The power of "I AM"

 

We all know that we need to watch what we say. We have heard all the "positive talk" gurus mumble on and on about the power of our words, but when you stub your toe, there just isn't any positive words that comes to mind. 

Or when you check your bank account and you don't know how you are going to make it to the end of the month. 

Or when you fall sick and the only medicine in the cupboard is a couple of panados and a single corenza c that't been in the cupboard since you started renting... 

Or when you get that letter that your company thinks they are no longer financially viable and you are notified of pending retrenchments. 

And we've all heard that you should talk nicer to yourself. If you aren't going to tell your best friend she is the worst, fattest and ugliest person on the planet, why are telling that to yourself? But when everything falls apart, it's hard to not look in the mirror and blame the one staring back at you. It's hard not to think she is ugly and fat when your boyfriend dumps you for the blonde, size 6, 34DD with perfect bouncy hair.

You will always ALWAYS find a reason to revert to saying bad things - whether it is swearing, talking bad about others, or talking bad about and to yourself. 

Thing is, those "positive talk" gurus are on to something. But it's not just about talking positive, or saying the opposite of the negative things. That's not going to do anything. Nothing's going to change when you stand in front of the mirror and you say; "I am NOT fat." You're still using the word "fat", so that's still what you hear. But nothing is going to change when you stand in the mirror and lie, either: "You're thin." Your mind can be manipulated, but it's not stupid. Just saying that while looking at the rolls around your tummy, is not going to make anything change. 

What will, is when you understand what you are actually saying. And what you should be saying. 

Those sentences all start with the 2 of the most powerful words in the world: I AM. 

Did you know that God said that was His name?

When God met Moses on the mountain in the burning bush to send him on the quest to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Moses asked God who should he say has sent him.

And God answered:

Ex 3:14 - And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

God told Moses His name is "I AM".

Jesus said it again:

John 8:58 - Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Now you need to go and read Ex 20:7 again. Yes, that is the verse that says that we should not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 

We always think it is just Jesus, or Jesus Christ. But I want you to consider that God said to Moses, His name is "I AM".

I said a little earlier that you mind can be manipulated. It was proven that your brain cannot differentiate between reality and story. When you watch a movie and you are scared, you are scared because your mind thinks you are really in danger. So you heart beats faster, you sweat, your breathing speeds up. Your body is releasing adrenaline, preparing you to act in the face of danger. 

But you are not in any danger. Your brain just can't tell the difference. 

So when you speak the words: I AM, your brain hears it and accepts it as truth. And will start making physical changes to match the words you have spoken. 

You don't have to lie - I AM thin when you are not, is not going to work. But, you can repeat the truths about you as written in the Bible with the utmost confidence. 

"I AM fearfully and wonderfully made."

"I AM God's creation and I AM good."

"I AM loved by God."

"I AM strong."

"I AM a temple of the Holy Ghost."

So next time you look at your bank account, and you find yourself starting to mouth the words; "I AM broke", stop yourself. What you speak over yourself will manifest. Perhaps try "I AM provided for." or "I AM rich in Christ". 

When you feel that sniffle or hear that cough, instead of saying, "I AM sick", try "I AM healed by Jesus, I am healthy and whole." You are not sick, you are a healthy person with a cough, or a sniffle. 

The changes will not happen overnight. You did not become negative overnight, you can't expect to become happy and healthy and whole overnight. But watching what you say, will pay off. And probably sooner than you think. 

"I AM" is a sacred phrase. Be careful how you use it. 

Sunday, 16 February 2025

I haven't written in a while, but not because I didn't have anything to say. 

Maybe I wanted to finish the studies first, before talking about it. But my time is so limited, I am not getting to my studies. And I am not happy about that. It is something that I will have to work on. 

Sometime last year, my morning devotional talked about that the mind should be like a hard stone, like a diamond. And your heart should be soft. The verse about the mind like a stone is from Ezekiel 3:8-10:

8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

Taken back to the Hebrew, adamant is a stone that was, or was very much like, a diamond. 

