Something to ponder...

Nita and I just celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary. In that time, we have had hundreds of opportunities to argue. Now, I’m not saying that we did or didn’t argue, just that we’ve had hundreds of opportunities. When you argue with a person, do you have the possibility of winning that argument? Now for an important question, and please answer honestly. How many of you have ever argued with GOD? How many know that is a futile attempt? John 5:1-9a - NLT 1 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” 7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” 9 Instantly, the man was healed! There is a really big point here. There is a great number of us that, when God speaks to us, we have an excuse why what He wants either won’t work or we’re not capable of doing it. This is equal to telling God that He doesn’t know what He’s talking about. Can you imagine that!? Would you stand face to face with God and tell Him that He doesn’t know what you’ve been through, that He doesn’t know what you’re facing!? Would you tell Him that He doesn’t know your limited talents and abilities!? No one knows us better than our Heavenly Father. Psalms 139:13 - NIV For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. There was a period of a couple days when I first heard of the possibility of moving to Albania where I had to pray and seek God. I would see things that I wouldn’t have anymore, like a beautiful forest to hunt in or a river to kayak in and I would say to myself, “I’m not going to have these things anymore. And then I would grieve it, with heartache and tears (This was my arguing with God, sort of). ” Then God would immediately say, “I have something better.” After those two days I conceded and agreed to move to Albania. God did indeed have something better! Even Jesus had to learn obedience. Hebrews 5:8 - ESV Although He was a son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. I want to talk about one of the least mentioned characters in the Bible but what we do know about this person tells us volumes about what our relationship with God should be like. Joseph, the step-father of Jesus, has become one of my favourite characters in the Bible because of his immediate obedience. Matthew 1:18-21 - NIV 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” What an awesome responsibility to be the parent of the Messiah. But, Joseph didn’t know what was coming in his future, even his near future. The Bible says, that at the birth of Jesus, three Wise Men came from the east to worship the New King. They went to the Roman king and asked about Him. They actually tipped Herod off that Jesus had been born. Matthew 2:13-14a - NIV 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, Every time we see Joseph get a command from God he obeys right away. Isaiah 41:10 - NASB1995 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ The angel told him “Do not fear”! That phrase is in the Bible 365 times! You do not have to be afraid to obey God. HE has said so many times in His word that He will take care of us. Matthew 6:25-33 - NIV 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Let’s all make an effort to, Get to know God, Learn to hear His voice, and Do what He says, right away! Let us dispense with that awful resistance period. Abundant Blessings, Ted Our thanks to Ted for this month’s Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

Jonah 1 When God gives you a command and the Holy Spirit convicts you, you learn a lesson that you just cannot ignore. Jonah learnt this lesson in a very hard way. He did not like what God was instructing him to do and he tried to avoid the assignment by running from God. And really!!! Who can run from our God?? We can never outrun God or His commands. By running we are actually rebelling, and rebellion toward our heavenly Father so often happens either by our outright disobedience, or by quietly pursuing our own agenda while disregarding the very commands that we do not like and what God gives us unction to fulfil. And whatever way we pursue our running away from God, we cannot silence Him because His Holy Spirit convicts us and will follow us to the end of our life. No distraction will make a difference. We need to understand that our Lord is willing to strip away all the distractions and will allow negative consequences to happen in order to get our attention. He is a loving Father, but He also disciplines us if we continue to run the path of disobedience. Our God will never leave us nor forsake us, but our relationship with Him depends on our willingness to do what He tells us to. Jonah is such an example that running away causes suffering and consequences that are really unnecessary if we had to just promptly obey the commands He gives us. When Jonah was swallowed up by the whale, he had nowhere to run. Sitting in that dark, wet belly and having regrets and feeling sorry for himself, he called out to God and came to the decision that obedience is better than being swallowed up by the enemy. It caused him to reconsider his actions. Today we have the world and the