God is a promise keeping God who honours his covenants towards his people. God does not forget what he told us and he does not change his mind. Time and weariness can cause us to think that perhaps God has forgotten or changed his mind. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Time is not an issue for God and it is never too late for him to accomplish anything.

Jesus showed up four days after Lazarus died. “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:21). Long before Jesus arrived at the house, he told his disciples that Lazarus was not sick unto death, but for the glory of God so that the son of God maybe glorified. Jesus knew ahead of time that Lazarus would be buried and he would need to raise him from the dead. Why wait until after he died to attend to his home? Why not just go in time to heal him from his sickness and spare his sisters the grief of a burial? God needed to show the world that he is not limited by time or even death.

“And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him” (John 11:15). There are situations that have been pronounced dead without an opportunity for recovery. Marriages have been pronounced dissolved, companies and businesses declared bankrupt. We cannot pronounce dead what God has determined will remain alive. God has the final say and he determines the end from the beginning.

God cannot lie and he honours his word. Like Samuel, “the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19). God will not cause us to be ashamed or allow our enemies to triumph over us. The things that God has promised us which we have declared will not fall to the ground. But the words will go forth and accomplish our God given purpose.

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James spoke about the importance of hearing the word of God and doing what the word says. Many people consider the scriptures to be outdated and feel that it may not be relevant for them. There are some Old Testament laws that were specifically written for the Jews and represents Jewish customs and traditions. For example, when the Gentiles were converted, Paul warned the other apostles not to burden them with laws and traditions. “Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10)?

Paul was speaking about practices such as circumcision according to the law of Moses. Outside of these specific circumstances, the bible is written as guidance by which we should live. It is daunting to speak with Christians who have attended church all of their lives and know the bible, yet they seem to lack faith. This shows some unbelief in what the bible says. We are wasting our time if we are ardent church goers who can memorise many scriptures, yet our lives do not reflect the love of Jesus Christ.

James’s comparison to the scriptures is like that of a mirror which reflects the image of Christ. We are made in the image of God and our lives should reflect his example laid out in the word. Jesus shared the parable of the sower with his disciples to demonstrate how different people hear and receive the word. “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). Jesus’s final analogy related to those who hear the word, understand it and produce good fruit from it.

The word should change our lives and increase our faith. The failure to listen and respond to the word can lead to being drawn away by seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. “speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). We have to take heed to the word and not only listen but act on what the word says.

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23).

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Paul spoke many times in the New Testament about the mind and the importance of having a changed mind. This relates to having a mindset that is not conditioned to this world system, but transformed by the wisdom of God. From the time that we were born, our minds are being programmed to think like the world. Our education systems are designed to help us to think in physical and scientific terms. While these ways of thinking are useful, a complete reliance on the physical senses, leaves no room for faith. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

The enemy of this world is after our minds and his methods uses imaginations and lofty ideas that seek to discredit the things of God. We cannot serve God through our intellect and it is through our spirits that we connect with the things of God. We have to train our minds through the spirit and put thoughts contrary to God under subjection. “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Spending time in the word increases our faith and allows our spirit to grow. Our faith is matured as we listen and understand the word. We can train our minds to focus on the things of God in order to keep out the things of this world system. We have to be conscious and make wise decisions about what we take in on a daily basis. What we watch on television and follow on the internet will have a direct impact on our minds. Binge watching crime programmes, horror films and gore for example, can increase the spirit of anxiety and fear. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).

We have to guard our hearts and minds and ensure that we keep our minds focused on the things of God. We set our minds and affections on the things of heaven and try not to be overly occupied with the things of the world. Prayer helps to reduce anxiety as we cast our cares on God knowing that he cares for us. A daily study of the word helps us to see ourselves the way that God see us. Knowing the truth of God’s word helps us to resist the lies of the Devil and stand firm in our faith.

“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

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Isaiah prophesied of God’s restoration of a remnant of the Jews to Jerusalem. He shared that God’s anger would turn away from the people and the burden from their oppressors would be removed. In the Old Testament, leaders were anointed by having oil poured over their heads. Some of our Christian churches today still use consecrated olive oil to gently rub onto a persons forehead to confer a blessing for example. Within the New Testament context, the anointing is referred to as the power which the Holy Spirit has given to all believers.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This power from the Holy Spirit is what Jesus promised to the disciples. The Holy Spirit has also been referred to as a comforter. “And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them” (Acts 2:3). The Holy Spirit provides power for service and equips us to fulfil our mandate of advancing the kingdom of God.

