Paul spoke of a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan sent to harass him. Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to take away this thorn. The response from God was that his grace was sufficient to keep him. God’s power was perfected in Paul’s weakness. Paul was happy to boast in his weakness so that the power of Christ would rest upon him. He spoke of being content in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecution and calamities. It is when we are weak in the flesh when the spirit man is alive and renewed. Salvation is no longer living in the flesh, but Christ living in us. Our flesh decreases so that our spirit man can come alive in Christ Jesus.

Life comes with hardships and trials and it is the grace of God which gives us the strength to endure. Grace is God’s free gift and comes through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. By his grace we can overcome situations and circumstances that would be otherwise insurmountable. How many of us have gone through situations that would have broken someone else? God’s instructions to Isreal through the prophet Isaiah was, “fear not, for I have redeemed you and called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:1-2).

This is saying that life will present challenges that will feel like fire, but we will not be burnt. We will pass through storms and waters but we will not drown. The reality is that as long as we are here on earth, the enemy will send darts after us. God is our shield, our defender and protector. “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19).

God will give you the grace to smile through the storms and to pass the tests of life. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord and the greater one lives in us. We keep our eyes on Jesus and on his promises so that the enemy has no power over us. We will not be afraid or put to shame as the greater one is on our side.

A.P.-Y.

God spoke through his servant Isaiah concerning the wickedness of his people in Judah. God was angry with them because they rebelled against him and had forsaken His ways. Despite their corruption, the people still brought offerings and sacrifices unto God. God’s response was disgust, because of their contempt for his laws. “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats” (Isaiah 1:11). God did not find their offering and sacrifices pleasing or acceptable.

God also said that he would not listen to them, as they would lift their hands in prayer. This was because their hands were stained with blood and they were unclean before God. “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil” (Isaiah 1:16). God also wanted them to do good, to seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the orphans and plead the cause of the widow. Within the context of the Old Testament, orphans and widows were among some of the most vulnerable. Not all widows in today’s society may experience destitution. The idea is that we should consider the most vulnerable within our society.

Depending on where you live, the vulnerable and destitute may be different social groups. There are orphanages in most countries that provide housing for children. Within your own communities, the vulnerable may be immigrants or particular groups of people. At your work place, there are staff members who are more vulnerable than others based on their positions of power. The church has a role to play in looking after the vulnerable. Ignoring injustice and refusing to get involved because ‘it is none of your business,’ does not please God. There are times when we have the power and resources to get involved and support persons in need.

You may feel the prompting of the Holy, Spirit to speak up for someone who is being bullied or harassed at work. We should teach children to look out for other children who are being isolated in school. The children of the righteous should set an example and befriend the child that is excluded. This can relate to a child who is unpopular due to socio economic deprivation or the child who is unpopular. Our salvation is not limited to going to church on a Sunday to worship and give our offering. What we do in the market place is of major significance, as it is within the darkness where we need to let our light shine.

A.P.-Y.

We read in 1 Samuel 18, about Saul’s jealousy against David, due to his success on the battlefield. Most Kings would be proud, to have one of the fiercest warriors fighting with them against their enemies. Saul however had a spirit of jealousy and felt inferior to David. I think that this was as a result of Saul knowing, that God had promised to take the kingdom away from him. Earlier in Saul’s time as King, he disobeyed God and didn’t listen to the instructions from the prophet Samuel. “Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors–to one better than you” (1 Samuel 15:28).

Saul must have perceived that God had chosen David to succeed him as King. The crux of this matter arose when David and Saul came back to the city after a battle. The women generally come out to meet the armies after a battle and would sing about their success. On this occasion however, their song made Saul extremely angry. “And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands””(1 Samuel 18:7). Saul started to plot to see how he could get rid of David.

An evil spirit came upon Saul and while David played music for him, he took a spear and threw it after David. David managed to escape from Saul on two occasions. “Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul” (1 Samuel 18:12). Saul learnt that his daughter loved David so he devised another plot to try to get rid of him. He told his men to try to convince David that he really loved him and wanted him to become his son-in-law. The condition was that David should kill one hundred Philistines and return their foreskins as the bride price for Saul’s daughter.

David went out with his men and and obtained not one hundred foreskins, but two hundred foreskins. Saul thought he could set up David to be killed by the Philistines. God was with David so not only did he survive Saul’s plot, but he exceeded his expectations. Children of God, the devil will try to set you up to fail. Sometimes situations that seem impossible and insurmountable will be put upon you. Remember that it is not by might or our strength, but we accomplish everything through the strength of the Lord. When God is fighting for us, we will exceed every unreasonable expectation placed upon us.

