The month of February is known by for many as the month of Love. Valentines Day marks the time of the year when shops are full of cards and gifts to buy for the love of your life. However some people are not sure what to make of this day, as Christians should we celebrate it or not, or does it belong to pagan tradition?
According to history, a Roman Emperor by the name of Claudius II was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Feeling pressure from surrounding enemies he needed a bigger army to defend his borders but Claudius II was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues.He believed that this was because the married men did not want to leave their wives or families and thus felt that they would not make good soldiers.
He knew the younger unmarried men were ideal to defend the empire and as a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. Upon hearing this news a priest by the name of Valentine decided to meet at a secret location with young couples to join them in holy matrimony although this was short lived; he was apprehended and sent to prison, where he was later condemned to death. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270.
Some say that Valentine had a chance to redeem himself when the emperor tried to convert him to Roman Paganism and after refusing such an offer Valentine tried to convert the emperor to Christianity. It is also believed that while he was in prison, Valentine fell in love with the jailor’s daughter and on the day of his execution wrote her a letter and signed it ‘from your Valentine’, this phrase is still being used to this day.
The scripture tells us that God is love and everything about God is love, the devil on the other hand can only offer a counterfeit love which is damaging, destructive and selfish. John 10:10 tells us that Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy. There is nowhere in scripture where we see the devil promoting love, it’s against his very nature. In Mark 9:38-40 John saw some people casting out devils in Jesus’ name and forbade them because they were not one of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus’ reply was “forbid him not for he that is not against us is on our part”. In other words if we are preaching the same gospel and promoting Christ, even though we may come from different back grounds, we are serving the same God. In today’s society the message of love should not be something we celebrate just once a year but it should be something that is demonstrated every day of the year. Husbands and wives need to show love to each other every day and learn to romance each other all year long.
Every married couple needs to keep investing into their marriage on a daily basis
Every married couple needs to keep investing into their marriage on a daily basis, you should not let one day go by that you do not make a deposit into your spouse. Right now the divorce rate is about 60% even within the church and keeps rising. In my 30 years of ministry, I have never met anyone who sought a divorce on the grounds of being loved! Divorce is normally because of hate, betrayal, mistrust, lack of love and affection and the list goes on. I believe that any day that promotes love should be a day we celebrate.
1 Corinthians 13 talks about love and how unselfish love should act yet we see families being torn apart and children growing up in broken homes. Ephesians 5:25 tells us husbands that we are to love our wives as Christ loves the church: Unconditionally! Being married doesn’t guarantee longevity in marriage. To remain happily married requires a lot of effort and commitment. It requires constant investments into the relationship to keep it fresh and alive.
As Valentine’s Day approaches it’s an opportunity for the single men to find some courage to invite that young lady to dinner. Married men, this is also an opportunity for you to do something special for the woman of your dreams, don’t think that because you are married now you don’t need to demonstrate your love for your wife. This is your opportunity to let her know how much you love her. Many of us after a while take each other for granted and life becomes all about bills, work and kids and we forget what it was that attracted us to each other in the first place. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to just be married; I want to be happily married.
My advice to you is don’t wait for one day of the year to be romantic, be romantic every day. Don’t let a day go by that you don’t say “I love you”. This advice is not just for the married couples but all of us can show love to the special people in our lives like our mums and dads, brothers and sisters. Remember that love is more than words; John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us”. If you say you love and don’t give time, affection, money, compliments or gifts then your love is questionable.
For those of you that are married, my prayer for you is that you will fall in love with each other afresh every day.
Happy Valentines Day & God bless you.
Pastor Douglas Goodman
Have you ever heard the saying "you are what you eat?" Most of us have at some time or other tried some kind of diet during our lifetime. Then there are those who aren’t bothered and eat what they want when they want. This month we are going to look at the type of food we need to eat in order to achieve a healthier you.
Let us first of all look at what the Bible has to say about food and what we put into our bodies. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says; Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. The emphasis is not so that we put all our focus on food or what we eat but to discipline ourselves to eat what is good, right and healthy for our bodies because after all our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
As a wife and mother I feel it’s my duty not to just watch what I eat but to ensure that my family eat healthy too. Most of the time I am the one that will do the food shopping so I stay away from the additive-filled junk foods which have a negative effect on energy levels. Junk foods have side effects that can leave our bodies feeling sluggish, lethargic and low in energy because they contain little or no nutrients, it may taste good but it doesn’t do our bodies any good.
