User or Abuser?

Dictionary.com references "Freedom of Speech" as "any filtration. Now, everyone thinks that they should add their two cents' worth just for the sake of the "right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc."

This right is a blessing and also a right that has been perverted so that it has become a en excuse to say anything that passes through one's mind without further thought. I mean, since you can, why not, right?

Wrong. Not every thought that passes through our heads is necessarily good "fodder" and we should definitely still consider the consequences of our words. Unfortunately, the right doesn't come with a disclaimer that warns us that what we say will have a lasting and potentially harmful effect. We have become cavalier with our words in general.

Have a look at what King David says in Psalm 12:2-4
² Everyone lies to his neighbor;
their flattering lips speak with deception.

³ May the LORD cut off all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue

⁴ that says, "We will triumph with our tongues;
we own our lips —who is our master?"

What could possibly cause us to do such things as lie to our neighbors? Let's take a look at what Jesus said in Luke 6:45: "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

Clearly we are dealing with a heart issue here. We live in a time where so many say, "follow your heart" but this is what God says about our hearts: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).

Perhaps following our hearts is not always the best option. Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:8 to think about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable" and also to think about anything excellent or praiseworthy.

Don't just blindly follow and speak whatever comes through your mind. Think about some excellent things and let your words count!

Here & Now vs. Then & There

Don't you just love how King David says in Psalm 10:5 about the wicked, "His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies."?

Nobody should say, "crime doesn't pay", because clearly it does. It's not that evil ruins your life but it does cripple your afterlife. We need to get our facts straight if we are going to minister effectively to this generation. It does pay to be bad. People can have great lives materialistically speaking and never have the "void".

It is a moral issue at stake. This is not about now but about the afterlife when you can't take your wealth and connections with you. We must stop trying to win people over with clever tricks about trying to make their lives better and find a way to make the afterlife relevant to them. It must become real and inevitable. Not a matter of belief but a truth. I think we are harvesting with blunt hoes at the moment. Let's sharpen them with the Word of God and the Spirit of Truth.

Will the real ekklesia please stand up?

Psalm 9 is pretty awesome. It deals mainly with divine retribution - the pros of serving God versus the cons of not serving Him.

Yet, this kind of Psalm makes me a little nervous. We so easily call for God's judgment to fall and for Him to right the wrongs without considering the fact that He never does a half job. Surely, we should question ourselves on this holiness measure. Am I truly who I profess to be? Otherwise, I will find myself on the other side of that prayer as one of the instigators - soon to be smote.

I think we should be careful with these kinds of prayers because when God does something He does it right and all the way. There is no going back after He has done something - just look at Sodom and Gomorrah!

See, I believe Jesus left us here as His ekklesia. This term doesn't mean church as we have erroneously believed for so long, but refers to a "City Council" first used in Athens in Ancient Greece. It referred to a council made up by the male citizens over the age of eighteen that had almost unlimited power and was the forerunner of a democracy. It wielded its power by the nomination, voting and electing magistrates; directing legislation, formulating strategies and electing officials for war thus directing the war and peace of the city. Once the Roman Empire rose and succeeded the Greeks they adopted this term into Latin.

Once the Romans lay siege to a town or a city they would set up these kinds of councils to rule in their absence with the laws they as the Romans imposed. There was to be feedback to the Romans as well.

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says to Peter and the rest of the disciples, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The original word for church there is actually from the Greek meaning ekklesia. When Jesus used this term with the disciples I believe He shocked the them by likening them to this oppressive structure that was in place by there captors.

It is beautiful, actually, because when you think about it we as the Body of Christ, have been given the authority to act on Jesus' behalf - to rule in His absence using His laws (the Word of God). He gave us His name to use which can be likened to having the king's signet ring (read the book of Esther). By having the king's signet ring you could make or break any law or decree because it is as though the king himself signed it. For all intents and purposes, the king really did sign it himself. Once it is "signed" who would know whether the ring was on the king's finger at the time or on some other?

So, by having the ring or name of Jesus we have the authority to do what He did and to act as Him in this earth. I don't think we grasp the magnitude of this principle.

