoy his goodness.

4. God will warn us of wrong choices, by allowing us to lose some battles, in order for us to win the war.
Samson eventually ended up getting captured, because God left him. God had given Samson many prior warning signs and chances to repent and commit to the lifestyle that would enable him to maintain the presence of God in his life. When we continue on a wrong path and ignore the promptings of God to get us back to the right track, God will temporarily leave us and wait for us to come back to him in the place where he wants us to be. God will never force us to go down a certain path, he will only prompt us and orchestrate opportunities that will lead us unto the right path and then wait for us to make our choices. Samson lost, the connection to the source of his strength and also lost his sense of vision (signified by the gouging of his eyes). God knew that the people of Israel would not be able to ultimately win against there enemies if Samson continued to follow his own will and desires. So, God permitted Samson to be captured by the Philistines, until his hair started to grow back. Although he lost many things that were irreplaceable and did not fully regain his strength, with the little strength he did have he was able to fulfil his purpose.

God wants us to do more than win battles and overthrow our enemies. Yes, he wants us to achieve great things, but he wants us to also have a good life, too. By all accounts I don’t believe that Samson lived a very good life. He experienced a lot of heart ache, betrayal and ended up having his eyes brutally plucked out. I don’t think that this was what God had in mind for him when the prophecy about his destiny was given. There was definitely the better path that he could have taken, which may have seemed difficult, restrictive and perhaps counter culture, but in the end would have been a lot easier and enjoyable compared to what he went through.

Scripture for you meditation:

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 2: 2, NKJV)

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Unlimited Supply

The shelves are packed out in stores almost everywhere. People panicked because they heard that boarders are closing, and supermarkets would struggle to get their supplies in due to delays in the supply chain. The fear of not having enough, the fear of running out of supplies caused people to bulk buy beyond the capacity of their home storage spaces, beyond what their pantries could hold and beyond what they would need.

I’m reminded of when God sent provision to the children of Israel in the wilderness. He sent food that had never been eaten or heard of before; food that had never existed. God’s promise was that he would provide for them what they needed daily. They were to gather only what they needed for each person in their household and use it all up on that same day. The passage of scripture in Exodus 16 beautifully depicts this dimension of God.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not” (16:4).
God was testing their ability to put their trust in him. It takes trusting God and his ability to come through for you in the wilderness, to gain the favour of God that you need to step into the promise.

Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.
God made sure that “he that gathered much had nothing left over and he that gathered little had no lack” (16:18)

But in their stubbornness, fear anxiety and doubt that God would come through for them, some saved some for the next day. This, consequently, went mouldy and became worm infested. Many haven’t thought about preservation or storage as they have gone out to shop. Back in  does days where they had no chest freezers or cooling storages, it was quite ridiculous for them to store food in the wilderness when they were handling food they had no experience with. Just like God was saying to the children of Israel back then, he is saying to us today, ‘trust me to supply for you and sustain you’.

I believe that just like the people of Israel we have a unique opportunity to stretch our faith and trust God to be a provider. For many people around the world it is a new experience to think about where we will get supplies from or how we will meet our needs. Now people are expressing worries, complaining about their situation and even fighting neighbours and strangers in the grocery stores over common household items.

We must remember the promise of God, which lets us know that they that trust in the name of the Lord shall be saved. That God is still a provider able to supply ALL our needs according to his riches in Glory. This is a time to bring out all those scriptures and verses we’ve memorised by way of continuous recital and exposure and watch God prove himself to be the person he said he was. It is a powerful thing when the word of God becomes real to us.
When circumstances beyond human control arise it is important to seek the One who controls both natural and supernatural realm. God is the one who controls the seemingly uncontrollable. He will supply, he will provide. He always has and always will, so let us exercise our faith in him for what he already said he would do.

Last month I started, saying to God under my breath, I trust you. I found that I was second guessing decisions that I had prayerfully made and experiencing uncertainty in certain areas. I was wrestles within myself concerning vocational decision I was about to make. It made logical sense, but somehow as I was getting closer to the time when the decision would play out I realised that I wasn’t feeling like things would unfold as expected. I did sense that God was requiring me to patiently wait on him to make things right. It was difficult not do anything. Phone calls I could have made, emails I could have sent, questions I could have asked to be more proactive in the matters that concern my life and survival. I had to remind myself to surrender and to let God know that I trusted him and really leave things in his hands. I felt that things where going on in my life that I was not aware of. It drove me to prayer. Constantly asking God what he was doing. Literally trying to look over God’s shoulders to see what was coming. Eventually, things unfolded and I can now see that not only was he providing for me, he was also protecting me from trouble. By trusting in God I’ve learnt that the matters of my life concern him more than they concern me.

