It is impossible to go through life, without experiencing some kind of hurt or heartache. Some hurts are emotional or psychological and while some wounds are surface level others are deep seated. Some human beings are said to be more resilient than others. If that is the case, it is hard to measure types of hurt and try to determine how it will affect people. Two people can go through the same experience and both respond to it differently. It is hard to tell what makes some people more resilient, or try to determine why some people are better able to cope than others.

Whatever the hurt, God is invested in mending and providing healing. I didn’t always understand that God cares about my emotions and I once felt that he was too busy to be bothered with my heartache. I later learnt that God also cares about the matters of our hearts and our emotional well-being. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). Not only does God care about our heartache, but he is also close to us when we are hurting.

It is sometimes the people that are close to us who cause us the most heartache. David said, “For it is not an enemy who taunts me— then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him” (Psalm 55:12). In this passage David was lamenting about the betrayal of a friend, who he used to confide in. We have to trust our emotions to God and trust Him when we cannot trust other people. We learn the lesson, try to make better choices and be more selective when making decisions about significant relationships.

The best thing is to allow God to choose our friends and those people who he wants us to be close to. We have to also surrender our hurts to Jesus, so that we do not become hardened, as this can lead us to hurting others. God is not like people and a difficult relationship with a parent can affect our ability to trust God, for example. God is a good father and even if our parents forsake us then the Lord will take care of us. Even if your mother and father forsake you, the Lord still cares for you.

“For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares’” (Jeremiah 30:17)!

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There are two kingdoms that govern this world. There is a kingdom of light, which we are ruled by, when we surrender our lives to God. There is the kingdom of darkness which governs principalities, powers, the rulers of darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). The devil has been described as the Prince of the world system. He has also been referred to the Prince of the air or the god of this world (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4). These two world systems stand in direct opposition to each other. God created the heavens and the earth and he is the all powerful God.

The devil sought to wrestle control from God, which resulted in him being cast out of heaven. “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north” (Isaiah 14:13). Satan fell down from heaven like lightning and with his fall we have been given authority, to trample over every power of darkness. We are in this world but not of this world. Our assignment on earth is to advance the kingdom of God. As we work to advance the kingdom, God will open doors of opportunity for us. We can anticipate adversaries with each opportunity.

This is the type of resistance, which Paul and the other disciples experienced, as they sought to advance the kingdom of God. This is the resistance, which led to Jesus being crucified, because the forces of darkness sought to stop the work of Calvary. The good news is that even Jesus’s death could not stop the plan of God. In fact, the devil played into the hands of God and worked to accomplish God’s purpose. Jesus’s death led to his resurrection, ascension and the salvation of the world.

The world hates us because it hated Jesus and we are born of God and the Holy Spirit lives in us. Resistance is often a sign of demonic interference and new opportunities. When we are fully armoured, we are dangerous to the kingdom of darkness. Although Paul faced many adversaries and opposition, he accomplished his assignment. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

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David reflected on God’s goodness and thanked God for giving him an inheritance. He commented on the wonderful things that God had bestowed on him. Most people know that land and property has significant value which is passed down through generations. David was counting his blessings not just for himself but for his children’s children. “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22).

During bible days, the people lived off the land and farmed produce and livestock as a means of income. David came from humble beginnings and was one of eight sons of Jesse. He was a shepherd for his father’s sheep and protected his sheep well. David was elevated from a shepherd to a warrior in the army of Saul and then to King of Israel. He was a descendant of Abraham and inherited the covenant of blessings. “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out” (Deuteronomy 28:6).

We have a great inheritance and every possession given to us by God is blessed. You may not feel like you own a lot but a little will become much when God is in it. God is not limited by numbers and quantities and he specialises in expansion and enlargement. We saw this with Jabez who prayed for God to bless him. “Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked” (1 Chronicles 4:10).

Our God turns water into wine (John 2:1-11); Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves and two fishes (Matthew 14:13-21); Jesus multiplied fish into Peter’s net so that his boat almost sank (Luke 5:1-11). In the Old Testament, God worked through Elijah and caused a handful of flour and a jar of oil to last for an entire famine (1 Kings 17:7-16). God also used Elisha to cause a jar of oil to multiply to pay off all of a widow’s debt and leave enough to care for her and her sons for all of their lives (2 Kings 4:1-7). Our inheritance is whatever we own and when we surrender it to God, he makes it pleasant and he causes it to multiply and meet our needs. Do not limit what God can do and expect greater things to come.

“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).

