Is seeking a confirmation evidence of a lack of faith or spiritual immaturity.

You place an order online and not long after you get a confirmation of your purchase. The transaction has been completed. Further information follow in emails confirming your address, date and time of delivery! Your package is on it’s way! The excitement and anticipation begins.

We like to get confirmation, certainty of things we’ve been promised and sometimes things that we’ve been taught. Story after story, we see Bible characters asking God for confirmation, assurance, certainty of the fulfilment of his word. From Abraham pressing God to assure him of the promised legacy that would come through a child, to Moses needing confirmation of the assignment to save Israel, and Gideon seeking sign after sign - human nature begs for affirmation.

Having faith does not come naturally to us. We pray, we fast we trust, but we could also do with confirmation of the promise. In Luke’s gospel he writes to a Roman, Theophilus presenting an orderly account of the life and times of Jesus. He compiles a forensic report of the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. His second volume of work, The Acts of the Apostles, documents the birth of the early church... All this to affirm the faith of one who loved and believed in Jesus.  

It’s so easy to run helter-skelter, seeking assurances and confirmations, but could it be that the certainty we need is right at our fingertips? Could it be that, the Holy Spirit is poised and ready to speak and respond to our longing and yearning and calm anxiety and worry if we bare our souls to Him? Could it be that time spent in His presence could release the peace we need to build our faith enough to know that the promise will be fulfilled and the Word is true?

Could faith be the thing we need to get excited again about the promises of God and the thing that makes it ok to not have a confirmation of the date, location and estimated time of arrival of His promise? Could faith and trust in the word, and the speaker of the word - God, be the thing we need to do great things and assert our authority in Christ Jesus as children of God? Is faith the thing that helps us look beyond our needs and extend our hearts and invest prayers and care on someone else’s burden? Is faith the difference between selfishness and selflessness, worry and hope, joy and depression, liberty and bondage? To all these, I say yes!

Faith, even in the smallest quantities, could transform the world. Luke encouraged Theophilus faith with the testimony of the life of Christ. I pray that when you too delve into the truths of God’s word, your faith too is built, fortified and activated.

Called to be an Ambassador.
Two worlds contend for dominion. For as long as Christians are in the world, darkness and light will remain at war for the right to rule and reign.

Kingdom citizens are those who choose to live in the domain and under the dominion of the Almighty God who calls and equips them with the authority and power to serve as His ambassadors here on earth.

Sin, amongst many other things robs us of this identity and purpose. It’s  a false representation of who we are. It’s impresses on us the nature and characteristic of the sin rather than the truth of what we are - the righteousness of God.

Ambassadors repentant of treason
Treason is the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or government.

Living in sin is choosing to live in a way that betrays The Kingdom and The King. It’s like partnering with the enemy to overthrow the King in our lives. But the King is merciful, even for such treason, He offers hope of redemption.

“ «For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. Proverbs ‭24:16‬ ‭NIV‬
Get back up again.

It seems a rather extreme analogy, perhaps, but confronting this is crucial to our ability to be like the men described in Proverbs 24:16. Living in sin negates the job description of an Ambassador of Christ, however we could be reinstated when we  CHOOSE to humble ourselves and turn away from our sin. Instead of being crushed by sin, we can rise from it and use it as an opportunity for intimacy that leads to transformation.  God has given us the Spirit of Power, Love and Self-Discipline to lift us up when we fall, so we need not be casualties of our own failures.

Psalm 86:8: I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants - but let them not turn to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.  

For those days when we as ourselves, how can an Ambassador of Christ serve God even when consumed by sin? We must stay encouraged to reach for the truth of who we are. Putting the question to some members of our congregation, these are some of their responses.

Although the eternal penalty of our sins has been paid for by the death of Christ on the cross. This does not eliminate our old nature and tendency toward sin. When we do fall into sin, we should confess our sins to God, repent, pick ourselves up and keep walking – sin does not disqualify us for being an ambassador for Christ. However, we should not practice sin habitually, otherwise the picture of Christ we present by the way we live could put an obstacle in the way of someone else trusting in God.

The good news is we don’t walk alone, we seek the Lord for the grace daily to represent Him well in our different callings. God has given us the Holy Spirit to convict us from sin and lead us away from it. The key is knowing the difference between the Holy Spirit convicting us and the enemy condemning us. The holy spirit disciplines, convicts, corrects with the aim to develop our character, while the enemy wants us to stew in our situation and feel condemned and disqualified from working for God.

To be an effective witness, we must continually abide in Christ - meditate on His word, spend time with him in prayer and worship. As we do, the light of Christ shines through us and His heart becomes our heart.
DL, in East London

There will always be times when we don’t feel that we can be an authority, that we are not the right person or that we are inadequate to be ambassadors for Christ.
 