I know it can feel like there is too much uncertainty and not enough answers right now, but here is the truth that no amount of questioning or problems should ever take away from you: God has you where he wants you and if you cooperate, no devil in hell can knock you out of his hands.

It’s a tough time for all, and especially for some, but what a privilege it is to trust a God that has unlimited supply and is unlimited in his capacity to provide to all.

 

All reference verse taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) Bible ©. All right reserved.
The Christian Journal, 2020 ©

January in Summary

I have spent the better part of January praying and waiting on God for what he has for me. I don’t have all the answers but, I have made a conscious choice to make sure that I am in a place where I can get the answers and directions, I need to ensure that I end up in the place where God has destined me to be. I can’t achieve the dreams God has given me by myself. I need the interference of someone who knows better and someone much stronger than me to help me get to my desired destination. My natural self is prone to discouragement and inconsistency. Without his divine assistance I will lose strength and momentum along the way. Because I know this, I have given myself over to prayer and supplication and focused more on receiving what I need to excel this year and the decades to come.

With the month rapping up I have confidence that God has my back because I have taken out time to make the necessary sacrifice that will enable me to excel this year. Of course, there is the requirement for ongoing, supplication further down the road, but for now I know that it is time to begin the journey and take that first step in Faith. Faith that God has heard your prayers and that he is with you and won’t let you take steps in the wrong direction. You can only have this assurance if you have really spent time in surrender to God in prayer.

Another thing I have been more deliberate with, which I will certainly continue to practice is reading the word and praying it back to God. The Bible in one-year plan on YouVersion has been a great resource in maintaining this. The plan gives you 4-5 chapters in the new and old testament to read daily and encourages you to write your thoughts and take away points at the end of each daily reading. It is spilt up in monthly portions so you can catch up here with February, if you would like to join. You are also able to invite others to join you with your daily reading habit and turn it into a group bible study. It’s also a great way to get your family members involved and keeps you accountable. It is a very useful and helpful tool if you are seeking to develop discipline in this area of your spiritual growth.

Finally, I’d like to encourage you to review yourself each month. How did your January go? Did you pray more like you said you would? Did you stick to your goals? Did you commit your goals into the hands of the Lord and trust him? Did you write down the words and instructions you received from him? Are they in line with the Word? Which scripture spoke to you the most this month as you read the word?

As you continue to ask yourself questions that evaluate your journey into 2020, think of what you can do better or differently in February and set yourself small targets to do things that will further develop your spiritual life. Yes, I am asking you to prioritise your spiritual goals above every other goal. This is what Daniel and his friends did. Their spiritual goal was to please God and worship him alone and to fulfil the requirements of the law of God even if that meant going against the customs, norms and legal decrees of the Land. Instead of their health, education, careers and finances declining, they flourished, prospered and excelled in all that they did. I strongly believe that if you prioritise your spiritual goals and do what is said in the scriptures you will also begin to experience flourishing in your finances, relationships, career, health and wellbeing. This is what God wants for us and what he is willing to give us.

Reflecting at Christmas

This is by far the busiest times of the year and it’s not because of all the shopping. Actually, according to Shopify, November is the busiest commercial month of the year. I think it’s all the end of year rush, last-minute work targets and personal goals we want to achieve all between now and the 31st 23:59 which gets us all worked up. And on top of all that we want to enjoy the festivities and rest. We will soon discover that we cannot rest if we don’t eliminate the stressors in our way. At this time though I would say that one of the most important and beneficial things you can do for yourself is to spend time in reflection. When I’m reflecting or journaling it is in these moments when I’m most aware of what God has been teaching me through the day or the year. We need to intentionally create moments where we have epiphanies based on what is happening. Significant changes do not happen with the turn of a calendar it happens when we allow our minds to receive and engage with what is happening in our environments. We are praying for God to change our stories in the new year or decade, but we must ask ourselves what God has been engraving on the tables of our hearts over the last year or even decade that we haven’t paid attention to.

Beyond the feelings and the goosebumps, we might get when we encounter God, there are notable changes that take place in less spectacular ways inside of us. Being a lot more reflective, has help me understand that I ought to look for the mundane. Looking for God in the silence and seemingly insignificant is how Elijah got his life back as he stood on the mountain of God at the brink of depression.

I’m thinking about my life and things I want to focus on improving and things that I should keep and be more consistent with. Reflectively, I can say that I have grown over the last year. One of the key areas I have experienced growth and change in is how I think about giving and receiving love. It’s important to regularly reflect on how we relate with people and things.

Earlier in the year I had a conversation with someone that helped bring the thought process to mind and I can say that on reflecting on my understanding of extending love and hearing what the other person had to say, I found myself thinking that maybe I didn’t quite have a full understanding of what love – the God kind of Love – is. Maybe my limited understanding of how vast God’s love is keeping me from receiving all the wonderful gifts of God’s awesome love. I’ve begun thinking of love in a different way which has led to changes in how I practice love. Nothing drastic or dramatic, but significant enough for me to desire and chase after more of God’s kind of love in my heart. It is the kind of love that chases you and woos you regardless of how you are or what you’ve done. That love, loves you just because and nothing you could do could make it grow or diminish. Can I be that way towards myself and the people in my life? Can I be more loving regardless of what if?

At this point, I can say that any work that you catch me doing is related to reflecting and checking that the plans I make for the coming year are in line with the work that He has already begun in me. After all, what good is a perfect gift if I don’t take out the time to enjoy and use it?

Christmas blessings!

What do I do when one assignment comes to an end?

A couple of months ago I wrote about embracing your call and understanding that an assignment from God, be it staying at home to raise your children or working on a job that is not quite your definition of a ‘dream job’, is the call that he has for you. Wherever God has placed you is where he wants you to be and that is your calling.

But where do we go and what do we do when an assignment ends?

It can be really disconcerting when your routine is interrupted by a change in affairs. It could be that you have been made redundant at work or you have recently graduated and are looking to get into work. Or perhaps your children are grown and have moved out. No matter what your stage in life is, change can be uncomfortable and requires you to adjust your position. If you have been focused on a particular assignment for a long time it can be a lot more shocking and strange to suddenly be doing something else.

God moves us from one assignment to the next in order to keep us from becoming stale. Sometimes it is because we have outgrown our previous position. Embedded in every assignment are learning curves and challenges that are designed to stretch us. We don’t always feel the stretching. We don’t always feel growth pains, but it doesn’t always mean that we are not growing.
There are a host of reasons why God would want to move us to the next assignment. Whatever the reason, just know that it is to bless and increase you and not to subtract from you.

The commandment of God to humanity at the very beginning was for us to “be fruitful and multiply”, to “subdue the earth” and to “have dominion”. That commandment is still true today. It is not the purpose of God for our lives to be stuck in one spot. He desires that we spread and become masters over things. With this in mind we can start to understand what we should be doing when one assignment ends.

1. Give Thanks
Your attitude should be one of thanks giving. 1 Thessalonians 5:16, tells us to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Just over a week ago I was laid off a job that I had received a few months prior by what I could have only explain to be the intervention and grace of God. I which things had been different, but In my hearts of hearts I am thankful to God for the opportunity to learn, grow and be a blessing. I rejoice because I know where my source really is.
I don’t see it as a cut in my financial supply I see it as a step to doing something new, because God is my provider. Don’t be down cast.

2. Get Closer
The second part of that scripture says, ” pray without ceasing”. We should be praying to God all day, all the time. We can do this by praying in our hearts and rehearsing scriptures as we go through our day. (I will talk more on this in a separate post.) For now though I think that we can all agree that our lives get so busy with work and routine that we don’t put so much emphasis on praying as we should be. When our routines are interrupted we look for new things we can do to keep us busy again. This is the perfect time to get back in touch with God. You have all this free time now to pray more and study the word more. Go on hour long prayer walks or worship walks. Spend time with God. In the process, you will get clearer understanding of his purpose for your life and insight into your next assignment.

It’s so powerful how God created a part of the earth each day in Genesis 1 and then paused after each day to look at what he had done and then said that it was good. God modelled the nature of putting our work and aims under review before moving on to the next thing. It’s the principle of watching and praying. If you don’t keep your eyes and mind open you will miss the instructions God has for you. I have find that God has spoken to me more about what he wants me to do and the direction to take when I was preparing myself by putting myself through training, reflecting and listening.

I hope you find your feet landing on the path God has set before you. And may you find grace and peace in every season you find yourself in.

3. Prepare
‘Prayer is the master Key! One key for every door.’ This is the truth that we have been feed since first coming to the faith. What we fail to do alongside praying is prepare for what we have prayed for. Have you taken time out to recubirate, rest and skill up for the next assignment. Between each assignment there is a moment, an opportunity for you to clean and sharpen your tools. This moment can be used to reflect on the past. What would you change or do better? Sometimes God puts us on intentional pauses because we haven’t taken out time to give ourselves a break.