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David was a mighty man of God and he was a skilled warrior on the battlefield. What was significant about the battles that David fought, was that he always relied on God. Despite his skill for battle and confidence in his God given abilities, he never went to battle without consulting God. In the Psalms, David wrote about the dreadful and terrible nature of God (Psalm 47:2). David knew that all of his strength and might was nothing on the battlefield without God fighting for him.

“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help” (Psalm 35:1-2)! Here in Psalm 35, David used the language of war to command God to contend with those who were contending with him. David spoke of God using weapons to help and defend him. He asked God to let his enemies be turned back and put to shame who wanted to harm him. David asked that their way would be dark and slippery and that the angel of God would pursue them.

“Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me” (Psalm 35:24)! David prayed for God to take vengeance on his enemies as God promised in his word to repay. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly” (Deuteronomy 32:35).

In the passages above, David did not seek to go to battle to defend himself. Instead he cried out to God for help and he had confidence that the Lord would hear him. Let God be God in your lives and allow him to fight the battles on your behalf. God is willing to protect and defend you and angels move at your command. Remember that there is nothing to fear and there is nothing that man can do to you when God is on your side. As we pray, we watch God arise and scatter all his enemies. Remember that you are a child of God so the enemies that are coming against you, are coming against God.

“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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God told Ezekiel to prophesy concerning the restoration of Isreal. “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home” (Ezekiel 36:8). Ezekiel shared that God was for his people and would turn towards them. God would multiply the people and restore their waste places. He had scattered the people because of their disobedience, but had a plan for their restoration. This was in order to honour his name as the God of heaven.

“And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23). God’s plan was to gather his people from all the countries where they were and bring them into their own land. He would sprinkle water on them and cleanse them from all their uncleanliness. The major thing that God would do, was to put a new heart within them.

God would remove their hard and stony hearts and replace it with a heart of flesh. He would also place a new spirit within his people and this would cause them to obey his laws. God would cause his people to dwell in the land that he gave to their fathers. “I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations” (Ezekiel 36:30). God’s people would remember the evil works that they had done and turn from their iniquities. The waste and desolate cities would become like that of the garden of Eden.

Hardness of heart causes people to live in sin. Jeremiah once said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it” (Jeremiah 17:9)? People require a heart transplant in order to live for God and to do the things of God. Many people struggle to build and maintain healthy relationships, due to the hardness of their hearts. When we allow God into our hearts and minds, he does a transformative work which renews the heart and transforms the mind. Ezekiel actually said that God would remove the cold, callous and stony heart and replace it with a heart of flesh. A heart of flesh is righteous, loving, caring, compassionate and full of hope. A healthy heart makes good relationships possible as God lives in a heart of flesh.

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Peter wrote to the church about being good stewards of God’s grace. He spoke of Christ’s suffering in the flesh for our sake and the need for us to live in the spirit. “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you” (1 Peter 4:4). Peter spoke of the coming judgement, when everyone will give an account of their own works before God. He warned the church to be sober minded and self-controlled, because the end of all things is at hand. Moreover, we have a need to use the spiritual gifts that have been given to us to serve one another.

Peter spoke about the gift of the spoken word and the gift of serving. I don’t think that many Christians consider serving to be a spiritual gift. However, my emphasis for this post is on the gift of speaking. Some children are very talkative from an early age and parents may suggest that they are born to be a speaker. Other times suggestions are made about being a Lawyer or a Radio or Television Announcer. Not many parents applaud their children and pronounce that they will become a preacher, pastor, evangelist or a teacher of the word. Who then are the oracles of God or God’s mouthpiece on the earth?

An oracle relates to a prophetic word(s), spoken through a priest or a prophet. For the purpose of the text, Peter was not confining his message to Priests or Prophets. In fact, Peter’s message was to the churches in “the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1). That being said, his reference could have been to those appointed to speak. The context could also be applied more generally, to all believers who speak with each other, to speak as though they are speaking prophecies. “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

I once read a quote which said that plants responded well to being positively spoken to. Imagine what happens when you speak positively to human beings. Let us go a step further and say, imagine if you spoke the word of God over those who we come in contact with on a daily basis. It is natural to ‘speak as we find’ or to ‘keep it real.’ What if we guard our lips and our tongues, so only what proceeds from the mouth of God, proceeds from our lips? It takes a lot of practice, self-restraint and constantly denying the flesh in order to train our tongues. I believe that we can do all things through the help of the Holy Spirit. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

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Ruth followed Naomi her mother-in-law, after her husband died in Moab. She stayed with Naomi to take care of her and went to find work in the nearby fields. She caught the attention of Boaz who owned one of the fields. He had high praises for her because of her kindness towards Naomi. “But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before” (Ruth 2:11). Boaz spoke a blessing over Ruth and allowed her to continue to gather grain from his field.

