Heaven on earth

 Revelation 20:4

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

There is going to be a glorious time on earth in the future, called the Millennium - a word which is a combination of the words mille, meaning a thousand, and annus, meaning year. The above verse is taken from Revelation 20, where the words “a thousand years” appear no less than six times – strong affirmation of the fact that such a time actually will exist!

It is not only here in the book Revelation that the Millennium is spoken about. Altogether there are more than 400 verses in more than 20 different passages in the Old Testament alone that deal with this time when Jesus will personally rule and reign over planet earth. We read about it in numerous places in the New Testament also.

The controversies surrounding the Millennium are easily silenced if we just decide to read and accept the revelation as given to John by God. For instance, the timing of the Millennium is clearly given in our quoted verse – John saw the Tribulation martyrs, who were beheaded because they had not received the mark of the Antichrist or its image and had not worshiped him. They were resurrected and then reigned with Christ a thousand years - the Millennium therefore begins after the Tribulation.

The belief that there is no literal Millennium, but that God’s Kingdom already started at the cross and we are therefore now living in the Millennium, cannot hold water as we clearly read in Revelation that Jesus will first physically reign here on earth for a thousand years before the rest of eternity unfolds. The fact that it has now already been more than two thousand years after the cross adds to the impossibility that this belief is true, it also is plain to see that Satan is not bound at the moment! And if you believe that the Millennium will only start after the church has prepared the earth for His coming, working diligently until peace, righteousness and prosperity is to be found all over the globe – then I am afraid that the utter chaos and destitution and wars that will be a sign of the end times will make this an impossible goal to accomplish.

What is the reason for the Millennium? It is so that God’s promises to Israel and also His promises to the church can be fulfilled. Among others, God promised that Israel will be the Head Nation on earth, occupying the whole territory given to Abraham and his offspring in Gen 15 and not just the sliver of land that currently comprises Israel. He promised that living water will flow from Jerusalem into the Dead Sea, redeeming it so that fish will be found there. He promised that old men and women and young children will be relaxing in the streets of Jerusalem. For the church, He promised that we would rule and reign with Him here on earth. All these will happen in the Millennium, where we will really experience heaven on earth!

Points to ponder:  Paul exhorts us to encourage one another with all the wonderful blessings that God has promised us if we only keep our faith to the end (1 Thess 4:18). The Millennium is one of those blessings – imagine a world where animals do not kill each other anymore; where a child can play with a cobra; where the earth will bring forth what is sown into it in abundance and where nobody will have to work extremely hard to let that happen.  A time when Satan is locked up! Let us look forward to it with eagerness and joy!

Victor's Crown

Legalism

 

John 5:8-10

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”

There are many stories in the Gospels where Jesus healed people on the Sabbath, clearly disagreeing with the learned men of the day about whether or not this constituted work, which was forbidden according to Sabbath law.

Jesus was born a Jew here on earth, and therefore kept all the commandments and statutes as given to them by God through Moses (Gal 4:4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law). In this situation the Jewish leaders did not primarily object to the healing as such but were very upset that the man was breaking the law by carrying his sleeping mat. Christians easily dismiss this carrying law as being only a rabbinic add-on to (or interpretation of) the laws of Moses, but it is actually based on a biblical verse - this prohibition is found in Jeremiah 17:22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. It is not recorded anywhere that Jesus ever carried something on the Sabbath, nor did His followers. He never spoke about this law publically; He did not attempt to correct the leaders on their interpretation of it; He did not stay behind to argue the point with them. He therefore did not deny the validity of it. Why then would Jesus specifically order the man to violate the law?

He never intentionally overturned Jewish tradition unless He had a sound reason to do so, and in this case He justifies his action based on the fact that He puts compassion for human beings way above ceremonial concerns (Matthew 23:23 But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’). Think about it: this man had been lying there for 38 years. His only worldly possessions were the clothes on his body and his bed! If he had to get up and not take his bed with him, because of the carrying law, he would have had nothing. Jesus instructed him to ignore the law so that he was not left destitute – compassion from the Law giver indeed!

Points to ponder:  Are you perhaps caught up in a legalistic type of religion? Where rules and regulations define your worship, often to the detriment of people around you? Is it more important, for instance, to control the way people partake of communion, than to encourage them to engage with their God in this intimate way? Is a code of dress enforced to be able to come to church, often putting poor people at a disadvantage? Do restrictive clothing regulations only have bearing on some followers and not on others? Remember that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, not oppression!

There is freedom

Choose how to meet your God

 

Amos 4:12

“…… prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

On the surface, things were going well in the northern kingdom of Israel – the people were enjoying unprecedented economic and political prosperity, not experienced since the days of Solomon. The enemies on her borders were subdued for the moment, peace reigned.

When Amos stood up to bring the word of the Lord, I am sure he was applauded all the way, because he brought news of the Lord’s impending punishment for the age-old enemies of Israel – destruction was decreed over Damascus (capital city of Syria); Gaza (city in Philistia); Tyre; Edom; Ammon and Moab. I can just see those heads nodding in agreement and faces lighting up with glee as the places and nations of their adversaries were mentioned!

But then the atmosphere changed. Because Amos, the uneducated shepherd with no social standing whatsoever, announced the severe judgement that the Lord was bringing against Judah (southern kingdom) and Israel (northern kingdom).

