Something to ponder...

We are always amazed of the incredible love God has for us, that Jesus died for us while we were sinners, then God raised us up and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 2: 4 – 6 In preparing to write this blog I, Kevin, felt the Lord give me the following word: "The Lord is calling us back, back to His plan, back to the narrow way. He is wooing us. He says, “Come my lovely ones, my precious bride. Come close that you can feel my heartbeat, hear my voice and feel my breath when I speak to you. Come let us run together. At the moment you are out of sync, out of step with my plans. My body, my bride needs to realign with me and my plans, so you are synchronised with me, moving as one in the direction I have for you. At this time my body is in disarray. You must think in military terms. You are my beautiful bride, but you are also soldiers in my army, the army of the Lord and I am your Commander in Chief. You must align yourself and be trained for battle. For you are my precious ones, but you are not ready for what is coming. There are many who will be taken out by the enemy because they are not trained and aligned with me and my plans. Know the times you are living in, see the darkness all around you. Precious ones, you must wake up and realise who you are, what your true identity is, and what I have saved you for. We are in the end times, and you are part of my end time army. You are familiar with passages in my word about your armour and weapons of warfare but you, my bride, my precious ones, are ignorant of how to use them. You are dishevelled and in disarray and doing your own thing. You must come close and learn to hear my voice, only do the things that I tell you to do and not your own plans and ideas. I will give you the strategy for warfare. Without listening to me you are just ‘shadow boxing,’ waving your weapons around in the air and trying to hit a target you cannot see. I love you my bride and more than anything I want relationship with you, but you must come close to hear what I am saying.” Kevin Luck 20/03/25 As Christians we are on a journey and our goal should be to become more like Christ and reflect Him to those around us. In the great commission we are called to go and make disciples, which ought to include not only teaching but also training & equipping. Unfortunately many churches are paralysed as they are full of immature Christians who have not moved on from spiritual milk to meat. True discipleship builds maturity by dealing with the roots of issues and healing the core pain within our life, allowing us to grow and develop an intimate relationship with God. Matt 28: 19 – 20; 1 Cor 3: 1 – 3; Heb 5: 12 – 14. In the word above, the Lord said we must think in military terms. We are all familiar with ranks in the army, well, it is the same in the spiritual realm. In Ephesians we read about the ranks within the enemy’s kingdom. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Eph 6: 12 NKJV (see also verses 10 – 17) When it comes to spiritual warfare, many of us have a wrong mindset of God and how powerful He is. In the mid 90’s there was a popular song by Rob Critchley which begins with the line, “Great big God, little bitty devil,” but so many of us have it the other way around, “Great big devil, little bitty God!” Jesus defeated Satan on the cross, and we are assured of victory! We are spiritual beings but so often we live unaware of what is happening in the spirit realm. Remember in 2 Kings when the servant was fearful of the opposition and Elisha said, “Do not be afraid… those with us are more than those with them.” Elisha prayed that the Lord would open his eyes that he may see. The Lord opened his eyes, and he saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6: 15 – 17 We need to recognise the incredible love that God has for us, that He sent Jesus to die on the cross. In the above word, He has emphasised that He loves us and desires relationship with us. In the scriptures He tells us that, He created us; He knit us together in our mother’s womb; He knew us before the foundation of the world; He has a plan and a destiny for our life; He watches over our going out and our coming in; He rejoices over us with singing; we are the apple of His eye; His thoughts for us outnumber the grains of sand; He knows the number of hairs on our head. God knows us intimately and has said He wants us to know Him intimately. So let us draw close to Him and let Him heal our wounds with the healing balm of His love, align our lives with the truth of His word and follow Him. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. " Rom 8: 14 NKJV Blessings Kevin & Anne Our thanks to Kevin & Anne for this month’s Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

Numbers 6: 24 – 26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” The people of Israel had been camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai for almost a year after leaving Egypt. They had received God’s 10 commandments and his full law and built the Tabernacle according to God’s precise instructions. Now, on the cusp of moving toward the promised land and going into battle, God commanded the high priest Aaron to pronounce this blessing over the people. Because we hear these words recited so often, we can lose the awe that God would bless extravagantly. Let’s dig out 5 truths in God’s blessing over you: 1. God is the source of all blessing. Although often referred to as the priestly or Aaronic blessing, these words were not written by men. They are God’s words spoken through His priest to His people. God is a God who blesses. In fact, when God created Adam and Eve, the first thing He did was to bless them. (Genesis 1:28) And the last thing Jesus did? He blessed His apostles - as Jesus was taken into heaven, He was blessing His apostles. (Luke 24: 50 – 51) 2. God blesses us personally. Six times these verses repeat “you”, and each time it is in the singular form. Rather than blessing Israel corporately in these verses, God of the universe blesses each one personally. In a crowd of more than 2 million, God saw each one. God sees you. God knows you intimately, cares for you individually and blesses you personally. 