Monday 27 September 2010

BLOG MOVE & NEW WEB ADDRESS

DEAR READERS / FOLLOWERS

THIS BLOG HAS NOW MOVED PERMANENTLY TO THE NEWLY IMPROVED WEBSITE



PLEASE COME, VISIT AND BE UPLIFTED AND INSPIRED


MUCH LOVE
REMI

Saturday 11 September 2010

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***



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Monday 6 September 2010

BEAUTIFUL EVENTUALLY


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



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***




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Thursday 2 September 2010

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



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***

Wednesday 1 September 2010

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 NOWif 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***