The Size... of A 'Mustard Seed'

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them.

“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as

a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain,

‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move.

Nothing would be impossible"

Mathew 17:20

A mustard seed is about 1/20th of an inch in size. It is one of the smallest seeds in the world. A mustard seed is very, very tiny. (as shown in the picture above), however, once planted, it grows into a plant large enough to provide food and shelter for animals.

Take a look the clutter of mustard seeds in the picture above, imagine picking one from the cluster. That seed in your hands, will be so tiny that you can barely feel it.
Another way to envisage the size of a mustard seed is to look at the end of a Biro pen, yup that's about the size of it.
Now, imagine what a mountain looks like, or google the word mountain and see the pictures that come up. Massive isn't it? Now compare this to the mustard seed. In the natural, the size of a mustard seed, can never move a chair not to talk of a mountain, BUT God assures us that if we have faith the size of this mustard seed, we can do and move anything, even things the size of mountains.

For us to exercise the faith of a mustard seed, we must act according to Mark 9:23 we must believe, it reads "And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be (are possible) to him who believes".


How can you develop your faith you might ask? Here are a few things to we can do:

• Listen to the Word of God: This we must do as much and as often as possible as commanded in Romans 10:17, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God". Constant attention to the Word of God produces faith, more so if we embrace it with an open heart and mind. Proverbs 4:20-22 encourages us to keep the word of God constant in our hearts, it reads "My child, pay attention to what I say.Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body".

• Develop the measure of faith given: According to Romans 12:3 we have all been given a measure of faith, however it is our job to develop them. Like muscles are developed in the gym, we must work on them by putting them into action. we can start with the smallest things and progress from there.

• Speak the WORD: Our faith is a spoken faith. We must learn to say the words of God with our mouth to workout and build our faith. We must constantly confess God's word over our lives and in prayer. Jeremiah 23:28-29 reads "Let these false prophets tell their dreams,but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference between straw and grain! Does not my word burn like fire?” says the Lord.“Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces"? Selah

• Keep company with like faith: We must learn to spend time with people of faith, so that we can be encouraged and do the same for others, as taught in Proverbs 13:20 which reads "Walk with the wise and become wise;associate with fools and get in trouble" .

• Obey God: We cannot have 'living faith' without taking practical steps of obedience to God's instructions. Romans 1:5 explains that "Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name..." God will not show or reveal more things to us until we are faithful in the things He is revealing to and telling us to do NOW.

Now we know some of the things we can do help develop our faith, how do we then use it when we pray? We can do so through the following ways:

• Trust in God: Trust in Him that He watches over His word to perform it. So all we must do is declare His word in faith.

• Develop our measure of faith: God gives everyone a measure of faith as explained in Romans 12:3 ..."as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.,". However, like muscle is built through regular workouts in the gym, we must give our faith a regular workouts by acting and declaring God's word. We can start with the smallest of things, such as believing God for that special job, or promotion to the bigger things such as healing the sick. We must also build our faith up according to Romans 10:17, which reads "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"

• Continuous Relationship with God: We must develop, and keep a constant relationship with God and Have faith in Him. This is the beginning of faith. We must have faith in God and His word and have not an ounce of doubt that His word is able. We should strive to have a relationship with God such a David did and be able to declare as he did in Psalm 16:8 that "I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me".

• Remember Mark 11:23-24: This teaches us to have faith in God and what He says and have no doubt at all, then ask and believe and we you will receive. Mark 11:23-24 reads "I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours".

• Remember Love is before faith: We must continuously develop, walk and work in love: in ourselves and with others. 1 Corinthians 13:2 tells us that faith has to be proceeded by love, it reads "If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing".

As you start a new week by God's grace, I ask you once again to look at the size of the mustard seed in the picture above. Remind yourself that "this is the size and amount of faith I am required to have and use to move mountains" (... and that by the way is just the starting point of what faith can do!).


So to that problem at work, at home, with your health, family, finance or whatever the devil might be trying to hold you down with; exercise, work and walk your faith all over it.
Use your faith, without doubting and see Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit work in and through you, moving away all obstacles; whilst making God the Father famous along your way.


Much Love, Remi
***picture by photobucket***
Click on  66 BAGS OF SEEDS to read the POEM FOR THE WEEK

The Obedience Key

If you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land

Isaiah 1:19

It is the second month of the year and I know most will have been confessing the goodness that God will do for them this year. Most will be confessing that God will do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond that which we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20) And yes He can and He will.

