Author: Anneta Pinto-Young

I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession. Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm. I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing. I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.

Roots of Fear

**“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).**

Fear is a natural human emotion which alerts us to the presence of danger. Exaggerated or irrational fear is a symptom of phobias which causes limiting beliefs and ideas. There are many subtle irrational fears and thought patterns that we have internalised overtime. These can keep us from maximising our full potential and accomplishing our God given purpose. Some common fears that people have are the fear of death and dying, the fear of being sick, the fear of being alone or the fear of not being loved or accepted by others.

Many fears are created from negative experiences early in childhood. Other fears stem from negative thought and ideas which we develop from the things that significant people have said to us. Some people are afraid of things that they didn’t experience themselves but represent secondary trauma passed down from their parents. An example can be a mother filling her daughter with extremely negative ideas about men and marriage. Although her daughter may not have necessarily experienced a bad marriage, she can erroneously transfer that fear into her own marriage.

Someone may have been hurt by people in relationships in the past. This can result in the fear of entering into new relationships and cause us to struggle with trusting other people. A child who was hurt by a parent may struggle to trust others. The fear would be that other people may hurt or harm them in the way that their parent(s) did. A rich man can struggle to enjoy his wealth because he is afraid that someone will rob him and take away his wealth. He can also live with the persistent fear that he could wake up one day and find himself poor again.

Negative life experiences can leave deep seated fears in our minds and affect our emotional responses to others. While it is important to learn from our past experiences, we must not allow these experiences to create deep seated fears that can cripple our chances of living a meaningful life. As Christians, let us pray and continue to bind the spirit of fear and it’s limiting effect on our lives. Ask God to show you where you have fears that limit your ability to advance and make progress.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

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Love Will Win

**“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).**

One of the greatest commandments in the bible, relates to loving God and loving each other. God is love and if God lives in us, then our lives should radiate his example of love and unconditional positive regard. Often in Christendom, when we consider spiritual warfare, we think about praying down fire and brimstone and binding principalities and powers. While this has its place, one of the most powerful weapons to rescue a dying world is love.

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). When the church demonstrates love to the world, this will draw people to experience the love of Jesus Christ. Our spiritual gifts are good for the edification of the church, but without love, our gifts and talents are useless in God’s eyes. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1).

When we love others we show them patience and kindness. Love is not be jealous, proud or rude. Love is not be irritable or demand to have its own way in everything. Love does not keep a list of the mistake of others. Love never rejoices over injustice, but is happy when the right thing is done. Love never gives up on others or ourselves. Love never loses hope or faith and lasts through all circumstances (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

I believe that love is a powerful weapon and when we continue to show love, this will transform others and draw people to Christ. Our love will win the battles in our relationships, groups and communities. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭22:39‬).

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Expand Your Reach

**“Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes” (Isaiah 54:2).**

Isaiah spoke of God’s eternal covenant of peace towards his people. He spoke in comfort to those who were barren, to sing as God would multiply to them many children. Isaiah encouraged those who experienced lack, to raise their expectations and to take the limits off our thinking.

This in expectation of the great things that God is able to do, when we expect more. This requires faith to see beyond our current circumstances and to imagine that God will expand our reach. Do not be limited in your thinking and do not limit God to what you can see and what you are used to. We have to be prepared to step well outside of our comfortable positions and to ask for more than what we think we deserve.

God promised to cause us to prosper and be in good health even as our soul prospers (3 John 1:2). In this season we are called to expect more and to anticipate that God is able to do far exceedingly above all we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

Be ambitious in essence and dare to dream much bigger than your current situation and circumstances. We serve a God of the impossible, so don’t allow anyone to tell you what you can or cannot do. Throw those limiting thoughts, ideas and opinions aside and reach ahead to attain what God has in store.

“For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities” (Isaiah 54:3).

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He Restores My Soul

The every day rigours of life can leave us feeling depleted. If you work in a profession where you provide support for people in need, it is easy to experience burn out. People can be extremely demanding and we have to implement strategies, to preserve our health and emotional wellbeing. I like that the bible makes several references to Jesus withdrawing from the crowd. “But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16).

We need alone time and daily quiet times, to sit with God and talk to him. There are times when we need to retreat, from the busyness around us and be still in the presence of God. During these times God will speak to us and we can be refilled, in order to have more to give to others. It is foolish to imagine that we are able to meet the needs of everyone. A “saviour complex” can result in burn out and unnecessary stress. I realised a long time ago that I am not God and that released me from the need to feel that I can fix other people.

