A SABBATICAL?

Hello blog world, is anyone still there? I know! I know! I hear the questions of what happened, and where did you disappear to?! I can say something that sounds good and edifying, like I took a rest and decided to pour time into other things. I can even say I took a sabbatical, but that sounds too dramatic and disingenuous because its only a blog. Last year September, I had surgery on my hand which is why the last post on this blog was in August 2025. But when my hand recovered and I was able to type, I didn’t want to. My plan was never to stop writing, but I felt that I had nothing to pour out anymore, because I had become so disheartened and disappointed in my spiritual life. I didn’t realise my heart had grown cold. I still loved God, but my fire and zeal had burned out. I had fallen out of love. The Holy Spirit has given me a lot of revelation this year about my heart that I didn’t even realise. I thank Him for being my helper in all things! To really explain I have to go back to May 2025, when it all started.

I have never gone into too much detail about my old church and why I left. I probably won’t now, so if you are someone reading this from my old church you can breath easy. I spent six years of my life there, it was my first ever church; I got baptised there. It was a church that I thought I would always be a part of because to me it wasn’t just church on a Sunday, it was family; it was my whole life. It was a very charismatic church, and right now, if you pay attention to things being exposed online about certain charasmatic churches, you can understand some of the issues that seem to be common within these ministries. I can honestly say I have been very naive to certain things, and I have seen a lot of things that have bothered my spirit, but I never had a name for it. Understanding more now since being out of those spaces, and listening to discussions about these ministries, has helped me to process everything I have experienced in a way that has been healing. But it has taken me time to get to this place. My experience within the body of Christ left me with such a heavy heart, it affected my relationship and service to the Lord. The enemy definitely used those events to steal my joy. I realised now that even though I was pushing through and trying to shake off the negatives; making an effort to get back to some kind of normal, I stopped moving from a place of joy and love but out of duty instead, because I knew it was the right thing to do. That is not the kind of service or worship that pleases God.

Wooden sign on glass door reading 'Closed sorry we are reopening tomorrow at 9:00 AM' — A wooden sign on a bookstore door says it’s closed until tomorrow morning.

I had become so untrusting when it came to discerning the intergrity of churches, that it made it hard for me to fully place two feet firmly somewhere. I felt suspicious of everything and that was stealing my joy. I instantly understood why some Christians didn’t go to church and chose to stay disconnected from the body of Christ. I love the church, for God created it! But I fear that when I look at churches today, they have strayed away from God’s plan of what a church is meant to be, and the functions of it. I could go on and on about this, but maybe I’ll save it for another post. JOHN 15:4 “REMAIN IN ME, AND I WILL REMAIN IN YOU. FOR A BRANCH CANNOT PRODUCE FRUIT IF IT IS SEVERED FROM THE VINE, AND YOU CANNOT BE FRUITFUL UNLESS YOU REMAIN IN ME.” This scripture screamed at me because Jesus was showing me that I had stopped remaining in Him. Honestly, I argued with God about it like a petulant child, I was convinced that this couldn’t apply to me. I thought, because I hadn’t turned away from my faith and belief in Jesus Christ, that meant that I still remained in Him. I thought, the reason why I lacked fruit was because of the fact I hadn’t found a church that I could call home, so of course I couldn’t serve God in the way I previously had. But when the mirror was held up to my face, and I had no choice but to look at myself, I realised He was right! I saw how my life had shifted, how the spiritual practices I had held true to in my personal time had become almost non existant, or just something done casually without reverence. My prayer life had changed, and outside of praying for friends and family, I stopped talking to God. This is a dangerous place to be in, because when you get there the enemy see’s an open door and tries to enter in. Instead of sitting with the hurt and disappointment I experienced with God for a season, and allowing Him to heal my heart, I rushed the process and withheld it all from Him, so I could get back to normal. As I searched for churches and still could not find one, I grew cold. My heart was hardening and I didn’t know it. It wasn’t God I was upset with, it was His people. 1 JOHN 4:21 “AND HE HAS GIVEN US THIS COMMAND: THOSE WHO LOVE GOD MUST ALSO LOVE THEIR FELLOW BELIEVERS.” My love had turned into distrust, and once trust is gone, it is very hard to get back. I can openly say it has been a journey, but God had to remind me about the state of man and even myself. I thank God for His grace and mercy!

Heart-shaped ice ornament hanging on a snow-covered pine branch at night — A delicate heart-shaped ice ornament hanging from a snow-covered tree branch under a starry night sky.

I knew something was wrong when I started to struggle with sin that I had been set free from. I was battling with old thoughts and feelings that I thought were long behind me. That scared me and I couldn’t understand it. Why was this happening? I felt weak and it broke me down. I thought to myself, “I must be under attack and the enemy had set his sight on me” like I was so special and holy. Not realising that I had opened the door and invited him in! I was treating him like a guest in my house, making him comfortable. 1 JOHN 3:6 “EVERYONE WHO REMAINS IN HIM DOES NOT SIN; EVERYONE WHO SINS HAS NOT SEEN HIM OR KNOWN HIM.” My confirmation came loud and clear, I had stopped remaining in Him. That’s why sin was crouching at my door. It reminded me of Cain when he gave his offering to God and it wasn’t accepted. He did not abide in God like his brother did. That’s why God told him in GENESIS 3:7 “YOU WILL BE ACCEPTED IF YOU DO WHAT IS RIGHT. BUT IF YOU REFUSE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT, THEN WATCH OUT! SIN IS CROUCHING AT THE DOOR, EAGER TO CNTROL YOU. BUT YOU MUST SUBDUE IT AND BE ITS MASTER.” Unlike Cain, I listened to God! There is a reason that following God is something we have to decide to do daily. It’s like everyday we wake up and thank God for breath, we have to recommit ourselves and say ” Lord, help me to deny myself; die to my flesh; pick up my cross and follow you today!” The moment you start taking your walk with God for granted, is the moment the enemy starts to rub his hands together and devise his plan to destroy your life. We have to stay in a place of neediness with God, like a small child who leans on their parent for everything because they can not look after themselves. If we turn into a rebellious teenager as we grow in God, we take the risk of falling into the wrong company, which always currupts good character. Be obedient. All good things come to those who are obedient. And we know that God’s love language is obedience, for we can’t claim to love Him without it!

If you love God, and are someone struggling with sin, pick up the mirror and look deeply into yourself. Has something changed? Has something made your heart cold? Have you fallen out of love? Then I ask you this, when did you stop abiding in Him? It’s a hard question and the answer can be crushing. But take that Godly sorrow and use it to refan the flame of your heart. Go back to what you did when the fire was at it’s strongest! Talk to God like you used to when you were excited about the things of God. Trust God to heal the rest. Let Him comfort you, and know that He can, and He will stir up your heart again! This year has been a testimony of God’s grace and goodness in my life. I have my first love back and it feels wonderful! So I am happy to say that I am back and inspired to write again. It feels good. God blessed me with a spiritual family because He is just that good. I have learned so much from my previous experience, that I will go into this one differently. I am tuning my ear to His voice. I want to be where He is always! I had the privilege of sharing my testimony last week, and it was so good to remind myself what God has done in my life! The way He has blessed me and changed me! Sometimes you just have to go back to the beginning and remember what He has done for you. You can’t help but praise Him and give Him all the glory! The next post will be my testimony. I haven’t shared it since I first started this blog in 2021, so I think it’s time. Until then, God bless you all, and if you are still reading, thank you!