I did a whole study on diamonds and so many things started to change in my mind. A diamond is made of only 1 substance: carbon. Your mind, my mind, should be singular - fixed on God. James 1:8 talks about a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. And in ch 4:8 he says: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

When your thoughts are split, you fall. Jesus said in Matt 12:25 - And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

When your thoughts are divided, your loyalties are divided, your faith cannot stand. We all know that our mind is the battleground, Rom 12:2 admonishing us to renew our minds: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Fix your thoughts, fix your life. 

But what do you change your thoughts to? What should you be thinking, if what you have been thinking was wrong? Or were you on the right path? 

Soon after this, I started exploring various ideas I was previously averse to. I was scared for wrong, but I decided that I will need to broaden my perspective and I will ask God to protect me and help me to see right from wrong. 

I listened to youtube videos, read books on youtube (I don't have time to physically sit and read a book, so I listen to books on my way to work). An acquintance of mine offered one of her mind-changing courses for free, and I accepted. So many things started to open up and happen - it came to me, once I started searching.

I started my affirmations again. 

And, I decided what I want. 

It's been a hard road of discipline, and I get tired. Then I stop, and have to just start up again. I've worked on my habits, and the studies of the mind have not stopped. And new ideas and revelations are coming to light. 

There are 2 that stands out: 1. What is God's name? and 2. The power of creation. I will do full studies on these and put it up on the blog in due time. But just a quick thought about it...

When God called Moses, Moses asked Him who should he say sent him. And God answered... I AM. 

Please tell me, in your daily life, what words follow those two when it leaves your mouth? Is it positive or negative? You are ... what? And if it is the same name that God called Himself by, and you were made in His image, don't you think that perhaps using the words "I AM" in vain, is also sin?

Yes, I know how it sounds and that it is an extreme viewpoint. But just think about it for a minute. There's a lot more to it, too. But that will be part of the study. 

As for the power of creation... We are creators. God made us in His image and He is the OG Creator. We are because He created us. And we want to make stuff, because we are creators, like Him. But how are we creating? Do you know how to create? Gen 1 was God's imagination and Gen 2 the physical manifestation of that imagining. Sound too wild? Read it again. God spoke... and stuff happened. 

We are created in His image, and therefor we have the power of creation. Yes, it is painting, or building, or cooking or singing... but mostly, it is our thoughts and our words. Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. 

It's always fascinated me that death is mentioned first. Usually quoted, people put life first, but the Bible put death first. Maybe so we can hear it first and therefor here the warning better. 

Your imagination has the power to create, and your words will speak it into life. 

Again, maybe an extreme concept, but we will explore it more in the study. 

Extreme or not, I believe it to be true. And all the perverted uses of it around me, tells me I'm right. The devil can only imitate, he cannot create. So whatever is out there that is perverse, must have a pure origin. And there are thousands of theories and concepts out there about the mind that must focus, meditation, empty your mind, visualize your future... so if there is a perverse version of this, that focuses on your own power, and gives power to a universe, there must be a pure version. And in that version you also meditate... on God, and His word, like David says over and over in psalms... 9 times to be exact. In the pure version, we know that the power comes from God, that the concept of what you do will come back to you (world = karma), is a biblical concept. You don't empty your mind, because Jesus said in Matt 12:44-45 that a clean house will be filled with unholy spirits. You should be filled with the Holy Spirit - Eph 5:18.

My life has started to change. I changed. 

But it is hard, and I am tired. To get up and continue is a choice and to see your dream, but not reaching it, is demoralizing. But, I can see it. It is not out there somewhere anymore. I made a choice as to what I want, and I am working towards it. I believe it is a dream that God gave me, and why He can't just give it, I don't know. Guess I have to learn stuff on the way. Some days it is easier to accept than others, though. 

Some days, it feels like even my faith is failing me. And all that is left, is my mind. And I have to stand strong and make that choice to keep believing. To keep my thoughts like a diamond, pure and singularly focused on my dream and my goals. It is constant housekeeping, but that is how it is. Everything in life required maintenance. Nothing is made once-off and left alone. It has to be cleaned, and maintained in order to remain. When neglected and not used, it simply disintegrates. 

Whether it is your mind, your thoughts, your house, your clothes, your car, your hair, your relationships, your garden, your heart, your soul, your work... keep it clean. 

Keep your diamond clean. 

Dreams & Battles

 

I dream every night. 