3. God bends down to benefit us . The Hebrew word for ‘bless’ means to “kneel down”. Used metaphorically here, it shows that God bends down to give us Himself, and with that all of His benefits – His faithfulness, mercy, forgiveness, grace, love, comfort, joy, hope, guidance, redemption, adoption, acceptance and more. Ephesians 1:3 tells us we have every spiritual blessing through Jesus. Because God is infinite, we can never reach the end of His blessing. 4. God blesses as a father to his child. How can God lift His countenance upon us if He is in heaven and we are on earth? Doesn’t He look down upon us? These words are a picture of a father lifting his child in his arms above him. Just as a father lifts up his beaming face to that child, God shines His full pleasure, His full goodwill, and His full joy over you as His child. 5. God’s blessing brings peace. Who does not want peace? But God’s peace is more than the absence of strife. The Hebrew word for peace, “shalom”, stems from the word which means ‘restoration back to the original state’. God’s peace means not just harmony, but completeness and wholeness, rest and welfare, soundness and safety. Take heart today. In a world that is often hard and chaotic, God has bent down to bless you personally. God of infinite benefits gives them to you. And though the world may frown, God’s beaming countenance is upon you. Today, child, walk in the fullness of your Father’s extravagant blessing. 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 time for all of us to cast off the traditions of men and erroneous views that was passed on to us. The worst of this is creating a misconception about the very basis of our faith and relationship with God. The aim is to gain a full and permanent understanding of the highest level of our relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and the paradigm that enables us maximum intimacy with the One who died for us. Paying a dowry that only God could afford. The most important reasons for the avoidance of the truth are primarily two-fold. Firstly, bad eschatology - distancing the kingdom and intimacy to “one day in the future”. The greatest culprit here classical dispensationalism. Secondly, for years pastors have asked of women to understand that they are “sons of God” and that women are included in most exhortations directed at men. But now, the insight will require of men to also adapt to the truth, and for most of them in my environment, they find it difficult to do so. So, what are we talking about? We are talking about Genesis 1: 21, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” It is the union and composite relationship between a man and a woman that fully reflects the glory of God’s image. The first prophecy identified in Scripture is quoted in Ephesians 5:30-32, “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Literally, Paul took this very first prophecy and promise in the Scriptures and applied it to the church – not as a future event, but as already active. The union and its process still remains a mystery (and therefore intimate). Now this is crucial to understand, especially so in the light of 2 Peter 1:3-4, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Notice the word for ‘partaker’ in Greek is “ koinonos ”, i.e., “partner, associate, comrade, companion, sharer in everything.” Very much a covenantal relationship. So, we must ask ourselves, “What is the most intimate relationship that can fulfil this quality, this partaking of God’s nature? The one we can have with Our Lord Jesus, while we are seated in Him at the right hand of the Father?” This divine marriage union must important as the Scriptures also end with the marriage in Revelation 21. Let us now consider Jeremiah 31:31-34, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband , declares the Lord.” Clearly, here we see God’s perspective, template and paradigm use of the Old Covenant and equates to marriage in the natural. This “unfaithfulness” with the promise of another “marriage” is then prophesied by Hosea, who wrote in chapter 2, (Hosea 2:16-17, 19-20) “And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more… “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.” Two things to take note of here. She will call Him Husband, once this betrothal is formalized, and the end of this covenant will be that “she” will know the Lord intimately. And this is borne out by the same “knowing the Lord” as with Jeremiah 31. “In ancient Hebrew culture, knowledge was not merely intellectual but was deeply relational and experiential. The concept of "knowing" someone or something involved a holistic understanding that included emotional and spiritual dimensions. This is evident in the use of "yada" to describe the intimate relationship between a husband and wife, as well as the covenant relationship between God and Israel.” (//sermons.logos.com/sermons/1427963-the-hidden-things) So perhaps now we are ready to look at the better covenant a “marriage” covenant between Our Lord Jesus Christ and the church! But if Israel was married to God, how could they “re-marry” into a new covenant with Him? Paul explains this beautifully in Romans 7:1-4, “Now, dear brothers and sisters - you who are familiar with the law - don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. o while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead.” Please note that the symbol of death for us in baptism is crucial to understand here - we die to self and are raised by Holy Spirit to live in union with Christ. Baptism is the declaration before heaven and earth that no other God and Husband will do, we belong to Him alone. Likewise, when we take communion, when we eat His flesh and drink His blood, do we not at that moment celebrate the intimate union as being one with Christ? Is that not how the two become one, as originally prophesied in Genesis? Paul also wrote to the Corinthians, (2 Corinthians 11:12) “I have betrothed (*) you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” *“the verb ‘harmozó’ primarily means to join or fit together, often used in the context of arranging or preparing something to be in harmony or unity. In the New Testament, it is used metaphorically to describe the act of betrothing or engaging in marriage, indicating a union or covenant relationship.” (https://biblehub.com/greek/718.htm) All of this affirms this relationship, especially Ephesians 5:30-32 “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Isaiah 54 in totality refers to the new covenant of eternal peace with God, but our attention is drawn to verses 1-5, “Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not laboured with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord… For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your Husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.” Paul identifies the new Jerusalem as this covenant of marriage in Galatians 4:26-27 – and quotes this portion of Isaiah to substantiate that. Interesting that he also used a mixed metaphor, for being part of this covenant and being a citizen of the new Jerusalem, which makes a believer and “Isaac”, a child of promise. More importantly, it is necessary to understand that we are already citizens of the new Jerusalem as the writer of Hebrews explains, (Hebrews 12:22-24) “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.” Please note that this is past tense, as with Ephesians - this is not hoping for fulfilment, it is already our inheritance . When we then read in Revelation 21 , we find the fulfilment of the promise of the new covenant already fulfilled, and the Angel did not show John what is to come, but what already was a reality! Because “it is stepping down” out of heaven! The Bride and Wife is already being populated by believers, those who are united with the Lamb. “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming (stepping) down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” We already have God indwelling us and we are already a habitation for Him. And then, [the Angel] “came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” The high mountain is figurative for seeing the covenant from a high or spiritual kingdom perspective. So what does this mean for you and me? When we understand the true meaning of baptism and communion, being one with Christ and so one with each other, we would manage our lives accordingly. We can then understand why Paul exhorts, (Ephesians 5:24) “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ [as His Wife], so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” Our faith is demonstrated by our loving, devoted obedience to our Husband [Jesus], and we can only reflect His Person and perfection as believers when we fully yield ourselves as His Wife, both corporately and individually. The paradigm is extremely important. As the Wife of Christ, I already have full authority in Him, as His Wife I have access to the Father through Jesus Christ His Son. “I am seated in Christ!” What does that mean, what paradigm best describes that union? Marriage! Complete authority in a totally submitted relationship, where all heavenly blessings are ours. We are one spirit with Jesus, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” One in Christ - when you now approach the Lord, He is your Husband, who laid down His life for you, you are His now! The promise of Hosea is now true, you can call your Maker your Husband. And when you approach the Father, you have access! (Ephesians 2:18) “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” All the paradigms that describe our spiritual relationship with God are important, being His body, a son, or child of God, being a brother to Christ, being His bond-slave, ambassador, priest and king – but the one that outshines and empowers one more than any of these is “the marriage”, being the Wife of God already. It best describes the promises God made in terms of covenants, it even explains the demise of the old and the establishing of the new covenant! It removes the “what must still come”, and it focusses us on “what already is”. Especially in terms of our intimacy with Jesus. It will also align one’s understanding of the book of Revelation, as in 19:7-8, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” We know that we have already been made righteous by faith through grace in our Lord Jesus Christ! So go ahead and call your Maker your Husband! Blessings Ben Our thanks to Ben for this month’s Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

