Hebrews 8 "2

" Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honour beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There He ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.

‘There He ministers in the Sacred Tent, the true place of worship that was built by The LORD and not by human hands’

 THE TRUE PLACE OF WORSHIP.

This isolated part of Hebrews 8”2 says so much about our walk with Christ. It implies that there is a fake place of worship that exists. In essence: if there are true places of worship, then there are fake places of worship; and here we have it; The True place of worship is found only in the Sacred Tent of The Most High GOD. Where Jesus is. – When we worship in fake-ness, we are not ministering in the Sacred Temple, we’re not actually ministering at all! We are simply leading on our soul and physical emotions into a state of serene fake-ness. Believing that we are worshiping God when we are not.

Okay I just said a lot there, so let’s break down those statements in order to make it more clear.

Okay, to the word ‘Ministering’ in the original Greek that Hebrews was written in (don’t get confused) is διακονέω or diakoneó: to serve, minister.

In looking at this verse through this light we see that Jesus, even after His Glorification is still serving, this just throws Hebrews13”8 at me which says: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever’. The qualities of compassion that He showed here on earth can never change because He holds His word above His name (~Psalm 138”2). Meaning that His character hasn’t changed as a result of Him being glorified and anointed above all things (~Hebrews1”8, 9). The compassionate and loving Jesus who asked a Samaritan woman for water JOHN4”7 is the same Jesus who sits at the right hand of God this moment as we speak (or read/type… etc.)HEBREWS1”13. And if we are to be like Jesus (which is the whole point of living) we are also called to minister unto God.  1SAMUEL12”24 says:

But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.

And this verse was taken from the Old Testament t, before the CROSS. – hello!? How much more now are we to serve God and keep His law of love in our hearts?

So … you ask, how we minister to Him.

By entering into His Sacred Tent. The Sacred Tent concept originates from the Laws of Moses, and how they would build a Temples of God wherever they went to symbolise His presence there with them.

This is all explained in Hebrews 8, but in essence: there was an Outer Court, and Inner Court and the Holy of Holies- the place where God resided. That was the place that only one high priest could enter into once a year to offer God sacrifices on behalf of the people.

Obviously, this is no longer how things operate – thank God for His inclusiveness and mercy so that anyone, anywhere can enter unto this Sacred place in a heart of sincere faith and belief in Him as God and personal Saviour .

What does this mean in terms of worship  ( and this is what it all comes down to) :

 JOHN4”23,24: "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 

(This verse was actually taken from when He was talking to thee Samaritan Woman!)

God wants people whose heart is to please Him.

Now I don’t get this right, sometimes I’, say: at church in praise and worship, and I know myself that I only worship Him in Spirit and in Truth for about 2mins out of the whole 30. Because you just know when you reach that place: the world falls away, and your mind is completely connected to God – you’re thinking of nothing and no one else!

But it doesn’t have to be in Church, and that leads on to the next part of the verse:

‘…that was built by The LORD and not by human hands’

This place can be accessed anywhere, it is not a geographical location, more like a Spiritual destination, a true place of perfect peace, where your mind is stayed on Him.

It doesn’t have to be loud, most of the time (for me, at least) I am completely silent. Eyes closed. And I just feel my inner self – My Spirit radiating within me, and taking over myself – it’s hard to describe.

But I want to experience more of this.

Let our prayers be to focus on Him more than ever before, so that we may be led, by His Spirit into the place of perfect peace, and into His Sacred Tent

IMTAPA
(In my thoughts and prayaers always)

Luke Chap. 2.

Okay, so we are officially on chapter 2 of Luke, and we’ve just so happened to come across the Christmas story JUST as we are entering into the Christmas season. No this was not planned, however it’s definitely timely.

Chapter 2 really sets the scene of the time, by making reference to the Roman Empire: ~LUKE2”1 ‘At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman empire.’ The lesson  learnt from this was:

When it’s the will of God, and you have a heart for God, things will fall in place.

Augustus had no idea that he was part of the Orchestration of Gods plan to see His Son down to earth. He was actually quite-the arrogant man, like most of the Roman Emperors, he allowed himself to be worshiped as a God. And he did not fear the true Living God.

In other words … he’s not on our team.

But that did not stop God using him to perfect His plans and purposes.  The prophet Micah wrote about the geographical location where The Messiah would be placed on earth :

‘But you O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant path.’  ~MICAH5”2

The little town of Bethlehem was chosen to be the center of the World for one night and  eternity.

Why?

Because ‘… God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who THINK they are wise …so that no one can ever boast in His presence’ 1COR1”27+29.

-          We think we are wise , and we think we know it all , when the truth is … humans don’t even know everything about the human body, the entire concept of science is trying to get our heads around these things, we don’t know a 1/10th of our galaxy . - What makes us humans think we can try to understand The One – Our God who created it all?

I’ve seen this a lot in the Bible, the stories that I have heard from childhood, and the personalities behind many of the characters, all carry similar themes.