However, when I look at the opening verse of this post, Isaiah 1:19, it is evident to me that there will be some blessings that I will not receive, unless I am willing and obedient to do God's will.

• Willing is to: have desire or the power of choosing one's own actions


• Obedience is defined as: the quality or condition of being obedient


• Obedient is defined as: dutifully complying with the commands, orders, or instructions of one in authority

From the definitions above, it shows that willingness is a decision we must. We much chose to be or not willing to God's commandments. It also shows that it is not enough to be obedient, but the quality of that obedience is important. For example, if God tells me "Remi, go and walk the dog now at 1:00 this afternoon, and then walk him with his blue collar" I hear this loud and clear and then I "go and walk the dog at 6:00 in the evening and then walk him with a green collar". This is disobedience. It means I have not followed the instructions as I have been given them. Firstly, I did what I was told to do, but at the wrong time (delayed obedience is disobedience) and then I did what I was told, but not How I was told to do it. (The quality of my obedience was not as it should be).

When God tells us to do something, He is very specific with His instructions. We might not get the fully understand, but doing the little He asks of us, unlocks understanding, insight and wisdom.

A great man in the bible, who amplifies the intricacies of obedience is Noah. He was a man who did exactly what God asked of him, even when it did not make sense. When we read Genesis 6, we see the specific instructions God gave to Noah about building an Arc. To confirm the nature of Noah's obedience, the bible says in Genesis 6:22 that "Noah did everything God commanded him to do". To do EVERYTHING, means Noah did not leave anything out. He did the tasks at hand, in the exact time, with the exact materials and tools, as God commanded...even though it did not make sense. Remember as of that time, man had not seen rain!

Can God say that we have done everything He has commanded us to do? Selah

Noah's obedience to God led him to experience God's blessing and reward (his life and that of his family was spared from the flood). The disobedience of his contemporaries led to their destruction.

Noah's obedience was the cornerstone of his faith in God. His building of the ark did not bring him any closer to God, however his obedience and faith in God did. The same should applies to us. We obey because we believe and have faith in God,. that He knows what He is doing.

In 2010, I know we believe that God will do tremendous things in our lives, but our willingness and obedience to His word is fervently required. I always say to myself "Remi if you are not obedient in the little things, when the blessings come, will you be obedient in that greater capacity? " Selah

A few ways to become a more obedient child of God is by:

• knowing that all obedience begins with our faith in the sovereign God. If we don't believe in God's sovereignty, it will be difficult to obey Him. The reason why Abraham is called the father of faith is because he believed and had confidence in God, that He would do what He says He would do. This moved Him to be obedient to whatever God told him to do.

• Growing the obedience we currently have by waiting on God's timing. God is very time conscious, but not as we count time. He is conscious of time in regard to our acting in obedience according to His schedule; He moves in the fullness of time as declared in Galatians 4:4-5 Delayed obedience is disobedience.

• Not subjecting God's plan to man's "common sense". Like Noah, some things God will tell us to do this year, will seem and look down right difficult. However, obey we must, for we must have confidence that He knows what He is doing as He declares in Jeremiah 29:11 "...I know what I am doing..."

• Being prompt in Obedience. This is what I like to call 'instant obedience'. If we are willing, that is having made the choice to obey God, then we cannot be hesitant or dwell in the land of procrastination. Many time (pointing finger at self), we fail to obey God because we dwell on what He tells us to do for so long, turning it all upside down, in fear of the consequences. When we eventually move to do what He says, the timing is all wrong and the vision or instructions sometimes has become unclear or faded.

In this year 2010, God IS going to manifest the reality of Ephesians 3:20 in our lives - you must believe, for it is an absolute promise from Him. However, we must increase our sensitivity to His will, we must affirm our choice and desire to be willing and obedient to His instructions. Through willingness, we show our love for Him and through obedience, we gain further understanding and insight to His will for our lives.

When we Obey God, we will indeed eat (have, be established and revel in) the best of this land. To disobey God means that we live under the course of the enemy. The choice is ours to make.

As you make your way through this year, I encourage you to wear the very essence of obedience like skin. I encourage you to be obedient to God's will for your life and watch Him manifest all your heart's desires this year; giving Him the glory and making Him famous along your way.