There are many things that can carry on just fine, without our input and while our opinions are valuable, we have to know when to step back. David knew how to retreat into places of solitude, to be alone with God and to be restored by him. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters” (Psalm 23:2).

Do not be guilted into always being available to everyone, or to be available all of the time. We have to set boundaries and there are people who we have to love from a distance. This is especially if they threaten our peace of mind and operate in a way that is unhealthy. There are also some relationships, that we have to call time out on and later on have a frank conversation about what needs to change. God wants us to rest and be restored and it is wise to spend time alone in his presence to be refreshed:

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 1:2).

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A Childlike Disposition

**“and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).**

In Matthew 18, Jesus’s disciples asked him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus’s response was to call a child and placed him in their midst. “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus explained further, that anyone who had the humility of a child and to also received a child in his name, would be greatest in the kingdom. Jesus was clear that a person who caused a young child to sin, was better off having a millstone placed around his neck and drowned into the sea. A similar reference to becoming like children is likened to being born again.

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour, requires child-like faith and a surrender of our selves. The salvation experience puts us unto the path of a new life and being born again, makes us infants in Christ. As we grow in faith, we develop Christlike maturity, but only after we have first taken on the position of children. Jesus also made mention of the angels assigned to small children. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).

In the very next chapter, people brought children to Jesus, so that he could lay his hands on them and bless them. The disciples put on quite a disappointing show, given the lesson that Jesus had just taught them in chapter 18. They rebuked the people, “but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven”” (Matthew 19:14). In other words, Jesus was happy to receive the children, because their disposition was likened to the kingdom of heaven.

The reference to being like children is not in relation to being childish. To be childish refers to being immature, while childlike in the spiritual sense, refers to humility. Childlike faith requires that we believe what Jesus says. Earthly knowledge can lead to pride and arrogance. We have to remember that the wisdom of men is foolishness to God. Many people who know a lot and consider themselves to be highly educated, can sometimes struggle to wrap their minds around the things of faith. In knowing more, sometimes people know less, because earthly wisdom can cause a person to think that they have all the answers.

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The Importance of Discipline

**“I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them” (1 Samuel 3:13).**

In 1 Samuel, we read about Eli who served as a priest in the house of the Lord, along with his two sons. “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12). Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phinehas mistreated the people and the offerings of the Lord. They also slept with women and would not listen to the voice of the their father. As a result of their behaviour, God rejected Eli’s house. “Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house” (1 Samuel 2:31).

God already had a plan for his people, as Hannah gave Samuel to serve as a priest in the temple. Hannah’s perceived misfortune of barrenness, led to God’s answer for his people. Hannah made a vow to God that if he gave her a child, she would give him into the service of the Lord. Once Samuel was weaned, she took him and presented him to God. “Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there” (1 Samuel 1:28). Samuel served the Lord in the temple, at a time when the word of the Lord was rare and there were no frequent visions.

The Lord called Samuel and spoke to him, concerning what would happen next in Isreal. “On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end” (1 Samuel 3:12). Isreal soon engaged in a battle with the Philistines and Eli’s two sons were killed. The ark of the covenant was also captured and the news of this terrified Eli. He fell back from his seat and died. Eli’s daughter-in-law was pregnant and when she heard the news of the death of her husband and father-in-law and about the ark, she went into labour. She also died during childbirth and named her son, “Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel” (1 Samuel 4:21).

Eli and his sons were from the tribe of the Levites, who were chosen to serve God in the temple. Eli’s sons did not reverence God, nor did they have care and respect for the people. These men abused their power and used their spiritual authority to mistreat people. God held Eli responsible because his sons were blasphemous and he failed to discipline them. The concept of discipline is discussed many times in scripture and God is clear that it is important for everyone. This is one of the highest forms of love and the exercise of wisdom. “because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:12).

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The Terror of the Lord

**“And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god”” (1 Samuel 5:7).**

Shortly after the Lord called Samuel to be the prophet over the people of Israel, the Philistines made war against them. Israel was being beaten by the Philistines, so they asked that the ark of the Lord be brought into their camp. They perceived that with the presence of the Lord in their midst, they were guaranteed victory. The Philistines were afraid when they heard that Isreal had the ark of the Covent. “Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness” (1 Samuel 4:8). Despite their fear, they pursued the Israelites and defeated them.

The Israelites ran away and the ark of God was captured by the Philistines. They took the ark to Ashdod and put it in the house of Dagon their god and placed it beside him. The next day they found Dagon lying face down on the floor. They put Dagon back in his place and the next day, he was not only lying face down, but his hands and head had been cut off. “The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory” (1 Samuel 5:6). They moved the ark of God between three different cities, because of the affliction that they experienced.

