Next Generation - What Seeds Are We Planting

"And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers,

and there arose another generation after them who did not

know (recognize, understand) the Lord, or even the work which

He had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did evil

in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals."

Judges 2: 10 11

The verse above relates to the passing of Joshua and all the elders who witness the powerful hand of God; both in blessing and judgement, in the lives of the children of Israel. From their being rescued from Egypt, through the wilderness and into the promised land.

After Joshua and the elders who witnessed the hand of God died, a whole new generation (their children and grand children) were now on the scene. They were grown up. The Bible says they did NOT know the Lord and as a result of this they did the very things that despised God. For example, they worshipped other gods, like the Baal-gods. They did nothing that their father's did, the things that pleased God.

I read this and thought, how could they have not known the Lord, or learnt from how their father's served God? I mean with all the wonders and punishment (for their disobedience) Israel went through with God, this new generation should have at least know about it!

I pondered and I reasoned that I believe they knew about God and all His miracles and blessings and all, but they did NOT KNOW GOD. It seemed that they knew God from afar, the God their father's served. However, they did not have a personal relationship with Him. The verse makes me think, that the older generation carried on with the business of serving God, yes the books where there, the temples, the alters and the rest, however it seems they might not have taken the the time to sit down and teach the upcoming generation about God, and guide them towards having a personal relationship with Him.

My question - "did Israel forget to implement the commandment of Deuteronomy 4:9-10? Which reads "9 But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. 10 Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai,[a] where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also."

Fast forward to this generation, imagine a family - mother, father who have lived a life of obedience in God, they get married and have two children. They immerse themselves in family life and the father, wanting the best for his children (as he should), works all the hours, to give his children what he considers ** the best** in life. He works on Sundays too, just to get that extra double pay that His company provides. The wife on her own (even though married) raises the children- takes them to school, takes them to church and so on. She is busy rushing from one appointment to the other. The husband and wife only just have about enough time to catch up in the evening, before they both fall asleep, in anticipation of yet another busy day. They do not have the time to sit down and tell or really teach the children about God, who He is, and how to live a life that is pleasing to Him. ... and the wheel keeps spinning until the kids are grown.

Most likely, the boys would have learnt that working hard is required to give the family **the best**. The girls might have learnt that most if not all of the work of raising the family rests on her shoulders, and she just has to do the best she can, praying God will help.

Is this the best we can do for the next generation? Selah

Are we busy with life and serving God for ourselves, at the detriment of the younger ones.

The question that ensures is thus "what, if any knowledge of God are we passing on, planting, installing into our children or the next generation"? Will we empower them to live a life that is pleasing to God, or will they like the generation that is spoken in Judges 2, turn away from God, because they do not know Him?

Using the principle of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7, which reads "Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant"). What we sow in the lives of our young people - the next generation, is what we will reap. What will manifest through the next generation in years to come, will be as a result of what we are or not doing today.

Like a farmer we must understand the hidden meaning of the principles of Galatians 6:7; and do our best implement them into the future generation, from our own little corner of the world.

The principles teach us that:

• We must not be misled, because God is not mocked: The message bible puts Galatians 6:7 like this: "Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds." Are we ignoring the spiritual needs of the next generation, the very foundation that will see them through in life? A word of encouragement, an act of reaching out to that teenager, that youth and young adult, will go a long way to save a life and most probably a nation.
  
  
• That we are required to do something: A farmer must first do something to get a harvest. He must go to the farm, get his out and plant them. Periodically, water them and tender the farm in expectation of a bountiful harvest. What are we expecting in and from the next generation? Are we planting the right seeds? Are we watering, and tendering them as we should? Teaching, coaching, being a good example, guiding and praying for them as we should? Are we planting God in their minds, in their hearts and soul. Are we planting, compassion, love, what it means to live a godly life, courage and obedience and complete trust in God and not in things?
  
  
• We reap what we sow: This is good news if we are sowing good seeds into the next generation, but terrible news if we are sowing bad or no seeds. Are we sowing the very seeds of Gods' word into our next generation - in prayer, in speaking in teaching and in doing? Are we sowing things such as discipline, respect and godly character?
  
  
• We reap more than we sow: Farmers plant their seeds because they expect a harvest, a great deal more than they put in the ground. Remember a seed is very tiny, but it blossoms into a big crop. A single seed of a scripture, prayer, word of guidance, or encouragement, a day, in the life of a young one will go a long way to bring forth a great harvest.
  