distractions that is around us (including our finances) that swallow us up and keep us in rebellion. It also keeps us from following our calling. The enemy will use whatever means around us to swallow us up so that we will not fulfil our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be obedient and promptly do what God commands us to do so that we don’t need to first be vomited out of that dark place before we will be obedient. We just need to be obedient and do as He commands us. It is as simple as “Yes Lord Jesus”. Prayer : Father-God we call upon Your Holy Spirit to bring obedience into our lives in every area that You need us to be set free of rebellion in. May we move the moment you command us to so that we can stay in the will of the Father. We rebuke the enemy’s strategies that keep us from following what you deem right for us to do. Help us in our doubt and rebellion Abba, and may we know the blessing of obedience in our lives. In Jesus might Name. Amen Blessings Toby Dr Marishjean Paton Dr.Div PhD Melqowsh Ministries and Melqowsh Bible College Our thanks to Toby for this month’s Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

It is so important for us to recognize our true eternal identity, as it will affect our very eternal existence. But part of that identity entails our position or station - where will you spend your eternity? Before attempting to zoom in on that prospect, it is important to zoom out first. Many leaders would want to propose that the main reason for Jesus’ incarnation was and is to reveal the Father, but surely, as John put it, from the eternal sense, putting Sin aside forever must have been foremost in His mind. John wrote in 1 John 3:8b, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” In essence, the “priority” is of no real importance for us, but the revelation of Father-God is just as important. His meticulous plan and mystery also unveiled an eternal Wife for the Lamb who made the ultimate sacrifice for Sin. So, as we return to the issue at hand, we still encounter too many ungodly beliefs concerning the enemy and their ability to induce deception, shame and guilt. I found it so enlightening to highlight the truth that the devil has lost his access to third heaven. Why? The first of these we see when Jesus told His disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” in Luke 10:18. And then three times, yes THREE TIMES, this truth is attested to in the book of Revelation. Firstly, “The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water - the name of the star is Wormwood [or Bitterness]” (Revelation 8:10-11). And no other creature is as embittered as the devil himself. And then, “Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit” (Revelation 9:1). Bearing in mind that the devil tempted Jesus in Luke 4:6-7 - “ I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” As the king of the demonic realm, he had the key to inflict pain on the inhabitants or dwellers on earth. But then, gratefully, we see the Eternal Woman of God protected in Revelation 12. And we are told without a shadow of a doubt, that access to the third heaven is denied the enemy, “Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.” Ezekiel foresaw this victory, in [Ezekiel] chapter 28:16, “So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.” This is then borne out by Paul defying the accuser of the brethren in Romans 8:33, “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one - for God Himself has given us right standing with Himself.” Why is understanding this crucial? Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:14, “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.” And in Romans 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Again, why is this pertinent to our identity and function? We must realise that we are seated in third heaven in Christ, where the enemy is denied any access, and we must begin to appreciate who we are in Him, and what authority we carry, even though we are still at war here on earth as pilgrims and sojourners. When we grasp the immensity of the situation, I believe so many more believers will be able to overcome, lifting their vision beyond this world, appreciating their access, victory and intimacy with Almighty God and rule and reign effectively in Him, able to spread that fragrance of life wherever they go. And the key to accessing and releasing this authority does not only lie in understanding and embracing these truths, but it also becomes reality and it is activated by unified, heartfelt worship, adoration and loving obedience to Holy Spirit who has befriended us eternally. Be blessed Ben Our thanks to Ben for this month’s Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others 