We saw where the disciples after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, would boldly declare the word of God without fear or reservation. Despite much persecution and harassment, they were not afraid to do what God commanded them to do. Anointing represents the power and conviction to do what God has called you to do. The anointing represents the grace to flow in the areas of your natural abilities. A gift surrendered to God and used for his service brings liberty to the oppressed.

Anyone fully surrendered to God and operating in their God given gifts of singing, playing music or preaching the word for example, are flowing in the anointing. Even our daily jobs and careers surrendered to God brings him glory and is full of anointed Holy Ghost power. This anointing will transform lives, bring healing and set the captives free.

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God loves us with an everlasting love and there is nothing that we can do or will ever do to remove his love from us. God is not unkind but is faithful and merciful. God wants what is best for us and he created us in his image and likeness in order to love us and to have relationship with us. God is not responsible when we suffer harm or evil. The Devil causes harm to people and we have to stay close to God in order to stay safe from harm and danger. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1).

God is our refuge and strength and a present help when we are in trouble. David was well acquainted with the love of God and wrote many songs to testify about the character of God. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you” (Psalm 89:14). God takes joy in justice and is faithful to his people. We are his children and he has recorded so many promises in his word which outlines how he wants to take care of us.

In our relationship with God, there is comfort and healing. There is strength for the weary and he lifts the burdens of the oppressed. If we are struggling or failing, God wants to lift us up and help us to succeed. There is peace for those who are troubled in spirit. We gain the benefits in the word by surrendering our lives to God and living in relationship with him. God is not in need of us but we need him like the air we breathe. We were never made to exist without relationship and fellowship with God.

Like a good father, God cares for us and he longs to take care of his children. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3:1).

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Paul spoke in his letters in Hebrews about the need for patient endurance, in trusting that God is faithful to keep his word. He made reference to Abraham who trusted in what God had promised concerning him. “saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:14-15). Paul wanted the saints to know that God is not an unjust God and he does not ignore our good deeds. “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do” (Hebrews 6:10).

It is easy to look at other people around you, who are being blessed and wonder if God has forsaken you. Don’t compare your circumstances to anyone as God’s timing is different for each of us. God is not biased and he does not have favourites. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Often we imagine that because we are Christians and are serving God, that this will automatically produce material blessings. If that were the case then we could consider every wealthy person a saint.

Blessings don’t always come in the form that we expect them and we don’t see the many things that God spares us from in his mercy. There are many people who are wealthy but who don’t enjoy the peace of God. God is able to make his people wealthy and He will meet our needs when we ask him. There are seasons when our prayers are answered instantly and other times when we have to trust God while we wait.

God will keep his promise to us as we continue to trust and obey him. Don’t run ahead of God and try to make things happen in your own time. Don’t give God ultimatums to come through on your own time table with threats to stop serving him if he doesn’t. God does not respond to tantrums and we cannot push him to do anything before the time. Patience produces strength and endurance and strengthens our faith. We mature in God while we wait and develop greater wisdom in his character. The more we mature in God is the more that he can trust us to handle.

“so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).

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Difficult seasons may cause us to feel like we are drowning amidst the wave of challenges and the difficult emotions that are associated with it. Jesus’s reflections in John was that we would be hated and at times overwhelmed by the world. “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). He prayed for us about our time on this earth and made petitions to the father to keep us safe. The trials and difficulties are sure to come, but being in relationship with God means that he will keep us amidst the trials.

Isaiah’s writings were of God’s encouragement to Jacob to be of good courage. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” The waters will come but we serve a God that defies gravity and has walked upon the waters. Our hope is that if we keep our eyes fixed on him, that he will keep us afloat. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). When we serve God we do not simply cope or get by, but we will conquer. We are here to dominate and take territories for God.

Staying close to God helps us to stay on top of our battles and circumstances. The trials may seem many at times and we are not ignorant of the fact that we are hated by the prince of the world. We have been given weapons of war and strategies to overcome the evil one. “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14).

There are seasons of intensity when we have to seek God and stay in his presence. Some situations require us to increase our times of prayer and intercession. “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). No one shows up for a battle empty handed and we are deceiving ourselves if we have not yet acknowledged that we are in a battle.

Our time in prayer and intercession helps us to stay close to God as we approach him boldly to help us in times of need. Our worship is a weapon and we fight our battles through praise and thanksgiving. The darts maybe aimed at us but God is our shield. God is our present help in times of trouble. There are trials that we experience as believers that has strengthened our faith. Some of the same experiences have sent other people into depression and anxiety. It is the Lord’s grace why we have not been consumed.

“And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them” (Daniel‬ ‭3:27‬).