We can make a choice to eat healthy nutritious meals that nourish us physically and benefit our general health and wellbeing. I remember my family protesting about having to eat their vegetables or salad but over time they have come to appreciate having healthy and balanced meals.
A healthier you requires you eating your 5 a day of fruit and vegetables – make sure you include something green on your plate at meal times. Your plate shouldn’t be full of carbohydrate-heavy foods so try and keep the carbs to just one portion on your plate in this way you are keeping your meals healthier and more nutritious.- Don’t go food shopping when you are hungry as you are more likely to pick up junk foods. If it’s not in the house then you can’t be tempted to eat it. Drink plenty of water – most people say they don’t like the taste of water but drinking water is good and necessary for your body. Cut out fizzy drinks and drinks that are full of flavouring and colouring and go for the pure stuff.
- Show your physical body some respect by taking better care of it not only by eating right, drinking plenty of water but including some form of physical exercise. 1 Corinthians 9:27 says; But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection...
- Include fasting in your lifestyle – fasting helps to sharpen our spiritual awareness whilst benefiting our physical bodies. Isaiah 58.8 says ‘T
hen your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily....’
Romans 14: 17 says ‘for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’ Make that decision to honour your physical body that God has given you by not being enslaved to unhealthy food cravings and include fasting in your lifestyle to keep your flesh under control.
As you work towards a healthier and stronger you remember what Proverbs 4:20-22 says ‘My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.’ Let your focus be on the Lord and be continually satisfied with Him and with His Word as you live a healthy and balanced Christian lifestyle.
One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts - Psalms 145:4
This scripture is talking about one generation passing on something to the next, in this context it’s talking about praise. When I look around at today’s parents I have to ask myself “what are you actually passing on to the next generation?” There were things that were passed on to me from my mother; as how I was to raise my children. When I eventually got married and started a family of my own, my mother was there to teach me and guide me in my new role as a mother. The generation of today don’t ask for or want advice but act as though they know it all. I had the common sense to know that I had never done this before and even though I had younger siblings, I couldn’t qualify myself as a mother based on watching or helping to look after them. I have been fortunate to have spent some time with some new mums and found that there is so much they don’t know about the basics of raising children. I assumed that most women had mothers or older women that would impart to them their wisdom and experience about raising their children, my assumption was wrong. Over the next several months I will be sharing some of my personal experiences on how I raised my children as well as what the Bible tells us about raising our children.
The first thing that we need to understand is that we have a tremendous responsibility and privilege in raising the next generation. Through nurturing our children are taught how to talk, walk, act etc. Many parents of our generation are lazy or inexperienced and some are even children themselves who don’t understand what it is they are supposed to do.
LESSON 1
We have a responsibility to train the next generation Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) says “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
It is the biblical duty of every generation of Christians to ensure that the next generation hears and knows about God and His mighty acts. God does not send an angel with a Bible from heaven to teach the next generation. It is God’s intention that the older generation teach the newer generation to read and think and trust and obey God. Romans 10:14 says “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” God draws near to every new generation of believers, which He does through the Biblical truth that they learn from the preceding generations. If our generation does not grasp or understand biblical truth then we will drop the baton that we are supposed to pass to the preceding generations.
This generation has a biblical and relational responsibility to educate the next generation by modelling a lifestyle that is passionate and zealous for the things of God. There is nothing worse than dry, unemotional, indifferent teaching about God - whether at home or at church. It says one thing about God and portrays another, it is inconsistent because if our teaching or training is dry, indifferent and boring then the next generation are not going to be interested in what we have to say about God. So one of the ways that we can effectively train the next generation is to be passionate and zealous about God; model Him in a way that others would want to know Him because of the way you portrayed Him.