When I don't dream, it's weird. And I always thought that everyone dreams every night. Only when I grew up and started talking about my dreams, did I learn that most people do not dream every night. That dreaming every night was quite unusual.

Psychologists and others in the medical field believe that everyone dreams every night, but that most people just don't know it, or rather, can't recall their dreams upon waking (1).

In the Bible, dreams plays quite a huge part. 

From the scriptures, it is clear that God uses dreams to talk to people. There's the famous ones we all know: Joseph, Jacob, Samuel, the wise men, Joseph (Jesus's earthly father). There's also some we forget, like Abimelech, Laban, Pilate's wife - see the link to a complete scripture reference below.

And it is also clear that the devil doesn't know what we dream. Nebuchadnezzar's wise men and advisors could not tell him what he dreamt, nor the meaning of it, because the devil didn't know and couldn't tell them. However, God knew and he told Daniel who then was able to tell him not only the meaning of his dreams, but what he dreamt in the first place. (Daniel 2)

The same with the wise men who came to visit Jesus after his birth. God told them not to return the same way as Herod wanted to kill them (Matthew 2). If the devil knew what they dreamt, he would've informed Herod and attacked them. But as the devil can't see what we dream, he didn't know, and the wise men escaped.

I believe the devil can interfere with our dreams, though, just like with our thoughts. But he doesn't know what you are dreaming, like he doesn't know your thoughts. 

That is why you can't rebuke the devil in your thoughts, you have to say it out loud. 

Which is why God can talk to us through dreams. However, knowing when it is a message from God, or just another silly dream, or the devil interfering - that is the difficult part. 

I know that God talks to me in dreams, or at least shows me stuff. Sometimes it is just to say that something is going to happen, but it will be ok. Other times, it is to tell me to shift my focus, to pay attention to something. 

My cell leaders from my old town taught me to pay more attention to the feelings that goes with the dream, than the dream itself. You can dream about dying, and feel quite excited. That may be more of an indication of a positive change that is coming, than actual death. However, dreaming about someone dying, and feeling quite distraught, might be a warning. 

I've had one of those second ones recently. 

And it was really, really bad. I don't even want to put it into words - I do not want to give power to the dream. I woke up and the sorrow overwhelmed me. I cried, and my husband woke up. He doesn't wake up, btw, so this must've been quite bad. Eventually I got up and went to the bathroom to pray. 

There's been prior spiritual attacks along the same lines about the same people, and this seemed like a clear warning of another one happening, or going to happen. So I prayed. 

But nothing seemed to convey what I was saying, as if my prayers were moot, useless. Which is strange, since what I was praying was historically and biblically correct. Giving everything to Jesus, sacrificing all for Him, choosing God above all else, is the best choice when you don't know what to do. But this time, it wasn't enough. 

Then I remembered a dream I had years before. Jesus was my advocate - although portrayed as a small, very nervous little man - and I was told to keep out of the courtroom, and to go play with my kids. He was my advocate and He will fight my battles for me. 

And I remembered the verse that says that the Holy Spirit will talk on my behalf when i don't have the words to say (Rom 8:26-27)

So I asked the Holy Spirit to pray what I don't know how to, and I asked Jesus to step in for me with the Father, to be my advocate and to plead my case in the heavenly courtroom, in front of the Father. 

I was still crying, my heart was physically in pain during this whole ordeal. If there was anything in my stomach, I would've thrown up, but I just retched a couple of times from grief. It was really intense, and although a spiritual battle, the grief and sorrow was very real, and very physical.

I don't know how long it was, but it wasn't very long. Maybe a minute or two? When I felt a break in the tense atmosphere, a calming deep in my heart, and like a hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner, and a soft voice saying, "They're ok".

For quite some time afterwards, I was still struggling. Getting out of that severe emotional and spiritual attack, took a while and I wasn't sure that what I heard and felt, was real. What if the devil was trying to throw me off course, telling me it is ok, when it wasn't? What if it is something I just want to believe, given the alternative?

Eventually I had to accept what I was told, and believe that Jesus told me they're ok, and that it was done. This battle was fought, and won, in the courtroom, by the Holy Spirit and my advocate, Jesus, in front of the Father. 

I have never heard of this, rather, I haven't heard of this being applied in this manner. We have boldness to enter before the throne, exactly because of Jesus (Heb 4:16). But that not working, or my petition not being granted, and actually asking Jesus to step in on my behalf? No, I did not. 