Four Hundred and Ninety Gifts for Father’s Day

Many people in many parts of the world are celebrating their fathers or a father figure in their life today. I love how we have set aside days to adhere to the scriptural principle set out in Ephesians 6 to honour our fathers and mothers on designated days. Aware of it or not, it is God’s desire that we do this and having a special date to commemorate this purpose allows us to check ourselves to see whether we have been living in accordance to what God has told us.

I know many people who have lovely things to say about their (biological) fathers. They recollect what their fathers did or said to them as they were growing up. They often speak of the investment their fathers have made. However, I know of many more who do not share in this experience. I belong to the latter group.

For many years Father’s day was an emotional event, reminding me that I didn’t have many great memories with my father. It made me feel like I was missing out and more than anything I realised that my father had fallen short of his role and in doing so, failed my siblings and I. I also became more aware of the immense burden my mother carried, because she chose to stay, and carries the responsibility of two people and plays the role of a father as well as that of a mother. This realisation hurt. The pain of loosing your father to the hands of premature death is indescribable, but very different from knowing that he chooses to be absent.

You have someone to blame, someone to hold to ransom. You can’t mourn because he isn’t dead and you most learn to honour his memory even though he hasn’t earned it and you are forced to accept his decision in spite of what you want and need.

How do we reconcile? How do we get to a place where we have peace, and I mean real peace, not the numb feeling that takes hold of parts of your soul? Thankfully, the answer is found in Matthew 18: 21- 22.

How often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?
No, Not Seven times, Jesus replied, but Seventy times seven!

For a long time I thought that when Jesus told us to forgive a person who offends us four hundred and ninety times, it meant that an offender could only count on my forgiveness for wrong doings on 490 occasions. Firstly, the temptation and implication of that interpretation is that we keep count of the wrong doings of others. It also means that we keep record of what people have done. There is no way of keeping accurate count without remembering what people have done. Walking through life so far and experiencing situations where I have had to forgive, I have come to understand that the forgiveness you extend for one specific action is not a one time gift. More than often you have to keep forgiving a person over and over again for that same offence. I find that long after the wounds have healed and the scars have faded you still need to forgive. It’s a battle waged on your mind to take out your heart. If I keep forgiving over and over again for every single thing that has been done to me, even after removing myself from situations that may be causing me harm I take significant steps towards wholeness and inner release.

Today, I can say that I don’t feel hurt or pain or numbness, I don’t cry in self pity about what could have been or should have been. No, not anymore. Instead, I focus on honouring my Father with the gift that never gets old. A gift that we can both share. I have a priceless gift even for the next 490 Father’s Day. How much more so, when I know that my heavenly father forgives me countless times more than that.

Don’t settle for Good

I’ve just realised something – The prayers and diligence of my parents can make me a good person. But to be more than good will require knowing God myself.

I have met people who have put a lot of time and effort into raising there children and not just with principles but also with praying power. Their children are good people and have done well for themselves. However, when it comes to deeper character issues that distinguish a christian from a non-believer there is not much to show.
I’ve noticed my mothers prayers have strengthened and upheld me. Yet, the thing that makes the difference for me is knowing the power and the grace of God for myself.
Our parents can make us good, but only God can make us great. So, I’m aiming for great.

Me, God and Obedience

I’ve been reading through the book of 1 Samuel over the last few days and I thought I should share some of my thoughts with you today.

As I am reading through, I realise that one of the biggest themes running through this book is Obedience. We first encountered this through the prophet Eli and his sons. Eli’s sons lived a very immoral life and did not follow the commandments of God. They disobeyed God in how they treated the sacrifices of the people. Eli was judged, because he did not caution his children. He shared in their disobedience by not disciplining them and by eating out of the portion of the sacrifice that was not meant for the priest. The consequence was that the priesthood was taken away from Eli and his descendants and death and suffering was introduced into the family. There was a generational curse that would limit the descendants of Eli, even though they had nothing to do with the initial disobedience. (1 Samuel 2:27-36)

Additionally, his disobedience caused the glory to be temporarily taken away from Israel. (1 Samuel 4:11, 21)

The disobedience continues with Saul after he became king. In his heart, he desired the approval and praise of men rather than the approval of God. His reign was so much about keeping appearances that he broke the protocol and made the sacrifice that was not his place to make. (1 Samuel 15:1-10 ;15:20-26)

He gives three reasons for his disobedience: (1 Samuel 13:8-11)

  1. The Philistines (his enemies) were closing in on him.
  2. The people were afraid and scattering away from him.
  3. Samuel had not arrived at the time that he said he would.

