Stephanie Jafta

July 14, 2019July 14, 2019

The Seven Christians

Revelations is a book of the Bible that used to strike fear in me whenever I would read it. Of course, I was either not Christian or knew that I was not right with GOD at the time. Now, it fills me with excitement with what is to come, waiting for Christ to return.

In the book, Jesus speaks about seven churches that were physically in existence during that time: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Although Jesus’ words were specifically for them, I believe that we can learn something from them. In a sense, these churches represent individual Christians, and it is beneficial for us to take note of their obedience and disobedience as well as how their actions pertain to our walk with Christ right now.

Ephesus/A Backsliding Christian (Rev2:1-7)

Jesus acknowledges their hard work and perseverance. They did not tolerate wicked men who claimed to be apostles but clearly were not, they also hated the Nicolaitans as Jesus did. However, their problem was that they had forsaken their first love.

Were you once on fire for Christ, but are now becoming indifferent? Have you lost your zeal for Him?

Jesus’ command to the church was to remember, repent, and return to their previous works. If they fail to do this, they will have their lampstand removed. Heeding His command came with the promise of eating from the tree of life.

Smyrna/A Steadfast Christian (Rev2:8-11)

This church withstood poverty and affliction without turning from GOD. They were slandered by people who claimed to be Jews, but Jesus labelled as the ‘synagogue of Satan.’ They suffered greatly for their faith, and Jesus was pleased with them.

You may be persecuted and poor, but you have remained faithful and resolute.

Jesus asked them to be faithful to the point of death because they would be rewarded with the crown of life and will not be hurt by the second death.

Pergamum/A Licentious Christian (2:12-17)

The good thing was that they held true to Jesus’ Name even after one of their members were put to death, however, they were not without their issues. The church was in a city where Satan thrived, with some bowing to the teaching of Balaam, eating food sacrificed to idols and given over to sexual immorality. Some people in the church even held to the teachings of the Nicolaitans!

Are you permissive in your faith? Are you sheltering false preachers, refusing to step away from them? Are you following false doctrines?

Jesus told them to repent, or they would face war from the sword of His mouth. Obedience to Him came with the promise of being given hidden manna and a white inscribed stone.

Thyatira/A Lax, Pagan-like Christian (2:18-29)

This church was known for their love, faith, service and perseverance. Their problem was their tolerance of the false prophetess, Jezebel, who had misled some into eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality.

You are likely an idolatrous individual, worshipping ideas and paying honour to things that are not of GOD. You have allowed yourself to be seduced into corrupt beliefs (e.g. health, wealth, and prosperity gospel) and pagan rituals (e.g. Halloween, etc.).

Their command was to reject false teachings and hold fast to Jesus. Failure would lead to tribulation and death, obedience would give them authority over the nations as well as the morning star.

Sardis/A ‘Dead’ Christian (3:1-6)

Some people of the church were found “worthy” of Christ, but as a whole, they had the reputation of being a spiritually dead church. Their deeds done for the kingdom of GOD were not complete as they had no spiritual growth to propel them forwards.

Are you a Christian in name only? Without results and spiritless?

Their command was to wake up, strengthen their faith, and repent. Disobedience would bring them opposition from Jesus, who will come like a thief. Obedience would give them the promise of walking with Jesus, be clothed in white, and have their names in the book of life, as well as be confessed by Jesus before the Father and the angels.

Philadelphia/A Favoured Christian (3:7-13)

This church could be on their last breath, but they would still endure whatever was happening to them, keeping Jesus’ Word and not denying His Name. Jesus gave them the promise that those who claimed to bee Jews would be forced to bow down and acknowledge Jesus’ love for them. As they endure patiently, they would be kept from the “hour of trial.”

You are an exemplary Christian, faithful to GOD’S Word and filled with His love.

Jesus asked them to hold fast, and that they would be kept from the hour of trial and made a pillar in the temple of GOD, and have the name of GOD, New Jerusalem, and Jesus written on them.

Laodicea/ A Lukewarm Christian (3:14-22)

They had good deeds, but they were about to be ‘spewed out of Jesus’ mouth’ because of their lukewarm faith. These were the ‘rich’ folk, the ones that didn’t think that they needed anything from Jesus. Oh, but how mistaken they were.

Are you a self-indulgent Christian? Ostentatious? Full of worldly pride?

Jesus told them to buy spiritual gold and salve to become spiritually rich, clothed and seeing, and then they will eat with Him and sit with Him on His throne.

We must be truthful and examine ourselves, making sure that our lives reflect GOD’S Word. Some people prefer to mock this truth, thinking that it is not real or nothing contained in Revelations is likely to come to pass anytime soon, but why worry about the time? Why not just be ready for Jesus’ second coming? You do not know if you will live to see the next day, therefore it is only wise to remain prepared, to be faithful with what GOD has deposited in you. Come out from the world, you must know that it will pass away and be no more. Why not live in preparation and anticipation of the new Earth and Jerusalem? Look at your life here on earth as a ‘job’, where you preach GOD’S Word to the Lost even at the expense of your life, knowing that you will never face the second death. Not everyone will face a physical death, but if we say we are His, then we shall all suffer because He suffered. The world does not like us, but that shouldn’t concern us. If they do not like us, then it only means that we are doing something right!

I pray that we may all be found faithful when the time comes and that every person that reads this is aware of Christ’s love and sacrifice for them. Amen.

July 14, 2019October 8, 2021

Quotes by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

We have been become so accustomed to TV preachers that sugarcoat everything or take things out of context, that a Christian needs to switch the ‘looking box’ off and get stuck in the Bible to drown out the filth. If we are looking for good Christian material to read, look no further than books authored by Mr Spurgeon. He was a man who understood his position as a Christian, delighted in GOD’S Word, and sought to strengthen the faith of his hearers.

Often referred to as the ‘Prince of Preachers’, he was a man who never minced his words when it came to his faith. He said himself, “I am perhaps vulgar, but it is not intentional, save that I must and will make people listen. My firm conviction is that we have had enough polite preachers.”

A preacher during the Victorian era, he was a man that offended many, but never flinched from strong preaching.

Below are just a few quotes to give you a taste of his steadfast and strict adherence to GOD’S Word.

“There is no form of sinfulness to which you are addicted which Christ cannot remove.”
“The law is meant to lead the sinner to faith in Christ by showing the impossibility of any other way.”
“We hear complaints that the minister speaks too harshly and talks too much of judgement. Saved sinners never make that complaint.”
“Self is the worst enemy a Christian has.”
“We shall not grow weary of waiting upon GOD if we remember how long and graciously He once waited for us.”
“You do not know who the elect are. You do not know whose heart will be broken by the divine hammer of truth. But it is your responsibility to use the divine hammer on the hard heart. And as the Gospel is preached, it will attract to itself, by its own power, through the Holy Spirit, those whom GOD has ordained into eternal life.”
“It is a good rule never to look into the face of a man in the morning till you have looked into the face of GOD.”
“Beware of those who say there is no hell and declare new ways to heaven.”
“The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins.”
“Satan tells me that I am unworthy; but I always was unworthy, and yet You have long loved me; and therefore my unworthiness cannot be a barrier to having fellowship with You now.”
“You stand before GOD has if you were Christ, because Christ stood before GOD as if He were you.”
“The Scripture does not say ‘Ye must be improved,’ but, ‘Ye must be born again.”
“It is not the doctrine of justification that does my heart good, it is Christ, the Justifier.”
“Prayer and praise are the oars by which a man may row his boat into the deep waters of the knowledge of Christ.”
“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019

Add to Your Faith and Be Fruitful

Faith is a beautiful virtue to have. By it, we believe in our Saviour and are saved from the sentence of death. However, to be fruitful in our walk with Christ, we have to add several other qualities to it that will keep us from becoming lukewarm, stagnant, and lazy.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2 Peter 1:5-8?

