Words

I have so often heard Christians say that they rather live their lives in a way that illustrates their faith than actually speak about it. People say that it is very hard to speak to others about God or to witness because people might take offense. Some people just say that they can’t do it and that it isn’t their gifting. I was thinking about this when it struck me that our words are the only weapon we have. The enemy is doing everything in his power to keep us quiet because he wins when we keep quiet about Jesus.

Ephesians 6:10 – 20 tells about the armour of God. The different pieces are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the feet shod in preparation to carry out the gospel of peace, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. Now mostly we don’t have a problem with these. They aren’t that hard to attain and we don’t really have to step out of our comfort zone or make waves if we follow them. The last one however, is the sword of the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:17 – 19, And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints – and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

Even Paul is asking for prayer so that he will be able to speak boldly. If speaking wasn’t a problem then Paul, of all people, wouldn’t ask for prayer to speak.

Mark 16:15, And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

It doesn’t say you have to show the world how you live, although you really do have to, but you have to preach the Gospel. You have to speak it out loud.

Have you seen what happens in a church when the pastor suggests that people go out and do door to door soul winning? People become really awkward and look at their watches and hide their faces. When confronted they use excuses like they have prior appointments, or the time simply doesn’t suit them. They also say that this isn’t for them. They haven’t been called to do this kind of thing or they just feel really uncomfortable with it. I’ve even heard people say that it shouldn’t be done in this way. Now I’m not going to argue the effectiveness of this method of soul winning but I can say that I have been involved with ministries that use this method and it is probably the act which is the most satisfying. You meet people you normally never would. You see circumstances you never knew existed, and you will be surprised at how many people are willing to say they need prayer and that they need Jesus in their lives. If we aren’t willing to speak we are never going to see this first hand.

Why do you think so many countries around the world are restricting people from speaking about Jesus? It is the plan of the enemy because it is the most effective way of reaching the world with the Gospel. What is more powerful than hearing a testimony of healing or salvation straight from the horse’s mouth? I love reading and I love reading testimonies, but hearing them first-hand is just so much better.

Romans 10:9, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Revelation 12:11, And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

We have to start standing up for what we believe and we have to start saying what we believe because that is what the bible says. If we were fighting in a physical battle we would be using the weapons available to us because if we don’t we would be defeated. It is the same with the Gospel; if we don’t use the only weapon we have, our words, we are going to be defeated. We need to take out our swords and start practicing to use them so that we can become proficient swordsmen and we can defeat our enemy.

 

New Wine

I had a dream last night which spoke to me of new life, of new beginnings. I woke up feeling good. The kind of dream I like to have. Not the kind of dream that disturbs you or causes you to break out in a cold sweat. I believe the dream was from God. More Christians that I know are speaking of a new season. A change of times.
Isaiah 43:18 – 19, Remember not the former things, not consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
If God is going to do new things, and I believe He is, how are we supposed to approach these new times? Do we just go on as normal and hope we don’t miss them? These verses ask “Do you not perceive it?” To me that says that even though there are going to be things that are different to what they used to be, we are going to have to be looking very carefully; discerning very carefully. We have to prepare our hearts for the new things that are coming.
Matthew 9:17, Neither is new wine poured into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.
We cannot handle new circumstances, be they physical or spiritual, the same way as we have always been doing things. Imagine cooking a meal over a fire when you have a perfectly good electric or gas stove waiting to be used. Why sew a wedding dress by hand when modern sewing machines are available? Would anyone today play tennis at Wimbledon using an old wooden racquet? Of course we wouldn’t choose to use antiquated ways of doing these things. Why do we then stick to the traditional ways of dealing with our souls? Please note, I said the traditional ways, and not the antiquated ways. The traditional ways of doing church, of praising God, of worshipping, are often just that, tradition. We have to, in fact, go back to the ancient ways if we want to go forward successfully. We have to search the scriptures to see what God really wants.
Jeremiah 6:9, Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.”
I was reading something yesterday that said the majority of people believe that the posts of apostles and prophets were for biblical times and are no longer relevant.
Ephesians 4:11-12, And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (or pastors) and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
So why would apostles and prophets be used in the same sentence as pastors, teachers and evangelists, if they aren’t relevant?
Many people believe that speaking (or praying) in tongues was for the bible times and is not applicable today. Yet the New Testament makes mention of it over and over again.
We are not to be intimidated by the enemy into believing that we do not need a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. When we receive salvation the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside of us and the outward sign of that is tongues. It doesn’t mean we won’t go to heaven if we don’t practice the gift of tongues, but we surely will have a much closer walk with our Saviour if we do. These are just a few examples of what tradition has handed down.
I am not trying to scare anyone who has not encountered this before, but I am encouraging every one of you to read what it says in Scripture, and to ask God how you should apply what you learn to your own life. We cannot just carry on doing things the way we always have, just because we’ve always been doing them that way. We have to be ready to receive the New Wine and if we aren’t renewed in our souls we won’t be able to.
So let’s get into the Word this week and look for the new (ancient) things God is showing us.

