Obey God and leave the consequences to Him

In our Christian walk, some of us struggle with obeying God. This relates to obeying the scriptures as well as the personal instructions/assignments God gives us. For most of us, our desire is to please God in how we live our lives. We may declare, “My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent me….” (John 4:34, AMP), but what happens when Father gives you clear instructions that just seems impossible or even absurd. What then?

Be Still And Know…

It’s amazing that when we don’t know which way to go, many of us still choose to blindly forge ahead on full throttle - perhaps even calling it taking steps of faith. It seems we replace Gods Words and wisdom with what seemingly appears ‘God ideas’ which can take the form of what we see others do, what others encourage us to do (e.g. well meaning friends, family, mentors, leaders, media, etc) – all which are a recipe for disaster when Gods own voice is missing from the equation.

 

Couple this with our own impatience, ambitions, personality types, it becomes a hodgepodge that renders us ineffective and moving us further from Gods plans for our lives.

Just Trust God

You have been mulling in your mind how your situation will be resolved. Up and down the matter goes in your mind. You have searched for a solution but all you keep getting are set backs that leave you scratching your head in utter wonder and (if the truth be told), disappointment.

Is Your Hope Deferred? Five Key Points To Uplift You

There is a quote in the Bible that says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:14, NIV). There is so much truth in this quote and it always resonates with us more where we feel we have hoped, prayed, waited, yet nothing seems to be happening.

All Hope Is Not Lost...Dare To Dream Again

Ok, so another year seems to be flying by and you don’t feel like you have made any progress with your goal(s) – for whatever the reason. The good news is it isn't the end of the world. Tomorrow is another day and you can try again. No point crying over spilt milk, blaming yourself and/or others. The trick is to hope again.

Can Dead Bone Really Live?

Here you are facing a dire situation and someone bounces along with irritating joy, slaps your back and says, “Cheer up, things will get better”. Apart from wanting to hit them (I'm being honest), you find yourself looking at your situation again wondering if things could get better.  Because, lets face it, it will take nothing short of a miracle.

You Prayed. You Hoped. You Waited. Now What? Part II

Developing extraordinary hope in difficult times

In difficult times, many experience diminishing strength and hope especially when it seems God is taking His time in answering our prayers and/or we don’t get what we expect. In such times, we tend to feel abandoned, confused and disappointed. Deep within, a crisis of faith brews that throws up questions like, ‘Where is God?, Does He care? or Why is this happening to me?’. When care is not taken, we find ourselves stuck in one of the three phases of discouragement I highlight in my new book, Healing A Discouraged Heart: Getting Back On Track When Life Lets You Down (ISBN: 978-0-9562606-3-5), namely the ‘S.A.D.’, ‘Dormant’ and ‘Hopeful’ Phase. We cover up with our ‘religious’ masks; whilst the real state of our hearts betray us.

Kneeling Tall

We tend to think we ought to be superhero like when adversity strikes. Many of us have preconceived ideas on how we should think and behave which, by the way, are easy to say when things are rosy. One strategy I have adopted is to endeavour to kneel (not necessarily stand) tall. By this I mean:

Is Discouragement Wrong?

Many of us see it as a sign of weakness or sin. Rather, I like to see it as a sign of our humanness. Our journeys in life can take us through sharp or bumpy turns that can make those who consider themselves spiritually ‘strong’ experience discouragement.

All Will Be Well

During difficult times, it’s great to have people tell us ‘All will be well’ or such. However, if the truth be told, many of us just want the moment of difficulty to end. Therefore, receiving encouraging words can be challenging when you are in the thick of it. I could think of some occasions in my life I just did not want to hear it. I know this moment will pass but why not now?

You Prayed, Hoped, Waited...Now What?

Is this where you are at? You have done all you know to do and it seems like God has gone on vacation and all you are getting is His voicemail to which you have left umpteen messages. So what's next?