Solomon spoke in Ecclesiastes 8, about keeping the King’s command. He said that a man’s wisdom makes his face shine and it changes the hardness of his face. He said to keep the King’s rules because of God’s oath to him. “Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way” (Ecclesiastes 8:5). There is a time and place for everything, although man’s trouble weighs him down. This is because he does not know what to do, as he does not know what lies ahead of him. Solomon later said that those who fear God will do well. He saw the burial of the wicked, who they were praised when they went in and out of the temple.

The conclusion was that the sentence against an evil deed was not always executed speedily. As a result of this, people set their hearts to do evil. Although a sinner did evil a hundred times and continued to live, nevertheless it will be well with those who fear God. “But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God” (Ecclesiastes 8:13). Solomon’s conclusion is that man cannot know or predict the ways of God. He spoke of vanity taking place in the earth which is ‘excessive pride in or admiration of one’s own appearance or achievements’ (OxfordLanguages).

As a result of this vanity, wicked people are affected by the righteous and the righteous are affected by the wicked. Solomon’s advice was that we find joy, because there is no way of knowing about all the things of God. David also said, “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2-3). We can see where Solomon got his philosophical nature from and his ability to observe the ways of people. David also observed how the wicked appeared, to have no trouble and seemed to live long lives. As he continued to observe, he soon understood God’s reward for the wicked.

“Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin” (Psalm 73:18). In the end, the wicked are destroyed like grass and cut off from the living. There is indeed a way that seems right to a man, but the end is death (Proverbs 14:12). There are people who are playing church and have lived a double life for many years. Many people are fooled into believing, that they are getting away with their unrepentant and presumptuous sins. God is not mocked, he is a jealous God and many sins are visited upon the children of the wicked, up to the third and forth generation. No sin goes unpunished and either people repent or they will reap the consequences. Presumptuous sins can lead to a lifetime in eternal damnation and can also create consequences for the next generation.

A.P.-Y.

In Matthew 9, as Jesus advanced his ministry, he healed many people who were sick and restored others to life. He first healed a paralytic man who was brought to him on a bed. The scribes felt that Jesus had blasphemed, because he forgave the man of his sins. Around the same time, Jesus called Matthew who was a Tax Collector, to join his ministry. The Pharisees also criticised Jesus for eating at Matthew’s house. “But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12). The sickness which Jesus was referring to in this instance, was sin sickness which Matthew was delivered from.

Jesus then followed a man whose daughter was ill, in order to pray for her. On his way there, he was stopped by a woman with an issue of blood, who touched his garment and was healed. While he was delayed, the man’s daughter died. Nevertheless, Jesus went to her house, took her by the hand and commanded her to come back to life. As he went on his journey, two blind men called out to him for help. He touched their eyes and their sight was restored. As he continued on his journey, a man was brought to him who was demon possessed and mute. Jesus cast out the demon and the man spoke.

Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and affliction. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). The next thing that Jesus said to his disciples, was that the harvest was ripe, but the labourers were few. He asked them to pray for God to send labourers into the harvest. Jesus was making reference to the harvest of lost souls. On many occasions, when he ministered, his attitude was described as compassionate.

Compassion is having concern for the suffering and misfortune of others. It is also described as suffering with others. The bible teaches us to weep with those who weep, and to bear one another’s burden (Romans 12:15; Galatians 6:2). Our society has become individualistic and people are taught to ‘mind their own business’ and ‘don’t get involved in what doesn’t concern you.’ This was not Jesus’s way of ministry and he was not afraid of getting into other people’s business. The Acts church were together, shared everything and had all things in common (Acts 2:44). Compassion is a requirement for ministry, in order to meet the needs of others.

Your ministry will become powerful and impactful, when you develop love and compassion. You won’t reach people with your ministry if you don’t love them. Most people can see through pretence and can discern if someone really cares about them. Our ministries have to be driven by love and a desire to lead people to Christ, so that they can have everlasting life. Love isn’t easy and we sometimes have to pray to be able to see people through God’s eyes. Some of the people who are the hardest to love, are the people most in need of healing and deliverance.

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In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he encouraged them to rejoice in the Lord at all times. Is it humanly possible to always be joyful and find a reason to rejoice? What about those times when we are hurting or going through trials and difficulties? Paul went on to say that we do not need to be anxious about anything. His encouragement was to pray about everything with supplication and thanksgiving. Why do we pray about everything with thanksgiving? So that the peace of God, which is not possible to explain with human logic, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).