The responsibility to train the next generation begins in our homes in front of our families and then moves to our friends and associates. We train the next generation in our churches by modelling biblical truth with zeal and passion. As a Pastor I sometimes find it difficult to refer a younger person to an older person because I don’t see certain things that I am looking for being modelled. Some of the older generation have adapted some strange and unbiblical behaviour that has deeply affected the younger generation. I think one of the reasons for this is because the older generation were not generationally minded and lived very much for the moment. If they had thought generationally I strongly believe the church worldwide would be much stronger and grounded than it is today. Our mindset has got to change to begin to think generationally so we can prepare a legacy to pass on to the next generation. You don’t have to have children to train the next generation the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:2 that we are epistles(letters) known and read by all men. The next generation is watching us to see if we are living by the biblical truths of God’s Word with zeal and passion. The first thing we can do is to get rid of all flakiness, strange doctrines and behaviour that are not in line with God’s Word and begin to live in agreement with the Word of God. Cultivate a passion and zeal for the things of God so that when you talk about Him, you talk with passion and zeal, as I said before there is nothing worse than a boring, indifferent and unemotional teacher.
The first lesson then is to think and act generationally. Remember that you are representing Christ to the next generation and He is not indifferent or boring so represent Him as He is diverse, exciting, dynamic, incredible, amazing and passionate to name just a few. Model him in this way to your children, your friends and family and in your churches and community.
Parenting Tip:
Model Him to your children in church and at home by teaching them to put their hands together and close their eyes when a prayer is being said.
Pastor Erica Goodman
We have just come out of the festive season which for many can be known as the spending season. The whole world system has built in our minds an imprint or picture of “The Christmas world” which simply means “a time to spend. Even though we do not have enough we will even take a loan from the bank or a friend just to feel like we are not left out or feel awkward. The truth about the whole world system is that it is simply a deceptive way to make us feel we should ‘shop till we drop’ and make people around us feel that we really love them and care for them by how much we spend on them. No sooner is the Christmas season over with, we are then hit with the January sales with even more temptation to spend what we don’t really have.
I am not against buying and spending as long as it is in accordance to our means. The question arises how have we planned out our spending as children of the God of all wisdom? Let’s not forget that we live in a world where Satan the father of lies rules and he is the meaning of the word deception.
The big question arises about our finances and how we manage our finances as children of the greatest life management entrepreneur ever known. God himself has been known to have a track record of excellent management. We never get too much or too little of the free oxygen we breathe in daily; there is no mistake in the accurate timing for our day and night or inaccuracies to the positioning of the stars or moon in the galaxy. It is therefore clear that the mismanagement of our finances is not a godly approach or part of God’s plan and design for our lives. Ultimately anything that is not of God is of the enemy; the deceiver of Gods people, as the Bible rightly describes him. Often times we associate the devil with well reiterated sins like lying, stealing fornication, murder slander, back biting or anger. However the devil’s overriding purpose is to make us feel dissatisfied or discontent with what we have. This is why the Bible says in Hebrews 13:5a ‘’Let your conduct be without covetousness be content with such things as you have.....” The act of reckless spending puts stress on us as individuals in our day to day life and puts us in an endless mode of questioning God in which we are always querying why are we in constant lack or barely ever having enough when we know that we have not been good stewards of what He has put in our hands. We must adopt the life-style of being content and wise as stated in Phillipians 4:11-13 “I have learnt to be content whatever the circumstance.....I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
As children of God we must develop wisdom in the area of financial management. We must adopt the habit of planning and stick to it. The Bible teaches us not to squander our funds; we are to avoid being extravagant and wasteful. We must learn to deal with the needs and not the wants. The first thing we must do with our income as Christians is to honour God with our tithe, which is the tenth of our income. As stated in Deuteronomy 14:22-29, one-tenth of all our increase that comes to our possession belongs to God. Once the tithe has been taken out then we start planning in accordance to our “needs” and not our wants.
We must itemize our needs in accordance to priority with no distracting excuses. When you spend the money for your needs on your covetous wants, then you starve yourself of the daily peace from the Prince of peace.
Things to do to help monitor/manage your finances:
- Have your funds written out sincerely in the total amount earned as income.
- Take out your tithe first to avoid the temptation of spending it. It is Gods never yours (Deut 14:22-29).
