The unending source

Source ~ A place, person, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained.

Where does life come from? If your thoughts are trailing down the path of sperm cells, eggs and zygotes, you’re heading in the wrong direction… life has a source, an unending source.

Even though our physical lives on earth have an expiry date, do you know that God has provided an alternative source of life that is unending for anyone who wants it? A life that transcends all that is natural, is eternal in nature, and that we can start to live out of, even before the physical expression of our lives fade away.

Think about what this could mean! Freedom from the fear of death, panic, anxiety and all its cohorts, joy in place of depression; which is linked to fear. Access to the creative stream as an expressive outlet of purpose; leading to fulfilment. Continuous health and healing from the source of life for our bodies if we’re ever sick, an infusion of zest, energy, boldness and power from the original wellspring and a life full of hope!

When Jesus first attempted to tell His disciples about this life, they just didn’t get it. He said;

“I am the way, the truth, and the life…” – John 14:6(a)

The response from His disciples; “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” and “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us”, indicated that they were clueless as to what Jesus was trying to reveal to them.

Do you get it, or are you clueless, just like the early disciples (bless them)?

Jesus is that source, the source of all life; physical and eternal, the source of all wisdom, knowledge, understanding, creativity, healing, power and love; it all flows from Him.

In John 14:6, He was actually saying, ‘I am the unending source of life’.

It’s quite simple really, but as humans, we like to reason and use logic to explain concepts and ideas. That’s what the disciples were doing; using human reasoning to question Spiritual ideology, but Jesus was talking about a realm beyond the reach of natural reasoning, that requires faith to access it; the Spiritual realm.

We’re familiar with the spiritual when it comes to ghosts, the paranormal and the spooky supernatural, but there’s a Holy side of spirituality, that is higher and more powerful than the dark side filtered through our screens (conquered by Jesus on the cross), that seeks to mortify and terrify us.

God offers us access to that unending Supernatural life through the Spirit of His Son, the HOLY SPIRIT.

Have you heard the words to the song ‘Fame’ by Irene Cara? (it’s an old one!), the chorus goes like this;

I’m gonna live for ever
I’m gonna learn how to fly (high)
I feel it coming together
People will see me and cry (pray)
I’m gonna make it to heaven
Light up the sky like a flame (flame)
I’m gonna live forever
Baby remember my name

I’m not sure about the ‘flying high’, and ‘people crying when they see me’ bits (Jesus’ kingdom isn’t built on self-centred living!), but the offer of an unending source of life depicted in the imagery of the song above by Cara, spoken about by Jesus the son of God, in John 14, and by Paul and many other disciples, is today, accessible to all.

Today, Jesus is still saying; “I am the way, the truth and the life…”

Why live a life with an expiry date on it when you can live a life with an unending source that transcends into eternity?

The muck in get your hands dirty kinda God

The slums, street corners, red light districts, calamities, messes and crisis’ of our world is not where you’d find many dignitaries or kings today, unless that is, they’re on a walk-through, flanked either side by officials and body guards… but not this King. This King is a muck in, get your hands dirty kind of King.

‘So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him’. – John 13: 4 – 5.

In harrowing places of pain, darkness, decadence and sorrow; He steps in to bring beauty to life’s ashes, to undo the wrongs, injustices and corruption of men with darkened hearts.

When Jesus walked the earth in His day, the Jews and people around Him just didn’t get it! They reasoned He was just Jesus, ‘the carpenter’s son’ (they saw no evidence of physical grandeur or wealth).

The soldiers that nailed Him to the cross mocked His title; ‘King of the Jews and placed a crown of thorns on His head.

His many followers and early disciples reckoned His Kingship to be of an earthly formation, and asked Him times over whether He was going to ‘restore the Kingdom to Israel’, but though Jesus is truly a king; the concept of earthly Kingship was far from what Jesus had in mind when He spoke about His Kingdom.

‘What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear soft clothes are in king’s palaces’. – Matthew 11: 8.

He told His disciples that they were to be different to the power mongering rulers of this world that flaunt their authority and rule it over their people.

The lyrics of the song ‘God of the moon and stars’, by Kraayenoord sums it up succinctly;

God of the moon and stars
God of the gay- and singles bars
God of the fragile hearts we are, I come to you
God of our history, God of the future that will be
What will you make of me, I come to you

God of the meek and mild,
God of the reckless and the wild
God of the unreconciled, I come to you
God of our life and death
God of our secrets unconfessed
God of our every breath, I come to you

God of the rich and poor
God of the princess and the whore
God of the ever open door, I come to you
God of the unborn child
God of the pure and undefiled
God of the pimp and paedophile, I come to you.

Is this the King you’re familiar with; the God Who mucks in and gets His hands dirty? The God who is concerned with the plight of the drug addict, murderer, sex worker, olders, youngers and drug runners fuelling the dissemination of drugs across county lines?

He doesn’t turn away from the deprivation of our world, from the cries of anguish and instances of grief, distress or torment.

In His own words Jesus said,

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10: 45).

As professing followers of Jesus, it begs we ask ourselves the question; what exactly is it that we’ve come to earth to do?

Tuning in

How important it is to recognise, hear and obey the voice of our commander in chief (Jesus), as children of God!

Take this scenario, ‘The battle has been fierce. Your side has gained significant ground but suddenly without warning, your opponent springs a surprise attack, advancing towards you from an unknown hideout’.

As the enemy closes in, the captain of your army sees them advancing and quickly shouts out, “RETREAT, RETREAT”, but you’re not well trained in immediate response tactics. Feeling alarmed, you suddenly stop and stall, wasting valuable time. Unfortunately, due to your delayed response, you end up becoming a casualty of war.

Is it any wonder our battle grounds are strewn with casualties of war, or that many of the battles we fight as God’s soldiers end up an utter disaster? Are we even aware that the minute we say ‘YES’ to Jesus, we sign up for war and become an object (target) of warfare?

If we’re not trained in recognising, hearing and obeying the voice of our Commander in Chief, Jesus; Who speaks to us constantly through the Holy Spirit, we may end up just like the soldier in the paragraph above, who stopped, stalled and became a casualty.

As God’s children, we need to be prepared for war! The enemy of our souls is envious of our position in God and will do anything to steal from, kill or destroy us, he has no other mission.

And the Lord said to Satan, “From where did you come?” Then satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it”. – Job 1:7

Our only safety is to be so united and in tune with Jesus that we hear and promptly obey His every command. When He says, “child, don’t go to that destination you had in mind”, obey immediately, knowing that as the source of all wisdom and knowledge, Jesus has seen what is ahead and is seeking to shield us from the enemy’s ploy. When He prompts us to pray, let’s pray. We need to train and incline our ears (spiritual), to recognise hear and obey His voice.

Conversely, when the enemy seeks to entice us, let him ruffle our flesh and find it limp and lifeless, so there’s nothing he can really do. When he whispers to us, let’s ignore him, if he offers us death (sin), covered in glitter, turn away from it… refuse everything the enemy has to offer!

God’s word encourages us to reckon ourselves to be ‘dead to sin but alive to God in Christ’ (Rom 6:11).

We’re either one of two things; alive to sin and dead to God, or dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus, walking dead, or dead alive… which one will it be?

His word says, ‘And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers: John 10:4 – 5.
Father, I long to recognise, hear and obey only your voice. Tune my hearing to the frequency of your Spirit, help me in faith to become familiar with your voice, not to hear the lying voice of the enemy and to obey promptly whatever I hear you say.

Open Heart Surgery

Do you know that surgeons can address more than one artery in a single operation? A double bypass, triple bypass, and quadruple bypass involves two, three or four arteries being repaired in a single surgical procedure.

Our hidden hearts (inner worlds) need fixing too; the home that houses our thoughts, feelings and emotions, where we register pain, hurt, rejection, fear, sadness, shame, jealousy, guilt, bitterness and grief. And yes, you guessed right; sometimes we need more than one part of our heart repaired in a single operation but just how do our hidden hearts get fixed?

‘Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life’ – Prov 4:23.

As intricate as physical heart operations are, trained medical Doctor’s carry out numerous operations each day, repairing hearts that go on to function successfully throughout the duration of a person’s lifespan.

God is the only one who sees the unseen and can fix our hidden, hurting, broken hearts.

Many times in our lives, we go through seasons where the arteries, or wounds that need fixing and healing are internal. Some of these wounds, affecting both adults and young people, date back to events that took place in our childhoods. Each year, people pay out millions of pounds for psychotherapists, therapists and counsellors, to help them unravel and fix the inner pain and turmoil that mystifies and hampers them from experiencing wholesome living.

Our Mental Health facilities are full of people locked up in emotional prisons from which they desperately desire to be set free from and many of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors given to treat depressive illnesses, not only have unwanted side effects but many times are not effective in getting to the root cause of why a person is fearful, anxious or depressed.

‘Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression…’ Pro 12:25 (A)

When a person has a broken toe or foot it’s obvious, because the break causes a limp when they attempt to walk but when they have a broken heart, spirit, or are depressed, suicidal or experiencing the hurt of rejection, many times it goes undetected, until the person finds themselves in a state of emotional crisis; where anxiety is out of control or the person has turned to substance misuse, cutting or other quick fixes to help them cope with their internal pain.

Our human bodies were not created to house negative emotions, and when our hearts get clogged up and blocked, we experience the pain in a psychosomatic sense (mind – psyche and body – soma); headaches, chest pains, stomach disorders and other such symptoms, which explains why many times, people come back from the doctor’s surgery perplexed and with negative test results – the root of the symptoms they are experiencing point to broken emotions.

‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts’ – Psalm 139:23.

God knows what’s going on in our inner worlds and can help us fix them! If you need a surgical procedure done on your hidden heart, He’s the expert that can give you a diagnosis for your symptoms and successfully carry out any repair work that needs to be done.

Are you ready to be freed from your inner torment? Will you let Him into the hidden places of your heart? It’s not going to be without pain, no surgical procedure ever is, but once the infection is cleaned out and removed, the renewal on the inside will be well worth the ultimate surgeon’s scalpel!

The one-night stand

In the frenzy of the moment it was done. His erection was over; my animalistic hunger satisfied. The heat was intense, raw passion bringing our blood to boiling point. With a deadened coldness, we wiped our mouths with the back of our hands, put our clothes back on and parted ways…

You’ll be forgiven for thinking this is a scene from the book ’50 shades of Grey’ or some other Netflix series. Truth is, it’s your story, my story… YES ME and YOU. The one-night stand.

How many times have we felt the touch of Father God’s loving embrace, welled up with tears as the ecstasy of a moment in His presence melts our hurts and calms our fears, only for us to rush away and revert to living life on our own, without Him?

God’s love means He never turns us away when we come to Him but is this any reason to USE Him in the way that we do? Yes, these are strong words! I have visions of Him standing there, yearning for us, watching, as we wipe our mouths with the back of our hands and callously walk away, after experiencing moments of satisfaction in His presence.

We steal intimate moments without intent to commit to the One Who gave His life and laid down His all for us. The One Who died in our place. There is a reason why He calls us His bride. Brides are meant to be intimate with and spend their lives in continued union with the one they vow to love.

Do we really love God? Do we?

The next time we turn our noses up at a distasteful, casual sexual scene on Netflix, we need to ask ourselves the question, ‘Am I in a one-night stand kind of relationship with God?’

Hush, don’t rush to give an answer; let’s prayerfully ask God to help us answer this question… truthfully. Only He knows the depths of our hearts.

Psalm 139: Look deep into my heart, God, and find out everything I am thinking (CEV).

Are you listening?

I remember God telling me twelve years ago, that I hadn’t learnt the art of listening. I was in conversation with someone at the time, and though I could hear the sounds and syllables of what this person was saying, truth is, I wasn’t listening. God showed me this was my regular habit and encouraged me to pay attention and LISTEN when communicating with others.

You’d be forgiven, if like me you assume that listening to another person isn’t a big deal. I jumped at the opportunity to test myself, the next time a 1-2-1 conversation presented itself.

I consciously made a point of listening intently to what this other person was saying. As she spoke, I found my mind more occupied with how I was planning to respond to her words and comments, than listening to what she was saying. At these points, I understood I wasn’t listening and forced my attention to tune into her words, not just hear the inflections and tonation of her voice.

GOD is SPEAKING… are you listening?

To erroneously conclude that we cannot hear the voice of God is an untruth… God is always speaking and He longs for us to pay attention to what He is saying!

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me”-John 10:27 (NIV).

There are many voices clamouring for a space in our heads; which one will you listen to?

I’ve fallen in love with the story in 1 Kings 19: 4-12, recounting Elijah’s experience of hearing the voice of God. He was threatened by a woman named Jezebel and fled for safety, leaving even his servant behind. He was alone, spent the night in a cave and in this state he recognised the voice of God.

It says,

There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

A gentle whisper – another version calls it, ‘a still small voice’. How will we ever hear him if we don’t quieten ourselves? He’s not in the hype, not in the noise.

The world is screaming at us from every angle.

How often do we intentionally spend time alone, switch of our phones, take time off social media and shut out the ‘other’ voices because we want to hear God’s voice? We’re not hearing, talk less of listening. Is it any wonder we don’t know what He is saying?

Frances J. Roberts said,

“Silence will speak more to you in a day than the world of voices can teach you in a lifetime. Find silence. Find solitude – and having discovered her riches, bind her to your heart”.

Francis J. Roberts

Will you make the choice to listen out for what He longs to say to you today and every day?

Into the wilderness

Though we search and seek for God, His ways are past searching out. I love nothing more than to be led by God’s Spirit, whether that’s to speak to someone about Jesus, pray for someone, share something that He has laid on my heart or bless someone materially, however yesterday, God taught me about another way He leads His children.

I had half an hour to spare before I jumped into the shower to get ready for work, so I took a walk. I wasn’t led to take my normal route by the Pier but to take a route adjacent to a School that backed onto the woods near where I live.

I reasoned that if God was asking me to take a different route, He had something in mind that He wanted me to do. Would I bump into someone that needed to hear how much God loved them? Was there someone that needed my encouragement or help?

While I walked wondering, the Scripture, ‘Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil’ (Matt 4:1), flashed across my mind and an emphasis settled on ‘Jesus being led into the wilderness by the Spirit’.

It dawned on me it was God’s prerogative and idea for Jesus to be tempted! The same Spirit that led Jesus to save, touch, heal, set free and deliver; led Jesus into a time of testing and trial.

Freedom comes for us, when we realise that the difficulties that we are experiencing have been orchestrated by God to release His life within us. God is working out His purposes in us through the testing and trials He takes us through.

Now back to my walk… I love the colours of Autumn and the sound of the crisp leaves being crushed under foot but guess what happened to me yesterday? I hit my right toe against a stone, on a spot where it already hurts (I’ve got a dodgy right toe – believing for God to complete His healing!), then I slipped! I’m thanking God I didn’t fall flat on my bum, then a few minutes after I had regained my balance, I slid down a muddy bit of the trail I was walking along!

God was speaking to me and I grasped clearly what He was saying – “sometimes I will lead you into difficult places, into trials and testing and it’s all still part of my plan”.

A trouble-free life devoid of difficulty is a caricatured, false image of the life that we have been called to as God’s children.

Remember Paul, remember the early Apostles? Hebrews 11: 37 (AMPC) says,

‘They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword [while they were alive]; they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated’…

Paul said about his experience as a follower of Jesus:

“Are they ministers of Christ? – I speak as a fool – I am more: in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep…”, 2 Cor 11: 23 (b) – 25 (NKJV)

These are only a few of the things that he experienced, as he goes on to reel off a long list of other tragedies, trials and difficulties he experienced.

When we realise that God (not the enemy) is in control of our lives when we live submitted to Him, we are able to rest in Him, knowing that everything; even the difficult circumstances of our lives are fully under His control.

What difficult circumstances are you facing today? Are you going through a trial, time of testing or hardship? Rest assured that as long as you are walking in His will, He is in control and He has a plan. Don’t waste your energy or breath screaming at the devil; when God is the one at work in you. Praise Him through your trials, submit to His dealings! Recognise that He is at work, growing you, bringing out the gold in you. He knows what He is doing… let Him have His way.

Ugly bits

Why do we cover up our ugly bits? Why are we so bent on portraying a flawless image to the world? An unattainable Utopian ideal.

I caught myself looking at pictures of me and wishing all my unwanted bits away. I mean, I gym, I jog, I eat healthy but the struggle to hold on to a youthful body is real… perhaps you’ve felt it too… I mean the struggle.

But we don’t just do this with externals, we do it with our internals as well… we hide away in shame, cover up our sin, pretend all is well.

Fillers for the lips, Botox for our wrinkles, dye for the greys, butt lifts for the behind; we’re obsessed with perfection.

The one night stand, the obsession with pornography, the addiction to food, cannabis and crack. The depression, suicidal thoughts, self-hatred and low self-esteem. The constant comparison of ourselves with other flawed human beings.

The Scriptures tell us, “No one is acceptable to God, not even one – Romans 3:10

We can touch up our pics with filters or photoshop, but the truth is; the decay is here to stay, well in this earthly realm.

Adam and eve put paid to any hope for perfection that we could ever hope for and though we mask up in faked glory, inside and out, we’re all but flawed human beings.

What if I told you there is a way out – it’s like this, when you plant a seed, the outer shell dies and in its place, a plant or flower of immense beauty emerges and begins to grow.

Well that’s exactly what happens when we receive the seed of Jesus into our hearts. He fills our houses of clay (yes we’re made of mud and to mud we will all return) with the seed of His word and His Spirit, then a new creation is birthed, and an inner transformation begins.

God had it all mapped out, an amazing plan to save us from our decay! The thing is, He hates the flakiness and lying that He sees in us; and can only help us when we’re transparent and admit that we need His help,

But you want complete honesty, so teach me true wisdom – Psalm 51:6.

Our pride and ego will get us nowhere, we’ve got to come clean, spill the beans; all the sordid details, to Him (no need to go confessing to a priest!).

When we do this, he cleans us up and fills us with the seed of His word and His Spirit. A metamorphosis like no other takes place, believe me, I’m a prototype of His new seed!

The wrinkles won’t suddenly disappear nor will you suddenly become exempt from the difficulties that life in this realm has to offer but ‘your youth will be renewed like the eagles’. You will experience hope, real joy, the assurance of love and acceptance by the greatest being in the Universe (God), and the hope of spending eternity in heaven – now that serves the deathblow to any foreboding fear of death that may have plagued our beautiful minds!

Ready to make that move right Now? Dear God, I’m done, faking, pretending and hiding. I’m coming clean, I hate what I have become on the inside and want the seed of your word and your Spirit to transform my life. Forgive me for my wrong. Jesus come and live in my heart (say this sincerely; from your heart).

Any questions? DM me @evol_teragram

Warrior

It’s time to wage war with every word that God has spoken over you, over your spouse, over your children. The warfare has been intense and the opposition fierce, but you held on, you didn’t cave in or give up… well done warrior Princess!

The rejection, the hurt, the abuse, the betrayal.

The molestation.

You are no victim. You stood your ground; even though people around you had no inkling of the fight that you were going through.

Arise, dust yourself off, the battle has been won.

The negative words of the adversary, echoed by those around you are lies, they were always lies.

Royalty, that’s who you are.

Chosen.

Forgiven much, that you may also forgive much.

Loved, so that you also may love much.

Blessed, that you may also be a blessing to the others; the many.

The seeds.

The ones who will struggle, shed silent tears, despair but rise.

Lift up your gaze,

The spoils of war litter the battlefield behind.

Help yourself to the spoils of war,

They are yours.

Copyright © 2020 Margaret Love. All rights reserved.

 

 

Who’s Centre stage?

Do you know what it means to be out of sync, to have things the wrong way round, like a child who’s got shoes on the wrong feet, the left foot on the right and the right foot on the left? Most of us view our lives as God’s children, with us as the focal point; almost as if God is positioned to help us fulfill our plans but that’s just the problem, that whole premise, is completely the wrong way round!

We have been positioned here on earth to fulfill His plans. The dreams and visions He places in our hearts are not for us to take centre stage but for Him to rule, so that He can move through us to work out His plans and purposes.

In today’s self-focused world, it’s important that we ensure that Jesus is the centre. Israel Houghton sang a song that’s been going through my heart this week, some of the words read:

‘Jesus be the centre of your Church (2ce)
From beginning till the end, it will always be
It’s always been you Jesus, Jesus
Nothing else matters, nothing in this world will do
Jesus you’re the centre and everything revolves around you
Jesus you…’

Being used by God is such an exhilarating experience, which should bring us, in humility to our knees… that God, the creator of the whole Universe would entrust Himself to us and allow His life to flow and move through us to touch others is amazing!

Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash

It’s as we allow Him to use us, to lead and we follow, that we truly realise that it is God at work through us.

Let’s take some time out to re-evaluate if our talents, gifting or whatever it is that God has placed into our hands, is centred on us or if we’re allowing Him to flow through us, to use the gifting, opportunities and platforms He has given us, for His glory.

No doubt, our gifting can be harnessed and used without the expression of God at work through them, but that gives rise to stress, competition and striving to make a name for ourselves but God is saying, “let me lead… you follow”.

It’s stressful trying to please and fit into the worlds perception of what they think we should do with the dreams, ideas, gifting, talents, opportunities and platforms that He gives us.

All too often, we hear the behind the scenes stories of people that have taken that route, empty, depressive lives, devoid of satisfaction and an emptiness on the inside that nothing of material value can fill… the fame, power, drugs and sex, deepening the void, many eventually choosing to commit suicide; Kate Spade, Caroline Flack, Robbie Williams and Avicii to name just a few.

In the book of Acts 9: 15, referring to Saul of Tarsus and God’s plans for His life, the Lord responded to Ananias’ reluctance to pray for Him with the words,

“Go for He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My Name before Gentiles, Kings and the children of Israel”.

Saul (who became Paul), was a chosen vessel! As God’s children, that’s what we are – VESSELS. Are we ready to re-position our hearts and lives today, to live in the reality of this truth?

Dear Father, you are the potter, I am the clay. Forgive me for times when I’ve thought it was all about me, when my self-centredness has hindered the plans you have for me. Today, I reset my heart to allow you to live through me. I give you my dreams, talents and gifts. Use them as you choose.