There is No Bondage!

Hello Peeps!

It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been so busy trying to move out of my apartment and into my new house that I’ve finally got internet setup and I still have some unpacking to do. Also, I had lost my bag in a shop yesterday in that I went home forgetting that I had set my bag with all my belongings…my purse, my IDs etc… I was livid. I had been shopping with my sister yesterday running errands at various stores and getting things for the house that I left my bag somewhere in one of the stores we have visited. I searched and searched and couldn’t find it. We drove to all the stores we visited that day and still couldn’t find it. I was TOTALLY freaking out!

We eventually gave up and I went home feeling deflated and discouraged, but my twin sister comforted me and we both decided to pray in agreement to God to have my bag returned with nothing missing, nothing broken or stolen for the next day. For the past few days, the Holy Spirit has been telling me the same thing “Ask Me and you Shall Receive”. Can you believe that today, (which was the next day somebody!) we went to the store and my bag was found! I had to give a shout of praise unto God for that! Nothing was missing and nothing was stolen. I was beyond relieved…I was in full praise unto God and that is why I want to post this song for today by Jubilee Worship called No Bondage.

The song is pretty inspirational in that when you think of how some of us were before knowing Christ, you begin to realize the type of bondages that remained in your life and in your mind where you placed limitations of who you could potentially be if you operated at your full potential.

God Breaks Every Chain in your Life that limits you from achieving your full potential

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

It is true that there are people you can break barriers without knowing God, and accomplish extraordinary things, but it really is God that complete’s a man or woman at the end of the day no matter what one is able to accomplish with their talents. Some people can gain the whole world filled with pleasures, riches, fame and Glory and still fill emotionally incapacitated and empty inside despite having everything. Think of the celebrities who commit suicide despite appearing to have everything that others would want. Why would one choose to kill themselves when they are wealthy and can have the things that they want at the tips of their fingers? It just goes to show you that wealth and prestige is not what completes a man or woman’s soul, it’s GOD PEOPLE!

Mark 8:36 [Full Chapter]
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

[ Psalm 14 ] [ For the director of music. Of David. ] The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

For me, God is everything. People may try to sway you away from believing in Him for their own various reasons, but I’ve encountered so many supernatural experiences of His presence in my life that I cannot deny that He exists. God Exists people…and maybe you have an issue with that…but it would profit you to know God is real and alive and that He really really loves you even when you aren’t perfect. God’s love for you endures forever…so I pray that you seek Him with all your heart and you will find Him.

Psalm 136 [Full Chapter]
[ Thanksgiving to God for His Enduring Mercy ] Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy enduresforever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy enduresforever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy enduresforever

So when you listen to t his song, I want people to think about how grateful you are that you know God for those that believe in Him, and for those that are sitting on the fence about whether they want to follow Jesus, think about what it is that you are doing and where you are right now…. Ask yourself — Do you feel empty on the inside? Do you have all the things you’ve ever wanted and if you do, does it truly fulfill you? Do you know Jesus or do you really believe that He doesn’t exist? Are you content with believing that God does not exist in your life? Have you ever wondered in your life’s journey…What if I’m wrong…what if God does exist? Have you ever asked yourself that question?

My prayer is that for those sitting on the fence of their belief system, I pray that you will come to know the Lord and click on my Salvation Prayer page located at the top banner of my post. God is indeed REAL and He cares and loves you unconditionally. I pray that you will believe that and that may this song bless your spirit today. God Bless You Everybody! 🙂

Integrity is NOT Easy – Part 1

Hello Peeps!

I just wanted to reflect on the Biblical character of Job who was tested in many ways in his life so that his integrity could be compromised. Who said that leading a lifestyle with integrity was easy has to be a liar. In NO way is living a life filled with integrity easy. There are so many things found in this world that are geared at enticing us to stray from our moral and godly compass, that we literally have to guard our hearts and minds as is written in the following scripture:

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Philippians 4:6-8 (NKJV)

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

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Satan wants us as Christians to not hold fast to what is True; to what is Noble; to what is Just; to what is Pure; to what is Lovely; to whatever is of a Good Report; and to anything that has Virtue or is Praiseworthy. These are the things that we must hold fast to with respect to maintaining a Godly Character as Christians. If we knock out these virtues at anytime in our walk with God, we compromise our very own INTEGRITY. Job knew that holding onto his integrity would come at a huge cost, but his Faith in God allowed him to endure various trials and tribulations that allowed God to bless Him. Because the story of Job is pretty long, I’m going to have to separate his trials into 2 or 3 posts. So here is Part 1.

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What were the trials that Job faced?:

1. In Job 1:6-12 – Satan attacked Job’s Character.

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2. In Job 1:13-22 – Job loses his property to the Sabeans through armed robbery as they also killed his servants in the process; and all of Job’s children perish in his house as a strong wind blew the house down and crushed all the children who were in it.

