COURAGE, CONFIDENCE AND SURETY

 And my righteous ones will live by faith.

But I will take no pleasure in anyone

who turns away

Hebrews 10:38

 
 
To believe is to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.


To have confidence is to be in a state or quality of being certain (free from doubt or reservation, to be confident and sure).
This confidence is the assurance, that one is sure, without a doubt in whatever we believe in. This assurance and surety gives one the courage and determination to do whatever is required to bring that which we seek to manifestation.


Surety is the condition of being sure, especially of oneself, to have self-assurance.


This, my beautiful people is what faith is all about. It is about stepping out, walking, working and acting in confidence, courage and surety. It is the springboard to the manifestation of our believe in God and His abilities. This is what it means when we talk about exercising our faith.
 


It is important to understand the element of courage, confidence and surety in its entirety because:

• Without faith (confidence, courage and surety) it is impossible to please God   Hebrews 11:6, it reads "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him."  We have the great example of faith through the 'father of Faith' Abraham. He displayed his faith, not in abject of his existence, but by walking and working in confidence, courage and surety in God.  Think of it, it must take unshakable confidence  and assurance in God to be willing and obedient to sacrifice his only son at the alter! (Genesis 22:1-12). I mean he was so sure that God will provide the offering for the sacrifice - verse 8 "8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together".   Bearing in mind that God had told Abraham he will be the 'father of nations', now under normal, human logic, if the son is sacrificed, how will this happen?  However, Abraham was sure of God displayed this in his obedience. 

• The way which we as believers are to display our faith in God is through courage, Confidence and surety as declared right here in Hebrews 10:38, which reads "But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."  Remember, we established that to be courage, confidence and surety. I am more scared of the second part of that verse "God will not be pleased" ...!

• Faith (courage, confidence and surety) turns our weakness into strength. When we act in faith we don't think of the consequences (which is what holds most of us back - such as the 'why, how and what ifs' . We keep ourselves grounded by being severely consumed with questions such as "what will people say, they will think I have lost my mind, or call me foolish!".  We forget that it was God's word or prompt to act in faith and obedience.

When move daily in faith, we bring about PURPOSEFUL ACTIONS. 

"Purposeful action can be defined as a series of events or steps motivated by commitment to a mission. In order to be purposeful, the mission for the action must be derived from inner conviction, and the action must benefit others beyond self".

Nothing will faze us, because we will be purposefully intentional on all our actions and behaviour. Thus, no matter how long or how difficult, we will keep at it because of the inner conviction and surety we posses.  Are you still with me so far?

So my question today is thus: 

Are you purposeful in your actions, behaviour in your everyday living? 

When you get out of bed, are you intentional in all that you have planned to do, or are you just moving with the flow, like pollen carried aimlessly by the wind?

Do you want a happy marriage or relationships? Are you purposeful in the investment of time, effort and yes money into it?

Do you want wisdom, understanding and insight to what you are doing? Are you purposeful in your prayers to God? Is it a shopping list you present to Him or a desire to be in the presence of the King?

Beloved, today, I encourage you to call forth the courage, confidence and surety you have in God and His abilities; in the words He has spoken to you, in His very promises to you.  They are already within you for it is in your bloodline and heritage as I wrote previously (READ MORE  HERE)

Do you want to have financial freedom? Are you purposeful in your spending, and tithing and giving habits?
Do you want a new job or career? Are you purposeful in seeking out and completing those application forms, even though it is the 100th one?

I encourage you impregnate your daily living with purposeful actions, through courage, confidence and unshakable assurance in God's word, His very power at work within you; making God famous along your way. 

Much love, Remi,
***pictures by photobucket***

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

Shake Off The Slothfulness!!

I went past the field of the sluggard,
past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was

covered with weeds,and the stone wall was in ruins.

Proverbs 24: 30 - 31

Sluggard is defined as: a person who is habitually inactive; an idle or indolent person.

Inactive is defined as: the condition of dead matter, with no inherent power of motion or action;unmoving, immobile and inoperative.

