JOIN US TODAY - 31 Days Thanksgiving & Praise

It is that time of the year again when everyone counts down towards the end of the year. Some count their losses and failures, BUT we choose to count our blessings, and give thanks to the most High one, who has kept us safe despite various trials and tribulations. 

How about you?  What will you do? Will you look bad in sadness and misery or in Thankfulness to God that you made it through and for His future plans for you?

We INVITE YOU  to Join us ONLINE TODAY 

as we embrace a season of Thanksgiving and Praise to God.  

Join us as we "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD and  serve Him  with gladness  in thanksgiving and praise" 

Join us and be 

Uplifted and Inspired in God's love and faithfulnesss, 

Lets end this year strong, in thanksgiving and praise; making God famous all the way. 

 www.adayingodswill.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS - JOIN US

Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving.  Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the Lord is a great God,  a great King above all gods.

Psalm 95: 1- 3

It is easy to live everyday through the eyes of negativity; never seeing the good in anything, nor having the reason or need to be thankful. It is easy to look at certain milestones in life from the view point of it being “half empty” as opposed to being “half full”. However, the bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus”.

• To be thankful is defined as having the feeling or expression of gratitude.  It means to be appreciative

• To be expressive means to put thoughts into words and actions. To openly display how one feels

• To show gratitude means to display the quality of being grateful and thankful. That is sincere thankfulness that comes from the heart.

• To be appreciative means to show clear insight, intuition and knowledge. It is also to show the knowledge of wisdom for reasons and ramifications of being thankful.

In this season of  THANKSGIVING, I encourage us all to cast aside, burdens, cares, desires, hurts and all and embrace the spirit of Thanksgiving and praise to the one how has kept you well and safe.

Read more at our HOME:  www.adayingodswill.com 

Be uplifted and Inspired

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

Much Love, Remi 

Loyal To The End - NEW BLOG POST

LOYALTY is defined as "the state or quality of being faithful to commitments and obligation".   It is also seen as having faithful adherence to a sovereign leader or cause. 

As we move towards the end of yet another year, it is easy to give up that which we started in January or years before, because we have not seen the manifestation of the results we have hoped for.  

It is easy for hope to turn into despair and disappointment. However, like a farmer who works for the precious fruits of the earth to manifest, we must be actively loyal to plant, water and tender the seeds of the work that God has called us to do, in the garden He has placed us in. 

Feeling like this year is a lost cause and want to throw in the towel and give up?  I encourage you not not.  

For more encouragement and to be uplifted and inspired, 

please visit the new website:

www.adayingodswill.com  

BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATION ALSO AVAILABLE

Remain a partisan an be loyal to the end, God is faithful and will come through for you. 

Much love, 

Remi

NEW POST: www.adayingodswill.com

New Post:

Read about God's Love Here:

http://adayingodswill.com/2010/10/gods-love/

BLOG MOVE & NEW WEB ADDRESS

DEAR READERS / FOLLOWERS

THIS BLOG HAS NOW MOVED PERMANENTLY TO THE NEWLY IMPROVED WEBSITE

WWW.ADAYINGODSWILL.COM

PLEASE COME, VISIT AND BE UPLIFTED AND INSPIRED

MUCH LOVE

REMI

PRAISE BENEFITS

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving

and a thank offering and into His courts

with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him,

bless and affectionately praise His name

Psalm 100:4

No book epitomises the spirit of praise and thanksgiving like the book of Psalms. It has 150 Psalms recorded, more than any other in the bible. The oldest praise and thanksgiving to God is recorded in Exodus 15:1-15, by Moses. This was a song of triumph of God over Egypt.

No other man lived and displayed the importance of praise like David. He has 73 of the 150 psalms attributed to him.

In 1Thessalonians 5:18, we are encouraged to give praise and thanks to God, no matter what. Yes, it is a tall order, especially when one is in the middle of the fire, but this is how Christ wants us to live. 1Thessalonians 5:18 reads “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]” (AMP).