Virtue

I see this as moral excellence, modesty, and purity. Never compromise your moral values, they are the first to warn you against temptation.

Knowledge

Delve deeper into our faith, into the Word of GOD that is perfect in every way. It is essential to know that which is lawful and unlawful for us, to understand moral wisdom. It is also our responsibility to know of the many wonderful promises GOD has given to us and to hold onto them when fiery trials come our way.

Temperance

Self-control is vital in every aspect of life, or we would likely see more chaos in the world today (although we are slowly descending into madness). We have the spirit of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7), therefore there is no excuse for us not to be in control of our desires, and passions that often lead to a mighty fall into temptation.

Patience

We all need this in bucket loads, don’t we? Steadfastness, constancy, and endurance all come to mind when I hear this word. We are patient when we are not swerved from our faith, our GOD-given purpose even amid trials and sufferings. We must be patient in the little things (like waiting for water to boil!), to bigger things (waiting for the salvation of Lost loved ones).

Godliness

Think reverence and respect, piety towards GOD. We must be holy as GOD is holy (1 Pet 1:16). We must be deliberate in our decision to obey GOD’S Words fully, being careful to neither look back or to the side where temptation always awaits us.

Brotherly Kindness

This is the love of brothers or sisters, the love which Christians have for each other as family. We may have different nationalities, backgrounds, and languages, but we are all connected by Jesus. We have His Spirit in us that connects us beyond blood relations, making our bond firm and everlasting. It is only right that we have love for each other as we are going to spend eternity with together!

Charity

A love feast sums up this word quite well. Affection, goodwill towards one another, helpfulness, generosity- think of every good thing that we can offer each other, and do it with a pureness of heart.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2 Peter 1:8-9?

As the End draws near, let us give this last leg of the race everything that we have. Run like one who wants to win, not one who wishes to come second place (FYI, there is no second place, only hell). The Crown of Life is at the finish line, and as we already know how this race ends, we had better be confident of our calling that nothing can deter us from sticking fast to Jesus.

I believe that the King James Bible (KJV) is the most reliable source of GOD’S Word, providing the best translation from languages used during Biblical times (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic) into English. Other translations have omitted key passages and meanings, therefore I urge everyone to study the KJV.

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019

The Devil Does Not Shoot Blanks

Being Christian is like living in an action movie- there is never a dull moment. You’re either being chased or standing your ground against the enemy, dodging spiritual bullets, fighting evil spirits, all while living your life in the physical realm. However, some Christians are not aware that they are even in the fight, so they are naturally confused as to why so many things are going wrong in their lives. Broken marriages, rebellious children, sudden conflict at work, bullying at school, sickness, financial loss, accidents… Where is GOD in all of this? GOD is right where He said He would be, but we’re the ones who are foolish to think that the devil is not doing all that he can to take us down.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
1 Peter 4:12

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;
1 Peter 5:8?

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through GOD to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2 Corinthians 10: 3-4

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
?John 15:19

Imagine yourself with a target on your person that people and evil spirits are trying to hit, or picture yourself in a dangerous war with the enemy firing shots at you. However, when you take a hit, don’t think of it as guts and gore, but losses. Think of your health worsening, losing your job, losing a child, your spouse filing for divorce, unexplainable hatred towards you, suffering huge financial losses, your house going up in flames, getting arrested for no reason, your family turning their backs on you- you get the picture, right? You might say “Oh, that’s just life! You can’t expect everything to go well all the time. Just pray that everything works out. It could be GOD testing you, you know.” I am well aware that GOD can sometimes take certain things away from us, but it is never to harm us but to bring us under His will and into the purpose He created us for. When I lost my job a few years ago, I knew that there had to be a lesson in it. I already knew that it was not the work of the devil because I had prayed and fasted about it. I had peace concerning my jobless state, although there were times that I allowed myself to become stressed when it seemed that none of my job applications was coming up fruitful. It took nearly a year before I was working well again, but during those hard months, GOD still provided for me, and I grew closer to Him. You need to be able to know if something is from GOD or Satan, and the only way is through prayer.

The devil can make his bullets seem like ordinary life issues designed to take your focus off GOD or even to shake your fist at Him. One minute everything seems fine, but then problem after problem take place in your life, leaving you exhausted. Such a thing happened in my family when I was sick or in pain for several months (first an abscess in my mouth, then chicken pox, then flu that affected my breathing, balance, and hearing). My older sister had her tonsils become so inflamed and swollen that she could no longer swallow anything, could hardly talk, and her breathing was compromised. My mother’s legs started swelling for no medical reason, and painful lumps started appearing that looked bruised. My younger sister was having trouble at work for no good reason, it was although her colleagues had turned on her overnight, my father had difficulty finding work (he’s in construction), my nephew was having trouble at school, and my niece became more rebellious. All of this happened around the same time, leaving us all stressed and tense. I was so consumed with what was going on that I neglected my time with GOD, and when I did speak to Him, I asked Him why all of this was happening when I had done nothing wrong. I had no doorways open in my life, and I was already in active warfare against the witches in my area. It took a while for me to realise that this was the work of the devil, so I began to stand on GOD’S Word and rebuke everything that was being sent to my family. In just a matter of days, everything returned to normal.

You don’t have to do anything wrong for an attack to happen. The level of warfare on Christians has increased immensely, and we need to be aware of this. People are astral projecting into our homes to harm us, demons are entering our dreams, curses and spells are being cast against us, however, so much more is yet to come. Our fights take place on a spiritual plane but expect to see the results in the physical realm. Do you know that there are specially trained forces walking among us whose assignment is to bring Christians down? We’re talking about demonically enhanced people who will usher in the anti-Christ when the time comes. They exist just to bring death, destruction, and persecution to all Christians in the world. There is no sitting on the fence here, people, we must all fight. When you see that a fellow brother or sister is being attacked and they cannot stand on their own, then you need to step into that gap and fight for them, do not let them fall when you are right there.

Put on your armour of GOD every day, remain obedient to Him, pray always and fast as much as the Holy Spirit moves you to. Praise GOD even in the midst of a trial, and stay in His Word daily. These are your weapons, and when used together with the name of Jesus, nothing will bring you down.

June 8, 2019June 8, 2019

What Type of Christian Are You?

There is truly only one type of Christian, and that is the type who lives by GOD’S Word and obeys Him in everything, no matter the circumstance. However, let’s be honest here: how many of us can say that we live by GOD’S Word in every area of our lives? Let us set aside the ‘mistakes’ that we make every now and then, and focus on our everyday living. To be more specific, let’s focus on how we handle the subject of GOD to non-Believers.

But sanctify the LORD GOD in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
1 Peter 3:15?

Some people will say “If GOD is real, show me a sign!” In 1 Peter 3:15, we are told to have an answer to questions about our faith, but how many of us are, indeed, ready to give that answer?

GOD is real, but I don’t know why.

Brett is one of those Christians who attends church on a Sunday, gives generously, joins in community programs, and all around looks like a pretty ‘good’ Christian on the surface. However, he is quite lazy when it comes to spending personal time in GOD’S Word or with Him in prayer. One day at work, a colleague approaches him to ask about what he did over the weekend. Brett mentions something about a church mission in his community, to which the colleague frowns. “How do you know that your GOD is even real?”he asks. What does Brett say? He knows that GOD is real, but he has no idea how to explain why. Brett soon realises that he does not know enough about the faith he professes to live. Stumped for words, Brett confesses that he does not know why. The colleague replies: “If you cannot justify it yourself, then why are you even Christian?”

