THE 'TRUSTING IN GOD' KEY

Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD, the LORD,

is the Rock eternal

Isaiah 26:4

• To trust means to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something


• Rock is defined as a firm foundation or support


• Eternal is defined as without beginning or end; lasting forever; always existing

With the above definitions it is safe to say that trusting God with our desires hopes and dreams, means we are sure that what He stands for and what He has promised, will be manifested in our lives.

To explain further, here is the opening verse in a combination of Bible translations: “Trust in the Lord forever, commit yourself to Him and lean on Him, Hope confidently in him. Depend on Him and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing” Makes it just that much clearer doesn't it?

To trust in God is a good thing, but it is one of the hardest things for a believer to do. Even though we believe that God is able and faithful, it is still a tremendous journey to get to the point of absolute dependency on and in God.

I did a bit of research and according to wikipedia and google, in the bible, TRUST is mentioned 147 times. It is mentioned 134 times in the old testament and 13 times a new testament.

This tells us that 'TRUST' is a very important aspect of our spiritual lives, but at most times our faith is weak in this area.

To trust in God means to exercise faith in who He is and in His proven abilities. It means to continuously depend on Him until the thing which He has challenged us to believe in, is manifested.

God can and will do tremendous things to and for us, if we simply place our trust in Him. We will experience more of Him, physically and spiritually by trusting Him.

I believe trusting is sometimes difficult because we don't see the result of that which we are hoping for, manifested straight away. When this happens, discouragement and doubt sets in.

We must remember that God does not always meet our needs or give us our desires when we want them or in the way we think or dream it to be delivered. The life of Joseph in the bible (Genesis 37-50), gives a good example of this. During his lifetime, Joseph had various desperate needs, amongst them are: to be released from a Deep Pit, to be release from a Dark Prison, and even to be remembered and rescued whilst he was in prison. Yet, despite all the delay and naturally looking bleak future, He still trusted in God, doing what he was created to do, using His gifts and abilities still.

For some of us, our needs are not that great, yet despair has or is threatening to set in. Remember God has proven time and time again that He is able.

Sometimes God delays the manifestation of our prayers because He wants a greater purpose to be accomplished when He does. In the case of Joseph, the greater need was to meet the needs of the Joseph’s family and secure the future generation.

Proverbs 3: 5-10 tells us to trust God with all our heart. The very essence of our trusting in God will help us find God’s best for our lives.

To place our trust in God, we declaring that:

• We rely on Him only, and not our own wisdom or understanding. We rely on Him to make our path straight. To guide us and make our lives easier. This does not mean we won’t have obstacles, rather it means that God will either remove them or enable us to overcome them.

• We respect Him as our God. We respect His wisdom and authority. We fear Him as he is the only one who has authority over every area of our lives.

• We are rejecting evil. God will not necessarily eliminate temptations or trials, but our trust in Him will help us free from evil.

• Giving Him room to bless us. You see we think we have a problem of not being blessed. However, the problem is that most times in our dis-obedience and lack of trust in God, we are actually hindering God to bless us.

As you step into a new week by God's grace, I encourage you to be purposeful in your 'TRUSTING' in God. Trust Him with every fibre of your being. Trust Him with every area of your live. When you feel like you have established your trust in Him, trust HIM SOME MORE. Don't simply trust Him for the most simple things, the mundane things, but also trust Him with the ‘seemingly’ impossible things!/

Trust Him for that home you desire to have, but don’t have money for it. Trust Him for that new position you want, but don’t have the right connections or qualifications for it. Trust Him for that child you long to hold in your arms, but the medical reports are telling you otherwise. Trust Him for a year that you will experience the true manifestation of Ephesians 3:20.

Think about it for a moment: Our God is the same one who created the heavens and the earth, who parted the red sea, and made them like walls, on each sides, so that the children of Israel can walk through, who feed the 5,000 with two loaves of bread and 5 fishes, who healed the sick and opened the eyes of the blind and whose FAITHFULNESS has been tested through time.