Praise Jesus

I wrote this poem out if gratitude for everything God has done for me.

My praise is for You, Jesus
Because You breathed life
Into me, into my soul
Amid the pain and the strife

My praise is for You, Jesus
Because You never left me alone
You stood by my side
Even when my heart was stone

My praise is for You, Jesus
Because You stilled the storm
You gave me complete peace
And kept me warm

My praise is for You, Jesus
Because when I cannot see
You light the path
You have prepared for me

My praise is for You, Jesus
Because You don’t count my worth
The way that the world
Measured me since my birth

Abraham’s Faith

How much faith do we have? How long can we believe God, take Him at His Word, believe what He has promised us before we take matters into our own hands? I think faith must be the most difficult part of being a Christian. Faith is not just believing for a while, faith is using blind trust, regardless of the circumstances, until whatever it is you’re believing, happens.

The dictionary definition of faith is :

1. complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
2. strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.

Romans 10:17, So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6, But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

God spoke to Abraham and told him that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the sky. God gave Abraham some really amazing promises of blessings to his descendants. God made this promise when Abraham did not have any children. Because he and Sarah were getting old it was a bit hard to believe. Sarah told Abraham that he should have a child by her Egyptian servant, Hagar in order to continue his name. Ishmael was born when Abraham was 86 years old, which means Sarah was already 76. Slightly beyond child bearing age. The birth of Ishmael did not solve any problems, in fact it made everything much worse. Then when Abraham was 99 years old the Lord appeared to Abraham again and told him that he and Sarah would have a child within a year. He and Sarah reacted by laughing. I think anyone of that age will think that such a thing would be laughable. Yet, Sarah bore a son and called him Isaac, which means He laughs.

Even though Abraham laughed, he never stopped believing that God would do what He said. He did misjudge the methods slightly, and tried to make his own plans, but he kept believing.
I’ve heard people give new believers the advice of resigning from their jobs, and then praying for provision so that God can prove that He will take care of them. Please don’t do that!

2 Thessalonians 3:10, For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

We are supposed to work. We are not supposed to be beggars who rely on the goodness of people who feel sorry for us. We have to do our best to look after ourselves. There are situations where people genuinely cannot find jobs and I believe God will take care of people if they don’t have a choice and if they rely on His provision. I have also seen many people who profess to be relying on God but are in fact subtle, and sometimes not so subtle beggars. God does provide and I can testify of that, but I do not think we ought to stop working because we are lazy and say that God is going to provide.

God provided well for Abraham because he trusted God and the blessing that God gave Abraham was not just for the Jews but also for us. God gave Abraham the promise that he and his descendants would be blessed before he was circumcised.

Romans 4:13,16 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Therefore it is of faith that is might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us.

The promises of blessings and prosperity which were given to Abraham are applicable to us if we stick to our faith in God. We have to start practicing to take God at His word and believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that He is who He says He is and that He is going to do what He says He is going to do. Then we can claim the blessings of Abraham.

Joiner

I watched a video this morning that someone sent to me. It was such a profound message. It is about God, or Jesus being the bridegroom and the church, or believers is the bride. In this video Jonathan Cahn speaks of God being the Khatan, which is a Hebrew word for God, but also means joiner. He says that God wants to be joined to us. The thing that struck me the most though, was the way he said that we come to God with all our baggage and He accepts us that way, and because of that no-one can separate us from Him. Suddenly it all fell into place for me.

What we normally hear is that we have to give all our burdens and all our baggage to Jesus, and He will handle it for us. Even mature Christians often have a problem doing that. It’s difficult and the responsibility is on you to be doing it. I would guess that 99% of the time we try to do it, and by trying, it becomes self-effort. We do it in our own strength. We know that we aren’t supposed to do things in our own strength because it doesn’t work! What Jonathan Cahn says is that we come to Jesus together with everything we have all our sin, all our bad parts, every part of our lives that is unsightly, everything that we’re ashamed of, and I’m going to add, everything that we have trouble believing.

We come to Jesus as a package deal. We don’t separate those things from ourselves and give them to Jesus. We jump into the river of His grace boots and all. What Jesus then does is He accepts us with the mud on our faces and starts to wash us clean. He starts to change our hearts and to heal our hurts. He teaches us the way we should be living. He does it. Not us!

Psalm 51:2, Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from sin.

1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Once we accept Jesus as our Saviour we are supposed to be living holy lives and not sinning anymore, but because we are humans, we can only do that step by step. I think the thing which trips us up the most is stress and worry. I have said so many times that we should just give our worries to Jesus and He will take care of them. And He will. The part I was missing though was how we should give them to Him. Instead of distancing ourselves from our worries, or stress, or sin, or whatever, is by giving ourselves to Jesus. We should come before Him and offer ourselves to Him.

Romans 12:1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Here Paul says it. We must offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. We only realise what it is to really do God’s will when it’s a sacrifice, when it costs us. We come with that worry and we allow God to separate that worry from us. We don’t do it in our own strength. He does it. And it hurts because we like to solve our own problems and we like to be in charge and know what the outcome is going to be. We don’t like to give someone else the control of our lives. We have to give our lives to God every day, and sometimes multiple times a day. He knows the plan, He drew the map. We can trust Him with every little detail. We don’t give Him the problem, we give Him ourselves. We just have to say, “Here I am, together with this worry, together with this problem that is threatening to overwhelm me.”  Try it! It will change your life!

Spiritual Drought

We had a few drops of rain this morning. Not enough. We need more. Of course we are thankful for every drop, its just that we need a lot more. The need for rain is so much more obvious when you live in a rural community. Cattle, goats, pigs and donkeys are in plain sight and there’s few things more heartbreaking than a hungry animal. The soil is also very dry and even regular watering doesn’t keep plants growing. Not that people are allowed to water gardens because of water restrictions.
While the physical drought is plain to see and there are many clear signs, a spiritual drought is sometimes a bit harder to spot. The thing that I have noticed though, is that the two often seem to go hand in hand. The physical is just a manifestation of the spiritual and it can be the spiritual lethargy or apathy which in fact causes the physical drought. In the Old Testament God often caused drought or famine when the people did not want to repent of their sin. I have not seen any scripture which tells me that He isn’t going to do the same in the times that we are living now.
There’s a very well known and widely used verse, 2 Chronicles 7:13-15,
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.
When I read these verses it became abundantly clear to me that the people who have to humble themselves and repent, are God’s people. In the time we’re living in now it would be the Christians, not unbelievers. The people who aren’t believers aren’t the one’s who are responsible for the drought. It’s us; we are to blame. Just look at what happened when Jonah got on the ship that was bound for Tarshish. There was a great storm and the captain told Jonah to call out to his God to save them, but Jonah realised that the storm was a result of his disobedience. He asked them to throw him overboard, rather than have everyone perish. Every time in the bible that someone was disobedient to God the consequences were quite devastating.
So what is the problem today? Why don’t people want to follow God’s Word? What are we doing? When there are decisions by government to do things like taking prayer out of schools, most people who say they are Christians just grumble a bit and then forget all about it. A youth pastor said recently that he did a survey of the youth in the city he stays and 80 to 90 percent don’t attend church, and neither do their parents. That’s is a shocking statistic for a country that professes to be a Christian country.
Do people realise that by saying that they are Christians they should be actively worshipping Jesus? When they say they are Christians it doesn’t mean that because their parents were Christians, and they were baptised as babies in a church, they are Christians. Just because they know that there is a God doesn’t mean they are Christians. I believe it is because people are saying they are Christians, and they are not doing what Christians are supposed to be doing, that we are going through a spiritual and physical drought.
The people who attend church are constantly being ridiculed and even persecuted, but at least they are trying. They might not be perfect but they are trying.
Everyone who claims to be a Christian but isn’t actively following in the footsteps of the Master should wake up and ask Jesus to forgive them so that they can start on a fresh journey with Him.
Isaiah 55:6-7, Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon Him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion of him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
If you have become cold and you really aren’t sure of your salvation, please find a Christian who you can speak to so that you can find your way back to Jesus. God loves you so much He’s going to welcome you with open arms.

Disqualified

When Joseph told his brothers what dreams he had been having they rejected them outright. They started to look down on him and they definitely never foresaw that they would ever bow down before him. David was anointed by Samuel as the next king but his brothers called him a trouble maker. When Moses tried to stop two Hebrews fighting in Exodus 2:14 they said to him, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us?”
But ultimately God promoted all three of these men to become that which they had been disqualified in.
In Mark 5:21-43 Jesus is asked by Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue to lay hands on his daughter who was dying. On the way to Jairus’s house, a woman who hae had an issue of blood for 12 years touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was instantly healed. She had been to multiple physicians over the years but they couldn’t heal her. I shudder to think what treatments they had put her through because verse 26 says she had suffered much under physicians. She had also spent all her money but was not healed. Jesus spoke to her and while this was going on a messenger came from Jairus’s house and said that his daughter had died. I wonder if Jairus thought that if this woman hadn’t intervened with her problem Jesus might have arrived at his house in time. But Jesus wasn’t phased. He told Jairus, “Don’t fear, only believe.” Jesus went to his house and raised the girl from the dead.
What have you been disqualified in? Did your mother tell you that you weren’t supposed to have been born and that she should have had an abortion? Did your father leave when you were little and you were convinced it was because of your behaviour? Did your teacher tell you that you would never be able to do math and as a result you let your dreams of becoming a doctor die a horrible death? Maybe someone told you that you were too fat to do ballet and your dream of becoming a dancer was crushed. Or did the coach of the netball team always make you sit on the bench when there was an important match, yet in your heart you felt that sport was what you were supposed to be doing. I can go on and on. Everyone has felt this kind of rejection and humiliation at the hands of people who were supposed to be supporting them.
How did Joseph feel when his brothers attacked him and sold him to Ishmaelite slave traders? Did he see his dreams disappearing as he was taken to Egypt? Then, as soon as he had been given a good position he was thrown into prison. How bad is that? But God had bigger plans for him. David was not only ridiculed by his brothers but hunted like an animal by King Saul. That must have been absolutely devastating. I’m sure he felt more than once that the prophet Samuel must have made some terrible mistake. But God had bigger plans for him. Moses had to flee for his life and for forty years nothing happened. Then by means of a burning bush in the desert, God told him that He had bigger plans for him.
When I was in the first grade at school my teacher told one of the other teaches, in my hearing, that my voice was too soft to have a speaking part in the school play. But God had bigger plans. Look back over your life and identify the times you have been disqualified from the things that meant something to you. When you identify those negative words that have been spoken over you, you are going to be able to identify God’s calling on your life. The enemy uses people to carry out his plans and his plans are always in direct opposition to God’s plans. He sees what God’s plan is and then he does his best to keep you from doing what God planned for you. The good news is that it is never too late for you to follow the plan that God made for you. That plan is not dead. Just like Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter, He will raise you up so that you can follow that plan that He has for you. Even if you’ve been through years of self doubt like the woman who thought that she would never be healed, in a moment God can change your circumstances and you will be able to reach your potential. Don’t ever give up. Just reach out and take back those dreams that the enemy has stolen from you, and this time fulfil them with Jesus at your side.