Do not be discouraged or disheartened. Remember that when God is with you, no one will be able to stand or succeed against you. God will make your yoke easy and your burdens light. He will give you supernatural strength, ability and wisdom. God will bless the work of your hands and whatever you put your hands to will prosper. God will make it easy for you to succeed and not only will you succeed but you will far exceed every expectation. “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord” (Psalm 31:24)!

A.P.-Y.

During Jesus’s sermon on the Mount, he taught the people about asking and receiving from the father. He encourages us to seek and find what we need, to knock so that doors can be opened unto us. Jesus said that everyone who seeks finds, those who knock will have the door answered and those who ask will receive. Jesus used the analogy of a son asking a father for a fish or for bread. He concluded that no good father would give his son a serpent instead of a fish or a stone instead of bread. This is assuming that most people would not want to eat a snake of course.

Jesus used this statement to point out, that in the same way that earthly fathers love their children enough, to give them good things, so does our Heavenly Father love us. We have to trust God enough to know that he will grant us the desires of our heart. I used to be afraid to pray for God to bless me with a husband. I thought that if I prayed this prayer, that God would want me to marry a nerd. I imagined that someone who was extremely religious, had no sense of style or had no sense of humour was who God would want for me. Why I had that idea makes no sense at all. There was something about my religious upbringing, which said that this was the model of a godly and a righteous man.

My ideas about God could not have been further from the truth. He is not a grumpy old man who wants to suck the fun out of everything. God wants us to have joy and peace and just because something does not fit into our conventional ideas about who He is, does not make it ungodly. I think that God is actually way cooler than we think and his ways are full of excitement and wonder. My last analogy is this. When you love someone, you want to understand their desires. You will make every effort to find out what they want to surprise them for their birthday for example. That’s just the way our father is. As long as it won’t hurt us or put us in danger of being held captive by the enemy, then God will meet our needs.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

A.P.-Y.

Paul taught the early church about the importance of their mindset. He spoke often about having a kingdom mindset in order to live the abundant life. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Paul was talking about a transformation of our way of thinking, which is synonymous with the born again experience. We were born in sin, shaped in iniquity and so we had the sin nature in us. The sin nature also comes with a way of thinking which is influenced by the world system.

When we become born again, the transformation of becoming a new creature in Christ starts in the mind. We accept Jesus Christ, we are saved and the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. We then develop the mind of Christ, so that the Holy Spirit can think through our thoughts and speak through our lips. We know that life and death are in the power of the tongue and our words first take shape in our minds. This is why some people believe that there are no slips of the tongue. “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

Since we know how powerful our words are, we guard our minds and our hearts and watch our thoughts before they become words. The devil cannot curse us but he can use our words to keep us ensnared. What I would advise is that, you refuse to say what you do not wish to see manifest. We can go a bit further and guard our thoughts so that they don’t become words. We guard our thoughts by filtering out information that will not generate good thoughts. Binge watching the news, listening to gossip, watching violent or illicit films will fill our minds with thoughts that do not come from the presence of God.

Let us renew our minds by reading the bible, listening to sermons and having our conversations full of grace and seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6). This is the saltiness which is the redeeming quality of the church to preserve the earth. We have to pray over our minds and declare that we think only those things that emanate from the throne of God. “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). As the language in this verse suggests, there is a battle that surrounds our thought life. We have to literally wage war against thoughts that do not line up with the word of God. We daily renew our minds so that our thinking will line up with God’s will for us.

A.P.-Y.

Most people have natural gifts, abilities and talents. We also have areas of weakness that we are not as confident in and sometimes struggle to master. I remember starting a job as an Administrative Assistant. I did not feel very competent at the job because I was not very proficient with the computer. I did not have a lot of training from my Manager who seemed unhappy in her role. She left the job soon after I started and I worked without a Manager for a few months. I panicked during my first couple of months and wondered how I would manage the day to day tasks. I remembered a story which I had learnt at church about how Joseph had an excellent spirit.

I prayed for God to give me the spirit of excellence to be equipped to do the job well. I also prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to help me and to show what to do. I was amazed that I started learning how to use the computer in order to send and respond to emails and other correspondence. I stayed in that same company for over eight years and managed to progress to the role of a supervisor. Looking back at the situation, I have to credit my success to the help of the Holy Spirit. This is because I did not have the natural skills and abilities to perform the job. I was empowered by the Holy Spirit to do what I could not naturally do.