Are you still aligning yourself to Generational Curses or Sins? Are you still allowing them to affect your life and the lives of your children and those generations after them? Have you gone down the route of blaming your parents, grandparents, etc for the issues in your life? Do you use your bad behaviour or your misfortune as an excuse – ‘I can’t help it, it’s just something in my family line’? Or have you chosen to stop the curse or sin and take responsibility for your part in perpetuating the curse in your life and in the lives of the generations after you through forgiveness and changing the way you speak and do things? My testimony is that for about 40 years of my life, I chose to believe that I was the victim – the one who had been hurt by the emotional abuse of people in my ancestry and was justified in my hurt, anger, hatred etc. Until I learnt the truth about Inner Healing, and God revealed to me that I was complicit in allowing the Generation Curse to continue in my life and into my children because of my choices – or lack of choices. Because I had aligned myself with the hurt, pain and anger, I was, in turn, speaking death and curses over myself and the generations to come because I was saying things like ‘I hate what they’re doing to me’ and ‘I hate them’. It was only when I chose to forgive those in my generational line for what had been done to me and what had been passed down to me and made a choice to put a stop to that kind of abuse, did I see and know the start of freedom and the life Jesus created me to live. I also saw a change in the relationship between myself and my daughters. However, I still today have a choice to make – I need to be aware of my responses and reaction and be mindful of not falling back into that way of life - the way of curses, death and destruction. I still need to choose to, of course renounce the sin, but speak life and blessing over my generations past and the generations ahead of me. And I am learning how to bring forward the Generational BLESSINGS. Ezekiel 18 (read it in the Passion Translation because of the very helpful commentaries that come with it) makes it very clear that we cannot keep blaming everyone else for the sin, curses, wrongs, imperfections in our lives. We are solely responsible for the sin, wrongs, aligning with curses and imperfections in our lives and we have to make a choice to confess them, repent of them and receive God’s forgiveness. Then we need to choose to move forward in the way of blessings and life. Ezekiel 18:4 (b) says “The one who sins is held responsible and will die” . Thank goodness for Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, because if we have Him as our Lord and Saviour, His grace is extended to us along with forgiveness. So the only thing that needs to be put to death is the sin/curse in our lives. Ezekiel 18:30-32 continues “'So from here on, you people of Israel, I, Lord Yahweh , say to you: I will judge each of you by what he does. Repent, turn away from all your sins, or your own wickedness will be your downfall [or “so that iniquity will not be a stumbling block to you”]. You must get rid of all the guilty sins you have committed and clothe yourselves with a new heart and a new spirit. People of Israel, choose life! I find no pleasure watching anyone die, so repent and live! I, Lord Yahweh , have spoken.”' We must all “stand or fall according to [our] relationship with God. The sins of others can never determine your destiny” (TPT comment on verse 4). How about you? Are you allowing generational sins/curses to impact your life? Are you allowing the comments or thoughts of others about you affect how you live? Are you battling with your relationship with God and with others? Are you using those things as an excuse for bad behaviour or ‘bad luck’? Are you living with a Victim mentality? Don’t allow generation curses/sins, your own sin, the effects of the lives of others to affect your destiny. Choose today to repent of your alignment to those things and receive God’s forgiveness. Choose today to put a stop to the curse/sin and to move forward in the plans and purposes of God. Choose today not to speak curses and death over your life and the lives of your children and children’s children and choose today not to believe the lies of the enemy. We each have a destiny that has been prepared in advance for us by God. Move forward in that, run the race set before you and know God’s blessings, favour and honour on your life today. Be blessed Jean If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

2 Kings 6:6 “So the man of God said, ’Where did it fall?’ And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there and he made the iron float.” Moses had a rod which he raised up… he hit the rock with his rod to let the water flow from the rock. The cross is enough… it took Jesus upon the piece of wood to be raised up and conquer death. A piece of wood, what does that have to do with it? Every part of the Bible is significant to the piece of wood. It points to something that happened that was significant for us on wood. It points to the cross which was a piece of wood on which Christ was crucified for us. God wants us to realize that Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary was enough to take care of all our problems and to restore us to the Father so that our sins can be forgiven. It’s enough to cleanse us and reconcile us so that we have an open portal in which we can enter heaven through Christ Blood. If we apply what He did on that piece of wood, it sure is enough for us no matter how far we have fallen away from where we should be. Jesus took all our failures and he allowed it to be nailed to that wood, he arose from that wood victorious and gave that victory to us. If you have lost your will to carry on or feeling that you are too far from Christ to move forward, then just pick up a piece of wood and look at it and begin to realize that Christ and His piece of wood was more than enough for you. Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. He has conquered all your fears and all your problems through that piece of wood. The piece of wood is enough, just as Christ’s Grace is sufficient for you. So that piece of wood is sufficient for your life in Christ. We should stop making the Bible so complicated that is scares people away from God instead of towards Him. We need the unsaved to know that the piece of wood is more than enough to make it right in life. That Christ’s life is the only Way and it is the Truth of what life is and it is the Life which we all long for. John 20 is our victory in Christ! Prayer Father God, forgive me for allowing the pressures of the world to cloud my vision of who You are in my life. Jesus, I believe that Your work on the cross was enough to restore me. Abba Father every time I see a piece of wood may it remind me of what you did for me on the cross. Thank you for saving me through your love for me. In Jesus Name Amen Blessings Toby Dr Marishjean Paton Dr.Div PhD Melqowsh Ministries and Melqowsh Bible College Our thanks to Toby for this month's Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

Be Still, and Know that I am God. I think that’s one of the Bible verses that is commonly quoted – but how are we doing with it? Here’s some things to consider: · Be still (Psalm 46:10), Enter His rest and rest from works (Hebrews 4:10) does not mean stop and do nothing! · Meditate on the Word (Joshua 1:8) does not mean we are to choose to do the meditation bit the Buddhist or New Age way. · Know God (Psalm 46:10) does not mean filling your head with so much head knowledge that we don’t put anything into practice! Recently I read an e-mail from James Goll (God Encounter Ministries) where he spoke on the importance of prayer, one of the types of prayer we should practice is ‘Contemplation’. As I read that bit, I felt the Spirit of God stir something up in me. I felt that the Spirit of God wants to know from me and from you how well we are doing in the area of ‘Being Still’. Contemplate: To gaze at intently, to think, to study, to expect, to muse, to meditate This definition of ‘contemplate’ is helpful, but let’s dig deeper into some these words: • Muse : To think on, to consider deeply, to meditate. • Meditate : To plan, intent, to think deeply, reflect. • Reflect : To throw back light, heat, or sound, to give back an image or mirror, to bring or come back as a consequence as reflected glory. • Reflect on : To contemplate, to ponder on, to cast blame or to discredit, to meditate, to be thoughtful. (From the contents of his e-mail) I wonder if we have become shaped by the world in a couple of areas that it is difficult for us to ‘Be Still’ in God’s Presence, contemplate the Word and meditate on it. For many of us we are so busy doing life that the thought of being still or finding solitude in the Presence of God irritates us. We have been indoctrinated into the ‘Microwave Society’ where we have to do things fast and instant. I wonder if we also use busyness as an excuse to run away from the reality of our lives? Which then makes the thought of entering God’s rest and being still in His Presence, considering Him deeply, pondering and being thoughtful about His Word and His Ways something that we struggle to do. Lucille Zimmerman, author, writes “Humans may be social beings, but solitude has been shown to have great societal value. Jesus was a great healer and teacher, but he took time to rest and pray. Solitude is essential for our spiritual experience – it is where we hear the still, small voice” Could it also be that our minds are whirring so fast that when we do try and stop for a moment, our minds just won’t let us? I wonder also if the wording puts us off – meditate, contemplate. I have to confess that for a very long time in my Christian walk I really did not like it when Christians used the word ‘meditate’. Why? – my mind went straight to Eastern Meditation and my reaction was ‘that’s not of God’. Well, let’s consider this – God gave the command to meditate on His word long before the other religions and ways of life caught onto this. And to meditate is entirely Scriptural. So, let’s break off the lies of the evil one and recognise that God wants us to meditate on His word day and night. (It may be a good exercise if you researched the difference between Christian meditation and other meditation) . Why does God ask us to be still before Him, to enter His rest, to meditate (contemplate) on His Word? There is only one real answer - to get to know Him and the ways of the Kingdom through intimacy and communion