Anatomical heart surrounded by bright, vivid flames with detailed veins and arteries — An anatomical heart engulfed in vibrant flames against a dark background

THE THING ABOUT FAITH IS…

We talk about the importance of faith so much, almost like a well rehersed line that just rolls off the tongue without a second thought. When life is running smoothly, we don’t ever question our faith. Faith seems easy. Trusting in God is a walk in the park. But the true test of your faith comes with hardship. When you are sick, when you lose your job, when you lose a loved one. When the worst thing in your world happens, that is when we truly learn what it means to have faith.

This season has felt difficult. I feel like since becoming a believer, my faith has never truly been tested. For the past six years, I have been living in a cloud, and now I feel like I am free falling, anticipating a hard landing. It’s interesting how quickly you can become jaded when things don’t seem to go your way. I am not complaining, I think it’s been good to see things for how they really are. It has been making me more determined to understand what it means to be a believer and really please God! I have witnessed so many disheartening things happen to good people around me, people who fear God, and it made me think about what it actually means to have faith.

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HEBREWS 11:1 “NOW FAITH IS THE ASSURANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE CONVICTION OF THINGS NOT SEEN.” Imagine having hope for something, and being sure that you will receive that something you hope for. Having that certainty that runs so deep in your soul that no one can question or make you doubt it. That is what faith looks like. And when you have that type of faith, it makes you move differently. That’s why faith equals action! That’s why faith pleases God so much. There is something about watching a brother or sister going through lifes trials and tribulations, but not seeing their faith waiver in God, it acutually builds your faith when you witness it. Faith is powerful. That is why God says all you need is a mustard seed of faith to move a mountain. But you can’t have faith in God if you don’t trust Him, and if you have had a traumatic life where you have learned to not trust people, it can be very difficult to trust in what you do not see.

I remember when God first showed me that I didn’t trust Him. It was a time when I was dealing with a family crisis and instead of taking it to God, I decided to fall back to my old behaviours of dealing with things in my own strength, because for most of my life I had to protect myself by placing the unmaginable things in my imaginary box. Not dealing with things was how I survived. But God told me that I didn’t need the box anymore, that He would take care of me. I didn’t need to survive because He wanted me to live! I realised I still had this wall around my heart, and it was becoming a barrier in how I allowed God to flow into my life. As soon as I trusted God with everything and removed that barrier, I grew closer to him. You go to church, read the bible, repeat the words you read in this ancient book, but until you are tested, it’s hard to know how much everything you read really resonates in you.

In pottery, fire is used to create durable and water-resistant vessels. God uses the imagery of a potter moulding and shaping his creation, illustrating His power to shape, reform, and control the destiny of His people. So fire can bring about purification, which means impurities are removed. And if we look at trials as going through the fire, then we know only good can come out the other side. Now, let’s use common sense because some trials are our own doing and very unnesscersary, but God in His goodness always has a way of turning the bad into good for those who love Him. JAMES 1:2-4 “DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHEN TROUBLES OF ANY KIND COME YOUR WAY, CONSIDER IT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GREAT JOY. FOR YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOUR FAITH IS TESTED, YOUR ENDURANCE HAS A CHANCE TO GROW. SO LET IT GROW, FOR WHEN YOUR ENDURANCE IS FULLY DEVELOPED, YOU WILL BE PERFECT AND COMPLETE, NEEDING NOTHING.” The testing of faith is nesscersary! Because this walk is about enduring to the end. Our endurance will not grow if life is rosey. Like I said before, when life is good, faith is easy. We actually need to go through the fire so we can grow. In our weakness, God is made strong, so He expects us to rely on Him when we weather the storms of life instead of relying on ourselves. I always think of Peter walking on the stormy sea to meet His master Jesus. His confidence in taking his first step out onto that sea, the hope and conviction he had in his heart that he would and could do the impossible. All until he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at his situation with fear, and stopped believing that he could do the impossible because he started to move in his own strength, and of course he started to sink into that stormy sea. He cried out to Jesus to save him, and immediately Jesus reached in and pulled him out. The first thing Jesus says to Peter is, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” That is so powerful! It’s a reminder that no matter what the situation, how impossible, or how big it may seem, God is bigger, and there is nothing that He can not get you through. When we see what God can do, not just reading about it, but having our own tangible experience with Him, it changes us, and our faith deepens. People in this world can call you crazy for believing in God because of a book written thounds of years ago, but they can not refute your own personal testimony of God working in your life!

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Sometimes, we forget that Jesus warned us that in this world, we would have troubles. He warns us so that we will have peace and remember He has already overcome this world! It’s so easy to get caught up in the things of this world. The culture is constantly telling us what we should and should not have, or who we should or should not be. Just like a stormy sea, it can get loud and all consuming, and all it takes is us to take our eyes off Jesus for one moment, and then we become consumed! The only way to get through and tred water is to keep our faith and never doubt! Remember that we are nomads on this earth until Jesus returns.

I know that I want to leave this earth perfect and complete, needing nothing. I know that I will not come close to that without a few storms here and there. As James says, consider it an opportunity for great joy! So this post is just a reminder that even if you are going through the fire of life, just know that God is using it as an opportunity to refine and purify you. See it as a great joy to know that through that fire awaits a more developed you, a you that grows closer to becoming perfect and complete, needing nothing!

NOT ME, BUT GOD!

It’s been a strange season. I am a creature of habit, so the recent changes have left me feeling unsettled at times, not knowing my place or where I fit. It’s in the season of uncertainty that the temptation to be a lone wolf creeps in. The desire to govern yourself and trick yourself into believing that it’s you and God against the world, that you can trust yourself, because trusting others may have left you disheartened and hurt. That place is dangerous! That place can lead you back to the grave, the same grave that Jesus called you out of. It’s crazy how our flesh can talk us back into a life that is far from God. Our sin is like muscle memory. It can convert back to what it remembers. Although I have not revereted back to my past life, I can see how it can be so easy, and that to me is scary!

I am grateful to God that He has found me a new church home. I spent some time trying not to tie myself down so soon to a new church, but then realised I was a one church kind of girl, and church hopping wasn’t for me. The title of this post comes curtesy of my new pastor and a message he preached a couple of weeks ago. It got me thinking about how we can walk so close to God and then live a life like we never knew him. I didn’t believe that could be possible, at least not for me. But I have learned how circumstances can draw you to a place that you never thought was possible. It’s then that I am reminded that every day we wake up, we have to choose to follow Christ! We decide to die to ourselves and pick up our cross daily. Sometimes, I think we can take for granted that we are secure in God because we once professed Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour. We see it often when we look to people who are popular, who in one sentence say they are Christian, but when you look at their life, it is not a reflection of Christ who died for us. Unfortunately, these are the people that the world looks to as an example of Christianity.

The bible speaks about turning back to our old ways and how bad of a state it leaves us in. The saying of when you know better you do better seems to be null and void. This is why when Jesus saves you, He doesn’t save you and leave you to fend for yourself in the wilderness. That would be cruel, and we serve a kind God. Instead, He saves you and adds you to the body, which He is the head. He adopts you into His family of believers and gives you new life and purpose. This is why being a part of the body of Christ (the church) is so important. EPHESIANS 1:5 “GOD DECIDED IN ADVANCE TO ADOPT US INTO HIS OWN FAMILY BY BRINGING US TO HIMSELF THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. THAT IS WHAT HE WANTED TO DO, AND IT GAVE HIM GREAT PLEASURE.” It’s the family of believers through the Holy Spirit who show us when we are off the righteous path. When we take ourselves away from the body of Christ and decide to trust ourselves, that’s when the serpent slithers close, whispering false truths in our ear. Then we start to make excuses for why something that we once believed was wrong, now starts to seem right.