As Amos started listing the reasons for the dire condemnation of the Lord, it transpired that, underneath the surface, things were not at all going well in the prosperous kingdoms of Israel. The most extreme social injustice was prevalent throughout society; self-indulgence and pleasure-seeking was the motivating force for all economic activity; financial gains were brought about through oppressing the poor and outright robbery and even selling people as slaves for trivial things like a pair of sandals. Gross idolatry took place, the practice of which included making use of temple prostitutes.

Against this backdrop, Amos calls out the words of the Lord to Israel quoted above, namely …prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” And in the next verse, God reminds them of Who their God is: Amos 4:13 For the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads on the heights of the earth. The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies is his name! The supreme Ruler over everything, the Creator of heavens and earth.

Israel had chosen, through her rejection of the God Who has always loved and protected her, to become His enemy, His adversary. And in this role Amos called on her to prepare to meet her God – and face the terrible judgement that she so righteously deserved.

Points to ponder: Jesus, through His death on the cross, bought for us (at a great price) the privilege of being called sons and daughters of the Most High God. If we choose Jesus as our Lord and Master, we can now confidently enter the Holy of Holies and meet with our Heavenly Father to experience His loving-kindness and mercy. We can, however, choose to reject and ignore Him and stay in wilful sin, and then meet God - only to experience His wrath and judgement. Which do you choose? To face God as His adversary, or as His child?

Abba

Healer, heal Yourself

 

Luke 4:23

Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’

Jesus had not been back to Nazareth since His baptism six months earlier. The people from the village had heard rumours that the village carpenter had left to become a rabbi; that He had a following of disciples; and that He had performed miracles in amongst other places, Capernaum.

On this particular Sabbath morning in the synagogue, He was called up to read a portion from the Torah and the Prophets because He was a regular attendant there, and well-known to the synagogue leaders. They no doubt offered Him the opportunity to give a teaching as they wanted all these rumours explained! They had no idea that the living Torah, the Word made flesh, was standing before them reading the words of God. The passage that He read from the Prophets was Isaiah 61:1-2, where a prophecy about the Messiah is given.

He then made a startling statement: “Today this passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”  And in doing so, declared Himself to be the Anointed One, the Messiah. There definitely were mixed reactions from the people in the synagogue – some were amazed by His teachings, sensing that His eloquence and learning was supernatural (Luke 4:22). Their surprise over this indicates that He had never spoken as skilfully in Nazareth before. Others wondered greatly at the source of His wisdom and miracles that they had only heard of so far. This means that they had never seen Him do a miracle in their midst. Then there were others who took offense because they had known Him and His family all these years and regarded Him as just one of their own - the local carpenter whose siblings had probably married people in the community and maybe even started families.

The words “Physician, physician, heal your own limp!” means “Prove your claims”, and Jesus knew that this indeed was what his local townsmen required of Him before they were prepared to believe that there was anything special about Him. Little did they know that their unbelief would block the very thing they asked for: Jesus did not do many miracles there! Instead, He took His ministry elsewhere at that time.

But there was grace for Nazareth - some people from there faced their unbelief and turned around. Jesus’ family and other people of Nazareth later became believers. His brothers and cousins rose up as leaders in Christian assemblies. In fact, followers of Jesus came to be known as the Nazarenes.

Points to ponder:   Let us think about the people, places, and situations that we had no right to judge, question, or label but we did, and sometimes still do. What about the ways we belittled, demeaned, and rejected the messengers sent by God into our lives, just like the people from Nazareth did with Jesus. Sometimes truth hits so close to home and asks so much of us that we refuse to see it. We close our eyes and turn away. Start trusting Jesus and believe like a child - without asking for proof of clearly revealed truths from the Bible!

I believe

Is my lifestyle a clear sign

 Numbers 21:9

So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived

Hebrew words can mostly be traced back to a parent word, from which several ‘children’ are derived. This root word is usually a verb depicting everyday actions in the Hebrew culture. The Hebrew word for pole is nes which comes from the verb nasas, meaning ‘to gleam from afar, to see a sign from far off.’ The snake elevated on the pole in the wilderness could easily be seen by everybody who wanted to look up and search for it.

We can then understand that the word nissi, meaning banner is also derived from nasas - in ancient Israel, every tribe of Israel identified with their own unique banner which would hang at the entrance of their cities, seen from far off as people travelled through the land.

The event described in Ex 17:15 - Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner happened just after Joshua defeated Amalek, with the help of Moses standing on top of a hill holding up the rod of God. When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. Once again, as Moses was uplifted on a hill, he was a sign easily seen from far off.

We read in John 3:14-15 that Jesus too became an elevated sign to be seen from afar:  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up [on the cross], so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

 Because the three words pole, banner and cross all originate from nasas, they are connected! They all depict a sign being lifted up, so that life and salvation can be given to the dying.

Leaders in ancient Israel would erect a nes (pole with a flag) high on a hilltop, visible to all who were living in the surrounding areas, whenever they needed their troops to rally together. This knowledge explains the meaning of the words of Isaiah 11:10,12 In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Isaiah sees the Messiah Jesus as the standard-bearer of the Lord, Who summons the exiles of Israel and musters the nations. This gives special meaning to the words of Jesus in John 12:32-33 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

Points to ponder: Is my life, my way of going about my everyday business, a sign that can be seen from afar? A sign that shows the way to life and salvation to the spiritually dying people around me. Or do I live a life of compromise with the worldly ways of the culture I live in? Can people easily see that I follow Jesus - because my life displays His purity and truth - even if it goes against what my culture regards as acceptable behaviour?