with Him. To stop trying to do things our way, and to do life and ministry and service HIS WAY! To know His Word and to live by it. One way to Be Still before God is to pray contemplatively. I find this quote on how to pray contemplatively from Madam Jeanne Guyon so helpful:- “Whatever truth you have chosen, read only a small portion of it, endeavouring to taste and digest it, to extract the essence and substance thereof, and proceed no farther while any savour or relish remains in the passage: when this subsides, pick up your book again and proceed as before, seldom reading more than half a page at a time, for it is not the quantity that is read, but the manner of reading, that yields us profit.” ― Madame Guyon, A Short and Easy Method of Prayer As I continued to contemplate why God was bringing the importance of Contemplative Prayer to my attention again, I felt the Spirit of God stirring within me that it is one of the most important things we can do. How else do we get to absorb the Word of God unless we not only study it, but allow it to come to life in us. I also felt the Lord say that unless we are ready and prepared, we (yes even those who are strong in the Lord) will miss the signs and the times that we are entering into. I heard Him say that it is important to hear His voice and know His heart in these days. I heard Him say that He wants our full attention and not just when we have time to give Him a few minutes that will appease Him. He’s not impressed by our token Quiet Times. He wants all of us, all the time, seeking Him, knowing Him, contemplating His Word and entering into His rest. He wants us prepared and ready to align with Him when He moves. “In contemplative prayer we seek to become the person we are called to be, not by thinking of God, but by being with God. Simply to be with God is to be drawn into being the person God calls us to be.” - John Main Cease striving, enter His rest and get to know the God who created you, the God who loves you, the God who has chosen you to do good works for Him, the God who is calling you out of the darkness and into His wonderful light. I bless you to become the person God has called you to be. I bless you to enjoy being in the Presence of God each moment of each day. I bless you to be still and enter His rest today. Be blessed Jean If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

Let’s consider faith for a moment, and how we can have more of it. But like the Lord does, He loves to contrast things, so, before we consider faith, we must consider fear. Fear is the negative expectation of something to come or happen and can be a good thing when we have a realistic fear concerning dangers to ourselves or those whom we care about. Fear is imposing, controlling, and intimidating – so unless it is realistic, it is very destructive in our lives. And from early childhood fear can become a stronghold in our lives, especially through abandonment and rejection. Why is this important? Faith needs a foundation of trust, which is why perfect, yes, perfect love casts out fear. Love is the key. All our considerations of how to gain faith will rest on the processes of gaining trust and feeling, as well as operating in God’s love. Perhaps we should just take a moment and ask ourselves, “ If faith was so inherently part of our new being, why did the writer of Hebrews write a whole chapter dedicated to bringing it to life ”? The reason is that it is not so simple. The currency of heaven is initially granted to us, as Paul wrote, “ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ” ( Romans 12:3 ) . So we are gifted faith as we start believing … that’s interesting in itself, the seed we bring is immediately blessed and increased by God. We also read that faith is also a fruit of Holy Spirit, which means that as we spend time in His presence and as we are conformed to His image, faith increases. What is faith then? In the Bible the word “faith” comes primarily from “pistis” or “pisteou” - meaning primarily “a firm persuasion” or “a conviction” based upon hearing. It is also used in context of “trust”, “trustworthiness”, “that which is believed” or “the contents of belief” as well as “the ground for faith as an assurance” or “the pledge of fidelity”. But for us, our primary sources are the trust we have in God and His love, as well as His willingness to be involved in our lives. It would be good to consider Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” Hupostasis [Greek] , for me, is best defined as “standing under a guaranteed agreement.” The normal process in Hebrews 11 is: hearing or seeing what God‘s plan or intention is, then hope is born (a positive expectation of things to come or happen), and then faith takes that word (seen or heard) and brings it into reality, mostly through speaking or announcing it, or acting on it. This is important, as there are two mutually dangerous misconceptions. Just acting on a Scripture verse, or a godly principle, will only produce a golden calf - a godly principle dressing the desire of one’s flesh, even if it is well intended. However, if we take the