In Mathew 25 (please read for completeness), Jesus called the lazy servant "wicked" in verse 26, and it reads “But his lord answered and said to him,You wicked and lazy servant..." and also calls the servant "unprofitable" in verse 30, it reads "And cast the unprofitable servant ..." .


This admonition by Jesus tells us that He disapproves of a slothful person. It is understood from the definition above, that to be slothful means to be lazy and inactive, however, when we look closer into God's word, we see more of what it means to be slothful.


Amongst other things, to be slothful is to:

• 
  
  Be wasteful: God gives us numerous gifts that are to help us do certain jobs He has tasked us with. It is our responsibility to use these gifts for His glory and honor and for common good as commanded in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 .

• Be selfish: People who are lazy are not concerned with the need of others, only theirs. Selfish people usually like to take advantage of others to get what they want instead of working for it. This is the exact opposite behaviour we are encouraged to develop according to Philippians 2: 3-4 which reads 3Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]. 4Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others. To honor God we must be concerned about the needs of others.

• In opposition to God's word: In 2 Thessalonians 3: 10-12, Paul encourages us to work for our keep as thus: "10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. Apart from giving us the means for God to bless us so we eat the fruit of our labour, work allows us to stay away from developing sinful which thrive on laziness, such as gossiping.

So how do we avoid or shake off Slothfulness?


Well, we can start by looking at the life of a hard working man in the bible, his name is Paul. Paul the apostle, gives us a good work ethic example. In Acts 20:34-35 he encourages us as thus "34 You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. 35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive."



Paul showed himself as a good role model through his good attitude to work. Wherever he went to preach the gospel, he found work to do with his hands. He did not sponge of people, he worked for his keep.

 Another way to avoid or shake off slothfulness is to remind ourselves of what the bible says what will become of a slothful person; the end which includes oppression, lack and poverty.


Proverbs 12:24, reads "The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.", In Proverbs 20:4, we are told that "Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest." and in Proverbs 13:4, it explain that "Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper."

As children of God, slothfulness should have no room in our lives. We must bind and shake this spirit off. We must remember we have been created to do 'GOOD WORKS' for God as declared in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." To do good works means to be active doing something, that is good.



We must also remember that we show our faith in God's word through the works that we do. This means being active 'working' on or at whatever God has given us to do. James 2:26 reminds us that "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Our willingness to active doing 'Good Works' should come from the love we have for God. We work as he commanded and encourages because we love Him.


Finally, we must remember that the work we do is ultimately for God's glory. We are commanded to do our work well, in excellence so that men will see our good work and the result them seeing it, will be to GLORIFY GOD. Mathew 5:16 tells us "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."


So as we start another week by God's grace and power, I encourage us all to shake off the spirit of slothfulness - laziness and inactivity. I encourage us all to put our spirit, minds and hand to doing 'good work', in excellence and in diligence.


I encourage us to make use of the time wisely and work diligently with the gifts and abilities we have been freely given; whilst making the Gift, and ability giver famous along our way.

Much Love, Remi

***picture by photobucket***
Further Reading - Poem - BREAK FREE

The Salt Of Your Environment

  You are the salt of the earth.

But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour?

Can you make it salty again?

It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Mathew 5:13

  

The dictionary defines salt as: An element that gives flavor or zest. A sharp lively wit

The usage of salt in the Biblical times:  

• As a symbol of covenants and good will. Salt used as a symbol of covenant is described in Numbers 18:19 ... a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you. It's usage in covenant with God is also shown in Leviticus 2:13b, it reads ”Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings". In Colossians 4:6, salt is used as a symbol of good will, and it reads "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one".

• Adding flavour to food: This we see in job describing in Job 6:6, it reads "Don’t people complain about unsalted food? Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg"?. 

• As a disinfectant: Salt was used to protect wounds from being infected. Ezekiel 16:4 explains this and it reads “On the day you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped in cloth". It is also used to disinfect or heal the land of evil as we read in 2 Kings 2:20-21. which reads "20 Elisha said, “Bring me a new bowl with salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with water and threw the salt into it. And he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility.