We feel that our actions have let God down or that we have turned our gaze more on earthly endeavours as we reflect on the time when we were much more closer to him. We look at our life and we don’t want it to cause others to stumble. We are right to want to be careful, yet we are humbled by the fact that we are not ‘the way the truth and life’ Christ is. Our righteousness is but just a filthy rag.
 
Christ can use us to point others to Himself. Even when we are ministering to others His words are ministering to us and drawing us closer to him after all His Word is living and active a two edged sword (Heb 4:12).
Y.L, in East London

In the Kingdom of God, we have a high-ranking, impressive and influential job and all of Heaven stands to  back us up, defend us, provide for us, and join forces with our actions of faith! This means we are very important to the plan of God, as we represent Jesus Christ to our families, colleagues, and in our neighbourhoods.

As we are in the last days in the history of mankind, we need to be vigilant so as not to fall into the traps society sets for us. As ambassadors of Christ Jesus, we need to love (agape) one another, for that is the most important thing (1 Corinthians 13). In 2 Timothy 3 we are encouraged  to learn how to behave as God’s ambassadors and to not live for self-consumption and self-love.

Now what is the litmus test to know if we have fallen into the trap of the world? When the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts, do we yield? Or find it difficult to let go of our desires and pleasures?
K.C, London

Holy Spirit help us to desire and choose holiness and righteousness, surrender and submission so every day lived is a pledge of allegiance to you as our Lord and King. In Jesus name. Amen

Text: “Will you not Revive us again that your people may rejoice in you”. Psalm 85:6

Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons God has given to us. While looking forward to the time we shall all be able to go back to church once again, it has never been more important for us to join together in prayer.

Amid the ongoing fears, Lord Revive us again! Refresh every area of our lives with fresh fire. Habakkuk 3:2 “O Lord, I have heard your speech and was afraid. O Lord Revive your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy”. Habakkuk saw Revival as the only hope for his people. He prayed for his people to repent and turn to God and this is exactly what we need right now. Unless the Holy Spirit convicts people of their sins, there cannot be a revival. Our responsibility as believers is to pray for ourselves and for the healing of the nation.

Day 3 Prayer Points: 
• Father, I thank you for the promise of Revival, give me cause to rejoice in you again.
• Lord revive me, renew me and transform me with your fresh fire.
• Revive your work in my life and change me from what I am, into what you want me to be.

Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness”.
• As on the day of Pentecost, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and refresh us again,
• Father, let the wind of revival blow upon my household in Jesus name.
• Let there be a shaking that will bring people back to God in this nation in Jesus name.
• I take authority over powers standing against revival in this nation.
• Lord, awaken me from every spiritual sleep and help me to put on the armour of light.
• Let every yoke of darkness over my life and my family, be broken by the precious blood of Jesus.
• I release the fire of God upon all the forces that are hindering the move of God in my life in Jesus name.
• Father God, I thank you for your transforming power that is at work in me.

Everyday when we get caught in the rat race if life chasing our tail in pursuit of dreams and goals, seeking self fulfilment.

It’s so easy to get weary, work out and tired from carrying the world on our shoulders.
Could it be that we were never meant to handle life’s burdens alone?
So often we forget that we have access to a healer, Savior, teacher, redeemer, restorer, intercessor , advocate, comforter, provider, rescuer, refresher, inspiration, encouragement, solution, miracle worker, enabler...

We forget that I’m Christ alone we have everything we need.
We forget that being a part of God’s Kingdom means that every promise is guaranteed when we are sincerely committed to the body of Christ.

Alone we struggle,  but sharing the burdens of others opens us up to being supported in our time of need.
Ironically self fulfilment truly comes when we live in community with the trinity but through the body of Christ.

Jesus becomes bigger in our lives when we connect with others.
We see him, hear him and feel him more. Be bold and courageous to step outside of yourself - be intentional about loving and serving others and be humble enough to let them serve and love you.
There in lies true fulfilment .

A time will come when we’ll read this post and we might have to explain what ‘lock down’ means to our children, we may have to jog our memory of that time when the world shut down in response to the deadly coronavirus.

Perhaps way into the future when we read this there might be a vaccine for the disease, and life has resumed to a semblance of normalcy... Perhaps. But until then, still in the throes of a global pandemic when everyday conversation is punctuated by the latest death toll, or speculation on when social distancing measures will be eased - we must stay focused, encouraged and united.