But what was Job’s response to this tragedy? It was praise:

Job 1:20-22 (NKJV)

²⁰ Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

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3. In Job 2:1-10 – Satan attacks Job’s health. The calamity that befell him regarding his health even got his wife to speak against God in verse Job 2:9 – ⁹ Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”.

However, Job did not listen to his wife and called her foolish for he refused to curse God with his lips in:

 Job 2:10 – ¹⁰ But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

In Job 2:11-13 – Job’s three friends – Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite all came to visit Job and mourn with him as they witnessed the calamities that Job was experiencing while choosing to remain steadfast in his unwavering faith to God. In looking at what Job was going through, you’ve got to ask yourself this question as a Christian: Was this the price of holding onto one’s integrity? Is it really worth it? …

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4. In Job 3:1- 26 – Job deplores his birth. Basically, it’s as if he regrets the day he was born and kind of goes on with a long lamentation regarding the worth of his life in this long mournful speech. Depression is very real here my friends. When you see your Christian brother or sister suffering, it’s not like as if they want to suffer just for simply doing the “right thing”. The world has many temptations that could lead us to opt out of being a Christian when times get tough and we could simply sell our souls out to the devil when we hit rock bottom, but what I find to be amazing about Job, is that he still chose to endure to the end and God blessed him for his faithfulness.

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5. In Job 4 – Job’s friend Eliphaz assumes that Job’s problems are due to some sin that Job has committed. Eliphaz is indeed incredibly presumptuous to assert to this conclusion.

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6.  In Job 5 – Job’s friend Eliphaz continues with his presumptions by claiming that Job is being chastened by the Lord. How many of you have had that “One” friend, who watches you go through hell and starts accusing you of having done something wrong to deserve all the calamities that keep going your way? Eliphaz epitomizes such a friend that is indeed presumptuous and talks back with an attitude of self-righteousness since they can’t seem to understand this one thing that sometimes – Bad things happen to good people. 

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7. In Job 6 – Job ignores his friends presumptuous behaviour and declares that his complaints are just. Just because Eliphaz doesn’t understand why Job is going through this hell, doesn’t mean that he should point the finger at Job by claiming that there must be some hidden sin Job has committed for all these bad things to be happening to him.

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8. In Job 7 – Job feels that his suffering is comfortless. I mean, can you blame him for thinking that way though? With friends like Eliphaz, who needs enemies huh?!

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9. In Job 8 – Bildad, Job’s other friend suggests that Job should repent. Again, his other friend is no better than Eliphaz. Both of them are presumptuous to Job’s trials.

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10. In Job 9 – Upon hearing Bildad’s suggestions to repent for something Job hasn’t done, Job begins to feel like there is no mediator to his cause. Wouldn’t you feel the same way when going through this hell? Job’s friends are simply not helping this situation at all!

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11. In Job 10 – Job chooses to plead with God to either intercede in his situation or to take away his life. At this point, Job is in dire straights. He has comfortless friends… and is definitely feeling all alone through this trial. Will God answer to his prayers and lamentations? 

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12. In Job 11 – Zophar, Job’s third friend urges Job to Repent. The question is, what does Job need to repent of? As far as God is concerned, Job is in right-standing and is blameless… but Job’s friends still assume that Job has some “hidden sin” that he may have failed to repent of, and thus assume, that if Job repents of that “hidden sin”, all of these calamities should end. Isn’t that still presumptuous though?

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Job with his “so called” friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar

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13. In Job 12, 13, and 14 – Job chooses to answer to his critics (his friends – Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar). He rebukes them for their mockery and ridicule, and also maintains that he is not inferior to them in Job 12:3. Job then gives a despondent prayer in Job 13: 20 -28.

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14. In Job 15 – Job’s friend Eliphaz accuses Job of Folly. It is pretty clear that Job’s friends are not convinced that Job’s trials and tribulations were not brought on him without cause. Job cannot believe his friends accusations.

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15. In Job 16 – Job reproaches his pitiless friends. Clearly, Job’s friends have not walked a mile in Job’s shoes, and therefore, can come up with various reasons as to why Job is going through hell at the moment. Not once did any of them consider Job to be blameless and without cause for the trials he has had to endure.

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16. In Job 17 – Job prays for relief. He is at a point where he is reaching rock bottom with respect to his sanity. When you have no one supporting you as all hell breaks loose in your life, you can feel very isolated and alone that you will start to think suicidal thoughts in such dire moments. Many times does Job cry out to God for God to take his life. He is certainly feeling suicidal at this point. I mean, there comes a point when one realizes that Enough is Enough!

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17. In Job 18 – Bildad doesn’t like the fact that Job isn’t listening to their accusations and feels like Job is pointing to his friends as the “Bad guys” who feel like they’re informing Job of where his problem lies in Job 18: 1-4. Have you ever had a friend that pinned the blame on you for the trials that you face even though the circumstances surrounding you are not by your own fault or making? This is what it’s like to have an “unfriendly – friend” by your side. Again, I say, who needs enemies when you have friends like Job’s?