GOD is real, but don’t ask me about it.

Julia is one of those no-nonsense people who tell it like it is. She prides herself on being straightforward- there are no grey areas for her. She takes care of her family, respects her husband, and is raising her children according to GOD’S Word. Her youngest child, however, is a bit of a rebel and always seems to go against everything that Julia has raised her children to believe in. It is not that the child is necessarily bad, but she is not so ready to accept everything at face value as her siblings are. At odd’s end with the child, Julia says: “You can’t go against GOD’S Word!”Unperturbed, the child responds “You keep telling me to follow Him, but how do I know that He’s real?”Julia is taken aback by the question. She has always just believed, she has never had to question anything! “Listen here,”she says. “GOD is real, I just know it. Don’t ask me how or why, He just is!”

GOD is real, but I have no answers for you.

Cameron does not like to offend people in any shape, way, or form. He lives his life keeping out of trouble, following the rules correctly, and obeying authorities both in action and thought. After all, isn’t that what the Bible says? Not to quarrel with people? He is currently in his third year of college and has been a Christian ever since he went to Youth Camp seven years ago and gave his life to Christ. Lately, he has felt a deep need to preach GOD’S Word to the Lost on campus, but he is worried about saying the wrong thing. As a result, no one really knows that he is Christian until a girl he has a business class with notices the small compact Bible he carries around with him. “So, you’re Christian?”she accuses. “I think you people are just hypocrites. You judge everyone by some rules that a bunch of old men wrote thousands of years ago, and you try and pass it off as word from ‘your living GOD’. Can you even prove that this GOD of yours is real?”This is precisely the type of confrontation that Cameron hates. What can he say to her? Finally, with much thought to his answer, he says: “GOD is real, Bridgette, but I have no answers for you, okay?”

GOD is real, but talk to someone else.

Brenda is a socially awkward young woman who stutters should anyone try to speak to her. It’s not that she’s stupid, but she hates attention of any sort. She loves Jesus with her whole heart, reads His Word daily with joy, and spends as much time as she can in prayer. Some time ago, the Holy Spirit began to press on her heart that she needs to start spreading the Good News with her friends and family, but she is afraid that she will muddle up her words and fail Him. She knows that it is her fear of being judged that stops her, but she cannot bring herself to go out there and give her testimony about what Jesus has done for her. Brenda is well aware that she is not living GOD’S best, but her own fears seem to drown out his Words whenever presented with an opportunity to pray for someone publically or speak during a weekly woman’s prayer meeting. A teenager who seems mad at the world approaches her as she is coming out of church, and demands to know why she is so confident that GOD is real when He has done nothing to help his sick mother? The answers come flooding into her mind as the Holy Spirit speaks to her, but she looks at the crowd gathering around the boy and chickens out. Instead, she says: “GOD is real, but please talk to someone else who can help you explain why better than I can.”Ashamed, she hurries away, clutching her Bible to her chest.

GOD is REAL! I can show you how.

Abraham knows who he is in Christ. He wakes up every day with joy in his heart because he knows that GOD might use him to further His kingdom. He relishes the opportunity to speak GOD’S Word both to Believers and non-believers, knowing that it is not he who gives the increase, but GOD. It is his responsibility to obey GOD and preach His Word. Yes, he may fall at times, but the GOD he serves is merciful, never holding anything against him once he has repented. Abraham’s life is certainly not a bed of roses, but he is thankful to GOD for everything, knowing that he has life in Jesus. Most people think him an odd sort and tend to stay away from him.

Some have even attacked him for his faith, accusing him of hate speech. As he is active and takes care of himself, he enjoys going to the gym and sometimes speaks to his fellow gym-goers about Christ. The owner of the gym, who quite likes Abraham although he does not agree with his faith, has begun to receive many complaints about him always trying to evangelise people in his building. Forced to proceed with some sort of action, he approaches Abraham and asks him to stop speaking to people in the gym about Jesus. Abraham only smiles and say:“That would be like telling me to stop breathing, Mr Jones. Jesus is my life.”The man shakes his head. “What is up with you and this Jesus? There is no proof of His existence, Abraham. The sooner you realise this, the better. I mean, can you even prove that He is real?”Abraham isn’t rattled by these types of questions, he knows who his GOD is. “Mr Jones, have I got good news for you,” he says.“GOD is so real, and I can show you how!”

Now, these might not apply to many of you because we all have different lives and situations, but I know that many of us can identify in some way with these people. The comforting thing to remember is that you can change (I’m talking scenarios one to four) because of Jesus. GOD is ready to give wisdom to all who would ask (James 1:5), so all you need to do is pray about it and read His Word. We do not have to complicate things when we have the Holy Spirit to guide us, but we do have to learn to listen to His voice. Even after you have prayed, studied GOD’S Word, fasted etc. you might not necessarily feel prepared to give an answer to all who would ask about the hope we have in Christ. However, if you would but open your mouth and begin to speak, you might just be surprised.

(Yes, this is an incredibly long post, but when the Holy Spirit says to do something, you do it.)

May 29, 2019May 29, 2019

I’ll Give My Life To Jesus After I’ve Lived My Life

Time is something that we have no control over. We can use it well or waste it, but we cannot get it back. Many people believe that they have all the time in the world to live their lives the way that they want to, and as long as they are good people, then things are going to be all right. We see the smaller picture, what is in front of us, but we fail to see the bigger picture. There is an unseen battle going on around us every day, and time is certainly on no one’s side.

There are times when I have spoken to people about Jesus, and they have readily believed in Him, but were unwilling to give their lives to Him just yet. They still wanted to live their lives their way and felt that Jesus would ‘stifle their vibe’. I have listened to them give me a bunch of reasons as to why they cannot come to Jesus yet, and these are the main ones:

I still want to have fun!
That life sounds too difficult for me.
I don’t like being religious.
I’m still too young for that kind of commitment.
I have too many things that I want to accomplish before being born again.

No amount of Truth or explaining will sway their opinion because of one significant factor: repentance. You see, you can believe, but if you are not willing to turn away from your sins, then you are not willing to repent. A person can be aware that they are sinning, but if there is no conviction within them to help them understand the terrible situation they are in, then repentance is not about to happen.

Of course, some people do not believe that they are bad people. However, what do they mean by ‘bad’? We all have a conscience which tells us right from wrong, but when we begin to rate how bad our actions are instead of acknowledging that they are a sin, we are in trouble. We all know, or should know, that it is wrong to steal, kill, look at a woman or man with lust, covet someone else’s belongings, to lie, and the list goes on. Whether or not a person is aware of the Ten Commandments, our conscience is innately aware of moral values. Obviously, as we grow older and get away with these sins, we begin to justify them more and more, giving evidence to our depraved state of mind.

I guarantee you that there is not a soul alive that has not committed one or more of these sins. It does not matter how socially accepted the sins are or how many times you get away with it, GOD will judge us according to the sins we have committed. Once we are judged and found guilty (which is a definite), we will be thrown into the fiery lakes of hell. It is only belief and repentance that will save us, and even then we need to remain steadfast in our faith because the devil doesn’t mess around, he’s out for our souls.

Think of it this way: when you stand before a judge for a crime you have committed, he is going to judge you on the offence, not on how good you believe you are. No amount of giving to the poor is going to take away the fact that you stole from your boss. According to Scripture, when we go against what GOD has stated in His Word, then we have sinned- there are no two ways about it.