Purify my heart

Fulfilled prophecy

 Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

It might upset some readers to realize that this well-known prophecy originally referred to a child born to King Ahaz of Judah, and not primarily to the birth of Jesus some 700 years later. The child was to be a sign to Ahaz pointing to the fact that, before the child reached adulthood, the Assyrians would invade the north of Israel. The mother of this child could have been one of Ahaz’s wives, taken into his harem while still a virgin, and then becoming pregnant in the normal manner. This sign of Isaiah came true, as history proves.

Some believers find it difficult to accept that Biblical prophecies that have already been fulfilled somewhere in the past, could have any bearing on events that might still happen in the future.

But the apostles themselves believed that the words of the prophets did not only apply to historical events, but specifically also to their own time as well, as we read in Acts 3:24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days.” This is because the Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to write about the messianic future, even if they themselves did not understand the full application of their own words.

We see this clearly in Isaiah 7:14, because although Ahaz’s child fulfilled this prophecy in history, it is also true that:

This prophecy refers to Jesus because the Holy Spirit says so through Matthew in Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

This prophecy refers to Jesus because it is addressed not only to Ahaz, but to the entire house of David.

This prophecy refers to Jesus because the words “the virgin will conceive” was literally fulfilled when He was born.

This prophecy refers to Jesus because the designation “Immanuel” was fundamentally true of Jesus in His lifetime, and not only used as a title. God with us shows His deity (GOD with us) and His nearness to us (God WITH US).

In the same way, we can know that many other biblical prophecies give us a template of things still to come, even though they might have been fulfilled in history already.

Points to ponder: Am I open to see Bible prophecy as markers for the future, waiting for another fulfilment? Do I then see end-time prophecies becoming real-time events all around me as time goes on? Ask Holy Spirit to convince you of the godly interpretation of the times we are living in and ask Him to show you how to truly discern and understand those prophecies in the light of His Word. Do not merely rely on the teachings of man.

Days of Elijah

Are you the one

 Ps 106:23

So he declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the LORD and the people. He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

What Moses did here, was to intercede for his nation, to “stand in the gap” as it is often referred to. The Hebrew word for gap means a breach in the wall, where the defensive protection has broken down and the enemy can enter in. God heeded the intercessory pleas of one man and spared His nation.

The effect of one man interceding on behalf of a whole nation is extremely powerful. Earlier in Israel’s history, when the sins of her people were so great and numerous that God could no longer avoid pouring out His wrath upon the nation, He looked for just one righteous man to plead the cause of this wayward nation:

Ex 22:30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.”

God then destroyed the nation and the temple and sent the people into captivity. The point I want to stress here is that God was not looking for a thousand praying men, only one.

We find our ultimate Intercessor in our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is interceding for us day and night, standing in the gap between us and God (Rom 8:34). Undeserved grace indeed!

The following poem (unknown author) really touched my heart. Listen to God speaking to us:

Give me a man of God, one man/ Whose faith is master of his mind/ And I will right ten thousand wrongs/ And bless the name of all mankind./ Give me a man of God, one man,/ Whose tongue is touched with heaven’s fire,/ And I will flame the darkest hearts/ With high resolve and pure desire./ Give me a man of God, one man,/ One mighty prophet of the Lord,/ And I will give you peace on earth/ Bought with prayer and not a sword./ Give me a man of God, one man,/ True to the vision that he sees/ And I will build your broken shrines/ And bring the nations to their knees./ One man.

Points to ponder: Who has God placed in our world for us to be an advocate for? Most assuredly our family. But what about that difficult neighbour; that casual acquaintance from the tennis club; that co-worker who is spreading all kinds of lies about you at work; that person standing in front of you in the grocery check-out line? God has planned for certain people to cross our paths in some way or other, purely so that we can intercede for their deepest needs - that only He can meet. It might just be that no one else in their lives will ever pray for them. Are you prepared to fight for them? Are you the one?

My prayer for you

Our hope in troublesome times

 Daniel 7:25

He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall oppress the saints of the Most High ….

A few years ago I became aware of the testimony of a member of the underground church in China, where the person lamented the fact that the church had not prepared them for martyrdom. The message they had received consistently was that as Christians, they would all be protected from harm, while not realizing that God chooses some to be martyrs for Him. (He blesses all who are persecuted for His sake and holds them in great honour - Matt 5:11). Many Chinese believers then fell away from the faith when serious persecution started.

Daniel is referring to the Antichrist in the verse quoted above, and how he will treat all believers in Jesus at the end of times. The Hebrew word used here for oppress means to wear away; wear out; to harass constantly. At that future stage, the Antichrist will be operating under the full power of Satan himself (Rev 13:4), and we are therefore speaking of the constant, unrelenting demonic harassment of believers during that time.

Jesus warned us that the signs of the end times will present themselves as birth pangs do with pregnant women - the same pain is felt throughout, but with increasing frequency and intensity (Matthew 24:8). We can therefore anticipate that believers everywhere, who are currently already being harassed by the enemy forces to some extent, will be worn down in ever increasing measure, until the worst-case scenario plays out at the end of the age where the saints will be persecuted relentlessly and beheaded when found (Rev 20:4).

Since none of us knows whether we will be martyrs for God or not, it seems prudent to be prepared to face such circumstances. Like soldiers who are trained to be prepared for battle, even if not all are even called into battle. Knowing the tactics the enemy uses against us is crucial if we are to counter them successfully.