I have come to learn, know and appreciate the power of thanksgiving and praise. I like to think of it as thus:

Praise is medicine to the soul

Mends the broken spirit

Secures and makes it whole

You see, we fail to understand what is happening to us at times, and the truth is we may never understand it, however, through the good and bad times, God wants us to praise and thank our way through, showing our faith and trust in Him.

“But why do I have to praise?” I hear you ask. “Remi, it is difficult to praise when my whole world is falling or has fallen apart”, I hear you say.

I know, it is never easy, but praise is the clearest and most direct means by which we resolve to declare our absolute trust in God. Our praises and thanksgiving confess and confirm our allegiance to Jesus Christ.  The beauty of God’s love is that we also benefit when we praise and give thanks to Him.

Here are some specific benefits we obtain from praising God:

• Praise magnifies God: Praise shifts our focus from our problems or blessings, onto God. When we do so, the power of God’s presence gives the ability to transform our thinking. For example, it changes our thinking from being a victim to a victor of circumstances or blessings.

• Praise makes us humble: When we praise, we have a better understanding and a more righteous view of ourselves. Praise and thanksgiving directed to God will take away pride and self-worship.

• Praise declares our devotion to God: If we love God and understand the nature of His love for us, then regardless of the situation, we will continuously give glory to Him in praise and thanksgiving.

• Praise brings us joy: It is true that when we go through crises, joy is one of the first things to go; strife and stress try to take hold. However, the beauty and blessing of praise is that Joy is its constant companion. Whenever we feel depressed or discouraged, praising God with all that we are and with everything within us soon bring us joy.

• Praise establishes our faith: The greater, bigger and mightier we see God, the smaller we see whatever trials we might be going through. Praise re-affirms that God is bigger than anything and everything, including our problems.

When we praise God and give thanks to Him, we are confirming the fact that He is over and above everything in our lives, whether problems, or indeed blessings.  I say blessings because, when we eventually see the manifestation of the blessings that we seek from God, we should never forget that they are NOT to replace God for they are NOT bigger than God.

So I encourage you today that whatever trials you might be going through, praise and give thanks to God who is right there with you.  When you feel prone to give up and your mind is telling you “what is the point of it all?” I encourage you to continue to give praise and thanks to God.

Commit yourself to a life of praise and fellowship with Jesus Christ and experience the fullness of what God means by ‘JOY’ (which by the way is not dependant on your circumstances at any point in time).

Give thanks and praise to God who is forever with you, the one who is truly faithful; making Him famous along your way.



Much Love, Remi
***pictures by photobucket***

BSL TRANSLATION

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BEAUTIFUL EVENTUALLY

“He has made everything beautiful in its time....”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

When you watch a gardener or landscaper at work, it is difficult to see what plans they have in mind for the piece of ground they are working on. They start out with making a huge mess; digging up the soil, moving plants, stones and everything else from place to place. The ground they are working on is strewn with all sorts of instruments - diggers, dirt collectors, water cans and the rest of it.

The work is tiresome and requires a lot of patience and enormous focus. However eventually, bit by bit, each square inch of the land they are working on begins to take shape. The beauty of their creation starts to come forth. To the gardener or landscaper, he has always had this picture in mind, but had to go through a process of creating it on the ground. To the viewer, this was not so evident, all they could see was a mess, which one day, became beautiful. somehow started to take shape, becoming gradually beautiful.


Thinking about the promise of Ecclesiastes 3:11, it means that at certain points in our lives there will be unavoidable things or events that will appear to be ugly, and will be unwanted and uncomfortable. As you read this I am sure certain issues and circumstances come to mind. Yes, I know I have a few crazy situations of my own, some taller than my 5-foot self!

However we must not be surprised that there are seasons or times when our lives seem ugly, filled with so much strife and confusion. Peter even warns us about this in 1 Peter 4:12  which reads “Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you”(AMP).  These seasons are sure to come. It is our behaviour during such seasons that is most important.

Expanding Ecclesiastes 3:11  the second part of that verse reads “He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (NIV)

Though we may never know all that God is doing in our lives, we can always count on the fact that God is preparing our hearts for something great and for eternity.