The usage of salt in the New Testament:

• The main usage of salt according to the New Testament is to influence (make sweet, enrich, heal or make right), its immediate environment. Jesus explains this in Luke 14:34, which it reads "Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavour, how do you make it salty again?" In Mathew 5:13, Jesus call us 'The Salt of the Earth'. Mathew 5:13 reads "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless".

From all these, what does it mean to be 'The salt of the earth, I hear you ask?'.   This means as salt we are meant to impart the characteristics of salt to our immediate environment, such as love, healing, sweetness, solutions, compassion and direction.  

As salt, we are to make have a positive effect to our environment; to infuse the flavor of God's living word into its very centre.   As salt we are to add the intricate flavor of God's word into homes, schools, work places, businesses, youth centres, hospitals and on the streets.

As salt, we are to transform our cities, countries and continents; healing the land from sickness, disease barrenness and strongholds.

With all these in mind, my question to today is thus: 

Are we the salt of the earth that Jesus confirmed us to be?
Are we living out the intricacies of the salt, or are we the opposite, a pollutant to our environments?

Do you arrive on the scene, and mood swings, bitterness, complaints and unfriendliness trail in after you, or does relief, peace and love, displays the presence of God in you?

Salts of the earth are solution implementers

Today, I encourage you all, that wherever you find yourself in life; on the bus, train, home, work or a station, let the characteristics of the 'Salt of the earth that you are' be evident for all to see. Live it out and let the benefits be manifested in that environment. Do all you can to stay in God's presence and will, thus, not loosing your flavour, but living to dispel out its realities; whilst making God famous along the way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo 

 ***Pictures by photobucet ***

HEARTFUL ENCOURAGEMENT

Worry weighs a person down; an

encouraging word cheers a person up

Proverbs 12:25

Encourage is to stimulate by assistance, inspire hope and confidence

Inspire is to fill or affect with a specified feeling or thought

In today's downcast global economic climate, it is not difficult to find someone who is need of a kind word or action. All we need to do is look around us, at our neighbours, the lone man walking along with his head hanging low. The woman you see every morning, whose shoulders seemed weighed down with the heavy load of striving to exist, from day to day.

In life, we all will go through the good, bad and ugly times. With the good times, we are usually okay. When the bad and ugly times come, it is encouragement from God's words and others that will keep us going.

When we have tried everything we know how to and we are on the brink of yet another failure or giving up, it is encouragement that will keep us moving forward, and keep us in the game. When we are too tired to put one foot in front of another, it is the act of compassion which comes from encouragement, that will gives us new strength.

God knew there would come a time in our lives, when we would need doses of encouragement, like we need the air we breath. This is what the opening verse is explaining to us and encouraging us to do for ourselves and for others.

However, in His goodness, God also provides encouragement for us in His word, such as in Isaiah 35:3. This and such verses are for instances when we are almost horizontal on the floor, close to giving up hope. God gives us a boost of strength through the encouragement that lies within the good news of His word. It reads "With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees". How about that? Isn't He just awesome?

So, are you going through a rough patch? Have you tried everything you know how to do and yet nothing is working in your favour? Are you about to throw up your hands up in the air, in defeat, giving up all hope of your visions and dreams being manifested? Well, if you are where I am right now, solely dependant on God's promises, I encourage you NOT TO GIVE UP. I encourage you to hold on to the very solid foundation of your hope and expectation in God and His word. He will renew your body, spirit, mind and soul with Strength.

I encourage you to keep pressing forward in purpose, consistency and perseverance, for God will work everything together for your good as He has declared in Romans 8:28, including the failures, denials and chaos that might be going on.

On the other hand, everything might be going okay for you. However, do you know someone that is in need of words of encouragement and acts of compassion? Your neighbour, your friends, that man or woman you see looking so sad on the train, as you journey to work every morning? Looking around you, who can you encourage to keep going, not to give up on their hopes and dreams? Present them with the gift of 'words of encouragement', backed up with acts of compassion.