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Jobs Trials to be Continued in Part 2…

Defying the Odds

Hello Peeps!

I have here a short testimony of a woman who was a cyclist who had been hit by a truck and about the things she endured and learned from that accident. It took a lot for her to recover and to find a new zeal for life when given bad news concerning her health and abilities from the report she received from her doctor. She was told what she could and couldn’t do by medical professionals but she chose to defy the odds and endured depression as well, but she chose to overcome all of that.

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Listening to her story reminds me of how I had to overcome a sickness (encephalitis – causes short-term memory loss) this past year and half that affected my memory. It took a full year of rehabilitation to build back my memory, and the part of my brain that was damaged by the sickness won’t recover; however, I have developed new synapses in my brain that has created new neuro-pathways that is helping me remember things in a different way.

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I’ve had to adapt and work on new strategies and habits to make me strengthen my memories and how I remember things, and have found that I’ve defied the odds of what some specialists have said or expected of me. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to drive again since my license was medically suspended, but I defied that odd as well and have had my license reinstated some months ago after passing a driving test. Just because some people tell you negative things concerning your circumstances, doesn’t mean you have to embrace people’s words and negative confessions towards you whole-heartedly. God created us to be able to overcome any obstacles, so just remember, that no matter what it is that you face in life, remember that you were built to overcome, Amen! I pray that this video blesses and encourages your spirit today. God Bless You Everybody! 😀

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John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

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1 John 4:4

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

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1 John 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

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Revelation 2:26

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—

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A Muslim’s take on Christianity

Hello Peeps!

Today, I have a short clip of a very well learned Muslim who encountered Christianity and his take on it. He makes comparisons and finds various discrepancies between the Quran and the Bible which made him realize many things he didn’t know about God. Take a look at this clip and you might learn something. God Bless You Everybody! 🙂

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Calling on the Blood of Jesus – Travis Greene’s Amazing Testimony

Hello Peeps!

Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday morning 😀 . It snowed quite a bit last night and I personally don’t like snow. It’s funny, when I was a kid I looked forward to it when I lived in Germany but when I moved to China… the cold was just biting cold and I hated having to do PE (Physical Education a.k.a Gym class) outside in the cold in my shorts. I can’t believe they made us do PE in that biting cold. I remember having pneumonia a few times during this winter season so I hate snow with a passion now. Nice to look at… nice to play in for a time… but driving in that mess is just treacherous. Having to live here with it in Canada… well it comes with the territory, so I guess I shouldn’t complain, lol 😀 .

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This is where I embrace my Africaness conveniently at such times….I was born to live in the sun lol. Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit about the snow…it’s not that bad, but I honestly don’t like driving in it. Compared to when I drove through in a flood in window deep water a few years ago (you can read that crazy story by clicking here)… I think I can handle a flood more than snow… I know… I’m weird. Not that I wish for another flood… HELL NO!!! I’m just sayin’ that I wasn’t as scared driving in a flood as oppose to driving through in a snow storm… I am a weird one, I know, lol 😀 .

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Travis Greene

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Anyways, I have this inspirational video of Travis Greene (Gospel artist) preaching about why he is so passionate about God. He has a powerful testimony that I’d like to share here on this blog today to get you thinking about having that attitude of gratitude towards God when He does something miraculous in your life. When Travis was young, he had lived in Germany and had fallen 4 stories off a balcony at the age of 4! Many witnesses thought he was dead… and his mother took a hold of his body and prayed calling out the Name of Jesus twice and nothing happened. Then she called out the Blood of Jesus and miraculously, Travis revived. The grace of God is so amazing in that when people think you’re dead, God is the one that brings you back to life.

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I nearly died a couple years ago due to a sickness I had to endure (encephalitis – an inflammation of the brain that causes short-term memory loss) and had multiple seizures in the process while I was in hospital… but thanks to a praying family, I have fully recovered and got my wits about me. I am very thankful to God for having healed me and being able to have a new lease on life. I think that when I consider those that were there for me and those that disappear when things happen to you, it opens up your eyes to see who is truly genuine in your life. I don’t believe in holding onto people that won’t hold onto you… Just let them be on their way and God will align you with true destiny helpers that will want to see you succeed and be in good health as your soul prospers. Learn to be thankful to God for everything that He does for you. Nothing is too trivial for God to do and perform His wonders. We just need to invite Him to be a part of every aspect of our lives so that we can recognize when God has performed a miracle when we least expect it. Do not take God’s love for you for granted and praise Him for all that He has done for you unawares. He is a miracle-working God and I personally give Him the highest praise.  😀

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My prayer for anyone reading this blog today comes from this following verse of scripture:

3 John 1:2

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

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Watch this amazing testimony and may it bless your spirit today. God Bless You Everybody! 😀

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The Innocent and Crooked

Hello Peeps!

