Beauty For Ashes...

Last week, I had a particularly difficult week. It's been a long year, a challenging year but also a very blessed year and I am definitely looking forward to December and holidays and just taking a break and unwinding.

Although I had a challenging week last week, I still had a blessed week. It is true that it is through adversity that character is built and sometimes although not all the time(I should do it more often) during hard times, I give praise to God and Thank him for testing him for without being tested it is impossible to pass an exam. I know and I am comforted by the fact that tough times don't last, only tough people do.

I am now sitting and pondering on the words of Isaiah 61:3. In this word God says: To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

Everyone has experienced hurt and disappointment, it is true that sometimes it is the people closest to us that the devil uses to hurt us and to get to us. We’ve all been burnt by life, but God doesn’t want us to sit in the ashes of the past. He wants to trade our brokenness for healing. He wants to give us beauty for our ashes.

God is such a gentleman though, he does not impose on us, it's not in his nature. The key is that we have to be willing to give up the ashes in order to receive the beauty. You can’t have both because the old has to go before the new can come.


The past is over, but your future remains and there is still so much ahead of us. God wants to show us s much and wants us to experience his goodness. Let God give you joy instead of mourning, and let Him make something beautiful out of the ashes of your life today.

I choose life, I choose beauty, I choose to trade my sorrows for Joys. Do You?

 

Putting on the Armour.

God tells us in the Bible that there are two spiritual kingdoms that humanity must deal with at the present time. The kingdom of light is one, and the other is the kingdom of darkness. God the Father has made Jesus Christ  the king over the kingdom of light, and Satan has been allowed to be the king over the kingdom of darkness.

 

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. Therefore take up the whole Armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. - Ephesians 6:12. I love this verse because every time that I read it, it reminds me that there is more to things than the eye meets. We are constantly fighting spiritual battles even when we don't know it, the little things that happen or the big things we brush off are not just chance or bad luck, it's the devil attacking us and we are meant to attack back and not just have victim mentalities.

 

A spiritual battle rages over the eternal destiny of our souls whether we know it or not, or believe it or not. Which then means if you are devoted to God, you are in a spiritual battle whether we like it or not. That's because God has allowed it to be this way, and Satan HATES anyone who is in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Satan is not after people that he knows already belong to him, he is after you because he sees that God as a plan for you, he sees that you are about to walk into your destiny and he knows that once you do you will be unstoppable. He knows the power that you possess and he simply can't allow that to happen and he will stop at nothing to stop you which is why we have to stop at nothing to fulfil the promises of God for our lives.

 

 

He is filled with rage towards us, because we are the "apples of God's eye," and Satan no longer is or ever will be. Just because a Christian believer may be in a season of peace does not mean the battle isn't raging all around us. It's just a matter of time before the devil will  make his influence greatly known to you, and when he does, God wants us to be fully informed in what to do. God expect of us to be wise when the devil attacks us, Wisdom to hear what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do in each instance, and courage and determination to obey as He directs. 

 

The word tells us in 1 Thessalonians that we must Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. It is only through prayer that we become sensitive to the Holy Spirit and learn to yield to his guidance.I definitely feel that I am more lead by the Holy Spirit when I commit myself in prayer and to the word, that is when the spirit ministers to me the most and my spirit is fed.
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It is true that it is in Christ that you find all wisdom and understanding, in Christ we are able to do all things. We need to put on our armours and fight, the full Armour of God is our spiritual defence against attacks by Satan. So don't forget to put on your Armour every morning in order to be able to withstand whatever life through at you.

 

 

 

Be Blessed.

 

 

CONVICTION VS CONDEMNATION

It is important for those of us who are born again Christians, to know that there is a huge difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the enemy of our faith, because it can affect how we approach life.

Condemnation is not of Christ but from the devil in order to keep us in bondage. The holy spirit convicts us in order for him to take us away from sin and to push us towards God in order that we may be set free while the Devil condemns us in order to keep us trapped so that we will drown in our sin due to the feeling of not being worthy of God's love.

 

The condemning spirit of the enemy of our faith works to push us away from God in shame and condemnation, so we are more prone in hopelessness, to continue to do what we should NOT.

For those of us who have sinned, there are usually two feelings that you feel when you sin, one is conviction and the other is condemnation. Conviction is from the Holy Spirit, where he prompts us to confess and be restored to fellowship so God can continue to bless us, Its purpose is to draw us closer to God. Condemnation is from Satan, trying to convince us that we’re no good, and that God will never forgive us. It’s purpose is to keep us away from God by making us feel guilty.

 

The bible says in Romans 8 vs 1 that "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. That for me totally clarifies the issue of weather the little voice inside of you is of Christ or of God, it's in the words that is being spoken to you. Is it positive or is it negative? Is it meant to encourage and uplift you or is it meant to keep you down in the feeling of worthlessness?

The bible says in 1John 1 vs 9 that "As soon as we confess our sins, we’re forgiven and the sin is forgotten as God immediately purifies us from all unrighteousness ". That then means that  any bad feelings we have after that are feelings of guilt that come from Satan.

So if you’re being drawn closer to God, you’re feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But if you feel like hiding from God and begin to doubt His love for you, you’re feeling condemnation from the devil. Rebuke those feelings in the name of Jesus. Resist the devil and he’ll flee from you as we are told in James 4 vs 7-10.

Guilt is too much of a load to carry and it is a burden that we need to daily rid ourselves off as it is not from the Lord. The devil will even go as far as bringing negative scriptures to mind because he knows how to quote scripture to his purpose.

 

The devil makes you believe that grace is denied because you didn’t fulfil the conditions where as the holy spirit brings positive scriptures into your mind that will renew your mind and cause you to change your heart.

 

The devil also loves to isolate you from others, Suggestions are sown that cause you to withdraw from other Christians and works on you to think that they reject you. In your isolation, you then feel lonely, hurt, unworthy, rejected by others and angry because his aim to to cause division.

 

The Spirit sends others to minister to you in love thus you learn to accept other’s words of encouragement and to appreciate one another and their ministry to you, he sends others to open your eyes to turn from darkness to light so you may receive forgiveness. He works to unite us in love with other believers and bring forth fellowship.

 

 

Unpack the bags of condemnation and let go of all things that are holding you back for if you are in Christ there is no condemnation and in Christ there is only forgiveness, healing and restoration.


*BLESSINGS*