Before we go and beg God to set things right we must first accomplish the task we were left here to do: seek and save all that is lost. We must go to the wicked and do what it takes to spare them from eternal damnation. I'm emphasizing "eternal" because I truly want us to understand that these people still have a chance to change before God's appointed time.

We are their second chance. We have the "get out of jail free" cards to hand out. We are the ekklesia for crying out loud! If we don't help these people to turn around (repent) they will be lost forever (eternal). There is no going back from that.

We can't just be selfish and start hitting the "S.O.S." button because the world is so bad and we can't stand to be tainted by it any longer. It's like sleeping in a cardboard box on the side of the road when you have a house to live in.

The keys are already in our hands. Jesus said that what we declare loosed on earth will be loosed in Heaven and what we bind on earth will be bound in Heaven. That's power you can't buy. Many have tried, but it is not for monetary exchange. The price is faith - faith in Jesus as the Son of God and God Himself.

The fate of Creation itself is in our hands. We must restore things to righteousness using our power and authority before God comes in and wipes out all unrighteousness. If we squander what Jesus gave to us and didn't obey His order to seek and save all that is lost, and to preach the gospel to everyone and everything, will we still be considered righteous? Just some food for thought.

Care to spare some change?

So many times I wonder how much of what was written in the Holy Scriptures has been lost in translation. How many inferences do we miss simply because we are not familiar with the traditions and culture of God's chosen nation? Our society and lifestyle is so different today that I fear we fail to grasp even the most basic of inferences and parallels. The real question is: how much does this handicap our faith and our walk with God?

Then again, I'm from South Africa where I speak two languages. Each language is unique to our country as we have added and changed many words according to cultural influences. Even the way we speak English sounds different to the rest of the world.

I currently live in a country where they speak only one of the languages I speak (English) and have a different culture altogether. So, I have had to cut out a lot of what was part of my make-up in South Africa in order to include those around me in my conversation.

Now, if I can make this basic adaptation, wouldn't god be able to communicate awesome things to us in out own language? Not that we should attempt to learn the Jewish customs and traditions because it will only serve to bring us even closer to God.

But the bottom line is that we mustn't assume that God will cut us off because we don't have the advantage. Instead, we should embrace the fact that He is mindful of us (Psalm 8:4). He loves us with a sacrificial love which I believe trumps all others.

If you aren't willing to die for someone you don't truly love them with Christ's love. I think about this fact quite often. I'd like to believe that I would and could be that selfless, but in all honesty, I'm not sure that I would be able to make that sacrifice.

This is not where it ends, though, because realizing that you have a love cap, or perversion of what God intended it for, should only be the beginning of change.

A good way to test your selflessness would be to see how freely you could give of your money to others. If you can't even spare some change for someone else chances are you won't be willing to lay your life down either. Sad, but true.

A New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 in the original text, and reflected in the King James Version, states that "the new is come" (emphasis mine). This means that it is an ongoing process and not an instantaneous action.

This makes sense because none of us are perfect Christians right after the prayer of salvation and the decision to change. It takes days, months, and even years to achieve the image and likeness of Christ.

Therefore, we should not be discouraged but rater ENCOURAGED by knowing that it is not over but just beginning. Every day is a new day and a chance to begin it right.

Lazy Christianity

I'm a little peeved with myself today. I willingly, knowingly and remorselessly opened a very shut door last night. I reasoned my way into doing it. It worked for what I wanted to accomplish, but it was wrong. And, even now I'm not feeling too guilty. And, yet, I still know it was wrong. Why do I not feel real remorse? Why do I mess with the cross - why do I willingly push God to see how far I can go? I should be so far past all this - is my mind too much in control? There was a problem; I picked the wrong solution. It felt good. See, a prayer and faith would have been a lot more work and effort. And, of course, waiting. My solution was wrong but quick. I guess that qualifies for lazy Christianity.