In late November last year I started asking God what He wanted to say to us about 2025. Immediately He started speaking to me about being the light in the darkness of the world. I believe that we will need to be light in many areas this year. But we can only be light once we know the True Light. Reading and meditating on Psalm 73 I saw how, as Christians, we can allow the darkness to encroach on our lives, our faith, our relationship with God and our relationships with others. We can allow darkness, in fact, to consume us without us even realising it. Many times we think that we will be aware of the darkness closing in on us – however, I want to say to you what I heard God say to me at the beginning of this new year ‘ Beware of the subtlety of the darkness closing in on you ’. Psalm 73 describes how we can be jealous of other’s success, their prosperity financially, the way that those who don’t know God seem to do better than those of us who do know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. We can be envious of other Christians who seem to be doing better in their walk than we are. That’s all darkness – yes, we allow the darkness to close in on us and then the light of Christ in us diminishes. Light is also diminished in us when we allow fear to consume us. There is, in the natural, much to be fearful of in this current day. The media is full of fear, and the more we listen to it and believe all that they say, the more we will succumb to fear. There are wars and rumours of war – that instils fear. There are rumours of more pandemics – that brings an element of fear. And then, before we even realise, the darkness has subtly closed in on us and the light goes out. BUT , Psalm 73 encourages us that as we seek God in His sanctuary, as we fall at His feet and gaze upon His beauty, things change in us. We are reminded in that Psalm that in spite of all that we fall prey to in this life, we still belong to God and He is the One who holds us and guides us. He allows us to see His glory. He allows us to stay in His presence even when we fall. It’s because we trust in Him and realise that we have no-one but Him that we will shine brightly with the light of Christ in us. It’s because we put our relationship with God above all other things, that the light of Christ will shine through us. Psalm 73:28 (TPT) “ But I’ll keep coming closer and closer to you, Lord Yahweh , for your name is good to me. I’ll keep telling the world of your awesome works, my faithful and glorious God! ” reminds us that drawing closer to God is the only option we have. At about the same time, Lana Vawser put out a prophetic word, in which she said “ For there will be much shaking that will take place in 2025 and as you stay low before Me in the place of intimacy and humility in 2025, you will find a strength, grace and empowerment in Me in 2025 that you have not known. You will find as you stay close to Me and deep in My Word in 2025, a stability of being grounded and founded in Me to not be shaken, in ways you have not experienced before. There will be unexpected empowerment for the unexpected places in 2025, and a grace to stand and stand in boldness like you have not experienced before in 2025. ” (to read the full prophetic word - https://lanavawser.com/i-heard-the-lord-say-listen-closely-i-am-releasing-clarity-for-2025/ ) I also have heard God tell me and warn me that there will be much shaking in the world in 2025 and there will be much that will allow the darkness to overcome the light. However, we are to keep seeking God and to keep the light shining bright in us. I also heard the Lord say “My people, who are called by My Name, must come together as one voice, in unison, and declare and decree that the light of Christ shines bright in this world. My people must rise up out of the darkness and come together as one voice to declare that there is only One Name, and that is the Name of Jesus. Many people will do things and declare that it is in the name of god – but that’s it, it will be in the name of their gods, not in the Name of the Almighty. Because much of what the world is saying is done in My Name, is in fact being done by the Prince of Darkness. Do not listen to the voice of the world – learn to discern which voice you are listening to. My Voice will be heard, and when you hear my voice, then the battle-cry will sound. Your voice is the battle-cry in the world. Use it well.” Psalms 1:2 (TPT) “His [the person who follows God’s ways – vs1] passion is to remain true to the Word of “I AM,” meditating day and night on the true revelation of light.” The commentary from The Passion Translation for this verse says “To mediate on the revelation of light day and night means to meditate 24/7 on what is good and delightful. However, day signifies a period of enlightenment (Eph 1:18) and night signifies a period of obscurity. Both when we have the light of insight and when we seem to be in the dark, meditation is the key to unlock the revelation of God.” A second commentary adds “ From Ps. 1 we learn that the righteous and the wicked are distinguished by what they delight in. ” Unless we have the Trinity in us, what we see and hear will either be enlightened or obscured. We need the truth of the Word to set us free from the darkness we succumb to and we need to meditate on the truth. And then when we hear the truth of the Word, we need to declare it out loud, with voices that must be heard. That is what will get us through 2025. Start the new year well by recognising that nothing can push you down or get the better of you when you remain in Christ. That His mercy, loving kindness and faithfulness is ours. That in Christ you will feast on the abundance of the Kingdom. That in Christ is the fountain of life, and in His light do we see light. That it is the loving kindness of God that will come upon those that truly know Him and His righteousness will come to the upright in heart. (Psalm 36:5-10 [AMPC]) Be blessed Jean If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