To be very honest and frank these are the reason that I also sometimes feel inclined or tempted to disobey God. We often go off and do things in our own understanding because God is taking too long. We are convinced that God is late – that he cannot tell time or that he doesn’t understand the pressure that we are facing. What is very interesting in that story is that Saul had already waited for 7 days. 7 days was the exact number of days he was instructed to wait (vs.8). It was on the 7th day when the appointed hour had come that he gave up the wait and made the sacrifice. The full instructions was that he should wait for the 7 days at which time Samuel would make the sacrifice on behalf of the people. To him it was a small thing but to God it was a big deal. Partial obedience is still total disobedience.

“Waiting reveals the content of the heart. The longer you are left to wait the more of you will be revealed. You cannot outsmart time.”
ACMorgan

Here are the three things that we need to remember when we find ourselves being tempted to disobey.

  1. God is Bigger that our problems and greater than our adversities.
  2. God’s approval is more than a thousand confident votes of people.
  3. God is never late – He is the creator and the controller of time and space.

If we remember these three truths we will make our decisions based on what God wants and thinks and not what our situation is telling us to feel and do.
We need to understand God’s heart in order to understand why he would tell us to wait and why he would give us the instructions and commandments he does. I find that it is much easier to follow him when we do. God cares for us. He loves us and feels what we are feeling. He never wants us to be afraid or intimidated by our problems and challenges. His thoughts and plans for us are good, to prosper and not to harm us (Jeremiah 9:11). When problems do come our way God’s commitment is to make them turn into situations that will prosper and profit us. But he needs our cooperation to do this.

God is a god of process and principles. He lays them down for us in order for us to measure and test our hearts against. Anytime you find yourself in conflict with what He has said, we can step back and check our hearts for wrong motives and hidden agendas. It’s important to check and correct ourselves instead of forcing it, because we not only make mistakes, but we also miss out on the opportunity to grow in our character. God wants to change us as He is changing our circumstances. He can’t have old you in the middle of the new thing He is doing (Mattew 9:17). So, He needs change in the inside of you too.

My Prayer for you today, is that you hear God in a new way and that you will have the grace and the contrite heart to obey His word and will for your life. I pray that you receive clear instructions today from above about what you should and should’t do, in Jesus name.

Embracing the Call

Humility, Servant-hood and Becoming

Let’s not use our calling as an opportunity to be proud or to carry ourselves with greater importance than we should. When we think about our calling and our assignment we should do so with humility remembering that God called out to us because we were far away. He called us because without his calling we wouldn’t know that we had to step into his plan and purpose. God’s calling was to realign us to our destiny and our perfect place in him, which is first to save our relationship with him and in so doing our salvation. 

A married man might call his wife frequently when they are not together to check on her with the intention to boost their relationship and in doing so is saving their marriage. It would be foolish for the wife to go around boasting that her husband gave her a call. Whilst she is understandably touched and excited when her husband calls, it is totally unnecessary for her to announce his call. 
I think in a similar manner we should cherish and accept the call of God with all humility.

Secondly, a call to fulfil an assignment is a privilege, because if we really look at ourselves we are not worthy. It is God that calls us and makes us worthy, not by our own righteousness or well doing but by his grace. We don’t earn it or work for it, it is just given to us because God is good.

Let us never fall into the trap of thinking that the goodness we experience has anything to do with the fact that we are so good. In fact, I’ll say that we are not always good. We are too selfish to be completely always good. We are still learning to be more like God, which is part of the reason why he gives us assignments.

Assignments are designed to:
Break you, rebuild you, prune you, stretch you, mould you, shape you better you and touch lives through you.

Can you see that the bulk of the work is on you and not through you? That’s because we are not perfect vessels. Why might a parent allow their five year old child to be with them in the kitchen? Surely, they can work faster, more effectively without the distraction of the child.
It is because being in the kitchen, teaches the child how to behave in the kitchen environment encourages them to help out, instils an attitude of care and partnership, develops their interest, teaches them how to cook, keeps them busy, builds a bond between them and the parents and enables the parent to keep an eye on them.
All these things can be likened to how God calls us into his work.

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:49

Jesus knew exactly why he was called and he spent his early years, sitting in the temple, “listening” and “asking questions” (verse 46). It’s not enough to know that you are called and what it is you are called to do but why God has called you. It is a deeper understanding of the why that will keep your head bowed in humility when you reach the hills and will strengthen your arms for the enduring embrace of your call in God.


I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3