In the coolness of the day....

I have been really enjoying waking up early in the mornings and looking at the stars, or the moon and breathing in the fresh morning air out in Kezi, Bulawayo. I've been enjoying watching the sun rise from the top of a small hill near my house that overlooks a dam. The scenery is stunning. I have enjoyed lying on the rocks at sunset and looking at the clouds change colour as the sun sets. The other evening, I took a moonlit walk and again, I enjoyed the quiet surroundings and was able to reflect on many things. I guess I've just desired to be close to God....

Psalm 27:4 " One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple."

By Molly Manhanga

Streams of Knowledge pt 4

Waterfall

Stream 4: Stream of knowing God…..
Men who walked with God, knew Him. It takes all the streams to get to this point of knowing God. This is the portion of the waters that carry you, the swimmer. This is when you are so full of God, His Word, His presence, His power and character, that you become a carrier and distributor of His power. You are more conscious of God than problems. Daniel 11:32 says: “They that know their God shall be strong and do great exploits.”

Streams of Knowledge pt 3

Waterfall

Stream 3: Stream of responsibility…..
When you know who you are and your purpose in God, you get responsible. We are responsible to evangelise, pray, give to the poor and to be salt and light of the earth. We are His Family, His Body and His Army. We are responsible to love one another.

Streams of Knowledge pt 2

Waterfall

Stream 2: Stream of purpose…..

God is revealing His purpose to us in Christ. Everything God does has a purpose. The prophetic teachings coming into the Body of Christ are for a purpose. The purpose of all these teachings is CHRISTLIKENESS. The changes that Moses, Joseph and others went through, before they came to the fulfilment of purpose, can be likened to the changes that produce Christlikeness in us. How do you relate with the experience in your life? Your attitude matters a lot. How much of Christ is reflected in you? Like Esther, can you say “if I perish, I perish”? Like Ruth, can you forsake all and follow after covenant love? We need a sense of purpose. As we act on God’s Word let us stand true to His Word and character. No matter what we are going through, if we pray in the spirit, speak God’s word, keep our hearts tender before God and walk in love, God will work out His purpose in our lives.

Streams of Knowledge pt 1

Waterfall


There are four streams of knowledge that God has been revealing to the body of Christ. We need to be established in these streams. They can be likened to the waters Ezekiel saw in chapter 37. All these streams make up the RIVER OF GOD.

Stream 1: Stream of identity…..
Who are you? Who has God made us in Christ? Ephesians 1 has a lot to say about this. The principles of faith find their place in this stream. They are fundamental to our walk with God. Subjects like confession of God’s Word, walking in love, watching over your heart with all diligence all find their place in this stream. We need to be established in who we are in Christ. When we know who we are, we can then know what we can do……

Values: Areas of no compromise

What do we mean when we talk about values? We have church values, family values, personal values and so on. Values are beliefs and practices that we place of high importance; things that go through our very genes influencing who we are, what we do and the way we do things.

1. Values shape and affect our lives
2. Values are more than talk. As the famous saying goes – we value what we do and do what we value. So, values are more than what we talk about…
3. Action communicates values. Whether we realise or not, the very things that we do communicates our values.
4. Values have to be watched: in one sense, values should be part of us and will automatically show themselves. In another sense, they are something we wrestle with…
5. Values have to be believed in…..

Becoming a person of positive influence

Recently I was reading an article again on “Becoming a Person of Positive Influence.” Influence in itself can be either negative or positive. Influence is defined as the power to produce an effect, the ability to affect a person’s character, beliefs or actions.

I was so encouraged to read about women like Abigail whose wise counsel stopped David from bloodshed. (1 Samuel 25:31 – 33). There was also Esther who delivered her people Israel, by taking her own life in her hands. Esther said, “If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16) There are women like Deborah, a prophetess who also judged Israel many years? There is the young Jewish girl who staked everything, including her marriage and even her life, to become the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary said to the angel, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Proverbs speaks about the virtuous woman; “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.” (Proverbs 31:28 – 29)

How do we become women of positive influence? By being vitally connected to God, being a person of prayer, your lifestyle, your words and by your love.

Awake, Be Alert, Arise pt 3

BE ALERT


Be sober, be vigilant, your adversary the devil is moving about seeking whom he may devour, resist him……..1 Peter 5:8 – 9. This talks about self control and watchfulness. The Christian soldier is constantly under enemy attack and should be at alert at all times. This talks about heightened sensitivity to enemy tactics and operations. Whenever the work of the flesh, bad talking, selfish thinking and lustful activities go on, it is a clear sign that the enemy is in operation there. Without the level of alertness the divine strategy from heaven will not be picked as well. Everything spiritual demands some level of sensitivity to pick the signals. To pray effectively means we need to be on red alert. Be RED ALERT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD O ADVANCE.