Recently we listened to a talk, and I was challenged by this question. Do we limit God? This is not a new revelation to me because I’ve spoken on this and ‘searched myself and my motivations’ on this before. But this certainly was one of those challenging moments. How am I doing in allowing God to use me to bring about His purposes. Can I ask you the same question? How are you doing in allowing God to use you to bring about His purposes? Andrew Womack (who was the preacher of the message) says this “How can finite (limited) man adequately represent an infinite (limitless) God? This question presents a dilemma that has caused most people to not even try .” How often have we had a dream, but deemed that dream to be impossible? How often have we envisioned things in ministry, but decided that we are not capable of fulfilling the vision? I know I have. And I have because I’ve looked at the situation with my finite limitations. I’ve looked at the resources I have and decided we can’t possibly do that because what if God doesn’t provide, whether it’s financially, or equipment, or resources, or opportunity. We limit ourselves when we limit God. More than that, we prevent ourselves partnering with God when He gives us a prophetic word, or an instruction, or a strategy to move in an area. Psalm 78:41 New King James Version – “Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel. ” On our recent trip to Albania, Holy Spirit revealed some things to me. This is what He said to the churches and Christians in Albania:- “You have heard My plans, and have been shown the strategies. Yet you do not align yourselves with Me in order to do and accomplish My Will for the Nation. You have heard My heart, yet you wait for it to happen supernaturally, without you having to participate in the programme. While I am the God who moves supernaturally, I choose to use you to bring about My plans and purposes on the earth. Why do you hear, and yet not do? Why do you think it must all be up to Me to make things happen, when I have asked you to partner with Me and accomplish My will, plans and purposes. When are you going to start moving so that the land and the nation can be taken back for the Kingdom. If you do not align with Me, then the evil one has an open door to do what he (Satan) wants. He has a foothold in the nation now, but unless you, My People, who are called by My Name, who are My holy Nation, My peculiar people, My chosen ones, start moving and declaring & decreeing the truths I have revealed to you, start putting into practice the strategies I have given you for bringing Heaven to earth and taking back the nation for the Kingdom, then the nation will be lost to the evil one.” I truly believe that this is not just a word for Albania, but a word for every nation of the earth, and every people of the earth. Let’s stop being responsible for limiting God. Let’s stop limiting and stopping the plans and purposes God has for our lives because we think too small. Let’s start WORKING WITH GOD and accomplishing what He wants done. Are you complacent? Are you satisfied with what you have right now? Are you scared to move in case it goes wrong? Are you limiting God by your small thinking? If you answer ‘yes’ to even one of these questions, then it’s time to get rid of the limitations and start to dream big. It’s time to ask God what your role is in His plans and purposes for you, and for the nation you live in. It’s time to renew your minds to come in line with Him. Start by remembering to build with God (Psalm 127:1) and to know that everything is achieved according to His power working in us (Ephesians 3:20). That everything we do is through Him who gives us the strength to do it (Philippians 4:13) and as we commit our plans to God (Proverbs 16:3), His will bless us abundantly and we will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). So, as you choose to stop limiting God, remember to take delight in Him (Psalm 37:4) and to be strong and courageous in all that you do (Joshua 1:6,7,9) I’m not sure who to acknowledge for this quote – but I leave it with you to mull over “ Turn you CAN’TS into CANS, and your DREAMS into PLANS ”. I bless you to dream big in the Lord, and to allow God to use you to accomplish what He has called you to accomplish. I bless you to walk on water with God as you bring Heaven to earth. Be blessed Jean If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

When this generation is so busy trying to prove that women can do everything men can do, women are losing the unique qualities that set us apart. The God-given femininity and unique way our Creator designed us. Women were not created to do everything a man can do. Women were created to do everything a man cannot do. The lioness does not try to be the lion. She embraces her role as the lioness. She is powerful, strong, and nurturing. She does not mistake her meekness for weakness. The world needs more kind, compassionate, humble, faithful, persevering, confident, fierce, bold, pure, and tender-hearted women. Be one of them. Proverbs 31 asks if our husbands and children can call the mothers and wives blessed. Can they??? What a scary question! What is more disturbing is the fact that it is actually a question that needs to be asked. In my counselling of young married couples, I am amazed of how many young women do not even know how to sew a button on a shirt. They cannot knit, they cannot crochet, they cannot sew and they cannot even cook. I am amazed at how much the ability to be true women of