It's been a couple of days, and I am still baffled. Not quite sure what to make of this. Not even quite sure if I should publicize it. It is most certainly scriptural, as Jesus is our mediator between God and us (1 Tim 2:5) and advocate (1 John 2:1), and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. But it seems a little forward to ask Jesus to fight on our behalf, to ask the Father for things on our behalf. 

Yet, my dream of years earlier told me exactly that. 

And this experience was exactly that. 

So what do I do with this?

References:

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Dream scriptures: https://jesusalive.cc/dreams-visions-in-bible/

Are you in the right place?

 If you find yourself here, on this website, you were lead here.

The content on this website is meant for one thing, and one thing only: to glorify the Almighty God.

Most of the studies and devotionals on this site is for more mature believers. If you have only recently turned your life over to the Lord Jesus Christ, you might find some of the information shared here, hard to understand. Do not be alarmed by this, do not allow judgment to creep into your thoughts – pray and ask God to lead you into the truth He wants you to learn.

Our journey with God is individual and unique. Never compare your life with someone else’s. God certainly doesn’t. What He asks of you, is obedience to His call. Whether He asks you to mop floors or become the greatest evangelist the world has ever seen, in His eyes the only thing that really matters, is whether you obeyed.

He can use you, and most of the time we don’t even know how He does. When you are willing to heed His call, when you make yourself available to Him, He will use you. Whether you see how, or not, it doesn’t matter. It is not about you – it is about Him.

Peace with God

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:1

What an absolutely amazing verse!

We are justified by faith, and through Jesus we have peace with God. Peace with God.

I have fought with God, really big battles. I have felt very much at war with Him, even. And that is ok, by the way. Nothing wrong with fighting with God – He wants us to question everything, so He can come and reveal unto us His plans, His greatness and His might. But during those times, it is not His fault that I am at war with Him. It’s mine.

There are things that I question, that I am unhappy with, that I want to change.

But He is always there – waiting for me to come back to Him. He always sends answers. He always makes a way. And then I can be at peace again. Did He change? No. I did.

This little verse says that we have peace with God.

By faith, through Jesus Christ.

I don’t even know what more to say… This is such an huge concept for me, that I can’t even quite grasp it. Despite everything I have done, haven’t done, will do, good or bad, right or wrong… my faith justifies me through Jesus, and that means I have peace with God.

Not will get, when I do this or that.

I have it already.

Evil against my neighbours...

Zech 8:17 – And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.

Read that again. Let it sink in. Give your mind a chance to absorb the scope of these words…

How often do we speak ill off our neighbours? I mean, let’s face it, they are not the sharpest tool in any shed, am I right?! But this verse says that even IMAGINING evil in your heart against your neighbour, is something the Lord HATES.

We’ve been having trouble with our neighbours this year. Lots of troubles. I’ve imagined lots of things. I’ve said some things, too. This verse is a hard slap to the back of my head, a serious reprimand, a shofar call to stop, turn and listen… and change.

It’s not easy to not think bad things when people around you are being stupid, or mean, or selfish. Our first instinct is to protect ourselves, to stand our ground. It’s survival speaking – I need to fight for my place in this world!

Yet, that is not what Jesus taught. We do not have to fight for our right to be here – the right is ours already. We do not have to defend ourselves – Jesus has already bought the victory. With His blood. He told us to be the least. That does not make you a floormat, by the way, it just means that you don’t need to win every fight. You don’t even need to engage in every battle that comes your way.

There comes a million different issues across our paths every day that requires some sort of action, decision from you. A lot of them are people acting selfishly. When you drive on the road… yes, I am going there!… how many times do you lose your temper and shout obscenities to the reckless &#@$#%^$ ?? You know they can’t hear you, yet you still curse them. The co-worker who refuses to refill the coffee pot. The neighbour’s dog who always chooses your lawn for his toilet. Your spouse whose shoes are everywhere but in the cupboard.

The devil comes with thoughts of evil against these people who are threatening our peace. We don’t have to accept these thoughts, but given what these people are doing against us, we sometimes revel in the evil thoughts, and we start thinking it ourselves.We won’t say it – ’cause THAT would be wrong – we just think it. No harm done, right?

