Time and Chance

The service at church yesterday was more than awesome. To hear God, speak in the way He did was amazing and I will like to share some of the things I learnt.

The scripture we would consider is Ecclesiastes 9:11. It says in the Amplified Version that "I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise nor riches to men of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all."

Time and Chance. I what this scripture is saying and I hope you get it. Most times we feel as though everything we are doing is not enough. That to step through the door of purpose, God has to give you a visible sign before you know you are about to step into purpose. I come with a simple message my friend. You just never know.

There is TIME for us as individuals to make the most of our God given potential and EVERY talent that God has given us. We need to spend time like Daviod nuturing this gift because we never know the time when we are supposed to use this gift to step into purpose. This is why it is said that your gift will make way for you. The opportunity to show what you can do will come by chance. You have to be ready. Something is common to all humans and that is TIME and CHANCE. We don't know what the next day holds; all we can do is trust God enough for our future and hope that when opportunity comes, we would be able to recognise it because we are prepared.

Hope you have been blessed.

Stay saved!

For the love of Christ

I want to get to a point in my life where I do things for the love of Christ. I wonder if it is the same for you but that is how I feel everyday. Yes, I do not live the perfect life but I think it is what Jesus is calling us to do as believers. How many times do we take out time to do things for the love of Christ. For the love of Christ we would share the gospel of Jesus Christ, we would give more, we would not judge people... and most of all, we would control our selfish desires.

What do you say guys? Are you ready to live your life for the love of Christ?

Let us pray for Nashville

Just heard today that there was a bad flood that hit Nashville.

Picture from www.dailyworldbuzz.com

Let us say a prayer for them people

Who do YOU say I am?

This is the question that Jesus is asking every Christian. Who do YOU say I am? Check out this verse of scripture

Matthew 16:13-19 (Amplified Bible)

¹³Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is?

    ¹⁴And they answered, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

    ¹⁵He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?

    ¹⁶Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

    ¹⁷Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.

    ¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros--a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra--a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].

    ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.

(Source: Bible Gateway)

Now, I want you to clearly examine this scripture. The disciples of Jesus had been with Him for a while and He threw a question at them. The first time He asks, who do people say I am. We can see from their answers that people actually had a very distorted view of who Jesus was. He had healed them, raised their dead even fed them but still they were clueless. They did not know who he was. 

Then he asks again, who do you say I am? Now, He wants to know who His disciples think He is and Simon Peter answers, You are the Christ, Son of the Living God. I am not really tripped by what Peter says but it is what Jesus says that made me go crazy. Jesus says flesh and blood (men) did not reveal this to you but My Father in Heaven. 

Now the question is Who do You say He is? I am not asking for your mother's opinion or for your pastor's opinion but who do you say Jesus is? Most of us wonder why things don't work for us. We go the whole nine yards, pay our tithes, holler the right Christian words, we pray, we fast, we speak in diverse tongues but our lives still seem static. Truth is, if you don't have a personal encounter with the Savior, if Jesus has not revealed himself to you personally, you cannot know Him. It is the simple truth. It is on this personal revelation that Jesus Christ will build His church... so the church Jesus is coming for is a church that has had a personal revelation with Him. That is why on that day, people will say, we did this or we did that in your name... and He will go... "I don't know you"... We need a personal revelation... because with that we get the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven...

And I know you want that.

#nowreading- The Slumber of Christianity by Ted Dekker (Review coming soon)

Trotcha!!

Max Lucado: Take Goliath Down!!!

Hey guys.

It feels so good to be here again giving you a daily dose of the Gospel. I got something for you today from Max Lucado. To most of you who don't know, Max is my mentor/Spiritual father and I love to share inspiring messages I get from him so here is an amazing message from him. Got it in my email today and I have decided to share it with you.

 