 God uses the small, the weak, the outcast and the unexpected to change the world. I have previously spoken about the disciples, they were just ordinary people (look here for more on them). David was thrown out onto the fields every day, Ruth was a widow, Esther an orphan, and these are just some of the people God loves to use.

Now if you consider yourself privileged, don't think your out of the equation.

 God looks at the heart, and I guess its just that people who have experienced broken moments in their life realise their incapability, weaknesses, and their need for God more than many others.

~ Its the spirit that God looks for , and that is one of humility.

"A meek and a contrite [humble] heart, O God, You will not refuse"

-PSALMS51"17

 We must strive and earnestly have faith to be the sort of people who will never claim glory for themselves, but will always...and I mean ALWAYS direct it back to God because Jesus is the reason for all good things.

-          And don’t you forget it.

 This is also emphasised by the next section in the chapter which focuses on the Shepherds – the first group of people to come and see Baby Jesus! – Now. If fishermen were at-all looked down on in 5BC (or thereabouts...) then Shepherds were really looked down on. They were minding their own and working in the night when suddenly a breakthrough from heaven to earth appears outta-nowhere!

 ~ LUKE2”9 ‘… They were terribly frightened’ (you betcha). But here we see the amazing hand of God, reaching out to the (probably) socially rejected men who were just doing their job. And God is in that business. He loves surprising those who feel like their lives are plain and mundane. He loves humility and the humble hearts of shepherd men were perfect.

 They came to see Baby Jesus and told Mary and Joseph about what they had seen … the next verse, is one that I love: ‘but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often.’ (“19) What an amazing girl! She was incredibly sensitive to the Spirit of God and remembered all that she had been told over the past year or so. I really think we should take this on, when small but significant things happen in our lives, we must not forget God, His promises, and His word. They are life and are important for our lives!

As you know the Jewish nation is one that firmly holds on to their traditions and customs, and it started way-back. On the 8th day after Jesus was born, it was time for the purification offering (“21) and so Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph went to present Him to The LORD at the temple.

This next section shows so wonderfully how faithful God is in His word. LUKE 2”25: ‘At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
As you have promised..PSAMLS33”4 says: For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all he does. (NIV) – And it’s because He is! In verse 26, we see how the Holy Spirit had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. And for sure, God did not let his time come until he held Jesus. It’s impossible for God to lie, and this is clear evidence that His words are true. NUMBERS23”19 

Now the last two sections are so amazing to read, they are the last couple of verse we know that look into the life of Jesus growing up as a child. I wish we knew more – but the Bible gives us all that we need to know for salvation. 40 'There The Child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favour was on Him.'

     Jesus was not an ordinary Child – far from it. Here we see that God blessed Him growing up and He was :

-         * Healthy

-         * Strong

-         * Full of wisdom

-          *(and) Special Favour

*** These qualities are prayers that we can all pray for ourselves and the people around us growing-up. That they will have health, be strong and have wisdom and favour of God Almighty.

Now … for the big moment.

The first words Jesus says (that are written down for us ;)  -  ( when basically Jesus stays on in Jerusalem after a feast talking to the Teachers in the Temple and His Parents are looking for Him)

‘But why did you need to search?’

Why DO YOU need to search?

Jesus is right here, calling for those from every corner of the earth to join Him in His Kingdom that has no end.

That’s right. No end. Ever.

(“49) “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50But they didn’t understand what he meant.

51Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

52Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and all the people.

“49 – God’s presence is where we need to be, and by this I don’t mean going to Church every Sunday (though sadly, that is the only place many of those who are saved ever receive the filling of God’s presence) It can be anywhere, when you open up your heart to Him, and ask Him to get rid of the distractions, sin and clutter; and make space for Him to reside. His presence will be with you forever:

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” MATT28”29

“51 – Obey those God has put around you - ie : your guardians and parents “This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise”EPHESIANS6”1-3.

I am in awe, Of Jesus’ ability to obey and surrender to the authority of two people that He made.

 – This fact really helped me through my 'teen-why-is-my-mum-so-strict' phase. If Jesus, The Creator of the universe can obey His mum (who was not divine, so was imperfect). Then so could I.

And for the second time in this chapter, we see the wonderful nature of Mary, the mother of Jesus keep in her heart everything that is taking place in her Child's life.

In a similar way. Take to heart what I have shared with you today. And I hope it will be an addition to the growing insight into God’s word that we all want to know and discover.

IMTAPA Xx

In my thoughts and prayers always xxx

(PS: It is also my prayer that you grow in wisdom, stature and in favour with God and all people.)

WAKE-UP YOUNG'UNS !!!

Where are we?!?!?!?

I'd like to ask: Where is the generation of God that is ready for the torch to be passed down to us?

I must admit, I've been quite upset over the past hour, I’ve been talking to my mum about the current state of the youth around where I am presently living and I feel slightly isolated. I can't seem to find any Christian Youth who are really Christians. 