I hope your New Year has started off well! It’s only day 2 of the New Year and I do anticipate many changes to take place in this New Year of 2018!

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Today, I saw this video clip courtesy of I Am Second of an innocent man called Jameel McGee who was sent to jail for 3 years because of the false testimony of a crooked cop named Officer Andrew Collins that had charged him with possession of narcotics while he was out buying milk and groceries. McGee missed the birth of his child while he was in prison for 3 years and the crooked cop Officer Collins had an encounter with God that led him to fess up to his mess and confess to McGee about how he had falsely accused him of having in his possession drugs that he had planted on him which led McGee to be falsely charged and convicted of a crime he did not commit and put him in prison.

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I really love how real both of these men are when they confront each other over what had happened. Forgiveness is not easy but God has a way of reconciling differences between people in order to nurture a heart that is just like Jesus, who forgives Seventy times seven for the sins we commit.

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Get that Monkey off Your Back!

The question is, can we forgive like Jesus?  When you watch the video, think and meditate on this question and consider making it a goal to let go of those people that hurt you in the past and learn to walk in the freedom that forgiveness gives to your heart and your mind in this new year. Bitterness is like carrying a monkey on your back…it’s not supposed to be there but the longer you carry that monkey, the more monstrous your attitude could become if you choose not to let go of that monkey called “bitterness”. So for today, seek God to renew the spirit of your mind and your heart and ask God to help you let go of any area of bitterness that you may harbour against anyone and be set free so that you can soar, Amen! I pray that this video blesses your spirit today. God Bless You Everybody! 😀

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Matthew 18:20-22(NIV)

²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

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Luke 17:4

Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

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We Want to Believe… A Suppressed Faith

Hello Peeps!

Well, I’m happy to say that my car window is fixed as of this afternoon. It was a pain in the butt to pay for a new window that was smashed by some crazy wacko of a burglar, but I looked on the bright side and considered that only an iPod was stolen and it was only one window smashed. It could have been a lot worse, but thankfully, I got my car fixed today when the people who fix car windows weren’t busy. I pray that the thief never returns and does this again not only to my car, but to all the others that he smashed in the underground parking lot.

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Apart from that dramarama I had this morning/afternoon, I want to post two videos to inspire you today. The first video was sent to me by my mum via WhatsApp. It’s a sermon from an American Pastor called Wayne Cordeiro from New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii who went to China and preached a sermon there. Having lived in China myself for a number of years, I know how the underground church has been suppressed by the State for its religious freedoms to practice Christianity openly.

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Chinese Government still cracks down on Christianity in China via https://www.wbfj.fm/chinese-government-continues-crack-christianity/

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Muslim Terrorists Murder Two Chinese Christian Missionaries, Atheist Chinese Government Responds By Raiding CHURCHES And Arresting Christian Pastors – Image Source

When I lived with my Grandparents in China, they would often help to supply Bibles to the underground Church that were supplied by their Australian connections, and would also offer to provide the Church with Christian paraphernalia that wasn’t easy to come by in a country that doesn’t embrace Christianity openly. I am often reminded of how we take our religious freedoms here in North America for granted in that while other nations experience suppression of their rights to exercise their faith openly, we have hundreds if not thousands of Churches in North America, and yet the issue we face is trying to maintain numbers of Believers to stay in the Church. If only North Americans knew how the faithful in China would love to openly practice their Faith in public like we do, but can’t because of their repressive and oppressive laws that forbid such practices of religious freedom; I think that North Americans would stop taking their freedom to go to Church for granted. Check out this video that I’ve posted below and let me know what you think.

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This video is very sobering to me and I think that we as Believers should not take our freedom to exercise our Faith openly and without apology for granted. My sister and I would assist my grandparents with the distribution of these Bibles back in the day and you cannot imagine the joy we would see in the Priest’s face and his Parishioners upon receiving these Bibles and other Christian paraphernalia. I won’t post the Priest’s name on this post because anonymity and also because I want to protect Him and his parishioners from further persecution, so what I will say is that He and his parishioners were overjoyed to receive access to all the Christian paraphernalia and Bibles that my Grandparents were able to obtain through their Australian connections that they had made during the course of their diplomatic careers.

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What we often take for granted and have readily available here in North America is what Chinese Christians long for — the freedom to express their faith openly, without apology or without the threat of persecution or imprisonment by the State. I don’t know what the state of China is like now, because we did this over 17 years ago so I hope that a lot has changed since that time. All I know is that this is what my Grandparents did for the Christian Chinese that needed resources to build on their Faith in God and that is where I got saved and found God in my walk before coming to Canada. I don’t think I can take my Faith in God for granted like many of us do. I want to cherish my relationship with God with all I have as I remember how others don’t have that level of freedom to worship Him as we do here in North America.