Be encouraged, your season of trials, however long and heavy they may seem, is brief and light compared to the great things God has done and is doing with and in you. Romans 8:28 encourages us of this.

As you have been promised in Ecclesiastes 3:11, that difficult situation will eventually be beautiful in your sight. I know it is hard, right at this moment it is hard, to conjure up a picture of everything working out fine. This is okay. God’s wonderful plans for you are by definition beyond our imagination as we read in Ephesians 3:20, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (The Message)

Today, I encourage you to hold on and stay strong. In the good and bad situations, God is STILL GOOD! He has not stopped being good because we go through trials and tribulations. Even those, He will work out for our own good and we will come out as gold golden.

Until you see God’s lovely workmanship taking place, just hold on to His promises, the very ones in His word, the ones He has spoken to you in your private place.

Sing Psalms to encourage your soul, with everything within you

sing praises to the God who has been faithful since the days of old.

Hold on to the hope that eventually the season of whatever it is you are going through, will be over, and you will find that indeed, He does make everything beautiful in His own time.

Stay strong, be bold

The Lord your God

has been faithful

Since the days of old

Stay strong, be bold

This too will pass

And you will come

out as pure gold

Much Love, Remi

***picture by google***

BSL TRANSLATION

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It Is A Gift - Delight In It

And also that every man should eat and

drink and enjoy the good of all his labour

--it is the gift of God

Ecclesiastes 3:13

Weekends, especially long ones, such as the one we just had in the United Kingdom are very enjoyable. Spending time with family and friends is an important ingredient of a balanced life.

However, we must not live for the weekends only, and hinder God’s desire to bless us in the work that we do, that which occupies most of our days and adult life.

Work is a gift from God; it is given to us for our enjoyment and blessing. That is what the Preacher tells in Ecclesiastes 3:13 above.

I know some might think it is difficult to enjoy the work that they do. They would say “You don’t know my boss, he / she is a direct descendant of satan himself, so how can I enjoy myself whilst working under him / her?”   Yes, I will not deny it, some people are quite difficult to work for  and with. They do their best to snuff  the life out of anything, including the workers!  Also, I understand that some jobs might not be what we want them to be, or what we dreamt ourselves doing, for example, working under some dark kitchen sink or cleaning up muck!

However, spare a thought for those standing in an unemployment queue. Have you ever known anyone who feels genuinely happy or deliriously elated at the fact that they have been reduced to begging for money to survive, to feed their family and pay the rent? 

Thus, for those who find themselves in a job, today, I encourage you to remember to thank God for it. Be it in a factory line, under a sink, or outside in the pouring rain, whilst to, at and from work, remember to thank God for the job that you have.  It might not be your ideal job, but God takes us from glory to glory.  You might be passing through this job to the better one God has in store for you.

In thanking God, be wise to know that you are blessed.  Therefore whatever you find yourself doing, do it to the glory of God as we are encouraged in Colossians 3:23 which reads "Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.."
Regardless of the work we are doing let our attitudes be that of thanksgiving and praise. Such an attitude towards work and at work is infectious, it will influence others. It can bring about a transformation in your work place, in the environment and the people, including the mean boss.


So today, I encourage you that regardless of the work you are doing, see your work as God’s gift. Some will gladly trade places with you. See your work as an opportunity, enjoy the privilege of working and see it as part of living for Him.

In so doing, you will be further encouraged and will have tremendous anticipation for every day and not just some days – like the weekends or bank holidays.

I encourage you to be diligent in whatever you do; making God famous along your way.

I leave you with a message from the 'preacher' in Ecclesiastes 5:18-9

 "After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's

what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself,

have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you

have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it.

That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what

God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it,

accepting what's given and delighting in the work.

It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now.

It's useless to brood over how long we might live."

BSL TRANSLATION
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Much Love, Remi
***pictures by google***

SEP - DEC!?! - MAKE IT GLORIOUS!!!

   

We need to be energetically at work for the

 One who sent me here, working while the sun shines.