2 PETER 2:20 “AND WHEN PEOPLE ESCAPE FROM THE WICKEDNESS OF THE WORLD BY KNOWING OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST AND THEN GET TANGLED UP AND ENSLAVED BY SIN AGAIN, THEY ARE WORSE OFF THAN BEFORE.” It’s a slippery slope that any one of us can find ourselves on. I have seen people make excuses for unholy living when God requires us to be holy because He is holy. They stop listening to Godly advice because it’s not what their flesh wants. We don’t even realise that it’s not the Spirit that we are living by. We don’t even realise when the flesh takes over. That’s what happens when you think you can live this life outside of the body of believers. Being doers of the word is what sets us apart from the world. It’s the foundation we build our lives upon that sets us up for success. My pastor reminded me that if you are not building your life on the word of God, given to us by the prophets and the apostles with Christ as the cornerstone, then all else is sinking sand.

MATTHEW 7:24 “ANYONE WHO LISTENS TO MY TEACHINGS AND FOLLOWS IT IS WISE, LIKE A PERSON WHO BUILDS A HOUSE ON SOLID ROCK.”

Life will bring you through different seasons. Some seasons will be still and filled with peace, while others will feel turbulent and dark. It’s in the stormy seasons we realise whether we built our house on the rock or the sand. This season, for me, has been a test. If I had built my foundation on sand, I know for a fact that I would have probably not committed myself to church again. I know that I would have felt like I would have been better off without it. I would have created my own version of Jesus, who is so filled with love that I wouldn’t have to set myself apart, and live a holy and righteous life, because God is so forgiving and takes me as I am. I would have easily forgotten that God’s love language is obedience, and made my relationship about how God serves me, and how I don’t have to do anything but just believe in God and acknowledge Jesus. And because of this false Jesus I would have created in my head, I would have found myself back in the grave, enslaved once again by sin. This, my friends, is one of many schemes of the enemy, who has many professing Christians deceived. 1 CORINTHIANS 3:18 “STOP DECEIVING YOURSELVES. IF YOU THINK YOU ARE WISE BY THIS WORLD’S STANDARDS, YOU NEED TO BECOME A FOOL TO BE TRULY WISE.”

When you start to believe that you know best and trust in yourself, it brings disaster. That is what happens when you take Jesus off the throne of your life and put yourself up there instead. Submission is a dirty word in culture today, but submission is necessary in our walk with Christ. Being a part of a church does mean you are submitting to church authority. If you live life picking and choosing what you are obedient to when it comes to your walk with Christ, then being a part of a church will never seem appealing, and if you have church hurt it is worse! But even the early churchs of the New Testament had to submit to the authority of the apostles. God placed them in their positons just as He has placed the leaders of today. Today, he tells us to test the spirits and warns us of the many false prophets and teachers that have been sent out to deceive us. Today is when we need our descernment more than ever before!

Going back to my original thoughts that brought about this post, I was reminded of the story of Lazarus. Jesus loved Lazarus, but when news reached Him that His friend was sick, Jesus decided not to go and see him immediately, resulting in the death of Lazarus. When Jesus arrived at the town to see Lazarus, Lazarus had been dead in the tomb for four days. There was no denying at that point that Lazarus was dead, for his body had started to decompose. It would only take a miracle from God to change his circumstance. So when Jesus visited the tomb of Lazarus and called him out, He did what only God could have made possible. And when Lazarus walked out of his tomb, once a decomposing body, now living and breathing, there was no denying the power and glory of God and the authority of Jesus! Lazarus couldn’t ressurect himself. It was only the power of God who could take him out of the grave. I thought about how we can find ourselves like Lazarus. We can be dead in our transgressions, our sin the stench of rotting flesh to God. We can be dead for so long that it would seem impossible that our circumstances could change. People around us may give up hope and think it is impossible for us to change. God reminded me that nothing is impossible for Him! If we find ourselves back in the grave, although it may be hard, nothing is too hard for God, and He already paid the price for us with His blood.

I thought about how easy it could be to fall back into old habits, I thought about how weak I am without God. How I have no power without His power. It’s not by my own strength that I walk this path, but by His strength! Not me, but God! It’s easy to become puffed up and put yourself at the centre. So many have fallen because of pride. I was reminded that humility was the key to keeping Jesus at the centre of your heart. Because when you realise that everything else is sinking sand without Him, that’s when He sits on the throne of your life, and nothing, I mean nothing, can separate you from His love!

WHEN GOD CHANGES YOUR DIRECTION.

I struggled with writing this blog because so much has happened since my last post, and I have debated whether I should discuss it here, but I would not be true to myself or my blog (which can sometimes feel like therapy) if I didn’t talk about it, and it might help somebody else, which has always been the point of sharing so openly. So, there is no easy way to say it, but I decided to leave my church. This was not an easy decision, and it was one that I prayed about, wanting to make sure it was the Lord moving me on instead of my flesh. There is so much I want to say about it, but I know it would not be right to disclose everything here. So I will share what I can and be mindful that I honour God with my words. Honestly, this has felt like a breakup. I have gone through all the emotions possible. This was my first church home where God placed me when he convicted me in my room that I needed to be a part of the body, which meant being a part of a community. The place where I got baptised. The place where I experienced my first’s with God. The place where He revealed my gift of worshipping and leading others in worship. It was home. But sometimes you come to a point when you just don’t share the same vision. I am aware of how crazy that sounds being that the body of Christ should all share the same vision, but sometimes it’s about how we achieve that vision and what we feel convicted about.

I am so glad that I came to Christ in my unique way. I was never indoctrinated by religion or followed man like he was God. I came to the Lord through His word and nothing more. I had no experience of church, I just read what it was meant to look like when reading the book of Acts, and that was what I wanted to be a part of. But God always warned me about man and how our hearts can not be trusted, so I pledged never to place my faith in man, but only the man that is Jesus. Because of man, church can be messy! If I was spiritually immature, I think I would have left church a lot sooner because people can be the most disappointing. I have had my share of ups and downs with the body of Christ, and believe me, I know that church hurt is a real thing. But the Word says that offence hardens the heart, and I always wanted to have a heart of flesh where God could mould it as he saw fit. When your heart is hard, you make it unmouldable. So, I kept my eyes focused on Jesus through the mess and constantly reminded myself that people who attend church are here because they know they need fixing (well, most do).

As you may be able to tell from my posts and the things I talk about here, I am no wall flower, and if something doesn’t feel right, I will not hesitate to voice my concerns. I have always done that at church, so believe me when I say this time was no different. I believe that one of my gifts has been the spirit of discernment, and what I was descerning was grieving me in spirit. I am a creature of habit, and when I am comfortable, I will not leave! I had built up a reputation at my church as someone wise who others looked up to. I led worship every Sunday, which was an honour. I was comfortable in the position I held, but when God says it’s time to move, you move! When God is leading you, trust and believe He will give you that peace that surpasses all understanding. I remember going to bed in waves of grief, crying out to God to give me peace if it was His will. That next morning, I was so serene and at peace, I had the best restful sleep one can have with 5 hours, and I remember feeling so grateful that God had been so clear. From that day forth, I never shed another tear or even felt sad about my decision. In fact I felt the joy of the Lord wash over me and the day I met with my leaders to tell them of my decision and reason, I felt like God say, go in peace and honour them! It reminded me of the graciousness of David, the man after God’s own heart. He spoke truth in love when it came to Saul. He had opportunities where he could have cut Saul down, but he always chose to show him mercy and honour him. He left it to God to deal with, and that’s exactly what God did. Although I am no David and my church has nothing to do with Saul, I felt God reminding me how to carry myself as a child of God.

