John had a vision of heaven with God seated on his throne. In that vision, John saw a great multitude from every nation, standing before the throne and proclaiming praises to God. I imagine that praises were offered in different languages and dialects using different cultural expressions. “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah” (Psalm‬ ‭67:4‬).

I love the click consonants of the Xhosa tribes in South Africa and the songs of many African countries, in joyous celebration to God. I find it amazing to listen to people from different cultures, expressing glory and praise to God in their own language. I often don’t understand what people are saying, but when I watch as they dance and sing for joy, with their hands raised in adoration to God; I can’t help but feel the weight of the anointing, coming from their unique sounds of praise.

I imagine that this is how God views it and he created this diversity, because he is the God of creation. I imagine that heaven will constitute a diverse blend of people. We will all sing in harmony to God and we will all understand each other’s sounds. God created sounds and within each cultural expression, lies the majesty of God. God created us all as one people and our geographical locations have created unique differences. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians‬ ‭3:28‬).

Our differences are skin deep and based on social constructs, that have defined people into different categories. Within our fibre lies the DNA of God. God sees colour, culture, diversity and ethnicities and He says, this is good. He loves the sound of our different languages and cultural expressions. God’s desire is that we embrace our differences and combine these cultural expressions, to create a unique blend of diverse worship and praise to Him. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis‬ ‭1:27‬).

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This was the promise contained in the letter from the Prophet Jeremiah, to the Jews who were being held in captivity in Babylon. God wanted to comfort and remind his people, that he was available to those, who would take the time to seek him. God desired sincerity of the heart and a people, who would not only seek after him with words. Earlier in the chapter, God reminded his people of the good plan that he had in store for them. A plan to prosper them and to give them a good future. “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29:12‬). I will hear you and answer your prayers, was what God was saying to his people.

Come to me and make your requests known unto me. I am your God and I want to meet your needs if you will ask in faith. You don’t need to rely on your own understanding. Done rely on your job, your relatives or the bank to meet your financial needs. Those things are important, but they are not the source. They are a channel through which I send you blessings. There are things that you are in need of, that your job will not provide. There are needs that you have that only I can supply. “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Psalm‬ ‭2:8‬).

As there are different seasons in the earth such as spring time and autumn, there are also seasons of sowing and reaping. You have sown in tears, but the season has come for you to reap with shouts of joy (Psalm 126:5). God wants to reward your labour of love and the kindness that you have shown to others. God is saying, ask of me, seek me and you will find me, knock and the door will be opened. “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened”
‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭7:8‬). Do not allow doubt, fear, anxiety and unbelief to rob you of your harvest of righteousness.

“Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field” (Zechariah‬ ‭10:1‬). I hear the sound of an abundance of rain. Raise your level of expectation and stay in faith in order to receive. This is not the time to be discouraged or distracted by what is happening around you. Stay in the presence of the Lord, stay awake and alert in order to receive from him. “I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29:14‬).

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Set your mind on what God has asked you to do and be determined to do it no matter the cost. We need stubborn faith to push through adversity and accomplish our goals. Big dreams and ambitions come at a price and the world will very rarely step aside, to let you achieve what you set out to do. The road to success is full of challenges, adversity, battles and some defeat. It takes a made up mind to accomplish our desires and dreams.

Many people give up or settle for what is easiest and live well below their full potential. It is not easy to overcome trial after trial, stare darkness in the face and dare to shine your light. Jesus understood the emotions associated, with wanting to give up when he said, “father if it is possible, let this cup pass. Nevertheless not my will but thy will be done” (Matthew 26:39). It was his desire to do God’s will and to please the father that kept him going.

The trials that we face now will not always be around. We will not always need to fight and the tests and battles will give way to victory and rest. ‘The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former,’ saith the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place will I give peace,’ saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:9).

God wants us to have peace and rest and he will restore much more than we have lost. We will not always need to fight and God will grant us victory and a season of rest. We press through in this current season and trust God that victory is up ahead. He will restore a latter glory, far greater than our former glory. Be resolute in your convictions and work to complete your God given assignment.