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A Chinese Believer happy to have a Bible in their Language – Image Source

It’s funny how in North America, we try so hard to maintain numbers just to stay in the Church and how ironically, in China, there are many people who wish they could simply attend a Church without the threat of being persecuted simply because they are Believers. If we could simply stop taking what we have currently have for granted, we’d cherish things like our ability to go to Church without apology and be more on fire for God once we realize that our Faith is what makes us strong and is what makes us who we are — God-Fearing Christians. So as we near the end of this year, think about what type of Christian you want to be in the coming New Year of 2018. Be thankful for what you have and extend yourself to those that need a touch of Jesus in their lives just because you are a Believer. I have one more short clip to close this post and it’s to get you thinking about how your year went through this year and what to look forward to in the coming Year as we approach the Year 2018. I pray that these videos I have posted will bless your spirit today. God Bless You Everybody! 😀

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Broken People, Broken Things

Hello Peeps!

Not the actual picture of my car…just an example of what was done to mine.

So, short story. I was supposed to go shopping yesterday for Boxing day sales with my twin, but when we got to the car in our underground parking lot, we found that our driver’s side window was smashed in because someone had broken into the car. Not only had the person broken into the car, they ransacked it and stole the iPod that was in it. They also smashed and broke into several other cars in the same underground parking lot and stole some items. Needless to say, my sister and I were very ticked off. We went to the superintendent to report what had happened only to find that other residents were there making the same complaint. The superintendent had the guy on camera but we all couldn’t recognize this fool so we had to make a police report and unfortunately, they weren’t much help. So later on this week my sister and I will have to get our car fixed since it’s the Christmas holiday week, many services aren’t open. UGH! How frustrating!

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On the other hand, I am thankful that I had wanted to go shopping early because I wouldn’t have known that this had happened had I not had the desire to go shopping. I would have probably found out 2 days later. I’m also thankful that no one got hurt during this whole process physically because the person had a weapon to break into the cars which I found to be a screwdriver that he left in our car (how careless can one be to leave evidence????). No one wants to be in an altercation with a wacko with a weapon. Anyways, it was frustrating to say the least, but we didn’t have anything valuable in the car except that iPod that he stole…. I got the impression that the person was high on drugs when I saw the surveillance video…WORD… I pray that he gets help though…

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That’s why I entitled this post “Broken People, Broken Things”. I feel like if you’re broken on the inside, your behaviour towards others will reflect your brokenness in your actions. In this case, this broken individual broke into other people’s cars to steal their things without apology. I feel like this person is a broken soul that may have a seared conscience and can only think about what they want selfishly and not consider how their actions affect others in the process of doing selfish things. He really ticked me off…but I still hope that the thief gets help…he doesn’t look like someone who’s in his right mind based on what I observed from the surveillance video. All we can do at the end of the day is pray for such people and hope that the Lord will heal the spirit of their minds.

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Ephesians 4:22-24 (NKJV)

²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

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John 10:10 [Full Chapter]

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

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Exodus 22:7

“If a man delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.

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Anyways, that’s my rant for today. I hope everybody had a safe Christmas! God Bless You Everybody! 😀

Appearances Can Be Deceiving…

Hello Peeps!

Today, I want to talk about how we as people can take the “appearance” of a thing for granted in our lives, and how our perception of a thing can cause us to miss our greater blessings if we perceive certain things as appearing to have no true value based on its presentation. How we view something in our everyday lives, will determine how we will appreciate and recognize a blessing when it’s right in front of us so that we don’t take things we do receive in our lives for granted. The thing is, we live in a world that takes a lot of things for granted. A lot of nice things come in “nice packages”, but sometimes, the greater things that God has for us can come in plain packages. It’s all a matter of perspective and perception. How you perceive a thing will determine whether or not you’ll take certain things for granted or not.

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These are not the actual presents – they’re just an example

Just recently, my Twin and I had bought a gift for our younger sibling. It was an early Christmas gift since I personally can’t wait to give it to her on the 25th (Christmas day). My twin and I had done our shopping early and way in advance, but I felt led to buy my lil’ sis a laptop. I felt that she really needed it since she will soon be heading out to go into university at some point. The thing is, when I had bought the laptop, the packaging for it came in a plain “boring looking” brown cardboard box with the HP logo to signify the brand of the laptop. She had opened up most of her other colourful looking presents that we had bought for her but I noticed that she seemed to be leaving or seemingly avoiding the brown boring box last out of all the other gifts that we had bought for her. She had not noticed that the plain-looking brown box she had been avoiding to open up had a laptop inside. I was greatly amused by my lil’ sister’s behaviour.