Do you ever look at significant moments in your life where you are reminded of how far God has brought you? Because the old me would not have been so merciful, and my words would have spoken death instead of life. All glory to God! PROVERBS 18:21 “DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE, AND THOSE WHO LOVE IT WILL EAT ITS FRUITS.” Over the last month, God has spoken this proverb to me in many different ways. He knows me so well it makes me chuckle. I fear God, and because I fear Him, I can go in peace. God is sovereign and knows more than I could ever know or understand. All I need to be concerned about is being obedient and keeping a check of my heart posture. When people leave, it can cause more questions and confusion, and when you hold a respected position at your church, what you say to others can be like a death sentence. So God has been teaching me how to speak life instead. It’s so easy to get up on our self righteous box and point fingers and tell everyone that they have a plank in their eye, but what has that ever done that has been helpful to the body of Christ? Don’t get me confused, I believe that when things are wrong and hurt the body, we have a responsibility to call it out, but remember wisdom will be proven right by her deeds. Sometimes, we have to be careful we don’t cause the little ones to stumble on account of us being hurt or disappointed. MATTHEW 12:36 “AND I TELL YOU THIS, YOU MUST GIVE AN ACCOUNT ON JUDGMENT DAY FOR EVERY IDLE WORD YOU SPEAK. THE WORDS YOU SAY WILL EITHER ACQUIT YOU OR CONDEMN YOU.”

As you know, I have and will continue to be an advocator when it comes to being a part of a local church. This experience has not changed that. For almost six years, I served God diligently with joy. Being connected in my church community was a big part of my life. I have been like Martha, running backwards and forwards, making sure I was serving to the best of my ability. Now it’s time to be Mary and sit down at the feet of Jesus. God says that it’s time to choose the better thing. I am excited to have a season of just receiving it. I needed it! I know that I won’t be Mary for as long as I have been Martha because God has things for me to do for His kingdom. But I am going to enjoy this time of rest that He has been gracious enough to give me. Rest doesn’t mean not going to church. If anything, this has shown me how important it is for me to be a part of the body and be in a church community. I have found a church where I am hearing God clearly, and it’s nice to not be involved in the politics of it all, but I think it’s not good to rush back into a new relationship. Yes, I am looking at it like a relationship. When you leave a long-term relationship, it’s not wise to jump straight into a new one. I’ve only ever known one church, one way of doing church. It’s been refreshing to see what else is out there, and it’s helped me to understand what kind of church goer I am. It’s crazy to feel like the world has opened up to me, and I am now free. But that’s the best way I can describe it.

I have met so many great brothers and sisters in Christ who will continue to be just that. Sometimes, when people leave churches, that means they leave the relationships they created during their time there. I never understood why people did that. After all, the church is not a building! I might not be doing church in the traditional way with them, but we are still doing church together. HEBREWS 10:24-25 “LET US THINK OF WAYS TO MOTIVATE ONE ANOTHER TO ACTS OF LOVE AND GOOD WORKS. AND LET US NOT NEGLECT OUR MEETING TOGETHER, AS SOME PEOPLE DO, BUT ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT THE DAY OF HIS RETURN IS DRAWING NEAR.” Look at the apostle Paul, who wrote so many letters to the different churches. He recognised them as one body, just in different areas, and he loved them all the same. When Jesus returns, He is coming for ALL the body, the ones that have placed their faith in Him. Now, I get to meet more people and expand my family, which I find exciting. I also have to do life with people and be intentional instead of relying on seeing people one day a week. These are all positives.

I want to end this post by saying church is important, even if it can be messy at times. Church is not a reflection of God but a reflection of our NEED for God! Yes, life would be much simpler if we could just do Christianity without people, but we need people to see the full glory of God manifest in His gifts. We can not be lone ranger Christians. We are called to serve just as Jesus served. Don’t let the mess get in the way of what and who God has called you to be, because in the end it’s not even about you, you are not the main character of this story, it is Jesus!

THE SYMBOLIC CHURCH.

Believe it or not, but this post was sparked by a conversation with an AI chat bot about whether the UK was still considered a Christian country. I was born in London and I have only ever resided here. My grandmother was an immigrant and she had my mum in London so it’s all she’s ever known too. Although I am british, I have always felt like an outsider due to the racial tentions I experienced growing up. When I would see white men waving their british flags with pride, it would subconsciously instil fear because through the years, that flag had been weaponised against people that look like me. Now, through a different lense I am starting to understand what is going on. British people are fighting for their culture and heritage to remain. I am seeing ethnic people like myself who have been born and bred in the UK protesting and waving their british flags with pride. And for the first time, I understand what it’s all about.

The UK was built on Christian values, which has shaped its culture and institutions. The British monarch’s role historically as “Defender of the Faith”, the supreme governer of The Church of England, which dates all the way back to the 16th century has now become largely symbolic and has evolved over time. According to the 2019 British Social Attitudes survey, 52% of people in England and Wales identify as Christians, while 48% do not identify with any religion. When you see stats like that, it’s no wonder there has been such a shift in the UK. The UK is now considered a secular country with a Christian heritage. The laws and institutions, and social norms are largely secular and pluralistic. There have even been debates for the monarch’s title to be changed to “Defender of Faiths” to reflect the countries’ growing religious diversity. When you look behind the veil, you see something more sinister happening in the UK.

Christian traditions are being erased before our very eyes, all under the guise of diversity and inclusion. If your spiritual eyes are truly open, it’s clear to see the UK is under spiritual attack! Just the other day, there was a report of a school in the UK that had decided to cancel it’s annual Easter parade so they could be more sensitive to other faiths. I do believe the other faith is Islam, as this ideology seems to be growing rapidly in the UK. Now, let me be very careful and clear about what I say because free speech no longer exists HERE. As a Christian, the goal is never to force people to believe in what you believe. Our God, Yahweh, is not a dictator. He gives us free will to choose him. So people are free to follow the God of their choosing. But Christian traditions shouldn’t be erased in a country built on the decrees of God! This reminds me of the Old Testament when Israel, after being rescued out of Egypt by God, then forgot about God. JUDGES 2:10 “AFTER THAT GENERATION DIED, ANOTHER GENERATION GREW UP WHO DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE LORD OR REMEMBER THE MIGHTY THINGS HE HAD DONE FOR ISRAEL.” There was a reason why the Israelites were told to study the Book of Instruction continually and to share what the Lord had done for them from generation to generation. Because when we don’t, we forget. Then we end up living in a time where research has shown that Christianity is the most mocked religion in the UK!

This brings me to the church. Sound doctrine is harder and harder to come by in churches today. The Church of England now reflects the pluralistic views of the culture and has made significant changes all in the guise of diversity and inclusion. It looks like the church from the outside, but inside, it is something else. I watched a video of an ordained UK minister talking about the lies found in Christianity. There was so much heresy in his list, but the one that was the most diabolical was that Jesus isn’t the only way, Love is, because God is love! I felt sick to the stomach. The church in the Uk has become infected, and it is spreading. I know not all churches have succomb to this infection, but it’s very hard to find a church that stands on the word of God. It feels like we have become luke warm, and we already know that Jesus warned in Revelation that He would rather us be hot or cold, He will spit us out if we are luke warm!