On each occasion, the city which they took the ark to, was afflicted by tumours and death. The people eventually agreed to send the ark of God back to the children of Israel. “They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you”” (1 Samuel 6:3). The Philistines melted gold and made images of the tumours and mice that had ravaged their land. They hoped that the hand of the Lord would be lighter with them due to their offering.

I am amazed at how the presence of God brought terror on the Philistines. The ark was designed to rest with God’s people and carried his presence. Although Isreal was in a state of sin, the Philistines were foolish to think that they could place God in a tent with their other god. No wonder Dagon was found face down with his head and hands cut off. Furthermore, God had a covenant with his own people and not with the Philistines. The presence of God among them served as judgement as they were the enemies of God. More so, the ark did not belong to them and their envy and stupidity led to their calamity. “There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours” (Psalm 86:8).

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Seed for the Sower

**“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 9:10)**

God’s desire is that we prosper and be in good health, even as our souls prosper (3 John 1:2). When God blesses us, he does not add any sorrow along with his blessings (Proverbs 10:22). There are spiritual laws governing prosperity, which includes the act of giving and receiving. “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

This is also connected to the concept of sowing and reaping. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Being stingy, selfish and self-seeking will not put us in a position to receive from God. It is good to have a budget and to manage our resources well. That being said, we have to look for opportunities to be a blessing to others. Remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

This is what the bible teaches, but we can also consider this in natural terms. No one wants to continue to give to someone who never seems willing to give. People who are always expecting to receive from others, without a willingness to give are often viewed as being opportunistic. Most people appreciate relationships, where people learn to reciprocate and are willing to give and take.

We are generally mindful that people should be willing to give in as much as they are willing to receive. God will also give to us if he can trust us to give to others. God will bless those who he can trust to share and who can see the needs of others and offer support. God won’t continue to increase our store and provision to keep it for ourselves. He blesses us so that we can be a blessing. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians‬ ‭4:19‬).

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God will Restore

**“People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house” (Proverbs 6:30-31)**.

Have you ever felt like you were robbed of opportunities that were meant for you? Have you felt like you missed out on time that you wish you could get back? “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Some missed opportunities may have been a part of God’s plan to protect us from danger. There are many times when the enemy will try to stand in the way, of what God has in store for us. The devil comes to steal our joy, kill our opportunities, destroy our relationships, our peace and health. Christ came to give us the abundant life, full of good things. It is not God’s plan to hold back anything good, from those who walk in righteousness and a good desire is God’s desire.

Being disconnected from God can lead to distractions and cause us to live outside of purpose. We waste so much time thinking that we know what is best for our lives, when God made us for a specific plan and purpose. God acts on the desires of our heart so there is rarely a good desire that was not put inside of us by God.

God wants to restore what was lost or stolen from us and when he restores, it is always greater than what was before. Imagine being restored double, sevenfold, one hundredfold or even a thousandfold of everything you lost? “May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭1:11‬).

God will restore what you have lost and his word is our evidence. Don’t live in regret and bitterness. Surrender to God what you feel was lost or stolen and trust God to restore it to you. Do not worry about your age or status in life, as none of these circumstances limit what God can do. “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you” (Joel‬ ‭2:25‬).

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The Sound of Victory

“For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us”” (2 Kings 7:6).

The Syrian army surrounded Samaria so that no one could enter or leave the city. This war strategy was often used, to force the city being invaded to surrender to the army which had surrounded them. This was generally because the inability of people to leave or enter, meant no trade of food and other items.

There were four lepers sitting at the gate of the city, that were desperate to get some food. They considered going into Samaria, but knew that there was no food in the city. This meant that they would starve to death. They also contemplated going to the camp of the Syrians, to surrender to see if they would have pity on them and give them something to eat. On arriving at the entrance of the Syrian camp, they noticed that the camp was empty.

The Syrians ran away in fear as the leper’s approached. God allowed their feet to sound like those of a mighty army. “So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving the camp as it was, and fled for their lives” (2 Kings 7:7). The lepers entered the camp and found it abandoned. They found possessions and more than enough to eat and also to supply everyone in Samaria.

We carry a sound of victory and God will cause our feet to send terror to the camp of the enemy. Our worship and praise also sends a sound to the atmosphere and declares victory over the enemy. “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways” (Deuteronomy 28:7).

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