Awake, be Alert, Arise pt 2

ARISE

To arise, you have to be awake. The prophet Isaiah said Kings shall come to the brightness of your rising as you arise and shine. Isaiah 60:1 – 3. Your rising is a major factor for your shining to be released. No matter what heaven does, your rising up to it is the key to your experiencing it fully. To arise implies taking responsibility for the events of the future. Of course it means you have access to knowledge and acting on it. When Jesus told the man at the pool of Bethesda, to arise, take up his bed and walk, his healing was dependent on his obedience to arise. Yours is too. Arise, lay hold on new knowledge, new insights and begin to walk in the newness of life. When Apostle Peter was being delivered as a result of the prayers of the saints, the angel came to him and woke him up, told him ARISE quickly and the chains fell off his hands. Acts 12:7. As you arise the chains of fear will fall off, the chains of bondage will fall off; the chains that have kept you down will fall off only as you arise. Arise in Jesus name.

Awake, Be Alert, Arise pt 1

AWAKE

Awake to righteousness and sin not! 1 Corinthians 15:34 “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” Romans 13:11 “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” ……. says and do this (love one another), knowing the time, that it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Put on the Lord Jesus and make no provision for the flesh. To be awake spiritually is to stop being passive towards all that is credited to our account spiritually, both the benefits and responsibilities. It is ours to receive the divine nature as a benefit and our responsibility to be in obedience to God. We will not put on anything meaningful without being awake. As in the natural when we sleep we are inactive and no matter what is going on around us, we are not involved. To make an impact or see things change for good in our lives or in others we need to wake up. To stop sinning and to put on Jesus, all demand that we should be awake. e.g. the story of the wheat and the tares; it was when men slept that the enemy planted the tares. Whatever God wants done in the Kingdom, the enemy watches out for when men sleep to plant something similar but a terrible counterfeit. To enjoy the reality of what God has given us is to awake to the reality and not fall for the fake things around.

Truth has boundaries. Application of truth within the right boundaries can only be done when we are awake. To be awake also implies being watchful in prayers. ‘Watch and pray’ has implications. Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead and Christ will give you light. Ephesians 5:14.

Be Alert!

Vision and Values at Crossroads..

Look there. No! Look at the camera! Just love getting a smile from Stephen (right) and Mcebisi (left)

We’ve been having a great time at Crossroads as Stephen has been sharing the Vision and Values with the church. I get so encouraged when I hear folk talk about preaching the gospel, planting churches, grace-filled churches and lives, raising and equipping leaders and so on. The freedom we have in Christ and the freshness of the values is impacting people’s lives in a huge way. It is truly exciting to see.

Nothing quite like the local church

We also continued with the story from Acts 16:5 – 15. That was good seeing how Lydia opened her home to Paul. Hospitality being modeled! The church was encouraged to open their homes to each other and visitors. It's just a great way to get to know one another.

By Molly Manhanga

Principles for Fulling Destiny pt 4

Boundaries


Knowing your boundaries
Everything from heaven has boundaries. When these boundaries are honoured, we deepen the enjoyment that we derive from obedience. The Garden of Eden and the instructions from God show us He designed us to function within certain boundaries. One tree was not to be eaten from. Other trees are for your enjoyment.

The temptation in life is to attempt to destroy your God-given boundaries because of lust, selfish ambition, greed or plain foolishness. Joseph had to pass the test when he was offered his master’s wife to lie with. His words reveal he understood his boundaries and that he may be jeopardizing his destiny in God if he had failed. Joseph said he was not going to go beyond Godly boundaries and sin against God. He knew what was within his boundaries and what was beyond his boundaries.

Ignorance or presumption over God-given boundaries in our minds, emotions, actions and words, account for about 60% of our conflicts and confusion in our relationships. A lack of understanding of emotional boundaries contributes to the high rate of sexual immorality amongst believers. Getting recklessly close to people of the opposite sex can lead to a break down in emotional boundaries.

David was tempted to kill Saul but he refused as he recognized he was the Lord’s anointed. We murder people today with our words. David knew his boundaries in this case and refused to take vengeance for himself. He knew that destroying the one God called was stepping beyond his boundaries.

May the Lord open our eyes to the principle of understanding boundaries.