God has become so scarce within the next generation. I then have to look to the mothers and say “What are you teaching your children”. We need to get back to basics and start to teach the next generation the ways of the Lord. Men have not taken their place either in the world. They are stepping back and allowing the women to do the man’s job. They have become lazy to stand up and be accountable for what God has given them. The focus has been so much on making money instead of building families that the Godly family is breaking up. We need to get our knees bent on prayer and start to focus on the family relationship instead of how much money we need to be better than our neighbours! The scripture Matthew 6: 24 [“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”] is often overlooked or used as an excuse for pastors and ministers to be poor, but in fact it is telling us to serve one or the other. Yes we need money to survive in this world, but we are using it wrongly and not for the purpose we suppose to use it for. It’s to just live here till we get to heaven. We need to be building our treasures in heaven not here on earth. Please do not see this that I am saying we cannot have nice stuff and live well. No, in fact Ecclesiastes tells us to eat drink and be merry. In other words enjoy life. But we have turned it into obesity, drunkenness and sinning through evil doings. We are calling evil good and good evil. Our time is running out. Once the next generation gets to be in control in a full time mode, our youngest generation will be lost. We need to pray hard for the next generation, and I mean really hard. We need to call the five-fold ministry back into the church to grow God’s Kingdom. Prayer : Father God, we ask for Your guidance into the lives of the next generation that will be leading the younger generation. Let Your will be done for the Kingdom of God to expand. Help us Abba Father to be bold and strong and to be examples for the young to lead them into Your Heavenly Kingdom 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

Ecclesiastes 5:1 (a) “As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.” This is so relevant for the church today! There is a corporate and personal understanding of “the house of God” in this Scripture. In the corporate sense, Peter wrote, {1 Peter 2:5} “You also, as living stones , are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” And for us individually, Paul wrote, {1 Corinthians 6:19} “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own.” It is important to consider and apply this exhortation on both levels. When people come together to worship and honour God, especially in a church setting, whether it’s in prayer, songs, offerings, teaching, ministry, celebrating the Lord’s Supper or just doing what needs to be done, they most often have a set agenda to work to – the one set out for them by the leadership, congregation or of their own design. Solomon is very clear here, doing so without first consulting God is foolish. And not only that, it is considered evil! When people come together to worship God and bring the sacrifices of their hearts, the most important thing is to be quiet, i.e., waiting upon the Lord and listening. The most important “mind” that should matter is the mind of God. Another way to put it would be, {Ecclesiastes 5:1(b)} “to draw near, to hear and obey is better than to give the sacrifice of fools (carelessly, arrogantly), too ignorant to know that they are doing evil.” As we endeavour to do what we think is right and do not consider God - in any form or act of our worship - when we omit Him and disregard Him, we fulfil exactly what foolishness is defined as. We find a good example of this in Isaiah 58 too. A very religious, self-righteous Israel complained to the Lord, and God responded, {vs 2-3} “Day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?’” Whereafter God pointed out that He’s always after people’s hearts and not what they should sacrifice or ritually do. He desires loving obedience and complete devotion. That is the essence of true fasting, not eating the “food” of the world, but living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. When we realise that we are the house of God, the house of prayer, individually and corporately, it is wise to consult Holy Spirit first, in fact prudent to do so, and wise to act on His leading. Before we speak on behalf of God, or even on behalf of ourselves, always ask, “Lord, what is your take on this?” Initially, it might prove difficult as we so easily react as we did before, and bring what we consider sacrifices worthy of His attention, just as Cain did. That is why we must choose to wait upon the Lord, wait upon Him first, as an active discipline. And as we collaborate with Holy Spirit continuously, the process can become so cemented that one can eventually follow Jesus’ example and say, {John 14:24} “These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” And, {John 6:63} “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you - they are full of the Spirit and life.” That’s prudent and discerning, and you will then avoid doing things that the Father never required of you. You will avoid being foolish, and you will stay in step and on track with Holy Spirit. When we approach God, it should always be about His agenda and the things He has on His mind. Our thankful, loving response is to obey, to follow Him and to worship Him in ways He truly appreciates. Blessings Ben Our thanks to Ben for this month’s Blog contribution If you were blessed by this article, please do share it with others

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