The message of the Gospel has now been watered down so as not to offend. People rarely talk about the truths that will set you free from bondage, the actual things that save your soul. Going to church on Sundays or every religious holiday will not secure your place in heaven! Hearing motivational speeches on a Sunday will only make you feel good on a Sunday, but the rest of the week, your life is a shambles! 48% of people do not identify with any religion. That is a lot! There is definitely something not right here! If Jesus and the message of the Gospel aren’t being shared, then that number will get higher, and if we think it’s bad now, we haven’t seen anything yet! I know that churches are not perfect places because they are full of broken people. I know for myself it takes a certain level of maturity to endure. That might sound harsh, but I am being real! I do believe being a part of a church is part of the life of a believer, and I will always advocate for it. But when I see the people that God has placed as his shepheards leading people astray, I want to flip tables like Jesus did! But then I am reminded that God already warned us. 2 PETER 2:1-2 “BUT THERE WERE ALSO FALSE PROPHETS IN ISRAEL, JUST AS THERE WILL BE FALSE TEACHERS AMONG YOU. THEY WILL CLEVERLY TEACH DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES AND EVEN DENY THE MASTER WHO BOUGHT THEM. IN THIS WAY, THEY WILL BRING SUDDEN DESTRUCTION ON THEMSELVES. MANY WILL FOLLOW THEIR EVIL TEACHING AND SHAMEFUL IMMORALITY. AND BECAUSE OF THESE TEACHERS, THE WAY OF TRUTH WILL BE SLANDERED.” There are so many other verses about false teachers. It’s clear that God wanted us to know what a problem it would be to the church.

If we let the cultural norm infect the church, the church will lose its power. Jesus has to be the centre of EVERYTHNG! If we pick and choose the truths that seem more harmonious for all, then we are not giving the people the real Jesus! To just lead with God is love to make everyone happy feels deceitful. Yes God is love, and it’s because of His love that He gives us commands to follow, because love is not just telling people what they want to hear to make them happy, love is telling people the truth because you want them to be better! Jesus came to give us life more abundantly. That doesn’t just mean that you get all your hearts desires, because sometimes you don’t. But this “life” means a vigourous life devoted to God! You can keep it light at church if your sole purpose is to make sure all the seats are filled and those tithes flow, then you will receive your reward right now. But isn’t it more than that?

Photo by Juan Martin Lopez on Pexels.com

Church feels more symbolic of what it once stood for. All these new initiatives to create more butts in the seats feel empty and disingenuous. They feel like a business model with no heart or soul. Jesus no longer seems to be the driving force, and this grieves my heart. It feels like the church has fooled itself into believing that It’s all about Jesus when it isn’t. Again, I stress to you that as a believer, it is important to be a part of a community. We are called to serve others, not just ourselves. At the end of the day, it’s not even about us! We are living in some trying times, and it’s only gonna get worse. If you can not stand for the truth of the Gospel now, then woe unto you when you face true persecution for your beliefs. We must endure to the end, which tells us that it won’t be a walk in the park by the time Jesus returns. Please read your word contiunally. Know what the word of God says for yourself, so you can protect yourselves from having itching ears. Don’t get led onto the wide road that leads to destruction! Cling to God in these days, we can not endure if we are far from Him. Please pray for the UK. We need your prayers! Please pray for the 48% that they will come to the truth and knowledge of Jesus Christ!

JOSHUA 1:8-9 “STUDY THIS BOOK OF INSTRUCTION CONTINUALLY. MEDITATE ON IT DAY AND NIGHT SO YOU WILL BE SURE TO OBEY EVERYTHING WRITTEN IN IT. ONLY THEN WILL YOU PROSPER AND SUCCEED IN ALL YOU DO. THIS IS MY COMMAND-BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS! DO NOT BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED. FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO.”

GROWING IN FAITH PT2.

Last year, when I wrote part 1, I was in New Jersey spending time with my family for Thanksgiving. It was a very eye-opening visit. It prompted me to write about the importance of growing in faith. You could be a professing believer in Christ for 20 years, but after your first year of being on fire for Jesus, your fire began to die out, and you never grew beyond that first year. So, you spent 19 years in a loop, never really growing more than what you did when you first believed. You attend church every Sunday, and you even say your prayers before bed and before every meal. You feel like an accomplished Christian because you do these things. But you don’t grow in your faith. You don’t even pick up your bible outside of Sunday anymore because your week is busy. You spend every year just repeating that first year when you were chasing God. So your 20 years is really 1 year on repeat.

Growing in faith is evidence of our relationship with God. The more we grow, the closer we get to God. If we are not growing as we should, it becomes evident in our lives. We start to look like the rest of the world. This is what I witnessed when I visited my family. My aunt, who I love dearly, believes in Jesus, but the things I witnessed from her really disturbed my spirit. It had me wondering if she was truly saved!? It pains me to even think that, but Jesus said we would know His people from their fruit, and her fruit was rotten! As time went on, I realised that the problem was she had stopped persuing God. She wasn’t a part of any church. She even confessed to not picking up her bible anymore. She was responding to everything out of her flesh instead of the Spirit. When I would try to point out these things and guide her back to the word of God, I was met with such resistance and anger. My time spent with her felt like I was in a spiritual battle that I wasn’t prepared for! Unfortunately, as I write this blog, my aunt refuses to communicate with me. I’m ok with that because, like I told her, I will always stand on the word of God because I fear the LORD! The one thing I remember her saying when I told her that being a Christian meant we had to deny ourselves was this, “but it’s hard!.”

MATTHEW 7:13-14 “ENTER BY THE NARROW GATE. FOR THE GATE IS WIDE AND THE WAY EASY THAT LEADS TO DISTRUCTION, AND THOSE WHO ENTER BY IT ARE MANY. FOR THE GATE IS NARROW AND THE WAY IS HARD THAT LEADS TO LIFE, AND THOSE WHO FIND IT ARE FEW.” Jesus warned us that following Him would be hard. That is the life of a believer! But he also promised us a helper when we placed our faith in Him and decided to choose the narrow path. The Holy Spirit is with us as we journey! God in spirit lives within us, leading us on this difficult path. We don’t do anything in our own strength. But if we stop seeking the Spirit while we journey like nomads, we will find ourselves stumbling on to the wider path and fooling ourselves to believe it is the right path because it’s easy. There is a great proverb that says that there is a path before each person that seems right but ends in death. If we stop seeking the Spirit for wisdom, we then start to do whatever feels right in our own eyes.

We live in a world, so opposed to God, it feels like we are in an episode of the twilight zone. If we are not careful, the culture will infect us, and we will start to look like friends of the world. The things that once grieved us when we first believed will no longer affect us in the same way. We will become desensitized to sin and start to make excuses for the things we know offend God. Then we will start to tell ourselves that we don’t need to go to church and be a part of the body, because we don’t need the body, why, when we can readily tune into one of our many social media pastors from the comfort of our beds. We will tell ourselves that we don’t need to read the bible because we’ve read it before . Like it’s just some regular book that holds no power. Then, before we know it, we will start to fall back into our old bondages that Jesus set us free from. Satan will sit back and laugh at us as we exchange our freedom and return back to being a slave to sin, chained up with the other unbelievers walking that wide road away from God.