In line with the verse from Daniel above, the testimony from many believers coming for inner healing sessions currently, is: I am so tired! What wears out the saints? A few issues were identified by Estell Brink – busyness; unresolved disappointments/offenses; trauma from prolonged sickness; financial delays to fulfil the calling; continued strife/conflict; allurement – what holds your fascination?

Stephen, as he was being stoned to death (Acts 7:56), saw a wonderful vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father - waiting to welcome him home. He showed us that our hope ultimately lies in Jesus our Saviour, no matter what the circumstances, because He will never leave us, nor forsake us! The end-time church will be singing love songs to Him, even under persecution, which will be totally beyond the comprehension of the rest of the world who rages against Him!

Points to ponder:  Look for areas in your life that would hinder your faith in difficult situations. What wears you out? What pulls your eyes away from beholding Him? What can you do now to prepare for challenging times of persecution that might come your way?

In Christ alone my hope is found      

Will Jesus acknowledge me

 Matthew 7:22-23

On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Many of us struggle to understand these verses. It is difficult to comprehend that a person can prophesy, cast out demons and perform many miracles “in the name of Jesus”, and then hear Jesus say, “I never knew you”. It seems that it could be possible for someone to think that their actions are in service to God, when in reality they are not - evidenced by the fact that here they are shown to be standing before Jesus on judgement day, calling Him Lord, and claiming to have been in His service. They must have believed this to be true.

This is not something that outright atheists or Satan worshippers or simply non-believers would do. Even those from the dark side who were sent into churches to destroy them, and who would be doing these miracles by the power of Satan in order to deceive many, would not call Jesus ‘Lord’ on judgement day, they served another.

Is it even possible for unbelievers to cast out demons? This was something that I immediately considered upon thinking about the above verses. In Matthew 12:27 Jesus speaks about the sons of the Pharisees driving out demons; Acts 19:13 also refers to Jewish exorcists, and these were not believers in Christ. Were they successful? It would seem so, even if only to a certain degree. I believe that there are two possibilities here: either God allowed them for His own purposes to have authority over demons in some cases, or it is through demonic power.  This is indeed possible - the Bible shows that angels can perform miracles (Gen 19:11), therefore we know that Satan and his followers can also do the same. In the future, Antichrist and the False Prophet will perform many lying signs and wonders through the power of Satan (2 Thes 2:9). He will certainly orchestrate the casting out of his own demons to mislead people into believing that it is a believer performing an act of God operating here, when in actual fact it is not, and bystanders will then easily be led astray.

Jesus’ words “I never knew you” implies that the people referred to in our quoted verse were not Christians to begin with, and therefore did not operate from God’s power. They might have grown up in a Christian environment but never personally chosen Jesus as Lord; or seen first-hand that ministering in a church could bring fame and power; or relied on their works to gain them entrance to heaven - and never come to realise that all Jesus really wants is for us to have an intimate personal relationship with Him. To “know” Him in other words. How? Just love Him - 1 Cor 8:3 “But the one who loves God is known by God.”

Points to ponder: How deeply do I love God? Are the following signs of loving worship for my heavenly Father; and for my Beloved Jesus; and for my Companion Holy Spirit present in my life: do I obey His word; do I do everything for Him and offer everything He has given me back to Him to be used for His purposes; do I connect with Him through prayer; do I obey His commands?

I will love the Lord        

The land mourns

 Hosea 4:2-3

You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another. 3.  That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing.

We do not normally consider what effect, if any, our way of living has on the land itself. Hosea is telling us plainly that sinful lifestyles have a great negative impact on our environment. He names broken vows (which would include divorces; unethical breaking of business agreements; broken promises), he names murder and violence, he names stealing, and adultery. These are all transgressions that were not exclusive to Hosea’s time - we are seeing the same happening around us in ever increasing numbers.

In verse 1 Hosea lists the causes leading to this sorry state of affairs. There is no faithfulness, love, pity, and mercy anymore. And these have all disappeared because there is no more knowledge of God from personal experience with Him, in the land. As we continue reading, we encounter the often-quoted verse 6, where God states that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. He is not referring to religious knowledge about Him here, He is talking about a personal knowledge of Him, gained through pursuing an intimate relationship with Him. In fact, He says very clearly in Hosea 6:6 that He desires and delights in steadfast love and goodness, not sacrifice, and in the acquaintance with God more than burnt offerings - in other words, He looks more to the heart that is turned towards Him than to that person’s formal religious practices.

People’s rejection of God leads to His judgement over the land they live in. We see it all through the Bible, from Genesis recounting how Adam and Eve now had to live on a cursed earth, all the way up to the final judgement of God when earth is completely destroyed, as written of in Revelation. We certainly also see the consequences of dishonouring God which Hosea spoke about, in our own neighbourhoods, cities, provinces, and countries as we witness the land mourning under droughts and other extreme adverse weather conditions. Sea creatures like certain populations of whales, dolphins, seals, turtles, and many fish are critically endangered. Land animals like rhinos, leopards, gorillas, asian elephants and even small creatures like frogs and bees are disappearing.

Points to ponder:

How do we stem the tide? One way is that we, as Christians, need to occupy our land! It starts with you and your family claiming your property for God, then joining other intercessors in moving into your neighbourhood, your city, your province, your country. Anoint the boundaries of your property, sealing it off under the blood of Jesus, and ask God to set His angels along the perimeter, also angelic gatekeepers at your entrances. Make sure that no sin door-openers are practised in your home. Then start moving into your neighbourhood and city with prayer walks and cover more distant areas in prayer.