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“The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled” (Isaiah 62:8).

There are people who will try to take credit for the hard work that you have done. Workplace culture and politics can be hard to deal with and not everyone in positions of power are upright and honest. There are leaders and employers who will never give you credit for what you do. We have to remain confident that when we do good in secret, God will reward us openly.

“For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar” (Psalm 138:6). We are also told to be humble and God will exalt us but to those who exalt themselves will be made humble (Matthew 23:12).

It is a lack of humility that makes people want to take credit for someone else’s work. The need for constant approval and to be in the limelight, will cause people to be underhanded and crafty. At times we can become frustrated, because people who cut corners seem to progress. This is only for a time and David reminds us to never envy the wicked! “Soon they fade away like grass and disappear. Trust in the Lord instead. Be kind and good to others; then you will live safely here in the land and prosper, feeding in safety” (Psalm 37:1-3).

I know that staying in faith is not easy and it is natural for us to become angry and frustrated, when it feels like doing good does not always pay off. Keep trusting and you are sure to reap a good reward. God keeps his promises and he will give you the credit for your hard work which seems to go unnoticed. Maintain an excellent spirit and continue to work to a good standard. God keeps his promises and his word does not lie. In due season you will gain your reward.

“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).

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How many times do we recite Philippians 4:6? How many times do we pray and believe God and then he works things out for us? This often does not stop us from worrying again about the next challenge that arises. Every challenge is new and we sometimes have short term memories. It is human nature to worry and we need to daily reinforce ourselves with the word in order to stay in faith. Faith comes through hearing the word of God (Romans 10:7).

Most of us know a good bit of scripture but the strategy of the enemy is the constant bombardment of our minds with guilt, doubt and fear. We have to constantly renew our minds and be led by the spirit to keep out the negative thoughts of the enemy. We continue to declare that we have the mind of Christ and wear the helmet of salvation to protect our heads (1 Corinthians 2:16; Ephesians 6:17).

We do not realise how many subtle messages of fear, doubt and self defeat are transmitted to us daily. From the minute we wake up there are news articles promoting fear, articles that spread self doubt and television programs that keep us in a state of horror. I think the news report should be called “Bad News.” Most of us will not miss an episode because we think we need to stay informed. We have to balance our need to stay informed with our need to be at peace. We have to maintain our peace and prevent the spirit of fear and anxiety from taking root in our lives.

Stay in the word, pray and cover your mind. Keep your mind on Jesus and tell him what you worry about when you pray. We cannot fix it either way, so I am not sure why we spend so much time worrying about it. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). And that friends is my ultimate ambition. To have the peace of God which no one can understand. Peace among chaos, peace in trials, tribulations and distress. Do not be anxious but rely on God’s faithfulness.

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There are many spiritual laws that govern our activities in the earth realm. One of these laws is the law of agreement and Jesus taught his disciples about this law. This law needs two people to be activated and it includes our conversations, discussions and our prayers of agreement to take effect.

You know those conversations that you have daily, where you vent and discuss things that you are disappointed and frustrated about. Why not turn those conversations into sessions, where you jointly agree on what you are believing God for. Make your daily confessions to each other, agree concerning what you are believing God to do and then pray concerning each other’s struggles.

Many of our conversations are used to compare notes and if we are honest, talking to people makes us feel better. This is because we realise that as bad as we feel things are, it could be worst. None of us are meant to run each other’s race and the trials set out for each person, are to bring about a specific result. God is not tempted by evil and he does not cause bad things to happen to people. What God does is cause all things, to work together for good, for those who love Him and are called by Him (Romans 8:28).

We also know that there is a spiritual law concerning unity and strength in numbers. “How should one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight” (Deuteronomy 32:30). When we speak let us remember the spiritual law concerning our confessions. “You shall decree a thing and it shall be established” (Job 22:28).

“Let us be reminded of the power of life and death in our tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). In this season let us put into action, the spiritual laws set out in the bible and start to come in agreement concerning what we are believing God to do. Use your words to command the atmosphere and stand in agreement for change to happen.