This is the same God who can do more than anything you could ever conjure up, BUT the key is to ‘CHOOSE'... 'TO TRUST IN HIM COMPLETELY’

Have a great week of living out the realities of your trust in the only one who is able and faithful; and in so doing letting your faith make Him famous along your way.

Much love, Remi

***pictures by Photobucket***

Further reading - Poem - Will To Trust

31 Days Thanksgiving & Praise - DAY 6

"Every word of God is flawless;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

Proverbs 30:5

Dear Lord, I thank you for the gift of another day to be called your own, to praise, worship, declare your majesty and your faithfulness. Thank you for joy, peace and love. Thank you for your promises, that resides within the collection of personal letters you have written to each and every one of us.

Today dear Papa, I am thankful for the gift of your Word, the gift of you, THE BIBLE.

I am thankful for the Bible because, it is the BOOK OF LIFE. It is about life that Jesus Christ came to give to me. Without His coming I would still be dead in sin and lost!. John 14:6 explains it clearly "Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me"

I am thankful for the Bible because the Word is YOU. You speak to me, guide, love and teach me the way that I should go. In John 1:1 you tell me this so clearly, it reads "John 1:1, "IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [b]Himself"

I am thankful because your word, even though written a long time ago, is relevant to every single part of my life today and it will be relevant tomorrow and forevermore. As the word is you, it brings to life the reality of who you are... 'THE I AM' the continuous present one. You are not the I was, or I am going to be, you are I AM! You explain this to me clearly in Exodus 3:14a "And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE...".

You see even when 'YOU WILL' be what 'YOU WILL BE', it will be that you are the 'I AM' at that moment in time! ha! You show the continuous relevance of your word, of who you are to me every single day! I can testify!


I am thankful because your word has an answer to every single question or situation I could ever have or conjure up! Opening your word is like walking into a personified library, a road map of history, parables, law, codes of behaviour, prayer, sermons, letters and even poetry. (I should really pen some more poems, just for your pleasure papa).

I am thankful for the Bible because it brings me closer to you, it reveals the (with the help of the wonderful teacher Holy Spirit) deeper meaning and understanding of your Will for my life. Through your word, I am learning to know what my master wants, so that I can do that all he says I should do, in willingness and obedience - so that I will eat the good of this land!

I am thankful that indeed, every word written therein is truly flawless, and therefore I have hope and trust in your word, which means I have hope and trust in you!. This hope brings the gifts of your blessings upon my life, as declared in Jeremiah 17:7, which reads "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD."

So today, dear Papa, I say a big, massive, thunderous THANK YOU for THE BIBLE, YOUR WORD, WHICH IS YOU! I thank you for the gift of your words which gives hope, joy, peace and most of all life to my very soul.

Papa, I pray that my basket of thanksgiving and praise is acceptable and sweet smelling in your sight today. Be glorified, honored and praised, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ I thanks, pray and praise. Amen!!

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, WHAT ARE YOU

THANKFUL TO THE LORD FOR TODAY?

Much Love, Remi

***pictures by google and photobucket***

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

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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***

Welcome the 44th President - BARACK OBAMA

Congratulation to the 44th president of the United States of America

Mr Barack Obama

I pray that God uses you for his glory and that he continues to be your strength and shield and gives you wisdom, understanding and insight to rule as you should and to bring about change that is needed in America and indeed around the world.

This is the day the Lord has made we will rejoice, be glad with what God has done for us in it!!!

It is the day that will

go down in the history books

that will be talked about forever

that will be taught to our children's children

that we will surely never forget

that represents new beginnings

that represents the onset of change

that represents new meanings

A day that propels us into a new season!

Congratulations

Let change begin

YES WE CAN!!!!

Much Love
Remi Banjo

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***

Purification... Painful Yet Necessary

A diamond is described as one of the world's most precious gems.

Diamonds are the most hardest, the most imperishable, and the brilliant of all precious stones.

The word "diamond" comes from the Greek word "adamas" which means "unconquerable"! Imagine that!

The science bit...