This verse says: WRONG!! You are not to even entertain thoughts of evil against those around you. God HATES it.

It’s not easy breaking the cycle of bad thoughts. Once you start thinking bad things against others, it grows and escalates and before you know it, that is all you think about. But you can change it. You can take your thoughts captive and bring them into obedience to Christ.

How, you ask?

Whenever you catch yourself thinking evil towards another, stop and start praying for them. Out loud, as far as possible. A very short, simple prayer, something like: “Father, please bless so-and-so, in the abundance of Your grace, according to Your will and for Your glory. Amen”. That’s it.

The thing is, you have to do it every.single.time. And that’s hard work. It’s hard work changing these thought patterns from evil to good, but it pays off. It can change your life, your relationships, your future.

You will notice after a while, that you don’t get these horrible thoughts anymore. The devil really doesn’t like you praying for anybody, and the more you pray for others, the less he gives you bad, evil thoughts about others.

With this simple prayer, you are acting in love, being obedient and sowing blessings all at the same time.

And you will reap peace and happiness in return.

Seeing nothing

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – Heb 11:1

We do not have any money to pay our rent or buy food or pay for electricity or put petrol in the car. This month, we have no money. Nothing. There is R19 and change in my bank account.

The harder I fight this battle against poverty, the worse it becomes.

My husband works, he goes out to clients and gives out quotes and does some jobs. He is constantly busy, but it is not generating money. I am studying to try a new career, in the hopes of getting a job. I am applying to jobs. My businesses have not borne any fruit. I help my husband with his business. I tend to the kids.

And I pray.

Yet, I am not seeing anything. It is dry outside, it is October and not a drop of rain have fallen in months. It is the latest that I have experienced with no rain. It is dry inside. It feels as if the dryness outside is mirroring the desert in me.

I want to stop believing. In fact, a big part of me is really doubting that anything I do is achieving anything. Doubting that God really exists. And if He does, that He will actually do anything for me.

But I am making a choice – I am overriding my doubts and feelings, and choosing to believe that He is real, that He is alive, and that He is fighting for me. I am choosing to serve Him and choosing to give my life to Him, even when it seems that He is allowing my life to disintegrate.

Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered king Nebuchadnezzar: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Dan 3:16-18, emphasis added).

So I am saying: I choose to believe He is alive, and that everything is His and that He is able to deliver me out of the hand of my enemies, out of poverty. And although I pray and ask for His deliverance, the choice to do so, is His. And I will serve Him whether or not He does.

Do you fear?

2 Tim 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.

What are you afraid of? What do you fear?

It is very normal to be afraid. Fear is a reaction to situations that exists to keep us alive. Fear of falling keeps you away from the cliffs edges, and makes you alert to watch your step. Fear of burning keeps you diligent around a fire. Fear of an accident keeps you alert while you drive.

Babies learn through fear. When a baby falls off a couch, it happens only once, maybe twice. They learn that it hurts to fall and they don’t want to get hurt again. Corporal punishment applied pain, and kids fear the pain, so they are more obedient.

So there’s a fear that keep you alive here on earth, a fear that is natural.

And there’s a fear that’s not. When you’re fear of spiders are debilitating, it is not the normal fear. When your daily activities are affected by your level of fear, it is not the normal physical reaction to a dangerous situation. Constant fear and high levels of anxiety, are not normal and does not come from God.

A fear that cripples you, is not from God. It is a spirit of the devil.

The Bible also says that we are to fear God only. Common belief and understanding is that this fear refers more to a deep reverence, not fear. I believe that it is a deep reverence yes, but also an actual fear. David wrote in Ps 2:11 – Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

I believe that we should fear God. A deep reverence, yes, but also real fear. But we should fear God, and God only. Nothing else. When you fear God, you need not be afraid of anything else. In Matt 10:28 Jesus admonishes: And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Godly fear does not leave you powerless and debilitated. God says that He gave us the spirit of power. The spirit of love. And the spirit of a sound mind.

How do you overcome the spirit of fear? Through God’s power (Phil 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.), through God’s love (1Cor 13) and with a sound mind.