Peace is our ultimate pursuit which gives us confidence that God is with us. If we have peace with God then we have peace with ourselves and with everyone else. When we have peace then there is no reason why we cannot rejoice and be joyful in God. We can rejoice when we have surrendered our worries and cares to God because we know that he cares for us. For example, if you take your car to the garage, you are no longer worried about the car because you trust that it is in capable hands. You also know that the mechanics are trained to take care of it and to fix the fault with the car. Similarly, if we have approached God in prayer concerning a problem, we can rest assured that our problems are in capable hands and he will fix it for us.

“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands” (Psalms 138:8). If we are being honest, we have to admit that we sometimes place a lot more faith in the things that we can see with our physical eyes, than we do in God. This is why faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of the things which we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). There are some areas of our lives that are easier for us to trust God with than others. Those areas where we lack faith are the areas that we most need to surrender. Oftentimes this relates to areas where we have experienced hurt or a deficit and it makes it harder to trust God.

Let us not miss out on the peace which is available when we fully surrender. Every new day that we live to see, brings a reason to rejoice. Gratitude is a powerful human emotion and a great antidote for stress. It is impossible to remain overwhelmed and burdened by our trials when we sing praises and rejoice in the Lord. “For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy” (Psalm 92:4).

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Paul was expounding to the Galatians about christian virtues. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). When we consider self-control, we can get the idea that we have something to do with our ability to be good. There are many choices that are left to our free will and when we decide to discipline ourselves, the result is good fruit.

There are some traits however, that are harder for us to temper and we have to rely on the work of the Holy Spirit to transform us. “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 1:24). Our part in developing godly discipline is to listen and obey. This is obedience beyond what makes sense to our human reasoning. Often God will ask us to make decisions that go against our nature. His word to the person who is extremely proactive may come in the form of an instruction to be still and to wait for him to move.

Being asked to do what goes against our very nature can feel like a small death to parts of our natural selves. Very often God is saving us from ourselves because we sometimes don’t know our limitations. God will often challenge us in the areas where we need to grow. Left to our own devices, we would wear ourselves out trying to solve most problems on our own. There are things that we are responsible for. After we have done what we were told to do by God, we then have to surrender and wait. Wait for God to do what only he can do.

There is a strength beyond our strength; an understanding beyond what we can see; and wisdom beyond our human comprehension that only comes from God.

“Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

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Paul spoke to the Corinthians about his work in ministry. He made reference to the Christian journey being a race which each person runs to win. He made further reference to how athletes discipline their bodies in order to maintain the physical stamina for racing. “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (1 Corinthians 9:25).

While it is important for us to maintain good physical health through diet and exercising, Paul’s reference relates to our spiritual well-being. As we live for God, we should grow in Christlike maturity and overtime lose the appetite for things that are contrary to the will of God. Similar to babies, Christians who are new to the faith need the word broken down in simple terms for them to understand. “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—” (1 Peter 2:2).

As we mature in God, there is an expectation that we grow in spiritual strength and develop the stamina for sound doctrine. Those who are mature in God should be in a position to not only read and understand the word, but to teach the word to others. Moreover, the mature have a responsibility to demonstrate behaviour which serves as an example to newborns and those who are unsaved to follow.

Paul also spoke about adjusting to accommodate those around him for the sake of the gospel. “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). God will continue to develop character in us and allow us to be tested in order that we will grow. Most parents don’t take pleasure in disciplining their children, but they are wise enough to understand that it is necessary to ensure that their children become valuable members of society.

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

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In Mark 9, a father carried his son to Jesus’s disciples to ask that they would pray for his healing. The disciples prayed but they could not cast out the spirit which tormented the boy. When Jesus arrived, the father ran to tell him what had happened. “And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes”” (Mark 9:23). The father acknowledged that he had faith, but that there was still some doubt in his mind. “Lord I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24)!

This story teaches us that it is possible to have faith mixed with some doubt or unbelief. There are times when I have felt that I needed really strong faith in order for God to act on my behalf. Let us look at what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew concerning faith. “He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you”” (Matthew‬ ‭17:20‬).

Mustard seeds are extremely small seeds and are perhaps one of the smallest seeds that I know of. While we think that we need giant size faith to gain a small victory, Jesus is saying that we can do major things with just a small amount of faith. What that means is that faith is such a potent antidote, that an extremely small amount can do major things.

We often speak of ‘strong faith’ and admire people who seem to possess this. Paul made reference to each of us having a measure of faith which God has assigned (Romans 12:3). Faith increases through listening to the word of God and as we exercise faith, like a muscle it will grow. The final analysis is this, that I have not always felt strong in faith during the times when I have seen God move. What God needs is faith as much as a mustard seed and with that much faith we can move a mountain.