When night falls, the workday is over

John 9:4

 

 

 

Cherished Readers, I welcome you to the wonderful month of September the first of the  LAST THREE MONTHS, 29 DAYS PLUS...  to complete the YEAR 2010.  Praise God!

 

 

The race is not to the swift

HOWEVER

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

 

 

I pray that by the mercies and grace of God,

Less than three months is ENOUGH time

for US to ACCOMPLISH and RECOVER ALL

that God wants us to this year.

 

 

I pray that we will all have 

WONDERFUL

  MAJOR

LIFE CHANGING

TESTIMONIES

....come December 2010.

 

 

START NOW, if you haven't already

 

 

By the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT 

WORKING THROUGH  AND WITHIN US

I encourage you to do your part to

make the next three months...

 GLORIOUS!!!

 

 

Much Love, Remi

 

 

 

***pictures by photobucket***

HE IS RESPONSIBLE - YOU TRUST & BE FAITHFUL

Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our

burdens and carries us day by day,

even the God Who is our salvation!

Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Psalm 68:19

If God is all-knowing, all capable, all-powerful and all-faithful, why do I still have unmet needs? Can someone please explain to me why He has not met them? Has he forgotten about me, lost my address or the knowledge that I exist and struggle to live? I have heard myself and a lot of people ask this question time and time again, with hands thrown up in the air in great despair.


These are excellent questions worthy of close examination. The keys to their answers, lie in two words - Trust and faithfulness.

God tells us to trust Him as He demonstrates through [(the Lord’s) Prayer?]. Verse 10 – 11 of Mathew 6 explains the simple trust we must and should have in God. It reads “Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals” (MSB). Just like a child trusts his or her parents to do what is best for them each and every day, in anything that concerns them, so must we trust God.

Verse 33 explains the trust element further and it reads: “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”

This passage is encouraging us to seek everything about God’s kingdom wherever we are - at home, work or play, and everything else that we require will be added onto us.

Again, when you watch a child interact with his / her parents, all the child does is for their love (and attention?). When the child does something small yet momentous such as writing their own name, they are happy because their parents are excited. Then along comes the clapping, the shoulder-carrying, and the ice-cream as a reward.

I don’t know about you, but that devil (who I call a ‘billy-goat’) does his utmost best to cause anxiety to rise up within me, especially when I have been praying for a particular thing or situation to be turned around.

Whenever this happens, I refer to this verse. Why? It helps me to refocus and re-align my priorities. God is telling me here not to worry about the ‘other things’ in life, which I believe means clothes, food, situations and circumstances. Don’t get me wrong, I believe these things are important, and so does God. However, He is telling me to remain focused on Him and to do whatever He has asked me to do, wherever I might be or whatever I am going through, and He will make it all perfect in His own time and bless me beyond comprehension. He is saying the same thing to you.

I hear you say, “But, Remi, it’s not that easy.” I say back to you “I know, but then again like learning how to swim, it is all about ‘letting go’ so you can float and then paddle and then move freely in the water. It is all about ‘letting go’ and trusting God.”

We must let go in willingness and obedience.

Going back to verse 33, we must treat this (along with all His other words) as a promise and resounding commitment from God. I believe the value of any commitment is based on two things:

• The ability of the promise maker to fulfil the promise made
• The integrity of the promise maker, that is whether he has the character to follow through on the promise

Now we know from reading through the Bible, and from our experiences and those of others, that God qualifies on both accounts. He has all wisdom, power, ability, resources and faithfulness to fulfil His promises.

The question is,

“Do we trust Him enough to fulfil His promises, and are we faithful in doing and seeking His kingdom first in all that He has asked us to do?”

I have learnt that when I have unmet needs, the first place to look at is myself. I ask myself questions such as, “What could I be doing or not doing that is keeping God from fulfilling this or that particular promise?” “ Am I seeking His kingdom first in all I am doing, or looking for my own instant gratification?” “Am I in line with His agenda or do I want things cooked as quickly as I would a meal in a microwave?”

There is no situation or circumstance that can keep God from acting on our behalf. Nothing is too great or too powerful to stand in the way if God chooses to act. (except our own unbelief surely? Sorry I know this might be going off the point you’re trying to make, but I just thought to mention).

