Month: December 2019

Jonah 1:3
But Jonah RAN AWAY from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.

Canon Andrew White, also known as the Vicar of Baghdad, called Jonah the ‘reluctant evangelist’. Andrew White was for a long time based in Baghdad, Iraq and the city of Mosul in present day Iraq was the site of ancient Nineveh. The 2003 census for Iraq showed a population of around 1.5 million Christians, before ISIS came. The Christian community in Iraq was recognised as one of the oldest continuous Christian Churches on earth, so Jonah influenced generations of their people.

The story of Jonah begins with him running in the opposite direction to his calling from God. The Bible actually says he ran away from the Lord or from the Lord’s presence. Derek Prince pointed out that from the time Jonah began to run from God he continually descended, things went downhill badly. He went from the hills to the port of Joppa, to the ship and finally into the belly of the fish in the sea. God had chosen him and equipped him to preach repentance to Nineveh, 120,000 people. Unlike others chosen by God, Jonah didn’t say he couldn’t do it, he knew God was merciful and if the enemies of Israel repented he would forgive them.

I wonder how many people today have a calling on their lives. Maybe there is something niggling you and you’ve been ignoring it for a long time, but things aren’t getting any easier, perhaps getting worse. Can I urge you today to sit down and ask God why things are as they are in your life? Has God been asking something of you and you’re going full steam your own way, maybe heading for shipwreck like Jonah nearly caused. Putting off addressing the issue He’s been trying to raise with you. Jonah had to come to a place of personal surrender. God is persistent but sometimes we just don’t want to listen, whatever our reasons.

God wants to use us and bless us but the first step for us has to be going His way, allowing Him to set the course for our lives. He may ask something that we don’t want to give but ultimately it will be the best way for us and for others.

May I urge you today not to run, or to stop running, before things become more difficult. Jonah’s accusation against God was;

Jonah 4:2
I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents in sending calamity.

You can trust God, no matter what your circumstances, He’s waiting to help you today.

God bless you

I woke up this morning with the words of this chorus in my head.

Well, I went to the enemy’s camp and
I took back what he stole from me (x3)
I went to the enemy’s camp and
I took back what he stole from me

You know
He’s under my feet (x6)
Satan is under my feet

In 1 Samuel 30 we see the story of David and his men living with the Philistines in Ziklag, an occupied town in southern Judah.

Poor David, it seemed things couldn’t get worse, living with Israel’s enemy to escape Saul. Then his camp was attacked by Amalekite raiders and everything stolen including their wives and children.

Amalek was originally a grandson of Esau, a type of the flesh and therefore continually at war with Israel. They attacked the weakest, the stragglers in Israel as they came up from Egypt. Moses commanded Israel to completely wipe out Amalek, Deuteronomy 25:17-19. Apparently Haman the Agagite in the book of Esther, who attempted to destroy all Israel, was an Amalekite.

The Amalekite spirit attacks soft targets, like David’s unguarded camp when all the men were away to battle. More like hyenas than lions, hunt in packs and take the weakest.

Wilson’s Bible Dictionary online says, ‘its a spirit that takes away all’, exactly what happened to David’s camp. Neither can we afford to compromise with the flesh in our walk as Christian believers, the flesh wants everything its own way and nothing to do with the things of God.

1Samuel 30:6
David and his men were distraught and there was talk of stoning David, they needed someone to vent their anger on and David was the leader, blame him.
‘But David found strength in the Lord his God’.

The story ends with a long chase after the Amalekite raiders, a sick Egyptian slave guided them and he did as the chorus says, ‘took back what he stole from me’.

The enemy may come against us in a moment of physical or emotional weakness, but even in our weakness God can and will give us victory and even better, fight for us when we need Him.

Don’t fear the enemy today, Christ is our victory in all things!

May you be blessed today as you walk with your mighty, victorious Lord.

Your character will determine your destiny. In today’s church in the west there is much seeking after the nine gifts of the Spirit but there are also nine fruits of the same Spirit of God.

In Genesis 49 we have the account of Jacob/Israel’s final words over his sons. His eldest, Reuben, was demoted, “Turbulent(stormy or unstable)as the waters, you will no longer excel “. As well as the dishonouring of his father’s bed it seems his character was flawed and he lost his blessing as the first born.

The next eldest brothers were Simeon and Levi, so Reuben’s blessing could have passed down the line to them, but in Genesis 49:5-7 we read;

Simeon and Levi are brothers —
their swords are weapons of violence.
Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
Cursed(Israel didn’t bless them) be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury so cruel!
I(sounds like God speaking directly through Jacob)will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.

Genesis 34:26, Simeon and Levi killed the Shechemite men after their sister Dinah was raped and plundered their city. They obviously felt justified in avenging their sister, Genesis 34:31, but because of the intensity of their anger and fury they too were passed over and received no blessing. Levi was however mightily blessed by Moses in Deuteronomy 33.

In our western society today, acts of immortality and violence are endemic. Everything from road rage to terrorism, such explosive acts of violence on our news daily, which no doubt feeds the frenzy.

God, however, did not overlook these failures of character and instead of their father’s blessings they were passed over. Judah the fourth son received the, ‘ruler’s staff’.

When God chose David to be Israel’s king He told Samuel, 1Samuel 16:7, that God doesn’t look at the outward appearance but the heart! Surely He’s still looking at hearts today for people He can trust.

I’m not at all sure where I heard about the recently departed Reinhard Bonke, but I have something in my head that this wonderful brother was the Lord’s third choice for the evangelism in Africa. That means others did not accept or were passed over.