  
• We reap later than we sow: We don't see the results in the future generation now, but it does not mean they will not come. It also does not mean we should continue to ignore and not teach them about God and the godly principles that will save their very soul. There is no regular timetable for the harvest of life. Some crops will reap quickly, others take a long time, but it sure will be manifested.

So today, as you make your way through another week, I encourage you to pause from all your activities and spare a taught for the next generation. It is disheartening to read the horrible stories in the news, about the atrocities teenagers are getting up to. The devil is taking hold of our future and we must put a stop to it. It starts where you are, in your home, in your community, even at work. A word, a prayer, an act of compassion here or there goes a long way to plant good seeds that will bring forth good harvests in the future.

I encourage you to do your best to invest precious time to sow seeds into the lives of the future generation, and when their time comes, they will not be like the generation spoken about in Judge 2, but their very existence; love passion and fire for God, will make Him famous along their way.

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

Relational Beings...

God created man as relational being. This is evident from when He created Adam as we read in Genesis 1:26-27, which reads "Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” 27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them".

Relationship is defined as a connection, association, or involvement.

Adam's first relationship was with God. He had a connection, an association and an involvement with God. However, I God wanted to increase the relational experience of man, so he created Eve. This we read in Genesis 2:18, which reads "Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

God does want us to have relationships; but the right ones and manage them adequately.

The pattern of forming or creating and managing relationships can be likened to that of the harvest, and the steps are: Conditioning the soil, sowing the seed, watering the seed, and then reaping a harvest.

For relationships, we can write the pattern as including: Introduction, Acquaintance, Friendship and Intimacy.

In relationships, at the beginning we condition our hearts (soil) through introduction to an individual, then we get acquainted (sowing he seed) by getting to know them. When we like what we see and perceive, we then move further to work on the friendship (watering the seed) through spending time with the individual. When we are sure and affirmed and confident of the individual in areas such as their believes and maturity, we finally we move into intimacy(reaping a harvest), and this could mean marriage, or having the individual as a close friend.

In today's society, most are used to having everything in an instant. Fast cars, fast meals, fast life... and therefore fast relationships. With all this 'fastness' the relational management of most has become faulty, or none existent.

Most people seem to go from introduction to intimacy in a very short period of time, showing that they want the benefit of commitment without actually being committed to the relationship. For example, two people living together, is called involvement. However, two people married and living together, is called commitment.

Not all relationships in our lives should move on to the next level. some are meant to stay at Introduction, or Acquaintance level (pointing finger to self at this point!). It is the fact of life that there will be some people, who will be closer to us than others.

We can learn more about relational management from the life of Jesus Christ.

Jesus had a special relationship with twelve men, His disciples, as we read in Matthew 10:2-4. However, amongst those twelve men, Jesus had a special relationship with three of them - Peter, James and John. This we are affirmed when he took them up a mountain to be alone. This we read in Mathew 17:1, which reads "Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone". Within those three men, Jesus had an even closer relationship with one of them, John.

Jesus also had relationship with other people that He managed. He had relationships with the Pharisees, He even had dinner with them. He also had relationships with His family and the people He ministered to along His way. It seemed that throughout His life, Jesus managed the people around Him, relationally, seamlessly.

To us all, the question is "How are we doing with the relationships in our lives?"

What if I have someone occupying the wrong space, relationship wise, in my life, what do I do? I hear you ask. Well we could do the following:

• Retrain: This means to review, re-asses and re-instate the nature form and shape of the relationship. It means that we could try to re-invest into the individual by putting more effort into the relationship to build it, for example spending more time with them or getting involved more in their life, and them ours, in the hope of experiencing growth.



• Reposition: This means that we reposition the space the this person takes in our lives. For example, if we have someone at the intimacy level, and we know they are not meant to be there, we must re-asses the relationship and move them to the right level within our lives, or if need be retire the relationship completely. This however, is not an easy thing to do because with relationships comes expectations. When expectations are not met, problems will most definitely ensue, but we must manage them all the same.



• Retire: if the two above does not work, then it might be safe to part ways, amicably.

What is the nature, shape and form of the relationships in your life? Do you need to retrain, move or retire a few of them?

For relationships to work, they must occupy the right space, and managed so that the right investment (time and resource) is spent on them, therefore providing and yielding the right reward (harvest) to both parties, all for God's glory.

Have a great time being the all relational being that God created you to be, making Him famous along your way.

Much Love

Remi

***Picture by glimbo.com***

Not Without His Permission

And the Lord said,“Simon, Simon! Indeed,

Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.

But I have prayed for you, that your faith should

not fail; and when you have returned to Me,

strengthen your brethren.”

Luke 22: 31 - 32(NKJV)

Jesus spoke the words in the verse above when He and His disciples were eating the 'Lord's supper' and when He was predicting Peter's imminent denial of Him.

Jesus told Peter that Satan asked for Him, meaning that, Jesus had previously had a conversation with Satan whereby, Satan requested for Peter. This implies that Satan cannot pick and choose, freely, whom he desires to afflict or torment, on this earth, 'he must ask God, he needs God's permission to do so'. (Head spinning right? - Yes, it was for me also when I was opened to this understanding).

However, surprised we must not be, for in the Bible, there is another example whereby it shows that, Satan requires God's permission for everything, especially when it comes to His children. Where is that written? I hear you ask. In the book of Job. It is evident in Job 2: 3 - 6, and it reads "3 Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” 4 Satan replied to the Lord, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. 5 But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” 6 “All right, do with him as you please,” the Lord said to Satan. “But spare his life.”(NLT)

Here we see, Satan having conversations with God regarding Job and asking permission to torment Job so that he(Job), can turn his back on God.

To ask permission means: "authorization granted to do something; formal consent"

To sift means to: "pass or fall through or as if through a sieve"

We learn from this same Luke 22 passage that, Satan wanted to sift Peter like wheat, thereby putting Peter's FAITH to the test. He wanted to put Peter's FAITH UNDER PRESSURE.

What is the essence of putting Peter's faith to the test, I hear you ask?

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (NLT)

Breaking this passage down further, it means that our FAITH, which is our BELIEF (which is in the fundamental fact of God's existence and in His word, which is our firm foundation), that what we hope (which is in God's word) for, will actually happen; it gives us total and complete assurance (total confidence) about the things that we cannot see.

Thus, with that definition in mind, when our faith is tested, our belief, confidence, hope and total assurance and declaration in God and His word, is being tested. It is not to test if we can hold on to our earthly possessions (cars, houses, jobs and the rest), but if we can hold on to our firm belief in God, during the trials and tribulations we go through.

Reading Luke 22: 31 - 32 further, we learn that, even though Jesus gave Satan permission to test Paul, in His goodness, He made sure that Peter was going to be alright. Jesus prayed for Peter. He prayed that his Faith (which is what was to be tested) will not fail him, Luke 22: 32 reads "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail;" However, the beauty of our Lord Jesus is that, as He prayed for Peter then, He still prays for us now, during our trials and tribulations as confirmed in Romans 8:34, which reads "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." (NLT)

We also learn from the 2nd part of verse 32, of Luke 22, that regardless our trials and tribulations, we will come through. However, when we do, we will have a testimony, which is to be used to help others who are going through the same difficulties we just came out of. Luke 22:32 reads "...So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers. (NLT)" This is why it is important to share our testimonies with others so that it will help them towards their breakthrough and also bringing glory to God's name.

From all of the above, we must remember that:

• Nothing happens to us without God's permission. Satan has to obtain permission from God to afflict us. I like to say he requires a 'permission slip' that states his limited, under permission authority and boundaries on anything concerning us.



• When we are going through trials and tribulations, being tested, it is our FAITH - our foundation, our belief in God that is being tested.



• God is always there to help and see us through as we are assured in 1 Corinthians 10:13 which reads "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure". (NLT)



• The testing of our faith is good for us, for it brings growth through endurance as confirmed in James1: 2 - 4, which reads "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."(NLT) Endurance is the ability or strength to continue or last, esp. despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina: He has amazing physical endurance

So I encourage us all to be of good cheer, for every single test of faith we go through, has not happened without God's notice or permission.

Nothing occurs to God and nothing takes Him by surprise.

However, we must do whatever it takes, to hold on to the very foundations of our faith, our belief, which is in God and His word. We must believe that He is on our side, He is praying for us, and the tests are to refine us. This means we will be fine, we will come out refined and much stronger. We will come out victorious armed with powerful and life changing testimonies. These we must share with others, to strengthen and help them through their own tests; whilst making our good, wonderful and merciful God, famous along your way.

Much Love
Remi Banjo
***Pictures by Photobucket***

TIME TO GROW UP...

“If racing against mere men makes you tired,

how will you race against horses?

If you stumble and fall on open ground,

what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?

Jeremiah 12:5

To run with horses I believe, means to operate at a higher level in all areas of life. It means to climb up to at a certain level of maturity, both spiritually and physically.

Higher is defined as having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward: a high mountain; a high tower.

To run can be defined as: to move swiftly on foot so that both feet leave the ground during each stride; or to move at a fast gallop, used of a horse, or to move without hindrance or restraint. To run can also mean to move, roll or progress from momentum or from being hurled, kicked or otherwise propelled or to cause to increase; rise.

To operate at a higher level, means to GROW UP physically and spiritually. Spiritually being top priority. To grow up also means that we become responsible and accountable for our lives and actions and indeed our salvation (shock horror! I hear the gasps!). It also means to become mature in the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the things of God and his will in our lives.

The dictionary describes grow as to: develop or come into existence from; or to increase in amount or degree, or intensify.

Just like children, we must start as a baby in Christ, and then a toddler and a young adult and then a fully grown man / woman. We must eventually grow up and mature in all areas as we grow physically; in mannerism, in speech, in behaviour, responsibility, in wisdom and in accountability.

As believers, we are started off being milk-fed the word of God, such as described in 1 Peter 2:2: which reads "Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment"

However, we are NOT meant to stay on this type of liquid foods forever. There comes a time when we HAVE to start eating solid food, to chew on the solid meat that is the word of God; so that we can grow, become mature, in spirit, body (not fat, but healthy as a living temple), and in mind. This we are taught and encouraged to do in Hebrews 5:13-14, which reads: “13For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]! 14But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.”

To rise up to a higher level and platform that enables and equips us to run with horses, we must firstly take stock of where we are in God and then make a decision and be willing to go up higher and press much further into the process of maturity.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 gives us a glimpse of what it means when we are still acting and behaving in the realms of immaturity. It reads "1However, brethren I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ [unable to talk yet!] 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it], 3For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?".

From the scripture above, immaturity means to operate under the control and influence of the flesh and to emit its fruits which include (amongst others): jealousy, fighting, lying, disobedience and irresponsibility.


To grow and become mature enough to run with horses, we can do so by taking responsibility in the following areas of our lives:

1. Study the word of God as we are taught in 2 Timothy 2:15; 3: 16-17. so that we can:

• Increase in knowledge
• verify the messages we hear and read, making sure it is aligned with God's word. For example, the notes we take in church on Sundays or mid-week services, what have we done with them, have we checked them over, referred to the bible to see if they are true? and the messages we bought on tape, CD and downloaded via podcast, have we verified the authenticity?
• be changed from within, so we can be more like Jesus as described in Romans 8:29

2. Implement the word of God. We must not just be hearers or readers of God's word, but also doers, which means to implement it daily into our lives, as we are taught in James 1:22, which reads "But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves".

3. We must be obedient to God's word. When we implement God's word, it allows us to practice the act of obedience to that which we read, hear and that which he reveals to us, as we are taught in 1 John 2:5-6 . Our obedience to God's word, shows that we love him as Jesus speaks in John14:15.

4. Seek counsel of the Holy spirit before setting into action, or going on about our daily lives, we must take time to seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit for guidance and help to walk in God's will.

5. Respect God's temple. we must strive to treat our bodies (physically, mind and spirit) as the temple of God as we are taught in Romans 8:6 and Philippians 4:8.

6. Focus and keep pressing forward as Paul encourages us in Philippians 3:13&14 which reads "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Doing this helps us to keep striving for what lies ahead, full of faith and hope in God’s word.

7. Love as God loves us as David the Psalmist explains in Psalm 36:7 which reads "How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings".
These are just a few things we can do, to help kick start the process of spiritual and physical maturity in Jesus Christ.

So, do you really mean business with your relationship with God, and not into playing religious games or living a life of meritocracy? Then I invite you to conjure up a deep hunger from within for the meaty word of God. I invite you to press deeper, delve into his very presence with reckless abandon, so you can experience the full ramifications and intricacies of what it means to run with horses; and to be led constantly by God.

I invite you to climb higher to fully experience what it means to work with God and the angels to bring to fruition God’s word for everything concerning you and the advancement of his kingdom.

Have an awesome time learning and growing, and indeed running with horses, whilst making God famous along your way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo
***pictures by photobucket***