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Not the actual box – just an example

She was getting excited over the other presents that we had bought her as she was opening them up one-by-one because the other gifts appeared to be eye-catching, colourful and scintillating to look at. As she was unraveling her gifts, there was this one particular box that looked attractive to her which caught her eye, and this box looked like the type you’d expect a laptop to be in; however, much to my little sister’s dismay, that particular box was for a laptop cooling fan and not for an actual laptop, LOL! She kind of picked up that box looking quite disappointed immediately because she realized that it wasn’t an actual laptop that she had hoped for. My twin and I were very amused by her disappointed face because she kept ignoring the boring brown box packaging that held what she really wanted, which was a laptop.

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Not the actual presents – just an example

After opening up all the colourful stuff that we had bought for her, she finally looked at the boring brown-looking box to pick up from her gift bag that she had been avoiding to touch until the very last moment. At this point, I think she was already resigned to the fact that what she had hoped for wasn’t what she was receiving…or so she thought. Both my parents, my twin sister and I watched her as she picked up the last gift out of the gift bag in anticipation for her reaction. Upon picking up that brown boring-looking box to inspect what it was, immediately, the frown that she had on her disappointed looking face turned upside down as she smiled with intense excitement as she finally realized that the boring packaged box that she had been avoiding to pick up all that time was what she had really wanted which was a LAPTOP! YAYYYYYY! lol.

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My lil’ sis was soo happy!

The reason why I’m telling you this story is that we have to realize, as people, we can take God, people and things we have in our lives for granted. Sometimes God has something amazing that He wants to give you and it may not always appear in the most flashiest of packages that you’d expect for you to truly appreciate that thing. This not only applies to objects we receive, but this also applies to people we have in our lives. Sometimes, the people God wants to introduce into your life may not appear as much from your own perspective by way of their appearances, stature or by their credentials; but inside them, there are hidden jewels that could bless you and your destiny if you give such people a chance to relate with you. How you treat people on the basis of “appearances” alone will determine how far you’ll actually get ahead in life.

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2 Timothy 3:1-9 (NKJV)

Perilous Times and Perilous Men

3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! ⁶ For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; ⁹ but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

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Flashy things don’t mean that they are things of value. This also holds true for the people you have in life. Some people may appear to be quite flashy by way of their appearances alone, but when you weigh out and assess the true nature of their characters and personalities, you’ll find that some of these people will have no substance and no value if their attitudes don’t match their so-called appearances. Appearances can be very deceptive and that is why God doesn’t evaluate people on the basis of their appearances alone; He always chooses to evaluate people on the basis of the “hearts”.

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1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

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Little David anointed by Prophet Samuel as his brothers watch afar off

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King David was a scrawny looking guy that God had selected to become King out of all the good-looking candidates that God could have chosen. Jesse (David’s Father), had chosen seven of his sons to pass through Samuel to see if any of them would be selected as the new King of Israel. None of David’s brothers met God’s criteria prophetically speaking, to be chosen to be the next King of Israel. Samuel was disturbed by this and knew that one of Jesse’s sons was certainly supposed to be anointed to become King of Israel but none of the seven that he had seen met God’s criteria. Samuel asked Jesse to make certain that he had seen ALL of his sons just to make sure that no one was missing; and like an afterthought, Jesse makes sweet mention that “Oh yeah….the youngest one isn’t here…he’s out in the field tending the sheep” [paraphrased] (1 Samuel 16:11). Samuel asked Jesse to see him, and upon seeing David, Samuel knew immediately that David was to be the next King of Israel that the Lord had chosen (1 Samuel 16:12-13).

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In 1 Samuel 16:12, David is described as: Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. Just because David wasn’t like his older brothers, didn’t mean that he wasn’t qualified to be selected as God’s leading brand.

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Appearances alone are not sufficient qualifications for someone’s true value.

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There was something about David’s character that moved God to choose him to become the next King of Israel. David’s family may not have seen any value in Him, but God did. The people we choose to ignore and write-off as “nobodies”, tend to be God’s leading brand with a purpose driven destiny. I remember writing a previous post regarding the very same topic entitled: Don’t Underestimate God’s No Name Brands. Check out that post if you have a chance. I’m sure it’ll enlighten you.

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Not the actual laptop, just an example

So going back to the Christmas present that my Twin and I had bought for my little sister… the Laptop was packaged in a boring brown-looking box, but the box had the brand’s Logo in the front of it which she finally noticed as she realized that that boring brown-looking box held something of great value to her. It was her long-awaited laptop. If she had disregarded that box simply because of its plain looking and boring appearance and had set it aside, she would have missed out on knowing that she had received something of great value. When she finally realized what it actually was, she held onto that plain-looking box tightly and stroked the box with glee as she refused to open it because she was too excited to open up the box. She no longer was disappointed and dismissive of that factory-looking box, because once she knew the true value of what it contained inside, she knew that she had to take care of it carefully.

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So the moral of the story is to not take the “appearances” of something or someone else for granted.

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You just don’t know what God has put inside of that person. The person sitting next to you in the bus could be the next president of your country. The boring looking cup could be the next new invention of the century. The plain looking bag could be holding the most precious item inside if you could just take the time to look inside of it. We need to learn not to take anything we see for granted. If we learn to value the small and insignificant looking things we have in our lives which also include people, we will realize soon enough that how we treat such things with value will determine how far you’ll actually go in life. Some great people remember the people that made an impact on them for the small things they did and come back to honor such people. We need to learn to be honorable with the little that we have so that when great things happen, we understand the value of the small things we ever had in our lives in order to appreciate the greater things we start to receive later on in our lives. People want great blessings to enter their lives but have failed to regard what they currently do have with respect and value. Do not underestimate what you already have now.

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There is an African proverb which says:

Do not despise the days of small beginnings. 

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Each small beginning and each small step you take to move forward will lead you to higher ground. Every person you encounter in your life whether they’re someone who mops a floor in an office or whether they are an executive at a board meeting…treat each and every individual you encounter with respect and dignity, and consider the possibility that life could turn around for them in an unexpected way that could lead them to be chosen to be the next leader, boss, king or queen by God. You will be honored on the basis of how you have treated “The least of these”.

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Matthew 25:40

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

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So for today, seek to humble yourself and repent of the times that you may have treated people or the things you may have received in your life poorly or may have taken for granted. Ask God to give you a heart like Jesus and to treat people that you encounter in your life in the way that you’d like be treated, Amen! To finish off this post I have a song by Jeremy Camp called Love So Great to minister to your spirit. I pray that this post blesses your spirit today. God Blesses You Everybody! 😀

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Obeying the Prompting of the Holy Spirit

Hello Peeps!

Today, I want to tell you a story of when I obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit in a situation that I didn’t expect. I was riding on the train one day going home from work and all of a sudden I smelt this strong overpowering smell of smoke like as if someone had lit a fire on some gasoline fuel. I observed my surroundings and noticed that nobody on the train was reacting to this strong smell of burning fuel that I could smell. I asked some people sitting around me if they could smell anything burning. They all kind of looked at me like I was “loo-loo” and said “No”. But the thing is, the more I asked the people around me the more stronger the smell became as it engulfed my nostrils and still no one around me was reacting to this strong burning smell of gasoline that I could smell.

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The TTC Subway Train – Image source: The Toronto Star

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I thought I was losing my mind because now I had this terrible sense of danger and foreboding in my gut, that my heart was racing rapidly as I was filled with this intense sense of anxiety as the scent of burning fuel intensified as the train kept moving. Immediately, I got up off my seat and started to yell at people telling them that:

“People LISTEN TO ME! At the next subway station we should get off the train!”.

People who heard what I had just said looked at me like as if I must have gone nuts…and then immediately I felt this intense sense of dread that I started to scream at people to get their attention…

“PEOPLE! AT THE NEXT SUBWAY STATION WE ALL HAVE TO GET OFF THIS TRAIN!!!! I SMELL FIRE ABOARD THIS TRAIN!!!!…WE NEED TO GET OFF AT THE NEXT STATION!!!!! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!!!!”. I pleaded….

At this point, I had everyone’s full attention, but I think some people thought that I was being hysterical and needed to take a “chill pill” and sit down since I was deemed to be “a crazy one”. At this point, I didn’t care what other people thought of me. I knew that the Holy Spirit was prompting me to warn people to get off this train. The next stop felt like forever as all of a sudden the train started to slow down which was unusual at the time since there was no train ahead of it blocking its path nor was there any signal problems. It was just taking its time to get to the next station all of a sudden. The train stopped for a while, for about 5 mins I would say… and during all that time as we waited… all I could feel at that point was this intense anxiety and sense of dread. I was still walking up and down the car still telling people to get off the train at the next station…but now, what was this cause for delay???? After 5 or so minutes had passed, the train started moving slowly forward; and as it got closer to the platform of the station, the TTC Train conductor announced on the PA system that:

“All aboard the train, all passengers are asked to please exit the train at this station due to a fire investigation aboard the train. There appears to be a fire underneath the train so please, all passengers are asked to exit the train”. 

The passengers that I had warned earlier on about there being a fire underneath the train now looked at me dumbfounded and incredulously because I’m sure they assumed initially that I was “nuts” and needed to take a “chill pill” and sit down, when I was telling people and warning them to get off the train at the next station because I could smell fire aboard the train. It is a mystery to me as to why I was the only one who could smell the fire….No one in the train car that I was on could smell it and that surprised me. I believe that the Holy Spirit heightened my physical senses to warn the people so that they could be saved… but it’s funny how when warning them, the didn’t believe a word I had said and remained passive and non-reactionary, still remaining in their seats.

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This brings me to my next point… We can warn people about the “End times” and tell them that the Kingdom of God is near people and that Now is the time to repent and change your ways and give up your life to Jesus Christ. You will also find that there will be some people who would have had the opportunity to respond to the call and warning and yet will fail to heed to the warning to change their ways simply because living a sinful lifestyle is just too much “Fun”.