- List your expenses in accordance to your genuine unavoidable priorities: Proverbs: 24:27 ‘’Finish your outdoor work, and get your field ready after that build your house.
- Do not take out loans or credit/store cards, these are called foolish loans. Make early payments to avoid late payment charges if you already hold a credit or store card Proverbs 22:7. Rom 13:8 ‘’Let no debt remain outstanding…’’
- Spend strictly in accordance and within the boundaries of what you have budgeted as your available funds. Carefully check your weekly and monthly expenses then cut off the unnecessary items. God wants us to be careful in planning our spending. Luke 14: 28-30: ‘’Which of you will want to build a tower, will not sit down first to count the cost’’.
- As little as it might seem, keep some money aside in the New Year. Do your best not to enter the New Year broke. Proverbs 21:20: ‘’in the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.’’
- Do not see your set aside funds as available to spend when you want, but rather see it as a building block Proverbs 13:11 “He who gathers money little by little makes it grow “
- Do not stand as a Guarantor for any loan or money agreement in contract. Being a guarantor simply proves that the person applying for the loan is predictably unable to pay back, hence a guarantor is required. On agreement you are basically inviting the lenders to take your money. Being a guarantor might cost you your hard earned funds. Proverbs 22:26-27: ‘’ Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts, if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you’’
- Be careful not to develop a “keeping up with the Jones’s” mentality , Jesus said a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses (Luke 12:15 ).
Believe in yourself to do what is right, do not compare your finances with others, but build step by step with what you have in your hands right now to furnish your growth into your tomorrow.
Omon Omobude
The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it. If you do have to go out allow yourself extra time to reach your destination. If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared and that you know how to handle hazardous road conditions.
WINTERIZE YOUR CAR
Driving in the winter means snow, sleet and ice that can lead to slower traffic, hazardous road conditions, hot tempers and unforeseen dangers. To help you make it safely through winter, here are some suggestions to make sure that you and your vehicle are prepared.
YOUR CAR
Prepare your car for winter. It’s worth taking your car in for a check-up to make sure that all is well and any antifreeze has been added to radiators and that your screen wash is filled with a screen wash that contains anti-freeze. These are just some of the things that you need to make sure are checked:
- Check the battery.
- Checking the tyres for air, sidewall wear and tread depth.
- Check antifreeze levels.
NECESSARY EQUIPMENT
An emergency situation on the road can arise at any time and you must be prepared. In addition to making sure you have a full tank of petrol, and fresh anti-freeze, you should carry the following items in your boot:
- Properly inflated spare tyre in good working order, wheel wrench and tripodtype jack
- Shovel
- Jumper cables
- Tow rope
- Bag of salt or sand
- Tool kit
ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES
Be prepared with a “survival kit” that should always remain in the car. Remember to replenish after use. Essential supplies include:
- Working torch and extra batteries
- Reflective triangles
- Blanket
- Car phone charger
- First aid kit
- Ice scraper and snow brush
- Non-perishable, high-energy foods like unsalted canned nuts, dried fruits, and boiled sweets.
- In addition, if you are driving long distances under cold, snowy, and icy conditions, you should also carry supplies to keep you warm such as heavy woollen gloves, socks, a hat and extra blankets.
DRIVING SAFELY ON ICY ROADS
- Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room from the vehicle in front to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
- Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock, ease off the brake.
- Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
- Keep your lights and windshield clean.
- Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
- Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
- Take extra care on bridges, overpasses and infrequently travelled roads.
- Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and frontwheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.
- Make sure you can see. Replace windshield wiper blades. Clean the inside of your windows thoroughly. Make sure your windshield washer system works and is full of an anti-freeze fluid.
- Run the air-conditioner. In order to remove condensation and frost from the interior of windows, engage your air-conditioner and select the fresh air option: It’s fine to set the temperature on “hot.” Many cars automatically do this when you choose the defrost setting.
- Check your lights. Use your headlights so that others will see you. Make sure your headlights and tail lights are clear of snow.
- Give yourself a brake. Learn how to get maximum efficiency from your brakes before an emergency. It’s easy to properly use antilock brakes: Stomp on the pedal as if you were trying to snap it off. Stay hard on the pedal. Steer around the obstacle. A warning: A little bit of steering goes a very long way in an emergency. If you drive on icy roads or roads that are covered with snow, modify your ABS technique: After you “Stomp” and the ABS begins cycling — you will feel pulses in the pedal or hear the system working — ease up slightly on the pedal until the pulsing happens only once a second. For vehicles without ABS, you will have to rely on the old-fashioned system. Firmly push the brake pedal until the wheels stop rolling, then immediately release the brake enough to allow the wheels to begin turning again. Repeat this sequence rapidly. This is not the same as “pumping the brake.” Your goal is to have the tyres producing maximum grip regardless of whether the surface is snow, ice or damp pavement.
- Watch carefully for “black ice.” If the road looks slick, it probably is. This is especially true with one of winter’s worst hazards: “black ice. This is transparent ice that often looks like a harmless puddle or is overlooked entirely.
- Remember the tough spots. Remember where icy roads tend to occur. Bridges and back roads are common places.
- Also too much steering is bad. The common but incorrect reaction is to continue turning the steering wheel. That won’t improve the situation and may make things worse. Sadly, there are situations where nothing will prevent a crash, but turning the steering too much never helps.
- Technology offers no miracles. four-wheel drive (FWD) and ABS control can get you into trouble by offering a false sense of security. FWD can only help a vehicle accelerate or keep moving: It can’t help you go around a snow-covered turn, much less stop at an icy intersection. ABS can prevent a spinout, but it can’t clear ice from the roads or give your tyres more traction. Don’t let these lull you into overestimating the available traction.
Regardless of your driving skill or vehicle preparation, there are some winter conditions that can’t be conquered. But these tips may help prevent snowy and icy roads from ruining your day.
This message has been on my heart for some time now. In studying this topic I have found many parallels between physical exercise and growing as a Christian. From personal experience I have found that physical strength such as stamina and muscle strength does not remain if you stop exercising. It doesn’t matter how much you develop this strength, if you don’t maintain it through regular and consistent exercise. If you do not you quickly begin to lose the strength that you had previously acquired. The same thing is true of our spiritual strength to a greater degree if we are not faithful to maintain a regular and consistent routine of prayer, study of the Word, church attendance, memorising scripture and renewal of the mind we lose the strength that we acquired. I have found that most Christians live with a false sense of security concerning the strength they think they have based on where they were yesterday, last month or last year. One thing that we must understand is that we have to be consistent and diligent with our growth as a Christian.
Just like the person who goes to the gym several times a week to maintain their fitness level, as a Christian you cannot ‘step off’ and miss a day from studying the Word, prayer, renewing your mind or attending church. You break that routine and you will lose your momentum and it is so hard to pick up and get started again once that discipline is broken. You can test how strong or weak you are as a Christian by how you respond to problems, offences, trials, temptations etc.
Your response will determine or show you your strength and your weakness. For example if you are easily offended then it shows that your strength is weak in the area of love because the scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that love takes no account of the wrong done to it; so you need to work on that area of your life until you become strong enough to forgive and let people go who have wronged you. If you keep talking about what they have done to you, it means you haven’t forgiven and you’re weak and undeveloped in the area of love. Another area you can see your strength or weakness is if you are always struggling with depression, discouragement, negative or suicidal thoughts. You need to take the Word of God on a daily basis and strengthen your mind until you develop the mind of Christ.
Learn to cast down imaginations and everything that tries to enter your mind that is contrary to the Word of God and bring every thought captive to the obedience of God’s Word (2 Cor. 10:5-6). One of the reasons a person struggles with negative thoughts and discouragement is because they have a weak mind that needs to be strengthened with daily exercise of the Word through reading and memorising scriptures.
WE OFTEN MEASURE CHRISTIANS BY...