A sound mind in the Greek is discipline and self-control. You don’t run off and think the wildest thoughts. You have control over your thinking, and you can discern between truth and lies. ANY exaggeration is a lie. And then you can apply your faith in prayer, use your logical brain with God-given thinking capabilities, and come up with a solution.

And sometimes that solution is just to wait.

Ps 27:14 – Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Lord, Lord

Matt 7:21 – Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

I grew up thinking and believing that this verse says that we can be shut out of heaven if we are not doing the will of God.

Of course, those that claim to be a child of God with their mouths, but have never accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, will not go to heaven.

But there are a lot of people who have accepted Jesus as their saviour, and they are not doing the will of God, either. Some of them have forgotten that they are Christians, and their lives are not a testimony to God. They will still go to heaven, because they have been saved. But what about what this verse says then?

I also know church-going folk who profess Jesus openly, who is not overly concerned with God’s will for their lives. They live their lives the way they want to, and God is a big part of their lives, but not exactly one with an opinion or authority. They do not question God’s will for their lives, neither have they ever asked for it. What about them?

The kingdom of heaven and heaven is not the same thing. Just like we are battling against a kingdom of darkness here on earth, the kingdom of heaven is also here. Jesus prayed: Let Your Kingdom come… God’s kingdom is in our hearts and in our minds. Just being saved and walking in kingdom, are two very different things.

Walking in kingdom is walking in God’s word, living it, breathing it. It’s not just a book you read from every day to keep your conscience quiet. It’s not “a verse a day to keep the devil away”… It’s a conviction and a choice. A surrender of your life to Him.

So while you may go to heaven, if your life isn’t His in totality, wholly surrendered, you will not walk here on earth in the fullness of Him, of His power, or even of His love. You will not live in His kingdom. Because you won’t be allowed to enter in.

How do you enter in?

By being obedient. By seeking His kingdom first. By searching for the narrow way. By asking, and knocking. By laying down your life, your wants, your needs, your desires, in exchange for the cross of Jesus. By dying to yourself, so you can find His life for you.

Keep your heart

Proverbs 4:23 – Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

It’s such a common phrase: “I gave my heart to him, I love him.” It’s such a common idea that when you love someone you give your heart to them.

This little verse says you should keep your heart and diligently, at that. You should not be giving your heart away. Except of course, to God, And even that only once you are in a relationship with Him. (We will do a study on this).

So what is so important about your heart that you should not give it away?

I actually don’t know and will have to study this.

What I can say, is this: keep your head and keep your heart. I think that if you give it away, you are giving control of your life away. You are giving away your soul. You should be in control of yourself at all times, which is why you shouldn’t get drunk. When you don’t have control, the devil has a door to enter.

When you give your heart away, you are giving someone else control over your life. You are opening a door for the devil, because you are not in control. Will the person to whom you are giving your heart, guard it as fiercely as you would? We would like to believe so, but the truth is, unfortunately, no.

Words are powerful, and whether or not you believe in the terms, there are certain terms used in the Bible to describe certain things and we should stick to those. Even if we say “I give you my heart” and mean “I love you with all my heart” , you are not saying what you mean, and what you are saying is something completely different to what you are meaning. The devil knows the difference.

From what I understand, you keep your heart. You don’t give it to anyone. God will take your old heart and give you a new one, with your permission of course. But you give Him permission to take your heart, you are not even giving it. Not from what the Bible describes. God will give you a new heart. And, then, you keep that one, too. You guard it, you protect it. You don’t give it to anyone.

But, like I said, this is something very new. A very different angle from what I grew up with. I will need to do a study on this.

GUARD YOUR HEART – KEEP YOUR HEART. Your life depends on it.

Anger and sin

Ephesians 4:26-27 – Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

We are taught from a very young age that anger is evil, you shouldn’t get angry, or be angry. Yet, of all the emotions, anger is the one God probably felt most often.

We are also taught that any emotion should be ignored, we should not live in our emotions, we should think and not feel. This is a half-truth. Your emotions shouldn’t rule you – you can be angry, but you shouldn’t sin because of it. Your emotions are God-given gauges of what is going on around you, within you.

But because emotions can be used by devil – most of the names of the demons are those of emotions! – we should be careful in how we deal with our emotions. Like with everything in God’s kingdom, balance is key. You cannot ignore you emotions flat-out and you cannot let them rule you either.