The following website has good pointers on what to pray for during your walk: https://myheartscry.org/2022/06/16/how-to-pray-over-land/

Start by praying for protection both physically and spiritually. God knows your plan to pray, but the enemy does too. You may be tempted with distracting thoughts, insecurities, or anything Satan can use to dissuade you from your commitment to walk and pray. Include worship. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Whoever may own the property you walk, God is still over them. God has a plan and purpose for each parcel of land. Thank God for the land and his creation. Ask God to bless the land where your feet tread. Bless the land, the people, the animals, the foliage, the water. Any of God’s creations that actively use this land. Ask God to bless houses, businesses, churches, and institutions while passing by. Pray for residents to be good neighbours towards each other. Pray for crime to be exposed and prosecuted. Pray for divine appointments. By that, I mean I pray that God would have you at a particular spot at a specific time to meet a physical need or have a conversation with anyone He chooses. Pray for the Christians in the community to be a beacon. A guiding light to their neighbours and communities. Pray for the lost, depressed, handicapped, and penniless. Pray for children to be safe in the streets, walkways, and at play. Ask God what His heart is for that particular area.

We'll walk the land   

Extraordinary Obedience

 Hosea 1:2

When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshiping other gods.”

I wonder which emotions flowed through Hosea when he heard this command from the Lord. It must have really shocked him, since he was a God-fearing man who lived to please the Lord, and marrying someone living in sin would never have been an option for him.

Jeremiah similarly received instructions from the Lord which led to him experiencing and enduring great loneliness in a culture where marriage and having children were very much the norm– Jer 16:1-2  1The word of the LORD also came to me saying, 2“You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.”

Likewise, Ezekiel’s instruction from the Lord would also have puzzled many who witnessed it. Ezekiel 24:15-17 ¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶ “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. ¹⁷ Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.” The very next day God took away Ezekiel’s wife, and he was instructed not to mourn for her. This would have caused quite a stir in a culture where mourning rituals were rigidly fixed and continued for a few days.

Three ordinary men, but displaying extraordinary faith and obedience to God, functioning as His prophets, and therefore speaking for God to a culture that had increasingly distanced itself from the Lord and started worshipping idols. All three men therefore were asked by God to live through the conditions that He Himself was experiencing, so that they could feel His own emotions about it as it played out in their own lives. This would keep their focus on those emotions, so that they could persevere to witness to their fellow countrymen about how deeply God was being affected by their sinful behaviour.

Hosea had to mirror the reality that God still deeply loved and cherished Israel, even though she was following after other gods and lavishing her love on them, hurting her Husband by her unfaithfulness. Jeremiah had to show that God now had to live as a Bachelor without a wife, as Israel had rejected Him. Ezekiel had to demonstrate how, even though God would desecrate His sanctuary, the people would not mourn for Him because their hearts were so far removed from Him.

Points to ponder:  To what lengths are you prepared to go to be obedient to God’s instructions? Do you evaluate those commands by comparing them to your cultural background, and only then deciding whether you will obey or not? Take to heart Jesus’ words to the Pharisees: Mark 7:7-8 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

Obedience

Knowing in part

 1 Peter 5:8

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

We sometimes recall only parts of verses in the Bible, not realizing that what we remember is not the entire verse, but often only the segment that many sermons have been given on, or has been quoted widely.

The first part of the above verse, often not mentioned with the rest, is important to the understanding of the second part – it gives two principles we must follow that will help in protecting us against the roaring lion: we need to be aware of the spiritual strategies from our enemy working against us; and we need to keep our minds free of intoxication of whatever kind, whether it be substances or lies that we believe.

Ps 91:1

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

This is another example of where the first part of the verse is often not given the weight it deserves. It sets the condition that must be met before the whole of the rest of Ps 91 becomes active. The person who is protected in this way is the one who has an intimate relationship with the Lord, the one who does not only know of Him, but dwells with Him, sharing their lives with Him, acknowledging Him in everything they do.

1 Chronicles 16:22

Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

In the broader church community, this verse is often misquoted as meaning that teachers, pastors, evangelists, apostles, and prophets are above reproach and may not be rebuked for errors in their teachings or ministry. This is of course not the case - in Matt 18:15-17 Jesus outlines the steps ordinary believers must take to manage the situation where fellow believers (and this includes church leadership) are in the wrong. The verse in Chronicles quoted above refers to the nation of Israel if you read it in context, and we know from their history that their anointed leaders and prophets suffered greatly at the hands of others, in fact God Himself often sent them into situations where they had to endure physical and verbal abuse. There is no special threat implied in this verse against people who identify wrong teachings or ministry practices and treat it in the biblical way, which is: First talk to the Lord about it; when He gives His go-ahead, do it in His way; and keep searching your own heart to make sure there is no hidden agenda of judgement or pride to be found there. This verse points to those times when Israel’s prophets were on occasion specially protected by God.

Points to ponder: In these times of deception, it is more important than ever that we read our Bible for ourselves, to ascertain that we are believing the actual Word of God, and not the words that we, or others, have put into God’s mouth. A half-truth is even more dangerous than an outright lie.

Be Someone Who Accepts the Truth

Countering accusations

 

Matthew 27:12

But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.

As part of their campaign against Jesus, the chief priests and the elders of the Sanhedrin bound Him and took Him to Pilate, where they falsely accused Jesus of all manner of wrongdoing with the intention of getting Him sentenced to death. Jesus did answer Pilate when he wanted to confirm a truth and asked Him if He were King of the Jews. But whenever false accusations were thrown at Him by the priests, He kept silent.