Recognising boredom and inertia

After fear, worry, panic, anxiety and disappointment have shown themselves, six-weeks into the lock down, many of us are familiar with boredom. The sort that sets in even when you do have things to do but just can’t seem to find the strenght, inclination and motivation to do it, so much so, some of us are in danger of entering a state of inertia - a tendency to do nothing and to remain unchanged.

To be bored is to be overly aware of time and eager to fill that time with an engaging or exciting activity or event. From social media to binge-watching, computer games to gluttony, there’s no shortage of vices to lure us into a time-wasting snare. Being purposefully occupied and busy for the sake of it are two different things.

The intimate response to boredom and inertia

When Jesus walked the earth and led a group of men and women. Historical accounts of the Rabbi/student relationship tells us that time was a crucial commodity invested in intimacy...

Intimacy takes time to cultivate. It comes in those mundane moments of life, from the first encounter of the day even before the body catches up with the brain, to the morning ablution; from the first meal, to the silly conversations, the casual strolls, to the focused discussions... Initimacy can’t be rushed. And even in the three or so years his disciples spent with Him away from their families, in uncertainty, amidst doubt and confusion, political and economic turmoil, these men and women invested every waking moment knowing Christ.

The key to revelation on the path of transformation.

“Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:27-31‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://www.bible.com/116/luk.24.27-31.nlt

It’s no wonder that it was when they shared an intimate moment of breaking bread with Jesus that the eyes of the disciples opened and they recognised Him even after hours of hearing him teach. Initimacy unlocks revelation and makes way for transformation.

Giving account

One way we can break the hold of boredom and inertia setting in and robbing us of any spiritual growth, is to invest our time in intimate moments with the Father. Let’s transform the mundane teeth-brushing, meal-prepping, tea-making moments of life into moments of reflection, prayer and worship. Let’s avail ourselves of  resources and relationships that deepen our understanding of the Father.

We will all have to give account to the Lord of how we’ve lived. One thing is sure, the lockdown gives good reason for boredom, but nothing will justify inertia. We have the choice to decline the tempation for both by tapping into the wisdom, power and presence of the Holy Spirit to be guided by Him in how we invest our time in a way driven by eternity.

Father, help us, so that though the flesh may be unwilling, that Your Spirit would take precedence and premince, leading us to a place where we apply divine wisdom faithfully. Amen.

PRAYERS
                                                                                                             
                                                                          PURPOSE
“At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and from there he led an army against the Ammonites.”

Abide with me – Prayer points

John 15:1-7

Divine Favour
“Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her Yea the set time is come.” Psalms 102:13

Confession
I believe and I confess, that the Lord is good and gracious, and His faithfulness is forever.
I give you praise for taking away my shame and pain, and clothing me with honour and with favour. He causes me to triumph at all times.
Through the Lord Jesus, I am walking in favour when I go out or come in.
I receive favour from the north, east, south and west.
There is abundance of His favour in my life. I receive favour in all areas of my life,
God’s favour shall eliminate shame and disgrace from my life.
I give Him praise, because His master plan for my life exceeds my greatest dreams.
According to His promise, He shall do exceedingly abundantly above what I can think of or imagine.
I am blessed and highly favoured.

Praise and worship him for about 10 Minutes.

• Thank Him for honouring His word in your life.
  Ask God for His mercy and counsel regarding anything that may want to stand in the way of His favour for your life. 
• Blood of Jesus, separate me from all anti-favour agents.
• Any traits of sorrow in my life shall disappear in Jesus Name.
• Favour from Heaven, that turns sorrow to joy locate me now (Psalm 30:5)
• The God that brought Daniel into favour with great men in his days, bring me into favour with those who will move me forward in life.
• Lord Jesus, arise in your power and destroy anything working against my favour.
• As I look unto God in this season of favour “whence cometh my help” (Psalm 121) 

Begin to declare and decree this scripture upon yourself and your family this month.

• Lord do not put me to shame, locate me with my destiny helpers this year.
• Power to break forth, in every area of my life, locate me in the name of Jesus (Isaiah 58:8).
• Anything that my heavenly father has not planted in my life - be uprooted. 
• O Lord, remember me today for good and favour (Isaiah 49:15) 
• Every buried blessing, belonging to me, arise and locate me this month.
• Men and women will go out their way  to favour me this year in Jesus name.
• In this season of divine favour, Lord enlarge my territory far beyond my imagination.
• By the reason of God’s favour upon my life – shame, disgrace and reproach is no longer my portion.
• This year, I shall fulfil my destiny, whether the enemy likes it or not..
• Favour from the North, East, South and West will locate me in Jesus name.
• Oh heaven, Oh earth, my time of favour has come
• Favour that terminates poverty shall locate me.  
• Holy Ghost fire, purge my life of anything chasing away favour.
• Favour that turns sorrow to joy shall locate me.