Principles for Fulling Destiny pt 3

Diligence


Diligence means HARD WORK, intelligently directed. We see diligence as ‘leaving no stone unturned.’ It has to do with paying attention to details. It is a constant application of effort. Joseph applied himself to diligence and got promoted. (Proverbs 22:29) We can never get into destiny by being lazy. Once again we see David being consciously leaving the father’s few sheep with a caretaker and Joseph went on to look for his brothers when they moved from where they were to be found. Those extra efforts show diligence and loyal dedication to the service of one in authority over them (their father in each case)

One of the things that militates against diligence is false expectation; most times we ask, “Why is God allowing this to happen to me?” He is not, but He is checking your response. James 1:2 says “Count it all joy when you fall into trials and temptations…..” Disappointment causes us not to be diligent and by allowing disappointment in our lives, we postpone our destiny. God’s anointing will come upon us if we rise up to hard-work, with a right heart. For example, Jesus was anointed for service, which is not a lazy man’s work (Luke 4:18) he would work all day and pray all night.

Principles for Fulfilling Destiny pt 2

Principles for achieving destiny from the life of Joseph

Service

Genesis 37:13 – 14

Joseph started with service. If you want to fulfill destiny, you will have to start as a SERVANT and plan to end as a SERVANT. This might shock your theology, but greatness/destiny is servanthood under authority. Mark 10:42 – 43. For example, Jesus came to serve us, died for us and He ever live to make intercession for us. In other words, he is still serving us today by interceding for us. Really servant leadership is not about what we do but what we become: a servant at heart. Destiny has a lot to do with what we are becoming. What we do flows out of what we are. God’s focus is internal and with external purposes at heart, He helps us become who He made us to be.

What about King David? He started by watching over his father’s few sheep then taking food to his brothers in 1 Samuel 17:17, and was eventually made King, for the sake of God’s people Israel. Joseph also started by taking food to his brothers; he served in Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39:4), he served in prison (Genesis 39:22 – 23); and continued with service in Pharaoh’s palace (Genesis 41:46) Let us never plan to outgrow serving. Jesus said the greatest will be the servant of all. (Mark 10:43)

Principles for fulfilling destiny pt 1

God always has greatness in store for us, but our definition of greatness is different from His. That is why we need a renewal of our minds, which is knowing God’s mind (WORD) concerning everything in life. God created us (man) with the ability to carry pictures, images, and gave us the gift of imagination. He uses this to give us hope and a future (our destiny) i.e. what He has in mind for us, which includes greatness. The problem is not with the pictures, images or vision we carry in our minds, it is with our interpretation of them and trying to work them out ourselves independent of God. A glance at Joseph’s life concerning his dreams makes this clear.

Some pertinent facts about God’s destiny for us:
1. God is Sovereign and has His ways of bringing to pass His destiny, plans and dreams for our lives. e.g. the cross was God’s plan for salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18, 27 – 29; Isaiah 55:8)

2. We should not expect all images, imaginations and dreams that go through our minds to be from God.

3. We need to test whether the images and dreams we carry are from God. We do this by submitting them to God’s word and also to spiritual elders to judge them for us.

4. We shouldn’t interpret our dreams, visions or whatever desires God gives us in our own way. That is carnality. Carnality is a destiny destroyer. (Romans 8:8) The flesh cannot please God.

Read next on the Principle of SERVICE….

The Issues Of The Heart

God is interested in the contents of our hearts. Our outward actions may be right, but God sees our inward motives…….

The issues of life flow out of our hearts through our mouths, actions and attitudes. Whatever is in our hearts in abundance has a profound way of impacting our circumstances as well as other things around us. It seems like the prophecies of our life can be found in the substance of what is in our hearts. The nature of our hearts is a combination of what is in our spirits and souls. Our conscious acceptance or rejection of mentalities, ideas and orientations all go a long way to determine many things in our lives. Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else guard your heart for it affects everything you do.” Another translation says, “out of it proceeds the issues of life.”
Death and life lie in the power of the tongue and the tongue speaks out of the abundance of the heart, therefore the heart is the carrier of the issues of life and death. The man Jeroboam is a classic example of one who missed out on God’s will for His life due to many circumstances surrounding his life. The chief issue that affected him were the issues of his heart. In 1 Kings 11:28 – 39, we read of the qualities of the man and God’s Word to him. We need to take time to read the wonderful covenant words spoken by God to this man in verses 37 – 39. It is interesting to note that God gave conditions for the fulfilment of the prophecy.

Food for thought:1. The issues of the heart need constant examination.
2. When we have rebellion or revenge in our hearts, we are open to Satan’s onslaught to destroy whatever we have of God in us.
3. We easily tend to take our focus from God when we feel threatened. We tend to use natural means to fulfil spiritual purposes.
4. When our activities weaken our intimacy with God then we end up doing whatever is in our hearts that will be cunningly devised by us to achieve selfish ends.
5. Allowing God’s methods can be unpopular, slow and seem foolish sometimes but He sees the hearts and knows how to do His things. All He wants is that we trust Him absolutely.
6. The issues of greed, selfishness and seeking fame for ourselves are so embedded in us that it takes God to show us the wickedness in our hearts.