I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling this shift happening throughout the church. I feel like we are in a season where it is imperative that we seek to draw closer to God and grow in our faith! My fear is that if we remain stagnant, we will not be able to endure to the end and receive our crown of life. We run the risk of becoming like the five virgins who didn’t have enough oil in their lamp and missed the wedding! We are seeing a rise in so many false teachers as well as false doctrines, and people are being led astray. God is exposing those who have built their foundations on sand instead of the rock. People are deconstructing because they can’t handle the narrow road. It’s clear that many people are doing religion with God instead of a relationship, and faith is wavering as a result. JAMES 1:2-4 “DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHEN TROUBLES OF ANY KIND COME YOUR WAY, CONSIDER IT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GREAT JOY. FOR YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOUR FAITH IS TESTED, YOUR ENDURANCE HAS A CHANCE TO GROW. SO LET IT GROW, FOR WHEN YOUR ENDURANCE IS FULLY DEVELOPED, YOU WILL BE PERFECT AND COMPLETE, NEEDING NOTHING.” The hard narrow path is meant to breed endurance through the testing of our faith, and if our foundation is firm, our faith strengthens, and we become more mature. The hard road is not meant to destroy us. This is why faith is so important. A strong faith keeps us obedient. You can’t say you have faith when your life does not reflect what you believe. As the word says, faith without action is dead!

God promised that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. I emplore you to take your relationship seriously with Him, for your life depends on it. If your faith isn’t where it needs to be, it’s time to start working out your salvation with fear and trembling! I look at what’s going on in the world and it excites me, because we are on this timeline of end time events, which is moving with such speed that I sometimes wonder if Jesus will return for His chuch in my lifetime. The bible is not only a book full of wisdom and teachings, but it is a historical and prophetic book. A big part of our growing in faith is due to the bible. If we are not reading it and seeking to understand it, how can we expect to have an unshakeable faith needed in the times we live? We are setting ourselves up for failure! PSALM 119:30 “I HAVE CHOSEN THE WAY OF FAITHFULNESS; I HAVE SET MY HEART ON YOUR LAWS.”

We are meant to seek to become mature Christians. Some of us have become unteachable, which is not a good place to be in. It’s time to become like children again, hungry to learn and grow. We are in a spiritual war, and too many of us are not wearing all our pieces of armour. We are running out into battle without our shield of faith, which is meant to protect us from the fiery arrows of the enemy. God has provided everything we need to finish our race, to be victorious in this battle. But if we are not wise and prepared, we will be destroyed. It’s time to sharpen up our swords, which is the word of God. It’s time for the body of Christ to unite, for iron sharpens iron. If you are looking to truly grow in your faith, here are some suggestions. Join a church. It’s time to have a spiritual covering. You were not created to be a lone ranger Christian. You are a functioning part of the body of Jesus Christ. Ok, I hear you when you say you tried it and it didn’t work out for you. Well, I say try again. Find a different church that is solid in theology and ask God to heal your heart of church hurt. That is what it looks like to be a mature Christian. Create a habit of reading your bible daily. Buy a study bible to help you in your personal reading so you truly understand the word of God. Find a believer who is wise and allow them to speak into your life. Go to them for godly counsel instead of looking at what the culture says about a thing. These are just a few suggestions, but they are so impactful to your walk, and I speak from experience. I have been a believer for 6 years. I am young in the faith, but I am mature because of the word of God. I am young in the faith, but I am mature because of church. I am young in the faith, but I am mature because of fellowship with my sisters and brothers who hold me accountable and who hold my hand on this narrow hard road. I thank God for placing them in my life. My prayer is that 2025 will be a year of growth in our walks with God. May our faith endure until we are reunited with our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ!

WORKER OF INIQUITY.

Happy New Year!! 2025 already! December was a busy month for me, so please accept my apologies for my inconsistency. I spent three weeks in America with my family for Thanksgiving, which is a whole story in itself. Then I returned home and went straight back to work. December was a blur. But I did receive sad news during December, which inspired this post. I have deliberated about sharing my thoughts, not wanting to come across as incensitive, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I had to talk about it. So I apologise in advance if you take offence at the subject matter, but it is important, and something we all should think about because it’s a matter of life and death!

A few weeks back, I received news that somebody I knew had passed away due to complications of an illness. I’ll call her “Susan”. I hadn’t seen Susan for a long time, I had never kept in contact with her over the years, so she had become somebody distant, an aquaintance. I used to work with Susan 10 years ago, and during that time, I had been brought into her circle of friends due to a mutual friend. I had even attended her wedding (to another woman), I was not a Christian in those days. So, when I was asked to pray for her when I first heard she was sick, I was very torn. I did pray for her, but for some reason, I felt bothered about it. I felt guilty for feeling the way I did, as I knew that it was good to pray for others, especially in their time of need. A week later, when I was told of her passing, I felt sad, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It wasn’t because I was mourning a friend, but because I didn’t know where she was going. I consoled myself with the thought that perhaps she had a life change. I hadn’t spoken to her in years, I didn’t know her anymore. Then I was added to a group chat where everybody shared their surprise of her passing, pictures, and memories of their last time with Susan. It was then that I knew for sure that she hadn’t changed. There were some people in the group who would call themselves believers. These were the people who wrote messages that Susan was with the Lord, Susan was enjoying herself in heaven. Messages that inspired a sense of hope and comfort. People said how Susan was kind, always giving to others, full of love, all the good things you want to hear. Because of her goodness, there was no doubt in the group chat that she wouldn’t be chilling in heaven. This troubled me further because I knew it wasn’t true.

I started to think about people, including “Christians,” who are under the impression that “their” gooodness will be what gets them into heaven. This false sense of security, which, in my opinion, is straight from the enemy himself! The idea that we can live opposed to God and still see heaven is baffling to me, it’s definitely not what I read in the bible, and if you call yourself a believer but don’t understand that, then I would have to ask you, do you really know God? Do you really know Jesus? So the question to you is this: If you were to die tomorrow, do you know where you are going?

MATTHEW 7:21 “NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, ‘LORD, LORD,’ WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN.” One of the most scariest verses, in my opinion. The fact that we can call on the Lord boldly but fail to see heaven should have us always working out our salvation in fear and trembling. Just because you call out to the Lord in prayer or send the amens in the group chat does not mean you are saved and secure. The question you have to ask yourself is, are you doing God’s will? Are you living in obedience to God? Are you living to the standards that your sinful flesh has created or the standards that God has created? Is it YOUR good, or is it God’s good? Just because people thought Susan was a good person doesn’t mean God agrees. Susan was not obedient to God. She did not do the will of God, and if God’s love language is obedience, then I think it’s fair to say Susan lived like she hated God. Because of that, it grieved my spirit to say that I didn’t agree with the group chat.

MATTHEW 7:22-23 “ON THAT DAY MANY WILL SAY TO ME, ‘LORD, LORD, DID WE NOT PROPHESY IN YOUR NAME, AND CAST OUT DEMONS IN YOUR NAME, AND DO MANY MIGHTY WORKS IN YOUR NAME?’ AND THEN WILL I DECLARE TO THEM, ‘I NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WORKERS OF LAWLESSNESS.” I could not imagine God turning me away and telling me He never knew me. Imagine thinking you know someone so well, but them, turning you away because they don’t know you. The plot twist being, that you actually didn’t know them like you kept proclaiming to. It hit home that many of us who call ourselves Christians don’t know God at all. TITUS 1:16 “THEY PROFESS TO KNOW GOD, BUT THEY DENY HIM BY THEIR WORKS. THEY ARE DETESTABLE, DISOBEDIENT, UNFIT FOR ANY GOOD WORK.”