However, I feel I'm touching on a very important issue here. Sin is usually more attractive because it is easier and the results come quicker. God's way usually requires waiting, faith, hoping, praying, believing and much more effort. Sadly, frequently the results of sin lead to devastating consequences. Many times people get by scot free. With God's way there is a highly likely consequence of success and long-lasting peace and joy. Not always, though. Sometimes even those that "do good" suffer from the fallen world we live in.

How do we convince people to do what is right when what is wrong is so much more attractive? The answer should be that we must warn them about eternity and where they will end up if they don't "put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).

And, yet, let's try explaining eternity so that it becomes relevant to these people. Eternity is scarcely relevant to Christians! If we struggle to think beyond these moments with the Holy Spirit in us, how much less can we expect people of the world that we are trying to convert to live with not just the future but eternity in mind?

We need to get our acts together. We must become kingdom- and eternity-minded right now and start making the right choices if we are going to be the examples that others are the follow. Remember, it's not what you say but what you do that defines you.

Slow to Anger

Psalm 145:8 "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love."

The problem with "slow to anger" is that you cannot read the "mood barometer" of the person who is "slow to anger". People that are slow to anger take irritation, and take it, and take it. Then, *WHAM*, they burst and leave you in shock and awe because there really wasn't much warning of their growing anger.

In Psalm 2:12 it says,
"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

So, "... for his wrath can flare up in a moment" tells us that Jesus is slow to anger and thus we should actually be careful and not rash. We assume "slow to anger" means we can be extra careless sand it will be okay. Actually, this should warn us to be on our guard for our behavior because we don't really know in what moment His wrath can flare up. Take care!

Heed the warnings!

Psalm 1 is very much like a hurricane warning on the Gulf of Mexico. When a storm is approaching, you have to make preparations. At first they only speculate as to the trajectory because the storm decides where it will hit, but the closer it gets the more certain they become as to the targeted area. At that point it is wise not to be where the storms are.

For instance, it is practically suicidal to stay on a barrier island during a hurricane. It is like sleeping on a castle wall during an attack or siege.

So, when the hurricane is fast approaching they usually give evacuation routes, etc. Psalm 1 is like that hurricane warning in that it lets you know that if you stay a certain course you will be in the line of fire. Kind of like being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Wrong Course:
* Walk in the counsel of the wicked
* Stand in the way of sinners
* Sit in the seat of mockers

Right Course:
* Walk in the counsel of the righteous
* Delight is in the law of the Lord
* Meditate on his law day and night

The results of each course is as follows:

Wrong Course:
* Will be like chaff blown by the wind
* Will not stand in the judgment or in the assembly of the righeous
* Ultimate result: eternal death

Right Course:
* Is like a tree planted by a stream of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither
* All ventures prosper
* The Lord will watch over

It's quite clear that to stay the wicked course will only lead to eternal damnation. A cliche, but true nonetheless. We must heed the warning and begin to delight in the law of the Lord so that it may go well with us.

Clever Evangelism

When we read Acts 26 we come across Paul in prison awaiting a trail with Caesar. He is with the Governor of the region and was currently being visited by King Agrippa and his wife Berenice who also happened to be a Jewess. Being married to a Jewess, King Agrippa was aware of the customs and beliefs of the Jews. Festus asked King Agrippa to sit in on a hearing with Paul, the prisoner, to give his opinion as to guilt or innocence.

Paul seemed to know about King Agrippa and immediately played on his knowledge of the Jewish customs and also shared his testimony with the king. The king was not immediately receptive but upon walking away he declares to Festus that he doesn't see any reason for Paul being imprisoned. Clearly Paul had touched some nerve. Festus replies by saying that were it not for Paul's insistence to have "an interview" with Caesar he could have been set free.

I must admit that this left me a little confused as to Paul's motive. He could have been free to travel and continue his ministry but he was persistent about seeing Caesar. It stumped me until I realized that Paul was being quite clever.

In order to change a nation you can start at the bottom with the people but that will take a lot more work and a lot of petitioning. If you had a limited amount of time, would you take the long or the shorter more effective road? I guarantee that you would take the more effective and efficient road. Paul knew that by targeting the head of the nation he would be able to influence the lawmaker who could easily turn his nation to God.