Church attendance – Attending church on a regular basis does not amount to someone being a strong Christian. Participating in church activities such as Bible, or evangelism classes, visitation programs or memorising and quoting scriptures can also be thought of as being synonymous with a strong Christian. However the problem with this measure is that It tends to measure the outside of man. From personal experience I have learnt that people can do all these things, and still be spiritually weak and immature on the inside. There are many kinds of strengths. But the true Christian strength is not of the body. True Christian strength is of the spirit and it is measured in faithfulness, trust, and perseverance and the good news is that God wants you to be strong in Him because you are in a spiritual battle against the forces of darkness. There are many things to fight such as temptation, lust, disappointment, discouragement, offence, failure of seeing your plans and hopes fulfilled, sexual temptation, unforgiveness, hatred of others, covetousness, addictions: alcohol, drugs, pornography, even pride. God wants you to be strong enough to overcome and walk free from all these things.
Ephesians 6:10-18 - (NIV) “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
When we fail to strengthen ourselves compromise will begin to set in. Let’s take a brief look at the example of these three men:
Solomon: the wisest of all men, he had tremendous wisdom, wealth and power but despite all of that he had a weakness. His weakness was compromise. By marrying many foreign women he fell into idolatry and served false gods.
Samson: the strongest of all men, he killed 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey and he toppled a temple with his bare hands. Yet despite all of that he was unable to resist the persistence of a woman by the name of Delilah who hounded him until he told her the secret of his strength, and through her betrayal he ultimately fell.
David: A gifted psalmist who loved the Lord. Despite the beautiful Psalms he wrote and the tremendous victories he had through God he fell into the temptation of lust, then adultery, then murder. As strong as these men were they all fell because they had areas where they were weak and the enemy knew their weaknesses; exploited them and used it against them. God wants you to be strong in Him because the spiritual battle can only be won, first of all, by putting on His armour and secondly by building yourself up in Him daily.
Here are 5 steps to help you develop your strength:
- Be disciplined - 1 Corinthians 9:27 says “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection...”. The biggest struggle that most people have is lack of discipline and consistency – in fact it’s a problem with our generation today, that’s why gyms will have you pay membership because they know how inconsistent people are when it comes to discipline. Church reminds me very much of the gym; you have those that enrol and never get past the restaurant, then there are those that start to use the machines but don’t want to over exert themselves or be overly challenged. These are the ones that come to church but don’t like to be challenged or put under any kind of pressure to change. These people will look for a church where the messages preached are void of any conviction or challenge to change. Then there are those who show up a few times but due to a lack of surrender (inconsistency) eventually stop coming. We should all desire to become like those who are committed and consistent and seek out opportunities to build up their spiritual strength and stamina, for e.g. the Women of Excellence or Men of Destiny retreats.
- You must completely rely on God, not on yourself – if you rely on yourself you will find yourself in trouble. Proverbs 3:5 says that we are to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and lean not to our own understanding. When we live independent of God we have a tendency of getting ourselves in trouble.
- Pray at all times in the Spirit. God wants you to be strong in Him because the spiritual battle is won through prayer. This means that we are to continue in prayer even though we may not see the answer. Jude 1:20 says “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” There is so much to pray about that we can never say we don’t know what to pray for. Pray for your brothers and sisters in church. Pray for those in leadership in your church and the nation. Pray for your pastors. Pray daily in the Holy Spirit because in doing so we pray the perfect will of God.
- In order for you to be strong, you must have faith, you must put on faith – you must develop your faith muscles on purpose. Learn to trust God for the smallest of things. Believe His Word, trust His Word for He and His Word are one and they never lie. I am not talking about faith for material possessions; I am talking about faith that chooses to trust God every day for all things. Acts 3:16 says “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” Without faith it’s impossible to please God (Hebrews 11: 6) so faith is an integral part of your strength as a believer. The scripture says in Proverbs 24:10 that if you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small (weak). Purpose to develop big faith muscles by not casting away your confidence in God when you are faced with problems.