I feel slightly awful in writing about this, and I am definitely struggling because I do not in any way want to seem like a spiritual-snob who knows everything and has expectations of people. I certainly do not want the spirit of pride and arrogance to overwhelm the emotional response of you reading this. Because I'm not trying to judge any individual (MATT7"1), I'm just making a statement.

For us Christian young'uns who have grown up in The Faith  with Bible believing parents and surroundings , We have absolutely no excuse , Like I said in my last post : 'To whom much is given, much is expected'. LUKE12"48

WE CANNOT (repeat) CANNOT live double (minded) LIVES!!

If we say we are Christians then that’s what we must be! - We can’t walk around like God owes us something. Because He doesn't. He does not owe us anything; we are the one who owe Him everything. 

I was talking to a couple of girls yesterday over some work, there were believers and non-believer there alike, and I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed for the Christian faith, and I was embarrassed at the work that people do under the name of God. I almost felt betrayed. 

When Judas was handing Jesus over to the authorities in the 'Garden of Gethsemane', he had the audacity to kiss Jesus on the cheek, the cheek! Even though in his mind He knew that was committing a great felony against Him. (LUKE 22"47). Even Jesus, The Holy One who never showed anything but love to everyone that has ever existed turned to Judas and asked him: ‘Judas, how can you betray Me with a kiss?’("48)

- And that, my friend is exactly what we do when we are hypocritical to God and His command for us. 

Listen I'm not saying I'm perfect , but I am letting the Spirit of God , the Holy Spirit guide and direct me into all truth (JOHN16"13) And I know that my character is slowly and gradually changing to be more and more like Christ every day.

But it is an entirely different scenario when you just don’t care, you just don’t care how you live your life, you say 'I'm a Christian, but I can do this or that, God won’t mind, after all he is a loving god' - Well I don’t know about you but the god you’re talking about is not my God. My God is loving - and it is because He is loving that He sets us His commands that we can ask for help to live by. We need to give Him something to work with. 

I am going to put it plainly to you. If you can walk around , swearing and cursing , have malice, hatred and anger towards people, going out for wild-late parties and generally acting no different to a non-Believer, then ... hate to break it to you ( no actually , I love breaking this to you because you need to know it) YOU DO NOT HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

Your heart should be flooded with condemnation at any time you feel like you are heading towards sin. You are the temple of God! (1COR6"19) - You do not belong to yourself. And you have no right to be dragging the name of the Christian world and faith with you to the night clubs and bars, and general places where they shouldn’t be. 

But Lakechia, you say , that’s nonsense who says I can’t be out at 1 in the morning, or that I can’t go to wild parties and events ...

Well, here’s my answer: 

 'You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols' 1PETER4"3

- You see that? Godless people, according to Peter it is Godless to engage in such things once you’re a child of God - and the true God.

Now look , I'm not saying Christians shouldn't be able to spend time with their friends, going out for meals and what-not. But, and this is my litmus-test:

WWJD

(What-would-Jesus-do?)

- 'You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you. And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything.' -1COR6"12

Do you see Jesus dancing to the charts in a nightclub?

Do you see Him sitting around talking about immoral topics?

Do you see Him swearing?

The Bible makes His character clear, and we young Christians cannot ignore everything that He sacrificed His life for ~ Fellowship with Him. Happiness as we delight ourselves in Him (PSALMS37"4)

We may be the only Jesus, our friends will ever get to see here on earth. We must be careful and please, if you know you’re out doing things you shouldn't , sometimes it wouldn’t hurt to fake it to your (non-saved) friends until you have got your self back onto the right track. You being around them will influence their decision on whether they should become a part of Gods Family and Kingdom or not.

No pressure.

Ask God to help you undo the damage you may have done in the past in the way you professed to be a Christian, but did not act like it.

Repent, turn away from your un-Godly ways and rise up towards the mark, and press on to the Goal that Christ had planned for us from the beginning of creation (PHILLIPIANS3"14)

This emotional-rant was not to put-you-down.

I just felt like there needs to be more of us, more young people who are ready to throw away the cares of this life and focus on the Will of God and what He wants for us.

More youth that want to be pure and Holy just for Him.

Not everyone will take this path. But I hope and pray to God, 

That you do.

13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. -MATTHEW7"13-14

LUKE - ch1. - Study.

Hey guys!

I’ve recently been doing a personal Bible Study on the book of Luke – I finished the book of Luke a couple of days ago, and I must admit, I felt abit sad that it had ended. I love His writings, the depth he goes into and his detailed accounts are so amazing. I plan to go from chapter 1 right through to the end into the book of Luke, and His account of the life of Jesus, The Gospel and The Good News of His Kingdom.  This is not a commentary on EVERY SINGLE verse in the book of Luke , I just feel that there were some verses in each chapter that the LORD used to speak to me about various characteristics of Jesus and myself in my own journey of self-improvement in becoming more like my Saviour – Jesus !! 