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Have you ever felt like you were at the right place, at the right time to meet the right people for a specific purpose? I remember many occasions when I was involved in something seemingly insignificant at the time. It was only at a much later date when an insignificant event may result in something of greater significance. That is when I generally realise what God was doing at the time. There have been times when you felt like making a small move. It did not make sense at the time but you went along with the inner witness. It was only later when these small acts produced something of greater significance when you realised what God was doing.

Let us consider the story of Ruth and Naomi. Naomi was widowed in the country of Moab and she also lost her two sons. Their wives survived them and when Naomi decided to return to her country, she told them to return to their families. One of the daughter in laws returned but Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi. Ruth returned with Naomi to her home town in Bethlehem. She served Naomi when she returned and collected grain from the field of Boaz who was a relative of Naomi (Ruth 1; 2).

Boaz was impressed by Ruth’s service to her mother in law and she found favour with him. In the end, Boaz married Ruth and she produced a son. Ruth’s son formed part of the genealogy of David from whose line Jesus was born. Ruth’s decision to follow her mother in law may have seemed whimsical at the time. Her desire may have been born out of a wish to serve Naomi and she did not want her to return home alone.

In the end, Ruth’s decision to go along with her mother in law to support her, strategically positioned her at the right place, at the right time to meet the man of her destiny. God is in control and when we trust him and follow his leading, he will order our steps. God will cause the right people, resources and opportunities to come to us at the right time. Stay in faith and follow his leading. Don’t rely on your own strength but trust in God to align your steps.

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23).

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Paul lamented the unbelief of Israel and their zeal to follow the law without the knowledge of the righteousness of salvation. The Jewish people were accustomed to observing cultural tranditions and religious rituals. When Jesus lived on earth, he sought to teach them about the freedom of grace through faith. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Many of the Jews rejected the message of Jesus Christ and carried on with their religious customs.

We live in the dispensation of grace which teaches us that salvation is available through belief. Our acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour and our renouncing of the world. Unfortunately, some religious institutions still continue with legalistic practices. Spiritual disciplines are important for growth. The question is how do we find the balance between loving God out of relationship rather than out of religious duty.

Duty looks like going to church every Sunday, not because you have a hunger for God and desire fellowship with the saints. Rather, church attendance is used to appease our conscience and to make us feel a bit better about ourselves. This is why some people will religiously attend church every Easter, Christmas and New Year’s Sunday.

Another feature of religion is when prayer is regimented and ritualistic and sometimes focuses on empty phrases rather than a conversation with God. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7). Similarly, bible reading focuses on getting through as many scriptures as possible without an understanding of the word. The result is that the word does not produce any real changes or lead to spiritual growth.

God wants us to do the things that pleases him. He wants us to serve him because we love him and want to be in relationship with him. Real love is demonstrated through desire and not duty. Doing anything mainly out of duty can become mechanical and regimented and takes the joy out of it. Our physical acts of service are not what pleases God the most, but a heart that longs for him. Being led by the spirit and walking in relationship and obedience to Christ. Hearing his voice and being able to respond because we are well acquainted with him.

“Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way” (Proverbs 19:2).

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Jesus made the statement above to a Canaanite woman who came to ask for his help with her daughter who was demon possessed. Jesus was visiting another region when she came crying out to him. He ignored her pleas and his disciples begged him to send her away because she kept calling out to them for help. Jesus’s response would have further suggested that he had no intention of helping with her daughter. “He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”” (Matthew 15:24). Why did Jesus respond to the woman in the way that he did, when she came and knelt before him to ask for help?

I suppose we can assume that his aloofness was perhaps a test of her faith and resilience. First he ignored her when she cried out to him and later he told her that it was not right to take the children’s bread and give it to dogs. Jesus’s mission was to the Jews first and this woman and her daughter were Gentiles whom the Jews sometimes referred to as dogs. Yet the woman’s response showed that her need for her daughter’s healing was more significant than her feelings being hurt. “She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table”” (Matthew 15:27).

The response to her persistent faith and her refusal to be offended was a favourable response from Jesus. “Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly” (Matthew 15:28). If the woman had taken offence to what Jesus said, she may have walked away and missed out on her daughter’s healing. Instead she chose to focus on her need over her emotions and the result was success.

There are times when we have to persist beyond our feelings. Some gains are worth the challenges and we have to trust our emotions to God. It is impossible to go through this life without someone saying or doing something that will hurt our feelings. We have a choice in deciding whether or not to become angry and to harbour offence and bitterness. We are human and we do have feelings, but the ability to control our emotions despite the actions of others is exercising grace. Let us pray for the fruits of the spirit to be abundant in our lives, so that we can exercise self control and refuse to be controlled by our emotions.

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offence” (Proverbs 19:11).

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