So I ask you today:

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE MIDST OF YOUR CIRUCUMSTANCES OR SITUATION?”

Are you busy DOING what He has asked you to do or are you focused squarely on the problems that are trying to consume you whole?

Are you walking and working in willingness and obedience, which is an important criterion for experiencing God’s blessings?  Deuteronomy 28: 1-2.

God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we trust and have faith in Him.

I encourage you today to trust in God’s wisdom. Cast down any preconceived ideas about how you think or know God should meet your needs. It will not come from any person, but God will use them.  God is calling us to trust Him alone. I encourage you to tell God today,

“Father, I trust You completely to meet my needs, in Your timing, and according to whatever method or way You choose.”



Much Love, Remi
***pictures by photobucket***

ARISE WITH INTENT

 

"ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which

 circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine

(be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light

has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense

darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you

[O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you."

Isaiah 60: 1-2 (AMP)

   
When embarking on something new, such as a new project, a new job, a new week or even a new day, we usually want to start on a good note and from a good stance.
 
A new week usually presents  all sorts of challenges, especially after a relaxing weekend. It is safe to say that most people (for numerous reasons) don't like Mondays.  They tend to live out this day in a daze and in the affirmed self acclamation that they don't like Mondays.
 
However we are thought that whatever we put our minds and hands to do, which includes living, we should start as we mean to go along.  We should not detest one day and love the other. Regardless how we feel, we must strive to make something good out of each day.
 
Time is a talent given us by God, and we misspend it when we do not use it according to his design.  Every single day we have been given and by God's grace, strength, power and wisdom, we should make it count.
 
This is why I greet people as thus "make a great day" as opposed to "have a great day". Why? 
 
 

To have a great day, I believe does not magically happen. We have to

work (with our minds and actions, consciously or unconsciously)

to make it a great day

 

 
We are reminded in Ephesians 5: 15 -16, to make the best of every day we are gifted with because they are precious.  The amplified bible explains it as thus "Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil"
   
The Message Bible translation brings this passage more to life. It reads "Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light!  So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times".    Desperate times meaning the devil will do everything in his power to get us to waster our time doing or not, lots of things, but that which God has asked us to do.

As we start out a new day and week, I encourage us all to make use of every time we have been gifted with.  Let us by the grace of God, through the wisdom  and discernment of the Holy Spirit, understand what our master wants us to do with our time, and then promptly move in willingness and obedience.

 As you start to live out the intricacies of the makings of another week, I want you to know that:

"the doors of heaven are open before you, BUT the CHOICE is yours to MAKE".

I encourage you to ARISE into the glory of this hour, this day and week. Allow your faith to fly.

Give it wings by being INTENTIONAL in your FOCUSED LIVING - your thinking, doing; 

making God famous along your way. 

BSL TRANSLATION

PRESS PLAY

Much Love, Remi
***pictures by google***

HE IS MOLDING US...!

Isn't it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape

one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers

and another into a pot for cooking beans? 

Romans 9:21

*A Potter is defined as a person who makes pottery*

*Pottery is defined as the art or business of a potter, which is making ceramics, earthen and stone wares*


Pottery Process
Start
Pottery is made by FORMING a clay body into objects of a REQUIRED  shape and HEATING them to high temperatures in a kiln (furnace or oven for burning, baking, or drying something) to induce REACTIONS that lead to PERMANENT, including INCREASING their strength and HARDENING and SETTING their shape.
 
In the pottery process, all sorts of properties are grouped together (according to the end product required) and used when making pottery. The properties and grouping leads to the end product's unique character. 
 
A very important aspect of  the pottery making is the wheel throwing. This is when the clay is pugged and wedged and centred on the pottery making wheel.   This is a very critical step as it is the foundation of the vessel that is made. The pot is only as TRUE and as STRONG as the CENTERING.   End.
 
When a potter takes a lump of clay, He knows what he wants to do with it. He knows whether He want to make a beautiful bowl or a trash holder.  
 
Just like a potter, God, who is the MASTER POTTER, is forming us into His required shape.  He does this by heating us through the heat of trials and circumstances - both good and bad.  These are meant to get a reaction of a complete turn towards Him in love and obedience.   When we do, we are renewed and changed permanently for the better.  We gain strength (spirit, mind and body), and become who God intends for us to be,.  
 
Also, like the potter moulding a ceramic ware, the most important element to God is for us to be in the centre of His will.  Without us being in the centre of His will, He cannot mold us correctly.
 
We make the job difficult (not that He has any problems) for God and make the journey of life a long and painful one when we are not aligned to and centred in God's will for our lives.   We usually do this by insisting on doing things according to our own plans, and having our way.
 
Daily, God is molding us through circumstances.  It is crucial that we are aware of this and Have faith in Him that He knows what He is doing.
 
When our circumstances gets a bit too difficult to bear and our faith begins to crumble and fall apart, here are some reminders about WHO the Master Potter, God is and what He is doing with and through you.
 
 

• POWER:  Just like the potter, God has ultimate power over us, the clay He is molding.  He can do anything He chooses to do. However, He wants us to love and obey Him out of our free will.

• PURPOSE: He is purposeful, which means he has aims, intentions and goals for us.  Through the molding process we must remember that God is working on on good plans way beyond our expectations. He knows exactly how He wants us to turn out.

• PLAN: God is a God of order and not of confusion as we read in 1 Corinthians 14:33, which reads "For God is not the author of confusion...."  His word already confirms that He has a plan for each and every one of us as declare in Jeremiah 29:11 which reads "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD...".  Thus, He works patiently with us to implement and manifest His plans in our lives, daily. 

• PATIENCE: He is a patient God.  He takes the time to teach and grow us to be spiritually mature as this is a life long process.  Even when we are old, we will still be learning.

• PERSEVERANCE:  In the process of molding a mold of clay, when the potter finds any imperfections, he  never throws the clay away, instead he starts the process of  'Wheel Throwing' all over again.  He will put the mold of clay back in the centre of the wheel and reshape it. This is what God does with us. He refines and keeps refining until we become who He wants us to be. He never throws us away.

• PERSONAL:  A potter does not make more than one ceramic vessel at at time. He gives all His attention to that one mold of clay until is is in perfect shape and condition. It does not lump it together with all other molds and shape them into a big mash of vessel.  God does not clump us all together in one big lump to mold.  He molds every one of us individually, paying attention to the specific requirements and outcome He has for us.

I encourage you that whatever you are going through, good or bad to wholeheartedly trust the Master Potter's hands on you.  He is molding you to become that which He has created you to be.

I encourage you to be willing and obedient so that you are right there in the centre of God's will, where He has the perfect opportunity to mold to be that which He created you to be.
 

Much Love, Remi Banjo
*pictures by google*

BSL TRANSLATION

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REFOCUSING YOU... !

The Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your

food and drink. But now you will again see the Lord,

your teacher, and he will guide you. Whether you turn to

the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying,

"This is the road! Now follow it." 

Isaiah 30:20-21 

  

God's desire is for us to have the best of Him and He is committed to helping us follow specific road maps leading us to it.  He has designed a specific pathway for each and every one of us and along the way, specific things for us to do. 

However, the truth is that we are sometimes as stubborn as the children of Israel that we don't see, hear or sense His leading, or teaching, not to talk of following His instructions.  Now because God's will for our lives is bigger than us and the fact that other lives are dependant on its manifestation, God will sometimes introduce certain situations to get our attention and bring us back on the right path. 

God will use the appropriate circumstance or event (pleasant or painful) to get our attention, and bring us back into the realms of His will.

Here are some ways He may use to get our attention:

• A Restless Spirit: Sometimes we will find ourselves restless from deep within.  It is feeling we mostly cannot understand or identify why it is there.  We can't focus, eat, sleep or think straight, we are just restless for no reason, it seems. The best thing to do at this time is to pray and ask God what He is trying to teach or show us.  Usually when this happens, He is trying to move our attention towards something. We will do well and save ourselves a lot of sleepless nights when we pay attention to a restless spirit within us.