Those words and actions can go a long way to alter the stance of the intended and enable them to rise up and overcome their problems.

Today, be encouraged in God's word, and in return encourage somebody; displaying the compassionate nature of God, making Him famous along your way.

Much Love

Remi

***Pictures by Photobucket***

In Pursuit Of Your Foundation

"Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to

bring him back to life again. And in a sense,

Abraham did receive his son back from the dead".

Hebrews 11:19

Reasoning is defined as "the basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction".

From this definition, it is safe to say that the basis can also be called the FOUNDATION for an action, decision or conviction.

The verse above shows that through reasoning, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son. From His actions we see that Abraham reasoned within His mind that if He sacrificed his son, God will definitely raise Him up.

1 Peter 3:15 - gives us more proof that Faith is a reasoning process, for we have to be have thought it out so that we can explain the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. It reads "but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear".

Faith engages our thinking to establish the foundation for our believing in God. For instance, if there is sickness in the body, the basis for the hope and belief that God will heal, can be found in His word, in verses such as in Jeremiah 30:17a, which reads "For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds..."

The Greek translation of Faith defines it as the "substantiating of substance, the action that brings that substance into reality".

Now, with the understanding that faith engages our thinking to establish the very solid foundation of our belief in God, guess what the devil does with this same knowledge? Yes, you got it, he attacks that very foundation; the trust, hope and faith we have in God's word, When we go through trials, what we must realise is that enemy is not after our home, car, kids, family or wealth, he is after the foundation of our faith - the belief in God and who He is.

He is not after our joy, for the loss of joy is the outward manifestation that we have already lost faith. For if we have faith, then we have joy, but if we have no joy, then faith has left the building! When the joy comes from the assured faith we have in God's word. This is why we declare from Romans 4:21 "He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises."

So how does the devil attack our foundation, I hear you ask? He does this through the following ways:

• Doubt: He makes us question God's word and His goodness. I mean all you have to do is speak to someone on the street about the happenings in the world and you will hear " if God is love and if He is good, why is there war, why are people dying all over the place?" What they are doing is doubting God's goodness. But as believers we declare that God is good all the time. The world reason's their belief in God based upon what they see, but we reason our belief in God based on His word and His experience in our life.
  


• Discouragement: The devil tries to make us focus solely on our problems rather than God. When we do this, like Peter in Matthew 14, we start to sink and problems begin to look bigger than they are. The key is to keep our eyes on God. This can be achieved by reading His word, fellowship with other believers, hearing His word, meditating on His word, declaring His word and implementing His word.
  


• Diversion: He makes the wrong things or situations seem attractive. This is so that we would want them even more than the right ones. That very thing or situation that we thought was not right for us, suddenly looks good. It suddenly will be "good for food, pleasant to our eyes and have the desire to make us wise"!!. However, when we embrace this notion, lust manifests itself. Lust will encourage us to reason that we really need them. Lust does not, work along for along with it comes pride, who will engage us in reasoning to say that we not only need it, but we deserve it!. Reminds me of the advert "...just because you are worth it"! To avoid being diverted from God's will and promises, we must keep our eyes on God's word, with hope and expectation.
  


• Defeat: He makes us feel like a failure. For we might have tried a few times in what God has told us to do and we have failed. When we admit defeat, we stop trying. We stop trying to work on our careers, spiritual growth or discipline, marriages, relationships, ministry and much more.
  


• Delay: The devil makes us impatient towards God's timing. God's word says every word will be fulfilled as declared in Matthew 24:35. When we are impatient, we end up with an Ishmael, even though God promised us an Isaac as He did with Abraham. However, God is a good God, for we eventually end up with an Isaac. The only problem is that the Ishmael that we got ourselves and the Isaac God gives us now enter into conflict, making the journey into our purpose harder than it should have been!. We must remember that 'delay is not denial'. When promises are delayed, it works patience in us as Paul explains inJames 1:2-4. This patience also protects us from deception, for when we are desperate, we are most likely sin and stop the hand of God working things out the way He wants to.