CHAP. 1

Luke starts by letting us know that He is writing to ‘Most honorable Theophilius’ . Best guessing in this is that Theophilus is a good friend that Luke does not get to see very often. Now Luke was practicing doctor before being Called. And this greatly explains his way of accounting events. “3‘Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, “4 to reassure you of all the truth you were taught,’

One of the first things that are brought to my attention starting from verse 5: ‘It all beings with a Jewish priest, Zechariah …His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.’ This tells me so much about the Character of God. He cares about families. He cares about groups of people who all-purpose to follow Him. We see individuals like Moses and Aaron who were brothers, and listened to the voice of God. And God continued His promise to them more than 35 generations .The scripture says in Psalms 105. God never forgets His promises- “8. And you can trust that in your relationship with Him, He will do just that. I read a lot in the Psalms on how God keeps His promois from generation to generation- Psalm 145”13 . I am so blessed to have an absolutely amazing mum who has raised me in the ways of God and it’s so special when she prays for me and my continual course of salvation. It makes me feel like I’m a part of something bigger than myself. And in a world that is not getting any better in the fact that sin is becoming exceedingly sinful, I believe that no matter what age you are, when you come to the understanding of the importance of salvation, you can continue your line of salvation by praying for the generations after your own. Even though they may be years into the future- remember there is no time with God. He loves families.

Verse 6 of Luke ch.1 says ‘Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the LORDS commandments and regulations. ‘Now one thing we should pick up here is that the couple were righteous in GOD’S EYES. – It doesn’t say in the eyes of men, or in the eyes of the world – or compared to others. And I believe as Christians, we care to much about the opinions of men rather than what God thinks of us. We should be more concerned that in the quietness of our hearts and at home when no one is around that God is pleased with us. From this scripture, we know that Elizabeth and Zachariah were not like the stereotypical (most part) Pharisees, they were not hypocrites. Now the second part of that verse says they were ‘careful to obey all of the LORDS commands’ for me what was highlighted here was not the fact that they obeyed all of LORDS commands, but the fact they were careful to. In other words, they yearned and longed to obey God. In this last movement of the ‘grace message’ one can get easily confused with the part we are supposed to play in our pursuit of righteousness. And that’s what righteousness should be, it should be our pursuit. Not just an added bonus of being a Christian. In in pursuing God we must OBEY the instructions of the HOLY SPIRIT .Whenever He speaks to us – and trust me , He does, the question is whether you have cleared your way to hear Him or not.

In verse 9, Luke says: ‘… he (Zachariah) was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the LORD’S presence ‘Now I don’t know about you, but I find it quite strange when these profound moments like someone going into the temple is chosen by Lot, the Scripture says that ‘His ways are bigger than our ways’ – You must also realise what a big deal it was for someone to go and speak to God. *I heard that a rope had to be tied to the leg of someone who went into the temple, because the Glory of the Lord was so prominent that the person (Priest) could fall over and die.*

And you know what, it STILL IS a big deal when we speak to God, His presence is still prominent – in fact even more so, the scripture says: In the last days, there will be an outpouring of the presence of God. And what’s more , when Jesus died, the veil between God and man was torn from bottom to top- and it’s the reason we can cry out to God today without making long journeys to Holy places to ‘visit God’. – We must not take this for granted.  ** Familiarity breeds content. The human race is exposed and given up to the Spirit of Christ more than ever before – and we don’t even know it. Think of it like this: Someone is listening to a beautiful Mozart composition, and the first sound of it makes them cry at the beaut and richness of the sounds. But after a while of the music playing, a couple of hours pass by, they don’t even realise its playing. The music remains the same, but they’ve gotten used to it, even though at first it made them cry. The word of God is truth, and it says that God is the same yesterday today and forever, don’t fall into contempt. Treat Jesus with the honour He deserves, Jesus says in Revelation: Return to your first love. Remember when you first became a Christian, and worship felt like heaven on earth to you. Don’t lose that spark.

“13 – ‘But the angel said, don’t be afraid, Zachariah!’ – If I’m not mistaken it is 365 times Jesus in the Bible says don’t be afraid. Why – so we can get the point. This is easier said than done, but we must pray to God for a brave spirit. And not a courageous one of our own strength. But completely confidant in our Saviour- for He has ‘overcome the world’! And so this is the first Supernatural encounter in the New Testament according to Luke. There has been limited contact with God more *** years. And the first thing that is said by this amazing Angel is ‘Do not be afraid’. That definitely is saying something. The funniest thing is, as many of us would do … Zechariahs first response isn’t – Yes Lord … or how wonderful! – Or even some form of happiness when (I’m sure) a massive glowing Angel is standing in front of Him. Instead He questions. In this moment alone, we can definitely fall into the conclusion that Zechariah is a sceptic. But so many of us are: ‘But how can I know this will happen’ – in other words, Can this be sure.

This experienced is juxtaposed to Mary being told the same Good News. Angel Gabriel comes to Mary, - a descendant of DAVID – 2Samuel 7”12-16

And lets her know that she has been chosen to be the Mother of the Messiah. And in perspective, both Zacharias and Mary had very similar reactions Mary said ‘But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin’ – some might say she doubted. But you must look at Zechariah and Mary as two completely different people: Zachariah was much older than Mary (“18) He had been a Priest for probably longer than Mary had been alive. He had studied the Scriptures, and in theory and on paper, should have not reacted the way he did. Mary on the other hand was a teenager, with limited experience in the Scriptures and had probably never even been INSIDE a temples inner courts. On paper, her encounter with an angel should have been worse. But she took it very well. She was favoured by the Lord “

Let’s face it, ‘to whom much is given much is required’- Luke 12”48 and Zechariah was made dumb because much was expected of him, but he didn’t seem to think so!

GET CLOSE TO HIM !!!!!

Okay so there's this girl, and she is planning a surprise birthday for her best friend, she decides it might mean more if more people help out. So she's thinking about who to talk to… Shall she talk to a girl who speaks to her best friend every now and again , or should she speak to a girl that's practically another best friend of the birthday girl , who knows better ? --- listen, it’s a no-brainer . When you get close to God and He is the centre of your world (because your His;) things get a lot easier, you understand His will a lot better , you are able to hear His directions with ease . Why is this ?

 Think about talking to your mum in the car, can you hear her better when the radio is blasting ?! Of course not !!! 

Get rid of distractions and you will be able to hear the voice of God . 

He is always speaking to you , but sometimes :/ you don't hear Him !!

I love this verse : 'delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart' -- okay so , you are going to go to Paris for spring break , that guy is totally going to speak to you today , and the dream car is coming your way !!!

 - No, just no .

When you get close to God , and I mean really close ... His heart beats with yours and suddenly, you realise that things that seemed so important fly out of the window . His desires for your life become your desires. And voila !

Those desires will become realities because God knows your needs more than you do ! 

So ... What does getting close to God mean ??

 - 'now each to his own' but I've definitely found what has worked for me . - dedicating time in the morning to read His word - praying - absolutely no secular music (just sayin') - little secular television (don't think it can't be done:) - noting thought patterns - noting social interactions --- just to mention the basics . Now I’m not saying  you go and throw away your television . But I'm very visual , a couple of episodes of the real housewives and my mind can't get off it !! I detest being a slave to anything . So test yourself . Can you go a week without your favourite show ? If you can't then I'm afraid you have the mini-god complex . Things you can't live without . I had to make up my mind to stop watching certain shows completely, because sometimes I would be in church , and suddenly a scene from the last episode pops up in my head - it was just getting too much . But I found that when I drew away from the distractions my mind had more time and space for the things of God more than ever before .

Keep your mind on God = better relationship with God = Knowing the will of God .

FINAL BIT …

 Keep calm and Trust God

Ever hear of the phrase : ‘let go and let God’ ?

Now Sometimes we say things -- phrases like that , but we forget what it actually means ... 

God is in charge of our lives and once you give your desires to Him and let Him drive - all you need to do is enjoy the ride !!

Now that's easier said than done . This past year for me has been a whirlwind of emotions. Ups and downs.

 I made mistakes that I thought could ruin Gods plan for my life . But you see - nothing takes Him by surprise. You've got to remember according to the Bible , the VERY FIRST thing that God did was : take something miss-formed and turn it into something beautiful (credit #touchedbyanangel ) ~ Genesis 1"2-3 ' The earth was empty ... Then GOD said : "Let there be light ,"

God put talents, likes and skills in you to equip you for your future. Everything that you've been through will be a testimony to someone someday IF you stay in the hands of God. He'll never let you fall :)

Trust Him . 

God knows what will make you the happiest long-term. 

He understands your frustrations and hurts . Don't get dazzled by what you think is best .

 You don't see what's coming round the corner , but God does and if you wrap yourself in Him , you can rest assured that the storms won't break you and your future will 'shine brighter and brighter (even) until the perfect day ' ~PROV4"18

Hope you've enjoyed this series , I felt like someone needed to hear it . 

Message me for any preferences :) 

God Bless ! 

IMTAPA

(In my thoughts and prayers always :) Xx

Hey guys !

--- Here's a series God laid on my heart. It was a series  on 'How to find God's will'. And it was aimed at my follower-friends (who are mostly girls) - So sorry if Its slightly subsided ...

enjoy and I hope The Holy Spirit will minister to you while you read :) 

Hi everyone !

We all know that God has had a plan for us from the very beginning ~ from before we even entered the world !

Jeremiah 1"5: 

" I knew you before I formed you in your mothers womb. Before you we're born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman ( or woman ;) to the world ."

But how do we find out what it is  ? 

I don't know about you, but I have grown up dreaming of what my life could be like (in the future) . And outing all those dreams into the hands of God can initially seem like a scary ordeal ! 

But I was a while ago, I decided – ‘hey I’ve only got one life to live, and when I get to heaven, I want to know that I did everything God wanted - because THAT is where our reward lies . 

Think about Jesus - He didn't want to suffer the pain of death !!

The garden of Gethsemane were some of the darkest moments of His entire existence.

 Luke 22"44 says , " ... He was in such agony of Spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood ."

Jesus even asked God to take away the cross if it was possible

: "Father if You are willing please take this cup of suffering away from me ." 

It was hard , it was more than hard but Jesus (being the amazing God that He is ;) gave Himself to God the Father’s plan because He knew that Gods will was best . It's like a parent ... I remember being seven and crying at the table because I didn't want to eat broccoli . I didn't know how much it would benefit me in the long run ... And the truth is : God's will is what will make you happy , your dream job , Prince Charming, perfect hair and makeup will NOT make you feel the way Jesus' accomplished plan will . So what do you do?

Just say " God I lay down my plan for what I think is best for me and I choose to accept Your  will because 

You are my loving Father and I want my life to be a demonstration of Your goodness . I want to serve others and serve them with my whole heart , just like You did . Please give me the humility to accept that I do not know what's best . But You do. Amen"

Lets look at Romans 12"2 ~ which says : " Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let Him transform you by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is" (NLT;)

Okay , let's stop here and rewind , so to find out what God wants you to do:

- don't copy the world’s behaviours 

-LET HIM transform you (via changing the way you think)

= all meaning two steps - make the conscious effort not to copy the ways of the world. ie: girls , the way we dress , present ourselves to others, what we watch , what we spend our time doing , the places we go and the friends we have should really be foreign to those who do not have Jesus as their no.1.

We need to separate ourselves from the world . You can't go to every party , you can't stay out as late as your friends , you can't get drunk and expect to be okay spiritually. Because (and I'll put it bluntly) you won't .

Look at all the amazing people in the Bible , everyone who had great futures were not 'with the crowd'. They stood out . Always sometimes not for a good reason , but they did . Joseph was more intelligent than his brothers , and had his 'quiet time' in pits , prisons and eventually palaces.

Samson couldn't cut his hair . David was out on the fields all the time. Esther was a virgin. John the Baptist - well he was very different . And Jesus always had His time on the mount of olives and His alone time . It's like going to school . You need time to prepare before setting out into your destiny.

 Ask God to help make you 'set apart' . It can be kinda weird especially when you are abit of a  people person , but it's worth it . God can do a quick work  ~

Romans9"28“For the LORD will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality."

 And secondly, ask God to transform the way you think . Your own pride and ambitions , are insignificant in the big scheme of things. But , let God lead you ;

and voila !

Yield to every small thought change that comes up . eg: your doing your hair extra special because a really nice guy is in your class today . And suddenly you think : 'really ? Are you trying to attract him?'   - that's not you , it's God transforming the way you think . Yield and obey and honour God by obeying the little things, because when you do , He will give you big destinies to fulfil . ~ Luke 16"10 " Unless you are faithful in small matters you won't be faithful in large ones . If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities"

- so be faithful girls, and don't cheat God and yourself . 

I choose Jesus ...

Today was amazing
I had about an hour discussion with a girl about her eternal salvation.
It was epic.
When we were talking I remember feeling the presence of God right there, as we were talking, she started tearing up, and I don't even remember thinking about anything. 
I was just speaking and speaking.
I came back into my room dropped everything on the floor and just melted.
I couldn't believe it . 
I'm the sort of girl that watches 'The Way of The Master' in complete awe at how many lives are touched through that show. - including mine, all the time .

From talking to the girl today , I was reminded of an article I wrote on the student room a couple of months ago on one of the 'Does God Exist' threads.

I wrote a relatively long post on why I believe people should look to Jesus (from a sceptic's view) ...
As you can imagine, I got alot of hate-responses from my post, it was king of exciting -MATT 5"10 
'Blessed are those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom Of Heaven is theirs' (yipee !)
And there was one muslim lad who I talked to the entire night, he had vast amounts of sceptical questions and what not. I'll put one of them below.

Anyway it was exciting to share my faith online like that, and it was from the following post that I realised my passion for God-writing.
Hope you are able to enjoy the post, 

IMTAPA
Lakechia

Listen here guys .

I am 17 . I go to a school that is largely atheist. I studied philosophy and religion - where both teachers were atheist . The simple fact that the debate of God is still running high after more than 4000 years is because it is something that is a mystery to man in his own mind.

You know what ? Fine . Don't believe in God . Spend your whole life in the mindset of 'there is no God'

BUT

What if there is ? What if . Two words that may haunt you for the rest of eternity . Don't stop reading , this will make more sense ...

If you do believe in God , what the worst that could happen, you live your life of meaning in a constant state of hope, even for death . And if you die ,and there is nothing afterwards - then boo hoo . But if God does exist : you get to spend eternity with Him !

But if you don't believe God , you live a life only waiting to die - don't get me wrong , you can enjoy it  for the odd 70 years ( more or less)you might have. And if you die, and there's just nothing . Then 'fine'.
BUT what if . What if there was something after death - an eternity of painful regret .
"If only I had listened"
-- would you risk not wearing a seatbelt just because your only driving to the corner shop ?
--- then why risk the fact that you might - just might have to spend eternity in hell just because you didn't want to believe in a God that had been their all along .

If you read this thinking 'this person is insane... doesn't she know science - hasn't she seen all the theories ? ' - well actually I do, and I have. I know science well enough to know that it makes mistakes . Scientist used to think the earth was flat for crying out loud !! It was scientists that tried to disprove the BIBLE when it clearly says " He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth" (Isaiah40v22)
Scientist used to 'bleed people' to make them better when the BIBLE clearly says , that blood is one of the key components of the bodies ability to function (Leviticus 17v11)
Scientist thought the ocean floor was flat , when the BIBLE clearly states that it has valleys and mountains (2Samuel22v16)- ever heard of King David scuber diving ? - how could they have known these things.

Face it . scientists have made mistakes in the past , and they will in the future. In fact many scientists have stopped trying to disprove God because it's just too hard.Don't believe me ?
Ask a scientist . 

Let's see ... who was one  of the most intelligent scientists to walk the modern , intellectually superior scientific world . Einstein ? - that's who I was thinking of . Look what He said :

"Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble."

Have you ever had 'the annoying friend' that looks at what you brought for lunch (ie : your favourite snack) -- and says
"that must taste disgusting I would never eat that"
And you snap back at them and say:
"Dude have you even tried it !?" -- because surely you can only say something is complete rubbish if you've tried it with sincere intentions and hated it . Right ?

So I want to ask you right now .
Have you tried God ?

Forget what 'Christians' have said that may have hurt you . Forget how hypocritical they might be. Not giving God a chance because of Christians' bad example is like not going to the gym because there are 'out of shape people' there. Why Christianity ? And why JESUS ? Because no other 'god' has such a personal and understanding relationship with people who simply ask (hint hint). No other 'god' has the most multicultural group of people following Him  without any 'majority race' . No other 'god' has become human and experienced the same things of pain as we have . No other 'god' has had a best selling book for the past 2000 years ( people must be reading it for some reason right ?). No other 'god' has made a promise to be with you always, every single second of everyday. And no other 'god' has loved his followers somuch that he would die for them.

I know what you feel like , is it really worth it ?
The answer is yes . The 12 disciples did not lie when they wrote accounts of Jesus . Who would ever lie for a cause that would cost them their lives ?

You know, believing in God is a 'leap of faith' . Its like riding a bicycle, or walking for the first time . You could fall . But what if you don't, what if you keep trying ? Who ever succeeded at something  without taking a risk ?

I am a Christian and sincerely proud to say it .
I am a teenager , and I have found hope in every situation . Courage in every challenge . And a best friend who has never let me down. My best friend is Jesus - I know it sounds kinda cheesy , but no matter what anyone thinks or says this truth will remain with me forever . Until the grave .
And no one knows when they will die . You could go any day . Anytime . You are human after all.
So don't wait . All you need to say ( and it won't hurt) is :

"God . Jesus . If You exist, please help me to know it . There are so many things that go against You even being real. But if you are there , help me to understand.

You don't have to listen to me .
You don't have to remember anything I just wrote .
But please keep in mind these two words ...

What if .

-------

[QUOTE=sjaan]The same thing can be said to you.

Why don't you buy a Quran and read it for yourself and see what Islam says?[/QUOTE]

I am so delighted that you took your time to read my 'long post' -- it was long wasn't it :) if I could say all that I said in 1 sentence , I would .
But let me give you an example :

If I had spent 4 hours constantly looking outside in the cold for an iPod that I had accidentally dropped. And then I suddenly find it (and am incredibly happy !!)
- why would I carry on staying outside in the cold when I have already found what I was looking for ?

In the same way . I have found Jesus . He is not my prophet . But my God and saviour and most of all, my personal friend. I would not trade Him for my life.

However I also believe in freewill - and so does God  - but freewill is only evident when options are considered and a choice is made. I have considered my options, and I have made my choice.

I choose JESUS.

Going after JESUS ...

This entire blog's concept is based completely over the second chapter of Acts .

Acts , probably the most ACT-tion (see what I did there ?) packed book in the Bible when it comes to the movement and manifestations of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit.

I want to look at the character of Peter, an amazing individual who had his life turned around when He met Jesus one day.

Mark 1"16&17 ' Jesus said unto them, "Come be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people !"

- or for the more traditional ones of us ...

'And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.'

(Good old King James)

To put it bluntly, Peter (or Simon at the time) was called by Jesus to enter His kingdom and change the world.

Looking at this verse more carefully is amazing. You see that Jesus says COME - this word in Greek is 'deute', now I'm not going to get all technical on you but looking at this translation brings a breeze and almost whimsical feeling to the scene. Deute can be : come away. - Almost as if Jesus is inviting Peter (and his brother Andrew) to enter off into a new wonderful world. His Kingdom. Which He (kind of) was.

The second (of many) translations for the word Deute is FOLLOW. Now , for those of you who have twitter, that sort of 'following' is extremely different from the one I'll be sharing with you.

I think that for the most part, the culture and society that we live in. The term : to follow someone has been cheapened. First thing that may come to mind when following someone is : liking their pictures, commenting on their captions. And for those very, very sad ones (no offense) envying the food-pics that are posted. 

But it's so , so much more ...

Peter had no idea of what he was getting himself into, but hats off to him and all respect. He had a family and a lively hood. But he left that all behind.

Q1. Why did God call fishers ?

Lets just say : fishermen were not the most respected people in Galilee- or anywhere for that matter. They were the men that smelled like fish. And although they had to be intelligent, and reasonably advanced in mathematics to sort out their market shares and stocks when it came to selling ; in no way was their brain as intellectually challenged on a daily basis as the day's doctors or teachers of the religious law. ie Pharisees (boo...hiss). 

But they were patient men, they would spend hours waiting for fish. They knew endurance, they were strong and were not fearful of the challenges that sea-storms would bring.

They were perfect.

And in fact Jesus caught Peter and Andrew, and no doubt a couple of other boats with them just coming in from a long hard night of nada. 

No fish at all.

'Master,' Simon replied 'we have worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing

NEVERTHELESS

we will try again.
~ Luke 5v5

- So why have I highlighted the 'nevertheless' in that verse ?

Because we need that same nevertheless attitude! When we are willing to follow the will of God nomatter how little sense it may seem to our tiny peanut brains, then , and only then are we able to see the full glory of God in our lives for ourselves. Peter, Andrew, James and John all caught more fish then they ever had before that day. Why ?

Because they were obedient to God . And I just feel that obedience to the Holy Spirit and His directions in our lives is absolutely more than we could ever ask or think or imagine. Because that obedience will lead us into:  divine happiness and peace , divine health and most of all, divine character, and righteousness  because we will be walking in the will of God !

Now I haven't got this figured out yet, and I do not obey God all the time. But I yearn to .
If your like me in that , you really want your heart to be opened more and more to the amazing blessings of God. Then your in good company, because according to His word, they that hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled -MATT5"6

Now lets get back to Peter - great guy, good guy.

He is called the Rock of the Church (serious business) - MATT16"18

He witnesses the transfiguration - MATT17"1-7

And he stays with Jesus from day one.

However ... 

-He tries to build an alter (ie: worship) Elijah and Moses  -MATT17"4

-He doubts God -MATT14"30

-And he denies Jesus 3 times. -LUKE22"54

So how can a guy like this saves 3000 souls in one sermon .

Millions in His life time .

And even billions of souls after He died ?

Don't get me wrong - Jesus saves souls, but He uses His vessels , people like PETER to manifest and show His love here on earth by spreading the gospel.

Peter was ordinary .

But there was something very extra-ordinary in Him that made all the difference.

LUKE24"49 says :

'And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.'

The only way Peter could change from the character that He was into the man that God had put in Him from the beginning ... the only refining One that could make Peter the Peter we know today is ...

The Holy Spirit !!

It was right after Pentecost when, like a mighty rushing wind , the Holy Spirit came down to earth , and for the first time entered INTO the individual. You see , before the Holy Spirit came UPON people - Samson, David , even Elijah and Elisha - But He never entered into people.

But of course, at this point He did enter Peter - the 120 people with him (or I guess 119) and it worked wonders. Timid, denying Peter turned into bold, anointed Peter who pointed his fingers directly at the Pharisees and said ' ...you nailed Him to the cross and murdered Him. 
However , God released Him from the horrors of death and raised Him back to life ...' 

~Acts 2v14
- transformation or what ? - this was no small talk.
Peter with the power of the Holy Spirit went all-out and saved 3000SOULS.

This thought really touched me. With God power , Peter brought 3000 to Christ in perhaps not more than 2 hours. 

That's more than epic. That's a mega-huge-big-deal.

Now I know you're saying, that was Bible times , I could never do something like that . 

But please, don't limit God with your thinking. Don't stop Him by stopping His vessel = YOU.

In a time where so many people are crying out, so desperate for answers,  hope and safety. Who says you cant save 3000SOULS - or more ?

Just ask God for help to accomplish a dream only He can fulfil.

Will you join me ?

IMTAPA

Lakechia

A little story about my disobedience ...

So its the startup ...

Its been a long while God has put on my heart to start writing on this online journal : 3000SOULS. Beilieve or not it has perhaps been about a quarter of the year since The Lord put this in my heart. It is presently 01:09 in the morning and I felt like I was about to burst . I just had to write my first post.

This one is an introduction to what 3000SOULS is all about . And that is one thing . JESUS.

- need I say more ?

I believe in my heart that 3000 souls and lives will be touched in some great way from the power of God through the ministry God has placed in my hands . I pray for this in His name alone.

This online journal/blog will basically be a Bible Study based around an array of topics that God has laid on my heart.  I aslo intend for it to be inculsive of topics you would likle to hear more about.

I'd like to openly ask God for forgivness for putting this off for so long. I love sharing my heart with people. And I hope you can be a part of this journey with me.

IMTAPA (In my thoughts and prayers always)

Lakechia