So how do we deal with emotions?

The steps below will help you to deal with your emotions. But, it is going to take time and effort. The more you do it, the easier it becomes and the quicker you find the answers. However, it is a life-long journey, as our emotions are very intricate and have histories and layers that formed since you were in your mother’s womb.

1. You need to recognize the emotion.
   • What are you feeling: hurt, anger, shame, resentment, etc.
2. You need to know what caused the feeling
   • What happened to make you feel this way? What words/events triggered this emotion
3. You need to understand why you are feeling what you are feeling
   • Why did his/her words make you feel humiliated? Why are you angry at the person cutting in front of you?
4. And then you keep asking “why?” until you find the root. How will you know when you find it? You’ll know. It is something that just clicks, a sudden peace in the storm, a quiet knowing. Sometimes you get to it quickly, other times, it takes months or years.
5. When you get to the root, you need to pray about it. Whether you need to forgive someone, or yourself, whether you need to repent of a sin, whatever the case may be – you need to pray about it and give it to God and act as He leads you.

These are hard questions and they require honesty. If you can’t be honest with yourself, there’s no point in doing this exercise. There will also be no victory over your emotions and they will govern you.

V27 says that we should not GIVE place to the devil. The devil does not – CAN NOT – take what you do not give him. It is a very scary thought. In the universe that God created with the free will being an integral part in it, the same rules apply to the devil that applies to God. If you have to choose God out of your free will and He, the Creator of the Universe, cannot force you into a decision, neither can the devil.

Whatever hold the devil has over you, you have given to him. And, by the blood of Jesus and the mercy of God, through true repentance, you can take it back.

When you do not understand your emotions and you allow your emotions to rule you, you are giving place to the devil. He will amplify your emotions to levels that will make you seem and feel crazy. That is not the purpose of emotions.

Once you understand your emotions and you are practiced in identifying them and their causes, your ability to deal with the world and all the curveballs it throws at you, improves dramatically. You don’t have to spin out at every thing that breaks or doesn’t work out. You don’t have to become so angry you can’t control your words or fists when someone says something to you that you don’t like. You don’t have to break down in desperate tears of intense humiliation every time someone points out a mistake you made.

Managing your emotions bring perspective.

And with God’s grace, a godly perspective brings peace.

For the Lord

1 Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

So what is the work of the Lord?

Being a pastor, evangelist, prophet, cell leader, prayer group leader? What about being a house cleaner, or a mom or a dad or a sister or a grandma or a CEO or a cyclist or a doctor? What job/profession would qualify as being the work of the Lord? And how do I know I am busy with it?

God created people with various talents and it shines through in the Bible. When God told Moses how to build the temple, He described it to Moses, but the finer details He said that the guys who are actually going to make it, will know. God will reveal that to them. Moses didn’t need to know that. In Gen 4:20-22 it is described that certain people had certain talents. God gives us all unique and useful talents.

Our “job” is to do what He wanted us to do, what He planned for us to do, what He created us to do. Whether that is to be the world greatest evangelist or to make pretty tea doilies for your family. He is not concerned about status or “success”, all He asks of us, is obedience.

Our current school and work system does not allow kids to find their passion. They are forced into this sausage maker of tow-the-line, 9-5 worker bees, who thinks it’s ok to earn minimum salary doing something you don’t even like, just to survive.

It’s not.

We need to take the time to find what we love to do. What is your interests? What are you good at? That’s what you should be doing. O, sorry, yes – where will the money come from? There’s no money in this or that… I have a family to feed… I have bills to pay… What if I’m not successful? What if people laugh at me? My family won’t support me… Any of these sound familiar?

Obviously – I am not advocating for you to resign and take up singing straightaway. God did also give you a brain, you know. But if you want to sing, what are you doing about it? How do you go about doing it?

Well, today you can start singing for Tik-Tok or YouTube. You don’t even need to send tapes to producers, if you don’t want to. And you don’t have to quit your job either. Whatever your passion is, chances are, you can start small and do it after hours or on weekends. Sometimes it may be expensive to start – so save up. Make a plan. Don’t throw your hands in the air and give up. If you do, you don’t really want it.