- Renew your mind daily – A lot of believers don’t understand who they are in Christ and because of this they live a weak and defeated life. The problem area that most people struggle with is not in their spirit; it is in their mind and body. It is every believer’s responsibility to take God’s Word and renew his mind; then he can use that Word to control his body. Ephesians 4:22-24: (...put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 2and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Paul was explaining to the Ephesians that they had been delivered from their sinful flesh and had been re-created in righteousness. However, it was their responsibility, as an act of their will, to put on the new man in Christ and stop doing the works of the flesh. The same principle applies to you and me as believers today. We have been re-created by God in the spirit, but we must take the Word of God and use it to renew our minds and control our flesh. The basics of renewing your mind is to simply do what THE WORD SAYS. One of the biggest problems of our generation is that we don’t do what we are taught or know to do. So many of the saints today choose to act contrary to what is taught in the Word or in their church. At V2V Church we teach the uncompromised Word of God in its entirety, if you are not living by that uncompromised Word then it’s because you have chosen to forsake the teaching you hear and live by the dictates of your flesh and your old sinful nature.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us about the fruit of the Spirit because a person who is truly strong is governed, submitted to and led by the Spirit of God. Colossians 3:12-17 reminds us of the kind of Christ like characteristics we should develop first and foremost is our “inner man”.
Let us honestly judge ourselves and consider where we fall short, let us stop “putting on a front”, pretending to be something we are not - the Lord sees us as we really are. Let’s be sure that the “measure” by which we examine ourselves is the same one used by the Lord in 1 Samuel 16:7!”...For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Pastor Erica Goodman
Most people have a desire to lose weight especially after the Christmas season when they have gained a few extra pounds. If losing some weight and getting fit and healthy in the New Year is one of your goals then we have some tips to help you achieve and maintain your goal. One of the first things we must understand is our metabolism.
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism refers to a variety of biochemical reactions that occur within the cells of the human body. These reactions not only keep the cells functioning, but are also essential to maintaining the living state of the body. Metabolism most commonly refers to energy production and the process by which calories consumed are broken down and transformed into energy. For some people, this process is naturally quite efficient. However, others may have a slow metabolic rate and struggle to lose weight. With regular cardiovascular exercise and healthy eating you will be able to raise your metabolism and begin to lose weight.
How do I increase my metabolism?
The speed at which your body metabolizes food into energy depends on three key factors:
- How many calories you consume
- How many calories you burn
- Your genetics
While the genetic component is largely out of your control, there is much that can be done to affect the consumption and utilization of calories to ultimately promote a healthy, efficient metabolism.
Being active has a major influence on our metabolism. Exercise increases your requirement for energy and keeps your metabolism active in order to meet that increased need. Eating a healthy, balanced diet
also supports a healthy metabolism because your body uses energy to digest and absorb the nutrients you consume through foods. Just don’t forget the words “healthy” and “balanced” when it comes to eating.
Overeating or filling your plate with unhealthy food items will not bring about the same metabolism-boosting benefits. A measure that you can use when eating is if you eat it, you have to pay for it by putting in that extra time when exercising. Most people struggle with diets and weight loss because they think that they will achieve their desired goal just by cutting back on certain foods. To see the greatest results you must couple exercise with healthy eating. That means retraining your body by cutting out unhealthy snacks, reducing your portion sizes and cutting out processed foods.
Does metabolism decrease with age?
The answer is yes, as we get older, we tend not to engage in as much exercise in other words we slow down in our activities. As a result, the need for energy declines and the activity of one’s metabolism slows down. So what can we do to avoid this happening? As much as possible, stay active throughout life—no matter how old you may be!
In order to burn more calories and excess fat, you have to include cardiovascular activities into your exercise routine such as walking, running and swimming, which also helps to keep your heart healthy.
How does diet affect metabolism?
Diet plays an instrumental role in metabolic health. Consuming more calories than your body can use, especially from foods that lack nutritional density, can result in the storage of those calories as fat. So be wise when it comes to how much you eat as well as what you eat, and if ever in doubt, choose fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, and lean meats over anything processed or fried.
To many, the Christian conversion means coming forward in a church service or evangelistic meeting and praying the prayer of Salvation; but is that all there is to be a Christian? Is that all that is needed to become a Christian?
The word Convert means: An event that results in a transformation; A spiritual enlightenment causing a person to lead a new life; A change of religion; The act of changing from one use or function or purpose to another. The word "converted" appears three times in the New American Standard Version of the Scripture. The first is in Psalm 51:13, where David says, "Then I will teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners will be converted to Thee."