We can see this example with the crucifixion of Jesus. It wasn't necessarily the people that crucified him but the leaders of the people who pushed for his death.

Unbelievable! Being in prison was more effective for his ministry than being free.

Resign from the driver's seat

It's pretty amazing to me how Paul is now quite fearless simply because he already knew the outcome of pouring himself into his ministry. He know that he would eventually have to lose his life but he understood that to gain your life you had to lose it (Matthew 16:25). To me that means you must be willing to surrender your life and all control over your life. It means to no longer lay claim to your life. And when this happens, you lose that fear of man that creates "noise" in your head about whether or not they like you or whether or not they'll kill you. You are essentially free from those distractions and can thus focus on the real matter at hand: seeking and saving all that is lost (Luke 19:10) and preaching the gospel unto all corners of the earth (Mark 16:15).

Paul had resigned himself to the fact that he would die. He made peace with it. And, I believe, he went everywhere with his guns blazing because he knew his time was limited. He didn't have the luxury of time to coddle the people and win their trust. He had to whip out his sword (the Word of God) and slay all in his path. No one would be spared. Heads would roll but no one would be left behind. No one that came into contact with Paul could claim they had never heard of Jesus because he would have told them and likely converted them. Paul knew he had to sow every step of the way and let that seed fall where it may because someone had to do it. He just knew that he was a race against time - racing for that crown of glory - and he wasn't going to stand before God empty handed; a squanderer of all the that God gave him (1 Corinthians 9:25-27).

How many of us, given the choice of life or death with death most likely resulting from ministry, would still decide to go on? How many of us love our lives too much, thus being blinded to what eternal life really is? We still live in too much fear. We must begin to walk in conquering faith. Radical faith. Empirical faith. Ridiculous faith that astonishes others. In fact, if the people aren't scoffing and laughing at your level of faith it's not big enough.

Dare to believe and trust in a God that is good all the time and whose mercies are renewed each day. A God who seeks you and doesn't wait for you to come around but who steadily pursues you. He loves you that much!

Preparation and Dedication

God is faithful to the very end. It may seem as though sometimes you had it wrong or perhaps He wasn't really referring to you or the scriptures aren't coming true as you had hoped. But, no, in the end you will see that God is faithful. Things will never happen just for the sake of happening; nor will they happen the way you think they will or should but when God is involved it is merely a matter of time. You must decide to be patient, to control your emotions and wait on God.

Paul really mastered this. He knew that God is, was and always will be faithful. So, in Acts 21 he finds out that Jews will bind his hands and feet and hand him over to the Gentiles and still stayed the course.

Luke and the rest pleaded with him not to go. I can't be too hard on them because if I found out a loved one was going to die on their current course I would beg them to change paths. I suppose it is like a fireman. They know their jobs entail a great amount of danger and that one day in the process of saving lives they may lose their own. Should that fireman marry I am sure that his wife will frequently fear for the life of her fireman husband. That wife may even frequently beg him to leave his profession. Most likely, the fireman will be like Paul who says, "This is my calling. I'm staying the course, because I won't sleep at night knowing that people are dying and I am living. I can save them and I will. I have what it takes and I'm trained and willing. I can't sit idly by and let them die."

Now that is the physical representation of life and death and saving people. Paul was called to save spiritual lives but his death would also be physical. Paul knew that he had to do it because if he quit that path he would never have been able to forgive himself. He reckoned if Christ could die for him while knowing that he, Saul, would kill the beloved disciples, apostles and followers then Paul owed it to Jesus to continue Jesus' work. He understood grace!

We see after Paul's response that Luke and the others realized that Paul was resolute and no argument would dissuade him. So, all they were left to do was support him.

It happened just like the Holy Spirit said it would. Paul was not surprised, but prepared. Prepare yourself for what is to come.

Faithful Chroniclers

I find myself enamored by the faithful chronicler, Dr. Luke, the Physician who wrote Luke and Acts. He is never really spoken of but you can pick things up about him through his writings. I can tell that he was a faithful attendant of the Holy Spirit because he noticed that great things were going to happen wherever this Paul-guy was going. He could see that God was operating through him and stuck by his side. Clearly, if Paul was in trouble of persecution Luke would be along with him in the line of fire. That's because Luke knew that the book of Acts was to be one of the most important books for the Body of Christ. This is how Christ left His Bride and what she had at her disposal and how she operated. It is a staff by which we should measure ourselves. We most likely will fall short.

In Acts 20 Paul raises someone from the dead as if he was waking someone from their sleep or slumber. I can't say I've been around that or even done that. Without the book of Acts we wouldn't know what we as a Body are capable of. Luke knew that for some reason because he sticks to Paul and writes. His hands must have ached and his ink well run dry several times and I'm sure his oil lamp burnt out several times as he relived each moment through his pen. He didn't have coffee or computers or even pens, whiteout or pencils but he dedicated his life to making sure that these stories and events weren't forgotten.

In Acts 20 verse 6 we read "But we" (emphasis mine). All the proteges were sent off to the next location but Luke stayed with Paul hence "we". This indicates that he was pretty much always where Paul was. In the beginning of Acts we don't read about Barnabas after he splits from Paul but we read about Paul's ministry and that is because Luke stuck with Paul.

What if we didn't have the book of Acts? What if Luke stuck back with some dude that wasn't bad but his crowning glory in his ministry was being a good orator? Not that it is bad to be a good orator, but we can be SO much more. Jesus said that we could do all that He did and more. He raised more than one from the dead, healed and converted many. He also drove demons out without holy water but simply with a word! We aren't fulfilling our duties as His Bride if we aren't functioning on this high level.

Thankfully Luke didn't pick the comfortable Christian to write about. He picked the controversial ex-Christian Persecutor, ex-Pharisee and ex-Hypocrite. Now, if a man with that past can do all that he did in the book of Acts and still be humble, why can't I? How many times have I gotten in my own way as the Holy Spirit has tried to move me?

Funny enough, the book of Acts is one of the most controversial books in the Bible for churches who are uncomfortable with the Holy Spirit. They love God and talk of Jesus often, but unfortunately they haven't moved past His death. See, if they truly realized what happened at that resurrection and after that they would be walking examples of the book of Acts.

I'm sure Jesus envisioned His Body 2000 years to be even greater that the book of Acts. Or, maybe He knew we were mules and that is why it is there - to remind us of His orders. His "To Do List" while He is "out of town". We haven't been very good wives, have we? It is time to whip out that "To Do List" and start working

Lessons from the Greats

The Apostle Paul is so inspiring in his evangelism! He doesn't sit still. He speaks and reasons like an excellent public speaker would but then he walks away. He doesn't hang around and beg and plead with the audience. He understands the parable of the sower and the seed.

We are not responsible for the condition of the soil as much as we are responsible for sowing. God will water through the Holy Spirit and once the harvest is ripe another will come and reap. Or, sometimes we will do that too. Once that harvest has come it is discipled by probably yet another.

Our callings

We are called created for a purpose. None of us are spare parts for a spare life. We all mean something and were created with plan in mind. God was not just trying to fill His time with something meaningless. And, nothing is coincidental. All you have to do is read Psalm 139 and you will understand. In fact, click here to read it in the NIV from Bible Gateway.

I also adhere to the thinking that we are not all called to be missionaries or preachers or even to plant churches. Some people are gifted at making money and can contribute richly to the advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth but that talent would be wasted in a church trying to be a preacher. Or, say for instance you have a gift of acting, that talent would be better served making richly entertaining movies that reflect God's heart. Something that can give current Hollywood movies a run for their money. We can see this through movies like Fireproof and The Passion of the Christ.

My calling is most certainly to write. I love expressing myself in words. I love how the choice of words can give and add meaning to sentences. I don't think that I was called to be a missionary.

So, as I read chapter ten of the book of Acts I walked away with the following lesson: when God calls you to your sphere of influence you must be immediately obedient. He obviously opened a door for you and that won't stay open forever.

I have also begun to realize (which reading Chapter ten confirmed to me) that once you begin to influence in your spheres people will mistakenly think that you are great but you must remember that it was all possible because of God with whom all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). The key to advancing in our spheres is true humility.

True Repentance

Christians have made so much of repentance about what we say in the form of a prayer - a mere apology for our erroneous ways. As if sorry were truly enough. If someone committed a heinous crime against me and simply proffered a sorry my way I'm not sure I would be satisfied. How many times have we heard someone say: "Don't be sorry; don't do it again!" Why would it be any different with God?

I believe the Apostle Paul is a perfect example of this. When he was Saul he was hell-bent on destroying all that referred to Jesus Christ. He cold-bloodily pursued Jesus' disciples and went out of his way to wipe out the testimony of Jesus.

That was until he came face-to-face with Jesus Himself. The experience did not just leave Saul sorry. It left him a changed man. In fact, I believe he personified the verse in 2 Corinthians 5: 17 that says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Saul didn't just say, "I'm sorry" and go on his way doing the same old thing. No! He decided to become new. He changed his name, his motivation, his modus operandi and most of all his mind. He decided to turn 180° the opposite direction.

I don't believe we as Christians will truly understand repentance if we don't understand what the Apostle Paul did. Saying sorry is just not enough. Besides, just as James says in Chapter 2 verse 20, "...faith without works is dead", I now say that saying your sorry without changing your actions is worthless.

2010 New Decade; New Rules

Whoever coined the phrase "Time flies while you're having fun" was only partly right. I think the phrase should really read: "Time flies, period." In the words of Freddie Mercury, "Time waits for nobody".

So, we must do the best we can with every moment and never stop dreaming. At least, that is my motto for this decade. Our Pastor at church said that what we do this year will determine the next ten years of our lives. I don't know about you, but I don't want life to look the same ten years from now.

Someone asked me about my dreams and proceeded to tell me why they couldn't happen. I think that is one thing that is wrong with this world. We have lost our ability to believe the impossible, dream the impossible and live the impossible. Lewis Carroll had a very firm grip on this sad reality. In the little dialogue below that he penned in Alice in Wonderland he gives us the clue.

"Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." (emphasis, my own).

Instead of making New Year's Resolutions this year, I decided to dream of more impossible futures than I had anticipated for myself. It's amazing what you can achieve when you let determination become your compass. And, of course, having people around you that encourage and lift you up is just as invaluable. Besides, without the persistent prodding of those close to me to publish my book I would never have done the research and found that achieving that "impossible" task was a lot easier than I imagined.

I encourage you to ask yourself, "Where do I see myself in ten years?" and then take at least one day of each week to assess your dreams and to see if you can find little footprints that might lead you in the direction of making them a reality. It might only be a few footsteps at a time, but a forest can only begin by planting a tree. Do everything with your future in mind.

Now, some of you might ask me where God features in all this. I believe that when you live a life of intimacy with God you will seek ways to bring glory to Him through your life. I also believe that He created each of us for a very specific purpose. What I have found is that when I live in harmony with Him His will has become my will. I also begin to identify the talents and strengths in my life and I seek to develop those that I can use them in the world to bring Him glory through my life.

Beyond the "Publish Now" Button

It has been anything but dull in the last few months since I last wrote. In December my husband and I traveled to South Africa for a Christmas vacation with my family and the proverbial "fun in the sun".

In January of this year my husband and I became very active in the promotion and sale of my book. I mentioned before that my book would soon be available through Amazon as well and I am proud to announce that my book IS now available through Amazon at this link.

My husband has also been very actively promoting my accomplishment and product at his place of work and the orders have been almost flowing steadily. Word-of-Mouth is not dead!

I decided to buy ten or fifteen books at a time and then sell them as I get orders; however, the way it has been going I can hardly keep any in stock. I have already created a tab in my spreadsheet called "reservations" just so I can keep track! I have even sent copies across the Atlantic to some friends in South Africa.

The business in the grand scheme of things might be minuscule at the moment, but every small step counts. After all, the forest had to begin with a few trees. The point is that my book is out there now. People are reading it and deciding for themselves what they think about it. Will you be next?