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

31 Days Thanksgiving & Praise - DAY 13

Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Proverbs 18:24

Thank you Father for the beautiful, wonderful and precious gift of another day. I thank you my wonderful king for another day to experience love, life and wonderful friendship.

Yesterday, I spent the day with my god daughter and her mum. We had the most beautiful day of Carol services, presents and attended a baby christening. Her mum, my bestest (is that a word?) friend in the whole world, reminds me of the true nature and essence of friendship.

Today, papa, I say a BIG THANK YOU FOR MY FRIEND AND MY GODDAUGHTER.

I am thankful for she has been a friend that has stuck closer than a sister. I am thankful for her life. I am thankful that even when I went through my darkest days and I wasn't much of a friend, she never gave up on me.

I am thankful for her patience, her quiet strength, her unquestioning loyalty and her pure and selfless love. She truly lives out and shows me the reality of 1 Corinthians 13:4, which reads "Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily."

I am thankful Father for her presence and her friendship in my life. I am thankful for my goddaughter, she is a gem, a wonderful a joy, albeit a cheeky one.

I am thankful that you have preserve our friendship through all the trials and tribulations that we have gone through. I pray dear Lord, that we remain friends always and forever.

I am thankful that I am able to experience sisterly love, through compassion and a tender heart as you encourage us to do in 1Peter 3:8. "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind".

So Papa, I say a BIG THANK YOU for my friend and my god daughter. I am thankful for the experience of love and friendship that I have found through her. Lord, I pray that you preserve her and family and help me to be even half a patient and loving friend that she is and a good god mother to the little one. (Love you guys).

In the name of Jesus I praise, thanks and Pray. Amen.

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, WHAT ARE

YOU THANKFUL TO GOD FOR TODAY?

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

Not Falling, BUT Growing In Love...

And may the Lord make your love for one another

and for all people grow and overflow, just as

our love for you overflows.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT)

From the verse above it is evident that we are expected to GROW and overflow in LOVE for one another.

To Grow means to: increase gradually in size, amount, become greater or larger or expand

To fall means to: drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support. It also means to be deceived by, such as being falling for an old trick.

Growing in love with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, appointed someone is a conscious and determined process. God determined He loved us and thus, gave us His only son, Jesus Christ.

Paul also encourage us to stir up our love for one another as written in Hebrews 24:10, which reads "and let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.." . To Stir up means to stir up means to rouse to action or incite, which can be viewed as the opposite of the meaning of falling.

Furthermore, our God IS love as confirmed in 1 John 4:8, and He is not a God that takes us to a lower place through loss or lack of support, when we grow in love with God, we arise Higher and deeper in Him.

When we grow in love, we grow in the understanding, meaning and nature of what Love is as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, which reads "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance".

So, here is me encouraging us all that as we start out a new week under God's grace, living a day a time in His will, to GROW gracefully in love towards one another; displaying the intricate nature and colours of God, who is the definition of love, whilst making Him famous along our way.

PS... Congratulations to Danny Bagucci for winning the book"The Call".

There is still one free book to be won! "The invisible bond - breaking free from your sexual past"

Much Love

Remi

***pictures by lukeprog.com***

The Good And Perfect Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow

of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence

of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy

shall follow me. All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house

of the LORD Forever.

Psalm 23 (NLT)

The dictionary defines a shepherd as thus:

• a person who herds, tends, and guards sheep.
• a person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group of people.

From that definition, it is safe to say that a Shepherd would naturally care for the sheep. An individual who is a leader should have a caring nature for and towards those whom he is leading or directing.

John 10:11-14 reads "11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep".

From the verse above, Jesus was explaining that He is the good shepherd. For Him to have to clarify and distinguish Himself as a 'good shepherd' means that there are 'bad shepherds' around. It means that there are bad shepherds who lead the sheep, his people astray.

Further reading of the same chapter in verse 14 - 15, Jesus not only further re-affirms and distinguishes himself as the good shepherd, but also explains, His love and what He, as a good shepherd, does, continuously, to look after His sheep; his people. It reads 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep".

Now in John 10:12-13, we see the characteristics of a bad shepherd, and it reads "12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep

From this passage, it is obvious that the bad shepherd, referred to as 'hired hand', does not care about the sheep; the people. A bad shepherd abandons the people at the first sign of trouble, causing confusion and displacement.