Just as Jesus Christ prayed for Peter, that his faith will not fail him, Jesus is sitted at the right hand of the father, praying and interceding for us that our faith will not fail us as confirmed in Hebrews 1:3. This means we are already winners, but the key is to focus on God's word, constantly.

So I encourage us all to remember that whatever we might be going through, not to forget, that the sole thing the enemy is after is the foundation of our faith. Everything else He takes from us is just a bi-product or a bonus for him.

It is the foundation of our faith that we use to obtain blessings and favour from God, and it is the same that we use to sustain it.

I encourage everyone to focus on God's word and His promises for your life, as you start a new week under His grace. I encourage you to hold on to the very promises and plans He has for you. In so doing, you will be increasing the solidity of your foundation in God, whilst declaring His faithfulness and goodness along your way.

Much Love
Remi

***pictures by photobucket***

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***

Continous Praise...

“I WILL bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 31:1

If most of us were asked the question such as “do you give praise to God ?” Our answer most definitely will be “yes, of course I do”.

If they asked us further, "did you remember to praise God the last time you went through that fire, that wilderness, lost your job, your home, your wallet, or when the car broke down, or when you lost that contract, and so on? Our answer might just be... "oops... eerm, I’m not entirely sure, I did pause for minute, too consumed starring at the problem at hand to give praise all the time, but I eventually got back on the praise train"

I guess we have all been there (pointing finger to self), where at some point in time or the other, we have been too overwhelmed with what we were going through, that we forget to praise God, continuously. In the verse above, the Psalmist David declares that "His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” This teaches us that PRAISE, is and should remain a constant and continuous thing that we do.

The most important key that opens new doors,

closes old ones and advances us in our

walk with God is Praise.

I read a book the other week, and it taught and re-affirmed to me that praise indeed, is the lost key to victory. It is the most important key that can bring us out of any trials and tribulations.

Yes, there are times when we don’t even feel like praising God, and all we want to do is hang our heads down and cry. However, we must learn from the man who went through disasters most of us would not even wish on our worst enemy, disasters that we only experience from a very far distance. I am talking about Job.

In one single day, Job lost all his material possessions through unthinkable calamities. Yet he did not give up on praising God. Praise was still coming forth from his heart, and falling off his lips.

Let’s take a closer look at the great man, Job and his devotion to praising God, regardless his immediate reality. In one day...

• He lost all his oxen, sheep, servants, carmels and all life stock as we read in Job 1: 13 – 17.
  


• The same day, he lost his sons and daughters as they were eating and drinking in their eldest brother’s house. Job 1:18
  


• and in the process of them getting killed, he lost his house as well, for a great wind came from the wilderness and knocked that over killing his sons and daughters.

That entire calamity happened to Job in ONE DAY. In fact, bad news was queuing up at his very front door, each to deliver their message of doom. Yet, though deeply grieved, (which he displayed by shaving his head) he still found the strength from within, to praise, worship and bless God!!!

Job 1:20 - 21 reads: “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. Please read the whole of Job chapter 1 for completeness.

At this point, I must ask, how many of us will stare adversity right up in the face - eye ball to eyeball and keep confessing the goodness of God? Selah...

What did we loose that has suddenly stopped or kept us from praising God and giving him all the glory? Did we loose our jobs, houses, car broke down, even loosing a loved one? Whatever it is, no matter how difficult or heart wrenching or unfair the situation might be, I encourage us all NOT to give up praising God. It is that praise that is the key to the victory that we seek.

A few more reasons why we must praise are:

• Praise turns our focus to God: When we don’t feel like praising, that is the exact time to jump up and praise, for it turns our focus away from our circumstance, situations and problems and turns them towards God. When we focus on our problems, we focus on ourselves and get stuck at that junction. When we focus on God, being the good God he is, he elevates us from whatever we are going through.
  


• Praise helps to keep us to be humble: When we praise we humble ourselves to seek refuge at God’s feet. When we praise, with reckless abandon, we don’t care how we look to others or how they perceive us. We are humble enough to know that God is bigger than any of our problems.
  