And that’s the bottom line: what do you want? God will give you what you want (who seeks shall find – Matt 7:7) but the trick here, is that you have to know what you are looking for, what do you want. If you don’t know, God can’t give it. He knows – but you have to know before He can give it.

My advice for today:

• if you are happy in what you do – thank God, praise Him and continue in your work for His glory
• if you are not happy in what you do – give it to God, tell Him that you want change, that you are willing to do what He has created you for, and then wait. You can tell Him everyday – remind Him, ask Him, continuously.
• If you don’t know what you want to do – ask God to show you. Sit, take the time to think about what excites you. Try stuff – do gardening, stitch something, paint something, google various hobbies and see what you can do. Search – seek and you shall find.
• If you really want change, if you really want to do what God wants you to do, if your heart is pure in your desire to serve God, things will start to happen. Maybe it will take a while – God changes you first before He changes the circumstances. Be patient, be stedfast.

I am doing a lot a the moment. I have no clue what any 1 thing is that I should be doing – I am waiting for my answer to that. In the meantime, I do. I keep myself busy, And I pray. My biggest job right now, is being a mom and a wife. That is my primary job. Second to that, the job that God brought to me. And then everything else. I am learning along the way, I believe that God is helping me and preparing me. My life is His – I don’t know what I want (apart from a new laptop and car, both are old and well, working on a lot of grace!) and I have asked God to show me what He wants for me.

For Him to give me the desires of my heart – to give me His desires for me. (Ps 37:4).

The work of the Lord is whatever you are doing in obedience to Him. Wherever you are, you can do what you do for His glory. Be willing, be available, be obedient – you are exactly where you need to be right now.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Purpose

Finding your purpose. What a mission! My word, I know I haven’t found mine yet. Well, in all fairness, I think I’m living it, or a part of it, even though I don’t know what it is. Because I have 5 kids and they are my first, and most important, purpose. Raising them right, raising them to know God, raising them to be healthy, self-sufficient, positive, independent contributors to society, who embraces love and understanding and patience, for themselves and for others. I am quite tired at the end of most days – and then all I did was teach and guide and preach and discipline and course-correct.

But is that my only purpose?

I honestly don’t know. I don’t think so, I think that something is waiting for me and I am biding my time, waiting for my time, and hopefully spending it in preparation for my time.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Do what you find to do. And do it with thy might – give it your all! Because 1 Corinthians 10:31 says: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”.

I believe that we should give our lives to God for Him to lead us into whatsoever it is that He wants us to do and then we wait. In the meantime, while you’re waiting, do something. God will provide, don’t you mind that. If God takes you to a place where you are not doing anything that can generate an income, He will still provide for you. He took Elijah away to a remote spot in the desert, and took care of him there (1 Kings 17). I am qualified and specialized in my career, and I have been unable to find work for almost 7 years. God has provided all that time – and you won’t believe just how! I got a job last year, purely by chance, I wasn’t even looking for it. And not even in my field…

I haven’t been just sitting during those 7 years, or even now, I’ve been trying this and that, of all my tryings only 1 thing worked fairly well and that was stopped, too. I don’t know if this job is THE job, or if there is something else. I know it is the job I need to do now. Whatever comes next, will come.

Also, I don’t believe we only have 1 purpose. I think we may have many. I think that God uses you in the various stages of your life in ways you wouldn’t even know about. I also think that the more you make yourself available to Him, the more He will use you. And you won’t even be aware of Him using you. But you have to give Him permission. You have to do it mindfully – it’s a very specific choice that you need to make and you have to be committed to it. And you have to do it verbally, even if you whisper it, but you have to say it. The spoken word carries so much power – Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. – and that’s why you need to say it.

And in times of doubt – reaffirm it, verbally, recommitting yourself to God and to His purpose for your life.

And then you wait.

Do whatever you find to do while you’re waiting – God will use the most interesting means of training you and preparing you for what He has in store for you. Be aware and heed the nudges.

(PS: I am NOT advising you to quit your job! If you have a job, do it, but give it to God and if He wants to give you something else, He will. I am saying, don’t be scared. If God takes your job away, He will also provide. But you can’t resign to sit and watch TV and say it’s God’s will and expect Him to just give… He also gave you a brain – use it.)

May your year be filled with all the goodness and life and love and blessings and purpose that God has planned for you!

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.