From that understanding, the questions I ask of you today is thus:

"who is your leader, who are you following?

Who is your Shepherd?

Is God and His word your Shepherd

or is man and the world your shepherd?"

Just as a shepherd tends to the needs of his sheep, by watching over them carefully, protecting them from the dangers of the field and elements of the weather, guiding them away from trouble, leading them out of trouble, when they have wandered off into trouble, and leading them to what will satisfy their needs, daily and constantly; God does the same for His people.

Yes, there might be times when life strikes a painful blow, and we start to feel discouraged and in our discouragement cannot sense the presence of God; Him being there or leading us.

However, learning from the nature of a shepherd (in the natural), a shepherd does not always have physical or direct contact with the sheep he is herding, but his presence is there all the same, looking after and over the sheep. So even when we don't feel God's physical touch or feel Him near, He is always and will always be there as He declares in the second part of Hebrews 13:5, which reads "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So, today, I encourage you to start your, day, week, month and season in submission to the Good and Perfect Shepherd, Almighty God. I encourage you to submit yourself to be led by the shepherd who knows what you need before you ask. The one who knows where all the provisions and opportunities (jobs, contracts, business opportunities, promotions and much more) are, even in the midst of the current economic climate. The one who will lead you in the paths of righteousness, even in the world's darkness, for the glory his holy name.

I for one, declare that God is my good and perfect shepherd, and with renewed understanding of His goodness and his mercy and His love, I can further re-affirm Psalm 23 as thus:

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

I distinguish you Lord (set you apart, and obove) from all others leaders, as my good and perfect shepherd. As my guide, my teacher, my leader and my life coach!. And because you are a good God, I shall never lack any provision or any good thing.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He leads me into abundance

In your goodness, you lead me in blessed abundance (plentiful, more than enough of everything that is good and enriching for and to me), even in recession. You know where all the opportunities are; how to get them to me or how to get me to it, as long as follow your lead... and as you lead me along, you gift me with perfect peace within my soul.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

You bring me back to my original position, how you created me to be, living in peace, in love and in abundance. You lead me in right thinking, right doing for your name's sake. (this is the part I love). Now because you do this for your namesake, I have no need to worry or be stressed, because you cannot forsake your name, for your name is your very reputation, and you will not forsake your reputation, you cannot. Assured Confidence! Hallelujah!

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Even when I go astray from your will (yeah, I am silly like that sometimes, and wander off on my own), and work and walk myself into some disastrous situations (and you know I have had a few Lord); in your goodness and like the good and perfect shepherd that you are, you still come and find me, and help me out of my own mess! Wow!

Your rod, you use to correct me (that's right, sometimes it sure hurts, but it is for my own good, so I thank you) and your staff you use to lead me out of that very situation (guiding me out by insight through your word, your teaching, your wisdom and your Holy Spirit). In so doing you show me the nature of your perfect character, which is all goodness.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Even in the presence of my enemies, those who want to see me fail, you prosper me (to their amazement, and for your glory). In the presence of those who doubt that I serve a living God, you show yourself strong, and then you go further to anoint my head, blessing everything that concerns me, and it still does not stop there, you then bless me so much that I have to expand my territory to contain it all, and its still keeps coming. Your blessing is never -ending. When I think I have seen all your goodness, you 'wow' me some more!

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

As long as I follow you and let you lead me as the good and perfect shepherd that you are, your goodness and your mercy will always surround me, be with me and be manifested in me. It will follow me everywhere I go, be evident in everything I do, I touch and I'm involved in ... all the days of my life.

As long as I keep my eyes, firmly focused on you, follow your instructions and whilst doing so (no matter how long the journey or work I must do; and Lord, I must confess, sometimes the journey is long and the work, extremly hard, but by your grace, I have been and always will be able), remember your constant faithfulness, love and goodness. I must always remember that you are my good and perfect shepherd, whose desire is to lead me in the right path, for your name's sake and for your glory. And for all these and even more, I declare I will live within the realms of your will and love forever more...Amen.

How about you? How do you declare and re-affirm Psalm 23, confessing the Lord as your shepherd? Have a wonderful day being led in spirit and in truth by God the good and perfect shepherd, glorifying His name in your life along the way.