promise to God and wait upon Him, so often He will realise one’s faith because of our involvement with Him. Just trying to blackmail God into acting upon His word is detrimental, ignorant and a real form of presumption. The other is to assume it all depends on the sovereignty of God, e.g. I stubbornly believe for something, while living in denial of the prerequisites of employing prudence and God’s wisdom and Will in the matter. I have seldom heard sermons on Jesus’ answer when His disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us how to have more faith” in Luke 17. The key to His answer lies in being vigilant to serve Him above and beyond what is expected (even when He desires to bless others), to become prudent, and serve the Master and His guest(s) with the table He requires for them. That’s when the miraculous overflows and faith is increased. Why do miracles, signs and wonders increase faith for many? Because it demonstrates the authenticity of the gospel of reconciliation with God. His love is not just demonstrated on the Cross, but also by His interventions in this world to heal, restore, bless and deliver. For us faith must become the lifestyle of living out of His Presence in and through us, saying what He wants us to say and doing what He wants us to do. And then faith is that promised fruit that comes from a lovingly devoted “one who is one” with Him who is Love. Now and forever. Be blessed Ben Our thanks to Ben for this month's Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

Psalm 10: 4 “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God: God is in none of his thoughts.” There was a very successful corporate manager who said, "It's not that I don't believe in God, it's just that I don't have time for Him. If I did all the things that God wanted me to do, I'd never have time left for business." What a sad statement to make about doing works for God! Being a Christ follower means so much more than just believing in the existence of Christ. There are many who believe in Christ, but they are determined to remove Him from their hearts and minds. They don't have the time for Him. What a sad day for Christ after all He has done for them. Too many people see life in Christ as slavery rather than freedom. They feel oppressed by the only true One that can free them. That is on the church and religion. Why do I say this? Well, we evangelise to them on setting them free from hell and sin and then we put a whole lot of traditional rules of the church on them and just make them slaves to the church instead of servants to Christ. To understand on how to have a relationship with Christ, we must spend time with Him. If we reject Him without even getting to know Him, we rob ourselves of any chance at redemption and salvation. As Christ followers, we need to keep God close in our hearts and minds. We need to read His Word, dwell upon Him in our hearts, and speak to Him and of Him wherever and whenever possible. By keeping the Lord close you will never feel alone. 1 John 2: 17 “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” Derek Prince once said that we are living in a very impermanent and changeable world. Nothing that we see is going to last permanently. The ambitions, the desires, the passions of people of this world who are immersed in time and the things of the flesh are all going to pass away. There are forces at work in the world – spiritual and material forces much more powerful than we are, forces that we cannot control. We are just like a little speck on the surface of a river being carried along. Is there any way to find permanence? Is there any way to find security? Yes, it’s simple. Those words contain the answer: “But the one who does the will of God abides forever.” In the last resort, God’s will is going to stand whether we agree with it or not. When everything else collapses and falls away and becomes impermanent and insecure, disappoints us, and maybe even deceives us, there’s one thing that’s going to stand secure, that’s God’s will. God is in control; He’s supreme. And if you continue to keep yourself within the will of God, if you make it your purpose in life to do the will of God, then you are just as strong and just as permanent and just as secure as God’s will. Circumstances will change, the world will change, but the will of God stands firm, enduring and unconquerable and you can be just like the will of God if you set your mind to do it. PRAYER : Father God, we ask that You place Your Will in our hearts and minds that we call upon Your Wisdom to lead us and guide us into eternal life. Precious Jesus be our Guide and our Comforter and our Leader as we draw near to You to follow in Your path of righteousness. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen. Blessings Toby Dr Marishjean Paton Dr.Div PhD Melqowsh Ministries and Melqowsh Bible College Our thanks to Toby for this months Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