We need to be careful how we walk before the Lord, even small actions can make the difference between being Heaven’s choices or being passed over.

May you be blessed today and may your character be like that of Christ, a servant heart for the King and His soon coming Kingdom.

The law of the Nazirite, a vow of separation to the Lord.

Some time ago I spoke on the Nazirite vow, Numbers 6 and one young man was particularly touched by the message. I was explaining that God was calling some people to a closer walk with him and although something might be all right for their friends it may not be what God wanted for them.

The vow was voluntary, between a person and God and usually for a set time, (like a period of fasting) though Samson was a Nazirite from birth. Throughout the duration of the vow the person was not allowed to drink wine or eat of the grape, cut the hair on their head(no razor allowed) nor go near a dead body. The person was to be set apart to God for a period of time, basically the same idea as being holy, set apart.

The book of Amos starts with a series of God’s judgements on different peoples. When He comes to Israel, He says they are guilty of two things;

Amos 2:11,12
“I also raised up prophets from among your children
and Nazirites from among your youths.
Is this not true people of Israel?” declares the Lord.
But you made the Nazirites drink wine(break their vow)
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

Prophets and Nazirites are linked together and God judges Israel for for attacking both groups. It seems that wickedness has a real problem with these two groups who are serving God, they want them to stop. Prophets would be known because of their speaking out revelation and Nazirites because of their hair and refusal to be take alcohol or be near dead bodies. Would we be so readily recognised today as people of God? There may be a price to pay, as not everyone will be comfortable being around people who are committed to God, not even respectable, religious people.

It is interesting that in Numbers 6, the 21 verses on the law of the Nazirite is followed by the priestly blessing;

The Lord said to Moses , tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn His face towards you
and give you peace”.

“So they will put my name on the Israelites and I will bless them”.

Is God calling you and I to draw nearer to Him today for something He has for us?

May the words of the blessing be yours today.

Genesis 48 The value of a father’s blessing.

Joseph was in reality the ruler of Egypt, a powerful and significant man. However, in this chapter near the end of Genesis we see Joseph bringing his young sons to his elderly, poor sighted father, Israel, for his blessing.

This was a moment of destiny in the lives of these boys!

“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked(starting with God fearing family line),
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life to this day(Israel’s personal walk with God),
16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm(Divine protection)
— may He bless these boys.
May they be called by my name(grafted back into the family line)
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac
and may they increase greatly upon the earth”.

Manasseh was the elder son, but Israel crossed his hands and pronounced the greater blessing on the younger boy, Ephraim. The normal order was reversed by an ancient patriarch who could hardly see.

He blessed them that day and said,

In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing:
May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.

so he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

It is strange in our culture today to think that destiny could be settled by words spoken by an elderly father figure but Joseph, great as he was, sought this blessing for his sons born in Egypt. He knew his elderly father was coming near his life’s end and the bible records this meeting for us.

Genesis 49 gives the last words of Israel to each of his sons, speaking into their destiny.

Some of us may not be in a position to get a father’s blessing but perhaps we have spiritual parents who can fulfill that role for us.

John Paul Jackson before he died, put up a father’s blessing on YouTube, 3 minutes long but powerful and I believe that many in this generation need to hear it repeated over your own lives.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel bless you and may you walk in His destiny for your lives. Be blessed today.

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.

James and Jude were half brothers of Jesus but both referred to themselves as, “servants of Jesus Christ”. They acknowledged Him as God, not just family.

To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by/in Jesus Christ.

The little book of Jude is written as a warning to the church, a warning of the danger from within! Ungodly, or we might say godless people, will rise up.

V15 in the NIV, …to convict all the ungodly of all ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way and of all the harsh words words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him(Jesus). 4 times in this verse the word ‘ungodly’ is used.

V16 refers to them, ‘these men are grumblers and fault-finders; they follow their own evil desires, they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage’. Their character description is negative and clear.

V17&18 Apostles foretold, “In the last times(NOW!) there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires”.

V20 But you dear friends, BUILD YOURSELVES UP IN YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH AND PRAY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. KEEP YOURSELVES IN GOD’S LOVE as you wait for Him.

They say that people who are trained to detect forgeries, forged bank notes, spend a lot of time looking at the REAL THING. They become so familiar with the genuine that they can instantly recognise the fake. In the day we live in, there is so much false teaching and doctrine within the body, we must train ourselves to know the truly spiritual from the ungodly.

Ask the Lord today to give you discernment and pay attention to any warnings in your heart if things are questionable.

V24,25 To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen, YES!!!

Psalm 37 begins with the words, “Do not fret”.

This implies we have a choice and we can CHOOSE NOT TO FRET. In verses 1, 7 and 8, three times in all, we are told not to fret.

The word fret means, to eat into, to corrode, wear away by rubbing
also to disturb, to vex, to irritate. The first three meanings suggest being severely stressed and the next three being harassed and troubled.

David is the writer of this Psalm and he certainly knew what it was to be under stress, fleeing for his life, continually being hounded by Saul. He wasn’t writing from just head knowledge or theory, his very life was under threat.

In the other verses at the beginning of this Psalm we see a number of wonderful verses pointing to the Lord;

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord
and He will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness
shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be STILL BEFORE THE LORD and wait
and wait patiently before him.

David had to learn these lessons, that God was with him, in the midst of terrible difficulties. He had to learn to trust God no matter what the circumstances he faced.

Take some time today to tell God that you love Him and trust Him in your situation. Think on the verses David wrote by inspiration of the Spirit.

May you find comfort and encouragement today as these words fill your soul.