Confusion

Yesterday I witnessed a person under the influence of a spirit of confusion. During a meeting this person kept confusing the issue and it was so tiring. I know that different spirits or demons attach themselves to people and even possess people. It’s not always plain to see though. This time it was absolutely crystal clear. We have to realise that even Christians can be influenced by all kinds of deceiving spirits that want to lead us astray. The bible says that in the end times people won’t be sure of the truth.

2 Timothy 4:3-4, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, and they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

All of us have heard or at least heard of people who call themselves preachers of the Word but who twist the scriptures to suit themselves. That can be incredibly confusing if we aren’t familiar with the Bible. And by familiar, I mean we have to know the Bible properly. The only way to know the Bible properly is by reading it, or by hearing it. We really have to be well enough acquainted with the Bible so that when a preacher, or anyone else for that matter, says something that isn’t true, we can immediately pick up on it. I don’t think that this is really negotiable if we are serious about our faith.

Romans 10:17, So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If, for any reason whatsoever, you cannot read the bible, then you have to listen to it. Let someone read out loud to you, or use an audible bible on the bible app which you can download onto your cell phone or computer. There are also CD’s available where the bible has been recorded being read out loud. Never before has technology made the bible so available to everyone, and I’m guessing that never before are so few people actually making use of it. The devil, who is your enemy, doesn’t want you to read, or listen to the bible, so he is going to try and divert you, and distract you, and keep you so busy that you aren’t going to have time for it.

1 Peter 5:8, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he might devour.

Even though the devil isn’t a lion; he is LIKE a lion, he is still going to devour you.

The dictionary gives the meaning of ‘devour’ as:

To eat something eagerly and in large amounts so that nothing is left, and

To destroy something completely.

Unfortunately the enemy isn’t stupid. He knows what we’re doing and even though he can’t read our thoughts (well, that’s what I’ve heard) he can certainly plant thoughts in our minds. Those thoughts are so well disguised as our own that we have to be extremely vigilant and discerning. If we don’t know our bibles we aren’t going to be able to discern a lot of the time. This verse says be sober. Does that mean we shouldn’t drink alcohol and get drunk, or does it just mean we should have presence of mind? I would say both, because I don’t think a person who is drunk with alcohol has much presence of mind.

There are three things that are going to help us. The first is faith:

Hebrews 11:6, But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

The second is prayer.

Ephesians 6:18-19, Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints- as for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

The third is resistance.

James 4:7, Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Friends, we cannot allow the devil into our lives at this time. If you are confused about your faith or your salvation please speak to your pastor, or another Christian that you trust. Now is the time to stand and be counted.

For our good

Because we own a takeaway shop a menu is part of our daily life. People can choose between different kinds of burgers and sandwiches and pizzas. You can get a plain burger, which really isn’t all that plain, but then you can add egg, bacon or cheese, or a combination of the three. We are really spoiled for choice most of the time. We go to the movies and have a choice of three or more movies. Supermarkets stock different flavours, versions and models of everything from ice cream to steam irons. Nothing is simple. Just think of the Israelites when they were in the desert and there was a choice between manna and manna.