by Max Lucado

Goliaths still roam our world. Debt. Disaster. Dialysis. Danger. Deceit. Disease. Depression. Super-size challenges still swagger and strut, still pilfer sleep and embezzle peace and liposuction joy. But they can’t dominate you. You know how to deal with them. You face giants by facing God first.
Focus on giants—you stumble.
Focus on God—your giants tumble.
You know what David knew, and you do what David did. You pick up five stones, and you make five decisions. Ever wonder why David took five stones into battle? Why not two or twenty? Rereading his story reveals five answers. Use your five fingers to remind you of the five stones you need to face down your Goliath. Let your thumb remind you of …
1. THE STONE OF THE PAST
Goliath jogged David’s memory. Elah was a déjà vu. While everyone else quivered, David remembered. God had given him strength to wrestle a lion and strong-arm a bear. Wouldn’t he do the same with the giant? A good memory makes heroes.
“Remember His marvelous works which He has done” (1 Chron. 16:12). Catalog God’s successes. Keep a list of his world records. Has he not walked you through high waters? Proven to be faithful? Have you not known his provision? How many nights have you gone to bed hungry? Mornings awakened in the cold? He has made roadkill out of your enemies. Write today’s worries in sand. Chisel yesterday’s victories in stone. Pick up the stone of the past. Then select …
2. THE STONE OF PRAYER
Note the valley between your thumb and finger. To pass from one to the next you must go through it. Let it remind you of David’s descent. Before going high, David went low; before ascending to fight, David descended to prepare. Don’t face your giant without first doing the same. Dedicate time to prayer. Paul, the apostle, wrote, “Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long” (Eph. 6:18 MSG).
Prayer spawned David’s successes. His Brook Besor wisdom grew out of the moment he “strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:6). When Saul’s soldiers tried to capture him, David turned toward God: “You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble” (Ps. 59:16).
Invite God’s help. Pick up the stone of prayer. And don’t neglect …
3. THE STONE OF PRIORITY
Let your tallest finger remind you of your highest priority: God’s reputation. David jealously guarded it. No one was going to defame his Lord. David fought so that “all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam. 17:46–47).
David saw Goliath as a chance for God to show off! Did David know he would exit the battle alive? No. But he was willing to give his life for the reputation of God.
What if you saw your giant in the same manner? Rather than begrudge him, welcome him. Your cancer is God’s chance to flex his healing muscles. Your sin is God’s opportunity to showcase grace. Your struggling marriage can billboard God’s power. See your struggle as God’s canvas. On it he will paint his multicolored supremacy. Announce God’s name and then reach for …
4. THE STONE OF PASSION
David ran, not away from, but toward his giant. On one side of the battlefield, Saul and his cowardly army gulped. On the other, Goliath and his skull-splitters scoffed. In the middle, the shepherd boy ran on his spindly legs. Who bet on David? Who put money on the kid from Bethlehem? Not the Philistines. Not the Hebrews. Not David’s siblings or David’s king. But God did.
And since God did, and since David knew God did, the skinny runt became a blur of pumping knees and a swirling sling. He ran toward his giant.
Do the same!
Let your ring finger remind you to take up the stone of passion.
One more stone, and finger, remains:
5. THE STONE OF PERSISTENCE
David didn’t think one rock would do. He knew Goliath had four behemoth relatives. For all David knew, they’d come running over the hill to defend their kin. David was ready to empty the chamber if that’s what it took.
Imitate him. Never give up. One prayer might not be enough. One apology might not do it. One day or month of resolve might not suffice. You may get knocked down a time or two … but don’t quit. Keep loading the rocks. Keep swinging the sling.
David took five stones. He made five decisions. Do likewise. Past. Prayer. Priority. Passion. And persistence.
Next time Goliath wakes you up, reach for a stone. Odds are, he’ll be out of the room before you can load your sling.

From Facing Your Giants
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2005) Max Lucado

Urgent Prayer Needed

Got this today, thought I should share...

EXPELLED LAOTIAN BELIEVERS URGENTLY NEED OUR PRAYERS	March 17, 2010
Dear Friends: Last month, the Be-A-Voice Network asked you to pray for a group of Laotian Christians who were expelled from Katin village. When the Christians refused to renounce their faith, local authorities forced them to walk six kilometers outside the village, where they were abandoned without food or shelter. VOM contacts now report that these believers need our urgent prayer. On March 15, seven Katin believers were summoned to the district office of Ta-Oyl district. The district head of Ta-Oyl, Mr. Bounma, urged the seven believers to reconsider their decision to follow the Christian faith. When the Christians again refused to renounce their faith, the district head stated that although the Lao constitution and law provide for freedom of religion in Laos, he is not going to allow Christianity in his district. The district head was adamant that if the Katin believers refuse to give up their Christian faith, they will be forced to move to districts that tolerate Christianity. The Katin believers later learned that the officials plan to burn down their temporary shelters along with 11 temporary homes under construction at the site where they were taken on Jan. 10. Please pray for these believers as authorities continue to threaten their lives and belongings. Pray for their safety and health; many are sick and in need of medical treatment.

The Choice by Max Lucado

This came in my email today from the amazing teacher of God's word, Max Lucado. Check it out and be blessed...