Diamonds are formed when condensation of solid matter into a sphere causes the centre of the planet to become subjected to incredible extreme temperature and pressure.

These conditions cause deposits of carbon to begin to crystallise deep in the earth, and as the earth's surfaced cooled, Volcanic activity forces streams of magna (liquid rock) to the surface carrying with it the diamond crystals. Later, the diamond - bearing rock hardens encasing the diamonds in vertical volcanic pipes. When a volcanic eruption occurs, the diamonds are spit out and scattered far and wide.

The atomic structure of a diamond gives it the property of being the hardest substance known to man, natural or synthetic. The diamond is thousands of times harder than corundum, the next hardest substance from which rubies and sapphires are formed. Even after many years of constant wear, diamonds will preserve their sharp edges and corners when most other stones will have become worn and chipped.

Did you know that a diamond's crystal structure is "hard" yet "soft"? This means that it can indeed be broken, but guess what? When a diamond is broken, it opens to reveal a much refined and purer from of itself.

**********************************************************************************

Each and every one of us is a diamond waiting to be revealed. A diamond waiting to be purified, refined, and it's beauty revealed to the world as God intends it to be.

Refine can be described as:

to bring to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities or to
to bring to a finer state or form by purifying.

Purification can be explained as:

the act of getting rid of impurities; or

the act of purging of sin or guild; or

moral or spiritual cleansing; "purification through repentance"

From the above it is safe to say that for God to reveal to the world the diamond we are, he must take us through the purification process to refine us. He must sift through the dirt and vile that covers us; and to do this he must apply immense heat and pressure and then break us, constantly; to purify and eventually turn us into the purest form of diamond we are meant to be.

He will refine us as he did the Levites in Malachi 3:3, which reads "He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord"

and as explained in Zechariah 13:9 "I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’"

I believe that as we go through God's purification process he is teaching us (amongst other things) to:

• Increase our dependence Him. This we learn from 2 Cor 1:8 -10, which reads "8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. "
  
• To adjust us more to His Will. This God teaches us through the life of Peter in 1 Peter 4:1-2, which reads "1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God"


• To enable us to comfort others as he shows and teaches us how. This we are thought in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, which reads "3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.


• To teach us humility. This we are taught through his feeding of the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8:16, which reads "He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good."

Looking through the bible we can learn of a few people who went through some tremendous refining process. Starting with Joseph, which we read in Genesis 37:5-9, 28, 39:20, 42:6,9. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, and sent into prison, and eventually became the greatest figures in Egypt. And Job? Where do I begin with his purification process? Please read The Book of Job for completion.

I have learnt that in the middle of the heat and pressure, we must strive to:

• Trust God, as we are taught in 1 Peter 4:19, which reads "So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you." Isn't that awesome? Our God is ever so faithful.


• Keep seeking God's face, keep having conversations with him, in the midst of it all, as we are taught in James 5:13, which reads "Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises."


• Glorify and honour God, even when the heat and pressure seems unbearable, for he Will be there in the fire with you. This we are taught in Daniel 3: 19 - 25 "19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.
  24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”
  “Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.
  25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god"

Along with the above, today, I learnt, a greater lesson; and it is that sometimes, the best thing I can and should to do under the intense, heat, pressure, pain, turmoil and all that comes along with God's purification and refining process, is to STAND STILL. When I can no longer bear the heat, the pressure and the pain, to simply stand still in Him and let my maker, the master crafter get on with the job of doing what he is wonderfully good at; working everything together for my good (even the pain) to reveal the beautiful diamond he has created me to be, which in due time, will be revealed for the world to see.

Ps... D... thanks for this afternoon, you helped me more than I can ever explain or thank you for... :-)))

Have a wonderful time whilst God is purifying to reveal the diamond in you; not forgetting to keep making him famous through every single "ouch" along the way.

Much Love

Remi Banjo

***Pictures by photobucket***

On The Way To Becoming...

Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?

That was the question Nicky kept asking her parents, every so often. Each time she asked her dad and mum would reply gently "no darling, not yet, sit back and enjoy the ride".

But Nicky couldn't sit back or sit still, she was infected with a severe bout of anticipation and excitement at what she would meet at her aunty's place. They were on a trip to visit her aunt Florence who lives in Edinburgh. They made this trip every year around the same time. Her aunt was a famous interior decorator. Every time Nicky went to her home, the whole place was always magically transformed into something different. The last time she was there, the whole decor had an Egyptian theme, and she imagined she was a princess living in a big castle. Nicky was very eager to find out what the theme would be this time around.

They usually took the plane, but her parents decided to make this visit a road trip so that the family could spend some quality time together and enjoy the British countryside and roads.

Nicky didn't think that was an idea as it took ever so long. Besides she couldn't imagine what she would be doing sitting in one place for almost seven hours! She would be so bored she taught. Worst still, her younger brother Ike, who was in the back seat with her, was getting on her nerves.

And so she went on again...
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?

"No darling", came her mum's reply. Oh! Look at that beautiful castle she said, pointing out the window, turning around to speak to Ike and Nicky. "Isn't that so beautiful and peaceful"?
Everyone awed at it, but not Nicky, she kept her eyes, glued firmly on the road ahead, hoping to the see the sign that says 'Welcome to Edinburgh'. A sign her daddy told her would mean they were 5 minutes away from aunt Florence house.

Every so often, on the trip, her parents or brother tried to lure her into the scenery, games and some sing along, but Nicky was not having any of it. She sat rigid in her seat, with only thoughts of what she would do and see when she got to Edinburgh. She wasn't interested in what was going on outside or inside of the car.

After quite a few hours, she finally saw the sign she had been waiting for, and it read 'Welcome to Edinburgh, have a wonderful time here'. She was happy and elated, and she couldn't wait to jump out of the car. The ride had been too long and boring for her liking. She imagined, her aunt was waiting for them on the front porch, with arms wide open, a big smile on her face, saying "welcome, welcome my beautiful family, I missed you all so much". Everyone took turns to hug each other.

Nicky looked up eagerly into her aunty's face, tugging her right hand and said with great enthusiasm, "can we go inside now, I would like to see the new decor of the house. what colour is the front room now, do you still have that fish shaped bathroom?" She asked dragging her aunty's right arm.

"No, not the tour just yet", her aunt replied. "Firstly, I would like you to tell me all about your road trip down here. What you saw, what you did along the way, whom you met, I want to hear every single detail, everything" The fact was that Florence didn't get travel or get around much, she was a real homebody, and she liked to learnt a lot about life beyond and outside Edinburgh through other people's experience. Nicky, paused for a while, she was lost for words. There and then it dawned on her, she realised that in her eagerness to get to Edinburgh, she forgot to have an experience along the way.

*** Story is purely Fiction***

How many of us chant similar questions to God; constantly and daily.

God, is my breakthrough here yet?
God is my testimony here yet?
God is my new beginning here yet?

How many of us are lost in the eagerness of arriving at the next phase of our lives, but forgetting to live and experience the intricacies of each day, on our way there?

Imagine a few life scenarios...

• Women, doing nothing, but waiting for that husband to arrive at your door and sweep you off your feet.
• Men, doing and building nothing, but simply waiting for God to send that wife forth.
• Students dreaming about their career after university or graduate school, yet fail to spend time developing their knowledge, skills and abilities.

Whilst we wait to arrive at our next appointed destination, whether we are in lush fields or the middle of a wildness, we must learn to have an Experience (good or bad).

The dictionary describes experience as thus:

• Active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill
• Experience may be acquired in two ways; either, first by noticing facts without any attempt to influence the frequency of their occurrence or to vary the circumstances under which they occur; this is observation; or, secondly, by putting in action causes or agents over which we have control, and purposely varying their combinations, and noticing what effects take place; this is experiment.

All experiences, either good or bad, is meant to develop us physically, mentally and spiritually. It is meant to prepare us, give us wisdom for the things to come and what we are yet to become.