A.P.-Y.

Issachar was one of the twelve sons of Jacob who received a blessing. The blessing over Issachar sounded more like a curse, as he was bound to a life of hard labour. Not much is said about Issachar except for instances when there were battles. What is notable about this tribe was their mention during the times of David’s battles. These men had wisdom to understand the times and knew what Isreal needed to do. This skill can seem trivial, except if you consider the value that Solomon placed on wisdom and understanding. God blessed Solomon with wealth and influence, because his request was for wisdom (1 Kings 3:1-15).

It was Solomon who also taught us about the times and seasons for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). What is significant about this, is the need for the body of Christ to understand times and seasons. We have to be watchful to discern patterns and cycles. There are particular months of the year for example, that seem to be characterised by major atrocities. What should be the response of a Christian, if they realise that every year, around a particular month, that there is an increase in demonic activity. Many believers have described the months of September and October as being quite difficult months.

Some people have seen an increase in atrocities, bloodshed and major disasters. Perhaps someone will say that this is merely a coincidence, that events like 9/11 and other calamities have happened around this time. Some believers have chosen to increase their prayers, intercession and fasting ahead of what seems like difficult seasons. For other people, it may not be autumn, but they can notice particular patterns of difficulty and resistance around certain times of the year. We can simply accept this and resign ourselves to what will be, or seek the Lord to discern what is the cause of these activities. Some families may notice that a family member may die at a certain time one year and then every year after that, around the same time, there may be another death or some major disaster.

Could you be dealing with a demonic cycle or pattern, which has been created to target your family? Some families may also come under attack from a spirit of death for example. Are people willing to rise up and cry out within the porches and pray for redemption? There are also other seasons of intensity which are characterised by breakthrough. People may feel the pangs of travail and can mistake these for spiritual attack. Sometimes the pain is an indication to push through in prayer, as we have come into our due season. “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:21). These are seasons to push through and travail until you experience joy.

Whether we are dealing with cycles of spiritual warfare and attack or a season of breakthrough, we need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to understand the times. What is your current season and how are you positioned in the place of prayer and intercession? Do you know when you need to increase your fasting, prayer and intercession? Do you also understand when you are in a season of rest? Are you able to discern those seasons when you need to press in the place of prayer and push in order to give birth? We need the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of God to maintain a victorious life, as we continue to discern and understand seasons.

A.P.-Y.

Context: Daniel, Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego were among the people taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon. They were considered: “young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans” (Daniel 1:4).

The King instructed his chief Eunoch to provide daily for them, delicacies and drinks from the king’s treasure and they were to be on training for three years. Daniel made up in his mind, not to be defiled with the King’s delicacies or to drink his wine. The Jews had quite a strict diet which restricted them from eating food sacrificed to idols, for example. Daniel asked the Eunoch to test them for ten days with just vegetable and water. At the end of the ten days, their appearance was better than the other men who ate the King’s delicacies. The steward allowed them to continue eating vegetables only and to drink water. “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17).

In terms of the 21 days, Daniel sought the Lord in chapter 10, to get answers about the situation concerning his people. Daniel was concerned that his people were in bondage and wanted to hear from God. “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled” (Daniel 10:2-3). As Daniel fasted, Gabriel was sent with a message for him on the twenty fourth day. Gabriel assured Daniel that from the first day of his fast, that his prayers were heard and he was sent to give him with the answer. However, Gabriel was held up by demonic activities in the region where Daniel lived. “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:13).

As Daniel continued in fasting and prayer, Michael the Chief angel was sent to help Gabriel in the spiritual battle. This allowed Gabriel to be released to bring Daniel’s answer, while Michael carried on fighting. This story gives us a glimpse into what is happening in the spirit realm, as we contend in prayer and fasting. Fasting is setting aside time to pray and seek the face of God. During this time, we limit our consumption of food and certain drinks as a sacrifice to God. Fasting is not a religious exercise and as long as we make a sacrifice to God, from a heart which is pleasing, God will respond.

Strictly speaking, Daniel and his friends ate vegetables and drank water. I believe that everyone can interpret the Daniel fast, based on their own conviction and different churches and denominations have interpreted this fast differently. What is generally consistent for most people, is giving up meat, processed foods, pastry and sweet drinks. If you are able to supplement your protein using vegetables and legumes then, that is great. Some people continue to have fish as a protein supplement. Pray and go as you feel led by the Holy Spirit. I would recommend cutting out excesses including: sugar, processed foods, anything deep fried, and meats.

The Daniel fast focuses on accessing divine favour and revelation knowledge to win spiritual battles.

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