The Choice
by Max Lucado

He placed one scoop of clay upon another until a form lay lifeless on the ground.
All of the Garden’s inhabitants paused to witness the event. Hawks hovered. Giraffes stretched. Trees bowed. Butterflies paused on petals and watched.
“You will love me, nature,” God said. “I made you that way. You will obey me, universe. For you were designed to do so. You will reflect my glory, skies, for that is how you were created. But this one will be like me. This one will be able to choose.”
All were silent as the Creator reached into himself and removed something yet unseen. A seed. “It’s called ‘choice.’ The seed of choice.”
Creation stood in silence and gazed upon the lifeless form.
An angel spoke, “But what if he … ”
“What if he chooses not to love?” the Creator finished. “Come, I will show you.”
Unbound by today, God and the angel walked into the realm of tomorrow.
“There, see the fruit of the seed of choice, both the sweet and the bitter.”
The angel gasped at what he saw. Spontaneous love. Voluntary devotion. Chosen tenderness. Never had he seen anything like these. He felt the love of the Adams. He heard the joy of Eve and her daughters. He saw the food and the burdens shared. He absorbed the kindness and marveled at the warmth.
“Heaven has never seen such beauty, my Lord. Truly, this is your greatest creation.”
“Ah, but you’ve only seen the sweet. Now witness the bitter.”
A stench enveloped the pair. The angel turned in horror and proclaimed, “What is it?”
The Creator spoke only one word: “Selfishness.”
The angel stood speechless as they passed through centuries of repugnance. Never had he seen such filth. Rotten hearts. Ruptured promises. Forgotten loyalties. Children of the creation wandering blindly in lonely labyrinths.
“This is the result of choice?” the angel asked.
“Yes.”
“They will forget you?”
“Yes.”
“They will reject you?”
“Yes.”
“They will never come back?”
“Some will. Most won’t.”
“What will it take to make them listen?”
The Creator walked on in time, further and further into the future, until he stood by a tree. A tree that would be fashioned into a cradle. Even then he could smell the hay that would surround him.
With another step into the future, he paused before another tree. It stood alone, a stubborn ruler of a bald hill. The trunk was thick, and the wood was strong. Soon it would be cut. Soon it would be trimmed. Soon it would be mounted on the stony brow of another hill. And soon he would be hung on it.
He felt the wood rub against a back he did not yet wear.
“Will you go down there?” the angel asked.
“I will.”
“Is there no other way?”
“There is not.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to not plant the seed? Wouldn’t it be easier to not give the choice?”
“It would,” the Creator spoke slowly. “But to remove the choice is to remove the love.”
He looked around the hill and foresaw a scene. Three figures hung on three crosses. Arms spread. Heads fallen forward. They moaned with the wind.
Men clad in soldiers’ garb sat on the ground near the trio. They played games in the dirt and laughed.
Men clad in religion stood off to one side. They smiled. Arrogant, cocky. They had protected God, they thought, by killing this false one.
Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the hill. Speechless. Faces tear streaked. Eyes downward. One put her arm around another and tried to lead her away. She wouldn’t leave. “I will stay,” she said softly. “I will stay.”
All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue. All eternity poised to protect. But the Creator gave no command.
“It must be done … ,” he said, and withdrew.
But as he stepped back in time, he heard the cry that he would someday scream: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) He wrenched at tomorrow’s agony.
The angel spoke again. “It would be less painful … ”
The Creator interrupted softly. “But it wouldn’t be love.”
They stepped into the Garden again. The Maker looked earnestly at the clay creation. A monsoon of love swelled up within him. He had died for the creation before he had made him. God’s form bent over the sculptured face and breathed. Dust stirred on the lips of the new one. The chest rose, cracking the red mud. The cheeks fleshened. A finger moved. And an eye opened.
But more incredible than the moving of the flesh was the stirring of the spirit. Those who could see the unseen gasped.
Perhaps it was the wind who said it first. Perhaps what the star saw that moment is what has made it blink ever since. Maybe it was left to an angel to whisper it:
“It looks like … it appears so much like … it is him!”
The angel wasn’t speaking of the face, the features, or the body. He was looking inside—at the soul.
“It’s eternal!” gasped another.
Within the man, God had placed a divine seed. A seed of his self. The God of might had created earth’s mightiest. The Creator had created, not a creature, but another creator. And the One who had chosen to love had created one who could love in return.
Now it’s our choice.
From In the Eye of the Storm
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado