Monthly Archives: February 2012

He doesn’t lie

February 29, 2012

Romans 8:

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[ 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Love has become a very mundane thing in society. People say they love us when they really mean that they like us. People say they love us and then hurt and leave us.
Our perceptions of love have become very twisted because of this. So now, whenever we hear that God truly loves us, the words fall on deaf ears.

We think “how could God love me” when my loved one dies, my boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife leaves without any good reason, I’ve lost my job. And then he says that nothing separates us from His love.

So I asked God this morning, how do I know that you really love me? Because when I think about it, anything that I want to happen depends on His love for me. If anything goes wrong, I assume that He doesn’t and if anything goes right, I assume that He does.

Well…after waiting to hear from Him, I got nothing. But in getting nothing I think I got the answer.
God’s love is not determined by what He does, and does not do. We’ve been trained to think that because that’s how we know when ‘people’ love us. But God’s love is determined by the fact that He says He loves us. Numbers 23:19 says that “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”
The most interesting thing about God, I think, is that whatever He says, happens. Someone once said that even if God were to say that the sky was green, the sky would have to turn to green despite the fact that it is blue. So when God says that He loves us…He loves us. Whatever real love is, has to be manifested simply because He said it.

Whatever you’re going through, remember that. There’s nothing that can change his love for you. No matter what happens. It simply is.

As simple as it sounds, it’s a hard thing to wrap your mind and heart around this truth. We’ve simply had too many sad excuses of love. But if you can wrap your mind around it, and your heart, perhaps you can set a standard for what real love looks like. Let’s pray:

Father, teach me to understand what real love is. And that despite all the bad representations of love I have seen, that you love me. Help me to understand that even if I don’t see your hand, that you still love me. In Jesus name. Amen.

Posted by schadah in Uncategorized

Guess what? You’re adopted!

February 28, 2012

Romans 8: 29-33

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies

I want to talk today about asking God for stuff aka Praying.
Sometimes you pray. And you don’t see anything happening… Well let’s run through this tidbit of scripture today.

Paul said in these few verses that “For those God knew before time, he also confirmed to the image of his Son”. Ok . So let’s think about that. Did God know you before you were born? If so, then it was your destiny to be like His Son. Now the scripture here says that once God foreknew you, He predestined you to be conformed to HIS SON. Meditate on that. If you are familiar with the process of adoption, when a parent adopts a child, it is with every intention that the child is seen as belonging to the parent. God only had one son, but He CONFORMED YOU to the image of His Son. Which means that the moment you received Christ, He saw you just like Jesus.

Now, the thing about life, is that it will continually throw you off course, making you believe that God’s plan for your life is not going to happen. That’s when the enemy comes in, bringing doubt and fear to you, making you worry and stressed out over everything that goes on around you. When this happens, some of us just stop praying. Others pray the roof off of their houses, begging God to do something.

But what God wants you to know is that You are His’. Just as He backed Jesus on earth, He backs you up. Now I am not saying that you should go beat the crap out of someone and then say He’s got your back. But know that whatever you ask God for, He hears you, and He responds in your best interest because you are His child. God is your Father. He doesn’t withhold anything good from you. If you had a good father, when ever you asked him for something, you believed He would give you simply because He was your dad.

God wants you to have that same faith in Him. Believe that when you pray, you receive. Believe that He is your Father and that He has your back. Believe in Him. Kicking, screaming or begging him is an insult to Him and so is just giving up on asking. Because in both instances you are saying that He can’t do it.
PS: And if He doesn’t respond to you when you want it, it hasn’t changed the fact that He heard you. It may just be that what you are asking for is not ‘good’ for you at the moment.

Posted by schadah in Uncategorized

Monday morning gratitude

February 27, 2012

Romans8: 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them

Happy Monday!
Declare that: Happy Monday ________(your name).

When you get to work this morning, when you get on the bus to school, you’re going to find a million things to complain about. Don’t go there. It’s a road for disaster. Instead meditate on these things.
1. You woke up. Your lungs did not give way in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.
2. You woke up, cataract free, able to see what you need to wear today, able to see what you needed to fix yourself a sandwich and able to locate your keys.
3. Your muscles, bones, nerves cooperated with you, awakening you pain free, and able to get out of your bed stroke free.
4. Your mind…no matter how tired and how grumpy it might have been, was able to think, process and complete every function that your brain told it to.
5. Your heart still beats, even if it feels lonely, pain-filled, broken, empty.
6. You still had a more than $1 in your bank account.
7. You have the privilege to go to school and learn. Some cannot afford to.
8. You have the privilege to go to work. Some don’t have jobs.
9. Your labour today will be rewarded. It might not be the substantial reward that you want it to be. But it will bear fruit either in the form of a good grade. Or a weekly wage.
10. God has absolute and total control of your day. You don’t.

Now…as I said, declare that today is a good day. Thank God for all of these things. These little things that He has caused to happen.
All things in your life, yesterday, today and tomorrow, works together for your good. Even when you don’t see God’s hand, He is working behind the scenes, causing your mental faculties to work for your good, and causing everything about your day to work according to His plan. Rest assured, that He has absolute and total control of your day, and your days ahead. Once He is in control, everything will run like clockwork.

Posted by schadah in Thanksgiving Tags: encouragement, giving thanks, God, grateful, gratitude, grumpy, monday, morning blues, peace, thanks

Your Sunantilambanomai

February 24, 2012

Romans: 8

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers[l] in harmony with God’s own will.

I’ve been awestruck with this ever since I’ve read it. But the internet in my house has been off all day.
Have you ever had one of those days when you feel too weak to get up? It’s like Life got out of bed before you and refused to wake you up. Well I had one of those moments this morning as I struggled to get out of bed.
But at best, I forced myself to open my bible and read the rest of Romans chapter 8. As I did, this phrase “the Holy Spirit helps” jumped out at me.
I got to figuring out that the word ‘help’ in this case comes from the greek root “Sunantilambanomai” (pronounced Su nahn tee lam-ban o mai). This word means in the Greek ‘joint help’. It is the assistance afforded by any two persons to each other, who mutually bear the same load or carry it between themselves.

I don’t know about you, but WOW! Think about it this way. Have you ever been so sick with the flu that you’ve wanted someone to come and feed you your favourite bowl of chicken soup? Or perhaps you’re like me- unable to ice skate and whenever you fall, you desperately need someone to pick you up and skate with you before you fall again.

That’s what the Holy Spirit does. He shares your load so you don’t have to carry it on your own. It’s great when you can do things on your own. But this morning, before I read this verse, I really did not feel like getting up. And if I were up to me, I would not have. But God knows I needed to. And right there and then I felt the Holy Spirit just sweep me up in His arms and help me get off the bed. And I am so glad, because it made getting out of bed so much easier.

What is it that you’re going through that you don’t feel like you can do? There’s nothing too small or too big for Him to help you with. Those are the terms of your relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is literally there to help with whatever you need. NB: He will not do the task for you. Your relationship with Him is one where you do things together. That’s the nature of Sunantilambanomai. But even when you go through the things together, He will, in His awesome strength, give you His power to help so that you don’t have to exert so much energy. Hallelujah!
Your Sunantilambanomai even prays with you. And the bible says that even when you can’t pray for yourself, Christ prays on your behalf. (that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pray. lol. But when you really really can’t, He is there praying for you so that you can do the impossible). This is why the bible says that “two are better than one”.

So why do we continue to do things on our own? Why do we continue to struggle and fight and be weary when God has provided us with sunantilambanomai?

Prayer point: Holy Spirit, i acknowledge today that we’re in this together. We’re in this together. Help me to do everything I have to do. I invite you into my life. In Jesus’ name.

Posted by schadah in How He Loves Me, Uncategorized

Fully Loaded

February 23, 2012

Romans 8: 9-11

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life[d] because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

You are not weak. If only you knew how strong you are and how potentially deadly you are to the enemy.
From where you stand right now, it seems as if you’re being beaten, left, right and centre. And even when you fall to the ground, it seems as if there are still kicks and punches that are being thrown at you. But do not be deceived, because you are not weak.

I know that we’re continuing in the book of Romans. But as I got to Chapter 8, it became necessary to slow down and take these verses in bite sizes. Last night, I got to thinking about a lot of things. Things perhaps that don’t concern me, but really they do. Like the death of Whitney Houston, and Don Cornelius. The former, we still don’t know how she died, but her life spiraled downhill with the pressures of the world. And the other, well I was told he shot himself in the head.
They are not alone, as I feel there are so many people that are going through life feeling that they can’t make it and they resort to measures that will inevitably end their lives. Many are faced with depression, sickness, uncontrollable desires and generally they all think that there is nothing that they can do. But you know what? The devil is a liar.

Reread the scripture above. I would like to draw your attention to the fact and the truth that Christ lives in you. Now hold up. Because for you to actually accept the rest of what I have to say, you’ve got to believe that God IS and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. See when you understand that Christ lives in you, you come to understand that there is NOTHING you cannot face in this world. Yes, the enemy tells you daily that you’re going to fail, that you’re worthless. His number one tactic is to destroy your self worth. And believe me when I say I know exactly how that works. But as long as you have received Christ, CHRIST LIVES IN YOU. And there is nothing that you cannot achieve with that bit of information.

More than that, the Word of God says that “same spirit that raised Christ from the dead, DWELLS IN YOU”. Now understand, how much power was required for Christ to be resurrected. It is recorded that the 600 ton stone that was blocking his tomb was rolled away ( and there were no bulldozers in that day). More than that, the earth shook. ALL THAT… dwells in you. When you understand the power of the Cross, and what God did for you, there is nothing that can tear you down. You are fully loaded. God in you, gives you life.
Are you weary? Are you heavy laden, remember who lives on the inside of you. Do you think that you have to continue living in sin? That you have to continue hurting yourself? Remember the God that lives in you.

I like to think of Rambo. That man had enough ammunition to take out the world. So do you. You are fully loaded. All of the weapons needed to regain your strength, are with you. You have the mind of Christ, you have your sword (the word of God), you have piercing arrows (your mouth), you have helmet (salvation), your breastplate (righteousness)….and above all that you have Christ. Do not let the enemy take you out.

Prayer point: Father in the name of Jesus, I decree and declare, that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. I have the mind of Christ. I will not fall and if I have fallen, I refuse to stay down. Spirit of the Living God, ignite me. In Jesus Name.

Posted by schadah in Tidbits for the weary Tags: fight, God, joy, lion, mind of christ, peace, resurrection, righteousness, soldiers, warfare, warrior, weapons, whitney houston

2 comments

Come too far…

February 22, 2012

“I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come down”- Nehemiah 6:3

Whenever the enemy wants to distract you from your purpose, he will always through a curve ball to throw you off balance. Have you ever had a time when you felt like everything was going wonderful!- your relationships were alright and you knew exactly what God had called you to do…And then all of a sudden -WHAM!!!. Something totally unexpected happens and throws you to the floor.

When I say “Wham”, I don’t necessarily mean that it’s something that will hit you so hard that you don’t know where it came from (although those things too qualify). But it could be a simple ‘somebody just ticked you off with something said’. Or you just ran into someone who you never expected (nor wanted) to see.
It’s right at that point, that your emotions take over, and the purpose of God for your life, well it gets kicked to the curb.

Whatever God has ministered in your heart to do, whatever He has promised to you, it’s important that you stay on it. It doesn’t matter how small it is, as long as God is the one who has placed it in your heart, it’s a good thing.
I guess I am saying this because so many times I come across people who have great ideas, great plans that God has placed on their hearts. And just at the brink of excitement, the enemy always throws a curveball to remind them how impossible it seems to achieve what God has said.
This is what happened to Nehemiah when he decided to do God’s will. People started telling him how stupid it was. But I love Nehemiah’s reply whenever others tried to dishevel him. He said “I’m sorry. What I am doing here is a good thing. I cannot come down”.
“Come down to where?” you might ask. Come down to the level of the unbelievers, Come down to listen to people tell you how much what you’re doing is senseless.
Whenever the enemy tries to discourage you from God’s plan and purpose for your life, tell him before he gets too far, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down”.

Posted by schadah in Tidbits for the weary Tags: can't give up, curve ball, curveball, discouraged, God, god is the one, great work, unbelievers

So you messed up eh?

February 21, 2012

Romans 8:1-4

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[b] from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.[c] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

I once said to someone that we don’t need to tell people how much they’ve messed up, the enemy does that for them all day long in their minds.
When you make a bad decision, or when you do something and you don’t see the fruit of your labour, it’s easy to feel like you’ve ‘missed God’. Perhaps, you’ve even received a word from God, or so you think… and you see the exact opposite of that Word manifesting in your life.
It’s at the point of no hope, that the Enemy comes in to tell us how much we suck. And he’ll do it all day long if we let him. But God has promised us in this scripture that He doesn’t condemn us when we mess up.
I think this is so hard for many people to grasp. But if you read from the beginning of Romans up until chapter 8:1-4, you realize something. No matter how much you’ve messed up, God has made a way of escape for you. I don’t want to address any of the huge sins that people normally commit. I think we hear enough of that on a regular basis. But the word “sin” means to ‘miss the mark’. That’s it. But you can miss the mark simply by opening your mouth and telling someone off. It’s really that simple to sin. But on any given day that you’ve missed the mark, God says that there is no condemnation to you who are in Christ. It’s not very hard to miss the mark. Think of all the wrong decisions you made because you didn’t consult with God on a given day and you’ll see how easy it is to feel condemned.

However, when God says you don’t need to feel condemned, He takes it a step further. He said you don’t need to feel condemned…ever again. Now I am not saying (and Paul says this in Romans 6) that you have a licence to constantly mess up, but it’s so important to know that what God did for you on the cross freed you from sin. That is…he freed you from ever missing the mark. The key to doing this is in verse 4: Instead of following the sinful nature, follow the Spirit. It seems that the last few weeks God has really been trying to drive home the idea to us that every move we make needs to be determined by the Spirit. I hope this makes sense. But it’s important to know that God has made a way for you to NOT make bad decisions that will lead to condemnation. All you have to do is walk in the Spirit.

Prayer point: Father, help me to digest this word, that you don’t condemn me when I mess up. Help me to see You as a life giver and that you have made a way for me to not miss the mark. Father, help me to look to your Spirit. Help me to be guided by the Spirit so that I don’t make bad decisions.

Posted by schadah in Tidbits about thinking

Won’t even try!

February 20, 2012

Happy Monday y’all!!

A new week is here. Do you notice how fast the year is going by? It was January 1st only a few weeks ago. Now it’s almost the end of February.

There’s one more thing that you should notice. God has been keeping you for the last two months. Every situation, every day that you thought you couldn’t make it through, He held your hand and brought you through it.

There are mornings that you wake up thinking, I can’t go through with ‘this’. It could be because your Monday feels like ‘mundane’, or that your Friday feels just ‘fried’. But have you ever noticed that no matter what the day, or how you feel, “something” pushes you out of bed and into the day? That’s God.

I woke up this morning thinking about all of the things that have happened in the last few weeks of this year. And I got to thinking…it would be impossible for me to even get up each of those days without God. Really!
What would your day be like if God wasn’t in it? Let’s say that God decided to take a day off from you. What would your day be like? I won’t even try to imagine it.

When you’ve thought about each day in your past, and you’ve realized just how absolutely faithful He has been, you just know that you can’t live without Him. So be grateful. Be grateful for whatever little things He’s done for you these last two months. See His hand in your life. See that He’s been keeping you from fatal disasters.
And say thanks. Lol. You can’t go one second without Him.

Prayer: Father, thank you for keeping me all through this year. Even though it’s only been two months, I couldn’t have made these two months without you. Thank you for helping me through each day. In Jesus Name.

Posted by schadah in Tidbits for the weary

All of my help

February 17, 2012

Today is Friday. To be honest I have nothing really to write. And I promised that I would only write what God lays on my heart. Well, all I have is a song and a scripture. Be blessed, and don’t give up on you.

Psalm 121-NLT

1. I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth!

3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

5 The LORD himself watches over you!
The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

7 The LORD keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

Posted by schadah in How Great is our God, How He Loves Me

How to get over…

February 16, 2012

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure- 1 Cor 10:13.

It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed- Heb 2:18.

When you’re going through a rough time, it’s very easy to think you are the only one going through that particular issue. Of a possible 6 billion people on the earth, you think that you’re the only one that’s facing a specific kind of situation. Hmmmm. But the Word of God lets us know that there is nothing that we face in life that others haven’t experienced before. More importantly, there’s nothing that we go through that Christ didn’t go through already.
You might think that’s impossible. But Christ was a human form. Just like you, he had emotions. He got angry when they made the temple into a gambling hall. He got depressed and alone when his disciples fell asleep and left him in the garden of Gethsemane. He had the tax collectors on his back at one point. And at another He was homeless. There are so many things that He went through. But the good news is that He got over. See for every situation that Christ went through, He found a way out. And we have that promise too. When we’re going through things, He says he will show us a way out, so that we can endure.

Unfortunately, when you’re challenged the last thing that you want is stop and listen to your ‘wise-self’- The Spirit in you, to ask how to come out of the situation. It seems that the emotional response just likes to rule as much and as long as it could. So you sit there, puffed up, depressed, panicking,…never asking Him to show a way out.
Wouldn’t you love to say “I got over it!”? Or “I got out of it”? Then I challenge you, that the next time you go through a challenge, get into the Word of God and ask Him to show you how Christ overcame that challenge. Or you know what? Since it’s a challenge for some of us to just ‘find’ a bible, Google it. Just Google “how Christ dealt with…”. You will find some nutcase responses, but you will also be pointed to examples of scripture that deal with your situation. You can also ask a friend…but allow God to point you to the right one, one who will pray with and encourage you, rather than tell you that you’re weak and stupid for feeling the things you do.
In all this, know that you’re not alone. God has made a way of escape for you.

Posted by schadah in Tidbits for Relationships

Monthly Archives: February 2012

He doesn’t lie

Guess what? You’re adopted!

Monday morning gratitude

Your Sunantilambanomai

Fully Loaded

Come too far…

So you messed up eh?

Won’t even try!

All of my help

How to get over…

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