Much Love

Remi

***pictures by photobucket***

Constant and Continous is He: even in the midst of famine

And I will put a division and a

sign of deliverance between

My people and your people.

By tomorrow shall this sign be in evidence.

Exodus 8:23

... and the story continues to be delivered through all forms of media; television, radio, newspapers, the Internet, even on bill boards. Tales about the devastating blows of the doom and gloom of the world's recession is never ending, it seems

The constant barrage of the state of the recession is a repackaged tactic of the devil. A tactic to instill fear into the minds of those taking it all in. However, as children of God, who firmly reside within His Economy, we know that because He is good, we are going to be okay.

Over time and throughout the Bible, God has shown us His continuous and constant desire to proposer his children, even in the times of famine (recession). His aim is to prosper us in wealth, health, relationships, influence and affluence and so much more; so that we in turn can be a blessing to others, bringing glory to His name.

God spoke the verse above when he was about to bring the plague of 'the Plague of Flies' upon the Egyptians, (please read the Exodus chapter 6 - 9 for completion). In the midst of all the havoc that was to be evident in the land, God promised to 'protect, set aside, mark and treat different' the Israelites, showing that He is their all powerful, knowing and protecting God.

As I mused over that verse, I realised that, even in the middle of this world's crisis, it is still God's constant and continuous desire to "set us apart, mark us with his blood, make it evident that we have and serve a living God, who is more than able to rise us well above the recession". After all, He is a God that changes not, He did it before and He will do it again; only if we let him through our obedience.

Some encouraging stories of how God showed his constant and continuous desire for his children to prosper in the times of famine are:

• Isaac became prosperous - Genesis 25 - 26 (please read for completion): Isaac was a diligent and obedient man and he moved as instructed by God to Gerar, the land of the philistines. In response to his obedience God blessed him in the land of Gerar, he reaped in the same year of famine (recession) a hundred fold. We must note that God blessed Issac because he was obedient. Also, we learn that Isaac did not follow the ways of the world and go to Egypt like everyone did, or as his father Abraham did. He obtained instructions for his own victory, in the times of famine. What is God telling you to do, physically or spiritually? Are you following God's or the world's pathway to your victory in this recession?

• God saves the Israelites in the wilderness - In Deuteronomy 8 (please read for completion): Here, we learn how God fed the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness. God supernaturally fed them through manna (bread) from heaven. This bread was to be gathered together by specific instructions from God. The Israelites lived the reality of Matthew 4: 4 which reads "But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". God did more than feed them, he made their clothing (clothes and shoes) last on them throughout their time in the desert, forty years. Imagine that? They never outgrew their clothes or shoes. The Israelites ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. This is proof that God saw them through the wilderness. As he did it for the Israelites, He can and will see us through the hard times, if we let him and are obedient.
  


• Elijah fed by Ravens - 1 Kings 17 (please read for completion): In verse 2 and 3 of this chapter, we see how God told Elijah to move from where he was to the brook of Cherith , the east of Jordan. In this place God provided water to drink and ravens to feed him food. The awesomeness of this is that Raven birds, are scavengers in nature, and they do not discriminate between humans and animals, they will eat it all. However, this is the same bird that God commanded to feed Elijah. God can use the same wave and instigator of this recession to feed, take care and increase His children.
  

• The Widow of Zarephath - 1 Kings 17 (please read for completion): This is another wonderful example of how God provided for his own, through obedience; and also how the obedience of one person, led to the saving of another life. The widow of Zarephath and her son were down to their last meal and close to death by starvation. God commanded Elijah to move from the brook Cherith, (where he had initially hidden and provided for him), to go to Zarephath, where he will meet this widow. On getting to Zarephath, he did see the widow. He asked her for some water to drink and some bread to eat - on which the woman replied in 1 Kings 17 11 - 12, which reads "11As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. 12And she said, As the Lord your God lives, I have not a loaf baked but only a handful of meal in the jar and a little oil in the bottle. See, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it--and die."
  
  Elijah heard her plight, but because he knew God was onto something, encouraged her. The widow obeyed the prophet and the result of both of their obedience was that she, her house hold and Elijah, ate for many days throughout the famine. They never lacked. From this we must understand that the ramifications of obedience to God is usually bigger than us. In this case, Elijah's obedience saved the widow and her household. The widow's obedience, gave room for God to do his work and provide for both of them.
  

• The favoured man called Joseph - Genesis 40 - 41 (please read for completion): The favour of God was on Joseph, for God gave him the wisdom and ability to govern and administer the house of Pharaoh and his people. God gave him the wisdom, ability and skills to know where, how to and when to gather up all the [surplus] food that will be required to help Egypt survive the times of famine. We must ask God for His wisdom to know where the opportunities are in this season; when, where and how to invest and sow our time, resources and skills and gifts.



• Famine during the reign of King Claudius - Acts 11 (please read chapter for complete ion): There was a famine in the land of Antioch during the reign of King Claudius. At this time, God provided for the disciples living in Antioch, however, they in turn, provided and helped each other according to their capability and how God blessed them. verse 29 - 30 reads "29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. 30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul". We must learn that when God prospers us in this recession, we should not embrace a selfish nature and hold onto it all. We are blessed to be a blessing, thus we should reach out to others and help them to rise above the waves of recession. In doing so, the true nature and colours of God's love will come shining through, bringing glory to His holy name.

On that note, I encourage us all not to be carried away on the waves of fear because of the continuous news about the world's global recession. Declare and decree that "you are NOT participating in the world's recession", for you reside in God's economy. In doing so, you are hiding yourself under God's rock, under his wings and in the shelter of the name of Jesus Christ, where he will not only provide for you and your family but prosper you until you become extremely prosperous.

However, when God prospers you, do not forget to be a blessing to those around you, helping them rise above tides recession; making God famous along your way.


Much Love
Remi Banjo

***Pictures by photobucket***

...And Then He Is Risen!!!

"But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from

the dead, why are some of you saying there will be

no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no

resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been

raised either. And if Christ has not been raised,

then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless".

1 Corinthians 15:12-14

But as we know and believe, Jesus Christ died, and on the third day, He rose from death, to live forevermore, as he declares in Revelation 1:18, which reads “I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave" Hallelujah!

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. It proves the truthfulness of the Word of God, that was spoken by the Prophets of old. It proves his deity as the son of God and proves the completion of the salvation of God.

For us to be justified before God, we MUST receive eternal life. This is the only way. Thus, if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, He will not be alive today, to give us eternal life. However, praise be to the powerful Almighty God, He did rise as declared in John 11:25, which reads “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” ...And because he has risen, we have ETERNAL LIFE!!

If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, the gospel of the Holy Spirit will not be alive, and with us today. If there is no Holy Spirit, then there is no church. The gift and presence of the Holy Spirit is dependant on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Jesus also acknowledges in John 16:7, which reads “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.”

Finally, if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, he will not be seated at the right hand of the Father INTERCEDING (pleading) for us, as explained in Romans 8: 31 – 34, which reads "31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us".

The scriptures says it all.

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Christian life is GUARANTEED

as explained in Romans 6:4, which reads:

"For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.

And just as Christ was raised from the dead by

the glorious power of the Father,

now we also may live new lives".

There is nothing to add or take away from these. Jesus Christ lived and died to save humanity, to give us back dominion (after the fall of man, in the garden of Eden) and ultimately, to reconcile us back to God. Simply beautiful...

Dear Lord, to say 'thank you' can never be remotely close enough, to express my gratitude for changing my pathway from hell to heaven, through the awesome power of your resurrection.

I pray that you help us all, by your grace to understand and live out the ramifications of your resurrection, all for your glory.

And I leave you with this...

"And the Ever-living One

[I am living in the eternity of the eternities].

I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and

I possess the keys of death

and Hades (the realm of the dead)".

Revelation 1:18

For that verse alone, we should NEVER be afraid of anything that comes our way. Jesus Christ has the keys, means we have dominion- OVER EVERYTHING. Praise God.

Have a Happy and wonderful Easter celebrating the awesomeness of the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and what it means for all humanity.

Much love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures by photobucket***

THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

He came
He lived

He died
For you and me

He changed our paths from hell

Bought us a one way ticket to heaven

To reign and dwell with Him for eternity

In His mighty haven

Today, many years ago, God gave the ultimate gift, He scarified His one and only Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He was killed for the elevation of you and I, as confirmed in 1 John 4: 9 - 10, which reads "9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins".

This sacrifice epic's the meaning of LOVE AND IT'S WORTH. It writes a story of "A love that surpasses all understanding" as further explained in John 3:16, which reads "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"

The death of Jesus Christ, on this very day, inverted our pathway to Hell, it changed our course from eternal death to eternal life. It changed our course to heaven.

Today, wonderful Lord, I thank you for the ramifications of what you did today, for me, so many years ago. I thank you that because of your love for me and the sacrifice of your one and only son, by your grace, I am heaven bound, to reign with you for eternity. Hallelujah!

I thank you Papa that you find me worthy (even in my dysfunctional state) of an awesome sacrifice. Words cannot express my gratitude and the word 'thank you' is not even close enough, to sum up my appreciation for today.

However, in my attempt to show gratitude, from the depths of my heart and soul, and with every fibre of my being, I say a BIG THANK YOU LORD, for the beautiful gift that you gave me today. The gift of Jesus Christ.

I do not take this for granted. You died for me, and so I live for you. I live to praise you, love you and by your grace walk steadfastly in your will, declaring your awesomeness, your glory and never-ending love; making you ever so famous along my way.

Thank you Jesus for everything.

How about you? How do you feel about the glorious gift of today?

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures by Photobucket***

A Continous Flow

Its power is infinite
gives the ability to forgive and

the desire to nurture,

healing hurts, pains and much more

It blesses the heart
enriches the very soul
Stands the test of time
unchanged since the days of old

It is an invisible tangibility
to be desired and believed in
a life is incomplete

without the imprints of it

The effortless and continuous flow of its
intricate nature, will forever be evident
and tremendously relevant for all

to visualise, experience and cherish

the beauty within its very essence

1 Peter 4:8 reads “Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]”.

As the world’s proclaimed day of Love ‘valentines day’ approaches, most will get caught up in the furore of showing love and appreciation to that favorite person; husband, wife, friend, or family member. Most will try and squeeze the entire 'love quota' for that person into a few hours. It will be done with flowers, candy, chocolate, dinners for two, the saying will be around “darling, its just me and you”.

It is a nice warm gesture, but as 1Peter 4:8 above explains, love is a 'CONTINUOUS' action and motion.

The dictionary explains CONTINUOUS as: "Without break, cessation, or interruption; without intervening space or time; uninterrupted; unbroken; continual; unceasing; constant; continued; protracted; extended; such as a continuous current of electricity".


The dictionary also describes ACTION as thus: The state or process of acting or doing.

From that definition and the verse above, it is safe to say that our expressions of love towards one another should be never-ending like the circumference of a ring. Our love towards each other should be fluid, like water running down a stream. It should be a daily occurrence and not packaged and delivered just one day during of the year.

Yes, it good to show even more love on special occasions, such as birthdays and indeed Valentine’s Day, but we are meant to express love, continuously, regardless if we are single, in a courting relationship or married. There is always someone that we can do something to, for or with, expressing the nature of God's love.

So as Valentine’s Day approaches, I would like to encourage us all that to extend this same love beyond February 14, and to other people around us, who are not our husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends or wives. Extend to friends, families. To that single mother with three kids, that old woman or old gentleman who lives alone.

It could be a simple phone call to say hello, an email, a text message, a card or a letter. It could be helping that friend or neighbour with babysitting the kids once a month, while they takes an evening off. It could be picking up the neighbour on our way to work, and yes, dropping them off back at home, after all they leave nearby. It could be inviting someone for dinner, or saying 'hello' (for a change) to that cashier, who serves your morning coffee, at the local coffee shop, en-route to the office, or the security man that greets you with a smile, as you enter the office building.

Seamless and continuous acts of love do not have to be spectacular all the time. To a lonely soul, a simple smile, wave or hello goes so much further than we would ever know.

I wish you all a happy valentine's day and many more 'Seamless and Continuous love days' this year; showing, giving and embracing the intricate nature of God's love as you do so; making him famous along the way.

Much love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures from Photobucket***

LOVE...

The essence of love can be found

in a quiet murmur

over telephone lines

The intricacies of love

lies within the discovery of

its open, yet, sacred secret

The purpose of love is

encapsulated in it's very reason

The courage of love

embraces the unknown,

propelled by the assurance of

it's inner strength and

unmeasurable confidence

Love gives the ability to

face the unknown,

embrace the intangible

visualise the invisible and
believe in the absolute impossible

©Remi Banjo, July 2008

***Pictures by photobucket***

The greatest lessons in love is not the soul's ability to receive and soak up the essence of love; it's simply how much it can freely give in order to become whole.

Have a great day basking in the beauty and meaning of love, whilst making God, the defination of love famous along the way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

Curtain Rod of Love

Luke 10:25- 28 reads "25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’[a] and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”[b]28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

Mathew 22:34 - 39 reads "34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Reading those two passages, it is evident that the whole commandments of God HANGS on the "LAW OF LOVE" - Loving God and loving our fellow man. The law of prosperity, of faith, of deliverance, of answered prayers, of increase and much more, hangs of that Love commandment.

WITHOUT LOVE, NOTHING CAN WORK!!!

Imagine you are trying to hang up a curtain;

There is the rod, the hooks and the curtain itself.

If the rod is not solid and stable, in the right shape with the right hook outlets, then, it is safe to say that it will be a difficult task putting the hooks on the rod right? Now, imagine the hooks are not the proper shape and size.

It is also safe to say that it will be almost impossible to hang the curtain off these hooks right?
So, if the curtain rod is unstable, will be almost impossible to attach the hooks or the curtain. And even if you do try, it will turn out all wrong, shaky, crooked and wonky, and most likely, eventually the curtain will fall off at some point.

Now, imagine the curtain Rod to be Love, The hooks, to be faith and the curtain itself to be the manifestation of God's blessings; answered prayers and the like.

If we are not walking in love, the faith we have in God will not work, and because our faith is not working, there will be no manifestation of what we desire from that faith - answered prayers and the like.

For us to see God's glory in our lives, we must have faith, and the faith we have must be hang off the law of love as mentioned in the passage above, for the all other laws hang off that same law. For us to see the beauty of the curtain, it must hang off the hooks firmly placed and embedded in the curtain rod.

Imagine that?! One can be diligent in all the other laws in the bible, but if that person has no love, then all is of no use, because all the other laws hang off the law of love!

Hence, when we are not seeing the manifestation of our prayers, even though we have the faith that He will do what his word says, we really must ask ourselves, " is my faith hanging on God's love?"

How do we walk in Love? How do we make sure our faith is hanging on God's love? To walk in love is a process, a development process and we do this by reading and practising the words of God. By reading the bible and bringing the meaning and instructions therein into our daily reality. Making it the way that we live, living it out in a practical way.

And how do we do that I hear you ask? By loving our fellow man as commanded. I mean if we cannot show love to our fellow man, that we see, how can we say that we love God, that we cannot see? By giving a helping hand when it is need, a kind word here or there, goes a long way to show and leave the imprints of God's love. Putting in a word at work for that your friend that is seeking employment, helping that neighbour with their grocery shopping because they don't have a car.

Another way to walk in love is to practice forgiveness, is to releasing people who have hurt us into forgiveness. Now this can be a major one, because sometimes we might not know we are harbouring unforgivness and that is why we have to ask the holy spirit to help us daily.

I remember a while back, when I was looking for a new location to live, I asked a few friends about their neighbourhood; you know to get a feel of what the areas was like and all that. And I remember a friend saying "please don't come to our area, we don't want your kind living in our area", and I also remembered that, at point in time, I laughed it off, as I thought it was nothing.

Months later, when I was struggling with a few issues, the Holy spirit brought it to me that I was habouring unforgiveness for what that very statement that friend had said. ! Imagine that!? Thank God for that revelation and the ability to forgive.

We must walk in love to live the successful and elevated life God wants for us and Love will never fail to bring us to that very place. Why? Because God is love, agape love; Love that was given to us, even when we were yet sinners. Love never fails because God NEVER fails.

Also, because God loves us, he will make everything right with and for us, but we in turn must walk in that very commandment of love.

Simply put, if we don't walk in and live by Love, our faith will not work. This we are thought clearly in Galations 5: 6, which reads Galatians 5:6 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love."

When our faith does not hang off love, we will not see the fullness of God's in our lives. Yes, He will bless us anyway, because that is God's nature, He cannot help himself but bless us, but without love, we will not see or experience the best that God has for us.

So, here is me encouraging us all to open ourselves to Love, develop God's love by constantly reading his words, the bible, and then making it's expression your daily reality, and watch God's awesomeness manifest in your lives; making him famous along the way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures by photobucket***