Exodus 16:35, And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came too an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

How would that suit us? When we read the account of how they complained and grumbled about only eating manna.

Numbers 11:4-6, Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

We have the whole story before us and we can see everything in hindsight. We think that they made such bad choices about what to grumble about. Didn’t they trust God enough to know that He was going to keep His word. Hadn’t Moses told them that God had said He was going to lead them to the promised land. He was going to free them from all the years of slavery, for goodness sake! Couldn’t they just open their ears and listen?

Aren’t we like those Israelites a lot of the time? Don’t we complain about all the hard times we have to go through? We grumble and we become disconcerted, we question and doubt our faith. We think that God has forgotten all about us. We start making our own plans because we think that God’s promises are long forgotten.

James 1:5-8, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Here it talks of the waves that are driven and tossed by the wind. You can’t tell what a wave is going to do in a storm. They are just wild and dangerous. We are wild and dangerous too when we doubt. Our minds are like a stormy sea without any stability at all. I certainly don’t want to be known as double-minded and unstable.

2 Samuel 22:32, For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?

Psalm 62:2, He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

1 Thessalonians 3:8, For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

If we want to call ourselves Christians, or believers, or disciples of Christ, we are expected to stand firm in our faith and not waver when times are tough.

Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

When it feels like we are in hot water, we should recall what the Israelites went through in the desert and remember that, just like God had a plan for them that they could not see, He also has a plan for us. We cannot see the whole plan but we have to take Him at His word and persevere because He is good and He loves us and His plans are always for our good.

Money

Up to R150 000 can get you closer to the life you want. This is the SMS I received this morning. I receive so many of these messages which tell me that I am going to be so much better off by borrowing money from financial institutions. I will be able to settle debts and pay school fees and go on holidays. This is what people are confronted with daily. This is what the enemy wants us to fill our minds with. He wants us to believe that by borrowing money we are going to be better off, and people have been able to make it look so attractive. We don’t realise that we aren’t going to be better off at all. We are going to be in bondage to the company we owe that money to. How can more debt cause you to be better off?

Proverbs 22:7, The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

As soon as you borrow money from someone they automatically have a claim on your income. You want to buy a car so you apply for finance and the car becomes yours. But technically it isn’t yours. Until you have repaid all the debt that car belongs to the finance company. In order to keep using the car you have to repay the loan instalment every month. You are in bondage to the finance company. Until the debt is repaid they have the right to a certain portion of your income.

If you borrow money so that you can go on holiday, your holiday is going to be gone and forgotten and you are still going to be repaying that debt.

Proverbs 23:4-5, Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Proverbs 11:28, He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

Ecclesiastes 5:10, Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.

1 Timothy 6:9-10, But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.

The first part of 1 Timothy 6:10 in the KJV says, For the love of money is the root of all evil.

There are people who strive to have a lot of money. The word ‘millionaire’ is like a juicy carrot dangled before a donkey to make it move. The poor donkey keeps moving forward but doesn’t realise that he will never reach the carrot. The carrot dries out and withers and he still has not reached it. Just like that, if a person lusts after money, he is never going to have enough. Enough is an illusion. Enough does not exist. Money can be gone in a moment. Look what happens when stock markets crash! People lose everything they invested. Every time there a stock market collapses there are  multiple suicides. These are the people who cannot recognise that they have worth apart from what they own. Their money becomes their identity. They are a slave to the money and when the money is gone they believe that they have no more value.

Proverbs 11:4, Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

When we die we cannot take any money or possessions with us.

Job 1:21, Naked came I from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be blessed.

Psalm 62:10, ..if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

Proverbs 21:26, All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.

Don’t get attached to the money you make. It might be gone tomorrow, or you might even be gone tomorrow.

Luke 6:38, Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measure back to you.

Don’t ever be afraid to give. If you give you receive, and God loves a cheerful giver.

There you are, that’s my view on money today.