I thank God that He sent His son to pay the debt I could never pay. I thank God for the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. I know I could never work my way into heaven on my own merit. I am a sinner, and because of that, I know I will always fall short of God’s glory. So I thank God for His grace and mercy! As my friend always says, you can’t pray right and live wrong! If we keep His commandments, we can truly say we know God. Yes, we may not get it right all the time, but we don’t make a practice of sinning. But if we don’t keep His commandments but claim to know God, the bible says that we are liars, not having the truth in us. Our faith should equate to action. If the things that grieve God do not grieve us, do we even have the Holy Spirit in us? When we live by the Spirit, He causes us to turn away from sin. We do the things that please God, we become righteous, the Spirit helps us to be holy. But if we live by our flesh, we turn to sin, we do the things that grieve the Spirit, we even start to make allowances for things that God sees as evil, we start to say it’s not that bad, that God doesn’t see it as sin. We start saying things like love is love, and God is love, so it’s all good. We deminish who God is and create our own version of god in our lives. 1 JOHN 3:9 “NO ONE BORN OF GOD MAKES A PRACTICE OF SINNING, FOR GOD’S SEED ABIDES IN HIM; AND HE CANNOT KEEP ON SINNING, BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD.”

I don’t know who needs to hear this or needs this reminder, but you can’t have the Father without the Son! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! Don’t let the enemy steal your free gift! The day of judgement is fast upon us, and not because I believe Jesus is coming back in glory next week. It could be another 50 years before that day comes for all we know. But because we don’t know when we will take our last breath! When we die, we won’t get another try to get it right. We can’t plead our case and say, “Forgive me, I won’t do it again, I’ll be better, I promise!” It doesn’t work like that. Live your life like Jesus is coming back tomorrow! All is not lost. The fact that God grants you life each day is a new mercy, a chance to pick up your cross and deny yourself!

HEBREWS 10:26 “FOR IF WE GO ON SINNING DELIBERATELY AFTER RECEIVING THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, THERE NO LONGER REMAINS A SACRIFICE FOR SINS,”

I’m sorry that Susan didn’t get a chance to do things differently, but if you are reading this, that means you do! Don’t be a worker of iniquity! Please don’t read this as me pointing a finger at you in judgement. Just know that I had to sit and think about my own walk with God. Maybe I have become complacent and comfortable, and that’s a dangerous place to be in. Losing someone really put things into perspective for me. As we enter into 2025, a time when we seek to better ourselves, let’s seek to better ourselves for God.

2 CORINTHIANS 13:5 “EXAMINE YOURSELVES, TO SEE WHETHER YOU ARE IN THE FAITH. TEST YOURSELVES. OR DO YOU NOT REALIZE THIS ABOUT YOURSELVES, THAT JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU?- UNLESS INDEED YOU FAIL TO MEET THE TEST!”

GROWING IN FAITH PT1.

I am currently writing this post from my phone in the U.S.A. I am on vacation, having just spent my first Thanksgiving with my family. This post is gonna be extremely short, but I will talk about it more when I get back to the U.K. I just wanted to leave a thought for the month of November.

Seeing my family is always a great time, but it also comes with great challenges. This trip reminds me of the importance of growing in faith. I am seeing the results of what happens when you become stagnant in your faith, and it is a very sobering reminder that if we don’t grow, it’s possible to start to look like we belong to the world. Our fruits stop looking like the fruits of the spirit. Sadly, it has me questioning whether people are saved because I don’t recognise the spirit in operation. I am not here to judge or make those assumptions because God knows the heart of man. But, it makes me sad to see all the same.

So… my reminder is this. Don’t forget that you have been cleansed from your old sins. Don’t be shortsighted or blind! God has given us everything we need to live a godly life, and if you don’t truly get to know Jesus Christ, you won’t receive the promise, instead you will struggle and possibly even fall away. We must GROW in our faith.

That’s my thought for the month of November. Short and sweet. This is just part one, I will talk about it in my next post. Until then, stay blessed!

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE.

Please excuse the impromptu hiatus. It really wasn’t planned. All I can say is that September was a busy month. I spent the month celebrating another year that God has graciously granted me. I took a solo trip to Paris and had an encounter with the presence of God that was so transformative, that I needed the rest of the month to sit in what He taught me, so I had nothing to talk about (for once). That’s not to say there hasn’t been anything to talk about. The world is still dark and destructive. But God is still and will always be good, so I wanted to just ponder that for a while. Like I said, there is a lot going on in this world, and it reminded me of my journey, my walk with God, the fight to keep my faith in a world that seeks to destroy it. This idea that we are taking part in a race, but not a race to get to first or even second or third place, but to just make it to the finish line made me think of marathon runners. I thought about how they train for their chosen race, whether 5k,10k, or even a half-marathon. They train for up to one year, depending on their fitness levels or experience. Marathon runners never just sign up to run without training first. Ultimately, the goal of a marathon runner is to just finish the race! This, to me, is what it is like to be a Christian. We are running this race (or walking with God) to make it to the finish line, which is where Jesus is waiting to hand us our heavenly prize.

We read the word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, making us more like Jesus. This is how we train to run our race. The longer we spend training in the word, strengthening our faith, the more endurance we build up to run this race. This race is not about coming first place. This is about making it to the finish line! I remember when I first gave my life to Jesus five years ago. I had so much fire and zeal, I am sure I took off at the start of my marathon like I was Usain Bolt, looking back at weary runners wondering why they were so slow. But as I kept running, I started to realise this wasn’t a race to first place, but a race to make it to the end. I realised that I would burn out quickly if I didn’t change the way I ran, so I made endurance my priority. MATTHEW 24:13 “BUT THE ONE WHO ENDURES TO THE END WILL BE SAVED.”

Enduring to the end simply means to remain firm in your commitment to God, to be obedient to him despite temptation, opposition, and adversity. Let’s be clear, all runners will be tempted to quit the race before the end. Many will do just that because it will seem easier. Some people might decide to take a break from running, promising to rejoin the race at a later date, which is dangerous because once you stop running you lose your momentum and find it hard to pick up where you left off. GALATIONS 5:7 “YOU WERE RUNNING WELL. WHO HINDERED YOU FROM OBEYING THE TRUTH?” And then there are the runners that run slow but keep a steady pace, these are the ones that make it to the end, these are the ones who have trained and sacrificed their time preparing for the endurance needed to receive their prize. 2 TIMOTHY 4:7 “I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH.”

PHILLIPIANS 3:12-14 “I DON’T MEAN TO SAY THAT I HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED THESE THINGS OR THAT I HAVE ALREADY REACHED PERFECTION. BUT I PRESS ON TO POSSESS THAT PERFECTION FOR WHICH CHRIST JESUS FIRST POSSESSED ME. NO, DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I HAVE NOT ACHIEVED IT, BUT I FOCUS ON THIS ONE THING: FORGETTING THE PAST AND LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD, I PRESS ON TO REACH THE END OF THE RACE AND RECEIVE THE HEAVENLY PRIZE FOR WHICH GOD, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, IS CALLING US.”

There is something about Paul talking about his imperfection and his drive to continue and to press on, looking ahead only, that I find encouraging. Paul, who knew he was not worthy for all he had done to persecute the church before he encountered Jesus, walked in a humbleness that I Iong to possess. The fact that this great man of God, whose letters we gleam from today and forever, always eluding to himself being a work in progress, is something we should all take courage from. Forgetting the past and looking forward can sometimes be the hardest part of our journeys. It’s the past that often keeps us bound from moving forward. In a world that is constantly throwing things in our paths to keep us from receiving our prize, paul tells us to press on. I imagine a strong wind working against us as we push forward, teeth gritted, determined to make it through.