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Jesus and his disciples were on the way to the country of the Gadarenes. On the way to the other side, Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat. A great windstorm arose, waves were breaking into the boat and it started filling with water. The disciples awoke Jesus from his sleep and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus awoke from his sleep, rebuked the wind, and commanded the sea to be still” (Mark 4: 35-39). The disciples were filled with great fear when they saw what Jesus did. “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him” (Mark 4:41)?

This was not the first time in scripture where we saw a man of God commanding the elements to be still and they obeyed. Joshua was at war with five kingdoms who had gathered to fight with Gibeon. “At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.” (Joshua 10:12-13)

We have authority over the elements and atmosphere where we live and work. We can command peace to any situation that is troubling our peace. If Joshua could command the sun and moon, we have power over our social and political climates. We speak peace to our minds, to every difficulty at work, in our finances and our families. We command healing where there is infirmity and we claim the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

Jesus spoke to the wind and the sea and at his command there was great calm. There are some situations that we need to speak to and command to be still. We command peace to every situation that is causing us distress and fear. As Jesus commanded peace to calm the sea, we have the same authority to speak peace over every storm that comes to threaten us. Peace! Be still!

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Most of us dread going through trials, and tests of any kind is not a welcomed experience. Yet James encouraged us to count it all joy, when our faith is tested because it produces patience. We often feel impatient during seasons of testing and the timing never generally feels right. We have to trust that the Holy Spirit our teacher, is confident that he has already equipped us with the knowledge and skills to pass the test. Passing a test guarantees an upgrade to a new level. We all like the sound of an upgrade but we do not want the test.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”
(2 Timothy‬ ‭2:15‬). Tests are better taken when we have studied and retained the information needed to complete and pass. I suppose although the test itself is hard, we can anticipate the joy of successful completion.

Our struggle is to take our eyes off the things and people who are seemingly being a test to us and focus on what God is trying to produce in us. God does not tempt and does not cause evil. The devil our adversary has agents that he uses to cause us trials and testing. It can only happen if God permits it and if he allows it, he will get you through it. “They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:19).

We have to submit our will to God and try not to wrestle, but to go through the test. God equips us with the wisdom and insight to overcome and pass. He is more invested in you winning than you understand and when he fights, we will win. Remember that we win, not in our own strength, but through the strength and power of the Lord. “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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“And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again” (Exodus 14:13). Moses’s command to the people of Israel to stand firm and see, required them to engage not only their physical sense of sight, but to also see in faith and in the spirit what God was about to do. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

In the natural Pharaoh and his army were advancing towards the children of Israel. At the physical sight of this the people were terrified. Moses had the ability to see beyond the physical because of his relationship with God. God had already showed Moses that he would harden Pharaoh’s heart and cause him to pursue the people. Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? “and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so” (Exodus 14:4).

There are people that are coming against us who do not know or fear God. If they did they would understand that the Lord does not take kindly to his people being mistreated. And God takes it personally when the enemy uses people to try to persecute us. God is asking us to stand firm in our faith and see what he will do. In the natural we see the enemy advancing and it looks like defeat. But if we can engage our spiritual senses and see in the realm of the spirit, then we can see God overthrowing the works of darkness.

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God will vindicate you for the trials that you have faced and he will repay everyone who has done wrong to you. God is a merciful God of love and peace and He always ready to forgive. He is also a great and terrible God and He loves justice and hates robbery.

Paul said in Galatians, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7). We do not have to worry about trying to get even with people or try to get back at them for wrongs done to us. Let God handle your abusers, because nothing goes unnoticed by him and no wrong goes unpunished.

Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts (Malachi 3:5).

When God decides to bring judgement we do not have to worry as believers, if our heart is right with God. While others are being judged, we will be rewarded for remaining faithful and walking in the will of the Lord. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not (Malachi 3: 17-18).

God will not hold back anything from them that walk in righteousness. God will bring judgement on the wicked and save those who walk in His will. Stay in his will and purpose and you will find shelter in the storm. Wait on God and let him vindicate.

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