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Luke 21:31

So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.

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Some people will hear the message and ignore it. Some people will hear the alarm bells, and will ignore the calling. Some people will receive the chance to change their ways and will ignore the warning. Maybe some people think that they have “all the time in the world” to mess around before they get right with Christ…but let me tell you right now that TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN! God has deliberately brought Evangelists, Teachers, Preachers, Apostles, Prophets/Prophetesses and others operating with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to warn people of impending judgment against their lives in order to lead them in the right direction, and still some people will choose to ignore those that He sends.

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Matthew 10:16

[ Persecutions Are Coming ] “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

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Luke 10:3

Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

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Acts 20:29

For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

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My prayer is that when God sends out His people to warn others to give them a chance to change their ways as they preach the message of life and a life more abundant, my hope is that people will heed to the call. My hope is that people will heed to the warning and not ignore it. My hope is that people will be more receptive of the message and will not choose to ignore it. My prayer is that people who are in their mess will hear the message and turn their lives around for the better as they acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord over their lives. God sends His people to preach and teach and warn others in order to reach unbelievers to learn of the message of Salvation, but how many will heed to this message? My prayer is that non-believers will become more receptive to the message of Salvation as we go about our Christian business preaching the Gospel of Truth to the Nations.

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When the Holy Spirit prompts you to do something, even if it sounds crazy… my advice would be to simply just do it. When you obey the small things that may feel is like a “Gut instinct” to react, it is most likely the Holy Spirit prompting you to do something urgently. Learn to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit as He leads you to do something out of obedience. When you obey the Holy Spirit’s leading, you will gain favour for your obedience. It takes time to develop that level of trust and spiritual sensitivity to hear directly and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit; so pray and seek God to help you to become more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in your prayer life.

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However, having said that though, I must state for the record, that don’t seek to be sensitive enough to hear from the Holy Spirit if you have no intention of obeying His voice in the first place once He calls you out to do something. In my own personal experience, I’ve been asked to do crazy things…but whenever I obeyed whatever it was that I have heard or was impressed on my heart to do, I always understood that God knew what He was doing when He asked me to do whatever it was that He impressed upon my heart to do. We have to fear God to a degree and level that we won’t care if we are ridiculed or appear crazy to others when obeying His voice, His Instruction(s), His promptings and His leading. Obedience is better than sacrifice, so learn to be obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit today.

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1 Samuel 15:22 [Full Chapter]

So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

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If you are a Christian and cannot hear directly from the voice of Holy Spirit in your personal life, then cultivate that relationship by doing the following:

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1. Reading and meditating on The Word of God (THE BIBLE) daily;

2. Learn to Pray and Fast to God as you seek to hear from the voice of the Holy Spirit;

3. Read up on the topic of Learning to Hear from God;

4. Act on the small instructions that are impressed upon your heart to do and take note of the result(s) of your actions.

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What was the outcome? Was it good or bad? Record these outcomes and take note of what you would do next time or what you would do differently. This is how you will mature in your personal walk of obedience to heed to the voice of the Holy Spirit as you grow from faith to faith and from strength to strength.

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At the end of the day, I believe that as Christians, if we want to do great exploits, we have to learn to do the simple things that God requires of us and asks us to do. If we cannot obey Him with the small things He requires us to do…then how can we manage to do greater things if we can’t obey simple instructions?

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Noah did it, so can you!

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Obedience is the Key to learning how to hear directly from the Holy Spirit.

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God can’t trust a fool with a large undertaking if a person cannot simply obey simple instructions. This also holds true to real life situations. In the business world, bosses won’t promote those that cannot handle “basic instructions” to take on a huge undertaking. Those that are promoted in the business world are those that are able to be trusted with smaller tasks, so that is how they climb high to be trusted with much more when they get promoted. If in the business world, TRUST is a major proponent to ones eligibility to get promoted and achieve success, then we should also assume that TRUST is just as important to our God if we want to increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

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If the Holy Spirit can’t trust you to obey a small task, then don’t expect or think that He’ll increase the gifts of the Spirit in your life simply because you “want them”, but have no intention of obeying His voice obediently. Again I say…Obedience is the Key to learning to hear directly from the Holy Spirit. So for today, do some self-analysis and introspection with respect to what it is that you really want God to do in your life. Be honest with yourself and work out the areas in your personal life in which you find yourself either filled with pride, arrogance, fear and selfishness that hinders you from being used by God in an effective and powerful way. God cannot use a selfish and self-absorbed human being, because such a person is unable to display a sense of compassion to the nations which is required if we want to be effective in our Evangelism. Seek God with a humble heart and God will grant you what you request when you seek to do His will with pure motivations, Amen!

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I have a song here by for King & Country called Light it Up. I felt that this song was definitely appropriate for this post. I pray that this post blesses your spirit today. God Bless You Everybody! 😀

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