On that note, here is me encouraging us all that in "our waiting and on our way to becoming" we should engage in the activities that God has set out for us to do, and have relish in the experience of doing and living it. We should each time and season we find ourselves in and relish each day as we live out it's intricacies. Let's not be too eager for tomorrow that we simply forget to live for today. Mathew 6:34 teaches us this and it reads "So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Have a wonderful time having and experience whilst on your way to be all that you are meant to be; whilst making the Almighty God famous along the way.


Much Love
Remi Banjo
***pictures by photobucket***

NO LIMITATIONS...

I swam away from the wall
I swam away from the wall
I swam away from the wall!!!

What is she on about you must be thinking?
Well, about a week and a half ago, I decided to learn how to swim!
Ah! Yes, I decided to make my peace with the water!

Now, this was not an easy decision for me to make, because I am absolutely terrified of water, due to an almost disastrous childhood incident. So you can imagine my anxiety. And finally, after four lessons, I managed to edge away from the wall, bearing in mind that up until now, the picture has been - 'wearing a float around my mid-section, wearing swimming flippers, holding 2 floats out in front, and somehow managing to hang onto the swimming pool side wall, for dear life.' Yes, the utter shame of it all!!!

During the month of July, I attended a week long conference at my sanctuary, and one of the messages was about "living a life with no limitations". The speaker explained that most of us place some sort of restrictions, limitations on ourselves and within our hemisphere. These limitations can be in various forms and shapes and sizes, but tends to affect all aspects of our lives - spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. It affects us at work or at play.

The message made me think about all areas of my life where I might have placed limitations knowingly or otherwise. Well needless to say, there were a few barriers firmly lodged in place that needs to be lifted pronto, and one of them being swimming.

So, I made a list of all my self imposed limitations, the actions I need to take to lift them and timeliness. Yes, we must pray about them too, but physically doing what we have prayed for, is also required to bring about deliverance and breakthrough. It's like the story of the lepers that Jesus healed. They did not get healed when he spoke to them, but they got healed when they were engaged in the activity of going to (walking - doing something) show themselves to the priests. Luke 17: 11 - 14 11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”[a] And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

At this point, I must ask; what barriers or limitations have you placed knowingly or unknowingly on yourself, in your life? Think about it, make a list, pray about it and write an action plan and go forth and conquer!

The dictionary explains Limitation as thus: "a restriction; a qualification; a restraining condition, defining circumstance, or qualifying conception; as, limitations of thought"

Further more, Restriction, or Restricting is defined as "the act of keeping something within specified bounds (by force if necessary); "the restriction of the infection to a focal area"

From the above definitions, it is safe to say that when we place limitations on ourselves, we are basically keeping ourselves confined or contained- our abilities, thinking, learning, growth and much more. This being the total opposite of what God wants for us and who God created us to be.

I truly believe God does not want us to live a limited life and embrace the "I can't do attitude or thinking" . This is very much evident, from the beginning of time. Lets go back to where it all began, Genesis.

Genesis 1:28 reads Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Now if that is unlimited living, I don't know what else.

Here we see God commanding us to live freely. No where did he imply that "we should be fruitful or multiply to a point, or fill only the left or right side of the earth, or just reign over the fish, don't go near the animals on the land, that will be too much for you! Ah! No!

He gave this powerful and complete command in its fullness and it's entirely - no restrictions, no limitations; and after the fall of man, master Jesus Christ, came and reconciled us back to the father, so we still have that command working for us today.

So, yes, I swam away from the wall. I'm quite excited, it's a little step, but I'm trying to put the "no limitation" principle into practise, in all areas of my life. How about you, do you need to implement the 'no limitation' rule to certain areas in your life? Does a "can do" mindset" need to take hold, changing your vocabulary from "I can't" to "I can by God's grace"?

I believe a life of no limitations, means we are empowered to reach out, embrace and experience a rich and fulfilled life, according to God's will and purpose; making him even more attractive to those around us, and therefore drawing men unto him.

Have a great day of breaking free from all forms of limitations - spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally; whilst making the Almighty God famous along the way.


Much love
Remi Banjo
***pictures by photobucket***