• Unanswered Prayers: I can testify to this one and I am sure most of you reading this can. Think about it, you fast, pray, roll on the floor, shout, jump, scream, quote and support it with scripture, yet, the prayers are not answered. Yes, it can be extremely confusing and frustrating right? Everybody who takes God and prayer seriously must deal, sooner or later with the problem of unanswered prayer.  This is a hard one, however God is sovereign and every unanswered prayer situation is different and He helps us accordingly.  Some of my thoughts and how God has helped me with these are: I was praying for selfish reasons as explained in James 4:3, which reads "You ask and do not receive, because you ask(A) wrongly, to spend it on your passions.", I prayed, yet did not have absolute faith that I received what I prayed for.  There was the nagging feeling of "what if and buts and maybe", just as explained in Matthew 21:22, which reads "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”. I had iniquity in my heart which I either knew or did not know about as explained in Isaiah 59:2, which reads "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."   It could be also be other things such as praying for something genuine, but at the wrong time. When we pray it is important to ask God to help us understand how the answer or non answer fits into the greater scheme of things, the live of others and His Kingdom.

• A Spoken (audible) Word: God sometimes uses the words like He gave a messages to Samuel and to Eli the priest as we read in 1 Samuel 3:4-18.  A good way to know that God is speaking through other is when quite a few people, within a short space of time are saying the same thing which connects to a burden or a prayer in your heart. 

• Unusual Blessings:  God sometimes blesses us in unusual ways  which is meant to turn us towards Him. He shows us kindness love, even when we least expect it. It should encourage us to praise and thank Him and use it for His glory. Romans 2:4 explains it so well, it reads "You surely don't think much of God's wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don't you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?"

• Disappointments: Is that a sigh I heard ripple through blogsville?.  Yes, we can all relate to this one right?  Just like He did with the children of Israel many years ago, God uses disappointments to bring some of us back to repentance, and back into the fold of His will.  Setbacks are meant to keep us from walking into a future we have mapped out for ourselves, as opposed to God's.  An example we find in the bible was when the children of Israel refused to follow God's command to take possession of the promised land. God judged them through disappointment for their unbelief and disobedience, to bring them to repentance and turn back to Him.  This we read Numbers 14:27-32 and the reaction of Israel when they realised their wrong is recorded in Numbers 14:39-40,  (please read for completion). They became remorseful, repented and turned to God in obedience.

• Financial Troubles: In Judges 6-17, we see how God brought judgement to the children of Israel through the Midianites. It was only when God took away all their material belongings, did they cry out to Him.  You see, they were dependent on and trusted in the riches they had and had no regard for God. What are we dependent on and trust in?  Our 'things' or God?.  When our trust is invested in the blessings of God (cars, houses, fame ) rather than the one who blesses - God , to refocus our priorities, He might take them all away.

• Tragedy, Sickness and Affliction:  I have learnt that in this life, tragedies will come, whether we like it or not. However, I have also learnt to regard them as a reason and opportunity to get even closer to God.  Romans 8:28,"We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose...". Tragedy, sickness and affliction, when we endure, we realise that God will eventually worked it out for our good and for His glory and it brings us closer to Him.

God will use the above and more if required to get our attention and bring us back on the right path if we have strayed.  God knows exactly where we are in our journey of faith. He knows when we start straying away from the path, and He will do whatever is required to put us on the right path.

God is such a good God that even the adversity He might allow is limited, just like He did with Job.  God allowed Satan to persecute Job, but limited him not to hurt or kill him. Job 1:12 and Job 2:6 - (please read for completion).   All He does is for our own good.

I encourage you to stay strong, and be assured that whatever you might be going through, God is right there with you. Stay focused and alert. If you notice any of these things patterns (or others),  happening to you time and time again, pause and ask "Lord what are you trying to tell, show or teach me at this time".  He wants to tell and show you all the good things in store for you.   

He wants to see His will come alive in you; He wants to make a beautiful and glorious testimony out of the very makings of you. 


Much Love , Remi

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