• God inhabits our praises: The dictionary defines inhabit as thus: to live or reside in or to dwell in, or to exist or to be situated within. From that definition it is not surprising the devil will want to keep us busy with many distractions. He wants to keep us from giving God praise. When we praise, God resides within our praises, and in his presence, there is no sorrow, heartache or problems.

God wants us to turn our hearts, minds and souls towards him, regardless of our situation or reality. When we focus our eyes (physical and spiritual) on God, and not on our problems or on our blessings (being obsessed by them), we will see all the glorious and wonderful things God is has already done for us, is currently doing and that which he has in store to do.

We will see with our own eyes the victory we already have in Christ Jesus, which means... that problem or situation is a whole bunch of nothing, after all.

So, today, I encourage us all as we start the week and indeed every single day, to put on our garment of praise. Let us praise and Dance like the psalmist David, declaring that "We WILL bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in OUR mouths.”

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD"

Psalm 150:6

Have an awesome time, loosing yourself with reckless abandon, in praise and worship to God, the king of glory, from first the mornings light and indeed, throughout your day, making him famous along the way.

Pssst... Thanks Believer for the inspiration to conjure up this post...

Much Love

Remi

***Pictures by photobucket***

New Attitude...To Rise, Run and Reign

This is the day the which
the Lord has brought about,
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

Welcome to a New Dawn, A New Day and a New Year, a New Season of untold possibilities and realities!!!

The verse above encourages us to make the right choice at the start of each day; a positive choice to "be glad and rejoice in every single day", to "rejoice and be glad in this new year" and to "be glad and rejoice in this new season we have stepped into".

The verse is further teaching us to embrace embrace an attitude of possibilities which declares "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" as we are taught to declare in Philippians 4:13, which reads "I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me... NKJ. The Amplified explains further and it reads "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who [a]infuses inner strength into me; I am [b]self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]."

To be GLAD means to show or cause joy and pleasure

To REJOICE means to feel joyful; to be delighted

Developing a positive attitude and approach to life can be tough, especially when things around us seem to be the same as it was in 2008, but we must look beyond our physical eyes, for even though on the surface it looks like things have not changed, look closely, you will see that God is doing a new thing as he declares in Isaiah 43:16, 18 - 19, which reads "16 This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland".

Ask God to open your eyes and understanding to see and understand the beauty of the new season you are in.

“Our attitude determines our altitude”

On that note, I encourage us all to start positively well. This year, is a journey we have to make whether we like it or not; but with God's help and his grace, we will start well and finish strong - One step a time.

I encourage us all to embrace gladness, Joy and thanksgiving as we step out into this new year, this new season. With a positive nature and outlook, move forward in hope, faith, declaring that there are "no impossibilities within your realities", as you navigate your way through the roads of 2009.

I encourage you to put on a positive stance, reside firmly within God's will to RISE, RUN AND REIGN in God's wisdom, strength and glory; making him famous along your way.

I leave you with this piece, enjoy...

Rise, Run and Reign
With thanksgiving and praise,
sing a song of gratitude to God
for a new season filled with new meanings

Step into a new beginning
with each day you've been given
make it a victorious experience
and your testimonies a profound witness

Tap into un-explored possibilities
use and distill all gifts and abilities
therein lies solutions to
this world's difficulties

Run in God's strength
Rise up in faith and hope
Reign in God's wisdom and glory
making the King famous
along your way... all through season

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures by photobucket***

Faith Under Pressure?

He feels lost. Everything within his hemisphere, that he knows is safe, secure, that makes sense is turning flat on its head. He feels like he's under attack from all sides, all angles; emotionally and physically and spiritually. I've got a wife and three kids to feed he thinks, I can only last two months, at the most without income coming in, his whispers to himself.

Every time he thought about his current situation; of loosing his job, loosing his high-flying friends, loosing his home and now on the verge of loosing his mind; he feels his blood pressure shoot up a notch! In despair he looks up and cries out towards the sky, "Lord, the God of the angel armies, help me please, show me your hand in this situation". He falls to the ground on his knees pleading for mercy.