When Naomi heard how Boaz treated Ruth, she told her that he was one of her close relatives and one of her redeemers. Within the Old Testament context, a redeemer was anyone who would pay off the debt for another person. In this case, since Naomi’s husbands and sons died, she needed another male relative to take over her estate. Naomi had a plan to find rest and security for Ruth. She advised her to go to Boaz’s home and to lay down near his bed that evening. She obeyed her mother in law and when Boaz recognised her, she made her request known to him. “He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer”” (Ruth 3:9).

Boaz agreed to support Ruth and told her that there was another redeemer who was closer in line. Boaz agreed to discuss the matter with the other person and decide who would redeem Ruth and Naomi. When Ruth returned and told her mother in law what Boaz said, her response was that Boaz would not rest until he settled the matter that day. Either Naomi knew Boaz quiet well and spoke as a testament to his character, or she spoke prophetically concerning what God would do. In the end, Boaz did just as Naomi said and agreed to take over her inheritance. This included marrying Ruth in order to preserve Naomi’s lineage.

“Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel” (Ruth 4:14)! Jesus is our redeemer and restorer of all things lost or stolen. At times God will use other people as helpers to support our destiny. Either way, God will not leave us without help and support in times of need. When we trust him, he will not rest until we are completely redeemed and restored. For those people in authority who have the ability to help us, God will not allow them to rest until they have settled our case.

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).

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God spoke to the children of Isreal about the conquest of Canaan, which was promised to them. He promised to send an angel to go ahead of them to lead them into the promised land. They were warned to listen to him and not to rebel against him, as he would not pardon their transgressions. God promised to be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their adversaries. He promised to wipe out all of their enemies from before them, as they entered the land. They were warned not to bow down to any of their strange gods, but were commanded to serve God and he would bless their provision.

God also made a promise to remove sickness from their midst. No one among them would have miscarriages or would be barren. “I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you” (Exodus 23:27). God promised to send pestilence ahead of them, to drive out their enemies. The other thing of interest which God said, was that he would not drive out their enemies all at once. He said that if he did that, then the land would be overrun by wild beast. I imagine that this was because, the Israelites needed time to repopulate the land and to rebuild the cities.

God told them that he would drive them out little by little, until they had increased enough to possess the land. God outlined the border which his people would possess, from the Red Sea to the Euphrates. They were not to make any covenants with the people in the land, but to allow God to drive them out. “They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you” (Exodus 23:33). God did not want his people to live among the inhabitants, as they would learn from them and serve their gods.

What is interesting about this passage is that, God wanted his people to advance little by little. God was with them and had assured them victory. The idea was that if they drove out all of the inhabitants at once, then wild animals would take up the lands that were empty. The people needed to grow and expand, in order to develop the capacity for additional territory. God is expanding our reach and at times this will be gradual. This is to give us the time to develop and to grow, in order to be able to occupy new territories. Change happening too suddenly or too quickly can throw us into chaos and confusion. Be patient with the process as your expansion happens little by little.

“For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10).

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Solomon shared many wise nuggets that are useful in managing relationships. In the scripture above, he is saying that if your boss or Manager becomes angry that you should remain calm. In so doing, your calm demeanour will reduce whatever caused them to be offended. Even psychological theory suggests that it helps an angry person to calm down more quickly, if you remain quiet and maintain your composure. Mirroring the angry person’s behaviour is like attaching yourself to a burning house. If you see a house on fire, would you walk in or stand back at a safe distance to protect yourself? So why do we join in and share an angry person’s emotional outburst?

Solomon also said in Proverbs that, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). I know that it is not easy to respond with gentleness, when someone has expressed anger towards us. The human tendency is to retaliate and to match the other person’s harshness. The question is; are we any better than the person who spoke harshly to us and are we not joining them in being harsh? The bible says that we should not render evil for evil or insult with insult. Better yet, we should repay evil with a blessing so that we will inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Many problems and wars could have been avoided with a kind word. Many fights could have also been avoided, if someone had the sense to walk away. It is not easy to continuously take insults without the urge to retaliate. Our will power alone is not enough to stop us from retaliating. A mind, body and spirit submitted to God is easier to restrain from retaliating in the flesh. Even well meaning christians sometimes retaliate and experience angry outbursts. Sometimes this is learnt behaviour which was modelled during childhood. Other times, unresolved trauma and abuse can result in suppressed anger, which can lead to a bad temper.

Remaining submitted to God and being led by the Holy Spirit will help us to overcome. God can also heal damaged emotions, from past hurt and abuse and the Holy Spirit can teach us how to manage our emotions. Daily quiet time with God in prayer and meditation also helps us to remain calm. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

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