The Holy Spirit is our comforter, teacher, guide and helper. There is nothing that is impossible when we rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit. I believe that if we are being led by the spirit, then there is no situation where God has placed us where he has not equipped us with what we need. What stops us from maximising our potential and doing things to best of our ability? Fear and a sense of inadequacy! We struggle when we listen to our fears and doubts and they become louder than the voice of God.

Most of us need some time to figure out new things and some tasks cause more struggle for us than others. Before you panic and start doubting your abilities, remember what the word of God says. We can do ALL things. Not some things or a few things, but ALL things through Christ Jesus. I am not saying that we should strain to take on activities or try to fit into roles that we are not created for us. However, if you find yourself in a job or position where you have been led by God, then trust the Holy Spirit to give you the wisdom that you need to succeed.

“And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.” (Daniel 1:20).

A.P.-Y.

David’s three older brothers were among the soldiers that fought in the army against the Philistines. We are familiar with the story of Goliath who was over nine feet tall. His size and stature was intimidating and his challenge to Israel was to send a soldier who could fight him. For forty days, the armies lined up, but none of the soldiers among Israel were brave enough to fight him. Every day David took supplies to his brothers who were stationed in the army. Every day David had to listen to Goliath posture about how mighty he was. Every day David watched the soldiers, including his brothers, shrink back from this Philistine.

“All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid”(1 Samuel 17:24). David was curious, about the reward, that the King would give to the man who faced and killed Goliath. He was also indignant that his own people seemed afraid to tackle this enemy of God. ‘Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the armies of the living God?’ David knew his place and his standing in God. Perhaps it was his youthful exuberance and the lack of fear which was associated with his age. Either way, David had the mindset which God could use to take down Goliath.

David’s brother was angry that he asked questions and spoke about Goliath. Perhaps he was being protective as he knew David was the type to position himself wherever there was trouble. Maybe he was ashamed as David’s boldness made him question his own courage and conviction. David paid no attention to his rebukes but carried on with his enquiries. I believe that the idea to tackle Goliath was already established in David’s mind. For forty days he walked back and forth from the battle and waited for someone to be bold enough to move forward. David’s frustration from being able to see and hear, made him want to get involved.

We know how the story ends and Isreal was better off because David had the boldness to stand up to a bully. We have to be fearless in our convictions and don’t allow fear to cause us to shrink back from a challenge. What David had over every other soldier in that army was conviction and boldness. Too many of us are tolerating situations that the Lord has given us the resources to tackle. We may need to pray and ask God for revelation knowledge to discern how to address some issues. Either way, folding our hands, running away, shrinking back or being avoidant will not make things better. Nothing is impossible or beyond our capacity when we fight in the strength of the Lord.

“and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand” (1 Samuel 17:47).

A.P.-Y.

In Exodus 3, God appeared to Moses through a burning bush. God’s visit to Moses was to send him to Egypt to tell Pharoah to set his people free. God could see the affliction of his people and he heard their cry for help. God’s plan was to bring them out from the land of oppression and to bring them into a land of prosperity. God told Moses that when the people were released, that they would worship him in the mountain. They would also be able to sacrifice unto God in the wilderness. God prepared Moses for the stubbornness of Pharoah. “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand” (Exodus 3:19).

God knew that the Egyptians benefitted from having the Israelites as slaves to work for them daily. Pharaoh’s oppression was caused by his insecurities about the Jewish people. “And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us” (Exodus 1:9). His strategy was to set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel” (Exodus 1:12). How did the Jews manage to continue to expand despite the oppression of Egypt?

The hand of the Lord was on his people, so despite their affliction, they continued to increase and become great. “and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves” (Exodus 1:14). The next thing that Pharoah tried to do was to ask the midwives to kill all the male children. The midwives feared God too much to listen to Pharaoh and the Jews continued to increase in number. Pharaoh then asked his own people to throw all the newborn male children into the river Nile.

It was those atrocities that came up before God concerning his people. God’s promise for his people was to establish them. As such, no power on earth could eradicate the people of God. There are people in positions of power who are threatened by the presence of the children of God. Have you ever been in a job where God allowed you to continue to excel, despite the oppression from your Manager? Oppression stifles creativity and our worship before God. People who feel oppressed often struggle to express worship and praise. God wants his people to be free from oppression so that we can worship him freely. Look up to God because he has heard your cry and deliverance is on the way.

“So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go” (Exodus 3:20).

A.P.-Y.