This was in fulfilment of the prophecy made by Isaiah in Isa 53:7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth – yet another clue given by God to affirm that Jesus is the Messiah which the Jewish priests should have picked up on, seeing as they knew their Scriptures so well.

There are two other insights we could derive from this situation. The first is that Jesus Himself said that He only did what His Father told Him to do (John 5:30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will). Clearly Abba Father had not told Jesus to answer these accusations. We are promised that He will also tell us what words to say in the same circumstances (Mark 13:11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit).

And secondly, the life of Jesus and His works clearly show that He is the Messiah, He did not need to verbally confirm this fact. This is why Jesus did not answer the disciples of John the Baptist directly when they asked Him if He were the One they had been waiting for – He answered them indirectly by pointing out the works He had done – in Matthew 11:5 He told them to tell John in prison that the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”  Why would John instantly recognize Him for Who He is when he heard this? Because of the prophecies made by Isaiah about the works the Messiah would do: Isa 35:5-6 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. And Isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

Points to ponder: When we look at how we conduct our own lives, is it obvious to everyone that we are followers of Jesus? Do our deeds speak for us when necessary, or do we need to vehemently defend ourselves and our beliefs when confronted? And if falsely accused, is it clear to any fair judge that these accusations just cannot be true, so that they are obliged to wash their hands of the matter and declare us innocent?

Living for Jesus

Good works

We know from John 3:16 that we are not saved by any works that we do, but purely on the grounds of our belief in the fact that Jesus died for our sins in our place; that He conquered death by rising again on the third day as the Firstfruit of all of us who will be resurrected from the grave and follow His example; and that He now sits on the right hand of our Father in heaven, waiting for us to join Him there. Whether we go to heaven one day is not determined by weighing our good works in the scales against our sinful behaviour and seeing which weighs more - we cannot earn our salvation by doing good works.

This does not mean that we as Christians now do not have to do any good works at all, or that our good works are in vain. On the contrary. What it means is that we now do them with a distinct perspective in view – a heavenly perspective. Our Lord Jesus wants to reward us in heaven one day, as we read in 2 Cor 5:10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. (‘evil’ is translated as ‘worthless’ in many translations). If we have no good works to show, we will not be punished, but will suffer loss in heaven because we will not receive rewards, as we read in 1 Cor 3:13-14 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.

But what are the good works about which we are talking? Eph 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. This is the most incredible truth, displaying the matchless greatness of our God: every one of us was designed by Him to do certain good works, which no one else can do! Imagine for a moment how God the Master Planner had thought about certain works that He wanted done in a certain time and place; then thought about what characteristics and giftings and experiences the person that had to do it, had to have; and then He formed YOU to precisely match that profile! No other person on planet earth or in history can fit that space!

 God designed a plan of good works just for you. You were maybe not meant to be a Billy Graham, or a Mary Slessor. But what if your son or daughter is? What if your God-ordained good works are only to bring up your children to fulfil those roles, much like Mary was designed to be the mother of Jesus? We all need to become sensitive to the promptings of Holy Spirit, guiding us to do certain things which form part of God’s plan of good works for us, and stop persistently questioning our purpose in life, or striving to accomplish something which was never in God’s plan for us to do. Here is one way of knowing: you will experience joy in fulfilling God’s plans for you!

Points to ponder:

Consider Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. It shows that your rewards are meant for the time after Jesus’ second coming. It is not meant for you during your time here on earth. Be prepared therefore to face persecution and even hardship during your lifetime, using those experiences to earn your rewards in heaven!

Heaven's Reward

Heroes with humble beginnings

Heb 11:32-34

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.

These heroes of the faith are rightfully famous throughout history, as they did remarkable feats of bravery. But did you notice these two sentences: Their weakness was turned into strength, showing that they did not start out from a position of strength, but from weakness. And they became strong in battle, meaning that they certainly were not strong to begin with, they had to journey and transition into a position of strength where they were able to put whole armies to flight.

The Angel of the Lord found Gideon hiding in a winepress to beat out the wheat, as the Israelites were protecting themselves from the Midianites who regularly destroyed all their crops and left them with no livestock to live from. And when told that he would rescue Israel from them, Gideon responded by telling the Angel that his whole family is the weakest one in Manasseh and that he himself was the least important member of that family. Hardly the response of a brave man ready to face the enemy armies.

The Lord sent word to Barak through Deborah the prophet that he had to muster troops on Mount Tabor to fight against the Canaanites, and that the Lord would hand the whole enemy army over to him. His cowardly response was that he would only do this if Deborah would accompany him, he did not have the courage to trust the Lord’s word and just obey.

Samson might have received super-human physical strength from the Lord, but he had no moral strength and had to learn this throughout his lifetime. Only at his death did he fully accomplish that which the Lord had called him to do, namely the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. His physical blindness might have finally led him to see spiritually.

When Gilead’s leaders went to search for Jephthah to ask him to lead their army against the Ammonites, they found him living in the land of Tob because his own half-brothers had thrown him out. He was surrounded by worthless men who accompanied him on raids. This is not the profile of a mighty man of valour who would lead Israel out to conquer the enemy.

David tended his father’s sheep, and his own family did not even consider him worthy to be invited to the meeting where Samuel would anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king of Israel.