People say to Jesus ‘not right now’, having no idea if they will live to see another day. When they stand before GOD to give an explanation for their failure to come to Him, the excuse ‘but I do believe in you LORD, and I’m a good person’ is not going to cut it. Even the demons know that He Is and they are terrified of Him. They fully understand what He is capable of. In the futility of our minds, we fail to recognise just who Jesus is, thinking that His love is going to let us get a pass into heaven. Yes, GOD’S love for us was demonstrated in the fact that He sent His only Son to die for our sins, that if we believe in Him, we will be saved. But if you are not going to come to Him with repentance in your heart for your sinful ways, then you do not understand His sacrifice.

Yes, our lives as Christians are not easy. We face trials and tribulations because our enemy, the devil, hates us. He hates mankind already, but he truly loathes Christians because we have the power of Christ within us. However, we must give our lives to Christ so that we may have life, we must put Him before everything else in our lives or else we are not worthy of Him. At the end of the day, we are either going to spend eternity with our King and Saviour, or an eternity in hell with endless suffering. Stop looking at your life and focus on Jesus, or you might as well not have a life.

May 24, 2019May 24, 2019

There’s A Reason Why You Cannot Accept Or Understand GOD’S Word

It is not merely the rest of the world that cannot make head or tails of GOD’S Word, but many Christians as well. You can read His Word until the cows come home, and rather than enjoy it, you may hate it, find it confusing, or refuse to accept the Truth. There is a reason why it all sounds like gibberish to you, and it all has to do with the Holy Ghost.

Many people find the Bible to be a book of just stories, while others see it as a set of rigid rules to control people. I would not be able to count the number of times I have personally heard a person using Scripture straight out of context to prove how ridiculous and archaic the Bible is. Two particular Scriptures come to mind when speaking about GOD’S Word, and they are 1 Corinthians 2:14 and 2 Timothy 3:16.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of GOD: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:14

All Scripture is given by inspiration of GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Timothy 3:16

The Word of GOD has to be spiritually discerned, and if you do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, then it’s all going to be a bunch of hogwash to you, it might even make you angry just listening to it! Once you believe in Jesus and confess Him with a sincere heart (you can fool man, but you cannot fool GOD), you will receive the Holy Spirit. It is He who will begin to show you the truths of Scripture, the incredible knowledge contained in the life-giving words. It does not come all in one go, so do not expect to understand everything in your lifetime, but He shows what you need to know for the plans He has for you (Jeremiah 11:29).

One of the main excuses I hear concerning the validity of GOD’S Word is that it was written by man, translated dozens of times, and thus cannot be trusted. While there are some translations that we should avoid, it is ludicrous to nullify GOD’S Word based on the assumption that because it was written by man, it cannot be trusted. Even if GOD had personally penned the entire Bible Himself, people still would have found a reason to doubt it! The Apostle Paul must have been dealing with such people when he wrote to Timothy, telling him that all Scripture is GOD-breathed. It is the Holy Spirit who put those words in those men’ hearts, they could not have come up with such profound knowledge on their own. We, humans, are a nutcase much of the time, thinking that we are wise when, in fact, we are fools (Romans 1:22). 1 Corinthians 1:21 tells us that this belief of His wisdom being seen as foolish is pleasing to GOD because it saves those that believe.

Now, if you do not understand all that I have written or the Scriptures given, you are either a non-believer, a Christian by name only and yet do not live according to GOD’S Word, or a true Christian who needs to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and revelation concerning GOD’S Word. The wonderful fact of GOD’S mercy and grace is that you have the opportunity to know Him and His Word, but it is for you to decide that you are willing to commit yourself to Him. You have free will, you cannot be forced to accept Him, but your very life is at stake. The life we live in the flesh is fleeting, there is still eternity to consider, thus I would choose wisely.

May 24, 2019May 24, 2019

US House of Representatives Just Passed the Equality Act

The Equality Act, a bill that is said to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in the workplace, public accommodations, and various other settings, was just passed on Friday 17th May 2019.

The reasoning for this bill is that there are no federal laws explicitly protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination, but what is the real story behind this?

The person behind pushing this act, Nancy Pelosi, is a leftist- I could say case closed at this point, but I’ll carry on! It is called ‘The Equality Act’, but is it not really a diabolical way to force a homosexual and transgender ideology on every person in America and eventually the world?

With the way that America (and other Western countries) is going, is there not already an acceptance and promotion of transgenderism? It is not acceptance that they want, but control and free reign to do as they want wherever they want to do it.

This act pretty much says that it would be illegal to prevent a man who wants to identify as a woman from doing anything he wants to do. Would this mean that women’s sports could come to an end? Think about it: the anatomy of a woman and a man is entirely different, it is no secret that men fare better in sports than women, that is why they are separated. But if a transgender person were to come along and demand to be in, say, a weightlifting competition, no one would be able to say no, right? And when he wins, no one could say that he had an unfair advantage or they would risk legal action.

Taking it a step further, what is there to stop a transgender person from gaining access to women’s restrooms, locker rooms, showers… I don’t know about anyone else reading this, but I’m not comfortable with a man being in the same restroom as me just because he decided that he wanted to be identified as a woman.

Churches and ministries would have to accept them into the pulpit or roles of leadership, wouldn’t they? Personally, I don’t know why they would want to even be in a church, but you never know, do you? I see our freedom of worshipping GOD according to His Word being thrown out of the window here. If a church decides to deny access to a transgender person, they are going to face some problems because the Religious Freedom Restoration Act is not about to protect anyone who refuses to comply with this bill.

As a parent, you’re not going to be able to oppose this ideology being taught in schools, you cannot stop your child from being forced to learn about it, and no hospitals or doctors can refuse to perform sex change operations.

There is this misconception that Christians hate the LGBTQ community, but that is not true. We are to hate sin, not the person. Homosexuality is a sin, that is our belief as Christians because GOD has condemned it. I have never ill-treated someone who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual etc. or had terrible thoughts towards them. I have never spoken hateful words to them or offensively spoken of them. However, I am firm in my beliefs and stand by them, knowing that it is GOD whom I shall answer to at the appointed time.

May 11, 2019May 11, 2019

God Sees You

Have you ever felt invisible at times, as though the world could carry on normally without you in it? Perhaps you believe that you do not have a purpose in this world, or that time has passed you by, and you’re now useless. There are many reasons why we might feel like ‘Mr. Cellophane’, where people could just walk right by you, and look through you as though you were not there, but GOD’S Word has taught me that GOD sees us, even when no one else does.

The Bible is chock-a-block full of stories about people whom no one would have taken a second look at, or seemingly random people who feature in the Bible for a few verses and then are never spoken of again. However, the fact that they were recorded in history is significant enough for us still to be talking about them to this day.

Two stories that come from the New Testament are a perfect example of how GOD brought to attention two people that you would not have given two thoughts about in the grand scheme of things. The first one is that of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-39, where GOD told Philip to go to Gaza. Philip must have been curious about GOD’S command, but of course, he obeyed. He saw the chariot wherein the Ethiopian sat and went after it after prompting from the Holy Spirit. When I read these verses way in the beginning of my walk with GOD, I thought that it was totally random, as though someone had just filled it in for the sake of having something to say. However, GOD’S Word always has a purpose, something that I learnt as time went on. Well, the Ethiopian was reading the words of the prophet Esaias out loud, so Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading. You know, the Ethiopian was obviously a devout man of GOD; he continued to read something that he couldn’t understand, but he did it anyway because he knew of the importance the Scriptures had. Philip explained everything to him, giving him the Good News, which led to the man wishing to be baptised. The man didn’t hesitate, he saw the Promise and wished to take hold of it and become born again. Who on earth would have thought to take time out of their day just to minister to a stranger? But GOD saw him, and that was the difference.

The second example is that of the centurion in Acts 10:1-48. This was a significant moment in our history of Christianity because it was the first time that Gentiles were ‘officially’ included in the Promise, that they too were able to receive the Word of GOD (correct me if I’m mistaken) and the gifts of the Spirit. Cornelius was a devout man who feared GOD and always gave to the needy. GOD saw him and made provision for him to receive the Word and be saved, him and his whole household. Once again, GOD sent word to his disciple- Peter, this time around- and had him speak of the wonders of Jesus. Cornelius and his family, just like the Ethiopian, immediately received the Word and the Holy Spirit fell upon them all. I believe that GOD was making a point, He wanted to show that His mercy and grace extends as far as He wishes it to, and He sees what others do not.

Many of us feel unworthy at times, that GOD probably gets so busy dealing with other problems and needier people that He does not see or hear us. It is incredibly easy to believe this of GOD because we do not understand His magnificence, His omnipotence, His omnipresence, and His omniscience. As Peter said in Acts 10:34, GOD is no respecter of persons, He doesn’t focus his attention on a particular person because of who they are or what they have done. No, He watches over all of His people, those who cry out to Him, those in need of Him. Even those who believe that they do not need Him, He reaches out His hand to them in love. It is for us to understand this and trust that His Word is indeed true.

May 4, 2019October 8, 2021

What Is Happening In France?

Over two hundred churches attacked in France in the past two years, twenty of them burned to the ground. And now Notre Dame… what on earth is happening in France?

I was channel surfing last month when I caught the tail end of a news report: Notre Dame was on fire. I couldn’t believe it! Memories of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Aristocats, Ratatouille, and The Three Musketeers all surfaced as I watched the news report. How on earth did a building as long-standing and well-known as this simply go up in flames?

My mind started spinning with possible reasons for the fire such as arson, a terrorist attack, or faulty wiring. The building is over 800 years old, maybe some old wiring sparked and caused the fire. However, according to Benjamin Mouton who served as Chief Architect of Historic Monuments in France, this cannot be the case. All electrical wiring of Notre Dame was updated in the 90s; furthermore, they had alarm mechanisms in place for things such as fires. And what about the two men that were meant to patrol the area? For such a historic building, there has to be some form of security in place, and there was, day and night. What happened to those two men?

I waited for the result of the investigation to be released, expecting it to take a couple weeks due to the size of the cathedral. To my surprise, the authorities were able to give information to the public before the ashes had even stopped smouldering. How is that even possible? How were they able to rule out arson and terrorism so quickly? Where was the thorough investigation? Did they take into consideration that many churches in France had been attacked, and some even burned down? I smell a rat here.

What the authorities were saying and what I was seeing and hearing was just not making any sense. First of all, we are talking about wood that is over 800 years old- that stuff is not easy to burn! It would take an extraordinary amount of effort to ignite the amount of oak in the cathedral, but somehow it wasn’t caught soon enough to avoid the amount of damage sustained. Once again, where were the two watchmen who were meant to keep an eye out for such things? Why did the fire have to get to that stage?

Youtube has a wealth of information on every topic that you could ever think of, and many people take it upon themselves to look for the truth. I happened across a video of a mysterious figure on the Notre Dame rooftop before the fire began, but what really caught my eye was the figure’s odd movements. The person seemed to be going to specific spots on the roof, and once they moved away, there would be a flash of light in the area just vacated. With all the conspiracies going on in the world, could this be one of them?

The President of France has promised to rebuild the monument and make it even more beautiful than before, but he said something else that caught my antennae. He said that he wants to rebuild the building to reflect their modern multi-diversity… Multi-diversity? Considering that France is no longer known as a Christian country, what could he mean? Now, I am aware that Christianity and Catholicism are two different things although the world lumps us into one box. The cathedral was even consecrated to the Virgin Mary, something that has nothing to do with our faith. However, his statement raised warning flags in my mind because I immediately thought of either a mosque-like building being built or something that reflects the One World Order that is coming to existence at an alarming speed. When I read that many billionaires and companies were pledging millions of dollars to rebuild the cathedral, I found it fascinating. Why put so much money towards building Notre Dame when people around the world are in need? The contribution racked up a staggering $1 billion in a matter of hours, and pledges were still pouring in. What is their interest in the building? What does this building truly represent for them?

Then the bombings in Sri Lanka took place, and it left no doubt in my mind that all of these events, the timeframe of them, the type of media coverage, hiding of the truth, etc. all seem to be part of some global plan. This is not just a coincidence! We need to have ears that hear and eyes that see for us to take note of all that is unfolding around us. It’s both an exciting and dangerous time to be alive. Exciting because Jesus is most certainly on His way, and dangerous due to Christian persecution being ramped up. Make no mistake: things will unfold whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.

April 28, 2019April 28, 2019

Woman, You Are Enough

Why is it so easy to believe the worst about ourselves? We so readily encourage other women, tell them that they are beautiful, intelligent, and special, but when it comes to ourselves, we find it challenging to do so. The problem is that we judge ourselves according to the ideals of the world and yet forget about the opinion of the only One who knows us best.

Have you ever stood in front of the mirror and scanned yourself? You look at your hair, your skin, your weight, your body shape, the features on your face- pretty much anything that you can compare to others. Many of us start the ‘if only’ conversation with ourselves, tearing down our confidence bit by bit. If only I was curvier and not so straight, if only I had a smaller nose, if only my eyes were a different colour, if only my skin were lighter, if only I was taller, and the list continues. Our comparisons do not end with our physical appearance but go into our character, intelligence, and how people perceive us. We might see someone else being praised for their kindness and helpfulness when you believe that you have done far more than that person, and you take it to heart. You might feel unappreciated, and slowly but surely you become bitter about it. It is human nature to wish to be recognised for the good that we do, and for our accomplishments, but when it does not happen, it angers and hurts us.

There is this self-love movement that has taken over the media, but it in some ways it does more harm than good. There is nothing wrong with loving yourself, but it should never be at the expense of your faith, your health, and your self-respect. There is a healthy balance to self-love, and it does not include thinking of yourself far more than you should (vanity), choosing to be unhealthy and not taking care of your body, and believing that all things are acceptable as long as you love yourself while doing it. Wearing figure-hugging clothing that shows off your body is not respecting yourself, especially when we know that modesty is a woman’s garment. We have to tune out what the world thinks and begin to focus on what GOD says.

The best way to combat negative thoughts about yourself is memorising what GOD’S Word says about you. However, I will stress that you cannot expect to overcome self-negativity without some mental work. Just as your negative self-opinion developed over time, so will it take time to see yourself as GOD intended. I will raise my hand and say that I can verbally and mentally beat myself down until I despair of ever being worthy enough. I can take it from ten to a hundred in a matter of minutes, especially when I have heard a negative comment from outside sources or feel that no one seems to care about what I say. The self-pity becomes rather cringe-worthy at this point. But isn’t it wonderful to know that GOD’S Word covers any and every bad thought we may have about ourselves? It is as though He is saying: you may think that about yourself, but this is what you must believe about yourself as My child. For example:

You: I can never be enough!

GOD: And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power (Col 2:10)

You: No one truly loves me

GOD: But GOD, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us (Eph 2:4)

You: I am an idiot

GOD: But we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16)

You: I am just a nobody

GOD: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light (1 Pet 2:9)

You: I always just feel so scared about things

GOD: For GOD hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)

Do I need to go on? The Word of GOD is endless in countering every terrible thought that we can have about ourselves. But there is also the problem of self-image. We get so caught up on what we see and think we should be, but the Bible is clear about it:

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works (1 Tim 2:9-10)

All that extra stuff doesn’t matter, what matters are the good works that you do for the kingdom of GOD. You must take care of yourself because you are the temple of GOD, but it is not to take over what is truly important.

I tend to repeat a verse over and over to myself until it drowns out that ugly voice intent on bringing me down. The truth is that as women of GOD, we are all worthy because He has made us worthy. Not by our own works, but by what He has done. We don’t have to strive to achieve what we believe we should be, we can simply obey Him. Jesus does not want us to focus on ourselves, but on Him, because He knows that when left to our own devices, we tend to make a mess of things. Let’s choose to focus on His Word and live joyful lives, and leave our own opinions and the worlds at the door.

April 20, 2019April 20, 2019

The Day I Wanted To Sell My Soul To The Devil

Life is challenging. It is always full of ups and downs that can make or break you. At times, our situations seem to back us into a corner, and that is when we are most likely to make the wrong decisions. However, bringing the devil into the situation is never the answer. I knew that, but I did it anyway.

Recently, the LORD reminded me of a time in my life when I had been ready to turn my back on Him. He did it to show me how far I had come in my walk with Him, how I had spiritually matured in the past ten plus years. To tell the truth, I had actually forgotten all about it, or perhaps I had purposefully moved it to the back of my mind because of the foolishness of it. I was a young Christian then, having only become Born Again a few months prior to the incident. I liken becoming Christian to marriage; you first meet the person and fall in love with them. You then make the covenant or promise to spend the rest of your life with that person, to bond yourselves together in holy matrimony. The honeymoon is a wonderful time, and all is blissful, but once reality hits and problems begin to surface, it becomes harder to remember the vows you made to each other. Well, when I heard the Truth, I desperately wanted Jesus in my life. I made Him the LORD of my life and was mostly happy in the few months that followed. However, I soon found myself in situations that left me flabbergasted. I couldn’t understand why so many horrible things were happening to me. I didn’t know it then, but the devil was coming after me fully loaded with all my weaknesses, hurts, insecurities, and painful memories to bring me down.

I would say that the attack started about two months after I was Saved. I have always been a sensitive person, feeling things that others cannot. As a child, I experienced and saw things that I couldn’t explain and my parents shrugged off as an overactive imagination. Sometimes, I would be too frightened to sleep because of the vivid dreams I would have or the ‘things’ I would see during the night time. This continued on into my adult years, but I largely ignored it as best as I could. When I became Born-Again, these dreams and ‘feelings’ stopped, or, at least I thought that they did. So when the first attack came, it left me scared and confused. It was a dream about being chased, where I was running for my life. I remember waking up in a cold sweat, not understanding why I was having such a dream. I received the interpretation of the dream some hours later, and it just made me feel worse. The dream was warning me that the devil wanted to take my salvation away, that he was after me. I took the matter to the LORD in prayer, but the devil certainly didn’t stop there.

Suddenly, I was the focus of rumours, ridicule, and false accusations. Strangers began to laugh at me out of the blue, literally pointing at me and laughing. I thought that I was going mad at one stage, that I was reading into things that were not there until a woman stopped me on the street and called me a monster. I remember going numb and walking away, hardly aware of where I was going. This had never happened to me before, and before long, it became an everyday occurrence. Whether I was walking with friends or walking alone, people would begin to point at me and laugh, calling me all kinds of horrible names. Many times I would rush to the bathroom to see what they were talking about, but all I saw staring back at me was, well, me. I couldn’t understand where all of this was coming from, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t tell anyone about it because I believed that they would also laugh at me or would not believe that such an odd thing was happening. The only days that I escaped such ridicule were when I refused to leave the house.

Rumours started to surface about me and being a reserved and respectful person, I was shocked. I was confronted by my parents regarding these rumours, and I had to defend myself, but they didn’t seem convinced at first. Apparently, I attended a church that had frogs and snakes coming out of people (they exist, people), and I was carrying on with the type of men that my parents would not approve of. This may seem small to others, but with my parents, it was a major thing. I was basically bringing dishonour upon the family name by my supposed antics in college, and they were embarrassed to hear about it from other family members. During this time, I was still having nightmares nearly every day, hardly sleeping for fear of what I would see. My marks started dropping, and with always having been an academically strong student, it affected me terribly. Thoughts of failing soon consumed me, but no matter how much harder I would try to do well, I just couldn’t do it. My health also began to worsen with my endocrine disorder affecting my entire life. Hair loss, acne, unexplained weight gain despite my small portions of food, hirsutism, persistent swelling of my face and limbs, fatigue, hormones that were all over the place… I was a mess. As my self-esteem and confidence dropped, so did my will to live.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, my family was also being targeted by some witches. I cannot believe that there are still Christians who do not believe that there are witches or the damage that they do. I don’t know about witches in other countries much, but in Africa they are hardcore. In my case, they have all been women who were jealous about what my family has, so they sought our destruction. Crazy, right? I cannot tell you the number of times they have attempted to kill my mother, bewitch my father, or bring about the ruin of my sister’s and I. Imagine having to rush your mother to the hospital at one in the morning because she’s gushing blood from her nose and mouth and can hardly breathe? To make matters worse, the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with her despite having done numerous examinations. Or perhaps sitting on your bed at night playing games on your phone when you suddenly hear a loud voice speak into your ear and ask you what you’re doing? Or your cousin waking up in the morning only to find that the palm of his hand had been stitched and having no recollection of it? For those who do not understand what this means, it’s basically the first stages of a witch turning a person into a ‘zombie’, not the flesh-eating ones you see on TV, but the walking dead. They put something into the hand and stitch it closed, ready for the next stage. It sounds crazy, but it happens. Put it this way: when it comes to the forces of evil, expect anything to happen.

I was pretty much feeling rejected by GOD at this stage, and although He had ‘interfered’ (thank you, LORD) in my suicide attempt, I still believed that He had rejected me just like everyone else had. My depression was so great that I literally just wanted to curl up into a ball and just die. Every single area of my life had been affected, and I was not coping. So, I decided to make a deal with the devil. I told him that he could have me if he would but destroy the people who had hurt me and were hurting me. I wanted those peoples’ lives ruined, I wanted them dead. I actually cringe as I remember the darkness that had taken over me at that stage. I even had thoughts of taking those people out, putting an end to their lives myself. I wanted the satisfaction of them knowing that they died because of what they had done to me. Revenge sounded sweet to me, sweeter than anything I believed that GOD would give me. But do you know what happened? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I cannot even begin to understand the hedge that GOD put around me that day. I knew that the demons were about, listening to what I was saying, but they couldn’t do a thing. I was sinning, but they couldn’t take advantage of that open door and fully take over my life. But I didn’t think in that way at the time, I just assumed that the devil was also rejecting me. Jesus must have told those demons not to touch me, and obviously, they listened. They must have been mad, though!

Jesus showed me mercy, He showed His love for me and saved me. Again. I didn’t deserve it, but He saw past my evil intentions and words to the person who was hurting inside and was lashing out the only way she thought would bring her relief. When I had calmed down, I knew that I could never have hurt anyone, and I was deeply remorseful of everything that I had thought or said. I eventually repented of it and then began the long walk to my healing. Fast forward ten years, and I am certainly not that person that I used to be! GOD has done an amazing work in me, having transformed me into someone that I cannot even recognise, but He knew that I would become. However, learning and the change that comes with it is never complete. As long as we are still in the flesh, we continue to have temptations, but we know that we can overcome them because sin does not have a hold on us in Jesus’ name. We have the victory, it’s as simple as that. I am walking proof of GOD’S mercy and grace upon my life, of His love for His people. He meant it when He said that He would never leave us or forsake us, and we can all take comfort in that truth.

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019

They Are Keeping A Close Eye On Us

There is a reality to be faced, and it is not something that we should worry about, but neither should we take it lightly. While we go about living our everyday lives, we are mostly oblivious of the eye that is always on us, watching us. Many of the Body have gone into hiding to live their faith, the question we should be asking is: when are we next?

These eyes come in different shapes, sizes, and forms. You would think that there would be some sort of security about us when we come together whether it be on a social media site or in church, but the truth is that there are always infiltrators up to no good. When someone attacks you because of your faith in Jesus, it is easy to react with either anger, fear, or even shame. It is not that we do not expect it, because we know that persecution will come about, but just the fact that someone chose to attack us is something that doesn’t sit right with us. Sometimes it doesn’t come across as a direct attack on us, but a difference of opinions. However, if someone deliberately goes onto a Christian site to discredit our Saviour, there is a problem there.

Believers are all over the world, therefore social media is a good way of interacting with like-minded followers. We sign up to different sites, newsletters, etc. to connect, right? So what are non-Christians doing on the site? If they are there to learn about our faith, then I am all for it, but if their intention is to attack our faith, then I feel sorry for them. Sorry that they felt the need to look for a Christian site and proceed to speak against our faith. Sorry that the Truth is not in them, nor do they understand it. Sorry that they have a veil over their eyes so that they cannot receive the Good News. Sorry that they do not have a relationship with Christ.

Recently, I posted something that I felt strongly about. Well, someone commented saying something that surprised me because I wasn’t expecting it. The commenter basically said that Jesus was just a man and Christianity made Him GOD. I do not feel any type of way against the person, I’m just surprised that they chose to read a post on a Christian site that clearly believes that Jesus is not only the Son of GOD, but GOD Himself (John 1:1, John 1:14, John 10:30, Isaiah 9:6, John 20:28, John 8:58). This has not been the only instance of someone commenting on a post in a similar manner, but something about this one made me pause and just think about it. I am not against people wanting to read posts on a Christian site, let them read and hear the Truth. But to, in a sense, troll the site is something altogether different. They are basically looking for a ‘fight’ of words, isn’t it? I don’t like to argue, especially when it is pointless. I have already stated my beliefs, so I have nothing else left to say. Sometimes I will clarify what I have said if someone has genuinely misunderstood me, but I’m not about to have a war of words with anyone. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will prompt me to speak, but more often than not, I will just listen, observe, and pray. Perhaps my words may come across as too direct at times, but there is never any malice or anger behind them.

This is just a minor incident, it is nothing compared to what is happening to Believers all over the world. Look at Believers in North Korea, for instance. They have to go underground just to come together and worship GOD because they are being closely watched. Should they be caught, they face harsh persecution. Or what about the Christians in Muslim countries? The ones who are being beheaded and killed on crosses for their faith? I cannot sit and complain about a few comments in the light of all of this happening.

Back to social media. Many people have taken it upon themselves to look for, and attack Christians on social media, which I suppose is tit for tat seeing as how so-called Christians have attacked them too. The problem is that we who are true to our faith are not the ones going about giving hate speech (I mean words that are intended to hurt and attack, not the truth in GOD’S Word), but the ones who call themselves Christians but have no idea what it means to follow Christ. Or they do, but have an agenda against us and wish the world to hate us (a lot do already). It’s that whole ‘wheat from the chaff’ thing going on; we who are wheat will be gathered into barns but those who are chaff, well… Fake Christians will always be among us as long as this world continues as it is, so what we should do is shine bright and let the world see our light.

I suppose some people may call me paranoid for believing that governments, secret societies, and entities are also keeping an eye on Christians, but it’s not as far-fetched as some would assume. We are in a spiritual war, right? This war manifests in the physical realm in different ways, and some people are used to bring about certain situations, be it false news, a change in education systems, tapping of phones, mass hysteria about global issues etc. In my opinion, this is just a well-orchestrated plan by the powers of darkness to bring about the total destruction of man. However, we are confident in GOD, knowing that He has the last say in everything. So, watch us all you want, but we have a Greater One watching over us:)

April 13, 2019April 13, 2019

OH, HOW THEY LOVE TO MOCK US

Christianity has taken on many forms in past centuries. It started out with righteous purpose, but people soon realised that there was power to be had, and they took it. Fast forward to the present, and we have hoards of people openly mocking our faith and our LORD Jesus with little or no consequence- yet.

Let me stress that although the religion of Christianity changed due to the hands it fell into, our LORD Jesus and His message have never changed, and I am confident that there were faithful people throughout the ages. However, the world has gathered together to mock us in the most demeaning and disgusting manner that leaves me in no doubt that we are in the End Times. It seems that people are taking these changes through time and using them as ammunition to prove how senseless and false our faith is, blaming us for all that is wrong in the world. Funny that. We’re essentially being blamed for the wrongdoings of others because it is easier to do that than find out the truth of GOD’S Word. Go figure.

Anti-Christian movies have been a firm favourite, a hobby with Hollywood (or Hellywood as many have started calling it!), always portraying Christians as arrogant, annoying, mean-spirited, and dangerous Bible-thumpers. It is ridiculously easy to find a film that misrepresents Scripture and Christians, disrespects GOD, and overall seeks to make our faith into a joke. In the 1960 movie Inherit the Wind, Hollywood tried to falsely represent the Scopes trial in an attempt to smear Christianity. Basically, the Darwinists were portrayed in a positive light while William Jennings Bryan was made out to be a deceitful low-life who died in the courtroom in a fit of madness. The reality is that he won the trial and kept his Christian values to the end, while Darrow (a Darwinist) was the real snake. Footloose, 2012, Father Ted, The Exorcist, Religulous, Monty Python and The Holy Grail, 12 Years A Slave and many more are all examples of attempts to misrepresent our faith.

Netflix seems to have taken this hobby to new lengths with that offensive series Miss Magic Jesus. It’s centred around a teenage girl who loses 70 pounds and enters the Miss Magic Jesus Pageant in which the winner dons a “crown of thorns.” The series carries several LGBT storylines, promotes all sorts of sexual and gender identity exploration, has fat shaming, and the most horrendous of all, it has sexual references to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There is one particular scene that is one of the most offensive (read about it but couldn’t bring myself to watch it), in which a song is sung with words that disgusted me to no end. I will not even bother to give a line, you can easily find it on a google search.

It is not hard to find examples of mockery. You can find it on Broadway, Hollywood, schools, places of work, comedians, restaurants, and anywhere else that I have not mentioned. I also honestly believe that we are one of the reasons for the mockery. Oh, I can blame history (which I did), the devil, Hollywood, etc., but it wouldn’t be fair if I did not put us into the equation as well. It’s so easy to make ourselves into victims, but we forget the part we play in not only mocking ourselves but Jesus as well. Whenever we have knowingly sinned, we have made a mockery of his sacrifice upon that cross. Whenever we have not taken His Word with all sincereness and respect, we have mocked His power. And yet, we are forgiven if indeed we truly repent.

You know, I can take mockery if it is for Jesus, but I’m not so understanding when people openly mock GOD. You can mock how seemingly boring I am because I do not need alcohol to loosen up and have a good time, you can mock me for not joining in when you cuss out someone. You can mock me for refusing to wear clothing that highlights any part of my body, telling me that I might as well be Muslim for the amount of skin that I show. You can mock me for quoting Scripture for every occasion, you can even ridicule me for following my Saviour, a Man whom you think is an average man we have merely idolised for the sake of control. I’ll not concern myself with all that mockery (at least, I try not to), but when you make a mockery of Jesus, GOD, or the Holy Spirit, then the only thing that will keep me from reprimanding you is the Holy Spirit Himself.

It’s not a case of ‘I hate you for saying that’, but a case of ‘Do you realise what you are saying? Whom you are talking about and mocking? Is there no fear in you?’ I am fearful for these foolish people because to fall into the hands of the Almighty is a frightful thing indeed. I will not sit back and not warn them if it is within my ability to. Perhaps they will not listen, but that is no excuse for not telling them the truth, especially if the Holy Spirit is prompting you to. There will always be opposition to GOD’S Word, but that is never a reason to stop proclaiming His truth. You may not reach that person now, but whose to say that your words will not echo in their hearts in days or years to come? It’s not Bible-thumping when done with a sincere heart, a genuine fear for their souls.

April 2, 2019April 2, 2019

Freedom… As Long AS You’re Not Christian

Christian values and beliefs have come under fire for centuries, but our present times have seen such opposition that can have a person’s head reeling from the forceful nature of it. We have been told that it is okay to believe, as long as your beliefs do not go against the ruling beliefs of the age.

People can speak easily of their rights, in fact, it falls off their tongues at the drop of a hat. You have the freedom of speech, freedom to follow your own beliefs, and the list goes on. However, as soon as a Christian exercises their rights in certain (most) respects, they receive opposition that can often be violent if you’re not vigilant. Of course, we are well aware that we will suffer as Jesus suffered if indeed we are His, but I wonder if people stop to think about what they are saying and accusing us of before they actually retaliate with some words or even fists?

This ‘topic’ circulated in my head after I came across news concerning Chick-fil-A, the popular American food franchise. There is apparently some controversy involving a report from the liberal outlet ThinkProgress that states the Chick-fil-A Foundation gave $1.8 million to three organisations “with a record of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.” The organisations and the donations given were:

$1,653,416 to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes
$6,000 to the Paul Anderson Youth Home
$150,000 to the Salvation Army

ThinkProgress says that the Fellowship of Christian Athletes “seeks to spread an anti-LGBTQ message to college athletes and requires a strict ‘sexual purity’ policy for its employees that bars any ‘homosexual acts.’” The most controversial bit of the liberal outlet is that the Paul Anderson Youth Home (a centre for troubled teens) allegedly says that same-sex marriage is “rage against Jesus Christ and His values.”

Most of the Foundation’s money actually went to mainstream Christian organisations, but as with all things media, this was just an attempt to demonise the company because it is Christian. Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy once said that we’re “inviting GOD’S judgement on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than You as to what constitutes a marriage.” Needless to say, the media had a field day with that!

Okay, first of all, Chick-fil-A is a Christian company which means that they operate according to Christian values whether it is in business or giving. Secondly, they have the right to give to whoever they feel like giving the money to, right? But as it does not fit the criteria of ThinkProgress, then it’s wrong?

That logic is flawed, nitpicking at best. They are complaining about Christians being Christian, where’s the sense in that? It is no secret that we believe that homosexuality is wrong, that same-sex marriage is wrong, and that sexual purity is essential for all Christians.

I do not see it as discrimination, but obedience to GOD’S Word, but of course, people will twist, harp on, demonise, and fight everything to do with the Almighty because they believe the lies of the devil.

I give Chick-fil-A a high five for sticking to Christian values, even amid much opposition from the media. So many people have crumbled under the pressure to conform, but they seem to be doing all right for themselves. Plus, I hear that their food is delicious, so a Chick-fil-A experience is definitely on my bucket list!

March 24, 2019March 24, 2019

Am I A True Christian?

None of us can run away from doubt, it is always hot on our heels. There is good doubt, the type that keeps you out of trouble, and there is bad doubt, the one that puts you in trouble. The problem is, we tend to get our wires crossed when it comes to our faith.

The question ‘am I a true Christian?’ is one that is often asked by many of us at some point in our lives, but it is the wrong question to ask. This question tends to have a mindset of doing, and not believing. Often, people will start to list the things that make them a good Christian (been there, done that!) such as giving to the poor, observing certain holidays, going to church, being a kind person, showing love, and the list goes on. While those activities and qualities are present in the Christian life, they are not the things that you should measure yourself by because you will always find someone better than you. Comparing yourself to this person will make you doubt ‘how Christian’ you really are.

I had a habit of doing this, measuring myself against other Christians and seeing how I stacked up. It drove me crazy, I tell you. I would find myself listening to different sermons on how to grow spiritually, how to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice, how to be more discerning, how to pray, etc. while trying to listen out for any false messages by the Christians speaking on this teaching. I wanted to be the best Christian that I could be, and so I believed that if I read my Bible religiously every day, or prayed for a certain amount of time a day, then I would be okay. Or if I jotted down in my journal everything that I could possibly think of that may mean something whether it was a dream that I had or something that I noticed around me… It all just became overwhelming because I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I started to doubt that I was even Christian because I was not as good as the others that I was comparing myself to. There was always someone who was more giving, or kinder, or who was more discerning or was more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. In short, I tortured myself with these thoughts, thinking that if I did not get that aspect of my Christian walk ‘right’, then I was not good enough.

Although I did not admit it to myself at the time, I knew that I was doing it to be accepted by GOD. Crazy, isn’t it? Even though I knew that I had asked Jesus to become the LORD of my life, and was washed clean by the blood of the Lamb, I was still trying to earn His approval because I did not think that I was good enough. The bottom line is that I did not understand just what it meant to be redeemed by Him, to be purchased, to be His. In our own futile thinking, we look at our relationship with GOD as though it is conditional: as long as I do this, I am good with GOD. What nonsense. The truth is that GOD does not need a bunch of ‘good’ Christians, He needs obedient and humble Christians who are prepared to do His work.

There is also that mindset that if we do something, then we will get something from GOD. Therefore, our relationship with GOD becomes more about getting something out of Him, and not genuinely appreciating Him. Our GOD is a rewarder, He gives abundantly, but when we look at His hand and not seek His face, we are heading for troublesville .

I believe that the question we should ask ourselves is how committed are we to Christ. When we know our level of commitment, then doubt becomes void because you know where you stand. If you’re a once-a-week type of Christian, then you know that you’re not right with GOD. If you only call on Him when you’re in need, then you’re the ‘user’ type of Christian. If you talk-the-talk but do not walk-the-walk, then you’re a hypocrite. If you have one foot in the Body of Christ and one foot in the world, then you’re a lukewarm Christian who is in danger of being locked out of heaven.

We doubt because we do not understand what GOD requires of us. We base our relationship with Him on the human model which is flawed. Humans love, but we struggle to love unconditionally especially when people have done us wrong. GOD loved the world so much that He gave us His Son while we were still sinners. He made way for us to come to Him, He did not put stumbling blocks in front of us or give us a bunch of rules before we could be saved. He said that whoever believes His Son and confesses Him will be saved- that was it. After that comes our level of commitment to Him.

The Bible says the he who stands firm to the end will be saved, not the one who believed, confessed, and then went back to living in the world. He told us to come out of the world, to separate ourselves. So I leave you with this: if you have doubt about how Christian you are, check your level of commitment.