The cure

Disclaimer: Please DO NOT buy the "blood of Jesus"... it has never been for sale... False prophets and salesmen will sell anything these days just to make a quick buck from the sick and oppressed 

So apparently there is no cure for HIV and other chronic diseases... I beg to differ. By the end of this reading I hope your understanding of disease and health is challenged, your faith is kindled and you receive the healing you have been praying for.

What disease did Lazarus die of? Does anyone know?  All i know is that Jesus did not raise Lazarus from the dead and then continue to ask him "what was your illness before you died?"

When Jesus raised the little girl from the dead, he didn't go on to try and heal the sickness that killed her. No! Both Lazarus and the girl's resurrection came with a newness and a wholeness that God revealed to me today on my way to an All Night Prayer in Nelspruit.. Their sickness, pain and suffering died with them..

Ok. What does this have to do with you and I? Well.. The bible compares us to a wife married to a husband called "sickness, sin and death". It goes on to say that we are not able to remarry unless our husband (sin) dies, and this poses a problem because the marriage is very abusive.

Then a solution is presented, and this is the most amazing part. A death is brought in, instead of killing the husband, God offers his son to die, and for us to die with him, thereby freeing us from our husband. But it doesn't stop there, after we have died with Christ, we are again raised from the dead with Christ as new creatures, unrecognisable to our former husband (sin, death and sickness)...

Bear with me... How long does a disease like HIV live in a dead person? Or more specifically how long does a disease survive in dried blood? Some medical practitioners say it is destroyed in a matter of minutes, some studies say 1 and a half to two days... and just to be safe, Jesus was raised on the 3rd day. 

By now I know that your faith has risen.  And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you. Romans 8:11

Let us look at Lazarus and that little girl as examples of what God wants to do in our lives and in our ailing bodies today. Tonight is your night for a miracle. Only believe the word of God today. We are dead to sin, sickness and death. We have been resurrected in Christ and are made whole, unrecognisable to our former sicknesses and sinfulness. Believe and receive you God given wholeness today.

My Peace I give you - Shalom

Was Adam black or white?

Race relations have always been a problem in South Africa. I continue to pray we can put racism aside and grow this nation to a glory never seen before. Nevertheless I have a theory on the skin colour of Adam and Eve.. PS. this is my own view and does not necessarily represent the views of my family, church or even my country.

My theory is that Adam was black, like Seal the singer black, and Eve was white. How did I come to make these assumptions? Well, simple. God created this garden, possibly the most fertile soils you have ever seen were in that garden. We know that the most fertile soils are the Humic soils, dark in colour.

God took of that soil and created Adam, not with beach sand that would have left his skin a lighter shade... and then God took a rib, white in colour, lacking in melanin and made Eve. It's really no wonder she was an easy target of the serpent, she was always underneath the shadows hiding from sun burn, even under the shady tree of knowledge of good and evil. I even have a theory about the language they spoke in the garden, but we will leave that for another day.

What am I on about? Well, the truth is, for us to understand who and what we really are as a human race, we need to understand the 2 Adams and who they really were especially the second Adam. We know that God created Adam and Eve in His image. According to Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

That was the blueprint of mankind, having dominion over the fish, birds and cattle. To me this says your blueprint was to be owners of fishing vessels, airline carriers, great farming enterprises and everything in between and you were created to live forever, without sickness, regardless of your skin colour...

But "sin" entered the world and along with it "curse". We became slaves to sickness and the law and were sold for cheap labour. We killed each other for our differing opinions, skin colour, languages and our resources, we labour for years not enjoying the fruit of our labour until we die and miss the true meaning of life.

Just as you are about to ask if there is hope... we find out about the second Adam. But who is he? The Bible in Philippians 2:5-7 says He is "...Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And then we ask why did the second Adam come? "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." "And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit". I Corinthians 15:22 & 45

Jesus said to him, “...He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’ John 14:9

This is seriously no cliché "Jesus is the answer for Southern Africa today" Heritage Day Celebrations are already underway and I would like to ask you to consider this:

• ·         Was Adam black or white? Who knows? Who cares?
• ·         Was Jesus black or white?
• ·     God is spirit, and he sent His only begotten Son to die for you and I that our sin might be forgiven us.

The bible says in II Chronicles 7:14 "if My people (Southern Africa) who are called by My name (black or white) will 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. It is time to heal and rebuild. 

My Peace I give you - Shalom

Fierce winds

I was driving to work this morning when suddenly a gush of wind blew against my car and shook it. I was lucky that both my hands were on the steering wheel because things could have gotten bad very quickly. Immediately the Lord whispered something to my spirit.

There are some of his children who are in a sea of turmoil, they are in the desert and the rough sandy wind is tossing them about. Some are already thinking about December, no money for Christmas, let alone a vacation. Some are already worried about school fees, uniforms, bond, car, ailing family members.. Some are sitting in hospitals as we speak not sure if their loved ones will make it another day...

Here's a message for you. That storm is not there to destroy you. That strong wind is not going to topple you over. Even when all the people around you have lost all hope, do not begin to doubt, do not allow your tongue to profess defeat. If you are in that sea of turmoil as we speak, just "...ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind" James 1:6

The end to this chapter is in your hands, actually more specifically in your tongue. The mighty winds can either destroy your ship or propel it much further than you thought it could reach. The bible teaches us to "...count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3 "Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things..." James 3:4-5

Jesus demonstrated to us what weapon we need to use when confronted by seas of turmoil. The scriptures say: "Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” Mark 4:39-41

The fierce winds you are experiencing are there to drive you, not to drown you. You sever a God who is greater than your current situation. The Lord would have you know that "When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:19

Do not be fearful and do not be doubting, stand up and speak the words of our Lord Jesus over your current situation. Shout it out “Peace, be still! In the name of Jesus!” And watch the situation begin to obey until there is total calm...

My Peace I give you - Shalom 

Show and tell

What comes to mind when you hear "Show and Tell". A certain Prof and his brother Charles took their families on vacation, while the children swam, the Prof and his brother Charles said to their children, "what you're doing is not swimming, let us show you how it's done"... Needless to say, there were great waves and splashes with very little movement, and great laughter...

I would like for us to focus our attention on a different “Show and Tell”. Luke 5:4 KJV "Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught." Luke 5:10b KJV "And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men." Luke 10:2 KJV "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."

So Jesus finished teaching the multitude, asks Simon to go deeper and let down his nets. This is where I believe the Lord was doing a "Show and tell" of the great commission and how many resources would be required. Look at the verses closely, Jesus says Go into deeper waters, Simon goes deeper and lets down the nets and the fish nets start breaking (or to the point of breaking), Simon calls for his partners to aid him in his commission and even then, the boats are almost sinking... 

When Jesus was done with this demonstration, he basically says to them, ok now u have seen how it's done, you have seen how many fish there are, it's not a one man mission, and when you do this work you will feel like your boat is sinking, now we're going to do it in real life, we're going to be fishers of men...

It is my prayer that whenever you hear the phrase Show and Tell, that you would be reminded of Jesus' show and tell. It is also my prayer that when your boat is letting in water, at the point of sinking, and your nets are so stretched that you cannot see them catching any more fish, that the Lord of the Harvest renew your strength, restore your resources, and allow you to see that the boat may sink but those whose faith are in the Lord shall tread on water and be saved. Do not give up… keep fishing.

My Peace I give you - Shalom

Windscreen Madness

As I was driving in town earlier, I saw this guy with a bottle of soap water and a windscreen washing tool. The guy quickly looked for the most vulnerable looking driver, with a slightly dirty car and began washing away. Immediately when he was done, he started nagging for money. He knocked on the passenger window, signalling to the frightened driver that we wanted to be paid… The poor driver who happened to be a woman was stuck between three cars and an annoying, slightly threatening windscreen washer.

I immediately remembered why I disliked those guys who washed windscreens at the traffic lights. They just have no respect for a person space. Earlier this month, a man sustained 3 stab wounds in the head for refusing to have his windows washed (seriously, what is going on in our world). This really has me worried and I’m worried for the safety of my loved ones too. Anyways, equally worrying is the fact that Christians, and especially those who do not take the time to learn one on one evangelism are becoming more and more like these windscreen washers.  There is a serious increase of bible bashers who are doing more harm than good out there in the name of evangelism…

How would I ever allow a windscreen washer to touch my windscreen and also get paid for it? Here’s how:

1.     He must be presentable

2.     He must be friendly

3.     He must state his case - advise me on the dangers of dirty windscreens

4.     He must be affiliated with a car wash – ultimately the windscreen is just one part of my vehicle, these windscreen washers must point to the place where all of my car’s dirt can be dealt with

The list could go on, but let me leave it at this. What I’m saying is this. Children of God, let us not be a stumbling block in our interactions with others. I have seen many a time on social media, people exposing these Windscreen Washer type of evangelists who do all sorts of despicable deeds in the name of Christ. I have seen comments like “If this is Christianity, you can keep it”. I’m not only talking about the so-called preachers who feed people blood, and grass and all sorts of other things. I am also talking about you and me. We need to be conscious of how we approach people when we want to share with them the gospel of Christ. Please let us make sure we are not like the traffic light windscreen washers. Let us rather be like the car was salesmen who point to where the whole car can be washed clean. "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” Matthew 23:13

My Peace I Give You - Shalom

http://www.news24.com/Video/SouthAfrica/News/watch-violent-window-washers-stab-motorist-in-the-head-20160712

Take up thy bed

I saw something in the news recently here in South Africa. The first bit of good news to be reported in a while, a father took to the media to express his joy after his child received a new heart after 7 years of waiting for a donor. This got me thinking. How many months or years would it take to convince you and I that our situation is there to stay? That your poverty, sickness, failure, symptoms, how many divorces? How many miscarriages? How many relapses? How many disappointments? How many of these do we have to go through to know that our situation is hopeless?

The young child in the news waited 7 years after diagnosis. That seems like a lot right? Well I know someone else who waited even longer. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” John 5:5-7

Can you imagine being sick for 38 years? I haven’t even been alive that long... can you imagine being stuck in a situation for 38 years, be it an abusive marriage, barrenness, poverty, singleness, lack of career progression, any situation really. For some of us, 3 years is enough to throw in the towel... but a certain man held on for 38 years, a young South African boy held on for 7 years...

Your situation doesn't require the assistance of another to help you into the healing pool of Bethesda, for there is not where your healing resides, No, your healing is in Christ. The solution to your long term suffering lies in Christ. Where all doctors have failed to push you into the pool, where your qualifications have failed to push you into the pool, where your great qualities and fertility tests have failed to push you into the pool, I'm here to tell you that Christ has visited you and your situation personally.

Heart donation is quite tricky, unlike a kidney that can be donated and both the donor and recipient remain alive, the heart donor needs to die for the recipient to live. The spokesperson for the Organ donor foundation "said it was quite challenging to find a donated heart that was a match in size, tissue and blood type". I'm here to tell you that the same God who created the heaven and the earth, who designed every organ in your body sent his only begotten Son to die for you and I that we may receive new hearts.

My Peace I give you - Shalom

Are you squint?

So this other day, many years back, I was sitting at Rhapsody's having coffee with my cousin when two people asked to join our table since there weren't any more tables available. We agreed without hesitation and before long conversations were just flowing. At some point I was left alone with one of the people who joined our table and all was well until she said to me "Did you know that you're squint?" It was as if someone had slapped me out of a light sleep. I could not believe that the squint woman at my table was asking if I knew that I was squint. She was very squint, and the whole time I had said nothing about it. I then asked if she was just joking. When her sister came back and found us talking about the issue of her squintness she quickly shhushed me and explained that no one had ever told her about it. Even her whole family told her that she was perfectly fine.

I really didn't have a problem with how squint she was, and it wasn't a problem until she accused me of being squint. This reminds me of some people in the bible that Jesus spoke about also. He put it this way: "And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?" Luke 6:41

That squint lady waited until it was just her and I on the table and proceeded to accuse me of my squintness. That means that she had been looking and scrutinising the state of my eyes for a while. We need to be honest with ourselves about this issue. We don't want to read good news when we open the newspaper or gossip column, no, we want to hear how Pastor "this and that" was caught naked with his blessee... we scrutinise our fellow congregates and wait for the moment they fail or are overcome by that challenge they battle with... We even scrutinise our own siblings or family members to say "I told you he/she wasn't right for you" or "that job wasn't meant for you"...

"And why do you look (please underline LOOK) at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?" I do believe that the Lord would rather have us focus on self-introspection. We all have a speck in our own lives that when it has been removed, our testimony shared in love with help our brothers and sisters remove the specks in their own lives.

My Peace I give you - Shalom