The grace of God is so important as we run our marathons. Things happen in life to test us, and we are not always successful. This is what makes us all imperfect beings. But the real test of faith is what we do after we stumble or fall. Do we decide that the race is impossible and sit it out? Or do we get back up, dust off our knees, and continue on, even if our pace is slower than when we first began? It’s like when you watch a race and you see a runner take a fall and injure themself. You think that’s it, they are finished! But you see the fight in their eyes, the determination to cross that line sparks something in them that can seem somewhat supernatural at times, because even though they may no longer be able to run, they press on anyway, limping their way to the end. And as they approach the finish line, you often see their running mates swoop in to support them at the last 20 feet of the race. In that moment, it’s not about how long it took them to complete the race. In that moment, it’s about making it to the end when it seemed impossible, finding strength you didn’t know you had, not giving up!

This walk can be challenging, but that’s life. Life is a challenge. What sets someone that places their faith in Jesus apart from everyone else is that although life has it’s challenges, we do not go through lifes challenges alone. We have help, a hand to hold. We have a God who provides what we need. Don’t let your imperfections keep you from being perfected. If you stumble, let God lift you back up and keep going. Don’t look back on the past. Keep your eyes fixed on what lies ahead! Keep the word of God close to your heart. If your faith is wavering, it’s because you need to spend more time with Him in His word. His word is the key to endurance! As a brother or sister in Christ, we are called to gently and humbly help others who may be struggling to stay the course. Support each other when you see they need help. Don’t look at them as less than because their faith is weak or they are not as mature as you, walk alongside them, love them. We are one body working together with Christ at the head. Let’s start opperating as that. Every part of the body is just as important and is needed, so in a world where the love of man is growing cold, let’s show what the love of Jesus looks like so we can be the light and salt of the earth God calls us to be. JAMES 1:12 “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO REMAINS STEADFAST UNDER TRIAL, FOR WHEN HE HAS STOOD THE TEST HE WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE, WHICH GOD HAS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

PROPHECY HUNTERS, GOOD OR BAD?

Before I get into this post, let me start off by saying that I believe in the gifts of the spirit, I believe that God is still doing miracles, signs, and wonders in 2024. I am not a sceptic of such things, I serve a supernatural God, so it would be quite foolish of me if I didn’t believe in these things. But how do we stop it from becoming something that damages the church? It seems to be a sensitive subject to talk about and is usually met with negativity if you dare to voice your concerns. You are labelled as someone who doesn’t believe in the gifts of the spirit for being cautious and, in my humble opinion, wise! Now, I know that not all people who raise their concerns are coming from a place of spiritual discernment. Instead, they are scoffers and unbelievers of the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. They say that such things are no more, that they ended with the apostles of the bible. This is why I made it a point to start this post with where I stand on the matter. I love to be a part of a church that believes in the gift of prophecy. It’s super encouraging and even more awe inducing when you get multiple prophecies from different people confirming the same message! When God speaks, you listen! So why can something that seems to be a message from God be negative?

If your main focus is prophecy, and you start to seek out a word of knowledge, you start to use your spiritual discernment less because you become enamoured by the gift itself. A man can walk into your church, with all the theatrics of an entertainer, claiming to have a prophetic gift, and because you seek prophecy, you give him a voice in your church, you allow him to speak over your congregation, the congregation that God has intrusted you with to shepherd. You allow this man to speak into people, to have some sort of impact in their lives. All because he says he has a prophetic gift. Then, months later, you discover that this man doesn’t even read his bible. This man has become puffed up by the position he has been put in so quickly, he loves that the congregation looks at him like he has a direct line to God that nobody else has, he loves that his words have started to hold weight. Because of your desire to have prophecy, you let a wolf in amongst your sheep!

The bible tells us not to despise prophecies, so please do not misunderstand where I am coming from, I welcome prophecy, I love to hear it, but I also test it, like the bible tells us to. 1 JOHN 4:1 “DEAR FRIENDS, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYONE WHO CLAIMS TO SPEAK BY THE SPIRIT, YOU MUST TEST THEM TO SEE IF THE SPIRIT THEY HAVE COMES FROM GOD. FOR THERE ARE MANY FALSE PROPHETS IN THE WORLD.” It’s the same as people who claim to be believers. People who quote the bible at any given opportunity, who always talk like they are so spiritual. But when you examine their lives or their fruit, it doesn’t align with the word of God they like to quote. They live like children of the world instead of children of God. Jesus tells us that we will know who belongs to Him by their fruit, not just by what they say.

I believe we are living in the last days, and Jesus has warned us what to expect in this time. It’s quite clear in the bible that many people will fall away from the faith. When I look at what is going on within the church today, it is easy to see how that will come to be. Many false doctrines are in circulation, birthing new churches that affirm what the bible condems. There are people claiming to be the messiah, all things we are warned about in the bible. So this is a time we have to be more vigilant than ever! This is why it is important that churches don’t get carried away by seeking such gifts. Churches have an even greater responsibilty to make sure they teach God’s truths to the flock, so that the flock know how to discern what is to come, for we already know things will get much worse, so we have to make sure we have on our armour! But if you teach churches to seek prophecy instead of Jesus, you leave them open to be devoured by the wolves of the world. MATTHEW 24:24-25 “FOR FALSE MESSIAHS AND FALSE PROPHETS WILL RISE UP AND PERFORM GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS SO AS TO DECEIVE, IF POSSIBLE, EVEN GOD’S CHOSEN ONES. SEE, I HAVE WARNED YOU ABOUT THIS AHEAD OF TIME.”

My concern is that seeking the gifts of the spirit has become more important than seeking Jesus. People coming to church are coming to see all these signs, miracles, and wonders, instead of coming to see Jesus, to understand why we need Him, why everything is about Him! Church is becoming a broadway show, where people come to be entertained, instead of meeting Jesus and having a real heart change. I am always reminded of the tarrot card readers and mediums who claim to give a word of knowledge. If you don’t know what Spirit is in operation, what is the difference?

Jesus tells us believers to go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone. That should always be the focus of the church, equipping believers to be bold and share in a world that is losing all morality. When we believe, the signs and wonders follow us! We don’t have to chase them. They become a normal part of what it means to be a believer! But if we are not making believers, then it’s safe to say that maybe we will see these things less in the church, then satan will easily have a doorway to slip into the church showing these signs and wonders, and then we are hypnotised by these gifts that we are not seeing within the body, and because we start to look to these gifts we allow ourselves to be led astray. MARK 16:17-18 “AND THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE; IN MY NAME SHALL THEY CAST OUT DEVILS; THEY SHALL SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES; THEY SHALL TAKE UP SERPENTS; AND IF THEY DRINK A DEADLY THING, IT SHALL NOT HURT THEM; THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY SHALL RECOVER.”Maybe I am being dramatic. Maybe there is something that I just don’t understand. All I am trying to say is that we must tread carefully. Be cautious and use wisdom! Don’t make it so easy for the enemy to devour you. Test the spirit before you let people hold weight in your life, check their fruit! Know what the word of God says for yourself! Don’t give people authority in your life to lead you astray. Don’t dispise the gifts, but test them all!

Do you agree or disagree? Is there something I am not seeing? I genuinely want to know! What is your experience? Let’s discuss…..