And the Lord's reply?

"My Son, it's time to give your faith that much needed workout. It is time to pull yourself up and forward by the shoestrings and makings of your faith"

**********************************************************************************
Now how many of us would be comforted by the answer given above? We would be like "God just move your hand, I Just want you to do something so that my life does not fall apart.". But we forget that most times when we want God to manifest his will in our lives, we need to give him something to work with. In today's trying times, more than ever, we need to show him the 'workout' of our faith, of the faith we confess and have in Jesus Christ, so that he in turn works everything out (good or bad) for our good.

The dictionary defines faith as thus:

• belief that is not based on proof (physical proof)

To have faith in God is to trust in the power of his words and the power of their promises. To trust that no matter what we are going through, he is there with us. To have faith is to believe without seeing the physical results that things are and will get better.

Faith is simply trusting and hoping on God, both in good and bad times.

It is very easy for us to 'practise' the element of faith when things in our lives are going great, and on track; job, wealth, family and all that are going according to God's plan.

What about when things are not going too great? What them becomes the nature of our faith.

It is difficult to live a life of faith in a world that sees by faith - Pastor Ray Macaulay.

It is difficult to workout our faith when all we see is contrary to that which we feel or believe should be reality of things. When this happens, this is when we must remember that we must workout or act on our confessed faith as Habakkuk 2:4 encourages. It reads "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith."

1 Peter 1:7 tells us that when trials comes our way, it will give our faith 'the 'work out' truly needs. And to be honest, most of us need this from time to time. It will show us to ourselves how big, small, strong or weak our faith truly is and empower us to do something about it. For the Just shall live by faith, and in these times, we need super-strength faith!

1 peter 1:7 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Faith is seeing our lives the way God sees it. Faith is working with God and believing the promises he made will come to pass, regardless the present situation. God promised that he would take us from glory to glory, and I believe the middle ground between going from one glory to the next is called tribulation and affliction.

The bible does teach us that we will experience trials and tribulations, (no one is immune to this) but God will be with us through it all, isn't that encouraging? Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 16:13 encourages us not to be put off by these trials, no matter how great, that we should be strong through it all. It reads "13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong."

Also James 1: 2 - 4 teaches us that when we face troubles such as described above and more, it gives us an opportunity to grow, and Lord knows a whole lot of us need some growing to do, especially in these times. It reads: 2 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. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Faith is seeing a family, having lost their home, but believing God that this is just a passing phase, after sleeping on friend's sofa and floors for a few months, a stranger comes and gives them a beautiful house as a gift - all because he had a spare one!

Faith is seeing an individual not having an income for over a period of time, yet believing that God is their source and firmly holding onto the picture of God's promised reality, and in the midst of having no income, all needs are met and becomes totally debt free. (This is my testimony)

Faith is seeing an individual constantly being rejected from all job applications, but with a strong mind and heart, determines that God, his father owns the heavens and the earth and that there is a job out there for him. Every morning he gets up, applies again and again and again. He gets a job, not just any job but the director position for the company of some of the jobs he has been applying for.

Faith is believing that as it gets darker in the world, it will get brighter in the church, in the lives of God's children as confirmed in Isaiah 60: 1-2 reads "1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you."


So here is me encouraging us all today, regardless the circumstances you are going through, hold on to the very core and foundation of your faith. Flex it's muscles and give it a serious 'workout'. The foundation which it resides upon - Jesus Christ, means that we are already winners, we just need to bring its reality from the spiritual into the physical realm.

If the very essence of your faith is under pressure, HOLD ON TO the promises that God has given you. He is a faithful God, and will always come through.

What you are going through, is exactly what it is; you are going through it, on your way to glory.

By working out your faith in both good and bad times, gives God room to work on your behalf, so that your light will shine for all to see and in turn bringing glory to His holy name.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

1 Corinthians 16:13

Have a wonderful time working and building up the very essence of your faith, bring forth testimonies that will help others, whilst making God famous along the way.

Much Love
Remi Banjo
***Pictures by photobucket***