The second is Matthew 18:3, where Jesus says, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." Finally, in John 12:40 where John quotes
Isaiah, saying, "He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them."
The Greek word in these passages translated "converted" is STREPHO and it means "to turn."
With this information I want to now ask, "What difference should conversion make in a person’s life and should there be a difference in how we live now to how we lived prior to this conversion?"
To become a Christian first involves the acknowledgement of Christ’s deity: Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Secondly it involves a decision to turn from one’s sins: It is a misconception to think that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change not only in our belief but it is also a change in our behaviour. Conversion is an ongoing process of change where the Christian converts through daily application of God’s Word, becomes more and more like Christ in manner, thought, word and deed.
To be truly converted means to have an ongoing transformation in every area of our lives. A true convert is not someone who just attends church on a Sunday through religious rituals but is someone whose entire life embraces being changed to live in accordance to God’s Holy Word.
Ask a girl what it means to be single and she’ll probably tell you it means ‘to be unmarried’. Ask a guy and he’ll say it means freedom! Sadly, for a lot of us ladies, the single state is often viewed as a seasonal
trial – we’re just passing through on the way to our real lives as someone’s wife. But what if real life is right now?! We’re born single and like all things God does, this is for a reason. It’s not so you can spend months or even years on end expecting every man who so much as darts a glance in your direction to be Mr Right. It’s not even so you can keep looking for Mr Right-Now in the vain hope that he’ll come up to scratch.
You’re created single because God wants you that way – all to Himself. Psalm 139:13-14 (NLT) says it this way: You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together….You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
Whenever I bake a cake, I measure out each ingredient carefully. I prepare them individually, beforemixing them in at appropriate intervals according to the particular cake I want to make before baking for a predetermined duration. When my cake is ready, I display it on a cooling rack and I waft the smell towards me – I savour it. Before I cover my cake with custard, ice cream or chocolate sauce, I like to just taste it in all its cakey glory. I always relish that first taste and knowing that what I made was good. In your time alone, God is savouring you – He wants to know that He got you just right.
And how will He know? When you start to look like him. God is always moving, creating, shaping and doing. So what are you supposed to be doing? Well that depends on the outcomes you want. One thing I have learned is that ‘If you always do what you’ve always done you will always get what you’ve always got!’ That means if I want my life to change, I have to live it differently. I have to sow different seeds to reap a different harvest.
Lots of us have dated guys and learned exactly what we don’t want! Don’t hold it against them – every frog is somebody’s prince. But change what you are doing to attract attention that you don’t want. If you want romance, sow it. If you want to dine at expensive Mayfair restaurants, sow there (you will also want to familiarise yourself with the etiquette of such establishments!). Date your mates – send them flowers, take them out to dinner or the theatre, arrange surprise events and make them feel appreciated. Be the change you want to see in your world. At the very least you’ll eat some great meals and solidify lasting friendships.
Ever heard of a bucket list? It’s a list of things to do before you die. It sounds a bit morbid, but just hear me out! The thing about a bucket list is that everyone’s got one. You might not have committed it to paper, but in your heart you know the things you want to do, but just haven’t gotten around to quite yet. What are you waiting for? Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the USA said ‘We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon’. What if he is? Have you seen everything you wanted to? Done everything you wanted to? Tasted everything you wanted to? Said everything you wanted to (or maybe don’t want to, but know that you should?!). Life isn’t lived in the locker room – it’s played out on the field, so get in the game!
If you’re stuck for ideas about what to do or where to go, try signing up with a social adventure company like Living Social Adventures. http://livingsocial.com/adventures they offer fully customized and uniquely enjoyable experiences ranging from river tubing to sushi-making classes! They create and produce fully-curated social events. For fun times on a budget, Living Social also offers great discounts on meals out, exercise classes and weekends away. Learn another language, pick up a new skill or even change career track. You are accountable to nobody but yourself (and your bank manager) - isn’t that a
luxury?
Single means more than ‘not married’. It is defined as being individual, selected for a special use, for one person - singled out. Don’t be the noun, be the verb - we are more than just single girls – we are singled out girls. Chosen. Choose to enjoy your time with God while He gets you just right.