“When we think of best business practices, what first comes to mind probably aren’t qualities like kindness and generosity. But according to entrepreneur James Rhee, they should. In Rhee’s experience as CEO at a company on the brink of financial ruin, prioritising what he calls “goodwill”—a “culture of kindness” and a spirit of giving—saved the company and led to its flourishing. Putting these qualities at centre stage gave people the hope and motivation they needed to unify, innovate and problem-solve. Rhee explains that “goodwill . . . is a real asset that can compound and be amplified.” In daily life too, it’s easy to think of qualities like kindness as vague and intangible, afterthoughts to our other priorities.” ‘Building Up Goodwill’ 2 nd December 2023 Our Daily Bread Devotional As I read the above in the devotional of that particular day, God spoke straight into my heart and He said this:- “Even My people, called by My Name, have forgotten how to live in a culture of kindness. Yes, My people have forgotten how to put others first in this world where it is the ‘me, myself and I’ culture. My people have forgotten that hope and motivation are desperately needed in this day and this age. My people have forgotten how to be kind and compassionate to one another and to lift each other up.” As I contemplated this statement from the devotional and the word that the Lord gave me, I felt God impress on my heart that if we thought things were tough now, they are going to get tougher. But I also heard the Spirit of the Lord say that this would also usher in His Glory in unprecedented ways. Because then the Christians who have fallen out of love with Jesus and forgotten that He is their first love will return to Him like the Prodigal Son. And the people in the world who don’t want to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would begin to accept that the God who created the universe is real, alive and wants a relationship with them. I believe that as Christians it is time we stepped up and, as I said in a previous Blog, bring Heaven to earth. I believe that it is time that Christians stopped being selfish and thinking only of themselves and their own needs and started being the kind of people who bring hope to the hopeless, love to those who feel unloved, kindness in a selfish world. I believe that the time has come for the Church, and Christians, to stand on and live by the truth in the Word of God, and not twist the Word of God to suit their own ends. I believe that loving our enemies and praying for them is part of the solution to the problems of the world. I believe that instead of criticism and judgement, we need to show love and compassion, grace and mercy. And I believe that God is reminding us of the importance of praying for the Peace of Jerusalem so that we can be people who prosper (and not just financially!) according to His riches in Glory (Psalm 122:6). I also read this statement in the Devotional entitled ‘Fierce Days’ from Wrapped in Christ: 365 Devotions from the Pauline Epistles (The Passion Translation Devotionals) by Brian Simmons - “You need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce. 2 TIMOTHY 3:1 Paul goes on to describe the fierceness of culture by describing how people will become more self-centered and looking out only for themselves. Others will become obsessed with money. Pride and arrogance will run rampant. Ungratefulness and disconnectedness will increase. This is not the whole of the story, though. There are also those who love goodness and kindness, who seek to share the mercy-kindness of God, and who live with integrity. We get to choose whom we will spend time around. When we choose to surround ourselves with those who care more about pleasing God than pleasing themselves, we choose wisely. The days are fierce, but the love of God cuts through with even more force. Let’s align ourselves with the power of his resurrection life and remain faithful to his loyal love.” God has put us in the place that He has so that we can be people who influence the atmosphere and people around us with His love and Kingdom Culture. God has been asking us more than ever to ALIGN ourselves with HIM, and not with the ways of the world. Will you choose to join me as we choose and purpose to bring Heaven to earth, and influence the people around us with Kingdom Culture? My prayer is that 2024 will be the year that we see God move in unprecedented ways and that His glory is released on this earth. I want to align myself with the move of God in 2024 – I hope you will want to as well. May this year be a year that is noted for the kindness and compassion of Christians. May this year be a year where we see God’s goodness in the land of the living because we have aligned ourselves with Him and are working with Him to bring Heaven to earth. I hope this prayer from the ‘Fierce Day’s' devotional blesses you and sustains you in this year. “Mighty God, your love is more powerful than the grave, and it is more powerful than the wickedness in the world. I choose to follow your path of mercy, knowing that there is renewal, peace, and life in your presence. You are better than any self-serving dream I could ever achieve.” Be blessed Jean If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others