Points to ponder:  Consider the humble beginnings of these men, and contrast this with the wonderful acts of great courage the Lord led them to accomplish. Would He not do the same for you? God’s strength works through people who own up to their own weaknesses. All He needs is a willing and humble spirit.

Whatever Your plan is 

Probability

 

Most of us find the whole concept of mathematical probability quite daunting. But simply put, probability just means how likely something is to happen.

We can also describe probability as odds, for instance the odds of your being struck by lightning on any given day are one in 250 million, making it quite a rare occurrence.

There is an event in the Bible that mathematicians have calculated to be (humanly speaking) impossible to arrive at, and yet it happened! It concerns 60 major prophecies made concerning the Messiah, and all being fulfilled in the life of one man, Jesus Christ. These prophecies were penned 500-700 years before His birth.

I will give only four of these as examples: Micah 5:2 designated Bethlehem to be the birthplace of the Messiah. Isaiah 7:14 says that he would be born of a virgin. Ps 22:16 prophecies that His hands and feet would be pierced. Malachi 3:1 mentions that Messiah would live contemporary to the temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed in 70 AD.

The probability of Jesus of Nazareth fulfilling only eight of these 60 prophecies was calculated as being 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000! (calculations vouched for by the American Scientific Affiliation). If we add all the other prophecies to the equation as well, it is clearly not humanly possible to manipulate the outcome to let them all converge in the life of one man. It can only be explained by knowing that God supernaturally gave the prophets future knowledge about the details of the life of Jesus, who is the Messiah.

The following two passages also illustrate this: Zechariah describing his vision in Zech 11:12-13 So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD. This was written some 500 years before Christ.

Compare this with Matthew 27:3-7, written 500 years later, after Jesus’ death and resurrection:  ³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners.

Points to ponder: Do the scientifically proven calculations above, and the accuracy of the prophecies given hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus (as proven by history), convince you that the baby born in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago was not just an ordinary human baby, but Jesus Christ the Messiah?

Jesus Messiah

Hear and see

 

Hab 2:1

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

There is something interesting in this verse, which is easy to miss on first reading. The prophet says: I will look to see what He will say to me… We do not often use our sight to hear something, do we? And yet, it is such a natural thing to do. If I were to speak to you about the deliciously cold glass of Coke we drank after a long walk in the mountains on a sunny summer day, I just know that you would vividly picture that tall glass, covered with condensed drops of moisture on the outside, as I was speaking!

God most often speaks to us in picture language, which is why He designed us to have an imagination. If I mentioned a beautiful red apple, you would “see” it in your mind’s eye, which is your imagination. You would not see it as letters spelling a-p-p-l-e. And it would not matter whether your physical eyes were opened or closed – in both cases your spiritual eyes would see the apple, using your imagination.

This is why it is so important that we ask God to sanctify our imaginations, and then very carefully guard what we allow to go into our minds via our eyes and ears, so that we do not defile it. This has become the most critical battlefield of our time – to not be exposed to the ever-increasing obscene images strewn all over our environment, and the God-reviling words reaching us via music and other media forms.

How do we use our imagination to hear from God? There is a vital key given to us in this verse from Habakkuk, when we read that we must “stand” and “station ourselves”.  To stand means to come to a standstill, to stop. Station yourself means to present yourself to God. Therefore, you need time, and an eagerness to hear from God. Choose a time in the day when you can cease all your activities, when there is nothing that will interrupt your special time with God. And start that time with positioning yourself before God in your imagination, it could be kneeling before Him in the throne room, it could be meeting Jesus at the well. No details are necessary, it is the intention of the heart that is important to God. And then patiently wait on Him to respond. Do not let your own thoughts intrude, keep your mind stayed on Him. If He gives you a vision, or Scripture, write it down when the encounter is over, and ask Him to interpret it for you. If nothing happens, praise Him and worship Him, and go about your day knowing that He is always with you, whether you “feel” something or not – take by faith the truth of Jer 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. And joyfully schedule the next meeting with Him for tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. Persevere. Very soon your spiritual eyes and ears will become sensitive to His way of communicating with you!

Points to ponder:   Think about Jer 29:13 – what does “with all your heart” mean? What do I need to do differently to let this be true in my life? Do I need to re-order my day? Stop looking at certain shows and videos? Choose different forms of music to listen to?

Encounter Jesus

Total fulfilment

 

Lev 23:15-17

From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering (this is the firstfruits offering presented during the Feast of Firstfruits), count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.

During this past week, Jews all over the world celebrated the Feast of Shavuot (the plural of a word meaning week, or 7), also called Pentecost (the Greek name meaning 50).

This feast is uniquely linked to the Feast of Firstfruits (where the first sheaves of the barley harvest were presented to the Lord, so that the rest of the harvest would be sanctified as well) by 50 days of counting the omer, or sheaves, day by day. This is the time when the wheat harvest is ready, and another offering of new grain is presented to the Lord as firstfruits.

Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Passover with His death, He fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread by the burial of His sinless body, and He fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits by His resurrection. He fulfilled these feasts in incredible detail. Let me show you just the following regarding the Feast of Firstfruits:

In ancient Israel, since not all the barley ripens simultaneously in the land, a small plot of land was set apart in the Kidron Valley to grow this firstfruits offering. On the Day of Passover (14^th Nisan), the place where the first sheaf was to be reaped in that field was marked by members of the Sanhedrin, by using a red cord to bind three bundles of the standing barley designated to be cut down. Three days later, on the 17^th of Nisan (a Sabbath day in the year Jesus was crucified), as the sun was setting, a large crowd would follow the delegates of the Sanhedrin outside the city, across the Kidron brook, and watch them cut off the marked barley sheaves. They would worship and return to the temple to prepare these to offer to the Lord. It was now officially the morning after the Sabbath (remember, the new day starts after sunset on the previous day in Israel).

Now celebrate the fulfilment of these details with me: About the time that Caiaphas, the High Priest, was trying Jesus, the Sanhedrin members were assessing the crop in the field to decide which would be selected to be harvested for firstfruits. While the Romans were binding Jesus up for crucifixion, the disciples of the Sanhedrin were binding up the sheaves designated for the firstfruits offering. Three days later, when the red cord was cut and the sheaves gathered, Jesus rose from the dead after sunset on the Sabbath, officially the morning after, to be presented to the Father as the Firstfruit from the dead, the first to arise from the dead never to die again!

And 50 days later, as the Israelites faithfully counted the omer, the 120 disciples of Jesus became the firstfruits of the emerging church of Jesus Christ by baptism of His Holy Spirit, an offering of new grain to the Lord in the fulfilment of the Feast of Shavuot, ensuring that the harvest of souls to follow would be sanctified by Him also.

Points to ponder: Meditate on how Jesus is showing that He is the fulfilment - to the very last detail - of every Feast of the Lord, and let this forever be your guarantee that He will fulfil every promise He ever made to you!

The anchor of my soul

Honour

 

1 Sam 2:29-30

……Why do you give your sons more honour than you give me……

……But I will honour those who honour me……

When God sent this message to Eli by word of a nameless man of God, he was the priest (probably the high priest) over the Tabernacle at Shiloh. His sons, Hophni and Phinehas, also served as priests in the temple, but they were base and worthless, they did not know or regard the Lord. Instead, they were corrupt - stealing, embezzling, even committing acts of sexual immorality with women who came to the Tabernacle to worship. Their wickedness profaned the Tabernacle, but even worse than that, people avoided coming to worship God because of their actions.

Now Eli was made aware of what his sons were up to, and we read in verse 23-25 that he spoke to them about their sinful behaviour. Nevertheless, God held him accountable for the actions of his sons. Why would this be?

Eli’s responsibility was two-fold. As their father, he should not have condoned some of their behaviour by sharing in the illicitly gained portions of the offerings that people brought to the Tabernacle to offer to God. They took the portions that were meant for God for themselves, sometimes even threatening to use force - verse 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honour your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel? And then as high priest he should have fired the two of them for the disgraceful way in which they conducted themselves, sinning against God in every way possible instead of leading the nation to serving God.

It is Eli’s inaction to do something about his sons' wicked behaviour that leads God to ask why he honours his sons more than Him, and this misplaced honour is the sin that Eli will be judged for.

We have all been in this situation, where we see wrongdoing, but because we do not want to lose the love and regard of brothers/sisters/parents/friends/work colleagues/fellow church goers… we fail to do something about it. It is however important to heed Paul’s instructions regarding this in 1 Cor 5:12-13 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those outside. We first need to build relationships with fellow believers before we may lovingly confront them with the truth, following Holy Spirit’s leading all the way.

Points to ponder: Carefully consider the question: who do I honour above God? Is there a situation in my home/work/church that I am ignoring, simply because it is easier to just do nothing about it, than to open that can of worms and maybe ruffle a few feathers? Ask God for a strategy to confront wrong in a loving but honest way. And this will become a win-win situation, because of His promise to honour those who honour Him!

Jesus is the name we honour

Calling good evil

 

Proverbs 11:1 and 16:11

A false balance and dishonest business practices are extremely offensive to the LORD, But an accurate scale is His delight.

The LORD demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness.

On first reading, these verses are very directly focussed on fairness in business dealings – only accurate standardised measures are to be used so that the true proportions or weight of products are presented to the seller, no false representations that are hidden from sight.

We have all been exposed to familiar products suddenly appearing in containers that are slightly smaller, priced in such a way that we are misled to believe that we are buying a bargain when in actual fact the product works out to be much more expensive this way! Other products come in such overwhelming big packaging that we think that we are justified in paying a hefty price for something much bigger than what is revealed once the packaging is removed. Advertising is specifically aimed at tricking us into buying certain products, often through misrepresentation of the truth. And so we can go on naming the dishonest business practices routinely used in our society today.

Not only does the Lord our God find these practices offensive, but He actually forbids them in Lev 19:25 “’Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.”

But there is a deeper spiritual connotation here. When a civilization redefines its values, ignoring God, moving away from His created order – this is also using faulty scales and balances. When man’s idea of justice begins to take precedence over God’s absolute truth and righteousness, such a civilization starts measuring its values and norms against false scales. Man begins to conform what is right and wrong to fit his idea of morality, to fit his own sinful desires. And the result is corruption and decay on all levels of society.

What would some of these altered weights, false measures or changed values be? We could name legalised abortion; altered male/female identities; same-sex relationships; fornication; cursing Israel; accepting bribes; among others.

It is a sobering thought to know that God will deal very severely with those guilty of using man’s corrupt scales of measurement over and above God’s absolute measuring rod of truth and righteousness – Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Points to ponder:

Meditate on whether you are conforming your life and life decisions to the truth that is found in the Word of God, or to principles as upheld by the society around you. Clarify for yourself what God’s standard is by searching the Word, not by listening to corrupting debates based on philosophies of man.

The Truth